In an attempt to inculcate Chinese Kungfu and culture among the Zambian citizens, the first-ever Shaolin Temple has been opened in Lusaka.

The establishment of the Shaolin Temple is a collaboration between China’s Songshan Shaolin Temple and Hua’an (Zambia), a Chinese-run company in Zambia.

Yan Lun, the headmaster of the temple, said the objectives of the project include teaching Shaolin Kungfu, Chinese culture, helping understand the African culture as well as enhancing the China-Africa friendship.

The influence of Chinese culture in the world is increasing. People abroad want to know more about Chinese culture and learn Chinese culture,” he told Xinhua.

Construction works of the temple started in April 2019 and were completed in July 2021. Four monks from the Songshan Shaolin Temple in China are at the Temple to conduct the teachings.

The headmaster, however, said activities at the temple have not yet commenced at full throttle due to the COVID-19 pandemic but expressed happiness at the interest shown by people who have been frequenting the temple.

The project was targeting not only Chinese nationals in Zambia but nationalities from all countries, especially the local people.
Other activities to be conducted at the temple include Shaolin medical education in which people will be taught the theories and methods of traditional Chinese medicine, Shaolin Kungfu exercises.

Others include Zen education meant to help improve people’s moral quality through meditation methods to help cultivate a culture of responsibility to the country, to be self-disciplined and be patriotic citizens.

The temple also intends to help the vulnerable in society through various means. Currently, three orphaned children are being kept at the temple.
Max, the only African monk at the temple whose Chinese name is Yan Ming, said it is important for African people to learn the cultures of other countries in order to blend into the global system.

Max, who is from Cote d’Ivoire, said due to his interest in culture while at the university, he decided to go to China in 2015 in order to learn the Chinese culture.

He said learning the Chinese culture has opened to him many things and that the time spent at the Shaolin Temple taught him the importance of self-discipline and respect for mankind.

“We are here to impart to the Zambian people Chinese culture and we hope this will help to build China-Africa relations,” he said.

Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo has alleged that the New Dawn Government will be kicked out of power in 2026 by the people of Zambia.

Mr. Lusambo, the former Lusaka Province Minister, said the UPND Government has failed the people of Zambia in the four months it has been in power.

He said it is not too early to see that the UPND Government of President Hakainde Hichilema is not taking Zambians anywhere.

Featuring on a Radio Icengelo Programme, Mr. Lusambo said the UPND has u-turned on its many promises among them reducing fuel and electricity prices.

He said in the first four months of being in power the UPND Government has not set the base of ensuring that Zambia becomes prosperous.

Mr. Lusambo said the Government has made harsh decisions like the removal of subsidies on fuel and electricity that will affect the majority of poor Zambians.

He said many Zambians have been left frustrated by the harsh decisions being implemented by the Government.

Mr. Lusambo said the people of Zambia have not seen the value of changing the Government from PF to UPND.

“The UPND is going out of Government in 2026 because the people of Zambia have regretted changing Government. People can’t go into 2026 with UPND. I am happy that the people of Zambia are regretting because we told them that President Hakainde Hichilema can’t govern because he is only good at privatization,” Mr. Lusambo said.

“Zambians are doubting Thomases now they have seen for themselves. Mr. Hakainde has failed; this is the way people fail. Like I said in the 100 days foundation you can see whether there is progress or not. You can’t even tell whether this Government is going or coming. Failing can be seen even in three months. Just like building you can tell from the foundation that this structure will collapse,” he said.

Mr. Lusambo said he doesn’t agree with people saying it is too early to criticize the UPND Government.

“They were saying Barry will fix it. They were saying electricity and fuel will go down but we are yet to see that. People are not interested in increases in prices. People want cheaper fuel and electricity. This is a deceitful Government. If you go into the office as President, within 100 days you should set your foundation. Free education foundation, fuel reduction foundation,” he said.

Mr. Lusambo added that the UPND has also u-tuned its promises not to appoint political cadres into the civil service.

“Another lie, the UPND said they will remove politics from the civil service. We don’t want politicians to be civil servants now look at the list of appointed people. We have seen that Permanent Secretaries are cadres, deputy permanent secretaries are cadres and district commissioners are all cadres. They have brought new Permanent Secretaries and new deputy permanent secretaries and new district commissioners who do not know anything leaving behind directors who have institutional memory of these provinces and ministries. These new Permanent Secretaries and new deputy permanent secretaries are yet to grasp a thing so as we speak Government business is stagnant. These people are just watching each other in offices,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lusambo said the recent charges leveled against the arrested former PF Government Ministers won’t go anywhere.

“Zambia is a country of rule and law. In Zambia, we say there is no one above the law but what we are seeing, the arrests of people who served in the PF Government does mean they committed crimes. It is just these people being arrested that are giving pressure on President Hichilema. Many people talk about corruption, tell me anyone who was arrested and jailed for corruption in the previous Government. These are not corruption cases, what you are seeing is persecution. These cases are not going anywhere,” Mr. Lusambo said.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji, former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo, former Water Development Minister Raphael Nakacinda, and former Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Fredson Yamba are some of the former PF officials recently arrested.

Mr. Malanji is charged with Dr. Yamba on charges of willful failure to comply with the law when they transferred over K154.2 million to the Zambian mission in Turkey without following the law on supplementary expenditure as provided by article 203 of the Zambian constitution.

Police have also arrested, warned, and cautioned Mr. Kampyongo for the offense of Endangering Safety Contrary to Section 8(f) of CAP 445 Safety of Civil Aviation Act of the laws of Zambia while Mr. Nakacinda has been charged with defamation of the President.

Mufulira’s UPND Kankoyo Member of Parliament Heartson Mabeta has supported Government’s plan to work on roads in the Copperbelt, North-Western and Western Provinces in order to properly link Zambia to Namibia, Angola and the DRC through Katima Mulilo, Shang’ombo, and Sikongo.

Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Charles Milupi has announced that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Council has approved a 25-year- Concession Agreement with Nkulu Zambia Limited, with the Southern Africa Business Development Forum as the selected bidder, for the construction and/or rehabilitation of the following international road linkages.

Some roads to be worked on include Lufwanyama – Kankolonkolo – Kasempa Road, Kasempa – Kaoma Road and the Livingstone – Katima Mulilo Road.

Mr. Mabeta said he is hoping that the Government will also work on the Kankoyo-Kasumbalesa Road that links Mufulira to Kasumbalesa.

He suggested that the Mumbwa-Kasempa Road and the Kasempa-Kipushi Road be considered as well.

Mr. Mabeta said the new project will help to link Zambia and ease movements.

“The Kankoyo Kasumbalesa Road is not a political pronouncement. The construction of the Kalulushi-Kasempa Road and the Kasempa-Kaoma Road will not only shorten the distance between the Copperbelt and Western Province but provide access for small scale Mines to the smelters and refinery on the Copperbelt,” Mr. Mabeta said.

“Northwest has a lot of small Mines but traveling from Kasempa and Mufumbwe through Solwezi makes it economically expensive for the smaller Mines to make profit. This road will not only reduce the distance by 200 km but also open Kalulushi to a huge farm block for agricultural production,” he said.

“I hope in the Central Province, the minister will consider the Mumbwa Kasempa Road and the Kasempa Kipushi Road in the North Western. In the Copperbelt, the Kankoyo/Kasumbalesa Road will definitely be considered.”

“What we see in our telescope, they can’t see in their binoculars,” Mr. Mabeta posted on his official facebook page.

Minister Milupi further said that according to this considered package dubbed Development of the Western Province Trade Facilitation Routes inclusive of Resettlement Schemes and Border Facilities Through A Finance, Design, Construct, Rehabilitate, Operate, Maintain And Transfer Public Private Partnership Model, a total of approximately 2,208.5 kilometres of core road network will be constructed and/or upgraded to international bituminous standards and bituminous standards.

The Minister further said that the project has several benefits including reduced travel times and vehicle operating costs, improved safety through the development of the critical road linkages to Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as job creation.

HIGHER learning institutions students’ bodies have described the first three months of the UPND government as very disappointing for the learners who had high expectations that have either been snubbed or ignored.

Copperbelt University Student’s Union (COBUSU) president, Lawrence Kasonde said that the student bodies have been very disappointed with the manner in which the New Dawn administration has handled student affairs.

Mr. Kasonde said that the students are disappointed that the government had lamentably failed to meet the aspirations of the students who turned up in numbers to vote for anticipated change.

He cited the recent government failure to secure resources to provide education loans to 8, 004 eligible first-year University of Zambia students for the 2022-2023 academic year as another blow to the student fraternity.

Mr. Kasonde further lamented that the government had ignored the cries of students who have continued to be denied a chance to write examinations because they owed the universities or colleges school fees.

He said that some students at a named university were not allowed to write supplementary examinations because they owed the school.

Mr. Kasonde said that this was brought to the attention of the government, but nothing has been done.

He also observed that the merging of the Ministry of General education and the Ministry of Higher Education had brought untold misery to the higher learning institutions.

Mr Kasonde said that higher learning institutions had their own challenges that needed a dedicated ministry that would attend to the challenges in a prompt manner.

He, therefore, advised the government to rethink its decision to merge the two ministries.

And Zambia National Student’s Union (ZANASU) general secretary, Issach Mambwe said that the failure by the government to secure loans for the over 8, 000 eligible first-year University of Zambia students threatens the country’s aspirations of becoming a prosperous middle-income economy by 2030.

He, therefore, appealed to the government to ensure that at least 50 percent of those left out are awarded loans by January next year.

He also appealed to the government to ensure that students in private colleges and universities are also considered in the government education loan scheme.

He said that vulnerable children were not just in public institutions and as such a need to extend the facility to private institutions.