About seven Evelyn Hone Students will lose their bursaries after it emerged that they met UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema seeking his support for the upcoming student union elections.

The students, some of whom are vying for positions in the Students Union had approached Mr Hichilema to seek his financial support to enable them campaign.

They met the UPND leader at the Secretariat and were given party regalia to wear before posing for photos with Mr Hichilema.

In return, the students were expected to use their union positions to denounce government, campaign for the UPND and organize student protests at every opportunity.

It is however unclear whether Mr Hichilema did offer the students any funding.

This came to light when the affected students in the company of College Principal Mr Daniel Fwambo and his Deputy including the Dean of Students met Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo in his office.

During the meeting, all the students confessed to having met Mr Hichilema and seeking financial support from the opposition leader for their campaigns.

But Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo informed the students that government will go ahead and withdraw bursary from all the students for participating in partisan politics whilst in school.

Mr Lusambo also disclosed that the students will be disqualified from running for student union leadership elections.

He said his office will today write to the Ministry of Higher Education to recommend that the actions against the students are implemented.

“We will not allow institutions of higher learning to be turned into political playground. If HH wants to use students to get into State House, he should be ready to start paying them their bursaries. So we are withdrawing support to these students in order to send a message that government will not tolerate the actions by the students,” Mr Lusambo said.

In the words of their hit song, New York R&B sensations SWV (Sisters with Voices) will be ‘Right Here’ in Zambia at the Stanbic Music Festival this weekend.
SWV joins Nigerian music icon Davido and top local artists Afunika, Mampi, Izrael, Danny and Chef 187 for the sixth edition of the country’s biggest musical festival in the Lusaka Polo Club this weekend (October 4-5).
The vocal trio: SWV, Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s with a series of hits including “Weak”, “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)”, “I’m So into You”, and “You’re the One”.
The group have sold more than 25 million records worldwide.
“Right Here” is the title of their debut single. A remixed version, “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)”, became a number-one R&B single, selling 500,000 copies and earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The song spent 54 weeks on the R&B chart, which is one of the longest chart runs of all time, and was named by Billboard number 17 on its list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
News of the signing came as Brandy announced that on doctor’s advice she will be unable to travel to Zambia to perform.
Stanbic Head of PR and Communications Chanda Katongo said: “We are excited to announce the signing of Sisters with Voices as our second headline act for this year’s Stanbic Music Festival. Sadly, Miss Brandy Norwood has had to cancel all her international appearances, including the Stanbic Music Festival, because she is unwell.  To Brandy we wish you all the best; we wish you a quick recovery; we are praying you and we are hoping you will get well soon. But the show must go on, and this weekend is going to be epic.”
With just a few days to go before the mega festival, event tickets have been selling fast, with Golden circle tickets already sold out while only a handful of VIP and ordinary tickets remain.
Tickets for the 2019 Stanbic Music Festival are on sale at selected Stanbic Bank branches, Computicket and other outlets across the country. priced at K500 for ordinary seats and K1,500 VIP. For Brandy-lovers, full ticket refunds are available from the same outlets from Sunday.

The government says it is working towards starting to tax Netflix streaming service in Zambia.

Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo says the Zambian government is displeased that some foreign content service providers are making money in Zambia without paying any taxes.

He said the money being generated by streaming services such as Netflix should be made to pay some form of taxes to the Zambian government.

“Working with my Minister Honourable Siliya and our team at the Ministry, we are working on coming up with a tax regime for these streaming services such as Netflix so that the revenue they are harvesting here start ploughing back into the country,” Mr Kasolo said.

Mr Kasolo said government is concerned that a lot of local television stations in Zambia are depending on foreign content.

He said such content has a negative impact on the minds and development of Zambian children.

Mr Kasolo explained that the foreign content being broadcast has prompted government to compel local stations to broadcast 60 percent of local content so that viewers have access to information that promotes Zambia’s culture.

The Permanent Secretary was speaking on Tuesday during the launch of Diamond TV on the DSTV platform on channel 271.

Mr Kasolo commended the television station for ensuring that 90 percent of its content is local.

Netflix, Inc. is an American media-services provider and production company headquartered in California, founded in 1997.

The company’s primary business is its subscription-based streaming service which offers online streaming of a library of films and television programs, including those produced in-house.

As of April 2019, Netflix had over 148 million paid subscriptions worldwide, including 60 million in the United States, and over 154 million subscriptions total including free trials.

The Republic of Zambia’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Honourable Mutotwe Kafwaya is in Montreal, Canada to attend the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) 40^th Assembly. The Minister is leading a delegation that comprises of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Civil Aviation Authority and Zambia Airports Corporation Limited.

When delivering his address to the ICAO Assembly today, the Minister said Zambia has a vision of transforming the nation into a prosperous middle-income country by the year 2030 as espoused in the Vision 2030 and the 7th National Development Plan. He said the Aviation sector in its economic catalytic role has been identified as a potential critical contributor to the attainment of the National Vision.

He said the Government of the Republic of Zambia, has a transport sector vision of transforming Zambia into a “Regional Transport and Logistics Hub and to achieve this, government has adopted an intermodal transport approach from which the aviation sector will both contribute and benefit significantly.

“In order to promote the aviation sector and make it ready to effectively compete in the intermodal transport approach, my Government, has injected over 1.5 billion United States Dollars into upgrading of the aviation infrastructure in the country”. He said

He added that this investment has included the modernization of Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport; the construction and upgrading of the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport as well as the construction of the new Copperbelt International Airport. In addition, the Zambian Government has been improving the provincial airports and aerodromes to increase the aviation accessibility across the country.

The Minister said the country understands and appreciates the importance of a safe, and secure international Civil Aviation which is largely dependent on the cooperation and commitment of Member States.

He said Zambia as a Nation has enjoyed a warm and cordial relationship with ICAO since joining the organisation in 1964 and Zambia’s aviation sector has experienced tremendous growth over the years through Technical and Financial support which has been offered  by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other cooperating partners.

He said Zambia will continue to commit herself to Regional and Global initiatives which are aimed at promoting and sustaining safety and security including all aspects of aviation development to take the industry to higher heights.

The ICAO Assembly started on 24^th September 2019. Zambia is contesting for a seat on the ICAO Council and has fielded a candidate, Mr. Vincent Banda, who is currently the permanent representative of Zambia to ICAO to contest for a seat on the ICAO Council for the next three years. The ICAO Assembly takes place at least once every three years and is convened by ICAO’s governing body, the Council.

The Minister has also held various meetings with fellow Ministers of Transport as well as heads of delegations from other States on the sidelines of the ICAO Assembly  to discuss different developmental issues such as bilateral and multilateral agreements; commerce and trade, issues of climate change as well as lobby for support for the Zambian candidate to be elected to the ICAO Council during the Assembly.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu will this week undertake a 3 day working visit to Northern Province.

Northern Province Minister Hon Lazarus Bwalya Chungu announced, yesterday , in a statement to the media that the Head of State will arrive in the Province on Friday and is scheduled to engage in various programs.

Minister Chungu announced that whilst in Northern Province, President Lungu is expected to address 2 rallies in Mbala and Mpulungu and would later flag off the Rural Road Connectivity Programme of the Mporokoso – Nsama – Kaputa road.

And the Provincial Minister has thanked the Republican President for once again visiting the Province for the third time in a space of 2 months. Mr Bwalya said the President’s visits demonstrate the love he has for the people of Northern Province.

President Lungu was last Saturday in Mbala and Mpulungu districts where he graced a military event involving Zambia’s Special Forces before he proceeding to the Copperbelt.

By: Anthony Bwalya – UPND Member

There always comes a day when people must rise up and collectively say Enough is Enough.

And when this day comes, citizens must lay partisan sentiment and nostalgia aside and only think of the collective national good.

The government of Her Majesty The Queen of England knew in 1964, while they had the tools and resources to resist KK and his civilian army of pro independence enthusiasts, they opted to make way for change because they fully understood that what had largely began and had for the most part been a bloodless call for political and social change, could very easily have deteriorated into a blood soaked revolution for change.

There was nothing that was going to impede the resolve of a united indigenous change movement – not money, not guns.

Even during the time of colonial rule, there were members of the indigenous population who, because of the creature comforts they used to enjoy at the hands of their white masters, had opted to either oppose the independence change movement, or simply adopted an indifferent attitude towards it.

Fast forward to 1991, the sentimental attachment to the 1964 independence dream, KK and the UNIP that had branded themselves as the architects and guardians of our nationhood, was still fresh in the hearts and minds of many Zambians. But even when it had become apparent that the economy had died under the leadership of KK and UNIP, and that the enjoyment of both civic and political rights had come under such serious threat, there were still pockets of nationalist loyalists who believed that only KK and UNIP were qualified to provide this nation with leadership.

They were wrong.

FTJ and the MMD, riding on such a strong and an unexpected underground support from the masses, toppled the 1964 independence movement.

And again, I am sure KK and UNIP had been very much aware of what could have been the consequences to them and the country, had they actively sought to remain in power post 1991.

The calls for change and resistance to their failed rule would have only gotten louder, if not to a very bloody and violent end. This is usually what happens when change is delayed and the process of change unduly interfered with.

Then came another monumental year – 2011.

After 20 years of branding and presenting themselves as the restorers and original guardians of democracy and multipartism, the MMD regime had grown extremely powerful but had also become synonymous with grand and political corruption, as well as pure theft of state resources by a handful of individuals.

It is this narrative of a regime that had grown increasingly pompous, oppressive and corrupt, which gave Michael C. SATA and an emerging PF the impetus to take power in 2011.

Again, RB and the MMD knew when the right time to exit the stage. They tried to push impose themselves onto the people using all manner of material enticements, with the latter part of their rule punctuated by huge infrastructure development announcements and commitments. Typical of a regime that had become extremely unpopular in the eyes of ordinary, hardworking citizens.

And had the MMD pushed their luck and stretched the patience of Zambians, their fall from grace could have become harder and at such a huge cost to our long treasured peace and security.

Today, we are starring in the face of a PF regime that has become extremely self absorbed with itself. This regime has now presided over the mother of all corruption scandals this country and it’s people has ever witnessed since the year 1964, with individual government MINISTERS and the President sitting on tonnes upon tonnes of wealth, whose accumulation they will never be able to explain.

The most striking thing about this regime is that they are utterly oblivious to the long term damage they have caused this country and it’s people to suffer.

The cost of government sponsored corruption under the PF will continue to cost Zambians dearly for at least the next 30 years, as the impact of the cost of the debt they have accumulated, with over 63% of this, actually stolen in a combination of such savage and pure theft and corruption; will be felt by even the children of a child being born today.

In 2021, Zambians will have another opportunity to rise above partisan loyalty and save their own country from what is now definite economic ruin and collapse.

In 2021, Zambians will yet again have an opportunity to summon our collective national spirit and unite in saying no to a regime that has now turned into a monster and threatening the life of our public institutions and those who serve in these.

The UPND have patiently been building the trust and confidence of Zambians for close to 20 years now.

The party and it’s leadership has not relented or given up on our collective national dream for economic emancipation.

Let us all do the right thing in 2021.

Let us choose the UPND and save our country from what is now the eminent collapse of our economy, national pride and livelihoods