Central Province Commissioner of Police, Chola Katanga has implored members of the Community Crime Prevention Units (CCPU) in the region to respect and observe human rights and avoid corruption in their operations.

Mr Katanga said CCPUs should instead stick to their prescribed roles of detecting crime in communities, apprehending suspects on behalf of police and handing them over for further action.

Officiating at a training of over 200 CCPU officers and some community and traditional leaders in Kapiri Mposhi district, Mr Katanga also warned CCPU officers to avoid corruption while policing their respective communities.

“You are not going to beat suspects when you apprehend them then you are not following human rights … yours is to handcuff them and hand them over to police to be dealt with accordingly,” Mr Katanga said.

And Mr Katanga has commended CCPUs for assisting the Police command in the Province in combating crime in communities.

Mr Katanga noted that CCPUs were an integral part of the police service policing especially in areas where there are inadequate numbers of police officers or no police presence.

“The CCPUs are doing police work on voluntary basis and sometimes using own resources and for this I must commend them because they have really bridged the gap in terms of combating crime in the Province,” Mr Katanga said.

Meanwhile, Kapiri Mposhi district CCPU chairperson, Adam Goma has appealed to the Central Province Police Command to provide CCPUs in the district with basic policing equipment.

Mr Goma said the Units lack basic policing equipment that include whistles and batons.

Mr. Goma commended Kapiri Mposhi Police Command for conducting the training for members of CCPUs in the district stating this will enhance their operations.

And Kapiri Mposhi District Police Community Services Directorate Coordinator, Faith Mbaza said the training was aimed at capacitating CCPU officers and community leaders on human rights and the effects of corruption in line with community policing and crime prevention.

Ms Mbaza disclosed that the command had been receiving reports of some CCPU officers beating suspects and soliciting for money when handling cases at community level.

“CCPU officers are not allowed to beat suspects or charge for providing their voluntary services so this workshop is crucial to address these issues,” Ms. Mbaza said.

Kafubu Water and Sanitation Company will spend 5.4 million United States dollars on prepaid meter installation in Ndola and Luanshya’s Districts.

Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company Public Relations Officer, Fales Mwanza said 30 thousand customers are targeted under the prepared meter installation project.

Mrs. Mwanza said ten thousand prepaid meters have already been installed in various parts of Ndola among them Itawa, Kansenshi, Kansenshi Correctional Facility among others.

She said the project is aimed at reducing non water revenue which the water utility firm has been facing in the two districts.

“We have so far managed to install ten thousand of prepaid water meters in Ndola under phase one. We are now in phase two where another 20 thousand meters will be installed in other parts of Ndola and Luanshya,” she said.

Mrs. Mwanza also disclosed that the project will further be extended to Masaiti and Mpongwe districts once the water utility company finishes laying water pipes in the two areas.

Mrs. Mwanza said the utility company is optimistic that once complete the project will have a significant reduction in water loss and subsequently increase revenue collection.

She has urged customers to jealously look after the meters that have come at a huge cost to the water utility company in trying to achieve a balanced situation between consumers and the company.

Mrs. Mwanza said this will also enable consumers to only pay for what they are consuming as well as allowing the water supplying company reduce on operational costs.

Phase one of the project commenced in November 2019 in Ndola’s Pamodzi Township and phase two has commenced this October 2020 and will be completed next year.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa says Lusaka province has become a hot spot of maize and mealie meal smuggling following recent interception of the 23 trucks that attempted to smuggle the commodities.

Mr. Kangwa said this has prompted the government to form the Lusaka province and district maize and mealie-meal anti-smuggling task force that will enhance anti-smuggling activities by tackling the vice at the provincial and district level.

He said that the task force should ensure that the maize produced and stored within Lusaka province is secure by increasing measures that will stop smuggling of maize and mealie-meal.

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet was speaking during the launch of the Lusaka Province Maize and Mealie-Meal Anti-Smuggling Task Force.

He added that the objective of the task force is to safeguard the national food security by curbing illegal exports.

“As you are all aware, food security is key to national stability and development and should therefore be taken seriously,” Mr. Kangwa added.

He said that the curbing of smuggling of maize and mealie meal can be achieved by monitoring of international borders and mounting of checkpoints in strategic locations such as Kafue Bridge.

He noted that the regional deficit is a good opportunity for exports deficit adding that there is need to be strategic to ensure there is food security in the country.

“The challenge has, however, been that within the region some countries have been experiencing periodic food deficit putting pressure on our national food security, this has heightened levels of smuggling of maize and mealie-meal in the country,” he said.

And Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary Elias Kamanga said the formation of the provincial food security task force has come at the right time when the province is experiencing the surge in smuggling activities.

Mr. Kamanga said that the illegal entry and exit from the country has been reported along the porous border line with Mozambique and Zimbabwe in Luangwa district.

“The task force that we are launching today is mindful of the negative effects of smuggling on the economy, especially food smuggling” he noted.

He added that the smuggling of maize grain and mealie meal creates food shortages and the increase in mealie meal prices.

“We are also mindful that smuggling of any kind deprives the country of the much needed revenue for public investment,” Mr. Kamanga said.

He reiterated that the provincial task force will work tirelessly to promote formal international trade and stamp out illegal activities that undermine the efforts made by government to grow the economy and create employment

The Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC) has arrested a Bio-medical technologist at the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital (LMUTH) for corrupt practices involving suspected fake COVID-19 clearance certificates.

ACC Public Relations Manager Timoth Moono said Kingsley Kakoma, 35, of plot No. 11129 off Kasangula road in Garden compound, has been charged with one count of corrupt practices contrary to Section 19 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012.

In the statement to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Moono stated that the arrest is in relation to the illegal issuance of Travelers’ Medical Certification for COVID-19, contrary to the Statutory Instruments No. 21 and No. 22 under the Public Health Act.

He pointed out that Kakoma was arrested by the Commission following a tip-off from the public.

Mr Moono further explained that the accused was found to be in possession of K2, 250 cash, and five blank COVID-19 clearance medical certificates which were pre-signed, marked negative, and bore a stamp for the Zambia Institute of Public Health.

He was also in possession of 86 preservation solution tubes, 50 sample collection swabs, among other items.

“Kakoma was arrested by the Commission following a tip-off from the public. He was found to be in possession of K2, 250 cash, and five blank COVID-19 clearance medical certificates which were pre-signed, marked negative, and bore a stamp for the Zambia Institute of Public Health. He was also in possession of 86 preservation solution tubes, 50 sample collection swabs, among other items,” the statement read in part.

He indicated that Kakoma who has since been released on bond was arrested after soliciting for, and actually receiving K800 from a student who was scheduled to travel abroad for studies.

The Zambia Association for child and youth care workers (ZACYCW) has come up with a new strategy to help remove more kids from the streets.

ZACYCW National Board chairman Pastor Charles Mwaambo told ZANIS in an interview yesterday that the association has come up with new ways of removing the children from the streets.

Pastor Mwaambo said the association has formed community child protection groups that will monitor and educate street kids on the dangers of being on the street.

“These groups will monitor the children who are fond of being on the streets and educate them on the dangers,” he said.

He added that different stakeholders have been engaged to help remove the children from the streets which include the church and the community at large.

“The church is also on board, these children come from communities where churches are found hence the same churches will step in and help remove them from the streets,” he said.

Pastor Mwaambo who is also Ndola child protection committee chairperson said the association is working closely with government to mobilize the street children for safe keeping.

Pastor Mwaambo added that it is hard to completely remove children from the streets but with hard work the number can reduce.

“It is so hard to remove these children from the streets, every time you go to check new ones will be found, ” he said.

He said most children opt to be on the streets due the high poverty levels in the communities which in turn exposes them to dangerous vices.

Pastor Mwaambo said this is the reason some stakeholders working with the committee in Ndola have started contributing food staffs to the children to stop them from going back to the streets.

He said that those with families are being taken back to their homes and are provided with all the basic needs as a way of restraining them from going back on the street to look for food.

Minister of Agriculture, Michael Katambo says government remains committed towards controlling the outbreak of the African migratory locusts in the country.

Mr Katambo said government’s emergency response and efforts will remain focused on controlling the outbreak within the three provinces namely Western, Central and Southern which originally reported the outbreak of the locusts.

He said a total of 10,397 hectares have so far been sprayed by both the fixed wing aircraft and helicopter adding that there are no new reports indicating the presence of the locusts in other parts of the country.

Mr Katambo was speaking in Lusaka today during an update on the status of the African migratory locusts outbreak in Zambia.

Mr Katambo said government has stationed teams of officers in the hot spots of Western, Central, and Southern Provinces to prevent the locusts from moving to other areas.

“Government has so far procured the services of a fixed wing aircraft from within the country and K10 million was allocated to procure chemicals and we commenced the aerial spraying,” he said.

Mr Katambo said the Zambia Air force (ZAF) and the International Red Locusts Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa (IRLC-CSA) have also provided helicopters to support the operation.

He noted that the threat of the African migratory locusts is a trans boundary issue and therefore requires other countries in the region to join in the emergency response.

“We have engaged the relevant authorities in Namibia who have confirmed that they have commenced the spraying on their side of the boarder. We also intend to call a meeting with the Namibian authorities to coordinate our control efforts,” he noted.

Mr Katambo noted that there are teams on the ground that are conducting surveillance and mapping to provide coordination for the aerial spraying exercise.

“The Ministry is satisfied that there is adequate aerial spraying vessels to conduct operations and the fixed wing aircrafts is currently awaiting for the compilation of surveillance and mapping exercise that is being undertaken on the ground,” he stated.

Mr Katambo observed that the locust population can be significantly be controlled with adequate spraying adding that the chemicals being sprayed in the affected areas are effective, as there is an indication of reduced locusts between 85 to 95 percent in areas that have been sprayed.

He further said the surveillance and mapping exercise is on-going and the ministry will ensure the teams on the ground are provided with adequate support to undertake the exercise.

“We are confident that we will be able to contain the African migratory locusts, as it is in the best interest of farmers and the nation’s food security that this outbreak is controlled,” he assured.

A combined team of Zambia National Service (ZNS) and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) officers in North-Western province has seized over 10 thousand by 25 kilograms (kg) bags of mealie meal and about five thousand by 50kg bags of maize suspected to be destined for Democratic of Congo through Kipushi border in Mushindamo district.

This come to light after ZNS conducted an operation following a tip off from community members that a lot of maize is being smuggled into Congo DR using undesignated routes and local’s people’s homes have turned into warehouses.

Speaking to journalists during an inspection of the area in Chief Musaka chiefdom, North-Western ZNS Commanding Officer, Colonel Mabvuto Banda said the situation at the border was bad and this prompted the command to conduct an anti-maize smuggling operation to control the illegal exports of maize and mealie meal from the border post.

“We received a tip-off from well-wishers that the situation in Mushindamo is not good in that people have turned their houses into warehouses for mealie meal and maize. There were more than 100 trucks parked in this area offloading mealie meal and maize into people’s homes,” Colonel Banda said.

He added that Musaka residents have surrendered their homes and given them to smugglers to stock their merchandise at a cost of K1 per bag while they spend nights in the cold.

“We have established that the locals in Musaka area are renting out their houses to traders to store mealie meal and maize which is later transported in smaller quantities into DRC using bicycles and motorcycles through bush paths at night”, he said.

Colonel Banda added that the service will continue to guard against smuggling of mealie meal and maize in order to retain and maintain food security in the country.

He explained that ZNS has intensified patrols around the Kipushi border area in Musaka chiefdom to ensure no mealie meal or maize is smuggled out of the country by some unscrupulous traders.

“As ZNS we are not going to sleep until we return all the grain into the country”, he said.

Col Banda said all the seized maize will be surrendered to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) while the mealie meal has been handed over to ZRA.

He has appealed to the local people to stop protecting traders engaged in the smuggling of mealie meal and maize out of the country by not allowing them to use their houses as storage facilities.

The commanding officer has also warned traders involved in smuggling that they will face the full wrath of the law.

Meanwhile, ZRA Solwezi Customs Station Manager Martin Banda has described the situation in Musaka area as unfortunate.

“This is so unfortunate because you can imagine if all this maize and mealie meal is exported into Congo illegally then how much are we going to be left with as a country to maintain our food stability,” he questioned.

He said ZRA will issue seizure notices to the owners of the maize and mealie meal including the vessels and they will be given 15 days in which to appeal the decision if they feel aggrieved.

And Chief Musaka has appealed to government not to seize the maize and mealie meal but give the affected traders an opportunity to sell their merchandise to food FRA.

Chief Musaka said the local people are highly affected because the area has no satellite depot where they can take their maize.

“The problem that we have here is that we do not have an FRA depot in the area, hence our people take maize to Congo which is the nearest market”, he said.

His royal highness said he does not want to see people suffering and food going to waste, hence the government should find a way to curb smuggling and also provide a market for the local people to sell their maize.

Police in Muchinga Province has warned individuals involved in illegal deals of Mukuka that the law will take its course once they are caught.

Muchinga Province Police Commissioner Joel Njase sounded the warning following the discovery of some logs of Mukula in Nakonde District.

Engineer Njase told the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS ) today that Police in Nakonde discovered logs of Mukula which were off-loaded by unknown persons.

He said it is alleged that the logs of Mukula were offloaded in the night of Thursday last week on October 8, 2020.

The Commissioner explained that information so far gathered indicates that, the same logs were loaded along the great north road on a stretch between Musanya and Isoka.

He said these natural resources must benefit the local communities and the entire nation adding that a careful balance of their extraction is critical for the sustainability of the environment.

Eng Njase further urged officers to ensure that there is no compromise when it comes to enforcement of the law whenever the need arises.

“In light of the aforesaid as Chief of Police in the province I want to warn those involved in such illegal activities that they will answer according to the law once caught,” Eng Njase charged.