First Zambian General Manager of the former Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has died, Mr. Abel Mkandawire has died.

Mr. Mkandawire, who was appointed to a ZESCO position in 1974, was also a former member of Parliament for Matero Constituency (1988) and was Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Behrens Company. He joined the Behrens Group in 1980, subsequently becoming its Executive Chairman.

He has served on several boards in different capacities, including as chairman and was a non executive board member of CEC.

He was a chartered engineer, a fellow of the Institute of Engineering and of the Engineering Institution of Zambia, which he had presided over in the 1980s.
He was a fellow of the World Bank British Institute of Management and was elected Member of Parliament for Lusaka’s Matero constituency in 1988.

He continued to play an active role in various sectors of the Zambian economy.

He served as Chairperson of the Remuneration and Employee Development Committee and sat on the Risk and Health, Safety, Environment, and Social committees.

The African Union Executive Council has re-elected Zambia’s Amb. Albert Mudenda Muchanga as new Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining.
He polled 44 votes from 53 member states that voted.

Mr. Muchanga was elected at the on-going 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Mr. Muchanga is currently African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry.

He previously Zambia’ Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.

He was also Zambia’s Ambassador to Brazil.

He also served as Permanent Secretary, and as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Mr. Muchanga has provided strategic leadership in facilitating negotiation, conclusion and ratification of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which entered into force on 30th May 2019 and whose operation phase was launched on 7th July, 2019.

In addition, Ambassador Muchanga has provided similar leadership on matters of trade, industrialisation, mining and customs cooperation.

He works with ease at technical, professional, management, leadership and political levels.

The Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) has hailed President Edgar Lungu for appointing five seasoned civil servants to positions of Permanent Secretaries.

CSAWUZ president Davy Chiyobe said in statement to the media that the appointment of five civil servants, out of the seven newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, is a recognition of the hard work of the officers.

Mr. Chiyobe said the union is confident that the officers will carry out their assignments well because they have risen through the ranks and understand the civil service well.

He said the union looks forward to the permanent secretaries, who are the administrative heads of ministries and provinces, to be permanent as their careers as civil servants have tenured beyond the life of any particular government.

“As a union, we greatly appreciate the decision by the Republican President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu to appoint seasoned civil servants as Permanent Secretaries,” Mr Chiyobe said.

He said a system in which public service workers ascend to the topmost levels of public administration is one of the defining characteristics of a democratic government.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji this morning represented President Edgar Lungu at the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union which was held via videoconferencing due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The two-day Assembly is expected to among other things address various issues affecting the African continent as well as witness the change of leadership of the AU Assembly Chairperson from South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who takes the mantle for the year 2021.

The Summit will further discuss progress made on Africa’s response towards the COVID-19 pandemic as well as receive a Progress Report on the ongoing Institutional Reforms of the African Union.

Outgoing AU Chairperson President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that the AU is committed to developing African solutions to African problems.

President Ramaphosa said the Continent’s response to COVID-19 has been driven, coordinated and capacitated by African scientists and medical experts mainly located within the Africa Centres for Disease Control Prevention.

He stated that there is no time to waste if the African continent is to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic adding that there is need to intensify partnerships and greater cooperation.

President Ramaphosa said more efforts by the AU is required in the next frontier of the pandemic to acquire vaccines for the people around the continent.

And in- coming AU Chairperson Felix Tshisekedi urged the AU member states to continue putting efforts together in fighting the pandemic by consolidating the initiatives of the Union.

President Tshisekedi noted that the AU states must also put efforts together to address issues of peace and security, promote culture and African heritage as well as address issues of climate change.

Consul of the Southern African Country to the State of Lower Saxony Victor Khune says Germany should escalate agro business relations with Zambia in order to create jobs and reduce poverty.

Dr. Khune was speaking during a web meeting held between the Ambassador of Zambia to Germany Anthony Mukwita and the top Advisor for Africa to Chancellor Angela Merkel Dr Gunter Nooke this week.

“We have received a number of requests from German business that want to invest in the agriculture sector to grow and export products to Germany, especially in the medical sector,” Dr Khune said.

The honorary consul who is also a businessman said he was also duly aware that a number of Zambians in possession of arable land were on standby to partner with German business if the federal office could assist in anyway.

Dr Nooke, the highest-ranking official on Africa in Chancellor Merkel’s chancellery said Zambia was a good destination for agro investment as he gave an example of Amatheon Agri business run by Carl Bruhn that has invested millions of euros in the sector in Zambia.

He referred Dr Khune to a section in his office that seeks to grow business between the private sector and federal government for further assessment.

This was the first high level meeting Ambassador Mukwita, Dr. Khune and the Chancellors top advisor for Africa were holding on investment post COVID-19 outbreak this year as Zambia escalates economic diplomacy.

“We are glad that the meeting with Dr. Nooke went well and we hope to have similar engagements in future in order to help grow our economy and fight poverty,” Ambassador Mukwita said.

The Zambian envoy also thanked the German partners for the COVID-19 financial assistance amounting to a total of EUR 28.7 million that was granted last year when then pandemic broke.

“This is something we do not take for granted given the scarcity of resources as a result of the pandemic that is making many people ill and even die, Germany is indeed a true friend of Zambia and we are grateful,” Ambassador Mukwita said.

Dr. Nooke also took time to commend Zambia´s democratic and peaceful credentials which he said remained commendable in Africa and pledged continued support for the southern African country as a partner.

The virtual meeting touched on issues such as vaccines for the southern African country which Ambassador Mukwita said was a topic being handled by the Zambian cabinet as and when a safe vaccine is available.

The coronavirus has claimed about 57, 000 fatalities in Germany and forced the country to impose a second a lockdown while it inoculates its citizens starting with the elderly in society.

Zambia remains a preferred investment destination for investment even under the COVID-19 cloud according to ambassador Mukwita as Europe seeks new investment frontiers.

This is according to a statement issued by Kellys Kaunda, First Secretary Press at the Zambian embassy in Germany.

The Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PROTUZ) has appealed to the government to ensure that the 15 000 teachers earmarked for recruitment on a part-time basis, are employed permanently.

PROTUZ Director of Public Relations and International Affairs Brian Mwila told ZANIS in a telephone interview that the recruitment of 15 000 teachers is timely, especially that we are facing a number of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want to commend the government for the decision to recruit 15 000 teachers at a time when the country is currently grappling with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Mwila said.

He added that the union is aware that about 45 000 trained teachers will still remain unemployed, even after the 15 000 teachers are employed.

He noted that there is a need for the government to come up with a long-term programme of employing a certain number of teachers each year, in order to have all the trained teachers in the system.

Mr Mwila said the union is confident that the 15 000 teachers who will be employed on a part-time basis will eventually be put on a permanent and pensionable basis.

He has since urged those who will be recruited to work hard and prove themselves in order for the government to employ them on a permanent basis.

Paramount chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni Speaking People of Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia has declared that there will be no hosting of the Ncwala ceremony in 2021 due to COVID-19.

The traditional ruler said he has made this decision after consultations with his chiefs and Government through the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Speaking during a briefing held at Mtenguleni today, Paramount chief Mpezeni said COVID-19 has claimed a lot of lives in Zambia and as a result he has decided not to host the ceremony this year in order to safeguard the lives of the people.

“This leadership I have is for the people and without you my people then the leadership will be meaningless. This disease has killed a lot of people, I have decided not to host the ceremony this year because I care about my people’s welfare and I don’t want to be blamed if ever there was any loss of lives as a result of COVID-19,”he said.

Paramount chief Mpezeni said the lives of his subject’s matter adding that not hosting the Ncwala ceremony this year does not mean the end of the Ngoni or their culture.

“We are going to have the ceremony in the future when life is back to normal. I put God first in all that I do and the lives of my people matters a lot. God will give us direction and one day when everything is back to normal, we may have the ceremony,” he said.

Paramount chief Mpezeni advised other traditional rulers in the country to follow the decision that he has made in order to avoid the further spread of the virus.

The traditional ruler commended President Edgar Lungu and other stakeholders for rendering material, financial and technical support in the preparations of this year’s Ncwala ceremony.

“As Ngoni Royal Establishment, we did all we could to prepare for the ceremony with guidance from MOH (national and provincial) offices. We have also taken note that going ahead with the ceremony would surely endanger the lives of many people including our own Ngonis.

“To all my tribesmen (Bakiti), please bear with us. It would not be right to rejoice for three days and mourn or put in danger our loved ones after. I have tried to see if the numbers of COVID-19 affected people would reduce but this is not the case, numbers have continued rising especially in Eastern Province,” he said.

And Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu has commended Paramount chief Mpezeni for making a bold decision of not hosting the Ncwala ceremony this year.

Mr Zulu said that the traditional ruler made the decision out of the best interest of all Ngonis from Malawi , Mozambique and Zambia; but also other people in the country.

“As government, we are happy with this bold decision by Paramount chief Mpezeni. This is good leadership, His Royal Highness cares very much for his people and does not want anyone to die from COVID-19,” he said.