An 80-year-old woman of Masaiti on the Copperbelt Province has been burnt to death by bush fire.

Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer Sharon Zulu has told reporters that Ms. Tera Mario of Chiluka Village sustained multiple burns all over her body in the incident that occurred late on Thursday afternoon.

Brief facts are that last Thursday in the morning the deceased, who lived alone in a thatched house, went on a drinking spree at a nearby tavern and decided to go home later in the afternoon around 15:00 hours.

Ms. Zulu said on her way home she noticed the bush fire spreading towards her home and she is believed to have decided to use a short cut in the process she was caught by the fire and got burned.

She said the source of the fire is not known and no foul play was suspected as relatives requested to bury without conducting postmortem.

Ms. Zulu said Ms. Mario was only discovered around 18.00 hour lying along a path to her home while screaming in pain.

The old woman sadly died whilst locals people were making arrangements to take her to the Hospital.

“Sudden and unnatural death , reported at Kafulafuta police station, Occured on 28/07/22 between 15:00 hours and 19:00 hours at Chiluka Village, Chief Nkambo, Masaiti. In which male Stadwick Mutongo aged 48 , reported that his aunt Tera Mario aged 80 of Chiluka Village died after she was burnt by bush fires and sustained multiple burns all over her body,” Ms. Zulu stated.
“Brief facts are that on 28/07/22 in the morning the deceased female Tera Mario who lived alone in a thatched house went on a drinking spree at a nearby tavern and later in the afternoon around 15:00 hours she left the place in a drunken state and on her way home suspectedly after noticing the bush fire spreading towards her home she decided to use a short cut in the process she was caught by the fire and got burned thereby sustaining multiple burns,” she said.

“She was only discovered around 18.00hrs by a male Frazer Moyo lying along a path to her home while screaming in pain. The old woman sadly died whilst locals people were making arrangements to take her to the Hospital. Police visited the crime scene and found the deceased with multiple burns all over her body and a large area within the village was burnt by bush fires . The source of the fire is not known .No foul play was Suspected hence relatives requested to bury without conducting postmortem. Inquiry file opened,” Ms. Zulu concluded.

President Hakainde Hichilema today joined congregants at Mansa Main Seventh Day Adventist Church in a worship service where he preached on unity.

And address to church members earlier, President Hichilema implored Zambians to embrace unity and non-partisanship when handling their day-to-day affairs.

The Head of state says the New Dawn Government wants to entrench a spirit of oneness among citizens regardless of their political or tribal affiliations just as it is in churches.

Mr Hichilema pointed out that the church is a good example and symbol of unity that countrymen and women ought to emulate in their livelihood.

The worship at the SDA Mansa main congregation in Senama area is part of President Hichilema’s schedule before connecting to the Mutomboko ceremony of the Mwata Kazembe’s Lunda empire in Mwansabombwe slated for this afternoon.

And during his sermon to the congregation, Tommy Kamitondo, Seventh Day Adventist Zambia Union President echoed the head of state’s call for unity devoid of discrimination as practiced in the church.

Dr. Kamitondo thanked President Hichilema for his dedication to strengthening unity through non-discriminatory governance tenets as demonstrated through an all-embracing leadership style.

Zambia Alliance for Tobacco Control (ZATC) Secretary General Teddy Mulenga has expressed disappointment in Government for having tabled the Pro-Tobacco-Industry Tobacco Bill before Parliament sidelining the Tobacco Control Bill that has been ignored for some years now.

Mr Mulenga added that the Bill tabled before parliament is all about strengthening the Tobacco Industry activities in Zambia, with measures to redesign the Tobacco Board of Zambia in its quest to promote the growth, sale and promotion of Tobacco in the Country.

He stated that it is disappointing that the Tobacco Industry seems to have been given priority over the Tobacco Control Bill that seeks to limit production, promotion and sale of tobacco in Zambia.

Mr Mulenga cited that Tobacco Control Bill was tailored as a response to World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which Zambia signed in 2008.

“The idea was to domesticate the recommendations within five years of signing and we are now entering the fifteenth year and the Bill is still gathering dust somewhere in some Government office,” he said

Mr Mulenga noted that Zambia loses about 1% to 2% of its GDP towards the costs to treating tobacco related diseases and along with this, Zambia loses close to 8,000 people each year because of tobacco related illnesses, such as, Lung Cancer, Stroke, Heart disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Airway disease.

He noted that this health burden outweighs the perceived economic benefits some claim tobacco provides and the contribution of tobacco to the Country’s GDP is paled in relation to the expenditure related to mitigating the health ailments because of tobacco use.

Mr Mulenga highlighted that in the same vein, ZATC would like to implore Government to curb the rapid spread of the use of Shisha and Electronic (vapour giving) devices among our Urban Youth.

“It should be noted that one hour of Shisha smoking is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes all at once, and as for E-Cigarettes, our youths are misled in thinking that they are safer since they don’t involve cigar smoke,” he noted

He added that the truth is these gadgets contain a very high Nicotine level and ZACT proposes that the importation of these novel Nicotine products be stopped before having a serious outbreak in their use.

Mr Mulenga noted that in some States in United States of America (USA), E-Cigarettes have been banned and that several African Countries like Botswana, Namibia, Ghana and Kenya are way ahead of Zambia in domesticating the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommendations.

Mr Mulenga has questioned the major reason that is stopping the country from taking similar action, and he suspects that the strong hand of the Tobacco Industry interference in these matters and therefore, urges the Government to be alert to these Tobacco Industry conspiracies.

“Pass the Tobacco Control Bill,” he cited

The Tobacco Control Draft Bill Act provides for the declaration of tobacco products, tobacco devices, nicotine products and nicotine devices as a restricted product, and protection of present and future generations from the devastating health, social, consumption, nicotine addiction, and exposure to the harmful emissions of both tobacco and nicotine products and devices to the prevention of use initiation, continually and substantially reducing consumption of tobacco and nicotine products and devices.

While the Pro-Tobacco-Industry Tobacco Bill provides for the strengthening of the Tobacco Industry activities with a plan to promote the growth of tobacco, while putting in place sale and promotion strategies and taking in measures to redesign the Tobacco Board of Zambia.

Zambia Alliance for Tobacco Control (ZATC) is a coalition of the Anti-Tobacco Civil Societies in Zambia whose mandate is to curb the use of tobacco and ensure public health is attained in the country.

Government says it is pleased with professional bodies’ good initiatives of sharing successes and challenges in order to develop lasting solutions towards the countries developmental agenda.

Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development Permanent Secretary Danny Mfune says the new dawn government recognizes the critical role of the built environment industry in the development of the country.

Mr. Mfune notes that the built environment industry is a very important sector as all development starts with infrastructure which all other development ride on.

Speaking during the Built Environment Indaba launch in Lusaka, the Permanent Secretary advised the professional bodies to address the concerns from the general public such as issues of quality of work and high costs involved.

“As the players in the sector embark on this indaba, I would like to remind you of the issues that the general public has concerning the development industry,” Mr. Mfune stayed.

He pledged his ministry’s commitment partner with the private sector in the built environment by providing a conducive environment in order to enhance the development agenda.

Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) president Abel Ng’andu disclosed that the Indaba to be graced by President Hakainde Hichilema is aimed at identifying and addressing pertinent questions that will inform the needed transformation.

Mr. Ng’andu explained that industry players have chosen to share a common perspective and commitments.

He lamented that the engineering professional bodies are dissatisfied with the current status of affairs and believe in creating real and lasting change through bridging the gap for inclusive growth.

“We are here because we believe that having answers to practical questions, practices, methods, modes of research and development is a crucial time art for making the world a better place,” Mr. Ng’andu noted.

And Zambia Institute of Architects ( ZIA ) president Bwalya Masabo said there is need to dialogue and develop legal framework last that provide contractual relationships that respond to various localized situations.

Mr. Masabo indicated that decisions on projects should be made by technically qualified professionals without influence from external powers.

He commended government for the open door policy and also empowering local contractors through the 20 percent policy.

And Indaba organising Committee Chairperson Sydney Ngoma disclosed hat that the Indaba will bring together over 2000 delegates.

The Built Environment Indaba is set to take place between September 1st and 2nd, 2022 and under the theme bridging the gap for inclusive growth.

Lusaka Central Member of Parliament, Mulambo Haimbe says soon as the process of releasing funds under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is completed , the prevailing water shortage in Bauleni township will a thing of the past.

Mr Haimbe says a number of wards in his constituency had completed making their submissions for CDF funding.

The lawmaker , who is also Minister of Justice, said the priority under the funds is to ensure that problems of water and sanitation in the needy areas like Bauleni compound are tackled so that the people enjoy healthy lives.

Approval of school bursaries and skills training had been received from ward committees which will soon be disbursed, the lawmaker said.

Speaking during a fundraising dinner held at Taj Pamodzi Hotel last evening for the foundation, Mr Haimbe said there is need to use multi approaches so that a number of areas of development support are managed.

And Mr Haimbe said there is a need to harness support from the private sector so as to ease the burden on CDF such as the Mulambo Haimbe Foundation, an initiative he started aimed at helping the needy in society.

“In 2019 myself and close friends felt there was need to help the needy in society as livelihood today is very costly compared to the olden days. The foundation has carried out a number of initiatives in Lusaka targeting the vulnerable such as youth and women to ease their burden,” he said.

And the foundation had managed to partner with local and international organisations to help those in Zambia and Lusaka particularly of which he was proud.

The event’s goal of fundraising was to help address the problem of water affecting most parts of the constituency especially in Malata area of State Lodge under Kabulonga ward 16.

He further said part of the funds will go towards carrying out some significant works to two health facilities of which one of them is the Railways Clinic behind the rail line in Lusaka.

“This is the clinic which is not given much attention but has a huge catchment area right next to the intercity bus terminus. There is a huge population of students and travelers who go there, and it is in need of expansion so it is made habitable as its current location needs an upgrade and other consumables,” Mr Haimbe said.

Speaking earlier, Foundation Executive Director Ephraim Banda thanked the sponsors who have made the works of the foundation succeed.

Mr Banda reiterated the foundation’s commitment to continue working with communities so that their needs are addressed

Vice President, Mutale Nalumango has assured applicants not selected in the 11,276 health workers recruitment exercise not to lose hope as the exercise is on-going.

Mrs Nalumango said those who have not been picked in the first phase of the exercise should not feel left out as the recruitment has not come to the end.

The Vice President said this yesterday in Parliament during the Vice President’s question and answer session.

She said government intends to have most, if not all the graduates in different sectors employed.

“Your friends have stayed for over eight to ten years without being employed and the fact that you have not been picked today should not mean you will never be picked as the recruitment exercise is still underway,” she said.

Ms Nalumango added that government will continue working towards ensuring that the economy is transformed through recruitments and investment partnerships.

This follows a question that was raised by Chikankata Member Of Parliament, Jaqueline Sabao who wanted to know what government is going to do for the applicants that have not been selected in the recruitment exercise of the over 11, 000 health workers whose names have been published in the Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia newspapers.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mutale Nalumango is today expected in Rufunsa Town where she is scheduled to grace the Nkhombalyanga Traditional Ceremony of the Soli people in Chief Shikabeta’s area.

According to Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary Robert Kamalata, the vice President will arrive at 10 hours after which she will pay a courtesy call on chief Shikabeta before gracing the ceremony.

The Nkhombalyanga Ceremony which will be held tomorrow is celebrated annually to clear granaries and prepare for the storage of the new harvest.

The Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary said it is the ceremony which opens doors for two other ceremonies for Chief Bunda Bunda and Chieftainess Mpanshya.

The ceremony is called Chibwele Kumushi meaning returning to the Village and they are held to celebrate the harvest of the year.

The government says it has made tremendous progress towards reviewing a number of pieces of legislation in the country such the controversial Public Order Act (POA)

Minister of Justice Mulambo Haimbe explains that this is in an effort by government to improve the legal and justice system.

Speaking in an interview after during the Ministry of Justice stand at the ongoing 94th Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show in Lusaka yesterday,Mr. Haimbe said government is committed to seeing an improved justice system..

“ This is why there is need for concerted effort from all stakeholders and the members of the public to give their inputs by making submissions and proposals on certain documents like the Public Order Act (POA), “he said.

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The Minister stated that the Zambia Law Development Commission (ZLDC) is currently receiving submissions for reviewing the POA so that it is inclusive.

He said members of the public should take advantage of the presence of Ministry at the show and make their submissions and proposals towards POA.

Mr. Haimbe added parliament has also passed a number of bills among them the children’s code bill which is critical in upholding the rights of children in the country.

Inspite of some amendments over the years, the Act continues to be a subject of intense public debate, controversy and even court challenges.

And ZLDC Director Hope Chanda said the commission has made progress in receiving submissions on POA, adding that they have also written to over 400 institutions in various fields to make submissions.

Ms. Chanda advised members of the public to also utilize the online submission platform before the deadline for submission.

Over the years, there have been calls to amend the Public Order Act (POA), which successive governments have evidently used to disadvantage political opponents, especially during elections. This controversial piece of legislation was first passed into law on August 19, 1955. The Act regulates assemblies, public meetings, and processions by providing that every person who intends to assemble or convene a public meeting, procession or demonstration, shall give police at least a seven days’ notice of that person’s intention to assemble or convene any gathering.

The New dawn government has thus engaged ZLDC to receive submissions for reviewing the POA and set the deadline of August 15th 2022

The Ministry of Education has embarked on establishing 51 health rooms in all learning institutions to be based in provincial centers with the aim of improving the health of learners and reducing absenteeism.

The 51 health rooms will be set up at a cost of K7.5 million and will be rolled out to all provincial centers before reaching the districts.

Minister of Education, Douglas Syakalima said the promotion of health rooms in schools will address health concerns of learners as it will come with immense lifelong benefits.

Mr. Syakalima said the collaborative effort in school health and Nutrition intervention is in line with the multi-sectoral approach that government is promoting in the vision of providing education for all.

Mr Syakalima said this during the official opening of one of the health rooms at Northrise combined school in Ndola.

“The program is also in accordance with government’s desire to ensure that there is improvement in quality education combined with appropriate education facilities,” he said

Mr Syakalima said the ministry has been working with an organization called ‘Healthy Learners’ in an effort of scaling up the health services delivery pillar to reach over 600 schools across Zambia by 2025.

And President of Healthy Learners Lonnie Hackett said the organization has been working with the government to implement the school health programme of setting up health rooms since 2015.

Mr. Hackett said the facilities receive fast track learners’ referrals from school providing effective and efficient care so that learners can return to classrooms.

“Schools implementing such programs have reported a reduction in absenteeism and enhanced the learning and educational outcomes of learners” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Copperbelt province Health Director Charles Mwinuna, Acting Clinical Care Specialist Morgan Mweene said the Ministry of Health has made it easier for learners to acquire health services just within the school before they are referred to a health facility.