He is Zambia’s sixth President and he says he has an opportunity to show his potential given the time and conditions.

“I can’t compete with those that are gone but I think, given my time and conditions, I would like to be the best President that Zambia has ever seen,” President Lungu said.

The President was speaking at State House yesterday when he met recipients of the Mandela Fellowship for the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) from across the country.

Mr Lungu said as a person who loves taking up challenges, he would do his best to ensure that he makes a difference in his tenure.

“I will take up the challenge and do my best to ensure that I make a difference. I am a listening person and I find answers by listening and others find answers by question,” President Lungu said.

He said one thing he refuses is to die with unexploited potential adding that Zambia’s transformation is dependent on everyone’s potential and abilities.

“A good number of people in my generation have been buried with the potential in them. I don’t think the potential should just pass our generation, we need to ensure that we take advantage of the opportunities we have and be the change we want to see,” the President said.

Mr Lungu told the Mandela Fellows to take advantage of the fellowship in order to bring change in their various communities.

“With this opportunity of being identified by the fellowship, use it to bring out the potential and let the potential blossom and transform your lives and the communities you come from,” President Lungu said.

He said he is happy with the fellowship, which has identified the potential in Zambia’s young people.

“I didn’t know I would be a lawyer. I didn’t know I would be a politician but I knew I could do something to contribute to my community, so as recipients of the fellowship exploit your potential and whatever you are doing you can always do it better. With this opportunity you have, do the best and exploit your potential,” he said.

Earlier, United States (US) Ambassador to Zambia Eric Shultz said 42 young Zambians had benefitted from the fellowship.
Mr Shultz said applications received showed that Zambian youths are smart and have the potential to excel.

Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) President Nevers Mumba has said that any President in office qualifies to call for a day of prayer. In a statement made available to the media, the MMD president said that a President or a King has a Godly mandate to call a nation to prayer when need arises.

Dr Mumba however, said that Zambians are not being called upon pray to the PF or President Lungu but to pray to God and added that if the President and the PF have evil intentions of using God and prayer for political benefits, God cannot be mocked and he shall severely deal with such perpetrators.

Below is the full statement

As a Pastor and leader in politics, I have received several queries from Christians and citizens across the country on the meaning of the President’s call to prayer and fasting and whether the event has been called in good faith. I wish to respond as follows:

I am aware that many Zambians are probably angry with President Lungu and the Patriotic Front for the hardships that have engulfed the nation. Zambians are angry that the cost of living has gone up. Mealie meal prices have gone up. Jobs are being lost especially on the Copperbelt and the Kwacha has lost its value by over 100% since the PF took over government. Load shedding has paralyzed families and business alike.

In view of all this, Zambians are asking if President Lungu intends to use God and prayer as a scapegoat for the many problems the country is facing. I wish to encourage all Zambians to use this opportunity for prayer to take our anger and disappointments to God in prayer on the 18th of October 2015. We are not praying to the PF or President Lungu but to God. If the President and the PF have evil intentions of using God and prayer for political benefits, God cannot be mocked and he shall severely deal with such perpetrators.

A President or a King has a Godly mandate to call a nation to prayer when need arises. Zambia being a Christian nation has a tradition of calling on God whenever we have a national crisis. When we lost our national team, we all gathered in Independence Stadium and cried to God for mercy. When we lost our Presidents both in office and outside office, we have all stopped as a nation to call on God for comfort. Any President in office qualifies to call for a day of prayer. The Bible says, “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)

Secondly, there is a concern going around that the choice of the 18th of October could be connected to the beast of Revelation who is identified by the number 666. The word going round is that the addition of the three numbers equals 18, the date chosen for Prayer. First of all, God is Lord on all days. Secondly, even if there was any evil intention by those who have chosen the day, when we worship God in Spirit and in truth on that day, God shall subdue any evil power because He is Lord of all.

Revelation 13:11-18 explains the signs which shall characterize the emergence of the beast. It also says that the first beast shall FORCE everyone to get a mark of the beast and worship the beast. No one is forcing Zambians to get any mark and no one is forcing any one to attend the event.

There is no biblical support for the fear going around the country. The only fear Zambians should have is what God is about to do if this event has been called with bad or political motives meant to deceive the Church.

Nevers Sekwila Mumba
MMD President

Father Bwalya says this is why such political leaders are rubbishing everything President Lungu and his government do even when such undertakings are in the interest of the Zambian people.

He says what is however encouraging, is the fact that the people of Zambia are aware of the desperation of such political leaders.

Father Bwalya states that people are also aware that some of the problems the country is going through have come about because of other factors other than the alleged incapacity of the PF government.

He says the ruling PF is therefore neither unsettled nor troubled by the desperate criticism it is getting from some political leaders.

A 44-YEAR-OLD man of Livingstone who earns a living through illicit drug business has gone in again for trafficking in 30.6 grammes of marijuana.
Patrick Moongwa, who confessed to the court that he was once jailed for a similar offence, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment with hard labour  by magistrate Benjamin Mwelwa.
This is in a case in which Moongwa was charged with trafficking in marijuana, contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars are that on September 2, this year, in Livingstone, Moongwa trafficked in marijuana without lawful authority.
“The marijuana that was found in my possession was for sale, and I was with my friend, but he ran away,” he said in his plea.
Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) prosecutor Andrew Pikiti told the court that his officers received information that there was a male person in Mbita compound who was dealing in psychotropic substances.
Mr Pikiti said the officers rushed to the area and found the suspect with 10 balls of marijuana.
In mitigation Mr Pikiti told the court that Moongwa was a first offender, but the  accused testified to the contrary.
Moongwa told the court that he was once convicted on a similar offence and handed a nine months jail sentence but he only served six months.
He, however, failed to tell the court the name of the prison where he was incarcerated.
Magistrate Mwelwa wondered why the prosecution did not have the information that the accused was an ex-convict.
Mr Pikiti insisted that there was no record to prove that Moongwa was a second offender.
And in mitigation, Moongwa said he was at the mercy of the court and that it was up to the adjudicator to decide his fate.
He, however, asked the court to forgive him for the offence that he had committed.
In his judgment, Mr Mwelwa said he would consider Moongwa’s mitigation and treat him as a first offender.
“I will send you to prison for nine months imprisonment with hard labour so that you can reflect on your actions. I will grant you leave to appeal to the High Court within 14 days if you are not satisfied with my sentence,” he said.

(DailyMail)

Chief Government Spokesman Chishimba Kambwili has lashed out at opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema for criticising the PF government describing him as a good for nothing tribalist.

Mr Kambwili said Mr Hichilema’s incessant appetite for criticising most of Government programs has exposed him as an arrogant and pompous person.

He was speaking Tuesday morning when he featured on a live Radio Phoenix’s ‘Let the People Talk’ program.

Mr Kambwili said Mr Hichilema’s recent radio interview on the same program was used to attack Government unjustifiably.

‘It is unreasonable and unjustifiable for anyone to attack the PF that we have failed to develop this country over the last four year and this is what Mr Hichilema was doing on this same program,’ Mr Kambwili said.

‘All the problems facing Zambia today cannot be attributed to the PF. Even in MMD, Zambia had the same challenges including in the UNIP days. That is why i am saying that no normal person can say the PF has failed,’ he said.

He said Mr Hichilema left many Zambians questioning his Economics Degree after he allegedly failed to articulate economic issues on the radio program.

‘Even non Economists know that what Zambia is going through is as a result of external shocks but you have Economic pundits here cheating the Zambia people that the depreciation of the Kwacha is due to PF’s poor policies. These pundits like Mr Hichilema are lying with open teeth.’

He appealed to Zambians to disregard Mr Hichilema’s opinions about the performance of the Zambian economy.

‘This man is just a pompous and good for nothing tribalist who thinks he is the only educated man in Zambia. Our current Bank of Zambia Governor is probably one of the best in Africa but he has failed to arrest the depreciation, so does it mean that Mr Hichilema is the only man who knows Economist by claiming that the Kwacha will appreciation the moment he is sworn? Is this magic? Abracadabra.’

Mr Kambwili itemised several infrastructural development that the PF has initiated since coming to power in four years ago.

‘We have done very well as a Government, we have constructed schools in all provinces, we have already constructed health posts and clinic in several parts of the country while our roads project is also on course.’

On load shedding, Mr Kambwili said Government has put in place measures that will accelerate the construction of ongoing power generation stations.

‘So when you hear these people say PF has failed the people because of load shedding, they are lying. Which power station gets constructed within four years? People need to be serious and realistic. Even my four year old niece Mubanga knows the load shedding is due to low water levels but Mr Hichilema does not seem to know that.’