Republican President Hakainde Hichilema has said that the death of Kabwata Member of Parliament Levy Mkandawire raises a lot of suspicions.

President Hichilema said that law enforcement agencies need not to be instructed to investigate the death of Mr. Mkandawire and settle all suspicions surrounding his death in a traffic accident at his residence.

Addressing hundreds of mourners during the burial of the late Kabwata lawmaker at Leopards Hill Memorial Park, the Head of State lamented that the death of Mr. Mkandawire is not only a loss to the UPND, but that the nation has lost a leader who stood for the wider interest of society.

Speaking earlier during a church service at Mary Emasculate Catholic church where hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their last respects to late Kabwata Member of Parliament, David Daka who spoke on behalf of the family said the death of Mr. Mkandawire has left the family in shock and disbelief.

Mr. Daka described Mr. Mukandwire as a down-to-earth man who always ensured that the family lived in peace and unity.

And widow to the late Charity Ngosa Mkandawire described her late husband as a pillar to the family. Mr. Mkandawire is survived with a wife and four children.

Meanwhile, the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) suspects foul play in the death of its Kabwata Member of Parliament Levy Mkandawire who died in a traffic accident at the gate of his house last week.

In a statement, UPND Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said that the events prior to Mr. Mkandawire’s death were an indication of foul play.

Mr. Mweetwa said that the heavy defeat suffered by the PF in the August general elections has led the former ruling party to start mooting plans aimed at undermining the new administration, adding that he UPND is also aware of strategies that are being mooted by the PF to try and undermine the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Mkandawire met his fate when a BMW X5 registration number ALM 5955 which was being driven by Jane Mwale lost control and rammed into his stationary Toyota IST registration number ALX 2038 which then squeezed him against the wall fence.

Zambia Airways will get back to the skies on 1st December, 2021, with its initial domestic flights from Lusaka to Ndola.

new Zambia Airways (ZN, Lusaka) will operate a frequency of five and six times a week to Livingstone and Ndola, respectively.

The new Zambia Airways is a joint venture established in August 2018 between the Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC), which holds 55% shareholding, and Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa), with 45% ownership which the shareholders had contributed USD30 million in capital towards the establishment of the airline.

According to a statement issued to the media by the Zambia Airways board, other domestic routes to Mfuwe and Solwezi will follow before introducing regional destinations, to Johannesburg and Harare, to its network within the first quarter of 2022.

The Zambia Airways established in 1964 ceased operations in 1994 is now set to resume operations this festive season using a fleet of three leased aircraft including two DHC-8-Q400s and one B737-800, reported The Lusaka Times. As previously reported, the aircraft are expected to be sourced from Ethiopian Airlines, which operates a fleet of twenty-seven Q400s and sixteen B737-800s.

The airline was initially to be launched on October 24, 2018, before being postponed for a second time to August 20, but its debut was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, re-certification procedures which were still ongoing by April 2021, and Zambia having had to ratify the Cape Town Convention to secure Zambia Airways’ leased fleet.

So far, 25 Zambian cabin crew members had been trained at the Ethiopian Aviation Academy and five Zambian pilots had been recruited who would receive type-training at Ethiopian Airlines.

The new flag carrier expected an uptick in domestic and regional travel with increasing vaccinations against COVID-19 in the region. The airline would also leverage on the modern infrastructure at the new Ndola airport and the newly-constructed Terminal Two at Lusaka.

The new Terminal Two at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka was formally commissioned on August 9, 2021, by the then Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who said his administration had invested more than $1 billion in the aviation sector.

The new facility was opened for international flights on August 5, 2021, according to a notice by the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL). Domestic passengers will continue to be processed through the old Terminal One until further notice.

Other key milestones had included the acquisition of an Air Service Permit and an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), and the granting of the AZB designator code from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

President Hakainde Hichilema has said that he expects law enforcement agencies to do a thorough job by investigating the death of Kabwata Member of Parliament, Levy Mkandawire.

Mr. Hichilema said that the death of Mr. Mkandawire was unusual and requires thorough investigations. The President said that he was shocked to receive the news of Kabwata Member of the Parliaments’ tragic death because he was one of the most Loyal persons in the Party.

He said Mr. Mkandawire was not an opportunist because he joined the UPND when it was not fashionable to join the party.

Speaking after visiting the funeral home in Lusaka’s Woodlands Extension area, Mr. Hichilema said the party will greatly miss Mr. Mkandawire and his great contribution to party activities.

Mr. Hichilema has further urged Mr. Mkandawire’s family to remain strong and leave everything in God’s hands.

And, a family representative thanked President Hichilema and the UPND for their support towards the funeral.

Mr. Mkandawire, 60, will be put to rest Monday at Lusaka Memorial park.

Meanwhile, Transport and Logistics Minister Frank Tayali has called upon the Road Transport Safety Agency(RTSA) and the Zambia Police to accelerate interventions to drastically reduce traffic accidents.

Mr. Tayali said that RTSA and Police should implement initiatives that could enhance road safety awareness to motorists, particularly on overspeeding.

He noted that most fatal accidents have occurred on the Great North Road between Lusaka and Ndola. Mr Tayali said that government is concerned about the state of the section of the road and pointed out that construction of the Lusaka Ndola Dual Carriageway will start in earnest.

The Minister was speaking during the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Accident Victims, which was held under the theme “ACT for LOW SPEEDS/ACT for Low-SPEED STREETS at the Cathedral of Holy Cross in Lusaka.

A minute of silence was observed for the late Kabwata Member of Parliament Levy Mkandawire.

Meanwhile, RTSA Director and Chief Executive Officer, Gladwell Banda disclosed that a total of 585 people died on the road in the third quarter of 2021.

Mr Banda said the number represents a 21 percent increase compared to 4 Hundred and 83 lives lost during the same period 2020.