The Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) in collaboration with Health Professions Council of Zambia(HPCZ) and the Zambia Police (ZP) have unearthed a scam in which some unscrupulous traders are illegally selling COVID-19 test kits.

The suspects whose names have been withheld for investigation purposes were arrested and charged for illegal placement and sale of allied substances on the market without Marketing Authorisation and import authorisation granted by the Authority. The suspects have since been released on police bond pending court appearance.

In this regard, members of the public are advised to be wary of unscrupulous traders dealing illegally in COVID-19 test kits whose quality can not be ascertained and are likely to produce false positive or false negative test results. Members of the general public are therefore advised to seek COVID-19 test services at health facilities recommended by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Furthermore, members of the public and health institutions are encouraged to report any suspected substandard COVID-19 diagnostic test kits to the Authority.

In another incident, the Authority has seized Ivermectin Tablets from Healthcure Pharmacy Limited in Lusaka Province.

The proprietor of the affected retail outlet has since been warned and cautioned for illegal sale and placement of Ivermectin on the market without Marketing Authorization and will appear in court soon.

In Zambia, Ivermectin has been registered and authorised for veterinary use only as there is no conclusive clinical evidence to support the use of Ivermectin for prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

The United Church of Zambia Boys Brigade which was pioneered by first Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda has held a memorial service in honour of the late Head of State for imparting discipline and sense of responsibility among youths in the church.

Secretary to the Cabinet, Simon Miti who was represented at the event by Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Elias Kamanga says Dr. Kaunda was a selfless and exceptional leader who demonstrated his ability to touch the lives of many people from various parts of the globe.

ZANIS reports that Dr. Miti observed that Dr. Kaunda personally facilitated the official introduction of the Boys Brigade which he diligently served until 2015 when retired and was bestowed with a life membership.

“It is true that the memories of the late Kaunda will live on as his impact extends across various generations who have gone through the mentorship of Boys Brigade which to date has pronounced responsible men in our society who have contributed to the development of not only Zambia but the world as a whole,” he said.

He observed that the Late Dr. Kaunda was committed to ensuring that the organisation founded in Zambia remained relevant as an effective youth development tool that was able to complement government efforts.

Dr. miti encouraged churches that have not embraced the Boys Brigade training programme to engage in the various brigade structure and be part of the organisation which gives boys a safe place and life changing experiences as the country honours the Kenneth Kaunda’s youth ministry.

And Boys Brigade president, Maxwell Sichula noted that Dr. Kaunda contributed to the growth of the Boys Brigade by providing a holistic approach in building a true Christian character of the boys.

Mr Sichula explained that the facilitation for the introduction of the Boys Brigade was initiated when the late former Head of State was on a trip to the United Kingdom(UK) during the time he was negotiating for the independence of the country.

“Every time he travelled, he went to church and at this particular time he attended St. Paul’s Methodist Church where he was received with a guard of honour by the Boys brigade. He was touched with what he saw and he immediately put in motion the start of the Boys Brigade in Zambia,” he said.

And National Patron, Andrew Kamanga who took over from the late founding father said the Boys Brigade which started small is now replicated in all corners of the country.

Mr Kamanga stated that the Boys Brigade decided to name the training centre in Kaniki in Ndola Kenneth Kaunda in honour of the pioneer of the youth interdenominational grouping.

He pledged to continue with the ideals that were pioneered by the late Dr. Kaunda.

The Boys Brigade which has a membership of more than 35,000 was founded in 1965.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock in Mufumbwe district has called for more investment in fish farming so as to meet the unceasing demand for fish in the area.

Mufumbwe District Fisheries and Livestock Coordinator, Bonna Zulu told ZANIS in an interview that the supply of fish from local water bodies and a few fish ponds does not meet the demand for fish in the district hence the need for more investment in aquaculture.

Mr. Zulu said apart from being endowed with a number of water bodies, Mufumbwe is also blessed with good soils for the construction of fish ponds.

“Mufumbwe has a lot of water resources which are necessary for the fish farming. We have good soils; good soils will naturally make it cheaper to construct fish ponds,” he said.

He added that the key ingredients for feed formulation are readily available as there are a lot of crops in the area.

“We have a lot of feed resources from the many crops that are grown in the district which can be used for feed formulations, as you know feeding is one of the important aspects in fish production,” he explained.

Mr. Zulu said his department has qualified staff who are readily available to assist farmers in the fish farming projects.

He has since encouraged local people who are interested in fish farming to visit his office so that they can be empowered with more knowledge regarding aquaculture activities.

He stressed that another major aspect, which works to the advantage of investors in fish farming, is the centrality of Mufumbwe among other districts in North-western province.

Mr. Zulu noted that the fact that Mufumbwe is surrounded by other districts makes the area an ideal destination for investment as they can easily sell their fish in surrounding districts if need be.

“The location of Mufumbwe entails that investors can easily take their produce to neighbouring districts should that time come. But for now, the fact is that there is a lot of demand for fish in Mufumbwe,” he said.

Apart from having a number of water logged plains that can be used for the construction of fish ponds, Mufumbwe has a lot of water bodies which include Musonweji, Kabompo, Lalafuta, Munyambala and Mufumbwe rivers as well as several streams such as Kifue and Matushi coupled with wet lands.

The Former Cabinet Minister in the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Government Marina Nsingo has been buried at the leopards’ hill memorial park cemetery in Lusaka.

Mrs Nsingo, who is also former High Commissioner to Botswana and Masiti Member of Parliament in Ndola, died on June 24th, 2021, at Maina Soko military hospital after a short illness.

ZANIS reports that Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Finance and Economics, Mike Masiye, who represented the government, said the country has once again been robbed of a diligent daughter of the soil, adding that her death is tragic to both the nation and the family.

He said the former Minister had dedicated 10 years of her life to the service of the country in various government portfolios whose illustrious record of great achievements is well documented in the public service.

He further described her as a reservoir of knowledge in the public service administration who will be remembered for pioneering the development of programs and policies that gave a new dimension of service delivery at the Ministries of Lands, Tourism and Community development.

“She ably served with a rare sense of passion, the challenge now remains with the current generation of public service workers to ensure the works of such a humble and dedicated citizen are emulated for the good of our people,” Dr. Masiye said.

And Mrs Sango’s Husband , Victor Nsingo, in a speech read on his behalf, by his cousin Tandiwe Nyati , described his wife as a kindhearted, selfless and caring person who had stood by his side during very trying times and who was always there for the entire family as well as her community.

“An example of her kindness and selflessness can be exemplified through her giving to the community way before she even dreamt of becoming a politician, each time there was a bereavement in the community, her shop donated various items towards funeral expenses, ” He said.

And in his tribute on behalf of the children, her son, Lloyd Nsingo, said his mother had left a legacy of perseverance beyond adversity as she was a strong person who defied all obstacles to achieve what she believed in.

He further added that his mother was a family oriented person whose home was open to all family members as evidenced by the strong family relationships between her children and other family members.

Permanent secretaries, Service Chiefs, among other dignitaries attended the burial ceremony.

The Siavonga town council has with immediate effect withdrawn nine trading licenses for bars and night clubs that failed to adhere to the Covid-19 health guidelines.

Council Public Relations Officer Gwendolyn Mchenga said the named night clubs and bars have violated the directive by government on conducting business during the stipulated period between 18:00hrs to 22:00hrs from Friday to Sunday.

Ms. Mchenga told ZANIS in an interview that the licenses were withdrawn during an enforcement operation on Covid-19 conducted by council public health inspectors and the Zambia Police Service.

She has identified the traders affected as those found in Mitcho, the central business district, Matinangala and Kaleya areas.

And Ms. Mchenga has observed with disappointment that both patrons and bar owners lacked strict adherence to Covid-19 golden rules.

“Our officers also observed little or no adherence to the Covid-19 golden rules, which causes high risks of spreading the disease,” she said.

She has since warned proprietors of bars, taverns and night clubs to ensure that they observe the directive to avoid being inconvenienced.

Government has directed bars, taverns, casinos and night clubs to operate from 18:00 to 22:00 hours for 21 days to avert the escalating number of Covid-19 cases.

The body of First President Kenneth Kaunda has arrived back in Lusaka from Kasama, Northern Province.

The Zambia Airforce plane carrying the casket of Dr Kaunda touched down at City Airport in Lusaka at about 16:13 hrs.

Dr Kaunda’s body was accompanied by his son Panji , and Deputy Secretary to Cabinet in charge of Smart Zambia Institute, Martin Mtonga.

Dr Kaunda’s body was flown to Kasama, Northern Province for people in the region to pay their last respects to him, as the country’s founding father and First President. .

Dr Kaunda’s body has since been taken to Maina Soko Medical Centre in readiness for the ceremonial State funeral on Friday July 2, at the Lusaka Show grounds.

African and World leaders and other personalities are expected to pay their last respects to Dr Kaunda at the Lusaka Show grounds.

The international community has always revered Dr Kaunda as an international statesman, Pan Africanist and Africa’s last liberation leader.

Dr Kaunda died on June 17, aged 97, after a short illness.

He will be buried on July 7, at the Presidential burial site at Lusaka’s Embassy Park.

A family of TAZARA area in Mpika district has been left homeless after a fire burnt their five bedroomed house and destroyed all the property in the process.

Mpika District Commissioner Sampa Muswema has confirmed the incident to (ZANIS) and said the fire started around 08:00 hours from one of the bedrooms and spread to the other rooms.

Mr. Muswema said all the property, including a pile of mattresses, has been destroyed in the fire.

“The only thing that the fire fighters managed to retrieve in this house is a couch, the rest of the property in all the rooms have been destroyed,” he said.

Mr. Muswema said it was fortunate that no life was lost in the inferno and has since thanked Mpika fire fighters for the quick response.

The District Commissioner disclosed that the house, belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Sininza caught fire while both of were out of the district for work and only the children were present at the time of the accident.

He added that one of the sons present, Robby Sininza, aged 19, explained how the fire started.

“Government is saddened by the accident and we will see how best the family can be helped seeing that their home has been destroyed,” said Mr. Muswema.

And one of the sons to the owners of the house, Robby Sininza explained that the fire started from the main bedroom which was locked at the time.

He said one of his siblings saw smoke emanating from the roof of the house and rushed to call him to check where it was coming from.

Meanwhile, Mpika District Divisional Fire Officer Reuben Munkonde said the cause of fire and the value of the property lost are yet to be ascertained.

Mr. Munkonde has since appealed to people in the TAZARA community to quickly notify the fire brigade whenever a fire breaks out so that property and lives can be saved in good time.

“It is unfortunate that in this era of social media people are quick to take videos of the accident instead of finding solutions to help the victims. It is sad that some neighbours started by taking videos instead of calling for help,” he said.

Government has constructed four bridges on the Mpika- Nabwalya road in Mpika District, Muchinga Province.

Mpika District Commissioner (DC), Sampa Muswema said he is happy with works done so far and has urged Namukale Construction Company to complete the remaining two bridges within the stipulated time.

Mr Muswema said the company was engaged to undertake the project and has so far constructed four out of the six bridges.

“The four bridges that have been done so far include Lucenene, Besa, Kambala and Lukalashi, this means only two bridges are left to be constructed,” said Mr. Muswema.

Mr. Muswena said the company is currently engaged by government to work on a 44 kilometers stretch of Mpika-Nabwalya road including bridges and other crossing points.

And Namukale Construction Company Site Manager, Peter Kakomo says the company will speed up works and the bridges will be completed by the end of this year.

Mr. Kakomo said works on the bridges were supposed to be completed in July last year but were extended due to some additional works that needed to be done.

“I am optimistic that works will be completed by the end of this year, so far works are going well,” said Mr. Kakomo.

Meanwhile, Luchenene resident Priston Musuti has thanked government for the developmental projects being implemented in the area.

Mr. Musuti stated that residents used to have challenges accessing other areas due to bad roads and lack of bridges.