President Hakainde Hichilema’s use of DCs to handle taxpayers funded Student Loans is Illegal and abuse of his authority
We wish to advise the President to follow the law and not to be in the forefront perpertuating lawlessness in the country. It is lawlessness and abuse of authority for him to instruct District Commissioners (DCs) to be handling Higher Education scholarship applications.
That is the job of the Higher Education Loan’s and Scholarships Board (HELBS) according to the Zambian Law.
The Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Act [No. 31 of 2016 sec (5)(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g) provides for the legal framework and policy as follows:
5. (1) The functions of the Board are to— (a) receive and consider loan and scholarship applications from students for the award of loans and scholarships; (b) administer loans and scholarships for students; (c) determine the criteria and terms for the grant of loans and scholarships, and the rate of interest and recovery ofloans; (d) establish systems to secure the repayment of loans bystudents and the efficient utilisation and application of scholarships;
(e) monitor and evaluate the operations and performance ofthe Fund and ensure accountability of the Fund by determining appropriate procedures for its management; (f) formulate policies and guidelines for the control andmanagement of monies for loans and scholarships andensure their implementation; (g) formulate policies to determine—
(i) the terms of disbursement of money from theFund to students granted loans or scholarships by the Board; (ii) the maximum amount of money to be granted bythe Fund to students granted loans orscholarships by the Board; and (iii) the sectors of the economy in which the moniesof the Fund may be invested;(h) establish structures and guidelines to ensure fairness inthe disbursement and application of the Fund;
(i) advise the Minister on policy matters concerning provisionof scholarships and recovery of loans from loanbeneficiaries.
We advise the head of State to do the right thing by upholding the rule of law. DCs are politicians who have no legal place in handling taxpayers money on behalf of the Minister of Education or government in general.
Wherever we want to go our feet shall take us there.
Kasonde Mwenda C
Economic Freedom Fighters-EFF President
38-year-old Elizabeth Holmes, who was once described by Forbes as one of the richest Selfmade billionaires in America, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for fraud. Despite being currently pregnant with her second child.
A federal judge on Friday November 18, jailed theTheranos founder for defrauding investors in her now-defunct blood-testing startup that was once valued at $9 billion.
The founder of health technology company, Theranos, was at a point worth $4.5billion and hailed as a genius on the verge of changing the health sector.
She has since been exposed as a fraudster who deceived Silicon Valley investors, including media mogul, Rupert Murdock, into funding her start up with false promises. Her company gained worldwide recognition in 2013 after she claimed she had invented a revolutionary blood testing kit that only required small amounts of blood and performed accurate results in as little as 20 minutes.
Turns out it was all lies and her company was a hoax used to swindle investors, according to prosecutors in her trial. She was reported to the FBI by some investors after she failed to show what their money had been used for.
After a thorough investigation, she was arrested for fraud. Her attorneys had wanted her to get only 18 months in prison but prosecution said her arrogance and lack of acknowledgement of wrongdoing through out the trial deserved 15 years in prison.
The judge agreed and sentenced her to 11 years in prison and she was also asked to return $121million to investors.
Before handing down the sentence, Davila called the case “troubling on so many levels,” questioning what motivated Holmes, a “brilliant” entrepreneur, to misrepresent her company to investors.
“This is a fraud case where an exciting venture went forward with great expectations only to be dashed by untruths, misrepresentations, plain hubris and lies,” the judge said.
Holmes, dressed in a dark blouse and black skirt, hugged her parents and her partner after the sentence was handed down.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Holmes misrepresented Theranos’ technology and finances, including by claiming that its miniaturized blood testing machine was able to run an array of tests from a few drops of blood. The company secretly relied on conventional machines from other companies to run patients’ tests, prosecutors said.
Holmes testified in her own defense, saying she believed her statements were accurate at the time.
She was convicted on four counts but acquitted on four other counts alleging she defrauded patients who paid for Theranos tests.
Theranos Inc promised to revolutionize how patients receive diagnoses by replacing traditional labs with small machines envisioned for use in homes, drugstores and even on the battlefield.
Forbes dubbed Holmes the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire in 2014, when she was 30 and her stake in Theranos was worth $4.5 billion. Theranos collapsed after a series of Wall Street Journal articles in 2015 questioned its technology.
Actress Amanda Seyfried in September won an Emmy Award for portraying Holmes in the limited series “The Dropout.”
This Is How Much Rick Ross Was Paid For Last Night’s Performance
Social FBI has unearthed the exact amount American rapper Rick Ross was paid for his maiden performance in Zimbabwe last night.
According to a journalist, Nickson Mpofu, the rapper was paid USD175 000 000 .
Ricky Ross was paid USD175 000 for last night’s performance at HICC. Akaita lip sync for 50 minutes.
The development has however evoked a mixed bag of emotions as some complained about the value promoters give to foreign artistes over local ones.
Proff ISteve Abiola
Dai vakapa baba sharo mari yese iyo na mark ngwazi 1 week 24/7 pungwe magitare achitsva
Malcolm Moyo
Then local artist where given 100 dollars
And a different camp was more worried about how far the amount could have gone had it been channelled towards the country’s crippled health system.
Bee WekwaMuringani
Imagine what $175,000 could have done for our ailing health system 💔💔💔💔.
Chiiko, kushaya hanya here, hutsinye here? Is it stupidity??? 🤔
Meanwhile, Ross shut down Zimbabwe and left fans in awe with his electric performance.
Ross — born William Leonard Roberts II — staged his maiden performance in Zimbabwe courtesy of global media and entertainment company, ROAR Entertainment.
Die-hard Hip Hop fans were in for a treat at the Harare International Conference Center (HICC) as Rick Ross delivered a world-class performance.
Judging from the concert videos which have since gone viral, Rick Ross wowed the crowd and left them wanting more.
In one of the videos shared on social media, the crowd can be seen and heard vibing to his performance. The crowd had their phones out recording each and every song performance.
Meanwhile, in what some found to be a humiliating development, Wicknell Chivayo’s car which was supposed to ferry Ross from Robert Mugabe International Airport burst a tyre before even taking off yesterday.
An eyewitness told iHarare that the moment Ross entered into the vehicle it burst its front left tyre. Ross had to be whisked into a blue Merc whose owner could not be ascertained.
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON, HON. CHUSHI KASANDA, MP, ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE ZAMBIA CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS IN THEIR STATEMENT
Government has taken note of the issues raised by the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops in their statement on the ‘State of the Nation,’ dated 18th November, 2022.
The statement is in line with Government’s open-door policy where citizens and stakeholders are at liberty to raise issues that require Government’s attention.
The issues raised in the statement such as unemployment, poverty, free education, health, Constituency Development Fund (CDF), agriculture, the rule of law and the fight against corruption, are some of the priority areas that preoccupy this Government from the time it came into office.
In this regard, Government has, and continues, to address these and many other issues for the betterment of the Zambian people.
Key to this, is the revival of the economy which Government has prioritised in uplifting people’s lives.
Since coming into office over a year ago, inflation has climbed down from double to single digit, with the kwacha now ranked as the best performing currency in the world.
The huge debt left by the previous Government is being restructured and dismantled and resources released from the same are being redirected to other needy areas such as education and health among others.
Further, investor confidence has been restored in the country’s economy arising from Government’s sustained efforts to reposition the country as a prime investment destination.
Improving the welfare of Zambians, in particular the aged and other disadvantaged in society, Government’s allocation to social protection has increased from K6.3 billion in 2022, to K8.1 billion in 2023. The number of beneficiaries is being increased from the current 880, 539 in 2021, to 1, 324, 000 in 2023.
In its efforts to empower people to take charge of their developmental needs at the local level, Government has decentralised the governance system from Lusaka to the districts accompanied by resources of up to K28.3 million per constituency, which has never happened since independence nearly six decades ago. As part of actualising this measure, Government is revising the guidelines and the Constituency Development Fund Act.
On unity, Government has been emphatic on promoting the one Zambia, One Nation Motto. This can be seen in the appointments of citizens to various positions of responsibility, including the recent recruitment of civil servants which was based on merit and not any political, ethnic or tribal considerations. Government is happy that Zambians have responded positively in embracing one another as brothers and sisters regardless of ethnic, tribal or regional background.
In the statement, the Catholic Bishops also raise concern on the fight against corruption which they feel is not yielding desired results. While Government respects this view, it believes that tremendous progress has been made. The mere fact that all suspected wrong-doing in the past and present is being pursued aggressively, and some of the public resources and assets recovered, shows that the fight against corruption is on course. It ought to be noted, however, that the pace of prosecutions of corruption cases including the outcomes thereof, is not a responsibility of the executive. Further, all suspects have a right to legal recourse as provided for in our laws, some of which are very lengthy.
Government is aware that the free education policy still requires capitalisation in terms of more classroom space, desks, teachers and other facilities arising from the high number of children that have come back to enroll in schools countrywide. However, the decision to introduce free education could not wait even for a day even in the absence of the said facilities. Doing so would spell doom on the future of children whose parents and guardians could not afford the school fees.
These and other measures are unlocking more opportunities for Zambians to live better and prosperous lives.
Government is, nonetheless, aware of the enormity of the challenges at hand, as pointed out in the statement, and is under no illusion that the challenges will be overcome overnight.
Zambians can, however, take comfort in the fact that Government continues to address the many challenges that confront this nation.
Government, therefore, values the role and voice of the church and other stakeholders in the governance and development of the country. And as President Hakainde Hichilema has always said, the Government and the Church are not in competition but in cooperation in the development of the country.
Hon. Chushi Kasanda, MP MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
ZESCO BOARD CHAIRPERSON RESPONDS TO THE CONSENT AGREEMENT RAISED BY EMMANUEL MWAMBA
ZESCO Board Chairperson, Vickson Ncube wrote,
Emmanuel Mwamba I am compelled to respond to this particular matter as I have all the facts and figures that are involved in the consent judgement.
The background to the matter is that in 2014 the ERB gave a directive for an increase of tariffs ZESCO Limited charges mining houses. The mining houses were unhappy with this directive on two scores.
Firstly it disregarded all existing contracts between ZESCO Limited and mining houses contained in the Bulk Supply Agreement (BSA) and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Secondly, tariff increases are triggered by a process that begins with an application from ZESCO Limited submitted to ERB.
The ERB sets in motion a progress that starts with a call for a public submissions, followed by public hearings. Based on this process ERB will approve, amend or reject the ZESCO Limited application. In this particular case, ERB announced an increase without due process.
The existing legal framework did not support this directive. ZESCO Limited started raising invoices to the mining house based on the directive.
Mining houses continued paying ZESCO Limited based on existing contractual provisions.
In 2016 an increase of tariff to the mining houses was effected following due process. No mining house rejected the new increase. They have been paying the tariff since 2016.
The amount that is the subject of the out of Court Settlement is the invoices between 2014 and 2016 to the extent of the difference between contracted tariff and the ERB directive.
I have always wondered why responsible members of society find it difficult to obtain facts that are public available before publishing stories. The handlers of this page can easily contact ZESCO Limited for the full facts.
I have always stated that ZESCO Limited belongs to us all as Zambians and those of us charged with the responsibility of overseeing its affairs will do so with uttermost honest, integrity and due care.
BELOW WAS AMB.EMMANUEL MWAMBA’S ARTICLE
ZESCO MADE TO LOSE $1BILLION
In 2014, ZESCO obtained approval from the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) to increase electricity tariffs for the mine companies to 28 percent under the bulk supply agreement.
Another increment for the mine houses was made in 2016.
Lumwana, Kansanshi, Lubambe, Mopani, Chibuluma, NFC Africa and Chambeshi Metals challenged ERB, ZESCO and CEC for increasing tarrifs despite the bulk agreements made between ZESCO and CEC.
They obtained an injunction and did not need to pay the electricity bills at new rates since 2014 to allow the court to provide a judicial review of ERB and ZESCO’s decision.
It has now been announced that ERB, ZESCO and CEC have entered into a Consent Judgment with the seven mining companies which discharges their obligations to pay the invoices of the new electricity tariff effected in 2014.
So the contingent liabilities by the mining companies estimated at over $1billion will not be paid to ZESCO!
The mining companies consume over 50% of power generated by ZESCO.
China should always have a very important strategic position in Zambia’s international relations. And in our relationship with China, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is an economic infrastructure of great historical, moral and political significance.
In today’s world, propelled by imperialist lies and propaganda, the history, purpose, and importance of this railway should be explained to our people, especially the younger generations, to help them understand China’s altruistic motives for its aid to us and other African countries. It should also help expose imperialist lies about so-called Chinese colonialism in Africa.
The earliest idea of building the Tanzania-Zambia Railway can be traced back to the British colonial era. At the end of the 19th century, the British imperialist or colonialist Cecil John Rhodes put forward a plan to build a “2C” railway running through the north and south of Africa, which was the earliest idea for the TAZARA Railway.
Due to two world wars and also for other reasons, the “2C” railway project fell silent for nearly 50 years. In the late 1940s, the United Kingdom began to renew its interest in the TAZARA Railway, led by the British Colonial Office and jointly funded by the United Kingdom and the United States. The initial survey was carried out in 1952. The survey report said that from the perspective of engineering construction, the project did not have any obvious difficulties and could definitely be revitalised. But, “Unless the necessary development is carried out in the area along the railway, the railway will not be worth building”, it said. The British did not immediately take any further action out of a motivation to divide and control the colonies and consolidate the original ruling order.
In the 1960s, African national liberation movements brought the issue of independence to a climax. Tanzania and Zambia gained independence in 1961 and 1964, respectively. After the independence of the two countries, they not only faced the historical task of developing their national economies and consolidating the achievements of independence, but also of continuing to fight against the remnants of colonialism and realise the final independence of the whole of Africa.
It was under these circumstances that the plan to build the railway was put back on the agenda. President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania had high hopes for it and believed that “when the railway is completed, not only Zambia will benefit, but Tanzania will also benefit . . . not only that, the whole of Africa will benefit from this railway”. It was believed that the railway would strengthen Zambia, which in turn would strengthen the power of freedom, and trade among African countries would become more convenient.
As a landlocked, or rather land-linked country, Zambia was facing a more severe situation. Copper mines were its pillar industry. It was believed that if you controlled the passage of copper to the sea, you would control Zambia. Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda envisioned before independence to find another railway leading to the Indian Ocean besides the Rhodesian one. This railway would start in the central part of northern Zambia, go around Kapiri Mposhi, pass through the newly independent Tanzania, and finally reach the Indian Ocean. At the end of October 1970, the construction of TAZARA – a landmark project of China’s solidarity with Africa – officially began.
In the 1960s, when the two countries were repeatedly denied loans from the West to support the project, they turned their hopes to China. But due to the large amount of financial investment required, there were initial doubts within the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee about whether China could manage to provide the required assistance. However, Premier Zhou Enlai – who established China’s new foreign aid work – stressed that it was China’s inescapable internationalist duty to assist African countries.
According to Zhou, “Concentrating efforts to aid the construction of such a large project will not only be of great significance to the two countries of Tanzania and Zambia, but will also play an important role in supporting the liberation of southern Africa.” The railway could help landlocked Zambia access the Indian Ocean, facilitate trade between African countries, and weaken colonialist and imperialist control.
At the decision-making stage, Zhou diligently studied the aid plan with Minister of Railways Lu Zhengcao and affirmed China’s position to Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. “After the railroad is completed, sovereignty will belong to you and Zambia,” he said, adding, “We will also teach you about the technology.”
China’s positive stance, unlike that of the West, eventually led to an agreement in principle. During the construction phase, Zhou also relied on several years of domestic railway construction experience to solve various challenges in railroad exploration, construction, and loan repayment schemes, which ensured the project’s smooth progress.
TAZARA took six years to complete, with China sending more than 50,000 workers, 70 of whom sacrificed their lives. China’s support for the railway’s construction not only countered doubts about the country’s strength and technological capability, but also helped gain firm political support from African countries. Today, TAZARA is a landmark project of China’s aid to Tanzania, Zambia and Africa in general.
Starting by supporting the national liberation movements and promoting friendly cooperation between China and Africa, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai resolutely decided to aid in the construction of TAZARA when Tanzania and Zambia’s pleas for help were repeatedly rejected by the West.
Zhou Enlai played a key role in the decision-making process of aiding the construction of TAZARA. He not only listened to the opinions of relevant departments and carried out administrative mobilisation, but also provided decision-making information for Chairman Mao and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He not only had to develop in-depth contacts with Tanzania, but also work with Zambian leaders. At the stage of railway construction, in order to make the railway meet the requirements of Tanzania and Zambia, Zhou Enlai instructed the Ministry of Railways to send elite soldiers and generals to conduct surveys. At key points of the negotiations between the three countries, he presided over the overcoming of technical difficulties, raised domestic forces to support the railway construction and strengthened foreign aid workers’ education. TAZARA was therefore not only a railway to freedom for African national independence and development, but also a historical monument to China-Africa friendship.
TAZARA is therefore more than just a railway to us. It is an emotional, moral and great symbol of our friendship with China, built on the immense sweat of more than 50,000 Chinese workers, the supreme sacrifice by 70 Chinese workers who lost their lives, and the immeasurable efforts of Chinese leaders like Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai, among others. This should never be forgotten, and for these reasons all effort must be made to revitalise and modernise TAZARA and put it to the most efficient, effective, and orderly use. It must be an important part of today’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Fred M’membe President of the Socialist Party Zambia
HH forks out £58,000 for son’s Master’s degree in UK!
President Hakainde Hichilema says education is a critical investment that must be made universal and affordable.
And Global Partnership for Education chairman Jakaya Kikwete says the world is facing an unprecedented education crisis, which is more pronounced in the developing world.
In his summary remarks during a plenary at the Innovation Africa 2022 ministerial summit on digital transformation held at Lusaka’s Ciela Bonanza Resort, President Hichilema said he had just recently “forked out £58,000 to pay for the school bill for his last born son who was studying in UK.
“Education is critical investment for me, for us. I want to argue to my colleagues in the room here that education is not and should not be viewed as a social support element. It is a critical investment. Education itself before you even talk of what type of education and on what platform you are using, technology or manual or whatever, education is a huge investment. Education is the best equaliser. Education essentially is a human right. I dare say so, number one. Number two, if it is a human right and best equaliser, it is critical to any sector of the economy. Let us make it universal. Let us make it available to all our children,” he said.
President Hichilema said he had delivered on the promise of free education because of its importance and the need for government to afford the basic form of education to all children.
“Within the political environment there was a big ridicule coming to us that it was impossible to offer free education. There was no money but remember in my submission I said any first year student, undergraduate student doing fiancé, economics, you will learn that resources are scarce but it is how you utilise them,” President Hichilema said. “We said we would move money away from wastage and take it into education amongst others and we have done just that. We have defied all odds within the stretched resource envelope because we believe education is the best investment, best equaliser We are making it universal in this country. Education should be universal. Thirdly, if it is universal, it should be affordable, accessible. Affordable. My son is doing his masters in the UK, Mr president [former Tanzania leader Kikwete], my last born. And I just forked out £58,000. Is that necessary? Is that the way to live? [It] brings me to the fourth item, relevant to this topic and I want to confirm Mr president, I refuse to use public resources. I said ‘I will send my child to school from family resources but the issue is that how many families can afford that, those who want their children to do their masters? Even here in our own universities, a lot of kids are out of school because of the cost. So let us make it available and technology will help us, to make it affordable. E-learning, will make it easy for every kid that has grey matter to be able to go to school and governments like us must support the kids to go to school.”
President Hichilema called for investments in education and innovation from the private sector.
“It should become a norm not the exception because the private sector needs the skills. The government is using public resources, it must make the skills available. So this partnership must go beyond funding a conference like this. …during the vacation to go to vacation employment…to partner with industry, institutions of learning, governments on one side partnering with industry to give our kids an early opportunity to experience a working environment when they are in their first year, second year in college. By the time they graduate they get the disciplines of working for somebody or working for themselves,” said President Hichilema.
And Kikwete said the world is facing an unprecedented education crisis which is more pronounced in the developing world.
“The crisis is being felt in every corner of our beloved continent. The world must meet the education crisis baldly, resolutely and expeditiously,” he said. “I speak not only as former president of my dear country Tanzania but also as the board chair of Global Partnership for Education who is the first African to hold this position in the 20 years of the life of GPE.”
He said Africa had demonstrated that big progress in education is possible.
“Before the pandemic, Africa was gaining ground. 67 per cent of children in GPE partner countries in Africa attended school. 40 per cent completed school and more girls went to school. Learning outcomes have improved in a number of countries. Nonetheless, in the last decade progress has slowed. Now the pandemic, climate change, humanitarian crisis and the global economic downturn are taking us even further in the wrong direction. These factors could drive another 5.5 million African children to join the 100 million children who are already out of school for various reasons,” Kikwete said.
“The world had 240 million children and young people out of school. Unfortunately, 100 million of these are from Africa. Of all the five continents’ 240 million, Africa contributes 100 million. This is just too much. Globally this generation of children, students ,risks losing $21 trillion in potential life earnings. An increase of $4 trillion in just one year. We must reverse this trajectory.”
He said there was need to mobilise more funds and leverage international funding for education especially for maginalised children.
Kikwete said GPE has provided $7 billion so far as funding for the sector.
You have broken the law – GBM tells HH …private auditors can’t audit security wings of the state Lusaka, 19.11.2022
Former Defense Minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, GBM, has charged that the government of President Hakainde Hichilema has contravened section 24(3) of The Public Audit Act which prohibits any private entity from auditing the defense and security wings of the state.
Mr. Mwamba says the act is intended to safeguard state security by limiting access to sensitive information. He says outsiders may not be expected to appreciate the strategic nature of the information they may come across if allowed access to security data.
He dismissed as grossly misleading, disappointing, and disheartening that government should defend their illegal action by saying that private auditors appointed to audit the Ministry of Defense will be restricted to food supply contracts only.
“Any military expert will tell you that food is as much a strategic element in national security matters as military hardware is”, Mr. Mwamba says. How much food a military buys and has in stock, Mr. Mwamba says could say to a significant extent what its strengths and weaknesses may be.
The aspiring candidate for the position of president in the Patriotic Front says President Hichilema is demonstrating the dangers of electing into the highest office in the land someone with no single grain of experience in government and public affairs.
Mr. Mwamba says the justification advanced by government is extremely careless while deeply troubling at the same time, adding, “these guys are toying around with the most sensitive nerves of statehood”.
As a former Defense Minister, Mr. Mwamba says he feels compelled and obliged to guide both government and the nation regarding matters of national security. Referring to Zambia’s geopolitical position, Mr. Mwamba says Zambia is located in a part of Africa that has seen political and security instability going back to the early 70s when the country hosted liberation war movements, hosting refugees, participating in peacekeeping operations and mediating in peace talks.
“We have remained largely peaceful because we have always invested well in our security apparatus which includes passing legislation that restricts who accesses sensitive information related to our security sector”, Mr. Mwamba says.
He has warned that President Hichilema risks harming the very constitution and state he swore to defend if he pursues his so-called fight against corruption without paying attention to the demands of the law. If he does not reverse this course, Mr. Mwamba has advised that the Law Association of Zambia and civil society must consider approaching the courts of law to interpret section 24(3) of The Public Audit Act.
The act reads, “despite the provisions of subsection (1) the auditor general shall not permit any authorized person, agent of specialist consultant to have access to any book, record, returns report or other document, or to enter –
(a) The premises of any component of the Defense Force, national security services or a law enforcement agency, or (b) Premises other than those mentioned in paragraph (a) if such access of entry is likely to – (i) prejudice the security, defense of international relations of the Republic or the investigation or detection of offenses, or (ii) involve the disclosure of any matters or deliberations of a secret or confidential nature of the cabinet or any committee of the cabinet
ISSUED BY MR. GEOFFREY BWALYA MWAMBA, GBM PF MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE AND CHAIRMAN FOR MOBILISATION AND ASPIRING CANDIDATE FOR THE POSITION OF PARTY PRESIDENT
CATHOLIC Bishops in Zambia are worried about the increased tribal politics in the country.
In its Pastoral letter, the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) say the political situation in Zambia is still characterized by the continued politicking and trivializing of important national matters by political leaders at all levels.
They note with sadness that regional and tribal sentiments still enjoy a centre stage in the country’s political circles.
“There is need for a genuine, inclusive and democratic national reconciliation in the country where political leaders ought to realize and appreciate the fact that their priority should be that of serving Zambians.
The government should lead and be seen to lead the way in eliminating the “tribal” talk and sentiments in the country,” the Bishops stated.
On unemployment, the bishops said the larger number of Zambians is still unemployed.
“We note the fact that government has employed 30,496 teachers and 1-1,276 health workers. However, unemployment in Zambia continues to be a matter of concern and the government needs to urgently improvise practical strategies on how to deal with these high escalating levels.
The truth of the matter is that government cannot manage to employ everyone; it is not just feasible and sustainable. Hence the importance to venture into serious support of SMEs, SmallScale Farmers and opening of manufacturing industries in order to create more jobs. Further, we call upon the government to create an enabling environment for the already existing SMEs to thrive especially by paying them for services and goods supplied.”
The bishops also noted that the health sector is failing the people of Zambia as it is running without medicines.
“Health of the citizenry is cardinal to the productivity of a nation. lt has been observed that health facilities in Zambia are lacking medicines to treat the population in many health institutions. The claim by the Ministry of Health that enough medicines have been dispatched to all health facilities cannot be substantiated as the information concerning the availability of medicines in both urban and rural health facilities does not correspond to the reality on the ground. ln most cases, patients are given prescriptions to go and buy medicines from private pharmacies where they are very expensive and out of reach for the poor Zambians. We appreciate the establishment of NHIMA. However, its implementation leaves much to be desired and government is encouraged to look at its operation with the urgency it deserves. The revision of the procurement policy is also necessary in order to facilitate the acquisition of medicines and other hospital equipment.”
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA DIRECTOR SPOKESPERSON SCHOOLS OPPOSITION
November 18, 2022 – Lusaka
By Ubuyantanshi Reporter
Ministry of information and Media Director Spokesperson Thabo Kawana today provided free but vital lecture notes to opposition political parties on the Auditor General’s decision to contract private firms to audit government ministries and parastatals.
Speaking this afternoon when he addressed members of the press at the ministry headquarters, Mr Kawana said that what the private firms are doing is not an outright overall audit but an exclusive verification exercise of an overall domestic debt which sharply rose from K51.82 billion in 2016 to K76.4 billion in 2022 as of June.
Mr Kawana informed the opposition parties that just like other multilateral organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had to verify the authenticity of Zambia’s external debt before coming to support the country’s local economic recovery programme, the government too has an obligation to verify the huge local debt bill especially after finding pockets of fake supply in ministries.
The Ministry’s Director Spokesperson said there is nothing suspicious as the verification is being done across all ministries, parastatals and government spending agencies hence the Auditor General’s office being overwhelmed with work.
Mr Kawana pointed out that the overwhelming task of verification prompted the Auditor General to write to the Minister of Finance and National Planning seeking permission in accordance with the law and powers vested in the office of the Auditor General to seek external hands to assist the office.
Mr Kawana made it clear that the 6 private auditing firms were contracted in accordance with the law and after satisfying all procedures to verify specific issues.
On security concerns raised by opposition political parties especially in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Kawana said that the files being verified are on specifics and are looking at goods and services. He further elaborated that the files are being given to the auditors by the Ministry staff.
Mr Kawana assured Zambians that the private auditing firms are not looking at sensitive information. “They are not looking at how many guns we have as a country, how many bullets we have, how many tankers we have as a country”, he said.
And Mr Kawana said there is no law that has been contravened as contained in the constitution and as it relates to the office of the Auditor General. He rubbished plans by the opposition political parties to impeach President Hakainde Hichilema based on the private auditing firms contracted as there is no abrogation of the constitution.
Mr Kawana said that long gone are the days when people supplied air and cashed out money. “If you supplied the government air, you will be paid air, you will get nothing”, he said.
“CEC doesn’t have to pay millions of dollars owed to ZESCO and the mines don’t have to pay CEC”
● Lumwana alone doesn’t have to pay $228million.
In 2014, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) announced the bulk supply agreement tariffs between Zesco and Copperbelt Energy Corporation was adjusted to 6.84 cents per KWh from 5.31 cents per KWh.
The energy regulator approved a 28.8 percent electricity price increase for mining companies.
All other mines supplied by Zesco had to adjust upwards to the new minimum tariff of 6.84 cents per KWh,”.
In addition, the tariffs for the mining companies were further adjusted to US cents 10.35/kWh effective January 2016 through a separate negotiation
process facilitated by the Ministry of Energy and Water Development.
This was done despite the validity of their respective Power Purchase Agreements, and the need to adjust the tariffs in order to enable ZESCO survive
The mines billed the mining companies the new tariffs of US
Cents10.35/kWh for the month of January 2016.
But SEVEN mining companies sued ERB for allegedly unlawfully allowing Zesco and the Copperbelt Energy Company (CEC) to increase tariffs.
CONSENT JUDGEMENT
CEC Market Announcement – Consent Order in the Lumwana Mining Company Limited and seven others vs Energy Regulation Board (“ERB”) and three others (“The 2014 ERB Tariff Matter”)
In accordance with Section 3.4(a) of the Lusaka Securities Exchange Listings Requirements (“LuSE Listings Requirements”), the Board of Directors of Copperbelt Energy Corporation PLC (“CEC” or “the Company”) informs shareholders of the Company, and the market, that CEC has, jointly with the other parties, entered into a Consent Judgment in the matter where Lumwana Mining Company Limited and other mining companies contested, by way of judicial review, the ERB’s upward revision of electricity tariffs in 2014.
The Consent Judgment, entered on 7th November 2022, effectively and amicably settles the dispute between the parties and the obligations related to the claims in the matter.
The consequence of the Consent Judgement on the Parties is the discharge of their respective obligations to pay and be paid the ERB’s upwardly adjusted electricity tariff of 2014.
Therefore, the Company’s contingent liability, estimated at USD228.0 million, potentially payable to ZESCO and the corresponding contingent asset amount receivable from CEC’s mining customers have effectively been eliminated.
As prescribed in the Consent Judgement, the parties will make the respective settlement obligations through issuance of appropriate credit notes reversing the previously issued invoices, within 30 days of the said Judgment.
By Order of the Board
Julia C Z Chaila
Company Secretary
Issued in Lusaka, Zambia on Friday, 18 November 2022
UNZA DON URGES ZAMBIA’S PRIVATE SECTOR TO EMULATE ABSA
“… as ECONOMIST BALLY stabilises Zambia’s economy and ABSA Bank increases salaries for employees.”
19th November, 2022 – Lusaka
By Vanessa Chileshe
UNIVERSITY of Zambia Lecturer and Researcher Ntazana Mutungwa Musukuma has implored owners of private companies in the country to follow the foot-steps of ABSA Bank Plc by increasing salaries for their employees following the stabilization of Zambia’s economy.
ABSA Bank Plc has awarded K2, 600 salary increment to workers across the board effective 1st April 2023. The Management of the Bank has announced that this follows the conclusion and signing of the full 2023/2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Zambia Union for Financial Institutions and Allied workers and the Bankers Union of Zambia.
This comes at a time when Government has also increased salaries for all civil servants of Zambia by 10.5% effective 1st January, 2023.
Commenting on these positive developments, Mr Musukuma says Zambia’s economy has now stabilized, looking at where the country was coming from – PF’s economic mismanagement. He has since called on the entire private sector in the country to emulate ABSA Bank by increasing salaries for their employees saying the responsibility for a better Zambia does not rest squarely on Government but extends to the private players.
“PF regime left the economy at negative 2.8% recession but the UPND Government is now growing the economy at positive 5% growth rate. Zambia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 3.5 percent in the second quarter of 2022 over the same quarter of 2021. PF left inflation at 26.5% but the UPND has dropped it to single-digit 9.7%. The Kwacha is appreciating. The economy is stabilising. What ABSA Bank has done is a response to these positive economic strides, it is commendable and should be emulated by all the other private sector entities,” said Musukuma.
The UNZA Lecturer has attributed Zambia’s positive economic growth and stability to the outstanding leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema and functional economic policies of the UPND Government.
“If you thought these good things in the New Dawn Era are happening by accident, you’re mistaken because they’re not. President Hichilema and the UPND Government have stabilized the economy. Remember that Bally is a product of UNZA where he learnt ECONOMICS which is defined as the study of the production, distribution and consumption of wealth, goods and services. He understands the ECONOMY which is about careful management of available resources,” said Musukuma.
He pointed out that an economy is a complex system of intererrelated production, distribution, consumption and exchange activities that ultimately determines how resouces are allocated among all participants and that it is gratifying to see the current stable economy in Zambia translating into tangible benefits for those operating in it including workers in the private sector.
Mr Musukuma said Zambia is headed for greater heights with ‘Bally the Economist’ at the helm of state power. The UNZA Don has applauded ABSA Bank highly for increasing salaries for their workers and appealed to other private sector actors to do the same in the best interest of improved livelihoods for all.
VERNON Mwaanga says there is no shame in losing elections.
Mwaanga, a veteran politician and diplomat, says elections are the central institution of democratic representative government”.
“In any elections, there are bound to be losers. This does not mean that the losing persons in free and fair elections have no contribution to make to the development of Zambia. It is important to understand that there is no shame in losing elections,” he said in a statement.
“Shame enters into the matter only if those who are defeated in lawful elections do not work loyally for our country by disagreeing with the will of the people. By the mere act of standing in the elections they strengthen our democracy.”
Mwaanga recalled that the Mwangala Zaloumis committee on electoral reforms, constituted by late president Levy Mwanawasa “made very important recommendations about the need for reforms and making the electoral process open and transparent from A to Z”.
“This committee included eminent persons such as former president Edgar Lungu and former speaker of the national assembly Dr Patrick Matibini. A number of countries have bought copies of this report and successfully implemented many of the recommendations contained in the report. Let me hasten to add that not all elections are free or fair.
I led a large group of international observers and thousands of local monitors to a certain African country where I qualified elections which had just been held as ‘free, but not fair’, much to the annoyance of the host country,” Mwaanga recalled.
“Disputing the outcome of elections does not happen in Africa only. Take the United States of America where losing candidate former president Donald Trump claimed and up to this day still claims that elections, which ushered in President Joe Biden was ‘rigged’ without producing evidence in support of his false claims. In many countries in Africa election outcomes have led to internal conflicts and even wars.”
He however said there is a court option for those who are disputing election outcomes. “The courts rely on ‘evidence’. This principle of holding free, fair and credible elections, applies [also] to elections within all political parties. Charity begins at home. Party officials from branch to the central committee or national executive committee levels, must practice internal democracy in their political parties,” said Mwaanga.
“As Africans, it is our collective duty to repair the damage done to our ill-wishers who used and still call us a dark continent. There is nothing dark about our beloved continent. We are proud Africans who believe in our continent. We deserve our place at the global table, of equal partners.
Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he regrets refusing to come on against Tottenham last month, but felt provoked by Erik ten Hag for putting him three minutes before the end of the game.
Ronaldo has been making headlines over the past week after the release of his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, where he slammed the current state of the club, along with heavily criticizing Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and former teammates including Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney.
In the second part of the interview that was aired on Thursday evening, November 17, Ronaldo spoke about his highly-controversial decision to refuse to come on as a substitute against Spurs and then walking down the tunnel before the final whistle.
‘Piers I will be honest with you, it’s something that I regret to leave from the stadium,’ Ronaldo said.
‘Probably, or maybe no, I don’t know. It’s difficult to tell you 100 per cent but let’s say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach.
‘Not allowed for me, a coach to put me in three minutes in a game. Sorry, I’m not that kind of player. I know what I can give to teams.
‘Okay, you don’t put me against Manchester City because of respect of your career and you want to put me three minutes against Tottenham. It doesn’t make sense…
‘I think he did it on purpose because, for example, in a national team the other clubs, if the coach wants to put me five minutes, if someone injured or if they really need me, I will help. But in that way I felt provoked not only because of that game, but before.’
Following the incident, Ronaldo was suspended by the club for three days and was omitted from the squad for their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo says his suspension was humiliating for him.
‘I think it was a strategy from the club for me to react that way,’ he explained.
‘I was very, very, very, very disappointed for the communication of Manchester United. To be honest, I never had a problem with any club, with any coach.
‘And they suspend me (for) three days, which I felt it was a lot – and the level of sport, clubs, I felt a lot. It was a shame, that…
‘I remember arriving home and Cristiano saw me and said “Daddy do (you) not go to the game?” I say “No, because the club punish me with three days”.
‘And he did like [laughs] “How they’re going to punish you if you are the best player in the world and you’re not gonna play?” I said “No I’m not going to play because I have not been behaved”. And he looked at me like, “My Daddy not behave, what?”‘
Ronaldo also went on to claim that he was angered with the way United allowed the media to humiliate him because he believed that his record as a player meant he deserved more than being brought on for the final stages of the 2-0 win.
He said: ‘In one way, I was good because I was like, more relaxed, but in the same way, I feel very disappointed because, okay, I regret, I apologise, I’m not perfect, I made a mistake.
‘But suspend me three days, for that, I think it’s too much. And then they make fire for the press, which really disappoints me.
‘Don’t tell me that the top players, the guys who want everything, the key players will play three minutes.
‘Come on, this is unacceptable after what they keep saying before, that they respect me, that they do this, they do that. For me it was not respect, this is why I take this decision I regret.
‘I apologised to my team-mates for the situation, I did a post, an Instagram, I regret to left from the stadium. I regret my team-mates know what I felt, and I apologised to them, but in the same way, I’m not regret to take the decisions to not come on…
‘The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it’s in that way. He keep saying in the press that he come to me, he like me blah, blah, blah but that it’s only for the press. 100 per cent.’
He then added: ‘If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.’
Within the interview, Ronaldo also continued to lay into Ten Hag as he insisted that he isn’t a fan of the Dutchman.
‘The feeling he always mentioned to me, that I didn’t need the pre-season so I should wait for my opportunity.
‘I really understand that should, well, okay, I understand. But I’m not going to give you points, but you don’t do it the same procedure to every players. I’m not gonna mention players but they don’t do it the same way.
‘Second, I understand that becoming a new job, Manchester was so bad the last five years that it should make they should clean the house, let’s say in that way.
‘But the way they approach, the way the press make this so big, it’s because… probably the communication wasn’t the best.
‘But I really understand in the beginning because I didn’t do the pre-season, I don’t start to play, but going more further than that, further than that. Other things happen that people they don’t know.
‘And I’m not hiding that the empathy with the coach is not good. I’m honest.’
‘He don’t respect the way I should deserve. But it is what it is. This is why probably, the game against Tottenham, I left.’
The United States has said Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would be granted sovereign immunity over the civil case of the murder of the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, a renowned journalist who worked for the Washington Post, was a Saudi government critic, dissident and author.
He was assassinated by the ”order’ of Bin Salman, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey’s capital in October 2018.
Khashoggi’s ex-fiancée, Hatice Cengiz filed a lawsuit in the US court against Salman and the Saudi government. However, on Thursday November 17, President Joe Biden’s administration said the crown prince’s recent promotion to the role of Prime Minister suggested that he was “the sitting head of government and, accordingly, immune” from the lawsuit.
Saudi leader Mohammed Bin Salman gets immunity from US government over journalist Khashoggi murder
The decision has made legal experts say that the lead judge in the case, John Bates will dismiss the suit, which Cengiz had filed to accuse bin Salman of “kidnapped, bound, drugged and tortured, and assassinated US-resident journalist and democracy advocate Jamal Khashoggi.”
“The United States government has expressed grave concerns regarding Jamal Khashoggi’s horrific killing and has raised these concerns publicly and with the most senior levels of the Saudi government,” the Department of Justice said in its filing.
It also added that the US had also imposed financial sanctions and visa restrictions in connection to the murder.
“However, the doctrine of the head of state immunity is well established in customary international law and has been consistently recognised in longstanding executive branch practice as a status-based determination that does not reflect a judgment on the underlying conduct at issue in the litigation,” it said.
Reacting to the US disposition on immunity, Cengiz wrote on Twitter, “Jamal died again today, with the ruling.”
Also, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, said, “Today it is immunity. It all adds up to impunity.”
Saudi Arabia had said Khashoggi, who was also a former Washington Post columnist was killed in a “rogue operation” by a special squad sent to convince him to return to the kingdom.
Manchester United have responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
The final excerpt of the interview between Ronaldo and Morgan aired on TalkTV on Friday morning, November 18, in which Ronaldo said he felt “provoked” by manager Erik ten Hag after he refused to come on last month against Tottenham and left Old Trafford before the full-time whistle.
Ronaldo also said he believes Ten Hag “does not respect” him in the way he “deserves”.
Details of the interview first emerged when The Sun published quotes on Sunday evening, after which United said they would consider their response “after the full facts have been established”.
The complete interview was aired in two parts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the club has issued a short statement addressing it.
“Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview,” the club said on Friday.
“We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion.”
In clips previously aired this week from the same interview Ronaldo talkked about refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October after Ten Hag had not wanted to bring him on in the 6-3 defeat at Manchester City earlier that month:
“You don’t put me on against Manchester City because of respect for my career and you want to put me on for three minutes against Tottenham? It doesn’t make sense.
“I think he did it on purpose. I felt provoked not only because of that game, but before. He doesn’t respect [me] the way I should deserve.
“But it is what it is. This is why probably, the game against Tottenham, I left.
“I will be honest with you, it’s something that I regret, leaving the stadium [against Tottenham]. Probably, or maybe no, I don’t know.
“It’s difficult to tell you 100 per cent but let’s say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach.
“A coach to put me in three minutes in a game [is] not allowed for me. Sorry, I’m not that kind of player. I know what I can give to the teams.
In the second part of the interview with Morgan, Ronaldo also revealed he rejected a €350m (£305m) offer to play in Saudi Arabia this summer and claimed he had “many offers” to leave United.
+ A CALL TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA AS GOD WANTS +
“Give a shepherd’s care to the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, as God wants; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it.”
(1 Peter 5:2)
Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ and people of good will, peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
1. PREAMBLE
We, members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), have dedicated ample time to reflecting on the current social, political, economical and environmental issues affecting the day-to-day living of the people of Zambia. First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge the good will of the government to bring about development to all corners of the country through the introduction of Free Education, increment of Constituency Development Fund (CDF), employment of health, education, police service, correctional service, defense forces, immigration personnel and many others.
However, in a spirit of co-responsibility, we wish to express some of our concerns regarding the service delivery to the nation, especially to our political leadership and other stakeholders.
2. HIGH POVERTY LEVELS
Poverty and inequality levels in the country continue to rise and government needs to urgently address this. Zambia faces both high levels of poverty and inequality, even when compared to other countries in the region. lnvestment and impressive economic growth over the decade brought benefits to urban areas, but poverty in rural areas remains widespread.
3. MORAL DECAY
It is with deep sorrow that we notice a steady rise in cases of child sexual abuse, early child marriages, child labour, sodomy, Gender Based Violence, human trafficking, homosexuality, bestiality, suicide and abductions in Zambia. These are clear indications that moral standards among our people have drastically dropped. We therefore call upon security agencies to act promptly. As a nation, we all need to put our heads together to bring these immoral activities to a halt. For us to achieve this noble objective we ought to uphold Christian and family values which are of paramount importance. The use of vulgar language in the nation especially through social media should be discouraged.
4. REGIONAL AND TRIBAL SENTIMENTS
The political situation in Zambia is still characterized by the continued politicking and trivializing of important national matters by political leaders at all levels. Regional and tribal sentiments still enjoy a centre stage in the country’s political circles. There is need for a genuine, inclusive and democratic national reconciliation in the country where political leaders ought to realize and appreciate the fact that their priority should be that of serving Zambians. The government should lead and be seen to lead the way in eliminating the “tribal” talk and sentiments in the country.
5. UNEMPLOYMENT
We note the fact that government has employed 30,496 teachers and 11,276 health workers. However, unemployment in Zambia continues to be a matter of concern and the government needs to urgently improvise practical strategies on how to deal with these high escalating levels. The truth of the matter is that government cannot manage to employ everyone; it is not just feasible and sustainable. Hence the importance to venture into serious support of SMEs, SmallScale Farmers and opening of manufacturing industries in order to create more jobs. Further, we call upon the government to create an enabling environment for the already existing SMEs to thrive especially by paying them for services and goods supplied.
6. PUBLIC HEALTH
Health of the citizenry is cardinal to the productivity of a nation. lt has been observed that health facilities in Zambia are lacking medicines to treat the population in many health institutions. The claim by the Ministry of Health that enough medicines have been dispatched to all health facilities cannot be substantiated as the information concerning the availability of medicines in both urban
and rural health facilities does not correspond to the reality on the ground. ln most cases, patients are given prescriptions to go and buy medicines from private pharmacies where they
are very expensive and out of reach for the poor Zambians. We appreciate the establishment of NHIMA. However, its implementation leaves much to be desired and government is encouraged to look at its operation with the urgency it deserves. The revision of the procurement policy is also necessary in order to facilitate the acquisition of medicines and other hospital equipment.
7. FREE EDUCATION POLICY
The Free Education Policy is a welcome idea. However, the Free Education Policy has proved to have a negative bearing on the management of schools in general and grant aided (mission)
schools in particular. The following are some of the gaps and challenges regarding the implementation of the policy.
Its implementation was rushed without preparing much needed room and desk-space for the overwhelming newly enrolled pupils. The number of teachers in schools has not changed much while pupil population has doubled or tripled making teacher-learner ratio disproportional. The current teacher recruitment did not target secondary school teachers where the FEP was also implemented. This is forcing many schools (especially Grant Aided Schools) to continue employing teachers on contracts. This is a strain on the limited resources of the schools in which the remunerations were paid by Boards or the scrapped PTAs and most of the capital projects that were being undertaken by Grant Aided Schools are now failing. Subsidies from the government are not enough and are usually restrictive.
8. LAND TENURE AND LAND SECURITY
The conflict between the idea of communal ownership of land under customary tenure and individual ownership under the leasehold tenure has continued being experienced and
unfortunately, many people demean and undermine customary tenure system. Due to this situation, the country continues to face challenges such as selling of bare land, land displacements, land encroachments, land disputes and failure of women and other vulnerable people to access land.It is our desire that the government puts in place deliberate measures to fully protect customary land administration systems without abrogating human rights. lndividual rights over land should not override community interest.
9. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change effects have continued to undermine agriculture productivity in Zambia as evidenced by floods in the Southern Province and late coming of rains in the rest parts of Zambia and partial draughts in the previous rain seasons. Our appeal is that we combine our efforts in conscientizing our people on environmental protection and disaster preparedness.
10. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
ln the spirit of economic diversification, agriculture can play a big role in job creation both at small scale as well as large scale farming and can guarantee food security to society. Further, food security produces a wide range of positive impacts including economic growth, and poverty reduction. However, where farming inputs such as seed and fertilizers are not delivered on time and the harvest is not bought and preserved properly, both jobs and food security are compromised.Unfortunately, even this farming season, we are grappling with farming inputs much to the dissatisfaction of the farmers. We therefore urge that the government delivers promptly the
required inputs. ln the same vein, we expect the government to buy what they can buy and secure them properly and also allow farmers to sell their extra produce to the international
markets.
11. CONSTTTUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND (CDF)
We acknowledge the good intentions exhibited by government in inreasing the threshold for Constituency Development Fund (CDF). However, there are challenges that need to be looked into in order to build an environment good enough to support the aspiration of the decentralization policy. Currently, the utilization of CDF seems to be so problematic due to bureaucracy necessitated by the CDF guidelines. Further, the powers given to the Member of Parliament with regard to the selection of CDF committee members defeats the purpose of making this fund apolitical. We therefore, demand that the CDF Act of 2018 be amended for the purposes of making sure that this fund is protected from being politicized. ln the same breath, we urge the central government to build capacities of local governments to superintend CDF and making it more inclusive and corruption free.
12. CONSTITUTIONALISM
The need to re-look into the constitution and other pieces of legislation, such as the Electoral Process, Public Order Act, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Penal Code is long overdue.
However, the Constitutional review process seems to be very slow. Up to now, there is no clear road map for constitutional, electoral and legislative reform agenda. Zambia’s current constitution remains susceptible to regular alteration and politicization. Government should therefore guide in an open and transparent manner when and how the constitutional, electoral and legislative reform processes will be undertaken.
We are concerned with the manner some recent elections were conducted in Zambia. There are some recurring shortfalls such as political violence, tribalism, regionalism, political intolerance, lack of intra-party democracy, hate speech, name calling, bribery, polarization of the media and corruption. The perceived biasness by the Electoral Management Board (EMB) especially towards the ruling party has resulted in the diminishing public confidence in the Electoral Commission of Zambia. The way the recent Parliamentary By-elections in both Kabushi and
Kwacha Constituencies on the Copperbelt, were conducted leaves much to be desired and a recipe for violence if left uncorrected. Both the Courts and the Electoral Commission could have done better.
13. RULE OF LAW AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE
A country that adheres to the rule of law results in a society in which all persons and organizations including the government are subject and accountable to the law. This culminates into a court system which is independent and resolves disputes in an open and impartial manner. However, most of the problems affecting the justice sector and hinder people from accessing justice and claiming their rights include: corruption, inadequate personnel, poor funding, high cost of legal services, and lack of tools and equipment to carry out entrusted mandates among others. These challenges affect the judicial system and make it technically difficult for the ordinary and poor individuals to access justice and claim their rights.Therefore, we demand that property trespassing, arbitrary arrests, detention and depriving of the accused of their property must be done within the confinements of the law and if not, these should not be tolerated at all. We also condemn police brutality to our nationals (political opponents) as a way of treating those suspected to have broken the law.
14. FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
We believe that policy pronouncements must be supported by affirmative actions and without that they end up making the fight against corruption incomplete and just a mere political rhetoric.
So far, the Anti-Corruption Commission has seized a lot of properties including cash from some leaders who served in the previous Patriotic Front government. Apart from seizures there has been no conviction so far, making the fight against corruption appear as political persecution.
Presently, corrupt practices have simply changed forms, shapes and sizes in the procurement of drugs, farming inputs, motorized transport, school requisites, by-elections and justice system among others. We demand that there be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.
15. CADRISM
The political will to remove political party cadres from market places, bus stations and other public places has helped to restore sanity in the said places. However, a lot more needs to be done to completely arrest the situation, restore full order and sanity, and to ensure that every human being is free and safe to participate in democratic and governance processes. lt is saddening to note that political cadres are slowly on the increase in market places and bus stations and have continued invading and harassing media houses and personnel. Further, they have continued to create havoc during by-elections. We demand that this trend be checked and
arrested forthwith.
16. HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION
There is need to look into the plight of immigrants and refugees in the country and especially our brothers and sisters from Rwanda and Ethiopia. We have also noted that there is a need to enhance minority rights and pass legislature that will protect the same. Nevertheless, minority rights cannot be equated with LGBTQIA+ promotion.
17. CONCLUSTON
We invite all Zambians to preserve the peace and unity our country has enjoyed since the attainment of political independence by avoiding any form of tribal, political or religious discrimination. We invite everyone to work hard for a better Zambia and safeguard our national identity of One Zambia One Nation.
Signed:
18th November 2022
Most Rev. lgnatius Chama,
Archbishop of Kasama and ZCCB President
Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, Bishop of Solwezi /ZCCB Vice President
Most Rev. Alick Banda, Archbishop of Lusaka
Rt. Rev. George Zumaile Lungu, Bishop of Chipata
Rt. Rev. Benjamin Phiri, Bishop of Ndola
Rt. Rev. Clement Mulenga, SDB, Bishop of Kabwe
Rt. Rev. Evans Chinyama Chinyemba, OMl, Bishop of Mongu
Rt. Rev. Patrick Chisanga, OFM Conv., Bishop of Mansa
Rt. Rev. Valentine Kalumba, OMl, Bishop of Livingstone
Rt. Rev. Edwin Mulandu, Bishop of Mpika
Rt. Rev. Raphael Mweempwa, Bishop of Monze
START CLEANING UP THE PRISONS…some of HH’s darlings will rot in jail – GBM
By Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
YOU will pay through your nose, warns PF presidential aspirant Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba.
He says corruption in the UPND is worse than in the PF but they are not being followed because the method they are using is selective
“Those in government are a darling of Hakainde Hichilema but one day they won’t be there as well so they have to be ready. Tell them to start cleaning up the prisons,” he said. “They should be extremely careful because some of them will rot in jail. We can smell a rat.”
Mwamba, who is also PF chairperson for mobilisation, said the price of fuel would go up in the next two years. “The Ukraine war should not be an excuse to this government for their failures. I don’t subscribe to that. The high price of fuel was never there. How did we manage it? Why can’t they also follow the same system that we had applied? You don’t have to follow the South African system just because you have read about it and you think it can match the Zambian economy. They are totally different economies. That is a developed economy. We are non-developed,” he said when he featured on Muvi TV’s assignment programme on Sunday. “Look here, [president Kenneth] Kaunda was not foolish to bring Indeni [refinery]. This was done just after independence. He realised that we needed Indeni so that we could pump oil from Dar-es- Salaam. There is a pipeline for those of you who were not born. There is a pipeline still from Dar-es-Salaam into Ndola –Indeni. Now if they are going to buy finished products, what happens to the pipeline? It will become a white elephant. That cost us money as Zambia that time so we still need Indeni. And let me tell you if we buy crude oil through that pipeline, oil would be cheaper. If we are going to depend on oil which is being transported from Beira, from Dar-es-Salaam which comes by road, it will b expensive.” Mwamba said fuel through Indeni would have been cheaper than it currently is.
“Next year will be worse. I am a businessman. I have done my mathematics. I don’t see the price of fuel coming down in the next two years. In fact it will be worse. It will be more expensive than what it is now. If you have a little, a small car outside, just know that you will be in trouble. You will be paying through the nose. Be ready for that,” he warned. “It is terrible. So many people are suffering. Including yourself there you are suffering. You may pretend that all is well but you are suffering. So the only way I can describe it is that it is pathetic. I think one year three months ago, the country was much better than what it is today. People are suffering. People voted UPND, they thought probably their style of living would change but unfortunately, that has not been the case. That is not the case. In fact it has been worse.
It has gone from bad to worse. The situation is bad. Interview, interrogate many Zambians, out of 10, nine will complain. Maybe one, if you are lucky, would say the cost of living has spared him or her. But I will tell you it’s pathetic. There is no money in circulation. Nothing is happening. It has a trickle (down) effect. If those up there with money spend, then even those under will have money. Even a marketeer will have money. They think that those who did business in the PF government are all PF not realising that they were businessmen and women who wanted to do business with any government that comes in power.”
Mwamba said he too was affected because people did not have money to buy from him. “They have to release money into circulation. We were in power but at least we were releasing money. Most people were getting the fruits of what we are doing. Our party which was pro-poor party made sure that the money was released to suppliers. Suppliers paid, eventually it got to the marketeer. Today the marketeers have nothing. They have no business,” he said. “Don’t compare PF with UPND. PF was a darling of the people because it made sure that people had money in their pocket.”
Mwamba said Zambians had realised that their replacement of PF had failed. “And I can tell you that if tomorrow we had to go for another general election, they would tumble like nobody’s business. They will regret that the Zambians mean what they want because this government has done a lot of people bad. People will not stay hungry to wait for that process to mature. One year three months, that time in PF, we had transformed things. Things were starting to manifest. I was in one of the most critical cabinet meeting where we had to say that we had to subsidise and we had to do that because we could not afford to increase the price of fuel,” he said. “The price of fuel is always raised every month. You know that system they have followed, that is a South African system. South Africa is a big economy. It is not a small economy like Zambia. So they went and tapped that system of increasing the price of fuel every month. That is a wrong system. Today people are regretting that they voted for UPND in power. I don’t have to tell you, you know that. They have really been let down by this government.” Mwamba said the debt the UPND inherited from the PF regime should not be used as an excuse for failure.
“How were we managing to look after the Zambian people with that large debt? We were deferring it. A government will never go broke. Mind you even after UPND, there will be a debt which they are going to leave which another government, more especially now that it is clear that PF is coming back into power, which we will take over and we shall not even talk about…” he said. “All we have to do is make sure we service it and pay off the debt. There is no excuse to make the 18 million Zambians to suffer, go to bed hungry.” When reminded that Zambians voted PF out because of corruption, Mwamba responded: “one year, three months, have you seen the corruption which is in UPND?”
“It is worse than what was in the PF government. Look at the fertiliser scandal. Look at the motorbikes scandal. Look at the $100 million scandal at Ministry of Health. That is the barometer I am using. I am just mentioning a few that we have facts on. But let me tell you what is on the ground. Corruption in the UPND is worse than in the PF but they are not being followed because the method they are using is selective. Those who being followed are those of us in the PF,” he said. “Those in government are a darling of Hakainde Hichilema but one day they won’t be there as well so they have to be ready. Tell them to start cleaning up the prisons.”
Mwamba said amidst the problems the government chose to give tax holidays to foreigners instead of Zambian businesses. “They should be extremely careful because some of them will rot in jail. We can smell a rat,” said Mwamba.
THE INTRODUCTION IN PARLIAMENT OF THE SECURITIES (AMENDMENT) BILL NO. 23 OF 2022
Mr Hichilema has said it is time for citizens and other stakeholders to open up and tell the government when there are things it is not doing well.
We agree with him, and want to tell Mr Hichilema that his government is not respecting the constitutional rights of citizens, and that our democratic values are being trampled upon with impunity by institutions that are meant to foster social and economic development. Just look at the despicable way the recent by-elections have been conducted and the violence the UPND has unleashed on its opponents in them. To continuously use violence to win an election is in fact to rig an election.
As Mr Hichilema surely knows, to achieve economic growth and improved livelihoods for the masses of our people, we need law and order and a stable social and legal environment. This is how countries like Singapore have succeeded.
On Friday, October 14 this year, Mr Hichilema presided over the 24th Cabinet Meeting. At this meeting, the Cabinet approved six (6) Bills for introduction in Parliament.
Among these six Bills was a very curious one titled the Securities (Amendment) Bill No. 23 of 2022. This Bill is a clear indicator that Mr Hichilema intends to abuse a state institution – the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – to the benefit of himself and his friends. He cannot say that he was not aware of what was in the Bill.
Through Bills such as the Securities (Amendment) Bill, Mr Hichilema intends to undermine the Constitution and our democratic values to feed the insatiable and shameless greed of people who want to acquire other people’s property without paying a Ngwee.
It is a known fact that Mr Hichilema is the majority shareholder in an organisation called AfLife Holdings Group. It seems that it is intended to augment the growth of the AfLife Group through the introduction of bad laws, which have criminal and unconstitutional foundations, to be implemented by a surrogate regulator and a weak board of directors, such as is the case with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
It is strange that this Bill was not discussed with the stakeholders, nor was it referred to the Law Association of Zambia for its input. This has made it suspicious because why would government want to sneak this Bill into Parliament without consulting the concerned institutions and other stakeholders?
As such, we take this opportunity to thank the courageous stakeholders who made submissions against the Bill. We particularly thank Lusaka Securities for articulating and making well-informed submissions on it.
In introducing the Securities (Amendment) Bill, an attempt was made to hoodwink the nation into believing that it is for the purpose of enabling the Securities and Exchange Commission to efficiently and effectively supervise capital market operators, especially in combating money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, but the purpose of this Bill is frightening and much more sinister.
In Clauses 19(B)(2)(a), 19(B)(4)(d) and 19(B)(4)(e) the Bill aims to:
1. Provide for the SEC to take possession of a capital market operator,
2. Run the affairs of a capital market operator, and,
3. Transfer all or part of the capital market operator’s business to another capital market operator.
Surely, these provisions are draconian and run counter to what is provided for in the Constitution. Quite clearly, this Bill aims to legalise the theft of a capital market operator’s business.
Our Constitution provides for the protection of the proprietary rights of individuals. If those rights must be taken away for any reason, there is a due process that must be followed, which includes making representations to a court for a defence before persons can lose their property. This has been trampled upon in this Bill.
The role of the regulator is to supervise capital market operators and not to run their businesses, and when capital market operators are found to be weak, the regulator should look for ways of enhancing compliance to bring them back to good health. Instead, the Bill focuses on shutting down such operators with impunity.
How can the regulator be given statutory authority to take over and run a capital market operator’s business and, if he wishes, transfer it to someone else or completely sell its assets without capital market operators having the right of a stay of an action brought against them to enable the operators to challenge the matter and defend themselves in a court of law? Has the regulator got infinite knowledge of how to run every type of business run by capital market operators? Surely, we are seeing signs of a dictatorship establishing itself in Zambia.
The provisions in the Bill seem to target certain capital market operators for a hostile takeover to the benefit of the friends of those in power, and we are sure that capital market operators such as Standard Chartered Bank, Zambeef and others must be extremely nervous.
How can we introduce a Bill that promotes oppression and corruption to become law?
We are convinced that this law was mooted only for the purpose of stealing the businesses and assets of targeted capital market operators.
For the evil that is intended, the Bill provides for the Capital Market Tribunal and for the Securities and Exchange Commission to be given immunity for what they do or for what they fail to do. Which court or regulator has such immunity in Zambia? All courts are subject to complaints before the Judicial Complaints Commission. However, the nation through Parliament is being asked to exempt the Capital Markets Tribunal from the balancing effect and protection the Judicial Complaints Commission can give. What crimes are the Capital Markets Tribunal poised to commit?
We understand that a number of capital market operators took out actions against the SEC before the Capital Markets Tribunal. We believe that the intention of giving the Tribunal immunity is so that it can make bad decisions at the command of the regulator in cases before the Tribunal. The cases before the Tribunal have compelling evidence against the regulator. However, in the current situation, we doubt that anyone can win a case against the SEC, no matter how compelling the evidence is.
We also believe that the intention of giving immunity to the regulator is because the regulator at the Securities and Exchange Commission is being set up as the Thief-in-Chief for the benefit of certain business people.
Mr Hichilema boasted he would raise the bar when he came into office. Is promoting a thieving Bill such as the Securities (Amendment) Bill raising the bar? Surely, this Bill has demonstrated what kind of leader Mr Hichilema is.
If Mr Hichilema is not put in check we will find that our national wealth, and that of citizens, is stolen by his friends.
For this reason, we want to announce that all transactions that will not be in the best interest of the nation during Mr Hichilema’s term of office will be reversed when we come into office. The Socialist Party will not hesitate to give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar!
There are many Zambians who have left the country to do business elsewhere because of the bad culture that is against successful business people in Zambia.
When Mr Hichilema was elected into office, it was hoped that Zambian business people in the diaspora would come back and play a role in building a strong private sector of our economy. But look at what they did to James Ndambo not so long ago. Is it safe for Zambians to do big business in the country? Will Zambians feel encouraged to list their businesses on the Lusaka Securities Exchange? Only a crazy person can ever consider listing on the LuSE when bad laws like the Securities (Amendment) Bill are contemplated.
We want to make it very clear that we want Mr Hichilema to succeed during his term in office, provided that his success will be to the benefit of Zambians and not for himself and his friends only.
Accordingly, we have decided to notify the International Monetary Fund and the African Union about the Securities (Amendment) Bill No. 23, 2022 so they can help Mr Hichilema abandon his shameful intentions as exhibited in the Bill. Mr Hichilema must be subjected to the Peer Review mechanism.
We want leaders in the SADC and COMESA region to know about the Bill Mr Hichilema sent to Parliament. We also want the youths in Zambia to wake up and know about the plans the UPND leadership is making to steal people’s businesses and assets by using an evil legal instrument.
We are also hereby notifying Transparency International about the bad intentions of the Securities (Amendment) Bill, which they must study and comment on.
We encourage Mr Hichilema to practise true servant leadership and not to sneak into Parliament evil amendment bills to his benefit and that of his friends. Instead of targeting the businesses of local people through Clause 19(B) in the Securities (Amendment) Bill, we encourage him to assist local business people to become stronger so they can create jobs and wealth and in so doing assist the national economy to grow firmly, strongly and rapidly.
We also encourage Mr Hichilema to strengthen governance at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We have taken a keen interest in the cases before the Capital Markets Tribunal. From these cases the regulator impresses us that he may be an economic hitman and has inculcated fear and concern in the minds of capital market operators. We see that he has brought disrespect to the office of the regulator to the extent that the capital markets integrity is in question, especially that he is highly conflicted in his personal dealings. Also the regulator seems to be tainted with corruption.
We note that by certain of his actions, the regulator has in fact already facilitated the illegal transfer of business from some capital market operators to their competitors without any compensation being paid. This smells of corruption.
We also note that it seems that the SEC’s Board of Directors is so weak that it is unable to control the conduct of its regulator.
We further note that the Capital Market Tribunal is appointed by the Ministry of Finance, which is also the supervisor of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This is poor governance and it is obvious that the Capital Market Tribunal is not independent. Therefore, we demand that:
• First, someone other than the controlling ministry should appoint a Tribunal in Zambia, and we propose that the Chief Justice should appoint all tribunals in Zambia. This will make them independent. Cases before the Tribunal should not be for academic interest only.
• Second, the SEC’s Board of Directors should be dissolved immediately so that a more credible Board can be appointed.
• Third, the current regulator at the SEC should be immediately dismissed and a professional person capable of properly supervising and regulating the capital market on the basis of the Securities Act be appointed for the capital market to grow.
• Further, we encourage the Capital Market Tribunal to be courageous and professional and dispose of the cases before it transparently and without fear or favour.
• Also, we encourage the President to protect those regulated to ensure that no one should use the law to settle scores with those they regulate or enrich themselves at the expense of the governed capital market operators. As such, let us recognise that it is constitutionally wrong to target capital market operators with bogus forensic audits for the purpose of witch-hunting to find contrived cases against innocent business people as the Securities and Exchange Commission is attempting to do.
In ending, we invite Mr Hichilema to ensure that the primitive culture of stealing other people’s property, which is akin to cattle rustling, is completely abandoned during his tenure of office.
WAS THE DECISION TO HAVE PRIVATE FIRMS AUDIT DEFENSE FORCES MADE BY BALLY?
…. this speaks to clear abuse of authority – Nakacinda
Lusaka…. Friday November 18, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
The questions that are being raised over that issue require specific answers and citation of the law so that the nation can be briefed, Hon Raphael Nakacinda has added his voice to the heated up debate regarding the private firms contracted by the UPND government to audit security wings.
The PF Chairperson for Information and Publicity has wondered if the decision to have private auditing firm audit the defense force was made by President Hakainde Hichilema.
Hon Nakacinda said the provisions government is relying on only go to show or demonstrate that if there is going to be any private firm that is allowed to be given a contract to audit the defense force it should go with the express permission of the President.
He said this when he addressed the media at Lusaka’s Magistrate Court grounds today.
“And if the President is the one that gave that permission to have private firms like the Grant Thornton, which he had clear interest as the Managing partner and we can only speculate the interest that he still has in that firm,” he said.
“It speaks to clear abuse of authority if that is the position. So we are probing the ministry of finance because there is no provision in the law to have the minister contract a private firm without the involvement of the Auditor General.”
Meanwhile, Hon Nakacinda bemoaned the brutality being championed by the police under the watch of the UPND government.
He said the brutality that EEP leader Chilufya Tayali faced is an introduction of the UPND’s nature.
“We also have this issue that has emerged of torture and brutality against political party leaders. It is in public domain, streamed live, how he was treated, the night that he was arrested and how he was brutalized and tortured by the police. We want to call upon the international community to follow through these matters,” he said.
“This is basically an introduction, where we are headed to, the true colors and nature and characteristics of the UPND and their leader is going to manifest in full force. Today its opposition political party leaders, tomorrow it will be you the media, next thing it will just be an ordinary citizen. If they express themselves in a particular way, they will end up being tortured if not eliminated.”
The PF MCC called for concerted effort from all stakeholders in curbing the brutality and many other bad vices under the New Dawn Administration.
The University of Zambia (UNZA) has been ranked 6th best university in Africa from 156 universities in 20 countries by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings while at the global level UNZA has been ranked in the 501-600 position out of 1,799 participating universities.
Announcing the development, the University of Zambia Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Boniface Namangala, said that the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings included 1,799 universities from 104 countries and regions, making them the largest rankings in the year among the three known major rankings.
“This is the first time the University has been ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, one of the top three (3) identified major world university rankings besides Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as Shanghai. It is a great milestone for the University to be ranked 6th among the best universities in Africa and in the 501 – 600 bracket at the international level,” Prof Namangala said.
Prof Namangala said the ranking analysis was based on 13 calibrated performance indicators to measure an institution’s performance across the major four (4) areas namely; teaching, research, citations, and international outlook.
He said at the global level, UNZA ranked in the 501-600 position out of 1,799 participating universities, with an overall score of 39.3 to 42.0. He said despite the low score overall, the university did extremely well in citations with a 96.8 score.
“This shows that despite having a small number of publications in SCOPUS, those indexed are highly used in research development,” he said.
Prof Namangala further said the actual scores for the four areas were 15.7 for teaching, 9.2 for research, 38.4 for industry income, and 49.8 for international outlook. “This development points to the fact that there is a need for more UNZA research-affiliated indexed publications in the SCOPUS since this is the tool THE draws its research data from,” he said.
Prof Namangala said under research and citations, 121 million citations across over 15.5 million research publications were analysed, while survey responses from 40,000 scholars globally were received.
“The University of Zambia was one of the institutions that entered the ranking for the first time. At the global level, UNZA’s participation was rated in the 501-600, beating several universities that have been in the ranking for some time with overall scores of 39.3 – 42.0,” he said.
TORTURE: ´Stop treating Zambians like common criminals´
…Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba asks President Hichilema to act on torturers
17th Nov 2022
“What is worse now is suspects are now being tortured while in custody starting from Shabby Chilekwa to Chilufya Tayali… Zambia´s democratic credentials are now in total tatters under President Hichilema,” said Ambassador Mwamba.
By KBN Reporter.
Presidential aspirant Emmanuel Mwamba has asked President Hakainde Hichilema to instruct state police to stop treating ordinary citizens like common criminals over civil matters.
Ambassador Mwamba also reminded Mr Hichilema to ´practice wat he preached´ when he assumed office last August when he said police must never arrest people without investigations, nor hold them longer than 48 hours in jail once arrested.
The former African Union (AU) Permanent Representative for Zambia was speaking on KBN TV with host Kennedy Mambwe on Thursday night on the heels of the highly controversial arrest and brutalisation of opposition leader Chilufya Tayali.
On Sunday night, state police broke down doors and arrested Tayali in full view of his Ethiopian wife and tod daughter for alleged sedition and defaming Mr Hichilema.
Ambassador Mwamba said a pattern has been set under Mr Hichilema´s presidency where everyone criticising him is thrown in jail, arrested without bond, and held in police custody beyond the stipulated 48 hours.
“What is worse now is suspects are now being tortured while in custody starting from Shelby Chilekwa to Chilufya Tayali… Zambia´s democratic credentials are now in total tatters under President Hichilema,” said Ambassador Mwamba.
Mr Mwamba, one of the eight aspirants for leadership of the main opposition Patriotic Front said in the case of Tayali, President Hichilema must learn from Kenya´s new President H.E William Ruto when it comes to forgiveness and firmness.
Below are some major take aways from the interview:
• Kenya´s President William Ruto has said don’t arrest people for insulting me. A policeman was suspended for arresting a person who defamed President Ruto by calling him a dog even when the policeman followed the archaic law.
• Chilufya Tayali is a known figure arrested several times, he must have been handled with caution and not tortured, everyone else must be handled gently in Zambia because we are equal before the law
• Its choreography for President Hichilema to say one thing as police do different. President Hichilema is complicit to the arrests.
• Zambians must rise against President Hichilema´s decision to allow the total break down of the law when he allowed accounting firms he is associated to to audit Zambia´s military departments for the first time since independence against the constitution of Zambia.
• State police must treat Tayali as a person with useful information to resolving a crime and not a criminal.
• The Zambian parliament must proceed with plans to impeach President Hichilema for various breaches of the constitution as soon as possible so that he knows that he is not above the law.
The full interview is available on KBN TV with CEO Kennedy Mambwe.
Hiring external auditors is not financial prudence – GBM ….abolish the auditor-general’s office if it’s not useful 18.11.2022
Former Minister of Defense Mr. Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba has described the decision by the government of President Hakainde Hichilema to hire private auditors as a waste of taxpayers’ funds and an imprudent way of managing public resources.
Mr. Mwamba says spending over sixteen million kwacha on a job that can equally be done by civil servants who are employed to do it is highly disturbing especially that President Hichilema has repeatedly described his administration as prudent in the management of public funds.
“Just abolish the office of the auditor-general if you no longer need its services”, Mr. Mwamba has challenged President Hichilema.
If civil servants are capable of procuring goods and services, the former Member of Parliament argues, they are also capable of auditing expenditure and usage. These capabilities, Mr. Mwamba says are available in government.
In addition, the veteran politician says, for a long time now, the Zambian government has been building risk management units in just about every ministry to mitigate the possible loss of public resources.
“The President must reconcile with the fact that he is no longer in the private sector where he believed that professionals there were better than those in government”, Mr. Mwamba says, adding, “he must now begin to trust government employees or else he will frustrate them to the point where he will end up externalizing most public functions”.
Mr. Mwamba says it is not rocket science to establish Zambia’s public debt, what was bought and who undertook what public works, where and how much the cost was. All this information, he says, is now public knowledge.
“The President has continued on his campaign to frustrate civil servants because he believes they are all PF cadres and that they are loyal to the former ruling party who cannot be trusted to do their jobs”, Mr. Mwamba has lamented.
He says every failure by government has been blamed on civil servants who are accused of being PF cadres. And yet, Mr. Mwamba says, it is the President’s own failure to appreciate how the civil service functions and how to win the confidence of government employees to work with him.
ISSUED BY MR. GEOFFREY BWALYA MWAMBA PF MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF MOBILIZATION AND ASPIRING CANDIDATE FOR THE POSITION OF PARTY PRESIDENT
CHILUFYA TAYALI REMAINS A DANGER TO SOCIETY, A BIG MANIPULATOR.
By Prince Kaliza Jnr. [OPINION PIECE].
First and Foremost,having watched how manipulative and uncontrollable Chilufya Tayali can be, we doubt if he was beaten by Police Officers as he allege.
Can few Zambians even those PF guys sponsoring him show us bruises of Mr. Tayali he suffered out of the beatings he got from the Police?
It is safe to say that Mr. Chilufya Tayali remains a danger to our society and is a big manipulator who want to take advantage of Professional Police Officers solving crime in the country.
Chilufya Tayali’s stunt of continously scandlaizing Professional Police Officers who are only doing their job to solve crime is uncalled for and must be condemned in its strongest terms.
The Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also Director of Criminal Investigation Mr. Mwala Yuyi has all the rights and powers in the country to solve crime.
One thing we won’t all agree is that Chilufya Tayali was abused or being beaten by the Professional Police.
Chilufya Tayali knows that, by accusing a Senior Police Officer who can not come on Facebook or Media outlet to defend himself is what he is using to manipulate members of the Public to create a narrative that he was abused.
Let us all ask Chilufya Tayali to provide even a photo evidence of bruises. To make matters worse, Chilufya Tayali was released within 48 hours after being detained, can he show the world bruises as they can not heal in 2 minutes?.
It is pure manipulation to say Mr. Tayali was beaten by Police Officers during his interrogation.
Let us not get a one sided story, otherwise it is uncalled for, calling Police Officers doing their job to solve crime as abusers of the Law.
Chilufya Tayali knows that the accused Police Officer can not respond to him or give his side of the story.
But to cut the manipulation short, not until Chilufya Tayali provides evidence of bruises, he remains a manipulator who want to take advantage of Zambians.
He had plans to rebuild Zambia. They have robbed us, cries Lemekani’s sister
The death of a 23-year-old Zambian student who had been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine has left the family devastated, his older sister has told the BBC.
It’s not just that he has died but also the unanswered questions over the young man’s brutal death in a foreign land.
Lemekhani Nyirenda was serving a drugs-related prison sentence in Russia but was freed and deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
“We want to know how he was conscripted without his family being notified? Was he coerced?” asked Muzang’alu Nyirenda.
The family felt “robbed” by her brother’s death, she added.
Born to university professionals Edwin and Florence Nyirenda, Lemekhani was the youngest of four children.
Even while in prison he found a way to communicate with his loved-ones in Zambia.
The last time his parents heard from him was on 31 August on a cryptic phone call that filled them with concern.
“He told my parents: ‘I am no longer in prison but where I am is confidential’. My parents were worried, we all were when he shared this. We knew he was a prisoner in a foreign country where he had no rights, we were worried about what was going but he could not share more and my parents didn’t probe him further,” Ms Nyirenda said.
The family notified the Zambian authorities of the odd call and were assured of an investigation into his whereabouts, but months later came the news of the young man’s death.
“He was young, they stole his life away from him. He’s got a twin brother, they’ve stolen my brother’s other half,” his sister said through tears.
“Lemekhani had so many plans. He was studying so he could come back and pamper my mother. He had plans to help rebuild Zambia. They’ve robbed us,” she said.
“There is no closure, only questions. We want him home so we can lay him to rest in peace. We want him back with the people who love him but we deserve answers,” said Ms Nyirenda.
His body, according to Zambian officials, has been transported to Russia’s southern border town of Rostov in preparation for his repatriation to Lusaka where his family will bury him.
Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stanley Kakubo announced last week that Nyirenda, who had been studying at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, was serving a nine-year prison sentence for a drug offence.
He said Mr Nyirenda was killed on the front lines in September, but Russian authorities had only just informed Zambia of the death.
Mr Kakubo said that Zambia had demanded answers over the student’s death and why he had been sent to Ukraine.
According to Ms Nyirenda, her brother travelled to Russia in 2019 to study nuclear engineering on a government sponsorship, a partnership between the two countries which dates back many years.
“There is so much we don’t know. Why didn’t the Zambian government know he was being sent to war to fight?” his older sister told the BBC.
“The people that took him to that war looked down on us as a family, he was nothing to them. They used him,” she said.
Nyirenda was working as a part-time courier when he was arrested in 2020 with a parcel containing drugs, his sister said.
“We believe he didn’t know what was in the package he delivered, he told us he didn’t. He would get text messages for pick-ups and instructions on where to deliver them,” she said.
“On one occasion he was stopped by the police and searched and they found drugs in the package. He explained he was working for an online courier and didn’t know about the parcels but he was arrested,” Ms Nyirenda said.
The family, however, always remained hopeful that he would return home safely.
But while he was serving his term at a medium security prison he was recruited, his family believe, by the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group that has been conscripting prisoners to fight for Russia in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom.
Audit of Defence force and national security services should be done by the Auditor General and not private firms
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
I have read the Ministerial Statement on the engagement of consultants to verify domestic debt in relation to defence and security units.
It is clear that the Minister and his team do not get our concerns.
The concerns are very clear.
Other than the flawed procurement process,the concerns are on the serious implications of hiring private auditors to our national security.
We recognise that the Auditor General can hire any experts, assessors, consultants and private auditors to augment the work of the National Audit Office.
However, the law prohibits these entities to enter or have access to the premises of any component of the defence, national security, law enforcement agencies or work of Cabinet.
The law further prohibits these entities or persons to inspect the books of accounts, documents, reports, returns or records of these consultants of the defence and national security services.
The Auditor General shall not permit these specialist consultants or agents to access defence force and national security premises or their books.
The Public Audit No. 29 of 2016 section 24 (3) prohibits private audits of the Defence, national security, intelligence, law enforcement agencies and matters related to Cabinet.
3) Despite the provisions of subsection (1), the Auditor- General shall not permit any authorised person, agent or specialist consultant to have access to any book, record, returns report or other document, or to enter— (a) the premises of any component of the Defence Force, national security services or a law enforcement agency; or (b) premises other than those mentioned in paragraph (a) if such access or entry is likely to— (i) prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Republic or the investigation or detection of offences; or (ii) involve the disclosure of any matters or deliberations of a secret or confidential nature of the Cabinet or any committee of the Cabinet.
Our proposal is that the six consultants can audit the outstanding arreas to contractors and suppliers in ministries, and other soending agencies butbfor those related to the defence force, national security, law enforcement agencies and Cabinet,the work must be done by the Auditor General.
Below is the Ministerial Statement.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE ENGAGEMENT OF CONSULTANTS TO VERIFY DOMESTIC DEBT
Madam Speaker, thank you for according me the opportunity to clarify the engagement by Government of a number of private audit firms to verify Zambia’s Public Domestic Debt.
Madam, public domestic debt has significantly increased in the recent years, thus contributing to Zambia’s debt unsustainability. The debt has for instance increased sharply between 2016 and 2022, rising from K51.82 billion to K76.4 billion as at June 2022.
The increase in Domestic Public Debt was driven by increased national external debt service which impacted funding to other areas, higher borrowing requirements mainly to finance the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), refinancing of fuel arrears and partly due to increased Budget financing requirements following limited external financing sources.
Domestic arrears also increased due to over procurement of road projects and possibly overpricing.
Madam Speaker, as part of the process of resolving our debt unsustainable position, the UPND Government engaged multilateral organizations in verifying the country’s external debt, which was done and decisions have been taken on this front to resolve the dent problem through cancellations, rescoping and undertaking actual debt restructuring.
Similarly, it was necessary that this rapid increase in arrears is equally verified. The verification, like the one we undertook on the external debt, had to be undertaken using independent and specialized services which Government identified should come from the private sector player.
They possess the expertise and are independent to verify the authenticity of the debt. Like I said, madam speaker, this process was similar to what Government undertook as it was validating the external debt only that this process is being undertaken using local human resources.
Madam Speaker, the firms we engaged are meant to establish and verify the authenticity of arrears owed on the domestic supply of goods and services and on infrastructure projects.
PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOLLOWED FOR THE FIRMS
Madam, as a government that has promised transparency and good Governance in the management of public funds. In line with this pledge, the firms that have been contracted were engaged through a selective tender process that involved twelve (12) reputable firms that bid for the different lots (i.e. different categories of outstanding arrears).
The tenders were floated on 31st January 2022 and awarded on 12th May 2022. The firms were engaged by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning with the authority of Auditor General, in line with Section (6) of the Public Audit Act, Chapter 378 of the laws of Zambia which stipulates that “Whenever the exigencies of public audit services so require, the Minister responsible for finance may, at the request of the Auditor-General, engage such agents or specialist consultants as are necessary to assist the Auditor-General in the execution of his duties”.
In addition, and the Public Management Act No. 1 of 2018 section 7(1)(z) states that the Secretary to the Treasury can “carry out any other functions that may be prescribed by the Minister or that may be considered reasonably necessary for proper financial management of the Republic”.
Madam, the bidders were evaluated on technical capabilities in line with after which the successful firms were evaluated on their financial competitiveness. The total contract cost for the work is K16.8 million.
The process resulted in six firms being selected and allotted arrears categories as follows:
Consultant Sector
1 Grant Thornton – Goods & Services
2 PWC – Road Contracts
3 CYMA – Farmer Input Support Prog.
4 Mark Daniels – VAT Refunds
5 Client Focus – Awards & Compensation
6 EY Advisory Services – Fuel
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE CONSULTANTS
Madam, the Terms of Reference for the review covers all Government entities and is not limited to Defence and Security wings.
Further, for Defence and Security wings, the firm allotted for verifying arrears related to goods and services, is verifying debts relating to goods and services such as food rations only.
It does not cover their operations or equipment supplies. Specifically, for Grant Thornton and PWC that have attracted public scrutiny, their Terms of Reference are as follows:
Verification of Domestic Supply of Goods and Services by Grant Thornton
(1) Review and evaluate Contracts for supply of goods and services by having Procurement Entities supply backup documents for the debt;
(2) Establish the competitiveness of goods supplied and whether Government obtained Value for Money from them;
(3) Establish that goods delivered notes were obtained in accordance with contracts;
(4) Review the Procurement process through which suppliers were contracted with a view to establish transparency and compliance to existing laws by all players involved; and,
(5) Establish whether the interest rate chargeable on arrears reflect market fundamentals
Verification of Road Contracts by PWC
(1) Check the adequacy of the bidding documents and conformity to the law;
(2) The conformity of the contracts to competitive bidding;
(3) Where any addenda was issued, the conformity to the law and confirmation that the basis is justified;
(4) Verify contracts that were granted down payments against the works done;
(5) In cases where single source was used, whether proper authority was obtained (Ascertain the quality of works against amounts paid (includes sample site visits or physical inspection);
(6) For Project funds, determine whether the project funds were used for the purposes intended;
(7) Review and analyze the potential red flags that may indicate inappropriate financial management, misappropriation of assets and inappropriate use of funds; and
(😎 Identify expenditures which may have been made for ineligible projects.
USE OF THE REPORTS
Madam, the reports once finalised will be submitted to the Office of the Secretary to the Treasury.
They are exclusively meant for management use. They will augment the reports of the of the Controller of Internal Audits (CIA) and are meant to aid decision making as we make payments and developing strategies for dismantling bigger volumes of arrears such as fuel.
The post audit services of the Auditor General continue post expenditures in that his office continues to audit public institutions in line with its mandate and based on a schedule as supported by the available expert human resource.
Further these reports augment the internal audit reports which are used by the Auditor General’s office as reference points when conducting audits.
CONCLUSION
Madam Speaker, I would like to conclude by urging members of the public to ensure that they familiarize themselves with facts as they comment on national issues.
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning is always available to provide clarifications to the public and is committed to ensuring that information is provided to the public in a transparent way.
This process of engaging auditing firms was done consistent with Government undertakings to ensure that there are no fraudulent payments and that when payments are made they are done so on account of value having accrued to the Public.
The scrutiny is necessary as we know that already some categories of arrears have incomplete documentation or certificates issued without works being delivered, such as those under the Ministry of local Government and rural development.
Madam Speaker I thank You.
Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, MP Minister of Finance & National Planning.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT DELIVERED TO PARLIAMENT ON THE ENGAGEMENT OF LOCAL CONSULTANTS TO VERIFY DOMESTIC DEBT
Madam Speaker, thank you for according me the opportunity to clarify the engagement by Government of a number of private audit firms to verify Zambia’s Public Domestic Debt.
Madam, public domestic debt has significantly increased in the recent years, thus contributing to Zambia’s debt unsustainability. The debt has for instance increased sharply between 2016 and 2022, rising from K51.82 billion to K76.4 billion as at June 2022.
The increase in Domestic Public Debt was driven by increased national external debt service which impacted funding to other areas, higher borrowing requirements mainly to finance the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), refinancing of fuel arrears and partly due to increased Budget financing requirements following limited external financing sources.
Domestic arrears also increased due to over procurement of road projects and possibly overpricing.
Madam Speaker, as part of the process of resolving our debt unsustainable position, the UPND Government engaged multilateral organizations in verifying the country’s external debt, which was done and decisions have been taken on this front to resolve the dent problem through cancellations, rescoping and undertaking actual debt restructuring.
Similarly, it was necessary that this rapid increase in arrears is equally verified. The verification, like the one we undertook on the external debt, had to be undertaken using independent and specialized services which Government identified should come from the private sector player.
They possess the expertise and are independent to verify the authenticity of the debt. Like I said, madam speaker, this process was similar to what Government undertook as it was validating the external debt only that this process is being undertaken using local human resources.
Madam Speaker, the firms we engaged are meant to establish and verify the authenticity of arrears owed on the domestic supply of goods and services and on infrastructure projects.
PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOLLOWED FOR THE FIRMS
Madam, as a government that has promised transparency and good Governance in the management of public funds. In line with this pledge, the firms that have been contracted were engaged through a selective tender process that involved twelve (12) reputable firms that bid for the different lots (i.e. different categories of outstanding arrears).
The tenders were floated on 31st January 2022 and awarded on 12th May 2022. The firms were engaged by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning with the authority of Auditor General, in line with Section (6) of the Public Audit Act, Chapter 378 of the laws of Zambia which stipulates that “Whenever the exigencies of public audit services so require, the Minister responsible for finance may, at the request of the Auditor-General, engage such agents or specialist consultants as are necessary to assist the Auditor-General in the execution of his duties”.
In addition, and the Public Management Act No. 1 of 2018 section 7(1)(z) states that the Secretary to the Treasury can “carry out any other functions that may be prescribed by the Minister or that may be considered reasonably necessary for proper financial management of the Republic”.
Madam, the bidders were evaluated on technical capabilities in line with after which the successful firms were evaluated on their financial competitiveness. The total contract cost for the work is K16.8 million.
The process resulted in six firms being selected and allotted arrears categories as follows:
Consultant Sector
1 Grant Thornton – Goods & Services
2 PWC – Road Contracts
3 CYMA – Farmer Input Support Prog.
4 Mark Daniels – VAT Refunds
5 Client Focus – Awards & Compensation
6 EY Advisory Services – Fuel
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE CONSULTANTS
Madam, the Terms of Reference for the review covers all Government entities and is not limited to Defence and Security wings.
Further, for Defence and Security wings, the firm allotted for verifying arrears related to goods and services, is verifying debts relating to goods and services such as food rations only.
It does not cover their operations or equipment supplies. Specifically, for Grant Thornton and PWC that have attracted public scrutiny, their Terms of Reference are as follows:
***Verification of Domestic Supply of Goods and Services by Grant Thornton
(1) Review and evaluate Contracts for supply of goods and services by having Procurement Entities supply backup documents for the debt;
(2) Establish the competitiveness of goods supplied and whether Government obtained Value for Money from them;
(3) Establish that goods delivered notes were obtained in accordance with contracts;
(4) Review the Procurement process through which suppliers were contracted with a view to establish transparency and compliance to existing laws by all players involved; and,
(5) Establish whether the interest rate chargeable on arrears reflect market fundamentals
***Verification of Road Contracts by PWC
(1) Check the adequacy of the bidding documents and conformity to the law;
(2) T he conformity of the contracts to competitive bidding;
(3) Where any addenda was issued, the conformity to the law and confirmation that the basis is justified;
(4) Verify contracts that were granted down payments against the works done;
(5) In cases where single source was used, whether proper authority was obtained (Ascertain the quality of works against amounts paid (includes sample site visits or physical inspection);
(6) For Project funds, determine whether the project funds were used for the purposes intended;
(7) Review and analyze the potential red flags that may indicate inappropriate financial management, misappropriation of assets and inappropriate use of funds; and
(😎 Identify expenditures which may have been made for ineligible projects.
USE OF THE REPORTS
Madam, the reports once finalised will be submitted to the Office of the Secretary to the Treasury.
They are exclusively meant for management use. They will augment the reports of the of the Controller of Internal Audits (CIA) and are meant to aid decision making as we make payments and developing strategies for dismantling bigger volumes of arrears such as fuel.
The post audit services of the Auditor General continue post expenditures in that his office continues to audit public institutions in line with its mandate and based on a schedule as supported by the available expert human resource.
Further these reports augment the internal audit reports which are used by the Auditor General’s office as reference points when conducting audits.
CONCLUSION
Madam Speaker, I would like to conclude by urging members of the public to ensure that they familiarize themselves with facts as they comment on national issues.
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning is always available to provide clarifications to the public and is committed to ensuring that information is provided to the public in a transparent way.
This process of engaging auditing firms was done consistent with Government undertakings to ensure that there are no fraudulent payments and that when payments are made they are done so on account of value having accrued to the Public.
The scrutiny is necessary as we know that already some categories of arrears have incomplete documentation or certificates issued without works being delivered, such as those under the Ministry of local Government and rural development.
Madam Speaker I thank You.
Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, MP Minister of Finance & National Planning.
A BAD SYSTEM DOES’NT APPEAR WRONG TO THOSE BENEFITING FROM IT.
Especally a bad political system adopted and applied to govern the country. A case in point is the Patriotic Front political party in government.The PF members in general todate are still not conviced that they had adopted an extremely bad political system of governing the country. It was a political system of the party and its government.The PF was government and government was expected to be the PF.It was either you were with the PF or with the UPND.There was no middle ground! Even today the PF does’nt see anything wrong with this political ideology.
During the 10 years reign of the PF,everything in this country was starting and ending with the PF.Anything outside the PF was declared illegal.Dare to differ with PF,you were declared an outlaw.
No one was allowed to pass through any public place wearing a different political party ligalia other than that of the PF.The political environment which we’re taking for granted today,many citizens were maimed during the PF’s reign.Today it appears normal when you walk into City Market in Lusaka,commonly find marketeers covering their trading stands with PF and UPND chitenge branded material side by side unconcerned,a practice which was taboo during the PF’s reign.
Today anyone can walk into InterCity bus terminus or any other public station in Zambia wearing either PF or UPND T-shirt or cap and no one can bother him,that was suicide during the reign of the PF! During the PF’s reign,UPND was not allowed to conduct burial procession side by side with the PF,it was a declaration of war!
To get a job in government during the PF’s reign one had to be connected to the PF.To get any government contract,PF secretariat had to clear you.Bars,restaurants that were seen to be hosting suspected opposition party members were brutally ransact and razed down.How many times was that UPND lady trading along the roadside in Bauleni had her makeshift trading stand ransact and brutally beaten? During the PF’s reign,it was a common and regular site of PF cadres….in a show of political supremacy….to conduct roadshows with other sitting on moving car windows with impunity,with fists raised in the air in cairo road during peak working days and hours paralysing flow of traffic of other road users.You should have witnessed the behavior of PF cadres in town centre especially around stanley bar area when one of their so-called “Commanders” was driving through.
The whole area gets cleared for his passage. This is a political party that assumes Zambians have forgotten all such nosense and thinks it can be voted back again? UPND may have its own flaws but on a scale of 1 to 10,UPND is rated 8 by none partisan Zambians.The PF seem to be fooled by the quietness of Zambians by allowing them to dominate media outlets both on social media and mainstream media.This was a thing which under the PF was dangerous for a private media house to host an opposition member.
This is a political system which the PF members does’nt see anything wrong.A brutal political system.A corrupt political system.An ethnic cleansing system.
The only people who can miss and yern to bring back such a political system are those who were benefiting from that filthy system. I submit,
Disgraced singer, R. Kelly has filed two motions in Chicago’s federal court, seeking a new trial or an outright reversal of his conviction two months ago on child pornography and other sex-abuse related charges.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s attorney, filed the motions this week with arguments that will likely be heard at an appeal to the 7th Circuit US Court of Appeals, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Last month in Chicago, a federal jury found Kelly guilty on three counts of child pornography, but he was acquitted of a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge accusing him and his team of fixing his state child pornography trial in 2008.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber has set sentencing for Feb. 23.
Bonjean has asked for an acquittal on all counts based on several technical factors.
According to her, the prosecution has not been able to prove that the infamous videotape of Kelly abusing his goddaughter who went by the pseudonym ‘Jane’ was made for the purpose of child pornography.
Kelly’s attorney also argued that there had been insufficient evidence that the tape had ever crossed state lines, an element that prosecutors were required to prove during the Chicago trial.
Bonjean went on to argue that prosecutors also failed to prove that Kelly had ‘coerced’ underage victims to engage in sex acts.
The second motion has asked for a new trial based on alleged misstatements by the government’s first witness at trial Dr. Darrel Turner.
Turner testified during the trial as an expert on how sexual predators ‘groom’ underage victims and told the jury that he billed prosecutors $250 per hour for his work on this case when the actual figure was $450.
Turner also allegedly underrepresented how many hours he was paid for, telling the jury it was two hours when it was six and a half, Bojean said.
The misstatements were allegedly known to the prosecutors who failed to correct them for the jury, she continued.
‘Had the jurors known that Turner actively misled them, the jurors would likely have rejected his testimony outright,’ Bonjean said.
Prosecutors are expected to file responses to Bonjean’s allegations later this month.
Kelly was convicted of pornography charges for making three videotapes of himself abusing Jane beginning in the 1990s.
The charges Kelly was convicted of carry a minimum of 10 years in prison.
The conviction on those counts comes 14 years after Kelly’s infamous acquittal on similar charges in Cook County, which were based on a single video of Kelly allegedly abusing Jane in the hot tub room of his former home on West George Street. Jane had refused to cooperate in that case.
Kelly was also found guilty on three out of five counts related to the enticement of a minor involving Jane and two other victims who came forward to testify against him.
The jury did however acquit Kelly and two co-defendants on charges to conspire to retrieve incriminating tapes and rig the 2008 trial by pressuring Jane to lie to investigators about their relationship and refuse to testify against him.
S/Province councils have misplaced or unqualified workers – Sejani
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
SOME councills in Southern Province have either misplaced or unqualified workers, says Ackson Sejani.
Addressing principal officers from local authorities in Southern Province during the formation of Human Resource Management Committees (HRMCs) at New Fairmount Hotel yesterday, Sejani the Local Government Service Commission chairperson said the commission has been realigning and placing personnel in appropriate positions according to their qualifications and skills.
“Let me hasten to say that the Commission is however aware that some local authorities in Southern Province have some staff who are either misplaced or lack the requisite qualifications and competencies,” he said.
Sejani said the realigning of council workers is a well thought-out strategy to equitably distribute human resources in all 116 local authorities.
He said the HRMCs were being established in line of the provisions of Section 33 of the service commission Act No. 10 of 2016 so as to timely process human resources matters at local authority level and boost the morale of workers as well as actualise the UPND’s agenda of realistic decentralisation.
Sejani said the commission has so far created 54 HRMCs in five provinces – 11 in Central, eight in Muchinga, 12 in Northern, 12 in Luapula as well as 11 in North-Western Province.
He said in Southern Province 15 HRMCs would be created bring the total number to 69 countrywide so far.
“Allow me to state that the HRMCs that we are constituting will be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure compliance with set standards including the code of ethics whose core objective is to set acceptable behaviour for persons in the public and local governance service,” said Sejani. “I wish to strongly warn would be HRMC members that the commission will not hestitate to withdraw delegated functions from those committees that will fail to fulfil the obligations with honesty, integrity and professionalism.”
Livingstone mayor Constance Muleabai said she was happy that the HRMCs were being formulated countrywide which shows President Hakainde Hichilema’s resolve to have real decentralisation actualised.
US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will not seek re-election for a leadership role within the House of Representatives after nearly 20 years at the helm. Pelosi has led House Democrats since 2003, including two four-year stints as speaker
Her announcement comes after Democrats narrowly lost the majority in the chamber during the midterm elections.
“With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” said Pelosi said on Thursday, November 17.
“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, and I’m grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.”
“There is no greater special honor for me than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people of San Francisco. This I will continue to do as a member of the House speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great state of California and defending our Constitution,” she continued.
The 82-year-old Californian made the announcement on the House floor.
Speculation had grown in recent days about Pelosi’s future after her husband, Paul, was violently attacked at their San Francisco home and Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
The California lawmaker did not announce who should replace her in the top leadership position.
During the 20-year period Pelosi has served in leadership, several Democratic rising stars and would-be successors have lost re-election or left Congress to pursue other possibilities.
Pelosi’s two stints as speaker, from 2007-11 and 2019 to present, have seen Democrats accomplish big goals, but also face electoral repercussions.
During the first two years of Obama’s presidency, Pelosi was instrumental in passing the Affordable Care Act and an economic stimulus bill.
While Pelosi’s actions were heralded by Democrats, voters gave the party a massive rout in the 2010 elections. Democrats lost 63 seats, handing the House to Republicans until 2018.
In her second stint as speaker, Pelosi fought against President Donald Trump’s efforts to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
She will be more remembered for her opposition to Trump’s political agenda which culminated in two impeachment efforts. The first, over Trump’s alleged calls for Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings in the country, ended with an acquittal in the Senate.
The second impeachment effort, over Trump allegedly provoking a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ended the same way.
A Dutch court has found three men guilty of the murder of 298 people onboard flight MH17, which was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile when it was flying over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
The court handed down sentences of life imprisonment to Russian nationals Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy and a Ukrainian, Leonid Kharchenko, after finding them guilty of bringing down the plane and the murder of everyone onboard. They were ordered to pay “more than €16m” in compensation to the victims.
The three men responsible remain at large and it remains unclear if they will ever serve their sentences.
A third Russian national, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted of the charges owing to lack of evidence about his role in the firing of the missile.
In 2014, all four men were fighters for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, a pro-Russia separatist movement. None of the men appeared in court and only Pulatov chose to appoint lawyers, who pleaded not guilty on his behalf.
The presiding judge, Hendrik Steenhuis, said the court had concluded that MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile from an agricultural field in eastern Ukraine, citing extensive evidence that did not leave “any possibility for reasonable doubt whatsoever”.
The court found that Russia had overall control of the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine at the time when the plane was shot down, he said.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said it was an important court decision.
In a tweet, he said: “Holding to account masterminds is crucial too, as the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes. We must dispel this illusion. Punishment for all [Russia’s] atrocities then & now is inevitable.”
The verdict caps a 32-month trial that began in March 2020 in a secure courtroom at Schiphol airport, from where flight MH17 took off on 17 July 2014 bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Only a few hours into the flight, a missile exploded just above and to the left of the cockpit, causing the plane to break up in midair, according to an international investigation. Everyone onboard was killed.
The victims came from 17 countries and included 198 Dutch nationals, 43 Malaysians, 38 Australians and 10 from the UK. They included families with children, young couples and retirees, teenagers celebrating the end of exams, professionals heading to conferences, a nun, a shipping worker going home. Eighty of the victims were children.
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, reacting to the judgement said: “This is yet another step in the pursuit of truth and justice for the victims and their loved ones. And important as this verdict is, it is not the final conclusion … It is not the end. All parties will have the right to appeal, so the judgment is not yet final. But to reiterate, an important step has been taken today.”
The Netherlands and Australia said in 2018 that Russia was responsible for the disaster, after investigators concluded the BUK missile had come from a Russian military base.
The Kremlin has always denied any involvement, while claiming it was excluded from the investigation.
Girkin, who goes by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, was a commander of the separatist-backed forces in 2014. He is believed to have returned to the battlefield in Ukraine, raising slim hopes that he may be captured and eventually face justice.
After clinching the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, top US Republicans have outlined a broad range of investigative targets focused on President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings.
“In the 118th Congress, this committee will evaluate the status of Joe Biden’s relationship with his family’s foreign partners and whether he is a President who is compromised or swayed by foreign dollars and influence,” said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee.
“I want to be clear: This is an investigation of Joe Biden, and that’s where the committee will focus in this next Congress.”
In a wide-ranging news conference on Thursday, November 17, flanked by GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who is expected to become chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Republicans on the oversight committee, Comer said Republicans have made connections between the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the president that they believe requires further investigation.
Comer said his team has spoken with multiple whistleblowers who say they were involved in schemes involving the Biden family, reviewed Hunter Biden’s laptop, and received “previously unknown transactions.”
Comer says he is closing in on more than 100 bank activity reports known as Suspicious Activity Reports – that are allegedly related to the Biden family and says that the Treasury Department has ignored his repeated requests when Republicans were in the minority to hand over them over.
So far, Comer says he has only seen two of those reports, and he renewed his request for the remainder of them on Thursday. Such reports are not always indicative of criminal activity or wrongdoing.
As part of his investigation, Comer said, “We would love to talk to people in the Biden family, specifically Hunter and Joe Biden.”
Reacting, the White House said the investigations are politically motivated and a waste of time.
“Instead of working with President Biden to address issues important to the American people, like lower costs, congressional Republicans’ top priority is to go after President Biden with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories” spokesmen for the White House Counsel’s office, Ian Sams, said in a statement to CNN.
“President Biden is not going to let these political attacks distract him from focusing on Americans’ priorities, and we hope congressional Republicans will join us in tackling them instead of wasting time and resources on political revenge,” Sams added.
A spokeswoman for Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, Nelly Decker, said the Republicans “rehashed the same, partisan talking points” that have been circulating for years.
“Now that former President Trump is running for office again, House Republicans’ top priority is attacking President Biden and his family in a desperate attempt to return Mr. Trump to power,” Decker said in a statement.
Once the new Congress is sworn in in January, Republicans will gain subpoena power, a more powerful enforcement mechanism to try to compel individuals and government entities to hand over information.
At the heart of Comer’s investigation is digging into a series of suspicious activity reports that Republicans claim banks have filed related to Hunter Biden’s financial activities. In a letter to the Treasury Department on Thursday, Comer sought any such reports related to various members of the Biden family, their business associates and companies linked to Hunter Biden.
Comer also is seeking communications within the Treasury Department, its financial crimes enforcement division and the White House regarding those family members and related businesses and associates.
Chris Hemsworth has revealed he has a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The actor shared his sadness on Thursday, Nov. 17, after he made a heartbreaking discovery about his health on his new Disney+ show Limitless.
The Thor star confided in George Stephanopoulos during an appearance on Good Morning America, revealing he has a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease than the general population after undergoing extensive bloodwork during an episode in the series.
In a clip shared on GMA from the National Geographic show, which sees Chris put his physical and mental strength to the ultimate test, the actor was told by longevity specialist Dr. Peter Attia that he has two copies of APOE4.
APOE4 is the strongest risk factor gene for Alzheimer’s disease, meaning Chris’ risk of Alzheimer’s is “eight to ten times higher” than most people, according to Dr. Attia.
“We’ve got every blood test one can get and you have two copies of APOE4, a set from your mom and a set from your dad… that means you have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease,” Dr. Attia told Chris.
In the same clip, Chris explained that his “biggest fear” is forgetting his family.
He said: “The idea that I won’t be able to remember the life I’ve experienced or my wife, my kids, this is probably my biggest fear.”
The?idea I won
Chris explained that the result has spurred him on to make some changes in his life.
“It very quickly became another wonderful motivation to make some changes and arm myself with all the tools to live a healthier, better life,” Chris said.
Dr. Attia called Chris’ test results a “blessing” as they can motivate him to look after his brain health.
“It’s my belief that if we take every step possible, we can reduce your risk to that of anyone else,” Dr. Attia told Chris.
The actor added: “I think any of the motivations for living better can come in many shapes and forms. Whatever I’m going to do now to protect my brain health will benefit every other aspect of my health and wellbeing.”
Gay couples will be able to openly hold hands, cuddle and kiss at the Qatar World Cup, despite public displays of affection being outlawed by the Arab state, it has been revealed.
Despite the new development, it’s feared that once the World Cup is over, LGBTQ+ people in the country who enjoy the temporary freedom will be punished anyway.
According to Mail Online, FIFA has held secret meetings with Qatar’s Interior Ministry and persuaded it to stop officers from its Preventive Security Department from arresting gay supporters at the World Cup.
Undercover spies from the ministry were reported to be set to mingle among fans and haul so-called offenders into custody.
Speaking through her office manager, a lesbian secretary told Mail Online: ‘The World Cup has given us the protection we need for maybe a month.
‘But you will find very few Qatari gay and lesbian people who will believe there will be no repercussions after the World Cup is over.
‘There may not be trouble while football is here, but they will catch up with Qatari people after, beat and jail us for what they see as shaming the country.’
The 30-year-old added: ‘As a lesbian woman, I will enjoy the World Cup like other fans, but you won’t see me hugging my girlfriend in Doha. No way.
‘We will keep our relationship private like many others here.’
Despite the temporary measures, official Foreign Office advice for travelers remains the same, stating simply that ‘homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.’
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had warned England and Wales supporters last month: ‘These are Muslim countries; they have a very different cultural starting point (from ours).
‘I think it’s important when you’re a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation.’
The decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar, a country where homosexuality can be punishable by death, has been attacked by gay and human rights organisations since the country was announced as the 2022 host.
‘LGBT+ people there can be subjected to police harassment on the street and in shopping malls for merely ‘looking’ gay,” British human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell wrote for MailOnline.
‘There are reports of LGBT+ people being entrapped by police using gay dating apps and being murdered in ‘honour’ killings by their families,’ he added.
SABOI Imboela has accused President Hakainde Hichilema of proving to be “a little man” that comes out bitter and wants to revenge.
Featuring on the Hot Seat programme yesterday, Imboela who leads the NDC faction wondered whether President Hichilema does not understand his role or the power of the position he holds.
“But Mr Hakainde Hichilema misses out on those [Nelson] Mandela moments and when he is supposed to be this big person. This President, he proves to us that he is a small man. You know he is a little little man that is so bitter, comes out and wants to revenge and wants to do many things that are not even supposed to be done,” she said. “He is a President for heaven’s sake. Maybe he doesn’t understand the role of his position, the power of that position. That is a position that even if you had an enemy you would call them and say ‘you know what, I forgive you’. Not because that person even asked for the forgiveness but because the position that you hold does not even allow you to have those personal grudges against people.”
Imboela accused the UPND of being an “abused child that has become an abuser”.
“So the UPND have become that abused child that has become an abuser. Instead of saying ‘I went through this, I don’t want the others to go through this’. HH as a leader he has missed out and he continues missing out on so many Mandela moments. There is a reason why a Mandela exists. At a time he should have gone left, he went right,” he said.
Imboela has accused the UPND administration of hating criticism when they were always negative while in opposition.
“The UPND in terms of opposition politics, they were that party that were always negative. They never said anything good about PF. No wonder they cannot even control Facebook cadres…” she said. “And if there is a place whereby you can even appreciate the Zambia Police is when it comes to cyber issues. They are very good at that. But to them they want to create a situation whereby it should only be barred to insult the President but it is not bad to insult Saboi, no! Everybody is equal before the law. If people are going to feel comfortable to insult me, they should feel comfortable to insult HH. No one is above the law and everybody deserves respect. It is as simple as that.”
Imboela said the kind of politics that the UPND have brought about of insulting others would result in opposition parties doing the same.
“We grew up in Chilenje with my mother, I know how to insult. You get the point? People should not mistake me being a woman and being an educated person that I don’t know how to say certain things. I do. But I restrain myself. So…I will insult, trust me, they will not even take me to the police, they bring the Bible. So we know these things as people that grew up in these communities but we retrain ourselves…” she said. “Right now the kind of politics that the UPND have brought about whereby they want to insult everyone who says anything, trust me it will get to those levels where all of us will start doing that.”
Imboela accused the UPND of using other people like “praise singers to do their dirty work”.
“I am that person who is humiliated everyday as a woman in politics. I am insulted every day. But if they see the strength in me, and they see that I am able to fight back, not through insults whichever tactics am going to use, when people see that she is strong, she can fight back, many women will join because what we need in this country are many women joining politics,” said Imboela. “That is why I say that they are demagogues. I have called President HH himself as a demagogue, as a demagogue. You don’t do your dirty work, you use your people to do that. There are people who are called praise singers. What is the job of praise singers? To insult us. And the entire President goes on social media and says ‘my fellow praise singers’. Does he know what the praise singers do? Does he know how much they have destroyed democracy in this country? Under the PF, we had the so-called cadres. Under the UPND we have got the praise singers. They are worse than the cadres because as an opposition leader myself I had to go to the station, I had to go to the market to be intimidated, to be threatened even to be beaten if you are a person but for the praise singers you don’t need to go to their space. They come into your space, you post something and they insult you.”
BALLY ALWAYS KEEPS QUITE ON THINGS THAT MATTER TO CITIZENS
…if you are looking for leadership, you wont find it in him – Antonio Mwanza
Lusaka, Thursday, November 17, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
I was laughing when I saw a headline from News Diggers where His Excellency, the President, Sammy is saying that please don’t just be speaking in toilets, if you want to speak come and speak to us, we will listen to you, Antonio Mwanza says.
Speaking when he featured on Lusaka Music Radio yesterday, the PF Media Director said President Hakainde Hichilema does not listen to sane advice.
Mr Mwanza warned that Zambians will not find leadership if they expect it to come from the incumbent President.
He said the party advised the Head of State not to get the IMF deal adding that the President paid a deaf ear.
Mr Mwanza explained that one of the conditionalities for the IMF is to get rid of all subsidies, which results into the escalated high cost of living .
“We told this President, when you go into this IMF deal, it willl cripple the economy. Did he listen? He didn’t. we told him, once you go into this IMF deal, fuel will be expensive because that is one of the conditionalities IMF will put in place that you have to remove all manner of subsidies, direct subsidies and indirect subsidies. We told him, he didn’t listen,” he said.
“We told him, can you look into issues of mining, he didn’t listen. This is the President who doesn’t listen to anybody. This is a President who arrests and intimidates anybody who speaks.”
And Mr Mwanza said President Hichilema is guilty of complicity in matters of political violence.
He said many UPND members have been issuing statements threatening those that speak to hold government accountable but the Head of State has been quite about it.
“Why are the police so quick to go after those accused of defaming the President but they cant go after the UPND thugs? I will give you examples, Jackson Silavwe , president of GPZ was being intimidated , almost beaten right in front of the police and the police were watching,” he said.
“We have Saboi Imboela who has been threatened by a UPND leader, Carlos Kalunga theat they will organise youhts to go and rape Saboi….we have seen the UPND showing us Mulabalaba, that character who has gone online live undressing….the UPND are hacking each other, we have never seen the police move in on that.”
Mr Mwanza said the President always keeps quite on this that matter to the Zambians.
“But the police will always be quick to move in on someone accused of defaming the President. And this is the President who said we shall not use the defamation law to gag the people. So you have a President who sells rhetoric, but on the other hand, but when his own party leaders and cadres are unleashing voilence on innocent citizens, he pretends that he does not see,” he said.
“He kept quite when his cadres where beating people in Mwense, he kept quite when his cadres where beating people in Mkushi, he kept quite when his cadres in Lusangazi. He has always kept quite on the things that matter to Zambians.”
CALLS TO AUDIT PF PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS OVER K200,000 NOMINATION FEES ARE NONSENSICAL
…. where were you when UPND Ministers were declaring sums worth K60 million – Kafwaya
Lusaka…. Thursday November 17, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
PF hopeful presidential candidate Hon Mutotwe Kafwaya has blasted those calling for the PF aspirants to be probed over the K200,000 nomination fees.
The Lunte Lawmaker said it is nonsensical for people to make such suggestions when they were quite when UPND ministers were declaring assets.
Hon Kafwaya said such suggestions are triggered by hatred among other reasons.
He said this when he featured on Hot FM’s Hot Seat today.
“It’s childish to suggest that I should be probed regarding where I got the K200,000 for nomination from. When Ministers were declaring sums worth K60 million, did you hear anybody talking about the probe? No you didn’t. the reason is they are ministers,” he said.
“It’s very childish. What is a K200,000? Listen, I don’t have to be a politician to have a K200,000. And if in your thinking, you think that I am worth less than K200,000, you are joking, you are a joker. So for me that is foolishness, it is lack of thinking what priorities you must focus on, it is just hatred.”
Hon Kafwaya said he has no problem with being probed.
He however stated that he would still laugh at those probing and call the process foolish.
The hopeful PF presidential candidate said even the car he drives is worth not less than a K200,000.
“Listen even the car I drive is worth more than K200,000. If I didn’t have it, I could have sold one of my cars. Do you think I have one car? In the last Parliament, I got a loan from Parliament, I bought a Mitsubishi, it’s there at home. In this Parliament where I was chased for 90 days for having lost my seat for a while…I got another loan and I have another car,” he said.
“Before that, I had another car which I bought via FNB financing. So if I don’t have a K200,000 I can sell a car which is worth K200,000 and be able to do that. So it is not an issue for me… for an accountant like myself…. a graduate of many years and someone who has served various organizations up to the level of Auditing Manager, Chief Accountant…. I cannot be worth less than a K200,000.”
MOTHER MARY SAVED ME FROM THE BRUTALITY OF OFFICER NO. 2033 MWALA YUYI
I want to tell my story of how badly I was beaten by one of the most senior officers at Force (Service) Headquarters in Room 45.
According to him, he believes he is invisible and I could never identify him, be he was dead wrong, because he is a public officer and I take note of senior public officers like him.
He was recently (In October 2022) promoted and given huge responsibilities. The notice of his promotion read as follows:
No. 2033 Mr. MWALA YUYI, SENIOR ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, SERVICE POLICE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, POLICEC SERVICE HEADQUARTERS MADE TO ACT AS DEPUTY COMMISIONEF OF PCLICE AND FURTHER APPOINTED DIRECTOR, • CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT, POLICE SERVICE HEADQUARTERS.
As you can see, these are huge responsibilities so I took interest to check his background, not knowing that God was preparing me for the 13th November, 2022 when this man would come face to face with me, and he asked me, “Do you know me?.
I did not respond to him, because I saw, that he is not a reasonable man to engage with, which made him more comfortable to hit me as he pleaded.
Surprisingly, he once served in Sudan on a peace mission, as can be seen by the beret and one would have thought he would be professional and well behaved senior officer.
In this operation, to forcibly arrest me, he was fully in-charge as Director of Criminal Investigations Department.
He beat me mercilessly and incited his junior officer to join me but only a few succumbed to his unprofessional and brutal leading orders.
I am actually worried that, some of those junior orders will be punished for not joining him in the brutal party.
I don’t know if that is what he learnt on his peace mission in Sudan.
After beating me up, I was made to lay flat in a Toyota Hilux which they used to came and pick me at home. It is also behind us in the picture when I was released at Kabwata Police Station.
I could not tell where they were taking me, but I thought I was going to one of the secret locations I have heard (like in the case of Shabby Chilekwa) where they torture people.
I was distressed, helpless and alone as my lawyers were chased away. I felt so vulnerable in the think of the night as the Van drove around not knowing where I was or going and my fate.
As a strong Catholic believer, I knew there was nothing I can do, I am at the mercy of this brutal man, who slapped me severally on my face and in the heard, so I just started praying to Mother Mary.
The moment I started praying, I became at peace and ready for anything. We drove for about 20 minutes and made two stops without me knowing where we where and what the police officers where looking for.
Finally we ended up at Chilanga Police Station and I would only tell where we where after asking inmates who were packed like rotten bags of shelled maize.
I spent the night at Chilanga, then moved to Musamba Police post within Chilanga district, then transferred to Ridgeway Police Post and I was released from Kabwata Police Station.
I will talk more later at 20:00hrs if (I will not be arrested again), for now, I just wanted to share my faith of how Mary saved me from this brutal man called Mwala Yuyi from force Headquarters and we are pursuing the matter with my lawyers.
This morning I went to Church and spent time in prayers, I am more resolved to continue speaking out (as I will do at 20:00hrs) on wrong things this Govt is going, as well as speak for the injustices, oppression and dictatorship of President Hichilema’s Govt.
TAYALI THE PUBLIC LAWYER OF THE PUBLIC COURT OF OPINIONS!!!
