The Candidates’ Comment

The International Women’s Day which falls today on the 08th March is not a creation of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). This is a day that recognizes the importance women play in societies world over and seek to foster gender balance. This is not a day created by any political party. Observing this day should not be conditioned to how one is relating to those in power. We must celebrate this day because we have an obligation as society to creating an environment that has no class of gender.

We agree with Chishimba Kambwili over his remarks concerning the decision of the Patriotic Front (PF) to boycott observing and celebrating this day. There is no sense in what the PF have decided to do – to stay away from celebrating Women’s Day for whatever reasons they have highlighted. We all know that PF themselves spent their entire time castigating, demonizing Hakainde Hichilema and his party for staying away from State functions for whatever reasons. For the sake of clarity, Hakainde never attended state functions because each time he did so, it was an opportunity for the PF to harass, ridicule and harm him. His supporters were beaten and shot by thugs of the PF. Clearly, Hakainde had enough and genuine reasons to stay away. In fact, when Kenneth Kaunda died and during his funeral processions, Hakainde was barred from attending. We all saw how he watched the entire program through a television at his house. That was PF for you.

Today, the PF are mostly free to do their things despite the ill treatment they gave to Hakainde while he was in opposition. Yes, there are still sporadic incidents of violence and hostility against PF by some overzealous UPND thugs, but overall, the situation is far much better than it was under PF. There is no security risk for any senior PF member to attend these state functions.

When you look at the reasons that Nickson Chilangwa has catalogued which necessitates them staying away from observing Women’s Day, clearly the PF are not being honest. They are crying against the same things they themselves meted out against Hakainde and his party. Did they treat Hakainde differently and better than they want to be treated today? The answer is categorical no. The PF could allow all other opposition parties to be part of them but they could not allow Hakainde and his supporters to freely attend state functions.

It is very clear that these elements in the so-called PF central committee are useless and must be done away with by those who care to save their party. There is no sane person who agrees with their decision. Of course, what can you expect from elements who are the very reason why the PF is not in power? Look at them very carefully. The PF central committee is comprised of characters that played very active roles in the government of Edgar Lungu which was rejected and voted against by Zambians. We all know that Zambians can’t ever trust these characters again but because they are foolish, greedy and lack a sense of self evaluation, they still want to hold on to positions within the party. Where can that senseless, rotten central committee even take PF?

If PF wants to survive from the destructive path it is currently on, all central committee members must leave their positions willingly and they should go for free elections presided over by an independent body to choose new bearers of their highest organ. The people in the PF central committee were all hand-picked by Edgar. Their relevance, their significance ended with Edgar. The loss of the PF in the August 2021 elections is their legacy. Let them leave.

We believe – and we know the majority people agree with us – that, the decision by these PF elements to stay away from celebrating state functions for whatever petty reasons they have championed is nothing but nonsense.

ECONOMIC PLANS: THE PROBLEM IS NOT LACK OF PLANS BUT POOR IMPLEMENTATION!

By Alexander Nkosi

Our economic challenges cannot be blamed on lack of plans, we have produced very good plans, spelling out how to address our challenges. These are excellent documents produced by competent experts. These plans are developed by technocrats with wide consultation from both internal stakeholders and external experts. The biggest challenge is poor implementation, poor tracking of implementation, and lack of wide sharing of progress and impact results.

In Zambia, we have the vision 2030 developed by technocrats under the MMD regime. We have national development plans that are more detailed and feed into vision 2030. We have sectoral policies and strategies. We have annual budgets which are estimates of revenue and expenditure. The budget funds operations and programmes that are drawn from objectives in the national development plan. There is a medium term projection of revenue and expenditure called the medium term expenditure framework.

When there is change of government, it is not every plan and policy that needs changing. In most cases, all you need to do is to implement better. The PF regime did not develop vision 2030, it simply worked with what was developed by technocrats under MMD. When you look at 6th and 7th national development plans, these were very good documents, had they been implemented well, we would be much better. There was actually no need for economic recovery plans, we only needed to implement national development plans better. It can actually be argued that Zambia plus and the economic recovery plan were more of political tools to calm people down in view of deteriorating economic fundamentals such as high debt, depreciating kwacha and rising inflation. Before we got results of Zambia plus, we were given the economic recovery plan. What was the problem with Zambia plus that necessitated the change? What did we actually achieve with Zambia plus? Did anything change after introducing the economic recovery plan? Not at all! If anything, economic fundamentals worsened as we ended up with $12.9 billion external debt, K189.7 billion domestic debt and K46.9 billion domestic arrears. When you critically analyse the two recovery plans, you actually see that they talk about almost the same things.

Do we need more hastily done economic recovery plans or we just need a good debt management strategy and national development plan backed by good budgets? Good implementation, tracking of progress and communication of results are key!

Our debt management strategy hinges on the outcome of IMF deal and debt restructuring negotiations. This will give us a clear picture of how much space we will have and how we will progress while gravitating towards concessional borrowing to ensure we don’t find ourselves choked by huge debt service outlays. With regards to the IMF deal, we have staff level agreement and our debt restructuring discussions commence in a few months.

We also have a draft 8th national development plan in place which has been reviewed to align it to the UPND manifesto and whose objectives and conceptual orientation is already influencing our national budget and implementation of programmes. Policies are being reviewed for consistency, alignment and assessment of progress.

In conclusion, what we need to emphasise is good communication of plans, implementation and tracking of results. There is need for a very strong national monitoring and evaluation system. Without a good monitoring and evaluation system, we won’t know what is going well, what isn’t going well, course correction and effective communication of results. This should either be under state house or office of the vice President or even under cabinet office. If left under ministry of finance as a department, it will be subdued and lose the independence required to make it effective.

Thank you.

“THIS IS WHAT YOU PROMISED YOURSELVES NOT ME”

Praise Singers, where are you?

By Gabriel Nsofwa

That is what you promised, it’s not me. Let me repeat myself, I’m not expecting the government to fix everything in a short period, my argument is based on the decisions you have made so far.

The decisions you have made so far are contrary to what you promised.

You promised to bring down the price of fuel immediately after forming government but you increased it from where you found it (K17) to almost K22. Even if we are to give you time what method are you going to use to bring down the price of fuel from K22 where it is now to K12 which you promised?

What method are you going to use to bring down the price of mealie meal from over K170 to K50 which you promised? You procured fertilizer at a very exorbitant price, what is your excuse?

You said immediately you form government you will do away with students loans, what did you mean by immediately? Did you mean after two years?

You promised to bring down the cost of electricity but you are thinking about increasing it, since you are asking about time, when are you going to bring it down?

I have told you that Ministers have not shifted into government houses so that we can save housing allowance (K11, 200 each per month) and yet you are talking about reducing debts.

You have made 11 (12) International trips in 6 months a thing you strongly condemned, what time do you need here?

You are talking about reducing debt and yet you want to go and borrow money from IMF so what method are you going to use to reduce debts when you will be required to pay back the loan?

Toll fees have been increased, road tax has been increased. There are no drugs in hospitals, when you go to hospital you will be greeted with a prescription. What time do you need to procure drugs in hospitals when you have been in power for more than 6 months now? Do you need a year to procure drugs in hospitals?

You promised to increase salaries for civil servants by K1, 500 across the board but you gave them 12%, should civil servants wait for another increment? You promised to sustain the Debt Swap but you have removed it.

In short, you are increasing instead of reducing that’s where my concern is. If the prices were maintained, yes, I could have agreed with you that you need time to work on it.

Stop stoning officers or be ready for hospital admission, cop warns Livingstone resident

POLICE have warned Livingstone’s Zambezi Sawmills residents to stop stoning officers on duty or should prepare themselves for admission to hospital with a possibility of being extended to heaven via the mortuary.

But Livingstone district commissioner Eunice Nawa says under the UPND government, the Zambia Police needs to work hard to redeem itself from the bad perception that is associated with the men and women in uniform.

Speaking at the Zambia Police Day held at the main post office on Friday, Livingstone police officer commanding Timothy Kashinakazhi thanked Livingstone residents who have been giving the police information with regards criminals.

“Allow me once more to sound a stern warning to those who are in the habit of stoning police officers in Sawmills each time officers are carrying out their duties in the area with immediate effect. You should stop or else be ready to be admitted to [Livingstone] Central Hospital with a possibility of being extended to heaven via the mortuary,” he warned.

“I know Human Rights [Commission] will not be happy but there should be no area that is a no go area. Police will use minimum force on anyone seen stoning police officers and you know what that means. No area should be a no go area for police officers. Be careful, your days are numbered.”

And Kashinakazhi said police started celebrating their day about six years ago to enable the community to feel free to interact with them.

He said the day helps the community to understand the police’s functions and also for the officers to have confidence in members of the public.

“We need to work as a team and not in isolation,” Kashinakazhi said.

He appealed to members of the community to provide credible information to police so that criminals can be flushed out.

Kashinakazhi urged police officers not to charge citizens for services such as police bond and medical reports.

“I wish to encourage members of the public each time you visit our police stations and posts to report to my command anything you feel is short of professionalism to my office because as police in Livingstone we are in a hurry to rebuild relationship with members of the public,” said Kashinakazhi.
“Accessing police bond is free to bondable offences inclusive of medical reports. Hence if any of my officers asks you to pay a fee for police bond you quickly report to my office and the officer will be disciplined.”

And Nawa, in a speach read on behalf by her administrative officer Hellen Mwanza, said the theme of the event: ‘Police and the community together we can rebuild our relationship for a better tomorrow’ could not have come at any better time as the police and community need each other.

“The theme is designed for the Zambia Police to check, amend, correct and restore the lost public confidence to the community and members of the public they serve,” she said. “That means that the police have a task under the new dawn government to work hard to redeeming itself from the bad perception that is associated with the men and women in uniform.”

Nawa urged the police service to advance technologically to be able to arrest criminals who are technologically advancing in their criminal activities.

Credit: The Mast

PF BOYCOTTS CELEBRATIONS

I wish to inform members of the Patriotic Front and the general public that the Central Committee of the Patriotic Front this afternoon met to deliberate on a number of critical issues affecting the Party and the nation. The meeting was chaired by the Party’s Acting President, Hon. Given Lubinda.

I wish to report that the Central Committee did not manage to exhaust all the agenda items for today’s meeting and thus adjourned the meeting to a later date to be announced soon.

The following are some of the key issues that the Central Committee resolved:

1. YOUTH DAY AND WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS

The Patriotic Front wishes to reiterate that it extols the commemoration of all national holidays and national events as demonstrated by the importance we attached to these holidays and events throughout our 10 years in office.

Youth Day which falls on the 12th of March each year is an important holiday that highlights the importance of the youth to the country on the anniversary of the disturbances in 1962 that resulted in the deaths of young Zambians during the nation’s turbulent journey to independence.

Equally the International Women’s day which falls on March 8th is a special day that is normally used to celebrate women and to also highlight some of the challenges that our womenfolk face. The day can also be used to craft ways to promote gender equality in a bid to create a fair and just society devoid of gender bias.

It is therefore sad to note that barely 6 months after assuming office, the UPND is driving Zambia back to the very evils that we fought against, 58 years ago during the struggle for independence. The UPND regime is fast eroding the gains we had achieved as a nation to ensure enhanced participation and equal opportunity for our women and youths in all facets of our social, political and economic life of our country.

The UPND has completely ignored our youths and women and have relegated them to the tail-end of the social, political and economic strata. President Hakainde Hichilema has systematically excluded our women and youths from critical governance issues by deliberately sidelining them as far as appointments to key government positions is concerned.

With his failure to deal with the economy, the President and his government are pushing our youths and women further into an abyss of poverty and desperation as unemployment, cost of living and lack of business opportunities and lack of empowerment are steadily on the rise.

At Party level, the UPND regime has continued with its policy of harassment and persecution of PF members; many of our women and youths today are either in incarceration, in hiding or are facing various trumped up charges and have become victims of harassment and intimidation by the state’s investigative wings.

For the reasons highlighted above, I wish to announce to the nation that as Patriotic Front we will not take part in marching or any government planned activities on Women’s and Youth days respectively; instead we will use these days to galvanise our women and youths across the country to do community service in their various localities.

As a Party we want to send a clear message to President Hichilema and his government that we are displeased and gravely concerned with the manner in which his administration is abusing the rights of our members and how his failure to provide a clear Economic Plan is worsening the poverty levels and the suffering of our people.

2. EXPANSION OF PARTY STRUCTURES

Following the approval by the previous meeting of the Central Committee to expand the size of all our Party structures from the Central Committee down to the Wards from 24 to 72 members per committee and from 54 to 80 members for the Central Committee, I wish to report to our members and the party leadership that the Central Committee today approved the composition and the manner in which all the party structures shall be created.

3. APPOINTMENT OF PORTFOLIO CHAIRPERSONS

Article 59 of the PF constitution provides for the creation of various sub-committees of the Central Committee such as the Information and Publicity, Agriculture, Elections, Women, Youth committees and so on and so forth to assist the Central Committee in the management and administration of the Party.

I wish to report that the Central Committee has today given the Party leadership authority to come up with names of persons to be appointed as Chairpersons of the various sub-committees of the Central Committee for ratification by the Central Committee.

4. APPOINTMENT OF THE LUSAKA PROVINCIAL COMMITTEE

Following the dissolution of the PF Lusaka Provincial Committee on 2nd December, 2021, I wish to report that the Central Committee today gave authority to the Party leadership to appoint an interim Lusaka Provincial Committee that will be ratified by the Central Committee in its next sitting.

The Central Committee will soon reconvene at a date to be announced to resolve all the other matters that could not be resolved today.

Thank you.

Issued by
Hon Nickson Chilangwa, MCC, MP, AIH
Acting Secretary General
Patriotic Front

*NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS POWERS TO SUMMON, ORDER, INVITE ANY PERSON TO ANSWER OR APPEAR BEFORE IT OR ITS COMMITTEE AND HAS POWER TO CHARGE ANY PERSON.

I have read some SENTIMENTS arguing that NATIONAL ASSEMBLY has no POWERS to SUMMON anyone who is not a member of Parliament.

This is in reaction to my earlier post on the need for Cde Chanda Kabwe and Raphael Nakacinda to Cooperate with the Assembly or a committee

To the contrary to those sentiments, the National Assembly (Powers and Privilege) Amendment Act No. 13 of 2016 read together with the principal Act of 1965 empowers the Assembly to summon, order, invite any person to appear before the Assembly or a committee and also inquire into offences and met a charge on any person.

Section 9 A stresses that; Subject to the Constitution, the Assembly has the POWER and JURISDICTION necessary to inquire into an act or omission, matter or thing, amounting to contempt of Parliament contrary and or in contravention of standing Orders and rules of parliamentary practice and procedure

Section 10 guides that the Assembly or a Committee may order a person to attend and or appear before it while Section 11 empowers the Assembly or a committee to summon any person.

Failure to respond to the summons attracts a penalty under section 11 A which startes; A person summoned by the Assembly or a committee who fails without reasonable cause to attend before the Assembly or the Committee at the time and place specified in the summons commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding ten Thousand penalty units or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both

Section 28(4) further guides that if a person commits contempt of Parliament, the Speaker shall order that person to appear before the Assembly and the Speaker shall, upon attendance admonish or reprimand the persons at the Bar of the Assembly…the case of Antonio Mwanza and Lovemore Kanyama.

Lastly, section 28 C instructs that the proceedings for an offence against the Assembly may be instituted by the Assembly ordering the accused person to answer a charge or appear before the Assembly or a committee

Further the section stresses that if the person summoned fails, without reasonable cause, to answer to the charge or appear before the Assembly or a committee, the Assembly or a committee may proceed to determine the matter

From the foregoing and my engage with cdes Raphael Nakacinda and Chanda Kabwe, it is clear that the National Assembly or a committee is in order to summon them.

However, with Cde Kabwe, he contends that no letter of invitation or summon has been submitted to him in accordance with section 28C(2) which states that the order summoning a person to answer a charge or appear before the Assembly or a committee shall be signed by the Clerk, and personally served on the person summoned, with particulars, in writing, of the matter constituting the alleged office

For cde Raphael Mangani Nakacinda, he has been served with the summons but declares his unavailability to appear before the Assembly or a committee.

The law is clear and it is up those summoned to respect The law or breach it and face the consequences.

I submit

McDonald Chipenzi

Last week, the United Nations General Assembly, reflecting the entirety of the UN membership, held an Emergency Special Session on a resolution condemning the aggressive Russian assault on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We, the Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Zambia of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States commend Zambia for voting in support of the resolution, and for the intervention of its Representative to help persuade others to do so.

Zambia’s vote demonstrates leadership arising from its unique role and history in this region and its long engagement in the United Nations and other international fora. The adoption of the resolution reflects overwhelming support for the rules-based international order and for the tenets of the UN Charter, which form the basis for peaceful co-existence among States. It represents a rejection of attempts to change international borders by force, and a clear signal of support for democracies in the face of threats and violence by autocratic regimes, wherever they may be.

To quote the UN Secretary General: “The UN Charter has been challenged in the past, but it has stood firm on the side of peace, security, development, justice, international law and human rights. The adoption of this resolution underlines the statements made by governments around the world, and echoes those made by the African Union, the European Union, the G7 governments, and many other organizations.

We acknowledge the bravery of the citizens of Ukraine in defending their country and the courage of Russian citizens who are protesting at home against President Putin’s war on Ukraine. Many governments have now established sanctions targeted at President Putin and the decision-makers who surround him. The breadth of international condemnation reflects the seriousness of this challenge to global peace and order: from the withdrawal of major investments by private sector firms to Russian athletes being banned from participating in international sporting competitions, and the suspension of many other marquee social and cultural events.

As diplomats, we know the importance of assisting our citizens abroad. We commend the Government of Zambia for its strong focus on ensuring the safety of the approximately 140 Zambians who were in Ukraine when the invasion began. They are mostly young people, aiming for a brighter future through their studies. Russia’s war of aggression has now ruined their immediate plans. We sincerely hope it has not eliminated their plans for a better life. We are proud of the diplomatic efforts by our governments to assist in their safe passage home.

We also acknowledge the range of responses in Zambian society to President Putin’s war against Ukraine: sympathy with the victims; sadness at the scale and nature of the violence; resolute solidarity with a fellow State under tremendous pressure from an outside aggressor. At the same time there is some ambivalence. In the context of the Global South, which has faced many violent conflicts and refugee flows, the calls for solidarity with the victims of the present crisis may also have given rise to a wish among some Zambians to remain focused on issues closer to home, and not on the struggles of nations far afield.

We acknowledge these sentiments. The challenges of building prosperity for Zambian citizens, and ensuring their economic security, health, and well-being deserve the full attention of the Zambian Government. However, Zambia’s role as an example of democracy and peace in the region, its security as a State, attraction as a place of investment, and ability to educate, care for, and foster the success of its citizens, depends deeply on the stability that the international rules-based order has provided for most of the last 70+ years.

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda in 1973 laid out Zambia’s foreign policy principles: “Our first question is not who has done it, but is this right, is this fair, is it just? If the answer is no, no matter who has done it we shall condemn him and the action he has taken.”

Speaking clearly in support of Ukraine, in support of the UN Charter, in support of the rules-based international order is both our duty and is a long-term investment to maintain a collective, peaceful future, both in Zambia and all over the world. It is a watershed moment in the history of international relations, and we congratulate the Government and people of Zambia for speaking up for their future, and indeed, all our futures.

The Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Zambia of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States

By Kombe Mataka

FORMER Lusaka Province minister Bowman Lusambo says he is writing back to IMF to acknowledge the Fund’s response to his letter and challenge them to disclose the contents of the IMF bailout programme for Zambia.

The IMF chief of delegation to Zambia Holland Alison has written back to Lusambo advising him to read the published contents of the IMF programme for Zambia staff level agreement which is in public domain.

“(IMF) they know that Zambians won’t agree with the contents that are in that agreement. That is why they are failing to give us the full information based on the agreement they have with the government. The same IMF is trying to challenge the lenders like China that ‘you have to come and give full disclosure of the loans you have with Zambia’ but they have failed to disclose the simple information I asked for,” he said.

“So far, us, we will call them hypocrites because what they are telling me it’s not different from what they want to get from China. For me, I am writing back to them to firstly acknowledge receipt of the letter and insist that there should be disclosure of the IMF deal.”

Lusambo said he would also invite the IMF to show the institution the aftermath of the 1990’s IMF programme in Zambia.

“We want to show them the effects of aftermath of IMF. The situation we have in our country right now. It is not politics. We want to understand the real contents of the agreement because the aftermath is there for everyone to see. It was a flop. It is misery. We have more street kids on our roads. We have more unplanned settlements, shanty compounds. A lot of bad memories. IMF has never worked in our country. If they care why didn’t they just tell us to invest in farming, fish farming and forestry for you to come out of the financial problem,” he said.

“But those are business people that is why I call them witches. They know that what they are doing will kill the people of Zambia but they don’t care. All they care about is the benefit they are getting. This is the same IMF that wanted to buy all the mines in Zambia as a single unit until (president Frederick) Chiluba put his foot down and told then finance minister Edith Nawakwi that ‘we should not privatise the mines as a single unit’. So how can we trust them today?”

Lusambo said his fight against the IMF package was not political but in the interest of Zambians.

“It is not my fight. It is the fight for Zambians. So my appeal to Zambians is let us stand up and be counted,” said Lusambo.

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kakubo has assured the nation that 114 Zambians leaving Ukraine will be flown into the country by Friday this week.

And the Minister has disclosed that out of 141 Zambians, 27 have opted to remain in Ukraine having integrated in that country’s society over a number of years.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday when he gave a ministerial statement, Mr Kakubo said currently government has evacuated safely out of Ukraine 80 Zambians who are accommodated in a conducive facility in Warsaw where they have been provided with food, and other necessities.

“Our students were being facilitated mainly out of lviv, where a bus organised by the Zambian government would take them to the polish border at Hrebenne. all our nationals have been facilitated through the border formalities before being taken to join their colleagues in Warsaw, Poland,”he said.

Mr Kakubo said a few students have also self-evacuated through other countries including Hungary and Romania.

“Our staff have safely guided one student from Hungary to Poland while the other has communicated that he is safe and is joining a relative who lives in Hungary.
there are 5 of our nationals who opted not to register for evacuation and have found their way into Romania,” Mr Kakubo said.

He explained that Zambians yet to be evacuated, are one who is in lviv, and has been guided to board a train directly to Warsaw while three are in Kharkiv.

Mr Kakubo said arrangements remain in place to facilitate their evacuation.

He said 14 nationals are in transit from different parts of Ukraine towards the border and efforts are ongoing to facilitate their evacuation.

“We have, madame speaker, 14 of our students that are in the city of Sumy, located on the western side of Ukraine, very close to the Russian border. unfortunately, they have been unable to leave the city because throughout this period, Sumy has been one of the most risky areas security wise, with extremely restricted movements in the area,” he said

The Minister said government continues to engage the government of the Russian Federation, to request their assistance to facilitate the safe passage of Zambians through Russia.

He adds that the Zambian staff in Moscow have ascertained that all the 14 students are well and are being provided with the enough food and water.

He further said the situation in Ukraine has been difficult and complex and throughout the exercise.

“We have been faced with various challenges including the following: our nationals, opting not to use government organised transport, and as such having to be dropped off 20 kilometers from the border, there are multiple security checkpoints that all people fleeing Ukraine have to get through be fore reaching the border,” he said.

He has assured the country that government will continue to work tirelessly, to ensure that Zambians are evacuated and brought safely back home.

(Mwebantu)

PRESS RELEASE BY THE MINISTER OF GREEN ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT ON THE UPCOMING MEETING OF THE AFRICAN GROUP OF NEGOTIATORS (AGN) ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN LIVINGSTONE FROM 14TH TO 17TH MARCH 2022

LUSAKA, Sunday, 6th March, 2022

The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment is pleased to announce that the Government of the Republic of Zambia will host the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on climate change in Livingstone from 14th to 17th March 2022.

The AGN is a Group of Government representatives of the 54 African countries who spearhead the negotiations on climate change to ensure that the continent speaks with one voice during the negotiations. Zambia is the current Chair of the Group. Zambia assumed the chairmanship at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021 for a two-year period and will lead the continental Group until 2023. Therefore, the country has the responsibility to coordinate the Group and ensure that it is well prepared for all climate engagements, especially during the forthcoming 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.

The Livingstone meeting is the first step towards these preparations. The main focus of this AGN meeting will be to review the outcome of COP-26 and start identifying Africa’s priorities for the forthcoming Conference in Egypt. The meeting is largely a closed-door session, especially the first two days. However, the official opening on Wednesday 16th March, 2022 will be open to the media and other invited guests.

The Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Hon. Eng. Collins Nzovu, MP, and the Minister of Southern Province Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa, MP, will officially open the meeting on Wednesday, 16th March, 2022. The Government of the United Kingdom, as COP-26 President, and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, as the incoming President of COP-27, and other speakers will deliver remarks at the official opening of the AGN meeting.

The AGN meeting will bring together experts from all 54 countries, organisations that partner with the AGN and other entities that work on climate change matters in Africa. Some of the organisations to be represented at the meeting will include the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), among others.
To ensure that Zambia effectively carries out its chairmanship mandate, a team of local climate change experts has been put together to support the AGN chairperson, Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, who is also Director for the Department of Green Economy and Climate Change in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment. Mr. Shitima will preside over the meeting in Livingstone and will be supported by this team of experts.

Further, the Government assembled a Local Organising Committee that is comprised of relevant Government Departments, representatives of civil society, and financial institutions, among others, to prepare for this meeting. The Committee has undertaken various steps, especially to ensure that the meeting is held in adherence to pandemic Health and Safety Protocols. A dedicated Sub-Committee on health, chaired by the Ministry of Health, has undertaken inspections of the venue and other facilities in Livingstone to ensure that all precautionary measures are in place.

It is important that Zambia excellently carries out the chairmanship mandate for the benefit of the continent and contribute to the positive outcome at the COP27 in Egypt, which has been dubbed: the African COP.

The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment wishes to acknowledge and thank various partner organisations including UNEP, WWF Zambia, Stanbic Bank, ZANACO, ABSA Bank, the British High Commission and the Red Cross Society of Zambia, among others, for their logistical and material support.

We urge Zambians, especially residents of Livingstone, to extend their usual warm reception to our guests from across the continent.

By Alexander Nkosi

Fuel is a very important commodity. Movements in fuel prices affect everyone. Even if you don’t own a vehicle or travel the whole year, you will either consume food, wear clothes or use agriculture inputs that are transported from one place to another. An increase in fuel prices increases transportation costs and prices of goods and services. Even government is affected because it ends up spending more on transportation as well as on other goods and services it procures.

It is in the best interest of development to keep prices low and stable. Is stability of fuel prices good? Yes it is! However, it requires that we either engage in bulk procurement and keep huge reserves for a good number of months or we have enough money to cover the price differential arising from shocks on the international market.

What does this mean? Let us assume ERB reviews fuel prices every 6 months. Within this six months, there will either be a net increase or reduction in international crude prices. If there is a net reduction, then well and good but if there is a net increase then we need money to cover it because we have to wait for 6 months to pass on the cost to consumers. If in a month it increases from $70 to $90 per unit, the $20 increase per unit cannot be passed on to consumers because prices are reviewed every 6 months. What this means is that as a country we need to find money to cover this $20 per unit. Note that international prices may either increase or reduce and the international market is quiet volatile. Prices can change in days. The problem here is that we should always have money to cover an increase before a review is done. If we fail or delay to do so, we might run into shortages. This is the risky government is trying to avoid given our dire economic situation.

Why monthly review? What experts do is that they will study the trends and patterns in crude oil prices. If these studies inform them that the common pattern is for prices to go up than reduction and if some increases are too high to be covered with the revenue we have, then there is a high risk that government might struggle to cover these differentials leading to disruptions in the supply of the commodity.

This problem is not new, under the previous regime, we ended up accruing over $800 million arrears. Did we have a solution to the problem? No! We did not have any capacity to cover the differential, instead of addressing it, we only accrued huge arrears which have to be paid now. So the arrears have to be cleared and we have to fund current consumption. We have domestic revenue of K98.9 billion, allocation to debt service of K78.6 billion. The balance goes to civil servuce wage bill. Borrowing is also restricted given our external debt of $12.9 billion, domestic debt of K189.7 billion and domestic arrears of K46.9 billion. We are managing to fund activities right now because we have been allowed to default on some laons. Otherwise we don’t have any headroom to cover any huge increase in crude oil prices and we might find ourselves in a huge crisis of fuel shortages and resultant disruption in production. To avoid all this, given our dire economic situation, government opted for a monthly review of fuel prices. Others do it every two weeks. The idea is to quickly pass on the prices to consumers, be it a reduction or increase.

This is not to say monthly review does not come with its own complications and inconveniences. One of the biggest challenges is that Zambia mostly has small scale entreprises with a low capital base, these frequent fluctuations seem small but can be quite significant to most firms. They want stability and predictability to help them plan well.

The other challenge is that there is a tendency for firms to quickly adjust prices of goods and services when fuel prices increase, but when there is a reduction, prices will remain the same. It becomes difficult for government to regulate such prices, especially that it happens so frequently, we are also in a free market. A month is too short for a full transition, especially a reduction given that firms would want to keep prices of their goods and services high to make more profit. The end result is that reductions are not passed on to consumers.

It also becomes costly for firms to keep changing price tags. Consumers also don’t know what to expect when they go shopping. So there is a general sense of unpredictability. Others countries have fully adjusted but it is a learning phase for Zambia.

In conclusion, this article has explored both the sides; analysed the critical economic situation that makes it difficult for government to cover the price differential. It has also analysed the unpredictability and other shortcomings associated with monthly reviews.

Thank you.

MONTHLY PERFORMANCE RATING OF NEW DAWN MINISTERS FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, ISSUED ON 6TH MARCH 2022

By Sean Tembo – PeP President

The ratings below are based on submissions received from the general public regarding the actual and perceived performance of both line ministers and provincial ministers in the new dawn administration. In order to enhance transparency, brief reasons are given for scores given to respective ministers.

TOP FIVE MINISTERS:

1. Best Minister for February 2022 = Charles L. Milupi – Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.

Apart from a few politically incorrect gaffes here and there, Milupi is hardworking, focused and visionary. He knows what his ministry should achieve and he has the energy to get it done. He is not shy to traverse the breadth and width of the country, getting beaten by mosquitoes, just to see the infrastructure challenges that are there on the ground in the remotest corners of our country. He has a passion for his job. As a seasoned engineer, he has the necessary competence to get the job done. We can’t wait to see how his PPP ideas will unravel. So far, so good.

2. Second Best Minister for February 2022 = Brenda Tambatamba – Minister of Labour and Social Security.

Her recently unveiled board for NAPSA appears well-balanced, qualified and experienced. Her identification of the NAPSA penalty system as suffocating to SMEs is well on point. We shall wait to see how quickly this will be addressed. Overall she seems to know what reforms need to be undertaken in her ministry.

3. Third Best Minister for February 2022 = Collins Nzovu – Minister of Green Economy and Environment.

Based on the speeches that he gives, he is articulate, visionary and clear-minded. He seems to know exactly what the mandate of his ministry is and how to achieve it. However, he needs to explain to the public ZEMA’s rationale for approving the proposed mining in lower Zambezi. We need to hear more from his ministry on that issue. Otherwise we shall begin to think that he just has a good speech writer.

4. Fourth Best Minister for February 2022 = Chipoka Mulenga – Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry.

He appears to have a passion for discharging the mandate of his ministry. He has the energy to visit various institutions under his ministry to understand and appreciate how things are done and if they can be done better. However, he needs to make better use of the Business Regulatory Review Agency (BRRA) which was formed by the Business Regulatory Act No.3 of 2014 and which seeks to reduce the cost and burden of doing business in the country. Right now the compliance requirements for SMEs are suffocating. From ZRA to NAPSA to Workman’s Compensation, to trading licenses, to personal levy, fire certificates, health certificates, skills levy, etcetera. Chipoka Mulenga needs to make business compliance reform his priority if his good rating is going to be sustained going forward. Government is killing SMEs through these onerous compliance requirements.

5. Fifth Best Minister for February 2022 = Ambrose Lufuma – Minister of Defense.

His good performance lies in his silence. A minister of defense is not supposed to be loud and all over the place. The fact that he has been quiet means that he has performed well.

WORST FIVE MINISTERS:

1. Worst Minister for February 2022 = Peter Chibwe Kapala – Minister of Energy.

His handling of Zesco’s increase of connection and meter separation tariffs was pathetic to say the least. Both ZESCO and ERB are under his ministry and instead of sitting both institutions down and communicating a single clear statement to the public, they kept contradicting each other in the press and then the Minister joined the public fray and contradicted both ZESCO and ERB before making a u-turn on his statement. He is clueless, uninspiring and incompetent.

2. Second Worst Minister for February 2022 = Jack Mwiimbu – Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

The minister seems to have a high appetite for washing the dirty linen of the institutions he presides upon in public. Firstly he publicly accused the police of being thieves and that they mounted road blocks to steal money from the public. Secondly he publicly accused the police of being involved in most of the armed robberies around the country. By making these public accusations, the minister is undermining public confidence in the Zambia Police and also undermines the morale of the men and women in uniform. If the minister identifies any problems with some members of the police, corrections officers etcetera, he needs to resolve such problems with the respective command and not disparage all officers to the public. The minister should stop talking like he is at a political rally all the time and start talking like a leader who wants to build.

3. Third Worst Minister for February 2022 = Stanley Kakubo – Minister of Foreign Affairs

The minister’s handling of Zambians who needed to be evacuated from Ukraine was pathetic. Instead of being proactive, he was reactive and we are lucky that we have not lost any citizens so far. His judgement appears to be questionable. A few months ago, he decided to evacuate Zambians from Ethiopia at a time when no other country had evacuated their people from there, but failed to evacuate Zambians from Ukraine when almost all western countries had moved their embassies from Kyiv to Poland or other towns near the Polish border. The minister failed to see the writing on the wall that war was eminent. But even after our citizens managed to cross the border into Poland, they did not receive consular support on the ground, and where only addressed in a Zoom call. The minister is incoherent, confused and overwhelmed by trifles. He appears more suited taking selfie’s with the President in the streets of London than discharging the key functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

4. Fourth Worst Minister for the Month of February 2022: Silvia Masebo – Minister of Health.

Despite having extensive experience sitting in cabinet under MMD, PF and now UPND, the minister does not have much to show for her experience in terms of performance. When it comes to recruitment of medical doctors, she speaks a totally different language to her Permenant Secretary for Technical Services, and you can tell that the two do not meet often to confer on important ministerial matters. Additionally, it is a wonder how her ministry could dispatch condemned Honey Bee medicines to hospitals and not discover the anomaly until the expired medicines had been dispensed to unsuspecting patients. For starters, how do you keep condemned drugs together with good drugs. Are condemned drugs not supposed to be isolated and destroyed immediately? Lastly, the majority of hospitals in both rural and urban areas do not have medicines and people are often given prescriptions. Surely Ba Masebo, the PF did their part by building hospitals and clinics all over the country, the least that you can do is put medicines and medical personnel in these health facilities. Is that too much to ask?

5. Fifth Worst Minister for the Month of February 2022 = Chushi C. Kasanda – Minister of Information and Media.

Explaining things in English is just not her area. By keeping her in that ministry, the President is torturing her every day that passes. Please Mr President, stop the torture.

/// END

SET 06.03.2022

RAPHAEL NAKACINDA & KABWE CHANDA MUST RESPECT AND COOPERATE WITH SUMMONS FROM PARLIAMENT

I read the arguments from some former leaders that they could not be summoned and appear before a Parliamentary Committee of the National Assembly which summons are issued under the Standing Orders of the National Assembly because they were no longer MPs.

This is a lazy man’s argument and sad that it is coming from a former nominated MP and minister who must have been more conversant with the operations and powers of the National Assembly of Zambia.

This is why some of our MPs need serious orientation because, if the argument coming from Nakacinda, a former MP and Minister was one to go by, then Zambia is in maningi trouble in law making, understanding, respect and adherence.

This is why the practice of appointing first-time MPs in parliament as Ministers deprive them of acquiring relevant experience, learning and knowledge in operations, workings and powers of Parliament esp with the poor reading culture among our leaders and citizenry at large.

On Kabwe, the Constitution is instructive on the role of the Public Accounts Committee under Article 63(2)(c) thus the National Assembly shall oversee the performance of executive functions by scrutinizing public expenditure, including defense, constitutional and SPECIAL EXPENDITURE

Further, National Assembly Standing Order 153 establishes the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and emphasised that chairperson of PAC SHALL NOT be a member of the political party in government

PAC and indeed any Committee of Parliament have powers to summon any persons to appear before it on behalf of the instructions of the Speaker.

PAC is mandated to examine the accounts showing the appropriations of sums granted by the Assembly to meet the Public expenditure, report of the Auditor-General on the accounts and such other accounts and so if Mr Kabwe handled public funds, he just needs to cooperate before drama erupts.

To both Mr Nakacinda and Kabwe, let them kindly cooperate with the National Assembly when summoned by the parliamentary committees as these committees have enormous powers to summon any persons, former MP or DMMU national coordinator to appear before them.

Standing Order 132 of 2016 concludes that a portfolio, General Purposes, Housekeeping and Select Committee SHALL have power to invite submissions from ANYPERSON on ANY MATTER within its terms of reference

Tomorrow I will delve into sanctions to be meted on any persons who disregards and disrespect summons from parliament.

I submit

McDonald Chipenzi

A mother has confessed to having sex with her biological son just to have a baby for her husband.

Matina Agawua, a native of Yelwata, in Nasarawa State lost her first husband to herdsmen attack in Northern Nigeria. Her first marriage produced a son.

She remarried years after the death of her husband but had difficulties having a child with her second husband, Mr James.

After six years of marriage with no child, Matina started getting pressured by her mother-in-law and her current husband to have a child or the marriage will be over.

Matina’s husband threatened to take a new wife and this bothered Matina because she and her husband had contributed money to build the house they live in, with Matina providing a greater share. It troubled Matina to have another woman living in the house she built with her husband.

As a result, Matina decided to have sex with her teenage son from her first marriage to see if she could have a child for her second husband.

“We had been married for more than six years but were still childless due to my husband’s fault, according to doctor’s report, and I was hearing from the grapevine that he was planning to take a second wife on the grounds that I could not give him a child,” Matina told The Nation.

Matina told the publication that she had undergone a test on her own since her husband refused to go for one, and the result showed that there was nothing wrong with her medically.

To prove that she is fertile, she decided to lure her own son, a student in Akwanga, into a secret affair, while warning him to keep it secret.

She told The Nation: “Since he is not comfortable with us going for medical checkup on the assumption that nothing was wrong with him, I decided to convince my little son, who is just about 16 years old and schooling in Akwanga.

“I visited him regularly. He stays in a private apartment with my relatives, so I was going there to spend some time with them, especially on weekends when my market is off.

“It was actually difficult making love with my own son, but circumstances forced me to go into it. I needed to be sure of my fertility.

“I know my husband very well. If he discovered I had an affair with a man outside, he would kill me.

“I love him so much and I’m afraid of him, so this evil plan kept ringing in my mind to know how fertile I am.

“I tried to visit my son in Akwanga mostly when I was on my ovulation period. I decided to develop a crush on him and draw him very close to me. We got intimate and ended up having sex.

“One faithful day while I was on my ovulation period, I visited him. It was at about 11pm. I held his hand and made him sit beside me.

“I asked him if he had ever had sex and he said no. I held him in my arms. This time, I felt warm and I think he too did.

“After that night, I felt extremely embarrassed, and guilty that I committed such an abomination with my own son.

“It was actually a taboo, but I warned him to keep it secret.”

Matina said that prior to having sex with her son, she didn’t have sex with her husband for three months.

After intercourse with her son in Jan 2022, she said she missed her period that same month and a test confirmed she was pregnant.

However, when she shared the news with her husband, he suspected foul play. He reminded her that they have not had sex for three months and inisisted he is not responsible for the pregnancy.

Mr James accused Matina of adultry and threatened to kill her, so she confessed to having sex with her son.

Matina’s son was questioned and he confessed to the sex act with his mother.

Matina told the publication: “I am not a loose woman. I am just a woman who loves her husband very much and didn’t want to hurt or lose him.

“I did what I did to save my marriage. I got reliable information that he was planning to take a second wife on the advice of his parents and that the wife would occupy one of the apartments we suffered to build together.

“I was not comfortable with that idea and felt I could test my fertility with my son and impose it on him.

“I did that to get him a child and to stop him from taking a second wife. Taking a second wife is an indirect way of pushing me away, losing all we have suffered to put together.

“Look at my age. I’m not getting younger and my husband was not prepared to address the matter medically.

“Look at the result of the test; it shows low sperm count. There is no way he would have been able to impregnate me.

“I know I was doing the wrong thing and betraying my husband, but I saw it as a lesser evil than going outside.

“Now the man is even threatening to kill my son for impregnating me, so I had to move my son out of Akwanga and take him somewhere else to save his life.

“This is more so because I was the one who put him into the whole mess. I have to protect him.”

Matina’s husband insisted he would not accept a pregnancy that is not his.

Matina fears her husband may kill her and has left the house for him.

However, she says she intends to engage a lawyer to fight for the house since she contributed a larger share in building it.

“I will engage a lawyer if my husband tries to do anything funny. He should not take me for granted as I’m prepared for him,” she told The Nation.

“He can’t father a child. His sperm count is very low and he is not ready to address it. What does he want me to do?”

She added that she will not abort the baby she made with her son.

She said: “I won’t abort it. Rather, I will allow it and deliver my baby. I have been looking for it for long, so I won’t let it go. It belongs to my son.

“I have decided to keep it because it is blood within my blood. I will keep it. All I want is that since the marriage didn’t work, we should sell the house, share the proceeds and everyone will go his way.”

The husband expressed his dissapointment at his wife’s action.

“How can she allow her son to impregnate her and try to foist it on me? How would she do that? That is my anger,” he said.

“But if she is ready to go, let her go. We built the house together and whatever she wants, I don’t have an issue with that.”

By Thomas Ngala

I have battled with depression, that was really quite bad, but then acting made me pull through because I just focus on what I love doing, says Mpali’s Chola whose real names are Helena Kaumba.

The young movie star who keeps people glued to their television sets through her exceptional acting in the local drama series called Mpali went into depression after losing her mother on 1st July 2020.

The loss of her mother left her in a bad space where she isolated herself from close friends and families.

Questions like ‘why would God just take away something that I really love the most in my life’ constantly popped up in her head, questions she never had answers to.

In a special interview with Daily Star, Kaumba said “I don’t really like talking about it because I don’t want to go back to that place. On 1st July 2020, I lost my mother. I was so close to my mum we were like best friends. I was in a very terrible place, I felt like there was nothing to live for.”

“I just decided to ghost everybody. I constantly took long walks and just crying, having questions in my heard with no answers. Asking myself where am I going to get the answers from because I don’t understand this? Why would the world be so cruel to me? I felt like, why would God just take away something that I really love the most in my life? Like why? I had all these questions in my head then I just realized that okay I had just spent about two months just going about this. Just being careless with my life, I didn’t care about anything.”

However, the love the late mother had for her and her acting career made her triumph over the depressing phase she was in.

Her mother was the biggest fan she has ever had. When Kaumba got a contract from A List Media to play the role of Chola in Mpali, her mother was the happiest.

The first day she was on set, her late mother, being the biggest fan drove her there.

Kaumba feels that the best way of dealing with depression is by opening up to people around you.

“Then I told myself, I remembered when I got a contract from A List Media to participate in Mpali, my mum was the happiest person ever. She was so proud of me. She supported me, she is even the one who drove me there on the first day I went on set. Then I asked myself why am I doing this instead of doing something that would make my mum proud where she is? Because I remember the smile my mum had when I got that contract and I was like okay I will make her proud wherever she is,” she said.

“It was until then that I started approaching friends and family and they helped me go through it. I found out that one of the best way of dealing with depression is by opening up and talking about it. Pain is there, we cannot take away the pain. But then I decided to make my pain be my strength. I decided to make all the anger, all the rage I had within me to go to use. Trust me, all the time I was on set I was just thinking of my mum and I was acting to my fullest.”

Kaumba understands that a lot of people are going through a lot of things “but we are so judgmental towards them instead of just asking what’s really going on.”

She advises young people to open up to their close relatives and friends whenever they are depressed.

“I have come to understand and realize that we come from a country where we don’t really raise mental health awareness. A lot of people are going through a lot of things but we are so judgmental towards them instead of just asking what’s really going on. Let’s learn to talk to people. You don’t know who might want to hear good words from you. At times you don’t really have to ask, just go to a person and say you know whatever you are going through I don’t really want you to tell me about it but just know that I am here, you can talk to me, I can give you an ear. Just make them realize that there is always a silver lining on a dark cloud,” she said.

“My advice to the people, especially the youths who are going through difficulties just talk to people and do what you love doing the most. At this point, if people are going through staff they can come to me, I can help them in the best way possible that I can. I can listen to them; I can advise where I can manage because I wouldn’t want a person to go through that. Trust me that is a dark place where nobody wants to be in. you feel like you are being suffocated with your emotions, you feel like you have mixed emotions, you don’t know if you have to cry, you don’t know what you have to do with yourself.”

She stresses the need for people to seek God’s guidance when depressed.

“And above all ask God to guide you through the process. Ask God to give you strength…..sometimes people get scared to talk to people because they are scared that what if this person tells the whole world that am going through this? What if this person exposes me? You know all sorts of fear. But if you put God first and just declare upon your life that God…..even the Bible says God cannot put you in a situation where you can’t pull through,” she said.

“If you put your mind to wanting to heal you will. God works through different people. Talk to your friend, talk to your partner, talk to your sisters, talk to your brothers, just talk to somebody.”

Credit: Daily Star

By Martin Mushumba
Like any other citizen in Zambia, I keenly followed the protest by the Resident Doctors. Their message is clear: They want to be employed. I have no doubt it is within their right to express their opinion through a protest. It is also within their right to obey the laws that govern protests.

Similarly, the teachers that have waited to be put on payroll by the Government have lost their patience. Again, it is within their right to protest and seek redress from the Government.

It is without doubt that the plans being advanced by the Government regarding plans to create employment opportunities for the youths have not been brought to the attention of the public. Effective communication and enhanced updates on what is being done by the Government will remove this anxiety among the youths.

However, being a keen follower of public policy masters, I am aware that the Government has clearly mapped out strategies of creating job opportunities for it’s youth. The employment of 30,000 teaching staff as well as 11,200 health workers are all in the public domain.

Resident Doctors fall under the Health sector where a total of 11,200 jobs has been announced. Hence, I am of the opinion that the Resident Doctors are aggrieved by the pace at which the process is taking to actualize the matter. The same goes to other sectors such as education.

Nonetheless, the Government did indicate that it had been engaging the Ministry of Education to ensure that the teachers that needed to be promoted were promoted to create room for the those that were awaiting to be put on payroll. This would help to attend to those teachers not put on payroll, some of whom have waited since 2017. The exercise was reaching it’s conclusion and the Government has created over 7000 spaces in just moving teachers through promotions. This similar exercise is also being conducted by the Ministry of Health.

In view of the foregoing, it is important to reflect on why doctors and teachers are seemingly so comfortable with protesting even when all this information is in the public domain. These are teachers who dared not protest under the previous regime that failed to put them on payroll for over four years. Similarly, these are doctors that have not been employed for over four years.

The answer is simple. Never should you be tempted to quickly think that these youths have been sponsored by elements that are tirelessly working on frustrating the Government. These are rational youths that are able to think and make independent choices and in this case their choice is to ignore the information available regarding the Government’s plans to recruit them and opt to go ahead and protest.

But why is it so? Again, we are alive to the fact that the Government has brought in a new era of enhanced freedoms and liberties in our country. People have found back their freedoms which the previous Government got away from them. Among the freedoms that our people had lost under the previous Government were the freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to freely demonstrate. With all these freedoms restored by the new administration, our people are so eager to exercise them.

Besides, the Zambia Police under the new Government is so friendly and very professional in the manner it is dealing with the citizenry. The youths are not threatened anymore to protest. The Zambia Police has become more engaging and accommodative. The country has seen cases where our youths after protests have been peacifully escorted in Police vehicles and even fed after protests. It is a new era indeed, the youths are now eager to exercise their right to protest which otherwise was a threat to life in the previous Government.

Therefore, lack of full information among the youths on the employment plans of the Government and the enhanced freedoms facilitated by the new Government are among the reasons why the youths have been using protests to be heard. Factor in a friendly Police service that quickly has adapted to the democratic principles being propagated by the new Government.- muvi tv