The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CiSCA) says has noted with concern President Elect Hakainde Hichilema’s assurance of the safety of the outgoing President Edgar Lungu and his cohort.

CiSCA says while this could be well and good there is unfinished business with the Zambians as all the funds stolen should be returned back to the last ngwee.

“President Elect you can cozy up all you like but recover and give us back our money,” says CiSCA.

Full statement below:

Lusaka, 17 August 2021: The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CiSCA) congratulates the people of Zambia for once again demonstrating to ourselves and others of our unshakable belief in democracy.

The large numbers that voted and in doing so unequivocally replaced a corrupt stifling dictatorship of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu with that of the President Elect Hakainde Hichilema under very oppressive and repressive conditions is nothing short of a miracle.

CiSCA wholeheartedly congratulates the United Party for National Development for affirming the tenets of democracy by the Party’s consistency, perseverance in the harsh environment of the opposition among most of the party’s rank and file when it was far much easier for individuals to defect to the ruling party because it was the only party with a ‘clear development agenda,‘ as per the defecting mantra.

CiSCA is hopeful that the President Elect’s maiden press briefing on 16th August 2021 set a progressive tone of pledging his administration’s upholding of human rights, constitutionalism, non-interference in state institutions, zero tolerance to cadre terror, non-tolerance to corruption, promotion of unity and most critical, revamping the economy.

All these positive marked departure from what was prevailing in the previous regime leading to Zambians resounding rejection on the 12th of August 2021.

However, like the English adage goes, ‘the proof is in the pudding,’ because Zambians have heard these good intentions before.

Other than the previous ruling parties, CiSCA contends that the other parties’ loss was not an outright rejection by the Zambian people but fitting into the election’s trajectory of giving a chance to the longest serving opposition party.

Therefore, to the other candidates CiSCA asks you to stay focused, be consistent and we the Zambian people who have the ultimate authority will give you a chance in the future.

In congratulating HH, CiSCA has the following asks:

Constitution
As per the UPND’s manifesto, CiSCA would like to see the immediate revisiting and hopefully final people driven review of our Constitution not only to deal with the lacunas that were caused by PF dominated National Assembly’s cherry picking of the so called non-controversial provisions in the final draft of the Technical Committee on the Constitution but also to comprehensively expand the Bill of Rights to include economic social and cultural rights.

The Bill of Rights to further include special rights for the usually marginalized sectors of our society. However, this should be done through building consensus among citizens if the new constitutional order is to engender loyalty and legitimacy.

Electoral Commission of Zambia
As per the new ruling party’s manifesto, CiSCA requests the immediate prioritizing the strengthening of the Electoral Commission of Zambia by guaranteeing not only its independence but also strengthening its capacity.

The high levels of anxiety that each general election brings to this nation is unacceptable in the digital age. There is too much hustle and bumbling from registration, to campaigns, to voting, to counting and announcements.

Voter education should be continuous and not be an event. The number of spoiled ballots at 124,906 thus far recorded, far surpassing the collective number of votes for numbers 3 to 15 presidential candidates is not only embarrassing but is a violation of the right to vote.

Corruption
CiSCA noted the President Elect’s assurance of the safety of the outgoing President and his cohort.

Well and good but there is unfinished business with the Zambians. We want all the funds stolen back to a ngwee. Mr. President Elect you can cozy up all you like but recover and give us back our money!

Use it to improve our schools so as they look like real learning centres and not deserted beehives! Pay our retirees immediately! Zambia being among the 5 hungriest nations in the world as per the Global Hunger Index, use the money to expand the numbers of social cash transfers beneficiaries.

CiSCA is happy that the usual suspects aligned to grand theft won Parliamentary seats and therefore they are within reach of retrieving our money. CiSCA contends that they probably used our money to lay out massive campaigns that poor hungry voters could not resist and therefore leading to their victory. We want each and every coin back in our public coffers.

Unity
CiSCA applauds the President Elect’s intention of uniting the nation from the worst polarisations that Zambia has ever had the misfortune to experience.

Nonetheless, CiSCA has noted that in Zambia there is a kafkan type of metamorphosis after each election when the losing side and violent cadres suddenly disappear only to remerge in the ruling party.

This has contributed to former ruling parties going into oblivion immediately after losing power and just existing by name.

This has also contributed to a weakening of our democracy by ruling parties desperately making serious sometimes criminal efforts to hang on to power at whatever cost.

Therefore, CiSCA urges the new ruling party not to embrace former PF members no matter how lowly they claim they want to contribute or to work with your party.

Thank them for the offer but reject them. Yes politics is about numbers and you have your numbers. Your necessary numbers are the millions that voted for you. Kwamana! Toxic politicians should remain ku wire. The nation knows who these are.

The Media
Mr. President we as CiSCA are happy that in your maiden speech there was some connotation of Zambia finally getting our Right to Information Act.

We therefore request you to show goodwill by restoring the Post Newspaper’s assets to the owner and work out a payment plan for the proprietor(s) for the unpaid taxes as per the court ruling. Restore Prime Television.

Restructure, rebrand and commercialize the public media houses such as Times of Zambia, Daily Mail and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation to give confidence to us the public. In their current forms and organizational cultures these media houses are untenable. Maintain ZANIS for government information.

ZICTA, NHIMA, IBA
CiSCA requests you Mr. President to disband authorities that just serve the purpose of providing employment to supporters or ruling party sympathizers and place their functions in the relevant government ministries.

Judith Mulenga
CiSCA Chairperson

By Ngobola Cengelo Muyembe

We have just elected our 7th President of this great Republic and those of us that detested the government of Edgar Chagwa Lungu are very excited about things to come.

However, if we must be fair to Chagwa, he never started off with the 48 houses, Fake Fire trucks, illegal tenders and all sorts of criminality that came to characterize his presidency.

He was just a disbarred lawyer from Chawama who took too much to the bottle and got into government by chance because of Michael Sata. There is no way he could have known about that Russian gun runner from his bar in Chawama or could have known all those criminals that came with all sorts of illegal deals to him.

Someone must have introduced those criminals to Chagwa and as a country we failed to protect this President and the Office which he occupied. No one did a background check or checked the intentions of the people that came. We left it up to him, Hapunda and Kaizer Zulu e.t.c to decide who gets to him and who doesn’t on a fee. This is illegal in other countries.

People in Zambia think protecting the Presidency is about reporting anyone that insults the President! This is senseless and has nothing to do with protecting the president but all to do with infringement on the right to free speech.

Why lock up a medical doctor for insulting Chagwa but protect criminals that surrounded him from prosecution? A verbal insult on a President will not harm our national security or take away food from the people but criminals next to the President will do that.

I know of times street thugs would brag to people that they are able to talk to the President directly.

Let us look at how the American Presidency gets protected to ensure that the President does not fall prey to blackmailers and all sorts of criminals. They have the equivalent of the Office of the President we have in Zambia which is called the Secret Service.

Unlike our OP which gets abused to spy on citizens and political opponents, the Secret Service of the United States is mandated by Congress with two distinct and critical national security missions: protecting the nation’s leaders and safeguarding the financial and critical infrastructure of the United States.

The protection is not just physical but from criminal influence as well.

As of 2010, the Service had over 6,500 employees: 3,200 Special Agents, 1,300 Uniformed Division Officers, and 2,000 technical and administrative employees. Special agents serve on protective details and investigate financial, cyber, and homeland security-related crimes.

This means that when the President gets elected, he becomes the property of the State and it becomes the duty of the State to know each and every person that gets in contact with him through a system called vetting. They make sure that even his own cell phone records become the property of the state in case some crooks want to get to him and disturb the will of the people that voted.

In Zambia and in Africa we don’t seem to do that. We just assume that just because we voted, the man will do right by his own people without ensuring that the will of the people is protected.

We leave these people on their own, not knowing that a Findlay or a Bokoni Soko can get to them and start driving a different agenda that is not in the interest of the nation.

Right now, HH is not fully protected and by protection I don’t just mean physical. How many people has he spoken with since he won the presidency and about what? What about those financial crooks that masquerade as NGO’s, how many of those have been to him? Who is keeping these records?

He promised the youth that he will create employment through empowerment and for me one of those empowerment projects can be through Brick making.

The Turkish Bricklayers have their own association which they use to lobby our government to include them in brick making. Have these people been trying to get to him so that they protect their brick making business?

What about the mining lobbyists at the Chamber of Mines? Have they started getting in touch with his closest aids so that they influence the trajectory of the UPND policy on mining?

What about the financial crooks at FQM that have been stealing from the Zambian people? Or the Chinese government whose people have their business here in Zambia and would want those protected?

We the people voted for President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND and the people they should be serving are those that voted for them. It is the duty of the government machinery to protect the Presidency from undue external pressure that will go against people’s expectations.

I never saw a Turkish Bricklayer, Lebanese Trader, Chinese Contractor, Mount Meru owners standing in a queue for more than 10 hours. I only saw our people because the government is their only lobbyist that they believe will make policies decisions that favours them.

What happened to Mandela was not an accident! When he got out of prison, our people celebrated but left him and his family alone and exposed to meet all sorts of characters without any safety net. The Apartheid criminals found a way of getting to Mandela and his family members through his close aids like Joe Slovo and they secured their future.

Today, some South Africans will say that Mandela sold them out to white people not knowing that he was just one man left alone to be manipulated by the likes of the Oppenheimers. There is only so much pressure that one person can take and it is important that these people are protected. Capture starts now.

How did Chagwa end up giving back Kasumbalesa border post to RB and associates? How did Eric Silwamba the person who was a lawyer for FQM, the people that have been stealing from the Zambian people end up as Board Chairman of ZCCM-IH?

Let us protect this president before he gets hijacked by financial crooks. Let us not depend on his own goodwill but devise a system that protects him even against himself.

Something we never did for Chagwa, Rupiah, Mwanawasa and Chiluba. We left these people to their own devices only to be influenced by financial crooks that have now scampered like viruses on an attack on their next victim.

I have already seen all sorts of thugs jumping ship claiming they have defected to the UPND.

Let that next victim NOT be President Hakainde Hichilema but instead protect him as he is now the property of the people of this Republic who voted for him and he should do right by them

WHY HH WONT MANAGE TO ‘FIX’ ZAMBIA…THERE IS A BIG MINDSET PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH FIRST

By CHRISPA MULENGA

WITH just about 7 days to go before Zambia inaugurates its 7th President—Hakainde Hichilema, many Zambians are very hopeful that the self-made billionaire is finally going to be the man who will turn around Zambia’s fortunes.

Many countrymen and women believe that the hunger and poverty situation will improve once a new president Hichilema settles down. Some UNZA lecturers and other staff members are convinced that their salaries will no longer be delayed once HH is in power. Those in business are busy consoling each other that once a new government is elected, the gloomy business environment in Zambia will suddenly improve. ‘The Kwacha will appreciate to something like K10 per US Dollar once just 4 hours after he is sworn in’, I heard one businessman tell his colleagues while having a meal at Food Palace along Lusaka’s Cairo road.
Do you also hold that school of thought?

Unfortunately, I am one of the few Zambians who is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that even with the coming of Hichilema in the corridors of authority, our country will remain the same.

You see, the biggest problem of Zambians or Africans in general is this illusionary belief that they could change their countries by voting a different person into power. It is this belief that all problems of a country start and stop with the President. That if you could just have the right man in power, then all of a sudden, Zambia would transform. This is what they call chasing a mirage, imagining some utopia. Unfortunately utopias are never realized in life.

The actual problem of Africa is not the presidents. From where do these presidents come? Where did Edgar Lungu come from? Was it not from among us in Chawama? The problem of Africa, the problem of Zambia is its citizens, their shared values and mentalities.

The day Zambians wakeup and stop looking for an external enemy and realize that they themselves are Zambia’s problem is the day we shall get closer to finding an African solution.

I have often told friends that I am happiest whenever the MPs draw bigger sitting allowances of something like K2,000 every day. As Zambians, we lambast our representatives in public for drawing these salaries. In private, we drain our MPs. We invite them for funerals, for introduction ceremonies, church services and expect them to contribute out of pocket to save us. My former area MP Maria Langa [Chilanga Constituency] once told me that she attends no less than 10 functions in a week on average. She was also expected to find jobs for our people in Chilanga. She buys coffins too!

They must contribute towards the least of needs. These big salaries they draw, they all go straight to the people they represent. Yet it seems some of us live in an illusion called Zambia. We expect our MPs to act as MPs in UK except that in our case, we also expect them to play donor to their people’s needs.

We decry the corruption in the country yet we bribe to get our children in the best schools. We bribe ZESCO to connect us to national grid. Actually, I did that just last week. We bribe our way out of traffic police charge sheets. We have no respect for traffic rules. We are every evil we see in President Lungu, Bowman Lusambo, Kaizer Zulu and the entire PF team. Every ill you can diagnose in President Lungu and his Government, you will find twice or thrice the magnitude in a Zambian citizen. We Zambians are really evil beings!

We complain of government incompetence, yet go ahead to champion incompetence in every aspect of our lives where government has no control. Our carpenters produce substandard furniture. Our bricklayers who prefer to be called contractors are extremely pathetic.

I often ask myself; if the public sector is too incompetent, how come the private sector has not been any better? How come you are more bound to have a misdiagnosis in a private hospital than in a public hospital?

News Diggers, New Vision and The Mast all write stories everyday that highlight government incompetence. Yet, there will never be a single day where you will pick up a Zambian newspaper and fail to find an error on every page. Perhaps one day as Zambians we ought to self-reflect, and look within and realize, that we are demons we are trying to fight. If outgoing President Lungu and his government were the only incompetent people and everyone else was competent, then Zambia would be a Scandinavian country of sorts.

Why don’t we have world class restaurants in the country? Why is it that customer care sucks in private institutions just as it does in public institutions?

Every Zambian I meet complains of the system, of the incompetence. Then I ask myself; “you dear Zambian, where can I find examples of your excellent output?”

The same people who complain of poor working conditions run slavery rings in their own homes. The day maids and garden boys of this country decide to speak out, we shall be shocked at the evil we sustained in our homes.

I now suspect that our anger, our rants, our complaints, our insults on Facebook about the system are all because this system is a daily reminder of our own incompetences, our own weaknesses as a people. What this PF government has done is hold a mirror up to the Zambian society and we are not happy about our own reflection.

There is something deeply wrong around how the Zambian and African societies are constructed. Zambian citizens promise so much and deliver so little. Our shared beliefs, mindsets and values have been constructed in such a way that regardless of the president in power, we shall always produce substandard results.

It is no wonder that all over Africa, we complain of the same problems. Littered cities, corruption, failed government institutions, name it all. You could fly from Uganda to Malawi to Ghana to Senegal and not notice a difference. Because? It is not a problem of presidents. It is a problem of the African citizens. But they are too scared of self-criticism, they have dabbled in escapism and found scapegoats in their leaders.

As Plato wrote in the Republic; “like man, like state.” We can’t expect to have better leaders until we have better people. You can’t create great companies without great employees. It doesn’t matter how great the CEO is, if she has crap employees, she will have a crap company. That is the case of Zambia and other African countries!

So, please stop condemning President Lungu. If we were to replace President Lungu with you, you would actually be worse than him.
Is Hakainde Hichilema the savior we need? Brothers and sisters, story izibaka kudala. President Hichilema or just about any Zambian politician can never better the lives of Zambians. Actually, because we are expecting too much from Mr Hichilema, we will be massively disappointed with him within the next 2 years. The insults that await President Hichilema – awe mwandi! Not even the cyber bullying law will protect him.

You see, the only way Zambia can become a better country is if the human being reading this write up changes his/her ways. Fellow Zambian, please change your ways!

[Additional notes by Wamulume Laurence Beele]

Following the successful elections this last weekend, please find below brief profile of the President and anticipated changes. We will continue to provide you updates.

BACKGROUND

* Born in 1962, the president elect, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema (popularly known as HH) is a seasoned business man, commercial farmer & politician and is leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND). He ascended to the helm of the UPND in 2006 following the death of Mr. Anderson Mazoka. HH has contested the presidency 5 times (over the last 15 years) and has finally ascended to the helm in August 2021 by winning the elections and beating the incumbent President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front by over 1 million votes.
* Mr. Hichilema holds a BA Economics and Business Administration (University of Zambia) and MBA Finance and Business Strategy (University of Birmingham). His career spans across a wide range of activities including being Chief Executive and also Chairman for a number of companies and boards respectively. Noteworthy is HH having served as the board chairman for Barclays Bank Zambia Plc (30 March 2004 to 14 July 2006), having served on 24 other boards in various capacities including chairman and being a member of the Institute of Directors for Zambia.
* The UPND is targeting to achieve a GDP growth rate of 10% in order for the country to achieve the 2030 vision in the party’s manifesto. Three of the key programs to be undertaken by the new government are (i) Economic transformation (ii) entrepreneurship and (iii) digital revolution

EXPECTED CHANGES

* Incumbent Bank of Zambia Governor is expected to be replaced very soon. The same is expected with other presidential appointees (Security wings, Permanent secretaries, Secretary to the Treasury, Utility Company chief executives, NAPSA, ZRA etc.) This is a usual trend whenever there is a change of government.

* Significant structural and some policy changes are expected in the government agencies.
* Financial and budgetary reforms as we head into the budget season are also expected. It will be key to see the 2022 national budget to be presented in October this year.

* Removal of middlemen in the fuel and agriculture sector that added little value but increased government cost in Crude oil importation and FISP is expected.

* Reforms in the FX Market are expected to come – Mineral royalty taxes and other mining statutory obligations may be collected in ZMW once again allowing increased FX supply on the market which will support the Kwacha. Further, direct Central Bank intervention to force a Kwacha appreciation like we saw during run up to elections will stop.
* The Kwacha is expected to appreciate against the US Dollar in the short to medium term from the current 19.3 to 15.0 on the back of positive market sentiment/investor confidence. (New government is projecting a rate of 10.0 USD/ZMW)

* The offshore investors that sold USD and bought Zambian government bonds in the last 2 to 3 months at yields averaging 34% are expected to continue aggressively participating in the auctions. We have already noted offshore investors trying to sell dollars today and position to buy more bonds in the next auction, implying a rally in the bond market. The dollar flows will help support the kwacha appreciation and interest rates are expected to start going down (full shift of the yield curve which will filter to other market interest rates). We expect market rates to drop 400 – 500 basis points on average in the short term.
* The BOZ Bond Buy-Back program that had commenced last year is likely to be stopped despite it having been planned for the full year 2021. The continuation of this will depend on the objectives of the new Governor/Minister of Finance

* Public expenditure tightening and close monitoring and accountability is expected.
* IMF Programme implementation expected to resume with some measure of confidence in the governance system. A fully funded program is expected and the new government will utilize the $1.4 billion SDR which may most likely be used to boost FX reserves. There’s also an expectation that the IMF program will be concluded in the very short term and at a faster pace than was the case with the previous government.

* We anticipate rating agencies to improve the country rating (from Junk) and outlook in the medium term as the political risk is reduced and with a funded IMF program on board.
* A review of mining tax regime which has been poised to offer huge concessions to the mining corporates at the expense of personal income tax as the new government endeavors to empower the masses

UPND’s EMPHATIC WIN PROOF THAT ZAMBIANS WERE TIRED OF PFs TYRANNY, CORRUPTION – TIZ

By Ulande Nkomesha,

TRANSPARENCY International Zambia (TI-Z) says UPND’s win in the recently held general elections is an indication that Zambians had enough of the tyranny, lawlessness and corruption under the PF regime.

In a statement, TI-Z executive director Maurice Nyambe further said UPND’s victory reflects the will of the majority Zambians.

“As Transparency International Zambia we would like to offer our congratulations to Mr Hakainde Hichilema on his election as the seventh President of the Republic of Zambia. We would also like to congratulate the UPND for winning the just ended 12th August elections,” Nyambe said.

“We think the UPND’s win reflects the will of the majority of the people. What this shows also is that the Zambian citizens had enough of the tyranny, the lawlessness, they had enough of the corruption and the impunity that had become the whole mark of the Patriotic Front regime.”

Nyambe further urged Hichilema to embark on rebuilding the nation.

“We hope that as Mr Hichilema and his team embark on what is the very daunting and gigantic task of rebuilding this nation. We hope that they would have taken lessons from the mistakes that the previous regime committed in order for them to be able to put Zambia on a better trajectory. So, we can only wish them well,” said Nyambe.

“We hope that even as they get down to work, they will not close the spaces for engagement with different stakeholders such civil society organizations and others because ultimately it is in every one of our interests to see it that they succeed, because their success will be the success of the Zambians. So we wish them well even as they embark on this mammoth task.”

Meanwhile, former Attorney General Musa Mwenye said in a statement that the last seven years threatened the fabric of a democratic nation.

“The last seven years threatened the very fabric of who we are, as a nation! Zambia is a democracy and the people are king! Some of us risked our lives and livelihoods to get rid of this system that elevated cadres, corruption and cronyism above patriotism, hard work and merit!

And if this system raises its ugly head again, we will get back into the trenches! Some of us helped build the PF and we have broken what we built because it threatened our country and we are happy to see it go. Zambia is a democracy and shall never be a dictatorship,” said Mwenye.

CCMG Verification Statement on the Accuracy of the Official 2021 Presidential Results

Introduction

Today, the Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) is releasing its verification statement on the accuracy of the presidential results. CCMG conducted a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) for the presidential election as part of our comprehensive monitoring of the 2021 general elections. As we stated during preliminary statement, CCMG completed its PVT by 12 noon on Friday 13 August 2021 with over 99% of our monitors having sent in their observation reports. Had it proved necessary, CCMG would have released its PVT estimates if we had any indication there was manipulation of the official results. We commend the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for fulfilling its constitutional duty with honour and are grateful to them for not having to do so. CCMG now confirms that its PVT verifies that ECZ’s official presidential results reflect the ballots cast at polling stations.

Methodology

CCMG’s PVT deployed carefully recruited, highly trained accredited independent non-partisan monitors to a nationally representative random sample of 1,500 polling stations with 866,689 registered voters of whom 463,625 are female (53.5%)[1]. The PVT sample was carefully constructed according to well-established statistical principles to ensure that it was nationally representative and included polling stations in every province, district and constituency of the country. This is done by stratifying by province, district and constituency to ensure the percentage of polling stations, registered voters and female registered voters in the sample closely matches the percentage for the entire country (see Annex 6). For example, Eastern province has 11.8% of all polling stations, 12.8% of all registered voters, and 13.1% of all female registered voters in the country, and so the CCMG’s PVT sample matches this distribution with 11.8% of polling stations,12.8% of registered voters, and 13.3% female registered voters coming for Eastern province in the sample. This ensure that CCMG’s PVT sample is truly nationally representative and therefore, can determine the quality of the voting and counting processes and can estimate accurately estimate how Zambians cast their ballots in all 12,152 polling stations.

On election day, CCMG’s PVT monitors witnessed and reported on the entire voting and counting process, arriving at 5:30 in the morning and staying at their assigned polling station until counting was completed and results have been posted. Because CCMG’s PVT monitors are deployed to a nationally representative random sample, the PVT methodology provides the most accurate information on the conduct of voting and counting and it is the only methodology that can provide independent verification of the accuracy of official election results. CCMG’s PVT is not an exit poll. Our monitors do not ask any voter for whom he or she voted. CCMG’s PVT monitors also do not count the presidential ballots as that is the responsibility of the polling officials. However, our monitors are present throughout the counting process and report on its conduct. CCMG’s PVT estimates, therefore, are based on the official and publicly available official results from polling stations.

PVTs are used around the world and across Africa to independently determine if official election results reflect the ballots cast. The PVT methodology has been successfully employed by citizen observers for multiple elections in numerous African countries, including: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe. PVT’s have routinely been conducted for presidential elections in Zambia with PVTs previously conducted in 1991, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

The PVT methodology is impartial and non-partisan and reflects the ballots cast regardless of the outcome of an election. Thus, PVTs in Zambia have verified results in past elections both when the ruling party candidate won the election as well as when an opposition party candidate prevailed. For example, the PVT verified the results of the 2008 presidential election when the late Michael Sata lost as well as confirmed his victory in 2011 (see Annex 5).

PVTs serve to independently verify official election results by comparing the official result with the PVT’s estimated range for each candidate (as well as for rejected candidates and turnout). If the official result falls within the PVT estimated range, then the official result reflects the ballots cast at polling stations. However, if the official result falls outside of the PVT estimated range, then the official result has been manipulated and the PVT suggests the true result.

CCMG is an independent, non-partisan citizen monitoring network that conducted a comprehensive observation of the 2021 general elections, including a long-term observation of the pre-election period and the election day PVT. Our observation effort was undertaken to ensure a credible electoral process for all Zambians, and we are beholden to no candidate nor the ECZ.

CCMG PVT Findings

As Table 1 shows, for the two leading candidates as well as for all other candidates combined, the official results announced by the ECZ[2] fall within the PVT estimated range and therefore, we can declare with confidence that the official results reflect the ballots cast at polling stations (see Annex 1 for CCMG PVT estimates for all presidential candidates).

The PVT estimated range for Hichilema’s vote share is 57.7% to 60.5% and his ECZ official result is 59.4%, which falls within this range. Similarly, for President Lungu, the ECZ official result is 38.4%, which falls within the PVT estimated range for his vote share of 37.1% to 39.7%.

Because CCMG’s PVT estimates show that the lowest possible result for Hichilema (57.7%) is greater than the highest possible result for President Lungu (39.8%), the only possible outcome of the election is for Hichilema to receive the most votes of any presidential candidate.

Further, according to CCMG’s PVT estimates, the lowest possible result for Hichilema is 57.7%, which is greater than the 50%+1 vote share required to prevent a presidential runoff election.

CCMG’s PVT estimate for turnout is 70.4% +/-0.7%, with a range of 69.7% to 71.1% and for rejected ballots the PVT estimate is 2.5% +/-0.1%, with a range 2.4% to 2.6%. With 155 of 156 constituencies announced, ECZ’s turnout figure is 70.8%[3] with 2.3% rejected ballots.

CCMG’s PVT monitors reported the election day process was inclusive and transparent, as both PF and UPND party agents participated throughout voting and counting across the entire country (see Annex 2 and 3). As previously reported, PF and UNDP had party agents at 98% and 99% of polling stations during the counting of ballot papers. The PF and UNDP party agents also agreed with the official vote count for the presidential election at 98% and 99% of polling stations, respectively. At 97% of polling stations, a PF party agent signed the official presidential results form (GEN 20), while at 99% a UPND party agent signed the official presidential results form (GEN 20). In addition, polling officials posted the official results for the presidential election at 95% of polling stations (see Annex 4).

Overall, while there were serious challenges during the pre-election period that raised questions about the fairness and credibility of the electoral process, the ECZ conducted a well-organized and credible election day process that largely adhered to official procedures, and both PF and UPND party agents were involved through the voting and counting across all provinces. Given that the CCMG’s PVT estimates verify the ECZ’s official results for the presidential election, all Zambians should have confidence the ECZ’s official presidential results are accurate and reflect the ballots they cast at polling stations. We commend the ECZ for meticulously tabulating the presidential results and announcing results in line with its mandate.

SOURCE: CCMG Zambia

“CUT MY MANHOOD IF UPND WIN AUGUST ELECTIONS WAS A MERE JOKE” SAYS CHANDA JOHN CHIMBA AS HE WROTE BELOW

The last few days have been coupled with a lot of happenings politically, Zambians went to the polls last week to elect A President, Members of parliament, mayors and councilors.

The election period is over, Zambians have decided to give the top job to President elect Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND for the next 5 years.

Personally, I had chosen to support the Patrotic Front and His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, out going President.

Allow me to make mention that I have with immediate effect taken leave from politics, political activities and anything that has to do with politics, I will use this time to build myself and focus on other things and build myself.

During my journey in politics, I may have hurt some of you , I may have step on your toes politically or I may have done things that did not please you due to my affliction with the out going governing Party PF which I wish to apologize from the bottom of my heart this includes the bad joke bets I made out of excitement of “cut my manhood”.

My main focus now will be to continue with my charity works and do other things that have no connection to politics.

I have also seen a picture circulating of me with friends posing in a UPND chitenge, peoooe have called me names over it and thinking I have defected already, but I have not, I have not defected to the upnd but chosen to take leave from politics and take a neutral stance.

My advise to the upnd youths and everyone in the in coming governing party is that do not make the same mistakes we made in PF, so not take people for granted or become too pompous and taken away with power, this is the biggest mistake many youths in PF made over the last 10 years, do not make mistakes PF youths made but instead learn from them and do better.

Lastly, allow me to wish the President Elect H.E Hakainde Hichilema and the Upnd well as they lead this country, and also allow me I wish H.E Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu well as he leaves state house.

AN IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE ZAMBIAN YOUTHS AND SENIOR CITIZENS ON THE TRENDING FORGIVENESS.!!!!

Good morning beloved Zambian Youths and our senior citizens through out the country.
First and foremost, we should all know without a doubt that it was God The Creator who made it possible that our president HH should be an elect today and no one else regardless of the coincidences that my occur.

Secondly, we appreciate all those trying by all means to advise the government regarding forgiving the offenders of the Zambian law which let to them being voted out through out the province.

I would like to make mention that there is a misunderstanding on Bally’s statement, saying “Adada you will be okay don’t worry.” This simply meant that, President HH has forgiven and is advising us to forgive people on our personal grudges if you were mistreated by them in anyway BUT forgiveness will not be compromised to punishment of those found wanting and recovering the resources of the country.

Get this from today that, those found wanting will surely be visited by the law accordingly without adding personal experiences or grudges that does not concern the Zambian people and no one will be spared if found wanting.

In the UPND manifesto there is a statement saying “The government will “Launch ‘Operational Recovery’ to ensure public money corruptly obtained is returned back to the public”. and this will be fulfilled, trust the process and exercise a bit of patience as we are waiting for our President elect to be sworn In next week.

There is a picture circulating of two people in UPND regalia and in the middle is Spax Mining associated with gasing issues, I think that is bringing an alarm among the people of Zambia and should come to an end, if you forgive them (offenders) on a personal level do not bring that to the public as it will be misunderstood by the public who went through hell because of their actions and are thinking otherwise.

Furthermore, let it be known to you dear youths and senior citizens that no defectors will be entertained in the rulling party, we will be doing cleansing of perpetrators in order to have a corruption free country and raise it’s standards according to The Presidents promise during the public briefing.

We actually know those who don’t mean well for the party and we need to forgive and love them but with care and steadiness because God tells as so.

We the UPND youths are not being rude here but allow us to mention that, if at all there are those musicians who participated in Kalandanya choir and run paid for political adverts on their pages for the oppressors as “the majority Zambians put it”, kindly hold your peace for now and we don’t need any song of victory from you today, we have musicians who stood with us through thick and thin and they will do that job eg B-Flow, Pilato, Knack Unit, Organized family and so on. Note that; we don’t hate you or anything but it’s just inevitable for now thanks for understanding.

It is with heavy hearts to learn of the accident that occurred during the celebration, please be advised to celebrate responsibly the country still needs you and to those affect we pray that you get well soonest.God bless Zambia.

For more updates later,
By, UPND and Zambian youth. Together we will surely build a better, Zambia.
ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION.

PILATO’S LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY MR. Hakainde Hichilema

Dear Mr. Hakainde Hichilema,

Sir I hope you find strength in every breath you take during this episode of your life. I am a human being and my humanity is tempted to feel sorry for you. I would have loved to visit you even for a minute and shake hands with you once again but that may not be possible for me to do right now. Sir, if ever you get to read this letter please read it not with your mind but with your heart because this is not a product of my intellect but of my heart. Mr. Hakainde sir, please cherish this period of your life as everything you have dared to stand for is being put to test. I do not feel sorry for you at all but i admire you sir. You are lucky and blessed.

Sir, think about the tallest building, before the last brick was put, the builders first had to dig deeper. Think about the tallest tree sir, before the tree reaches its highest peak it first goes under with the roots. Think about Jesus Christ, before his ressurection he first had to be buried. Everything that has ever gone up has always dwelled under.

Think about the labour ward where our sisters and mothers give birth to life, its the place of pain but the joy that awaits is greater do you notice that the grave has the best flowers than the labour ward? Sir, the prison is such a terrible place, its a place of pain and misery but thats where great minds find inspiration. If Jesus Christ who raised the dead, healed the sick and fed thousands was chained and condemned to death who are we to escape the mediocrity of humanity.

Mr. Hakainde sir, you are in the labour ward of dreams whilst the grave yards are glistening with flowers of comfort and illusions of freedom. While you spend each minute reflecting those outside that prison are losing themselves in pleasure. I do admire you sir, your story shall be told with great detail. Do not lose hope, do not u-turn on your dreams. While it may appear hard and impossible, it is not. There are those who find comfort in calling you the Nelson Mandela, i find that insulting to you for you are not a copy of any other person but your own. Your story is not to become like Mandela but to become the Hakainde Hichilema from a little village in Monze.

Lastly, as difficult this period may be to you and your family, i think its a moment to rejoice. Those who believe in the future can see beyond the smoke.

Thank you sir

By Chilufya Tayali
LET’S FOCUS ON THE INAUGURATION TO BE HELD ON 24TH AUGUST – MEANWHILE EMMANUEL MWAMBA AND OTHERS REFUTE CLAIMS THAT THEY WERE ADVISING PRESIDENT LUNGU NOT TO CONCEDE
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According to our constitution, inauguration is supposed to be held on a Tuesday after 7 days from the day of declaration of the President-elect. The 7 days is to allow anyone who wish to challenge the elections to go to petition.

However, I don’t expect anyone in his right thinking mind to petition this election because Zambians have spoken resoundingly and nothing will change this. Therefore all those trying to scheme anything, other than inauguration are labouring in futility and risking the peace of this Country.

Meanwhile News diggers is carrying a story that some State House presidential assistants and some Zambian diplomats who were in the country to help the Patriotic Front in campaigns have been persuading President Edgar Lungu not to accept election defeat, impeccable sources have told News Diggers.

The sources explained that the aides, diplomats and PF surrogates who include Sukwana Lukangaba, Zumani Zimba, Andrew Chellah, Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba, Anthony Mukwita, Milingo Lungu and Amos Chanda among others, want President Lungu to annul the election results by commanding ECZ not to declare Hakainde Hichilema the winner.

“The President is surrounded by people who are actually influencing him not to accept defeat. His advisors are telling him that he has the power to annul the election outcome. This is why you saw them issue a statement that the elections were not free and fair and asking ECZ to stop announcing the results. These are the people who have been engaged in electoral shenanigans. What they are telling the President is that he should not concede defeat, they are saying he has the power to do so. You need to call them and ask why they are trying to mislead the man,”the source said.

When contacted, the said State House assistants, diplomats and Pf agents denied the allegation.

Chella claimed he had not met the President since Friday.

“There is no one advising the President in those lines. It is baseless. I have not seen him since Friday.”

Mukwita referred the questions to Chanda

“The best person you should be getting in touch with is Mr Amos Chanda. He is the spokesperson for the campaign. I am here in my capacity on leave to come and vote. So if you get in touch with Mr Chanda whom I know you guys have a very good relationship with, he will be in a much more informed position to comment on anything. I do not have the authority to make any comment.”

Chanda said he would never advise anybody to reject the will of the people.

“I would never advise anyone to do anything unlawful or to interfere in the will of the people. I would not do that at any point,” he said.

Milingo Lungu said: “No, it is not true.”

Meanwhile, Mwamba who was in the country as at yesterday said it was unfortunate that some people wanted to destroy his name during the crisis.

“No please don’t put me in those lines. The Presidential advisors are known. So don’t include me those lines. How do you clarify something that does not exist? Abantu bachita fye manufacture (people just cooked up a story) and they want you to report but Mr Mwamba denied. But it would have taken legitimacy to the foolish things. People want to destroy names during this crisis.”

Efforts to reach Lukangaba and Zimba proved futile by press time as calls went unanswered.

STATEMENT: SUNDAY CHILUFYA CHANDA, MP

No serious person enters a contest hoping or aiming to lose. Therefore, victory, not a loss, is the ultimate goal. As can be expected, the election outcome of the 12th August 2021, is not what the Patriotic Front Party wished for or wanted. However, I am fully mindful and respectful of the democratic principle: “it is the rule of the majority”. And, the majority of Zambians – my parents, brothers and sisters – have spoken through the ballot box. Hence, it is not what I feel, wish or want; rather, it is what the majority of the people wish and want that is supreme.

Let me hasten to state that; I remain a loyal and committed member of my Party, the Patriotic Front, and will continue to be a faithful servant of the wonderful people of Kanchibiya who have bestowed the honour on me of serving them as their representative in Parliament. To the people of Kanchibiya: Your faith in me I will not betray. Your hopes I will not dash.

Regardless of the outcome of the August 12th election for the Patriotic Front Party, I wish to pay my deepest and unreserved gratitude to President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for his wise counsel, humility, compassion, empowering and people-centred leadership among others, that have helped shape me into a better man, leader and a nationalist, that I am today. Last but not least, I am eternally grateful for the pivotal role President Lungu played in my eventual adoption as the Kanchibiya Constituency Parliamentary seat candidate under the Patriotic Front.

As we bid this emotional and fond farewell to His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, I wish to extend my sincerest congratulations to our President-elect Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, on his election to the office of President of the great Republic of Zambia.

Sir, your resounding electoral success reflects the overwhelming confidence that the people of Zambia have deposited in you, and I am equally confident that the confidence that Zambia has invested in you will yield dividends.

Of importance too, I am aware that during the course of my political journey, I may have crossed paths with you in a manner that may have not sat well with the now President-Elect. Indeed, over the years, I have come to learn the invaluable lesson that, it is possible to differ politically without becoming personally disagreeable. My past political differences with the now President-elect Mr. Hichilema were never personal. In view of this, for any criticism that may have personally aggrieved the now President-elect during the course of our political discourse, I take responsibility and ask for your forgiveness, Sir. As the well-known adage reminds us: “to error is human”.

To all my fellow Zambians: “There is time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV). There was a time for political campaigns prior to 12th August 2021. After 12th August 2021, that time and season has ended, at least until 2026. Now, it is time to come together for the sake of our desired national unity and development. Therefore, for myself, taking after that great example in Apostle Paul: “But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind; and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13b NIV). What is ahead for Zambia “to strain toward” is our collective pursuit of healing, peace, unity, tranquillity, stability and development. What is to be forgotten and therefore put behind by both those feeling victorious or vanquished is to put aside politicking and divisiveness.

With your resounding victory Sir, I am also aware that as President of the Republic of Zambia, as our soon to be Head of State, you will preside over both your greatest admirers and harshest critics alike. I have no doubt that, in the spirit of our national ethos and what is best about us as a people, you Sir, will rise to the occasion to embrace both your admirers and critics, in an effort to contribute significantly towards building a truly “One Zambia, One Nation”.

Therefore, to the incoming President, the Citizens of Zambia in Kanchibiya Constituency elected me to represent them by advancing developmental agenda and support progressive legislation that puts Zambia and Zambians first. The people of Kanchibiya are yearning for roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, communication towers, electrification, a developed and diversified agriculture sector, as well as youth and women empowerment, inter alia. More specifically, Sir, the people of Kanchibiya are looking forward to some of the following development outcomes because they believe that the government in office can help them to translate their dreams, among these include: commercialising rice production in Munikashi; establishing a Sugarcane plantation along Chambeshi River; promoting fish farming cages along Kanchibiya’s water bodies; constructing the Kopa to Nchubula road; upgrading the Mbati to Chinkobo road; reviving and repositioning the role of Kanchibiya’s farming blocks in the inclusive development agenda; electrifying Kabinga Chiefdom, and so on.

Thus, as I take up my role as backbencher under the Patriotic Front, I look forward to working with your incoming administration in advancing the above and other development aspirations of the people in Kanchibiya constituency.

Hence, during my course of duty as MP for Kanchibiya constituency, I shall offer constructive debate, criticism, checks and balances, as well as credit where it may be due, to ensure that Zambians everywhere get the best deal from the new administration. I will do this because, as John F. Kennedy:

“Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive”.

In conclusion, Sir, I now sincerely and warmly wish you God’s blessings as you take up the highest office in the land, and I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ may give you and your administration counsel to lead our great nation.

Signed:

Hon. Sunday C. Chanda
MP – Kanchibiya Constituency (PF) S

Hakainde Hichilema is President-elect of Zambia

UPND’s Hakainde Hichilema, 59, has officially been declared as the President-elect of Zambia, following his victory in the August 12 vote.

Mutale Nalumango, 66, has also been declared as the Vice-President-elect of Zambia.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson and presidential election returning officer Justice Esau Chulu made the declaration at a tightly guarded Mulungushi International Conference Centre – the national result venue – in Lusaka at 02:35 hours today.

The announcement sent accredited UPND officials in the auditorium into a frenzy, as numerous media cameras centred on them.

According to official results by the ECZ, Hichilema, a University of Zambia (UNZA) trained economist, polled 2,810,757 against his closest rival of the PF’s Edgar Lungu who managed 1,814,201 votes, in 155 out of 156 constituencies.

The difference between President-elect Hichilema’s votes and Lungu’s is 996,556.

This year’s victory for President-elect Hichilema comes against the backdrop of an antiquated public order Act whose administration by the police, especially under the Lungu regime, is/was ruthless.

On top of the unevenly applied public order Act, the pandemic, which was first detected in Zambia in March 2020, somewhat emboldened the regime’s pretext of denying Hichilema and his like-mind to interface with would-be voters, including in the just-ended campaigns.

Hichilema has stood firm against all manner of full throttle ill-treatment by successive regimes, although it’s the despotic Lungu, who humiliated the Monze born Hichilema, the most.

In terms of joining mainstream politics, Hichilema, a business executive, was elected as the president of the United Party for National Development (UPND) on Friday, July 14, 2006, to replace deceased party founding president Anderson Kambela Mazoka.

His last corporate world job was at a private audit firm, Grant Thornton in Lusaka, where he was the chief executive officer.

At the 2006 UPND extraordinary general assembly in Lusaka, Hichilema, who is fondly called HH by millions, defeated then party deputy president Sakwiba Sikota, and another aspirant Baldwin Nchite.

Hichilema polled 512 votes, Sikota had 226 while Nchite had seven votes.

After that intraparty election, Hichilema lost the September 28, 2006, October 30, 2008, September 20, 2011, and the 2015 and 2016 Republican presidential votes.

This year’s vote was his sixth attempt and since he is the victor, he will be sworn-in as Zambia’s seventh President, a week from now.

Vice-President-elect Nalumango will be sworn-in alongside President-elect Hichilema and the former will be Zambia’s second woman to occupy the Republican Vice-Presidency, after outgoing Inonge Mutukwa Wina, who is 80.

Hichilema is married to Mutinta and they have a daughter, Miyanda and sons, Habwela and Chikonka.

In terms of Lungu’s rise to the Republican presidency, here is an abridged and apt version of it:
Following the death of Zambia’s fifth president Michael Chilufya Sata at a London hospital on October 28, 2014, Zambia held a spur-of-the-moment presidential vote on Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

Lungu, who at the time of Sata’s death was the Minister of Justice, Minister of Defence, PF secretary general and acting Republican President, would later succeed the fascinating politician.

Lungu is a University of Zambia (UNZA) trained lawyer.

Many PF opinion leaders vouched for Lungu as a humble person, either because of residing (way back) in a humble Lusaka ghetto, Jack, or because of his timid disposition (again, way back).

In the January 2015 election, Lungu polled 807,925 votes (48.84 per cent), against his closest rival, Hichilema who got 780,168 votes (47.16 per cent).

Simple arithmetic would show that the duo was separated by a difference of 27, 757 votes.

On the rule of first-past-the-post, as enshrined in the Republican Constitution then, Lungu was sworn-in as Zambia’s sixth President at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka on Sunday, January 25, 2015. He was 59.

Under an amended Republican Constitution requiring a winning presidential candidate to garner 50 per cent + one vote, another election, this time a general one, was held on Thursday, August 11, 2016.

President Lungu was re-elected with 1, 860, 877 votes (50.35 per cent), against Hichilema’s 1, 760, 347 votes (47.63 per cent) – that is a difference of 100, 530 votes.

Hichilema disputed the 2016 result and sought legal intervention but the Constitutional Court of Zambia dismissed his presidential petition against President Lungu, on a technicality, on September 5, 2016.

President Lungu was, for a second time, sworn-in on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at National Heroes Stadium.

In November this year, President Lungu would turn 65 years old.

In this year’s elections, President Lungu’s running mate was Professor Nkandu Luo, a 70 year old micro-biologist.

ZNBC’S JOSHUA JERE WRITES

AN ”AUTOPSY” OF THE PF

1. ARROGANCY

The song Alebwelapo was so pompous and arrogant.Instead of appealing to be retained on the mupando, the song was effectively saying ” it does not matter what you wish, we shall continue to rule you.” This angered and motivated a lot of people to stand up and vote the PF out. I know one voter who changed his mind against the PF based in the song.

2. CADRES

The youth and security wings of the party also cost the PF the 2021 election. They were unruly, criminal ,violent , and insolent. They would constantly insult government officials with impunity via social media videos. They were unruly on roads, disturbing traffic without regard of the people who thought twice about giving a vote the PF ever again. They also extorted people of money at bus stations. They often engaged in murder and assault of each other especially over money.

There is also an elite cadre of the party that was awarded contracts by government. This kind were in the habit of flashing corruptly acquired wealth on social media . There was a period of about two weeks when PF cadres published videos and pictures, standing on loads of hundred kwacha notes while threatening others .And one minister was repeatedly captured on state TV with huge bundles of cash which he would dish out to people. This practice not only fueled jealousy and anger among PF supporters but also the rest of the population.

3. INSENSITIVITY

By the end of 2019 and start of the year 2020, a number of ministers were shown on television with insane amounts of cash which they were dishing out to people like a millionaire would do. While, this practice cheered those few and lucky ones getting the cash, it incensed the majority who were working hard to feed their children. One party official actually told Zambians to eat sweet potatoes, if they cannot afford to buy bread.

The PF was also giving money to musicians in an attempt to prevent a revolt from the sector. This was happening when retired civil servants were literally dying without getting their benefits.

4. TRIBALISM

Chishimba Kambwili was a major factor in making people decide to vote PF out of power.

Mr. Kambwili was the strongest critic of former President Edgar Lungu before he rejoined the PF. He had also apologized for making tribal remarks in the 2016 election campaign before he resigned from the government. He declared that if he ever rejoined the PF he should be considered as a mad person. Fast forward to 2021 kambwili he rejoined PF and immediately started the tribal campaign again.

People read between the lines. PF was saving Kambwili from serving jail time and in exchange he was to engage in tribal campaign to distract Bemba’s from supporting HH. But rather than distract the Bemba’s, it angered other the masses . There were also others who felt nauseated by a person who repented of tribalism going back to his vomit. They were others who saw corruption in the PF trading justice for tribalism just to win an election.

4.ZNBC

Two years after the fall of the MMD government in 2011, I met a former MMD minister at Ndola Airport. He complained to me about how ZNBC only covers the PF . I was shocked that he could be complaining about this when his party enjoyed the same privilege before being kicked out. So I told him ” ZNBC does not change, it is you politicians that change. If you want ZNBC to change, you should do it while you are in power.”

ZNBC is to politicians like candy is to a little boy. Although it damages the boy’s teeth, he enjoys the thrill it gives in the moment. ZNBC does the same thing to politicians in the ruling party by constantly and always featuring the same people on television, radio and even social media . But while they enjoy the “candy”, the power gets to their heads and they start feeling invincible. Meanwhile, members of the public who don’t even support opposition parties became frustrated by always watching and listening to the same people over and over and over to a point where they effectively stop watching a public media institution they are charged a levy for.

4. INFRASTRUCTURE VS ECONOMY

Ask many Zambians what development means to them and they will probably list roads as the most important developmental issue. It is no surprise that every government tries to build roads both in urban and rural areas . The MMD administration before 2011 embarked on a massive road construction project that in one township, a road was constructed so close to a house the owners would take the first step out of the house on the road. But the PF took this drive for roads to a whole new level. I currently do not have statistics of how many kilometers of roads the PF built but you cannot argue that they took road construction to a whole new level.

But it is not just roads that the PF was building. They were building schools, hospitals, power stations and government offices. Every corner of the country was a construction site. But at what cost? Inflation!

The prices of goods and services began to rise. bread, cooking oil, mealie meal, and cement went ever so up.

With the huge appetite Zambians have to construct houses, every time they buy cement, they think about how at one time Cement was priced at 50 kwacha .

What would it profit an administration to build so many roads and buildings, but people cannot afford basic needs. Governments should strike a balance between spending too much money on infrastructure and keeping the price of basic needs low.

5. AN ECONOMY CENTRED ON THE PARTY AND ITS FRIENDS

The PF created an economy that only benefited those close to the President , ministers and their friends. If a project does not benefit this circle, then that project would not take off. A Zambian based in Australia came to Zambia in 2015 with the backing of Australian investors to build affordable houses for Zambians. He hit wall after wall until he left the country in frustration because ministers would not back his project without kickbacks. Another Zambian had American investors keen to invest in a sugar plantation in western province, it never went far for the same reasons.

But this practice also permeated at macro level, people could see that only ministers, cadres and their friends were enjoying the ‘economy’.

One musician was so brave enough as to publish a video where he insulted Zambians who were suffering saying they should not blame anyone for their suffering. This cost the PF a lot of votes.

6. THE DEPRECIATION OF THE KWACHA

Although the depreciation of the currency is supposed to give a country an export advantage, this was not the case for Zambia with an import oriented economy. The depreciation pushed the prices of goods and services up. For many Zambians, this was probably the last indicator that the economy had deteriorated to its lowest. The government should support industrialization and exports so that this not only creates jobs and incomes but also earns the country forex in the event of the currency getting weak.

7. CORRUPTION

Corruption in the PF administration became so endemic, that even senior party officials didn’t see anything wrong with it. Former Second Deputy Speaker Mwimba Malama once declared that ” PF enemies are trying to make corruption look like a serious thing”. But it was not only Mr. Malama, even the party president, once shocked the nation by reciting a Bemba proverb at a public function “he who works in a garden, eats from the same garden.”

The list of corruption-related cases is so long, I don’t need to remind you. However, the PF took citizens for granted and thought they would not remember the corruption as long as they built roads and gave the people cash.

8. THIRD TERM ?

I’m not competent to argue whether or not Lungu’s participation in the 2021 election was effectively a third term. However, this issue contributed to downgrading PF’s credibility. People considered this an abuse of the courts . Many even within PF were not happy with this development.

9. KILLING OF CITIZENS

Vespas, Nsama, Mugala, Mapenzi, Mudenda plus 43 other people who died as a result of gassing is another reason that irritated many citizens. Spiritually speaking this also brings a curse on those that claim innocent lives.

10. INJUSTICE

The police and judicial system was used against PF enemies. Friends of the PF who commit crimes did not see the end of a prison wall as long as they continue to support the party.

Police were also made inept after one officer was fired for beating a PF cadre. This was a clear message to other police officers to leave cadres alone essentially making cadres loose cannons.

The Police service was therefore turned into a security wing of the PF serving only the interests of the ruling party and frustrating the rights of other political stakeholders.

POLICE STATEMENT ON THE CLASHES BETWEEN PF AND UPND CADRES COUNTRY-WIDE.

15TH AUGUST, 2021 – As members of the public continue recieving or waiting for results at different levels, we appeal to them to remain calm and celebrate their victory of their preferred candidates in a responsible and peaceful manber without breaching the peace.

We have observed an emerging tendency in some instances where violence has erupted as a result of others failing to contain emotions and end up attacking those seen celebrating victory of their candidates.

Some of such occurrences were experienced in Nakonde District where violence erupted after the victory of the Patriotic Front Parliamentary Candidate and those celebrating were attacked by suspected UPND cadres leaving one with a gunshot wound while another bullet went through the windscreen of a motor vehicle belonging to the Patriotic Front Parliamentary candidate. The victim has been identified as Jeffrey Simovwa. This occurred on 14th August, 2021 around 13 00 hours at Ntindi Village in Chief Waitwika. The victim was rushed to the Tanzanian side at a nearby clinic for medical attention.

This led to a crossfire as some suspected Patriotic Front cadres who were also illegally armed are also reported to have reacted by firing at the opposing side leading in one member of the public being shot and wounded. Reinforcement was sent and officers are on the ground monitoring the situation. Peace has been restored while the matter is being investigated.

A similar incident happened in Lusaka’s Bauleni Compound, in which suspected UPND cadres were celebrating the victory of their Candidates at Parliamentary and local government level and were allegedly attacked by suspected Patriotic Front cadres.

A firearm is alleged to have been discharged by a Patriotic Front cadre identified as Pelekani Zulu also known Tom Tiger. Military personnel moved in and apprehended the suspect and a firearm , pistol was recovered. The matter is being investigated while the suspect is in police custody.

It has been observed that some people who have leggally obtained firearms have begun abusing such firearms whenever they have political altercations. We are reminding everyone that according to provisions of the Public Order Act, it is an offence to attend a public gathering whilst armed with an offensive weapon including a gun. Furthermore, the Firearms Act criminalises abuse of legally acquired firearms.
We are therefore warning all those in this tendency to desist or be arrested and prosecuted. We further warn those with intentions of causing violence such damaging government and private property during or after the electoral process that they risk being arrested and prosecuted.

Personnel from Defence and Security wings have been strategically deployed to thwart such plans and they will remain vigilant to ensure that law and order prevails through out the electoral process.

ESTHER MWAATA KATONGO
ZAMBIA POLICE SPOKESPERSON

PRESIDENT LUNGU PLAYS HIS TRUMP CARD IN ZAMBIA

By Democracy in Africa

Zambia’s presidential election was expected to be a tight two-horse race between President Edgar Lungu and perennial opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema. But early results suggest something very different. With 31 constituencies officially declared by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, Hichilema is on 62% of the vote with a vast lead of 26% over Lungu, who is trailing on 36%.

Economic desperation and growing distrust of President Lungu has led to a nationwide swing towards Hichilema’s United Party of National Development – which has increased its vote share in all but 5 of the 31 constituencies released so far.

Amid growing desperation within the ruling party, President Lungu has taken inspiration from an unlikely source – former US President Donald Trump. Despite enjoying all of the vast powers of incumbency that mean that presidents in Africa win 88% of the elections they contest, Lungu and his lieutenants are complaining that the elections were rigged against them.

In a statement released on Saturday 14 August, Lungu went so far as to say that the presidential election was “unfree and unfair” and should therefore be nullified.

This is not a strategy that has been cooked up overnight – anticipating a tough election, the government has been laying the foundation for this strategy for weeks. It has three main components: 1) exaggerating the violence committed by opposition parties, 2) pretending that the police cannot cope with the level of unrest, 3) claiming that this violence only occurred in opposition strongholds and so the vote in these areas is particularly suspect.

This strategy has little credibility, which is precisely why it is so divisive – and has the potential to push Zambia into the biggest political crisis in its 30-year multiparty history.

The state of play:

Lungu’s strategy is born of desperation.

While only one-fifth of constituency results have been released, it already looks like Hichilema’s lead is unassailable. What is more, he also has a comfortable gap to the 50%+1 of the vote he needs to win in the first round of voting. An early hope for the Patriotic Front government was that support for Hichilema would be largely confined to his traditional strongholds, with a small increase in county’s more populous and cosmopolitan regions such as Lusaka and the Copperbelt.

But this hope was quickly dashed on voting day when large turnout across the country suggested that Zambians has decided that Lungu’s time was up. As those standing in long queues in Lusaka compounds told us “we are all here to vote for change” and “you don’t turn up so early to support the incumbent.”

These early predictions were soon proved right by the – painfully slow – official release of the results by the ECZ. Hichilema has already built a big lead on the Copperbelt (57%) and Lusaka (66%), which account for 31% of all registered voters. There was even bad news for President Lungu in his supposed “heartlands”. In Eastern Province, for example, Lungu is currently on 55%. This sounds like a decent performance until you realise that he secured 79% of the vote in this region in 2016 – a fall of some 24% in just five years.

With a string of minor candidates queuing up to concede defeat – and either congratulate Hichilema or reference support for a transfer of power in their speeches – the writing is on the wall. Moreover, both the UPND’s own vote count based on party members, and the official Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) carried out by domestic monitor group CCMG are widely expected to “confirm” a first round victory for the opposition candidate.

The Trump card:

Where the margin of votes between rival candidates is small, last minute rigging can help leaders get over the line. It is already clear, however, that this will not be the case in Zambia in 2021. Lungu appears on course to lose by a bigger margin than President Rupiah Banda in 2011, and the UPND seems to be much better placed to detect foul play.

Already, representatives from a number of opposition parties intervened to prevent the ECZ from releasing results for Feira that did not match the figures they had received from their own teams. After a delay, ECZ announced figures that the opposition party agreed with. If this trend continues, there will be no chance for the government to fiddle its way back into power.

Lungu has therefore decided to pursue a very different strategy: following the example of Unites States President Donald Trump, he has attempted to turn defence into attack by alleging that the elections were actually rigged by his rival. This isn’t something the Patriotic Front simply cooked-up on voting day – instead, having watched Trump carefully, they began laying the foundation weeks in advance. Doing so is critical to make subsequent claims seem more credible, and to prime supporters to be on the look out for certain “developments” to ensure that later misinformation is interpreted in the desired way.

In President Lungu’s case, this plan has had three main components:

1) exaggerating the violence committed by opposition parties

Ahead of the polls, President Lungu and state-aligned media consistently exaggerated violence committed by the UPND in an attempt to create the impression that political unrest and clashes between rival cadres were the fault of the opposition.

This was a smart ploy. Civil society groups, international donors and the world’s media are often tempted to accept a degree of repression in order to sustain peace and order, such is the concern about the economic and human impact of conflict in Africa. As recent research has explained, campaigns to promote peace have regularly been subverted to repress critical voices, replacing democracy with peaceocracy.

The problem for Lungu was that it was fairly transparent: while it is clear that cadres affiliated with both sides have committed violence, the post-election statement of the CCMG domestic monitoring group reports that twice as much violence was instigated by individuals affiliated to the PF as by those aligned to the UPND.

2) pretending that the police cannot cope with the level of unrest

In line with this approach, the government sought to manipulate political unrest in order to secure a tighter grip on the political process. Most notably, a sad incident in which two individuals – who PF has claimed as its supporters, although the UPND suggests that one actually was an opposition cadre – was used as a pretext to deploy the military to the streets.

This was an unprecedented move, and caused considerable concern among opposition leaders – especially when it became clear that the military were not only being sent to “hot spots” but also to areas in which there had been no significant violence.

One of the justifications that the president used to deploy this strategy was that the police had been overwhelmed. This was also unpersuasive, however, as the growing politicization of the police under Lungu’s leadership, and the fact that the police have predominantly intervened to arrest opposition cadres and not ruling party ones, suggests that the rise in electoral violence was largely a product deliberately engineered by the regime itself.

3) claiming that this violence only occurred in opposition strongholds and so the vote in these areas is particularly suspect.

Despite being in full control of the police and army – with a police officer in every polling station and the military now deployed across the country – the ruling party has responded to its dismal electoral showing by claiming that its voters were intimidated.

In an initial statement released on 12 August, the government claimed that the level of opposition intimidation meant that the vote in its regions could not be considered free and fair. The implication seemed to be that the elections should be cancelled in opposition areas, while the results in government strongholds should be retained.

A subsequent statement on 14 August made a bolder claim, with the headline: “President Lungu Declares General Election Not Free and Fair”. The second iteration of the complaint – which followed a complaint made to the ECZ leaders at Mulungushi, where the votes are being verified and announced – suggested that a key problem was that “PF party agents had been chased out of polling stations”.

These claims rested heavily on one incident – a tragedy in which PF North Western Province Chairman Jackson Kungo was killed by a mob that suspected him of bringing pre-marked ballot papers into a polling station. Kungo’s killing was deeply saddening, and was rightly condemned by all sides. But there is no evidence that it was part of a wider pattern.

Instead, CCMG domestic monitors found that PF party agents were present in 99% polling stations, and a growing number of political leaders, observers and civil society groups have lined up to publicly doubt Lungu’s claims. For its part, UPND leaders have pointed out that there were also incidents of violence against its leaders and supporters on polling day, but they have tended to receive less attention because they were not amplified by state media.

Can it work?

Donald Trump was forced to stand down as US President, but not before he had done inordinate harm to the country’s political system. Not only did Trump intensify the faultiness at the heart of US politics, but the attack on the US Capitol represented one of the most shocking and dangerous moments in the country’s history.

Ultimately, he was forced to stand down due to the fact that key democratic institutions – and just as importantly the individuals within them – did their civic duty.

So what can we expect in Zambia?

The country’s democratic institutions have also been weakened by thoroughgoing politicisation and the use of appointments to promote figures loyal to President Lungu himself. But there are already signs that despite this, he will likely not get his way.

Many in the military are also understood to be unhappy about the idea of being deployed for political purposes, and so the president may not be confident that soldiers ordered to repress protestors will carry out the instruction. Meanwhile a judge of the High Court also issued an injunction against the blocking of social media platforms – a critical source of communication for both democratic activists and normal citizens – and so WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook have been turned back on, at least for now.

In both cases, the extent of public support for Hichilema – which has been trickling out, despite the delays by ECZ – is likely to have been critical. Soldiers and judges are also members of Zambian society and will want to be able to hold their heads up high if Lungu is forced out of State House.

Given this, it critically important that the ECZ continues to release results. Although the slow rate of progress has frustrated many and left many across the country anxious and fearful, the Commission has now released three batches of results that are clearly good news for Hichilema and bad for the President. We believe this demonstrates considerable independence. The ECZ’s continued announcement of results so far, despite the PF’s complaints, suggests that the ECZ is unlikely to yield to pressure from President.

Indeed, some analysts believe that it has been an inability to effectively infiltrate and control the ECZ that has led the president to make inflammatory public statements in a bid to intimidate the Commission into submission. Electoral commissions and officials therefore deserve strong and unequivocal support and encouragement from everyone who cares about the future of Zambia

If they continue to release results as they have been, the pressure on Lungu to stand down may soon become insurmountable.

Nicole Beardsworth (@NixiiB) is a Lecturer in Political Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand

Nic Cheeseman (@Fromagehomme) is the Professor of Democracy at the University of Birmingham and the founder of Democracy in Africa.

O’Brien Kaaba (@OBrien_Kaaba) is a Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Zambia

By UPPZ President Charles Chanda
·
WHEN PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT SUBMIT TO THEIR WILL.

Samuel 8:4-20
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8Just as they have done to me,* from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’

10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle* and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’

Israel’s Request for a King Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, ‘No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.’

It was very painful for Samuel to be told in his face that people did not want him and naturally it is like that. Open rejection is very painful and if not handled carefully can lead to endangering innocent lives. Leaders must understand that they cannot rule forever and this is the reason why why must leave the stage whilst people are still clapping. Its arrogance, stubbornness and surrounding oneself with wicked advisors that blind many leaders.

Samuel had taken leader very personal and cried. To prove that he took his leadership role personal he was preparing his children to succeed him and little did he know that this was a pain to the nation. Sensitivity in leadership is very important. Never take things for granted. It took God to calm Samuel to leave the palace and handover the instrument of power to the next person. Leadership is from God and when your set time is over leave the seat. God has several ways of removing leaders and sometimes he uses the elimination method and none can ask him what does thou. Some leaders could not live to finish their terms whilst others outlived all those that took over from them. The key is obey the voice to live and never engage in any manipulative exercises as this leads to shame, embarrassment and destruction.

Samuel had reservations with the person that was to take over from him. Sometimes we may not like the next person but this must not make us take the law into our hands. Leave leadership matters into God’s hands and he will sort things out himself.

Always remember that no one can ascend to any national leadership position without the direct approval of God. God gives nations based on the disposition, behaviour and attitude of the hearts of the people. God gave Isreal Moses because the people cried as a result of the bondage of the Egyptians and the story is known. God gave Isreal Saul as King because of resentment, bitterness and corruption in the house of Samuel and the result is known. God gave Isreal David because there was a giant that needed to be dealt with and the story is known. Hitler, Pharaoh and Nebchardnezer were all leaders from God and they served their generation. The lesson is never take leadership personal, a party or family to holder affair.

I trust that God has spoken to a heart as he has done mine. Wait for your time, don’t abuse your time and when time is up, give the next person. God is in control. Let love rule

Have a blessed Sunday

CC
UPPZ President

THE ALLEGED CHASING OF PF AGENTS FROM POLLING STATIONS IN SOUTHERN, NORTH-WESTERN AND WESTERN PROVINCES BY ALLEGED UPND CADRES A HOAX AND MALICIOUS

The allegations by President EDGAR CHAGWA Lungu that His PF polling agents in southern, western and North-western provinces were brutalized and chased from following the proceedings at the polling stations by their opponents the UPND is but a black lie coated with malice.

This is a lie and can’t be true in any slightest form or manner as personally as McDonald Chipenzi visited a number of polling stations in Chikankata, Siavonga and Chirundu and never witnessed anything like that.

In addition, as GEARS Initiative, we had monitors in all these polling stations in the 3 provinces being mentioned and both PF and UPND agents were there following the polling station proceedings without being chase, harassed or intimidated as is being alleged here by the President.

President Lungu must have received wrong Intelligence from some of his agents who want to justify their payment.

In any case if the informatin was true, ECZ would, by law demands, suspend elections in those alleged unconducive environments to holding of free and fair elections.

The fact that ECZ didn’t suspend any election at any polling Station on account of violence or unconducive environment but successful held the elections in all the 12152 polling stations is signal enough that the Electoral environment around and in all polling stations was generally conducive for the holding of free and fair elections.

As an organisation with monitors deployment in almost all polling stations in these provinces, we don’t subscribe to these allegations and ready to testify our findings over the allegations in any competent court.

Yes, isolated incidences of violence, disruptions and confrontation not against agents but among political party cadres and those ruling party officials delivering satellite phones at polling stations were witnessed in some polling stations across the country.

In any case if the President and his party are aggrieved with the results or the conduct of the August 12 General Election, there is a 14-day window for a presidential petition provided for him and his party to petition the results being declared and the unfree and unfair conduct of the election.

In this regard, ECZ must be allowed to announce and declare all results and the aggrieved parties can go to the constitutional court for redress and justice.

Therefore, I find the allegations as mere malicious opinions against the three provinces.

I submit

Chipenzi

By Chamuka Shalubala,

LUSAKA Province PF chairman Kennedy Kamba has charged that the privatisation issue will not rest until Hakainde Hichilema is “six feet under”.

And Kamba says the party wants Hichilema to contest the presidential elections even in 2026 because he is a weaker opponent.

Meanwhile, Kamba says civil servants are no longer searching for greener pastures in neighbouring countries because of the attractive packages given to them under President Edgar Lungu’s leadership.

In an interview, Monday, Kamba said Hichilema was the easiest candidate to beat, adding that it might have been difficult for the PF to win the polls if UPND had a different candidate.

“The agenda that our colleagues have is to come and give back the mines to their fellow whites. Just a few days ago, the President revealed that Hakainde Hichilema apart from the US$100,000 he was given by the same people he wants to give the mines, he has even gone further to say that the money is not enough. That they should add another US$300,000 so that it gets to US$400,000. ‘When we win, I will give you back KCM, I will give you back Mopani’.

What kind of a leader is that. There is nothing that Hakainde Hichilema can offer to the Zambian people and this is why he is so bitter after losing five times, and he is going to lose for the sixth time. The Zambian people know who Hakainde Hichilema is, he is a kaponya (call boy),” he said.

“We are going to be very happy if Hakainde Hichilema does not retire because he is the easiest candidate to beat. Maybe when UPND gives us another candidate, it might be difficult for us to win. When it comes to Hakainde Hichilema, even if he loses on Thursday in the elections, we want to see him back in 2026 because he is a weaker opponent. He has got a lot of negativity than positivity in terms of popularity to the Zambian people.

That issue of the mine will not rest until he goes down six feet in the grave because he has made a lot of families on the Copperbelt suffer. People have got no jobs, children are no longer going to school. We don’t want to say it will be the last nail in the coffin, no! We want to see him on the ballot even in 2026 because he is a weaker opponent.”

And Kamba said civil servants were no longer searching for greener pastures in neighbouring countries because of the attractive packages given to them under President Lungu’s leadership.

“Today the forex we are generating from the mines has not been deposited in the offshore account. The forex is now deposited in our local banks in Zambia which is then strengthening the Kwacha. The President has paid all the miners who were working for KCM their terminal benefits. This is so because of the good policies which President Lungu has implemented, and this can only be attainable under his leadership,” he said.

“We have even gone further as the party in government to help our colleagues in the civil service. When it comes to debt, the President has lessened the burden on civil servants through a debt swap. Today our colleagues in the civil service are enjoying themselves. Civil servants have now stopped trekking to our neighboring countries to search for greener pastures because of the good services and conditions we have given them under President Edgar Lungu. Today our friends; the teachers, nurses are building houses, buying cars because they are getting paid well. We have given them a good package that can not be attracted to neighbouring countries.”

Kamba said PF, being a pro-poor party, remained committed to ensuring that it improved the lives of poor Zambians.

“The PF party is a pro-poor party. It is a party for the poor people of Zambia who are the majority. I am happy that in the past 10 years in which we have been in government, we have delivered development to our poor people of Zambia in compounds like Bauleni, Misisi, George Compound, among others.

Those are areas where development was not reaching. Previous governments were concentrating in elite areas like Kabulonga, Woodlands and New Kasama. Today the poor people of Lusaka are proud of the party because it has given them good roads, running water, street lights and we have even gone further to give them title deeds so that they legally own their properties,” said Kamba.

“The other thing I can talk about is that the PF government has delivered in all economic sectors especially the agriculture sector. Our colleagues in 2016 when we just implemented the FISP programme towards elections, they were calling us ‘paya farmer’. Today they have run out of what terms they can use to discredit this government because of the delivery, the good policies of the President in the agriculture sector. In the agriculture sector, we have started exporting cash crops like Maize and Soya beans to our neighbouring countries. The energy sector has been a success too, as you can see there is no load shedding. Today we don’t have a power shortage in the mining sector.”

Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) parliamentary Lloyd Lubozha for Chifubu constituency in Ndola has won the seat after polling 19,295 votes.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Returning Officer for Chifubu constituency Bupe Mutanya declared Mr. Lubozha as duly elected after beating Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Kondwani Winga who got 17,542 votes.

In the third position is United National Independence Party (UNIP) who polled 706 votes from the 74 polling stations in the constituency.

And Mr. Lubozha pledged to work hard and delivers what the people of Chifubu constituency require in the next five years.

He has thanked the people of Chifubu constituency for electing him as their Member of Parliament and trusting that he will deliver social and economic development to them.

“I want to thank all the people who voted for me. I will make sure that I deliver all campaign promises,” he said.

Meanwhile, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has garnered more votes than any other presidential candidate in Chifubu constituency in this election.

Mr. Hichilema polled 19,932 votes followed by PF candidate and incumbent President Edgar Lungu who got 17,253 votes while Harry Kalaba of the Democratic Party (DP) emerged fourth with 127 votes.

People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) leader Andyford Banda got 35, Nevers Mumba of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) polled 49 votes and Charles Chanda representing the United Party for Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) had 18 votes.

And Bupe Mutanya, the Returning Officer, also declared UPND’s Evaristo Banda as duly elected ward councillor for Chifubu after he polled 2,509.

Others who won ward elections under UPND ticket are Francis Kabwe (Kawama) with 2,944 votes, Bester Chibwe (Pamodzi) after garnering 4,534 votes and Akapelwa Simata (Kaniki) with 1,381 votes.

And Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) parliamentary Lloyd Lubozha for Chifubu constituency in Ndola has won the seat after polling 19,295 votes.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Returning Officer for Chifubu constituency Bupe Mutanya declared Mr. Lubozha as duly elected after beating Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Kondwani Winga who got 17,542 votes.

In the third position is United National Independence Party (UNIP) who polled 706 votes from the 74 polling stations in the constituency.

And Mr. Lubozha pledged to work hard and delivers what the people of Chifubu constituency require in the next five years.

He has thanked the people of Chifubu constituency for electing him as their Member of Parliament and trusting that he will deliver social and economic development to them.

“I want to thank all the people who voted for me. I will make sure that I deliver all campaign promises,” he said.

Meanwhile, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has garnered more votes than any other presidential candidate in Chifubu constituency in this election.

Mr. Hichilema polled 19,932 votes followed by PF candidate and incumbent President Edgar Lungu who got 17,253 votes while Harry Kalaba of the Democratic Party (DP) emerged fourth with 127 votes.

People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) leader Andyford Banda got 35, Nevers Mumba of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) polled 49 votes and Charles Chanda representing the United Party for Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) had 18 votes.

And Bupe Mutanya, the Returning Officer, also declared UPND’s Evaristo Banda as duly elected ward councillor for Chifubu after he polled 2,509.

Others who won ward elections under UPND ticket are Francis Kabwe (Kawama) with 2,944 votes, Bester Chibwe (Pamodzi) after garnering 4,534 votes and Akapelwa Simata (Kaniki) with 1,381 votes.

HICHILEMA WANTS TO TEAR, BRING ZAMBIA DOWN- ECL

…but as even as we go to vote, know there is one President who is me

Lusaka, Wednesday (August 11, 2021)

President Edgar Lungu has named and shamed Hakainde Hichilema for who he is, a man who is ready to tear and bring down Zambia for his grandiose appetite to be president of the country at all costs.

President Lungu has however declared that Zambia will remain a peaceful country during and after voting and that those who were plotting to set the country ablaze for the love of power should be ready to face the consequences.

President Lungu has reminded the opposition political parties that they should know that even when Zambia was going through the electoral process of choosing their leaders; there was only one President who is the Head of State with the constitutional mandate to secure the peace and unity of the country.

Addressing the nation through the Patriotic Front (PF) ninth (9) and final Virtual Rally at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, President Lungu stated it was important to name and shame Mr Hichilema, the UPND leader for his selfish desire to take over the governance of the country.

The Head of State said Zambia’s peace and unity has always been threatened by one character who has always want to be president of Zambia at the cost of the peace and lives of citizens and that it was only fair to name and shame Mr Hichilema for what he was.

The Head of State said the Patriotic Front (PF) while in opposition did not call the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) names after losing elections in as many times including the elections in 2008.
“I will spend a little more time on talking about peace. During the time the PF was in the opposition under President Michael Sata, we did not want to bring down the country because we lost the election. If it were not for Mr Sata, Zambia would have been in flames at the time. Now peace is being threatened because of one character and we have to name and shame him,” President Lungu said.

The Head of State said that Mr Hichilema was plotting anarchy but assured Zambians and the international community that there shall be peace and tranquility in the country during and after the elections.

President Lungu said the security wings of the country were ready to quell any form of lawlessness by those who would take the risk of attempting to cause disharmony in the country.

“Even as we vote, know that there is a President of the country and that President is me. People have spoken and let there be no vengeance against those who will lose and let there no enchantment on those who will lose,” President Lungu said.

The President said the PF had become more sweeter and beautiful and urged Zambians to forget how the Southern Province was going to vote but move ahead in making Zambia a better place for all Zambians without leaving no one behind

By Chamuka Shalubala

ZESCO public relations manager Hazel Zulu has assured the nation that the power utility does not anticipate any power outages during the election period, unless a fault occurs.
In an interview, Wednesday, Zulu advised citizens to immediately report any fault which occurred and avoid making assumptions.

“We are actually generating at full capacity and as you are aware we have enough water resources in our national reservoirs. We were given additional water by the Zambezi River Authority which basically translates into the fact that we are able to generate and supply power constantly. You are also aware that we are no longer load shedding so there is no reason for anyone to believe that we could have a power shortage or deficit during elections,” she said.

“We are also confident that should there be any outage for whatsoever reason, we will work on it. And people are advised to report such faults and avoid making assumptions. When we have an instance of a fault, we immediately respond to that and work on it. So we are assuring the nation that we do not anticipate any problems during elections. What we can say is that those customers who might experience a fault resulting in a power outage let them report to us immediately. A fault is not something that is planned, a fault is an unplanned occurrence.”

Zulu further urged people to report anyone seeing loitering around Zesco installation in their area, either to the police or Zesco security.

“In the recent past we have had a number of cases of vandalism but we want to assure our customers that we are very vigilant and working with the Zambia Police to ensure that installations are secured so that there is no disturbance or fault. Let our customers also take responsibility in their areas and when they see anyone loitering around Zesco installation, let them report that immediately either to Zesco security or the Zambia Police,” said Zulu.

“It is unfortunate that people can spread such falsehood because Zesco is a public institution and our mandate is to generate and supply electricity to our customers. We will continue to supply electricity to our customers just like we have been doing. Therefore let’s try to avoid spreading falsehoods. If you have a challenge with the power supply, let them just report. Otherwise, let us