Vice President Mutale Nalumango has informed the United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction(UNDRR) that Africa and Zambia in particular is not immune to disasters, hence the need for all nations to collaborate in fighting world tragedies.

Ms Nalumango said Zambia experiences natural disasters such as floods and human to human conflicts, but that the country tries hard to reduce the effects of such occurrences.

Ms Nalumango was speaking during a bilateral meeting with UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizotori on the sidelines of the GP2022 global forum in Bali, Indonesia today.

Ms Nalumango further lamented that the country is also facing the threat of food insecurity due to high prices of fertilizer on the market, another battle the government of Zambia she said is trying to normalize.

She lauded the United Nations (UN) for the support it has continued to render towards the fight against the COVID-19-pandemic not only in Zambia but the world at large.

“As Zambia we get involved where any particular disaster occurs whether at home or abroad,” she stated.

And Ms Mizotori assured the Vice President that UNDRR will work and support UN member states including Zambia in issues of disasters

The UNDRR is the focal point for disaster risk reduction within the UN system.

It oversees the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and convenes and organises the Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction.

During the opening of the forum yesterday, UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, said UN member states have a unique opportunity to consider the best policy options to move from risk to resilience, and to take important steps to ensure the recovery from Covid-19.

Stakeholders have welcomed the idea by government to actualize the abolishment of the death penalty by law in Zambia.

This is rising from President Hakainde Hichilema’s speech on the eve of Africa Freedom Day national address where he stated that government will work with parliament to run through the process to transition away from the death penalty and focus on the preservation and rehabilitation of life and delivering justice for all.

Human Rights Commission Chairperson, Mudford Mwandenga said that the resolution is a landmark step towards enhancing the promotion and protection of the right to life.

Mr. Mwandenga explained that the death penalty constitutes the ultimate and irreversible gross violation of human rights which should never be practised anywhere in the world, especially in the 21st century.

Contained in a statement to media, Mr. Mwandenga noted that by abolishing the death penalty both in practice and law, Zambia will join the increasing global movement in which, a total of 108 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes.

He therefore noted that the current administration is within the range of the universally accepted best practices on abolishing the death penalty.

“The gesture by the President is an affirmation of Zambia’s transition from retributive to restorative justice and a demonstration of the reason behind the constitutional change in the name of the institution that is mandated to manage the welfare and rehabilitation of inmates,” Mr. Mwandenga stated.

Prisons Care & Counselling Association (PRISCCA) Executive Director, Godfrey Malembeka told ZANIS that the death penalty should be supported by Members of Parliament, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Church mother bodies, traditional leaders and all well- meaning Zambians.

Dr. Malembeka said that efforts have been made in the past to outlaw death penalty but unfortunately these have not been successful.

He explained that maintaining the death penalty serves very little purpose as he believes that it is not an effective deterrent to crimes that attract death penalty.

“The solution may lie in rehabilitating offenders while delivering justice and maintaining life imprisonment,” Dr. Malembeka noted.

Meanwhile, some church mother bodies have pledged to rally behind government in advocating for the abolishment of death penalty.

Independent Churches of Zambia Board Chairperson, David Masupa said that Zambia being a Christian nation, the move stands at variance with the Christian values and beliefs under the dispensation of grace and forgiveness.

Bishop Masupa referred to the Bible when Christ faced the death penalty but asked God to forgive his executioners, interpreting the abolishment of the death penalty.

The Bishop supported the life imprisonment penalty which he said serves as a lesson for people to regret and stop their wrong deeds.

Zambia has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 1997 when the last executions took place.

Freedom fighters in Luapula province have attributed the lack of tangible development in the region to corruption.

Luapula Province Freedom Fighters Secretary, Johnson Mulenga, observes that there is very little which has been done in Luapula in terms of development due to some selfish leaders who just concentrated on enriching themselves at the expense of the poor people.

Speaking during the commemoration of this year’s Africa Freedom day in Mansa, Mr Mulenga said some political leaders who originate from Luapula have the habit of neglecting the area and just focus on enriching themselves.

He said it is saddening that the province has continued to lag behind in terms of development when it has had leaders who served in very high portfolios in the country.

“The leaders we are having nowadays are those who are just concerned with amassing wealth for themselves as opposed to serving the people who put them in those offices,” said Mr. Mulenga.

He observed that it would have been difficult to attain the freedom which the country is enjoying today if those who fought for independence had selfish motives.

Mr. Mulenga further said the fight against corruption requires concerted efforts as it is a cancer which affects the poor most.

He observed that the poor continue to remain impoverished while the rich get richer because of corruption.

“Corruption is very bad because the money which is supposed to benefit the public ends up in the pockets of a few individuals and this should not be allowed to continue at all,” he revealed.

Mr. Mulenga explained that freedom fighters are saddened whenever they hear that public resources are being mismanaged.

He pointed out that provinces such as Luapula should not continue to lag behind in terms of development because they have a lot of natural resources which are supposed to be used to develop the area.

And Rosemary Mambwe, another freedom fighter, said the government should come up with a better way of taking care of those people who fought for freedom.

Mrs. Mambwe revealed that most freedom fighters feel neglected because there is nothing much being done to take care of their welfare.

“Most of us are today living in extreme poverty despite our contribution to ensure that Zambia got its freedom and this is very unfair,” says Mrs. Mambwe.

She said the government should come up with a better plan on how to support all the freedom fighters in the country and not just a few of them.

She noted that freedom fighters acted collectively when they were fighting for independence.

Meanwhile, Luapula Province Minister Derricky Chilundika, who led the Provincial Joint Operations Committee (PJOC) in laying of wreaths at the cenotaph in Mansa, said the government has put in place measures aimed at ensuring that local people benefit from natural resources such as Mukula timber in the province.

Mr. Chilundika explained that all the natural resources in the province should benefit the local people hence the government has come up with deliberate measures to ensure that this is achieved.

“We want our people to benefit from the manganese which we have here in Luapula and that is why we have said that priority when it comes to giving licenses, should be given to our people and if they want they can partner with investors,” he said.

Mr. Chilundika has since urged people in Luapula to take advantage of the initiatives aimed at ensuring that they benefit from the natural resources.

This year’s Africa Freedom Day was celebrated under the theme: Leveraging our natural resources to boost food security.

Ministry of Information and Media, Chushi Kasanda says the Government values the long-standing relations between Zambia and Russia.

Ms Kasanda says since 1964, Zambia and Russia have maintained mutual beneficial relations which are highly valued by the Zambian government.

Speaking when Russian Ambassador to Zambia, Azim Yarakhmedov paid a courtesy call on her at her office in Lusaka, Ms Kasanda said the agreements are critical to Zambia’s economic transformation agenda and the further consolidation of the bilateral relations it shares with Russia.

She said the Zambian government under the new Administration remains committed to the full implementation of agreements signed with Russia in various sectors including energy, health, education and Science and technology among others.

“As a regional economic hub, the Zambian government wishes to explore new areas of cooperation with the Russian government that will serve as a key drivers of economic growth and development for the two countries,” She said.

She said Russia’s utmost importance to the Zambian government is its foreign policy focus and economic diplomacy which feeds into economic transformation agenda for Zambia.

Ms Kasanda further explained that in the media sector, government is focusing on three key areas namely editorial independence, media self-regulation and public access to information among others.

She said government believes that a free and independent media is cardinal in the development of the country, hence its commitment to change the narrative in the media sector so that it can truly and freely set its own agenda.

The Minister added that as a strong advocate of global peace, the Zambian government continues to encourage diplomatic dialogue between Russia and Ukraine which will result in diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

And Russian Ambassador to Zambia, Azim Yarakhmedov said Russia and Zambia enjoys cordial relations since time immemorial in all sectors of the economy among others.

Mr Yarakhmedov explained that his Embassy saw it fit to pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Information and Media, Chushi Kasanda, who is also Chief government Spokesperson in order to discuss matters of cooperation.

He also said that there is need to create a link between Russian and Zambian media in a quest to foster and enhance mutual understanding between the two countries as the media plays a critical role in sensitising the public.

“I wish to state that Russia has strong relations with Zambia spanning many years ago where Russia does a lot of activities in the area of energy, health, education and science and technology among others,” he said

Criminals have ransacked water supply installations worth over K500, 000 belonging to Kafubu Water and Sanitation Company in Ndola’s Minsundu area.

Kafubu Water Public Relations Manager Misheck Moyo has confirmed that the unscrupulous people vandalised four of the ten water boreholes which the utility uses to supply water to the northern part of Ndola City.

Mr. Moyo said Kafubu Water has lost half a million kwacha through these thefts and vandalism of the water boreholes in Minsundu.

He said the case has been reported to police although no arrests have been made.

Mr. Moyo said the vandalism has negatively affected water supply in Ndeke Twapia, Pamodzi and Lubuto Townships among other areas.

He said Kafubu Water was aware of consumer’s complaints regarding fewer hours of supply in the Ndeke Twapia, Pamodzi and Lubuto Townships among other areas.

Mr. Moyo pleaded with Ndola residents to assist Kafubu Water in reporting these vandals to police.

“Kafubu Water and Sanitation Company is fully aware of the water challenges people are facing in Ndeke, Twapia, Pamodzi and Lubuto areas. These challenges have been caused basically due to vandalism on infrastructure. Want to report that to the nation that four of our boreholes at Minsundu Plant which supply water to these areas have been vandalised and we have lost machinery worthy over half a million kwacha,” Mr. Moyo said.

“Four of the ten water boreholes have been vandalized by unknown criminals. The matter has been reported to police. The boreholes in question supply water to the Northern part of Ndola that includes: Twapia, Pamodzi and Lubuto. We have lost half a million kwacha through these thefts. Residents should assist us in reporting these vandals to police. The process to replace vandalized materials at a great cost has started. Our engineers will start repairing the said boreholes tomorrow (Thursday),” Mr. Moyo said.

He continued:”We are in the process of replacing these materials and I want to assure residents in these areas that this problem is going to be rectified in a couple of days. These problems will be rectified. We are working with state police to ensure that the culprits who have vandalised our materials, equipment and boreholes in Minsundu are brought to book. We are further appealing to members of the public to be vigilant and report all suspected vandals who are tempering with our infrastructure to the nearest police. Police are making sure that these criminals who have vandalised our boreholes are brought to book.”

Kafubu Water services people in Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti Towns.

Meanwhile, Mulonga Water has also bemoaned the vandalism of water infrastructure in Chingola and Mufulira.

Mulonga Water Public Relations Manager Bright Mtonga said levels of vandalism and thefts are on the rise in Chingola and Mufulira despite heightened sensitization against the scourge.

“In the water supply and sanitation business, customers and water utilities are inseparable so we need to work together. People should not sugar court that vandalism is as a result of water pipes being on bare land. There is no justification for stealing. As Mulonga in our quest to improve water supply we put up a plan to erect a new water treatment plant, procure new water pipes and improve the welfare of our staff.We have been explaining to people the badness of vandalism.The first step to ending vandalism is ensuring that as an individual you take part in efforts to prevent the scourge. Even if we bury pipes 100 meters deep if people do not change their mindset that will not stop thefts. Let all the people in Chingola resolve and say no to vandalism. Citizens should work with Mulonga to end vandalism,” Mr. Mtonga.

The government under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts has secured K1.8 million as part payment to volunteers who worked during the 2017 under 20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts, Elvis Nkandu disclosed that the funds are aimed at dismantling the over five million kwacha owed to Zambians, both from the private and public sector who worked when the country hosted the under 20 AFCON finals in 2017.

Nkandu explained that the K1.8 Million will be prioritized for private volunteers both in Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces, while government workers will also receive their monies once the next funds are released.

Nkandu assured that government will meet its obligations of paying all those who provided services during the stated period, as he thanked them for their patience.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka, Nkandu bemoaned the delay to pay workers who volunteer especially in international and regional games, adding that it was heartbreaking to learn that some volunteers have even died before receiving their dues.

The Minister revealed that monies for international and regional games are always budgeted for hence guaranteed that going forward, his ministry will ensure to release the funds in time for the next events.

“Today I can announce that the volunteers who worked in 2017 for the under 20 AFCON finals will be paid by next week. We should remember that those people are volunteers, who contributed to a good tournament hence the need to be taken good care of,” Nkandu explained.

Meanwhile, Chipolopolo boys are off to Ghana for an international camp ahead of the June 3, 2022 first leg match against Ivory Coast in the group H AFCON qualifiers in Yamoussoukro of Ivory Coast, Nkandu said Zambians are expectant of the team to perform their best.

The Minister noted that government has provided the necessary requirements through the release of K41 million for both women and men’s teams as requested by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), while it has also cleared Scottish based Frank Musonda who has since travelled with the team.

Nkandu has left the onus on FAZ to ensure there is harmony within the Association and the fans to give the team the necessary support so that they bring positive results as they face Ivory Coast.

And Soccer analyst, Musonda Chibulu said most of the boys have shown great commitment and that setting up camp in Ghana is important as part of good preparation for the team.

He foresees a 50/50 result stating that Ivory Coast is a strong team which has an upper hand advantage of playing from home and a host of the 2023 AFCON finals but he knows Chipolopolo’s strength, hence they will use tactics to help them come out victorious.

But Chibulu explained that this being the first game, they should prepare Chipolopolo boys to give the game their all by playing with confidence as if it’s the finals.

He noted this will make Zambians proud of the boy’s efforts regardless of the outcome.

Zambia is in group H fighting for a spot to the 2023 AFCON finals against Ivory Coast, Comoros and Lesotho.