JONAS PHIRI WRITES..

I Escaped Victim of Homosexuality at 21.(TRUE STORY)
Allow me to join Dr Sampa and Others in Saying NO to Homosexuality
The advocacy against this vice is a move we all must join.

I was only 21 and a school Leaver in 1995, Mum had been struggling after separating with my dad..and dad had long gone in Diaspora for greener pastures.she had no where to sleep, she was just squatting with a her young sister both late now.. Looking at the suffering of my mother decided to go to farms in Makeni to look for Piece works, I came to one of the renouned family in the UNIP Govt and whose name I will withhold, after that day’s piece work, he asked me to stay over for a night to help with some works in the house. These were rich people, getting into their house was a more privilege than just eating their food. The man must have been in his early 40s unmarried and stinking rich. It was his father’s farm who were I should think in foreign service at that time. His moves to me and favors that evening were so strange and shocking.

We cooked food with his friends I will call ‘gay’ allais. Was saved with hot water to bath and given all good perfumes and surprising was ushered to sleep in his beautiful big bedroom. This house was big, a farm house had several bedrooms. I was so poor, so vulnerable with torn pants and tropicals. He advanced to me the whole night this on me I was shaking, afraid, traumatized. He was drinking something all night must have been some wine at this time never knew even how any wine looked like.

I was just coming from over zealous scripture union member in my Secondary school and having been a Pastors son and a Charismatic preacher of the time, all I loved was godly things, I prayed in my heart with tears that God this must not happen to me..came here to raise something to help my mum not this strange life. He abused me through out the night forcing me to hold his large katundu..I gave an excuse through out, and pleaded, I told him I would love being with him but that I should come back to stay for five days as I needed to go and change clothes and also inform my grand mother about my days away. He gave me (K40,000) unrebased that’s how I left around 06:00hrs and never returned.!

God saved me, may others be saved from this testimony and catastrophy. It’s un African, strange Culture and an insult to Christian and moral values. I hated this man even upto today. He took advantage of my being poor, was simply looking for food to help my family. Have never shared this my story to any one but thought and feel compelled now that there seems to be the freedom of misleading the innocent Zambians with this hidden horn, there seems to be soft gloves and delinkage voice cords on this matter. Our Head of State has said No to Homosexuality,No Lesbianism No to trans whatever Not in this Country No. Their Targets are the Poor boys from Poor Families. This is inhuman and Injustice!

I stand with Dr Sampa Abash Homosexuality Abash LGBTQ Abash Rainball Flag. There must be a deliberate policy to sensitive our young children in schools especially boys against Sodomy. Our boys must be Safe.
From The Community Lawyer.
Jonas A.Phiri.

LUSAKA HIGH COURT SETTING PRECEDENT

By Isaac Mwanza

THE Lusaka High Court has impressed me with the manner they have taken their Judicial functions seriously as an electoral court. Equally, the sense of urgency and justice that was done by the Constitutional Court must be recognised. I think our courts can beat the standards the Kenyan Courts have set on the continent.

Let me borrow the words from the decision of the Supreme Court of Zambia in 2015 when the PF regime attempted to block Dora Siliya and 2 others in the same manner Bowman Lusambo and Joseph Malanji want to be blocked, where the Court stated:

“Contesting a parliamentary election and voting are constitutional rights which should not be easily taken away from a person.”

While the Courts took so long, depriving the people of Petauke from having representation, to make a just decision in this matter, the Court demonstrated extraordinary boldness and courage to dispense justice.

It has become a pattern at every point when there is regime change for excited people working with the new leadership to try and impress the President by annihilating competitors from the Electoral race. MMD did it to KK to an extent of trying to change the law. The Court, albeit late, made a decision KK was eligible to contest.

Dora Siliya and her colleagues went same path at the hands of PF. ECZ was also used in that scheme and tried to prevent Siliya and company. It didn’t work because the courts protected their right to participate.

We back to the same scenario. I heard the submissions of ECZ in court today. So did I hear about the petitioners and the Attorney General Chambers. I will comment in detail about these after the Court delivers the verdict, including on how some lawyers use language that want to intimidate the courts.

My comment however is that our court system, under very intense pressure under the MMD and PF regime showed they had capacity to protect the law. It can be costly as the judges usually don’t get in good books against those they rule against but that is the nature of their job. The Judges are not their to impress anyone.

I hope politicians will learn from what happened in the Kaunda case that went so far to change the law, which the Court said had no effect on Dr Kaunda, from manner Dora Siliya and his friends were almost barred but justice prevailed. In all these cases, I came to discover Presidents are usually innocent and may want to play clean game but it’s those around them that seek praises from Presidents who acted wrongly and misleadingly.

Politicians, learn, learn, learn!

HH must convict the corrupt or stop talking about corruption – Mwanza

By Thomas Ngala

THE majority of Zambian people get very offended and very emotional over issues of corruption, says Antonio Mwanza.
The PF media director has advised President Hakainde Hichilema to stop talking about corruption.

Mwanza said instead of talking about the vice, the President needed to ‘convict’ some people accused of indulging in it.
He scorned the new dawn administration during the Millennium Radio’s “The Interview Programme” on Tuesday for “failing” to secure convictions in the corruption related cases from the time it was voted into power.

“The President keeps on talking about corruption every day. The challenge is, why is he not convicting the people that are accused of corruption? It’s one year down the line. You have got the Public Accounts Committee Report, you have got the Auditor General’s Report, you have the Financial Intelligence Centre Report, you are the President of the Republic of Zambia,” Mwanza noted. “He has transferred the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Zambia Police, the Drug Enforcement Commission, the Financial Intelligence Centre. He has transferred these government departments to State House. Why is he failing to bring one, not two, umonzi chabe wa PF kuti uyu anaba K2 million (just one PF member to say this one stole K2 million)? I think Zambians must be worried. The way we are talking about corruption every day, there are no convictions!”

Asked if there was corruption in the PF administration, he said President Hichilema must prove that there was “since he is in charge”.
“So the President must stop talking about corruption. He must convict the corrupt. You can’t continue talking about corruption one year down the line you are failing to bring a single individual…Why is he failing to prove that there was corruption one year down the line? And let us talk about their corruption going on right now. Within one year, there are two major scandals at the Ministry of Community Development,” said Mwanza. “A motorbike which costs K25,000, this government signed a deal to buy those at K130,000 each. Another scandal, njinga (bicycle), not sports bike, Eagle njinga for K2,000, this government is purchasing one at the Ministry of Local Government at K28,000 per njinga and they want to purchase 20,000 bicycles. They want to steal K2.3 million.”

Deregister PF within the next 48 hours or else…, Mosho tells asks government

AFTER failing to host general conference on account of empty coffers mid this year, Patriotic Front faces deregistration after an angry lawyer the party owes a staggering K4 million asked the government to deregister the party.

In contrast to their time in power when their members took selfies and filmed themselves with bricks of crispy Kwacha notes the party is broke and their brokeness has been laid bare by shrewd Lusaka-based lawyer, Mosho who is also behind the infamous liquidation of the Post Newspaper.

In his application letter to the the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mosho explained that the PF hired the services of his law firm q Lewis Nathan Advocates firm to defend eight members of parliaments who were being petitioned on winning their seats following the August 12, 2022 general elections.

He said firm further worked on two appeals.

However, the mighty ‘Green’ party who’s members were seen making money rain during their campaign times, did not fulfill a client’s duty of paying for services rendered which led the accruing debt.

Lewis Nathan Advocates further disclosed in the letter that they tried all they could to follow up on the payment but it was the same as using a pen to write on water as it didn’t come fruition.

The firm said it has been over a year since the money was due for payment but the party has now put the plea on snooze and put the volume of the case on low.

“PF has chosen to ignore and has neglected to our concerns or that of its creditors,” the statement read.

“We are further concerned that PF has not adhered to national principles and values outlined in articles 8 and 60 of constitution amendment act no. 2 of 2016 as read of section 13 and 23 of the societies act which requires for a political party to be founded on morality, good governance and integrity.”

Lewis and Nelson Advocates further cautioned the Ministry of Home Affairs stating if they don’t perform their statutory duty on the matter within 48 hours they will take the Attorney General to court for failure to perform their work.

By Moses Makwaya

Kalemba

PF STILL IN CHARGE

Kalani Muchima writes:

Am currently on the Copperbelt and truth be told its a sorry site for UPND members.

In Kalulushi and Kitwe UPND has been dwarfed by the PF like no man’s business.

Imagine in Kitwe at the civic centre, UPND has 15 councilors while PF has 13 and 4 independents but PF has managed to get the 4 to their side.

The Mayor for Kitwe is PF while the Deputy is UPND but trust me its a sorry state of affairs for UPND.

what I have found on the ground is something to be worried about.

In Kalulushi its even worse despite controlling the council, the PF has an upper hand in almost everything.

Some guy came crying to me at the civic centre asking why he risked his life when in the end he was only risking it for a PF member to continue enjoying.

The only place I found a bit of sanity is in mufulira.

One councilor was like “ba kalani, we have tried to seek audience with our Minister of Local Government Minister as UPND councilors but our efforts have been in vein”.

“We just work like this and no one cares to meet us to find out what we are going through here” he said.

While campaigning in Kwacha’s Chatente ward in Kitwe, President Hakainde Hichilema assured that no one in that area was going to be displaced but what I found out was that, PF is deliberately creating land confusions then blame it on the UPND as being the ones grabing plots from people.

It has also been established that while PF councilors have allocated themselves 60 by 40 plots in the said area, UPND councilors have been left out and some lucky ones have only been given something like 20 by 20 plots.

This information is not hearsay coz today I was in chantete and gathered alot of information.

What’s going on in that area is nothing but politics at play and UPND is being played badly. PF is miles ahead.

Some very senior council officers told me that my brother, sometime we try to help our brothers and sisters in UPND but it’s tough coz the set up is that, those in procurement are PF and contracts are shared among themselves, when there are some opportunities within the council, PF get them coz those in human resource are PF hence stating that their hands are tied.

My five days of being in Ndola, Kitwe, Mufulira, Kalulushi and other towns has been an eye opener.

My conclusion is that President Hakainde Hichilema is being lied to alot and his own sefish people are not helping him.

LUANGWA ELECTION HAS RATED UPND PERFORMANCE – MUNDUBILE

…….as he boasts that the people of Luangwa have given PF the vote because of the reconciliation route the party has taken

Lusaka…. Friday, September 16, 2022 (Smart Eagles)

The outcome of the Luangwa Town Council Chairperson by-election has thrilled leader of the opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile.

Addressing the media at Parliament today, Hon Mundubile said the election results have provided answers as to whether PF is still strong or not.

He also insinuated that the results have shown that people are not satisfied with the way UPND has so far governed the country.

PF’s Lawrence Shaba yesterday carried the day in the said elections.

“Colleagues we had elections in Luangwa….elections are very important to any political party. Elections are used to measure performances. You have asked us questions to say, is your party growing? Others have asked questions to say how have the UPND performed in the last 12 months? So answers such as these would come through an earliest election,” he said.

“For the UPND’s performance for the last 12 months, the answer is what you got in Luangwa. So if anybody wanted to speculate and bring in other answers, the answer is that he people of Luangwa have spoken through an election. That is what elections do.”

Hon Mundubile boasted that the people of Luangwa have given PF the vote because of the reconciliation route they have taken.

He however said the same people are not pleased with UPND due to the promises that have remained unattended to.

“Elections give feedback on how political parties are performing. For us as a party that lost power 12 months ago, a party that went back to the people, humbled ourselves to the people and apologized for the mistakes that we have made, and began to make amends, the people of Luangwa have given us feedback that the method that we have taken to reconcile and go back and rebrand ourselves, the people of Luangwa have accepted,” he said.

“On the other hand, the UPND, with all the machinery, with all the energy, with all the violence, the people of Zambia through electorates in Zambia have said this is not what we voted for. They have said the campaign promises have remained unattended to. The people of Luangwa amplifying the message on the fight against corruption.”

GABRIEL NSOFWA WRITES….

GOVERNMENT’S SILENCE ON THE LUSAKA JULY AND INCREASING SAME-SEX CASES IN THE COUNTRY A SOURCE OF SERIOUS CONCERN

Kabwe, 15/09/2022: Government’s continued silence on the much condemned and recently held Lusaka July event is becoming louder each day and a serious source of concern to every well meaning citizens of this Republic.

Leadership exists in order to provide guidance to it’s people especially in times when things happening begin to conflict with the usual and acceptable ways of living of the concerned communities.

The much talked about ‘Respect of Human Rights’ is now promoting anarchy and bringing discomfort among our people.

One would wonder why a government that swore to defend the Republican Constitution and prioritize the interests of its people can choose of all possible options to remain mute when it’s people are now being treated to strange way of living in this case: the increasing cases of sodomy.

We seem to have a serious problem with our Leaders when it comes to defending our people especially from western cultures even when such acts directly infringes our way of life as Africans and Zambians in particular.

With a few weeks from the hosting of the Lusaka July, an event which in the eyes of many Zambians was a launch for ‘moral decay’, the country has (according to Police) recorded a number of same sex cases involving school going children in Chongwe, a garden boy of Lusaka and now a DJ of Chililabombwe on the Copperbelt.

Like many other Zambians out there, I wish to sincerely call upon the UPND led Zambian government to state it’s position on this strange culture, or it’s proposed way to protect it’s citizens and bring this vice to an end before we are turned into a laughing stock as being a nation failing to uphold it’s own values.

Lastly, it is my hope that Police and the Courts or law will be given the much needed support to deal with perpetuators of such vices both those in Custody and those on the run in order to protect our people and bring these evil acts to an end even as we endeavor to uphold our status as a Christian Nation.

Pastor Gabriel Nsofwa
Kabwe Central Baptist
Kabwe – Central Province

SET DATE FOR FRESH NOMINATIONS IN KABUSHI AND KWACHA, TUTWA TELLS ECZ

…..as the State loses 7 applications in the Lusaka High Court

Lusaka…. Friday, September 16, 2022 (Smart Eagles)

The Constitutional Court already stated that Hon. Bowman Chilosha Lusambo and Hon Joseph Malanji qualify to contest in Kabushi and Kwacha Constituencies, so who else can change anything from there, Lawyer Tutwa Ngulube wonders.

Hon Ngulube accused the government of being malicious in the matter. He wondered why they can’t let people of the two constituencies choose their representatives democratically.

The Lawyer lamented that Members of Parliament for the mentioned constituencies should not be chosen through the Court but the ballot.

He said this when he addressed journalists yesterday after High Court proceedings.

“The main case will be heard tomorrow (today) at 9:00 hours. Its very clear that government does not want the Court to continue with the case and they also don’t want the election to go on,” he said.

“In refusing to give them what they want, the Court has said the time frame for determining these matters is 21 days and these 21 days are ending on the 20th. So today being the 15th, we only have five days to finish the case….Court has ordered that tomorrow at 9:00 we come and hear the main case then they will deliver the judgement.”

Counsel Tutwa castigated the UPND government over the way they have been handling the matter in question.

He described the way government has been flooding Court with applications as embarrassing.

“As you can see, government is not decided. On one case they want to go to the Court of Appeal, then they want to go to the Con Court – just in the same case….,” he said.

“It is embarrassing that even after having lost a number of applications, this is the seventh application that they have lost but they are still flooding applications and what is most embarrassing is that they are filing and not giving us the applications. You just get surprised you’re in Court then they say government filed an application last night….and they are still flooding applications.”

He said judgement will be delivered on Monday.

“The Constitutional Court already said that Lusambo and Hon Malanji qualify to stand. So who else can change anything from there,” he asked.

“The issue that is before the Court now is that can the election be stopped? Which we managed to do, they should have been voting today. The next thing that comes up now is when the election will be held. So the Electoral Commission of Zambia must tell us when the elections will be held…..we will have to be told when nominations will be done so that Hon Lusambo and Hon Malanji can file in their nominations.”

LESSONS FROM LUANGWA
By Dr Fred M’membe, President of the Socialist Party

Firstly, we congratulate Mr Lawrence Shawa, the Patriotic Front candidate, for retaining his council chairpersonship of Luangwa. Secondly, we salute our candidate, Comrade Christopher Njobvu, and our campaign team, members and supporters for the efforts they exerted. You put up a good fight. Let’s keep our heads up and our morale high. We have lost a battle but not the war – our strategic objective is to win power in 2026. Remember the Vietnamese lost all the battles to the Americans but in the end won the war – without winning a single battle. Their strategic objective was to win the war and not all or any battle. We are very proud of you. Aluta continua!

But there are some very important lessons we carry with us from Luangwa. We went into the Luangwa by-election with a clear and open mind. The Luangwa by-election has taught us how to dynamically respond to challenges and seize opportunities. Weeds have to be removed very quickly, weaknesses have to be rectified very quickly and mistakes have to be promptly corrected.

The Luangwa by-election brought to the fore the urgent requirement to strengthen our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big picture terms, follow a disciplined line in terms of our thinking and actions. We learned of the importance of building a contingent of members and leaders who are loyal to the party, the country, and the people, and who are politically solid and strongly disciplined in their conduct. In Luangwa we learned of the need to quickly strengthen guidance on ideals and convictions and enhance the overall quality of members and leaders.

In today’s politics of increasing instabilities and uncertainties, our party faces both opportunities and challenges in its work and struggles. We need to accurately grasp the laws underlying changes to our country’s politics. We need to be clear about the political trends in our country, our continent and the world at large and identify the risks and challenges that lay ahead, so that we can take precautions, respond appropriately, and do our work well.

PRESS STATEMENT

16 TH SEPTEMBER 2022

PF MUST APPRECIATE THE RESTORATION OF THE RULE OF LAW UNDER PRESIDENT HH

There is nothing wrong in PF celebrating the ruling by the High Court to stay the by elections in Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies. However, what is worrying is the double standards and hypocrisy by the PF leadership. When the same High Court nullified both seats PF were where all over condemning President HH and his New Dawn Administration. But suddenly after the Court stayed the by elections PF became champions of the rule of Law and good Governance.

It was impossible under PF for the opposition to win any case involving election petition. PF knows too well what they did to the UPND Presidential petition. PF camped at the Court grounds to intimidate the Judges that were hearing the Presidential petition. UPND never did that when the petition for Kabushi and Kwacha were before the Courts. PF must learn to appreciate the restoration of rule of law under President HH. It’s this kind of double standards and hypocrisy that Zambians condemn in PF.

PF is full of hypocrites who one hand are very happy and busy celebrating the decision by the Court to stay the by elections in Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies. While on the other hand the same PF is very bitter and very uncooperative to go to Court and explain how all of a sudden they have become so rich and how innocent people lost their lives. This kind of double standards by PF is only synonymous to dishonest people in our society. We challenge the PF leadership to celebrate in the event that some members are sent to Prison for corruption and other atrocities.

What PF must know is that the judicial system is a double edged sword that can cut you from any of its two edges. The wheels of Justice turn very slowly but surely in the end justice is delivered. But since PF is blinded by hypocrisy and double standards they cannot appreciate anything from the new Dawn Government. But as most of them face the Law over their corruption cases and other atrocities, they should not cry the loudest in the event that some are found wanting. They should just celebrate and they don’t need any Police permit.

Percy Chanda

UPND – Chairman for Mines and Freedom Fighter

The CSO Debt Alliance says the rapid accumulation of debt that comes due to the improvements in credit ratings as investor confidence improves is one lesson Zambia can draw from Ghana’s experience on an Extended Credit Facility.

The Alliance Coordinator Wakumelo Mataa has said that while the IMF program helped Ghana to resolve some of its key macroeconomic challenges, it also meant that Ghana could now access more credit and this led to the country’s debt stock more than doubling since 2015, steadily climbing from 54.2 per cent of GDP that year to 76.6 per cent at the end of 2021.

Mr Mataa said that Zambia may have similar access to such advantages, and as it strives to grow and stabilize its macroeconomic outlook, the privilege of investor confidence and access to financing should be capitalized upon and be used as a partner and a key ingredient to the economic recovery agenda.

He said that care should be taken to adhere to the debt ceilings being proposed in the program adding that there is a need to ensure that while the country borrows to cushion the current challenges, the large expenditure of these funds should be used to enhance traceable avenues of resource mobilization for it to create its own sustainable financing.

Below is the full statement

BEING ON AN IMF PROGRAM: LESSONS FROM GHANA

Prior to 2015, Ghana had experienced strong and broadly inclusive growth over the previous two decades and its medium-term economic prospects were supported by rising hydrocarbon production. However, emergence of large fiscal and external imbalances, compounded by severe electricity shortages, had put Ghana’s prospects at risks. The country struggled to deal with a ballooning wage bill, poorly targeted subsidies and rising interest payments that outpaced rising oil revenue and resulted in double-digit fiscal deficits. These imbalances led to high inflation, a decline in reserves, a significant depreciation of the Ghanaian currency (Cedi) and high interest rates, weighing on growth and job creation.

In early 2015, Ghana turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $918 million loan to help stabilize the economy. IMF advisors, working with the Ghanaian government, developed a three-part program which sort to

• Restore debt sustainability: The government limited hiring and wage increases and eliminated subsidies for utilities and petroleum products. To raise revenue, it cracked down on tax evasion and rationalized exemptions. New revenue sources included a tax on luxury cars and increased taxes on high earners.
• Strengthen monetary policy: The authorities agreed to gradually end central bank financing of the budget deficit—a major source of inflation—and to fortify the inflation-targeting regime.
• Clean up the banking system: An asset quality review revealed significant under-capitalization. Some banks were recapitalized, and the Bank of Ghana used its newly enhanced authority to wind down insolvent lenders.

By the end of the program in 2019, Ghana’s economy had begun to recover. The trade and budget deficits were narrowing. The pace of economic growth was poised to rise to 8.8% in 2019 from 2.2% in 2015. The inflation rate was projected to fall to 8% from almost 19%. Cuts to ‘wasteful spending’ made room for much needed social services, such as free secondary education.

However, merely three years after its last IMF program, Ghana has gone back to the IMF, this time proposing its own “Enhanced Domestic Programme” to the IMF, which would last a minimum of three years. Ghana’s authorities insist that there should be no cuts to the administration’s flagship programmes, such as campaign pledges to build hospitals and factories in each of the country’s 216 districts and a free secondary school scheme.

One of the key lessons that Zambia can draw from Ghana’s experience on an ECF emanates from the rapid accumulation of debt that comes due to the improvements in credit ratings as investor confidence improves. While the IMF program helped Ghana to resolve some of its key macroeconomic challenges, it also meant that Ghana could now access more credit and this led to the country’s debt stock more than doubling since 2015, steadily climbing from 54.2% of GDP that year to 76.6% at the end of 2021. What this in tells is that Zambia may have similar access to such advantages, and as it strives to grow and stabilize its macroeconomic outlook, the privilege of investor confidence and access to financing should be capitalised upon and be used as partner and key ingredient to the economic recovery agenda. Care should be taken to adhere to the debt ceilings being proposed in the program. There is need to ensure that while we borrow to cushion our current challenges, the large expenditure of these funds should be used to enhance traceable avenues of resource mobilisation for it to create its own sustainable financing that is consistent with addressing and supporting Zambia’s challenges and plans beyond the IMF program. Ghana’s problems were predominantly fiscal, as it utilized continuously greater loans to plug its double-digit fiscal deficit and this could be avoided by Zambia if expenditure plans are consistently aligned with available resources but with a target for creation of further sources of revenue, especially during the implementation of the program.

Finally, what was noted from Ghana is that there was very little transparency and engagement with key stakeholders such as the CSOs and citizens, the programme was since carried out in exclusion of key partners that the government much needed to make it a success. A lesson for Zambia from this is that there will be need for intensified stakeholder engagements, including Civil Society Organizations to enhance accountability to ensure this program results in an inclusive success for all Zambians.

Issued by:
Wakumelo Mataa (Mr)
CSO Debt Alliance Coordinator

President of the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) Sean Tembo has described President Hakainde Hichilema as a shallow-minded president after the president told voters on the Copperbelt that Government can only deliver development when they elect a United party for National Development candidate.

Speaking when he appeared on Radio Ichengelo three days ago, the President said that the only way his government can deliver development to the people of Kwacha and Kabushi is if they vote for UPND candidates.

Posting on his Facebook page, Mr Tembo said that the remarks by the president are not only an affront to democracy but exemplify the extent to which Mr Hichilema is a shallow-minded President.

Mr Tembo said that the President should be reminded that the money which his government uses to take development to the people is contributed by taxpayers of different political affiliations including those from PeP, UPND, PF, Socialist etcetera and added that the President has no right to segregate against constituencies that are held by opposition MPs.

“Mr. Hichilema should be further reminded that the Zambian people have a right to affiliate with a political party of their choice without fear of persecution or reprisals. President Hichilema must immediately withdraw his threats of reprisals which he issued against the people of Kwacha and Kabushi. Going forward, the President should desist from issuing shallow-minded statements,’ concluded the statement.

Recently Mr Tembo was slapped with the offence of Hate Speech contrary to Section 65 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021 of the Laws of Zambia after spending five days in police cells.

However, Police Spokesperson Rae Haamonga said that the police should not be blamed for Mr Tembo’s prolonged detention because they wanted to charge him but he insisted that his lawyer needed to be present.

He said the police obliged but up to then his legal counsel had not appeared making it difficult because they did not want to abrogate the law.

“We wanted to charge Mr Tembo but he told us that he needed his lawyer to be present so we waited and up to now nothing has come up,” he said.

Rapper and Fashion designer, Kanye West has ended his partnership with retailer, Gap.

Kanye who signed the deal with Gap in 2020 had hoped the collaboration could breathe new life into the Gap brand but on Thursday sent a formal notice proposing to end the deal while accusing the firm of failing to honour terms of the deal, including opening standalone stores for his Yeezy fashion label.

The first signs of strain between both parties started when the first item produced under the partnership, a $200 (£173) puffa jacket, did not go on sale for a year. This led to reports that Gap was frustrated by the slow rollout of Yeezy products, which also included a plain hoodie in bright colours for $90.

West, also repeatedly criticised the company on social media, accusing it of copying his designs, excluding him from meetings and ignoring his requests to join the board of directors.

“Gap left Ye no choice but to terminate their collaboration agreement because of Gap’s substantial noncompliance,” said Nicholas Gravante, West’s attorney with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, in an emailed statement to the AP. “Ye had diligently tried to work through these issues with Gap both directly and through counsel. He has gotten nowhere.”

Gravante said that Gap’s failure to comply with the terms of the contract has been costly. He said West plans to begin opening Yeezy retail stores.

West, a highly successful rapper branched out to fashion in the last decade and has had success with the Yeezy sell-out trainers, foam sliders and boxy, oversized clothes in colours like beige and black.

GAP had been hoping the partnership with West would resonate with customers in a period of declining sales. For Yeezy, being in more than 1,100 Gap stores worldwide would have put his brand in front of more people.

West has had a history with Gap. He worked at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager. And he told Vanity Fair magazine back in 2015 that he wanted to be creative director for the brand

Yeezy owned by Kanye, was valued at $2.9bn in 2020 when the 10-year deal with Gap was announced. Ye also has a seperate partnership with Adidas, which is due to expire in 2026.

HAKAINDE IS BETTER THAN KBF- FORMER PF SG MWILA.

FORMER PF secretary general Davies Mwila has described Zambia Must Prosper leader Kelvin Fube Bwalya as a power-hungry politician who always seeks top positions which he doesn’t deserve.

Commenting on Bwalya’s remarks that he only supported President Hakainde Hichilema in a bid to remove former president Edgar Lungu from office, Mwila said Bwalya only supported the UPND Alliance because he wanted to be Vice-President.

He argued that President Hichilema was better than Bwalya.

“KBF is power hungry, me I can tell you, he is power hungry. He wanted to be secretary general of the party, after that, he wanted to be president of the party in PF. So we know him. Even when he supported President Hakainde Hichilema, of course, he wanted to be vice president. How can you be vice president and you know very well that there are people in there who have worked with Mr Hakainde Hichilema for a long time? Mutale Nalumango, Jack Mwiimbu, all those have been there. Jack Mwiimbu has been there during Mazoka time. You get my point. Gary Nkombo had been there for more than 15 years, and then you come just a few, three months he wants to become vice president in UPND government? It’s not possible, that is not attainable,” he said.

“Me I can tell you, I’m very frank and I don’t want to beat about the bush. KBF is power hungry, he wants bigger positions which he doesn’t deserve. How can you become Vice President when there is Mutale Nalumango, and bene Jack Mwiimbu? Assuming today I decide to go to UPND, then I start demanding that I become a Cabinet Minister, people will just say this guy is not normal. There are big people who have been there in the party, who have suffered with the party. So KBF I can tell you is not going anywhere because where is he going to get people? Yes, he has already gotten one or two people from PF, those who are stranded, who have nowhere to go. But a genuine person can’t follow KBF, because if you look at the two, Hakainde is better than KBF.”

Mwila said Bwalya was not someone to trust, which was why the PF didn’t give him a position.

“He can’t say today that Hakainde is a bad person, he supported President Hichilema, only that Hakainde Hichilema has now known KBF in totality that he is not a man to trust, and that’s a more reason he was not given a position. That’s a more reason even in PF he was not given a position. You think Hakainde Hichilema is not thinking? He knows and we knew KBF, that’s why he was not given a position in UPND. Why was he not given a position?” he asked.

“Those are not the people to trust because they want to be in the alliance because of bigger positions, no! How do you demand that, to be Vice President? That’s a joke. Even Hakainde Hichilema, I blame him. With [Felix] Mutati, what did he do, what did he do? You give Mutati Cabinet Minister, and then you give a smaller position to [Cornelius] Mweetwa? Mweetwa has been there. Those are the mistakes politicians make. He (KBF) was a traitor at that time, and we have forgotten about him. He betrayed PF, he went to UPND alliance and he has been dumped.”

He said Bwalya came into the political arena with bitterness against President Hichilema.

“The reason why that political party has been formed, the first statement he made immediately he was launching that political party, he said I have come to fix the fixer. In short, he has not come to solve problems of our forms, he has come to fix Hakainde Hichilema, which is a very wrong agenda. From the word go, it is a wrong agenda because he is coming in the political arena as a bitter person. A bitter person against Hakainde Hichilema. Those are not the politics that we want. The Zambian people want people who can solve their problems, who can improve or change their living standards, not people who are coming to fix their friends,” said Mwila.

“Me I know KBF, I was secretary general for the party, and I know him better. So if his agenda is to fix Hakainde Hichilema, that will not work. His agenda is to come to fix the problems of our people, to change the living standards of our people. That’s the agenda the Zambian people want. Not personal vendetta, no! If you look at the way he is debating even when he is on radio, you will see that this is a bitter person because he was not given a position. If he was given a position, was he going to resign from UPND, or the alliance? The answer is no, he was not going to resign. But because he was not given a position, that’s why he left.”

(News Diggers)

Binwell Chansa Mpundu
HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOW GETTING TO ALARMING LEVELS.WE NEED TO HAVE A SERIOUS CONVERSATION OVER THIS MATTER AS A NATION.

Another story today has revealed the sodomy being committed among young boys of the muslim school in chongwe and not long ago we heard a mother that told a heart breaking story of how her 6 year old son was being sodomised by the boys in the neighborhood who are as young as 9,10 and 13 years of age.
These stories are simply a tip of the big story of how rampant the practice of homesexually has become in our country.In short the bomb has now exploded because as always we zambians like to pretend that we are not aware of whats going and we like to talk when the water is above our heads.

Let me now tell you all how big this problem is in case you are wondering.

1.We now have a huge number of boys as young as 6 years who are being sodomised and sodomizing each other in our homes ,neighborhoods and in schools.

2.We now have men who have failed to cope with the hardship of life and are running to Homosexuality because of the money in it.

3.We are dealing with very respected and influential members of the community who are financially sound and connected who are in this issue.

4.Sadly we have married men who are leaving their homes to go and be with other men or simply punishing their wives by demanding the unwanted sexual pleasures.

Let me unfortunately inform you all that the problem is now bigger and beyond reproach because even with these revelations we are still casual and pretending we are not aware.

My word to government,the church ,parliament and civil society organizations is that we need to have a very honest conversation over this matter and this conversation cannot wait until tomorrow.

HERE IS THE BAD NEWS

We all know that the law we have is weak for it only criminalises the actual act and not the looks or behaviours which law alone cannot help deal with this problem and therefore in its current form cannot be relied on.

My question to you all is what shall we do with all these who are practicing the vice?Are we going to look for them,kill them or throw them in Jail or are we going to ask them to come out on the open and help rehabilitate them?Or we are going to simply let the status quo be and pretend as always.
My advise to all parents is please talk to your children observe their behaviors everyday ,tell them about these things so that they are aware esp for those we are sending into boarding schools.

Quoting the bible alone is not a solution to this problem we need to act and act decisively otherwise the train is moving very fast we may not catch it.

My 2 cents submission over the matter and if you like ignor this.

PF WRITES TO ECZ OVER MISMANAGEMENT OF BY-ELECTIONS

14th September, 2022.

The Acting Chief Elections Officer,
Electoral Commission of Zambia, (ECZ)
Elections House,
Haile Selassie Avenue,
Longacres,
P.O. Box 50274,
LUSAKA.
Email: elections@elections.org.zm

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: MISMANAGEMENT OF THE ELECTIONS PROCESS FOR KABUSHI, KWACHA AND LUANGWA.

The Patriotic Front (PF) Party is perturbed by the conduct of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in the management of the by-elections in the three areas mentioned above which were officially set for 15th September, 2022.

You are aware that at the instigation of Mr. Joseph Malanji and Mr. Bowman Lusambo, who were PF sponsored candidates for Kwacha and Kabushi constituencies, respectively, the Constitutional Court passed a judgement declaring that the nullification of their 2021 elections was not tantamount to their being disqualified to participate in the resultant by-elections. The High Court on the other hand made a ruling staying the holding of the by-elections in the two constituencies pending the hearing of the matter raised by the two candidates.

The above notwithstanding, it has been considered imperative for the Patriotic Front to put on record its grievance on the questionable conduct of the ECZ in the management of the two constituency and the Luangwa District by-elections.

The following are the specific issues:

1. Mishandling of the preparation of Ballot Papers
   The ECZ caused for ballot papers for the three bye elections to be prepared by a company identified by the ECZ in a fashion that is shrouded in secrecy.

ECZ officials are aware that the process of preparing ballot papers demands that it be done in a transparent and objective manner and with the involvement of all the stakeholders in the electoral process. By established practice ECZ invites the stakeholders, especially candidates and their sponsoring parties to observe the whole elections process from the date of commencement of the elections period to after the polling date itself. This includes observing the preparation and distribution of ballot papers.

Sadly, the PF has observed a radical departure from this cherished practice by the ECZ, which has thrown the credibility of the elections in disarray and in serious doubt.

While it is noted that the election for Luangwa Council Chairman will be held tomorrow, 15th September, 2022, we find it prudent and reasonable to file this complaint with the ECZ so that we register our Party’s disapproval of the manner the ECZ has managed the matter of the preparation of the ballot papers also for the Luangwa by-election.

On 13th September, 2022 the ECZ secretly dispatched ballot papers to Luangwa before stakeholders were given an opportunity to inspect them. They were laden on vehicle Reg AE8716 which arrived at the Chongwe Toll gate at 08.45hrs. The vehicle was only commandeered back to Lusaka by ECZ officials after stakeholders raised this serious anomaly to the ECZ.

2. Printing of Ballot Papers for Kabushi and Kwacha
   The ECZ has at all times been aware that the PF had made legal challenges against the ECZ in the manner they handled the candidature of Mr. Malanji and Mr. Lusambo. The ECZ is also aware that immediately after their refusal to accept the nominations of the two, the Constitutional Court, at the suit of the said Malanji and Lusambo, passed a judgement in which they guided on the interpretation of the Constitution and ordered that individuals who found themselves in the circumstance where the two where, are not disqualified from participating in the scheduled elections. In addition, at that same time there were similar proceedings pending before the High Court against the ECZ at the instigation of the named two PF candidates. These proceedings culminated in the Ruling of the High Court to stay the elections in the two constituencies.

As a consequence of the High Court Ruling, the ECZ has today issued a Press Statement advising that the by- elections set for 15th September, 2022 in Kabushi and Kwacha shall not take place until further notice.

The PF is deeply concerned with the decision of the ECZ to proceed with printing of ballot papers for Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies, notwithstanding the fact that the ECZ was a party to the proceedings in both the Constitutional Court and the High Court. Here too, the preparation of the ballot papers was shrouded in total secrecy. This has caused the PF to believe that the ECZ has been colluding with others to push for holding of elections in Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies without the participation of the PF candidates. Our firm belief is placed in clearer context when one considers that the High Court has now ruled to stay the by-elections.

We are further concerned that the action of printing ballot papers for Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies before the ruling of the High Court has placed the concerned officials at ECZ in breach of the Public Finance Management Act as the action was purely negligent and reckless. We are taking up this matter with the Lawyers for PF who shall contact ECZ in the near due course.

We now await a response from ECZ to provide tangible and convincing explanations on the matters we have highlighted particularly in view of the elections to take place tomorrow, 15th September 2022 in the Luangwa by elections.

I must emphasise that the breaches of Electoral Laws and Regulations and departure from known practice of management and provision of oversight over elections especially by the ECZ will not go without the PF seeking necessary remedies.

Yours faithfully,

Given Lubinda
ACTING PRESIDENT
PATRIOTIC FRONT

C.C.: The Secretary General – PF
The Chairman for Legal Affairs – PF
The Chairman for Elections – PF

The Legal Counsel
Electoral Commission of Zambia

SUMMARY OF MY CONTRIBUTION ON REMOVAL OF DPP

“…. let the DPP go ahead and give her defence based on evidence – classified or not classified – the law supports the use of such classified information.”

1. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is not above the law and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Judicial Complaints Commission, in same manner judges and judicial officers are.

2. DPP can appear before the Commission and submit any evidence which is classfied, without the Oath of Secrecy being lifted “if it is in the interest of the Republic that the information is communicated” to the JCC for purposes of performing a constitutional duty (See Section 5 of the State Security Act).

But there is one serious danger and in my view this is where the President may have refused to grant authority (although I think she can still go ahead and give JCC evidence that is classified on basis that it is in the interest of the Republic or that she is performing a duty of being answerable to JCC):

A). No one knows what evidence the DPP wants to rely upon to defend herself, especially if the evidence is classified and DPP may want it to defend herself on the basis of an established and accepted practice in the office of DPP but it ends up damaging more public interest and put many others into firing range.

B). What if the evidence implicate other constitutional office holders who have allegedly been part of immunity bargains, will such people have sufficient opportunity to defend themselves and be cross-examined when such evidence is adduced?

(C). JCC proceedings are supposed to be in camera and no information is supposed to go out but sadly, we have seen social media publish stories about those proceedings.

Wont presentation of any classified information find itself in public domain and raise public debate against persons or institutions that may not have had an opportunity to defend themselves? Will classified information so presented damage public interest when it is found in public domain?

By Isaac Mwanza