By Veronica Mwale CIC Private Reporter
THE BOAT CRACKS AS 308 PF MEMBERS LED BY IMPUSUKILO WARD CHAIRMAN MR CHELA DITCH PF AND JOINS UPND IN KWACHA CONSTITUENCY CITING POOR LEADERSHIP IN PF BY MALANJI.

Over 300 PF members have ditched PF and join UPND in Kwacha Constituency of Kitwe.
Addressing the defectors, Kitwe Distric Vice Chairman Mr Chrispin Chomba thanked the ambassadors of change for making the right decision at a right time when most Zambians wanted change of government and also thanked Kwacha Constituency UPND Candidate Honourable Charles Mulenga for his efforts to bring the defectors on board.

Mr Chomba said Kwacha residents have another chance to redeem themselves from hand-outs to sustainable development under the UPND government. He said people of Kwacha should not vote for someone who has even forgotten them in a time of Campaigns and gone to North Western as if Kwacha is a Constituency there. He advised people to vote for Charles Able Mulenga and vote in a block to give Hakainde Hichilema the best Team.

Speaking at the same event, Mr Chela former Impusukilo Ward PF Chairman said PF is a party of people who are selfish and greed. Mr Chela said leaders in PF particularly Kwacha Constituency want to be worshipped. ” Today I and my Team have come to join you so that we fight this battle together, Honourable Mulenga you are going to win Kwacha Constituency ,Malanji has done nothing apart from giving us a spirit of K20s in our lives.” he said. ” Honourable Mulenga you have a heart of a leader,when I came to you first, you received me and my Team like any other member of the UPND, tamusala eyo!”

He further said the development they talk about in Kwacha is in the pockets of the PF but not people of Kwacha. ” Yes PF officials have money, we have no Medicines, everything is expensive ,life has become so difficult but he goes and buys a chopper, why didn’t he buy us Medicines if he cares for us?” he asked ” The day I came to know that he has bought a chopper, I even said this man is not a good leader, it is like a parent buys beer for himself but leaves his children without food in the house.” Mr Chela said people of Kwacha are not fools and no one will fool them this time around. ” When you go in kwacha he is not evening doing Campaigns, he feels the people of Kwacha are easy to be bought with K20s, twalamulanga akalale uno mwaka.”
The defectors thanked Honourable Mulenga and the UPND membership for welcoming them in the UPND family with both hands and pledged to be loyal, cooperative and hard working to gather votes for Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND.

Honourable Mulenga was accompanied by Mr Grace Sampa, Distric Vice chairman Chrispin Chomba and many more Party officials.
*CHANGE IS A MUST*
CIC PRESS TEAM.

THE Zambia Police has instituted investigations in the alleged recruitment of 60, 000 militias by the United Party for National Development (UPND).

And Green Party President, Peter Sinkamba, observed that the allegations against the UPND of training militia must be investigated thoroughly, stressing that there was no smoke without fire.

According to Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director, Antonio Mwanza, the UPND is said to have recruited 60, 000 militias to cause mayhem ahead of the 2021 general elections next month.

Mr Mwanza said that youths were already training in Nega Nega and Chawama compound.

Zambia Police spokesperson, Esther Katongo, said that the police had launched investigations in the allegations which she described as serious.

Ms Katongo said the claim by Mr Mwanza was serious and that police would not allow lawlessness by individuals regardless of their political affiliations and social standing.

Ms Katongo said that no stones would be left unturned as the police would get to the bottom of the issue.

“I can confirm that we have launched investigations in the matter which was brought to light by the PF media director concerning the recruitment of 60, 000 young militias to cause chaos,” she said.

She called on political parties to stick to their pledge of peace after signing numerous accords as there was no need for bloodshed in the country.

Ms Katongo said she was hoping that the alleged plot was not true because the police were ready to foil the plot head on.

She called on party leaders to tame their cadres for the sake of peace which the country had enjoyed for a long time.

Mr Sinkamba, observed that the allegations against the UPND of training militia must be investigated thoroughly, stressing that there was no smoke without fire.

He argued that the police were not capable of handling such militia and as such the state must immediately deploy security and defence personnel such as the Zambia Army.

Mr Sinkamba stressed that the state must act now and not later as it could be too late to contain the threatening situation.

He said that being proactive on such a matter was not an option because there was a high possibility of the alleged militia training.

Mr Sinkamba noted that with only about 18 days to go before the country goes to the polls, the state should come up with a strategy to demobilise and arrest any possible militia attack on the public.

He cited an example of some political cadres who destroyed property in Thorn Park area of Lusaka on Monday as a clear example of the kind of violence which the country could experience.- Daily Nation

By Elijah Temboh

UNLESS HH DOES SOME MAGIC WITHIN 19 DAYS HE WON’T OUST PF FROM POWER WITH HIS RHETORICS

I have at many times laughed at those who are fond of saying that the PF should stop talking about HH and start telling people of Zambia what they will do for them. But to me I think it’s HH and the UPND who have a huge task to explain to the people of Zambia what they will do for them.

The PF have continued doing wonders and people in the villages and towns are able to see and they appreciate it. PF has little to promise apart from the message of continuity and fixing what the opposition points at like Kwacha and prices of commodities which ECL has already started working on. Now Mr HH has 18 days to win my heart with a good drafted plan not Bally will fix it. President Lungu is very swift to also touch what Mr HH thinks to be his talking points. Look at the dollar.

Mr HH and the UPND have on several occasions been aided by natural disasters which would have made it easier for them to win elections but because they lack a strategic team to draft a killer message for them, they keep losing. In 2015-16 elections, we had terrible loadshedding due to droughts we experienced and he failed to capitalize on that. In 2021 we have the pandemic that has ravaged the economy but still he has no killer instincts messages like more money in your pockets and lower taxes. His talks about the high cost of living but he fails to give us an attainable plan outlining what and how he will bring the cost of living down. For example how he will reduce the Kwacha.

With Facebook bloggers which consists mainly of people without voters card cheering him, he thinks he has already won an election as it has been the case always. He forgets that my grandmother and mother needs a message of social security not employment. He forgets that PF has taken schools, hospitals, Clinics, roads, social cash transfer, reduced school fees, brought clean water, buried loadshedding, reduced the price of mealie-meal, increased the crop market price, all these are things that don’t only appeal to people in urban areas but also in rural parts. For him apart from Bally will fix it which is a message for few selected sections of society, he doesn’t have anything.

The PF acknowledges the fact that the cost of living and youth unemployment has gone high. No wonder you can see the swiftness by ECL to act on prices for cooking oil and mealie-meal now it’s the Kwacha they are sorting out. Hon GBM, CK, Raphael Nakachinda, Dr Canisius Banda and mama Edith Nawakwi have been brought on board to help pass a word of recommendation to a married woman who wants to leave her matrimonial home for a sweet talker who literally has no good intentions for her. These people have been strategically brought in to lay bare HH so that the woman doesn’t make a deadly mistake of dumping her husband in this case PF. That’s politics.

PF is a political party that has heavily invested in human resource. This is what helped them win 2011 polls. And the same team that won elections is the team the chipantepante UPND is sizing up against today. It’s not possible to defeat it. With the high cost of living, PF has invested heavily in road infrastructure, they have built schools, they have built universities, reduced school fees, invested in chiefs, farmers, the vulnerable, the aged, the youths, civil servants, they have invested in advertisements etc.

The cost of living is high but the levels of development is unprecedented under the PF. This is the opposite with the RB led MMD which bowed out of power in 2011 to the might PF. In as much as the Kwacha was at K5 and mealie-meal at K45, we didn’t have good roads, we didn’t have enough schools, we didn’t have many universities, School fees were high, we didn’t have access to clean water, we didn’t have youth empowerment schemes, we didn’t have the Kazungula bridge, we didn’t have the flyover bridges, we didn’t have the Kafue Hydro Power Station, there was no early distribution of farmer inputs. The list is endless and on top of all these, the government was marred with corruption. But today in spite of having the high cost of living, the PF has what to point at unlike the MMD that relied on dishing out cash only.

Mr Sata and PF organized a strategic team that drafted a plan and they begun to tell the people how corrupt MMD government was. They told the people in a clear tone how they will alleviate poverty and create employment opportunities for the youths through a 90 days plan. This is what HH and the UPND are lacking. They should sing the song of the high cost of living the loudest while outlining attainable plans on how they will fix it.

Winning an election entails outlining clear goals that speak to my grandmother in the village who is not looking for employment but social security and a youthful me in town who is looking for employment. However, Bally’s campaign rhetorics are selective. They only appeal to a certain class of people. Until he drafts a message that speaks to all senior chiefs not to Mukuni only, to all farmers, to all the business community, to all youths, to all the vulnerable in society, to the old etc he won’t oust PF from power.

No matter what you think or say, HH has a long way to go to win this election. He says people have already decided to change but its not so on the ground. He lacks a strategy. He wants to win through sympathy. No wonder he is a cry baby in most instances. He should ask Mr Sata if he thinks he has been victimized alot. Mr Sata will tell him that he is in fact the most tolerated opposition leader in Zambia by ECL.

With only 19 days to go, Bally can’t beat a team that changed government in 2011. FTJ would have told you that until his team which defeated UNIP in 1991 was completely wiped out of MMD, that’s when PF defeated MMD. And this will be the case with PF. Until this crop of ulusato is out , that’s when you can dream of defeating PF.

Thankyou.

President Edgar Lungu’s running mate Professor Nkandu Luo says the country is in safe hands under President Edgar Lungu.

Speaking at a media briefing in Kitwe, Professor Luo said President Lungu walks the talk and means well for the country.

She said President Lungu and the PF have laid a strong foundation that is moving the country to greater heights.

Professor Luo said the country under the Patriotic Front as seen major transformation in all sectors and the opposition now have no clear campaign message to sell to the electorates.

” We have been able to look at the foundations we made as a party when we formed government in 2011, we made a decision to focus on massive infrastructure development and our critics laughed at us but to see Zambia a prosperous nation we needed to focus on infrastructure development, any person who understands economics understands the importance of a good road network. ” Professor Luo said.

” Zambia had bad road networks before PF formed government but now with the good roads it has made trade and commerce easy especially in rural areas where farmers are able to move their produce to the markets,” she said.

And Professor Luo said the PF government is forward looking.

” We have been looking into the future as a team and we have laid a foundation and we have put into practice most of the things we had promised,” Professor Luo said.

Meanwhile, Professor Luo said the opposition UPND has no message hence resorting to violence.

She has since challenged UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to openly condemn violence and tame his cadres.

” Our critics have no message hence resorting to violence. As PF we have never had a fight in areas where we have been because we have a message. Just yesterday we heard of stories where our people where beaten by the UPND in Keembe. Any single place they go to, there is a fight,” she said.

” Zambians should begin to analyse leaders and reject violent ones. President Lungu has always condemned violence and has never tolerated it. Hakainde Hichilema is promoting violence and if he is a good leader he should condemn violence by his cadres,” Professor Luo said.

And Professor Luo said the ruling party is conducting its campaigns with strict adherence to health guidelines.

” We are not having any mass rallies. We chose a strategy that could achieve the same results as mass rallies.We meet small groups of people and focus on the messages, you can have mass rallies and achieve nothing at the end of the day.

For Immediate Release

PF GOVERNMENT HAS WRONG INTENTIONS TOWARDS THE CIVIL SERVANTS.

Saturday 24:07:21

George Sichula
NDC Copperbelt Chairman.

It is always important to test the spirit behind every move made by the PF Government. We keep animals and feed them very well but they will never know that we plan to butcher them some day. Civil servants have a problem of low salaries which they have tried to engage the PF Government for a reasobale pay but to no avail. Those who were outspoken have since been transfered to rural areas. Today as we speak families of civil servants are divided, divorced,scattered and some have resigned out of frustrations.

They see ministers and Permanent Secretaries make big deals which only benefit them while they get pinnuts. It is foolishness to implement debt swaps without looking at the problem which led to debts by civil servants. Its like trying to cure symptoms instead of dealing with the root cause of a sickness. We must know what the problem is in this case. In medicine they say ” a sickness diagonised is half way solved” let us look at what has made civil servants to accumulate so much debt.

Every right thinking civil servant knows that the PF Government has become so desperate to win the forthcoming general election. Its like having a husband in a home who only becomes nice to his wife when he wants his conjugal rights fulfilled. What a shame! We all know that the debt swap will only run for 2 months to target the election date. Believe me or not, this has been done to get support of the civil servants as we get into an election. This is why the PF Government has been flushing money everywhere, to buy weak people off. We dont agree that the empowerments women and youths have been getting are for the purposes of developing them. They are simply for winning elections. We need a Government with a clear plan and vision to uplift peoples living standards. To develop people for real. We are sick and tired of slavery empowerments for purposes of worshipping certain individuals.

Today in PF Government to get a job, one must have a connection in Government. Its either you know a Minister,PS or DC. It is irritating that a person who graduates this year may have a job earlier than those who graduated years back simply because one has a connection in Government. No wonder performance is below par in most offices because jobs are not given on merit. Go to ACC, DEC, Police, ZRA and RATSA. Most of these are just cadres.

We have confidence in the civil service and hoping that they will do a right thing as we get into this August election. Imagine that there has been no funding in most of these Government institutions. Councils today are struggling like no mans business. Workers have even stopped complaining about their pay. Some councils can even owe workers up to 10 months down the line. Under this Government, civil servants have learnt to work under extreme intimidation by cadres. It is shocking that cadres have become almighty under the PF regime. They can even fire and hire Government workers. Respect a cadre to keep your job. Today cadres have more money than educated graduates in Zambia. What a Nation! This has even compelled many decent and educated people into believing that one to make money, must become a cadre. Contracts of goods and services either in Government or private sector are controlled by cadres. Today cadres can even go at a police station and beat up police officers. Is this a type of Government we can promote? The civil servants have an opportunity to usher in a Government that will right a wrong forever. The PF Government has failed lamentably. Lets deal with this problem once and for all. This election should wipe our tears of pain as Zambians. Its now or never.

UPND deputy national chairperson Andrew Banda says it is unfair to hold party leader Hakainde Hichilema captive in Lusaka whilst the PF and President Edgar Lungu are busy campaigning.

During a briefing in Chipata on Wednesday, Andrew said it was unfortunate that the UPND was even denied airspace to travel.

“It is very unfair to our party that our president is held captive in Lusaka, he can’t go around. We apply for airspace, they deny us. I live near Chipata airport, this morning, a chopper flew over my place, I think it is gone to Vubwi or these places where they are interested. When our party applies for permit or clearance for our choppers, the authorities deny us. Every week, there is a chopper flying here, where is the ruling party getting authority to fly? You cannot fly an aircraft in this country without authority from Zambia Air Force and civil aviation,” he said.

Andrew said even with unfair treatment that Hichilema was receiving, he would still emerge victorious in next month’s elections.

“Our president is threatened with arrests all the time, they are not allowing him to go for road shows, but it doesn’t matter! What has happened in this country is that people want change and the PF are doing that because the most feared politician in this country today is Hakainde Hichilema. They know that if he goes out there, last week he just went out there to distribute masks, you saw what happened in Chongwe, they even wanted to arrest him for that, meanwhile President Lungu, a few days ago was doing the same,” he said.

Andrew said UPND was on the ground.

“We know what is going on. The people of Zambia are resolved that they want these people to go and they can’t wait for 12th August to cast their vote. Rigging or no rigging, kuyabebele,” he said.

And Andrew said it was unfortunate that Chishimba Kambwili had continued with his tribal campaigns and hate speech.

“ECZ had suspended Kambwili and he was pardoned but he has continued with his tribal campaigns. We are aware that there is a group of three that is destined to come to Eastern Province to come and de-campaign Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND that they must not vote for a Tonga. So, we are appealing to the people not to listen to people that are evil, that do not mean well for this country. We have clearly stated that not all Bembas are tribalists but it’s just a small clique that is desperate to remain in power,” he said.

Andrew said Zambians have intermarried adding that there was no need for people to be tribal.

“Tribalism, hate speech are crimes by law and those that engage inn such things should be arrested. The President has kept quiet which means he is part of the conspiracy, as simple as that,” he said.

Speaking when he featured on Breeze FM last Saturday, Kambwili in reference to Hichilema said the UPND was created for nothing but just serving one individual who had ended up misleading the entire Southern Province that it was only right to vote for people who come from there.

Andrew also said it was a big blow to UPND to lose two parliamentary candidates in less than one month.

Kasenengwa UPND candidate Titus Miti died on 26 June while Kaumbwe candidate Bornface Khondowe on 20 July 2021.

The ECZ conducted fresh nominations in Kasenengwa and the UPND fielded Beauty Undi-Phiri while most political parties retained their candidates that filed nominations together with the late Miti.

“It is a blow on us, in fact, Kasenengwa and Kaumbwe were among the seats that we were banking on as UPND, but we have no control over this, only God knows. It is a big loss, our party is going through a lot. The arrest of Tayali on the Copperbelt and our council chairperson candidate for Sinda has also been detained for violence. When the PF get involved in violence like they do it every day, no one arrests them but for us, just a small thing, we get arrested. This is something that Zambians must get rid of, just imagine the PF after 12 August if they come back, there will be no Zambia left,” said Andrew.

ENTIRE PF IN NZINGU WARD OF CHIKANKATA DEFECT TO UPND
_”…and pledged to support and campaign vigorously for the UPND candidate for Chikankata constituency”_

More than hundred PF officials of shamayuwa in Nzingu ward of Chikankata Constituency have ditched the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) to join the biggest opposition political party UPND citing lies, poverty, continued fake promises and lack of Development.

The entire structure was filled with joy and pleasure as UPND Chikankata Candidate Jacqueline Sabao welcomed them to UPND a Party she said has credible leadership with morals and interest of people at heart. The former PF members accused the ruling party candidate in the constituency of practicing campaign of character assassination, mudslinging, propaganda and lies.

And former PF Nzingu ward Chairperson Mr Clive Moonga said, they have reasons as a structure to defect because of the unfulfilled promises from the ruling patriotic front. He added on saying, UPND has a credible leader with a vision to take Zambia to another level and promised to support the leadership of Hakainde Hichilema.

Speaking at the same event former PF Nzingu chairlady, Elly Precious Munyati said they have never experienced such suffering to the extent that they are not able to feed their families and educate their children because of high cost of living.

The New members mostly women complained of lack facilities for expectant mothers including lack of medicines in health centres.

Responding to their sentiments UPND National trustee Grace chivube said they had joined a Party whose leadership has a vision of making their lives better unlike the PF whose leadership has no vision.

The new ambassadors of change were welcomed by Mr Grace chivube National trustee who was accompanied by UPND Chikankata Chairman Davie Katowa, Chikankata Candidate Jacqueline Sabao, and Nzingu ward councillor Candidate Angela phiri.
(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM

THE people of Barotseland should not give PF a vote because they have done nothing for the region, Clement Sinyinda has advised.

Sinyinda is a former prime minister of Barotseland and served as deputy minister of education in the MMD government. He also served as Senanga member of parliament.

Sinyinda was reacting to a statement by Vice-President Inonge Wina in Mongu recently that the people of Western Province should not disassociate themselves from government because this can disadvantage them from accessing development services.

She said Western Province had generally lagged in terms of development because most members of parliament in the region have been from the opposition and they refuse to work with the government.

“If we continue being in isolation, many things will continue passing us. I am certain that we have learnt our lesson and that this time around we will vote for Patriotic Front (PF) representatives,” Vice-President Wina said.

She said President Edgar Lungu was determined to develop Western Province.

But Sinyinda disagreed with Vice-President Wina’s reasoning and advised the people not to vote for PF because it had done nothing for them.

He said the people of Barotseland did not ask the PF to construct the Mongu Stadium and King Lewanika University for them but the ruling party promised them.

“Even on things that they themselves promised, they have done nothing,” he said.

Sinyinda said if the PF were serious about developing Western Province, they could have improved the economic roads in the region by working on the road to Lukulu, Lusaka–Mongu, Senanga–Livingstone, and Mongu-Limulunga which were in bad shape.

“The so-called King Lewanika University that has never been constructed and I am told, I am not very sure, I wouldn’t even actually try to make comparisons with other regions but I wanted to emphasise and advise the people of Barotseland not to vote for PF because they have done nothing at all, not even a single thing that they have done here,” he said.

Sinyinda said the Mongu-Kalabo road was an MMD project and even money was secured by the former government.

He said construction of the road started in the Levy Mwanawasa government but stalled because the contractor was not very competent.

“When president [Rupiah] Banda came into power, he himself through the minister of finance Situmbeko Musokotwane and the secretary to the treasury Mr Likolo Ndalamei secured some money that constructed, in fact, there is one thing that I should emphasise which you should also take note of that the initial project was supposed to be from Mongu to the border with Angola,” he explained. “The money that was secured was to construct the road from Mongu to Kalabo to the border with Angola. But whatever happened, it was only done half way. The rest, that road which was supposed to be constructed from Kalabo to the border, in fact everything was put on site but from nowhere, the project was completely abandoned. We don’t know why because money was secured, to the best of my knowledge.”

Sinyinda said the people of Barotseland have been disadvantaged by the failure to complete the road.

He said only the stretch of road from Mongu to Tapo was constructed.

“For us that is very annoying. We feel that we have been abandoned, we have been neglected…I don’t know which word I can use but the current regime has actually neglected us and there is no reason, no justification whatsoever for us to vote for them,” emphasized Sinyinda.

MICRO- FINANCE INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC WORKERS DEBT…THE STORY CONTINUES

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

I took time to sit down with a dear brother and professional, Justin Chola of the Bayport Financial Services fame.

He recently retired to embark on pursuing other interests!

From what I saw, he is far from retired.

He helped shed some light on the many issues regarding payroll-based loans especially that Bayport alone has over a 100,000 civil servants as its clients.

He insisted that the Bayport model came about because a lot of workers were outside credit opportunities.

Microfinancial institutions such as Bayport grew their business as retail banking from traditional banks treated workers more of a cost to their business than an opportunity for financial inclusion.

Infact when he established the Mine Workers’ Union Financial Services in 2003, a fore-runner to Bayport, Banks had significantly scaled-down providing financial services to workers such as mine workers and civil servants and to this effect had even shut-down branches in areas they considered unprofitable.

He has also clarified that the Bayport model only lends to credit-worth civil servants and the aspect of affordability is key to determining who gets the loan.

This is a standing government regulation.

He has also emphasized that the loans disbursed to civil servants must meet the criteria where a worker must go home with a minimum 40%.

He also stated that unlike the banks, their loans to civil servants have a fixed term and have a fixed rate.

He also stated that Bayport had a dynamic information technology system that tracked their loans and recoveries, an important tool in managing mass small loans.

Looking at all facts gathered so far, it appears the debt trap has been perpetuated by traditional banks who have come to the space and relied on the salary amount that reflects in a public worker’s account than meeting principle of the 40% take-home pay.

So the microfinance institutions have largely taken up a role abandoned by traditional banks whose preoccupation has been to lend to government depositors money to the lucrative Treasury Bills!

As government increases its deficit, it has been far easier for commercial banks to participate in treasury bills and recoup huge profits than risk their money on that public officer.

But here is the issue.

Government recognises that the public service worker is heavily indebted and is trapped with a yoke of debt that must be removed.

To this effect, Government has provided three simple solutions to provide relief to the worker;

1. Dismantle the debt
2. Swap the Debt
3. Structure the debt.

Despite the presence of the Public Micro-Finance Company that is targeting the 200,000 public workers in Zambia, there still remains a role for microfinance institutions such as Bayport.

This is because the formal sector has over 1.1million jobs and still need credit and financial inclusion.

PF HAS TURNED ZAMBIA INTO ONE OF THE WORLD’S POOREST COUNTRIES – IMENDA
United Party for National Development Secretary General Batuke Imenda has accused the Patriotic Front of transforming Zambia into one the poorest countries in the world, arguing that a change of government is needed to rescue Zambia’s economy.

“From the MMD government which brought this country into a middle economy, we are now back to one of the poorest countries in the world. So people are now seeing the need to move forward to change for the better,” the opposition leader said.

According to the IMF, Zambia is currently the 24th poorest country in the world, with a GDP per capita of $974. When the PF first came into office in 2011, the country was only the 46th poorest in the world and had a GDP of $1,635 per person.

Imenda’s comments came in response to remarks made by PF presidential running mate Nkandu Luo, who told a group of Mpulungu headmen to vote for President Lungu because ‘change was dangerous’.

Imenda responded by arguing that change is necessary and vital for Zambia to flourish again, as it has done in the past:

“Had we not changed Zambia from the British government, today we were still going to be under colonial rule. Kenneth Kaunda managed to liberate this country because there was change. Change brought freedom, free education and so many developmental issues that have made what Zambia is today,” he said.

The UPND secretary general continued that change can sometimes bring uncertainty but that no country can stop moving forwards.

“There is no country or people who can be static because if you are static, you are bound to crash. Being static means you are dead and if you do not change, you are bound to die.”
He then went after the Patriotic Front for its poor handling of the economy, observing that thousands of Zambians are out of work and looking for jobs. He noted that the cost of living has also risen dramatically while wages stay low.

“The Zambian people found bags of mealie meal at K45 but today, the prices have skyrocketed. Food is generally expensive and inflation has gone up to the point where people cannot afford commodities. Look at the Kwacha, they found it at K4.50 [per US dollar] but today it is above K20,” he said.

Imenda concluded by urging civil servants not to be persuaded by bribes of a government debt swap, arguing that this was merely a short term solution – if it could even be achieved at all.

“Today they are saying they would like to reschedule the loans of civil servants, what a joke. What workers in general want are salary increments. This decision is a postponed problem because it will catch up with them. All what people need are salary increments from which they will be able to pay back their loans, feed children, meet all bills and reserve a little bit of money in your account. That is what the workers want. That is what we are going to provide as the UPND,” he concluded.

By Veronica Mwale cic private reporter.

Copper belt~Kalulushi.

ANTONIO MWANZA IS A STUPID MENACE TO THIS COUNTRY~ Banda Sakanya.

PF media director Antonio Mwanza’s allegations that UPND is training 60,000 youths as militias is nonsensical and typical of idiocy meant to hood wink Zambians in believing that PF is still a people’s choice.

Antonio Mwanza has alleged that UPND is training over 60 000 youths as militias to cause chaos and attack people on the day of voting.

He said UPND has realised that it has no numbers to win this year’s elections, hence the reason for training militias. He said militias are being trained in Lusaka, Neganega in Southern Province and other parts of the country.
Mwanza cited Sioma recent fracas, Sesheke and Mazabuka as new acts of violence being initiated by upnd.

Mwanza is alarming the nation with loose and careless idiocy talk that has a potential to divide the country and consequently plunge the it into civil strife.

PF’s manifesto of tribalism being driven by hoodlums has now spread to this level of maligning other regions as potential mallitia training grounds.

PF leadership knows well that it is losing this year’s elections and now it has trained millitias that will terrorise and hack people with axes and machetes as earlier witnessed s in a video that is circulating on social media of PF cadres warning people that will vote for UPND.

In the video PF sponsored cadres were wielding pangas and axes that they are ready to cut and kill anyone that will not vote for PF.
So far Zambians will attest to this fact that so far to say the least, one defenceless UPND cadre was hacked with pangas yesterday and died on the spot in Lusaka.
These are the PF trained militias Antonio Mwanza is talking about that they are being trained by UPND when in fact it is PF training them.

Let Antonio Mwanza report to police and have the so called militias arrested since he knows the number being trained and the place. if he won’t, then consider him a menace idiot to this nation.

The accusations that Sioma fracas was caused by UPND goes by to say that PF is looking for every invisible fault to attract ECZ which is tirelessly working with PF to scheme a way to ban UPND from participating in this year’s elections.

Shameless liar Mwanza should know that the Sioma fracas was between PF and an Independent candidate.
Now how has UPND come in?

Mwanza should stop being a useful stupid idiot fool that will ignite this country into flames because of his selfish interests and that of his pay masters.

The Debt Relief to Public Workers Will Impact Financial Institutions

“Adapt or Die”

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

Despite the announcement by Government that it had released K255.3million to commercial banks and micro-finance institutions as the first step to effect the debt swap and debt relief to public workers, the Bankers Association of Zambia (BAZ) has issued a hasty statement reminding the workers that their obligations to these institutions remained active!

This appears to be a knee-jerk reaction and maybe a projection of difficulties these financial institutions are facing in light of major and many speedy changes affecting the industry.

This position to transfer loans of public workers to an institution with fairer and competitive lending rates, was inevitable as soon as Government created the Public Micro-Finance Company in 2013.

In this case, BAZ has been outwitted by a very innovative government process which has come up with very novel debt relief strategies for its employees.

Sooner rather than later, financial institutions will find themselves stuck with a lot of idle liquidity as government buys out the debts of its civil servants and public workers and parks the said debts away into the Public Service Micro Finance company at much lower interest rates!

This may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise as financial institutions will be forced by the market to lower their lending interest rates and thereby benefit the economy as a whole.

It may also herald a serious check on the abnormal profits currently being made by some financial institutions that have been thriving on charging abnormally above the market interest rates!

I have also noted correspondence from the Secretary to Cabinet, Dr. Simon Miti who has directed that public service workers’ future borrowings from the market, which is based on the PMEC payroll, will require stringent approval process.

This will ensure that the regulations that civil servants should go home with a 40% netpay after all deductions are made, is adhered to.

This action will save public service workers from opportunistic borrowing and prevent the escalating predatory lending from the industry that was growing to harmful levels.

So the initiative to dismantle, swap or clear the debt burden of public workers, will have lasting impact onto financial institutions.

My advice to BAZ would be to adapt, adopt or die!

By Chamuka Shalubala,

…….HAKAINDE Hichilema’s running mate Mutale Nalumango says as long as the polls are free and fair, there will be no drama witnessed once election results are announced.

In an interview, Wednesday, Nalumango said if the elections were fairly held, the PF would go into hiding once the elections results were announced.

“As long as elections are free and fairly held, believe me, they (PF) will go into hiding because Zambians have stated what they want. And it is my strong belief that Zambians have always been Zambians. Like you have heard us say, even my president has stated that these elections must be left to be decided by Zambians. It should not be the Electoral Commission [of Zambia], it should not be the executive, nobody should manipulate the votes.

That (the election results) coming out, either they [will] go into hiding or they should be going into a panic because they are already in panic mode. And that’s why they are doing what they are doing, busy extending resources, abusing the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit,” Nalumnago said.

“DMMU is busy distributing mealie meal in the constituencies where I am, why? What disaster is here? These are abusers through and through. No matter how much they want to manipulate the lives of Zambians, they (Zambians) have seen the evil [and the] failures in so many ways. If you win, [then] so be it but democracy means you win, you step aside. We won’t have any drama as long as elections are free and fair.”

And Nalumango described President Edgar Lungu’s leadership as a disaster.

“Surely they should regret their deeds, actually they should repent of the evil deeds. But the issue is that do they have the capacity to do that? Because even then, there is a lot of abuse. Even the empowerment thing they are talking about is abuse. How are they empowering? Do you empower three weeks before elections? Then you want to get credit for it.

Do we even know the source of income, are they surely spending within the budget? These guys have neither the capacity to understand governance nor to understand democracy. All they are doing today is using money [which] I’m sure [is] meant for other things. They now take it all to empowerment for them to gain political mileage, that is my thinking. So I don’t think they have the capacity, they should by now have known how to behave,” said Nalumango.

“Disaster, in one word, because what has he done right? Convince me that this is what he has done right. Where did we get this man from? We need to know, how did he come on the scene? So his leadership can be described as a disaster. Show me one thing where he has done well, there is nothing. When I’m travelling using roads, you would think you are not in modern Zambia but that of the 1950s.

That is not correct, but they will talk about roads, they will talk about infrastructure. Which infrastructure are they talking about? Let them show us. Now they have resorted to bribing people by giving millions of money to Kaputa for example today, you think you can blind people. There is a saying which literally means ‘something that belongs to a mad man is eaten when he is mad’, this is unacceptable.”

Lusaka Province Vice PF campaign coordinator Hon. Mumbi Phiri has predicted a 70% win for President Lungu in the forthcoming General elections slated for August 12th, 2021.

Speaking on the PF Interactive Forum, a premium dialogue platform of the Patriotic Front that hosts PF functionaries to discussions of national Importance, in Lusaka this evening, Hon. Phiri who is the immediate past Patriotic Front Deputy Secretary-General said UPND no longer had any strongholds to boast of.

She said the PF had made sufficient inroads in North-Western, Western and Southern Provinces, such that the votes that would come from those areas would shock the UPND.

She said the UPND had lost the plot in their previous so-called strongholds when their leader HH forbid his MPs, Council Chairpersons and Councillors from working with the government of the day which caused them to be non-performing, rendering them ineffective as they were unable to lobby for development for their people.

She guessed this certainly must have caused them to feel it was unfair for them to hold on to positions in which they were not performing because they had been expressly forbidden to lobby for development from President Lungu and the PF Government who manage the resources of the nation.

She said HH insulted his councillors by accusing them of being bought by PF which no doubt angered them and caused even more of them to resign, further compounding the situation for the UPND and rendering them stronghold less.

She said with all those members leaving the UPND in Northwestern and Western Provinces to Join PF, there was logically no way the two areas could be referred to as UPND strongholds anymore.

She said Mr Hichilema and his UPND were totally inexperienced on how to gain ground stating that PF founder President Michael C. Sata when in opposition instructed his MPs to lobby for development from the sitting Ministers when the MMD Government and President Levy Mwanawasa were in power.

She said only development made people want to align to a party and if that party was giving them nothing, then it was just a matter of time before they joined a winning team , which she said was the case with the people in the previous UPND strongholds.

And Mrs. Phiri has charged that the UPND practice social media politics whereas the PF are firmly rooted on the ground.

She said she had spent her time doing door-to-door campaigns with her team which was why she hasn’t been in the media for a while. She said with the amount of development the PF has delivered to the people of Zambia, it is very easy for them to conduct campaigns even now that there are a lot of restrictions because all the PF are doing is pointing at what they have done.

She said in Rufunsa for instance where she had been the past couple of days, for the first time since independence, the area was now connected to the national grid. Additionally, she said in Kanakantapa, it is only during the PF administration that the area has had roads constructed. She Said the area now has schools whereas, in the past, parents had to send their children to Kasisi once they got to the secondary school level . She said the development that PF has delivered was the reason they would be voted back into the office on the 12th of August.
She has urged Zambians to turn up en mass on voting day and cast a vote for President Lungu, his running mate Prof. Luo and all PF MPs, Mayors, Council Chairpersons and Councillors

WILL UPND WIN THESE ELECTIONS?

The Candidates’ Comment Morning

With each day that passes by, it is becoming more and more clear that this election is still very much in the hands of the Patriotic Front (PF). We are not fans of the ruling party because we believe there are many things that this administration of President Lungu has done wrong to hurt common people. However true this is, we are honest with ourselves. We are not hypocrites who prefer to believe personal feelings than the truth.

The PF, as evil as it may be, is very much ahead in these elections. They have a well coordinated campaign that is designed to win the elections. They have tactics in place and are discharging their strategies in ways that the opposition is failing to handle.

The main opposition , the United Party for National Development (UPND) which oftentimes claim to have won the election has been pushed into a situation where all they do is respond to PF as opposed to explaining to the people their own manifesto. PF are the pace setters. UPND launched it’s manifesto way ahead of the PF but not very much is known about it by the people. People do not know what exactly UPND will do to improve their lives. How can you expect people to vote for you if you cannot explain to them your own manifesto or if they do not even know anything about how you intend to do things differently?

People actually know more about the PF manifesto than what the UPND offers. When things are viewed beyond what the surface suggests, this is not even about PF having the financial muscle in these elections. This is more about human capital and ability to win elections.

There are parties like People’s Alliance for Change for Andyford Banda which are very much new but are doing better than the main opposition. One may not appreciate the extent to which PAC is doing better on the surface but if you look at fundamentals properly, the performance of Andyford whose party firstly took part in elections in 2016 – eight months after it’s formation – the man did very well and came fourth ahead of parties that have been in existence for a very long time! Today, PAC is everywhere. They have some sort of visibility in some areas across the country. We do not believe that PAC is very affluent. We think – and we believe we are not far from the truth – that Andyford has a team of brilliant persons helping him to take an important role in these elections.

Therefore, to claim that UPND is failing to take a front role because the main opposition party has no resources compared to the PF which is using the arrogance of incumbency is, at best, to be dishonest. At worst, it is foolish. Hakainde cannot fail to pump enough money in an election. In fact, Hakainde has spent a lot of personal money to keep UPND to where it is. The man is not as simple as he appears. He cannot fail to find resources to put into an election.

A correct diagnosis of the problem is that UPND lacks honest and intelligent people who know what to do to help their leader win the election. Hakainde is alone. Most of those surrounding him are parasites who are just milking him his money. Most of them are merely hungry elements who have found a source of livelihood in him. To them, Hakainde is like a maize field and they are gluttonous monkeys grazing blatantly.

You cannot expect Hakainde to be at the centre of chunning out strategies to win an election. Hakainde cannot be everywhere to explain to the people about this and that. Those supporting people in different structures are there to help him do certain things. But if you ask those crooks surrounding him what they have done individually to help Hakainde win – you will get nothing from them. In fact, often than not, Hakainde has financed party activities which have not been undertaken and monies ended up in the pockets of crooks, criminals who are responsible for this and that role within the party.

We do not believe that UPND has no financial capacity to put up a fierce campaign in these elections. What they lack is honest human resources. Most of those surrounding him are merely criminals.

With such people, you wonder how UPND will win the election.The truth is that this election is a tricky one for the UPND to win at this particular juncture. They would need to do twice what the PF are doing to stay afloat.

*TURN UP IN LARGE NUMBERS TO CAST A PROGRESSIVE VOTE ON HH, UPND YOUTHS URGE VUBWI RESIDENTS*

With barely 20 days before the Thursday 12th August 2021 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government poll day, United Party for National Development (UPND) Youth Wing is prodding the electorates in Vubwi Constituency to turn up in large numbers and cast a progressive vote on UPND Alliance presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema.

And the residents of Vubwi District lament enduring an excruciating 10-year-rule of the Patriotic Front (PF) administration.

The UPND youths are in Vubwi District to drum up support for the UPND Alliance presidential aspirant Mr. Hichilema and Parliamentary and Local Government candidates.

The UPND Youth Wing has chorused a song of Bally ni Bally ahead of the Thursday 12th August 2021 election, leaving no stone unturned through a series of meetings, urging the electorate in Eastern Province and Zambia as a whole to vote for HH as a politician capable of restoration of national pride.

“Voting for Bally, Hakainde Hichilema is the change we all want, as citizens aspire for free quality education, a good farming environment and fresh breath of air in the local economy,” preached UPND Youth Wing led by National Youth Chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso.

The UPND National Chairperson Mr. Liswaniso boasted that policies of the UPND are meant to improve livelihoods of the Zambian people well spelt out in the party manifesto.

Liswaniso cited the proposed increment of the social cash transfer contrary to assertion by the Patriotic Front that once in government Hakainde Hichilema’s team is going to scrap off the alluded to vulnerability amelioration package.

And UPND National Youth Committe member Francis Mwamba Kope said voting for the UPND Alliance aspirants will guarantee equal opportunities for all citizens.

Mr. Kope regretted that under the10-year-rule of PF poverty levels are extremely high arguing that Zambians are justfied to seek change through the UPND Alliance.

“The PF has been tried and tested, and as everyone is privy, they lamentably failed in all the sectors of the economy, including failing to lower taxes, create jobs and putting money in people’s pockets,” protested Kope.

And Kope reminded the people of Vubwi to ensure they vote on Hakainde Hichilema and all UPND Alliance candidates on a stretched palm, a forward and sure symbol for UPND toward ease the burden of pain imposed by the Patriotic Front.

By Press Time, the jubilant UPND Alliance Youths warmed up and left for another meeting in the Eastern Province.

*UPND Alliance Media Team*

THE HIDDEN POLITICAL TRUTH IN OPPOSITION
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Greetings comrades

As we near the August 12 general elections .I would like to walk you through the hidden truth of politics in the opposition .

I have been actively involved in the UPND for the past 15 years from my secondary school days till now. I have saved in different positions,worked with different people ,tribes and races under the UPND.I have been to all provinces and districts in the country.This has given me a vast experience of politics on the ground in zambia .

The hidden truth is that ,belonging to the opposition is the hardest experience a politician can ever endure .This is an undertaking for the brave and selfless.we sacrifice time,money, opportunities, networks and friendships just to make sure that democracy in this country stays alive .

Fellow citizens,I have lost friends and family to death during the past 15 years.All these gallant men and women wanted to see the UPND form government and have a test of how it feels to have the dreams of our late founding father Anderson kambela mazoka realised(May his soul continue resting in peace).

These Men and women wanted to witness the ceremony of installing President HH as president of zambia .The young Man who against all odds took over the leadership of the UPND after the demise of it’s founding president.It was almost impossible to grow a party whose president has died whilst in opposition.HH has broken that record and it was going to be fulfilling for our rested brothers and sisters to celebrate the victory during their life time.

Today I want to address fellow youths in this country.Without a strong opposition in a democracy,Dictoctorship can cripple the dreams and aspirations of all of us as citizens.We have a direct responsibility as young people to change the face of todays political arena in zambia by making sure that we use our heads in choosing the new president of zambia .

President HH can decide to give up tomorrow ,if we give up on him today.He has been arrested 15 times,his home broken ,guards tortured ,wife traumatized .

He was thrown in a cell full of feaces rubbed all over the ground and walls.He was taken to mukobeko maximum prison unjustly.

He has trusted so many people that sold him for two pieces of silver .A lot of his former vice presidents cashed in for betraying him.

He has been labeled tribal and everyday ,pf senior cadres like GBM,KAMBWILI,NAKACHINDA ,BOWMAN LUSANBO AND CANITIOUS BANDA have continued tormenting his family based on his tribe of which,he did not choose to be born tonga .

Fellow country Men and Women ,if we the people of zambia don’t appreciate the kind of sacrifice which the UPND and HH are making on our behalf.Some day,we may have no one to blame.HH can afford to live anywhere in the world if this country is turned into a dictatorship training ground.The majority citizens can suffer as they can’t afford a life outside zambia.

If we set this country ablaze by promoting caderism and violence ,The pf senior party members can afford a life outside zambia and police protection.The majority citizens can’t .

I can afford to live outside zambia but majority of my friends and family can’t .The ball is in our hands .we must unite and help the pf to leave government peacefully by voting in huge numbers from across the country.Your voice can only be heard if you vote on the 12 of August 2021.

No government should be allowed to take advantage of it’s citizens in zambia .Not even the Upnd Diehard when they form government.We must always raise to end a brutal regime.

This country is not for pf,not for upnd ,not for Dp and not for any political party but for the people of zambia .

Let us protect our democracy.

Chaldrone sweeney

Together we can!!!

Pictures taken in 2014

By Peter Sinkamba
WITH 20 DAYS TO GO, THE AMENDED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITIONS RULES ARE OUT, AND APPEAR FAIR
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It is now 20 days to go before the 12 August General Elections.

Meantime, the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 29 of 2021 is out. It amends by revocation and replacement of Order XIV of the Constitutional Court Rules 2016 is out.

The SI 29 of 2021 prescribes new rules on how the petitions challenging the election of the President-Elect in accordance with Article 101 or 103 of the Constitution shall be filed before the Constitutional Court.

In summary, the rules prescribe the following key aspects:

(i) That the petitioner has 24 hours to promptly personally serve the petition on the respondent. If the petitioner proves difficulty to serve, the court may order substituted service. Effectively, this process may consume maximum of 2 days of the total 14 days provided by the Constitution to hear and determine petitions. This leaves a balance of at least 12 days.

(ii) That the respondent has 4 days to prepare an answer and filing it together with opposing affidavit, skeleton arguments, etc. This leaves the balance of at least 8 days.

(iii) That the respondent must serve the answer and accompanying documents within 24 hours (1 day) of filing. This leaves a balance of at least 7 days.

(iv ) That in case a petitioner wishes to reply to the responder’s answer, this must be done within 24 hours (1 day) of being served with the answer. This leaves a balance of at least 6 days.

(v) That immediately after filing of the respondent’s answer, the Court shall summon parties to a scheduling conference to issue directions to be strictly adhered to. This leaves a balance of at least 5 days.

(vi) That the Court may hear interlocutory applications, and receive written submissions not exceeding 10 pages

(vii) That the Court shall determine interlocutory applications and the petition on affidavit evidence, and oral and written submissions. This ought to be fonr within the balance of 5 days stated in paragraph (v) above

(viii) That at the close of the hearing, the Court shall render its decision, and may reserve its reasons for its decision to a later date not exceeding 60 days

The above revised timeframes appear realistic and fair to parties concerned.

One key positive development that I am impressed with is restricting written submissions to maximum 10 pages per petition. This means regardless the number of lawyers hired by a petitioner or respondent, the written submissions must be to the point; consolidated into one by 10 page document. No irrelevant issues to crowd the justices.

Good luck to the petitioners, the respondent, and the honorable justices.

Lets see what happens in the next 22 days or so, just in case there shall be a petition/petitions against the President-Elect.

God bless Zambia.

By Maiko Zulu

PERSONAL DIARY – #ELECTION 2021 CHECKLIST

Here are some of the questions I will be asking myself before ticking ‘X’ on any box this 12th August

1. ECONOMY: I will be looking for a leader and a team with the vision, potential and experience in building a sustainable economic environment. A team that will make it a priority to ease the cost of doing business. A team that will manage the economy for every Zambian and not for themselves alone. I want a leadership that will ensure that locals have opportunities to own the best Lodges, hotels and private mines by putting in place favorable policies. A team that will reall put money in people’s pockets by creating a conducive business environment for all especially those outside political circles

2. DEBT: National Debt management is a fundamental voting issue and so I will be looking at leaders who have solutions to the debt crisis and who have a roadmap on how to exhume the country from its junk status despite having a good share of the continent’s prime resources. Debt mismanagement has crippled the economy, health,education and social foundation of the country.

3. HEALTH: As a voter, I’m looking for people who not only have the knowledge but also the heart to make the health sector live up to the people’s expectations. When I see a so called “Level One” hospital referring patients to private pharmacies for pain killers (not because they have no capacity), for me that’s a voting issue because it directly speaks to the way leaders use the health of the people as bargaining tool for corrupt deals.

4. AGRICULTURE: I will be looking out for candidates who will make Agriculture and exciting and profitable venture especially for young Zambians. Quality agricultural products are still being imported because we have limited technologies for modern farming methods. Recently he issue of onions showed us just how uncompetitive our agriculture sector is.

5. EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: I once lived in an era where we could make simple radios and we had dreams of belonging to JETS (JuniorEngineers,Technicians and Scientists) Clubs. Over the years, we have become mere consumers sub standard of electronic goods manufactured by children in Asia. With technology taking over the universe, we need a leadership that will insure creativity in this area. Our general education needs serious reforms in order to be relevant to the day to day survival of citizens and leadership is at the core of advancement.

6. MINES AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Zambia is a Copper producing country which imports copper wire at high prices. Our Emeralds are amongst the best and our Rosewood is sought after by the world’s best yet we still have a poor, hungry and unhealthy population because Zambia’s resources belong to outsiders. This one is a serious election issue which requires real leadership to tackle and not manyengwe as my brother Antonio Mwanza would say.

7. JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL LIBERTIES AND PRESS FREEDOM: I will be looking for leaders who will respect the rights of all citizens and allow divergent views to be expressed by anyone without having to expect a ZP Land Cruiser at my house. I want to be able to trust the Judges and Magistrates to make unbiased rulings and I want to feel protected by the Police. I don’t want to have to buy Justice. I want leaders who will respect the law and agree to exist under it like everyone else. I want a government that will not intimidate the media and that which will guarantee Freedom of Information.

8. YOUTH: My ideal government is that which will make young people the engine of development by creating opportunities for them in the various fields of human endeavor. In Zambia today, the greatest aspiration for young people is to one day be a ‘Commander in the party’ because it pays more than studying Medicine, Geography or Aviation. I want a leadership that will actually listen to young people instead of threatening them with Police brutality whenever they raise issues.

9. POLITICAL SANITY AND SOCIAL ORDER: I’m looking for leaders who will make it possible for a citizen in a red t shirt to be able to walk freely at Intercity bus terminus just as a citizen in a green t shirt should be free to walk into a market in Magoye. I just want a President and a government that will tame the lawlessness that characterizes our society.

10. CORRUPTION AND GOVERNANCE : I want a government that will make the FIC and AG’s Reports bearable. Every other year we have issues of financial mismanagement in the public sector and strong leadership is needed here. Only leaders that are not part of the rot can have the audacity to fight it. I want honest leaders who will identify with the common citizen. I want a government that will not abuse public institutions like Police, ACC, Judiciary, ZNBC and ZESCO among others

11. ENVIRONMENT: I’m looking for leaders who will have a clear vision for tackling the environmental challenges that we face resulting into Climate Change. I want leaders who will not share reserve forests amongst themselves.

12. INDUSTIALIZATION: I want a government that will turn Zambia from a consumer nation to a producer nation through industrialization and value addition. Yes we can make Boom and Cookie Joe biscuits but we need to look at planes, automobiles, machinery, industrial and domestic fabrics, vaccines, medical equipment and the like.

13. GANJA: I want a leader who will not arrest any adult citizen for consuming marijuana. People have been humiliated and labeled criminals just because of a spliff. This for me is an election issue. We are still congesting the prisons with ganja convicts while the real criminals who are sited in the Financial Intelligence Center Report are called ‘Honorable’. I want a leader who will make sure every Zambian benefits from the hemp industry.

#TheRevolutionWontBeTelevised

DESPERATE PF ENDORSES ANOTHER BOGUS POLL

The Patriotic Front has endorsed another highly suspicious poll purporting to give the government a 60% share of the vote at August’s general elections. The research was allegedly conducted by the Consortium of Zambian Thought Leaders, though Open Zambia can find no record of this organisation existing. It comes as the PF continues to tour the country – despite ongoing restrictions – in a desperate attempt to win voters.

The poll, which has been endorsed by the PF’s campaign manager Geoffrey Mwamba, claims that President Edgar Lungu will win next August’s elections by a margin of 60% – an 10% increase on his performance in 2016. It says the United Party for National Development will secure just 36% of votes while the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy will come in third with 2.9%.

The research seems highly suspicious, however, with the organisation behind it having no online presence at all. It also follows the roundly debunked poll by Farraline Public Relations, which said that President Lungu would receive 44.5% of the vote. This research was quickly disproved by Professor Nic Cheeseman of the University of Birmingham, who demonstrated that the methodology behind the poll was extremely flawed and that the organisations conducting it had no experience of this kind of research.

“The poll they put together is so bad only the most committed government supporter could think it is genuine,” said Cheeseman.

Nevertheless the PF backed the research, claiming it had come from the Political Science Association of Zambia – an organisation which again has no previous record of ever existing. The governing party seems determined to convince Zambians that the election is already over, so that large numbers of opposition supporters don’t bother to come out and vote.

Meanwhile, credible research continues to show a decent lead for the UPND, with a poll by Afrobarometer giving the opposition a 2 point lead against the Patriotic Front. The research also showed that support for the PF had massively deteriorated since 2016.

Analysing the data, Jeremy Seekings of the Univeristy of Cape Town said, “In the absence of a shift in voters’ attitudes and preferences during the election campaign, it seems likely that Lungu and the Patriotic Front will perform much more weakly in the elections scheduled for August 2021 than in preceding elections.”

Afrobaromter is a highly respected polling agency whose data is often cited by the World Bank, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and other reputable organisations.

WHY THE WORLD SHOULD CARE ABOUT ZAMBIA’S AUGUST ELECTION

By Charlotte Scott

Zambia goes to the polls on 12 August, with the two main candidates offering very different visions for the southern African state. Edgar Lungu, the populist incumbent, has presided over a ballooning debt, escalating inflation, frequent allegations of large-scale corruption, and a rapidly shrinking democratic space. His main opponent, Hakainde Hichilema, is a successful businessman offering a progressive economic reform program.

The recent death of Zambia’s first President, Kenneth Kaunda, served as a reminder that Zambia has often been a bellwether for the region. Under Kaunda’s 27-year leadership, Zambia was at the forefront of freedom struggles across the region. In 1991, Kaunda’s peaceful departure from office, after losing an election, was among the first democratic transitions in the region, which had previously been ruled for decades by coup-leaders and self-appointed presidents-for-life. Since then, Zambia has managed two more particularly difficult transitions, with the defeat of the ruling party and fourth President Rupiah Banda in 2011, and the infighting that surrounded Guy Scott’s acting Presidency from 2014-15. But difficult as these periods were, Zambia’s constitution ultimately prevailed, and political tensions did not spill over into violence.

Today, the prospects of holding a credible and peaceful election are looking dim. In Lusaka, the U.S. Chargé d’Affairs and British High Commissioner have, on several occasions, expressed concern, highlighting government restrictions on the opposition, including media control and cancellation of opposition campaign events. Their expressions of concern have been met with vocal criticism and intimidation from members of the ruling party. And these words may not be empty threats: in recent years, an American ambassador and an IMF representative have been withdrawn based on government’s response to their comments about corruption and the struggling economy, respectively. An election victory next month for President Lungu would likely entrench this authoritarian style of governance and bring with it further economic woes on an already struggling population.

At first glance, the Zambian election might seem – to outside observers – to be low down the list of priorities. A tense situation in South Africa, ongoing protests in eSwatini, the growing threat of insurgent terrorism in Mozambique, and a second decade of crisis in Zimbabwe may very well weaken any sense of urgency or concern about Zambia. However, this prevailing view needs to be challenged.

Failure in Zambia’s upcoming election will fuel further instability in the southern Africa region. Although its economic potential has remained largely unrealized through successive regimes, Zambia has often played an important role in demonstrating progressive politics and the rule of law for regional counterparts. And at this time of uncertainty, it is even more important to recognize Zambia’s geopolitical importance. With eight international borders, Zambia serves as a bridge between southern Africa and east Africa, and between Angola on the Atlantic and Mozambique on the Indian Oceans; it is also home to the most southern part of the Great Lakes and has a border of 1200 miles with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It is thus critically important for Zambia to be a neighbour that serves as a force for good, not the ally of failure. Aside from the intrinsic importance of maintaining its hard-won democratic gains, stability, and progress, Zambia can provide the best possible example of an inclusive and liberal administration in a region where democracy and human rights are under mounting threat.

Charlotte Scott, PhD was the Second and briefly First Lady of Zambia (2011 – 2015). She has had a long career working on poverty-reduction programs, and now works on climate-smart livelihoods in Zambia’s poorest communities. Follow her on Twitter: @CharlotteSc0tt

This article originally appeared on Vanguard Africa

By Sakwiba Sikota

THE LIVINGSTONE 2006 EFFECT

Last week the Electoral Commission of Zambia put out the following statement, “GUIDANCE ON INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
The Electoral Commission of Zambia wishes to remind all independent candidates for the forthcoming General Election that independent candidates should not be affiliated to any political party. In line with the legal requirements, all independent candidates should have relinquished political party membership “at least two months immediately before the date of the election.”
To this end, independent candidates should desist from using campaign materials for political parties or in any way identify themselves with any political party. The Commission will not hesitate to take appropriate action including disqualification of erring candidates.”

This statement by the electoral commission took me by surprise. I was thinking to myself that the Constitution of Zambia allows each Zambian inalienable rights under the following Articles:-

Article 20 Freedom of Expression which states, “(1) Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference, whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.”

Article 21 Freedom of Assembly and Association adds, “(1) Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of assembly and association, that is to say, his right to assemble freely and associate with other persons and in particular to form or belong to any political party, trade union or other association for the protection of his interests.”

The protections given under these articles cannot be diluted by other provisions of the Constitution or acts of parliament as they are entrenched rights. If ECZ is to bar any of the independents, who have relinquished party membership,for encouraging their supporters to show their liking of a political party’s presidential candidate, they may find themselves sued.

In 2006 I stood for elections in the Livingstone parliamentary race under the United Liberal Party. We did not have a presidential candidate. As I went about campaigning I came across some of the electors who were donned either in MMD, PF or UPND attire who wanted to hear my manifesto for the Livingstone seat and expressed their support for me.

During that election campaign I would tell them to vote ULP in the Parliamentary and also the council elections. When asked as to whom I supported for the Presidential poll, I urged the electorate to vote for Michael Sata. This did not mean that I had crossed over to the PF or become affiliated to them. I would be on the same campaign platforms as Sata who would be clad in PF regalia whilst I was always in ULP campaign material.

Even when I was campaigning on my own in Livingstone without Sata, a large number of people on my campaign platform stage would be in PF campaign material.

I enjoyed my rights under Articles 20 and 21 of our Constitution. This helped the people of Livingstone to make a studious choice as to whom to choose to represent them at different political levels.

The people of Livingstone, who are clearly very sophisticated, produced election results that showed that they were not looking at the party of the candidate but at what message the individual candidate had. I say this because in 2006 the Livingstone electorate in the presidential poll chose UPND/UDA, at parliamentary they chose ULP and the party which won the majority of Council seats in the Livingstone district was the MMD. The same electorate gave three different parties a win at different levels!

In 2008 and 2011 my support went to Rupiah Banda (RB) for President. I was on the same campaign platform as RB all around the country. He would wear the MMD attire and I would adorn myself in the ULP campaign regalia. No one, including the Electoral Commission of Zambia, suggested in 2008 that I had crossed the floor and should lose my seat.

It therefore surprises me that ECZ should stop independent candidates from indicating to their supporters whom to vote for at Presidential and local government level. An independent will definitely have followers who will value his or her opinion on which party to support at the other levels. Under Articles 20 and 21 of the constitution they have the right to participate and have an effect on the election.

What is so wrong with an independent candidate being so popular that they create the “Livingstone 2006 effect”?

Patriotic Front Member who is former United Party for NAtional Development(UPND) Vice President, Dr. Canisius Banda has described as preposterous the assertions by the UPND that he joined the PF because of hunger.

Speaking at a PF round table talk hosted by Nakiwe Simpungwe, Dr. Banda said he is a qualified medical doctor, a product of the University of Zambia who is a masters degree holder in public health and that he is a lecturer at several institutions of learning such as UNZA, a CV which clearly shows that talk of hunger in his life is just wishful thinking by the desperate opposition.

Dr. Banda said that when he served in the UPND, he used personal resources which had even caused his wife to complain many times, adding that even his colleagues would tell him not to use personal resources but that he continued to do so because of his belief in what he was doing.

Dr. Banda said it was therefore desperation that was causing the UPND to tell non-truths about him and urged them to focus on issue-based campaigns, adding that had he been the type of person that joined causes for wealth purposes, he would have joined PF the very first time he left MMD to Join UPND and that the UPND actually owed him a debt of gratitude because he had helped to remove the stench of tribalism from their leader HH, the time he served as his Vice President.

Dr. Banda said HH was a tribalist without a shred of doubt which was why the UPND was habitually adopting Tongas as their candidates for elections at all levels and urged the ECZ to take a keen interest in the manner the UPND had adopted their candidates because it was definitely a security risk to the nation.

Dr.Banda further said that PF has delivered unprecedented development in the nation, the period the party has been in government, citing hospitals, schools, and roads that have been built. Dr Banda also said that PF has provided farming inputs and expanded and built power generation plants which have ended load shedding in the nation, and that these and many other deliverables are evidence of a party and government that has put in the work which is producing results .

Dr. Banda dismissed assertions by UPND, that the Patriotic Front May have built health facilities, but not equipped them with human resources, saying the PF Government had employed 27,000 health workers in the period between 2016 to 2021, something which had never been done in the history of the nation, including the 200 Medical doctors who had been employed in the recent past, which is extremely commendable because the action helped to address the serious issue of the pandemic which the nation is currently grappling with.

Dr. Banda said that the UPND had nothing to talk about because each point they were raising in their campaigns, the PF had already delivered or were already in the process of delivering and lauded the Manifesto of the PF as a superior document to that of the UPND and pointed at items such as the proposed 24-hour economy as a solution to the issue of youth unemployment.

Dr. Banda took time to urge the people of Zambia not to make the mistake of voting for any other party than the PF because the PF and President Lungu were bringing to the table tried and tested Leadership which has proved its worth.