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WWF-Zambia Country Director, Ms. Nachilala Nkombo (left), chats with a young farmer and ZYCALA project beneficiary, Ms. Rozen Ndonde, at the construction site of the youth-led honey processing plant.
Construction of a youth-led honey processing house in Serenje District has reached an advanced stage, with 80 percent of works done.
The honey processing house, which will cost over K70,000, is being constructed with support from the Scottish Government, WWF-Zambia, YEFI and Gaia Education, under the auspices of the Zambia Youth for Conservation, Agriculture and Livelihood Action (ZYCALA).
ZYCALA is a three-year project being implemented in Chitambo, Serenje and Mkushi districts of Central Province. The project is building capacity of 420 local youth leaders to become active and effective change agents in youth-led campaigning on social and environmental issues, as well as sustainable income generation and food security actions.
Commenting on the development, one of the beneficiary youth, Rozen Nkonde, thanked WWF and its cooperating partners for empowering them with income generating skills.
“We are so happy as young people of Serenje for this wonderful gesture. Through this honey processing house, we will be able to raise enough income to support ourselves and our families. Also, the need to keep the honey house up-and-running will help in keeping us away from vices that are capable of affecting our good health as young people, such as beer drinking,” observed Ms. Nkonde.
Speaking earlier, the WWF-Zambia Country Director, Nachilala Nkombo, urged the youth to help in the fight against poverty and climate change through engaging in sustainable income-generating activities such as bee-keeping. “First of all, demand for honey is soaring every day on both the local and international markets. Secondly, as opposed to other economic activities, honey production is environmentally friendly. For this reason, I urge you to treat the honey processing house as an opportunity for you to expand bee-keeping activities and begin to contribute massively to the economic wellbeing of your families and the country at large,” advised Ms. Nkombo.
The WWF-Zambia Country Director said this when she toured the honey house recently in Serenje. The facility is strategically located at Kabamba, along the Great North Road, on a piece of land which was donated to the youth by His Royal Highness Chief Kabamba.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
Issued by:
Arnold Chasaya
ZYCALA Project Communication Assistant
WWF-Zambia Country Office
It was a Wednesday of mixed emotions in the South Africa PSL that saw Orlando Pirates lose their second successive competitive game.
-MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene was absent from the defending champions team sheet for a third successive competitive match following Wednesday’s 1-1 away league draw at 11th placed Chippa United.
-ORLANDO PIRATES
Just five days after losing 1-0 away in the CAF Champions League to Green Eagles in Lusaka, Pirates were clobbered 3-0 on the road by SuperSport United in a Gauteng derby in Pretoria.
Midfielder Augustine Mulenga played the full 90 minutes while striker Justin Shonga came on in the 46th minute for ninth placed Pirates.
But the show belonged to compatriot and striker Gampani Lungu who scored seventh positioned SuperSport’s final goal in the 69th minute just twenty four minutes after coming on as a substitute
Employees embedded with cybersecurity forces in Zambia and Uganda intercepted encrypted communications and used cell data to track opponents, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation
Huawei Technologies Co., the world’s largest telecommunications company, dominates African markets, where it has sold security tools that governments use for digital surveillance and censorship.
But Huawei employees have provided other services, not disclosed publicly.
Technicians from the Chinese powerhouse have, in at least two cases, personally helped African governments spy on their political opponents, including intercepting their encrypted communications and social media, and using cell data to track their whereabouts, according to senior security officials working directly with the Huawei employees in these countries.
In Zambia, according to senior security officials there, Huawei technicians helped the government access the phones and Facebookpages of a team of opposition bloggers running a pro-opposition news site, which had repeatedly criticized President Edgar Lungu.
The senior security officials identified by name two Huawei experts based in a cyber-surveillance unit in ZICTA offices who pinpointed the bloggers’ locations and were in constant contact with police units deployed to arrest them in Solwezi.
The ruling Patriotic Front posted on its Facebook page in April that police officers working with “Chinese experts at Huawei have managed to track” and arrest the bloggers.
The party’s spokesman confirmed to the Journal that the case was handled by the Cybercrime Crack Squad, the unit at ZICTA.
The revelations focus attention on the surveillance systems Huawei sells governments, often branded “safe cities.”
The company says it has installed the systems in 700 cities spread across more than 100 countries and regions.
In Zambia, Huawei’s products are part of the country’s Smart Zambia initiative to implement digital technologies across government departments.
Huawei, in the statement, said it had never sold safe city solutions in Zambia and hasn’t conducted business with Zambia’s Cybercrime Crack Squad.
In Kampala, Uganda, last year, a group of six intelligence officers struggled to contain a threat to the 33-year regime of President Yoweri Museveni, according to Ugandan senior security officials. A pop star turned political sensation, Bobi Wine, had returned from Washington with U.S. backing for his opposition movement, and Uganda’s cyber-surveillance unit had strict orders to intercept his encrypted communications, using the broad powers of a 2010 law that gives the government the ability “to secure its multidimensional interests.”
According to these officials, the team, based on the third floor of the capital’s police headquarters, spent days trying to penetrate Mr. Wine’s WhatsApp and Skype communications using spyware, but failed. Then they asked for help from the staff working in their offices from Huawei, Uganda’s top digital supplier.
“The Huawei technicians worked for two days and helped us puncture through,” said one senior officer at the surveillance unit. The Huawei engineers, identified by name in internal police documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, used the spyware to penetrate Mr. Wine’s WhatsApp chat group, named Firebase crew after his band. Authorities scuppered his plans to organize street rallies and arrested the politician and dozens of his supporters.
The incident in Uganda and another in Zambia, as detailed in a Journal investigation, show how Huawei employees have used the company’s technology and other companies’ products to support the domestic spying of those governments.
Since 2012 the U.S. government has accused Huawei—the world’s largest maker of telecom equipment and second-largest manufacturer of smartphones—of being a potential tool for the Chinese government to spy abroad, after decades of alleged corporate espionage by state-backed Chinese actors. Huawei has forcefully denied those charges.
The Journal investigation didn’t turn up evidence of spying by or on behalf of Beijing in Africa. Nor did it find that Huawei executives in China knew of, directed or approved the activities described. It also didn’t find that there was something particular about the technology in Huawei’s network that made such activities possible.
Details of the operations, however, offer evidence that Huawei employees played a direct role in government efforts to intercept the private communications of opponents.
Huawei has “never been engaged in ‘hacking’ activities,” said a Huawei spokesman in a written statement. “Huawei rejects completely these unfounded and inaccurate allegations against our business operations. Our internal investigation shows clearly that Huawei and its employees have not been engaged in any of the activities alleged. We have neither the contracts, nor the capabilities, to do so.”
The spokesman added: “Huawei’s code of business conduct prohibits any employees from undertaking any activities that would compromise our customers or end users data or privacy or that would breach any laws.
Huawei prides itself on its compliance with local regulations and laws in all markets where it operates.”
Zambia’s ruling party spokesman, Antonio Mwanza, said Huawei technicians, based inside ZICTA were helping the government combat opposition news sites.
“Whenever we want to track down perpetrators of fake news, we ask Zicta, which is the lead agency. They work with Huawei to ensure that people don’t use our telecommunications space to spread fake news,” he said.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a written statement that it is common practice for countries to cooperate on policing.
“Some African countries have enthusiastically built ‘safe cities’ in order to improve the lives of their people and their business environments,” the ministry said.
“To equate this positive effort with ‘surveillance’ smacks of ulterior motives.”
Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, publicly denied in January that the company spied on behalf of the Chinese government.
It was the launch of a global public-relations blitz to counter negative press sparked by the arrest in Canada of Huawei’s CFO and a Trump administration pressure campaign to persuade allies to ban Huawei gear from next-generation 5G networks.
“Neither Huawei, nor I personally, have ever received any requests from any government to provide improper information,” Mr. Ren said at a gathering of foreign journalists.
Zambian senior security officials said that in the country’s new $75 million data center, Huawei employees work with the Cybercrime Crack Squad, sitting in cubicles where they monitor and intercept digital communications from a broad spectrum that includes criminal suspects, as well as opposition groups, activists and journalists.
In Uganda’s capital, Huawei has helped build 11 monitoring centers used to fight crime, according to the national police deputy spokeswoman.
A new six-story, $30 million hub due to open in November will be linked to more than 5,000 of the company’s cameras equipped with facial-recognition technology.
Huawei, in the statement, said it had never sold safe city solutions in Algeria.
Before the Huawei project got rolling, in early 2017, Uganda’s security services received a delivery of spyware, according to Ugandan senior security officials.
The spyware was modeled on a product called Pegasus, created by Israeli firm NSO Group.
Similar products are sold under different names by a number of cyber-intelligence firms.
The spyware can penetrate encrypted messages in smartphones, according to Amnesty International.
The Ugandans received training from five Israeli government technicians. Ugandan intelligence officers said they were taught how to use the spyware for reading emails and texts but not encrypted communications.
The Israeli government didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“The training was short-lived and not very sophisticated like what we got from the Chinese,” one senior Ugandan security official said.
A similar story unfolded in Zambia.
The first phase of the project, worth $440 million and mostly financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, began in 2015 after President Edgar Lungu traveled to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping.
Since 2016, Huawei has led the construction of an information and communication technologies training hub and hundreds of cellphone and data connection towers.
Huawei has also established a data center complex at Zicta, the telecom regulator, said Brian Mushimba, Zambia’s minister of transport and communications, in a telephone interview with the Journal.
On the second floor of Zicta’s gray-colored facility, behind biometric scanners, Huawei employees are embedded within Zambia’s new data center, which houses the Cybercrime Crack Squad, Zambian security officials said.
Established in February, around half of the 40-strong staff at the data center are Huawei employees, two Zambian officials there said.
In April, President Lungu’s office ordered a crackdown on news sites that had published a string of damaging stories.
Zambia was for decades seen as one of Africa’s most stable and permissive democracies, but in recent years it has moved to muzzle opposition media, shuttering some of the country’s top newspapers and television channels and pushing antigovernment voices onto Facebook sites and WhatsApp forums.
Mr. Lungu’s press secretary, Amos Chanda, called the head of the cyber squad, Mofya Chisala, and a senior chief Huawei technician for help, Zambian intelligence officers said.
Mr. Chanda said he had “no recollection of the events or meetings” with the cyber squad or Huawei officials.
Mr. Chisala didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Huawei technicians helped intercept the communications of opposition bloggers running a news site named Koswe, or “The Rat,” which had repeatedly criticized Mr. Lungu, the two Zambian officials in the Cybercrime Crack Squad said.
The Huawei staff accessed the bloggers’ Facebook pages, where they found their phone numbers, and then used spyware from another company to look into and locate the devices.
On April 18, a team of cyber officials, police intelligence and Zicta experts huddled in Mr. Chanda’s office, on the ground floor of the presidential mansion.
Two Huawei technicians opened their laptops to display screens showing live trace routes of several mobile phones linked to the targeted bloggers’ Facebook pages, on maps that also charted Huawei phone antennas, Zambian intelligence officials said.
The cyber squad alerted the police in the northwestern provinces where Huawei had pinpointed the opposition bloggers.
Over the next few days, Huawei experts helped Zambian officials track the targets from the Zicta data center offices, maintaining real-time contact with police officers in the field, the intelligence officials said.
Finally, police swooped in on sites on the outskirts of the copper mining town Solwezi.
One suspect was typing on his laptop when officers burst in and seized his electronic devices.
“We found one of the suspects editing a long, malicious article which he was about to post,” one of the intelligence officials said.
One official on the cyber squad said the Zambians have “nowhere near the expertise” of Huawei.
Zambia will from 10 to 12 October 2019 host the 12th United Nations All Africa Games 2019.
The games, which will be organised and hosted by the United Nations in Zambia, will see about 1,200 participants from over 14 countries compete for honours at the annual United Nations sporting event to be held in Lusaka.
The objective of the UN All Africa Games is to promote good health and well-being among UN staff in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3 as well as encourage unity in the UN family.
This is the first time that Zambia is hosting this prestigious event, with last year’s games having been held in Mphumalanga, South Africa, under the auspices of United Nations South Africa.
The event will involve a total of 12 disciplines including athletics, basketball, chess, football, netball, parasports and volleyball.
“As UN Zambia, we are honoured to host the games. This is a huge undertaking that needs sponsors to join hands with us. We invite the private sector to come on board and partner with us to ensure success of these games,” said UN Zambia Resident Coordinator.
Dr. Okech also noted the support so far received from the Zambian Government in the lead up to the UN games.
“We are grateful to the Government of the Republic of Zambia through line ministries such as Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Youth, Sport and Child Development for the support and guidance provided to us this far to ensure that we hold a truly memorable and professional sporting event,” Dr Okech added.
A local organising committee comprising UN staff and representatives from the Government has since been constituted to arrange games schedules, accommodation, venues, transportation and communication, among other issues.
Zamtel Retail and Channels Manager Mwimba Makanta explains the functionality of the latest devices on display to IDC Group CEO Mateyo Kaluba as Zamtel CEO Sydney Mupeta looks on during the launch of the Woodlands Customer Service Centre
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has urged companies within the Group to emulate Zamtel and embrace innovation to support growth and profitability of their respective businesses.
Officially launching the Zamtel ultra-modern Woodlands Customer Service Centre, IDC Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Mateyo Kaluba said the notion of poor customer service from Zambian companies in any industry must become a thing of the past.
He said IDC expects its companies to adopt the highest levels of efficiency and invest in training to build capacity of members of staff.
Mr Kaluba said the IDC is proud to see subsidiaries such as Zamtel apply innovation that improves the quality of service to customers.
Mr Kaluba said the need for service excellence in business cannot be over emphasised because it is key to retaining customers and extracting more value from them.
“When your customer is happy, they are more understanding when you face challenges as an organisation and less sensitive to price adjustments,” Mr Kaluba said.
And Zamtel Chief Executive Officer Mr Sydney Mupeta said the facility will serve as a one stop shop for customers to access all products and services.
He said the Centre will also have an experiential facility where customers will experience some of the products and services on offer before they make the decision to purchase.
Mr Mupeta commended the IDC for the continued support and guidance offered to Zamtel as it strives towards excellence in provision of quality services.
IDC Group CEO Mateyo Kaluba chats with Zamtel CEO Sydney Mupeta during the launch of the Woodlands Customer Service Centre
Patrick Nshindano is its new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Electoral Commission of Zambia Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano has committed to ensuring that the ECZ deliver credible and transparent elections in line with the mandate and values of the commission.
Mr Nshindano says he is fully aware of the high expectations by the Zambian people of the Commission and commit to ensuring that they deliver credible and transparent elections in line with the mandate and values of the Commission.
He acknowledged that he is joining the Commission at a time when the commission is undertaking delimitation and in the immediate he will ensure that this process is effectively concluded in all the districts of Zambia which will assist with voter registration leading to a new and clean voters register for 2021.
Mr Nshindano said he is confident that the delimitation process will remove suspicions that arose during the 2016 general elections.
He said he is looking forward to working with all stakeholders and welcomes positive criticism that will help improve the commissions operations and the electoral process.
Mr Nshindano said he will maintain an open door policy to all stakeholders in line with the Commission’s values.
President Edgar Lungu has maintained his stance on the liquidation of Konkola Copper Mines saying it is supported by the people of Zambia.
The Head of State yesterday met the Chairman of Vedanta Anil Argawal at the request of the Investor and informed him that the position government has taken on KCM is supported by Zambians and the meeting will not affect the ongoing liquidation process.
The meeting was held at the request of the businessman and the president agreed to meet him to listen to what he had to say.
At the meeting Mr. Argawal expressing his desire to continue running the mine and among other things to pay the debt owed to contractors and suppliers and to reinvest in the mine and restructure the shareholding of KCM.
This is contained in a statement issued to the Media by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Isaac Chipampe.
Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo speaking at the official opening of the Media Self Regulation Insaka
Ministry of information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo has lashed out at British High Commissioner to Zambia for suggesting that the hunger situation in some parts of the country be declared a national emergence in order for government to attract the necessary support.
Mr Kasolo wondered why Britain is the only country that has called for the declaration of the hunger situation a national emergence.
Appearing on Hot FM on a program dubbed “the Hot Issue”, Mr Kasolo said there is no need to declare the hunger situation which has affected mostly Southern, Western, parts of Lusaka, Central and Eastern Provinces a National emergencey because the country has enough food.
He said declaring the hunger situation an emergency will turn Zambia into a beggar to the excitement of those that have been insisting that the situation be declared an emergency.
Mr Kasolo said Zambia has enough maize but agreed that the distribution of the food to the hunger stricken areas has been slow.
“I will agree with stakeholders if they say that the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has been slow in distributing the food, to say we are in a crisis NO”, Mr Kasolo said adding that President Edgar Lungu will not hesitate to declare the situation a disaster if need be.
“Declaring the situation a national emergence is a process, it cannot happen overnight, President Lungu is a very intelligent man, that man is wise and I can assure you that if the reports being submitted to him suggest that it is a crisis he will declare it so”,he added.
And Mr. Kasolo who sits on the National Emergence Committee said he will engage DMMU National Coordinator Chanda Kabwe on the need to diversify the food pack given to affected families to include other foods other than maize.
He said there is need to include other dietary needs such as Kapenta and beans in order to provide the much needed nutritional needs to the affected families.
But Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance National Coordinator Mathews Mhuru advised against politicizing the hunger situation saying declaring it a national emergence will not be an embarrassment to government.
He said government must also accept that the situation is not their fault but a natural cause which has impacted negatively on the lives about 2.5 million people.
Mr Mhuru explained that 58 Districts across the country are either in phase 3 or 4 of the hunger situation which if allowed to progress to phase 5 will mean people dying of hunger.
He said government needs about 178 million dollars in the short term to avert the hunger situation the money they will not raise without donor support.
Jean kapata, MP, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
The Ministry of Lands has clarified that Lands and Natural Resources Minister Jean Kapata followed the laid down procedures in acquiring Land in the controversial Forest Reserve number 27.
Acting Lands Commissioner George Sindila said Mrs. Kapata bought Land in the degazetted Forest and followed the procedure according to the documents received by his office.
Mr Sindila said the assertion therefore that the said land was not advertised are not true because the law does not compel the Commissioner of Lands to advertise land for sell.
Mr Sindila who was speaking at a media briefing confirmed that Mrs Kapata has indeed acquired land in forest 27.
GEARS Initiative Zambia has demanded that Chief Justice Irene Mambilima must appoint a tribunal to investigate whether or not Lands Minister Jean Kapata has breached the law by allocating herself a plot in the controversial Lusaka East Local Forest Reserve number 27.
GEARS Initiative Executive Director McDonald Chipenzi said the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act of the Laws of Zambia provides that any citizen can apply to the Chief Justice to appoint a tribunal to investigate if a Minister or Member of Parliament has used his or her position to gain pecuniary advantage in such matters as land allocation.
Mr. Chipenzi has also challenged Former Tourism Minister William Harrington to consider applying to the Chief Justice to appoint a tribunal since he has been on this matter and has relevant experience in land issues.
He said Mr. Harrington should take up the challenge in the public and national interest to seriously request the Chief Justice to immediately appoint a tribunal to investigate the matter of Forest Reserve Number 27 as he has vast experience in tribunals in particular the Dora Siliya and Sylvia Masebo tribunals.
Government has appointed and inaugurated a new Board of Directors for the Road Transport and Safety Agency.
Transport and Communications Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya presided over the inauguration ceremony in Lusaka today.
The Thirteen-member Board, chaired by Dr. Cornelius Chipoma, has Mr. Patrick Malindi, Dr. Henry Nkhoma, Mr. Martin Libinga, Ms. Womba Kasambu, Ms. Mumeka Walumweya, Mr. Daniel Kampilimba, Mr. Mwenya Bwalya, Ms. Lombe Kamukoshi Engineers Misheck Lungu, Engineer Wallace Mumba, Engineer Elias Mwape and Director of the RTSA as members.
Mr. Kafwaya in his remarks said the Agency is one of the key government’s strategic institution whose services are critical to the public and gas since directed the RTSA Board to quickly find solutions to enhancing service delivers.
The Minister encouraged the members to be vigilant, work hard and serve the public in an efficient and effective manner, and urged the Board and management to uphold the highest integrity and execute their roles well, adding that “country must come first”.
Mr. Kafwaya hailed RTSA for doing a great job, highlighting how the Agency is implementing Government policies on road transport, road safety and traffic management.
The minister encouraged RTSA to harness the implementation of the Transport Policy and the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) in order provide a sustainable road transport system and reduce road traffic accidents in the country.
And the RTSA Board Chairperson Dr. Chipoma appreciated the Minister for putting trust in them, promising to do the very best in order to boost the operation of RTSA and contribute to the social and economic development of the country.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has appointed Mr Kryticous Patrick Nshindano as its Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
The appointment is with effect from 8th August, 2019. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Nshindano was Executive Director for Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR). The Commission would like to congratulate Mr. Nshindano on the appointment and wish him every success in his new assignment.
“On behalf of the Commission, I would like to offer you my sincere congratulations upon your assumption of new responsibilities. We, at the Commission, pledge our support and look forward to working with you. We are confident that under your leadership as Chief Electoral Officer, the Commission will strive to greater heights and achievements,” said the Chairperson, Justice Esau E. Chulu in his congratulatory message.
Mr Nshindano holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Development Studies from the University of Zambia and Master of Business Administration from Copperbelt University.
Mr Nshindano takes over from Mr Chomba Chella who separated from the Commission on personal grounds on 31st July, 2019.
By Margaret Chimanse
Public Relations Manager
For/Chief Electoral Officer
ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA
Government Chief Whip Brian Mundubile has castigated the Law Association of Zambia for petitioning the President of Zambia, the Attorney General and the Assembly over the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 10.
Mr. Mundubile who is also PF Chairperson Legal Affairs said the petition is an exercise in futility as the petitioners are doing this for selfish reasons.
The Mporokoso PF Law maker said it is a well known fact that the President cannot be sued directly but through the Attorney General.
Mr. Mundubile wondered why LAZ and other stakeholders have gone ahead to sue the President but said government is keenly following the matter to see the outcome of this process.
He alleged that the petition is meant to derail the process.
The Law Association of Zambia yesterday petitioned the President of Zambia, the Attorney General and the Assembly over the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 10.
LAZ is being represented by top Constitutional lawyers from Sangwa Associates.
Sangwa and Associates have since notified Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini of the Court action.
In a letter to Dr Matibini, the law firm is urging the Speaker not to bring the Bill onto the floor as it is now in Court.
Simeza and Associates served the petition and the affidavit verifying fact this morning.
The National Democratic Congress has appealed to the geological survey department to conduct a new exploration on gold deposits in the North Western province.
NDC North Western Province Coordinator Marc Kalemba says it is saddening that 55 years after independence, the country has scanty details on gold prospects in the country.
Mr. Kalemba said it is high time that Zambia seriously explored and harnessed the mining of gold besides copper.
He said government should also take advantage on the discovery of gold in the North western region by attracting serious investors to conduct gold mining.
Mr. Kalemba said the opening up of gold mines will help create jobs in the country and has demanded that clear policy guidelines on gold mining are immediately put in place.
He said the NDC is aware on the influx of foreign nationals who are conducting illegal gold mining particularly in Mwinilunga district and have also seen in the recent past how PF carders have been fighting over gold in Chief Chibwikas of Mwinilunga district.
Mr. Kalemba lamented that Government is losing out on revenue generation arising from such illegal gold mining activities adding that the unregulated mining of gold is being done without the necessary safety measures.
He said the recent death of three gold miners in Mwinilunga clearly underscores the need to improve safety standards in gold mining.
Government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in Monze district has distributed maize bran meant for pigs and chicken to residents of Hamapande area.
United Party for National Development (UPND) Chairperson of elections Gary Nkombo who disclosed the development in an interview alleges that Government through DMMU has distributed maize bran to residents of Hamapande area in Monze West of chief Monze’s chiefdom as relief food.
He said that he has received several complaints from residents in Hamapande area complaining about the relief food.
Mr. Nkombo who is also Mazabuka Member of Parliament described the distribution of maize bran as relief food as dehumanizing.
He explained that residents have been instructed by DMMU to share a 50 KG of maize bran among three people and then mix it with 12.5 KG bag of refined mealie meal.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nkombo has since called on government to declare the hunger situation as a national disaster.
But Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya says it is unbecoming for some Members of Parliament such as Mr Nkombo to peddle lies that government is distributing animal feed to people affected by drought.
Ms. Siliya says government has been distributing about 100-thousand metric tons of relief food to people in hunger-stricken areas and animal feed in areas where people keep livestock.
Ms. Siliya said effects of Climate change do not select whether it is humans or livestock that gets affected.
Ms. Siliya , who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, added that various affected districts have been assessed with Gwembe, Shangombo and Lunga being the most hit.
She said there is no need to politicize the issue.
File:Health Professions Council of Zambia Chief Executive Officer Dr. Aaron Mujajati delivering the speech whilst Health Professions Council of Zambia Chief operations Officer Kolala Mulenga (l) and Assistant Registrar-Registration Health Professions Council of Zambia Bwembya Bwalya (r) listens during Health Professions Council of Zambia press briefing at there offices
A medical expert has warned that the National Health Insurance will be a flop if stakeholders are not well managed.
Since the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, some key stakeholders such as the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions and the Zambia Federation of Employers have strongly opposed its creation.
The two organizations contend that they were not fully consulted before the Act creating the Scheme was enacted.
Dr Mujajati who is also immediate past Health Practitioners Council of Zambia Director General said stakeholder management is key in the successful implementation of the Scheme.
“If stakeholders are not managed well the National Health Insurance is bound to fail. It would be very unfortunate for the poor majority if the NHI were allowed to demise,” Dr Mujajati warned.
“If stakeholder mapping was done properly from the outset then this matter can be managed without throwing away bath water with the baby,” he cautioned.
He added, “Let us wait and see. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when the chickens come home to roost.”
