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There is political interference in the operation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia

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There is political interference in the operation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia

Socialist Party first vice-president and general secretary Cosmas Musheke Musumali has said there is political interference in the operation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Dr. Musumali said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was working within the “political wheels of power” when it ruled that Bowman Lusambo and Joseph Malanji could not contest elections in Kabushi and Kwacha.

ECZ last month rejected the nomination from Mr. Malanji and Mr. Lusambo on account that they disqualified from contesting their former seats after nullification of the Kwacha and Kabushi seat respectively.

But the Constitutional Court this week ruled that Bowman Lusambo and Joseph Malanji are eligible to re-contest the Kabushi and Kwacha parliamentary by elections respectively.

Mr. Lusambo and Mr. Malanji had challenged in court the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s decision to reject their nomination to re-contest the Kabushi and Kwacha seat respectively.

Speaking on HOT FM’s Hot Seat radio programme following a ruling by the Constitutional Court that overturned the decisions, Dr Musumali accused the government of political interference in the electoral process.

Lusambo and Malanji are now free to contest the seats.

He said political interference is killing ECZ.

“ECZ rushed to make a decision and it’s a tricky situation that we find ourselves in. What is the ECZ going to do now? The ConCourt is saying, the situation as it stands, there was no fairness in it. So what is going to be the response of the ECZ?” Dr Musumali asked.

“What is killing the ECZ is the political interference and we suspect, in these hurriedly made decisions, a tragic decision that was made . . . they were working under political interference.”

Dr Musumali said the ECZ decision was obviously rushed and made on flimsy grounds, citing the “grade 12 certificate” argument against Malanji as a case in point.

“The issue (for Malanji’s case) was not the grade 12 certificate, but that is the one that was brought up. And it was brought up in a way that it even caught his lawyers by surprise. If that was the issue, Malanji would have been given time to bring the certificate and show it to the court.”

He accused the UPND government of taking revenge against the ECZ for the way it had been treated in the past.

“The UPND suffered a lot due to some of the decisions made by the ECZ, but you don’t take revenge. You don’t come to power with anger. That anger, because you don’t like the people at the ECZ or as an institution, there was a need to start a dialogue, to start getting the people at the ECZ to work a certain way. Political interference makes professionalism impossible, and that is what we are seeing in the ECZ.

“We shouldn’t throw away the ECZ, because we need it, but what we need is to improve the professionalism. What is killing the ECZ is political interference.”

Dr Musumali said the decisions over Lusambo and Malanji would have been different if the Commission was professional.

“We have always as the Socialist Party raised issues against some of the decisions of the ECZ. The ECZ is an important institution in our democratic process and we want it to function in a professional way. In the past, we have made our reservations known. What was going wrong with the ECZ. But the ECZ has been an institution that we have had a dialogue with, we have supported some of its decisions,” he said.

Dr Musumali said the Socialist Party supported efforts to modernise the ECZ, although he noted that it had been at “half capacity” recently.

“When you talk about the digitisation of voting and electoral voting, we are behind it. The idea of getting people in prisons to go and vote, we supported that. The thinking that even Zambians in the diaspora can actually vote in 2026, we are for that, we are behind it. So there are some new innovations of the ECZ that we support.”

Dr. Musumali said ECZ was operating at half capacity after the departure of key personal.

He said due to chief electoral officer Patrick Nshindano leaving and chairperson Esau Chulu’s contract not being renewed, the ECZ was now functioning at half capacity.

Four candidates filed their nomination in the Kabushi election while five candidates managed to file their nomination in Kwacha Constituency last month.

ECZ has set 15th September, 2022 as the date for the two parliamentary by elections.

Dr. Musumali echoed the comment made by his President Fred M’membe hours after the Constitutional Court ruling.

Dr. M’membe welcomed the Constitution Court ruling that has declared Bowman Lusambo and Joseph Malanji eligible to re-contest the Kabushi and Kwacha parliamentary by elections respectively.

Dr M’membe said the Constitutional Court has redeemed itself after wrongfully nullifying the Kwacha and Kabushi parliamentary seats.

He vowed that the Socialist Party will do everything possible to ensure that Mr Malanji and Mr Lusambo win back the seats that were unjustly and unfairly taken away from them..

But electoral expert McDonald Chipenzi said the Constitutional Court judgement is not convincing but must be respected as it helps in the legal reform agenda of the electoral process.

Mr. Chipenzi said the idea of nullification of an election is to fight electoral corruption and punish offenders by not allowing them stand again the life of that parliament or council.

Southern province Co-operative Marketing Union asks for more hammer-mills

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Southern province Co-operative Marketing Union asks for more hammer-mills

The Southern Province Co-operative Marketing Union (SPCMU) says more solar hammers mills are needed in the province.

SPCMU Chairperson Lawrence Mudaala says the demand for 30 hammer mills follows the various benefits the communities has enjoyed among them being reduced prices of the essential commodity in the region.

Mr. Mudaala says the millers would evenly be distributed once acquired from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry.

ZANIS reports that the SPCMU Chairperson said this in an interview Friday, in Zimba.

“There is demand from our co-operatives for more solar hammer mills. We’ve requested for 30 more in order to service our clientele in various parts of province,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mudaala has revealed that the Union has made positive strides in recovering the money from the hammer mills.

“Repayment of loans from the solar hammer mills is progressing on well. There is accountability from our members,” Mr. Mudaala bragged.

He commended the Co-operative members for exhibiting integrity and accountability on monetary matters.

In 2015, Government bought 2,000 solar powered hammer mills under the auspices of the presidential milling initiative and working closely with the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) and Government through the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry.

The hammer mills procured from China were allocated across to all the 10 provinces in Zambia and they have since created jobs among the Zambian people.

ZNBS refutes claims of alleged theft of funds by Directors through private payroll

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ZNBS refutes claims of alleged theft of funds by Directors through private payroll

The Zambia National Building Society refutes claims by some sections of society, especially the media, who published an article that some Directors at the Institution have been arrested for embezzlement of funds through a private payroll.

In a statement issued by the Zambia National Building Society Public Relations Department, the institution has noted with disappointment some false and inaccurate headlines published through a named media publication in which it is alleged that a private payroll has been created and is used to misappropriate funds by the Directors at the Institution.

The Institution cited that, it takes a zero-tolerance stance to fraud and any form of malpractice, as the Society is committed to maintaining the highest level of ethics as espoused through its brand values which includes integrity, excellence, customer service and respect.

“Respect includes respect for the rule of law as a good corporate citizen,” the Society cited

The Zambia National Building Society has categorically stated that the issues currently under investigation, concerning some of its employees were identified through the Society’s own internal issue identification mechanism and were reported to the relevant authorities for further investigations.

Therefore, the Institution remains resolute in pursuing its mission of providing affordable housing finance and being the leading Mortgage lending institution in Zambia.

Brief facts of the matter are that, yesterday, 8th September, 2022, some media houses published a news article on various online platforms stating that the Zambia National Building Society Directors have stolen over 649, 000 Kwacha by manipulating payroll.

And that some Senior Directors at the Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) were caught in a fraudulent scheme in which they created a secret payroll, which they used to pay themselves different allowances amounting to over 649, 000 Kwacha.

It was stated that Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga confirmed the arrest of the three Zambia National Building Society employees who have since been charged with the offence of “Theft by Servant”.

And according to sources within ZNBS, the Directors from the Human Resource Department created a private payroll through which they allocated themselves different types of allowances without approval from top management.

The sources further narrated that the directors would send the secret payroll funds to junior employees’ accounts and later instruct them to withdraw and send the money to them.

65% women prefer delivering from health facilities in Monze

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65% women prefer delivering from health facilities in Monze

Monze District Director of Health, Gocho Kapoba, has disclosed that about 35 percent of expectant women in the district prefer to give birth at home while 65 percent desire to deliver from health facilities.

Dr. Kapoba said this situation should be changed so that maternal deaths can drastically reduce in the district.

Speaking during the hygiene behaviour change training for community-based volunteers and health staff yesterday, Dr. Kapoba said out of 43 health facilities, less than 20 have maternity wards for safe delivery for women in labour.

He said the district was happy with the presidential directive that all health facilities should have maternity wings to ensure quality health for women in labour and to contain the burden of maternal mortalities.

He has since urged his staff and the community volunteers to change to provide better maternal services to prevent maternal deaths associated with delivering from home.

“As you undergo this hygiene behaviour training, it is important for you to ensure health facilities are clean because maybe it is because some of our health facilities are dirty that is why women in labour avoid coming for deliveries,” said Dr. Kapoba.

He thanked Water Aid Zambia for complementing the government’s efforts in the provision of sanitation facilities, construction of maternity wings and promotion of hygiene behaviour change in communities in the district.

Dr. Kapoba also said all health facilities would have adequate drugs and health personnel following the recent recruitment of more medical personnel by the government.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kapoba has expressed grave concern over the rise in dog bites in the district.

He said at least 10 dog bites are recorded at different health facilities per week, a situation he said needs urgent attention.

Dr. Kapoba therefore called on the local authority and other stakeholders to ensure that there are no stray dogs to prevent deaths due to rabies.

“One of our biggest worries is that at least 10 dog bites are recorded per week at the health centres and already we have one person who was bitten by a rabid dog and later developed rabies,” he said.

President Hakainde Hichilema is abusing his authority to steal from Zambians-Sean Tembo

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President Hakainde Hichilema is abusing his authority to steal from Zambians-Sean Tembo

Controversial Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) President Sean E Tembo has charged that when given a chance to serve the nation President Hakainde Hichilema takes advantage to steal from the Zambian people in order to enrich himself.

Featuring on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk Show on Friday morning, Mr. Tembo, who was recently detained by police close to a week for allegedly defaming President Hichilema, said the Head of State abuses his authority to steal from Zambians.

He said being prone to abusing his authority is the key reason President Hichilema has refused to declare his assets publicly after assuming office as 7th Republican President.

Mr. Tembo said President Hichilema took advantage when chairing the privatization committee in the 1990s to sale Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone to the company in which he served as one of the directors at a cheaper price.

He said even now President Hichilema is stealing from Zambians by offering foreign mining companies tax holidays.

Mr. Tembo alleged that the Republican President was a shrewd and sophisticated character.

“If Hakainde Hichilema abused Zambia during privatization for his own personal benefit to the effect that at the end of the process the Zambian people were poorer and Hakainde was richer then how much more abuse is Hakainde Hichilema as President likely to engage in now with the huge powers that he has and sophistication that he has gained over the years. I will give you one example of how Hichilema abused his role in the privatization; this is well documented in the public domain, the sale of Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone. We all know how many bids were there. They were about four bids; the highest bid was about 25 Million to buy that hotel from Zambia. The lowest was about six million. Hakainde Hichilema decided to sale Intercontinental Hotel for six million instead of the highest bid which was 25 million. He sold it for six million and he did not end there, it was later found out that the company to which Hakainde Hichilema sold the Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone he was a director in that company and all these documents are there at PACRA,” Mr. Tembo said.

The opposition leader dared President Hichilema that he was ready to prove his accusations against the Head of State in Court.

“I have the documents myself. He was the director in the company which he sold the hotel to at a low price. So it was the same as he is selling the hotel to himself because he was a director in that company. So, it is that kind of abuse which resulted in a situation whereby at the end of the privatization process all our palastatal companies were sold off and we were poor and we had nothing to show for our companies. I would call it stealing. So, Hakainde Hichilema stole from the Zambian people during privatization and there are records to that effect. If he wants we can go to court tomorrow and we can have an argument in court but in my assessment and I am saying this not as an ordinary Zambian, I am a professional forensic auditor so I know what constitutes fraud and what does not constitute fraud. If the Zambian government appointed him as negotiations chairman to sale a particular asset of the country and he went and sold to a lower bidder. That is fraud,” he said.

Mr. Tembo continued: “So, Hakainde Hichilema stole from the Zambian people before during privatization and even right now he is stealing from the Zambian people by giving mines these defector tax holidays to the mines. The only thing that can prevent Hakainde Hichilema from continuing to steal from the Zambian people is strong opposition leaders like myself and that is the reason why Hakainde Hichilema does not sleep over Sean Tembo because he knows that one of the few people who understands his sophisticated schemes of how to steal from the Zambian people is Sean Tembo and Sean Tembo is not afraid of exposing him on any given day. That is the reason why at any particular time he is comfortable sending his police officers to come and kidnap, make me spend six days in prison, make an argument in the media that Sean Tembo wanted to be in cells.”

Mr. Tembo added that President Hichilema is avoiding declaring his assets fearing that he would be held accountable when he amasses more wealth at the time he will leave office.

“Those kinds of arguments, that is the other reason why Hakainde Hichilema does not want to declare his assets. He doesn’t want to declare his assets because the moment he declares his assets we are going to know that when he was entering office he had 65 million kwacha now he is leaving office with four billion kwacha. Mr. Hakainde Hichilema sir, can you explain to us how your wealth grew from 64 million in 2021 to this Four Billion when you are leaving office. He is afraid of answering that question. The only way to avoid being held accountable is him dodging and ducking declaring his assets. He wants to steal as much as possible from the Zambian people and I am one of the few people that stand between the resources of Zambia and Hakainde Hichilema stealing those resources of Zambia,” Mr. Tembo said.

And Mr. Tembo said he does not take pleasure in being arrested and detained by police. He refuted claims that he likes to be arrested in order to gain political mileage.

Mr. Tembo said no normal person would like to be arrested and detained because police cells were not habitable.

Shepolopolo and South Africa Set For 2022 COSAFA Women’s Cup Final Duel

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Shepolopolo Zambia will face South Africa in the final of the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship on Sunday in Pretoria.

Banyana set up the final against Zambia after beating Namibia 1-0 in the second semifinal late on Friday afternoon.

Shepolopolo stormed the final earlier Friday afternoon after edging Tanzania 2-1 in the second semi-final match.
11 September, 2022.

This final is a repeat of last year’s third/fourth match that ended 4-3 on penalties in favour of Zambia after finishing 1-1 in normal time.

The final will come nearly two months after Shepolopolo lost 1-0 to South Africa in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nation (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Zambian people must never legalise, embrace or surrender to the homosexuality agenda-Silavwe

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Zambian people must never legalise, embrace or surrender to the homosexuality agenda-Silavwe

Opposition Golden Party of Zambia President Jackson Silavwe has said the Zambian people must never legalise, embrace or surrender to the homosexuality agenda in all its forms.

The debate on homosexuality in Zambia has been sparked by the recently held Lusaka July fashion festival which is alleged to have promoted homosexuality.

However, organisers of the Lusaka July have defended the event saying it was not promoting homosexuality.

Commenting on the resurfaced debate on homosexuality in Zambia, Mr. Silavwe said every generation of Zambians irregardless of their creed must continuously stand up against the promotion of homosexuality and defeat the crusade.

The opposition leader said Zambians should never dare to call homosexuality as a right because it is a sin against God.

Mr. Silavwe said gayism and related practices defiles deeply held Christian and cultural beliefs that define Zambia as a conservative society

“As a Party, we wish to add our voice to the on going debate on homosexuality fueled by an event in the entertainment industry as well as homosexualising of cartoon characters for kids such as Superman and Peppa pig.Paramount to this discussion is the fundamental acceptance that only Zambians have the inalienable right to determine their way of life and adopt values thereof to shape their society. That right is absolute and non-negotiable.Time and again, Zambians from all walks of life have openly pronounced themselves on the subject of homosexuality since independence through various past and present Constitutional making processes,” Mr. Silavwe said.

“We the Zambian people have emphatically frowned upon gayism and it’s relatives because it defiles our deeply held Christian and Cultural beliefs which defines our conservative Society. It has got nothing to do with the the British colonial-era heritage of laws. This is the will of the Zambian people expressed in their Constitution on which the Zambian state derives it’s authority.Therefore, our position as a Party and clarion call to the Zambian people now and future generations is to never legalise, embrace or surrender to the homosexuality agenda in all it’s forms in this God Country.Every generation of Zambians irregardless of their creed must continuously stand up against this movement and defeat it. Yes we say no to gayism in all its forms. We dare not call right what our God has called so.God Bless Zambia.We expressed these same views on 4th December, 2019 when the gay couple was jailed for 15 years by the High Court of Zambia,” Mr. Silavwe said.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has called for the arrest of the organizers of the Lusaka-July for allegedly breaking the law.

EFZ Executive Director Bishop Andrew Mwenda is worried that the Police have decided to keep quite over this important matter.

Bishop Mwenda says Zambia is a country of morals and laws, adding that the Zambian laws do not permit the promotion of Lesbianism, gayiesm, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT).

EFZ has joined a chorus of many other stakeholders that have condemned the Lusaka July and the promotion of homosexuality.

Earlier in the week, the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAOG) Zambia have condemned the Lusaka July Fashion Festival held over the weekend for violating national values.

Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God – Zambia (PAOGZ) Council of Bishops has described the Lusaka July as a strange event with strange activities.

Bishops Council General Secretary Brian Bwalya said the Church is saying no to indecent and detestable lifestyles alleged promoted during the Lusaka July event.

Bishop Bwalya emphasized that fashion should not be indecent as portrayed at the controversial event.

In a written statement, CCZ General Secretary Fr. Emmanuel Chikoya without being specific said the Lusaka July event portrayed un-Zambian acts.

Fr. Chikoya has since called on the government, its members and the general public to uphold Zambia’s national values.

We do not mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II – EFF

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We do not mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II – EFF

South African party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has come out to sensationally downplay the ongoing world-mourning of United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II.

In a statement on Friday, the party led by activist Julius Malema historically recalled the reign of Queen Elizabeth and that of her predecessors in regard to the colonization of Africa and other countries around the world intimating that leaders ought not to paint a rosy picture of her reign.

“Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, reigning for 70 years as a head of an institution built up, sustained, and living off a brutal legacy of dehumanization of millions of people across the world,” read the statement.

“We do not mourn the death of Elizabeth, because to us her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in this country and Africa’s history.

The renowned activist group further referred to former British colonies in Africa including South Africa claiming that according to them, the current political instability and poverty should be attributed to the colonization of Britain.

“Britain, under the leadership of the royal family, took over control of this territory that would become South Africa in 1795 from Batavian control, and took permanent control of the territory in 1806,” read the statement.

“From that moment onwards, native people of this land have never known peace, nor have they ever enjoyed the fruits of the riches of this land, riches which were and still are utilized for the enrichment of the British royal family and those who look like them.

EFF likewise cited the actions of Sir John Cradock, Cecil John Rhodes in Zimbabwe and Zambia and the torture of Kenyan Mau Mau for their resistance to Britain’s rule during their quest for freedom.

“It was also the British royal family that sanctioned the actions of Cecil John Rhodes, who plundered this country, Zimbabwe and Zambia. In Kenya, Britain built concentration camps and suppressed with such inhumane brutality the Mau Mau rebellion, killing Dedan Kimathi on the 18th of February 1957, while Elizabeth was already Queen,” EFF stated.

Consequently, the Julius Malema-led party faulted the Queen for her lack of acknowledgement of the atrocities alleging that she never regretted the brutality inflicted by Britain in the pre-colonial era.

“During her 70-year reign as Queen, she never once acknowledged the atrocities that her family inflicted on native people that Britain invaded across the world. She willingly benefited from the wealth that was attained from the exploitation and murder of millions of people across the world,” noted the party.

“The British Royal family stands on the shoulders of millions of slaves who were shipped away from the continent to serve the interests of racist white capital accumulation, at the centre of which lies the British royal family.”

President Hakainde Hichilema mourns Queen Elizabeth II

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President Hakainde Hichilema mourns Queen Elizabeth II

President Hakainde Hichilema has expressed his heartfelt condolences on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ,Britain’s longest serving monarch.

The President said  Her Majesty the Queen will be remembered for her devotion to public service ,her deep sense of duty to country and for her immeasurable contributions to the promotion of good governance ,human rights and the various charities and patronages to which she was associated.

Below is the Full Press Statement

President Hakainde Hichilema ,on behalf of the Government and the people of the republic of Zambia,wished to express his heartfelt condolences on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ,Britain’s longest serving monarch.

President Hichilema stands together with members of the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the entire Commonwealth and expresses his immense pride in Her Majesty’s numerous accomplishments during her extraordinary life and reign spanning nearly 70 years.

The President notes that Her Majesty the Queen will be remembered for her devotion to public service ,her deep sense of duty to country and for her immeasurable contributions to the promotion of good governance ,human rights and the various charities and patronages to which she was associated.

Her Majesty oversaw seismic shifts in the global social ,cultural,political and economic landscape during her unprecedented reign.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will forever remain an inspiration and a symbol of steadfast ,resolute and unwavering leadership ,not only to the people of Zambia but to all citizens of the Commonwealth and indeed the world.

The President joins the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ,the Commonwealth and indeed the world in mourning Her Majesty,while his thoughts and prayers,and those of the people of the Republic of Zambia go the Royal family.

Issued by: Anthony Bwalya
Presidential Spokesperson

President Hichilema projects 4% economic growth

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President Hichilema projects 4% economic growth

President Hakainde Hichilema has projected a 4% economic growth for Zambia in the medium term due to policies government has introduced to stabilize the economy.

President Hichilema said that fiscal discipline has led to the inflation rate dropping from 25% in August last year to 9.8% in August 2022.

The President was speaking when he officially opened the Second Session of the 13th National Assembly under the theme “Working Together Towards Social Economic Transformation,”.

President Hichilema said government has also stabilized the exchange rate with the Kwacha being rated as one of the best performing currencies in the world.

He said his administration’s economic policies have also increased the country’s import cover from 1.9 months last year to the current 3.7 months.

The Head of State said it is such prudent economic decisions and policies which saw the International Monetary Fund -IMF- granting Zambia the 1.3-billion financial bailout last week.

And in the agriculture sector, President HICHILEMA said the newly introduced Agriculture Support Programme will encompass more than just fertilizer and seeds which were being provided under the Farmer Input Support Programme.

President Hichilema also disclosed that so far, Government has clinched deals to supply products such as avocado, blue berries and other fruits to markets in the European Union, Middle East, China and South Africa.

On social protection, President Hichilema announced that the number of beneficiaries under the Social Cash Transfer project will reach one million this year.

The Head of State said increasing beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer will help vulnerable families survive the hash economic conditions.

ZNBC

Child Protection Committee retrieves 16 year old form marriage in Chasefu

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Child Protection Committee retrieves 16 year old form marriage in Chasefu

The Child Protection Committee in Chasefu Town, in Eastern Province has retrieved a 16-year-old girl from marriage.

The girl,a grade nine pupil , was retrieved yesterday around 15:30 hours after her parents of Mlaka Village reported that their 16-year-old was married after she eloped with a man identified as Machiya Ndhlovu of Manyala Village in Senior Chief Magodi’s area four days ago.

District Child Protection Committee Chairperson Diana Lupiya said in an interview that the law does not permit adolescent children to get married.Ms Lupiya, who is also District Administrative Officer, said the committee decided to retrieve the girl because she was underage and supposed to sit for her Grade nine examinations this year.

“According to the government regulations, anyone who is below 19 years of age is a child and is not supposed to get married,” Ms Lupiya said.

Meanwhile, District Social Welfare Officer, Ozias Banda disclosed that early marriages were on an increase in Chasefu currently standing at 60 per cent in the province.

Mr Banda noted that his office does not condone the practice of early marriages and warned men to desist from taking young girls for brides.

He explained that the committee is mandated to see that children in the district are protected from early marriages and ensure that they complete school and have a better future.

“The girl we have retrieved today will on Monday go back to school, and the committee will keep on counselling and monitoring her to ensure she does not go back to the man’s house,” Mr Banda said.

Eastern Province grapples with the problem of early marriages and teen pregnancies, with statistics showing that 1,400 girls below 15 years were either pregnant or married between January and June this year.

Mutapa Names 8 Foreign-Based Player in U23 Team

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Zambia Under-23 coach Oswald Mutapa has named eight foreign based players in his 36-member provisional squad for next month’s second round 2023 Africa Cup qualifiers against Sierra Leone.

The foreign based players are Prince Mumba (NK Istra-Croatia), Lameck Banda (Lecce-Italy), Miguel Chaiwa (BSC Young Boys), Golden Mafwenta (Real Monarchs (USA), Mannah Chiwisa (Atalanta-Italy), Peter Chikola (Gorica-Croatia), Jadel Katongo (Manchester City) and Chanka Zimba (Cardiff City-England).

During a press briefing held at Football House on Friday morning, Mutapa indicated that there is still room for more players in the U-23.

Power Dynamos forward Joshua Mutale is leading local players alongside Patrick Gondwe of Nkana, Napsa Stars’ Jimmy Mukeya, Enock Sakala jnr, Golden Mashata and Ricky Banda.

According to FAZ Media, the local players will enter residential camp next week.

Zambia will face Sierra Leone away in Freetown on the weekend of October 21-23 before hosting the junior Leone Stars on October 29 in Lusaka.

Winner over two legs will qualify to the final round that will be played in March 2023 where Egypt or the winner between Botswana and Eswatini await.

Zambia is on bye from the first round of qualifiers.

The Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations will be used as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

PROVISIONAL LIST

GOALKEEPERS

Patrick Chooma (Prison Leopards), Levison Banda (Zesco United), Jeban Tembo (Red Arrows), Mukuka Chilufya (Shamuel)

(DEFENDERS)
John Chishimba (Zesco United), Emmanuel Bwalya Chembe, Andrew Phiri, Mathews Chabala (Nchanga Rangers), Christopher Katongo, Kingsley Hakwiya (Kansanshi Dynamos), Issah Kazembe (Indeni), Happy Nsiku (Red Arrows), Changwe Shikilwa (Power Dynamos), Amon Chulu (Nkana), Taonga Ngulube (Nangweshi FC), Chikondi Njobvu (Green Eagles)

(MIDFIELDERS)
Patrick Gondwe (Nkana), Johsua Mutale (Power Dynamos), Felix Banda (Napsa Stars), Muma Mumba (Kafue Eagles), Charles Majapa (Barcelona Academy), Golden Mashata (Green Buffaloes), Songa Chipyoka, Kasoma Luwawa (Zesco United), Emmanuel Mukosha (Green Eagles), Aaron Banda, Augustine Katongo (Kabwe Warriors), Emmanuel Mayungano (MUZA), Joseph ‘Sabobo’ Banda (Red Arrows)

(STRIKERS)
Reagan Mtonga (Power Dynamos), Jonathan Munalula (Forest Rangers), Jimmy Mukeya (Napsa Stars), Derrick Bulaya (Green Eagles), Enock Sakala Junior (Zesco United), Ricky Banda (Red Arrows), Kingstone Mutandwe (Barcelona Academy)

Shepolopolo Seal 2022 COSAFA Womens Cup Final Spot

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Shepolopolo Seal 2022 COSAFA Womens Cup Final Spot

Shepolopolo Zambia has reached the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Cup final for the first time in four years after beating Tanzania 2-1 at Nelson Mandela Bay.

The result in Friday’s semifinal saw Zambia avenge their semifinal defeat to Tanzania in last year’s tournament that they lost 3-2 following a 1-1 draw.

It took Zambia just 12 minutes to get on the score sheet when captain and Barbara Banda pierced through Tanzania’s defence to beat goalkeeper Najiat Idrisa.

It was Banda’s 9th goal of the tournament and is firmly sailing to take home the golden boot as she left her nearest contender Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse of Botswana in her wake by four goals.

But Zambia’s lead lasted just fifteen minutes when defender Lushomo Mweemba headed in the ball into her own net in a futile attempt to clear Anastazia Katunzi’s free-kick.

A war of attrition ten ensued heading into the break but relief came two minutes after the restart when Misozi Zulu scored what would ultimately be the decider.

Misozi punished Idrisa who dropped Xiomala Mapepa’s floated ball and the midfielder who was lurking behind the Tanzania goalkeeper made no mistake with cab ice-cold finish.

Zambia head into their second-ever COSAFA Women’s Cup final seeking their debut title.

The 2022 Women’s AFCON Bronze medalists await winner of the other semifinal tie between hosts South Africa versus Namibia clash in the September 11 final.

Shepolopolo have been to the final once in 2019 when they lost to again to Tanzania, 4-3 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw.

MID-WEEK PRO’S HIT LIST “Sub-dued” Form In Europe

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Here are briefs on how our Chipolopolo stars fared in European mid-week action.

=SCOTLAND
On Wednesday, striker Fashion Sakala was an unused substitute in Rangers 4-0 UEFA Champions League away Group A loss to Ajax Amsterdam.

=SERBIA
Midfielder Klings Kangwa was an unused substitute on Thursday in Red Star Belgrade’s 1-0 home loss to French club Monaco in their opening Group H match of the UEFA Europa League.


=DENMARK
Midtjylland were in Austria on Thursday where they lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz in their opening Group F game of the UEFA Europa League.
Midfielder Edward Chilufya came on in the 81st minute.

=SWEDEN
Midfielder Emmanuel Banda came on in the 61st minute of Djurgarden’s 0-0 away draw in Ireland against Shamrock Rovers in their opening UEFA Europa Conference League Group F fixture.

IMF Deal: Cry, My Beloved Zambia, the conditions are heartless

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IMF Deal: Cry, My Beloved Zambia, the conditions are heartless

By Grieve Chelwa

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has published the conditions attached to the newly agreed programme with the Zambian government. The conditions are incredible, unbelievable, and heartless and basically make for very sad reading. They are even more incredible than I predicted in my radio appearance on Hot FM last December. I spent this morning reading the IMF’s document. Below, and typed up pretty quickly because of work pressures, I summarise some of the most concerning aspects of the “deal”.

The centrepiece of the deal is that the IMF is targeting in their words, “a large, front-loaded, and sustained fiscal consolidation.” Specifically, they want the fiscal deficit to decline from 6% of GDP in 2021 to a surplus of 3.2% of GDP by 2025. And this is largely to be achieved by drastic cuts in government spending over the period 2022 to 2025. Basically, the IMF wants our government to reduce expenditures in the billions of dollars between now and 2025. This, my friends, is the definition of austerity.

How is this reduction in the fiscal deficit going to be achieved? By reducing expenditure on the following:

1. Fuel subsidies are going to be fully eliminated by the end of this month (September 2022). What this means is that our government will no longer protect its people from the vagaries of swings in the international price of oil. What then, is the role of government if not to protect its people from shocks, of which oil price dynamics are some of the most consequential?

2. Electricity tariffs will have to increase (via subsidy removal) and the IMF wants the Zambian government to publish a plan for doing this by December 2022. As I have argued before on this blog, this is going to cause pain among our people.

3. The hugely successful Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) will be “reformed” beginning farming season 2023/2024. “Reform” is IMF speak for drastic cuts. In this instance, the envisaged cuts are large between now and 2025. My heart bleeds for the hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers who have largely made our country maize-secure over the last two decades. (Funny thing is that the IMF, in their document, are full of praise for our self-sufficiency in maize production and yet they want us to effectively kill the goose that’s been laying our golden eggs!).

To achieve the fiscal consolidation described above, the IMF also has a plan for increasing revenues. And I imagine you are expecting that their plan is anchored on increases to corporate income taxes (especially on the mines). The answer is no. Their plan is largely anchored on the following, which will largely impact the poor and the middle class:

4. Value Added Tax (VAT): The IMF wants us to “broaden our VAT base” which essentially means limiting the number of goods that are VAT exempt. The VAT is one of the most regressive taxes in the world because it impacts the poor much more than the well-off. Because of this, governments often exempts many products from VAT to protect the poor. The IMF now wants us to do the reverse and do so in quite a drastic way. A table on revenue measures on page 12 shows that VAT is going to be the champion of revenue increases over the medium term — much more so than corporate income taxes and mineral royalty taxes. (Also funny that the IMF is concerned about the regressivity of fuel and electricity subsidies, yet they don’t seem to worry about the regressivity of the VAT!).

5. Table 3a on page 35 shows that taxes on labour income are also likely to go up in the medium term, and go up at a rate faster than taxes on profits (mining and non-mining).

The revenue measures in points 4 and 5 above are really pro-rich measures. Difficult to conclude otherwise.

There’s been lots of talk about how the IMF has reformed from who they used to be in the past and that they now care about the poor because they want us to increase expenditure on the social cash transfer (SCT). I am sure what I have written above should already cast doubt on the “reformed IMF thesis”. Anyway, how much is the envisaged increase in the SCT — a monthly allowance given to the very poor? Well, they advise that the SCT increases from K90 currently to K110 per month. That is an increase from $5 per month currently to $7 per month! I leave it to you, enlightened reader, to conclude whether these amounts are sufficient to protect the poor from the subsidy removals in points 1, 2 and 3 above and from the expansions in the VAT base in point 4.

Oh, on page 1, the IMF says that this agreement will immediately result in a disbursement of $185mn from them to us. A signing bonus of sorts for all our troubles. And it’s quite funny how this “recovery plan” is continuously referred to as a “homegrown plan” when the IMF’s fingerprints are all over it.

Before I sign off, I would like to address my colleagues in Zambian civil society who went along for the ride with the IMF, appeared in many photo ops with IMF staff and largely gave credence to the opaque process that gave birth to such an anti-poor deal. This, my friends, is on your hands and you went to sleep on the wheel when your role was and historically has been protecting the interests of the Zambian people, especially the least among us. Posterity will be the judge, and I am wagering that the judgement will be one of disappointment.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE FULL CONDITIONS BELOW

IMF REPORT ON ZAMBIA’S ECF

About Dr Grieve Chelwa:

My name is Grieve Chelwa. I am currently the Director of Research at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at the New School. From 2018 to 2021, I taught economics at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town where I was the Co-Director of the MBA Programme. From 2016 to 2017, I was the inaugural postdoctoral fellow at the Center for African Studies at Harvard University. I hold a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town. This blog keeps an eye on Africa in as far as economic matters are concerned with a bias towards Zambia, the country of my birth. More of my general writing can be found at the blog Africa Is A Country and here and there on the internet. My more academic writing is available on my google scholar page. You can reach me at [email protected] with comments or suggestions. My twitter handle is @gchelwa.

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