By Teboho Mantswe

It is probably the oldest and most common adage that there is “no smoke without fire,” but it still appears applies to the recent confusing series of events surrounding public statements made by opposition figure Hakainde Hichilema with regard to gay rights and same-sex marriage.

The issue first started with an AFP news story circulated on social media that had been filed in Lake Como, Italy, which quoted Hichilema as saying that “…in a democracy, people must choose where they belong and whom they have intimate relationships with. As soon as we form government, these are some of the rights our Constitution will enshrine.”

Following the overwhelmingly negative public reaction to his comments, Hichilema reversed course and denied making the comments, calling the interview “fake,” and then for good measure denounced homosexuality as “unbiblical,” claiming that UPND does not advocate for rights for these communities.

But is that really the case? Many commentators have pointed out a very troubling series of associations held by both Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) with international organisations that provide them funding, and indeed very much pursue a different agenda. First, let’s take a closer look at what was happening in Italy, and why Hichilema found himself there among these other parties.

The reports were prompted by Hichilema’s appearance at the Brenhurst Foundation meeting held in luxurious resort town of Lake Como, Italy, which was titled “Can Africa Be the Next Asia?”

According to information of the gathering, the meeting had attracted a host of “dignitaries” including opposition leaders from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa and others in the region. In addition to the Brenthurst Foundation, which has helped finance UPND for years now, there was also the presence of the Africa Liberal Network at this meeting.

Based in South Africa, the Brenhurst Foundation was established by the notorious Oppenheimer family about 19 years ago and is disguised as an economic expansion and policy strategy think tank. Yet the main aim of this family group, under the leadership of quasi-academic Greg Mills, was to work with politicians especially in Africa whose agenda it shared closely – to help them secure power by any means necessary.

Interestingly, UPND has done very little to hide their ties with Brenthurst – in fact both Greg Mills along with Hichilema’s top fundraiser, the lawyer Bradford Machila, are publicly listed on the board of the London-based consultancy Sabi Strategy – a firm run funded by the Oppenheimers which serves as UPND’s main election strategists.

In addition to its purely profit-driven mineral rights interests, the Brenhurst Foundation has other covert operative missions that include promotion of gay marriage and LGBT rights through which it raises massive resources to fund both the opposition and friendly civil society.

Working in close association with the Africa Liberal Network, whose members were present during the Lake Como meetings, there is a clear and determined campaign underway in their member countries and parties to advance gay marriage and LGBT rights.

According to the ALN Manifesto, the group is “committed to minority rights, gender equality and freedom of worship. It is for this reason that the Network advocates for the separation of religion and the state. Moreover, the application of fundamental human and political rights of Africans as individuals should not be unduly constrained by the state in its desire to promote common goals. Liberals believe that recognised and secure private property rights are vital, not only to economic development, but also to underpin individual civil and political rights.”

According to the group’s Johannesburg Declaration, the purpose of the organisation and its members is to advance the power of liberal political parties in Africa, which uphold aims specifically including “ensuring religious, gender and minority rights” which by association entails the promotion of LGBT rights.

Mr. Hichilema has developed a known close relationship with ALN President Stevens Mokgalapa MP, the South African Shadow Minister for International Relations and Co-operation (Democratic Alliance). Mokgalapa was instrumental for example in speaking up and advocating for Hichilema’s release from detention when he had been held briefly in 2017 on treason charges, and is known to be helping HH and UPND on developing their strategy for the upcoming election.

Mokgalapa has also been one of the leading voices for gay rights in South Africa – he has repeatedly attacked the ruling ANC party over issues pertaining to protections of gay rights under various United Nations bodies. According to a statement Mokgalapa released in 2014, he has said that “South Africa has a proud history of fighting injustice with a liberal constitution which enshrines rights on sexual orientation. … We should therefore be the first to argue for same sex inclusion, and oppose any attempts to limit this in any way.”

So, when Hichilema was mentioned in the same light as an organisation, and when he is fast friends with Mokgalapa and other DA figures who are committed to promoting gay rights, it was not far from true in determining how there can never be smoke without fire.

There is no way this would be a subject that came from nowhere.

If the subject was so alien to Hichilema, will he also denounce his association with this masonic movement? Why is it that he is so eager to take their funding, agree to subtly and quietly advance their agenda, while at the same time giving these incoherent and angry press conferences to deny that very agenda?.

It certainly can’t be a coincidence Hichilema is part of this cabal of conspiracies associated with Brenthurst. Apart from being linked to the global gay rights movement, Hichilema also holds keen interests in businesses cutting across the mining sectors.

These are elements that should cause Zambians to question and question these issues seriously to safeguard the sanctity of this country.

When the discourse emerged Hichilema and his Brenhurst Foundation were promoting gay rights, he said, “I don’t get bothered when I hear PF chaps feeding the nation on diet of lies over lesbian and gay rights. We are God fearing and there is no single chance of us supporting unbiblical things. Let’s focus on fixing this broken economy!”

Well any God-fearing individual would know that serving two masters is not a good example of someone professing the gospel.

Hichilema is serving the masonic world and still claims he is serving God. How? It would not work that way but, anyways, that is Hichilema for you.

So, while Hichilema may deny these revelations about his advocacy for LGBT rights, the fact remains that there is no smoke without fire. Zambians ought to hold firm and watch.

The Author is a Public Policy Analyst, based in Johannesburg, South Africa

First Lady Mrs Esther Lungu has said that many women shun seeking services from health facilities in rural areas because of substandard services due to lack of electricity.

She said this when she received a donation of 16,500 assorted solar devices worth US $336,000 from Atlas Mara in partnership with World Panel Zambia Limited and Sunstream

Mrs Lungu said the donation of solar kits would help meet the needs of rural women who often shun rural health centers because they are only attended to during the day.

She said the solar kits, which comprise solar chargers, batteries and lamps would make rural health facilities more attractive, as they will operate day and night.

At the same occasion Atlas Mara Managing Director Mr James Koni said rural populations faced many challenges due to lack of electricity. He said the donation would promote entrepreneurship and financial inclusion among rural populations.

World Panel Zambia Chairman Mr Jacob Sikazwe said connecting the whole country to the national grid was not an easy undertaking and that government could not do it alone, which called for alternative solutions. Mr Sikazwe said he was encouraged and inspired by the work the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust was doing in uplifting the lives of the rural people especially women.

By Anthony Bwalya

Let us be very clear: The Patriotic Front (PF) were elected on an illusion – an illusion that was energized by what had become a natural hatred for RB’s MMD regime which had become a collective autocraticy, epitomized by excessive state control using money as bait against a population that was becoming increasingly impoverished.

The long suffering citizens of Zambia had practically been compelled to erode every requirement for us to objectively interrogate the PF’s agenda for mass public sector reforms. The PF, while in opposition, made a lot of fantom promises whose realisation was never backed up by any sound rationalization of what the long term objective was ever going to be.

Yet, in all this, one Michael Chilufya Sata was the only innocent dreamer, whose dream for his people was later to be hijacked and stolen by a pack of hungry wolves who interpreted the collective loyalty of Zambians as an unimpeded license to launder our country, it’s people and resources for private profit.

The nostalgia for Michael’s dream was evident in 2015 and 2016, when a candidate in Edgar C. Lungu, who not only admitted to having NO PERSONAL VISION for our country, but had also failed an INTEGRITY TEST in the private legal practice when he got entangled into financial impropriety involving a client and was disbarred from the bench and legal practice by the Law Association of Zambia – but was elected TWICE to serve as head of state.

This is how much Zambians loved Michael, that we were prepared to trust a rogue with our collective fortunes.

But after 8 long years of consented introspection, as individuals, families, communities and as a nation, Zambians have finally come to an agreement: that in order to clarify and recapture Michael’s dream, we have to put it into the hands of those who can interpret it for the benefit of ALL Zambians, irrespective of our political affiliations.

Michael SATA always knew how sound the UPND’s agenda was. This is why he was more inclined to collaborating with Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND in realigning his dream with what the UPND had consistently preached.
In his heart of hearts, Sata loathed corruption as much as he loathed social and economic inequalities. He also despised how the MMD abused the rule of law to prevent him from exercising his constitutional rights to meet and greet with ordinary people.

These were the things Michael Sata knew the UPND were deeply passionate about resolving, and that was the basis of his association with Hakainde Hichilema.

Specifically, Michael Sata dreamed of the following:

1. More money in our pockets and lower taxes

Under the post Sata PF regime, Zambians are now close to K600 worse off per month at the point of sale thanks to wages being overtaken by inflation. Also, Zambians are now another K600 out of pocket in taxes per month, both direct and indirect taxes, as the PF of Edgar Lungu have prioritized over – taxation as tool of centralized power and control.

Therefore, this has effectively driven the national food basket for a family of 6 to the brink of K7,000. The result is poverty, hunger and destitution at household level. But it is not only the access to food that is under threat, is it also the finished ability for households nto afford a decent roof over their heads, water and sanitation, energy services, education and quality health services.

This is why today, more than 62% of Zambians live on less than $1.25 per day, with another 40% classed as extremely poor, and close to 500,000 having no access to a secure food source everyday.

UPND RESPONSE STRATEGY

The UPND has committed to giving economic power and choice back to individuals, households and small businesses. Our proposal is to reform the PAYE taxation model towards a MEANS TESTED model, so that through tax reallocations, we can transfer more resources towards the micro economy.

This is why we have proposed for an increase in the PAYE tax exempt threshold from the current K3,300 to K4,000; as well as revising downwards the upper tax bracket from the current 37.5% to 22.5% as a way of delivering actual, guaranteed resources into the hands of individuals and households, and further as a means to catalyse micro economic activity for rapid growth and job creation.

2. Less Corruption

After what had become rampant, unhindered corruption by and under the MMD regime, the PF had campaigned on the premise that they will fight grand and political corruption, so that public resources can only be applied to and for the benefit of Zambians as a whole.

However, both grand and political corruption have not only spiked, but these are now being perpetrated under the umbrella of state capture – where elected officials and public institutions have remotely been taken over by power private business interests and big money lobbyists who are diverting over 60% of all public revenue and debt money away from projects of vital public utility, and instead into the pockets of these private actors and their conniving political accomplices.

Since 2011, Corruption under the PF has cost Zambians in excess of $10 billion, with less than 40% of all debt money having actually been committed to public projects; and public project procurement being the primary conduit.

The result is a mountain of public debt which the PF government can never dismantle.

UPND RESPONSE STRATEGY

Our approach and commitment towards corruption is 100% zero tolerance. This means a UPND adminstration is committed to upholding only the highest standard of integrity when it comes to the management of public resources.

The UPND is on the record, as having committed to the review and reform of the public procurement act to deliver value for money procurement, as well as committing to establishing a public project procurement appraisal unit under then AG’s office, to ensure that all projects are independently scrutinized for value for money opportunities.

The UPND has also committed to instituting Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) as a means to expedite the process of recovering property suspected of having been illegally acquired.

And the foregoing are merely a snippet of the lies and broken promises of and by the PF, but with he UPND presenting and offering a credible, clearly rationalized agenda for change and reform.

Under the PF regime, we have watched expanses of land and Forest reserves have been abused and shared by government Ministers and CADRES, and in the process compromising the integrity of our environment and several water sources.

It is also under this regime, under President Edgar Lungu, that over $3 million in social cash transfer money was stolen by agents of the PF, depriving several thousands of our people of the much needed welfare support. The UPND is prepared to devolve the functioning of this system, so that the process of identifying beneficiaries is done at community level and without the undue interference of political actors.

Zambians must also never forget how $400,000 worth of test kits were stolen from the MoH, as well as $4m worth of expired drugs having been bought. The result was that many thousands of lives were put at risk, with hundreds lost owing to the appetite for profiteering by PF actors.

We also know how many billions of dollars have been stolen in public contracts to build roads and other infrastructure projects, whose return on investment is just far below the cost of the debt money procured to fund these projects. The consequences are that many of these projects will never be able to pay for themselves, and that several generations of Zambians will have to pay for this in higher taxes.

But even then, the UPND are saying there is another way around all this.

With new leadership, we can restore trust in public leadership and energize new discussions around our collective problems and map out new solutions – together.

What we cannot do, what Zambians must never do is allow a breed of failed politicians mascarading as leaders, to stay another day longer than is necessary in office.

We have already lost at least 20 years worth of development under the PF.

It’s time to start reversing the damage.

It’s time to trust the UPND under President Hakainde Hichilema to do the job.

Economics Association of Zambia President Lubinda Habaazoka has charged that some “experts” were paid huge sums of money to organize and lobby for the retention of Value Added Tax in the 2020 national budget.

Reacting to the decision by Finance Minister Bwalya Ng’andu to scrap off Goods and Services Tax and retain VAT in the 2020 national budget, Dr Habaazoka said Zambia has again lost out to mining houses.

He said with VAT refund arrears in the excess of $600 million, the only people smiling their way to the bank are “Consultants” that were handsomely paid to de-campaign GST.

“The Zambian has lost a chance to fix the problem with companies using fake VAT refunds as working capital. The Zambian government has indeed a huge tax ahead to fund public expenditure and also provide working capital to companies through the so called VAT refunds,” Dr Habaazoka said.

“Ordinary citizens meanwhile shall continue paying high taxes with no hope of reduction as mine owners and their hired guns celebrate yet another victory.”

He added, “This time, citizens can’t blame government on the GST decision because its pressure from citizens and the opposition forces themselves after being convinced by paid consultants that also led to this.”

“As you breathe in center in Mufulira don’t forget that air in Switzerland is very clean and that investments in the health sector, education sector and other sectors is booming because of your minerals. All this is your own making with your destructive debates.”

“The past week I have been tagged in posts about the retention of VAT with people celebrating and shaming me and others that supported GST. This year I witnessed a lot of workshops sponsored by the private sector lobbying for VAT. “Experts” were paid huge sums of money to organize and lobby for VAT.”

He said, “In the beginning, we expressed concern over the rate of GST and GRZ succumbed and put it about 5%. To citizens that are celebrating, find time to sit down with BOZ, ZRA and learn about the huge irregular VAT refunds. Sit down and look at the benefits of having a mining industry. It’s not that we own the mines or the country alone. It’s co-owned by everyone.”

Dr Habaazoka said with a faulty consumption tax system, Zambia can kiss good bye to lower pay as you earn adding that workers shall forever pay the highest taxes because workers have no capital allowances, no deductions on household expenditure or VAT refunds.

“When you laugh at others, you laugh at yourselves because business funded your own citizens put push a strong voice against GST and eventually mislead you. Just notice how certain consultants were so emotional and hardly fought GST but these people don’t even own a single company.”

“We are very good at failing our own country. It’s not that we were going to be exempted from paying GST. I have been to India and the USA this year and I haven’t seen any cascading effect in their economies.”

He added, “Every time you see copper trucks going out, just know that you continue being milked. These guys all of a sudden have low grade copper and don’t even want to talk about cobalt. When we speak for you, you call us all sorts of names. Don’t come back to us when your mines are dry for more ways of diversifying the economy. You have missed your chance now.”

Dr Habaazoka charged that the rescinding of GST decision is because of citizens pressure and pressure from businesses.

“When your tax authority tells you that something is wrong and you opt to think you are more knowledgeable, something is very wrong. Sit down with us people who are in economic advocacy. We shall show you how lobbying in Zambia is very much advanced. The first bribe given to Zambians is given to intellectuals in form of consultancy. After chewing consultancy money, the voice from the consultant will go flat out in support of certain interests. Indeed it Business 10 – Zambia 0.”

UPND Copperbelt Provincial Chairman Mr. Elisha MATAMBO has told the UPND youths on the copperbelt at a youth provincial conference that time had come for them to rise up and defend the party as we prepare to take government from the PF.

Mr. MATAMBO, who addressed about 1,000 youths drawn from all the 11 districts on the Copperbelt, said youths in the UPND should not only be ready to defend the party but also the party president Mr. Hakainde HICHILEMA who has been endorsed as the 2021 general elections presidential candidate and sole presidential candidate at the yet to be held party General Assembly.

He said gone were the days when UPND youths watched the PF and the police arresting HH without any counter action. This time around the youths should resist any attempt to arrest UPND’s capital (HH).

Mr. MATAMBO said his leadership had resolved to protect the votes to the maximum in 2021 or any election before and he expected the same from the youths.

Copperbelt UPND Youth Provincial Chairman Kelly JIBINGA who assured Mr. MATAMBO of his leadership’s resolve to protect the votes said the Youth Provincial Conference was organized for the same purpose of sensitising the youths to be united and prepare to protect votes whenever an election was held.

Mr. JIBINGA said the youths on the Copperbelt had also resolved that any attempt to arrest Mr. Hakainde HICHILEMA by the PF government who have been setting the police on him in the recent past shall be met with sporadic counteractions.

And UPND National Youth Affairs Chairman Likando MUFALARI who was the guest of honour at the Conference said there was need for the youths to unite in the face of the higher levels of poverty and youth unemployment to ensure the PF and Edgar LUNGU were removed from power.

Mr. MUFALARI said the National Youth leadership was in agreement with the resolution to endorse Party President Hakainde HICHILEMA as the 2021 presidential candidate.

The National Youth Affairs Chairman echoed the sentiments of the youths remaining united as the party continues preparing itself for the 2021 general elections or any election before.

Hon. MUFALARI who was flanked by his three deputies; Munji HABENZU (Administration), Gilbert LISWANISO (Politics) and Subeta MUTELO (Gender) said president Edgar LUNGU and the PF should not be allowed to rule Zambia beyond 2021.

He said president Edgar LUNGU and the PF have failed to prudently manage the economy thereby subjecting Zambians to higher levels of poverty and misery.

Hon. MUFALARI recounted that the PF government has been promising the youths 5,000 jobs which are never offered.

Meanwhile at the same function Hon. MUFALARI received more than 200 youths who defected from the ruling Patriotic Front citing lack of care for those who voted them into power and the failure to make food cheap in the country.

And the UPND Deputy National Youth Chairperson (Gender) Subeta MUTELO appealed to the women to ensure they mobilised themselves in big numbers to make it possible for the UPND to remove PF from government.

She said the Zambian women have suffered a lot at the hands of the PF government who have failed to reduce the cost living with the Mealie Meal costing between K135 – K175 and a litre of petrol standing at K16 while electricity tariffs were yet to be increase. She said hospital were also a shell of themselves as stocks of essential drugs were unavailable.

The one day Copperbelt Provincial Youth Conference closed on Saturday September 28, 2019 with the reaffirmation of Hakainde HICHILEMA’s endorsement as party president and 2021 general elections presidential candidate.

Zesco Limited has announced that it will not commence power imports tomorrow as earlier announced.

Acting Company Managing Director Webster Musonda said some proposals that have been made to the Energy Regulation Board will need to be finished before imports can commence.

Speaking when the Parliamentary committee on Energy, Water Development and Tourism, Mr Musonda said the nation will be informed when the imports will commence.

Mr Musonda said the Power Utility company was scheduled to commence power imports from South Africa at a cost of about 21 million dollars monthly for about six months.

And Mr Musonda announced that the company is in the process of revising upwards the current eight hours load shedding schedule.

He said the current eight hours of load shedding has not helped as it has not worked according to the company’s expectations as consumers are not observing the switch and save.

Meanwhile, Kariba North Bank Station Manager Edward Simbaya has disclosed that ZESCO is currently producing 290 megawatts of electricity per day instead of the normal 500 megawatts.

Speaking when Energy Minister Mathew Nkhuwa paid a courtesy call on Siavonga District Commissioner Lovemore Kanyama, Mr Simbaya said reduced electricity production is aimed at sustaining power generation.

He said the company is likely to produce at the same capacity for the next four months to avoid depleting the water.

Images showing President Edgar Lungu eating a freshly grilled Snake have attracted mixed reactions.

On Saturday, President Lungu while officiating as guest of honour during the Pass Out of the ZAF Special Forces Unit in Mbala was served a plate of Puff Adder snake which he consumed, much to be bemusement of onlookers.

Some people have condemned the actions as being Satanic while the UPND says President Lungu risked being misunderstood as encouraging snake eating due to the current food shortages.

UPND Chairperson for Agriculture Levy Ngoma said the party wishes to warn people in hunger-stricken places never to emulate eating of snakes as an alternative.

“Our starving brothers and sisters across the country especially those in the northern circuit of the country should not copy the recent dramatic antics by Mr Edgar Lungu and start eating snakes. We also wish to make it known that had it been Mr Hichilema who ate the Puff Adder, or Ifwafwa as it is known in Bemba, he would have been called names such as ‘witch’ or ‘satanist.’”

“We are glad that Mr Hichilema is a farmer who would not prescribe eating of snakes as an option. What we need is the swift delivery of correct farm implements across the board. But it is so sad that Mr Lungu chose to be deceptive by indirectly encourage our poor, starving brothers and sisters across the country to start eating snakes, barely a month after his Vice President implored these same poor souls to consider shifting from eating nshima to other foods such as pumpkins, cassava and millet.” Mr Ngoma said.

“As if to add salt to an open wound, Mr Lungu chose to take advantage of the prevailing hunger situation in the country by showcasing snakes as an alternative source of food. The UPND fears that, left unabated, the PF, through its leader will fail to address hunger and prescribe eating snakes as an option.”

He added, “We say so because, being the Head of State, a huge number of unsuspecting Zambians might take eating snakes to survive during these hard times where food has become so scarce and survival is almost impossible for majority Zambians. We are aware that a number of people across the country have not only expressed disgust at the unwarranted gesture, but are worried that Mr Lungu is indirectly telling them to resort to eating snakes as a food supplement for the hungry mouths amidst the wide-spread hunger instead of declaring hunger as an emergency.”

“We also wish to question the motive for the move seeing that snakes have never been a part of Zambia’s food menu in any culture and tradition. Furthermore, we wish to question the rational behind him standing next to a bearded army officer when the men in uniform are known for observing the highest code of cleanliness or, is that named army personnel just one of the PF cadres clad in military attire or a PF Sangoma?”

“Therefore, if the PF wants to be eating snakes, we implore them to continue doing so without undue influence on unsuspecting ordinary Zambians to take this route. Zambians want better agriculture.”