“IT’S LIKE HE SHIFTED THE CAPITAL CITY TO CHOMA”

By Mwaba Mutale

Ndambo is Special, he is a genius

He is my conclusion.. This guy is just good, just brilliant and in a world 🌎 class champions league of extraordinary gentlemen.. He is a bad ass Serious genius who doesn’t wait for luck but creates his own. He defines his reality.

Do you know that just with the few expensive gifts to Choma and donations around, Mr James Ndambo will probably earn worth even 100 times more.. He already has the experience and business but many more will wana do business with him now, he is a credible man but now that is even more he is the action guy who always delivers . Just like most Zambians have known him now, trust me his business name and reputation is now maybe even 100 times more as the man who takes care of the poor and wants to change a whole town

Baume aba, well calculated move and well executed with flawless precision. Timing is everything and just when Zambia is opening up and law and order is returning he appears on the scene. This is a very high precision skillful maneuver which only a few can pull off.

THERE IS NOTHING FOR FREE ON EARTH 🌍 FREE THINGS COME WITH THE HEAVIEST PRICE

But if you ever plan to be an international business man, Ndambo just gave you free extra lessons…Business is about reputation, he just raised his 100 times more. Not that he needed it, but still he is now a household name, in a matter of days, and trust me even international business community this is the guy to do business with. This guy is Messi and Ronaldo combined, he has a stroke of genius. He and his team deserve a standing ovation, bakali ama guys aba 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

This is the proper Africa must think, how to be practical and get ahead in business and get what you want… Ndambo ni nshimbi 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 Trust me he planned all this and foresaw the outcome like a real grand master chess player. All the cars 🚘 the money, nurses to be taken to America, cooks employed to get 50,000 dollars a month, crazy prize money 💰, residents getting 500 dollars (8500 to 1000 dollars 17,000) a day for two weeks for renting out their rooms, this guys is almost having Messianic powers….it’s like he has shifted the Capital City of Zambia 🇿🇲 to Choma for a few weeks. He has shaken Zambia. And trust me all this was deliberate and with a bigger game in sight, these guys are sharp at levels you can’t see…

He changed his citizenship purposely so that you don’t even dare waste your time investigating him or dare touch him. Check mate. Mukali umukamba uyu .. hmmmm I’ve looked at his moves and am super impressed. Flawless execution. This is what is called planning ahead. All this he foresaw.. You touch him South Africa will be on your behinds 🤔🤔🤔

this guy wanted to make headlines and a serious statement, not just here but worldwide. His end game is something many will never see. It not even politics, these are business geniuses .. He probably laughing at the idea of him even standing.. He is playing at a much higher game than many will ever reach or even conceive in their minds. These are the gurus of business, they know every trick in the book

Enough Respect to a true genius and Grand Master Ndambo 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 THIS IS TRULY HOW AFRICA MUST THINK….FREE LESSON FROM THE GREATS

THEY’RE TAKING US TO NOWHERE BUT HELL

The economic policies being pursued by the leadership of this UPND pro transnational corporations, pro imperialist puppet regime will not take Zambians to the ‘promised land’. They will certainly not help the UPND leadership deliver on the many promises they made to the masses of our people to vote for them. In saying this, we are not at all being malicious or wishing them to fail. We are patriots who wish the best for our country and our people with or without us. But it is impossible to arrive in heaven, paradise or even purgatory, if one is on the broad road to hell.

These economic policies they are pursuing are not new to Zambia, Africa, Latin America and some parts of Asia. They have never led any poor country into prosperity. We have been on this unbriddled neoliberal capitalist path for the last 31 years.

It requires little intelligence – if a little is all one has – to realise that these neoliberal capitalist policies are taking us nowhere but to Calvary.

We have been struggling uphill long enough. We have suffered not only the torment of Calvary but also that of Sisyphus, who had to keep pushing the boulder up a hill and every time he was about to reach the top, it would roll back down and he would have to start all over again. Our situation is worse than Calvary because Calvary was climbed quickly; we have been climbing our hill for a long time, and we keep on having to start over. Calvary is preferable to Sisyphus’ torment, and if we had our Calvary, we should also have a resurrection.
We must choose concrete, realistic and definitive solutions – not take the path of agony. We must choose a clear, intelligent, effective solution – not head toward Calvary.

What we need is to find a real solution for the problem, but what will happen is that imperialism and its agents – the puppets, lackeys, it has helped assume power – will try to prevent the implementation of these solutions and divide our people, confuse our people, deceive our people, they give a little aid for this and that so that we remain on the path to Calvary – and not even a Calvary, but with the agonising torture of pushing the boulder up a never-ending hill. But one day our deceived people, our betrayed people are going to demand, “How much longer do we have to up with these conditions, this deception, these lies and abuses?” And then they will find solutions.

Clearly, the economic policies this puppet regime is pursuing, like the ones before it here and elsewhere, are taking us nowhere but to Calvary. There was a period when such policies increased the well-being of significant numbers of people as a by-product of seeking out profits for a few, but today the quests for profits comes into sharp conflict with people’s demands that their material and social needs should be fulfilled.

I fully agree with Pope Francis’ conclusion that market forces alone and “trickle-down” economic policies had failed to produce the social benefits their proponents claim. As Pope Francis correctly observed, trickle-down economics, the theory favoured by our neoliberal capitalists that tax breaks and other incentives for transnational mining corporations and big business eventually will benefit the rest of society through investment and job creation is a fallacy, a fleeting illusion.

The cost of living will continue to rise, hardships for Zambian families will continue to increase and prices of necessities will continue to rise. Soon the effects of being on the broad road to hell will be fully felt!

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party

DEC SHOULDN’T HAVE SAID THEY SUSPECT THE 15 FLATS BELONG TO ESTHER NYAWA TEMBO-FORMER PF SG MWILA

FORMER PF secretary general Davies Mwila says DEC shouldn’t have rushed to the media to say the 15 flats they recently took possession of in State Lodge area are suspected to belong to Esther Nyawa Tembo.

And Mwila has insisted that the UPND is targeting former president Edgar Lungu and his family.

Meanwhile, Mwila says he has been summoned to appear before the Joint Investigations Team today, alongside former lands minister Jean Kapata and PF acting secretary general Nickson Chilangwa,

In an interview, Mwila wondered why the DEC did not first contact the suspected owner of the flats before announcing to the public.

“First and foremost, we do not know the owners of those flats until when the former first lady responds. The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) made a mistake. They should not have gone to the media saying that we suspect these flats belong to Esther Nyawa Tembo. What they should have done is to write to the suspect asking if the flats belong to her. After she has responded, then that is when you go to the media and announce whether those flats belong to her or not. You cannot say we have taken those flats and we will wait for three months if the owner will not come. If you are just suspecting, why mention the name? It means that they are not sure.

What I am saying is they have to do a thorough job. Let them not rush to the media. Why mention the name without asking the owner if surely those flats belonged to the former first lady?” he asked.

“That is why we’ve always said they have targeted at the former president’s family and the former president himself.

President Hakainde Hichilema is a bitter person. You have seen how the economy has gone bad. The fuel has gone up and the commodities are expensive. So it is time that this government concentrates on improving the living standards of people.

They are busy investigating but not getting tangible results. That is the problem. All those officers are just enjoying their allowances so they will continue making statements alarming the public. My position has not changed. They have targeted at the former president’s family and himself.”

And Mwila said things would continue getting harder going forward under the UPND government.

“When inflation drops, is it the cost of a bag of mealie meal which has dropped? Has the price of cooking oil or fuel dropped? Those are theories. When you are running the country or the economy using the book, you will not go anywhere.

They promised to reduce the price of mealie meal, fuel and fertiliser. They promised that they are going to sell the presidential jet but they are quiet. They promised that they are going to ensure that the exchange rate in terms of Kwacha to a Dollar goes to a single digit. On all those things, nothing has happened. Look at the recruitment exercise, it is in shambles. We do not know whether it will be there or not,” he said.

“They are now fighting amongst each other because there is no direction. It is almost a year but when is the economy going to improve? They promised that they will be buying maize at K250 but they are buying at K160. I can tell you simple mathematics. If the price of maize goes up from K150 to K160 it means the price of mealie meal will go up. That is the interpretation. Honourable [Mutale] Nalumango has not hidden the fact that the prices of fuel will continue going up and the people of Zambia must be ready to tighten up their belts. Things will be harder as we move forward under the UPND government.”

Meanwhile, Mwila said he had been summoned to appear before the JIT today and he suspected it was on issues to do with the PF secretariat plot.

“We are appearing before the Joint Investigations Team at 11:00 hours just after tomorrow, on Wednesday. I do not know what it is about. They invited Chilangwa, Jean Kapata and me. I am suspecting it is something to do with that PF secretariat plot. That is what I suspect,” said Mwila.

(Diggers)

HH not a tribalist but a statesman – Part 2

By Prince Bm Kaping’a

As the wind of change swept across the continent in the early 1990s, we would see a buoyant MMD finally dislodge the once-dominant UNIP from power after a scintillating election that would leave Kenneth Kaunda stunned.

President Fredrick Chiluba would proceed to construct a team with representation from every corner of the land: vice-president – Levy Mwanawasa (Copperbelt); minister without portfolio – Godfrey Miyanda (Eastern); finance – Emmanuel Kasonde (Northern); defence – Benny Mwila (Northern); home affairs – Chitalu Sampa (Northern); labour – Newstead Zimba (Eastern); foreign – Vernon Mwaanga (Southern); legal affairs – Rodger Chongwe (Eastern); local government – Michael Sata (Northern); health – Boniface Kawimbe (Northern); information – Stan Kristafor (minority group); commerce – Ronald Penza (Northern); mines – Humphrey Mulemba (Nothr-Western).

Readers may recall that although the Eastern Province had literally rejected MMD and overwhelmingly voted for UNIP, Chiluba would still appoint a good number of people from the region as full cabinet ministers; notably among them, Lieutenant General Christon Tembo, Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda and of course, his colleague from the labour movement, Newstead Zimba etc.

Following the botched third term campaign, Levy Mwanawasa would emerge victorious amidst protests and complaints of widespread rigging from the main opposition at the time, the United Party for National Development. Although certain sections of society would waste no time lampooning the new cabinet as a “family tree”, in reality Mwanawasa had gone out of his way to allocate positions fairly, including those from the regions where he was out-rightly rejected such as his vice – Lupando Mwape, a Northerner. The rest of the notable cabinet ministers were as follows: finance – Ng’andu Magande (Southern); defence – George Mpombo (Copperbelt); home affairs – Ronnie Shikapwasha (Central); foreign affairs – Kabinga Pande (North-Western); legal affairs – George Kunda (Central); local government – Benny Tetamashimba (North-Western); information – Vernon Mwaanga (Southern); commerce – Felix Mutati (Northern); secretary to Cabinet – Leslie Mbula (Copperbelt).

And when his deputy, Rupiah Banda, stepped into his shoes following his sudden demise outside the country, he obviously had to effect changes to the cabinet to prove he was his own man by roping in his loyalists: vice-president – George Kunda (Central); finance – Situmbeko Musokotwane (Western); defence – Kalombo Mwansa (Luapula); home affairs – Lameck Mangani (Eastern); foreign affairs – Kabinga Pande (North-Western); legal – George Kunda (Central); local government – Benny Tetamashimba (North-Western); mines – Kalombo Mwansa (Northern) information – Ronnie Shikapwasha (Central); commerce – Felix Mutati (Northern); health – Kapembwa Simbao (Northern); secretary to Cabinet – Joshua Kanganja (North-Western).

It’s clear from the above that almost all the provinces were represented in this cabinet..

“LEAVE THE FORMER FIRST LADY ALONE, AMB MWAMBA SAYS”
…as he dares DEC to name her officially over property ownership

4th July 2022 LUSAKA

Mr Emmanuel Mwamba, the former envoy of Zambia to the African Union (AU) has challenged law enforcement to simply approach Mrs Esher Nyawa Tembo Lungu about apartments she owns, which they suspect to be proceeds of crime.

Ambassador Mwamba said its totally unnecessary to ´excite´ Zambians that an Esther Nyawa Tembo has apartments illegally acquired whom they don’t know and yet they know the registered owner as a political ploy.

“DEC saying, we have an unknown person in the name of Esther Nyawa Tembo is wrong because the whole country knows Mrs Esther Nyawa Tembo is the former First Lady,” Ambassador Mwamba said, “you mean the former First Lady or the former President cant build a block of flats?”

Ambassador said its sad to see the first family ostensibly being targeted over a mere block of apartments when an “ordinary Zambian can build similar flats or even more.”

Mr Mwamba decried the habit of “scandalising people” using the law even when you know they can afford to have the property they own, and doing it wantonly so without evidence.

In the case of the former First Lady Esther Lungu´s apartments seized by DEC over the weekend, Ambassador Mwamba challenged the DEC to state whether they did not have prior paper week to authenticate the ownership before going to the media to scandalise her and her family before even going to court, like the case has been in many other cases of so called “proceeds of crime” suspects.

He challenged the DEC to “simply walk up to the former first lady or the former President and ask about those flats not scandalise them in the media.”
Ambassador Mwamba, a vocal critic of the UPND government on a number of governance, rule of law and economic issues warmed that the ruling party ´risked´ decampaigning itself ahead of the 2026 polls if they deliberately and maliciously tried to ´crash´ their PF opponents without regard to law.

Ambassador Mwamba has described the ongoing probes against PF senior members as a targeted political fight to silence the party ahead of 2026.

The full Interview is available online on Diamond TV on the link below and Facebook page:

NDAMBO TO FUND OUR PF CONVENTION, says DORA SILIYA, and HE IS FREE TO STAND as PF PRESIDENT, EVEN IF CK IS VEXED,

Full KOSWE Report below:

By Koswe

YES, WE WORKED WITH NDAMBO IN 2021 & MOBILIZED MONEY FOR PF VOTE PROTECTION & YOUTHS SECURITY & HE IS FREE TO CONTEST AS PARTY LEADER – DORA

Former Information Minister in the PF regime Dora Siliya has confirmed Media reports that James Ndambo is their (PF) member.

Dora says Ndambo working closely with Former President Edgar Lungu made a lot of financial contributions to the PF and especially vote protection and youth security.

She says My Home Town was her childhood brain adding that Ndambo was asked to join PF fund party activities which included chiefs across the country.

“Ndambo is not a stranger to the PF. He worked with us in the background. Initially, when he wanted to go public with his gestures, he faced resistance but after he met President Lungu, the Central Committee of the party was informed to work with him in mobilising resources for the 2021 vote protection, campaigns and all and so, I won’t deny the fact that he is our party member and he is free to contest as party leader at the coming convention,” said Dora Siliya to George Lemba.

Asked if she would contest as Petauke Central MP under the PF leadership of Ndambo, Dora stated that she would contest anywhere including in Lusaka but that this is not her priority.

James Ndambo has come under fierce political attacks including suspicions that he is a ritualist when he pretended not to know the facts and also not declaring that he was a PF member but kept saying that he was not interested in politics and yet his language is political.

According to PF insiders, Ndambo is the only pillar to help rebrand the party which suffered election losses in 2021 though PF founders like Chishimba Kambwili and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba are stating that no chancer should be allowed to run PF after Edgar Lungu.

James Ndambo in 2006 at the UPND convention after the death of Mazoka lost the election to Hakainde Hichilema as he (Ndambo) only got 3 votes out of hundreds of voters drawn from across the country.

It was then that he went into an alliance with the MMD as an underground operative and later joined PF again as underground operative, Koswe has been told.

SOURCE: KOSWE

By Edward Roy Makayi

Ndambo should be arrested for treason and all those officers who where saluting for him dismissed.

The moment I saw Dora Siliya in his group I knew something was fishy. Politics aside believe you me Dora Siliya does not just associate with people for nothing. These guys are cooking up something.

I personaly caused the premature reshuffle of then Energy Minister Hon Dora Siliya out the ministry and got all 12 Zesco directors fired. Everything was ready to sell Zesco.

Today Zambia is paying back Lapgreen so many millions of dollars for Zamtel repossesion a deal done by Dora Siliya she is not even affected today, Malawi Maize Scandal, Lusaka radar installations etc all that was Dora Siliya yet there she is dinining with a millonaire yet you Zambians left to pay for the mess she caused to the nation for so many years. Magarate Mwanakatwe got $600 million from CEEC despite being an MP and a minister she still borrowed money mearnt for citizens empowerement and defaulted up to now no one knows how this story died yet she is there with James Ndambo in Choma. As for Dora Siliya awesure That woman is cunning and a deadly viper where sweet talk is concerned. They are selling Ndambo as the next big thing good as he seems to be with rotten people am out.

With this hunger tuletukwa nama US dollars but believe me not all glitter is gold. I just blame our justice system has really let us down. I would choose to see thieves in jail than being given a job alas all of them are free and running up and down.

Zambians will question us in 2026 how a corrupt former minister is able to sue the government for K50 million its not making sense to me.

Anyone who associates with criminals who caused misery for this nation without mercy is an enemy of humanity. Show me your friends I will tell you who you are.

I am not jealous or against Mr Ndambo but his association of former PF ministers is not seating well with me just give them 3 months you will see save this post.

Ndambo inspires Nevers to replicate MHT in Chinsali

By Kombe Mataka

MMD leader Nevers Mumba says most African nations including Zambia have long believed that government must be the only mother which all the citizens breastfeed from.

Speaking through a video link at the
Home Town Beauty Show organised by Choma born philanthropist James Ndambo held in Choma on Saturday, Mumba said it was “this socialist approach that continued to compromise efforts to develop the African continent”.
He said the event announced an era of fast tracking development in the nation.

“Chairman Ndambo and Africa Union Development have opened a new chapter of how to improve the quality of lives of Zambians. Chairman Ndambo is the son of the soul upon whose life God has chosen to endow favour in his business. The options before him are many. He can choose to keep enriching himself and his family away from the pain and sufferings of his fellow Zambians or choose to invest back in the lives of his brothers and sisters in the nation. This is the choice that he has made. Today we gather to honour the selflessness and commitment of this exceptional Zambian in adding value to our nation. Most African nations, including Zambia, have long believed that government must be the only mother which we should all breastfeed from. It is this socialist approach that continues to compromise efforts to develop our great continent. Great nations and great economies have been created by the innovation of private citizens. All we need is freedom from African government, just freedom,” Mumba said. “A free man can achieve the impossible. Freedom to dream, freedom to innovate and freedom to express oneself. It is these freedoms that create dynamism in any progressive society. With the introduction of a liberalised economy now in 1991 by the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, Zambia provided a path for the private sector to spearhead economic growth. Mr Ndambo is a perfect example in demonstrating this policy. If every successive Zambian can embrace My Home Town vision of Mr Ndambo, Zambia will develop faster than any government can afford to achieve. Community initiatives must become the engine of development. Governments depend on the ingenuity of community initiative. Government is a sum total of the the combined initiatives of different communities in the nation.”
He said he would replicate the vision of My Home Town in Chinsali.

“I mentioned to chairman Ndambo that I have been so inspired by his vision that I plan to replicate My Home Town (MHT) vision in my own home town of Chinsali in Nothern Province. I hope many more Zambians will choose this path. It is not the abundance of resources that will make this initiative effective, but the determination and a deep love for our country. I feel at home with such a vision as it agrees with my God given vision Zambia Shall Be Saved,” said Mumba.

And Ndambo said My Home Town called on Zambians to exercise their talents and fly high like an eagle.
“We would like your talents to be in full flight. If you want to fly among individuals who want to take you backwards you are going to crush. People are going to castigate you, they will
jealous of your achievements. Jealous of your beauty. Those who are beautiful rather than waste your energy flapping, you need sail, you go right above. If there is a volcano, you fly above the volcano. You survive,” he said.
Ndambo said his organisation’s thrust was to unlock the human potential.

“Everybody is gifted.We focus on unlocking that potential. There are so many NGOs around the world, we don’t want to be like any other NGO
to try and donate gifts. We focus on unlocking the human potential,” said Ndambo, who is African Union Holdings chief executive officer.

And My Home Town patron Dora Siliya said citizens must be the change that they want to see.
“Be the change you want to see in your community. Be the change you want to see in your town. Be the change you want to see in your country and the rest of the world. Somebody said you cannot stop an idea whose time has come. After years of an idea in practice, in 2009 the chairman Mr James Ndambo of the Home Town Organisation like many of us, he has travelled the world and met many important people, successful by any standard. However, he also realised very quickly that one is not an island and that our lives are connected to all the people that we meet who end up connecting us to even people we have not met before. This is the reason we are all here tonight,” Siliya said. “For the many who have met the chairman, we have learnt the following; (1) That small talk does not get things done. (2). That strength is not who you beat down but whom you lift up. (3). Kindness is more
attractive than being cruel. (4). That people will never stop talking but leave them behind. Fly high and leave them behind and lastly, that smiling is free.”

She said Ndambo begun My Home Town as a platform to initially connect with family members. “Later it was expanded as an initiative of like minds interested in business mentoring and wealth creation. He believed that in each one of us there was potential to create and create any business opportunity,” Siliya explained.

She said the objectives of My Home Town was to grow local businesses.
“This is why we are all here in Choma tonight. These business supporting activities have been held in different parts of the country such as 2020 when similar activities were held on the Copperbelt, Eastern and Lusaka provinces. The main aim is to ignite money circulation through procurement of goods and services by local residents and visitors and that is you and I in all our home towns,” she said. “This initiative has become even more imperative after post-pandemic when many of us have lost loved ones and businesses and we all realised we cannot depend on any one, not even in the tourism sector, except on ourselves as Zambians.”

Siliya said My Home Town was also looking for exceptional students who have been supported to universities both locally and abroad.

“I have been a beneficiary of some of this student support back in the 1990s when I was a student at the University of Cambridge in the UK. In the medical field a number of Zambians have been supported with health care especially in India where we have patients. Now recently people have been talking to me about who is Mr James Ndambo. Indeed, he is a Zambian born, a South African citizen, a very progressive African. He is an accomplished businessman, a global citizen and a champion of building bridges across differences and I have witnessed this first hand,” said Siliya.

“Each one of us has the capacity to do something to create wealth. To create jobs, to support schools, to support clinics, to support orphanages, youth groups, women groups. It just takes one person with an idea to change anything good…”

Tourism minister Rodney Sikumba announced at the event that President Hakainde Hichilema would host the Diaspora Network meeting to discuss opportunities that existed in Zambia in Livingstone.

“I have realised that not only Lusaka should hold such events. Not only should Livingstone hold such events, but we are looking forward to having each and every province to hold such events by having one of us become that My Home Town icon,” he said.
Sikumba said he would sell the product of hospitality Zambia had.
Choma Central member of parliament Cornelius Mweetwa, who is also Southern Province minister, created some controversy at the event after he corrected Ndambo’s statement that the nurses who were expelled from a nursing institution were students and that they had been reinstated.

“It is true that nurses by the description of students at Chilonga Mission Hospital were dismissed by their institution because of what
they had done. The Minister of Health hon Sylvia Masebo under the new dawn administration led by President Hakainde Hichilema did reinstate them there and then. They are not nurses. They are student nurses. They are right away at their school. Leadership demands transparency and accountability. I would like to indicate that since those students are still in school they take up that opportunity to be educated by the offer you have given. This is not the first offer
you have given. A few weeks ago here in Choma you offered to train police officers. We love your candidness,” said Mweetwa in response to an education opportunity offer announced for the students by Ndambo who expressed misgivings about the action which he claimed was meted on
them.

A BRIEF INSIGHT ABOUT MR JAMES NDAMBO

People may wonder why I’m sharing this information on my Facebook platform when there is already a lot of information gathered on social media about James Ndambo.

Well, like any other ordinary Zambian, I’m also keen on following the happenings around.

To begin with I appreciate the good gesture that Mr Ndambo has shown towards his hometown and the surrounding cities in an effort to improve the lives of the less privileged and empower the communities at large.

I first heard about James Ndambo in 2010 at my home village in Mandala in Chief Mapanza’s Area of Choma District. It was at a time when I went to mourn my uncle Mr Mankondole of Han’gombe village.

Mandala village (my village) is about 1.5 KM from a village popularly called Kamunzi where this great son of the soil James Ndambo comes from. James Ndambo was born in the mid-nineteen fifties (1955) from a humble, highly spiritual and upstanding family.

His father was a shoemaker and a very spiritual man, most of the media houses have not captured the story of Mr Ndambo’s father. Here is a beep about him, his father was George Henwood Mkandawire born in Mzimba Nyasaland, modern Malawi.

Mr Mkandawire is popularly known as a father of million believers in the New Apostolic Church. Many denominations in Zambia were brought by the white missionaries, exceptionally the New apostolic Church was brought by James’ father.

Just like his father, James Ndambo is a staunch New Apostolic church member since birth. The Gesture Mr Ndambo has shown to the New Apostolic Church is a sign and belief, that his ready to live and die for. It is a symbol of faith that runs in his bloodstream and not just faith professed by mouth.

Let me not forget to talk about how Mr George Henwood found himself in Kamunzi the birthplace of Mr James Ndambo. When the missionary teacher who taught George Henwood Mkandawire went back to South Africa George decided to follow him in South Africa.

It was in South Africa where George Henwood Mkandawire became converted to the New Apostolic Church beliefs. After some years George returned to Northern Rhodesia present-day Zambia, where he established the first New Apostolic church in Livingstone.

After all these achievements, he moved further and settled in Kaumbwe village and established another church in kamunzi the birthplace of Ndambo’s family.

I have written all this background for people to see that Mr James Ndambo comes from an extraordinary family deep-rooted in Christian values and his giving is anchored on Christian values.

When I behold how great Mr James Ndambo has become, it gives me hope that it is possible for one to become like him.

This is because the environment that shaped his formative years is the same environment that raised all of us in the area.

It is a great lesson to all of us that, where you begin doesn’t dictate where you shall end up. Mr James Ndambo has traversed the world and has remembered his hometown.

Some of the greatest and notable contributions include building the church in Kamunzi and refurbishing it into a modern standard.

Besides, he has built another modern church in Hachiinda village which he was commissioning last week.

Apparently, he has also pledged to light up Maubwe village and the surrounding places covering over 70 households.

Taking a leaf from Mr James Ndambo’s story, my organization is into an empowerment scheme.

So far, we have trained over 200 Members in basic chicken management practices in Mbabala, Macha and Choma town and all await empowerment.

Similarly, we want to empower communities through our empowerment program. We believe in empowering communities only then can Zambia develop.

Development should start from the grassroots. In order to achieve the aforementioned, we want to be connected to various networks to do more for our people under the umbrella of MY HOME TOWN.

Email: simonsikabanze@gmail.com.

By Chibamba Kanyama

The James Ndambo factor will be with us for some time to come for its various connotations, in most cases people coming up with own conclusions beyond the motivation of Ndambo himself.

Laura Miti shared an interesting piece that some have concluded was an attack on Mr. Ndambo. For me, that was not an attack but a valuable piece of information that should help Mr. Ndambo engage even much more profitably next time around.

Every after an event like the one we witnessed in Choma, wise people carry out an introspection, an assessment and review the process to ascertain if the objectives were met. The key take-away is ascertaining lessons to better the next outreach.

At the IMF, impact assessment after events like Spring and Annual Meetings is extensive. It comes by way of ‘dirty picture’, which is about reading all forms of public commentary including harsh criticism mainly by civil society who rarely have kind words about the institution. This feedback is summerised in a three pager take-away, including narratives critical to the event. Lessons learnt can be a harsh reality but that’s what big successful institutions do.

Laura Miti, in her usual interactive and liberal style of writing, gave valuable advice that Mr. Ndambo will appreciate more than the kudos he is receiving from some of us. She carefully poured out her opinion without malice.

What Laura shared is a lesson I learnt in 2012 when I lost a close relative in the village and I responded by funding the entire funeral, literally 100 percent. I thought I had helped a great deal and offered relief to my relatives until I got wind of complaints, ‘You mean that’s the way he can tell us he has money? We know we are poor, but he should have allowed us to buy even a goat so that the focus is shifted from him Mr.

Money to the community doing something jointly to support the funeral.’

These are some of the life lessons that change our stakeholder management strategies and I am 100 percent sure my dear elder brother will appreciate Laura because she has added incredible value to his philanthropic outreach. He is a smart businessman and he has progressed because he listens to honest feedback.

I personally learnt something from Miti’s post to the extent I invited her to join me in some corporate governance training engagements. This is because in such projects, you need individuals of solid intellectual calibre and integrity, able to communicate the hard truth to clients who have paid you huge sums of money!

President Hakainde Hichilema has reminded government officials including ministers and permanent secretaries serving in his administration that they are in those positions because of sacrifices of the zambian people.

The President says it is important for government officials to be selfless in the discharge of their duties so as to respect and honour the hard work and sacrifices of others who might not have had the opportunity to serve in government.

Mr Hichilema was speaking at the Natala family Ranch in Lubombo area of Mazabuka district Southern Province at the first memorial service of the late prominent farmer and member of the UPND presidential campaign team, Gladstone Natala who passed away last year on June 30th at the height of the Pandemic.

“Let me now address the party (UPND) and government officials. How often do we forget that you are in those positions because of sacrifices of others such as the late Mr. Natala? The freedom struggle would not have been won if these people did not do their part,” President Hichilema reminded.

Mr. Hichilema who described the late Mr. Natala as a hardworking and fearless party mobilizer, advised those that have remained to always work for the good of the people.

The President has committed himself to attend to memorial services for former party officials and others who once served in government.

“Yes, I have heard about many who died and I pledge to attend their memorial services,” he said.

Speaking earlier, Family spokesperson, Costern Chilala urged the Head of State to address the injustices suffered by some ethnic grouping at the hands of the former ruling party, some of whom lost jobs and business contracts simply because of their tribal belonging.

Mr. Chilala however thanked the President for his tireless effort to reunite the country without ethnic considerations.

And Southern Province Minister, Cornelius Mweetwa remembers the late Mr. Natala as a selfless man who contributed much to the growth of the UPND as a Party.

The President is in Southern Province for various engagements and is tomorrow expected to grace the Lwiindi Gonde traditional ceremony in Monze district.

LEAVE NDAMBO OUT OF HOSTELS ISSUE,UNZA TOLD

SATURNIA REGNA TO BUILD UNZA STUDENT COMPLEX

Saturnia Regna Pension Fund has embarked on a project to construct a modern 100-room hostel to provide affordable accommodation to University of Zambia (UNZA) students.

The investment will provide alternative accommodation to students after the fund recognised a shortage of bed spaces at the university.

“It is a fitting irony that funds grown for existing working members and designed to provide security for members as they approach the end of their working lives will be put to use to provide facilities for the next generation of employees,” said Saturnia Regna Board of Trustees Chairperson Collins M Hamusonde.

The facility in Lusaka’s Jesmondine area, opposite the UNZA main campus, will include a cafeteria, gymnasium, and a mini soccer pitch. There will be staff dedicated to the facility for a wider range of services, including rental collection, maintenance, and security.

Construction is set to commence this month and is expected to be completed in 2024 and will be financed by the pension fund, which manages more than K3 billion in assets on behalf of its members.

“UNZA has over 30,000 students of which only 5,000 are fully accommodated within the university premises. The remaining students are left to find alternative accommodation in communities around the campus,” explained Michelo Hambayi, Lead Manager – Property Development and Operations of Saturnia’s fund manager African Life Financial Services (AfLife).

“Unfortunately, most of the available spaces are not suitable for students as most of the property was built for different uses,” he added.

The project will be overseen by AfLife, which offers property management and development services to Saturnia’s property portfolio.
Mr Hambayi explained that the facility would be constructed in a way that provided a conducive environment for students during their period of study.

The project falls within Saturnia’s medium-to-long-term property portfolio re-alignment agenda that seeks to divert value from underperforming investments to higher returning investment platforms such as the accommodation facility, which would earn more for the pension fund’s members.

Mr Hambayi went on to say the property would also be available to students from other institutions of higher learning should they find it a suitable accommodation option.

By Peter Sinkamba

UNDERSTANDING INFLATION TRENDS IN ZAMBIA: VERY IMPORTANT

Inflation in Zambia, and pretty everywhere in the world follows a particular trend or pattern over a period of time. In Zambia, the trend has been that there is spike during periods of elections and political uncertainty. After elections and periods of uncertainty are diffused, inflation rate always reverts to below single digits.

For example, in the last 20 years, there was a spike run-up to the 2006 elections reaching almost 20%. Shortly after elections, the inflation rate reduced to about 7%. In 2008, there was a spike that climaxed at about 17% due to the election occasioned by the sudden death of President Levy Mwanawasa but reduced to about 10% within three months after the election.

Concerning the 2011 elections, the spike was marginal. A number of factors could be attributed for the marginal increase. First, the late President Ruphia Banda brought about some semblance of political stability. Campaigns were largely free and fair. Secondly, regime change did not appear certain. Perhaps, this explains why the late President sobbed when handing over power to the late President Michael Sata.

With regard to the 2016 elections, the spike was very high, rising from around 7% in 2015 to about 24% in 2016. With 10 months, the inflation rate reduced to around 6%.

As for the 2021 elections, the spike was highest reaching almost 25% around election time. Within 10 months, the rate has reduced to around 9%.

On one hand, the main reason for spikes is adoption process where aspiring candidates spend lots of money to find their names on the ballot papers. And they spend more money on campaign materials and campaign programmes to find themselves in council chambers, parliament and State House. On the other hand, the spike is generated by Government expending colossal sums of money on election preparations and holding of elections. The inflation spikes by and large last between 5 to 10 months as is shown in the figure below.

SPEECH BY THE MHT PATRON, HON. DORA SILIYA AT MHT PAGEANT

2nd July, 2022.

The Chairman of MHT and Madame,
Special Invited Guests of MHT,
The Board of MHT and the MD,
Members of MHT,
The MHT Beauty Pageant participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Tonight is a momentous occasion! It is a culmination of a long journey, going back over 30 years ago when My Home Town (MHT) Founder, Mr James Ndambo, realised that the words of Mahatma Ghandi rang true: we have to make the change we want to see in our families, communities, towns, countries and the world. He began to support family members so that he was not the only one reaching for the sky today. Over the years, this support has been extended to many other people including many of us in this room tonight. Someone once said, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come.

After years of an idea in practice, in 2009, Chairman James Ndambo formalised the MHT organisation. Like many of us, he has travelled the world and met many important people. He is also successful by any standard. However, he realised very quickly that one is not an island and that our life is connected to all the people we have met along the way, who end up connecting us to even people we have never met. This is the reason we are all here tonight and so beautifully dressed. I said earlier, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come.
For the many who have met the Chairman, Mr Ndambo, we have learnt the following:
Small talk does not get big things done.
Strength is not whom you beat down but whom you lift up.

Kindness is more attractive than being cruel.
People will never stop talking, soar and leave them behind.

And that smiling is free.

Chairman Ndambo began MHT as a platform to initially connect with family members. Later, it was expanded as an initiative of like minds interested in business mentoring and wealth creation. Mr Ndambo believes that each one of us has to explore and exploit every business opportunity.

His view is that, this is the only way people will be less dependent and assist the government and country to develop and enhance the quality of life of citizens.

Since MHT inception, the business network has grown through Africa, UK, USA, Europe, Dubai and Latin America. You really can’t stop an idea whose time has come. On behalf of MHT and as Patron, we thank all those who took it upon themselves to spread MHT to the many countries in the world, especially Mr Ndambo’s family members.

One of the core objectives of MHT is to grow local businesses. This is why, we are all in Choma tonight. These business supporting activities have been held in different parts of the country, such as in 2020 when similar events were held on the Copper belt, Eastern and Lusaka Provinces. The main aim is to ignite money circulation through procurement of goods and services by local residents and visitors, who are you and I, in all our home towns, which translates into the whole of Zambia.
This initiative has become even more urgent post pandemic when many of us lost loved ones and businesses. And we all realised we cannot depend on anyone even in the tourism sector, except on ourselves as Zambians.
In the last week, there have been a flurry of activities in Choma and extending as far as Livingstone.

We have all come to MHT Choma, to attend the second MHT beauty show, but more importantly we have also come to support the businesses in Choma. You will recall that the first MHT beauty show was in 2011. However, we were taken aback with negativity that come from some corners at that time. Clearly, they were just ignorant about our organisation. Nevertheless, the show was successful and winner of that beauty pageant, Nandi Nkowani, has flown in from Europe where she now resides. Indeed you cannot stop an idea whose time has come.

The work of MHT is anchored on the big belief that first, you can’t share poverty and secondly that wealth creation must always involve a process of supporting the community, our home towns. We are aware that there are various NGOS doing various activities. However, MHT found its niche in supporting initiatives that unlock human potential so that we are better off than when we began. Over the years, MHT has supported business ideas with great commercial value, thereby standing in the gap for missing investment funds. Travel to other countries such as Dubai in 2021, to interact with business over there, has also been an MHT trademark aimed at exposing our Members to international business ideas and standards.

MHT is always looking out for exceptional students who have been supported to universities, both locally and abroad. The Chairman and all of us at MHT believe that it is better to teach a man how to fish than to feed him. I have personally been a beneficiary of some of this student support in the 90s, while I was studying at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

In the medical field, a number of Zambians have been supported with health care, especially in India, where we currently have patients in Kerela. You truly, cannot stop an idea whose time has come.
Recently, lot of people have been asking me about who Mr James Ndambo is. Who is he indeed?

He is Zambian born, a South African citizen and a very progressive African. He is an accomplished businessman. He is a global citizen and a champion of building bridges across every difference. And I have witnessed this first hand. They also ask me, what is MHT? Simply, it is exactly as in the words of President Kennedy: it is not what the country can do for you, but what can you do for your country.

Each one of us has the capacity to do something: to create wealth, jobs, to support our schools, clinics, churches, orphanages, youth groups etc. It just takes one person with an idea.

As the French poet, Victor Hugo said, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come. MHT is an idea that is worth trying wherever your home town maybe.

Thank you for joining us tonight.

Thankyou our viewers.

POLICE MOTORISED ESCORTS: WHO IS ENTITLED?

IN 2008, a debate ensued whether a minister or a private citizens could be accorded a motorised police escort outside the President and the Vice-president of the Republic of Zambia.

This was after media reports that some ministers had been using motorised police escorts emerged and sparked a public e debate in 2008

History seems it is cheeky in repeating itself and 14 years later, the debate has repeated itself now on a private citizen.

The then Chief Government spokesperson late Kennedy Sakeni guided as follows:

The people entitled to motorised police escorts are the President and Vice President and [foreign signatories]

All ministers are not entitled and this can be traced from the independence days to date but it sometimes happens especially for the Defence and Home Affairs ministers when need arises*

That motorised escorts are only exclusive to the Republican President and Vice-President, while ministers can access the privilege in some circumstances when ministers sometimes request for escorts, in view of their tight schedules. That any minister can ask and police can help to rush them through traffic.

A motorised escort is a convoy of motor vehicles carrying very important persons and security personnel

That It was normal once in a while for a minister to be escorted but not on a permanent basis. It is simply an administrative matter and it should not be connected to anything.

However, the people entitled to motorised escorts are the President and Vice President, but it sometimes happens especially for the Defence and Home Affairs ministers when need arises.

That any minister can however also make arrangements for motorised escort, with the Inspector General of Police depending on the urgency of the trip.

That motorised escorts also apply to ordinary citizens during funeral processions.

Motorised escorts happens at the discretion of the Inspector General of Police and depending on the urgency of the matter, just like in some cases of funerals.

With this guidance, we can not dissect this public debate whether the motorised escort accorded the private individual recently was in order or not going by the rules of the game.

I submit

McDonald Chipenzi

By Dr Lubinda Haabazoka

I hope now you understand why you need to make your own Zambians rich. When your Zambian citizens are rich, they concentrate on their own country! They bank their money in Zambia and donate in Zambia.

Just like Ndambo we have the GBMs, the Milupis, the Sikutwa’s, we had the Kavindeles, the Matanis and many others I don’t want to mention in order to insulate them from petty jealous. These are the people we need to concentrate on. We need to ensure that they become more rich so that we create generational wealth that will help build Zambia. We also need to concentrate on upcoming entrepreneurs and Zambians. Nurture them into becoming solid business people.

At the moment even government policy distracts wealth creation. The many taxes, fees and other charges you need to pay as a business is too much! The corporate income tax for small businesses is just too high! If we are serious, we can reduce income tax for companies with a turnover of less than a million dollars to 10%!

Let us concentrate on speaking about wealth creation rather than politics! If we are so passionate about fighting corruption with so many institutions created for the same, why can’t we be so passionate about fighting poverty and wealth creation? Why can’t we have the Anti poverty commission of Zambia? The Wealth Creation Commission of Zambia alongside the current CEEC?

We are so obsessed with destroying rather than building! The best way to fight poverty and corruption is to make things available and easy for citizens! Maybe people get corrupt because they can’t get things genuinely coz of stiff foreign competition? Let’s make it easy for everyone to tender! Zambians can provide services to government but when you look at tender documents, they can be 500 pages!!! In the absence of resources no one will bid or people will be forced to do shortcuts! Let’s make things easy for everyone! If everything is done online and with no queues, you remove corruption!

For me I don’t care who becomes rich. Tonga, Bemba, Lamba, PF, UPND or Socialist. If they are Zambian, let them be rich. In times that the country needs help, these are the people that will step in. So government should not shy away from empowering its people! A Zambian is a Zambian! Even if it’s carders they empower it’s ok! Those carders are Zambians and it means less burden on Zambian coffers when citizens becomes economically independent!

So now if we had harnessed wealth among Zambians, these tuma KCM would have been running under Zambian ownership. Deliberately creating wealth amongst citizens is very important! What is wrong is when only a few are eating while the rest are just watching on TV!

I receive a lot of queries from people asking me to connect them with anyone who can help them. Zambians are ready to work. All they lack in most cases is capital and a bit of skills on how to run businesses!

I would rather we hold business trainings in constituencies and wards! Now government says that they will be giving out CDF as seed capital. How many cooperatives are being trained in tuning businesses? Let’s not assume that one can just wake up and run a business! Business can be difficult especially is run by people in a cooperative who have come together not because it was their own idea but it is a condition to get money.

Let’s have mature discourse without emotions. Less on the talk and more on the actions! Even a Ndambo beauty pageant sure has to be political? This democracy has become a curse to this country! No wonder Kaunda scrapped it!!! Bushe when are we going to be serious aii???

One day Zambia will be tired of us and tell us to leave it for a bit because our behaviour does not add up!!!!

Enjoy your Sunday

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BUT PLAY CATCH UP AND BALANCE UP

By Koswe Editors
We have noted a few PF bitter losers not being happy with some Zambian citizens who have been asked to serve Zambia to the best of their abilities.

Ten (10) months ago, these Zambians could not walk with their heads up because they were being called cows and that they were all UPND when in fact not. Thanks to Koswe and all normal Zambians who stood up and voted out the corrupt PF thieves who nearly plunged this country into chaos and made people who intermarried start worrying about their conjugal rights.

Koswe hates tribalism and this is why we keep exposing it’s ugly tail whenever we see it as we saw it during PF.

Ask around and hear how the Bantu-Botatwe speaking people could be ridiculed in these government offices including in the streets mainly because bitter tribalist and merchant of hatred Fred Namakando M’membe together with his PF had branded these Zambians as such.

Just take a look at this list below and see how PF was running government but under Hakainde Hichilema, this is not the case.

If the Head of government Body is from a marginalised region, then the deputy is from the self acclaimed powerful region. This is meant to unite the country which Edgar and his fellow losers divided.

If anything, the Zambians being accused of being given opportunities now, deserve even better but Hakainde has made it clear that he is a President for all Zambians and anyone who commits a crime, then gets jailed on their own.

Why is it that these PF bitter losers and tribalists don’t complain when RTSA, ZRA and several other Ministries have Zambians from the same regions are theirs but it is an issue when someone from another is given an opportunity?

This country belongs to all Zambians and all Zambians deserve to work in government and not a select few.

PF had destroyed this country. Go in these public offices and hear how PF losers are bitter and how they have continued humiliating fellow Zambians. You cannot like it. Not even Koswe.

In fact, Zambia was fast stopping to use English as its official language as one and only that PF preferred language was being used and should they hear you use another language, conclusions were that you are a UPND cadre. These monsters destroyed homes. They destroyed relationships but thank God, the youths said NO, to their (PF) nonsense.

So, there is nothing wrong to appoint fellow Zambians into these jobs especially that they are playing catch up with the PF nonsense. As the case is now. In terms of balancing by scale ⚖️. It is four (4) directors against one (1) and the four are PF and picked by PF using their tribal lenses and 1 is from the other parts of Zambia. This ratio must be broken to a level where all the five (5) should at least be drawn from 5 different regions or provinces and we hope that these people in these places will see this as they follow HH’S vision of uniting and equating everyone.

PF bitter losers must be ashamed that during their time, the only qualification for a promotion or getting a government contract was by being a PF thug or from one or two regions only. Be ashamed and even you who PF left in these offices, be ashamed that you couldn’t and you continue not to embrace other regions except yourselves.

Just like Jonas Shakafuswa says: This is not your mother’s country alone but all Zambians and anyone given an opportunity to work for the country must be allowed to do so because Hakainde Hichilema said that the first qualification is being Zambian and not Tanzanian like Emmanuel Mwamba whose true surname is Muamba.

Koswe: Investigations only! Silelo tayamba!

If you have not read it on Koswe then it’s FAKE News.

Information and Media Minister Chushi Kasanda was on Thursday summoned to State House and accused of leaking information over some Cabinet Ministers planning to resign.

On Wednesday, Lusaka Times exclusively revealed that several Cabinet Ministers are unhappy with President Hichilema’s style of running government affairs and were planning to quit.

The Ministers who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that President Hichilema is micromanaging all aspects of government including appointments to parastatal boards and foreign service even for junior roles such as Press Attaché.

The exposé infuriated State House prompting an investigation on who could have leaked the information.

The investigation narrowed down to Ms. Kasanda as the female Minister who was referred to in the article.

Ms. Kasanda was then summoned by President Hakainde Hichilema Principal Private Secretary Bradford Machila who expressed displeasure over the story.

Mr. Machila directed that Ms. Kasanda exculpates herself over the allegations that she is the Minister who leaked the story.

He also directed her to issue a statement refuting the story.

Highly placed sources within State House revealed that Ms. Kasanda arrived at State House on Thursday around 11:00 Hours and went to meet Mr. Machila in his office for over an hour.

The source have since challenged Mr. Machila to deny if he did not meet Ms. Kasanda on Thursday and publicly deny directing her to exculpate herself and refute the story.

“The story caused a lot of anxiety within here (State House) leading to Brad(Bradford Machila) summoning Chushi (Ms. Kasanda). They believe she is the one who spoke to Lusaka Times and she was really told off. Brad asked her to exculpate herself and told her to issue a statement refuting the story,” the source said.

“What made them believe it was Chushi is because of the link to her gender and the fact that the Ministers who complained mentioned the issue of Press Attaché especially that she has confronted Boss (President Hichilema) over those appointments, so it was easier for Brad to conclude that it was Chushi when Infact Cabinet has four female Ministers and most of them are not happy serving there,” the source added.

On Friday, Ms. Kasanda at a press briefing refuted the story that several Ministers are unhappy with President Hichilema and are planning to resign.

She stated that Cabinet is united and that there is noting wrong with a leader micromanaging affairs as long as results are showing.- Lusaka Times

Thabo Kawana writes

WE MUST ASPIRE TO PRACTICE PATRIOTISM AND RESPONSIBLE USE OF MEDIA AT ALL TIMES.

Watching the live broadcast of Miss My Home Town held in Choma last night into early morning, I noticed two things that caught my attention and took me aback.

In his speech, My Home Town Chairperson Mr James Ndambo made reference to two aspects.

One: That the Zambian Government fired four nurses for twerking, that is unfactual and far from the truth. The fact is that the said nurses were student nurses who where expelled by their institution for posting a video of themselves twerking on social media but got reinstated immediately at the intervention of the Minister.

Two: The Chairperson then said he would pay the said nurses and sponsor them to a country where people are free since in Zambia, we are not free. It is a no brainer that Zambians are now more free to speak, criticize, protest and democratically participate in the Governance of their country under this New Dawn Administration.

Now, this is rather unfortunate, unfounded and a pure misrepresentation of our beautiful country. The impression given by those unfortunate remarks painted our country black to millions of viewers across the world that where watching. The impression given was that our Nurses are playful at work and engage in activities such as twerking and that our Government is so inhumane that they fired nurses for such and also that there is no freedom in our country hence repatriating our citizens to other countries that practice freedom as we don’t.

It is wrong for those of our citizens leaving in diaspora and have renounced their citizenship to this country to state such especially without tested truth or fact.

It is therefore incumbent upon all of us as citizens of our country including those that have renounced their citizenship to practice patriotism and responsible use of media by desisting from bringing our country’s reputation into disrepute unfairly and unnecessarily so.

It will be good for the Organization, My Home Town to apologize and retract the sentiments expressed by their Chairperson and set the record straight.

The essence of the “My Home Town” concept is to promote our home towns hence our country and not misrepresent our Nation.

Thabo Kawana

Death row inmate asks for execution delay so he can donate kidney
An American prisoner whose execution was scheduled to take place in less than two weeks requested that it be postponed so that he may donate a kidney.

Ramiro Gonzales will be put to death by lethal injection on July 13 for the 2001 shooting death of Bridget Townsend, an 18-year-old from southwest Texas, whose remains were discovered over two years later.

Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann, Gonzales’ attorneys, requested a 30-day pardon from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter so that the prisoner might be considered a living donor “to someone who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.”

His attorneys also made a separate request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a 180-day reprieve related to the kidney donation.

In their request to Abbott, Gonzales’ attorneys included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, an ordained Jewish clergyman from Maryland who has been corresponding with Gonzales.

Death row inmate asks for execution delay so he can donate kidney
“There has been no doubt in my mind that Ramiro’s desire to be an altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution. I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God,” Zoosman wrote.

Gonzales’ attorneys say he’s been determined to be an “excellent candidate” for donation after being evaluated by the transplant team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The evaluation found Gonzales has a rare blood type, meaning his donation could benefit someone who might have difficulty finding a match.

“Virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiro’s kidney. UTMB has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month,” Posel and Schonemann wrote to Abbott.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice policies allow inmates to make organ and tissue donations.

Agency spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said Gonzales was deemed ineligible after making a request to be a donor earlier this year. She did not give a reason, but Gonzales’ lawyers said in their letter that the agency objected because of the pending execution date.

Gonzales’ attorneys also made a separate request asking the board to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.

They also asked that his execution not proceed if his spiritual adviser isn’t allowed to both hold his hand and place another hand on his heart during his execution.

A federal trial on the latter request was set to begin on Tuesday, July 5.

Gonzales, an inmaten with seventh-grade education, was convicted of fatally shooting 18-year-old Bridget Townsend when he was 18. Her remains were not found for two years.