The People’s Alliance for Change says it does not and will never support the legalising of homosexuality in Zambia as it is an unnatural practice that is not supported by our culture and religion.

Party President Andyford Banda says whether the jailing of Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba to 15 years by the High Court for engaging in sex which is against the order of nature is harsh or not, same sex marriage remains illegal in Zambia and we as a party do not support it.

Mr Banda said Homosexuality is an abomination; a grave sin as it is against the order of nature and PAC does not understand how two normal human beings of the same sex with five senses can choose to engage in sexual relations.

Below is a full statement…

Peoples Alliance for Change (PAC) is a member of the African Liberal Network, ALN, which some illiterate and ignorant people have in recent times accused of promoting homosexuality. Nothing can be further from the truth.

ALN is an organization composed of 44 political parties from 30 countries in Africa. The ALN serves to promote liberal objectives and principles throughout the continent. The objectives are listed as follows;

• Facilitate the development and growth of Liberal Democratic parties.

• Encourage solidarity among member parties with the aim of assisting them to achieve power through democratic means.

• Establish an alliance of like-minded Liberal Democratic parties in Africa for sharing information and experiences.

Some of the members are from the following countries; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

Some of the notable political parties include the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of Kenya which is the main opposition headed by the Retired Hon. Raila Amaro Odinga. We have the Democratic Alliance (DA) of South Africa main opposition until recently headed by Mr. Mmusi Maimane. The Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) led by former President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade which party current President Macky Sall also belonged to. In fact His Excellency Macky Sall like his predecessor is a champion of liberal democracy and his party is a member of ALN. The other is Rally of the Republicans (RDR) of Ivory Coast which is the ruling party led by the current President His Excellency Alassane Ouattara. Of course we have the UPND and PAC of Zambia just to mention a few.

Looking at the lineup of political parties and leaders some of whom are from Muslim countries, it would be foolish and a great sense of ignorance for anyone to think that these leaders are members of the African Liberal Network and Liberal International where the Democrats of the United States are a member, to discuss gay rights. The PF propaganda of labeling the African Liberal Network as a gay organization is as a result of total ignorance and a quest to make us the members look bad. It’s good that the people of Zambia can see through their eyes that these machinations are just a way to distract the people of Zambia from key important issues such as the Bill 10, higher mealie meal prices, the free falling Kwacha, lack of policy direction, corruption, political violence and a whole lot of other things the PF government have failed to address.

What is our stance on gay rights? As PAC, we would like to say from the onset that we cannot understand how people become homosexuals. This is against all norms of religion, culture and society. On one hand people say it takes two consenting adults, but so does adultery – two consenting adults that choose to do away with their vows does not make a rampant vice right.

The PAC stance on this matter is that we follow family values instilled in us as normal, cultural values we have observed in different communities, societal values we have observed but even more important, what scripture says about the vice; If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13). There is no other way to describe homosexuality. It is an abomination; a grave sin; it is against the order of nature, or natural order. Natural order encompasses the natural relations of beings to one another in the absence of law, and so we can see that in all fairness even natural order does not encompass homosexuality. Further, we are aware that even seemingly ‘straight’ individuals, at times engage themselves in homosexual behavior for adventure or to seek some monetary favour.

We mention again here that PAC is a member of the ALN. The ALN mandate does not mean that parties that are members support homosexuality, although there are parties such as the DA of South Africa who may support the rights of homosexuals, but this does not make everyone in the group, an automatic supporter of homosexuals. This is the same as belonging to SADC where South Africa have laws that allow gay rights while other countries don’t. Does it mean everyone in the group is a gay supporter?

Liberalising homosexuality would make this unnatural behavior seem natural and normal to future generations. PAC is against legalizing such a vice. Whether the sentencing of the pair in Kapiri Mposhi last week is too harsh or not is a story for another day.

However, of interest to us this week is our relationship with America. Aid is not good, but let us be realistic, with where the country is, and how PF has grounded everything into the ground, we cannot under score the need for assistance. Zambia as a country is not self sufficient and if there was any self sufficiency, it has been eroded by incompetence. The PF has zero plan on how we can emerge from the hole they have driven us into and the aid from various partners is vital, although we are no on the verge of losing it. What would happen if the biggest donor pulled the plug on their money – we borrow some literature from their website.

Health

USAID supports Zambia in strengthening its public health system at the national, provincial, and community levels. With an HIV prevalence of 12.3 percent in the general population, Zambia benefits from USAID’s assistance, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to scale-up integrated prevention, care, and treatment programs and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS. In collaboration with Zambia’s Ministry of Health, USAID’s programs also work on increasing the quality of health care, the prevention and treatment of other diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, and on changing attitudes and behavior with regard to maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition, and gender-based violence.

Economic Development, Environment, and Food Security

Through the Feed the Future initiative, USAID tackles rural poverty and malnutrition with activities that address policy issues, promote access to markets, and facilitate private-sector investment to increase agricultural production and incomes. Zambia has a tremendous wealth of natural resources which, however, face increasing threats, including deforestation and illegal and unsustainable wildlife trafficking. USAID programs promote sustainable natural resource management to conserve Zambia’s forests and combat wildlife trafficking. Through the Power Africa initiative, USAID seeks to increase the generation of, and access to, clean energy sources, particularly in rural and off-grid spaces.

Education

Zambia has made significant gains in increasing access to education, but the education system continues to be plagued by inadequate resources, poor education quality and low progression rates. In collaboration with the Zambian government and other implementing and cooperating partners, USAID education programs aim to increase learners’ performance in the early grades, and target foundational literacy skills. USAID programs also strengthen the capacity of teachers and school administrators to better deliver education services, and provide improved teaching and learning materials.

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

With a long history of democratic governance and peaceful transitions of power, Zambia has a strong foundation on which to build accountable and responsive systems of governance that advance the nation’s long-term development priorities. Recent trends, however, including shrinking democratic space and rising corruption levels, reveal threats to this opportunity. USAID supports Zambia’s democratic traditions and citizen-responsive governance by strengthening civil society and citizen participation, advancing respect for human rights, promoting free and fair elections, and improving governance accountability, efficiency, and transparency in the delivery of public services.

Clearly this partnership is essential. We are behaving, however, like one who is being supported by a brother while climbing a rickety ladder. As you feel more confident you start saying to he who is supporting the ladder, he can let go…the moment he does, you fall flat with egg on your face!

One thing is that even countries like Israel receive military aid, we don’t hear arrogance because they recognise its importance. This ‘Mugabe’ style arrogance simply because one is cocooned from the reality of a collapsed economy needs to stop! It won’t take us anywhere.

Don’t be swayed, the American government is not pointing a gun at the Zambian government to implement gay rights. They are asking for mutual respect. The same arrogance that President Lungu and his cohorts showed the IMF is the same one they are trying to show the US Government and yet they are still chasing for the IMF bailout. And unlike the IMF, who will not honour or sign any deal with PF, the American government is already cooperating with us and annually grant us a whole lot of millions of dollars. If they disappear, we will be the first ones to start trekking the globe seeking handouts – on a very expensive jet I might add!.

PACs foreign policy is premised on mutual respect with our cooperating partners. PAC will work towards self sustainability while continuing to cooperate with partners. PAC does not believe America is pointing a gun to Zambia to implement gay rights but rather that we stop being arrogant and wasteful in spending the resources available to us.

Andyford Mayele Banda

President

People’s Alliance for Change (PAC)

President Edgar Lungu is concerned that the country is being polluted daily with falsehoods in the media that have the potential to endanger national peace, stability and unity and discourage domestic and foreign direct investment.

The President has also expressed concern that these lies in the end will disrupt or negate gains made on Zambia’s development priorities.

The President said evidently, fake news not only affects Government, but also all citizens and those who spread such falsehoods.

“In the past, I have restrained myself from responding to fabrications based on the hope that our reporters in Zambia will rise above fake news, and focus their energies on substantive issues which are key to the attainment of national development priorities espoused in the 7NDP and Vision 2030 – for the benefit of every Zambian. Unfortunately, fake news is seemingly worsening by the day and becoming an enemy of national progress, as progressive proposed legislation such as the Constitutional Amendment Bill, also known as Bill 10, has been deliberately distorted for cheap political mileage, at the expense of the greater good”, the president said in a facebook posting.

President Lungu said he is therefore compelled to respond to these falsehoods because it is a problem Zambians can no longer afford to ignore.

He said he is also cognizant of the fact that to some of his fellow citizens, his continued total restraint to respond to fake news may be misconstrued to be an admission of guilt – and nothing could be further from the truth than that.

President Lungu reiterated that any talk of his involvement in the illegal trade of Mukula is a complete falsehood which is aimed at trying to form a distasteful caricature of his administration.

“The media has great role to play in nation building. It has been said that knowledge is power and information enriches the mind. Therefore, if you, our reporters, peddle fake news, you will not only be failing your nation, but you shall also be failing to perform one of your basic professional duties, which is: to educate and inform as much as you can; and not mislead and misinform as much as you can”, he added.

He said Zambians should learn from the lessons of other countries throughout history that the nations that have suffered instability and violence did not suffer these tragedies overnight and by accident.

President Lungu said these tragedies were a direct result of, among other things, making falsehoods and careless-talk as truth and the order of the day.

“Let us all remember that instability, disunity, violence and wars are all processes. And that, spreading falsehoods and fake news are key factors in propelling the above-mentioned processes and underdevelopment”, he said.

“Let us all, therefore, jealously protect and entrench peace, harmony and stability in Zambia by deploring falsehoods with a passion; and eventually remove it from our nation’s political fabric. Falsehoods threaten national peace, harmony and stability. And there can be no national development anywhere, without national peace, harmony and stability”, he added.

Transparency International is calling for all competent authorities in Zambia to fully investigate the allegations and prosecute wrongdoing regardless of the rank or status of the accused following reports that President Edgar Lungu, his daughter Tasila and several high-ranking politicians are allegedly involved in the illicit trade in mukula wood.

Multiple allegations appear in Mukula Cartel, a report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), published late last week.

Traffickers allegedly told undercover EIA investigators that Tasila Lungu, daughter of President Edgar Lungu, is involved in the illegal trade of protected mukula timber, along with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Jean Kapata, and the Minister of Justice, Given Lubinda.

The state-owned company Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO) is alleged to have used its mandate to trade logs seized from illegal traders as a cover to trade freshly felled mukula trees, in some instances under the protection of the Zambian army.

ZAFFICO is also alleged to have issued fraudulent export certificates, allowing timber from the endangered trees to be exported to China through the South Africa port of Durban.
EIA estimates that the illegal trade generates approximately US$7.5 million in bribes and informal fees annually.

Rueben Lifuka, Vice-Chair of Transparency International and President of Transparency International Zambia said: “It is imperative that the claims made in this report are investigated by multiple agencies and offices. Not only mukula continues to be trafficked despite the outcry of the Zambian public and the international community, the sale of Zambia’s natural resources allegedly benefits only a few people at the highest level of the government.”

Alarmingly, the report reveals that endangered trees are also used as a currency to influence Zambian elections.

Traffickers told EIA investigators that President Lungu granted mukula permits to regional chiefs in exchange for votes from their provinces ahead of the 2016 election and accepted a US$40,000 “donation” from a powerful Chinese trader to buy expensive outfits for his re-election campaign.

Mr. Lifuka continued: “This report describes the abuse of the state apparatus to facilitate and protect a criminal network operating at the highest levels of power. Such grand corruption thrives on the exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of the few, to the detriment of the many, and to their right to their natural heritage and environment.”

To restore the integrity of Zambia’s government and protect the remaining mukula trees, Transparency International urges the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to urgently institute a complete ban on the export of mukula wood.

It also wants the Zambian government to provide a full account of mukula traded through ZAFFICO, including information on revenues and how the funds have been expended.

Transparency International also wants the Chief Justice of Zambia to establish a special tribunal to investigate the alleged illegality and the Anti-Corruption Commission to launch a full and thorough investigation into the findings of the EIA report.

The organization wants all relevant authorities, including the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Electoral Commission of Zambia, to investigate the legality of campaign donations and allegations of vote buying, and the abuse of state resources ahead of major Zambian elections.

Transparency International also calls upon the South African government to investigate their end of the suspicious transit route in order to stop the flow of Zambian Mukula wood from the port of Durban, which the report claims is now the principle point of departure for Zambian mukula from Africa since authorities in Tanzania have increased enforcement against trafficking.

Mukula is a rare African tree and one of the rosewood species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Illicit and unsustainable harvesting of this precious timber has led to the destruction of Zambian forests, with environmental activists and the international community warning of a looming extinction.

The latest report by the Institute of Race Relations has revealed that Africa is still one of the most hostile regions for LGBTQ people, despite some positive developments.

The institute based its findings on interviews with LGBTQ activists.

The institute conducted interviews with African members and activists of the LGBTQ group.

According to the Human Rights Watch, 32 out of 54 African countries outlawed same-sex activity as of June.

The High Court in Botswana this year struck down two colonial-era laws, effectively legalizing gay sex.

The report compiled by the IRR shows that some political leaders are not willing to accommodate the rights of the homosexual community.

Researcher at the Institute Gerbrandt van Heerden said: “One of the countries that stood out where there is still a lot of oppression is Malawi, as well as Zambia. The President of Zambia actually did say that he would not agree to equal rights for gay people even if it’s at a cost of international aid.”

The research shows that there’s a clear link between education and LGBTQ tolerance with most prestigious schools having a relatively open view of people with alternative sexual orientations and gender expressions.

Below is an interview with “Jason’, a gay activist from Zambia.

Jason (Zambia)

My next interviewee also indicated that he wished to remain anonymous. So, for the purpose of this section, he will be known as Jason. Jason has been an LGBTQ and human rights activist since 2008. He is the co-founder of a local LGBTQ organisation and has also worked for an international organisation in the public health sector. Jason has also held a position in government.

Yet Jason notes that Zambian youths remain highly divided when it comes to this issue. Some are highly accepting of the LGBTQ community while others scoff at the idea of allowing more rights for this group. In terms of the rural/urban divide, Jason says that the capital city of Lusaka is a ‘diverse, cosmopolitan environment’ in which the idea of gay people is ‘nothing new’. Many people in Lusaka are, in other words, not concerned about whether their neighbours or colleagues might be gay or lesbian.

What is apparent from my interview with Jason is that the entertainment industry in Lusaka is a safe haven for LGBTQ people. Many LGBTQ people work within the wedding, fashion and performance arts (singers and dancers) sectors and attitudes within the entertainment industry are more favourable towards those with different sexual orientation and gender identities.

South African personality and one of Africa’s most high-profile gay celebrities, Somizi Mhlongo, was invited by PR Girl Media to be an official guest at the Lusaka July 2019 polo and fashion event, which confirms Jason’s sentiments about a more open-minded entertainment industry. However, the Zambian government reportedly stepped in to ban Mhlongo from attending the event. In a briefing at the New Government Complex in Lusaka, the Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, Godfridah Sumaili, as well as a representative from the National Arts Council and two founders of PR Girl Media, addressed the controversy.

Minister Sumaili said that performance artists had a strong influence in society and had the power to alter public perceptions. She went on to say that ‘the government does not condone a situation where event managers are inviting people with questionable character that might undermine the morals of the land’.

Chishimba Nyambe from PR Girl Media adopted a more conciliatory tone and stated that although she personally admired and supported Mhlongo, Zambia was not, unfortunately ready for him yet.
On that note, I asked Jason to elaborate on the government’s position on the LGBTQ community. Zambia’s current president, Edgar Lungu, has said that he will not agree to equal rights for gay people – even at the cost of international aid. I asked Jason if the sentiment held by the president reflected the views of everyone in government or whether some public officials were actively fighting for decriminalising homosexuality. According to Jason, the government – as in so many other African countries – uses the LGBTQ issue as a way of deflecting attention from more pressing problems that result from governance failure. They do this sort of scapegoating with reasonable success. However, Jason has noticed that Zambian society has in recent years become more aware of the government’s deflection tactics. So, when public officials once again highlight the so-called ‘LGBTQ problem’ ordinary Zambians will likely respond: ‘Okay, but what about corruption, poor service delivery and sky-high taxes?’.

Jason also pointed out that LGBTQ activists and civil organisations had been successful in lobbying for gay and transgender rights by focusing on HIV and AIDS. An official government document outlining responses to HIV and AIDS in the country includes the necessity to focus on gay and transgender people. According to the government document, no one in Zambia should be left behind when it comes to fighting HIV and AIDS, including those from the LGBTQ community. The fact that LGBTI people are mentioned a lot in the public health sector can be seen as evidence of LGBTQ civil society organisations’ most successful approaches in lobbying for greater acceptance and inclusion. Intersex people are also being focused on more by the health sector, and the tone on transgender people in the sector has softened.

Zambian LGBTQ organisations have also been successful in creating spaces where people can talk more openly about issues concerning the community. This is so much the case that visibility of LGBTQ people has increased in smaller towns outside Lusaka. Jason refers to himself as part of the ‘old guard’ that paved the way for younger LGBTQ people to be more prominent in pushing for equality. The newer generation is more vocal and more willing to participate in events such as an annual Gay Pride March.

Jason took time to elaborate on some of the bigger obstacles facing gay- and human rights groups in the country. One, he says, is that objective conversations around sexual issues, never mind LGBTQ issues, are not usually widely or openly held. This is because in many sections of Zambian society, the Bible is held as the supreme law. Because religion is so intertwined with politics, matters about sexuality and sex in general are neglected. In order for attitudes to shift in Zambia, there should be a greater focus on the country’s constitution, and enshrining more rights, than an on religious texts. Media houses in Zambia are also partially to blame for the negative perceptions that Zambians have of the LGBTQ community. They are prone to ‘sensationalism’ and often lack ‘professionalism’. It is very easy for anyone in Zambia to create a news vlog in which they can spread hatred and fake news about gay people.

Jason concluded by saying that court action would be the most appropriate way to push for LGBTQ inclusion. Now that the groundwork had been laid in the health sector, civil society and human rights groups had the foundation to build the fight for equality and dignity. ‘LGBTQ people should be humanised. They are tax payers, they have families.’

The government has directed the family unit and the church to start playing a cardinal role in the fight against corruption.

ZANIS reports that Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili said there is need to raise awareness on the fight against corruption at household and church level.

Reverend Sumaili noted that though corruption may be prevalent in the public sector as opposed to the private sector, there is need for concerted response towards the fight against the vice.

Speaking in Lusaka today, Reverend Sumaili said there is need to start inculcating Christian, national values and virtues in children when they are still young.

“We need to raise awareness on corruption in the family, teach our children at a very early age in the home not to take anything that is not theirs” said Reverend Sumaili.

The Minister stressed that the church should exceedingly preach against corruption because people caught up in corruption also frequent churches.

The Minister said the church must therefore take advantage and talk to its members to desist from engaging in corruption.

She said government alone cannot fight corruption and thus needs the support of all Zambians both in the private and public sectors to do their part and stand against corruption.

The Minister pointed out that government has done its part by putting in place stringent financial measures which are being complied to and is also strengthening systems to curb corruption.

THE Religious Affairs Minister observed that Zambians need to embrace and live by the core values of honesty, hard work, dignity and transparency as enshrined in the constitution to respond to corruption.

On December 9, 2019, Zambia joined the rest of the world to commemorate the international day against corruption under the theme “United against Corruption”.

President Edgar Lungu stated that no one will be spared in the fight against corruption.