The Itezhi Tezhi Magistrates Court has found a farmer guilty of unlawful possession of game meat and sentenced him to three years in prison.

The court also ordered the farmer to pay fines totalling to K242, 000 in cash for other poaching related offenses as part of his sentence.

Solomon Mafuta (48), a resident of Kaanzwa in chief Kaingu’s area in Itezhi Tezhi, district was charged with six counts of poaching related offenses.

In count one, Mafuta was charged with unlawful entry into the national park in violation of section 18(1) as read with section 136(a) of the Zambia Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

The particulars of the offense were that on August 19, 2022, in Itezhi Tezhi district, in Southern Province, Mafuta, acting jointly with others unknown, entered the Kafue National Park without a permit.

In count two, Mafuta is charged with illegal possession of a government trophy in violation of section 97(1) Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

Particulars were that on August 19, 2022, in Itezhi Tezhi, Mafuta, acting jointly and with others unknown, had in his possession a government trophy, namely 70 kgs of fresh warthog meat, without a certificate of ownership.

In the third count, Mafuta was charged with illegal hunting in the national park in violation of the Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

The details of count three are that Mafuta unlawfully hunted and killed a game animal, namely a warthog, without a hunting license on the same date, jointly and with others unknown.

In the fourth count, Mafuta is charged with unlawful possession of a government trophy of a protected animal in violation of section 130(1) of the Wildlife Act.

Particulars of the offence in count four were that Mafuta was found with trophies of a protected animal, namely a head and claws of a white-backed headed vulture, without a certificate of ownership on the same date and while acting jointly with others unknown.

In the fifth count, Mafuta is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm in violation of Zambia’s firearm act cap 110.

Mafuta was also charged with unlawful possession of ammunition under Section 130 (1) (a) of the Zambia Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

The charges were that on the same day, Mafuta, acting jointly with others unknown, did possess ammunition, specifically seven live shotgun shells, without a firearm license.

When the case came up for plea before magistrate Mugala Chalwe, Mafuta pleaded guilty to all but the fourth count, for which he will be tried on September 12, 2022.

According to the evidence presented in court, on August 19, 2022, around 12:00 hours, Zambia wildlife police officers were conducting patrols in the Cipango area of the national park when they encountered Mafuta, who was asked to produce documents allowing him to do what he did in the national park, but he failed.

He was apprehended and later charged with the subject offenses.

In mitigation, Mafuta stated that he has eight children, five of whom are in school, and that he has maize in various locations.

He said his children who are in school will suffer while his maize will go to waste if he is imprisoned.

In sentencing him, magistrates Chalwe stated that he had heard Mafuta’s mitigation and considered it.

“I have taken into consideration all that you have said in mitigation. I thank you for not wasting the court’s time but the offences you committed are very serious hence the need to punish you arises,” she said.

She then ordered him to pay K120, 000 for the first and second counts in default nine months simple imprisonment and K1,000 for the fifth and six counts in default, nine months simple imprisonment.

For the third count, magistrates Chalwe imposed a three-year simple imprisonment sentence on Mafuta.

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.

Some stakeholders have accused the Lusaka July of promoting homosexuality in the country in the name of fashion exhibition.

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.

“The Council of Churches in Zambia wishes to condemn in the strongest terms activities that violets our values as a nation. This comes in view of the recent happening in the country in particular the July festival that has attracted social media attention and cross examinations from different stakeholders in the country because of the un-Zambian acts that were portrayed at the event.The future of this country largely depends on the values we impart on the youths who are believed to be the future generation. These values are essential in whatever stage of life we are in and most adults have the values that were instilled during childhood and these form fundamentals in one’s life,” Fr. Chikoya stated.

“The nation must understand that moral values become the basis for decision making in life and without these values children’s lives maybe directionless. Our call as CCZ is that parents and caregivers should imbibe strong moral values in children that will give them good moral standing in society. The Council believes the Church has a huge responsibility to provide morale knowledge to our children and the community at large as early as possible and to nurture them into responsible individuals in society. CCZ therefore, calls on the government, all its members and the general public to uphold our values as a nation,” Fr. Chikoya remarked.

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.

“The 3rd September event, dubbed “Lusaka July”, was an unprecedented occasion that not only raised eye brows but has had different sections of the Zambian community talking. Everything about the event had more questions than answers. The dressing looked strange where in some cases, it was amounting to almost nudity. Much more than all that, having men clad in female attire made suggestions of what has been observed in other countries where the LGBTQI communities have had similar events.As a church community, we are alive to the fact that attempts have been made in the past and are still being made to establish and support LGBTQI activities and events to promote their detestable lifestyles. We wish to put it on record that such behaviour, even under the guise of fashion, will not be tolerated in the Zambian community. It is clear to all perceptive observers that the infamous event in reference is an attempt to make homosexuality and related activities more tolerable and eventually acceptable to the populace. However, it must be noted that the Zambian law in its current form criminalizes homosexuality and related unnatural acts in the Penal Code Chapter 87 and section 155,” Bishop Bwalya said.

“While the organizers of the “Lusaka July” have attempted to defend it as a Fashion event, we counsel that Fashion shouldn’t be indecent. Therefore, no matter how disguised such activities are going to be, the church shall take necessary action to protect the cherished values of our Christian nation and courageously defend the very core of the fundamentals of strong family lives. We further wish to warn the promoters, and sponsors and participants alike that they shall continue to be seriously censored if and when such acts of sheer disregard of our culture are wantonly idolized or practiced. We urge law enforcers to do their part when deliberate breaches of abiding laws are selfevident. We seize this opportunity to call upon the nation, once again, to stand up for the family for the sake of posterity. The scriptures are clear: Nehemiah 4:14 – “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”May God bless our great nation,” Bishop Bwalya concluded.

Organisers of the Lusaka July have defended the event saying it was not promoting homosexuality.

The University of Zambia (UNZA), the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR) and the Law Association of Zambia celebrated Muna Ndulo, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International and Comparative Law, Cornell Law School, for his influence as a legal scholar, constitutional advisor, academic leader and expert in international law and development.

UNZA is a Cornell Global Hubs partner university with long-standing connections to Prof. Ndulo and Cornell’s Institute for African Development (IAD), part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.

As past director of IAD and former law school dean and professor at UNZA, Ndulo led and strengthened faculty research partnerships between the universities, cooperative events and internships for Cornell students across twenty years.

From 2001–20, Ndulo’s leadership helped to define IAD’s research and applied policy focus on African governance, access to justice and human rights.

The conference, “Democracy, Law and Higher Education in Zambia,” was held in Lusaka on August 4–5 and honored his years of contribution to the legal scholarship of Zambia with the book launch of An Intellectual Giant: Essays in Honour of Muna Ndulo.

“I was truly overwhelmed to be honored in this manner,” said Ndulo. “I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have travelled with me on this academic journey. I could not have done this on my own.”

Among his many accomplishments, Ndulo has shaped constitutions, consulted at several international organizations within the UN system and World Bank and currently serves on the UN Secretary General’s Civil Society Advisory Board.

He is an acclaimed scholar with appointments at many universities in southern Africa and has taught generations of Cornell law students about international human rights and comparative law in Africa.

Rachel Beatty Riedl, director of the Einaudi Center, and N’Dri Thérèse Assié-Lumumba, current IAD director, represented Cornell at the conference, joining many distinguished African legal scholars.

The University of Zambia is an incredible partner,” said Riedl.

“The Einaudi Center’s internships offered through UNZA and the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research connect Cornell students and faculty to major stakeholders across Zambia—from government policy advisors, to leading NGOs, to regional and continental organizations.”

Like the Hub in Zambia, most Global Hubs locations build upon existing partnerships to increase access and expand opportunities. At Hubs, faculty, staff, students and international alumni will find opportunities for sustained interdisciplinary collaborations that combine research, learning and engagement.

The elephant census is under way in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), after it started in Zambia’s Kafue National Park.

The survey will also cover Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola as conservationists attempt to count the elephant population.

In Zimbabwe, the census started in the last week of August and was expected to last three weeks before moving to Botswana.

KAZA said in a statement:

Plans indicate an anticipated three weeks to complete the northwest Matabeleland area in Zimbabwe before crossing over to Botswana, where flying is expected to start mid-October 2022.

As things stand, aggregated figures from the five KAZA members are that there are 220 000 elephants in the region in an area of 520 000km².

This figure represents about half of the remaining savanna elephants (Loxodonta Africana) found in Africa – a species that was red-listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The survey will also seek to understand the elephants’ migration patterns across countries and factors such as climate change in the survival of the jumbos.

“The survey aims to determine the numbers and seasonal distributions of elephants, elephant carcasses, and other large herbivores,” the organisation added.

KAZA’s executive director, Nyambe Nyambe, said the survey was important because there will be an actual science-based blueprint for future conservation plans for the first time.

The survey is funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Paul G Allen Family Foundation, German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW, and the Dutch Postcode Lottery through the Dreamfund Project.

Other partners in the project are USAID’s Combating Wildlife Crime in Namibia, the Kavango-Zambezi Area Project, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.