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ANALYSIS: THE JJ BANDA AND PSs AUDIO RECORDING- Laura Miti

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ANALYSIS: THE JJ BANDA AND PSs AUDIO RECORDING

Laura Miti writes:

I was about to start transcribing the audio said to be of PSes Dickson Matembo and Thabo Kawana, speaking to Jay Jay on his alleged abduction.

I was not looking forward to that but heck – for days I could hardly make sense of what was being said in the audio. Luckily, my colleague alerted me to the fact that News Diggers had already done what was going to be painful work. Phew!

Thank you News Diggers!

So, I’ve read the transcript. First conclusion is that it was not my listening failiing me. The conversation, even as set out in writing, is disjointed and highly inarticulate🤦🏾‍♀️.

Anyhow, I was able to pick a few passably conclusive points:

  1. The Permanent Secretaries were on a self appointed (it sounds like, anyway) mission to bring an end to the Jay Jay alleged abduction matter.
  2. The PSes particularly wanted Jay Jay to exonerate Presidential staffers, Clayson Hamasaka and Levy Ngoma, from the accusation that they were the abducters. Sounded like the push was that Lawyer Sakwiba Sikota made the claim, not Jay Jay, or at least that’s what the boma people wanted the Petauke MP to to say.
  3. On number 3, the Permanent Secretaries did not come across as quite agreed. PS Matembo seemed convinced that the abduction was by some forces that will be revealed after ongoing investigations end. He seemed to believe that Mr Sikota made up the Clayson – Levy story, deliberately besmirching innocent people’s reputations.

PS Matembo says – And those same chaps, then they should come to you with a bill after lying to the world. Don’t allow that.

On the other hand, Kawana seems to push for Jay Jay to confirm that it was Clayson and Levy who abducted him, so that he can go and tell “the boss.” He suggests he needs the whole truth in order to inform the President it was his men who did this, so that the guilty two can be sidelined, while still not implicating the innocent (in Kawana’s sense) Kateks.

Kawana: So they did it?

Jay Jay: cough.. I can’t say something…

Kawana: Jay Jay, me I just want to hear you say yes or no, so when I go to speak with the boss, I’ll tell him “boss these two were mentioned. They did it. But we can’t let this out because when this thing goes out, it is you.”

The Information PS goes on to state that he will say to the President that the two “abducters” probably thought they were doing him (Kateks) a favour.

My sense (could be wrong) was that PS Kawana sounded like he would really like Clayson and Levy to be guilty. Why – kaya🤷🏾‍♀️.

Anyhow, Jay Jay does not confirm whether Clayson and/or Levy abducted him. What he does is resist publicly withdrawing the accusation, because it will look bad on him.

He also does not stand up for his lawyer, Sikota, who is being accused of inserting things he did not say into a statement.

In the midst of all that, there is talk of a witch doctor Jay Jay seems desperate to see, as it is being used as bait for him to do what Kawana wants.

There is also a chief and Jay Jay’s sister, who seem to be his advisers and who are also having meetings.

We heard too that RB funded JayJay to campaign against Dora Siljya in Petauke, in 2016. Hmm juicy titbut that!

Then that Kawana and Felix Mutati, (in one of the Minister’s previous lives) vusuted RBs abode and joined there former President and Jay on a ka nsima.

All in all, it’s both a revealing and confusing conversation.

The question that is clear in the mind, though, is – what are PSes doing carrying out shady negotiations?

Aren’t these guys civil servants?

Well, I guess they did not argue when Jay Jay kept referring to them as politicians.

Oh audio ends with someone said to be Minister Masebo arriving. Jay Jay announces her as good peeps!

OK ine nimadabwa – how anyone gets recorded saying something they would not want to be heard.

But that’s another story.

Lusaka woman fights uncles who tried grabbing her inherited house

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FRIDAH Banda, a 32-year-old woman from Lusaka’s Meanwood compound, learned a harsh lesson about misplaced trust after her uncles allegedly tried to take the house left by her father.

Following the death of her father, a former Zambia Air Force officer in 2007, teenage Fridah inherited the family house and allowed her aged grandmother to continue living there out of love and respect.

Little did Fridah know, this act of kindness would become a weapon against her.

During the course of the years, renovations were made to the house and other flats built for rentals on the same land by her grandmother.

However, Fridah’s grandmother passed leaving behind a rumble of confusion in the family as, her six uncles swooped in with a shocking plan: sell the house.

They claimed Fridah had signed the ownership rights over to their mother before she died and were the ones behind the improvements of the house.

Fridah then decided to sue her uncles in the Matero Local Court to prevent them from selling her late father’s house.

“After the death of my father, all his properties and benefits were given to me and my grandmother as we were the only beneficiaries. But because I was young and only in grade 10, I decided to leave her in the house to stay despite it being mine because she was old,” Fridah told the court.

She disagreed, handing over the house to her grandmother saying she only allowed her grandmother to live there out of compassion and did not transfer ownership.

In his defense, her uncle Kelvin Banda, 49 argued that the house was given to their mother and renovated by the family.

“The percentages (of the properties left by Fridah’s father) were shared (among the two beneficiaries), and she gave the house to her grandmother, and we even renovated it. After she died, the house remained in our hands. But Fridah started getting rentals behind our back until we all decided that the house should be sold because it was going to bring us problems. But she refused,” he said.

Fridah countered, asking: “If I really gave the house to grandma, where did I sign to show that I had done so? Because I never wrote that anywhere. Even if you people want to sell that house, it is where we are all surviving from.”

Magistrate Lewis Mumba ruled in favour of Fridah, affirming her as the legal owner of the house.

“The legal owner of the house is her, it is in the father’s name. When you were fixing it and building more houses, you were doing it for her. You cannot tell her to sell the house, you also cannot sell the house without an administrator. You and your brothers have no rights whatsoever with that house,” said Magistrate Mumba.

Magistrate Mumba ordered Banda to hand over the house papers to Fridah, stating that no one can sell the property without her permission.
Credit kalemba

M’membe is playing medieval politics, says UPND’s Maoma

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M’membe is playing medieval politics, says UPND’s Maoma

By Margaret Malenga(The Mast)

UPND national chairman Collins Maoma has urged Socialist Party president Fred M’membe to respect the presidency and uphold democratic principles he claims to defend.

Reacting to parliament’s declaration of nine PF parliamentary seats vacant, Dr M’membe accused President Hakainde Hichilema of scheming to change the Constitution for his political survival.

“Second Deputy Speaker Moses Moyo’s declaration of nine parliamentary seats held by the Patriotic Front (PF) vacant is undemocratic, mischievous and confirms the ‘kangaroo nature’ of the National Assembly today. In the interest of justice, we outright reject this poorly choreographed scheme whose consequences will soon be so embarrassing for both its architects and implementors. This is not a way to govern a country. And it is such a shame to Mr Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND that such utter despotism and constitutional chaos can be allowed to play out on the floor of the House, which is expected to be a neutral arbiter in our country’s governance system. This decision is retrogressive and an indictment on the leadership of the country’s three arms of government, especially the executive, which is resolved to destroy the country’s democracy through a series of irregular, unconstitutional and barbaric manoeuvres to cement its hold over the country,” said Dr M’membe. “We have said it before that this is not an internal matter of PF. It is an issue of very serious national consequences if not handled properly. This is about Mr Hichilema wanting to garner the majority in parliament, which he failed to obtain through the general elections. The purpose of these amateurish political manoevures is to give himself a majority in parliament that he requires to make amendments to the Constitution that will perpetuate and entrench his divisive, corrupt and chaotic rule. Mr Hichilema wants to change the Constitution to perpetuate his stay in office by removing the five-year presidential term limit and introduce a seven-year term as well as remove the 50% + 1 to revert to first past the post electoral system to avoid a rerun that he fears greatly. He knows he can’t win an election, which is why he wants to dilute opposition representation in parliament to hang on to power regardless of the destruction to our democracy. We reject Mr Moyo’s declaration outright, and we call upon all progressive stakeholders of this country to get involved and rescue the country from Mr Hichilema’s desperation to install a full-blown dictatorship and make this country an outpost of senseless tyranny. This is what happens to a nation, a country when values, principles, and ethics are lost and sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. And those who aided or initiated this destructive process are now helplessly watching the inferno that they ignited. Sadly, Mr Miles Sampa, wittingly or unwittingly, is the ‘hero’ of this veritable chaos. One bad term doesn’t deserve another, aleya!”

But Maoma implored Dr M’membe to “discuss matters based on facts and not illusions”.

“Parties should learn to resolve their internal issues without resorting to accusing innocent people such as President Hichilema. Conversely, the President wants a strong opposition because he believes in strong democracy. It is fallacious for Dr M’membe to accuse the President of sponsoring shenanigans in the PF. Dr M’membe alleges that the President wants to decrease opposition numbers in parliament so that he can amend the Constitution and increase the presidential term to seven years,” he said. “No sir. You need to have a modicum of respect for the same democracy you purport to defend by respecting the presidency and other institutions of governance. Let’s discuss matters based on facts and not illusions. Dr M’membe’s cavalier approach to political discourse undermines the very democracy he thinks he is promoting. President Hichilema has never interfered in parliamentary decisions nor has he sponsored PF wrangling by any means.”

Maoma said the new dawn administration has noted with concern Dr M’membe’s attempt to drag the President’s name into “opposition political parties’ self-inflicted malady”.

“It is even more disingenuous and mischievous for Dr M’membe or anyone else to allege that the chaos in the opposition camp, particularly the Patriotic Front, is sponsored by President Hichilema with the ultimate goal of amending the Constitution to prolong his stay in power. Such utterances are not only unjustified but demonstrate how distant Dr M’membe is from the truth and how much he does not understand basic principles of governance. The sentiments also show that he does not understand President Hichilema’s deeply-entrenched belief in multiparty democracy,” Maoma said.

He said President Hichilema preoccupies himself with addressing serious national issues affecting Zambians in the aftermath of total economic destruction by the PF.

“If anyone cared to fact-check, they would have known that President Hichilema preoccupies himself with addressing serious national issues affecting Zambians in the aftermath of total economic destruction by the Patriotic Front, exacerbated by natural calamities such as drought and its effects. The President’s focus is to help citizens navigate through hunger and power shortages caused by the drought, and find medium to long term solutions to these challenges. He is focused on the next generation and not next election,” he argued. “He does not play games of political expediency. We expect Dr M’membe to know that. We actually know that he knows but is just playing medieval politics. In the case of the PF, it is public knowledge that they have been in self-destructive mode since its founding leader Michael Sata died in 2014. They have had their own way of choosing leadership and President Hichilema has had no hand at all. He didn’t influence that in 2015 and is not doing it now.”

Maoma further said amending the Constitution is not for President Hichilema or the UPND, declaring that “it is for the Zambian people. They will choose when to and what to amend”.

“Isn’t it noteworthy that President Hichilema garnered more than 50 per cent of the total votes cast in the 2021 general election when he was in opposition? Has Dr M’membe forgotten? How would he today, as purported by Dr M’membe, downgrade to a system of “first past the post? Reducing such important matters to a political office is gross naivety by Dr M’membe,” said Maoma. “Political parties should take responsibility for their own shortcomings instead of finding President Hichilema as the easiest target to accuse whenever they implode. Authority to resolve parliamentary matters is reposed in parliament itself or, if need be, the courts of law. President Hichilema, Dr M’membe or anyone else cannot usurp such powers. Let institutions of governance function without undue influence from Dr M’membe or indeed any other opposition political party.”

HOW TO SCAM CHRISTIANS IN AFRICA

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HOW TO SCAM CHRISTIANS IN AFRICA:

By Dr. Abel Damina

1) Organize a programme (Give it a fancy name like, Pharaoh, Let My People Go, No More Suffering, Miracle Night or Divine Settlement, reclaiming your destiny, open heaven rally).

2) Make sure it’s around the end of the month when salaries will be paid.

3) Look for trending gospel artists.

4) Negotiate a price with the gospel music artist.

5) Invite good motivational speakers and smooth talkers, most of them are false prophets. He/she must fly in from another city or country. You must innocently sit down during the service, and feign ignorance.

6) Make billboards and posters (it’s for publicity and marketing).

7) Now, the D day. It must be emphasized how the invited guest(s) left other business behind to fly all the way here. All because of the anointing of giving.

 Now let the musician sing and stir the emotions of all present – make sure the musicians are famous and loved by people. (If I make you sensational, it’s now easy to scam you).

9) Now, if you can give #10000, stand by my right, #5000 or less come up the altar, #1000, stay to my left.

10) Work have started. At this time most are no longer thinking straight. Some for class will even pledge to give next month.

11) If you can give land, car etc. I will pray for you specially after service in the Pastor’s office. (Tell them the office doesn’t open unless if its special cases and special instruction from above)

12) Get the artist to sing again “Your house Na double double…. ” (sustain it because some of them were still conscious).

13) Show them how the widow gave her last mite and the widow of Zarephath too. (They will agree, because it’s in the bible)

14) Now hear the chief scammer “I know I said I won’t go beyond this amount, but the Lord just said to me, the anointing is for everyone here, so come with what you have, remove your bus fare, empty every money you have on this

(Credit: Dr. Emediong Samuel)

Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group- UN experts

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The Ugandan army has provided support to the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), says a United Nations report as clashes escalate in the mineral-rich region.

The UN Security Council’s group of experts on Monday also said some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside M23 rebels in eastern DRC and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations.

The DRC has been riven by conflict for decades. Uganda and Rwanda invaded in 1996 and 1998 for what they said was defence against local militia groups.

Uganda is still conducting joint operations with the DRC troops against a rebel Ugandan group. Meanwhile, M23 fighters began waging a fresh rebellion in the eastern DRC in late 2021.

Ugandan troops were part of a regional force deployed in November 2022 to monitor a ceasefire with the M23. Congolese authorities called for the force to withdraw last year, saying it was ineffective.

“Since the resurgence of the M23 crisis, Uganda has not prevented the presence of M23 and Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops on its territory or passage through it,” said the UN report, which was sent to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee in April and to members of the Security Council in June.

The UN group also said it had obtained evidence confirming active support for M23 by officials from the military and military intelligence, with M23 leaders travelling to Uganda for meetings.

The deputy spokesman for Uganda’s armed forces, Deo Akiiki, told Reuters news agency such reports falsely accuse the East African country’s army when its relationship with the DRC forces is at its best.

“It would be mad for us to destabilise the same area we are sacrificing it all to have it stable,” Akiiki said.

DRC-Rwanda tensions

The UN has long accused Rwanda of backing the M23, which has repeatedly seized large parts of eastern DRC. Rwanda denies the allegations and has never acknowledged its troops are operating there.

The UN experts in their report said Rwandan army’s “de facto control and direction over M23 operations also renders Rwanda liable for the actions of M23”.

Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC’s minister of state for foreign affairs, also told Al Jazeera on Monday that the situation in the country’s east had deteriorated over the past few weeks and accused the Rwandan army of continuing to enter their territory.

“The situation that we’re looking at is one where we’re facing an influx of soldiers from our neighbouring country Rwanda, that has sent over 4,000 troops, that have fuelled a massive displacement crisis in eastern DRC,” she said.

“The question we should be asking ourselves is why Rwanda is not being sanctioned for violation of our territory,” Wagner added.

In response to the UN report, Rwanda said the DRC was financing and fighting alongside a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), that has attacked the Tutsis in both countries.

“The DRC has all the power to de-escalate the situation if they want to, but until then Rwanda will continue to defend itself,” Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said.

The renewed fighting in eastern DRC came two days after a United States-brokered truce plan fell through. The truce was aimed to ease hostilities, allow for the voluntary return of displaced people, and provide humanitarian access to vulnerable people.

Laporta confident Barcelona “could commit to the signing of Nico Williams”

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has stated that the club has the funds to sign Spain and Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, who has impressed at Euro 2024 in Germany.

Williams, 21, renewed his contract with Athletic last year, which includes a release clause of approximately €58 million ($63m).

Despite currently exceeding their annual LaLiga spending limit and being unable to register new signings, Laporta remains optimistic that Barcelona will soon resolve their financial issues and be in a position to acquire players like Williams.

“Economically speaking, we could commit to the signing of Nico Williams,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio on Monday.

“Nico’s a player I like — I like him a lot. We are working with [new coach Hansi] Flick on possible signings. Now we have to leave [sporting director] Deco to close the operations we are working on.

“Shortly we will be able to announce some good news with regard to the financial [issues] and we will be back within LaLiga’s Fair Play limits. And that will allow further good news in terms of [signings].”

Barcelona is eyeing Nico Williams to bolster their attack, particularly after his standout performance at Euro 2024. Williams, 21, has seen his reputation soar as he played a pivotal role in Spain’s journey to the semifinals.

At the Euros, Williams set up the decisive goal against Italy, earning the MVP title for that match, and contributed a goal and an assist in Spain’s 4-1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16.

During his time in Germany, Williams, along with Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Pedri, has been frequently asked about the potential of joining Barça next season. Yamal and Pedri, both of whom have grown close to Williams while playing for Spain, have expressed their desire for him to join the Catalan club.

Williams, however, has maintained his focus on the Euros, stating his primary goal is to help Spain secure their fourth European Championship. The Athletic forward, who plays alongside his brother Iñaki Williams at the club, will next take the field for Spain on Tuesday in the semifinal against France in Munich.

South African artists call for support for Mapaputsi after reports of ill health

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South African kwaito music legend Mapaputsi is reportedly now bedridden due to ill-health, with industry colleagues expressing concerns as they claim they have been failing to reach him due to his parents preferring to keep his sickness private.

Mapaputsi has been acknowledged as one of the most vocal and proactive artists when it comes to the health and well-being of other musicians, as the kwaito star has always been the first to hold hands in solidarity when another performer is suffering from ill health.

However, according to TshisaLIVE, a friend close to the musician claimed that no one seemed eager to return the favour now that the situations had been reversed.

“When other artists weren’t in good condition [Mapaputsi] was the first person with words of encouragement and support, but today, it is him and people are dragging their feet,” said the source.

An artiste who spoke on condition of anonymity said they had been struggling to get access to the musician. It is understood that the musician is in the care of his elderly parents, with his mother wheelchair-bound.

“We, as artists, want to show support for Mapaputsi and his family. However, we understood his family is protecting his privacy,” he said.

Trompies member Jarius said he was largely in the dark about the musician’s condition, as some of his calls were not answered.

“Other times I would be left wondering what was going on. I wasn’t aware he wasn’t well. The last time I spoke to him was a few weeks ago but at the moment I can’t get through to him,” Jarius said.

Former TKZee Family member Sbu “AmaLawyer” Ntshangase said he would visit Mapaputsi when his family eventually allowed it.

“I’ve tried many times to visit him but due to my busy schedule I couldn’t make it. I decided to wait for the family to allow us to visit him.

“I need to respect his family’s wishes, but we need to support him in this time of need. If there are events or benefit concerts for him I’m up for it,” Ntshangase said.

Mapaputsi’s former manager Busi Kunene told TshisaLIVE that he was concerned about the musician’s parents.

“My biggest concern is not about [Mapaputsi] — our concern is his parents because they are pensioners, so people who need to benefit from this are his parents.

“We need to speak to the family about the potential of the benefit concert so his parents and children

Afro Nation 2024: A vibrant celebration of African music and culture in Portugal

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Thousands of music lovers descended upon the stunning beaches of Praia da Rocha in Portimão, Portugal, for the highly anticipated Afro Nation 2024.

The festival, renowned as the world’s largest celebration of African music and culture, delivered an unforgettable experience filled with vibrant performances, dazzling beachwear, and the unmistakable spirit of camaraderie.

A Grand Opening with Nigerian Stars

The festival kicked off on June 26, 2024, with a spectacular lineup featuring some of the biggest names in Afrobeats. Nigerian artists Ruger and BNXN set the tone for an exhilarating weekend with their energetic performances.

The duo captivated the audience with their collaborative hit ‘Romeo Must Die’ from their joint EP ‘RnB’. Ruger, known for his dynamic stage presence, also performed his latest singles ‘Luv Again’ and ‘Make Way’, while BNXN thrilled fans with his smash hit ‘Gwagwalada’ and the popular ‘Finesse’, a collaboration with Pheelz.

However, it was the era-defining superstar Asake who headlined the opening day, delivering a performance that left the audience in awe.

Asake treated fans to his hit songs and debuted the full version of his highly anticipated single ‘Fuji Extravaganza’, expected to feature on his upcoming album ‘Lungu Boy’.

The highlight of his set was a surprise appearance by British chart-topping rapper Central Cee, with whom Asake performed their new single ‘Wave’. The electrifying chemistry between the two artists was a testament to the global reach and influence of Afrobeats.

A Celebration of African Sounds

Afro Nation is not just about Afrobeats; it celebrates the diverse sounds of African music. The Piano People Stage was a hub of South African talent, featuring performances by Tman Xpress, rapper Focalistic, and the sensational DJ Uncle Waffles.

The infectious energy of Amapiano reverberated through the festival, drawing festival goers into a rhythmic trance that perfectly complemented the beachside setting.

Day 2: Global Icons and Emerging Stars

The second day of Afro Nation 2024 continued the festival’s tradition of showcasing global superstars alongside emerging talents. Headliner Nicki Minaj took the stage by storm, delivering a show-stopping performance that had the crowd roaring with excitement.

Before her, the audience was treated to performances by Omah Lay, Flavour, and the rising star Odumodublvck. Each artist brought their unique flair to the stage, enriching the festival’s diverse musical tapestry.

The Piano People Stage on day two featured standout performances by Musa Keys, Mellow & Sleazy, Kelvin Momo, and KMAT. Their sets highlighted the evolving sound of Amapiano, blending traditional South African rhythms with contemporary beats.

Day 3: A Melting Pot of Genres

The final day of Afro Nation 2024 was a testament to the festival’s commitment to musical diversity. The Lit Stage hosted performances by the sensational Rema, the Congolese maestro Fally Ipupa, French stars Dadju & Tayc, and the ever-charismatic Seyi Vibez.

Each act brought their own distinct sound and energy, creating a rich mosaic of musical styles that resonated with the diverse audience.

Meanwhile, the Piano People Stage continued to pulse with Amapiano beats, featuring performances by Major League DJz, Young Stunna, DBN Gogo, Kamo Mphela, and Vigro Deep. The stage became a vibrant dance floor, with festival goers losing themselves to the hypnotic rhythms.

A Festival of Unity and Joy

One of Afro Nation’s defining features is the spirit of unity and joy that permeates the festival. Organizers often highlight the abundance of love and friendship that characterizes the event.

Last year, the festival even witnessed a marriage proposal on the stand in front of the main stage, a testament to the deep connections formed here. This year was no different, with festivalgoers from all walks of life coming together to celebrate their shared love for African music and culture.

Despite a few hiccups, such as the absence of anticipated acts like J Hus, the festival was a resounding success. The vibrant colors, glitter, and tribal decorations created a visually stunning backdrop, while the infectious energy of the music kept spirits high.

As Afro Nation 2024 drew to a close, it was clear that the festival had once again solidified its status as a premier celebration of African music and culture.

The event not only showcased the immense talent and diversity within African music but also fostered a sense of community and togetherness that left a lasting impression on all who attended.

With its unique blend of music, culture, and camaraderie, Afro Nation continues to be a beacon of African excellence, bringing the sounds of the continent to the world stage.

As festival goers bid farewell to Praia da Rocha, they carried with them memories of an extraordinary experience, eagerly anticipating the next Afro Nation celebration.

Meals dry up as Zimbabwe’s drought sets in

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A bed of sand and a patch of mud are all that remains of Kapotesa dam in Mudzi district, which once provided the water vital for crops and livestock in this remote part of northeastern Zimbabwe.

Nearby, farmer Georgina Kwengwere walks among corn stalks desiccated by the drought that is ravaging her country and leaving millions of people in need of food aid.

“I did not harvest anything after all my effort and using all our savings to buy seeds,” said the 54-year-old, shaking her head despondently. “Not even a single cob.”

The Kapotesa dam dried up in May, Kwengwere said. “Only God knows how we are going to survive until the next harvest next year.”

When the rains are good, water from the dam allows Kwengwere and her husband to grow vegetables to feed themselves and their six children. There is even a surplus to sell for cash to buy livestock and pay school fees.

Now Kwengwere has to join other villagers on a 5km daily walk to a business centre in the small town of Kotwa to look for odd jobs to be able to buy food.

On a good day, she will make about $3; on a bad day, she makes the long walk back home to her village of Mafuta empty-handed.

Like most villagers in the district of about 164,000 people, her family has cut back meals to just two a day.

“Most of us have no food in our homes,” said Takesure Chimbu, 58, also from Mafuta. “Without water, everything is down.”

Cases of malnutrition have jumped by about 20 percent in Mudzi in the past three months, district medical officer Kudzai Madamombe said.

“Food is quite expensive in the district especially due to the fact that we are drought-prone,” he said, calling for government assistance.

Faced with this spike in malnutrition, health experts in Mudzi have come up with a nutritional porridge called maworesa, which means “the very best” in the local Shona language.

It is made from cheap, locally sourced ingredients such as eggs, sugar beans and baobab fruit that are contributed by the villagers.

The porridge was concocted to cover basic nutritional needs by including carbohydrates, protein, and fruits and vegetables, Madamombe said.

“This has greatly helped in curbing malnutrition using as little money as possible while making sure that every child in every family gets at least four basic food groups at least once a week,” he said.

Zimbabwe and neighbouring Malawi and Zambia are among the countries in Southern Africa most affected by malnutrition after a severe drought which experts say was worsened by the El Nino phenomenon.

In May, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster, saying Zimbabwe needed at least $2bn to respond to the drought.

At least 7.6 million people, almost half of the population, need aid, the UN said in May. Children aged under five and pregnant and lactating women are most affected.

“Harvests have not been what they should be,” said UNICEF Zimbabwe chief communications officer Yves Willemot. “Most people are living in a pretty dire situation with lack of access to water and food.”

In early June, the UN launched a $429m drought appeal for Zimbabwe.

“Until now, except for internal resources and resources from the UN safe, we have not received any contributions yet,” Willemot said.

Zimbabwe is one of the countries in Southern Africa whose food intake is being affected by a severe drought which experts say was worsened by El Nino

Uganda Defence Forces recruit collapses during physical drills due to hunger

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A Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) recruit identified as Levi Okwir on July 9 collapsed during a physical fitness test exercise in Dokolo District due to suspected hunger.

This young man, who is a resident of Okwongodul “B” Village, Okwongodul Parish, Dokolo Sub-county in Dokolo District, collapsed at Dokolo Technical Institute shortly before completing the 4-kilometre run.

He was immediately evacuated by the ambulance belonging to the UPDF recruitment team codenamed “Team Six” and the medical team for intensive first aid.

Capt Doctor Alex Kissa, the Team Six medical officer, said the candidate’s blood pressure had dropped below normal but he was resuscitated in time.

After gaining his stability, Okwir reportedly told the UPDF medical team that he did not take enough water or eat food in the evening of July 8. He did not have breakfast on Tuesday morning before going for the exercise.

Capt Ahmad Hassan Kato, UPDF 4th Infantry Division Public Information Officer, also the spokesperson for Team Six, confirmed the incident. However, he told the Monitor that Okwir was now out of danger pending further medical examinations.

“Mr. Levi did not make a kilometre before he fainted,” he said.

The recruitment team is at Dokolo Technical Institute to recruit young Ugandan women and men who had initially applied and were shortlisted by the UPDF to join the force.

The team will recruit candidates from Amolatar and Dokolo districts on Tuesday and on Wednesday, July 10, recruit from Kaberamaido and Kalaki districts but all the exercises will be at Dokolo Technical Institute in Dokolo Town Council.

Capt Kato said during the two-day exercise, at least 39 shortlisted candidates from Dokolo and additional 30 candidates from Amolatar will be recruited.

“We registered eight absentee candidates from Dokolo and five from Amolatar,” he added.

Between July 10 and July 14, the Team Six will vet and recruit 25 candidates from Kaberamaido; 26 from Kalaki, 42 from Apac, 39 from Kwania, 83 from Oyam, and 52 from Kole District as per the quotas allotted to each district based on the recent census statistics.

“So far three candidates were got with fake Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) result slips from Dokolo District and three from Amolatar District,” the UPDF 4th Division Public Information Officer said.

“They were handed over to their respective District Internal Security Officers for further investigations and management. The team will only handle those who have been shortlisted, vetted, and cleared to be considered to join the UPDF,” he said.

The medical team then examines candidates for body deformities among other in-depth medical checkups.

White House has refused to explain a Parkinson’s expert’s eight recent visits

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The White House has refused to explain a Parkinson’s expert’s eight recent visits to the executive mansion of US President Joe Biden, citing “security reasons” despite the visitor logs being public.

Reports emerged on Sunday that a well-known Neurologist and Parkinson’s expert, Dr. Kevin Cannard had visited the White House, as publicly available visit logs showed, fueling suggestions Biden might be suffering from a neurological disease.

Reports then emerged on Monday that the neurologist had visited Biden 8 times in the last 8 months.

When pressed on the reports by journalists, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday night, July 8, refused to confirm the visits and the name of the doctor citing security concerns.

Jean-Pierre refused to say what those security concerns surrounding Dr. Kevin Cannard’s visits might be, and at one point accused correspondents of engaging in “personal attacks.”


“There are thousands of military personnel who come onto this White House, many of them get the care from the White House Medical Unit. And so we need to be super careful,” the press secretary said.

“The medical unit hosts a wide range of specialists, from dermatologists to neurologists, and so I cannot speak to every person because there are actually security reasons to protect their privacy.”

Cannard’s visits included a January meeting with presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor that was first highlighted Saturday by The Post in the wake of the president’s disastrous June 27 debate performance, at which he appeared confused and made nonsensical remarks.

Biden had a physical examination in February and the White House said afterward that he did not have Parkinson’s.

Jean-Pierre said at the briefing that Biden has only seen a neurologist three times as president at each of his annual physical exams, but painstakingly avoided ruling out the possibility that Cannard was visiting the White House to consult on Biden’s health.

“They’re in the White House visitor logs. It’s public! I looked it up before I came out here. It is right there for anyone to see,” Ed O’Keefe of CBS News pointed out.

“I cannot from here confirm any of that because we have to keep their privacy. I think they would appreciate that too,” Jean-Pierre maintained.

“The patient or the doctor?” O’Keefe pressed.

“We have to keep their privacy,” Jean-Pierre replied, without answering the question.

”It is public,” reiterated NBC News correspondent Kelly O’Donnell, while O’Keffe exclaimed that “you’re going to allow this to fester longer, Karine, unless the White House just answers the question!”

Jean-Pierre chided O’Keefe that “there’s no reason to go back and forth at me in this aggressive way.”

“We’re a little miffed around here about how information has been shared with the press corps about him!” shot back O’Keefe, noting Jean-Pierre had previously provided incomplete information about whether Biden had medical check-ups following the debate.

“I am telling you right now I am not sharing, confirming names from here,” she repeated. “It is for security reasons. I am not going to do that, Ed. It doesn’t matter how hard you push me. it doesn’t matter how angry you get with me.

“I am not going to confirm a name, it doesn’t matter if it’s even in the log,” Jean-Pierre concluded.

Later, O’Donnell pointed out that reporters were merely “seeking clarity” and noted that Biden could choose to make his medical records immediately available by waiving his protections under federal law.

“One part of the reason we are pressing here is that we are not clear, on what has happened,” O’Donnell said. “And therefore, the American people to whom we report don’t have a sense. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”

“Personal attacks is not OK,” Jean-Pierre added. “Want to be very, very clear here.”

Jean-Pierre also accused reporters of “personal attacks.”

“The president doesn’t need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment, that is the assessment of the president’s doctor, that is also the assessment of his neurologist,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference the same day.

Biden’s cognitive acuity and readiness to take on former President Donald Trump, 78, in the 2024 election have come under intense scrutiny from members of the media and Democratic lawmakers and strategists since his debate flop on June 27.

Biden who is the oldest-ever president tripped over his own words at several points and agonizingly froze up before delivering a non sequitur in response to a critical line of questioning about his handling of entitlement programs.

Fugitive drug lord arrested after his wife’s constant posting on social media 

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A Fugitive drug lord has been arrested after his wife’s constant posting on social media helped authorities in Brazil capture him after a two-year manhunt.

Ronald Roland, 50, was arrested last Tuesday at his condominium in the southeastern city of Guarujá after his wife, Andrezza de Lima, had previously shared one of their locations, TV Globo’s news magazine show Fantastico revealed.

Fugitive drug lord arrested after his wife

Roland, de Lima, and their daughter were sleeping when Federal Police raided their residence.

De Lima, who owns a bikini shop, often posted their travels to Colombia, Dubai, France, and Maldives.

The kingpin was among eight people arrested as part of an operation across seven states, with authorities seizing large amounts of cash, jewellery, weapons, a boat, 34 cars, and an airplane.

Federal Police investigators alleged that he had contacts with drug cartels in Mexico and estimated he laundered $900 million over the last five years.

Fugitive drug lord arrested after his wife

One of the 100 businesses that were used to launder cash was his wife’s bikini shop.

‘Houses were purchased in the name of companies whose partners were people without the minimum economic capacity to acquire real estate, vehicles, aircraft,’ Federal Police agent Ricardo Ruiz told the network. ‘We found partners of companies, for example, who work in a restaurant, but who are partners in several companies that moved tens of millions of reais.’

Ruiz added that the agency had been looking into Roland’s activities since 2012.

He was working as an airline pilot at the time and was investigated for his connections to drug traffickers who sent massive loads of drugs from Central and South America to Mexico.

Fugitive drug lord arrested after his wife

Roland raised eyebrows in 2019 when he moved into a luxurious condominium in Uberlandia, a city in the nearby southeastern state of Minas Gerais. He was spotted one week driving a $91,500 vehicle and the following week one valued at $183,000 and a week later a luxury car worth $146,000.

‘This caught the attention of the neighbourhood. Who is this person who moved here,’ Ruiz said.

man has been accused of k!lling his wife before using her phone for months to pretend she was alive

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An Italian man has been accused of k!lling his wife before using her phone for months to pretend she was alive.

Francesca Deidda, 42, disappeared in May from the Italian town of San Sperate, in Cagliari, southern Sardinia and investigators believe that she was k!lled by her husband, 43-year-old Igor Sollai, local media reports.

After Deidda was last seen, messages were reportedly sent from her phone telling friends and family that she needed some time away due to a breakdown in her relationship. Still, she refused to speak to anyone on the phone.

The call centre she worked at also received her resignation in an email after she disappeared.

Investigators allege that these messages and emails were written by Sollai after he killed his wife and hid her body, using them to conceal his crime and pretend Deidda was still alive.

While the phone has not been found, ‘traces left by the suspect online’ led to his arrest, according to local media.

Deidda was reported missing by her brother and a coworker on May 30.

When Sollai was asked by police why he didn’t report his wife missing, he said it was because her brother had already done so.

Police quickly ruled out suicide and voluntary separation and focused their investigation on Deidda’s relationship with her husband, who reportedly gave several conflicting statements.

Sollai claims that his wife wanted some time apart to ‘reflect’, according to local reports.

Investigators say the evidence indicates that the couple had hit a rough patch in their relationship before Deidda disappeared.

Despite nobody being found in the case, Sollai has been arrested on murder charges last week and remains in prison.

He maintains his innocence and his lawyer, Carlo Demurtas, told local media: ‘There is no evidence that this was a homicide.

‘And to date, we have no evidence to say that our client used his wife’s phone or sent the email.’

Demurtas had campaigned for Sollai to receive house arrest or to be released pending trial, but a judge ruled today that the truck driver will remain in custody.

The couple’s house, where they had been living together since 2012, as well as their cars, has been seized by police.

Trump has said he doesn’t expect current President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 contest due to his “ego”

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Former US President, Donald Trump has said he doesn’t expect current President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 contest due to his “ego”.

During a prime-time appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Monday night, July 8, Trump, 78, said;

“I think he might very well stay in, and if he doesn’t – nobody wants to give up that way – he’s going to feel badly about himself for a long time,”

“He’s got an ego and doesn’t want to quit. I think Jill would like to see him stay, she’s having a good time. I’m hearing Hunter is calling the shots,” he mused.

“It’s hard to give it up that way the way they’re trying to force him out,” the former president said, alluding to the growing chorus of Democratic allies calling for Biden, 81, to step aside.

In the wide-ranging 18-minute phone interview, Trump’s first since his debate with Biden last month, host Sean Hannity asked the 2024 GOP nominee about his rival’s performance in the June 27 debate.

“Within minutes I could tell this was not going to be a good night for Joe Biden,” Trump said, highlighting his “extremely pale” appearance on the Atlanta stage.

“He was a very pale man, to put it nicely. I don’t know, maybe it was a good makeup job, maybe it wasn’t a good makeup job.”

“When he started to speak I thought his voice was weak, I didn’t know exactly what was happening. It was strange,” he said, describing Biden as going “a little haywire.”

As for the content of his opponent’s messaging, Trump said, “They weren’t even answers, they were just words put together that made no meaning or sense.”

Hannity questioned Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris, whose name has been floated in recent days as the presumptive heir apparent should Biden surrender his candidacy.

“Well I think that it will be her,” Trump said of the unlikely event Biden steps down and is replaced at the top of the ticket.

He called the Democrats “gun shy” about the prospect of going with anybody other than Harris in his stead.

Biden has rejected calls for him to step down from fellow Democrats, insisting that he is the most qualified to win the election. At a Wisconsin rally, he declared that he is “running and going to win again.”

“They don’t want to do it any other way.” he sais

As for his reaction to the media’s about-face on denying Biden’s declining faculties, Trump said “It’s getting difficult to cover for him.”

When Hannity point-blank asked if he wanted Biden to step aside, Trump said simply, “We’ve prepared for him, but I don’t think it’s going to matter.”

Airline apologizes for kicking two blind passengers from plane

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An airline HK Express has apologized after two blind passengers say they felt “insulted and embarrassed” for being kicked out of the flight citing safety concerns.

Passengers Andy Chui, 34, and John Li, 27, were booked for an afternoon flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo on May 22, and said they had informed the airline about their disability, according to a statement from the Hong Kong Blind Union.

Li and Chui said they went through check-in without any issues and were escorted to the boarding gate as usual. On board, crew members briefed them about in-flight safety procedures but later removed them from the plane over safety concerns after learning they were traveling unaccompanied, according to Li and Chui.

Airline apologizes for kicking two blind passengers from plane citing

“We felt insulted and embarrassed. They were treating us as if we were criminals,” Chui said in a press conference.

Blind Union president Billy Wong, said the handling of the situation left the passengers confounded because they had been able to travel alone without issues on other airlines.

Wong also called on the airline to investigate its protocols and treatment of travelers with disabilities, saying guidelines from aviation authorities were toothless.

“They need to ensure that companies comply with these guidelines and that there are punitive measures when companies discriminate against people with disabilities,” Wong told CNN.

HK Express said in a statement that “due to differing judgments made by the ground staff and aircrew,” the case was escalated to management for assessment and the “additional time required” to decide had led to the pair being “unable to travel on the original flight.”

HK Express said its staff had followed the airline’s “standard safety procedures,” during the incident, without specifying whether the two passengers had failed to comply with its protocols.

The airline added it was later confirmed that “the two passengers could travel safely without a companion,” and they were “re-accommodated on a later flight of their choice on the same day to their destination.”

“The decision made by the aircrew was entirely based on safety considerations, and the on-duty staff accompanied the two passengers as they left the cabin,” HK Express commercial director KK Ong said in a separate statement. “We sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience caused to the two passengers.”

Spanish tourist was crushed to de@th by an angry herd of elephants after he got out of his car to take photographs

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A Spanish tourist was crushed to de@th by an angry herd of elephants after he got out of his car to take photographs in a South African game reserve.

The tourist was driving around with his fiancee and two other visitors around the Pilanesberg National Park on Sunday, July 7, when he stopped and got out of the car.

Despite warnings from his three fellow passengers to get back into the car the tourist, aged 43, said he wanted to get close-ups of the six elephants.

According to Mail Online, a huge 3.5-ton adult female cow protecting the young members of the herd charged at the man and she was joined by the other two adult bulls who also attacked.

The screaming Spaniard was racing back with his camera to safety through the bush to his friends in the car but was overtaken by the chasing herd who knocked him down and trampled him to de@th.

It was gathered that the man was on holiday from Spain with his fiancee and was with two of her South African friends from Johannesburg when the tragedy happened on Sunday morning.

A North-West Parks & Tourism Board spokesman said: ‘The elephants moved away immediately from the scene without any aggression towards the nearby vehicles and disappeared in the bushes.

‘The guest was a male Spanish citizen who had entered Bakgatia Gate with three friends and not far from the gate had come across a breeding herd of elephants feeding a distance from the road.

‘According to eyewitnesses the man decided to alight from the vehicle and approach the elephants on foot taking pictures.

‘Despite warnings from his fellow passengers and occupants from two other vehicles that were at the sighting he unfortunately did not heed the warnings.

‘An adult elephant charged at the man who then ran from the elephant.

‘He was unfortunately not able to escape or evade the elephant which was now joined by the whole herd. He was caught and trampled to de@th.

‘Park officials were alerted and immediately rushed to the scene to aid the affected persons, secure the scene and assist with the investigation.

‘Statements by witnesses who observed the whole incident further suggest the female elephant that charged and attacked might have done so to protect the herd and young ones.

‘The case has been handed over to the police for further investigation,’ said Pieter Nel, Acting Chief Conservation Officer for the NW Parks & Tourism Board.

He further stressed that all tourists are warned not to get out of their cars and that information is printed on their entry tickets which is not just for the safety of the guests but also the animals.

Mr. Nel added: ‘The Board is very saddened by this tragic accident and would like to express their sincere condolences to the deceased’s next of kin and friends’.

A park ranger speaking on condition of anonymity said: ‘It was a very stupid thing to do and the tourist was literally shouted at to get back in his car but wanted to get photographs of the herd.

‘He had walked too far away off the road to be able to make it back to the car in time when he charged. His friends were in a hysterical state and needed immediate expert counselling.

‘There was not much left to identify. The victim had been trampled into the ground. Sadly despite all the warnings people still get out to take photos but most are lucky enough to get away with it.

‘The herd were not to blame and were acting entirely as normal when they felt a threat to their young. Indeed they passed right past the car with the three of his friends in when they left’ he said.

North West Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said:’According to information received the man was with his fiancée and two other females in their own vehicle.

‘They allegedly spotted three elephants and three calves. Reports suggest that the man stopped the vehicle, alighted and went closer to the elephants to take pictures.

“Game On!” – Lungu Ready to Face Eligibility Case in Court

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“Game On!” – Lungu Ready to Face Eligibility Case in Court

Former President Edgar Lungu has signaled his readiness to take on the latest legal challenge to his political aspirations, as the Constitutional Court of Zambia refused to dismiss a case questioning his eligibility to contest the 2021 elections. With a single word, “Game On,” Lungu expressed his determination to confront the matter head-on.

The case, brought forward by Michelo Chizombe, challenged the constitutionality of Lungu seeking a third term in office. Despite the matter being adjudicated upon three times before, political pundits argue that it is being raised as a way to bar Lungu, who is seen as President Hakainde Hichilema’s main political threat, from contesting the 2026 elections.

Addressing the media, Lungu’s lead defense lawyer, Makebi Zulu, explained the court’s decision. “The court today has come up with a ruling saying they are a lot of contentious issues that are being raised by the Petitioner as well as ourselves in the matter, and the court will not be inclined to dismiss it as a preliminary issue but are inclined to hear the whole issue so that they come up with a final determination.”

Zulu added that the defense team will now appear before a single judge to schedule when the main matter will be heard, and they will inform the public accordingly.

While Lungu refrained from making any additional comments, his one-word response, “Game On,” conveyed a sense of readiness and determination to face the legal challenge head-on.

The mood at the court was tense, as Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu had warned Lungu’s supporters to stay away, threatening them with arrest. However, the supporters thronged the court grounds, undeterred by the combat vehicles and riot gear-clad police. They chanted the famous PF slogan “alebwelelapo,” meaning “he is coming back,” and also raised new slogans like “power to the people,” complaining of oppression from the UPND government.

As the case moves forward, the nation will closely follow the proceedings, which could have significant implications for Zambia’s political landscape. With Lungu’s measured response, the stage is set for a pivotal legal battle that will test the former president’s political resilience.

FORMER PRESIDENT EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU’S ELIGIBILITY CASE TO BE HEARD BY A SINGLE CHARGE

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Zambia’s Constitutional Court Refuses to Dismiss Lungu Eligibility Case, Sending it to Full Trial

In a detailed ruling signed by Constitutional Court Judge P. Munalula and Judges Shilimi, Sitali, Mulonda, Mulenga, Musaluke, Chisunka, Mulongoti, Mwandenga, Kawimbe and Mulife, Zambia’s Constitutional Court has refused to dismiss a petition challenging former President Edgar Lungu’s eligibility to contest the 2021 elections, instead sending the matter to a full trial. This decision marks a significant development in the long-running legal battle over Lungu’s political future.

The petition, filed by Michelo Chizombe, sought to challenge the constitutionality of Lungu’s candidacy, arguing that he had already served two terms as president and was therefore ineligible to run again. However, Lungu’s legal team had filed a notice of motion, seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds of res judicata, abuse of court process, and lack of jurisdiction.

In its ruling, the Constitutional Court panel dismissed Lungu’s notice of motion, stating that the issues raised were highly contested and more suited for determination at a full trial rather than through the summary procedure under Order 14A of the Rules of the Supreme Court.

“Given the contending positions taken by the parties in this case, both in the main matter and the notice of motion, our view is that while this Court has power to determine a matter on a point of law in an appropriate case, pursuant to Order 14A of the White Book, the issues raised in the petition are not suitable for determination on a point of law under the procedure set out in that Order,” the court stated.

The court further noted that the issues raised in the petition must be allowed to be addressed on the merits at trial, and ordered the matter to be sent back to a single judge to schedule the hearing of the petition.

The decision has ignited a new round of political drama in Zambia, as the country braces for a potentially high-stakes legal battle that could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s political landscape.

9th July, 2024

The Ruling in the matter of the Eligibility Case

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The Ruling in the matter of the Eligibility Case

[7.3] In the present case, the 1st respondent has raised four questions which he seeks to have determined as preliminary issues. The questions are set out at paragraph [1.1] of this ruling.

[7.4] Without delving into the merits of the notice of motion, we note that the issues which the 1st respondent wishes us to determine as preliminary issues are the same issues he raised in his defense in answer to the petition.


In paragraphs 2 to 7 of his answer, the 1s respondent stated that this Court has
already pronounced itself on the issues raised by the petitioner; that the petitioner had an opportunity to raise those issues when the matter was before this Court under three different petitions but neglected to do so; that
this Court pronounced itself on Article 35 of the Constitution of Zambia, 1991 as amended in 1996, which Article was repealed by the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016; that this Court should embrace the
principle of finality in legal decisions, considering the potential adverse consequences of setting aside a decision that was made in his favour; that this Court thoroughly reviewed all relevant legal provisions, and that the majority decision was not made in ignorance of any applicable law.

[7.5] We have set out the 1st respondent’s responses in his answer to the petition in paragraph 7.4 to demonstrate that the issues raised in that answer mirror the issues which the 1st respondent has raised in the notice of motion for our determination as preliminary issues under Order 14(A) of the White
Book. While the Court has power, at any stage of the proceedings, to determine any question of law arising in a cause or matter, the Court may only do so if it is satisfied that such question is suitable for determination
under the procedure provided for in Order 14(A) of the White Book without a full trial of the action.

The Court will not do so where the questions of law to be determined are highly contested and are more suited for determination at
trial. In other words, the decision whether or not the Court will determine a cause or matter on a point of law under the summary procedure provided for in Order 14A of the White Book is informed by the nature of the question or action in issue.

[7.6] Given the contending positions taken by the parties in this case, both in the main matter and the notice of motion, our view is that while this Court has power to determine a matter on a point of law in an appropriate case, pursuant to Order 14A of the White Book, the issues raised in the petition are not suitable for determination on a point of law under the procedure set out in that Order.

The issues raised in the petition must therefore, be allowed to be addressed on the merits at a trial.
R15

‘Uma ndime’! Could it be Dr Sishuwa needing Chainama mental checkup for suggesting ‘killing God’; not President HH?

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‘Uma ndime’! Could it be Dr Sishuwa needing Chainama mental checkup for suggesting ‘killing God’; not President HH?

By Austin Mbozi

‘Limbi’ (maybe) it is University of Stellenbosch

lecturer Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa who might need Chainama hospital mental checkup for wanting to ‘kill God’ (Lusaka Times, 28 June 2028); not President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) who merely said ‘hunger is biblical’.

Since Dr Sishuwa chose ‘locker-room banter’ by suggesting President HH’s ‘psychiatrist evaluation’, I am telling him to ‘uma ndime’ (beat/ ‘banter’ me) instead of him ‘bantering’ HH. Dr Sishuwa is a respectable academic. He critiqued President HH even when he (HH) was in opposition, arguing that HH offered no alternatives/solutions. Although I am a UPND supporter I read/encourage Dr Sishuwa because I learn from/reflect on his writings. I also critique politicians like Dr Sishuwa’s ‘friend’ comrade Fred M’membe. But I have never digressed to personalising things and suggesting their ‘psychiatric evaluation’ as Dr Sishuwa is doing on President HH.

The most charitable interpretation of President HH’s ‘hunger is biblical’ is this: He never justified as good the hunger-causing drought. He merely meant that he would try to tackle it as did the biblical former slave and prisoner Joseph who helped king Pharaoh to prevent hunger during the seven-year Egyptian drought. But even if President HH’s rivals were to draw the most uncharitable interpretation, that would still not amount to recommending the President’s mental checkup. President HH’s rivals can only disagree saying, ‘no Mr President, Pharaoh actually PREVENTED hunger by stockpiling the food during the good harvest years like Edgar Lungu tried to do with the FRA, while you sold off the good years’ harvest’.

On that we in UPND are like good coaches. When players on the pitch error, we say ‘we’ erred, even if as coaches we were not playing on the pitch. So ‘we’ concede as UPND that ‘we’ miscalculated, for ‘we’ are ordinary humans who did not have the divinely-inspired future prediction capacity which the biblical Joseph had. So we sold off FRA-stored maize hoping that the 2023/2024 season would have good rains.

‘Our’ error was to neglect to tell Zambians AT THAT TIME that we were selling to pay PF-era debt to farmers or to create storage capacity. Hence their mistrust of ‘us’, thinking these are just our ‘aftermath’ explanations rather than just apologise for our miscalculation. But apologise, how? My dear, in our African Ila tradition, you preserve your father’s dignity by not expecting him to kneel down saying sorry for accidentally whipping you with a ‘mukwilo’ as he tried to whip that troublesome, plough-pulling ‘kajongosi’ (ox). Your father’s way of ‘apologising’ is by taking you for treatment at the village medicine man. President HH is saying ‘sorry’ by spending ‘sleepless nights’ trying to resolve our hunger crisis!

But Dr Sishuwa proposes that ‘there are times when I feel Zambia must kill God’ so that we learn to be self-critical and self-reliant. If Dr Sishuwa was charitable to President HH, I would also have been charitable to him by interpreting him as defending the respectable view that we should replace our religious beliefs with scientific ones, as held by Jewish-German philosopher Karl Marx in his essay, ‘Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right’ where he remarked that religion is ‘the opium of the masses’. Or like French philosopher Jean Paul Satire’s existentialism based on the idea that ‘god is dead’.

But he chose to be uncharitable, proposing President HH’s ‘psychiatric evaluation’.

So I reply to him using his uncharitable ‘medicine’ by interpreting him as literally suggesting flying to Heaven, jump through the Heaven-house window and axe-cut to death both Jesus Christ and his father Jehovah! ‘Ndaiyasa nondo muliso aisha!’ (I’ve nailed Dr Sishuwa!) This interpretation makes Dr Sishuwa the one needing Chainama mental checkup; not President HH!

Let me now ‘saulula’ him (finish off). First, HH is right that ‘hunger is biblical’ but no normal thinker ever suggested physically killing a god as did Dr Sishuwa. Second, many religions concur with HH that only gods can understand/resolve the mysteries of drought –rains dichotomy while even climate change scientists whom Dr Sishuwa wants to associate with are still investigating these mysteries. The biblical floods of Noah can be interpreted as ‘climate change’ in modern science. But those Jewish ancients attributed them to God’s move to wipe out sinners. While the Jews were religious, the Greeks were philosophical. But even the Greeks could not escape religion, and thought the rains-droughts dichotomy was dictated by a god called Zeus.

In Africa, the Tonga believed chief Moonze to be the rain-maker, the Lozi believed in Nyambe while the Ibo Eastern Nigerians had Amadiora the god of fatal thunder. Former president Chiluba who declared Zambia a Christian nation and president Edgar Lungu who declared 18 October as Day of National Prayer, all believed that somehow, gods have a say in the drought -rains dichotomy. Even science has not proved or disapproved God’s existence; nor has the philosophical god-existence-proving arguments like the ontological argument, cosmological argument, design argument or Blaise Pascal’s Wager. Thus many philosophers, including me, tend to be agnostic.

Thirdly, Dr Sichuwa has also implied that even you the reader should go for mental checkup, that is, if you are a Christian. He said the idea of attributing gods to droughts ‘is a belief that is prevalent among Zambians today’ because most Zambians are ‘unquestioning’, ‘passive’, ‘cowardly’ and [worst of all] ‘zombie-like’. I think zombie-likes are those supporting Dr Sishuwa’s article in the comment section of Lusaka Times. You support a Dr Sishuwa who has just called you zombie-like just because his article attacked the HH whom you dislike? You also need to be taken for Chainama for mental checkup and queue up behind Dr Sishuwa in psychiatrists’ waiting room.

The author invites awaits/will enjoy Dr Sishuwa to counter-attack him. So he is beckoning Dr Sishuwa saying, ‘uma ndime’ (‘banter’ me) instead of ‘bantering’ HH. Phone 0978741920, email: austin.mbozi2017@gmail.com

WHY HAS THE CHURCH REMAINED SILENT WHILE PRESIDENT HICHILEMA IS PUBLICLY DEMEAMED BY HIS PREDECESSOR?

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WHY HAS THE CHURCH REMAINED SILENT WHILE PRESIDENT HICHILEMA IS PUBLICLY DEMEAMED BY HIS PREDECESSOR?

July 9th, 2024

LUSAKA – We welcome the remarks by Republican President Hakainde Hichilema expressing his willingness to reach out to the opposition, including former President Edgar Lungu, for dialogue.

President Hichilema made this commitment in response to Reverend Patson Banda of the Reformed Church of Zambia, who encouraged him to seek peace with Mr. Lungu. Reverend Banda noted that the public would be pleased to see both leaders working together for the country’s benefit.

We appreciate the Church’s ongoing role in promoting unity and peace, which are crucial for a favourable investment climate and the overall well-being of citizens. However, we request that the Church remain fair to the Head of State, who has been subjected to disrespect by Mr. Lungu through various statements. It is surprising that the Church has remained silent while the President has been demeaned and ostracized by the very person they encourage him to meet.

We believe the Church stands for fairness and justice, but it is concerning that there has been no response to President Lungu’s aggressive and inappropriate language towards the current Head of State. The Church must recognize that mutual respect is essential for any meaningful dialogue, without which such efforts may be seen as politically motivated. It is our firm belief that the President is not in conflict with any citizen, and thus it is not entirely accurate to ask him to make peace with anyone specifically.

Mr Lungu recently described the Head of State as MAMBALA WACHUNSU at a public rally in Kitwe and the church took a silent position and could not rebuke him for the demeaning words. But is always quick to condemn President Hakainde Hichilema even for matters that are not of his making such as the ongoing wrangles in the opposition PF.

We hope that Reverend Banda, who requested President Hichilema to reconcile with Mr. Lungu, will also publicly admonish Mr. Lungu to be respectful towards the Presidency. Any issues he has should be addressed in a manner that respects the office he once held.

We also saw the Church blaming the government and President Hichilema on the recent vacation of nine parliamentary seats by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Moyo. How that became a Hichilema problem beats our logic when we all know that the process to expel the nine was initiated by their own party leadership.

We call on the church to play its role with impartiality regardless of the perpetrators and on our part, we wish to assure the nation that we shall do that which is democratically permissible.

We remain committed to supporting efforts that ensure Zambia continues to be a beacon of peace and unity in Africa. This is why we welcome President Hichilema’s statement, which should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness but rather as a demonstration of his strong character and ability to handle difficult situations for the nation’s best interest as Republican President and Commander of the Defense Forces.

Issued by :
Cheelo Katambo
Deputy Media Director – UPND

(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM

July 9th, 2024

LUSAKA – We welcome the remarks by Republican President Hakainde Hichilema expressing his willingness to reach out to the opposition, including former President Edgar Lungu, for dialogue.

President Hichilema made this commitment in response to Reverend Patson Banda of the Reformed Church of Zambia, who encouraged him to seek peace with Mr. Lungu. Reverend Banda noted that the public would be pleased to see both leaders working together for the country’s benefit.

We appreciate the Church’s ongoing role in promoting unity and peace, which are crucial for a favourable investment climate and the overall well-being of citizens. However, we request that the Church remain fair to the Head of State, who has been subjected to disrespect by Mr. Lungu through various statements. It is surprising that the Church has remained silent while the President has been demeaned and ostracized by the very person they encourage him to meet.

We believe the Church stands for fairness and justice, but it is concerning that there has been no response to President Lungu’s aggressive and inappropriate language towards the current Head of State. The Church must recognize that mutual respect is essential for any meaningful dialogue, without which such efforts may be seen as politically motivated. It is our firm belief that the President is not in conflict with any citizen, and thus it is not entirely accurate to ask him to make peace with anyone specifically.

Mr Lungu recently described the Head of State as MAMBALA WACHUNSU at a public rally in Kitwe and the church took a silent position and could not rebuke him for the demeaning words. But is always quick to condemn President Hakainde Hichilema even for matters that are not of his making such as the ongoing wrangles in the opposition PF.

We hope that Reverend Banda, who requested President Hichilema to reconcile with Mr. Lungu, will also publicly admonish Mr. Lungu to be respectful towards the Presidency. Any issues he has should be addressed in a manner that respects the office he once held.

We also saw the Church blaming the government and President Hichilema on the recent vacation of nine parliamentary seats by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Moyo. How that became a Hichilema problem beats our logic when we all know that the process to expel the nine was initiated by their own party leadership.

We call on the church to play its role with impartiality regardless of the perpetrators and on our part, we wish to assure the nation that we shall do that which is democratically permissible.

We remain committed to supporting efforts that ensure Zambia continues to be a beacon of peace and unity in Africa. This is why we welcome President Hichilema’s statement, which should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness but rather as a demonstration of his strong character and ability to handle difficult situations for the nation’s best interest as Republican President and Commander of the Defense Forces.

Issued by :
Cheelo Katambo
Deputy Media Director – UPND

(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM

IF YOU WANT TO GET RICH AS MINISTER, YOU’LL BECOME A THIEF – NALUMANGO

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IF YOU WANT TO GET RICH AS MINISTER, YOU’LL BECOME A THIEF – NALUMANGO

VICE President, Mutale Nalumango has warned all government servants to desist from using public funds to sponsor their lavish lifestyles or they risk becoming thieves in order to fund their luxurious lifestyle.

She said this during a Public Discussion Forum organised by News Diggers where she was featured last evening to discuss government’s response to drought, hunger and relief food distribution.

Zambia among other countries in Southern Africa is currently grappling with climate change which has led to drought, affecting at least 10 million citizens.

President Hakainde Hichilema declared the drought as a national emergency in February and about six million people are receiving hunger and starvation relief packages from Government.

Nalumango said the role of a politician is to serve the people that voted them into power, and not to serve themselves, especially during this season of drought.

Responding to a question on whether Government ministers were willing to sacrifice part of their salaries so that resources are channeled to the different needs amidst the current hunger and drought situation which has affected most parts of the country, she said people must not be made to believe that politicians make a lot of money.

“Don’t believe that these ministers get heeps of money, this is where we go wrong. Actually, many institutions including quasi- government get better money than ministers, do you know that? So why are you not asking the quasi government to sacrifice?, but you see me as Vice president and think I have money just because you are a politician, you are not rich,” Nalumango elaborated.

She however sent a warning to all members of parliament, ministers and government workers who wish to make a fortune out of public funds.

“And I keep saying this. If you want to be rich through politics, find another avenue, if you want to be a politician, you should be ready to serve people because if you want to use the position of MP, Vice president to get rich, then you will be a thief, and I will say this again, when you make a mistake in this government, you are on your own,” Nalumango asserted.

The Veep added that despite the perceived view by people that cabinet ministers are rich, it wasn’t the case as some politicians may tend to change and engage in corrupt activities due to the pressure that comes from the public as they expect them to keep appearances with their status.

“The expectation of the people is what makes politicians wicked, some will say, ‘He used to be an MP and now he is just a pedestrian with no car’…when you are on that position, you become worried and try to find means to buy a car, which is sometimes wrong, and we condemn such behaviour as there is no excuse to theft,” she said.

By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba

Breaking; Court states that their could be fresh arguements, ECL Eligibility case sent to a full trial before a single judge of the Constitutional Court

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DECISION
Matter sent to a full trial before a single Judge of the Constitutional Court so that it can be appealed to

We have heard the argument from both sides.
This is to give a clear basis.
We have considered rules and supreme court regulations and the whitebook.
The white book provides especially14(a) provides for determination of the matter.


The court may upon, on the basis of the application or on its own, that such a question is suitable for determination without trial.


The entire cause or issue therein,
In the present case, the petioner has raised four questions.


Without delving into the merit of the case.
The same issues are the same issues raised in defence.


That the petitioner had an opportunity to present his case before the matter previously.


That this court should embrace the princiole of finality.


That this court thoroughly review of the law.
We have set out the issues raised in the defence are the same issues raised in defence.


While the court has power to determine any question of law.
The court may only do so if the question is up for determination without full trial of the matter.


The court will not do so if the matter require trial.


Under the summary procedure in the white book.


Given the contentious case, the issues raised in the petitin are not suitable for allowed to be addressed at rual
Motion dismissed

ECL Eligibility case sent to full trial before a single judge

The Constitutional Court could this time around vacate the third term precedent it set in Danny Pule and subsequent judgments to prevent Edgar Lungu from standing: my thesis

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The Constitutional Court could this time around vacate the third term precedent it set in Danny Pule and subsequent judgments to prevent Edgar Lungu from standing: my thesis

By Prof Munyonzwe Hamalengwa

What do the following Untied States of America Supreme Court decisions have in common and how do they relate to the Constitutional Court of Zambia judgments on the third term precedents: Dred Scott (1857); Plessy v. Ferguson (1896); Korematsu v. The USA (1942) and Roe v. Wade(1973)?

The common thread is that all these famous decisions were eventually vacated and terminated as precedents either through political processes or judicial pronouncements. The third term precedents in Zambia set in Danny Pule and others on the eligibility of Edgar Lungu to stand for a third term of office as president could be vacated if new litigation under the current Constitutional Court and its new judicial composition was to be initiated. Danny Pule and other cases could lie in ruins. It is my considered thesis. I elaborate below.

Let me start this article by going way back to another country in which famous precedents were vacated to bring the point home to Zambia. Dred Scott Decision of 1857 penned by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court held that Blacks did not have equal rights that a White man would recognise and respect. There was a powerful dissent in Dred Scott just as there was a powerful dissent in the third term cases in Zambia. The dissent in Dred Scott kept the debate alive. But once you were a slave, according to Dred Scott, you could not escape that status even if you escaped slavery or moved to another state where there was no slavery. The decision was very controversial even in the days of the supremacy of slavery in that country.

The civil war in the United States between 1861 and 1865 resulted in the political emancipation of Black slaves and thus the political and legal erosion of the holding in the Dred Scott case. To render legal imprimatur to the new status of the slaves, the Constitution had to be amended. The 13th and 14th Amendments to the US Constitution politically and legally abolished the meaning of Dred Scott. These Amendments granted de jure equality for Black citizens of the United States, at least on paper even if not in practice. It was a tentative beginning.

However, these political and legal processes did not end discrimination against Blacks at all. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in the Plessy versus Ferguson case that in terms of enjoyment of amenities in the travel business via trains, etc Whites and Blacks were to ride in “separate but equal compartments”. The question was if these facilities were equal, why were they separate? Why were they separated by colour of one’s skin? This separate but equal doctrine permeated the US society in all walks of life, some would say until today with modifications here and there along the way. There was a very powerful dissent by Marshall Harlan in the Plessy case which kept the case hotly debated just like the dissent in Dred Scott and third term in Zambia cases. Plessy energised and continued the Jim Crow doctrine. Blacks should know their status and place even if not enforced by the law directly. The White KuKlaxKlan ( KKK) or white cadres clad in white colour hooded robes informally enforced the discriminatory rule of the White man.

In Zambia we are familiar with the terrorism of party cadres who enforce party rule with impunity, especially and evidentially during the 2011-2021 period. But that rigid doctrine of “separate but equal” was dealt a significant blow in the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court decision that integrated the races in matters of education and eventually in all areas eg housing, residential areas etc. Plessy was outrightly overturned by a judicial decision of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1942, the Japanese Americans were being rounded up along the coast of California and relocated into the American mainland through what were regarded as some sort of concentration camps on the basis that being of Japanese ancestry they were potentially unpatriotic and would join their Japanese race who had invaded Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The Japanese were discriminated against on the basis of their ancestry and race. A gentleman named Korematsu resisted resettlement and was criminally charged and convicted but lost his appeals all the way to the Supreme Court. He and the Japanese community continued fighting for redress until Ronald Reagan convoked a commission of inquiry in 1986 which ruled in 1988 that the Japanese were illegally and wrongfully stereotyped and Korematsu was decided by the Supreme Court in 1942 on the basis of false evidence and therefore could no longer stand. This was redressed in the political arena. The Japanese were compensated and the Korematsu precedent was vacated through the political process of a commission of inquiry and eventually by an Executive Order. The Supreme Court eventually ruled that Korematsu was no longer a good precedent.

A parallel process equivalent to Korematsu happened in Canada and when Reagan initiated his commission of inquiry in the USA, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada copied and the results mirrored those of the US. The descendants of Japanese Canadians who were wrongfully relocated were also compensated in 1988. The redress was politically achieved. Justice has a long memory.

Roe v. Wade (1973) the controversial decision of the US Supreme Court that held that women had a right to privacy which included the right to have abortions as part of the right to privacy, was overturned in 2021 in the Dobbs decision of the Supreme Court. I opine that this Dobbs decision will be overturned also in the future through political or judicial processes. In mid term elections in the US in 2022, congressmen and women who promoted the right to privacy for women secured more electoral victories than those who were against women’s right to privacy.

The above decisions that I have discussed were not the only cases in the US that were eventually vacated and ceased to be precedents, there are quite a great number more. And my rendition of the summaries is simply that, summaries of cases which are more complex and detailed than presented here.

Bernard Schwartz has written a book entitled, “The Ten Worst Decisions of the US Supreme Court”. Dredd Scott assumes the position of number one worst decision. Plessy is in the book as well. There is no such a book pertaining to the best or worst decisions of the Supreme Court of Zambia or the Constitutional Court of Zambia.

This article is aimed at indicating that precedents can be overturned and have been overturned through either political and or judicial processes as evidenced by the decisions I have cited above. In Zambia recently we had the Hakainde Hichilema case overturned by the Supreme Court but I won’t dwell on that case in favour of clear foreign cases to make my case that the third term precedent in Zambia set by the Constitutional Court in Danny Pule and subsequent cases could and can be set aside and cease to be precedents. The cases once reopened or litigated could result in interesting outcomes. A suitable factual matrix must present itself. One such factual scenario is if former president Edgar Lungu presents himself for presidential candidacy. It would be argued that he had already held office twice and had been sworn in twice. I know this sounds tired. But controversial decisions never die as you can see that Dredd Scott that was decided close to two centuries ago and overturned close to a century ago, is still being discussed as a teachable controversial precedent.

Plessy, though overturned over half a century ago, is still being taught. Korematsu that was overturned half a century ago continues to be taught on how a terrible decision can be overturned through a commission of inquiry prefacing a judicial decision. Roe was mightily controversial when it was decided half a century ago contributing to the animation of US political and judicial dynamics around the issue of abortion until Roe was overturned in 2021. In Zambia, the third term precedent was one of the most controversial decisions so far in the nation’s political and judicial history. The cases on this animated Zambia’s political, legal, and judicial debates in an unprecedented way.

The third term precedents constitute the law in Zambia but that does not mean that these precedents should be off limits to debates in Zambia. The Dred Scott, Plessy, Korematsu and Roe precedents did not close debates in the US. The political and judicial debates led to their overturning in subsequent political or legal engagements.

This article was written to offer my opinion that if and when the third term precedents are challenged, the Constitutional Court could vacate those precedents. There are known benchmarks that eventually lead to the vacation of controversial precedents. And they are all present in the third term precedents in Zambia. They were present in the US precedential decisions that were vacated. The first factor is the controversial nature of the decisions and the political impact they engender, which makes them a continuing target for political and legal debate. The second factor is the power of the dissent against the majority decision. All or most overturned precedents had very powerful dissents that continued to reverberate over the years and those dissents later formed the basis for overturning the decisions which had been precedents.

The third factor is the changed composition of the Supreme Court or Constitutional Court and is always an ever-present continuum. The judiciary changes in composition, in character, in the political environment, and so are many other issues affecting the judiciary. The fourth factor is the overwhelming changed political environment. The judiciary can lead the politics at times, sometimes the judiciary is contemporary with the political environments and lastly the judiciary can be so far behind the political developments of the period; the judiciary may be tied to the apron strings of the past. The judiciary could also be in cohorts with the present political establishment and simply reflect the heartbeat of the present political dispensation. Donald Trump of the United States often talked about how he would appoint judges of like-mind who would overturn Roe v. Wade etc. And he achieved that by appointing three conservative judges that led in that new judicial composition to the overturning of a very consequential precedent.

In Zambia the third term precedent could fall. In no particular order, the reasons the precedents could fall include the following:

The precedents were established during a political dispensation that demanded that the President be accorded the mandate to continue to rule by hook or crook. The President threatened the judiciary not to be swayed by judicial adventurism that characterised the Kenyan judiciary as adventurism could lead to serious political disruptions with untold consequences. The judicial branch that established those new precedents was a new branch whose very judicial appointments by the President, were controversial for a number of reasons that have been pointed out severally by others. The bench was inexperienced, others have said, and making decisions on that important issue in a constricted political and judicial environment was poignant. Everyone will remember the political tension and the threat to the judiciary and political opposition that characterised the 2016-2021 period. The political environment is entirely different now. There is a new political dispensation.

In the previous period, the Constitutional Court judges making the controversial decisions were fewer than the required compliment of judges in that branch. There is safety in numbers. Now there are more judges in that branch which would be difficult to intimidate. This increased number of judges means as well there is a new composition in the judiciary. There is also changed composition in the judiciary. One judge died and one judge retired. The precedents elicited one powerful dissent that continues to ring in the ears and in the law reports. And it was not a dissent by just another judge; it was a dissent by a learned professor who is now the President of the court that made the precedent. Dissents are not of equal value in the apex courts.

The precedents may not have been created if the Constitutional Court had accepted the amicus curiae application by three eminent Zambian law professors teaching abroad: Professors Chaloka Beyani, Cephas Lumina, and Melvin Mbao and represented by Musa Mwenye SC. If the amicus application was granted, I posit that the decisions which created the precedents, would not have been made. The wide ranging arguments and case law from around the world assembled by the eminent professors with their counsel Mwenye, SC on the subject matter, were so compelling that the Constitutional Court would have been embarrassed to rule another way but to rule in favour of rejecting Lungu’s bid to run for a third term. The court even refused to acknowledge the application for amicus standing, let alone to consider the paradigm shifting arguments and case law deployed therein. It is inconceivable that the current and new expanded composition of the judiciary would reject and not take into account that amicus brief. This court would accept the amicus brief and would rule differently based on what is contained in the amicus brief. Though very young it is time to overrule the third term precedents and if Lungu runs again, the application to vacate these precedents on which he had stood will succeed. Precedents do get vacated. It is my opinion that if Lungu ran again, he will be defeated by the Constitutional Court this time around as he would not succeed to be on the ballot, unlike last time when he won in the courts of law but lost in the court of public opinion, the ballot box.

The author started his legal studies in Washington DC and ended them in Canada, and continues to write on the judiciary and other legal areas. Email: munyonzwe.hamalengwa@zaou.ac.zm

Patriotic Front Slams Government for Threatening Supporters Ahead of Lungu Court Case

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Patriotic Front Slams Government for Threatening Supporters Ahead of Lungu Court Case

The Patriotic Front (PF) has accused the UPND government of attempting to curtail the constitutional rights of citizens by threatening to arrest those who show up at court in solidarity with former President Edgar Lungu.

Speaking at a press briefing, PF Vice President Given Lubinda condemned the statement made by the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, warning that the government had information about “subversive activities” planned at the court.

“We wonder why he has not gone for those individuals instead of curtailing the constitutional right of movement of the people and their liberty to attend court proceedings,” Lubinda said.

The PF leader pointed out that the public has been allowed to attend court proceedings involving other high-profile figures in the past, including former President Hakainde Hichilema when he was the leader of the opposition.

“Why has it become different now? Court proceedings are public and it is not in the power of the minister nor the president to interfere in the judicial and administrative functions of the courts,” Lubinda stated.

The comments come as the case against former President Lungu, where a petitioner is seeking a declaration that Lungu was ineligible to contest the 2021 elections, is set to be heard on Tuesday. Lubinda urged Zambians to show up in solidarity with the former president and the integrity of the judiciary.

The PF also expressed concern over the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court regarding the expulsion of nine members of parliament, accusing the Speaker of the National Assembly of unlawfully declaring their seats vacant.

Furthermore, the party criticized President Hichilema’s statement about reaching out to meet with his predecessor, Edgar Lungu, describing it as a “hypocritical pronouncement” and calling on the current head of state to address the numerous challenges facing the country, including the cost of living crisis, economic instability, and public health issues.

“As he confronts his pronouncement about meeting ECL, we implore Mr. Hakainde to address the numerous challenges that he has inflicted on the people of Zambia,” Lubinda said.

The PF’s strong rebuke of the government’s actions and call for public support underscores the ongoing political tensions in Zambia as the country navigates the aftermath of a highly contested election and the continuing legal battles surrounding the former president.

PATRIOTIC FRONT VICE PRESIDENT, HON. GIVEN LUBINDA ADDRESSES THE PRESS

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PATRIOTIC FRONT VICE PRESIDENT, HON. GIVEN LUBINDA ADDRESSES THE PRESS

Lusaka- Monday, 8th July 2024

● Offers heartfelt condolences to the family of former Chief Justice, Hon. Annel Musenga Silungwe, who was being put to rest today.

● Hon. Given Lubinda urges members of the Party to turn up in large numbers tomorrow, Tuesday, 9th July 2024, as the Constitutional Court delivers its ruling on a preliminary matter where a Mr. Michelo Chizombe is challenging the eligibility of former President Edgar Lungu to stand as a presidential candidate in 2021 and in future elections. The court is expected to determine whether the preliminary matter raised about the case being heard several matters or it would be dismissed or referred to a full trial.

● Expresses concern at pressure being applied to democratic institutions such as Parliament the Zambia Police, Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Judiciary.

● Congratulates the Reformed Church in Zambia on the occassion of its 125th Anniversary.

● Recognises the offer by President Hakainde Hichilema to meet President Edgar Lungu. Urges President Hichilema to use the opportunity to involve the former president to resolve multiple challenges and crises facing the country. Urges President Hichilema not to squander the opportunity by playing to the gallery.

Below is the full statement.

STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE PATRIOTIC FRONT VICE PRESIDENT, HON. GIVEN LUBINDA

8TH JULY 2024

GOODAFTERNOON FELLOW ZAMBIANS

WE HAVE COME TO YOU AT SHORT NOTICE FOR A GOOD REASON
WE WISH TO PASS OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLONCES TO THE FAMILY OF FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE, HON. ANNEL SILUNGWE WHO PASSED AWAY ON 30TH JUNE 2024 AND WAS BEING OUT TO REST.

HON SILUNGWE ENJOYED AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HIS GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LEGAL FRATERNITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN ZAMBIA AND NAMIBIA
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE.

TODAY, THE CASE OF FORMER PRESIDENT, DR. EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU WHERE A MR. MICHELO CHIZOMBE WANTS A DUBIOUS DECLARATION THAT PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU WAS NOT ELIGIBLE TO CONTEST THE 2021 AND FUTURE ELECTIONS, WAS EXPECTED TO TAKE OFF.
HOWEVER THE MATTER WAS DEFERRED TO TOMMORROW, 9TH JULY 2024, BECAUSE OF THE NATIONAL MOURNING OF HON SILUNGWE.

I WISH TO THANK ALL THOSE THAT TURNED UP TODAY FOR THEIR SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU.

I ALSO CALL UPON ALL OF US TO TURN UP TOMORROW FOR THIS IMPORTANT COURT RULING.

AS MANY ZAMBIANS ARE AWARE, THIS MATTER HAS ALREADY BEEN DEALT WITH BY OUR COURTS FOUR TIMES.

PRESIDENT ECL LAWYERS ARGUED BEFORE THE COURT THAT IT IS THE HALLMARK OF EVERY RELIABLE JUDICIAL SYSTEM TO REMAIN CONSISTENT, PREDICTABLE, RELIABLE AND LAWFUL. THEREFORE IT REMAINS FUTILE TO BRING THE SAME MATTER THAT HAS BEEN SETTLED WITH FINALITY, BEFORE THE SAME COURT.

WE THEREFORE CALL UPON THE CITIZENS OF ZAMBIA TO SHOW PUBLIC SUPPORT IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE CONSTITUTION AND WITH THE INTEGRITY OF THE JUDICIARY.

YESTERDAY THE COUNTRY WAS ONCE AGAIN TREATED TO THREATS BY THE UPND GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND INTERNAL SECUIRTY. HE THREATENED CITIZENS WITH ARRESTS IF THEY APPEARED AT COURT TODAY IN SOLIDARITY WITH PRESIDENT EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU. HE TOLD THE COUNTRY THAT HE HAD INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WERE PLANNING SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES AT COURT. WE WONDER WHY HE HAS NOT GONE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS INSTEAD OF CURTAILING THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE AND THEIR LIBERTY TO ATTEND COURT PROCEEDINGS.

WHY IS THE EXECUTIVE JITTERY ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR MATTER? THIS IS BY FAR NOT THE ONLY HIGH PROFILE MATTER TO GRACE OUR COURTS. THERE HAS BEEN OTHER HIGH PROFILE MATTERS IN PAST SOME INVOLVING FORMER PRESIDENTS AND YET THE PUBLIC WAS NOT RESTRAINED FROM ATTENDING THEIR PROCEEDINGS. HOW MANY TIMES DID THE THEN LEADER OF THE THEN OPPOSITION UPND, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA APPEAR IN COURT WITH A MULTITUDE OF SUPPORTERS WITHOUT BEING STOPPED BY THE STATE? WHY HAS IT BECOME DIFFERENT NOW. COURT PROCEEDINGS ARE PUBLIC AND IT IS NOT IN THE POWER OF THE MINISTER NOR THE PRESIDENT TO INTEFERE IN THE JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE COURTS.

WE WONDER WHETHER THE EXECUTIVE ARE ALREADY AWARE OF THE RULING OF THE COURT EVEN BEFORE IT IS DELIVERED? SHOULD WE BE MADE TO WONDER WHETHER THE JUDICIARY IS TURNING INTO WHAT PARLIAMENT HAS BECOME – AN INSTITUTION THAT IS OPERATING UNDER THE WHIMS OF THE EXECUTIVE.

WE ALSO WISH TO EXPRESS CONCERN AT MATTERS SURROUNDING THE RULING DELIVERED BY THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REGARDING THE NINE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

THE COURT DID NOT IN ANY WAY PRONOUNCE ITSELF ON THE EXPULSION OF THE NINE MPS AS IS REQUIRED BY ARTICLE 72. IN CLEAR TERMS THE COURT DID NOT NULLIFY THE SEATS.
THEREFORE THERE IS NO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION TO DECLARE THE SEATS VACANT BY PARLIAMENT. THAT ACTION IS A BLATANT ERROSION OF DEMOCRACY AND IS LAWLESSNESS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER .

THIS IS THEREFORE UTTER MISCHIEF BY THE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

IT IS THEREFORE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND IMPEACHABLE OFFENCE TO NULIFY THE SEATS.

ANOTHER MATTER OF CONCERN IS THE STATEMENT MADE BY PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA AT THE 125 YEARS OF EXISTENCE OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN ZAMBIA.

Mr. HICHILEMA ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO MEET ZAMBIA’S SIXTH PRESIDENT, EDGAR LUNGU.

MANY ZAMBIANS HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED BY MR HICHILAMA’S INABILITY TO MEET WITH HIS PREDECESSOR OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. IT DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE CLERGY TO REQUEST HIM TO DIALOGUE WITH THE FORMER PRESIDENT.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW MR HAKAINDE HICHILEMA THIS PRONOUNCEMENT WAS MEANT FOR THE GALARY LIKE MANY OTHER HYPOCRITICAL PRONOUNCEMENTS HE HAS MADE IN THE PAST.

AS HE CONFRONTS HIS PRONOUNCEMENT ABOUT MEETING ECL, WE IMPLORE MR HAKAINDE TO ADDRESS THE NUMEROUS CHALLENGES THAT HE HAS INFLICTED ON THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA SUCH AS:

  1. THE WORST COST OF LIVING CRISIS IN DECADES.
  2. THE ECONOMY IS FACING POSSIBLE COLLAPSE WITH RISING INFLATION, DEBT AND A CRITICAL LACK OF MONEY IN CIRCULATION.
  3. FOOD INSECURITY THAT HAS SEEN 6.8 MILLION FACING STARVATION DUE TO POOR AGRICULTURE POLICIES AND THE EXPORT OF OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGIC MAIZE RESERVES.
  4. THE WORST LOAD-SHEDDING EXPERIENCED IN DECADES.
  5. DISEASE OUTBREAKS LIKE CHOLERA, ANTHRAX, TYPHOID, DYSENTERY AND SYPHILIS.
    THESE CRISES ARE SITING ON A BED OF ISSUES SUCH AS POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT, LACK OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND RURAL UNDER DEVELOPMENT.

MR. HICHILEMA HAS NOT DEMONSTRATED KEENESS TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES. HAD HE CONSULTED WITH HIS PREDECESSOR AND RESPECTED PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS FOR WHAT THEY HAD DONE FOR ZAMBIA, HE COULD NOT HAVE CAUSED ALL THESE CHALLENGES THAT ZAMBIANS ARE FACING TODAY.

IN CONCLUSION, I WISH TO ONCE AGAIN IMPLORE ALL OF US TO TURN UP AT COURT TOMORROW.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

CATHOLIC BISHOPS HIGHLIGHT  UPND GOVT’S FAILURES, ASKS TO STOP  SHRINKING DEMOCRATIC SPACES

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CARITAS (INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT) COMMISSION

“LET JUSTICE FLOW” (Amos 5:24)

Preamble

To our public leaders and all people of good will. We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who calls us to a prophetic responsibility of promoting Justice, Human rights and the common good of the people of God.

Arising from the just ended Caritas (Integral Human Development – IHD) Commission meeting of directors of caritas from the arch/dioceses of Zambia held at Kapingila House in Lusaka, from 4th to 6th July 2024.

And upon our theological reflection on the state of the nation we wish to address ourselves to the pertinent concerns facing us in Zambia.

1. THE HIGH COST OF LIVING

We have observed that the basic commodity prices in the nation are very high. Cognizant of the fact that we are in a critical economic situation as a country, our concern is that many people are suffering and the Government seems not to acknowledge the high prevalent poverty levels.

Unfortunately, the Government has continued to engage itself in blame games and politicking instead of finding immediate and lasting solutions to the country’s poverty situation. We urge the Government to find real and pragmatic solutions to the prevailing dire economic situation which has plunged many families in untold misery and suffering.

2. ELECTRICITY LOADSHEDING

The loadsheding of electricity begun as a measure to share equally little power among the citizens in a spirit of brotherhood. Recently in Parliament, we heard how much power is exported at the expense of the economic activities of the citizens.

Improving our neighbors’ economic activities over our own is unacceptable. In this regard, we appeal to the Government to immediately revoke the exportation of electricity to serve the interests of many Zambians whose businesses depend on electricity.

We ask the government to consider expediting the planning and installation of solar power plants in many districts across the country.

3. UNSTABLE FUEL PRICES

We have noted with concern that the unstable fuel prices coupled with the practice of monthly pricing adjustments militates against the stability of the business environment in Zambia. Businesses are facing challenges with medium- and long-term planning on account of the flux the fuel pricing mechanism.

We are also concerned that the ever increasing cost of fuel, will continue to cause the cost of living to be high taking into consideration the rise in transportation and production costs.

Scripture reminds us that, “The lord hears the cry of the poor” (Ps 34:7), We look up to the authorities and technocrats alike to look into the instability in the fuel pricing mechanism with a sense of priority.

4.ERODING OF NATIONAL VALUES (Articles 2,8,9,10 of the Constitution of Zambia)

Our constitution in the preamble speaks of our country as a Christian nation and calls us “to uphold the national values, principles and economic policies”, We, however, bemoan the culture of disrespect from the citizens be it youth or adult especially to all those who seem to have divergent views on matters of public concern. Social media has been used as a tool to intimidate and attack all those who are not in aqreement with the current policies of the government.

We ask the authorities that they should not only act when it is the president who has been abused verbally in the media but all citizens should be protected from abuse. We ask the authorities to stop alW the carders who have gone to the media to insut with impunity those who hold dissenting and opposing views.

5. SHRINKING DEMOCRATIC  SPACE

We note with great concern and sadness the continued shrinking of the democratic space in our nation. It is clear that the UPND Government has deliberately chosen to suppress dissenting and opposing voices.

This is evidenced, inter alia, in the Government denying the opposition political parties from holding their political rallies through the misapplication of the Public Order Act. We appeal to the Government to welcome and accommodate divergent views from citizens and to open up space for dissenting voices in the public media such as ZNBC.

6. POLICE BRUTALITY

We have further observed with dissatisfaction the growing trend of police brutality in the nation at the pretext of maintaining law and order. The arbitrary arrests of citizens with dissenting and opposing voices is solely intended to intimidate citizens who stand against the Government. This abuse by the Police should not be entertained.

We appeal to the Zambia Police Service to be professional and desist from acting on political instructions from the executive, as Governments come and go. Thus, we urge the Government to be democratic and be able to apply the law with some semblance of impartiality on all citizens regardless of their political, religious, social and/or ethnic affiliation.

Of concern to us has been the conduct of police towards ecclesiastical institutions. Never before has the Zambia Police post-independence Zambia been used to disrupt church services or Church meetings.

But with the ascendence of the UPND to government, what aught to be an exception is slowly becoming the norm. The recent occurrences in Kabwe, Lusaka and Ndola, in which Zambia Police had the audacity to disrupt church services and meetings constitutes abuse of authority. It is our prayer that this government will come to its senses regarding the sacred nature of places of worship.

6.1 Case of Honorable Emmanuel J Banda

We are disturbed with the manner in which the case of the honorable member of parliament for Petauke has been handled.

The information which is in the public domain on the social media in an audio recording involving Mr. Thabo Kawana PS for the Ministry of Information and his Ministry of Home Affairs counterpart Mr. Dickson Matembo is great cause for worry. The duo are heard in this audio recording urging Hon. Emmanuel J Banda to retract, deny and refute his earlier statement he gave to the Police concerning his abduction and the two specific and named individuals with close links to State House in exchange for his freedom.

We demand that justice should not only be done but seen to be done on this matter.

We, therefore, urge the government officials to stop these vindictive tendencies, and that the UPND officials must desist from using the police and other instruments of state violence to doctor cases for innocent people enjoy their inalienable rights.

7.TRIBALISM AND REGIONALISM

We note with deep concern the despair that is briskly setting in our country because of the inability to find lasting solutions to people’s lamentations on the ghostly manifestations of tribalism and regionalism in Zambia.

We have allowed the dragon of ethnic practices and tendencies to pull us down to the point where we are passively accepting it to be our way of life.

People occupying public leadership positions are not doing enough to change the trajectory of tribalism. The fear and anxiety of long-term repercussions due to these ethnic divisions is very real, especially that the examples of scotching consequences are extremely vivid within the region and beyond.

No one is born hating another person. People only learn how to hate, and similarly they can also learn how to love. Christ commands us to love one another. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved” (Jn15:12). Imbued by this Gospel command, we are therefore calling on all public leaders to stop pretending that the problem is not serious. Let us urgerntly nip the problem in the bud before it astronomically escalates.

In total sobriety and humility, let us work towards creating space and environment in Zambia that is free of hate and stereotyping, vulgarism and profanity, nepotism and discrimination, unfair and unjust distribution of wealth and opportunities to all.

8.LEGAL LAWLESSNESS

The culture and tradition of fishing’ pieces of legislation for the purposes of sanitizing the illegalities and wrong doings is on an alarming pace of increase. We have observed with total disenchantment and displeasure at the manner the law enforcement institutions are using the law to accuse people selectively, and sometimes people who are innocent just because their conscience and position of belief is not in tandem with those in positions of power.

Through dishonest and arbitrary determination to manufacture conditions for detaining people, the law enforcement officers are now regularly seen to be at liberty to determine with impunity whatever charge they apportion on someone, including the retroactive application of the law.

8.1 Expulsion of Nine (9) Opposition Members from Parliament

The recent case of expulsion of the nine (9) PF Members of Parliament from the National Assembly by the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon Moses Moyo, MP., is clear evidence of legal lawlessness. The said Second Deputy Speaker’s actions are a travesty on the country’s democratic trajectory.

Sadly, this act of duress on the legislature by the executive will reverse the democratic gains that the country was steadily making. That the concupisense between the executive, legislature and judiciary militates against the norm of separation of government. That the feverish speed with which the nine (9) opposition members of parliament were expelled is a brazen violation of procedural standing orders of the house. That the remote-type instruction to the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament to expel the nine (9) PF Members of Parliament constitutes an abuse of authority. Never before in the history of this country has parliament been involved in handling the internal affairs of a political party.

Further, with the current fiscal challenges that the country is facing, the government has the ill-will to willfully cause nine bye elections if not ten in due course! We urge the executive and legislature to be reasonable and level headed on this matter. This culture of impunity and utter disregard to the laws of the land must be held in check.

We are calling on all the institutions mandated with the duty and respornsibility of ensuring justice and fairness to the people, to operate with integrity and goodness.

As scripture tells us, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Mt. 26:41-42). We are therefore, keen to see that the Human Rights Commission is defending human rights, we are anxious to see that the Anti-Corruption Commission and Drug Enforcement Commission are dismantling without duress and fear the windmill of corruption in totality, we are impatient to see the Judiciary which is rich in compassion and justice, and lastly, we are yearning for a Police Service that objects to the selective application of the law but embodies fainess, firmness and justice.

9.CONCLUSION

As members of Caritas (IHD) Commission, we are hopeful that the matters raised will be considered with an open mind by the powers that be. Ours remain purely a duty of being a voice and conscience of society.
May God bless Zambia.

Most, Rev, Dr, Alick Banda. IHD Commission Chairperson

Fr. Dr. Gabriel Mapulanga IHD Commission Secretary

Fr. Evaristo Kabungo, Fr. Leonard Kalyoti Fr. Bernard Kapembwa Fr. Bernard Kaluba Zulu Fr. Ackim Musimuko Fr. Noel Haaninga Fr. Lemon Ndelela Fr. Kingsley Ndawa Sr. Marcela Deptula Mr. Ernest Mwenya Mr. Ronald Mabunga

Archdiocese of Lusaka
Archdiocese of Kasama
Archdiocese of Ndola
Chipata Diocese, Monze Diocese, Solwezi Diocese, Mansa Diocese, Mpika Diocese, Kabwe Diocese, Livingstone Diocese, Mongu Diocese

Caritas Zambia was established in 2001 to animate the work of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and the Catholic Commission for Development with the mandate to foster and uphold human dignity through promotion of integral human development

UPND GOVERNMENT THREATENING THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT- Chishala Chilufya

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UPND GOVERNMENT THREATENING THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

8th July 2024.

By Chishala Chilufya

YESTERDAY, 7th July, 2024 a very unprecedented statement was made by government through Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwiimbu. In this address to the nation through the press briefing he was basically confirming what many stakeholders have been saying concerning the independence of the JUDICIARY. The UPND are now policing the courts on what case to allow citizens to attend and what outcomes to deliver. The UPND have been given the ruling before it’s delivered, because how does Jack Mwiimbu know the section of society that will protest.

We are made to believe that Mr Jack Mwiimbu is a lawyer at the same time a state counsel who understands the constitutional provisions that Zambians are free to protest or to assemble in a Peaceful way, what are the UPND trying to do to this country? According to the constitutional provisions and the BILL OF RIGHTS it indicates that people are free to protest peacefully or to assemble.

Where did Jack Mwiimbu get the audacity to address the nation about a matter whose outcome no one knows in a manner he did as if to suggest he knows the outcome on Former President Edgar Chagwa lungu’s Eligibility case hence the protests. The constitutional court will be presiding over it on 9th July 2024 but this will not be the first time, the same court presided over it 3 times that president Lungu is eligible to contest 2026 elections.

If the Former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was not eligible how did he contest elections in 2021? It means if the former president does not qualify it means the elections President Hakainde Hichilema participated in 2021 were illegal null and void. Hence fresh elections should be held immediately.

Jack Mwiimbu is a lawyer, he understands once the court like the constitutional court has passed the verdict over the case it cannot change its decision, this is the precedence set all over the world unless in banana republics like the one the UPND is presiding over. Why are the UPND trying to intimidate and damage the character of the courts in this country.

To begin with, even to allow this case to be brought before the constitutional court is an embarrassment to the judiciary. Zambia is being turned into a laughing stock, this amongst other reasons is why Zambian judges rarely succeed to be admitted at an international bar hence we will be very isolated as a country.

UPND can’t start threatening citizens against their constitutional rights to assemble and protest peacefully within the frame of the law.

For government to address the nation on the eve of the constitutional court for delivering its ruling on the eligibility for Former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to contest for elections in 2026.

Does Jack Mwiimbu already know the outcome or what is he trying to communicate to the judges?

Secondly this case has got no loci standi in the constitutional court because the court has already dealt with it more than 3 times. These people should not destroy this country because they want to satisfy their narrow political needs .

Zambia is a country established by the rule of law ,let the constitutional provision take place not what a certain individual feels like, what Jack Mwiimbu and the UPND are trying to do is to Arm twist the constitutional court and he wants to be pretending like he is communicating with people who cannot see what they are trying to achieve. We want to tell him it’s not about Former President Edgar Lungu it’s about the Zambian people and what they are going through.

The Kenya Saga he refered to is just an eye opener that people can give you time to play around with them but they’ll catch up with you just the way they have been cheating the Zambian people from the time they came into Government, no matter what they do Zambian people will catch up with them.

Any judgement other than what the court had ruled previously on the same matter, will be unacceptable for this reason UPND through Jack Mwiimbu have undermined the constitutional court outcome it’s like they already know the outcome.

Jack Mwiimbu who has told the country that he knows the judgment through his press briefing that Edgar Lungu is not eligible to contest elections that’s why they have put up security measures.

Thank you!

EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU URGES THE CHURCH, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO TAKE LEAF FROM CARITAS – ZAMBIA BY SPEAKING AGAINST THE EVILS UNDER THE UPND

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EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU URGES THE CHURCH, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO TAKE LEAF FROM CARITAS – ZAMBIA BY SPEAKING AGAINST THE EVILS UNDER THE UPND

Fellow Citizens,

I wish to commend the Caritas Integral Human Development Commission Directors from all the archdiocese of Zambia for taking yet another bold step in addressing various important issues affecting our country today, under the theme “Let Justice Flow” drawn from Amos 5:24. Caritas IHD Commission has continuously demonstrated its commitment to this noble task, without fear or favour by bravely engaging with injustices and promoting human rights and dignity for all Zambians. I salute you!

In like manner, allow me to thank our traditional leaders such as Chief Munkanta, Mushota, Chama and Chief Mabumba who have taken a similar position few days ago to speak against injustices and unfair practices. Both religious and traditional leaders are truly God’s chosen leaders in our community with the mandate to speak for the voiceless, defend the marginalized and stand up for the victimized people.

Today, I call on other church mother bodies, the civil society, traditional leaders and the international community at large to take a leaf from the good leadership shown by the Caritas IHD Commission as well as some of our chiefs and condemn the ugly faces of injustices, selective justice, tribalism, regionalism, discrimination and state oppression of our people. Remember, if Zambians fail to speak against injustices today, no one will speak for Zambia tomorrow!

The vision of the leaders who were, are, and will come should be that of a greater and better Zambia, wherein when the clock strikes midnight on 24th of October 2024, the Zambian citizens should then look back, clapping for all of us that indeed we had great leaders who did not fight for them but did it for generations to come.

One thing is clear, if we unite and democratically fight together, we can make a greater and meaningful impact to ensure justice truly flows like a river throughout our nation regardless of one’s status, geographical location or political affiliation. This must be our collective dream, prayer and calling as citizens!

Thank you, and may God bless Zambia.

H.E. Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Sixth President of Zambia
PF President
UKA Alliance Member

IS THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR A TOOTHLESS WATCHDOG?

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IS THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR A TOOTHLESS WATCHDOG?

By Jerry Munthali

As a developing country, Zambia faces numerous challenges in ensuring good governance and upholding the rule of law. In recent years, one institution has emerged as a key player in promoting transparency, accountability, and fairness in the country – the office of the Public Protector.

The office of the Public Protector is an independent constitutional body responsible for investigating complaints against government conduct, maladministration, and abuse of power in Zambia.

Following the enactment of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No.2 of 2016, the Office of the Public Protector was established to replace the Office of the Investigator General. This is by virtue of Article 243 of the amended Constitution.

Formerly the Office of the Investigator General, the office of the Public Protector serves as a watchdog for public resources and the rights of citizens, playing a crucial role in promoting good governance and protecting the interests of the people.

But why exactly is the office of the Public Protector so important in Zambia?

First and foremost, the Public Protector acts as a check on the government’s power. As a neutral and independent body, it has the authority to investigate complaints related to government actions, policies, and decisions. This oversees oversight role is critical in safeguarding the public against corruption, abuse of power, and violations of human rights.

Moreover, the Public Protector’s mandate includes promoting transparency and accountability in the public sector. This is vital in a country like Zambia, where corruption has been a persistent issue. By investigating allegations of corruption and maladministration, the office of the Public Protector ensures that public resources are used for the benefit of the people and not for personal gain.

In addition, the office of the Public Protector serves as a voice for the voiceless. Many citizens in Zambia may not have the means or resources to seek justice when their rights are violated or when they have been mistreated by government officials.

The Public Protector provides a platform for these individuals to raise their concerns and seek redress, leveling the playing field and promoting equality before the law.

Furthermore, the Public Protector’s reports and recommendations can significantly influence policy decisions and promote good governance. By exposing corrupt practices and maladministration, this office can hold government officials accountable and push for much-needed reforms. This, in turn, can lead to a more efficient and transparent government, benefiting the economy and society as a whole.

In recent years, the office of the Public Protector in Zambia has been instrumental in exposing high-profile cases of corruption and misconduct, leading to the prosecution and removal of government officials. This demonstrates the significant impact this institution has in promoting justice and accountability in the country.

In conclusion, the office of the Public Protector is a critical institution in Zambia’s fight against corruption and promoting good governance. It serves as a watchdog for the public, checks on the government’s power, and provides a voice for the marginalized. As citizens, we must recognize the importance of this office and support its efforts to create a more just and fair society for all.

The author is a former diplomat and journalist who served as News Editor at the Zambia Daily Mail. He holds an MBA with a major in International Business Management and a Bachelors Degree in International Relations

Nalumango says government did not ignore early warnings about El Niño but could not just predict its magnitude

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VEEP DEFENDS GOVERNMENT ON EL NINO EARLY WARNINGS

Vice President Mutale Nalumango says government did not ignore early warnings about El Niño but could not just predict its magnitude.

She has also dismissed claims that the government had induced by-elections in the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) despite the current drought and hunger that has been declared a national emergency.

Answering questions from the audience at the ongoing Newsmakers’ forum organized by the News Diggers newspaper, Ms Nalumango said it is difficult to have prior knowledge about the exact impact of the phenomenon before it hits.

“Climate change has come to be with us. We may have known that there will be El Niño but climate change is something you should look at away from the El Niño,” she explained.

“It is not easy to predict the effects of what will happen. The impact of this El Niño is not something that we would have predicted.”

She said the government had prepared to handle the situation without knowing the full extent, prior.

“Nobody can say they are fully prepared. Even with developed nations can’t really know the impact.”

“We didn’t know the impact will be this bad so it wasn’t recklessness despite the early warnings.”

Ms Nalumango said it was because no one knew the exact impact of the impending drought that people were still encouraged to plant crops.

“Yes we knew. Does our government plan? Yes we do,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Ms Nalumango has reiterated that government was not behind the confusion in the PF that has seen the declaration of nine parliamentary by-elections by the National Assembly.

She said President Hakainde Hichilema had always been against by-elections even before the drought kicked in.

“This government does not want by-elections. We are waiting to beat our friends in 2026 but unfortunately, they are impatient and are expelling one another,” Ms Nalumango said.

“Somebody must have thought about expelling their members. Infact, it’s us who are supposed to be angry because we want money to go towards fighting hunger.

“Please, we don’t want [by-elections]. We are not going to allow this recklessness.”

Liberian president Joseph Boakai cuts his salary by 40%

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Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has announced that he will slash his salary by 40%.

His office said he hoped to set a precedent for “responsible governance” and demonstrate “solidarity” with Liberians.

Government salaries have been under intense scrutiny recently as Liberians complain about the rising cost of living. Around one in five people live on less than $2 (£1.70) a day in the West African state.

Mr Boakai revealed in February that his annual salary was $13,400. The cut will bring it down to $8,000.

Mr Boakai’s move echoes that of his predecessor, George Weah, who took a 25% cut in his salary.

Some in the West African nation have hailed Mr Boakai’s decision, but others wonder whether it is truly a sacrifice given that he also receives benefits like a daily allowance and medical cover.

The presidential office’s budget is almost $3m this year.

Anderson D Miamen, from non-profit organisation the Centre of Transparency and Accountability in Liberia, said the president’s pay cut is “welcoming”.

“We just hope that the public will clearly see where the deductions will go and how they will be used to positively impact the lives of the people,” he told the BBC.

W Lawrence Yealue II, whose organisation also campaigns for government transparency, described the president’s decision as “very commendable” and said that “leadership has to be provided from the top”.

He added that hoped Mr Boakai’s benefits would be reviewed in the budget for the next financial year.

As well as reducing his salary, Mr Boakai has pledged to “empower” Liberia’s Civil Service Agency to make sure public servants “receive fair compensation for their contributions to the country”.

Last week a group of lawmakers complained they had not received their official cars, which they needed to perform their duties.

As a form of protest, they turned up to parliament in tuk-tuks, known locally as keh keh, a common mode of transport for ordinary Liberians.

Mr Boakai took office in January after defeating Mr Weah in a run-off election.
He vowed to tackle corruption and financial mismanagement during his presidential.

As well as declaring his assets since taking office, Mr Boakai has ordered an audit of the presidential office. The results have not yet been released publicly.

Mr Boakai has also beefed up the General Auditing Commission and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission.

Mr Weah’s government was plagued by allegations of corruption, and lavish spending, which triggered mass protests as the cost of living spiralled for ordinary people.

Republicans demand White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor testify about president’s mental state

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor appear for testimony over President Biden’s mental state and overseas business dealings.

Comer, a Republican representing Kentucky, also called on O’Connor to release relevant documents on his dealings related to the president’s younger brother James Biden and gave him a week to make contact with committee staffers in a letter sent out Sunday.

“After a concerning debate performance by President Biden against former President Donald Trump on June 27, journalists have rushed to report on what Americans have seen plainly for years: the President appears unwell,” Comer wrote in the letter.

He blasted O’Connor’s health summary from February, in which he insisted that “Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

Comer also highlighted concerns that O’Connor has not recommended Biden to submit to a cognitive exam amid heightened concerns over his mental acuity.

Biden, 81, has faced backlash from the media and Democrats over his fitness for the presidency in the wake of his debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

During the debate, Biden was bumbling his words, freezing up at random times and appearing to lose his chain of thought. Biden has since contended that he was “exhausted,” but insisted that he’s up to the job and won’t drop out.

When asked why he hasn’t taken a cognitive exam, Biden told ABC News on Friday that, “No one said I had to,” and “I get a full neurological test every day” as president.

Comer said there was inconsistency between White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s statements on July 3 that Biden has not had any medical exams since his February checkup and a report from NBC that the president told Democratic governors last Wednesday he had been “checked out by a doctor after the debate and everything was fine.”

“Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee also seeks to understand if you are in a position to provide accurate and independent reviews of the President’s fitness to serve,” Comer chided.

Comer also alleged that O’Connor’s glossy assessment of Biden could’ve been coloured by his past interactions with the president’s brother, James Biden.

 five more Democratic lawmakers urge Joe Biden to step aside in private call

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Joe Biden has received another major blow in his bid to contest the next presidential election after Democratic lawmakers held a crisis call to discuss his viability.

The meeting took place on Sunday afternoon July 7, amid growing concerns over their own political futures in November.

On the call, at least five more Democratic lawmakers called on Biden, 81, to step aside, according to reports. And most agreed that Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, should be the nominee instead.

Judiciary Ranking Member Jerry Nadler and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano are among those who expressed they want Biden to end his White House bid.

Reps. Don Beyer, Adam Smith and Joseph Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, also said Biden is done for.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries scheduled the call with caucus members as they prepare to head back to Washington, D.C. on Monday after breaking for the July 4 holiday.

‘The sh*t is going to hit the fan on Monday when Congress returns,’ a House Democrat said in a recent report.

They added: ‘People are scared about their own races. But they’re also worried about the country, and about democracy.’

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is also organizing a group of Senate Democrats to discuss Biden’s future, and is pushing to meet Monday evening.

This comes after reports that Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) began organizing a group of Senate Democrats to discuss Biden’s future.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told NBC’s Meet the Press during a Sunday interview: ‘The performance on the debate stage, I think, rightfully raised questions among the American people about whether the president has the vigour to defeat Donald Trump. And this is an existential race.’

He should be mopping the floor with Donald Trump. Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close. And there is only one reason why it is close – and that’s the president’s age.’ the California Democrat added.

‘And what I would advise the president is seek out the opinions of people you trust. He’s obviously talked to his family about this… but he should seek out people with some distance and objectivity.

‘He should seek out pollsters who are not his own pollsters.’

‘Take a moment to make the best-informed judgment. And if the judgment is run – then run and beat that SOB.’

Emmanuel Macron rejects Prime Minister’s resignation after the weekend’s chaotic election results

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French President, Emmanuel Macron refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him on Monday, July 8 to remain temporarily as the head of the government after the weekend’s chaotic election results that left the government in limbo.

Macron on Monday his PM to stay, pending difficult negotiations to form a new government after a left-wing surge delivered a parliament divided into three.

The leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly after Sunday’s election, thwarting Marine Le Pen’s quest to bring the far-right to power.

However, no party has secured a working majority, meaning the electoral outcome heralded a period of political volatility.

Possibilities open to the French government include the NFP forming a minority government or the coming together of a coalition of right, left and centrist parties with no common ground, meaning legislation might never get passed by Parliament.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a centrist and close ally of Macron, tendered his resignation on Sunday, but the head of state, Macron rejected it.

“The President has asked Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister for the time being in order to ensure the country’s stability,” Macron’s office said in a statement.

A fragmented parliament will weaken France’s role in the European Union. The left won 182 seats, Macron’s centrist alliance 168 and Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) and allies 143, Interior Ministry data cited by Le Monde newspaper showed.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of the most divisive figures in French politics, explicitly ruled out any deal with centrists on Sunday, and on Monday his ally Eric Bompard sounded uncompromising.

“The president must appoint as prime minister someone from the New Popular Front to implement the NFP’s programme, the whole programme and nothing but the programme,” he said on France 2 television.

However, there is little chance that any of the left-wing bloc’s key proposals, which include raising the minimum wage, reversing Macron’s pension reform and capping the prices of key goods, would pass a parliamentary vote without some kind of agreement with lawmakers from outside the bloc.

Mum choses su!c!de ‘to punish husband who got custody of their children’

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A mum who took her own life at a su!c!de clinic in Switzerland did it as a final ‘’punishment” to her estranged husband for getting custody of their three children, it’s been claimed.

Catherine Kassenoff publicly announced in a lengthy note on Facebook on May 23 last year that she would be ending her life.

“It is with a profound heartbreak, that I hope none of you ever experience, that I am writing my last post ever,” she wrote.

“Today, I will be ending my own life… There are simply no other options left. In the last four years of my life I have woken up every day to a nightmare like no other.”

The 54-year-old, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, claimed that she could “no longer endure the abuse and terror” she’d suffered at the hands of her husband Allan Kassenoff.

Attempts to divorce had raged on for four years between the New York couple, who both worked as lawyers in the US, due to a brutal custody battle for the kids.

Allan was given sole custody of their three daughters and the terminally ill Catherine then decided to end her own life after she lost visitation rights.

Her decision sparked widespread hatred against Allan from strangers who would send him death threats and even track down his home to target him.

But now new details have emerged after The Free Press took an in-depth look into the circumstances of her death and spoke to those closest to the family.

Former nannies claimed Catherine had punished her own adopted daughter by “dripping water” on her all day so she couldn’t sleep. She’s also accused of treating her other children, who were later born by IVF, far more favourably.

As well as her post on Facebook, Catherine also released videos of her husband and thousands of court documents via Dropbox.

One of the documents had been written by UK-based former psychiatrist Colin Brewer, who noted in a report for the Pegasos Swiss Association that Catherine was of “sound enough mind” to end her life.

Pegasos helps people who aren’t on the verge of death to end their life, unlike the Dignitas suicide clinic.

Mr Brewer also revealed that Catherine had originally intended to kill herself twice before, with an original date in October 2022 postponed for administrative reasons.

“She was always very calm,” said Mr Brewer, who had to rewrite medical reports for her each time.

“She got naturally a bit exasperated when talking about her husband. [She was] very clear about what she wanted to do and why she wanted to do it.”

Catherine’s cancer diagnosis was never the reason for ending her life, Mr Brewer said, but rather an “existential assisted su!c!de”.

He said: “She was just concerned that she had been treated abominably by her husband.”

No medical diagnosis was ever actually made by Mr Brewer and he reported that her choice to die was due to “understandable misery”.

His report claimed that Catherine had made extensive arrangements for her children to find out about her death in the easiest way possible. But her adopted daughter Ally told The Free Press that she only found out about her mother’s imminent suicide from the Facebook post.

Ally had been adopted by the Kassenoffs in July 2009 from a woman in Florida who was unable to look after her. The couple had been unable to conceive but later had two more girls through IVF, however nannies who used to work with the family claim Catherine intentionally abused Ally because she wasn’t her biological daughter.

Kim Hull, who worked for the family in 2009, claims she was once instructed by Catherine to keep the baby awake all day by dripping water on her head.

Kim said she was told to do it so Ally would sleep through the night, but refused and said it was “abuse”.

On another occasion, the former nanny also said she took Ally to the doctor after she found marks on her back which looked like they’d been caused by fingernails digging into her skin.

Ally’s alleged torment didn’t end there, though, according to au pair Celine Dublanchet who started working for the family in 2016. Celine claimed that Ally was locked in a dark basement for two hours as punishment by Catherine when she was just seven years old.

Ally was also told to go outside alone at night time to clean the garden in the middle of winter on a different occasion, according to Celine.

The adopted daughter was also forced to sleep on a mattress on a floor in her room while her younger sisters slept in bed with their mum every night. Ally would then have to make the bed every morning, Celine claimed.

Celine said Allan was “very nice” but that he had a temper and Catherine “pushed him to his emotional limits”.

She added: “She wanted the girls to see their father be so angry. She did it on purpose, to have the children on her side.”

When Celine’s visa expired and she had to return to her home in France, she said she even “wanted to take Ally with me because I felt so sad and bad for her”.

After Catherine’s note was published online, TikToker Robbie Harvey, who campaigns for women in abusive relationships, uploaded a number of the videos Catherine had shared of Allan. One video showed him getting annoyed and calling her a “fat old loser”, while he was heard telling Catherine he “hated” her in another video.

And in other clips, he’s allegedly heard screaming behind doors and shouting at the children to shut up before leaving the home and refusing to take care of the kids. One of their daughters can be seen crying in a video saying that she “doesn’t want to go with that crazy guy”.

Catherine’s videos were removed from Facebook but had already been shared by Harvey and seen by many of his three million TikTok followers. The abuse that Allan suffered as a result forced him to quit his job after an absence of leave in June.

Allan later sued Harvey for sharing the clips, claiming they led to emotional and financial ruin.

His attorneys said in their report: “With a few clicks of his keyboard and a video uploaded to TikTok, Defendant Robert Harvey financially destroyed Plaintiff Allan Kassenoff. ‘

“And, even worse, irreparably harmed Mr. Kassenoff’s three young children… by forcing them into a life where their identities will forever be associated with a bitter and ugly divorce and the suicide of their mother.”

Harvey’s followers reportedly bombarded the law firm where Allan worked with more than 500 phone calls and 7,000 emails blaming him for Catherine’s su!c!de.

Allan was seeking more than £115million in damages for his loss of earnings and destroyed reputation.

The case was settled last week for an undisclosed sum, reports MailOnline.

Recently, Harvey posted a nine-minute video apologising to Allan for sharing the clips posted by Catherine and admitted that he “’made some mistakes in the reporting” of their relationship.

He added: “Catherine did not provide a complete record of what was happening. I echoed exactly what Catherine said.

“I wish I would have known the whole story at the time when I was reporting the Kassenoff case. But I did not. Now that more facts have been presented to me, I now see where I was wrong.”

Allan accepted Harvey’s apology but said the turmoil he suffered was what Catherine would have wanted.

“She set this all in motion,” he said.

“Whether she got lucky with Harvey picking this up, or she coordinated with him, either way: this is her dream.

“Assuming she’s dead. Her dying wish and goal was to still hurt me and the kids.

“It’s like she’s harassing me from beyond the grave.”

Biden sends letter to Democrats as he plans to remain in presidential race

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U.S. President, Joe Biden has informed his political party, Democrats, in Congress that he has no intention of exiting this year’s election amid calls for him to step down due to his health.

Political commentators and Democratic legislators have raised concerns over Biden’s ability to serve a second term in office after his disastrous performance in a debate against Donald Trump last month.

The Democratic president appeared exhausted and lost his train of thought during the event, which shocked the world, prompting questions about his health ahead of the November election.

In a letter on Monday, Biden told congressional Democrats that he was committed to “running this race to the end” and that it was time for conversations about changing nominees to stop.

Here is Biden’s letter to the congressional Democrats;

Fellow Democrats,

Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.

I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank-and-file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past 10 days or so. I have heard the concerns that people have — their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them. Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries. I carried it in 2020 when the fate of our nation was at stake. I also know these concerns come from a place of real respect for my lifetime of public service and my record as President, and I have been moved by the expressions of affection for me from so many who have known me well and supported me over the course of my public life. I’ve been grateful for the rock-solid, steadfast support from so many elected Democrats in Congress and all across the country and taken great strength from the resolve and determination I’ve seen from so many voters and grassroots supporters even in the hardest of weeks.

I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.

We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,000 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.

This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party.

I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned. The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.

I have no doubt that I — and we — can and will beat Donald Trump. We have an historic record of success to run on. From creating over 15 million jobs (including 200,000 just last month), reaching historic lows on unemployment, to revitalizing American manufacturing with 800,000 jobs, to protecting and expanding affordable health care, to rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, highways, ports and airports, and water systems, to beating Big Pharma and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, including $35 a month insulin for seniors, to providing student debt relief for nearly 5 million Americans to an historic investment in combatting climate change.

More importantly, we have an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the MAGA Republicans. They are siding with the wealthy and the big corporations and we are siding with the working people of America. It wasn’t an isolated moment for Trump to stand at Mar-A-Lago and tell the oil industry they should give him $1 billion and he will do whatever they want.

That’s whose side Trump and the MAGA Republicans are on. Trump and the MAGA Republicans want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for rich people so they can cut Social Security and Medicare. We will never let that happen. Its trickle-down economics on steroids. We know the way to build the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. We are finally going to make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes in this country.

The MAGA party is also still determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could throw 45 million Americans off their coverage. We will never let that happen either. Trump got rich denying rental housing to Black people. We have a plan to build 2 million new housing units in America. They want to let Big Pharma charge as much as they want again. What do you think America’s seniors will think when they know Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to take away their $35 insulin — as well as the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs we Democrats just got them? Or what do you think American families are going to think when they find out Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to hit them with a new $2,500 national sales tax on all the imported products they buy.

We are the ones lowering costs for families — from health care to prescription drugs to student debt to housing. We are the ones protecting Social Security and Medicare. Everything they’re proposing raises costs for most Americans — except their tax cuts which will go to the rich.

We are protecting the freedoms of Americans. Trump and the MAGA Republicans are taking them away. They have already for the first time in history taken away a fundamental freedom from the American people by overturning Roe v. Wade. They have decided politicians should make the most personal of decisions that should be made by women and their doctors and those closest to them. They have already said they won’t stop there — and are going after everything from contraception to IVF to the right to marry who you love. And they have made it clear they will ban abortion nationwide. We will let none of that happen. I have made it clear that if Kamala and I are reelected, and the nation elects a Democratic House and Senate, we will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again.

We are the ones who will bring real Supreme Court reform; Donald Trump and his majority want more of the same from the Court, and the chance to add to the right-wing majority they built by subverting the norms and principles of the nomination and confirmation process.

And we are standing up for American democracy. After January 6th, Trump has proven that he is unfit to ever hold the office of President. We can never allow him anywhere near that office again. And we never will.
My fellow Democrats — we have the record, the vision, and the fundamental commitment to America’s freedoms and our Democracy to win.

The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.

Sincerely,
Joe Biden
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States of America

Banker fired after pleading guilty to s3xually assaulting niece

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A banker at Goldman Sachs was fired in June 2024 after his bosses learned that he had pleaded guilty in February to s3xually assaulting his niece.

The assault happened on multiple occasions over a period of years, beginning in 2004.

Ronan O’Grady, 33, who had been working as a private wealth adviser at Goldman’s London-based offices since 2017, was sentenced to two years in prison late last month for s3xually abusing his niece when she was 6 years old and he was 13, according to Financial Times.

O’Grady pleaded guilty to eight counts of s3xual assault.

His niece, Keely O’Grady, said her uncle touched her inappropriately, made her perform or@l s3x and showed her p0rnography, the Irish news outlet RTE reported.

On at least one occasion, Ronan O’Grady’s friend hid in a closet and recorded some of the assaults on his phone.

The crimes took place in the girl’s grandparents’ home in Offaly, a county just west of the Irish capital of Dublin.

Ronan O’Grady, who had no prior convictions, was given a two-year sentence after the judge in the case took into account the fact that he was between the ages of 13 and 17 when he committed the assaults.

He entered his guilty plea in February and was sentenced last month.

In the interim, however, he continued working at Goldman without informing his bosses of his legal troubles, according to the investment bank.

“Mr. O’Grady concealed these criminal proceedings from us until June 2024, despite being required to disclose them,” Goldman Sachs spokesperson Tony Fratto told The Post.

“His employment ended within days of us becoming aware.”

Fratto added that Goldman managers “were shocked to learn of Mr. O’Grady’s appalling past offenses” and that “he is no longer employed by the firm.”

Sachs added: “Our thoughts are with the victim.”

The crimes to which O’Grady pleaded guilty were committed between 2004 and 2008.

Keely O’Grady, 26, reached out to her uncle on social media when she turned 18 years old and confronted him about what he had done, according to RTE.

“I remember too. I hope you’re OK,” Ronan O’Grady wrote back to his niece, adding that he was “young and stupid” at the time.

Despite the social media messages to his niece, Ronan O’Grady maintained his innocence until the start of his trial.

He pleaded guilty in February.

Keely O’Grady gave an impact statement in which she described suffering from depression, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts as a result of the abuse.

West African bloc ECOWAS risks ‘disintegration’ if juntas quit

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The West African bloc Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalized their breakaway union.

The head of the Ecowas Commission said the move was a major blow to the 50-year-old bloc and could have serious consequences if they do not reverse their decision.

It comes after the military leaders of the three countries said on Saturday that they were “irrevocably” turning their backs on the 15-member Ecowas to form a confederation of their own states.

The juntas came into power after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, with Ecowas responding by imposing sanctions, demanding a quick restoration of civilian rule.

Ecowas even threatened to use military force before backing down.
Some of the sanctions have since been removed, and the bloc has been seeking the return of these countries.

Ecowas says the latest move by the juntas could disrupt the freedom of movement of people across the region and undermine efforts to combat regional insecurity, especially in intelligence sharing.

“Our region is facing the risk of disintegration,” Ecowas Commission President Omar Alieu Touray warned on Sunday.

The bloc has appointed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to mediate the crisis.

His appointment was decided at an Ecowas summit held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday.

Mr Faye was touted as having the ability to serve as a facilitator in a mission predicted to face significant challenges.

He is from the same generation as the three military rulers – much younger than the region’s other leaders – and shares the juntas’ criticism of the role of Western powers in the region, especially France, the former colonial ruler in all four countries.

They have all expelled French soldiers who were there as part of an anti-jihadist mission and turned towards Russia for military assistance.

In a related development, Germany’s defence ministry has announced that its army will end operations in Niger at the end of next month following a breakdown of talks with the ruling junta.

It comes after the US completed its withdrawal of troops from an air base in the capital Niamey – leaving its remaining forces at just one drone base in the central city of Agadez.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who was reappointed as Ecowas chairperson, also
stressed the need for new partnerships to overcome the political, economic and security challenges of West Africa and the Sahel region in particular – the semi arid region south of the Sahara Desert.

On Saturday, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a treaty to form a new confederation – the Alliance of Sahel States.

They agreed to build common institutions and infrastructure that could aid the free movements of their citizens within the three countries.

Ecowas citizens are free to live and work in all members countries but if the three countries left the bloc, their citizens would lose that right, unless a new deal was agreed.

West African leaders fears that jihadist groups could spread through the Sahel borders into neighbouring countries – a situation that might adversely affect their citizens and regional security.

The junta-led states have been worst affected by the Islamist insurgencies, which is one of the reasons the military leaders gave for seizing power.

DR BWALYA NGANDU SHOULD BLAME HIS PF MEMBERS FOR CAUSING BY-ELECTIONS-PF DRINKING OWN MEDICINE- Mark Simuuwe

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DR BWALYA NGANDU SHOULD BLAME HIS PF MEMBERS FOR CAUSING BY-ELECTIONS-PF DRINKING OWN MEDICINE.

By Mark Simuuwe

Former Finance minister under the PF Dr Bwalya says the decision by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly to declare the seats vacant is Subterfuge .

For avoidance of doubt , subterfuge is defined as ,”deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal.”

He is right only to the extent that PF are deceiving citizens by deliberately causing a by-election to test their popularity.

Firstly , Dr Bwalya Ngandu is the one who was releasing money to finance by -elections that were caused by the PF under his reign as Finance minister as such , it is total hypocrisy for him to dramatize the self-inflicted by-elections.

Further , assuming the nullification was intended , it is the same PF who caused it by writing an irresponsible letter to the Speaker .

Since the PF claim that the UPND is packing in the next elections and that they have lost popularity, it is clear that PF have a deceitful agenda in causing the by-elections .

Based on their claim , it is now clear to all of us that the PF are deliberately causing this by-election of nine MPs in order to test their own strength.

Unfortunately, they will be taught another lesson they will live to remember in this by-election .

Further , Dr Bwalya Ngandu says HH should focus on job creation and poverty reduction.

Dr Bwalya Ngandu is trying to open an open door .

By restructuring the debt of the loans that Dr Ngandu and his friends irresponsibly contracted , President Hakainde Hichilema is addressing Zambia’s current economic woes that are manifesting as a consequence of a highly indebted country.

Unlike at his time where Dr Ngandu announced employment freeze and wage freeze in parliament , UPND has recruited over 39,000 teachers in two years , over 14,000 health workers , over 45,000 in defence , over 2500 under Local government , over , 250 under ZRA , over 150 under Immigration, over 100 under Zesco , and these are opportunities Dr Ngandu and Edgar Lungu failed to create under PF .

Further , over 2800 cooperatives given grants creating over 50,000 jobs for the SMEs .

In the private sector
alone , over 13,900 jobs have been created in the manufacturing sector alone and this is due to stability in the economic indicators, the political stability , and the improved fight against corruption under the UPND in which our GDP improved from negative two under the PF to over two percent under the UPND leadership in two years .

It is Dr Ngandu who subjected over 34000 council workers to hunger by not paying them their salaries of 7-15 months , including 258,000 farmers who were owed money by FRA.

It is Dr Ngandu who failed to pay TAZARA workers and former TAZAMA workers their dues which money has been paid by UPND government.

It is Dr Ngandu who was failing to pay UNZA , CBU AND PUBLIC Universities salaries which is no longer the case under the UPND leadership.

It is Dr Ngandu who failed to sustain students meal allowances and scrapped them off which allowances have been reinstated by the UPND government.

Under Dr Bwalya Ngandu , supranational cooperations were closing due to economic instability. What this meant was that youths working in these private sector companies lost jobs .

Indeni was closed indefinitely, Mopani mine collapsed, and KCM went through liquidation relegating over 7000 citizens on the Copperbelt into joblessness .

The list of failures is endless under Dr Ngandu’s PF leadership.

We urge him to advise Edgar Lungu and his minions to stop fighting for PF leadership and stop causing by-elections.

It is total hypocrisy for all former PF ministers to line up to cause a by-election through an irresponsible letter than start blaming others .

Where was Bwalya Ngandu when Miles Sampa was taking over PF leadership and expelling PF MPs ? As former Minister , he ought to have known that Miles was causing by-elections by expelling others .

Ends //
SHARED BY:WAGON MEDIA

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