LUNGISANI ZULU has been elected as the new Law Association of Zambia -LAZ- President, taking over from ABYUDI SHONGA.
The results announced in the early hours of today, put Mr. ZULU ahead of his two competitors; SOKWANI CHILEMBO and GREGORY GORNHILL.

And NGOSA MULENGA-SIMACHELA has scooped the position of LAZ Vice President.
Chief Justice MUMBA MALILA, who was the guest of honour at the LAZ Gala, has appealed to the new LAZ Council to ensure the issue of law reforms is taken seriously.

Here is a brief about Lungisani.

Mr. Lungisani Zulu holds a Master of Laws Degree (LLM) in International Commercial Law from the Ivy League’s Cornell University School of Law, New York and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Zambia (UNZA) and is an Advocate of the High Court of Judicature for Zambia with audience before the Court of Appeal, Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Zambia and is also a Commissioner for Oaths.

He is a Zambian legal practitioner with 10 years standing on the Roll of Legal Practitioners, having celebrated and rejoiced his practiced at Messrs Tembo Ngulube & Associates, as an Associate Partner while serving as a Lecturer at the University of Zambia’s School of Law Faculty and subsequently took up the role of Senior Legal Counsel at the Bank of Zambia, the country’s Central Bank, thereby acquiring vast experience in banking regulation, banking and finance, In-House Board advisory, cooperate governance and regulatory matters related to the financial sector and other cross-cutting issues.

Mr. Lungisani Zulu is a member of the Lands Tribunal, Listing Committee of the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LUSE) which is the country’s premier capital market and also a dignified member of the Council of the Law Association of Zambia.

Education

Graduate Degree in Law (LLB); Masters of Laws (LLM) & Post professional qualification – Legal Practitioners Qualifying Course

Professional Associations

Council Member of the Law Association of Zambia, Adjudicator at the Lands Tribunal

TEACHERS SLEEPING CLASSROOMS FOR LACK OF ACCOMMODATION

PS EDUCATION WEIGHS IN ON THE ACCOMMODATION ISSUE OF TEACHERS

The editorial comment in the Mast yesterday relied on former Education Minister Dr. Kaingu who raised concerns regarding accommodation for the newly recruited teachers. The paper agreed with his concerns as evidence abounds that there is a general shortage of infrastructure of any kind in this country.

Yes, the President has commented on this issue before challenging the private sector to move in and fill the void. It is a viable option but easier said than done. It is possible but not as fast as recruiting teachers which has been done within months. You cannot build or find houses to accommodate 30,000 teachers in months! It is impossible.

The reality is found in what PS Education said, namely, that government has heard the concerns of the stakeholders and that government will be engaging them so that together the solution could be found. He said government was aware that when it offered free education, there will be need to recruit more teachers which naturally would demand an increase in accommodation.

In other words, government does not have immediate answers or solutions to the problem of accommodation brought about by its decision to recruit such a huge number of teachers in one swoop. The answers lie in the consultation with like-mined policy networks. So, for those of you obsessed only with the news of the recruited teachers, I have news for you: unless or until you sober up and help government find answers to the problem of teacher accommodation, the policy decision will fail.

It will fail because some teachers will not remain in their allocated geographical areas because there will be no place to live. This is one of the classic examples of why public policy fails: failure by other members of the policy network to play their respective roles. Do not drown voices of reason and caution that are alerting the powers that be to the looming threats against what is otherwise a welcome development in service delivery and fulfilment of election promises.

My challenge to the media is embark on the next phase of this story by sharing experiences from the newly recruited teachers and the communities that await them. When we know this back-end of policy delivery, relevant authorities shall be in a better position to deploy timely interventions to correct any threats to the successful implementation and delivery of public policy.

Former Luanshya Member of Parliament Steve Chungu has said the UPND led Government is deliberately arresting its critics in order to steal people’s attention from its failed election campaign promises that includes lowering the cost of living.

Mr. Chungu said the New Dawn Government wants people to forget about promises it made to Zambians prior to the last August elections.

The former Government Chief Whip in the PF regime said people will not stop reminding the UPND Government to lower the cost of fuel, prices of essential commodities and the cost of fertiliser as promised when in opposition.

Mr. Chungu said instead of fighting critics the government must up its game and find ways of improving the welfare of suffering majority poor Zambians.

“We are not going to stop talking. We will continue reminding them to fulfill promises made to the people of Zambia. It was their word. Not our words, not the people’s words. They are the ones that promised so we are just reminding them to fulfill promises. The simple task that we are carrying out is to remind them and I have always said that these arrests everyday are not going to take the country anywhere. These arrests are not exciting to any Zambian. I repeat these arrests are not exciting to any Zambian. We know why, you know the arrests will continue, the news of stealing will continue. It is because they want the Zambian people to forget about promises but we are not going to forget,” Mr. Chungu said.

“We will not be drifted out from those promises because we are feeling the pain of hunger. The government should be reminded that the people are not happy because of the sufferings they are going through. The government better up their game and look at how they are going to run the economy. Maybe in the way they are going to be taxing the mines they change so that we receive more money from the mines, we receive more money from our mineral resources than the way it is. We don’t have medicines in hospitals because we are not collecting money from our mineral resources. So, who is to blame? It is them to blame so we are reminding them to collect more money from our copper being mined,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chungu has charged that there is no rule of law under UPND because like the PF it is also abusing the police.

He said it was unfortunate to hear Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwimbi issuing threats against private citizens who wanted to protest in Lusaka recently over the removal of mobile money booths from the town centre by the Government.

Mr. Chungu said the Government should not view people with divergent views as enemies saying Zambia is not a one party state.

“There is no rule of law. The only thing the UPND is doing is arresting people. What else are they doing apart from arresting people. The same police that were being used by the PF are the same police that they are using and nothing has changed according to me. Citizens are being threatened by the Government. If you protest you will be arrested. You will be dealt with. This is the same way it was under Honourable Stephen Kampyongo as Minister of Home Affairs it is the same way under Honourable Jack Mwimbu. It is threats to the public and no member of the public speaking against government is being spared,” Mr. Chungu said.

“Government has to be ready to be criticized. They have to be ready to accept that each and every person has got their own opinion and that opinion must be respected. We have a constitution that gives us the right of freedom to speak and that should be respected. It doesn’t mean that when people speak against them then they are insulting them. We are just reminding them of their many failures to fulfill the promises and the Zambian is waiting to see those promises being fulfilled,” Mr. Chungu concluded.

ROAD TO ALGERIA 2023: Copper Bullets Aim to Strike Mambas

The Chipolopolo boys will this afternoon (Sunday) battle with the mambas of Mozambique in the first round, first leg encounter of the Algeria 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN) at the Estadio Do Zimpeto at 15:00 hours.

Aljosa Asanovic’s bullets who have been holed up in Maputo from Wednesday have soaked in the surroundings and will have qualms with the weather when they take to the pitch.

They will be facing a mambas outfit that is playing a home match for the first time in eight months and welcoming fans who have been starved of football for a while.

Coach Asanovic just like his opposite Chiquinho Conde has maintained his Cosafa 2022 squad to do duty in the CHAN assignment.

The battle for the starting berth between the posts will be between Lawrence Mulenga and Charles Kalumba with Cyril Chibwe in a race for a late fitness test.

At the back skipper Benedict Chepeshi will have many candidates lining up to join his among them Luka Chamanga, Prosper Chiluya and Shemmy Mayembe. Others competing for places at the back are Dominic Chanda, Allan Kapila, Warren Kunda and Luka Banda.

In the middle of the pack options abound with the hub hinged on either Kelvin Kapumbu, Dickson Chapa or Saddam Phiri while creative possibilities may lie in Kelvin Kampamba, Joshua Mutale, Patrick Gondwe and Albert Kangwanda. The striking options has Ricky Banda, Enock Sakala Junior and Jimmy ‘Zobrigo’ Mukeya.

The Chipolopolo should be wary of a Mozambique side playing before a home crowd with the likes of Bonde, Ernesto and Dove looking to inspire the mambas to victory.
The game will kickoff at 15:00 hours.

Zambia and Mozambique will conclude their tie on July 30 at National Heroes Stadium with the winner facing Malawi in the final qualifying round.

The CHAN is a tournament (Africa Cup) exclusive to players plying their trade in the domestic leagues of their countries.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mozambique National Television will broadcast the game live while availability of the match in Zambia will be advised in due course.

THE GARDEN HOUSE MEETING-THE BIRTH OF A NEW ZAMBIA

From 1964 onwards Zambia was ruled by United Party for national Independence (UNIP), but by the end of the 1980s and with increased economic woes Zambians were tired and especially after sacrificing a lot in liberating southern Africa from colonial oppression, change was needed. People showed their dislike for the UNIP regime through different means including violent one like the 1986 food riots on the Copperbelts, similar riots in June 1990 and a near coup in the same month. After the near coup on June 30 1990 by a disgruntled soldier Mwamba Luchembe, Kaunda’s eyes were open to reality for change. There was need for a constructive development to prepare a pathway for this and two individuals pioneered this cause; Akashambakwa Mbikusita – Lewanika and his friend Derrick Chitala (now Mbita Chitala). They prepared anew roadmap which was to usher in a new Zambia from the old UNIP Kaunda way to a Zambia that would embrace freedom and an open market. That new Zambia which is still alive to today was born on 20 July 1990 at a meeting at Garden house hotel and that meeting was called Garden House Hotel meeting.

Garden House Hotel meeting was convened by Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika and Mbita Chitala. The gathering included various groups: academia, trade unions, Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), student bodies, civil society and disgruntled former UNIP leaders. The movement’s first task was to fight for the re-introduction of multiparty politics after 18 years of UNIP’s one-party rule. Arthur Wina was chosen as the interim president for the new party to be born: MMD. He lost to trade unionist Fredrick Chiluba at the party’s convention. Chiluba went on to become Zambia’s second republican president.

The movement became a political party following the repeal in 1990 of Article 4 of the Republican Constitution to allow for the formation of parties other than UNIP. Growing opposition to UNIP’s monopoly on power, due in part to economic problems, led to the formation of the MMD. The liberal democratic wave that swept through Africa after the collapse of the USSR and communist regimes in eastern Europe spelled an end to several one-party states and military governments on the continent.

Prof Momba writes that, “More simply, however, it might seem that most people wanted a change after 27 years of UNIP government, and MMD leaders won public support by exploiting both this ‘voter fatigue’ and the global shift away from one-party systems.”
After registration on 4 January 1991, MMD’s focus shifted to ending UNIP’s 27-year rule. Multi-party general elections were held on 31 October 1991, which saw the MMD sweep to power in a massive landslide. Chiluba was elected president with 76% of the vote to Kaunda’s 24%, whilst the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats in the National Assembly.

In the pic: Convener Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika (far right) with other attendees of the meeting (from left, front row) Vernon Mwaanga, Elias Chipimo Sr, Arthur Wina, Fredrick Chiluba

Reference
Parkie Mbozi, Lusaka Times (2020)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE COMMISSION AUDIT REVEAL 41 GHOST SENIOR MANAGEMENT WORKERS AT THE LUSAKA CITY COUNCIL.

LUSAKA – JULY 23, 2022

LOCAL Government Service Commission chairperson Ackson Sejani says there are 731 Lusaka City Council employees who were irregularly employed.

Updating journalists on the staff audit conducted at the Lusaka City Council earlier this year, Mr Sejani said the council, in total, employs 1, 224 people in division one to three categories out of which 331 were illegally employed while 400 have either wrong academic qualifications or facing disciplinary charges.

Mr Sejani said there were 53 audited officers who did not have full Grade 12 certificates with 46 of them in middle and senior management positons.

According to Mr Sejani, of the 731 council officers who are not in good standing with the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), 300 division three officers were illegally employed as cashiers and revenue collectors.

“The recruitment of division one to three officers in our councils is the responsibility of the Commission. However, in Lusaka, over 300 cashiers and revenue collectors were engaged through the backdoor,” Mr Sejani said.

“The council uses division four general workers as cashiers and revenue collectors. This seriously undermines the work of the Commission.”

He said over 100 employees at Lusaka City Council have not been confirmed far beyond the stipulated period of probation with some going for more than 17 years when the legal probation period is three to six months.

He added that 46 members of staff at the council are on study leave and that 40 of those did so without the authority of the LGSC while 18 members of staff are on suspension for various offences.

Mr Sejani disclosed that a staff audit also revealed that there are 20 vacant positions and that those positions would be filled up, in due course, through an advert by the LGSC.

He further said the LGSC toured selected markets in Lusaka city where they found “the real rot of bloated labour forces and discovered workers who are paid monthly salaries despite their contracts having expired many years ago.

“The large body of general workers who are irregularly and illegally engaged as cashiers and revenue collectors are seriously ill-qualified to do this job for which they were not trained. They lack the know-how as well as the ethics necessary for their jobs. There is also a large number of general workers who are unpaid for up to 17 months but getting pay-slips every month,” Mr Sejani explained, adding that local authorities around the country need to be cleaned up.

“This state of affairs is largely responsible for the massive revenue leakages dogging the Lusaka City Council. Many councils sit on gold, if financial loopholes are sealed. Councils are crying out because there is leakage of revenue and there is need to digitalise revenue collection.”

Mr Sejani disclosed that if one added division four workers (general workers), the Lusaka City Council has over 4, 000 employees.

On the way forward, regarding the highlighted findings at the Lusaka City Council, Mr Sejani said employees who are holding inadequate Grade 12 certificates must immediately upgrade themselves or face removal from their positions.

“This country must take qualifications very seriously. The Zambia Qualifications Authority and the Examinations Council of Zambia must be part of the escalation of the audit. Many of the qualifications being waved before our eyes need serious authentication. This goes for both locally and foreign obtained qualifications,” said Mr Sejani.

Thabo Kawana writes

FORMER PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU IS NOT BEING PERSECUTED, HE HOWEVER NEEDS HELP.

I have noticed how some people are championing an agenda to show as though Former President Edgar Lungu is being persecuted by this Govt when in fact not.

The fact that those perceived to be close to him or in his perceived inner circle are being asked by Law Enforcement Agencies to account for their newly found wealth which they acquired mainly whilst they where in public office does not amount to persecution, it doesn’t even amount to prosecution but merely inquiry as is the case for any person or indeed any entity in our country and within boundaries of the Law, especially those Laws around corruption and money laundering including procedures as they relate to the Financial Management Act (FMA) when it comes to utilization of public resources.

The country will recall that when someone (a private individual) brought into the country a Bugatti car, DEC impounded the vehicle and the owner was made to account for the source of his funds. He did so and after investigations, the vehicle was handed back to him.

Recently, the Workers Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB) a Govt entity had it’s newly acquired motor vehicles seized by DEC and the Board made to account for not only the funds used to purchase the said motor vehicles but, procedures to do so as well. After investigations, the vehicles were handed back to them.

The country may also recall how Former First Lady Mama Thandiwe Banda was summoned for questioning by Law Enforcement Agencies over the Mpundu Trust flats on Leopards Hill Rd and some other property in Tanzania believed/suspected to be hers where acquired and source of funds. Mrs Banda demonstrated how she got a Bank Loan to build the Mpundu Trust flats and how she had no knowledge of the property in Tanzania. After investigations, the Mpundu Trust flats were handed back to her.

There is therefore, nothing strange or outside the Law in summoning the Former First Lady Mama Esther Lungu over the 15 luxurious apartments believed/suspected to be hers in State Lodge area and the source of funds used to put up the same. All she needs to do (if they are hers) is to account for them and the source of funds, simple.

Just as no one is special before the Law, so is no one above the Law including our Former First Family.

The same has to happen to Hon Tasila Lungu and Mr Dalitso Lungu (children of Former President Lungu). They too like any other citizen ought to account for their perceived wealth and source of funds. Nothing sinister or outside the dictates of Law. No persecution here perceived or otherwise.

But I say Former President Lungu needs help because I notice that his utterances over the perceived persecution of his family members and close associates leave much to be desired and are uncouth to say the least.

I say so because his recent outbursts of referring to the Sovereign British Government’s debacle stating that the leader of that country lied his way to office leaves a bitter taste coming from a man of his stature and hinges on a possible strain of relations enjoyed by our country and that of the Brits in as far as diplomatic etiquette is concerned.

Such utterances don’t come from people of his stature and he of all people should know that.

Former President Lungu requires urgent help of actualization of the Office of the Sixth Republican President and a Spokesperson appointment like yesterday. A Spokesperson in that Office will communicate the thoughts and feelings of the Former President void of emotions and uncouth outbursts.

Former President Kaunda had the likes of Muhabi Lungu as Spokesperson and he did a good job, Former President Chiluba had the likes of Emmanuel Mwamba and he too did a good job. Just recently, Former President Banda had Kennedy Limwanya and later Chibeza Mfune and they both did a good job.

Who is Former President Lungu’s Spokesperson?

Considering that the Former President lost terribly to the current President and clearly never thought he would lose hence declaring publicly and with audacity that he would firstly, hand over power to himself and secondly, arrest the current President after elections, one would be expecting too much to think the man would speak publicly without emotional outbursts (Ku loser ma elections ku baba bane).

Hence the urgent need for high caliber men and women to be attached to the Office of the Sixth Republican President to quickly help the Former President to transition into becoming a States Man and not a political grouping leader.

Here I am talking about Senior seasoned men like the great Mikatazo Wakumelo who specialize in settling in Former Presidents.

Let us quickly find the right people to work in the Office of the Sixth Republican President and put this whole episode of hangovers from electoral defeat and foul cry of persecution behind all of us.

Former President Lungu is not being persecuted or indeed prosecuted, he needs help.

My personal opinion

Thabo Kawana.

Hakainde Hichilema, Situmbeko Musokotwane and Nevers Mumba: our high priests of private property and foreign finance capital!

By Azwell Banda

Zambia has never been a socialist country; it has always been a capitalist country.

At independence in 1964, to protect their wealth and investments in Zambia, the departing racist and colonial British government hoisted onto the newly independent Zambia a liberal capitalist constitution in which private property was held sacred. Kenneth Kaunda’s nationalisations were not a seizure of economic and political power by the Zambian working class and the poor rural peasant farmers, the only route through which socialism can occur; it was an effort at establishing state capitalism to fast track the material and cultural development of the Zambian native whom the racist, colonial and capitalist British left in a most deplorable state.

Kaunda’s one-party state was a pragmatic political response to the threats Zambia faced mainly from the racist, colonial and apartheid Rhodesia and South Africa, the appetite to eliminate his internal political opponents and of course the urgent need to attend to the social development of the mass of poor Zambians, we must concede. None of these measures were socialist, rather, they were all versions of capitalism – the system of private and state ownership of wealth and the means of production.

Socialism occurs when the working class, in combination with the poorest sections of the peasants, violently overthrow their oppressors, tormentors and exploiters – the private property owners – the capitalist class – and begin to construct a totally new civilisation and genuine democracy based on securing and advancing the interests of the vast majority; the working class and poor peasants. The change from capitalism to socialism is violent precisely because the oppressors, the capitalist class, inevitably use violence, state and private, to sustain themselves in power and to resist change: to overthrow them, the working class must overcome this violence with their revolutionary violence. Of course, after successfully seizing power, the working class must suppress the capitalist class by whatever means necessary, if they are to accomplish the destruction of a system of organising society based on oppressing, suppressing, dominating and exploiting the majority by a tiny minority – the capitalist class.

No such socialist revolution has ever occurred in Zambia, to the best of my knowledge. Genuine socialism cannot be created by pronouncement, decree, or mere constitutional changes: it is the violent overthrow of the exploiting capitalist class by the working class in alliance with all progressed sections of society, and in our case, in alliance with the poor rural peasants. Socialism is the seizure of societal power by the working class and poor peasants from the capitalist, and the establishment of a society dominated by these classes.

Of course, “socialism” like the words “Christianity” and “Islam” and many others, is easy to abuse: any charlatan wanting to lure the working class and poor peasants into their lair as voting folder are free to call themselves “socialists”. The rich capitalists wanting to demobilise the working class and tame them are free to call themselves “socialists” especially if they release some of the loot they steal from the working class at the point of production and hand it over to the working class as “free education”, “free housing”, “free health services” and so forth. Concealed in all these fake “free” gifts is the fact that the money which creates them is stolen from the working class at the point of production by the capitalists, and through taxes by the capitalist government.

Usually, intellectuals, academics, professionals such as engineers, doctors, teachers, lawyers and others, pastors, priests, mullahs, semi rich peasants, artists, musicians, writers, and so on, who are slightly well off than an average gumboot worker dream of a capitalist society freed of the ugly things necessary and essential for capitalism to exist such as low wages, brutalities in factories and all places of work, unemployment, poverty, hunger, inequalities, domestic and gender violence, drug abuse, racism, tribalism, climate change, global warming, pollution and so on – these do-gooders usually collectively called “the middle class” – are also free to call their utopias “socialism”.

Zambia is a class society. We have just about 1,000 US dollar millionaires in a country with slightly over 19 million people, by UN estimates for this year. It is from this tiny class that Zambia’s “private sector” comes. It is this class which stands to benefit the most from everything HH and Musokotwane, now clearly being cheered on by Nevers Mumba, are doing. The IMF and all the macro and micro economic policies and the punishing debt restructuring processes are designed to protect the wealth and money of this tiny class of rich people, in the clearly dubious illusory lie that when this class gets richer, Zambia’s working class and poor rural peasants’ lives improve! Low inflation, stability in the exchange rate, foreign money and the six key economic sectors HH and the UPND are pursuing are all aimed at facilitating the wealth accumulation of our tiny millionaire’s club.

The majority of Zambians survive by either working for themselves or selling themselves to a capitalist who has use for their labour; who wants to make profits from their power to work. The dominant form of economic activity in Zambia is private ownership of the means by which wealth is produced; even in rural areas, families “own” their patch of earth upon which they grow crops and raise animals for consumption and selling. In the urban areas, individuals and companies own the means by which wealth is produced, and they produce things by employing labourers: educated and uneducated, skilled and unskilled. Unfortunately, the majority of workers cannot find work. Zambia is, therefore, a capitalist country, a very poor, backward, low wage capitalist country. It is suffering mass hunger, unemployment and extreme inequalities – all normal features of capitalist neo-colonies.

Being born and growing up in capitalist Zambia means that the most dominant ideas and ways of seeing life are capitalist: from birth to death, we are all surrounded and saturated by lies, corruption, private greed, selfishness, desire to win alone, a voracious appetite for money even if it is stolen or immorally acquired, ruthless competition for just about everything; and above all, we are groomed to either grow up and get a job, or creating our own economic opportunities. To be rich we are lied to, is the main purpose of life; for only then can we be happy and find love. It has been like this since independence, to date! Kaunda tried to teach us otherwise, he failed lamentably because without societal power transferring to the producers of wealth, the working class and rural peasants, no “moral system” is sustainable!

Hichilema, Musokotwane and Nevers are our self-ordained Zambian High Priests of capitalism, the defenders of private property, and therefore the champions of foreign private money into Zambia. It is important to understand and appreciate that these priests do believe in the power of private greed to liberate Zambia from its current malaise. The poor and the working class must wait for the profits of the rich to grow (economic growth) for them to have any respite from their suffering. This myth is so deep rooted among us and strong that the working class and the poor uncritically believe it. No “economic growth” is good for all social classes in society. Profits, for example, can only grow if the capitalists exploit the working class more!

The world working class is fast working up to the fact that capitalism is not just oppression, suppression, domination and exploitation of the working class and rural poor peasants, it is also global warming, climate change, pollution of soils, rivers, lakes, oceans and seas. Capitalism is gender oppression as it promotes male labour above female labour. Capitalism is guns, mass killings, wars and all kinds of violence as the rules of competition are broken by the powerful. Capitalism is today pandemics.

Capitalism has its origins in slavery, it grew up in colonialism and it has matured as imperialism, a decayed and dying imperialism, today. Capitalism, in its war in Ukraine, is now threatening to burn the earth with nuclear war. The world working class, conscious of their historic mission to end all oppression and exploitation, know that “national socialism” is a lie; only a global uprising of the working class can clean the world of the effluvia of capitalism and imperialism. Hakainde, Situmbeko and Mumba must be careful what they are sowing; they will reap the harvest.

Comments and all insults welcome at: banda.azwell@gmail.com.

By Dr Canisius BANDA, Development Activist

Zambia’s CSO announces single-digit inflation. Fools rejoice. The wise frown. No citizen smiles. All economic experts remain askance.

Then the Bank of Zambia steps in. It comes to say, explaining, that the single-digit recorded, the 9.7 percent, is the rate at which prices continued to rise over a given, measured period. The BOZ does NOT deny that prices are rising. Without a word, it acknowledges that the cost of living in Zambia is now reaching a breaking point. Some of its own workers are grumbling.

Every day, the people in the compounds feel the negative impact of the rising prices, they groan. And with the rising prices, the people’s anger also continues to rise, their BPs now causing splitting headaches. How high the people’s anger will rise no one really knows.

But what is certain, if we continue on this path, is that a socioeconomic storm will soon hit Zambia. Something will happen. The dam of anger will burst. Something gotta give. The clouds are gathering. The birds have all flown away, and an eerie calm now obtains. Salaries have remained stagnant in Zambia. They are not predictable anymore. The cost of production is daily going up. Prices are rising. Consumer purchase power continues to erode. The level of credit in the economy has fallen.

Copper prices are plummeting, from a high of USD 11000 per ton to about USD 7000 now. The government has given Zambia’s money away to mining companies through tax holidays. The Federal Reserve Bank of America will again soon increase its interest rates. Zambia’s debt will also soon increase. The fiscal space will shrink further. Over time, Zambia’s gross national income will gradually continue to fall.

And as all this happens, the expenditure side of Zambia’s budget continues to grow. Come on, Denny, watch that Imports-Cover carefully now! The clouds are gathering. An eerie calm obtains. Global winds of economic and political change are blowing.

Any worthy expert will tell you that Zambia is presently veritably in a state of STAGFLATION, a state of chronic high inflation in the midst of high unemployment rates and stagnant and falling consumer demand. This is a precarious economic situation, a clear prelude to a socioeconomic volcanic eruption. Debt cancellation and government economic stimuli are now recommended. Barring these, companies will be hurt, jobs will be lost, incomes will further fall, further hurting consumer spending which will further hurt companies, which will further hurt… A vicious cycle. See?

And then collapse. You see when one borrows one must pay it back. That is a sacrosanct law of business. When this law is flouted it hurts everyone involved. If an entity repeatedly borrows and repeatedly fails to pay back and, such an entity is repeatedly saved through debt cancellation, that then, my dear friends, is the very definition of idiocy.

See? Corporate/entity cognitive lameness. Zambia has all it needs to survive and prosper as a sovereign nation.
Everything, except something.

What then is required?

The enlightenment of its people. The realisation by Zambians that, through resource security and fair trade, Zambians themselves must collectively exploit their God-given resources for their own communal well-being. An aware people, a people confident in themselves than as a sovereign, that is the only way to live. A people accommodating to strangers but wary of them. But then the impending collapse of the US Dollar as a reserve currency might just be the divine intervention that will change the whole game.

BRICS plus. Zambia keep your gold! For now, the clouds continue to gather. The ground is shaking. The rocks are moving. The smell of sulphur is in the air. The socioeconomic volcano is about to erupt. There is trouble ahead. Serious trouble. Terrible times. Terrible. We pray.

Time for narrow mindedness,pettiness is over – M’membe

By Fanny Kalonda

SOCIALIST Party president Fred M’membe says there is need for the country to think big to understand what is happening to the world economy.

Dr M’membe said economies that dominate the world have theories, theoreticians and media to disseminate which the country can do by having its own theoreticians among the ranks of the intellectuals like economists with a political sense, not economists to serve the transnational corporations.

“Time for narrow mindedness and pettiness is over. We have to think big and broadly. It’s very important for us to understand what is happening to the world economy and not just narrowly focus on our bantustan economy. Today the trade frictions we are witnessing in the world all centre around the manufacturing sector. Over the past five years, the trade war between China and the US has intensified and will continue to escalate further. A historical analysis of events shows that the bedrock of US political hegemony was a strong manufacturing sector. In recent decades, US manufacturing has shown an irreversible decline, despite government efforts to revive it. This decline has become one of the important sources for today’s global political and economic tensions,” he said in a statement. “While it is very important to understand how competitive weakness has contributed to the decline of US manufacturing, a deeper understanding of the rules that govern production in the age of imperialism is needed. Since the mid-1990s, with the dominance of finance capital’s drive to maximise profits, US imperialism accelerated the move of their industrial base overseas, especially to the Global South and to China in particular. In parallel, there were other factors at play: productivity gains eliminated many jobs in the US and the lack of manufacturing investment resulted from finance capital investing where profits were greatest.”

Dr M’membe said today, economists must be political economists adding that politicians should be with the maximum knowledge.

“We cannot encourage communalism or narrow mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action. Those who dominate us, those who dominate the world economy have their theories, their theoreticians and the media to disseminate them. We must also have our theoreticians among the ranks of the intellectuals. First of all, economists – those with a political sense, not economists to serve the transnational corporations. Economists must develop ideas based on profoundly scientific foundations and human experience and convey them to their people,” he said. “Today, economists of the people must be political economists; and politicians must be politicians with if it is possible a maximum of knowledge. Today that is really the basis on which the fate of humanity depends, the basis on which our struggles are being carried out. And the politicians who do not understand, or do not want to understand, or who do not strive to understand economics, are not worthy of exercising their duty.”

Dr M’membe said the country needs to economically understand fully what is happening to the world economy, especially to the American and Chinese economies.

He noted that American military and political leaders quickly learned the importance of having a strong manufacturing sector that could supply strategic materials and manufactured goods because of America’s inability to manufacture basic necessities during the Independence War from Great Britain.

Dr M’membe said the American production system was born, first developed by the military, and then introduced into the American industrial sector where it continued to develop.

“The American system has two connotations: the first refers to 19th century US economic protectionist ideas and policy practices against British free trade, known as the ‘Institutional American system’; the second refers to the rise of the 19th century US manufacturing system of mass production. Mechanisation of mass production – a standardised production system based on interchangeable parts and modules – is one of the main characteristics in the evolution of US manufacturing. The military and political hegemony achieved by the US after World War II became, over time, a paradox for US manufacturing. To maintain their political hegemony, the US was forced to make economic concessions to its allies, opening up its domestic market to the allies’ manufactured goods. As a result, foreign competitors gained greater market share and this contributed to the decline in such industries as auto, steel, and machine tools,” he said. “The US, however, maintained its innovative and long-term leadership in the military, aerospace, and electronic information industries, which generated high profit margins by leveraging the large amount of accumulated knowledge capital. For the US government, the problems of unemployment, the loss of skilled workers, a lack of self-sufficiency in defence-strategic goods, and the deterioration of regional economies brought about by the decline of domestic manufacturing. Since the 1980s, the US has been waging trade wars, first against its allies and then against emerging developing powers. The economic contradictions within the US, represent an important reason why the world political and economic order has entered an era of conflict and turmoil, which US hegemonic power is unable to resolve.”

And Dr M’membe said China’s domestic economic development is confronting many challenges with the world economy currently facing downward pressure.

He said it is necessary to understand the characteristics of China’s new economic development in the first two decades of the 21st century and what changes are expected for the following two.

“The first phase of China’s new economy’s development was from 2000 to 2019 and was characterised by less state regulation of capital, meaning the state supported rapid economic growth and capital grew with the expanded economic scale; however, investment in research and development grew relatively slowly. The new digital economy was driven less by technology and more by maximising the external benefits created by the socialist state, such as the increase in people’s disposable income, the improvement in logistics and transportation, and the expansion of the digital information infrastructure. The state had to absorb all the societal negative social impacts, including the widening income gap,” noted Dr M’membe. “Starting in 2020, the new economy has been characterised by significantly greater state regulation of capital, meaning that both the investment industry and business owners of the new economy should follow the state-defined principles of promoting ‘quality development’ and the ‘inclusive society’. Investments in this new period are expected to focus on three main priorities: 1) smart optimisation of the supply chain, 2) import substitution of foreign-made technologies, especially in areas like industry-specific chip manufacturing, and 3) sustainable development, especially in those technologies facilitating the use of green energy. The Chinese investment industry are expected not to blindly pursue the finance-driven game in the new economy. They are expected to pay attention to the qualitative development of the economy, based on a deeper understanding of the entire supply chain. Business owners, and especially the investment decision makers, are expected to closely align the benefits of their investment returns with the interests of the country and the well-being of the people and contribute to the sound development of the socialist market economy.”

A court in Turkey has heard how a British holidaymaker pushed her boyfriend to his death from their hotel balcony after a furious row.

According to Mail Online, father-of-one Reece Pegram, 21, died instantly when he fell 100 feet onto a concrete yard from the five-star hotel in Side, Antalya, where he was staying with Mary Meyers Kayley, on the night of March 12.

The court in Manavgat heard earlier this week that when police investigated the death they found bloodstains all over the couple’s room.

Hotel staff reported the pair had been drinking heavily hours before the incident.

Scottish-born Kayley, 31, was said to be so drunk she had to be taken to her room by hotel staff, while court reports stated Pegram went to the hotel lobby around 8pm for booze but was refused service as he was already inebriated.

Jealous woman

Traces of cocaine were also reportedly found in Pegram’s body during the post-mortem examination.

Prosecutors told the trial that the couple had rowed furiously in the moments leading up to Pegram’s death. But Kayley, who is facing 24 years behind bars for murder denied killing her boyfriend when questioned by police in the wake of the incident.

She claimed bloodstains in the room were from accidentally cutting her thumb while getting into the shower, while insisting bloodstains in the bed were from a sex session.

She had initially admitted to having an argument with Pegram after finding out he had cheated on her with an ex-girlfriend. But later changed her claims, saying the cut on her hand was caused by a broken glass and that they had argued about drug use instead.

Kayley told the court how she went to the bathroom following the blazing row, but when she reemerged, her boyfriend was no longer there. She said she then went to bed, with police arriving on the scene while she was asleep.

Hayley told prosecutors that Pegram was a drug kingpin back in Britain in an apparent attempt to discredit him.

Explaining that they went to get tattoos and play backgammon at the tattoo parlour, Kayley told the court: ‘Reece is one of the important drug dealers in England. He asked if there was any place to buy drugs here.’

She also claimed that, on the day before his death, he had threatened to throw himself off the balcony but she had managed to talk him out of it.

‘[Reece] wanted to commit suicide because he had psychological problems. I was in the shower at this time, I accidentally cut only my right thumb when I got into the shower,’ Kayley said in a statement.

‘When I got out of the shower, I saw the person laughing evilly to himself on the balcony and said he wanted to commit suicide, I blocked him. Meanwhile, the blood on my right thumb spattered the floor and walls of the room.’

It was also gathered that she tried to get judges to throw out her original police statement on the grounds that her official interpreter had been unable to understand her Scottish accent.

But the court rejected the claim, pointing out that she was using the same interpreter at the hearing, and ordered her to undergo a mental health assessment.

Prosecutors believe Kayley killed her boyfriend out of jealousy and are requesting a life sentence.

In Turkey, the minimum non-parole term for a life prisoner is 24 years.
It is unclear when the second hearing will take place.

The Rugby Football Union has recommended a ban on transgender women playing in women’s matches.

The decision has come following a two-year review, and the change in policy could be introduced ahead of the 2022-23 season if approved by the RFU Council.

A statement read: ‘The RFU council will vote on a recommendation for a policy change for contact rugby to only permit players in the female category whose sex recorded at birth was female.

‘This is a complex and difficult decision and the recommendation has not been made lightly or without thorough and full research and consultation.

‘The RFU has contacted registered trans female players, on whom the policy will have a direct impact to offer its support in continuing to encourage them to participate in the sport.’

The current policy had seen the English governing body allow some transgender women to play women’s rugby on a case-by-case basis.

However, English rugby has now changed its mind, saying research provides evidence of ‘physical differences’ and ‘advantages in strength, stamina, and physique’ due to male puberty.

They, therefore, said the decision came because ‘the inclusion of trans people assigned male at birth in female contact rugby cannot be balanced against considerations of safety and fairness.’

The decision on transgender players sees the RFU align with World.

The statement read ‘Transgender women may not currently play women’s rugby… because of the size, force- and power-producing advantages conferred by testosterone during puberty and adolescence, and the resultant player welfare risks this creates.’

Girls and boys will remain unaffected by the decision and can play in their respective current teams until they turn 12.

Should the decision be approved professionally, however, rugby union would follow in the footsteps of triathlon, which last month became the first British sport to ban all transgender women from competing in female events at an elite and grassroots level.

International swimming federation FINA have also banned athletes who have been through any part of male puberty from elite women’s competition.

THERE IS A REAL THREAT THAT ZAMBIA MAY SLUMP INTO AN ECONOMIC RECESSION

By C . Malindi- Investment and Business analyst, Entrepreneur and Venture capitalist

A country’s economiy is driven by the following factors:

1. Consumer spending
2. Government spending
3. Business spending/ investment
4. Net Exports

Consumer spending is important because private consumption constitutes two thirds of all economic activity in most countries and Zambia is no exception.

But in Zambia’s case we have seen that , historically, Government expenditure plays a catalytic role in driving consumer spending, even though it may only account for 25- 30% of total economic activity .

It is evident ( anecdotally and statistically) that the current levels of consumer and government spending in our country are pretty low and that is worrying ( to put it mildly) and something has to happen to introduce stimulus into the economy.

It is not clear why both Government and consumers are not spending although there are various hypothesis out there including assertions that Government coffers are empty. The other assertion is that consumer confidence is low because of the uncertainty in government policy direction as those who are able to spend become less certain about their financial prospects and safety of assets. Not to mention the much publicized fight against corruption , which may have put fear in some people’s spending habits and the threat of life style audits. It could also be simply that consumers have no money to spend because of the erosion in purchasing power over the last few years,not helped by the pandemic. But it is evident that even though retail sales in shopping malls may have improved slightly , we are still in a depressed state.

The problem with the lack of or decline in consumer and government spending is that it puts pressure on businesses because they are also unable to increase production or stock up on goods necessary to keep the economic engine running.

It would seem that the only silver lining in Zambia’s case is the high copper prices, which , in theory, should lead to higher export earnings. But how much of that advantage feeds into the local economy through tax and other Govt revenue collections is open for debate . The other debate is on whether the rise in copper prices has resulted in increased job creation as well as increase in income to mine suppliers . Anecdotal evidence suggests that not to be the case.

WHERE TO FROM HERE THEN?

I think Government has no option but to introduce some level of stimulus into the economy via their own spending and various public private partnerships.

We have heard about Govt releasing circa K23 billion ( although one doesn’t know what release really means) in the first quarter , through payment to suppliers, pensioners and other Govt services but that, in truth, is not being felt on the ground- so it would seem. We have also heard that CDF funds have been released to the constituencies but once again , there is very little evidence that anybody has received these funds and therefore helped to spur local business or consumer spending. Govt tenders which , traditionally, spur business activity also seem to have dried up. We have heard that Govt is conducting audits on suppliers before payment to suppliers and presumably then new tenders will be put out thereafter.

The nation is also waiting for what happens with the much talked about IMF package and how that will drive economic growth if at all.

The message is clear though : The lack of expenditure by key drivers of an economy may lead to a RECESSION. I would argue that Govt needs to accelerate their processes in order to introduce liquidity into the economy and hopefully that will then lead to consumer and business confidence to spur the economy further.

Time is of the essence . Waiting for all the stars to line up before taking remedial action is a dangerous game ,in my view.

EXECUTION IS KEY . IDEAS ARE A DIME A DOZEN

GIVE ECL THE RESPECT HE DESERVES – KAMPYONGO

….but don’t expect him to be quite even when you drag his wife out of the bedroom

Lusaka…. Friday, July 22, 2022 (Smart Eagles)

Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament Stephen Kampyongo has called on the New Dawn Administration to give former president Edgar Lungu the respect he deserves.

Hon Kampyongo said despite Lungu being a statesman, government should not expect him to be quite even when they are dragging his wife out of the bedroom.

He said that the former Head of State still can give an opinion on matters of national importance.

Commenting on the ZESCO issue, Kampyongo said the country no longer experienced load shedding but the current administration fails to recognize president Lungu for his efforts.

The lawmaker said this when he and other PF MPs addressed the media at Parliament today.

“We are happy that we saw the President at Kafue Gorge officiating at that very momentous occasion for ZESCO. And it doesn’t cost much Mr President because your predecessor was there to launch that project you were commissioning,” he said.

“So why should it be a problem just to recognize that simple effort of your predecessor? Because the dividends that are coming from there were planted by someone. So you can’t just appreciate the harvest without acknowledging those that planted. And this brings me to the point that we heard from the Managing Director for ZESCO……. that Zambia has got a surplus.”

He reminded members of the public that not too long ago Zambia had a deficit in terms of power.

“We had to import power at a higher cost. So if now we have a surplus, how are the Zambian people now benefiting from the surplus? What are the tariffs that Zambians are paying for this power they are supposing to be benefiting from? So we want the current government to appreciate the effort of our former president because it calls for effort,” he said.

“Today there is no load shedding. No one is speaking about it. They are talking about surplus, how did that come about? And some of this debt being talked about its what government contracted to ensure that we dealt with the energy sector.”

And Kampyongo stressed the need for the former Head of State to be left alone as he has taken leave.

“So today you can call for the removal of the immunity, people are aware of his services. He has taken leave he has gone but they want to drag him. Let’s give him the respect that he deserves,” he said.

“But that does not mean he will remain quite. Even when you enter his bedroom and drag his wife out he should remain quiet and say no if I come out they will say we will remove your immunity. Those are constitutional matters. Let us not gag him because even when he says he is a statesman; he will have opinions to give.”

Patriotic Front Party
Lusaka
Friday, 22nd July, 2022

For Immediate Release

ADMIT FAILURE, POOR LEADERSHIP
… Stop hiding behind outside forces

THE incompetent UPND government should stop hiding behind global economic forces for the astronomical prices of essential commodities and harsh living conditions it is subjecting Zambians to.

We are reminding the regime that Zambians are not interested in hollow economic theories such as those reeled by UPND member Noel Nkhoma on a radio programme yesterday. They are intelligent enough to know when an incompetent regime is trying to lie its way out of its responsibilities and is trying to shift the blame elsewhere.

It is the responsibility of the government to provide solutions and cushion vulnerable citizens from the high cost of living. And one of the ways of doing this is the provision of subsidies until they have the capacity to fend for themselves.
The social cash transfer the failed regime is trying to use for hollow propaganda has a limited reach, catering for only a fraction of the vulnerable citizens.

The vast majority of citizens are suffocating from the high cost of living and no amount of public relations will give them relief.
It is hypocritical and grossly immoral for Mr Nkhoma and the UPND to stand on a hill screaming that the war in Ukraine and other global factors are the cause of the high prices of fuel, transport and basic foods.
Are these people serious?

When the PF government cited the negative impact of the pandemic, partial shutdown of the global aviation industry and shipping on which Zambia’s exports and imports depend, the partial drought and flash floods the same hypocrites dismissed the explanation saying it was poor leadership to blame.

We therefore urge Mr Nkhoma and his party to stop insulting Zambians with text book economic theories which will not make food, fuel and transport affordable.

Zambians are fully aware of where the instructions to remove subsidies from fuel and electricity have been coming from.
We have a government that is only good at rubber-stamping decisions and policies made by its foreign masters who are now running the country.

For once the New Dawn regime must own up and boldly tell Zambians that it does not have answers to their suffering because of poor leadership.

Only UPND cadres and sympathisers are seeing the imaginary improvement in the economy.
Stop boring citizens with the irritating song about global economic fundamentals and admit your failure. Running from one radio station to another to parrot text book theories is only annoying the hungry Zambians and struggling commuters more.
Provide solutions.
Issued by:
EDWIN LIFWEKELO
PF Deputy Media Director.

Sean Tembo
ABOUT PROLONGED DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL: A CASE OF MUMBI PHIRI & MANY OTHERS

By Sean Tembo – PeP President

1. It has been more than 5 months since Mumbi Phiri was detained on 18th February 2022 and subsequently charged with an alleged offense of murder on 24th February 2022. The alleged murder in question is that of a United Party for National Development (UPND) cadre; Lawrence Banda who was allegedly shot dead on Sunday, 6th October 2019 during the Kaoma Council Chairman by-election. This was when the Patriotic Front administration was still in office and Mumbi Phiri was the then Deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Front. The shooting of Lawrence Banda happened when a PF campaign convoy crashed with a UPND campaign convoy and violence erupted thereafter. Suffice to mention that such scenes of extreme violence were very common at that time and were instigated by both PF and UPND almost in equal measure. As to who, between the PF and UPND instigated the violent crash that resulted in Lawrence Banda’s death, it is for the police to investigate and tell us during trial. Apart from Mumbi Phiri, Shelby Chilekwa has also been charged with murder in this same case.

2. There are three key issues that arise with regard to Mumbi Phiri’s arrest and subsequent prolonged incarceration without trial. The first issue is that this is evidently a politically motivated case, given the fact that Mumbi Phiri as Deputy SG of the PF, was a major critic of the current President Hakainde Hichilema, during his time in opposition. The second key issue is that the publicly known circumstances of the murder in question make it difficult for one to comprehend how two people; Shelby Chilekwa and Mumbi Phiri could both be involved in shooting a person who is reported to have only been shot once. The third key issue is the heavy-handed manner that the State has dealt with this case starting from the initial arrest of Shelby Chilekwa who is said to have been taken to an unknown location for more than a week and had no access to his lawyers and when he subsequently appeared, had visible marks of torture and he also testified to his lawyers that he had been brutally tortured by the police.

3. It is also common cause that the lawyers for Mumbi Phiri had applied for a preliminary inquiry at the Magistrates Court, which we understand was granted by the Court but was never undertaken. The state has since kept Mumbi Phiri and Shelby Chilekwa away from court ever since. Such a preliminary inquiry compels the State to present the evidence that they have against the accused persons, and the Court would make a ruling on whether the evidence presented is sufficient to warrant going to trial. Given the reluctance of the State for 5 months now, to take Mumbi Phiri and her co-accused to Court so that the Court can undertake the said preliminary inquiry, it is quite apparent that the State may not have sufficient evidence to sustain a murder charge against the duo. But they want to punish Mumbi Phiri and her co-accused as much as possible before they can be released. In other words, they want to exact extrajudicial punishment.

4. This has been the basis of our advocacy for Mumbi Phiri and her co-accused to either be taken to court or released immediately. Our advocacy has been directed to President Hakainde Hichilema for two particular reasons. Firstly, he is the Head of State and therefore the buck stops with him. He is the one who appointed Mumba Malila as Chief Justice, whose subjects prepare the cause list for court appearance, he is also the one who appointed Lemmy Kajoba whose police officers are responsible for transporting Mumbi Phiri and her co-accused to Court, as well as appointing Frederick Chilukutu, the Zambia Correctional Services Director General whose charges are keeping Mumbi Phiri in Mongu Central Prison.

5. Secondly, Hakainde Hichilema made a very unfortunate statement during his last press conference at State House in which he said if it was up to him, he would change the law so that those accused of corruption can be detained for up to 90 days before being taken to court. Clearly the President appears to have very little understanding on how the rule of law should work. To him, a person is guilty simply because they have been accused of committing an offense, even if they have not been subjected to any trial. He sees a trial as an unnecessary inconvenience. For a person who wields so much power as Republican President, that is a very dangerous mindset to have. Indeed, in Hakainde Hichilema we have a President who is either extremely naive or who has an extreme appetite for dictatorship or both. Either way, if we relent in holding him accountable, this country will take so many backward strides as far as the rule of law is concerned.

6. Our advice to Hakainde Hichilema is that he should use the power which the Zambian people bestowed on him on 12th August 2021, to do good for the people. Let him use his Presidential power to lift people out of poverty, reduce the cost of living, grow the economy, create jobs, enhance the rule of law and constitutionalism and just make Zambia a better place than he found it when he ascended to office. It is common cause that Hakainde Hichilema was mistreated and persecuted by the previous regime during his time in opposition, but he must aspire to be a better person than those who persecuted him. He must set better standards, for it is on the basis of the standards that he sets today, that he will be treated when he leaves office. He must be continuously conscious of the bed that he makes today, for he shall one day be required to lie in it. Take Mumbi Phiri to court or release her from prison.

/// END

SET 22.07.2022