Friday the 13th was an important day on the political calendar of Zambia in more ways than one this year of the good Lord. President Hichilema laid out his plan for Zambia ahead of the national budget to be presented before parliament in a few days, reactions to his presentation before the house are mixed.
Some said it was inspiring presentation while a tard lot more observers think it lacked inspiration, I have no dog in this fight.
I am just an analyst, and I look at facts and facts alone before giving my two cents on a matter of national importance.
Given the convoluted preamble, my major take-back on Don H´s presentation was the ´lacuna´ issue, a word that has found itself a home in the Zambian vocabulary since Friday the 13th.
A word no one gave two bits about until it was invoked by the Don himself on that day in the house on live TV during a three-hour speech read from a more than 30-page statement.
My little knowledge of the word that has its root hairs in Greece way back in the 1700´s is that it means, a ´gap, a hole´ in a statement or a document.
No better man that John Sangwa SC explained the word best when he said Lacuna in law means, “there´s something missing that makes a statement or document incomplete such as reading page 1, 2, 3…then it jumps to page 6. There´s a lacuna because pages 4 and 5 are missing.”
JS was referencing President Hichilema´s claim in the house that the Zambian constitution was wrought of lacuna´s, by the way there´s no such thing as ´lacunas,´ because the plural for the word is lacunae.
Diverting from his written speech, Do H made jaws of legislators and those watching his speech live on TV drop when he made this claim.
He iced it by adding that Zambia could have no presidential polls for about eight years because of the ´lacunas´ in our law book.
Disagreements emerged on the very first day from his predecessor the sixth President of Zambia Edgar Lungu followed by myriad others such as Socialist Party leader Fred Membe, Harry Kalaba from CF, Sakwiba Sikota SC from UKA and others.
Reactions were the same from all political talking heads—there´s NO lacuna in our law book, its as iron clad as the ten commandments of holy Moses, it needs No amendments.
I am not a lawyer but when I saw the arguments against the proposed amendments by the Don, I agree that we don’t need amendments.
I still can´t wrap my head around why Don H even broached the subject, like the wise say, sometimes just ´let the sleeping dogs lie.´
At a time like now I thought the Don, whom I love, and respect so much should have been looking: • Ending crippling power blackouts lasting beyond three days in homes and industry. Food is rotting because storage fridges aren’t working
• Arrest the runaway double-digit inflation and reduced value of the kwacha against convertible currencies such as the green buck, euro and pound • Allow civil society and opposition stakeholders to publicly demonstrate • Arrest the escalating cost of living in a country where 40pc of the population live in abject poverty on less than a dollar per day for everything
• Create jobs for the millions of unemployed Zambians in the dirt-poor copper rich southern African country wallowing in poverty with reduced dignity and integrity I could go on forever, but I am constrained by space, I can only say so much about the Presidents constitution sabre-rattling, the constitution amendment aint no priority, it’s the broken economy that needs attention.
There´s about a year and a half remaining before Zambia goes to the polls and elect presidents and MP´s in a traditional event calls elections held annually on 12th August.
Does Don H really want to spend time on an acrimonious and divisive amendment campaign instead of addressing the poverty of six million Zambians due to the drought and bad economic decisions? I say NO and if I were on the Don´s advisory tea, which I am not, I would have said ´My good sir…lets keep our eyes on the prize and the prize is seeking re-election which we can only get if we create jobs, curb loadshedding and slashing endemic hunger, forget the Lacuna it doesn’t exist.´
I believe that the advisors aren’t laying down the start reality of how Zambians are living today and how food and electricity matters more than lacunae. On the other hand, I belive the opposition in Zambia have gone to sleep, as a Comms person and diplomat, I miss the Michael Sata days when opposition knew how to milk a crisis to their best end.
I have witnessed opposition sleeping walking on the power shortages when political handbooks say, ´you need to milk a crisis as politician,´ if you do it legally. Look at how former POTUS Donald Trump is riding the high tide in the USA regarding the two foiled assassination attempts on his life by two losers!
Back home, ´insala kapondo´ boss HH, sort out that and your path to re election is assured, ignore that and the dream of re election democratically will be just that, a dream.
I close with a trending campaign gaffe by the Don in the USA Trump who said, “they are eating the cats…they are eating the dogs of the people that live there.” Do we really need expensive or cheap constitutional amendments in the face of a crippling poverty time?
John Sangwa, an astute lawyer I personally respect said the Don H has nothing on this matter just like ECL had nothing on Bill 10. — Contact: mukwitaone@gmail.com Amb. Anthony Mukwita is a former Ambassador of Zambia to several European countries and a published author whose books are available in Bookworld, Grey Matter and Amazon.
YAMBA BROKE THE LAW WHEN HE SUCCUMBED TO MALANJI’S PRESSURE TO RELEASE FUNDS – MUKELEBAI
TOP DEC investigator Kwaleyela Mukelabai has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that former Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba had guided that the purchase of a chancery in Turkey and staff houses for the Zambian mission be budgeted for in the national budget under staggered payments.
He said despite having guided that procedure be followed, Yamba lost his grip and ended up abrogating the law when he was pressured by former minister of foreign affairs Joseph Malanji, to release K154,201,197
In his testimony before magistrate Irene Wishimanga, Mukelabai said Yamba abrogated the Public Procurement Act Section 4 and 31, as he did not follow procedure relating to supplementation.
“I checked the yellow book, my interest was to check whether the movement of funds from head 21 to head 17 was approved by parliament between the period 2020 and 2021,” he said.
“In supplementary appropriation the properties for Ankara were not catered for and even in excess supplementary the properties were not catered for. In the yellow book the Zambian embassy in Ankara, Turkey, was sub head 48 under head 17 and that is where I established that for the whole year in 2020, government had budgeted for K28, 404, 648 for the 22 missions.”
He said K108,401, 197.00 was sent to the ministry of foreign affairs, which supplemented the K28 million without approval from parliament.
“There was about K13 billion allocated to head 21, and the activities for head 21 in 2020 did not talk about the purchase of property in Turkey.
On the excess appropriation in 2020 head 21 was provided with K900 million for the recapitalization of Natsave Bank,”Mukelabai said.
“Mr Yamba wrote to ministry of foreign affairs Permanent Secretary Dr Ronald Simwinga asking him to budget for the properties under staggered payments in the 2021 national budget.”
Mukelabai also informed the Court that Malanji bought a building from Workers Compensation Control Board and turned into Gibson Royal Hotel.
The building which was purchased in 2013 sits on plot no. 1326 Buchi Kitwe.
Malanji got a loan from FNB in the sum of K10.2 million, which accrued interest and ballooned to K14 million.
It is reported that the Bank sued him for failing to liquidate the loan which was later repaid in 2020 after his Morocco trip.
Magistrate Wishimanga has since extended the life of the proceedings for 45 days, following the expiration of the five month period on September 13, 2024.
In this case, Yamba and his co-accused Malanji, are accused of failing to adhere to guidelines relating to the management of public resources and possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Yamba is alleged to have abrogated the law relating to the management of public property when he approved the transfer of K154, 201, 197 for the purchase of a chancery in Turkey.
Malanji is accused of possessing two helicopters, BELL430 and a BELL 206 Jet Ranger helicopter, and houses suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Shyne has blamed Diddy for ruining his life while reacting to the news of the federal charges against his former label boss.
The ex-Bad Boy rapper turned politician was asked about the sex trafficking and racketeering case against Puffy during a press conference in his native Belize on Wednesday (September 18).
Shyne (real name Moses Barrow) answered by airing out his long-standing isses with Diddy, stemming from the 1999 New York City nightclub shooting that saw the Bad Boy boss walk free and Shyne spend almost a decade in prison.
“When I was an 18-year-old kid just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and do what all of us want to do — be recognized for our talent and take over the world — I was defending him [Diddy] and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me,” he said.
“He pretty much sent me to prison […] Yes, I forgave, I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas […] This is not someone who I vacationed with and [with] whom I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood. This is someone who destroyed my life and who I forgave.”
Shyne, who is the leader of the opposition in Belize, explained that he forgave Diddy for the betterment of his home country given the financial support the rap mogul could offer.
“He was in a position at that time to give scholarships and to maybe invest. I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and to bring the contributions to education,” he continued.
Despite holding Diddy accountable for ruining his life, Shyne said he doesn’t “take any joy or any satisfaction with what he is going through,” adding: “I am different than maybe other people. No one needs to fail for me to succeed.”
The 1999 shooting involving Diddy and Shyne previously made headlines in February when the victim, Natalia Reuben, claimed that the Bad Boy founder paid off the nightclub where it happened.
“I am the woman he shot in the face in that December 27, 1999 Club New York shooting,” she said in a video posted on social media. “I have told everyone ad nauseam since then, even the surgeon who did the surgery to take the bullet, I got shot in my face with a 9mm hollow-point bullet called a cop killer.
“I literally told everyone and never changed what I said. I got [shot] in the face. I watched him fire the gun. I’ve said it all this time. Even the surgeon who did my surgery testified in the criminal trial that while they were putting me under [anesthesia].”
She continued: “I was screaming, ‘Puffy [shot] me in the face.’… Everybody knew he did it, but he paid off the club bouncer and all these other people to hide the video. That’s his M.O.”
Tina Knowles is coming to her daughter’s defense. Earlier this month, Beyonce sparked a major debate after she wasn’t nominated for a single Country Music Award. Considering the success of her new album Cowboy Carter, many fans believed she’d be a shoo-in, and were outraged by the apparent snub. Dolly Parton, a superstar of the genre who appears on an interlude track on Beyonce’s aforementioned LP, later fueled this outrage during an interview with Variety.
“Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,” she told the outlet. “It was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good.”
Tina Knowles is coming to her daughter’s defense. Earlier this month, Beyonce sparked a major debate after she wasn’t nominated for a single Country Music Award. Considering the success of her new album Cowboy Carter, many fans believed she’d be a shoo-in, and were outraged by the apparent snub. Dolly Parton, a superstar of the genre who appears on an interlude track on Beyonce’s aforementioned LP, later fueled this outrage during an interview with Variety.
“Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,” she told the outlet. “It was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good.”
Read More: Tina Knowles Hilariously Realizes What Beyonce’s Song “Ego” Is Actually About
Tina Knowles Says Beyonce’s “Got Country Roots Too”
“I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose. I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album,” Parton also added. Her response didn’t sit well with many, however, including Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles. She fired back on Instagram earlier today, making it clear she doesn’t agree.
“Oh Ms. Dolly,” she began. “We love you, but Bey did spend her WHOLE life workin’ hard, since she was 9! She got country roots too. She’s mastered her craft and broken records in EVERY genre. So sayin’ she didn’t ‘spend her life’ in country music dismisses all that work she put in. Bey don’t need to stay in one lane to get respect- her talent and work ethic speak for themselves! She’s been puttin’ in the work, and nobody else gets asked to ‘spend their life’ in one place to be recognized! #beencountry.”
Nick Cannon recently touched on how his ex-wife Mariah Carey is coping after she lost her mother and her sister on the same day. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Carey, 55, shared the tragic news in August.
And though the All I Want For Christmas Is You has largely remained mum about their deaths, Cannon, 43, told Page Six that she is “doing the best that she possibly can, considering the circumstances.”
“But as a family, we just got to be there to support one another, show love,” the Masked Singer host added. Cannon and Carey were married from 2008 to 2016, and they share 13-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.
Cannon told the news outlet that his ex-wife has mostly been hanging out with their children in the wake of her mother and sister’s death, adding that she has turned to the twins for support.
“She’s really having a great time with the kids,” Cannon stated. “That is, you know, the most important thing in the world to her, so it’s outstanding to see them supporting their mom the way they do.”
It also appears Carey and her children have been having a great time together as she took to X on September 14 to share photos of their visit to China’s Great Wall. “At the Great Wall of China! Someone should’ve warned me about heels (not that I would’ve listened),” she captioned.
The 55-year-old singer’s mother, Patricia Carey, was an Opera singer while Carey was said to be estranged from her sister Alison at the time of her death. The Always Be My Baby singer shared the news of their passing in a statement.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” Carey shared at the time. “I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed. I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
The pair’s causes of death were, however, not disclosed at the time of this report. Carey in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey touched on her relationship with her mother, explaining that it was “complicated.”
She wrote that it was a “prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment.” However, the bond between the Grammy award-winner and her mother remained despite their tumultuous relationship. Carey in her memoir also revealed her mother tried her best, adding that she would never stop loving her, TMZ reported.
The relationship between Carey and her sister was reportedly far from mutual as they were estranged. Alison in 2021 filed a lawsuit against her sister over allegations the singer made in her memoir. Alison in the suit claimed that she suffered emotional distress after the book hit the shelves.
Carey was born to Patricia and Alfred Roy Carey – an aeronautical engineer. Her father, who died in 2002, was of African-American and Afro-Venezuelan heritage. In her memoir, Carey revealed her family disowned her mother for marrying a Black man. Her parents divorced when she was 3.
Diddy‘s adopted son Quincy is clarifying the nature of his relationship with his biological father, singer Al B. Sure!.
Stopping by Angela Yee’s Lip Service podcast in an episode published on Wednesday (September 18), Quincy explained that he doesn’t view Al as a father figure but more as a friend.
“We cool now. I just talked to him a couple days ago. He was congratulating me on the album,” he said around the 45-minute mark. “But this isn’t – I think we got a cool relationship. He tends to try and do the dad thing a lot but it’s like, that’s not really where we’re at in life. We homies more than anything. We’re like, ‘Let’s go do something.’”
He continued: “And I feel like that’s kind of where we’re getting at now, actually knowing that we’re two grown men. We can talk about anything and everything. It’s not about anything else.”
Back in March, Al B. Sure! publicly reached out to Quincy after Diddy’s properties were raided by federal agents in relation to the multiple sexual abuse allegations lobbed at the mogul.
The R&B singer was in a relationship with late model Kim Porter back in the 90s, during which the pair had Quincy Brown. After their split, she began an on-again-off-again relationship with the Bad Boys boss that lasted over a decade, which the latter helped raise her oldest child as well as the three kids they had together.
On March 28, the New Jack Swing veteran proposed a reconciliation with his estranged son in a social-media post.
“#LettertoMySon! Come Home,” he wrote in the caption of a photo of them together. “The [door emoji] is wide open. You’re safe here son! I Love you, Popz, Your Biological [fist emoji].”
Last year, Al B. Sure expressed that he wasn’t happy with the “fictional narratives” being spread about him following a cryptic message he shared that many perceived to be a response to Cassie’s sexual-assault lawsuit against Diddy.
The 55-year-old took to his Instagram Story back in November to call out the “grimy ways” of an individual that many believed to be Puffy.
“Kind of, almost something like this,” he wrote. “I do agree my expectations about you were driven strictly from my optimistic view of you, hoping your grimy ways would dissipate with age or the current state of affairs that will eventually expose that you were on the payroll and secretly part of the shenanigans. Undo the puzzle.”
After fans on social media took notice of his post and connected it to the aforementioned legal ordeal, the “Nite and Day” singer hopped back on social media to set the record straight.
“I posted a story this morning about someone close to me that I trusted like family, come to find out I walk with their flag daily & they were grimy on many levels while I went down and was hospitalized and they’ve [been] questionably riding the fence throughout the entire attempts on my existence,” he explained.
“So to update your blogs and fictional narratives FYI: I don’t comment, speak on nor concern myself with court cases, the ensuing results or another man or woman’s business thats not my own, no matter how closely associated my artistic posts may reflect real life.”
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has issued a stark warning that corruption has evolved into a security threat that undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in both private and public institutions. He made these remarks during his keynote speech at the Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe’s annual conference held in Victoria Falls.
Chiwenga emphasized the critical need for public and private institutions to uphold ethical standards to combat corruption effectively. “As leaders, our responsibility is to create an environment where adherence to effective corporate governance principles is not just encouraged but expected,” he stated.
He acknowledged that corruption distorts markets and compromises the integrity of public functions. Recent media reports have highlighted the involvement of individuals closely tied to the ruling Zanu-PF party in significant corruption scandals, including the controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo, who allegedly hijacked a US$40 million tender for supplying election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Chivayo, known for his boastful claims of connections to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has dismissed concerns over his activities, asserting that he would never face arrest due to his influence. The situation was further exacerbated by Al Jazeera’s “Gold Mafia” documentary, which exposed the smuggling of gold out of Zimbabwe by high-ranking officials.
In response to the growing corruption crisis, Chiwenga outlined the government’s efforts to implement restrictive measures, including the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption into domestic law. He stressed the importance of creating a robust framework that promotes transparency and accountability.
“The government of Zimbabwe is committed to collaborating with the private sector to create a corruption-free ecosystem through vigorous enforcement of anti-corruption laws,” he declared. He also highlighted the need for public awareness and the protection of whistleblowers as crucial components in the fight against graft.
Chiwenga called for the integration of advanced technologies into governance frameworks, stating that artificial intelligence and automation could significantly enhance efficiency and accuracy across various sectors. However, he cautioned that technology alone is insufficient, noting that it must be paired with ethical governance practices.
“We must continuously develop measures to advance innovation in corporate governance,” he said, advocating for the evolution of current frameworks to support a rapidly changing economic landscape.
The conference, themed “A Governance and Accountancy Transformative Agenda: Towards a Shared Future for Zimbabwe,” aims to address the pressing issues of governance and accountability in the country.
In the ongoing pursuit of justice for Tyre Nichols, new details have emerged about a disturbing incident involving a former Memphis police officer. According to testimony presented Wednesday, the officer in question sent a photo of Nichols, visibly injured and in pain, to his ex-girlfriend shortly after Nichols was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. Nichols later died from his injuries.
Brittany Leake, the ex-girlfriend of Officer Demetrius Haley, testified that she was on the phone with Haley when officers stopped Nichols. She overheard a “commotion,” including commands for someone to give officers his hands, according to an AP report.
After the call ended, Haley allegedly sent Leake a photo of Nichols in a group chat that included her and her godsister. Prosecutors displayed the photo to the jury, which showed Nichols lying on the ground with his eyes closed, blood near his mouth, and his hands behind his back. Leake testified that upon seeing the image, she immediately thought, “Oh my God, he definitely needs to go to the Med,” referring to Memphis’ trauma hospital.
Haley, along with officers Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith, is currently on trial after pleading not guilty to charges of depriving Nichols of his civil rights, using excessive force, and obstructing justice. All three men, along with two other officers involved in the incident, were fired from the Memphis Police Department.
Leake testified that sending such a photo violates police policy, adding that while she wasn’t offended, the image was difficult to look at. She also noted that Haley had previously sent her photos of drugs and a person injured in a car accident.
Earlier testimony from officer Emmitt Martin revealed inconsistencies between his initial statements to investigators and his current testimony. Martin, who pleaded guilty in August, admitted to lying to Memphis Police Department investigators in an attempt to justify his actions but later told the truth to FBI investigators.
Martin testified that the situation escalated quickly when Haley pulled his gun and aggressively removed Nichols from his car, without explaining the reason for the stop. Martin also noted that Nichols was disoriented and unable to comply with the officers’ demands before fleeing. Nichols was later caught, pepper-sprayed, and beaten by the officers, an event captured on police video. Nichols, who was Black, called out for his mother as he was assaulted.
Nichols died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating. An autopsy revealed that he had suffered fatal brain injuries from the blows to his head.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, paramedic Jesse Guy testified that when he arrived at the scene, Nichols was unresponsive, with no pulse or breathing. Despite efforts to revive him in the ambulance, Nichols succumbed to his injuries.
In addition to federal charges, the officers face second-degree murder charges in state court, where they have pleaded not guilty. Two of the officers, Mills and Martin, are expected to change their pleas. A state trial date has yet to be set.
The Democratic Party’s presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has been endorsed by over 100 former Republican officials who explained in a letter that former President Donald Trump is “unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.”
Per CNBC, the letter was shared by the Harris campaign on Wednesday, and it was signed by 111 former Republican officials. They included former national security and foreign policy officials who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and/or Donald Trump, or as Republican Members of Congress.
“We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy,” the letter stated.
The former officials also emphasized that though they may not be on the same page with Harris when it comes to several domestic and foreign policy issues, they “believe” that Harris “possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.”
The former officials in the letter also explained why they opposed their party’s presidential nominee. “We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump,” they stated.
“As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”
The former officials then went ahead to accuse Trump of inciting the deadly January 6 U.S. Capitol Attack and defending the perpetrators. “In our view, by inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defending those who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country,” the letter stated.
“As former Vice President Pence has said ‘anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.’”
Elsewhere in the letter, the former officials said they respect that several of their party members for a “variety of reasons” support Trump’s candidacy over Harris. “We recognize and do not disparage their potential concerns, including about some of the positions advocated by the left wing of the Democratic party,” the letter stated.
“But any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic’s time-tested principles of constitutional governance.”
The letter added: “His unpredictable nature is not the negotiating virtue he extols. To the contrary, in matters of national security, his demeanor invites equally erratic behavior from our adversaries, which irresponsibly threatens reckless and dangerous global consequences.”
They concluded: “In short, Donald Trump cannot be trusted ‘to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.’ We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.”
Harris being endorsed by the former officials comes after other Republican Party members similarly threw their weight behind her candidacy. Harris, per CNBC, has been trying to gain support from moderate voters and conservatives who could be fed up with Trump.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitney Houston ‘s epic concert in South Africa staged after President Nelson Mandela’s landmark election will be hitting theater screens this fall.
Houston’s performance in 1994 has been turned into a fully-remastered theatrical release called “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban),” according to a statement Tuesday from several collaborators, including Houston’s estate, Sony Music Entertainment and Trafalgar Releasing.
The limited theatrical screening will debut Oct. 23 and feature the late singer’s never-before-released show from Durban, South Africa. The project will come ahead of a new live album, “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban),” which will be released Nov. 8.
“She loved South Africa; she loved the people, and she loved Nelson Mandela,” said Pat Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and Houston estate executor who is an executive producer on the concert film. “This concert is one of the most consequential concerts of her career. On this momentous 30th anniversary, we are thrilled that we can releasethis film not only to her fans, but to the people of South Africa and its new generation.”
In 1994, Houston took the stage for three concerts in South Africa including in Durban at Kings Park Stadium, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Her performances came in a newly unified post-apartheid nation following Mandela’s historic election victory.
The concerts drew more than 200,000 attendees in a show filled with celebration of freedom, hope and unity. The proceeds from her concerts benefited numerous local South African children’s charities through her foundation.
For the film, Houston’s performance was remastered into 4K video along with enhanced audio. The concert film will be shown in nearly 900 cinemas in more than 25 countries.
“It was my first time in South Africa, and I don’t think that I was truly prepared for how this trip would change me forever,” said Rickey Minor, a three-time Emmy winner who was Houston’s musical director for 25 years. “The energy was electric, and the audience was incredible, as we celebrated the end of apartheid. Whitney shared her love and shined her light.”
Earlier that year, Houston won three Grammys, including album of the year for “The Bodyguard” soundtrack. She won record of the year and best female pop vocal performance for massive hit “ I Will Always Love You.”
Houston was one of the world’s bestselling artists with her effortless, powerful vocals rooted in the Black church but made palatable to the masses with her pop persona. She sold over 200 million records worldwide during her 25-year career and won six Grammys, 16 Billboard Music Awards and two Emmys before her death in 2012.
Houston’s live album will include some of her greatest hits from “ I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “ How Will I Know,” “ I Have Nothing ” and “ Greatest Love of All ” It will also included the unreleased track ”Love Is.”
“The message of hope and unity from the Durban, South Africa performance is still as relevant today as it was 30 years ago,” said Marc Allenby, the CEO of Trafalgar Releasing. “Fans are going to be blown away by how powerful this is on the big screen.”
As our people continue to critically discuss on the controversial “lacunae”, l firmly encourage you to read this latest article by Sishuwa Sishuwa as published by Mail and Guardian Newspaper. Although it is detailed and mouthful, it’s worth reading it!
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WHY ZAMBIA’S PRESIDENT IS THREATENING TO DELAY THE COUNTRY’S 2026 ELECTIONS
By Sishuwa Sishuwa
On 13 September 2024, President Hakainde Hichilema addressed parliament in fulfilment of Zambia’s constitution that requires the president to address the National Assembly every year and provide a report on the progress made in the application of the national values and principles. These values and principles are morality and ethics; patriotism and national unity; democracy and constitutionalism; human dignity, equity, social justice, equality and non-discrimination; good governance and integrity; and sustainable development. During his address, Hichilema made a series of revealing and largely off-the-cuff remarks on constitutional reform that are worth quoting at length:
“The country has failed to reach consensus on this very important national document over many years. As a country, therefore, we still need to reform our constitutional order to ensure that it is truly reflecting the aspirations of our citizens. Given the substantial work that has already been done in the past, this government is committed to facilitate a least cost, efficient, and credible process [of constitutional reform] to address lacunae, omissions, or oversights in our constitution. So, we are looking at this House to be supportive of a process that would be least cost, that will be time conscious, that would not lead to allowances and more allowances and sittings and [more] sittings. And this House is the one that should help us. After all, some of your constituencies are too big. After all, I don’t understand the wisdom of how (sic) Members of Parliament were taken out of the Council Chambers. After all, some lacunae can lead us to a situation where we could have no general election for eight years. That is not a joke. Yes, we could have no elections for eight or nine years. Those lacunae sit in the constitution. So, those who designed or signed off that constitution, I am not sure what they were intending to do.”
Many organisations and individuals have since condemned Hichilema’s remarks. Former president Edgar Lungu described the comments as “reckless” and urged Zambians to “wake up and stop this apparent dictator from tampering with our Republican constitution in order to extend his stay in power even when he has lamentably failed to improve the lives of the people.” Several opposition parties accused Hichilema of lacking understanding of the constitution and attempting to distract attention from the real issues that affect ordinary Zambians such as mass hunger, the cost-of-living crisis, and the 21 consecutive hours of load shedding per day.
This condemnation is necessary, but not sufficient. Zambians also need to understand why Hichilema is making such comments. Contrary to what some of his opponents have argued, the president’s implied threats to extend his stay in power were neither random nor a result of ignorance of the law. Hichilema has a proven record of undermining democratic institutions in a crude manner. If Zambians wish to reclaim their democratic institutions and space, they will do well not to underestimate Hichilema and the lengths to which he is prepared to go in his bid for absolute power. His warning that Zambia could have no general election for eight years should be seen as part of his wider strategy to stay in power beyond 2026.
President Hichilema’s remarks were directed at different audiences for different objectives.
PREPARING THE PUBLIC’S MIND
The first targeted audience was the public. His objective here is to prepare the minds of Zambians to accept both his U-turn on a major policy issue and the changes that his administration plans to make to the national constitution on the understanding that the exercise would be cheap, time efficient, and result in the removal from the constitution of problematic clauses that have been the subject of criticism. A brief discussion of the wider context that preceded Hichilema’s comments is crucial to understanding this point.
Over the past year, some opposition parties and prominent individuals have repeatedly accused the government of scheming to amend the constitution to, among other objectives, extend presidential term limits from five to seven years and remove the requirement that a winning presidential candidate should secure a minimum of ‘50 per cent + 1’ of the total vote. For instance, in October 2023, eleven opposition parties wrote a joint open letter to Hichilema in which they criticised the secretive commencement of the constitution-making process. “We are alarmed that there are secretive efforts aimed at amending the Republican Constitution in which people are being asked to submit recommendations on non-contentious issues”, the letter read in part. It continued: “Given the lack of criteria on what constitutes non-contentious, we do not think that these non-transparent efforts represent the best way of carrying our constitutional reform forward, unless the objective is to remove popular clauses such as that relating to the running mate and the 50+1.”
More recently, in July this year, Lungu, who presided over the 2016 constitutional amendment, repeated these assertions, urging “Zambians to stand up and oppose any arbitrary attempts to defile and rape their Republican constitution… to oppose and stop President Hichilema from taking Zambia back to autocracy and tyranny through these UPND arbitrary schemes to alter our constitution only to suit their agenda.” These allegations prompted President Hichilema to finally respond on 2 August 2024. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Clayson Hamasaka, Hichilema assured Zambians that he has absolutely no plans to alter the country’s constitution. As well as criticising “the emotive debate and the distorted narrative being peddled by the opposition to the effect that government wants to embark on a secret constitutional review process”, the president vowed that he will “continue to uphold and defend the constitution” and touted his lack of “interest in manipulating it for… personal benefit”.
This reassurance earned Hichilema plaudits from many people including the highly regarded constitutional lawyer John Sangwa. In a letter to the president dated 8 August 2024, Sangwa made profound observations that are worth quoting at length, including the point that successive Zambian governments are addicted to amending the constitution:
“I take this opportunity to commend you for clarifying your position on the allegation that you intend to amend certain provisions of the Constitution ahead of the 2026 general election. Your statement…that you: (a) ‘swore to uphold and defend the Republican’ (b) ‘remain resolute to defend the constitution’ and (c) ‘have no interest in manipulating it (the Constitution) for his (your) personal benefit’ is commendable. The clarification, coupled with the fact that after nearly three years into your presidency no Bill to amend the constitution has been published, is noteworthy. It represents a radical departure from what we have witnessed in the last sixty years. Since independence in 1964, all your predecessors either initiated or continued the process to make a new constitution or amend the constitution. Their motivation, invariably, was the desire to use the constitution as a political tool to further their personal benefits. They prioritised their interests over those of the Republic. It is laudable that you have so far not succumbed to his temptation.”
Sangwa’s letter continued:
“Any person that seeks the office of President who believes that the fulfilment of his promises to the people, once elected, is dependent on the amendment or making of a new constitution, does not deserve to be re-elected. The promises to the people must be made within the confines of the constitution as it is and not as it ought to be…. Your primary focus, Mr President, should be to address the pressing economic, social, and political challenges facing the Republic. So far, there is no evidence which shows that the Constitution, as it stands, hinders, or undermines your ability to fulfil your campaign promises. Your additional obligation must be to ensure that your commitment to ‘uphold and defend the Republican constitution’ is not just a slogan. You must respect the constitutional limitations on your office and ensure that the Zambians who voted for you and those who did not are: (a) treated equally; (b) afforded the same opportunities” and (c) enjoy the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. In short, you must do better than your predecessor.”
This is the wider context within which Hichilema’s latest comments should be understood. By claiming that “we could have no general election for eight years”, Hichilema is finally confirming that he will, like his predecessors, take to parliament a constitutional amendment bill that would alter the current constitution ahead of the next election. The objective was to announce this major U-turn using the least embarrassing platform and initiate public conversation on his new position using his set agenda: the process that would inform the content, the mobilisation of resources required to undertake the exercise, and the timing.
The reference to ‘the substantial work that has already been done in the past’ constitutes a public disclosure of how Hichilema intends to go about this exercise. He may ask the Minister of Justice to drive or lead the process, or he may appoint a small team of ruling party sympathisers to undertake the amendments using previous reports of constitutional review commissions or identify the so-called non-contentious clauses that must be revised. Both routes may result in the publication of a constitutional amendment bill.
The talk about controlled allowances and sittings is a strategic way of pre-empting public opposition to the exercise on account of the huge costs involved – especially at a time of more pressing national concerns – by suggesting that cost-saving measures will be adopted. The emphasis on efficiency is meant to prevent potential public criticism about the timing: with less than a year and a half remaining before the dissolution of parliament in readiness for the 2026 election, can the exercise be completed in time? Hichilema is suggesting YES because it would be – in his words – time-conscious.
MOBILlSING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
The second audience Hichilema was speaking to are MPs from the governing UPND, opposition parties led by the Patriotic Front (PF), and the Independents. On this front, he has three objectives.
Firstly, through his comments, Hichilema was effectively encouraging the MPs to imagine an impossible scenario where a general election is repeatedly postponed for eight or nine years. To avert such a scenario, and with a sense of urgency, the president was pleading with MPs to support his planned changes to the constitution in order to ‘straighten’ specific provisions that currently require the cancellation of an election whenever a validly nominated candidate resigns from the race before the date of the election.
Here, it is important to briefly discuss the three grounds on which an election can be postponed: death, resignation, or disqualification by court. Article 52 (6) of Zambia’s constitution provides that “Where a candidate dies, resigns or becomes disqualified in accordance with Article 70, 100 or 153 or a court disqualifies a candidate for corruption or malpractice, after the close of nominations and before the election date, the Electoral Commission shall cancel the election and require the filing of fresh nominations by eligible candidates and elections shall be held within thirty days of the filing of the fresh nominations.”
In June 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled – in the case of GEARS Initiative Zambia Limited v Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Attorney General – that although this provision does not apply to an independent candidate, the ECZ is obligated to cancel the election in instances where the candidate who has died, resigned, or been disqualified after the close of nominations but before the election date was sponsored by a political party. This, the court added, is meant to ensure that the affected political party is not disadvantaged by circumstances beyond its control. To avoid misinterpreting what the Concourt said, it is worth quoting its ruling at length:
“When a political party’s candidate resigns from the political party [that sponsored their nomination for election to a given office], that candidate’s nomination is invalidated as the candidate can no longer represent that political party in that election. The political party therefor must be given another opportunity to field another candidate for the election which is why the ECZ is required to cancel the nominations and call for fresh nominations from eligible candidates before the election can be held in terms of Article 52 (6) of the Constitution… For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that in terms of Article 52(6) of the Constitution, where a political party sponsored candidate for election as a Member of Parliament resigns after the close of nominations but before the election date, the Electoral Commission is obligated to cancel the election and call for fresh nominations from eligible candidates and call for fresh elections in accordance with Article 52(6).”
The implication of this judgement is that a general election cannot be postponed on account of the resignation, death, or disqualification of one candidate – even if sponsored by a party – who had been validly nominated for election to any public office. Article 266 of Zambia’s constitution provides that “general election” means “Presidential, National Assembly and local government elections when held on the same day”. The Constitution also states that “A general election shall be held, every five years after the last general election, on the second Thursday of August.” This means that if a parliamentary candidate dies, is disqualified, or resigns from the political party that sponsored them to parliament after the close of nominations but before the election date, what would be postponed is only the election in the affected constituency. All other elections – presidential, national assembly and local government – will proceed.
Similarly, if a presidential candidate died, is disqualified, or resigns from the political party that sponsored them to parliament after the close of nominations but before the election date, what would be postponed is only the presidential election, not the parliamentary or ward elections. Even then, the cancellation of presidential election itself would be followed by the filing of fresh nominations by eligible candidates and the holding of a new election within the next 30 days.
Triggering the postponement of the general election after the close of nominations but before the election date would require the death, resignation, or disqualification of a presidential candidate AND at least one candidate sponsored by a political party in ALL the parliamentary constituencies and ALL the wards in Zambia. The prospect of this calamity happening, let alone for eight consecutive years, is exceedingly remote. By asking MPs to support his planned constitutional changes using the threat that failure to do so could delay the general election for as long as eight years, Hichilema is demonstrating his desperation to change the constit
ution.
The question is: what is in it for him? The simple answer is EVERYTHING. As well as lacking the capacity to manage the magnitude of the national challenges that confront him, Hichilema is realising that he is unlikely to fulfil his campaign promises and secure re-election on merit. As a result, he seems to have decided that the surest way of guaranteeing his stay in power is by manipulating the constitution to secure political advantage. If he was confident of delivering his promises, he would not be making the kind of desperate manoeuvres he has now resorted to.
In any case, Hichilema’s opposition to Article 52 (6) demonstrates his opportunism or inability to stick to one position. In opposition, the UPND leader supported the very constitutional provision he is now opposing, stating in early 2021 that Article 52 (6) is ‘in good faith’: “That article protects citizens from having a president who is an imposter, who does not qualify. That article is in good faith. If the election is postponed for 30 days to remove an imposter from the ballot paper, [that is] perfect. 30 days is fine for me. If 30 days are a price (sic) we have to pay in order for the people of Zambia to get a leadership that will…end violence, corruption, a leadership that will bring credibility and restore the Kwacha, stop people [from] sleep[ing] without food, 30 days is a good price to pay.”
What exactly does Hichilema believe in? How has the same constitutional provision that he previously defended as a necessary check become problematic today? Moreover, even his criticism of his predecessor for the passage of the 2016 constitutional amendment represents a needless attempt to apportion blame and escape responsibility. This is because the amendment was a bi-partisan affair that was supported by both PF and UPND MPs. Without the support of MPs from Hichilema’s party, the 2016 amendment could not have passed. In fact, Hichilema’s assertion that Zambians have previously “failed to reach consensus on this very important national document over many years” is incorrect. Both the 1991 and 2016 constitutional amendments were products of consensus.
In 1991, for instance, the ruling United National Independence Party and the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy came together to produce a constitution that was meant to facilitate the holding of the elections. Both parties reached a general agreement that after the election, they would work on a new constitution-making exercise, which is how the John Mwanakatwe Commission came about. However, after former president Kenneth Kaunda returned to active politics in early 1995, the MMD abandoned the agreement and settled for an amendment to the constitution that excluded Kaunda from running for office. After Levy Mwanawasa came to power in 2002, he attempted to complete the constitution-making exercise by appointing the Willa Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission.
Unfortunately, Mwanawasa died in office and his successor, Rupiah Banda, botched the process. When Michael Sata came to power in 2011, he attempted to complete the exercise by appointing the Annel Silungwe Technical Committee, whose draft constitution provided the basis on which the PF and the UPND reached consensus to pass the 2016 constitutional changes that were a product of wider public assemblies at district, provincial and national levels. Hichilema will do well to acquaint himself with the accurate historyof constitution making in Zambia.
Secondly, Hichilema’s speech seems intended to use bribery to secure the support of MPs who may be unconvinced by his scaremongering prediction. To pass in Zambia’s 167-member National Assembly, the planned constitutional amendment bill would require at least two-thirds support (at least 111 MPs). This is a tall order given the current composition of party representation in parliament.
The UPND has 93 MPs – 85 directly elected and 8 nominated ones. The main opposition PF has 58 MPs. There are 13 independent lawmakers, seven of whom are working closely with Hichilema. Even with the combined support of all UPND MPs, most independ
FORMER Lusaka province minister Bowman Lusambo was yesterday reported ill as the Lusaka Magistrates Court was expected to render judgement in a case where he is accused of interfering with witnesses.
Magistrate Trevor Kasanda could not deliver judgement because the Bulldozer is currently in South Africa receiving medical treatment for an illness.
The Court was availed with a notice of adjournment by his lawyer Melisa Phiri, of Makebi Zulu Advocates.
According to the affidavit in support of notice for adjournment sworn by Lusambo, the Bulldozer indicated that he was not available for his judgment, as he had travelled to Pretoria South Africa for medical care.
“I am unable to attend court on the appointed date owing to the fact that I am scheduled to attend medical treatment in the Republic South Africa,” Lusambo stated.
“The nature of the circumstances make it difficult to rearrange my scheduled appointment, as I am in need of urgent medical attention from a specialist in South Africa.”
He urged the Court to grant his application for an adjournment.
Lusambo said the prayer for the granting of his application is not aimed at delaying the prosecution of his case, as justice will be served without any prejudice to the parties.
According to supporting documents from his doctor K.W.E Moeng, Lusambo booked for an appointment on September 16, hence he needs to be excused until September 20 to allow him undergo further medical examination.
“This is to certify that the abovementioned gentleman (Lusambo) is a patient of mine. He is scheduled for a consultation and investigations for his chronic condition on the 16th day of September 2024, in our rooms in Pretoria, South Africa,”read the letter.
“Please allow him leave from his duties or commitments from the 16th – 20th of September 2024, to allow for the above said activity.”
Magistrate Kasanda granted the application and rescheduled judgement date to September 26.
Lusambo is facing three counts of attempting to interfere with witnesses who were scheduled to testify before magistrate Faidess Hamaundu in a matter where he is accused of posessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, engaging in tax evasion among other charges.
Allegations in the three counts are that Lusambo between February 1, April 1 and April 30,2022 in order to obstruct the due course of justice endeavored to disuade or prevent Cosmas Chalusa, Enerst Sumani and Mundia Mataa to give evidence as witnesses before court.
THE ELECTION COULD EVEN BE DELAYED FOR 20 YEARS – KABIMBA
Lawyer and leader of Economic Front Wynter Kabimba says President Hakainde Hichilema if indeed he wanted to delay the election he could have not come out publicly.
Kabimba who was a critic of President Hichilema but recently announced he would work with him to stop PF from bouncing back says Hichilema’s statement for the delay by eight or nine years was an understatement.
“Even for him to say [elections can delay for eight years] is an understatement; it can go on for 20 years. Do you think a reasonable person will tell you that this is how I am going to circumvent an election?” Kabimba is quotaed by Daily Mail to have told a radio station in Lusaka this week.
He said that, when he listened to the context of the statement by President Hichilema, the correct word at law was mischief or the absurdity of Article 52(6), and not a lacuna.
The former Justice Minister said Article 52(6) debate off tangent, President Hichilema’s words have been deliberately twisted.
He said Article 52(6) of the Constitution is clear, but has an inherent absurdity that needs to be cleaned.
Kabimba said the debate that has ensued after President Hakainde Hichilema, in Parliament last Friday, talked about how article 52(6) could delay an election, is off tangent.
“The people are debating what the President didn’t say. “It is very interesting that the whole country, or at least those who have participated in this debate, are debating themselves. That’s not what HH said. He didn’t say there will be no election in 2026,” Kabimba said on the ‘Talk of the City’ programme on *Lusaka Radio*.
He said there could be a situation where a Presidential candidate in an election files nominations and withdraws their candidature and elections for the President are postponed or cancelled, waiting for fresh nominations within 30 days.
“That is not a lacuna, but the mischief or absurdity which is in that article. That’s what the President was speaking “.
Kabimba said he was shocked at how many politicians have arrived at the conclusion that President Hichilema’s comment is equal to saying he wants to be in office without being subjected to a vote in 2026.
“Do you really think if that’s what he meant he could have said it? He is in power, he can simply keep quiet and pay somebody [a presidential candidate to withdraw] and they have fresh nominations and pay somebody again.
He said that, when he listened to the context of the statement by President Hichilema, the correct word at law was mischief or the absurdity of Article 52(6), and not a lacuna.
UKA Hands the Ruling Party a Political Gift for 2026
By Daimone Siulapwa
The cracks in the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) are not just political missteps; they are fatal flaws that will likely ensure that UPND sails through the 2026 general elections without any serious challenge.
UKA’s recent internal conflicts and chaotic decision-making have exposed deep divisions within the opposition, ultimately benefiting the ruling party.
The recent expulsion of three prominent leaders—Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) President Sean Tembo, Christian Democratic Party (CDP) President Dan Pule, and Green Party President Peter Sinkamba—illustrates the dysfunction and unprofessionalism that has become synonymous with UKA.
These expulsions were not only unprocedural but also illegitimate, conducted without full attendance and following the departure of key members from a Council of Presidents meeting.
Worse still, these decisions were made in haste and in secrecy, violating the basic principles of democratic engagement that any alliance should be built upon.
Things have been made worse by rumors of the resignation of UKA Secretary General Lucky Mulusa, a seasoned politician with extensive experience.
It is believed that Mulusa cited undemocratic practices within the alliance, particularly the decision to expel members without following due process, as a reason for stepping down.
Mulusa’s departure marks a significant blow to UKA, further signaling its decline and the end of its relevance on Zambia’s political landscape.
If even experienced political minds like Mulusa cannot find solace in UKA’s direction, what hope is left for the alliance to succeed?
The biggest problem with UKA lies in the toxic mix of mistrust, greed, and an insatiable hunger for political power that has consumed its leadership.
What began as an ambitious coalition aimed at presenting a formidable alternative to the UPND has quickly disintegrated into an arena of selfish ambition.
The individual players within the alliance are more interested in securing their political futures and personal gain than working toward a unified vision for the Zambian people.
UKA’s leadership is driven by gluttony and power-mongering, traits that make collaboration nearly impossible.
Moreover, forming political alliances is inherently difficult for those who have tasted power at the highest level.
Veterans of political leadership, like many in UKA, understand the intoxicating nature of wielding political power.
They are less likely to accept secondary positions within an alliance structure, having once held the reins of leadership themselves.
The inability of these leaders to subjugate their personal ambitions for the greater good of the alliance has been one of UKA’s fatal flaws.
This has made it nearly impossible for the alliance to function cohesively, as every player is constantly jostling for position and control.
The situation is further compounded by the fact that UKA lacks any formal structures to guide its operations.
There are no written rules or proper documentation of meeting minutes and resolutions. This lack of institutional framework makes it easy for conflicts to arise, as there is no clear record to refer to when disputes occur.
The absence of written guidelines has reduced UKA’s operations to guesswork, with members arguing over decisions made months prior without any documentation to verify the facts.
This disorganization has alienated key leaders and shattered any semblance of trust that may have existed among the alliance members.
With Mulusa’s resignation, UKA’s future looks even bleaker. Mulusa, an experienced and prolific politician, was one of the few steady hands within the alliance.
His departure marks the end of any hope for UKA to regain its footing and remain relevant in Zambia’s political arena. His exit symbolizes the implosion of the alliance and confirms what many political observers have long suspected: UKA was doomed from the start due to its internal contradictions and lack of leadership.
As UKA collapses, the UPND and President Hichilema are reaping the benefits.
The disorganization and infighting within UKA have handed the ruling party a political gift.
Instead of building a strong, unified opposition to challenge UPND in 2026, UKA has descended into chaos, leaving the ruling party unchallenged.
While the country desperately needs a vibrant opposition to hold the government accountable and provide alternative policies, UKA has proven itself incapable of fulfilling this role. Their dysfunction has gifted UPND a second term on a silver platter.
All in all, the disorganization within the United Kwacha Alliance has all but guaranteed UPND’s victory in 2026.
UKA’s inability to manage internal conflicts, its power-hungry leadership, and the recent resignation of its Secretary General are signs of an alliance on its deathbed.
The lack of trust and cooperation among its members has crippled its chances of mounting a serious opposition challenge.
For the Zambian opposition to remain relevant, it must learn from UKA’s failure and focus on building alliances rooted in trust, discipline, and a shared vision for the country.
Anything less will lead to more political fragmentation, handing victory to the ruling party for years to come.
Daimone Siulapwa is a political analyst and a strong advocate for tribal unity and Citizen Economic Empowerment. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Voice Newspaper in Zambia and serves as the current Chairman of the SMEs Association of Zambia. This article reflects Daimone’s personal views and does not represent any institution.
For comments and suggestions, please email: dsiulapwa@gmail.com..
Gabon’s deposed President Ali Bongo has announced he will quit politics a year after he was toppled from power by a military coup.
“I wish to reaffirm my withdrawal from political life and the definitive renunciation of any national ambition,” Mr Bongo said in a letter addressed to the Gabonese people.
The 65-year-old also called for the release of his wife and son who are in detention awaiting trial on corruption allegations.
It is not clear whether his statement follows any negotiations with the military rulers, or if he is hoping that by agreeing to quit politics, he will secure his family’s freedom.
Mr Bongo suffered a stroke in 2018 and his health was a major source of concern for many in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
The army seized power last August, shortly after Mr Bongo was declared the winner of the election, which was disputed by the opposition.
He had led the oil-rich country since 2009 when he succeeded his father who had been in power for more than 40 years. The family had strong links to France, the former colonial power in Gabon.
The coup, led by Gen Brice Oligui Ngeuma, was greeted by celebrations at home but was condemned by regional and continental bodies, as well as France.
A week after the military takeover, the deposed president was released from house arrest but he has remained in the capital, Libreville.
Gen Nguema has so far taken a conciliatory approach towards the deposed president, saying he is free to go abroad.
But in his letter Mr Bongo said his movements remained restricted and subject to daily surveillance.
“My visits depend on the authorisation of the military. Isolated from the outside world without communications, without news of my family,” he added.
He also called for an end to the “violence and torture” committed against his French-born wife Sylvia and son Noureddin and said they should both be released. His wife and son are being held in pre-trial detention on allegations of embezzling public funds.
Mrs Bongo is facing charges of money laundering, forgery and the falsification of documents. She has not made any public comment on the charges. Her lawyer, Francois Zimeray, last year criticised her detention and was quoted as calling it arbitrary and illegal.
Mr Bongo said both his wife and son were “helpless scapegoats”, adding that his decision to quit active politics also applied to them.
The military authorities have not commented on Mr Bongo’s statement but have denied previous claims they were torturing members of his family.
Mr Bongo and his family have been accused of enriching themselves at the expense of the nation during their decades in power – an allegation they deny.
Gabon is an oil-rich country, but one third of its 2.4 million people live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations.
While acknowledging the shortcomings of his presidency, Mr Bongo hoped the junta would end what he termed “national suffering” and pleaded for national reconciliation.
“I understand that despite the achievements made under my mandates, too many Gabonese people are still suffering and this remains my greatest regret.” Gen Nguema has promised that there will be free and fair elections leading to the establishment of a new civilian government.
However, he has not publicly commented on whether or not he will run for the country’s top job in polls that are planned for next year.
“I call on my country, its leaders and my fellow citizens to renounce vengeance and to write its next history with harmony and humanity,” Mr Bongo added, pledging never to pose any threat or trouble during the country’s transition.
Al Nassr CEO Guido Fienga has clarified that while Cristiano Ronaldo is a key figure in the team, he does not control the club’s operations.
Fienga’s remarks address speculation that Ronaldo has significant influence over both on- and off-field decisions at the Saudi club.
These comments come in the wake of Al Nassr’s decision to part ways with Portuguese coach Luis Castro, who was dismissed after securing only one win in three league matches.
The club has since appointed Italian manager Stefano Pioli as his replacement.
At a club event on Wednesday, Fienga said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is our captain, and he is the strongest player in the world, not just technically but how he behaves.
“Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t control the club, but obviously, being the No. 1 in the world, he gives the direction of where we have to go and which are the targets we have to reach. He is a winner, and we ask him to teach us how to win.”
Since joining Al Nassr from Manchester United in December 2022, 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo has secured only one title, the Arab Club Champions Cup.
Despite his illustrious career as a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo’s time at the Saudi club has seen mixed success, though he has impressively scored 62 goals.
Ronaldo’s deep desire for more silverware was evident in his emotional reaction after Al Nassr’s defeat to Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final in May, a loss that left the team without any major trophies for the season.
“He is a winner and we ask him to teach us how to win,” Fienga said of the former Real Madrid star.
“We want to win with him this year and reach the best target that we can. Cristiano is part of the team and we are very happy to have him in our team.”
Ronaldo missed Al Nassr’s 1-1 draw with Al Shorta in the revamped Asian Champions League on Monday with illness, in what turned out to be Castro’s last game in charge.
“Step by step, we will improve,” Fienga said
“This summer, don’t forget we invested almost $100 million in new players. I believe we did a good job in order to reinforce the club with some good players that we needed… we need to work and give stability to the club to work and to produce the value and not destroy the value every six months.”
New details have emerged of the s3x rooms Hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly kept in his Miami mansion filled with sex toys, bondage gear, hidden cameras and lingerie.
A federal source who spoke with the Newyork Post said that Diddy is “as bad as Epstein.”
One of the Department of Homeland Security agents who helped raid Diddy’s Florida home, claimed that the music mogul had rooms that were clearly “dedicated s3x” with cameras all around.
“So if you were in those sex parties, you were being recorded from every possible angle, including angles you wouldn’t have known about,” the source said, referring to the sometimes days-long orgies he called “freak offs” where drugged up victims were allegedly forced to sleep with male prostitutes.
“In my opinion, he’s as bad as Jeffrey Epstein,” the source added about the late pedophile who committed suicide behind bars.
“These women are young. Either barely legal, or barely illegal.”
Also police officers reportedly said they see a lot of similarities between Combs and Epstein, the well-connected financier who served time for trafficking dozens of young girls in New York and Florida. Epstein, who was awaiting trial on additional charges, died in his jail cell in August 2019.
On Tuesday, Combs was slapped with federal s3x trafficking and racketeering charges. According to the bombshell indictment, he allegedly coerced his female victims into days-long sex sessions as part of his alleged pattern of abuse dating back more than a decade.
The indictment alleges that the women some of whom were still teenagers were coerced into “Freak Off” sex sessions with male prostitutes that were often recorded while the music producer masturbated.
But the source reportedly told The NY Post that sometimes, Diddy would allegedly just watch the romps from another room.
“He also was able to watch the action remotely on his phone, cast it onto a TV in another part of the house,” the source said. “He didn’t have to be in the room when the sex was happening, although he frequently was.”
Diddy’s employees allegedly helped facilitate the sick sessions by arranging travel, booking hotel rooms where they would take place and stocking the rooms with supplies — including drugs, baby oil, lubricants and extra linen.
“We have evidence that these women didn’t feel like they were free to go,” the DHS officer said, “and there’s video evidence that some of the girls are clearly out of it while these men are having sex with them.”
Combs would also keep videos of the “sensitive, embarrassing and incriminating” sessions sometimes without his victims’ knowledge so he could use them “as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims,” the indictment alleges.
Diddy faces three federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson revealed the content of text messages Diddy sent Cassie after he assaulted her in 2016.
Johnson disclosed the text while arguing that Combs should be detained because he is a “serial abuser and a serial obstructor,” adding pretrial services also recommended detention.
During Combs’ detention hearing, federal prosecutors said at least a dozen witnesses personally observed the music mogul’s violence against women or the injuries they sustained at his hands. Prosecutors also noted Combs had reached out to victims and witnesses, some of whom were scared of him.
The attorney for Dawn Richard, a former member of the musical group Danity Kane, who is accusing Combs of sexual battery in a separate lawsuit, told CNN that it was shocking that a witness in Richard’s case received 128 phone contacts from Combs within the four days after the complaint was filed.
“That was jarring – 128 phone contacts. Then, after the witness made the statement, not a single phone contact after from Mr. Combs,” attorney Arick Fudali said.
Federal prosecutors started their arguments against Combs’ appeal by focusing on his efforts to exert control over his victims.
Combs’ influence “makes it so difficult” to get witnesses to trust the government can protect them, Johnson argued Wednesday, September 18.
The prosecutor also read aloud in court a text sent to Combs by an unidentified woman: “When you get f*cked up the wrong way, you show me your power… I’m not a rag doll. I’m someone’s child.”
Johnson said Combs contacted a witness in June and July shortly after she was served with a subpoena, despite not having spoken with her in several years, adding the risk of obstruction “is heightened because of the defendant’s power.”
Witnesses universally have “extreme fear” of Combs, Johnson said.
The indictment accuses Combs of years of abuse that “was, at times, verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual.”
Combs “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” the indictment states.
The indictment highlights a March 2016 incident, “which was captured on video and later publicly reported,” showing Combs kicking, dragging and throwing a vase at a woman.
When a hotel staffer intervened, Combs attempted to bribe them for their silence, the indictment adds.
The details match up with the video that showed Combs beating and kicking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura (Cassie) at a Los Angeles hotel. She is not named in the indictment.
Prosecutors on Wednesday, September 18, again pointed to the 2016 video, arguing Combs should be denied bail because he tried to cover up his conduct.
Johnson also read aloud text messages Combs sent to Cassie after the 2016 incident that said, “Call me. The cops are here… I got six kids… Ya gonna abandon me.”
The prosecutor argued Combs “knew he did something to elicit a law enforcement response, and he had to cover it up.”
Three days after the lawsuit was filed, a woman sent Combs a text, saying: “I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma,” Johnson said.
Combs responded by trying to convince her she willingly engaged in the sex acts, according to Johnson.
The woman replied that she felt “manipulated,” which Johnson said is evidence of Combs trying to tamper with witnesses.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot celebrated his 46th birthday with a memorable first Champions League victory, guiding his team to a 3-1 triumph over AC Milan in Italy. Slot described the win as an excellent birthday gift.
Taking over from Jurgen Klopp, the Champions League-winning coach, Slot led Liverpool to a comeback victory at the San Siro after falling behind to a third-minute goal from Christian Pulisic.
The Reds secured the win with goals from Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The former Feyenoord boss praised his team’s performance, noting that it was a perfect response after a surprising 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest just days earlier.
“A great way to spend my birthday,” Slot said. “We have more than 11 players, and the ones that came in did well. You wouldn’t have said this after five minutes, but after we did well.
https://youtu.be/GZV9a0cDgyw
“Losing Saturday was a blow, and to be 1-0 down early tonight, you are wondering how we react.
“But if you can play so good it is — I won’t say a disgrace — unbelievable you lose to Forest at home if you can play like this today.”
Slot gave Cody Gakpo his first start of the season and was repaid with an impressive performance by the Netherlands forward, and the manager said the former PSV Eindhoven player produced what he expected.
“I would have played Cody Gakpo on Saturday but he played two games for the national side,” Slot said. “Today was more of a team display than an individual display.”
It was a special day, too, for Liverpool captain Van Dijk, who marked his 50th appearance in the Champions League with just his third goal in the competition.
“Obviously I am very pleased with the win, and I am pleased with the way we bounced back after a difficult start,” he told Sky Italy. “Overall we put in a very good performance with and without the ball.
“When there is a set-piece we try to be important. The delivery was outstanding in my opinion. Overall I am very pleased that we won and we limited them to only two big chances.
“We have been very successful over the years, and I am always grateful for that. Things have moved on, the new manager is here and he has principles that are different.
“We are working on things, and there are still things to improve.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ first meal inside the notorious Brooklyn prison has been revealed amid his s3x trafficking and racketeering charges.
The disgraced music mogul, 54, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations at a New York City hotel on charges of s3x trafficking and racketeering on Monday evening.
Diddy is being detained at the MDC Brooklyn after he was denied bail. Because of his high-profile status and the nature of his charges, he’s in the special housing unit, according to TMZ.
According to the New York Post, which obtained the menu on offer for Diddy’s first night in jail, the 54-year-old was served Swedish meatballs for dinner but was also given the option of a black bean burger. Sides also included egg noodles, green beans, a garden salad with dressing, and a 16 oz. Beverage, though it was unclear what choice of drink he favoured.
Since Diddy is being held in a special housing unit, according to TMZ, his meals are delivered to his cell by a corrections officer.
TMZ reports he will receive three meals at up to 1800 calories per day. His meals will be prepared early which means, according to the outlet, “the lackluster prison food won’t be particularly fresh when he receives it.”
Diddy will only be allowed three showers a week and one hour of recreation a day. Family and friends, meanwhile, will be allowed periodical visits.
The mogul appeared before a judge again on Wednesday in an attempt to be freed but was denied bail again after prosecutors claimed he was a flight risk.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter agreed, telling Diddy and his attorney, “The government has proven the defendant is a danger. The bail package is insufficient even on risk of flight.”
Diddy’s lawyer has insisted on his innocence, despite accusations that he forced his alleged victims to participate in “Freak Offs,” which were described as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.”
The rapper was accused of drugging his alleged victims to keep them “obedient and compliant,” sometimes for days at a time. Prosecutors claimed Diddy would video record some of the “Freak Offs” and use the footage as “collateral” for blackmail.
They also alleged he’d use guns “to intimidate and threaten” them.
Several of Diddy’s homes were raided earlier this year, in which federal agents found 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that were allegedly used for his “Freak Offs.”
His legal problems were sparked by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who filed a civil suit against him in November. In the explosive documents, she claimed Diddy raped and abused her throughout their 10-year relationship. Diddy quickly settled the suit while admitting to no wrongdoing.
However, that all changed in May when a shocking 2016 hotel surveillance video made the rounds, showing the hip-hop mogul stomping, dragging, and hitting Ventura. Diddy apologized for his actions in a since-deleted Instagram video.
Several lawsuits have since been filed against Diddy from more alleged victims.
The United States has said it does not want to see further escalation between Israel and Hezbollah after the Lebanese armed group blamed Israel for a series of deadly, coordinated handheld pager blasts.
But the administration of US President Joe Biden, which remains Israel’s top military and diplomatic backer, on Tuesday also sought to downplay its ability to tamper tensions between the pair.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington was not involved in the apparent attack and was not given prior notification that it would occur.
“I will say that our overall policy remains consistent, which is, we do want to see a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,” Miller said. “We are always concerned about any type of event that may cause further escalation.”
But when pushed on whether the Biden administration’s influence – the US provides Israel with $3.8bn in military aid annually as well as staunch diplomatic support – could be used to prevent a wider war, Miller said that was “not just a question for the United States”.
“Of course, it’s a first-order question to Israel. It’s a question to Hezbollah, but is a question to all of the other countries in the region about what type of region they want to live in,” he said.
“So the United States is going to continue to push for a diplomatic resolution.”
Miller’s remarks come as rights advocates have urged the Biden administration to apply pressure on Israel to end its war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since early October and decimated the coastal Palestinian enclave.
Analysts have repeatedly accused Washington of acting as both an “arsonist and firefighter” by continually refusing to leverage US military aid to its “ironclad” ally despite the risks that a prolonged Gaza war could lead to a wider regional escalation.
Hezbollah, which has been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel since the war in Gaza began, blamed Israel for Tuesday’s pager blasts and pledged that it would get its “fair punishment”.
The Israeli army has yet to comment on the explosions.
The Lebanese health minister said at least nine people were killed, including an eight-year-old girl, when the pagers exploded across Lebanon. About 2,750 people also were injured, including 200 in critical condition.
Asked about the apparently indiscriminate nature of the explosions, Miller at the US State Department declined to comment directly on what happened.
However, he said that broadly speaking, the US position is that “no country, no organisation should be targeting civilians”.
‘Mud in their face’ The explosions took place as the Biden administration continues to say it is pushing to broker a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian faction that governs the territory.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was travelling to the Middle East for the latest meeting with mediators.
“President Biden doesn’t have a whole lot of time, the US election is less than 60 days away,” Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington, DC.
“So if [the Lebanon explosions] are something that Israel is in fact responsible for, this is certainly discouraging to the United States.”
The deadly blasts also came less than a day after White House adviser Amos Hochstein met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for de-escalation along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Following the meeting, Netanyahu’s office released a defiant statement saying Israelis would not be able to return to evacuated areas along the Lebanon border “without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north”.
Ramy Khoury, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, called the Israeli response to the US appeal “par for the course”.
“The Israelis routinely not only neglect what the Americans tell them but throw mud in their face,” Khoury told Al Jazeera.
“The Americans have very limited capabilities in terms of their diplomatic action. They’ve focused more on military support for Israel and sanctions against Israel’s foes.”
Khoury added that US “diplomatic efforts are not taken very seriously by most people in the region” due to the country’s unconditional support for Israel.
“The US should be a huge diplomatic actor,” he said. “But it is clearly on the side of Israel and everything it does has to fit into the priorities of Israel.”
Khaby Lame will be a billionaire by 2029. Not because he’s the most followed person on TikTok with 162 Million followers. Because he cracked the code of Gen Z attention (it’s so simple, you’ll laugh): In March 2020, Khaby was just another factory worker in Italy laid off due to the pandemic.
His TikTok career started with gaming & dancing vids. Fast forward to today? He’s a global sensation.
But the craziest bit: How did he do it without saying a single word? It all started with a simple video mocking overly complicated life hacks. No fancy equipment. No scripted jokes. Just Khaby, his phone, and his signature deadpan expression.
Little did he know, this would be the start of something huge. Within months, Khaby’s followers skyrocketed. April 2021: 10 million followers. July: 50 million.
And today? A staggering 162 million. But his meteoric rise wasn’t luck. Intentionally or not, he’s mastered 5 key elements of Gen Z attention:
1. Simplicity In a world of complex content, Khaby’s videos are refreshingly simple. His format is reliable: He takes convoluted “life hacks” and shows the obvious, easier solution – without saying a word. The universal language of gesture taps into a core Gen Z value: Efficient content. In an attention economy, Khaby delivers maximum humor in minimum time. Khaby doesn’t waste a moment – every second of his videos has a purpose. It’s the perfect dopamine injection for Gen-Z attention spans. But that alone isn’t enough.
2. Authenticity Khaby’s just a normal guy reacting to the absurdities of the internet. He never tries to be someone he’s not — just genuine reactions that resonate with millions. This authenticity builds trust. But there’s a twist: Unlike many influencers who claim authenticity, Khaby’s is unquestionable. His rise from a factory worker to global star is well-documented. This rags-to-riches story adds depth to his content, making him relatable to a vast audience.
There’s a reason this is so important: Countless Gen Z surveys will tell you relatable influencers always come out on top. And Khaby? He: • Still records in the same social housing complex • Doesn’t do any fancy editing • Wears casual clothes You can’t be someone else forever. Authenticity always wins. 3. Consistency Khaby used to post multiple times daily — sometimes up to 3-4 videos. This frequency keeps him on top of TikTok’s algorithm, ensuring constant visibility.
But it’s not just quantity. His quality remains consistently high. How does he maintain this pace? By reacting to existing videos, Khaby has an endless supply of material. It’s genius. To anyone creating content: How could you scale your work so it’s easy to replicate, but still equally entertaining? While his formula seems simple, Khaby’s tapping into something bigger:
4. Cultural Commentary Beneath the humor, Khaby’s content is a subtle critique of internet culture. He pokes fun at the often ridiculous “life hacks” that proliferate online. It resonates with Gen Z’s skepticism towards online trends — but there’s an even deeper layer: Khaby’s success challenges the notion that you need to speak English to go viral. His wordless videos have become a form of universal communication. In a divided world, Khaby’s content unites people through shared laughter. But even universal appeal needs the right platform.
5. Cross-platform strategy While TikTok is his main platform, Khaby doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He has: • 80M Instagram followers • 10M YouTube subscribers But he understood that TikTok views don’t pay the bills..
6. Monetization Khaby’s diversified his income: • Brand deals with Xbox, Netflix, and Amazon • Cryptocurrency partnerships • NFT collections Once you have eyeballs on your content, start turning followers into customers. A final takeaway: Never dismiss “influencers” as talentless/lucky.
The best ones (like Khaby) are master psychologists & marketers. His success teaches us: Your ideas don’t need to be revolutionary to go viral. They just have to be yours.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has turned 80, and the government is marking the head of State’s milestone with pomp and fanfare.
Over the weekend, the President visited a church in Nakaseke District in central Uganda, where he was greeted by a waiting crowd of dignitaries, area leaders and some residents who sang ‘Happy Birthday’ songs.
He was accompanied by his family.
Unlike many of the official functions where the President is seen dressed in his customary white shirts, the jovial birthday boy was clad in a lime green shirt, setting tongues wagging at his choice of attire.
Among those in attendance were Vice President Jessica Alupo, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, former prime ministers Amama Mbabazi and Ruhakana Rugunda, ruling NRM party vice chairperson Moses Kigongo, First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga, and several other ministers.
Religious leaders from the various denominations also graced the occasion. They included the President’s daughter Patience Rwabwogo, the retired Bishop of Luweero Diocese; the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Mubajje; the Archbishop of the SDA Church; and the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church.
More time was devoted to prayer, with various preachers from more than five denominations praying for the President’s good health and guidance.
Archbishop Anthony Zziwa, the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference, led the sermon and dedication prayer.
He drew his message from Psalm 90:10, which says: “[As for] the days of our years, in them are seventy years; and if [men should be] in strength, eighty years; and the greater part of them would be labour and trouble; for weakness overtakes us, and we shall be chastened.”
He said in the Bible, 80 years is a blessing to be celebrated. He also hailed Mr Museveni for his achievements despite the challenges of the past.
Highlighting some of the challenges facing the people of Luweero, including roads that are in a deplorable state, the President in his brief speech told the people that his government has already engaged contractors to rehabilitate and construct some of them.
“I am sorry about the poor state of some of these roads, but the Matugga-Semuto- Kapeeka road is under construction. This particular road was constructed with a thin layer that could not accommodate the heavy trucks that have made it degenerate to the current state,” he said.
He said his birthday celebrations were in honour of all Ugandans who have dedicated their respective lives to nation-building since the bush war days of the early 1980s.
Commenting on the persistent land disputes that have seen several of the residents evicted, President Museveni reminded the people of Luweero that the landlords have no right to claim part of the land occupied by bona fide occupants, but should demand busulu (property tax) as provided for in the Lands Act.
Busulu is a tax imposed on people using land that belongs to the Buganda Kingdom. This has been a source of conflict between the central government and the kingdom.
On the country’s education system, he said: “We still have a problem with the universal primary education and universal secondary education, but we are streamlining the education policy that will deal with most of the challenges. Your children should not be asked to pay extra fees in government schools.’’
President Museveni promised to return to Luweero to address other issues.
“Because today we are celebrating and thanking the Lord, I cannot quarrel, but I will find time to come back and talk about the many other issues raised by the people,” he said.
He cut the cake before he received selected guests at Kawumu State Lodge in Makulubita Sub-County in Luweero District, about 10km away from the venue.
Rights watchdogs are raising alarm after Angola passed two key laws designed to prevent public anarchy, but which are also seen as restricting civil liberties.
President Joao Lourenço last week assented to law two Bills, one criminalising vandalism of public goods and services and the other on national security.
Both laws provide for prison terms of up to 25 years for people who take part in protests that result in vandalism and disruption of services and allow for excessive government control over the media, civil society organisations and other private institutions if national security is threatened.
However, activists say the laws are unnecessary because existing legal frameworks already deal with this.
“Civil society is weakened by the passing of the Bills,” Francisco Fingo of ACC, a local NGO, lamented, adding that the democratic game in Angola is getting worse.
José Gama, a political commentator, said President Lourenço had borrowed a leaf from his predecessor José Eduardo dos Santos, whose previous policies he had actually reversed when he came to power.
But Mr Gama said the new laws signalled an administration intent on consolidating its authority rather than fighting to democratise Angola.
President Lourenço had initially eased some restrictions, particularly on the press and civil society, following his election in 2017. The new laws suggest that he has backtracked, according to an assessment by the Freedom House.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says, for instance, that the human rights situation in Cabinda Province has remained poor since Mr Lourenço became President, with many activists being arrested for exercising their fundamental rights.
Freedom House, which ranks Angola as ‘not free’, says local authorities have systematically repressed political dissent. Corruption, violations of due process and abuses by the security forces remain widespread.
Since President Lourenço took office in September 2017, ending four decades of rule by the dos Santos family, rights groups say there has been no turning point for press freedom.
Angola has been ranked 125th and 99th in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, indicating that the country has not been stable to allow journalists to independently select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest.
The southern African country currently ranks 104th out of 180 countries surveyed, down from 125th last year.
But, while the legal regime may have tightened, the ruling MPLA party has indicated that it will respect the Constitution on term limits, ruling out a third term for Lourenço.
Some voices within his party and in allied civil society groups argue that Lourenço should be given the chance for another term. Angola’s Constitution limits him to two terms in office. He is currently serving his second term.
In order for him to run for a third term, the Constitution would have to be amended, a matter on which he has not taken a clear stance.
In an interview with Voice of America in 2022, he ruled out a third term in office. But in an interview with France 24 last year, he said he would talk about his future and succession until 2027 when his term expires.
His predecessor, José Eduardo dos Santos, stayed in power for 38 years.
“It is vital to recognise the democratic setbacks that Angola has suffered,” wrote Adalberto Costa Júnior, the president of the opposition party Unita, on his official Facebook page after the Bills were signed into law.
“We must continue to work with civil society, ensuring that it is strengthened to promote democracy by continually sensitising citizens and continuing to denounce the undemocratic practices that the party-state wants to impose in Angola.”
César Laborinho, the country’s Interior minister, said that the laws were aimed at ensuring that everyone participates properly in gatherings and does not use protests for chaos and violence and that the provisions were necessary for public safety.
Judges get around $2,000, that’s quite low – Sangwa
By ZR Reporter
Judges get around $2,000 (monthly salary), that’s quite low, says renowned constitutional Lawyer John Sangwa, State Counsel, as he categorises them among the lowly paid civil servants.
And Mr Sangwa has argued that there is no single judge in this country that can claim to have been appointed on merit.
He added that appointing a judge is like an induction in a secret society.
“First of all, nobody knows how these judges are identified and that is why I was saying let there be a transparent system where you advertise, people are openly interviewed and you even have a score sheet… you scored this, therefore, we are making you a judge,” he said when he featured on Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba’s “The Conversation” Podcast.
“That process is a cleansing process so that someone can now claim to say I was appointed on merit. There is no single judge in this country that can claim to have been appointed on merit. And that, the minds, the independence of the institution, the independence of the individual judges…”
Mr Sangwa said in most progressive societies, the processes in question processes are open and transparent.
“Because if you challenge any judge you say fine, how did you get yourself appointed? Who did you compete against for you claim that you were appointed on merit? Nobody can answer that question,” he said.
“The whole process is dark… and that is why we fought so hard to make sure that we put a new system in place to ensure that judges are appointed on merit. Obviously they fought it and there was some weak excuse to say well you needed to pass an enabling law and so forth. I mean that was completely false. You didn’t need to do that because this is simply an administrative process that could have been put in place.”
Meanwhile, Mr Sangwa said the judiciary ought to be adequately funded.
“Right now, judges are some of the lowly paid civil servants… judges get around $2,000, that’s quite low,” he said.
“Other brunches of the judiciary can struggle financially, but the judiciary should never, okay? Because once the judiciary is gone, the whole country is gone, and that is exactly what has happened. There is no talk about improving the condition of the judges.”
There’s no constitutional crisis to warrant a high-octane reform process, says Muhabi
By Fanny Kalonda(The MAST)
WE encourage the President of Zambia not to casually suggest that the Constitution can easily be ignored leading to no general elections taking place as prescribed, says The Zambia We Want.
Interim ZWW information and communication chairman Muhabi Lungu said President Hichilema’s statement is alarming and dangerous as it will fuel speculation on matters where there should be no room for uncertainty.
Lungu said the country does not have sufficient time remaining to thoroughly conclude a constitutional reform process before the 2026 general elections.
“There is no constitutional crisis to warrant a high-octane process of completion.
The Zambia We Want is concerned at utterances by the Republican President at the official opening of parliament on 13th September 2024 relating to general elections. He stated that there are lacunae in the Constitution that could lead to there being no general elections in the country for a period of eight to nine years. The President did not specify where such lacunae lie. This is alarming and dangerous as it will fuel speculation on matters where there should be no room for uncertainty,” he said. “No Zambian should be made to doubt that elections must take place every cycle of five years or sooner if parliament is dissolved under Article 81(4) of the Constitution. Further such statements strike at the franchise or the right to vote, which is an inalienable right as given to all eligible Zambian voters. No person, particularly the President of the republic, should be allowed to get away with ‘not so much as an insinuation,’ regarding depriving the inalienable right for citizens to a regular and time bound voting schedule.”
Lungu noted that the term of office for a president is fixed to five years only, which period runs concurrently with the term of parliament
“The Zambia We Want strongly believes in the rule of law and the concept of constitutionalism. We accept that the Constitution, as amended in 2016, is not a perfect document. We know that it has some shortcomings which through a genuine people driven constitutional reform process can be addressed and lead to a refinement of the Constitution. However, these shortcomings are not of the nature that can support a notion that general elections can simply not be held when they are intended to be held. Our reading of the Constitution of Zambia reveals that it firmly and clearly fixes the time that general elections should be held. Article 56 provides that ‘a general election shall be held every five years after the last general election on the second Thursday of August’.
The term of parliament is limited to five years after which there must be general elections. Further, the term of office for a president is fixed to five years only, which period runs concurrently with the term of parliament. According to the Constitution, the President can do no more than two such five-year terms,” said Lungu. “Since the tenure of parliament and the President is limited to five years the Constitution demands that general elections must always take place in line with Article 56 mentioned above.
As far as the Zambia We Want is concerned not to hold general elections as prescribed by the Constitution of Zambia would be an unforgivable violation of our Constitution. We encourage the President of Zambia not to casually suggest that the Constitution can easily be ignored leading to no general elections taking place as prescribed.
It is our expectation that the President should live up to his oath to defend and respect the Constitution of Zambia as by law established. To do otherwise is to abrogate it. Those wielding the reins of power are constitutionally obligated to give effect to the directions contained in the Constitution. The Zambia We Want categorically believes that we do not have sufficient time remaining to thoroughly conclude a constitutional reform process before the Presidential and General Elections of 2026. There is no constitutional crisis to warrant a high-octane process of completion. Any such manoeuvres can only be regarded as sinister.”
Political Alliances: Built on Conviction, Not Convenience
By Sunday Chanda
In today’s political landscape, alliances between parties and individuals have become common practice, especially in the run-up to elections. While such coalitions can often lead to electoral victories, it is crucial to ask: what drives these alliances? Are they built on a foundation of shared convictions and principles, or are they simply marriages of convenience designed to secure short-term political gains?
Any political alliance founded on convenience rather than conviction and principle is bound to crumble under the weight of its own contradictions. When the only uniting factor is the desire to win an election, the cracks in the alliance begin to show the moment that goal is achieved. Such alliances often lack the cohesion needed to govern effectively because they are devoid of a common vision for the future. History is littered with examples of political partnerships that collapsed after securing electoral victories, having failed to address the deeper issues that hold them together.
The Fragility of Opportunistic Alliances
Political alliances forged for the sole purpose of contesting and winning an election can be likened to temporary scaffolding—useful for a moment, but incapable of supporting the long-term structure of governance. These alliances, while pragmatic in the short run, tend to be fragile. Without a shared ideology or guiding principles, they falter when faced with the challenges of governance. Differences in policy, leadership struggles, and conflicting interests emerge, creating internal rifts that can lead to the collapse of the alliance.
Such alliances are often reactive rather than proactive. They are formed as a response to the political environment, designed to unseat incumbents or gain leverage, rather than to offer an alternative vision for the nation. When the primary motivation is simply to remove a common opponent, little thought is given to how the alliance will function in the long term. Once the opposition is gone, the very glue that held the coalition together dissolves, leaving behind nothing but discord.
Conviction: The Pillar of Enduring Alliances
For a political alliance to endure, it must be rooted in conviction. Conviction provides the moral and ideological foundation upon which shared goals are built. A true alliance is not just a strategic partnership for the sake of winning an election—it is a bond forged through common values, principles, and a shared vision for the country’s future.
Alliances built on principles offer hope for lasting change. These coalitions are driven by a commitment to better governance, accountability, and the welfare of the people. Even in the face of challenges, alliances grounded in conviction have the resilience to stay the course, because they are driven by something greater than personal ambition or electoral gains—they are driven by the desire to serve the people.
When political parties or individuals come together based on their shared convictions, they bring stability and consistency to governance. Their policies are aligned, their values are congruent, and their vision for the nation is united. As a result, they are better positioned to navigate the complexities of governing, ensuring that the alliance lasts well beyond the election cycle.
The Need for Alternatives, Not Just Power
Political alliances should not be formed with the sole objective of winning elections. Rather, they should emerge as vehicles for providing meaningful alternatives to the current state of governance. Voters are not merely looking for a change of faces; they are seeking a change of policies, a change of priorities, and a change of direction.
An alliance that fails to offer a clear and compelling alternative to the status quo is bound to lose the trust of the electorate. To win and retain public confidence, political alliances must offer concrete solutions to the country’s most pressing problems. They must propose new ideas, policies, and approaches that resonate with the aspirations of the people.
A well-crafted alliance should seek to reform, not merely replace. It should offer a vision of progress that transcends the immediate concerns of electioneering and focuses on the long-term transformation of the country. By doing so, such alliances can build lasting relationships with the electorate based on trust and shared goals.
Learning from History
History shows us that political alliances built on convenience are not sustainable. They often fall apart due to ideological differences, leadership disputes, and power struggles before or once their immediate goal of winning an election is achieved. On the other hand, alliances that are formed based on shared principles and a common vision for the nation have stood the test of time, enduring the challenges of governance and delivering on their promises to the people.
Look to examples from across the globe: alliances founded on genuine reform, justice, and progress tend to outlast those that are merely opportunistic. These alliances succeed because they are based on something greater than personal ambition—they are driven by a commitment to serve the people and to build a better future.
Conclusion
In the end, political alliances should be more than just tools for electoral success. They should be partnerships founded on conviction, driven by principles, and motivated by the desire to offer real alternatives to the people. Alliances built on convenience may win elections, but they lack the integrity and cohesion needed to govern effectively. The people deserve better—they deserve alliances that are committed to lasting change, alliances that will stand the test of time because they are rooted in a shared vision for a better nation.
– The author is Member of Parliament for Kanchibiya Constituency in Muchinga Province
THE Edgar Lungu-led brand of the PF is clinging on to the ‘sinking’ and fast-disintegrating United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) as it considers other options.
Group Secretary General Raphael Nakachinda said his PF have several options including joining Tonse Alliance, another opposition political grouping but will stick around for now.
In the past few days, UKA, a congregation of Anti-President Hakainde Hichilema politicians to which former Head of State, Edgar Lungu belongs has fallen apart right before the eyes of a shocked citizenry.
On Tuesday, the alliance expelled three members, days after several other small PF-aligned parties jumped off claiming their boss was being disrespected by Saboi Imboela and members of the Citizens First.
However, according to a statement issued by Nakacinda, the PF will not leave the alliance for now regardless of the controversies that have engulfed it.
“Last week during the press briefing, l said that the PF was in UKA and will remain in UKA. That position has never changed because PF cherishes our association with other political parties in UKA,” he said.
“In like manner, l also said that PF had appointed a task force to review terms and references of various opposition alliances namely the People’s Pact and Tonse Alliance as both movements had formally extended invitations for our party to consider joining them.”
Nakacinda hinted that the report submitted by the task force upon reviewing the terms of the Tonse Alliance, recommended for the crossing of PF to the Tonse Alliance and other pacts.
“The report recommends that our next Central Committee meeting should prioritize joining Tonse Alliance as well as other alliances,” he said.
“I want to stress that the Patriotic Front remains committed to working with all opposition political parties in finding solutions to the numerous challenges that have faced our nation since the UPND party came into office.”
He said there is need to find solutions to the alleged difficulties that the country faces, in one accord.
“We recognise that these challenges require a unified approach, and we firmly believe that through cooperation and dialogue, we can forge viable solutions that benefit all citizens by working with like minded partners and stakeholders,” Nkacinda stated.
“These discussions are very important, and I look forward to having your input and views on the subject. Let me, therefore, call upon all members of the party and the nation at large to not shy away from sharing there views and opinions through party offices and my office, as your contributions and opinions will go a long way in shaping the future of the Patriotic Front and our combined efforts toward serving our nation.”
He called for clam among PF members as his camp resolves its differences with other members of UKA.
THE LEGALITY OF THE ELECTORAL REFORMS TECHNICAL COMMITEE
By: Jonas Zimba
Introduction
Zambian being a Constitutional democracy has a system that speaks to election of leaders through the ballot. This is termed the electoral system.
On Friday the 13th September, 2024 the President of the Republic of Zambia made a presentation and gave a speech in Parliament and one of the things he talked about was that there were lacunas in the Constitution and the elections would be delayed. The electoral Commission issued a notice and called for submissions on proposed electoral reforms. This does not come by surprise especially given what the president said in Parliament.
The electoral system of Zambia is governed by an array of pieces of legislation starting with a provision in the Constitution under Article 2291.
Article 229 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and sets out its functions. This paper intends to interrogate the legality of the establishment now known as the Electoral Reforms Technical Committee and comment on whether this establishment is one that is envisaged by the law and was had in contemplation by the drafters of the law at the time.
Simply put is the Electoral Reforms Technical committee legal? The Electoral Commission of Zambia This entity is a Commission provided for under Commission in the Constitution.2 It will be noted that this commission has its functions set out in the Constitution, Article 229 of the Constitution provides as follows: “(1) There is established the Electoral Commission of Zambia which shall have offices in Provinces and progressively in districts. Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) [No. 2 of 2016 93 (2) The Electoral Commission shall— (a) implement the electoral process; (b) conduct elections and referenda; (c) register voters; (d) settle minor electoral disputes, as prescribed; (e) regulate the conduct of voters and candidates; (f) accredit observers and election agents, as prescribed; (g) delimit electoral boundaries; and (h) perform such other functions as prescribed.”
The last part of the provision speaks to a prescription as to the work the Commission can do.
This prescription is now set out under the Electoral Commission Act No. 25 of 2016. In particular section 4 of the Act speaks to the functions of the commission, It provides: “(1) Subject to the Constitution, the Commission shall direct, supervise and control elections in a fair and impartial manner. (2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the functions of the Commission are to— (a) ensure that elections are free and fair; (b) promote conditions conducive to free and fair elections; (c) promote democratic electoral processes; (d) supervise and control the registration of voters for the purposes of an election; (e) supervise the preparation, publication and maintenance of a national voters’register and local authority voters’ register; (f) adjudicate disputes that may arise from the organisation, administration or conducting of elections, which are of an administrative nature; (g) conduct education and information programmes to promote public awareness of electoral and parliamentary matters; (h) provide information and advice on electoral matters to State organs; (i) conduct and promote research into electoral matters and other matters that relate to its functions; (j) establish and maintain liaison and cooperation with political parties; and (k) do all such other things as are necessary or incidental to the performance of its functions under this Act. (3) The Commission may, in furtherance of its functions— (a) collect any information that it considers necessary for the performance of its functions under the Constitution and this Act; (b) undertake consultations, public hearings and inquiries for purposes of performing its functions under the Constitution and this Act; and (c) receive written or oral statements from any person or organisation for purposes of its functions under this Act.”
It will be noted from the above provision in the Constitution and the Act that the Act provides a wider scope as regards the functions of the Commission. As to whether this is in line with what the Constitution permits is not the basis of this paper but simply put, this paper is meant to investigate the legality of an establishment called “THE ELECTORAL REFORMS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE”. The Electoral Reforms Technical Committee The Electoral Commission of Zambia issued a notice on or about the 6th September, 2024 indicating that they had established the Electoral Reforms Technical Committee whose main task was to underrate a review of Zambia’s Electoral laws and processes and the aim was to enhance the electoral process.
The question that begs an answer here is whether the function set out in the notice issued by the Commission is in line with what the law permits them to undertake? A careful look at the provision in the Constitution and under the Electoral Commission Act will reveal that the commission can sensitise, educate and collect information necessary for the performance of its functions. The commission can also consult and conduct public hearings and inquiries for purposes of performing its functions. It can also receive submissions for purposes of its functions under the Act. Can the commission undertake law reforms? This question may find its answer in the provisions of the Constitution, the electoral Commission Act and the Zambia Law Development Commission chapter 32 of the laws of Zambia. Firstly, from the wording of the law and provisions relating to the Electoral Commission, the words used relate to the carrying out of a statutory function which has to do with voting, voter education and related matters. Review of the law does not fall within this category of words. Francis Bennion (1997) opines that under the ejus dem generis rule, the principle is that words of the same nature must be given the same contextual meaning3. The words used in the law do not speak to review of the law or the function that the Electoral Commission wants to undertake. Now the Commission being a creature of statute performs statutory functions and is thus subject to the statutory functions Act.4 It is worth noting that the long title of the Statutory Functions Act provides as follows: “An Act to make provision for the allocation of statutory functions and for the transfer and delegation thereof; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing” The spirit of the law is that statutory functions must be conferred by statute and there are restrictions to delegation of such functions. In our present case, the function given to the Electoral Commission is given by the Constitution and the statutory function is equally set out in the Electoral Commission Act. There is no provision for the Commission to set up a body such as this. The body established is illegal. On the other hand, we have the Zambia Law Development Commission. The main function of the Zambia Law Development Commission is to undertake an examination of existing laws and recommend or facilitate changes in the legal system.
Undertaking a review of existing laws amounts to conducting an examination of the law, proposing amendments to the law and this function cannot be duplicated at any point by the framers of the law. The view taken here is that it is not the mandate of the Electoral Commission to undertake a review of the law and proceed to desire to make changes through the establishment of the body now called the Electoral Reforms Technical Committee.
There is need to interrogate the law and establish that the function is legally being undertaken otherwise this body may be performing an illegal function and its existence questionable. Conclusion and recommendations Having looked at the law the body established is illegal and has no blessing of the law. It appears there is a motive behind this creation. As shown, there is no provision for such a body and the law does not support such a function.
It is recommended that the Law Development Commission be given the role proposed to be undertaken by the illegal body so that the review and proposed amendments can be done within the confines of the law.
GOVERNMENT MAY NOT ACHIEVE 6% 2025 ECONOMIC GROWTH PROJECTION DUE TO ENERGY CRISIS – ZUPED
….reminds government that SME’s contribute significantly to the economic growth of the country
Lusaka… Thursday September 19, 2024 (SMART EAGLES)
The Zambians for Unity Peace and Development (ZUPED) notes that with the current serious energy crisis the country is experiencing, small business enterprises are collapsing.
ZUPED President Ronnie Jere says SME’s such as saloons, welders, bakeries, butcheries, bars, media houses, barbershops just to mention the few are collapsing due to energy crisis.
Mr Jere has reminded government that SME’s contribute significantly to the economic growth of the country.
“Following the negative impact of the loadsheding on SME’s sector, we as Zambians For Unity , Peace and Development, we want to clearly state that it will be difficult for Government to achieve the 6% 2025 growth economic projection,” he said.
“Energy sector plays a pivotal role in fostering and promoting national social economic development and growth. Energy sector drives all economic fundamentals across economic sectors. Therefore in this regard, we wish to call upon the government to urgently implement short term measures to address this catastrophic energy crisis to ensure Small Business Enterprises remain in business.”
Mr Jere was of the view that government through Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission should empower all the SME’s with generators.
“With serious investment and efficient and effective management of the mining sector, we of course expect the mining sector to radically contribute towards the 2025 economic growth projection. We are of the view that the mining sector being our national cornerstone of development, the driving engine of our micro economy will contribute massively towards the 6% ,2025 growth economic projection,” he added.
“For instance, the unlocking of key strategic mining investment asset Konkola Copper Mine under the good management of the global mining giant Vedanta Resources which has begun on a progressive note by clearing off payment of US$250 million to the local suppliers and contractors, revamped the companies of the suppliers and contractors which have now resumed operations at KCM, hence contributing holistically to the social economic development. We commend Vedanta Resources for demonstrating serious commitment to resuscitate Konkola Copper Mine and full it’s strategic investment mining commitments.”
The ZUPED President further said the unlocking of Mopani Mine which has also resumed production and cleared off payment to the local suppliers and contractors, restored their business operations.
“With no doubt all these investments in our two key strategic mining assets will contribute significantly towards the the economic growth projection but however it will still be difficult for Government to achieve the targeted target of 6% due to the negative impact of the energy crisis on small business enterprises,” he continued.
“It is also critical and imperative that foreign investors particularly in the mining sector prioritize offering business opportunities of supplying to our local suppliers and contractors, this is a serious call we making to all the investors Mopani, Konkola Copper Mine, FQM among others to prioritizing awarding business opportunities to Zambian business enterprises, we believe this will not just revitalize our domestic economy but will also enhance government revenue tax base and optimize generation benefits from the mining sector by Zambians.”
He since called on Government to expedite the process of enacting Mineral Local Content Bill into law to compel investors to mandatory and offer business opportunities to Zambians.
GERMANY PLEDGES €108 MILLION (K3.14 BILLION) TO ZAMBIA’S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA AND DROUGHT RESPONSE
The German government has pledged to give Zambia a sum of 108 million (K3.14 billion) to support Zambia’s development agenda over the upcoming two years.
This commitment includes €26 million (K758 million) that had previously been promised for drought relief and resilience-building initiatives.
This announcement came following the successful conclusion of bilateral discussions on development cooperation, which took place in Lusaka on September 17th, 2024.
Leading the discussions on the Zambian side was Mr. Felix Nkulukusa, Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, while on the German side, Ambassador Dr. Anne Wagner-Mitchell and Dr. Frank Hofmann, Head of Division for Southern Africa at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The focus was on aligning development cooperation with Zambia’s national priorities as outlined in the 8th National Development Plan.
Speaking during the negotiations, Dr. Hofmann emphasized that the German partnership with Zambia was founded on trust, collaboration, and shared values, highlighting the country’s dedication to aiding Zambia in navigating present challenges while fostering a resilient and sustainable future for its citizens.
Given the current drought situation, Germany has allocated €26 million equivalent to K 758 million, to assist Zambia in responding to the ongoing severe drought.
This financial aid will mainly be channeled through the World Food Programme (WFP) for drought relief and resilience-building projects.
He added that support will be extended to United Nations agencies UNICEF and UNHCR to combat malnutrition among vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and young children.
And Zambia’s Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. Felix Nkulukusa, said, “I am pleased to observe that the committed €108 million will contribute to promoting good governance, water and sanitation, as well as food and nutrition security.”
Mr. Nkulukusa further emphasized the commendable support towards these sectors, highlighting its direct impact on addressing the urgent challenges currently faced by the country.
He noted that the assistance in good governance, water, food, and nutrition sectors will contribute to the overarching goals of the 8th National Development Plan in achieving socioeconomic transformation for enhanced livelihoods.
Meanwhile, German Ambassador to Zambia, Dr. Anne Wagner-Mitchell applauded the Government of Zambia for its endeavors in analyzing and addressing structural barriers to inclusive and sustainable development.
“The commitment to implementing necessary reforms forms the basis of our enduring and dedicated development cooperation. We are proud to continue supporting these initiatives, which are essential for the country’s long-term prosperity.” she said.
Germany’s new commitment of K 3.14 billion will be executed through financial and technical aid in pivotal areas such as good governance, access to clean water, as well as nutrition and food security through climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and efforts will also be intensified in diversifying Zambia’s energy sector and promoting renewable energy.
This pledge reaffirms Germany’s role as a key partner in Zambia’s development, with total bilateral cooperation exceeding € 1.4 billion (K 40 billion) since 1964.
UKA ACCEPTS HON MULUSA’S RESIGNATION AND SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
18th September, 2024
We are in receipt of Hon Mulusa’s resignation letter which we first saw in the media. We have since responded to him directly accepting his resignation.
In view of the same, we wish to correct the wrong impression created by Mr. Mulusa as follows;
1. Mr. Mulusa as UKA SG was an Ex-officio member of the Council of Presidents, CoP and therefore, he had no voting rights and his departure from the meeting had no bearing on any outcome.
2. The agenda items of yesterdays CoP meeting were proposed from the adjourned Council meeting of last weeks held on Friday, 13th September, 2024.
It may interest the public to know that yesterday’s Council meeting was strictly about voting on three issues one of them being the issue of UKA Presidents forming new political alliances within the alliance.
3. Apart from the 6th President of Zambia Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu who had indicated at the beginning of the Council meeting at 10:00hrs that he had another engagement exactly at 13:00hrs none of the voting Council members exited the meeting.
President Lungu did indicate to the Council that he would be bound by the decision of the Council and exactly took leave at 13:30hrs.
4. However, President Sean Tembo and Apostle Pule exited the meeting at intervals after it was eminent that they would lose the vote after 4 hours of debate on all the 3 agenda items.
Infact Apostle Pule did not even indicate that he was leaving the meeting but merely indicated to the Chairperson that he wanted to consult on the ‘way forward’ outside.
5. Membership of the UKA Council of Presidents, CoP is 9, a quorum is 5 Council members. The Council maintained an attendance of 6 which was above the official quorum upto the close of the Council meeting.
UKA will continue to exist beyond the ‘house cleaning procedures’ and resolved to provide an alliance that represents the aspirations of our people. To present UKA which is disorderly, indiscipline and incoherent is a betrayal to the Zambian people.
UKA will not betray the Zambian people in the opposition and in Government. We wish Mr. Mulusa and the colleagues that have left us well in their new alliance.
Sakwiba Sikota SC Chairperson United Kwacha Alliance-UKA
…as he urges Dr M’membe never to be afraid of being arrested
Mwansabombwe… Wednesday, September 18, 2024
MWATA Kazembe of the Lunda people in Luapula Province hosted Socialist Party President Dr. Fred M’membe during a courtesy visit that focused on the political landscape, traditional leadership, and national unity.
The Mwata welcomed Dr. M’membe with an acknowledgment of the political activities in the region, specifically the by-election in Mwansabombwe.
“I know you are here for business, you have a by-election taking place here in Mwansabombwe,” he said.
The Chief emphasized that the country belongs to all its citizens and stressed the collective responsibility to address national issues.
“When things are not moving right, it is you and I to make it right and I don’t think we are offending anyone.”
Reflecting on Zambia’s political history, the Chief lamented the current state of political affairs.
“The people who have left us; in 1991, they came together to get back to a multi-party system but now we have praise singers because they want to eat.”
He encouraged Dr. M’membe, describing the Socialist Party as a “government in waiting” and urged him to soldier on.
And Dr. M’membe, accompanied by over 20 senior party leaders, expressed his purpose for the visit.
“I wanted them to see what Luapula is all about,” he said.
He praised the historical and cultural significance of the region, noting the resilience and contributions of its people, who built the Chief’s palace in 1945 with their resources.
“We are now at crossroads,” Dr. M’membe stated, highlighting the challenges facing the nation that require the involvement of traditional leaders like Chief Mwata Kazembe.
“The politician alone cannot run this country,” he said, recognizing the lifetime leadership of Chiefs compared to the temporary nature of political positions.
Dr. M’membe criticized the neglect of traditional institutions over the past 60 years and stressed the importance of integrating traditional leadership into the governance system.
“Spain has a Monarchy, Norway, Sweden, Australia… even China promotes its culture and it is a basis of their success,” he pointed out.
He committed to working with traditional and spiritual leaders, emphasizing that the House of Chiefs alone is not enough.
The Mwata shared his concerns about the Chiefdom being downplayed, despite its historical significance.
“We were the first to sign a treaty on 30 September, 1890, before our friends in Western Province,” he said.
He encouraged Dr. M’membe to ignore critics and continue advocating for the people’s needs, highlighting the high cost of mealie meal and other socio-economic challenges.
“This is your home, Dr. M’membe; we are a family. SP is welcome here,” he said, urging unity beyond tribal lines and encouraging Dr. M’membe not to fear arrests, as they have become a familiar occurrence.
What’s the story with Zambeef and UK’s $65million investment in the company?
…..Since listing in London in 2011, the stock of Zambia’s largest integrated agribusiness and food chain is down a whopping 90%….
Will Zambeef Products soon wake up from its eight-year slumber?
12 January 2024
Since listing in London in 2011, the stock of Zambia’s largest integrated agribusiness and food chain is down a whopping 90%.
A cursory look indicates Zambeef stock might be trading at a price/earnings ratio of less than 3.
On 16 September 2024, a long-scheduled event will end an eight-year period of uncertainty, where the stock has gone nowhere but sideways.
Is now the time to take a closer look at this asset-rich play on African agriculture?
For-profit funding to feed Africa
Zambeef Products (ISIN ZM0000000201, UK:ZAM) is Zambia’s largest integrated agribusiness and food chain. As the name suggests, its origin lies in producing beef.
The company is the largest processor of beef in Zambia, with five abattoirs that have capacity to slaughter up to 230,000 head of cattle a year. However, Zambeef has long expanded into ancillary areas as well; it has capacity to breed up to 25m chickens annually and can process the meat of up to 100,000 pigs per year.
The operation nowadays also includes 237 retail outlets, of which Zambeef owns 196 outright, with the remainder operated through concessions. The retail chain is complemented by its fleet of 252 trucks, which gives the company control over its logistics and distribution.
Under the brand name “Master Meats”, Zambeef recently started to expand its retail activities to Ghana and Nigeria.
Zambeef’s corporate motto is “Expanding horizons, feeding the nation”, and the company has come a long way in this regard. Since it was set up as a beef-focused operation in 1993, it now ranks not just as one of the largest companies in Zambia but across Southern Africa.
How did Zambeef get there?
Funding from the UK played a major part, and repeatedly so. After going public on the domestic Lusaka Stock Exchange in 2003, Zambeef pursued a dual-listing in London in 2011 which helped raise an additional USD 55m of growth equity from investors.
The London listing won an award as 2012’s “Deal of the Year” in Africa for equities, because “it marked the first time a company from the southern African country had listed internationally and was one of the few overseas African IPOs from outside the natural resources sector. … It got the attention of some of London’s biggest investors.”
Raising equity is never a bad thing, but it does occasionally bring with it its own set of problems.
In the case of Zambeef, a follow-on equity raise created a level of complexity and uncertainty that has been haunting the company ever since.
UK government funding – with a twist In 2016, Zambeef raised a further USD 65m using its access to funding sources in London.
This involved an obscure but well-funded British investment agency, which even most Brits won’t have heard of: the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), a multi-billion investment agency operated by the UK government to make for-profit investments in emerging markets. Basically, this was development aid done through equity investments, with a focus on South Asia and Africa.
The agency agreed to a funding package for Zambeef, which led to it owning an equity stake of 17.5%. However, besides its ownership of ordinary shares, CDC also subscribed to convertible redeemable preference shares, which among other things, give it multiple voting rights. With 17.5% of the equity capital and 34.8% of the overall votes, the agency today is not just the largest owner of equity but also the largest holder of voting rights.
Having an organisation like CDC among your largest shareholders is a matter in itself. With its origin dating back to the Labour government of 1948 and post-WW II colonial policies, this agency has undergone multiple changes driven by the politics of the day. Along the way, it has not been without controversy.
E.g., in 2004, CDC spun out a private equity fund manager for emerging markets, Actis Capital. The agency sold 60% of the company to the management of Actis and continued to invest its resources in Actis funds. A subsequent investigation by Britain’s Private Eye magazine accused CDC of selling its stake in Actis at an “implausibly low valuation”.
The magazine claimed that CDC had moved away from financing beneficial international development towards seeking large profits from schemes that enriched CDC’s managers while bringing little or no benefit to the world’s poor.
A government enquiry followed, and CDC changed its way of operating.
In 2022, further change followed, and CDC renamed itself British International Investment (BII). It currently manages GBP 8bn in investments and aims to increase the size of its portfolio to GBP 9bn by 2026.
As part of that, BII will have to decide on its convertible redeemable preference shares in Zambeef and its overall position with regards to the company.
For Zambeef shareholders, 16 September 2024 will be a crucial date. That day, the conditions for the convertible redeemable preference shares held by BII will change.
These preference shares came with a 12% preferred return. They made up about USD 55m of BII’s total funding package at the time, and it would take Zambeef about USD 137m to repay the money in September 2024.
The company doesn’t have that much cash at its disposal. As Zambeef said in its 2023 annual report: “The likelihood of such a repayment by the Company in this new financial year, or in the medium term, is currently considered by the Board to be extremely unlikely.”
For lack of viable alternatives, BII will choose its option to convert these convertible redeemable preference shares into ordinary shares.
Zambeef currently has a share capital of 305.5m shares. When converting its preference shares, BII will receive 300.15m shares. Together with its existing stake of 52.6m shares, BII will then own 352.75m shares (or 58%) of a total share capital of 605.65m shares.
How is that going to affect existing shareholders, and could this be a catalyst for Zambeef’s wrecked share to gain some ground?
Ignore the market cap – look at Enterprise Value instead
What triggered my curiosity in the first place was Zambeef’s seemingly low market cap of just GBP 17m combined with decent-looking earnings estimates.
In its 7 November 2023 update, London brokerage firm Cavendish estimated 2023 and 2024 earnings per share of 2.3 cents and 2.4 cents, respectively. These dollar estimates make for earnings of 1.8 pence and 1.9 pence, respectively. Trading at 5.5 pence, this would make for a price/earnings ratio of not even 3.
Zambeef key estimates Source: Cavendish, 7 November 2023 (multiples based on a share price of then 6.6 pence).
However, valuing this business is more complicated than that.
For once, Zambeef’s share capital will likely finish the year 2024 with more than double the current number of shares outstanding. Besides, the company has other debt outstanding.
Cavendish calculates Zambeef’s Enterprise Value to be around USD 210m (GBP 164m). That’s nearly ten times the market cap that the company appears to have if you trust the market cap figure provided on the London Stock Exchange website.
Much as this makes the firm’s valuation appear in a very different light, it could still be an interesting stock to follow.
Pay for the land – get everything else for free? Zambeef is rich in assets, including 55,000 hectares of farm land. What’s farmland in Zambia worth? In 2019, Zambeef sold a small farm with 2,500 hectares for USD 10m in cash. Bigger farms are more profitable overall, and the remaining land receives more rainfall. The remaining land holdings alone could be worth somewhere between USD 200-300m, which means that the value of the land alone would cover the company’s valuation.
On top of that, Zambeef owns a swathe of other valuable assets, such as:
● 196 retail outlets.
●Eight abattoirs and meat-processing plants. Large farming operations with equipment to match. ● Biological assets such as 14,000 feedstock cattle and 220,000 chickens.
What’s such an operation worth?
Zambeef generates annual sales of about USD 330m. Cavendish estimates its 2024 EBITDA to come out at about 30m, which would see the stock valued at 7x EV/EBITDA. That’s not particularly expensive, but it’s also not particularly cheap when considering how many European companies trade at multiples of 4-7x.
A hopeless case then?
Zambeef stock’s biggest attraction may yet lay in a change of majority ownership and someone coming in to unlock what appears to be significantly growth potential.
Will BII exit?
Zambia has tremendous unexploited potential in agriculture. Of its 42m hectares of arable land, less than 10% are under cultivation.
Zambia benefits from abundant water resources, and its climate follows a similar pattern to that of most Southern African countries. It has transport infrastructure and cheap labour, too. This is a country that was made for agriculture, if you can mobilise the investment needed to make it happen.
Given the world’s growing population and changing diet patterns as more people reach middle-class income levels, a large-scale agricultural operation in a stable African country will have significant long-term growth potential. Setting it up from scratch would be nigh-impossible, which makes a firm like Zambeef a potentially sought-after asset. A larger African player or private equity could come in and use Zambeef as their platform from which to develop a massive agriculture operation in Zambia, and possibly beyond.
The question is, will BII stick to its investment, or will it step aside?
Once BII owns over 50% of a company outright, it will make Zambeef a de facto UK government-owned company located in Africa. Is this what the British development agency intends?
BII does exit investments when changed circumstances call for it. E.g., in November 2023, BII partially exited an Indian warehouse operator to make way for a strategic investor to take the company to the next level. The stake was bought by Exor (ISIN NL0012059018, Euronext:EXOR), the highly successful long-term investment fund of the Agnelli clan.
A few months earlier, BII had once again been under public scrutiny, with the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee concluding that BII did not always live up to its priority of fostering development where it’s most urgently needed.
Zambeef has grown into a profitable company with access to international growth capital. Does BII really need to tie up a large amount of money in such a company when there are so many pressing financing needs in other poverty-stricken countries and cash-starved sectors? Like any government agency, BII’s funding priorities will change along with the political zeitgeist of the time; the scrutiny committee already pointed towards the rebuilding of Ukraine as an upcoming urgent priority.
On balance, after September 2024, it’ll probably be difficult for BII to argue that it should hold on to its majority stake in Zambeef. The next logical step would be to bring in a strategic investor who can take the company forward. Quite possibly, such a step could already be under negotiation as part of converting the preference shares.
Change coming for Zambeef? We have already seen some movement among shareholdings recently.
In October 2023, London brokerage company First Equity disclosed having bought 8.5% of Zambeef on behalf of Armstrong Investments Limited, an investment holding in the Isle of Man. Armstrong Investments has a history of turning up with large stakes in British small- and micro-cap companies. First Equity, in turn, has a group of directors who are well known in the wheeler-dealer circles of Britain’s AIM market. Throwing over a million pound at a totally illiquid micro-cap is not what one would usually do if there wasn’t a truly compelling reason.
“What’s cooking?”, is the question I would ask.
A development and poverty-alleviation agency like BII controlling the actual voting majority of a profitable, large conglomerate strikes me as an anachronism that cannot (and will not) stand. Holding on to this stake would set up the agency for further public criticism.
Zambeef’s London listing isn’t actively used, and Zambia’s growth potential remains unexploited.
Change is probably afoot, one way or another.
Is this a situation where small-cap investors could make a buck?
Based on current prices, Zambeef’s minority shareholders could be a nuisance to anyone who comes in and buys out BII. A new majority owner could make a lucrative offer to take Zambeef private.
Just as much, a new strategic investor might see the company’s London listing as a major asset. Ever since BII entered the fold, Zambeef’s share price has not gone anywhere. Once the long-standing uncertainty of the preference shares vanishes and with a clear growth plan in place, Zambeef could attract renewed attention from investors.
Come September 2024, Zambeef shareholders should know more.
Until then, the company serves as model case for the diversity of stocks listed in London and why it’s worth keeping a long-term diary of upcoming events that affect little-followed equities.
Further details are emerging about the charges against embattled Hip Hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Hours after he was arrested in New York, a federal indictment was unsealed, accusing Combs of s3x trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prost!tut!on, and racketeering conspiracy, forced labor or, kidn@pping, arson, and other cr!mes.
The documents alleged that the music mogul organized “Freak Offs,” or “elaborate s3x performances” during which female victims were compelled through “force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended s3x acts with male commercial s3x workers.”
Per the indictment, among supplies seized by authorities from Diddy’s homes earlier this year were 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
Combs is also accused in the documents of arranging, directing, masturb@ting during, and often “electronically recording” the Freak Offs, and of transporting commercial s3x workers “across state lines and internationally.”
The alleged Freak Offs, per the indictment, occurred regularly and often lasted multiple days, and involved multiple s3x workers.
“During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant,” the indictment reads, adding the victims and Combs himself often received IV fluids to recover from the exertion and drug use. “Sometimes unbeknownst to the victims, Combs kept videos he filmed of victims engaging in sex acts with commercial s3x workers.”
The rapper’s associates referred to in the indictment as the “Combs Enterprise,” including supervisors, security and household staff, assistants and other employees, are accused of facilitating Freak Offs by booking hotel rooms and stocking them with necessary supplies, cleaning the rooms, arranging travel, giving Combs cash to pay the s3x workers and scheduling the IV fluids.
“In or about March 2024,” the indictment notes, “during searches of Combs’ residences in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California, law enforcement seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”
The indictment also details how the 54-year-old allegedly coerced his female victims into engaging in the Freak Offs, including “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.”
As the indictment reads, “Combs maintained control over his victims through, among other things, physical violence, promises of career opportunities, granting and threatening to withhold financial support, and by other coercive means, including tracking their whereabouts, dictating the victims’ appearance, monitoring their medical records, controlling their housing, and supplying them with controlled substances.”
The indictment claims victims also often suffered injuries from Combs during these Freak Offs that “took days or weeks to heal.”
According to the documents, there were a number of individuals who witnessed these alleged abuses, however, “Combs and members and associates of the Enterprise engaged in acts of violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm, and verbal abuse” against these individuals when Combs’ authority or reputation were threatened.
The alleged acts of violence reportedly involved “kidn@pping and arson.”
Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo told reports outside court: “”He came to New York to basically engage the court system and start the case, and it will start today and he’s going to plead not guilty. He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers.”
Three West African countries run by military juntas will be launching a new biometric passports “in the coming days” as part of their withdrawal from the wider regional bloc Ecowas.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, whose military leaders took over power in series of coups between 2020 and 2023, announced their plan to leave the bloc in January. Following the coups, West African countries sanctioned the juntas, aiming to push them to quickly restore civilian rule.
But the three nations that now form the Alliance of Sahel States have so far resisted the calls, opting to cement their alliance.
“In the coming days, a new biometric passport of the [alliance] will be put into circulation with the aim of harmonising travel documents in our common area,” Malian junta leader Col Assimi Goïta said in a televised address on late on Sunday.
Col Goïta, who is the acting president of the Sahel alliance, spoke a day before the military governments were due to mark the first anniversary since they made a decision to create their own alliance.
He said they were also planning to launch a joint service that would promote a “harmonious dissemination of information in our three states”.
Burkina Faso had earlier revealed its decision to launch a new biometric passport without the Ecowas logo.
It remains unclear how the new passports will affect the travel of their nationals to other Ecowas states where they enjoyed visa-free movement as holders of a 15-nation regional passport.
In July, the junta chiefs said they were “irrevocably” turning their backs on Ecowas.
They said they wanted to build a community of sovereign peoples based on African values and “far from the control of foreign powers”.
The latest announcement comes as Ecowas is engaged in efforts to get the three Sahel nations to return to the bloc.
Ecowas recently warned that formalisation of the breakaway group posed a risk of regional disintegration and worsened insecurity.
The three countries created the Sahel alliance last year to boost military co-operation. In July they formed a confederation to broaden the nature of their work together beyond security.
The Sahel region has been battling jihadist violence for decades, which is estimated to have killed thousands and displaced millions across the region.
Tackling the insurgency is one of the reasons that the military leaders gave for the takeovers, although they have so far failed to quell the violence.
The three military-led countries have all expelled French soldiers who were there helping to fight jihadist groups and turned towards Russia for military assistance.
The Zimbabwean government has confirmed that the helicopter which crash-landed at an airstrip in Masvingo on Sunday was initially meant to transport President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The President, who was celebrating his 82nd birthday at Great Zimbabwe Monuments on the same day, was not on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.
Information Minister Jenfan Muswere revealed during a post-Cabinet media briefing last night that the helicopter, which experienced a technical fault leading to the crash, was intended to fly President Mnangagwa. The aircraft had only crew members on board, and there were no fatalities reported.
“The helicopter was supposed to fly the President, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa, but experienced a technical fault and crash-landed. The President was not on board. The helicopter had crew members only on board and there were no fatalities,” Muswere said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) is conducting an investigation into the incident, though details of the investigation have yet to be released.
This recent accident adds to a series of previous crashes involving military helicopters. Notably, in April 2021, a military helicopter crashed into a house near Harare, resulting in the deaths of three crew members and a child. Another crash occurred in April 2022 near Chibhero Agricultural College in Mhondoro, followed by a separate incident in Chitungwiza involving an Mi-35 helicopter gunship later that year. Investigations into these past incidents have also not been made public.
During the briefing, Muswere also addressed other government matters. He noted that beneficiary registration and data cleaning for the Urban Cash for Cereal Scheme were ongoing, and as of September 12, 2024, a total of 3,859.15 metric tonnes of mealie-meal/maize grain had been collected under the Emergency School Feeding Programme.
Additionally, Muswere announced that Cabinet had approved the allocation of ZWG47.2 million for a mop-up exercise for war collaborators and non-combatant cadres, with an appeals process available for those dissatisfied with the vetting outcomes.
Cabinet also considered and adopted the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, which aims to increase revenue for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) through mandatory vehicle radio licensing. The Bill mandates ZBC to broadcast 75% local content and includes a provision for a sports channel to broadcast 50% local sports content, reflecting the universal and commercial appeal of sporting events.
The developments around the helicopter crash, along with these other government measures, highlight ongoing issues and initiatives within Zimbabwe’s political and social landscape.
Bellamine Chatunga Mugabe’s lawyer has revealed that he is hospitalized and having surgery, which is why he skipped court.
A legal warrant has been released for Chatunga Bellamine Mugabe, the 27-year-old son of the late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, after he did not attend a court hearing on Tuesday. Magistrate Miss Vavariro Gavi issued the warrant at the Beitbridge court, marking another chapter in the young Mugabe’s ongoing legal challenges.
Chatunga is currently facing charges related to disorderly conduct and the possession of a prohibited knife, which stem from an altercation on August 30th near Beitbridge. The Incident: August 30th The charges against Chatunga arose during a routine police checkpoint while travelling in a South Africa-registered Range Rover. The situation escalated when law enforcement officers requested a passport from one of his companions. Allegedly frustrated, Chatunga reportedly became unruly, verbally assaulting officers and physically handling one of them, all while asserting his urgency to attend a wedding in Harare. The discovery of a flick knife in his possession compounded the legal case against him.
Initial Court Appearance and Bail Following his initial court appearance shortly after the August incident, Chatunga was granted bail. However, his failure to attend a recent court session resulted in the issuance of the arrest warrant. His legal representative, Muchihwande Forbes Sithole, sought to clarify the situation, explaining that Chatunga’s absence was due to ongoing medical treatment.
“He is currently undergoing a throat surgery in Harare and should be released by Friday,” Sithole stated. “We expect that he will attend the court on Monday, at which point we will seek a warning, caution, and discharge,” he added.
Public Reactions and Speculations The incident has reignited public discourse surrounding the Mugabe family, especially regarding the perception of preferential treatment that high-profile figures may receive in legal matters. Chatunga’s familial connections to the late Robert Mugabe have drawn significant attention from both the media and the public. The ongoing case continues to be a point of interest, mainly as Zimbabweans watch how justice will unfold for someone with such a well-known background.
Denial of Apology Post In the wake of his legal troubles, a post allegedly shared by Chatunga on social media went viral. The post reportedly apologised to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe, and Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga. The message appeared to express regret over the incident. However, Chatunga’s legal team was quick to disavow the post, stating that it did not come from their client and should not be regarded as an official statement from him.
Embattled hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs was remanded in federal custody on Tuesday afternoon, September 17, after a judge denied him bail as his s3x abuse case proceeds to trial.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to charges of s3x trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in pr∅stitution, and will be housed in pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The MDC holds around 1,600 inmates, all but a few dozen awaiting trial.
It has been New York City’s primary federal detention center since 2021, when the Bureau of Prisons shuttered Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Jeffrey Epstein died over the appalling conditions inside.
Combs’ lawyers even acknowledged the deplorable conditions in a motion for bail on Tuesday, noting that ‘several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention.’
‘Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered,’ the hip hop mogul’s defense attorneys wrote, according to the Daily Beast.
‘At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years.’
The attorneys were referencing the June 7 death of Uriel Whyte, who had been awaiting trial on gun charges for more than two years when he was stabbed to death.
The prison was put into a lockdown in the aftermath, ‘where essentially, we come out of our cell every three days for a 15-minute shower,’ one inmate told NY 1 at the time.
‘You’re literally in solitary confinement when you shouldn’t be,’ he said.
But just over one month later, another inmate, Edwin Cordero, died after being injured in a prison fight.
His attorney called his death ‘senseless and completely preventable’ and said Cordero was ‘another victim of MDC Brooklyn, an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is Hell on Earth,’ according to the New York Times.
Inmates and their lawyers have also claimed they found cockroaches on their food and mold in the showers, and in a number of recent legal cases, conditions at the prison were describes as ‘dreadful,’ ‘longstanding,’ ‘dirty,’ ‘inhuman’ and an ‘ongoing tragedy,’ Combs’ attorneys argued.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution charges, and following the hearing on Tuesday, his attorney promised to appeal Tarnofsky’s decision to deny bail.
‘Mr Combs is a fighter – he will fight this until the end. He is innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He is not afraid – he is not afraid of the charges,’ Agnifilo said.
‘He has been looking forward to clearing his name and he is going to clear his name. We believe in him wholeheartedly. He didn’t do these things.’
If convicted on the racketeering charges, Combs faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a sex trafficking conviction would carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars.
The Zimbabwean military is reeling from a spate of high-ranking officer deaths, with several brigadier generals and colonels passing away in recent months, potentially raising questions about the underlying factors behind the losses and the impact on national security.
The latest casualty is Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Gedion Sheik Zimondi, who died last Friday from injuries he sustained from a recent road accident.
According to a report by the state controlled newspaper, the Herald, Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal Jacob John Nzvede described Zimondi as ‘a dedicated cadre whose work ethic and commitment to excellence cannot be erased’.
However, he expressed deep concern over the alarming rate at which his fellow military officers are passing away, describing the situation as “more painful to accept”.
“Our hearts are filled with deep sorrow as we gather here at Manyame Air Force Base to bid farewell to the late Air Commodore (Retired) Peter Gedion Sheik Zimondi.
“The news of his passing on was a devastating blow for the entire Air Force of Zimbabwe because of the professional and personal connections that we all had with him,” he said.
“It is even more painful to accept because it comes hardly a month after the passing on of another air officer. The late Air Commodore (retired) Zimondi sustained injuries after a road accident, but like a true fighter that he was, he fought until he passed away on 13 September 2024.
“On behalf of the Air Force of Zimbabwe officers, members and indeed on my own behalf, I wish to express our deepest sympathies to the entire family, relatives and friends on your loss. For the better part of his life he was in the Air Force of Zimbabwe family.”
While the causes of death vary, the alarming rate at which senior officers are passing away has sparked worries within the military and beyond.
Zimondi’s death comes on the heels of Brigadier General (Retired) Shadreck Ndabambi’s passing at his farm in Glendale last month. The Zimbabwe National Army announced his death, citing collapse at home and subsequent pronouncement of death at Bindura General Hospital.
The tragic events are seemingly part of a larger worrying pattern. In recent months, several senior army officials have died under various circumstances.
Retired Brigadier-General Michael Chaminuka died aged 62 after a short illness.
Colonel Andrew Kabaira succumbed to a short illness on July 21 at 64.
Retired Brigadier-General Lameck Francisco Mutanda also passed away in the United Kingdom after a prolonged illness.
Brigadier-General Shadreck Vezha also died in a head-on collision along the Harare-Bulawayo road, along with three other Zimbabwe Defence Forces members.
The country has seen a significant number of army senior retired and serving members pass away since the 2017 military coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe.
The current events are also happening at a time when the ruling Zanu-PF party is facing a succession crisis. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is supposed to constitutionally step down at the end of his second term in 2028.
But Mnangagwa is allegedly planning to amend the Constitution and seek another term. This is being publicly resisted by his deputy Constantino Chiwenga, who has frequently refused to chant the controversial “2030” slogan.
