Could it be fruits of democracy-as parliamentarian tears down presidential speech?

Just wondering was President Sata's speech to Parliament so bad that Mwandi MP Micheal Kaingu the President's name sake had no choice but throw away Parliamentary etiquette and speak out his mind on how he felt about the President's second address to parliament. All eyes are now on speaker Dr Matibini to decide on the way forward.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal arrives in Zambia

Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Anne from the United Kingdom has arrived in Lusaka for a five-day official visit to Zambia. The visit from 24 – 28 September 2012 is part of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Princess Anne, who arrived aboard the British Airways flight this morning, was met on arrival at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport by the Vice President of Zambia Dr Guy Scott and his wife, Charlotte, British High Commissioner to Zambia, James Thornton, Government Ministers and other senior government officials. Her Royal Highness is expected to pay a courtesy call on the Acting President today and visit Fountain of Hope, a charity set up in 1996 by a group of young Zambians to address the plight of vulnerable children. British High Commissioner James Thornton said: “I am delighted that Princess Anne has arrived in Zambia. The visit highlights the deep roots Zambia and the United Kingdom share as well as the lively modern relationship between our countries.” To celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, The Princess Royal will attend a church service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross with members of the government, diplomatic corps, Commonwealth heads of missions, British community in Zambia and others. This service will be open to all who wish to attend. The Princess Royal will also attend a dinner hosted by the Government of Zambia and a Garden Party given by the British High Commissioner. During her stay in Zambia, The Princess Royal will also have the opportunity to visit various organisations and witness the work of a number of charities and volunteers from the UK and elsewhere on projects across Zambia. In Lusaka, these include Fountain of Hope, Kasisi Children’s Home, Safe Spaces in Matero, Olympic Youth Development Centre, Commonwealth Youth Development Centre and British Council. In Livingstone, she will visit Mukuni Village, Butterfly Tree, Book Bus Foundation, Livingstone Museum, Riders for Health and attend the 25th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference The royal program will also include a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia and address Parliament. She will also lay wreaths at the War Memorial at the Victoria Falls in Livingstone to commemorate volunteers whose lives were lost in two world wars. To celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, The Princess Royal will attend a church service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross with members of the government, diplomatic corps, Commonwealth heads of missions, British community in Zambia and members of the public and a Garden Party at the British High Commissioner’s Residence. Her stay in Zambia will also include opportunity to visit various organisations and witness the work of charities and volunteers from the UK and elsewhere on projects across Zambia. In Lusaka, HRH will visit Fountain of Hope, Kasisi Children’s Home, Safe Spaces in Matero, Olympic Youth Development Centre, Commonwealth Youth Development Centre and British Council. In Livingstone, she will visit Mukuni Village, Butterfly Tree, Book Bus Foundation, Livingstone Museum, Riders for Health and attend the 25th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference. Ends Notes for Editors 1. Princess Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of her birth, she was third (behind her mother and elder brother) and rose to second (after her mother’s accession) in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms; however, after the birth of two younger brothers and six nieces and nephews she is currently tenth in line. The seventh holder of the title Princess Royal, Anne is known for her charitable work, being the patron of over 200 organisations, and she carries out about 700 royal engagements and public appearances per year. She is also known for equestrian talents; she won two silver and one gold medal at the European Eventing Championships, and is the only member of the British Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games. Currently married to Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, she has two children from her previous marriage to Mark Phillips and one granddaughter. Further information can be found on the Royal family website: www.royal.gov.uk/ 2. The Queen has been Head of the Commonwealth since 1952, with 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of this role (Diamond Jubilee). Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. Further information can be found on the official website of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: www.thediamondjubilee.org/ 3. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the Commonwealth Conference in Lusaka from 27 July - 4 August 1979 4. The Duke of Gloucester visited Zambia from 3-7 May 2007 5. Fountain of Hope is a local Charity based in Lusaka. It was set up in 1996 by a group of young Zambians. Their vision is to enable children to enjoy their rights and become responsible citizens. The children are mostly AIDS orphans from poverty stricken families. Volunteers come from far and wide to help at Fountain of Hope including various British Universities. Further information can be found on the Fountain of Hope website: www.fountainofhope.org.uk/ 6. The Commonwealth Youth Centre is one of four within the Commonwealth, established to serve a region. The centre responds to youth development for 21 countries of the Commonwealth including Cyprus, Malta and the UK and, aims to bring together young people from within these countries to further encourage peace and harmony among nations through friendship and learning. Further information can be found on the Commonwealth Youth Programme website: www.thecommonwealth.org 7. Kasisi Children’s Home was founded in 1926 by the Dominican Sisters. Two years later it was handed over to the Little Servants of Mary Immaculate, a Polish Catholic order. In 2002 the name was changed to Kasisi Children’s Home. Children are brought in from all the provinces of Zambia or are sometimes referred by the Social Welfare Society, police victim support unit, refugee centres, hospitals and from the communities. The home provides the children with basic needs, spiritual care, love and protection, and ensures that these children will be self-supporting once they reach adulthood. All the children of school age go to school and after secondary school Kasisi supports them in further education or in finding a job. Further information can be found on the Kasisi Children’s Home website: www.kasisichildren.org/ 8. The Olympic Youth Development Centre is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) and the Government of the Republic of Zambia in their aim to create a multi-purpose sports facility. The Centre is owned by the NOCZ with the support of the Government of Zambia, the IOC, National federations and sponsors. The goal of the OYDC is to provide young people and communities with opportunities to practice sport and be educated in the values of Olympics through a pilot project, Sports for Hope. The OYDC encourages the use of the facilities by other charities, organisations or local community group. One such charity is The TAG Rugby Trust (TRT). Further information can be found on the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) website: www.oydc.org.zm 9. The Book Bus is a British registered charity which operates a mobile library and literacy project for Community schools in Zambia. The project is self sustaining and funded by volunteers who join the project for a number of weeks. It enables the children to have hands on experience, reading and working with the books, as well as, the arts and craft materials the Bus is stocked with. It aims to encourage children to read, to instil a love of reading and to show them that books can be fun and informative. Further information can be found on the Book Bus website: www.thebookbus.org/ 10. Riders for Health (Riders) is an international, not – for-profit Non-Government Organisation (NGO) working to improve the capacity and efficiency of health care delivery platforms in Africa. Their mission is to strengthen health systems by addressing one of the most neglected, yet vital, aspects of development for the health of Africa, which are transport and logistics. Riders’ ability to maintain vehicles to an extremely high standard gives health workers frequent and consistent access to rural communities, many of which are not otherwise reached by the health care system. Riders for Health in Zambia began operations in 2009 with a staffing complement of 15. Further information can be found on the Riders for Health website: www.riders.org/ 11. The Butterfly Tree is a UK charity and NGO situated in Mukuni village in Livingstone. It was founded in 2006 by Mrs Jane Kaye-Bailey to support rural communities decimated by the HIV pandemic in Zambia and has over thirty projects currently running in the Kasungula District of Southern Province, Zambia. The charity provides funds to construct bore holes, improve health and education facilities and an orphan sponsorship programme. Further information can be found on the Butterfly Tree website: www.thebutterflytree.org.uk/ 12. The Safe Places programme was established in response to a landmark court case that mandated Zambia's Ministry of Education to ensure that schools provide a safe environment for girls. The Population Council is working with partners to develop and evaluate a school-based Programme for adolescent girls in Lusaka. The ‘safe spaces Programme consists of weekly group meetings in schools where girls learn about and discuss sexual and gender-based violence, rights and responsibilities, HIV and sexual and reproductive health, financial education, and life skills. The Programme has so far reached over 600 girls and trained over 60 female mentors. DFID Zambia has been supporting an Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme since November 2012. This Programme will empower 10,000 vulnerable adolescent girls using ‘safe spaces’ as its core model in which girls will build their social assets. Further information can be found on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk/ 13. The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. Globally its cultural relations work focuses on three sectors – English, Education and Society, and Arts. In Zambia it works in education and English with a programme of more than 250 bilateral school partnerships. These support professional development for head teachers and teachers and use joint curriculum projects to develop a global dimension within schools as well as improve ICT and English teaching and learning. It works with the public and private sectors to encourage closer links between education, employers and policy makers to improve young people’s employability. It is building on its Olympics legacy programme, developing a cadre of young sports leaders and promoting improved delivery of physical education in schools. The British Council delivers a range of UK school, university and professional qualifications, enhancing employability and career prospects, with around 15,000 candidates sitting 45,000 exams each year. Further information can be found on the British Council website: www.britishcouncil.org/africa 14. The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) is a confederation of over 51 leading national and regional Agricultural Show Societies, working in 20 Commonwealth countries. Founded in 1957 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT, and 12 international Agricultural Societies at the Royal Norfolk Show, the initial aim was to promote the work of Agricultural Show Societies by providing a network/forum for discussion of latest ideas and experiences. RASC will hold the 25th biennial conference under the theme ‘‘Africa’s Role in Sustainable World Food Production’’ from 24-27 September 2012 in Livingstone, Zambia. HRH Princess Anne is the current President of RASC. Further information can be found on the RASC website: http://www.rasczambia.org/index.html

Access to housing still key to community development and welfare – Stanbic Bank

Zambia’s housing stock deficit stands between 2 million and 3 million, with the need to build at least 200, 000 houses every year all over Zambia Lusaka, August 23, 2012 – Despite Zambia’s economic growth expected at seven percent over the next few years and continued investments in infrastructure, access to housing remains the key to the development and sustainability of communities countrywide. And Stanbic Bank Zambia has donated K25 million towards programs by Habitat for Humanity Zambia to construct 44 houses for orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), 90 houses under the urban program and 15 houses in the rural program. Also under this initiative, the Bank has volunteered 60 staff to participate in building of housing units in various communities. Speaking in Lusaka when Deputy Minister for Community Development, Mother and Child, Ms Dorothy Kazunga joined Stanbic Bank and Habitat for Humanity staff in the building of a housing unit in Kabanana Township, Stanbic Bank chief executive officer Dennis Kennedy noted that homeownership gives members of the community a platform from which they can build their lives and become productive members of society. “We as a Bank are aware of the fact that Zambia has a housing deficit that stands between 2 million and 3 million and that the Zambian Government is looking to address this challenge across the country, Stanbic Bank’s decision to work with a practical organisation like Habitat for Humanity Zambia makes sense. This is our way of contributing to the need” said Kennedy. He added that as a corporate citizen, the Bank is committed to ensuring that it remains relevant to the communities in which it operates and invests in sustainable ventures that make a real difference to the lives of those community members Habitat for Humanity Zambia National Director, Joseph S. Munsanje indicated that his organisation was glad to demonstrate the love of Jesus by complementing government efforts to reach vision 2030 and eliminate Housing poverty in Zambia. “Working with likeminded corporate organisations such as Stanbic Bank gives us a huge boost in delivering our work to promote decent affordable housing for all, as we support the global community’s commitment to housing as a basic human right. And Deputy Minister for Community Development, Mother and Child, Ms Dorothy Kazunga noted that the vision of the Government of the Republic of Zambia in the housing sector is, “to have planned settlements with adequate, affordable and quality housing by 2030”. “The government recognizes that affordable housing is a basic human need which can lead to improvements in society’s welfare and consequently contribute to wider social and economic development. This is clearly articulated in the Sixth National Development Plan,” she added. Hon. Kazunga said the Zambiang Government is fully aware of the fundamental role that the housing sector can play when taken as an economic investment and not only viewed as a social service. “It is common knowledge that housing inadequacy can have adverse impacts on the health, and general wellbeing of society as well as on the environment. The availability of decent, affordable and adequate housing is an important pre-requisite to national economic development. Any shortfall in the housing sector could trigger severe negative impacts on social welfare, the environment and on the general performance of the national economy.”

President Banda mourns late Ethiopian Prime Minister

Rupiah Bwezani Banda, Fourth Zambia’s leader has described the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Mr Meles Zenawi as an intelligent and humble person who demonstrated a passion and love for the development of Africa. President Banda says Mr Zenawi will be greatly missed and remembered for his hard work and loyalty to the people of Ethiopia in general and Africa at large. In his letter to the acting Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, the former Zambian head of State says he has learnt of Prime Minister Zenawi’s passing with sorrow. “The late Prime Minister Zenawi contributed greatly to the development of your country through the various positions he held in Government. He rendered several years of loyal and distinguished service and demonstrated hard work,” says President Banda in his letter. Prime Minister Zenawi’s death, adds President Banda, is a loss not only to the bereaved family and the people of Ethiopia but also the entire African continent. “Our prayers go to you and the entire family during this difficult time. We pray that the almighty God gives you the strength to endure the pain of loss. Please convey on behalf of my office, family and indeed on my own behalf our deepest sorrow and condolences to the bereaved family and relatives during this trying time. This is according to a statement issued by his Office.

Former Zamtel employee arrested

Government Joint Investigations Team has arrested and charged a former Zamtel employee with 27 counts ranging from Frandulant False Accounting to Theft by Servant Contrary to Section 326 and 278 as read with Section 272 respectively. Particulars of the offence are that Ms. Janet Gwesere aged 24, a stores keeper at Zamtel Regional Offices in Livingstone, did alter Zamtel accounting documents amounting to K308, 890,000 which were being used to draw stocks from Zamtel stores in Livingstone between 28th October, 2011 to 30th June, 2012. Ms. Janet Gwesere, who is currently on Police Bond will appear in court for plea on Friday, 17th August, 2012. This is according to a statement by Government joint investigative team Acting Public Relations Officer, Christopher Chibanku

A PASTORAL LETTER-Council of Churches in Zambia

We, the Heads of Churches of CCZ gathered on 14th August, 2012, to deliberate on a number of issues pertaining to the state of our nation. We bring fraternal greetings to the members of our churches, our brothers and sisters from all walks of life and to the leadership of this Nation. We address this letter to the members of our churches, all people of faith, the citizens at large and to the leadership of this Nation. We are motivated to release this Pastoral Letter by our Biblical mandate and in line with our prophetic role of constructively dialoguing and constructively criticising and be able to provide the Nation with the spiritual counsel and guidance on some of the challenges that face the nation today. In all our work, we keep in mind the wellbeing of the state of the nation and its people. We endeavour to demonstrate our aspiration as a Church mother body that full human dignity is realisable, as derived from the enjoyment of basic human rights and freedoms by all people. We reaffirm that all human beings are created in the image of God and thus have intrinsic value, and this is a fundamental basis that informs our efforts to ensure social justice. It is this basic truth that mandates us to invite all Zambians and the leadership of the Nation to reflect with us on a number of biblical principles that are particularly relevant to the socio-political, cultural and economic challenges that continue to afflict us. In order to enable our people respond to the present realities, we unwaveringly commit to raising the Nation’s conscience. 2.0 Vision To be a prophetic voice with a transformative impact on the church and society for the propagation of Christian values and Human Dignity. 3.0 Mission To strengthen Christian unity and advocate for social justice, peace and development through facilitation, resource mobilization, capacity building, coordination, spreading of the gospel and networking with stakeholders for the benefit of the people of Zambia to the glory of the triune God. 4.0 Audit and/or Registration of Churches in Zambia CCZ acknowledges that the Republican Constitution provides for the freedom of worship and that every Christian has a right to follow their religious persuasion. We strongly believe that Zambians must have a freedom of worship without any interference; they should be allowed to form and belong to ministries and denominations that in their view, represent their desire to respond to the God within. For indeed, there are many parts and yet the same body, different callings but yet the same Lord is served. As a church we deeply regret the incidents which have linked some churches and clergy to un-Christian conduct thereby abusing the trust deposited in the Church. These events prompt us to call for a clear and separate system that can be charged with the responsibility of scrutinising new applications for registration of churches and regulating the conduct of all registered churches in Zambia. This system should also regulate individual church leaders’ conduct in their own personal capacity so that there iniquities do not criminalise the entire church. The office of the Registrar of Societies is doing a commendable job in registering churches but CCZ is calling for a closer collaboration with the registered credible church mother bodies together with the Registrar of Societies. As CCZ, we avail ourselves for consultations on how this social malaise can be nipped in the bud. 5.0 Constitutional Making Process For the umpteenth time, Zambia has once again re-started the national constitution making process under the administration of the once-opposition now turned-ruling party, the Patriotic Front (PF). In the run-up to the tripartite 2011 elections, and being consistent with its campaign promises since 2001, the PF had stood on the platform of giving the Zambian people a Constitution that they would call their own. Six months after its appointment, the Technical Committee on Drafting the Republican Constitution (TCDRC) on April 30, 2012 released to the public its First draft for public consultations and input. We reaffirm our support for most of the submissions contained in the Mung’omba Draft Constitution and Report as a true reflection of what the people have been stating they wanted their country’s constitution to look like. We want to reiterate the views we kept on sharing during the failed National Constitutional Conference (NCC) and its related processes that unless the process is clearly guaranteed, all Constitution making efforts are bound to be fruitless. We do not wish to be prophets of doom but in the absence of a proper legal framework and a proper roadmap the process might be another failure. At the moment, the process remains unclear to the Church and the general public. For example, how will delegates to the district, provincial and national conventions be selected? How can the process guarantee that there is no inbuilt majority of cadres, politicians and ruling party sympathisers as was the case during the infamous NCC? There is the imperative to foster a spirit and idea of democracy and logical debate during these conventions. However, bearing in mind that it is the already heavily taxed Zambians that are financing this process, we are concerned about the lack of clarity on the exact budget for the exercise. We urge for a full disclosure of the sources of finances towards the process. It is our fervent hope that this process will quickly be concluded through holding of a Referendum. Procrastinating on the issue of a referendum will not be acceptable to the Church. The church is requesting that a firm Roadmap regarding the holding of the referendum be announced to the public without delay. This process cannot be allowed to fail again. Social Responsibility, Economic and Environmental Justice ‘He has shown you Oh man... what is good, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:8 In an effort to emulate the works of our forbearer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who fed the hungry, healed the sick and defended the weak and poor from all forms of socio-economic injustice, CCZ remains unequivocal about the need for social responsibility, as well as ensuring socio-economic and environmental justice. We welcome and advocate for responsible investments which go beyond macro-economic gains but also creates quality employment and improves the lives of the worker, his/her community and takes care of the environment. We remain resolute in ensuring that the poor and weak, the marginalised and voiceless are not manipulated and their rights trampled upon by the greed and desires of profit-making, especially in regards to the following. a. Minimum Wage Since government announced the revision to the Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment Act, Cap. 276 through the release of the Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment (General) (Amendment) Order, 2012 by way of Statutory Instrument (SI) Nos. 46 and 47 on July 4, 2012, the country has witnessed a spate of industrial unrest which even led to the misfortune of losing one life. In other instances, productivity has been negatively hampered via work stoppages and, in general, the SI has contributed to increased tension between employers and employees. CCZ had earlier issued a statement in which it retaliated their firm support of the Government’s policy on better wages and better lives for the people in Zambia. In that statement we also cautioned the government on their impromptu directive and warned that the sudden decision could be a recipe for industrial unrest and many companies would opt to shut down than to bear costs they could not immediately implement. We said that the alternative would be the increased casualization which would be against the Government’s well intended call for permanent and quality jobs for Zambians. We note with concern that such an otherwise well intentioned move by the government has had such negative repercussions much to the disdain of key stakeholders. We are appalled at the apparent departure from inclusiveness in the governance system and urge for broadmindedness when dealing with matters of national interest and avoid practices that carry the risk of being misinterpreted. We therefore call for restraint from all parties involved; the workers, the employers as well as government as we work towards finding a lasting solution to this thorny issue. b) Manganese Mining and related issues “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it”. (Psalm 24:1) Since the enactment of the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2008, the country has witnessed an increase in mining related activities nearly everywhere in the country. There seems to be a rush for the country’s various mineral deposits, and especially in regard to new ores like Manganese, uranium, among others. The Bible prompts us to be good stewards; it urges us to ensure that all of the earth’s rich endowments are used for the benefit of all creation and for the Glory of the triune God. We are however amazed at the blatant disregard for the tenets of good stewardship. We are deeply saddened by the wanton opening of mining activities everywhere and anywhere without a clear strategy on how the extractive sector will be managed. We urge for forthrightness, especially in the manganese trade in Mansa where the disregard for regulations and the “no concern” for tomorrow is apparent. Sustainability is key and we appeal to the Ministry of Mines that this be engendered in all our operations. We urge for clear guidelines to help curb the sprawling illegal manganese mining to help protect the environment and secure livelihoods and social harmony. c. Pollution from the Chilanga Cement and Kafue Steel Plants We cannot underscore any further the need for investments that are responsive to the needs of the local community while ensuring that the environment is protected and preserved. This is primarily so because God is no longer creating any more land, and our continued stay on this planet is to a greater extent dependent on how well we manage the environment. This is the reason CCZ is greatly concerned about the continued disregard of provisions in the Environmental Management Act that relate to noise and air pollution. Chilanga Cement, renamed Lafarge Cement Plc, has been a great part of the life of the residents of Chilanga and the country as a whole. As demand for its products increase, we have seen a corresponding increase in investment to bolster productivity. We are worried that there seems to be a leaning towards the profit motive to the exclusion of clean and safe disposal of pollutants for the sake of humans beings. Similarly, the Kafue steel plant had been a controversial investment which was rejected by the residents and technocrats from regulatory bodies like the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) who also advised against it. It is under a year when a life was lost and the nation is still in the dark as to the cause of that early morning industrial blast that reaped the roof open leading to injuries, death and damage to property. We are seeing a repeat of this in Senior Chief Musele’s chiefdom where the host community is dissatisfied about the process of engagement in the new Kalumbila (also known as the Trident project) mine of First Quantum Minerals and yet politicians have sided with the investors and have pushed the project forward. CCZ wants to re-state its position that any investment that does not respect the views of local people is not worth the name because in whose interest will such be! Therefore we urge the PF government to show leadership in this regard and be more practical in redressing the continuing misunderstandings between investors and host communities. We pray against the ‘rule-by-any-means’ mentality. d. Youth Unemployment Zambia’s population is youthful with over 60 per cent being below 40 years. This segment of our population represents the future of our beloved country and hence the need for clear and concise policies and strategies that will address the needs of our youth. We note with concern the lack of tangible action on the development of regular updates on what strategies are being developed to redress youth unemployment as directed by the Head of State during commemoration of the 2012 Youth Day (12 March). We appeal that this process be consultative and participatory to bear good results. We note, further, the pronouncements by the government to reintroduce compulsory National Service training to all school leavers. CCZ is of the view that in order to meaningfully address challenges affecting our youth, there is an urgent need to adopt a holistic approach. Piecemeal attempts would not last and may further entrench the problems. 6.0 Defilement and Gender-based Violence ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female but all are one in Christ’ Galatians 3: 28; and ‘. . .husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church . . .’ Ephesians 5: 25 The Church is concerned by the increase in defilement and gender based violence against our children, sisters and mothers. The trend does not seem to be abated by the heavy sentences being meted out against the child defilers. The increase in reported deaths of young women at the hands of suspected serial killers must be brought to an end. We urge the state to expedite efforts aimed at creating an environment in which everybody feels secure in order to enhance productivity. We encourage peace and love and invite the spirit of conflict resolution and dialogue into our homes and society so that family values are no longer threatened by this violence among us. We reiterate our call on mothers and sisters that have been victims of this violence to come out in the open and seek healing through counselling from our churches and other such places. Further, we pray that victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse would gain courage to report their partners to the church and the police, whichever they will find comfortable. CCZ is calling on the government to provide adequate resources to the police service to enable them to carry out their mandate of protecting all citizens and to make communities safe environments for our women and children. The police also need to rise to the occasion and exert their professionalism, authority and power to deal with this horrifying situation without being sensational, provocative and simplistic as they carry-out their investigations. The church is calling upon the people of Zambia to be vigilant and security conscious in the face of these happenings. We urge that we should all be our sister and brother’s keepers at all times and in all situations. 7.0 State of Politics Ten Months into the Patriotic Front (PF) Government ‘But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve...’ Mark 10:43-45. On 20th September, 2011 the Zambian people ushered the Patriotic Front (PF) party into government to superintend over the affairs of the nation and state. This was on the premise that the new government will respect the individual freedoms and rights of all citizens and residents, and that they will uphold the basic tenets of multi party democracy. However, it makes sad reading to see at this early stage a departure from the values and principles which the now ruling party espoused in their campaigns. We have noted with sadness the tendency for the ruling party not to embrace divergent views particularly from the opposition politicians. We call upon the government to be inclusive, consultative within and without themselves and be willing to listen to its electorate. A culture of tolerance and respect for peers and all people should be entrenched in government and also in all citizens. This act will enhance and help to galvanise all national interests towards social cohesion and sustainable development. We call for professionalism in the police force and all law enforcement agencies so that the cause for law-enforcement is not misunderstood to be politically inspired. The right to free political speech should be protected, and we should never give in to temptations that endanger our resolve to pay close attention to the sole purpose of governance, that is, addressing issues that affect the majority poor Zambians and to improve lives for all. The deportation of the Catholic Priest, Fr. Viateur Banyangandora, pastor of Lundazi, is totally unacceptable and unfortunate. CCZ is calling for the nullification of his deportation so that the Father can come back and continue his work of defending the poor as that is the core business of the Church; to preach the pure word of God, to stand with the poor, to give them moral guidance, to give them hope and to walk with them in their distress. His deportation is discriminatory and totally unjustified. We, therefore, urge all Zambians to be more patriotic, vigilant and report to the authorities all forms of injustices, to expose the same without fear or favour. 9.0 Conclusion Zambia is our land, our only heritage. With the face of God and His glory shining upon Zambia, we are confident that peace, love and prosperity will form the basis of our daily interaction so that in Zambia, justice will once more flow like a river (2 Chronicles 6:8 and Amos), in this lifetime. Finally we urge the government to help the nation to grow our young democracy to maturity where governance is based on real objective decisions that would lead to development rather than for expediency. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) Signed:Rev Suzanne Matale, General Secretary For and on behalf of the Heads of Churches Council of Churches in Zambia

“We’ll not be held accountable over HH’s arrest”-PF

The Secretary General of the Patriotic Front (PF) Wynter Kabimba wishes to state that the PF as a party or government cannot be held responsible for the actions of other political parties and, therefore, should not be blamed for the circumstances in which Hakainde Hichilema finds himself following his arrest by the police. The PF therefore wants to remind the UPND and their cheerleaders not to expect the ruling party to intercede for them whenever they are suspected to have broken the law. This is because the PF believes, first and foremost, in the rule of law, and secondly, in the independence and integrity of the law enforcement wings and other institutions of governance. The police, other law enforcers, and indeed other public institutions under the PF government are enjoying the levels of independence that they were deprived of under the MMD and no longer operate at the behest of the executive arm of government as was the case when MMD ruled the country. It is highly hypocritical for the UPND and their supporters such as Charles Milupi, Pastor Nevers Mumba and Neo Simutanyi to blame the PF for Mr. Hichilema's actions that have landed him in court. The party expects some opposition political parties leaders to display some level of honour and genuineness by showing appreciation for the manner in which the PF government has steered clear of interfering with the due process of the law. It is unfortunate that the same people who demand the rule of law are the very ones crying foul when this principle applies to them. It adds that it is even unfair for people to break the law and then raise false alarm that there is a crackdown on the opposition. The PF does not owe Mr. Hichilema or any citizen, within or outside its ranks, any protection from the due process of the law. It is incumbent upon all citizens, more especially those in positions of public responsibility such as political party leaders to take responsibility for their public conduct and understand the consequences of their actions. It is important to understand, therefore, that the PF are neither the authors nor guarantors of Mr. Hichilema's actions and is, therefore, not in any way connected to his interactions with the law. This is according to a statement issued by Media and Publicity Director – PF- Chanda Mfula

US largest newspaper says Zambia’s ban on dollar use strengthening local currency

One of the world’s most influential newspapers and the largest circulation in USA, The Wall Street Journal, says Zambia’s ban on the use of US dollar in transactions is strengthening the Kwacha. In its Monday edition of Money and Investing front page, The Wall Street Journal published a K50, 000-note accompanying an article titled, “Africans Chase Away Almighty Dollar”. The Wall Street Journal also published a graph showing the Kwacha’s appreciation from the time the Government issued the Statutory Instrument banning transactions in US Dollar. “In Zambia, the measures appear to be working. Heightened demand for Kwacha pushed the currency to its highest level in more than a year in July, when it reached 4, 640 to the dollar,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Fueling the demand were foreign-owned manufacturing and mining companies racing to acquire Kwacha even as they asked the Government to reconsider the policy.” Policy makers elsewhere in Africa are watching Zambia, according to The Wall Street Journal, a respected publication mostly read by policy makers, investors, scholars, diplomats and economic experts, among others. Giving a continental perspective, The Wall Street Journal also reported that starting next year, Angola will require oil and gas companies to pay tax revenue and local contracts in local currency, the Kwanza. It reported that Mozambique wants companies to exchange half of their export earnings for its local currency, the Meticais, hoping to pull more of the wealth in vast coal and natural-gas deposits into the domestic economy. The Wall Street Journal reported that since May, Ghana’s banks have had to keep all their deposits in local currency rather than foreign currencies. The Wall Street Journal is the largest newspaper in the United States by circulation. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, The Wall Street Journal has a circulation of 2.1 million copies, including 400,000 online paid subscriptions. This is according to a statement issued by Zambia's First Secretary for Press and Public Relation, Chibuaula Silwamba.

MISA Zambia calls on Evelyn Hone College Management to respect freedom of expression

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia would like to urge leaders of training institutions and media organizations whose reason for existence is the promotion of freedom of expression and right of access to information to respect the right of their employees and the public to enjoy their freedom of expression, association and access to information. This concern is necessitated by latest events at one of Zambia's highest institution of learning, Evelyn Hone College where one employee has been dismissed in a manner that clearly points to matters related to citizens accessing a platform for self expression. MISA Zambia makes this appeal in light of the suspicious dismissal of Clayson Hamasaka, a Journalism lecturer and an imminent dismissal of Emmanuel Maseko, a Hone FM presenter. The organisation is convinced that the dismissal is strongly pointing towards Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s visit to the college and the foiled appearance on the radio station on 6 August 2012. This is contrary to the laws of Zambia that provide for freedom of expression, the right to hold opinions and to communicate them. This freedom is provided under article 20. It has come to MISA's attention through a vigorus verification process of the events prior to and after the dismissal of the Mr Hamasaka and pending dismissal of Mr Maseko that the management of Evelyn Hone College hindered Mr Hichilema from enjoying his right to freedom of expression by blocking his appearance on the radio station through pressuring Hone FM presenter Mr Maseko from airing the programme. Article 20 of the Zambian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression which includes the right to hold an opinion, to receive ideas and information, to impart and communicate ideas and information, and to correspond without interference. This is according to a statement by MISA Zambia Chairperson, Daniel Sikazwe.

President Sata challenges Nevers Mumba

LUSAKA, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 – Zambian President, Michael Chilufya Sata has challenged Pastor Nevers Mumba to substantiate claims that State House sent an emissary to discuss his alleged involvement in some criminal conduct whilst he served as High Commissioner in Canada. “It’s in the interest of Pastor Mumba’s personal character and career that he reveals to the nation the emissary he alleges was sent by State House. Let him name the person he met and on whose authority that individual was acting,” President Sata says. “As far as my office is concerned at no time or period since assuming the presidency have I ever sent anyone to confer with Pastor Mumba or any other person who is alleged to have committed some criminality in their conduct. I therefore, challenge my young brother to name the purported emissary.” President Sata says he found Pastor Mumba’s claims fictitious and preposterous. “Clearly, Pastor Mumba has a very exceptional ability to describe events or incidents that never took place. It’s a very rare quality he possesses in this field I must admit,” the Head of State says. “However, my advice to him is that as a leader of the so-called largest opposition political party in the country, he must always strive to say the truth because the Zambians are judging him through his utterances and general conduct.” The President reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against corruption and other abuses associated with this scourge. “Let’s allow the due process of the law to take its full course and not claim harassment or persecution where there is none. As Head of State, I have all the confidence that the law enforcement agencies involved will handle these matters with utmost professionalism,” President Sata says. This is according to a statement issued by GEORGE CHELLAH-SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

President Sata to sworn-in Taima, Phiri amid protests from MMD

Republican President, Michael Sata is on Tuesday expected to sworn-in two embattled MMD members of Parliament, as deputy Ministers. These are MMD Solwezi East Constituency Member of Parliament, Richard Taima, whose portfolio remains unknown and his Mkaika’s David Phiri, as tourism deputy Minister. This comes at the time when the MMD plans to expel seven of its Members of Parliament (MP) for accepting to serve in the PF government. On Sunday MMD President, Nevers Mumba stormed State house in an attempt to seek clarification from Mr. Sata over his continued appointment of MMD members of Parliament to the PF Government without consulting the party. Both Taima and Phiri have since accepted the presidential appointment defying their party’s directive not to do so. Mr. Taima says his appointment is constitutionally supported, while Phiri justifies his acceptance of his appointment as purely on principle and desire to serve the Zambian people to the best of his ability. The duo contends there is nothing sinister in accepting Presidential appointments because he is not narrow minded like other politicians. The duo spoke to this reporter in a telephone interview.

“BABYISH” HH ADVISED TO GROW-UP

United Party for National Development (UPND) leader, Hakainde Hichilema has been advised to stop his babyish approach towards issues of national importance. This follows the opposition leader’s correspondence to the head of state advising him to stop demeaning and insulting other people with impunity. But in his response to Mr. Hichilema, Mr. Sata has advised the opposition party leader to overcome his bitterness following his crashing defeat in last year’s elections. Mr. Sata says Mr. Hichilema’s attempt to hoodwink Zambians that he cares for them demonstrates self-centeredness and lack of humility. He also accuses the UPND leader of being a principle beneficiary of the country’s fraudulently economic policies that resulted in reckless privatization of companies. Ends………Dry

ZDDM accuses presidential aide of unproffessional conduct

Zambia Direct Democracy Movement P.O Box 34553 Lusaka Zambia E/mail: sakalaedwin92@yahoo.com PRESS STATEMENT We are extremely disappointed with Special Assistance for Press and Public Relation to President Michael Sata, George Chela’s behaviour towards Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) president Dr. Nevers Mumba last Sunday when he attempted to pay a surprise visit to Head of State to talk things out surrounding their differences. George Chela’s job does not include castigating leaders that go to see president, but to create an understanding between the people that have issues with the president and the president himself. In our view, the manner Chela behaved last Sunday when Dr. Mumba attempted to call-on the Head of State to talk things over with the Head of State can be described as unprofessional. If Chela behaved like a professional civil servant of which, he is supposed to be, he should have sat down with Dr. Mumba and taken note of his complain and advise Dr. Mumba that, since he did not have an appointment with the president, he was going to present his complaint to him and arrange for a meeting with him and would get back to him with a good reply than castigate him in front of cameras the way he did. One thing Chela need to know is he was employed a Special Assistance for Press and Public Relation to the president of the republic of Zambia and not president of the Patriotic Front which is the party in power. Chela should know that, Mr. Sata may be the president of the PF but his function as the Head of State supersede those of the party and when it come to performing those functions, and is required to perform as such. When it come to perform the function of being Special Assistance for Press and Public Relation to the president of Zambia, Chela should behave as a civil servant and not cadre PF. It was not PF that employed him. He was employed by the republic of Zambia. Chela should know that, Dr. Mumba is the not the first opposition political party president that went to see the president without an appointment. Prior to 2008, Mr. Sata made a surprise visit to late president Mwanawasa Levy at State house. Special Assistance for Press and Public Relation to Dr. Mwanawasa arranged that he (Mr. Sata) meet the president then and they talked things over and in the end the two leaders reconciled. The whole nation was happy that the two leaders’ people perceived to be sworn enemies had reconciled. The credit went to the person who facilitated the action. Supposing president Mwanawasa’s Special Assistance for Press and Public Relation, Jack Kala had prevented Mr. Sata from meeting the president then or had behaved the way Chela behaved towards Dr. Mumba last Sunday, what could have been the results? Perhaps, president Mwanawasa could have died without reconciling with his sworn enemy, president of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), now president of the republic of Zambia, Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata. As a result of this action, President Michael Sata received credit from people as a person who loves peace. This act widened his chances of making it to the presidency in the just ended elections. People saw him as man of peace. Today he is president. It was folly for Chela to have prevented Dr. Mumba from talking things over with President Michael Sata. Who known the meeting he aborted could have been the beginning of many good things to come between President Michael Sata and the former ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). We as a political party condemn the action of performed by Chela to preventing Dr. Mumba to meet the president. We further condemn Chela himself because he is a danger to our growing democracy in Zambia. Our democracy depends on the dialogue Chela is trying to mutilate by preventing a progressive meeting between the president and the opposition political leaders. Edwin Sakala National Coordinator

Speech delivered by Zambia’s President, Michael Chilufya Sata, At The 6th Stop Cervical Cancer In Africa Conference On The Theme “A New Era In Cervical Cancer Prevention” In Lusaka

on behalf of the people of zambia and indeed on my own behalf, i have the pleasure to welcome you all to the 6th stop cervical cancer in africa conference whose theme is “a new era in cervical cancer prevention”. it is important to note that cancer is the world’s biggest killer and yet remains one of the groups or conditions which include preventable diseases. it accounts for approximately 250,000 deaths each year worldwide, over 95 percent which are in low and middle income countries. by 2030 cervical cancer is expected to kill 474,000 women per year. there is therefore need to prevent cancer at all cost, hence the need to take this conference seriously, as we aptly address this year’s theme. we in zambia, consider the hosting of this conference an honour. we hope that the experiences we will share will be of benefit to you. equally, we look forward to learning the progress made in other countries in the fight against cancer of the cervix. cancer in zambia, especially cervical cancer, is emerging as a major public health problem which can be attributed to rapid change in lifestyles and infectious agents like the human papilloma virus and hiv pandemic. although the focus of this conference is cervical cancer, i am equally concerned about cancers in men like prostate cancer. since there is an increase in cancers in men, efforts to address this scourge should also be heightened. ladies and gentlemen the holding of this conference is in line with the call for the african region to respond to this epidemic which is a serious challenge to the attainment of internationally agreed development goals. the government of the republic of zambia has a vision of making zambia attain the status of a higher middle income country as enshrined in the vision 2030 document. zambia is also on the race to meet the millennium development goals and indeed implement the recommendations of the world health assembly on non-communicable diseases including cancer. it is important to mention here that the first un high level meeting on non-communicable diseases and the signing of the political declaration supporting prevention and control of these devastating conditions was held last year. heads of state recognised the importance of having an international community and international cooperation assisting member states in the developing world to complement national efforts in generating an effective response to non-communicable diseases such as cancer of the cervix. good health is an essential prerequisite for national development. the government is committed to increase the budgetary allocation to the health sector from the current levels to at least 15 percent of the national budget in accordance with the abuja protocols and ensure actual releases. i am pleased to inform you that this year, we increased the funding to health by 45 percent. ladies and gentlemen our vision is “to provide the people of zambia with equity of access to cost effective, quality health care as close to the family as possible”. the vehicle to achieving this vision is primary health care. to achieve this, i am proud to say that one of the first things my government did when we came to power was to set up the ministry of community development maternal and child health. undoubtedly, this will facilitate more women accessing health services including screening for cancer of the cervix since this ministry interacts with mothers and children at community level. we believe women and children are cardinal to development. ladies and gentlemen infrastructure development is key in the dispensation of health services. my government is therefore constructing hospitals, health centres and health posts all over the country. currently, we are building 21 hospitals and 125 health centres. a further 650 health posts will be built. it’s worth mentioning at this point that we have embarked on the expansion of the cancer diseases hospital to strengthen provision of quality care for our people. as a matter of fact, government opened a centre of excellence for cancer control, screening, treatment and capacity building and we hope to take these services to lower facilities. the government is furthermore re-aligning the essential medicines like anti-cancer drugs, arv’s, anti-malarials, anti-biotics and commodities for emergency obstetric care. for transparency we have rationalized the procurement and supply chain for medicines and have developed a medical equipment policy to standardize procurement and maintenance of all hospital equipment in the country. ladies and gentlemen government is committed to promote functional and organizational reforms in the health sector in line with the overall strategy of increasing efficiency and improving standards in service delivery. we should eliminate corruption at all levels of health care so that we promote prudent use of resources to benefit those who are targeted and build confidence in our cooperating partners. the patriotic front government is determined to address and remedy the implementation of coordinated social and economic initiatives through the empowerment of zambians while recognizing the important role the donor community plays in complementing these initiatives. government is working with various cooperating partners, local and international, to fight cancer of the cervix. of note, is the support provided by president bush of the united states of america through the pink ribbon red ribbon initiative. in addition, pharmaceutical companies merck and gsk have contributed vaccines against the hpv virus to vaccinate 66,000 school going girls. we shall therefore promote access of cost effective vaccinations to prevent infections associated with cancers, as part of national immunization schedules. in conjunction with our partners we are also scaling up cost effective cancer screening programmes. this, as i mentioned earlier, is not a fight for the ministry of health alone! strong advocacy and commitment by all stakeholders is needed for cancer prevention and control. together we can do it! yes together we can defeat the scourge. distinguished ladies and gentlemen let me commend you for your attendance at this meeting. i am confident that with this level of commitment we will forge ahead to safeguard the lives of our health especially those of our women. defeating cancer will take all the commitment and ingenuity that we can summon; it is time to think creatively and to break paradigms. lastly, i will pay attention to all the activities and interventions that will follow this conference in zambia and will expect reports on the progress of all the interventions that will be undertaken following the knowledge and skill that will be acquired from this very important conference. my government and i will strive towards making zambia cervical cancer free. it is now my singular honour and pleasure to declare this meeting officially open. i thank you and god bless you.

"Childish" Mumba disappoints PF

The Patriotic Front (PF) is concerned about the desperate behaviour exhibited by MMD leader Pastor Nevers Mumba, whose decision to storm State House in the company of well-known thugs and violent gangsters like Scorpion Kadobi is aimed at instigating violence and is a deliberate attempt to undermine, harrass and bring the Office of the President into disrepute. These schemes by Pastor Mumba are cheap and desperate schemes under the guise of dialogue. If Pastor Mumba's visit to State House was in good faith, he would have silently sought for an appointment using civil channels without dragging the media along and accompanied by thugs. Mr. Mumba was looking for cheap publicity as a way of inciting people against a duly elected President. We in the PF would like to know if this is the "punch-for-punch" politics Pastor Mumba has been talking about. We want Pastor Mumba to tell the nation if this is the pattern of behaviour he wants to use to resolve issues - The pattern of mobilising thugs against a Head of State. Since yesterday when this incident happened, we have received a lot of messages from well-meaning MMD members, who are embarrassed by the conduct of their leader. Many of them are regretting the day former president Rupiah Banda handed pastor Mumba the party leadership. But then we also, in some way, sympathise with Pastor Mumba, because he is a troubled man. He has found himself alienated from his own party that he is claiming to be leading. He has just realised that the MMD has been transferred to Mr. Hakainde Hichilema by his own former president Mr. Rupiah Banda, who handpicked him. This is a frustrating situation for Pastor Mumba, but we urge him to be strong and redirect his battles to those who have pulled the carpet from beneath his feet, and not to PF. President Sata or PF has nothing to do with the schemes that are going on between MMD and UPND. PF is in government and the focus right now is to deliver to the Zambian people. That is why we strongly urge Pastor Mumba to stop this disruptive behaviour and allow government to do its work while he sorts out his problems with Mr. Banda and Mr. Hichilema. Mr. Wynter M. Kabimba, ODS Secretary General Patriotic Front (PF)

Roger Kola speaks of humble beginnings

As the Breakthrough Chiparamba Sports Academy boys 18 team settled down from a good meal on their third day at the Gothia Cup, a familiar yet unlikely voice called on the boys to give them the much needed support and advice. Roger Kola made a conference call to the Breakthrough Chiparamba team and spoke passionately about the years he spent building his blossoming career and how he used the Gothia Cup as a platform to experience and adapt a style of play which he internalized and has used todate. "I have gone through what you are experiencing and the only way to succeed is team work." said Kola. His animated speech to the Chiparamba boys via skype showed a genuine connection to a tournament which helped him understand the competitiveness of European football. Kola went on to emphasize the importance of team work and supportive team play. Kola said, " As a team you need to play as a unit and make sure you increase the tempo of the game. Football has changed and teams which are efficient tend to be better than those that play a slow passing game. You need to be aggressive and fight for every ball". The boys received Kola's comments on aggressive play and efficiency with collective approval. They promised to implement his advice in their first game. Kola later went on to speak about his upcoming big games in the UEFA competition with KAA Gents in which he is optimistic of making an impact. After an impressive start at his new club, Kola scored an impressive goal in KAA Gents 1 -0 win against Bayer Leverkusen of Germany. He paid tribute to his former club in Israel which helped him improve his style and tempo of play as the Israeli league is played at a faster tempo than in Zambia. Kola was quick to point out that the Belgian league is aggressive and faster than the Isreali league and he is comfortable playing in his current role as he feels it will raise his game. New African Football

UNZA Opens on 8th July, 2012

The University of Zambia senate at its sitting of 5th July 2012 resolved to open the 2012 academic on 8th July 2012. To this effect first year student should report to the University of Zambia Great East Road Campus on Sunday 8th July 2012. Returning students should report on Wednesday 18th July 2012. Signed By Dr Kavwanga Yambayamba University Registrar

Turkey to help Zambia reduce unemployment

The Government of Turkey has pledged to train Zambian youths in various fields including agriculture and impart entrepreneurship skills. This is in a bid to help Zambia reduce unemployment. Turkey’s Minister of Labour and Social Security Faruk Celik made the commitment during a bilateral meeting with Zambia’s Deputy Minister of Finance and National Planning Miles Sampa at Millennium UN Plaza Hotel in New York on Wednesday. “Regarding the issue you have brought up about youth unemployment and vocational training, we will be able to carry out the vocational training for the youths in Zambia or Turkey,” Mr Celik said. “If it will be in the field of agriculture it will be better to have these trainees come to Turkey and work with their Turkish partners and see model agricultural farms and take the experiences back to Zambia. It can be training of trainers.” Mr Celik explained that the Turkish Employment Agency, Ministry of National Education and the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Administration (TIKA) had a joint training programme in agriculture for African countries. In his remarks, Mr Sampa told Mr Celik that Zambia, like most countries worldwide, had a problem of unemployment, especially among the youths, and called for collaboration with Turkey to address the issue. He commended Turkey for offering to conduct a training of trainers of Zambian youths in agriculture. Mr Sampa said the trainees would be from all the 10 provinces in Zambia to ensure that the benefits trickle down to all parts of the country. The Deputy Minister said the training of trainers could take place in Turkey and the beneficiaries would be required to impart the knowledge in their compatriots. He urged Turkey to help build schools in all the 10 provinces of Zambia. “We are aware that you have US$200 million (about K1 trillion) earmarked for Least Developed Countries and landlocked developing countries. We are very keen to tap into that funding. We are hopeful we can meet your parameters as a country that can qualify to access that funding,” the Deputy Minister said. Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota and counselor Economics Irene Tembo accompanied Deputy Minister to the meeting. Mr Celik was accompanied to the meeting by his adviser Ali Aybey, Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Turkish Employment Agency deputy general director Asim Goker Keskin, among others. Turkey has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. At the May 9-13, 2011 UN Conference for the Least Developed Countries (UN-LDC IV) in Istanbul, Turkey committed to make available US$200 million annually to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for technical cooperation and scholarships. Turkey’s assistance to LDCs will be in development and technical cooperation, trade, investment, technology transfer, education, tourism, agriculture and forestry, energy, water, climate change, and other technical and policy-level cooperation. This is according to a statement issued by First Secretary for Press Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nation, Chibaula Silwamba.

MISA Zambia urges PF administration to "practice what it preaches' The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia has called this press briefing in order to respond to Honourable Fackson Shamenda's statement that the public media in Zambia are free. MISA Zambia would like to acknowledge that to some degree the state-owned media have been free to report on various issues and have not been regularly placing stories in a hierarchical manner which used to characterize state owned media news coverage in the past. MISA Zambia has noted with gratitude the change in state-owned media coverage of various issues in the country such as the reports that have exposed to an extent how delayed referral systems in the health sector in Zambia are impacting the health of ordinary citizens outside of the capital city through exposing two cases of which one turned out in a sad way among others. The front pages of the two state owned media (The Times of Zambia and The Daily Mail) have featured various people from various walks of life from ordinary citizens to our soccer heroes to some extent. However, MISA Zambia would like to urge the Patriotic Front (PF) led government not to provide this freedom through mere pronouncements because this is very much subject to change. As MISA Zambia we have been advocating media law reforms for years now and such pronouncements have been made before by new presidents or new regimes but very little change took place in terms of laws and policies governing and facilitating the existence of public media. For instance when the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) came to power they promised that they would liberalise the media and outlined this in its manifesto but failed to enact the Freedom of Information Bill since it came into power in 1991 in addition to failing to fully implement the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Act of 2002 and never implemented the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act of 2002. And to rub salt to the wound the same party that ushered in multiparty democracy changed its mind on laws that would facilitate democracy and removed critical provisions in two progressive broadcast laws in 2010. These provisions were the Appointments Committees. While they instituted several constitutional processes nothing tangible came to fruition and we ended up with a very bad Draft Constitution in 2010 in terms of media freedom and access to information. Notwithstanding the above, there was media proliferation under the MMD that saw over 45 radio stations and about a dozen television stations established. Ladies and gentlemen, in light of the above, MISA Zambia thought it prudent to call this briefing and urge the PF government to 'practice what you preach' by guaranteeing freedom to state owned media through laws and not mere pronouncements. Ladies and gentlemen, we understand that the government has intentions to implement the IBA Act, however, this will not entirely free the public media airwaves if the Appointments Committee is not reinstated in this law. The government should as part of its commitment to free state-owned media in Zambia reinstate the Appointments Committees. That is the surest way to bring about public media in Zambia. And we are certain that the rationale behind government's pronouncement to operationalise the IBA is an absolute need for the government of the day to distance itself from controlling or influencing the acquisition of broadcast stations their administration, their editorial independence as well as their programming. They want to leave such control and influence to an independent body, which is not answerable to the government of the day. However, this cannot be attained if the appointments committee is not reinstated back in the law because power will still rest mainly in the hands of the Minister of Information thereby eroding the intentions of the PF government's pronouncements that it has liberated the state-owned media. Ladies and gentlemen the removal of the appointments committee from playing a role in appointing the members of the IBA board, is in actual fact stockpiling power and authority on the minister to appoint the board directly. This has the potential to raise serious doubts on the independence and integrity of the board in relation to its ability to operate without undue pressure from the government through the minister, who would be the appointing authority. We therefore urge the government to ensure that it also reinstates that Appointments Committee in the ZNBC Act for the same reasons. Further, MISA Zambia would like to call on the government to provide for 65 percent shares in the two print media and not 35 percent because this will still place control of the two newspapers under the government. We believe that the PF government mean well and will be able to address some of the gaps that exist and put in place laws to facilitate free public media in Zambia which by international broadcasting standards at the moment do not exist in Zambia. Ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude my address, MISA Zambia would also like to state that it is deeply concerned about the recent spate of harassment of media practitioners by the Zambia Police. We are saddened at the continued detention and harassment of journalists and confiscation of equipment when journalists are covering public events. So far three known cases have been reported and in two instances police confiscated the journalists equipment and nearly erased the material recorded. Ladies and gentlemen, MISA Zambia is however grateful to the Inspector General of Police whom it has written to, seeking audience over the matter and she has acknowledged receipt of our correspondence. It is our hope that the meeting with the IG will put to an end the harassment of media practitioners by the Police. Daniel Sikazwe MISA Zambia Chairperson

Zambia’s former ruling party finally gets new leader

Nevers Mumba has formally being handed instruments of power to led Zambia’s largest opposition political party. Mumba, a former Vice President, televangelist and diplomat is widely seen, as a saviour for the party, whose popularity has been declining following its disappointing performance in, last September’s polls. His predecessor, Rupiah Banda handed over the instruments of power to Mumba at an unveiling ceremony in the capital, Lusaka, Tuesday to the cheering party stalwarts with a call to them remain resolute in the face of adversity and prosecution. Banda stepped down from the position about ninety-seven days ago to facilitate the election of a party new leader. Mumba beat six other candidates to scoop the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) top job in the elections held on May, 25th, 2012 to become the party’s fourth leader since its inception twenty-years ago. Pastor Mumba polled 870 votes in a re-run against his closest rival Felix Mutati’s 422 during the provincial conventions held across the country. Former finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, who also contested the MMD presidency, got 273 votes representing 20 per cent; former foreign affairs minister Kabinga Pande got 89, representing six per cent; Moses Muteteka and Enoch Kavindele both got five votes each, representing zero per cent while Kapembwa Simbao got 20, representing one per cent. And Mumba has launched MMD’s bid to return power in 2016 with a pledge to the supporters to reform the party. The 52-year-old charismatic preacher has also formed an intra party anti-graft committee.

Ex-Zambian leader recounts Boston experience

Former Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda has returned to his native country after his three-months lecturing mission at Boston University in the United States with a call on authorities to embrace tertiary education in facilitating economic growth in one of Southern Africa’s poorest nation. Banda, who was the eighth African leader to accept a residency at the University’s African Presidential Center, where he shared his experiences as a figure in “the ongoing trend towards democratic and economic reform in Africa,” says his mission in the United States was a great revelation and also gave him time to rest after his embarrassing defeat in last September polls to the incumbent, Michael Sata. The 75-year-old, who arrived in the capital Lusaka, on Tuesday, is concerned with the low levels of Zambian students based in American Universities saying the country needs to find means of increasing numbers of its students in tertiary institutions abroad. He also indicated plans to share his Boston experience with Zambian universities. Banda could not rule out prospects of establishing his own university in the near future. And giving his reflections on the recent Lesotho polls, the former Head of State says the elections were conducted within the legal framework of that country. Banda, who led the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) election observer mission, congratulated the basotho for exhibiting political maturity in democracy. Meanwhile, Banda has come to the defence of the heavily criticized country’s judiciary saying it is a good institution, whose work should not be overshadowed by political interests. The Zambian judiciary has been under spotlight in the recent days following the decision by the country’s leader, Michael Sata to suspend three judges and subsequently establish a tribunal led by a foreign judge from the neighbouring, Malawi to probe the conduct of three judges. The tribunal is yet to commence its proceedings following the decision by the affected judges to seek legal redress. Banda, whose close associates have been a target of the enhanced fight against corruption by the new regime, feels the attacks on the judiciary are uncalled-for and unnecessary.

Zambia slips in global state of the world’s mothers rankings

Zambia has been ranked 150th out of 165 countries according to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers Report of 2012, making Zambia the 15th country from the bottom in the world. In 2011, Zambia occupied the 149th place out of the 165 countries in the report. In determining the ranking of the worst and best places in the world to be a mother, the report looked at factors such as mother's health, education and economic status, as well as critical child indicators such as health and nutrition. In Zambia, children under five years and women of reproductive age are the most vulnerable to malnutrition. This is an ongoing crisis as. 45 per cent of children (under 5 years) in the country are chronically malnourished and there has been no significant improvement in reducing the rate in the last few years. Economic evidence also suggests that life expectancy is directly related to poverty and nutrition (Sachs, 1999). The quality and quantity of food that mothers consume influences their health and that of their children, especially the health of breastfeeding children Malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than 2.6 million children’s deaths each year, globally, and impacts negatively on children’s mental and physical growth. Norway has been ranked as the best country in the world to be a mother, while Niger is now ranked as worst country.Afghanistan was ranked the worst country for two years running in 2009 and 2010. Marc Nosbach, Save the Children Country Director said: "The report shows clearly that this crisis of chronic malnutrition has devastating effects on both mothers and their children. The time to act is now, as there is a growing concern about the situation and political will to act.” In new research for the report, Save the Children found that the simple measure of supporting mums to breastfeed could save one million children's lives a year. Yet the report also shows that less than 40% of all infants in developing countries receive the full benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. This is due, in part, to countries lacking strong commitment and complimentary programmes that enable mothers to breastfeed. When the two do combine, the report shows that it can have success even in low-income countries as it has done in other African nations such as Malawi and Madagascar. Mr. Nosbach says “Breastfeeding is the best single solution for saving children’s lives from malnutrition and ensuring a healthy start in life. Our report shows that a mother’s breast milk - one single nutrition intervention - can save a million children’s lives each year. Policies and programs must be put in place in all countries to ensure all mothers have the support they need to choose to breastfeed if they want to. Acting now not only saves lives, but saves money as well.” Currently 63% - a mere 2/3rds of a targeted 90% - of Zambian mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of the child’s life. Another critical factor hindering child health is that of pre-term births, classified as a child born before 37 weeks. According to Save the Children’s Born Too Soon report Zambia’s out of every 100 babies born, 12.9 of them are born premature. Premature birth can lead to death soon after birth, and children born prematurely may suffer from life-long physical disorders and learning disabilities. Prematurity is now the second-leading cause of death after pneumonia in children under the age of five and the leading cause of newborn deaths (babies in the first four weeks of life). Global progress for child survival and health cannot be achieved without addressing preterm birth. Investment in maternal health and care at birth will reduce stillbirth rates and improve outcomes for women and newborn babies Save the Children Zambia is pleased to note that at the 2012 Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting held in Kampala, Uganda in April 2012, Parliaments from countries, including Zambia passed a resolution to commit their countries to advancing maternal and child health. We call upon our Parliamentarians to take seriously the commitments made at the IPU meeting. Zambia’s ranking in the State of the World’s Mothers report underlines the need for Government to take serious measures to reduce child and maternal deaths. Save the Children further calls upon Governments and donors to do the following: 1) Invest in basic, low-cost solutions to save children’s lives and prevent stunting. Malnutrition and child mortality can be fought with relatively simple and inexpensive solutions such as iron supplements which strengthen children’s resistance to disease, lower women’s risk of dying in childbirth and may help prevent premature births and low birthweight. Six months of exclusive breastfeeding increases a child’s chance of survival at least six-fold. 2) Invest in frontline health workers to reach the most vulnerable mothers and children. There is a critical shortage of at least 1 million frontline health workers globally who are key to delivering the nutrition solutions that can save lives and prevent stunting. Governments and donors should work together to fill this health worker gap by recruiting, training and supporting new and existing health workers, and deploying them where they are needed most. 3) Help more girls go to school and stay in school. One of the most effective ways to fight child malnutrition is to focus on girls’ education. Educated girls tend to have fewer, healthier and better-nourished children. 4) Increase government support for proven solutions to fight malnutrition and save lives. Developing countries should commit to and fund national nutrition plans that are integrated with plans for maternal and child health. Donor countries should demonstrate leadership toward these goals by keeping their funding commitments to achieving Millennium Development goals 4 and 5. Resources for malnutrition programs should not come at the expense of other programs critical to the survival and well-being of children, such as family planning, basic education and AIDS. Save the Children Zambia works to save children’s rights, helps them fulfill their potential and fight for their rights.

Fake healing pastors flood Zambia

Eighteen-year-old, Saviour Yamba, of Lusaka’s Chazanga compound in the Southern nation, Zambia like any other child dreams of blossoming into a prominent citizen. However, this dream was not going to be. Saviour was coerced to abandon his medication at the advice of a man of God at the age of fourteen so that he could allow prayers take precedence in his life but the results from the decision have been disastrous, as he has faced resistance in the management of his infection. However, Saviour is not the only one in the family to have revolted against the family in preference for faith healing through the acquisition of holy water from the preacher, his sister too, Prisca Chileshe, has had her condition deteriorating to lowest levels. Recent tests on her indicated that despite her claims of cure, she is still HIV positive to the disappointment of her father, Jaddack Yamba Yamba, who has also been living with the HIV virus for the last 22-years. “This is wrong. Today if you just walk into any Pentecostal church, they even have healing sessions and it’s painful seeing your children slide into the grave, why my children” notes Yamba Yamba between sobs. The development is largely seen, as an assault in a country where its government has provided strong leadership on HIV. Executive Director for Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC), Felix Mwanza describes the actions of the clergymen, as a serious violation of human rights calling for the immediate intervention of the Church and Government. Church is lucrative business these days in Zambia, which was declared, as a Christian nation in the 1990’s. Almost all the pastors in these numerous new churches claim to be anointed men of God who perform miracles.

Chanda Chimba III talking point at Press Freedom day

What was saddening at this year’s World Press Freedom celebrations was that the day of introspection in light of media challenges was reduced to the usual shadow-boxing with a bias this time around on one Chanda Chimba. Guest of Honor Minister of Information who is also chief Government spokesperson, Fackson Shamenda would have been employed the same amount of energy used in attacking Chanda Chimba in informing the gathered media practitioners that government has taken on board self styled specialized journalists as its aide in various capacities. Hehehehehe, I mean close allies all in the name of news, as a more than a dozen of a-private-media-institution-employees now hold government positions. Additionally, the Honorable, whether the term befits his status or not is reserved for another day to discuss but what was more saddening is that the Minister chose to ignore with impunity the recent dismissal of some colleagues(journalists) at some government controlled media institution. The comrades have been retired while in the infancy/toddler stage of their profession, as young, as 28. All this was blanketed and carpeted. This deceptive “Donchi Kubeba” culture of secrecy is not doing the country any good. This is truly surviving by their election theme. Discussing the existence of the compromised media bodies would be a worst of time because three-quarters of them are job seekers like they say patient like a vulture waiting to feed off the weaknesses of others overwhelmingly loyal to the current government. Is this what we call integrity? I wished for a moment that I did not exist because of this political rhetoric at its highest degree at such an important occasion. The only reason Chanda Chimba is not behind bars, as of today is because there is nothing criminal about what he was doing, defamation is purely a civil matter, pay a fine everything is history and therefore one cannot be jailed if convicted unless they fail to satisfy the judgment. Chanda Chimba, is what the Minister while in his air conditioned room is preoccupied with at the expense of the tax payers? How I wish they could have a way to withdraw my contribution to the national treasury. As Zambians, we love to bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich living in our own country like people in transit or purely visitors. I just wish we were ourselves. I feel sad that I am part of the ignorant people who don’t understand our rights. I will be back to talk about our portentous Foreign Affairs Minister, Given Lubinda with his numerous trips....You remember, not long ago how, Honourable Lubinda was busy condemning Rupiah Banda, Former Head of State, that he is a kamwendo munjila(globe trotter )? Just thinking aloud…..

Barotseland Agreement 1964: A failure in leadership(Reaction)

Hello Mabvuto your reflections on this matter are deep and emotionally thought provoking. You have asked all the right and relevant questions, and answers must be provided.

I would want to see a full communique from this meeting to fully understand and appreciate the reasoning behind those calling for cessesion. It cannot be denied that the ascendance of PF into power spurred renewed hopes for the restoration of the provisions of the agreement in Zambia. The agreement itself does not talk about sessesion as an option in the matter and I would think its out of frustration that as a last resort people would contemplate that path. Cecession is not an easy matter and i m not convinced that the elite Lozis that are pushing this agenda have what it takes to achieve such a goal and to inspire a revolution, because in the first place they have not answered the question - for what? For me it is time to push this government to ensure the new constitution takes into account a governence system prescribed in the Barotseland agreement, after all without this agreement there is NO Zambia.If you ask me I would think its about time we begun to entertain thoughts of a federal system of government.

Bruce Chooma

Barotseland Agreement 1964: A failure in leadership

Why devil? To say the least, I am so troubled that soon I will lose my sisters, brothers and in-laws, as a result of what is emerging out of Western Province. Some disgruntled individuals have met and resolved to break away from Zambia. It’s clear that the devil is not happy with Zambia’s recent achievements of being a leader in democracy, a feat rarely achieved by many on the African continent and above it all the conquering of Africa in football circles is no mean achievement.

The obtaining situation in Western Province is a failure of leadership structure and that some characters with ill framed agendas have taken advantage to divide our people in brightening their personal egos. .

Why are people like Kenneth Kaunda mute about a matter that is pushing our country, a country he swore to protect, why was Rupiah Banda rushing to America with rocket-speed when Zambia has enough problems, why did President, Michael Sata promise the people of Western Province that the Barotseland agreement of 1964 will be a model of Governance once ushered into office at the expense of ordinary, oh, how I wish these people could educate themselves on the issue than rely on individuals with a hidden motive.

Take for instance Clement Sinyinda, the Ngambela of the infamous Barotseland, who once swore to defend the Zambian constitution, is today abrogating it with impunity. This is the man who at one time did serve, a unitary state called Zambia, as its Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Education while Rupiah Banda steered MMD to its unceremonious defeat bringing to an end of its twenty years rule. Some people truly need political surgery to come to reality.

How will you treat all those Lozis that married the bembas/Tongas/Chewas, thinking twice is not an understatement. Have we ever cared about history? I blame our country’s education system for not teaching Zambian history the way it is supposed to be, the reason, we are in dilemma or crossroads, as of today.

I am now made to believe that these people advocating for the secession of the Barotseland are not only failures but frustrated individuals that have failed to compete favourably in most sectors of the country’s strategic sectors.

How do you explain Charles Milupi’s participation in Zambia’s democratic dispensation among others from this region of the country? Underdevelopment-in Western Province, who do you blame it on?

It's of course the quality of leadership that has emerged from Western Province such at Parliamentary level that has failed to provide guidance to relevant institutions and subsequently attract investment to this part of the country. All I can say is good luck in your pursuit for own self-determination and enthusiasm, Zambia is larger than all of us and never let misguided angels of the devil lead us into turmoil.

The idea of secession is farfetched, misplaced and does not need attention from well-meaning Zambians.
Imagine how costly it would be if this infamous secession goes ahead-change of currency, national flag-What a farfetched idea!

The million dollar question over this untimely secession is when will our father of the nation and the man considered to be a statesman, Dr. Kaunda, utter a word on this thorny issue.