President Edgar Lungu yesterday met United States Charge d’affaires to Zambia Mr David Young together with US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Country Director Dr Simon Agolory at a meeting attended Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Simon Miti at State House.

The President and his guests discussed matters of common interest between Zambia and the US, including COVID-19.

Meanwhile, President Lungu has thanked His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco for donating various medical items to Zambia.

The items donated are 500,000 face masks, 60,000 visors, 40,000 chariottes, 40,000 blouses, 2000 litres of hydro-alcoholic gels and sanitisers, 5000 boxes of Chloroquine and 1000 boxes of Azithromycin.

In his letter of gratitude to the King, the President says: “Our two countries share excellent relations as evidenced by the fruitful visit to Zambia by Your Majesty in 2017 during which we had fruitful discussions and witnessed the signing of 19 bilateral Agreements in various areas to enhance the socio-economic cooperation between our two countries.”

He adds: “This donation is yet more evidence of the generosity of Your Majesty in supporting Zambia’s socio-economic agenda. It will go a long way in assisting my country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that is impacting negatively on countries worldwide. In this regard, l wish to convey my personal gratitude and that of the people of Zambia for Your Majesty’s solidarity and continued support.”
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UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema says the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s new nomination fees for various categories of candidates, for next year’s elections are totally unacceptable and an affront to the principle of constitutional democracy, that encourages inclusiveness of all citizens that wish to aspire for public office.

Mr Hichilema says the fees are unaffordable and are clearly an attempt by the Establishment to maintain the status quo and also exclude the youth, the women and other disadvantaged groups that were already struggling in the 2016 elections, to raise nomination fees, inorder to take part in the elections.

He says Politics should not be the preserve of the rich only but that every citizen that has the vision and the capacity to contribute to the wellbeing of Zambia must be allowed access to enter the arena.

Mr Hichilema has demanded that the ECZ must immediately level the playing field and reduce the nomination fees to sensible levels.

Meanwhile, GEARS Executive Director McDonald Chipenzi says the proposed nomination fees for 2021 prospective aspiring candidates for elective political positions are very exorbitant and beyond the reach of majority candidates.

Mr Chipenzi says participation in elections will now be a preserve of the rich or those with money and proxy to money and the powerful in society.

“We are now merchandising elections in Zambia which may lead to poor service delivery to and representation of the people in wards, districts and constituencies including at national level as those that will manage will first work to lootback their money”, he said.

Mr Chipenzi has warned that if not careful with these increases in fees, soon the poor will be perpetually marginalised and ruled by the rich, electoral shylocks and the wealth.

“Imagine a K25, 000 payment to ECZ as nomination fee, add up another, say K15, 000 party application fees demanded by political parties which will bring the total to K40, 000 for nominations and applications for adoption for elective positions which is just far too much for a people living in country with struggling economy and majority are poor”, he added.

Mr Chipenzi said this is commmercialisation of elections and suffocating the electoral democracy and rendering ECZ as a capitalist agent.

“There has been argument on Bill 10 that MMPR electoral system is to increase women, youth and persons with disabilities effective participation in the governance, are these exorbitant fees proposed not undermining this argument? The categorisation is also unfair in as much as they indicate recognition of different abilities of persons. Will benefits accruing once one wins going to be categorised also to an extent that those who paid more will get more in terms of allowances and salaries?”, he said.

Mr Chipenzi said this is not even positive discrimination but discrimination of the youth and persons with disabilities as they are seen as lesser and disabled human beings.

He urged the ECZ not to turn into an institution for profit but facilitator of effective citizens participation in the electoral process which accommodates both the poor and the rich.

Mr Chipenzi said these fees are a clear blockade to realisation of effective citizen participation in the electoral process.

However, Mr Chipenzi said it is good that ECZ threw the proposed ball of exorbitant nomination fees to political parties and hope political parties will take the interest of majority Zambians.

“It is our considered view that political parties will not be selfish at this hour but consider the plight of the people and create a conducive environment for that effective measure of participation for all whether poor or rich”, he added.

Mr Chipenzi said this jump in nomination fees is humongous and quite absurd.

He said whilst the recognition given to persons with disabilities, women and youth is commendable, their nomination fees those for everyone should have been pegged a lot lower considering that the commercialisation of politics remains one of the major barriers for persons with disabilities to participate as candidates in our electoral process.

Mr Chipenzi said politics should be a competition of ideas among citizens not deep pockets among the rich and the wealth.

He said this will give political parties another reason not to adopt persons with disabilities, women, youth and those with shallow pockets yet with heavy and deep ideas.

Mr Chipenzi said adoption processes in political parties are already marred with high level of corruption and now.

“Nothing has changed in the economic lives of our people to warrant a 100% nomination fees increment. Instead, their incomes have been eroded by high inflation and depreciation of the local currency against the major convertible currencies”, he has said.

“This is why we demand for local or nearby printing of ballot papers to reduce on cost incurred by ECZ which it is now passing on to consumers of electoral services like political parties, aspiring candidates and citizens”, Mr Chipenzi said.

He has warned that at the rate people have loved money in the electoral process, soon the country will be told that acceditation and monitoring an election in Zambia will be at a fee.

The Media Liaison Committee is calling on the Zambia Police Service to stop harassing journalists by summoning them to police stations on flimsy accusations.

On Monday this week, Lusaka based journalist JaJah Coulibaly was summoned to report himself to Kabwe Police in Central Province on a charge of defamation but on arrival at Kabwe Central Police station, a warn and caution statement was recorded from him even after it emerged that police had nothing to link the journalist to the case in question.

Media Liaison Committee Chairperson Enock Ngoma says it was established that the purported defamation story which was carried online, was authored by someone else whose name was even on the story and police only asked Mr Coulibaly if he had given any information to the author of the said story.

Mr Ngoma has advised the Government, through Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya to recognise that hostility towards the media in Zambia is on the increase and this has steadily reduced journalists’ freedoms and suffocated their working space.

Mr Ngoma says the latest case involving Mr Coulibaly is a clear indication on how the State is using the Police to clamp down on the media.

He has called for the immediate stop for the police to be used to witch-hunt in the media industry making journalists targets of unfounded suspicion and making us doubt the proclaimed professionalism in the Zambia Police Service.

Mr Ngoma said Mr Coulibaly travelled to Kabwe at a high cost.

“We believe Honourable Siliya can do a bit better to help bring sanity and help protect the journalist who has now become endangered species in Zambia by liaising with her counterparts in relevant Government Ministries to ensure the operating environment for the journalist is conducive”, he added.

He has appealed to the Inspector General of police and his rank and file to work towards protecting the journalist rather than harass the scribes in their line of duty.

Mr Ngoma has however urged media practitioners to continue being brave and courageous in giving coverage to all Zambians in their pursuit of duty as long as they are professional and ethical in their reporting.

“We further note that we are coming from a background where operating licences for private broadcasting stations have frequently been suspended or withdrawn because Government has disagreed with certain broadcasts, as evidenced by the recent closure of Prime Television for reasons that could have been dealt with amicably. Political party thugs have on many occasions stormed media houses damaging equipment and harassing media personnel for no apparent reason other than featuring opposition politicians on programmes”, Mr Ngoma has said.

He expressed hope that Ms Siliya who herself has a media background, will appreciate this increasingly unhealthy scenario and act to meaningfully enhance the media environment in Zambia than allowing security wings to keep harassing the media.

The Chama Subordinate Court has sentenced a poacher to seven years imprisonment for illegal possession of elephant ivory weighing 10 kilograms.

Lovemore Nkhowani, 60, a former wildlife police officer, turned into a notorious elephant poacher nicknamed Mbanje, was charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of Prescribed Trophy, that is elephant ivory, contrary to section 130(1) of the Zambia wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

Officers of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife arrested Nkhowani on 26 May 2020.

The ivory is suspected to have been illegally harvested from an elephant poached in West Musalangu Game Management Area.

In sentencing him the court told the suspect that as someone who was once a wildlife police officer under the department, he should have known the importance of conserving wildlife.

The court reminded Nkhowani that his duty was to protect wildlife and educate his community on the importance of conservation rather than to engage in poaching.

The court also stated that it hoped the punishment handed to Nkhowani would deter other officers from committing similar offences.

This is according to a statement issued to the media by Ministry of Tourism and Arts spokesperson Sakabilo Kalembwe.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has assured stakeholders that as it prepares to start registration of voters between October and November, 2020 it will continue to engage the Treasury to ensure that adequate funds are made available in time for this important national exercise.

Commission Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu has also reiterated that the Commission has no mandate to postpone a General Election as the date is now enshrined in the Republican Constitution.

“Article 56 (1) states as follows: “A general election shall be held every five years after the last general election, on the second Thursday of August”. In this case, the 2021 General Elections will be on the Thursday 12th August”, said Justice Chulu.

Officially opening the ECZ/Political parties’ liaison committee meeting held on Tuesday 16th June, 2020 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Justice Chulu said the Commission is, therefore, mindful about the above date and will guarantee that all preparations are made in time for the General Elections next year.

He reminded those that wish to contest the 2021 General Elections to ensure that they start preparing their documentation in good time to avoid rushing at the last minute.

Justice Chulu also said that the appointment of an Electoral Group of Eminent Persons is in line with the Electoral Commission Act number 25 of 2016.

He said the Electoral Group of Eminent Persons is a body made up of highly regarded individuals in Zambia who will act as an esteemed observatory and advisory body to, and on behalf of, the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

Justice Chulu said the EGEP’s aim is to observe the countries electoral processes and provide an independent public opinion as and when need be.

He said the group will further undertake an examination of options for reform in order to bring the Electoral Commission and the country’s electoral process into a stronger and more effective institution and process respectively.