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Zambia launches phase 3 clinical trial for promising TB vaccine candidate

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ZAMBIA has demonstrated its commitment to eradicating Tuberculosis (TB) by launching phase 3 clinical
trial for a promising TB vaccine candidate.
The first trial site in Zambia is in Lusaka. Screening of participants started on August 29 at selected sites
in Lusaka. There will be a total of four clinical trial sites in Zambia.
TB remains a significant public health challenge in Zambia, with approximately 59,000 people afflicted
by the disease each year.
The disease mainly affects those living in poverty and with limited access to healthcare.
The need for an effective vaccine has never been more urgent than now, especially for adolescents and
adults in the country and globally who are most at risk.
Zambia is the third country to start Phase 3 clinical trials for this vaccine candidate, following Kenya in
July and South Africa in March.
Monde Muyoyeta is the national principal investigator for the trial in Zambia.
“We are excited to participate in this clinical trial, and look forward to working with our community,”
said Dr Muyoyeta of the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Zambia (CIDRZ).
“So many people continue to be burdened by TB, including the silent epidemic of post TB lung disease.
Personally, I am very hopeful that this pivotal trial will confirm the findings from Phase 2 trials,” Dr
Muyoyeta says.
At full capacity, the trial will include up to 20,000 participants, including people living with HIV, at 60
trial sites in seven countries — South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Indonesia and
Vietnam.
Participants will receive either the investigational M72/AS01E vaccine or a placebo in what is known as a
double-blind trial, meaning neither the trial participant nor the clinical investigators will know who
receives vaccine or placebo.
This approach is considered the gold standard for evaluating the safety and efficacy of an investigational
vaccine.
If shown to be well-tolerated and effective, M72/AS01E could potentially become the first vaccine to
help prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults, the most common form of the disease, and the
first new TB vaccine in over a century.
It is anticipated that it will take up to five years to complete the trial, followed by data analysis and then
preparation for submission of data to regulatory authorities.
Globally, according to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in
2022 and 1.3 million died — over 3,500 people per day.
The disease primarily affects people in low- and middle-income countries, and those at highest risk are
often living in poverty, with poor living and working conditions and undernutrition.

Almost half of TB-affected households face costs higher than 20 percent of their household income. In
Zambia alone, around 59,000 people develop TB each year.
While TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases — and the leading cause of death amongst
people living with HIV — the only available TB vaccine, the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), dates back
to 1921.
It protects babies and young children against severe forms of TB, but it offers inadequate protection for
adolescents and adults against the pulmonary form of the disease, which is primarily responsible for
transmission of the TB bacterium.
The Gates MRI, a nonprofit organisation and subsidiary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is
sponsoring the trial, which is supported by funding from the Gates Foundation and Wellcome.
GSK continues to provide technical assistance to the Gates MRI, supplies the adjuvant component of the
vaccine for the Phase 3 trial and will provide the adjuvant post licensure should the trial be successful.
An adjuvant is an ingredient used in some vaccines that can help create a stronger immune response.
“The launch of this Phase 3 trial for a TB vaccine candidate in Zambia is a major step, and we thank our
global and Zambian colleagues for making this important undertaking possible,” said Dr. Alemnew
Dagnew, who leads development of M72/AS01E at the Gates MRI.
“TB continues to be a tragic burden on our communities, but we are committed to helping to address
this public health challenge,” Dr. Dagnew says.
The M72/AS01E vaccine candidate has been in development since the early 2000s. It was originally
designed and clinically evaluated by the biopharma company GSK up to the proof-of-concept phase
(Phase 2b), in partnership with Aeras and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and was funded
by GSK and in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2020, GSK announced a partnership with
the Gates MRI for further development of M72/AS01E.
In GSK’s Phase 2b trial, M72/AS01E provided approximately 50 percent protection (13/1626 versus
26/1663) against progression to active pulmonary tuberculosis for three years in Mycobacterium
tuberculosis-infected HIV-negative adults, which was unprecedented in decades of TB vaccine research.
The World Health Organisation estimates that over a 25-year time span, that level of protection could
save 8.5 million lives, prevent 76 million new TB cases and save US$41.5 billion for TB affected
households.
Making vaccines accessible and affordable for communities in areas of high disease burden in the long-
term is a priority for all trial partners.
The Gates MRI has worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including communities around clinical trial
sites, to guide the TB candidate vaccine to Phase 3.
To this end, the Gates MRI, GSK, Wellcome and the Gates Foundation are working together to
understand the potential demand for the vaccine and build an end-to-end plan to ensure long-term
sustainable access, should the trial be successful; from supporting research and building an evidence-
base for the potential impact of the vaccine and community requirements for uptake, to collaborating
with multilateral, regional and country partners required to introduce the vaccine.
Additionally, the trial funders are planning to establish an international advisory group comprised of
representatives from all these groups to provide input on the overall programme.

Developing and ensuring access to global health products is a complex task. As such, global collaboration
and strong partnerships are a core component of planning for future access to the candidate vaccine.
In March 2024, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) announced that a Phase
3 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis vaccine candidate was underway,
with first doses given in South

By Benedict Tembo

Pupils And Parents In Kasempa District Warned Against Illegal Mining

Chief Editor
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Pupils And Parents In Kasempa District Warned Against Illegal Mining

Government has warned pupils and parents in Dengwe area of Kasempa District to desist from engaging in illegal mining activities which has become rampant following the recent discovery of Gold in the area.
District Administrative Officer, Francis Makanga was disappointed that some pupils in Dengwe area had shunned away from classes due to illegal gold mining.

Mr Makanga said this during a stakeholders meeting in Dengwe area of Kasempa District.
“I am aware that schools have been deserted therefore pupils should not engage themselves in illegal mining of gold they need to concentrate on school,” he added.

Mr Makanga implored parents and guardians to ensure that all the pupils that had deserted school due to illegal mining were brought back to school.

“To my parents and all our relatives who are parents and guardians of these children who are engaging themselves into illegal mining should tell them to come back to school,” He said.
Mr Makanga further warned teachers not to engage themselves in illegal mining as it would affect their work performance.

Meanwhile, District Education Standards Officer -Special, Exildah Biyemba emphasised the importance of getting educated.
“I want to emphasise that please avoid going to that side for illegal mining, pay attention to school, report to school every day so that you become what you want in the future,” Ms Biyemba added.
She appealed to parents and guardians to ensure that their children focus on education rather than them engaging in illegal mining activities.
ZANIS

President Hichilema Seeks World Bank support To Avoid Economic Shutdown

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President Hichilema Seeks World Bank support To Avoid Economic Shutdown

President Hakainde Hichilema has urged the World Bank Group to take necessary decisions and steps to help countries like Zambia avoid going into economic shutdown.

President Hichilema said there is need for the World Bank Group to make a decision on the Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO) so as to help Zambia avoid an economic shutdown.

The Cat DDO is a contingent credit line that provides immediate liquidity to International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) member countries in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Mr Hichilema said climate change has brought a new dimension which the government did not fuse into its debt restructuring and sustainability programming , and has consequently affected the country’s 2024 growth projection of 4.7 percent.

President Hichilema was speaking when a World Bank team led by Regional Vice President for Southern and Eastern Africa Victoria Kwakwa, paid a courtesy call on him at State House.

President Hichilema explained that with climate change affecting energy and agriculture, there is need to make energy available for irrigation and food security.

“Our growth projection was that , this year we would go to 4.7 percent but with climate change, we are talking about two percent plus. The drought has injected two national risks , energy and food,” he said.
President Hichilema said the World Bank has a daunting task to help repair the damage that has been caused by climate change through the Cat DDO.

“There is a need to front load that project so that we can make energy available for irrigation agriculture, to avoid an economic shutdown by climate change whose damage may escalate to even the two percent growth made,” he said.

Mr Hichilema said the government’s key area in managing the drought effects and risks is energy, food, water and sanitation as well as education.

At the same meeting, Secretary to the Treasury Felix Nkulukusa said the government is working with the World Bank on the National Energy Advancement and Transformational project (NEAT).
Mr Nkulukusa said the $700 million project will run from 2023 to 2033 and is aimed at making ZESCO sustainable and attract new private sector investment.
“In phase one , we did have an allocation of $100 million and a disbursement of $25 million was done last week,” he added.

The Secretary to the Treasury, said the Cat DDO will greatly help Zambia to respond to the energy crisis
And World Bank delegation leader Ms Kwakwa disclosed that the World Bank is bringing a new instrument to Zambia called the Cat DDO and the project will be tabled by the World Bank board before the end of the year.
She explained that the Cat DDO is a form of contingent financing offered to help countries take a proactive stand towards reducing exposure to catastrophic risk and access to funds immediately after a natural disaster.

Ms Kwakwae stressed that the drought reinforces the importance of continuing to build resilience in energy, water resources management including irrigation and adapting more climate smart agriculture.
She noted that there is a need to diversify the energy sector and sources through regional trade.
Ms Kwakwa also said the World Bank will work with Zambia to remove major hindrances to private investment and growth.

“We will continue to work with you to push this agenda and also put in place things that will stimulate growth in a way that you are able to achieve your objectives of reducing poverty and uplifting all Zambians,” said Ms Kwakwa.

The World Bank regional chief said that her organization will work more closely with Zambia on mechanisms that will allow the country to manage the revenues that come out of investments, particularly revenues from the mining sector.

Government To Probe Amatheon Allegations

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Government To Probe Amatheon Allegations

Government says it will investigate and address allegations levelled against Amatheon Agri (Z) Limited.

Ministry of Information and Media Director Spokesperson Henry Kapata says govern will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the validity of the accusations.

Mr Kapata stated that government is committed to ensuring that all businesses and the media adhere to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.

The allegations against Amatheon Agri (Z) Limited include unethical business practices, conversion of community dams into private Dams , government collusion, deliberate livestock trespassing among others.
Amatheon Agri (Z) Limited Head-HR lands and community relations Moonga Hanjili has since denied the allegations that have been circulating on various media platforms.

Mr Hanjili added that AAZ is dismayed by the false and misleading information being spread about the company

HH Mpaka 2030 is totally different from Christians for Lungu

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HH Mpaka 2030 is totally different from Christians for Lungu

HH Mpaka 2030 Coordinator Bill Kapinga says the new pro Hakainde Hichilema organisation should not be compared to the Christian for Lungu which was merely mobilised by former president Lungu to abuse the Church with the sole aim of achieving his political agenda.

Mr Kapinga says HH Mpaka 2030 is totally different from Christians for Lungu.

He explained that the HH Mpaka 2030 has been assembled by individuals and organisations from a cross section of society voluntarily who share a common go of ensuring that HH secure a second term in office because he has managed to restore order in the country in the last three years that he has been in office.

“During his last three years in power HH has restored order in this country, HH is escalating development in this nation,the issue of cadres is the thing of the past in this country,marketeers are now able to trade freely without cadres storming the markets to harass them,” Mr Kapinga noted.

He further stated that the UPND administration has also embarked on infrastructure and skills development among the youths across the country using the Constituency Development Funds (CDF).

He however said that despite embarking on such robust developmental projects President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration was being mercilessly and unfairly attacked by enemies of progress while those surrounding him were not doing enough to defend the President.

” Almost in every Constituency across this country, we are seen projects under CDF unless in those Constituencies whereby some Mps from PF don’t want to associate themselves with the CDF, we are seen feeder roads being worked on, we are seen schools,clinics ,health centres being built we have seen teachers houses being constructed, individuals our youths are being trained are receiving training under CDF as carpenters, drivers as welders as mechanics as electricians but unfortunately enough the U
PND as a party is not doing enough to highlight the achievements of his excellency President Hakainde Hichilema apart from that he is mercilessly and unfairly attacked left ,light and centre by detractors ,by enemies of progress while the party remains dwiii not always being steadfast to defend our President,so since we are happy with the performance of HH, we have come together to help articulate Government policies ,to help explain to the people the achievements HH is recording and also defend him from unnecessary attacks,” Mr Kapinga said.

He,additionally said that the HH Mpaka 2030 will be holding town hall meetings where Mps and Ministers will be given a platform to explain what government was doing to address various challenges the country is currently facing, such as power loadshedding, climate change, the high price of essential commodities such as mealie meal among others.

Minister Mposha elected Vice-President of UN Environment Assembly

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Minister Mposha elected Vice-President of UN Environment Assembly

Minister of Green Economy and Environment Hon.Mike Elton Mposha, MP, has been elected as a Vice-President of the Seventh Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly representing the Group of African States.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Secretary of Governing Bodies Radhika Ochalik announced Hon. Mposha’s election in a letter dated 6 th September, 2024 and addressed to all Ministers responsible for Environment worldwide.

“I have the honour to refer to the letter from the Secretariat, dated 6 August 2024, regarding the
nomination of His Excellency Mike Mposha, Minister of Green Economy and Environment of Zambia, as Vice-President of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7),” Ochalik stated. “In the absence of any objections to this nomination in the preceding one month, I am pleased to announce that, in accordance with Rule 19 of the Rules of Procedure of the United Nations Environment Assembly, His Excellency Mike Mposha has been duly elected as a Vice President of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly representing the Group of African States.”

Hon. Mposha currently also serves as Vice-President of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET). In the subregion, Hon. Mposha serves as the Chairperson of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA), which includes ministers responsible for the environment from the four countries bordering Lake Tanganyika: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia.

MGEE Communications Unit

2024 Junior Secondary and GCE Examination Results Released

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2024 Junior Secondary and GCE Examination Results Released

The Ministry of Education has announced the results of the 2024 Junior Secondary External and General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations, marking the completion of this year’s assessment process.

In a statement issued by Education Minister Hon. Douglas Syakalima, a total of 113,193 candidates, representing 94.38% of those registered, sat for the Junior Secondary External Examination. Of these, 48,839 (43.15%) were boys, while 64,354 (56.85%) were girls.

Minister Syakalima further revealed that 88,548 candidates, representing 78.23%, passed at least one subject, while 24,645 candidates (21.77%) did not pass any subjects. Among the 28,310 candidates who sat for six or more subjects, 7,999 (28.94%) were awarded certificates, 15,440 (54.54%) passed fewer than six subjects, and 4,871 (17.21%) failed all their subjects.

The Ministry also noted that 6,735 candidates, or 5.62% of the registered cohort, were absent from the examination.

2024 GCE Examination Results
In a separate announcement, Minister Syakalima reported that 138,084 candidates sat for the 2024 General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination. Of these, 120,660 candidates (87.38%) passed in at least one subject, while 17,424 candidates (12.62%) failed all subjects.

Notably, 24.72% (3,649) of the 14,764 candidates who sat for five or more subjects successfully obtained the General Certificate of Education. However, 756 candidates (5.12%) failed all the subjects they attempted.

This year’s GCE pass rate showed an improvement of 6.48 percentage points compared to the 2023 results.

Examination Integrity and Malpractice
Minister Syakalima confirmed that the examinations were conducted without any significant leakages, maintaining the integrity of the process. However, three cases of malpractice were reported during the Junior Secondary External Examination, involving five candidates.

The results are now available via the SMS result notification system, and candidates will also be able to access their statements online through the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) portal using their examination numbers, starting September 16, 2024.

Zambia Needs To Pray – Steve Chungu

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Zambia Needs To Pray – Steve Chungu

FORMER Government Chief Whip Steve Chungu has called on Zambians to kneel down before God and pray if the country is to overcome the challenges that the nation is currently going through.

Mr Chungu said in an interview that the current economic challenges the country is presently going through, such as high cost of living, drought which has resulted into power loadshedding need spiritual solutions through prayer adding that no single human being can solve them.

Mr Chungu who is also former Luanshya Central Constituency Member of Parliament said politicians especially those in power should humble themselves and seek the face of God to intervene in the social and economic problems the country is facing.

” As Zambians , politicians those in opposition and Government should choose a day to come together and pray for the nation of Zambia, we have to call on God to intervene in our problems as a nation,” Mr Chungu said.

He further said that those in power should also not treat those with divergent views over the governance of the country as enemies adding that it is only when the party in power accepts positive criticism the country will move forward economically and socially.

” Self praise , will not take this country anywhere, let those in power accept positive criticism and humble themselves before God this way our country will develop socially and economically,” he said.

He said that Zambia’s economy is in shambles saying that those in power should not willingly put a blind eye on the reality and mock Zambians that the economy was doing fine when not.

He said some of the interventions that the Government has put in place to address the economic crisis were not enough.

He said interventions such as cash for food were not enough to handle the economic woes that has hit the country.

” One mistake the UPND has made is to go to bed with the IMF(International Monetary Fund), cash for food is not a solution to our economic crisis,”
Mr Chungu said.

Africa needs a single currency

Chief Editor
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Africa needs a single currency

… and increase intra-African trade flows

Africa is entangled amidst challenging developments in the national and world economies.Let me say that the COVID-19 Pandemic, among others, led to quantitative easing in developed countries, which, in turn, led to growing money supply by as much as 40 percent in some jurisdictions,and, consequently, rising levels of inflation.

Shortly after that, the sanctions emerging from the conflict in Ukraine caused global supply disruptions
which in turn fueled inflation.

In both cases, interest rates also rose, and in developing countries, this led to higher debt servicing
payments and repayments as well as currency depreciations.
In some parts of Africa, inflationary pressures are also coming from drought situations, complemented
with energy shortages for those countries which depend on hydroelectricity.
Against this background, we can recall the advice of the late Milton Friedman and I quote him: “Inflation
is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.”
From this quote, you as the African Monetary authorities have the supreme duty to bring down the
levels of inflation across Africa, which are currently in the range of single digit to three-digit levels across our countries, the highest being 157.9 percent.

Bringing down inflation would result in improving the welfare of our people.
Equally important, reducing inflation would result in macroeconomic and financial stability and create
better conditions for inclusive growth and sustainable development, including the development of our
emerging stock, bond and mortgage markets.

As we strive to leverage big data and artificial intelligence to complement interest rates in bringing down
inflation, I am sure we are fully aware that effectively harnessing these is anchored on investments in
human capital, physical Infrastructure as well as affordable and reliable supply of energy.
This precondition brings us back to the agenda of promoting inclusive growth and sustainable
development.

Although this is not an area of activity for monetary authorities, they create the necessary conditions for
the effective execution of this agenda by authorities managing the real sector of the African economy.
In addition, reducing levels of inflation would create a conducive environment for effective implementation of the macroeconomic convergence criteria of the African Monetary Programme adopted by the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in 2022.

Africa requires effective and timely implementation of the macroeconomic convergence criteria to lay
the groundwork for the establishment of the African Central Bank, and immediately after that, a single
African currency.

The continent needs a single African currency to, among others, increase Intra-African trade flows, and
this is key to strengthening the African economy and making it more resilient to endogenous and
exogenous shocks.

The urgency in timely and effective implementation of the macroeconomic convergence criteria is
further driven by the fact that even before Africa reaches continental economic integration characterised with the establishment of the African Central Bank, the permanent membership of the African Union in the G20 provides prospects for the Chief Executive Officer of the African Monetary Institute, when it is operational, to be a member of the African Union delegations to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings as well as the working groups of the G20 Finance Track.

When the African Monetary Institute transforms into the African Central Bank, the Governor will be
attending the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings since this is one of the financial institutions of the African Union, together with the African Monetary Fund, African Investment
Bank and the Pan African Stock Exchange.

A new development is the operationalisation of the African Credit Rating Agency, which will, among
others, contribute to the development of a Pan African capital market.Once more, I am calling on our monetary authorities to come up with practical measures to bring down levels of inflation across Africa and contribute to improving the welfare of Africans.

By Albert M. Muchanga
The author is African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals

CTPD Urges Government To Expedite Finalization Of The Climate Change Bill

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CTPD Urges Government To Expedite Finalization Of The Climate Change Bill

The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) calls on the Zambian government to prioritize the finalization of the Climate Change Bill, as a critical step towards addressing the country’s vulnerability to climate change.

CTPD notes while climate change has been identified as a significant development challenge in the 8th National Development Plan (8NDP), progress in implementing key measures has been hampered by institutional inefficiencies, inadequate funding, and the absence of a binding legal framework. The proposed Climate Change Bill presents an essential opportunity to overcome these obstacles by providing a comprehensive legal mandate for climate action in Zambia. One notable challenge has been the harmonization of issues surrounding carbon markets. However,with the revised National Forestry Policy in the process of being finalized, CTPD urges the
government to expedite the finalization of the Climate Change Bill.

CTPD anticipates that the climate change legislation will address the following:

  • Institutional Coordination: The existing climate change governance structure struggles to coordinate climate action across sectors. Legislation can address this fragmented approach by establishing a unified body to coordinate climate-related actions across various sectors.
  • Domestic Resource Mobilization: Zambia lacks legislation that ties a specific spending threshold to climate action. Thus, climate change activities remain vulnerable to low and irregular budgetary allocations and excessive reliance on external support. Climate change legislation will encourage increased domestic funding for climate initiatives through mechanisms such as a Climate Change Fund.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: The legislation can mandate inclusive processes to ensure that civil society, local communities, and the private sector are actively involved in climate decision-making.CTPD urges the government to expedite the legislative process of the Climate Change Bill to ensure that national plans and measures aligns with and ensure that the final version of the Climate Change Act aligns with international best practices and addresses Zambia’s specific needs.

    Issued by:
    Dr. Matildah Kaliba
    CTPD Research Associate

Reminding the president to fulfil campaign promises is now an offence in Zambia

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Reminding the president to fulfil campaign promises is now an offence in Zambia

By Sishuwa Sishuwa

Jason Mwanza, a 28-year-old unemployed youth activist in Zambia, has been in police detention without charge for almost two weeks now. His offence? Conducting a peaceful lone protest against acute unemployment, continued high-level corruption in government, the cost-of-living crisis, rolling power blackouts formally lasting a minimum of 21 consecutive hours a day, and the perceived failure of President Hakainde Hichilema to honour his campaign promises on these issues. 

After completing secondary school in 2016, Mwanza, who grew up in an orphanage in the capital city after his dad died when he was 9 months old, went on to study hospitality management and graduated in the expectation that he would find a job. In the 2021 election, he voted for Hichilema, at the time Zambia’s main opposition leader, who had promised to create employment opportunities for young people like him. Three years later, he remains unemployed and has had to withdraw from further studies due to financial constraints. Deprived of a formal job and with his ability to make ends meet curtailed by crippling load shedding – officially, electricity is guaranteed to ordinary Zambians for only a maximum of up to 3 hours per day – Mwanza notified the police, as per the law, about his intention to hold a one-person peaceful protest against the status quo that threatens his very existence or life.

As if to convey an enlightening statement, he chose the Freedom Statue as the venue for his lone protest. The Freedom Statue – a 12-foot artwork designed by British sculptor James Butler and constructed after the achievement of independence from Britain in 1964 to represent Zambia’s triumph from the chains of over 70 years of colonial subjugation – was the same place where Hichilema, then in opposition, had conducted a lone protest before the 2021 election to draw attention to the same issues that Mwanza now sought to bring to President Hichilema’s attention. Unlike Hichilema, who was not arrested for his lone protest or for stating that corruption, load shedding, unemployment, and high cost of living are a result of poor leadership, Mwanza was arrested on accusations of unlawful assembly and seditious practices. 

Two other youths – Thomas Zulu and a 30-year-old unemployed female graduate of the University of Zambia named Chanda Chikwanka – who later expressed support for Mwanza’s right to protest, in the belief that they live in a liberal democracy that provides for free expression, were also arrested in the aftermath. They too remain in police detention without formal charges and have been denied police bond. 

These latest infringements on fundamental freedoms have been aided by a pliant Judiciary that effectively operates as an extension of the executive and primarily sees its role as that of pushing the presidency’s agenda. The latest infringements also come in the wake of recent damning reports from the United Nations Human Rights Council and Human Rights Watch on the worrying state of human rights in Zambia today. The reports show growing intolerance for political opposition and dissent, cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, and continued violations of the rights of expression, peaceful assembly, and protest. 

Embarrassed by the bad publicity generated by these reports, the Zambian government, instead of stopping to supply the material that feeds that bad publicity, tried to dismiss the UN report, claiming that it was misleading and false. Yet around the same time when the government spokesperson was extolling its supposed commitment to protecting human rights, the police were arresting Mwanza, Zulu, and Chikwanka for reminding President Hichilema to fulfil his campaign promises.

To its credit, the Hichilema administration has abolished the notorious law on defamation of the president, long used by successive incumbents to deter legitimate criticism through the threat of arrest and numerous convictions. However, the administration has since employed other repressive laws that remain on the statutes to suppress human rights. A key example is the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act that inhibits the right to free speech. In opposition, Hichilema condemned this “bad law” and vowed to repeal it, if elected: “Our first task once you elect us this August”, Hichilema wrote in August 2021, “will be to repeal this bad law!”

In power, his administration has deployed the same law he previously denounced as “bad” to arrest and imprison critics and political opponents on charges of hate speech, among others. The government has even announced plans to expand the restrictions of this law in order to curb what Hichilema recently called “the abuse of social media in the name of democracy.” As shown in greater detail elsewhere, the Hichilema administration has also regularly employed the Penal Code Act, a colonial-era relic that contains provisions that criminalise free speech, to arrest critics and political opponents on a variety of charges ranging from sedition and the use of insulting language to criminal libel.

The modus operandi of these arrests is generally the same: arrest the activists and opposition leaders, keep them in detention for a period longer than authorised by law, and either release them on police bond without ever taking them to court or drop the charges after court appearance. Even members of the clergy have not been spared from this continuing onslaught on human rights. For instance, in January this year, police on the industrial Copperbelt arrested and detained pastor Duncan Simuchimba of Kings Church for speaking out in defence of marketers.

Arrests and court cases have a demonstrative effect on even those who are not caught up in them: the costs of participating in political activities deemed inappropriate by the government. Strongly discouraging them from challenging the government, activists and the opposition are made aware that at any time they could have their lives upended and spend weeks or even months in detention and protracted legal cases.

For a long time now, several civic institutions and prominent individuals have repeatedly raised alarm about the increasing restrictions on human rights in Zambia. For instance, in March this year, the highly-regarded retired archbishop of Lusaka, Telesphore Mpundu, petitioned the United States to impose targeted sanctions on State actors seen as primarily responsible for this sustained assault on political and civil rights. 

Earlier, in November 2023, the influential Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a strongly-worded pastoral letter in which it reprimanded the government for exhibiting authoritarian tendencies and failure to guarantee fundamental freedoms. A month before, in October, a consortium of 12 civil society organisations expressed deep concern about the spiralling infringements on human rights.

Yet the government remains unrepentant, consequently leaving so many human rights on death row. Under international human rights obligations, the Zambian state has three responsibilities: (a) to ensure that all persons under its jurisdiction enjoy their rights (b) promote human rights and investigate violations; and (c) punish violators of human rights. President Hichilema is later this month scheduled to address the UN General Assembly at which he is expected to extol (!) his human rights record. This realisation might explain why his administration is desperate to discredit the fairly accurate UN report, even as the repressive actions of the Zambia Police Service continue to paint a more realistic picture.

Attacks On Socialist Party Irks Fred Mmembe

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Attacks On Socialist Party Irks Fred Mmembe

Socialist Party (SP) President Dr Fred M’membe has expressed concern over continued and coordinated lies against the party, saying the UPND is desperate.
Dr. M’membe says the attack on him by State House sponsored online publication Koswe are meant to turnish his image.
He says it is not true that he took àlcóhol and other ill!cit drúgs to Mukobeko prison, saying he does not even take alcohol.
“The attacks are not coincidental but they are deliberate and they are coming from the UPND. Koswe is protected and the people who run Koswe are known. It’s part of Mr Hichilema’s media team. Their campaign against us is there for all to see. The desperation where it is coming from we don’t know. But when you see your opponents who are saying you are nothing, keep on talking about you and fabricating things, everyday you have to put some news and say this is fàke news, where is it originating from? From State House through Koswe. Then you know State House is under pressure. President Hakainde Hichilema is behind Koswe,” he alleged.
“Why would I take alcóhol and ill!cit things into prison, I don’t drink at all. Nobody in my household drinks, why should I take drinks to prisoners? And also things that you take to prison are checked at the gate. Did they verify with any prison warder that I took those things? It’s an offense to take alcóhol into príson. I would have been scàndalized to the max if I took those things.”
And Dr. M’membe said attempts by the UPND to claim that he has joined the ruling party are aimed at bringing confusion in his party.
“It’s all an attempt to create an impression that there is a crisis in Socialist Party. I have never been a member of the UPND and I will never be a member of UPND. The issues of claiming that Fred M’membe and the Socialist Party are joining UPND were aimed at making people resign from their party on the basis that it is finished,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Dr. M’membe has refuted claims that he met Archbishop of Lusaka Dr. Alick Banda over a possible alliance with PF President Edgar Lungu as a running mate to the former Head of State.
“I met Hon Given Lubinda at Chilenje Police Station who had been down the previous days, he was not well. Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda is not in the country, he is in Europe. Where did we meet? And the truth is that I have never met anyone over an alliance. And it is simple, we cannot discuss any alliance without the authority of the National Congress of the SP,” he indicated.

[SP Media]

FAZ Mourns HANIF Adams

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FAZ Mourns HANIF Adams

The Football Association of Zambia is saddened to learn of the death of veteran administrator Hanif Adams.
Mr. Adams died this afternoon(8th September) after a long battle with cancer. He was aged 70.

FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says the death of Mr. Adams has robbed the game of a great resource.

“On behalf of my executive and the entire football community, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Adams family for the passing of Hanif. We join them in mourning this great sports personality whose contribution to the game is immeasurable,” says Kamanga.

“Mr. Adams left a permanent footprint on the Zambian football landscape with his lifelong proprietorship of Lusaka Dynamos and other community projects. Hanif served in various committees in football and in FAZ and rendered his expertise to the game wholeheartedly.”

“As a life member of FAZ, he was among the seniors that we drew counsel from in the management of our game.”
Mr. Adams’ funeral prayer will take place at the Omar Mosque in Kamwala at 20:30 hours with burying coming on soon after.

For and on behalf of:
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA
Sydney Mungala

Trade Expert , Explains Significance Of Re-activating Ageing TAZARA By China

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Trade Expert , Explains Significance Of Re-activating Ageing TAZARA By China

Trade Expert Gilbert Nkamba and Chief Chitimbwa Luswempo 11th of the Lungu people of Northern Province have welcomed the revitalization of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority ( TAZARA) saying the move will improve trade between the two countries and ultimately the entire southern region.

Mr Nkamba says the One Billion United States dollars investment by the Chinese company to revitalize TAZARA will enhance trade in the North- South Corridor among Southern African Countries, Zambia and Countries in the Great Lakes Region.

Mr Nkamba has told the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today that TAZARA is a strategic asset for Tanzania and Zambia in the nexus of global supply chain, providing transportation of assorted goods, especially mineral resources and agriculture products from Zambia and other countries in the region.

He added that revitalizing TAZARA will lower the cost of doing business, particularly the freight component.
Mr Nkamba said TAZARA will also open up other nodes of transport along the route, with the net effect of more facilitation in the passage of goods to the port of Dar-es-salaam.

“Revitalizing of TAZARA will incentivise foreign direct investment in heavy machinery which is key to boosting regional manufacturing and industrialisation. Inevitably, trade between Zambia and Tanzania will boom, and as gross domestic product increases, the countries in this region will witness accelerated economic growth,” said Mr Nkamba.

He added that beneficiary governments to the railway should ride on this revitalization to develop border infrastructure in order to make import processing very efficient, as a way of harmonising border clearance with affordable rail freight in a bid to fortify trade facilitation gains.

And Chief Chitimbwa said the One Billion United States dollars investment into TAZARA by the Chinese company, will revamp the railway company and help it regain its past glory.

In a separate interview with ZANIS in Lusaka, Chief Chitimbwa commended President Hakainde Hichilema and his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan for their commitment to revamp and improve the operations of TAZARA.
Chief Chitimbwa also paid glowing tributes to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Government for coming to the aid of the two countries through an injection of more funds to rehabilitate and revamp the operations of TAZARA.

On Wednesday September 4, Chinese President Xi, Zambian President Hichilema and his Tanzanian counterpart Hassan, witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Railway Construction Limited (CRCC) for the revitalisation of TAZARA.

This was done on the sidelines of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held from 4th to 6th September under the theme “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”

The revatalisation of TAZARA aims at improving the rail-sea transportation between Zambia and Tanzania.
The signed MoU will see the refurbishing of the 1,860 kms (1,156 mile) TAZARA railway.

The single-track TAZARA railway was built between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China, offering a cargo transport route from Zambia’s copper and cobalt mines to the sea on Tanzania’s coast that bypasses South Africa and the former state of Rhodesia.

The multi-year project involved the construction of two dozen tunnels and hundreds of bridges by tens of thousands of Chinese and African workers.

“China is willing to take this summit as an opportunity to make new progress in the revitalisation of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, cooperate to improve the rail-sea intermodal transport network in East Africa, and build Tanzania into a demonstration zone for deepening high-quality China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation,” said President Xi during the signing ceremony.

Chief Chitimbwa said that he is happy that President Hichilema and his Tanzanian counterpart, Hassan, met in China for a good cause.

“They did a great job advocating the assistance in revitalizing TAZARA,” said Chief Chitimbwa.

The traditional leader described the gesture by the Chinese government to pump in more money into TAZARA as the best gift for Zambia as the two celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations.
“This is a good gift for Zambia which has come at the right time as Zambia and China celebrate 60 years of friendship,” said Chief Chitimbwa.

Chief Chitimbwa said the investment will now help to revamp the rail line between the two countries adding that TAZARA has not been performing well and needed more capital to rehabilitate its infrastructure so as to improve its operations.

The traditional leader said with rehabilitated infrastructure, TAZARA will be able to increase the volume of cargo to the port of Dar-es-salaam and also bring in more cargo for the countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) as well as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
He added that improving the infrastructure of TAZARA is also a major boost to the Lobito Corridor running from Angola to Zambia through the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“It is kudos to our President for his commitment to improve our country’s economy and for coming up with this initiative of revamping the operations of TAZARA which almost went down to its knees,” said Chief
He says that TAZARA helps in transportation of goods from Tanzania and vice versa adding that the railway system equally helps our roads to be intact when heavy goods are being transported by rail.

“Many are the times that trucks carry heavy goods that can be delivered through the rail line which in turn destroy our roads. Great North Road has been destroyed because of the same,” added Chief Chitimbwa.

The rail line will equally help many people to travel safely from New Kapiri Mposhi to Dar -es- salaam and vice versa because of its comfort.

And Chief Chitimbwa has appealed to President Hichilema to do something on the Zambia Railways Limited saying the national railway company also plays a vital role in terms of transportation and is a strategic partner in the Lobito Corridor arrangement.
He said improving the operations of the Zambia Railways Limited will surely boost the country’s economy.

Message For Today:The Secret to a Changed Life

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Message For Today:The Secret to a Changed Life

Today’s Scripture

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
Luke 19:5, NLT

The Secret to a Changed Life

Friend, Zacchaeus was the despised chief tax collector in the region, known for cheating people and called a notorious sinner. Yet when Jesus could have spent time with any of the local religious leaders, He chose Zacchaeus, which they found disgusting. Religion says, “He’s too bad. He’s scum. Stay away.” Sometimes religion portrays an image of God where you can’t measure up, and it uses guilt and your feelings of unworthiness to try to get you to live right. But God says, “I gladly welcome Zacchaeus. What he has done does not cancel out My mercy.”

When Zacchaeus came to understand that God loved him unconditionally, even when he had made mistakes, he decided to change his ways and salvation came to him. Sometimes we think that if we tell people all they’re doing wrong and make them feel guilty, they’ll change. But condemnation doesn’t make them do better. It is when they hear about a God who shows mercy when they deserve judgment that they’ll change. The Scripture says, “It’s the goodness of God that leads to repentance.”

A Prayer for Today

“Father, thank You that even though You know everything about me, You still invite Yourself to come to my house for dinner and bring the gift of salvation. Thank You that it’s not about my performance, about being good enough, about being worthy, but it’s about Your love. Welcome to my house. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

[Joel Osteen Ministries]

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