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Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
PROS
Great chemistry between Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff) Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova). Yelena is a perfect comic foil for the somewhat one dimensional Natasha.
Standout performance by David Harbour (Alexei/Red Guardian). He stole all scenes he was in with his humor.
Excellent action scene’s
CONS
The movie needed a stronger villain with clearly laid out motivation.
The movie lacked the extravagance of previous highly touted Marvel superhero movies.
The dynamic between Natasha and her sister was done well but could have been deeper to explore the shared trauma of their childhood.
FAVORITE QUOTE
Alexei Shostakov: [to Natasha and Yelena] You both have killed so many people. Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red. I couldn’t be more proud of you.
Alexei Shostakov: Do you know why it’s gonna be all right? Because my girls are the toughest girls in the world. You’re gonna take care of each other, okay? And everything, everything’s gonna be fine.
Natasha Romanoff: It’s funny. My whole life, I didn’t think I had any family. Turns out I got two.
CONCLUSSION
Black Widow in the lasted movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film series . The events in this movie take place between ‘Captain America: Civil war‘(2016) and ‘Avengers: infinity war‘(2018).
Despite not having any superpowers , Natasha Romanoff is one of the most notable Avengers. Being a master in the covert arts of espionage, infiltration, and subterfuge, an expert martial artists, with exceptional agility and athletic ability propels her to be on par with some the more gifted Avengers.
‘Black Widow’ is, in part, an origin story. We get a brief look into Natasha’s formative years, then fast forward to present day action. The plot of the movie is action packed while being relatively predictable with a few fun twists and turns. It is centered around the family dynamic between Natasha, Yelena and their adopted parents, scientist Melina (Rachel Weisz) and former special agent Alexei (David Harbour) ,who arguably gave the best performance of the movie as a bumbling, way-past-his-prime superhero.
At the end of the movie I did not know more about Natasha Romanov than I did from the previous Avengers movies. I feel more should have been done to explain the background and motivations of her character. If you’re looking for a few hours of entertainment combining powerful women and a string of exhilarating chase scenes and breathtaking action, you will enjoy Black Widow.
The Jubilee Highway Programme, an initiative under the Vice President’s Office has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chongwe Municipal Council and the World Toilet Association for the construction of an Ablution block at Katende market worth 675 thousand kwacha.
Construction is expected to commence in August, 2021 and once the project is complete is expected to improve sanitation and hygiene at the market.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Chongwe, Jubilee Highway Markets Trustee, Mwenda Mumbuna said the institution has identified the market as one of the places that require improvement in sanitation.
Mr Mwenda said a similar project has already been established in Chibombo district in Southern Province.
He said the initiative is committed to offering support to rural women in highway markets.
“It’s more than just building an ablution but it’s also about generally improving livelihoods,” he said.
And speaking on the same occasion, Chongwe Municipal Council Town Clerk, Sishumba Mulowa thanked the World Toilet Association and the Jubilee Highway Markets for embarking on the project his municipality.
Mr Mulowa said the project once complete will go a long way towards improving sanitation.
He said the market is strategically located as it is a transit point for people that travel to and from Eastern Province.
“This will not only benefit the marketeers but it will also greatly benefit the travelling community,” Mr Mulowa said.
And World Toilet Association Manager International Cooperation Department Nikki Kim said the project is her organisation’s first of it’s kind on the African continent.
Ms Kim said the Association is hopeful that it will replicate other similar projects to different parts of Africa.
Earlier, The World Toilet Association signed an MOU with Chainama Hills Hospital for the construction of an outpatient ablution block which is also expected to commence next month.
Police in Lusaka has arrested five suspects who were seen proposing violence whilst brandishing offensive weapons in a video which went viral on social media.
Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo said those arrested have been identified as Justine Chanda, Joseph Besa, James Sikalumbi, Joseph Chanda and Kassim Lungu.
“They were picked up in the early hours of today, 21st July, 2021 at about 03 00 hours from Lusaka’s Chazanga area.”
Mrs Katongo explained that they are yet to be charged with Proposing Violence contrary to section 91 (a) and (b) Cap 87 of the laws of Zambia.
She said One suspect is still on the run and a manhunt has been launched .
Mrs Katongo has since warned members of the public against committing offenses o social media thinking they cannot get caught.
“The warning to all those that would want to commit offenses through social media is that they will not hide forever. One day they will have to answer to charges,” she added.
Meanwhile, three people have died in a Road Traffic Accident after a motor vehicle they were traveling in carried off the road and overturned due to excessive speed. Muchinga Province Police Commissioner Lizzie Machina has confirmed the accident to the media in Mpika today.
According to the Police Commissioner the accident happened on Monday, July 19 at Salamo village, in Lavushimanda district. Ms Machina confirmed that Collins Chengo 32 of TAZARA Compound, was driving a Mistubishi Fuso bearing registration number ALC 1789 from the North heading to the South direction with 32 passengers on board.
Ms. Machina said that the accident happened when the mentioned driver lost control of the vehicle due to excessive speed. The Police Commissioner added that the bodies of the deceased, identified as Barbara Musonda, 32, of Chitulika compound and two other male persons whose identities are not yet known, have been deposited to the Chilonga Mission Hospital mortuary.
Ms Machina said that the driver and 15 other passengers were admitted to the Chilonga Mission Hospital. The Police chief added that the vehicle is extensively damaged.
Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director, Antonio Mwanza has dismissed the report by the Transparency International Zambia(TIZ) alleging that the party had spent K6.05 million on Billboards.
Reacting to the report by TIZ that parties spent a combined total of K10 million on Billboard advertising, Mr. Mwanza said it was political mischief for TIZ to make unfounded statements lacking sound facts, disclosing that most of the Billboards were placed by well-wishers and party supporters.
Mr. Mwanza said that said when the initial report from TIZ came out, the party did an inventory and survey on the Billboards and estimated costs and established that the report was highly inaccurate and distorted.
Mr. Mwanza expressed gratitude to the many entities that have supported the party in its campaigns through moral, material, and financial support.
Mr. Mwanza urged TIZ not to abuse processes to cast bad light in the PF and urged Zambians to dismiss the new report as it was speculative and inaccurate.
Mr. Mwanza said the PF understands that TIZ is under pressure to impress its donors in a bid to secure funding but that such theatrics should not be done at the expense of the truth.
According to the TIZ report, the six political parties spent a minimum of K10.366 million on presidential candidate billboards across the country, of which, the PF accounts for at least K6.05 million, followed by the Socialist party at K2.26 million and the UPND at K1.31 million. The least spending on presidential billboard advertising for the month of June was by NAREP at K60,000.
TIZ in their monitoring of presidential candidate billboards for the month of June in 12 districts across all 10 provinces also revealed that Lusaka has the majority of billboards in Zambia.
The report further found that out of a minimum of 674 presidential candidate billboards found in the 12 towns, Lusaka accounted for 79.5% or 536 billboards in total, with Ndola second on that list with 38 billboards or 5.6% of the 674 found in the 12 districts. Other notable districts were Chipata with 25 billboards, Choma and Kitwe with 10 each, Solwezi with 17, Mongu with 9, and Kabwe with 16. Our findings also revealed that Chinsali did not have a single presidential candidate billboard in the month of June.
In terms of the distribution of presidential candidate billboards by political party in the 12 districts, our analysis revealed that for the month of June, the PF accounted for the majority of billboards at 58%, followed by the Socialist party with 18% and the UPND with 14%. The DP, NAREP and PAC collectively accounted for less than 10% of all presidential candidate billboards in the 12 districts for the month of June.
“As we have noted, it is our hope that these findings will give citizens and interested stakeholders an idea of how much political parties are spending to try and win votes ahead of the 12th August elections. TI-Z’s monitoring of campaign expenditure will continue as we head towards the 2021 general elections, the report concluded.
Last week the Electoral Commission of Zambia put out the following statement,
“GUIDANCE ON INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES: The Electoral Commission of Zambia wishes to remind all independent candidates for the forthcoming General Election that independent candidates should not be affiliated to any political party. In line with the legal requirements, all independent candidates should have relinquished political party membership “at least two months immediately before the date of the election.”
To this end, independent candidates should desist from using campaign materials for political parties or in any way identify themselves with any political party. The Commission will not hesitate to take appropriate action including disqualification of erring candidates.”
This statement by the electoral commission took me by surprise. I was thinking to myself that the Constitution of Zambia allows each Zambian inalienable rights under the following Articles:- Article 20 Freedom of Expression which states,
“(1) Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference, whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.”
Article 21 Freedom of Assembly and Association adds,
“(1) Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of assembly and association, that is to say, his right to assemble freely and associate with other persons and in particular to form or belong to any political party, trade union or other association for the protection of his interests.”
The protections given under these articles cannot be diluted by other provisions of the Constitution or acts of parliament as they are entrenched rights. If ECZ is to bar any of the independents, who have relinquished party membership, for encouraging their supporters to show their liking of a political party’s presidential candidate, they may find themselves sued.
In 2006 I stood for elections in the Livingstone parliamentary race under the United Liberal Party. We did not have a presidential candidate. As I went about campaigning I came across some of the electors who were donned either in MMD, PF or UPND attire who wanted to hear my manifesto for the Livingstone seat and expressed their support for me.
During that election campaign, I would tell them to vote ULP in the Parliamentary and also the council elections. When asked as to whom I supported for the Presidential poll, I urged the electorate to vote for Michael Sata. This did not mean that I had crossed over to the PF or become affiliated to them. I would be on the same campaign platforms as Sata who would be clad in PF regalia whilst I was always in ULP campaign material.
Even when I was campaigning on my own in Livingstone without Sata, a large number of people on my campaign platform stage would be in PF campaign material.
I enjoyed my rights under Articles 20 and 21 of our Constitution. This helped the people of Livingstone to make a studious choice as to whom to choose to represent them at different political levels.
The people of Livingstone, who are clearly very sophisticated, produced election results that showed that they were not looking at the party of the candidate but at what message the individual candidate had. I say this because in 2006 the Livingstone electorate in the presidential poll chose UPND/UDA, at parliamentary they chose ULP, and the party which won the majority of Council seats in the Livingstone district was the MMD. The same electorate gave three different parties a win at different levels!
In 2008 and 2011 my support went to Rupiah Banda (RB) for President. I was on the same campaign platform as RB all around the country. He would wear the MMD attire and I would adorn myself in the ULP campaign regalia. No one, including the Electoral Commission of Zambia, suggested in 2008 that I had crossed the floor and should lose my seat.
It, therefore, surprises me that ECZ should stop independent candidates from indicating to their supporters whom to vote for at the Presidential and local government level. An independent will definitely have followers who will value his or her opinion on which party to support at the other levels. Under Articles 20 and 21 of the constitution, they have the right to participate and have an effect on the election.
What is so wrong with an independent candidate being so popular that they create the “Livingstone 2006 effect”?
United Party for National Development(UPND) Youth Chairman Gilbert Liswaniso has urged the electorates in Lundazi of Eastern Province not to allow the Patriotic Front to steal their votes, adding that failure to protect their votes is another five years of economic misery.
“With only a few days remaining to polls day, on 12 th August 2021 dont fear anyone especially the PF and the police we have not committed any crime but funny enough according to them it is a crime when we are campaigning to redeem ourselves and helping them also to appreciate the leadership of HH a man with love for humanity,” he said.
Wake up early in the morning to vote for HH and l repeat protect your votes until he is announced winner”.
The UPND National Youth Chairman corrected what he called a falsehood by the Patriotic Front that UPND once in government will scrap off Social Cash Transfer, saying that it is in the manifesto that UPND shall depoliticise the social cash transfer scheme and increase budget allocation.
“HH is on record admonishing PF of stealing social cash transfer meant for the older people, persons living with disabilities, and other vulnerable groupings.
UPND is going to increase money for social cash transfer” Mr. Liswaniso assured.
In another development, UPND National Youth Coordinator Sandra Malumbe Mofu said time is here for change of life for all Zambians with Hakainde Hichilema sworn in as 7 th Republican President.
“When we talk about protect your votes which is a chorus song it means redeeming yourselves, quality education for our children, rebuilding and reuniting Zambia,” Ms said.
And UPND National Youth Deputy Secretary Lungowe Lubaba encouraged the youths to remain strong as election victory is certain with UPND for all.
“Remain strong, check on each other every day, and ensure voter’s card and NRC kept well, they are your democratic weapons and victory for 12th August 2021” she encouraged.
Patriotic Front Member who is former United Party for NAtional Development(UPND) Vice President, Dr. Canisius Banda has described as preposterous the assertions by the UPND that he joined the PF because of hunger.
Speaking at a PF round table talk hosted by Nakiwe Simpungwe, Dr. Banda said he is a qualified medical doctor, a product of the University of Zambia who is a masters degree holder in public health and that he is a lecturer at several institutions of learning such as UNZA, a CV which clearly shows that talk of hunger in his life is just wishful thinking by the desperate opposition.
Dr. Banda said that when he served in the UPND, he used personal resources which had even caused his wife to complain many times, adding that even his colleagues would tell him not to use personal resources but that he continued to do so because of his belief in what he was doing.
Dr. Banda said it was therefore desperation that was causing the UPND to tell non-truths about him and urged them to focus on issue-based campaigns, adding that had he been the type of person that joined causes for wealth purposes, he would have joined PF the very first time he left MMD to Join UPND and that the UPND actually owed him a debt of gratitude because he had helped to remove the stench of tribalism from their leader HH, the time he served as his Vice President.
Dr. Banda said HH was a tribalist without a shred of doubt which was why the UPND was habitually adopting Tongas as their candidates for elections at all levels and urged the ECZ to take a keen interest in the manner the UPND had adopted their candidates because it was definitely a security risk to the nation.
Dr.Banda further said that PF has delivered unprecedented development in the nation, the period the party has been in government, citing hospitals, schools, and roads that have been built. Dr Banda also said that PF has provided farming inputs and expanded and built power generation plants which have ended load shedding in the nation, and that these and many other deliverables are evidence of a party and government that has put in the work which is producing results .
Dr. Banda dismissed assertions by UPND, that the Patriotic Front May have built health facilities, but not equipped them with human resources, saying the PF Government had employed 27,000 health workers in the period between 2016 to 2021, something which had never been done in the history of the nation, including the 200 Medical doctors who had been employed in the recent past, which is extremely commendable because the action helped to address the serious issue of Covid 19 which the nation is currently grappling with.
Dr. Banda said that the UPND had nothing to talk about because each point they were raising in their campaigns, the PF had already delivered or were already in the process of delivering and lauded the Manifesto of the PF as a superior document to that of the UPND and pointed at items such as the proposed 24-hour economy as a solution to the issue of youth unemployment.
Dr. Banda took time to urge the people of Zambia not to make the mistake of voting for any other party than the PF because the PF and President Lungu were bringing to the table tried and tested Leadership which has proved its worth.
It is very easy to condemn the debt swap especially when you are not a beneficiary.
What is funny is that those that are condemning the debt swap are the ones in the forefront preaching on how life is difficult.
The debt swap should not come as a surprise because such negotiations started last year when Covid hit! It’s just that we were either busy politicking or commenting on other scandals but cabinet office announced this intervention last year!
The President of Zambia last week highlighted the various interventions he put in place to cushion the economy from the negative effects of Covid 19 as follows:
created the K10bn medium-term financing facility to help companies refinance loans gotten before Covid. Loan repayment have favorable conditions with a moratorium of one year on repayments. This move prevented a banking crisis caused by liquidity problems arising from massive loan defaults under Covid conditions. This move was some form of debt swap but for companies.
Government also issued an k8bn bond that saw arrears paid to suppliers of government goods and services. This move injected liquidity into the economy. Note that such an intervention occurred without printing money unlike in other countries where printers were switched on to fund their citizens.
Then government moved in to help the vulnerable population. Government increased the number of social cash transfer recipients to over 925,000 people across the country. This is no mean achievement for an African country. Zambia remains one of the few African countries to pay its vulnerable people.
Then government under DMMU escalated the food security packs with GRZ feeding 1.7m Zambians at the peak of the program. Today, 1.3m Zambians benefit from food security packs made available by GRZ. This is no mean achievement for any government in the world.
So now government has moved in to provide relief to the hard working population starting with its own employees I.e civil servants. The debt swap will definitely free up resources for indebted employees. The only person that can condemn this is one who doesn’t relate to the challenges on the ground amid the Covid 19 pandemic.
In conclusion, if I was a political player, I would commend government for these interventions and propose more of such interventions once elected instead of saying when elected we shall do away with social cash transfer because it’s costly. People being helped under social cash transfer are also Zambians and should therefore be helped by their government. When you remove social cash transfer where shall you take the over 925,000 Zambians benefiting? Let’s have a human heart here.
To also say debt swap is politicking is unfair because this intervention started last year. To say this is bad is more like telling an employee that please continue carrying the debt burden. For me, it’s what you promise me that matters and not what you condemn.
An extension methodologist in Mufumbwe under the department of agriculture says the rainfall pattern and the type of soils make the district ideal for growing most cash crops such as beans, soya beans, groundnuts and wheat.
Stephen Mulenga said Mufumbwe is located in region three of the agro-ecological zone which enables the area to reactive rainfall amounting between 1,000 millimetres to 1,500 millimetres per annum.
Mr Mulenga said the prolonged season makes it conducive for growing a number of cash crops in their different varieties in the district.
“Apart from our major crop which is maize, we can also do other cash crops like soya beans, wheat, beans and groundnuts. We can do early, medium and late maturity varieties in Mufumbwe due to this late withdraw of rains. Actually, Mufumbwe produces a lot of groundnuts”, Mr Mulenga said.
He said the good rainfall pattern is coupled with the sand-roamy-soils in Mufumbwe which accommodate the good performance of different cash crops such as beans, soya beans, groundnuts, wheat and even sugar cane.
“We need to have enterprises which tend to support each other at the farm, which means if maize fails to do well, a farmer can survive from crops like beans, groundnuts, this is because the soils can accommodate crops such as beans, soya beans, groundnuts and wheat”, Mr Mulenga said.
Mr Mulenga was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in relation to a Women and Youth Farmer Input Empowerment Programme, which was recently piloted in Mufumbwe’s Shukwe and Kalengwa wards by the Business Development Centre (BDC), a business oriented non-governmental organization.
Meanwhile, Mr Mulenga has commended BDC for expressing interest in supplementing government efforts in the supply of inputs to farmers in Mufumbwe district.
“The interest in the production of beans by BDC is indeed a commendable initiative. In fact, BDC can also be assured that investment in crops like groundnuts, soya beans and wheat in Mufumbwe cannot fail due to the good rainfall pattern and soil type in the district”, he said.
Mr Mulenga has since implored the BDC to consider extending the empowerment programme to other parts of the district so that more farmers can benefit.
We need to consider whether the Patriotic Front and the ruling political party’s officials can adequately provide for inducements, services, facilities, guarantees, and measures that can enable both business and non-business entities in our country to operate more efficiently, deliver economic and social outputs to society at reasonable costs and prices, and ultimately contribute meaningfully to our country’s quest to reduce unemployment, poverty, corruption, and other socioeconomic ills over the next 5 years.
Considering their failure to address the overwhelming socioeconomic ills and crises facing our country and its people over the last 10 years, the answer cannot be in the affirmative—it is clearly “NO,” because giving them another mandate will just prolong the common people’s suffering!
HH and the UPND Alliance are clearly the alternative, since they have shown the potential to unseat the Patriotic Front next month. We, therefore, need to support them, as well as entrust them with the responsibility of correcting the catalogue of socioeconomic ills and crises which the Patriotic Front has failed to address over the last 10 years.
Besides, and perhaps more importantly, the UPND Alliance is much more likely to reverse the current socioeconomic decay and backwardness and improve the socioeconomic vistas of our people over the next 5 years because its administration will draw from the knowledge, expertise and experience of leaders from members of the Alliance who, by and large, hail from the country’s 10 provinces. This is actually one of the most important strengths of the UPND Alliance. This is essentially good news for all Zambians!
Members of all political parties in Zambia—including Patriotic Front members—need to seriously consider whether it will be wise for them and their families to continue to languish unnecessarily under the Patriotic Front administration over the next 5 years or vote for new political players who will improve their socioeconomic circumstances and bid farewell to the last 10 years of consistently dwindling socioeconomic prospects.
In this connection, one would be reminded of the ensuing good advice offered to developing countries like Zambia by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2001): “[Developing] … countries cannot wait for gradual progression of catching-up with the industrialized countries of the North, but rather must search for leap-flogging solutions.”
If we “search for leap-flogging solutions” to our country’s socioeconomic malaise, the heart-throbbing African tunes—churned out by the likes of Koffi Olomidé, Orchestra Super Mazembe, Miriam Makeba, the Mulemena Boys, the Masasu Band, Stella Chiweshe, King Sunny Ade, Emeneya, Cesaria Evora, Orchestre Les Mangelepa, Mampi, P. K. Chishala, Paul Ngozi, Rikki Ililonga, Nashil Pichen Kazembe, M’bilia Bel, Oliver Mtukudzi, Lucky Dube, Angela Nyirenda, and numerous other Zambian and African maestros—will be available to spice and liven up the celebration of our accomplishments, and the enjoyment of the fruits of our labor.
The Need for a Social Welfare State:
In its quest to uplift the livelihoods of the majority of its people, our country does not need socialism and its utopian ideals or crude capitalism and its zealous quest for profit maximization. Rather, the country needs to strive to create what is referred to as the “social welfare state”—that is, a country that provides for a dynamic free-market economy which essentially has a human face.
More precisely, a “social welfare state” is a country whose government simultaneously creates a highly competitive business system—which can be realized through various kinds of guarantees, inducements and essential public services and facilities designed to lavishly incentivize both local and foreign private investors—and an effective mechanism for re-distributing wealth to the needy.
In other words, a “social welfare state” is any country whose government is dedicated to diligently and simultaneously pursue pro-business, pro-labor and pro-poor policies. Countries which have succeeded in meeting the basic needs and aspirations of the majority of their people—such as Finland, Australia, the United States of America, Japan, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands (Holland), and Germany—are essentially “social welfare states”!
When German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels released “The Communist Manifesto” (originally referred to as the “Manifesto of the Communist Party”) in February 1848, the economies of Western Europe were predominantly administered through crude capitalism.
Perhaps this explains why some portions of The Communist Manifesto, as Samuel Moore (2019) has noted, feature “their ideas on how capitalist societies of the time would eventually be replaced by socialism.”
Incidentally, Germany today has a market-based economy in spite of the fact that it is the birthplace of Marxism. And Karl Marx was banished from Germany and had to seek lifelong refuge in London, where he died in 1883 despite having been denied British citizenship, perhaps due to his outlandish views.
In fact, one may even wonder whether the socioeconomic conditions that existed in Western Europe at the time when Marx and Engels were propounding, expounding and articulating their “theories” actually exist in countries like Zambia, and whether or not our beloved country can actually be categorized as being a “capitalist society” per se given its socialist-like economy that is captained by State-owned and operated institutions like the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
Ultimately, the revolutionary transition of capitalism to socialism and, finally, to communism that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels envisioned will apparently never come to fruition due to the emergence of the social welfare state and welfare capitalism in capitalist countries worldwide.
It is also important to remember the fact that social, political and market freedom in a country decreases, while government coercion increases, if the country decides to abandon a market-driven socioeconomic system and adopt a state-planned socioeconomic system. Besides, consumers’ demands on, and expectations of, business institutions are greater in market-driven economies than they are in centrally planned socioeconomic systems.
This should perhaps be expected considering the fact that consumers in centrally planned economies are mainly served by coercive governments and monopolistic, state-owned companies, which are generally insensitive to their basic and special needs and expectations.
Let us now turn to the words of the late Winston Churchill, former and the late Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who said the following in a speech in the House of Commons on October 22, 1945: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings [and the] … inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” And “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and … its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
In our country’s quest to improve the livelihoods of the majority of its people, therefore, it is perhaps important to keep in mind the following caveat provided by the late F. W. de Klerk of South Africa regarding the pursuit of socioeconomic development:
“The reality is that the economy does not grow from political slogans … [basic] requirements for economic growth [and development] are peace and stability, free enterprise, imaginative entrepreneurship, efficient and frugal government, innovative and caring management, a well-educated and motivated work force, and a lot of hard work.”
The Crucial Role of Government:
But for our country to reap optimum benefits from the free-enterprise system, the government needs to create an enabling socioeconomic environment in which hard-working citizens can be able to unleash their full potential and get rewarded handsomely—whether they are shareholders, self-employed, or on someone else’s payroll.
In this regard, the government needs to provide adequately for various kinds of inducements, services, facilities, guarantees, and measures designed to incentivize both local and foreign private investors and non-governmental institutions, such as the following:
(a) A well-developed transportation infrastructure and adequate transportation services to industrial, commercial and residential areas to ease and facilitate the distribution of production inputs and finished products.
(b) Adequate public services (including police protection, fire protection, public utilities, and decent housing), as well as telecommunications, educational, vocational, health, and recreational facilities.
(c) Equitable income and other taxes, as well as tax concessions and inducements which are more attractive than those in alternative countries or regions which investors are likely to consider for investment.
(d) Renunciation of both price and exchange-rate controls.
(e) Less bureaucratic licensing, import, export, and other procedures, and adequate information about investment and marketing problems and opportunities in the various sectors of our country’s economy and in cross-border markets.
(f) Assistance and active involvement by the national government in nurturing entrepreneurial and managerial skills.
(g) A reversal of the current emphasis on stabilizing inflation at the expense of job creation and economic growth by placing greater emphasis on job creation and economic growth through low interest rates and progressive reductions in taxes in order to stimulate investment, savings and consumption.
(h) An ambitious program designed to lure private investments which can lead to the creation of new jobs, facilitate socioeconomic development and create a more competitive economic setting that can promote efficiency, as well as compel business entities to improve the quality of their products, as well as charge relatively lower prices.
(i) Political and civic leaders who are fair and honest in their dealings with private business institutions, and stable economic policies, including a formal assurance against nationalization and/or expropriation of privately owned business undertakings by the national government.
(j) Political and civic leaders who are genuine and resolute in their fight against the scourge of corruption in both government and private institutions.
(k) A system of justice that is fair, impartial and independent in both word and deed.
(l) A social safety net designed to adequately cater to the needs of economically disadvantaged members of society that is not subject to political meddling or manipulation.
(m) Measures designed to ensure that business and non-business operations do not lead to indiscriminate wasting of natural resources, and measures designed to reduce air, water and solid-waste pollution to levels that are less harmful to society and to habitats of land and aquatic wildlife. And
(n) An earnest effort designed to go through public expenditures line by line, program by program, agency by agency, department by department, and ministry by ministry in order to eliminate unnecessary application of public funds.
These inducements, services, facilities, guarantees, and measures, among a host of other things, can enable both business and non-business entities in our country to operate more efficiently, deliver economic and social outputs to society at reasonable costs and prices, and ultimately contribute meaningfully to our country’s quest to reduce unemployment, poverty, corruption, and other socioeconomic ills.
We also need to remember that heightened, sustained and sustainable socioeconomic development does not descend onto a country like manna from heaven; rather, it has to be adequately planned for and diligently pursued. Each and every day that passes, therefore, creates great opportunities for us to devise and relentlessly pursue viable strategies that will enable us to meet the needs, aspirations and expectations of our people.
Myths Regarding China’s Success:
Naïve socialists worldwide are likely to point to China as an excellent example of a socialist country whose economic outputs have continued to flood the entire world unlike any other country in modern history. In this regard, News China (2019:1) in an editorial has summed up the actual reason for the country’s economic success in the following words:
“China’s economic success in the past decades has been established on the premise of a liberalized and vital private sector.” And “Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed in a meeting on November 1 [2018] that the [Chinese] government will support the private sector to become bigger and stronger.”
Private investors in the Chinese economy include indigenous capitalists and investors from a wide range of countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The government has completed the construction of 84 health posts on the Copperbelt out of the 88 allocated to the province. Copperbelt Permanent Secretary, Bright Nundwe said in an interview in Ndola today that this is in line with government’s policy to ensure that the people in the province has easier access to health care services.
Mr Nundwe said the 84 completed health posts are fully operational and the remaining four will be completed soon.
“The government and President Edgar Lungu aims to take quality healthcare services as close as possible to the people without leaving anyone behind,” he said.
He added that residents in areas where the health posts have been constructed were previously covering long distances to access health services in nearby communities.
He explained that the province was allocated 88 health posts of which 84 have been completed while the remaining four are almost complete.
Mr Nundwe has since commended the government for increasing the number of health facilities in the province which will mitigate the health challenges faced by residents.
He said out of the 650 health posts across the country, Copperbelt Province was allocated a total of 88.
And commenting on the debt swap of civil servants, Mr Nundwe has advised civil servants to borrow for investment purposes only.
Mr Nundwe said civil servants should ensure that they borrow for the right reasons.
He has since commended government for the debt swap and urged people not to politicize the matter, saying government means well as it understands the suffering of civil servants.
The Conflict Management Committee (CMC) in Chasefu District has cautioned political parties against flouting the time table put in place to ensure violence free campaigns ahead of the August 12 elections.
The caution comes after the committee successfully resolved a matter of electoral conflict in which an independent candidate, Thokoza Ndhlovu, vying for the Council Chairpersonship, raised a complaint against the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party.
The Independent candidate dragged the PF before the Conflict Management Committee of breaching the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Local Government elections campaign time table.
The Conflict Management Committee Chairperson, Albert Nyirenda, who mediated the meeting, reminded political parties that the electoral campaign time table was put in place to ensure peaceful campaigns.
Pastor Nyirenda noted that flouting of campaign time table has the potential to ignite violence among political parties
He noted that the time table must be respected during campaigns to avoid conflict.
“The interest of ECZ is to see that political parties are conducting peaceful campaigns and denounce electoral violence and conflict,” said Pastor Nyirenda.
Earlier, Ms Ndhlovu submitted to the Conflict Management Committee that on July 14, PF was scheduled to do their campaigns in Kajilime and Nkhanga but instead they were in her campaign area conducting meetings in conflict of the ECZ campaign time table.
In response, PF representative Nephas Ngulube, who is Chasefu District Party Secretary, informed the electoral conflict management meeting that he was not aware of any ruling party unscheduled campaign activities in Membe ward.
He added that the party was only making backstopping visits to its camps.
“The PF has structures and set camps in all the wards. We go to these camps to sensitise our members and give them food,” said Mr Ngulube.
However, Mr Ngulube has pledged his party’s continued preaching of love, peace and unity regardless of political affiliation, while Ms Ndhlovu emphasised the need to follow the ECZ campaign time table in order to avoid conflict.
ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Acting Chairperson Annettee Nhekairo says the impending amendment of the Republican Constitution is necessary if the ongoing delimitation of constituencies, wards and polling districts is to be a success
CONCERNS by GEARS Initiative Zambia that the Electoral Commission of Zambia has breached the Constitution by setting 12th August, 2021 as the date for 6 parliamentary Constituencies and 6 Local Government elections following fresh nominations held on 12th July 2021 are valid, Governance Activist Isaac Mwanza has observed.
Mr Mwanza who has several times taken ECZ to court said it is indisputable that an ensuing election taking place under Article 52(6) of the Constitution must be held within 30 days from the date of fresh nominations.
“In accordance with Article 269 of the Constitution on the computation of time, the period between 11th July, 2021 and 12th August, 2021 accounts for 31 days and falls outside the 30 days stated in the Constitution,” said Mwanza.
Mr Mwanza has said that elections in Lusaka Central, Mandevu, Chawama, Kasenengwa, Mafinga, and Mpulungu parliamentary Constituencies as well as mayoral and Councillors for Luanshya District, Matanda Ward, Mushili, Kamakonde, Kabwale, and Ichinga Wards which will be held after 11th August, 2021 are illegal, unconstitutional, null and void as they violate the Constitution.
“ECZ acted within the law to cancel elections under Article 52(6) but the same Commission has violated the very law it sought to uphold by setting the election outside the constitutionally prescribed 30 days. The Commission is bound by Article 1(3) of the Constitution and the omission on its part cannot make its action lawful,” said Mwanza
Mr Mwanza has thus warned that the holding the election on the 31st day has created a fertile ground for anyone or losing candidates to petition and call for nullification of elections in those constituencies and councils.
He has since asked the Commission to take step regularize the elections in constituencies and wards so they can conform to the “within the 30 days” constitutional requirement and not the 31 days the Commission has set.
Shepolopolo coach Bruce Mwape has declared his team ready for their Olympic debut on Wednesday against The Netherlands in their opening Group F fixture in Rifu.
The match will also be Shepolopolo’s first senior meeting against a European opponent in what is a tough Group F that also contains Brazil and China.
Wednesday is a massive test for Zambia who will be facing the Dutch who were 2017 European champions and 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup runners-up.
“They can have the experience but if we stick to our plan it can be a 50-50 game whether or not it is our first time here,” Mwape said.
“But all the same time, the game is played in 90 minutes and it depends on how you plan it.”
Strikers Barbara Banda and Rachel Kundananji are expected to lead Shepolopolo’s attack.
It will be Kundananji’s first match back in the fold since eliminating Cameroon on the final hurdle to the Olympics in March 2020.
Goalkeeper Hazel Nali also returns for the first time since the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Cup last November that saw her subsequently was dropped for the away friendly against Chile later that month on November 28 that Shepolopolo won 2-1 in Santiago.
The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has expressed concern over the continued closure of early childhood learning, Primary and Secondary schools until August 16, due to the fact that no guidance was given on what would be the way forward for these schools before the August 16, 2021.
ZANEC Board Chairperson Henry Kabwe said that the closure of schools should have been accompanied by airing of radio educational programs as a short term measure dedicated to coverage of lessons of all grades to be given to the pupils while the schools are closed.
Mr. Kabwe said that research shows that pupils whose learning has been negatively impacted by the closure of schools is quite high hence the need to find other means to address the challenge.
The continued closure of schools will therefore increase the levels of illiteracy in the country than the deaths from the COVID -19 pandemic, he said.
“The closure of the schools would have been followed by robust remote learning modes using digital platforms to ensure learning is not disturbed amidst the pandemic,” said Kabwe.
Mr Kabwe has since urged the Ministry of General Education to put in measures to ensure that learning is not disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances as the COVID-19 would not go away soon.
“Keep schools that are in low risk localities stay open while those in high risk localities such as Lusaka and the Copperbelt stay closed going forward to ensure learning progresses well,” said Kabwe.
This is contained in a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
An extension methodologist in Mufumbwe under the department of agriculture says the rainfall pattern and the type of soils make the district ideal for growing most cash crops such as beans, soya beans, groundnuts and wheat.
