The Zambia Police Service has dispelled reports making rounds on social media that one of their officers lost a firearm whilst on duty at Nelson Mandela Secondary School.

In a statement released to the media, Zambia Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said that what transpired was that on 23rd November,2021 a grade twelve female pupil was offered a lift by two gentlemen as she was going to write her grade twelve examinations at Nelson Mandela School. After some time, the two gentlemen who offered her a lift went back to the school with a complaint of having missed a phone in their car.

When they reached the school, they found the police officer who was guarding examination papers and reported the matter to him who later on informed the Head Teacher Mrs Luhanga. The Head Teacher advised that the identification of the pupil could only be done at the end of examinations.

Later on, the two complainants and the officer went through the classes and managed to identify the female pupil who denied stealing the phone. When going to the classes, the Head Teacher requested the officer not to go with the firearm as it would scare the pupils.

The officer left the firearm well secured and only went with a magazine.

The female pupil was identified but denied stealing the phone. It was when they saw the officer with a magazine only that they concluded that he had lost the firearm.

“We would like to re-echo our earlier warning to members of the public not to circulate unverified criminal incidents reports as this has a potential to instill fear in the general citizenry.
“In the same vein we would like to warn all those behind the originition of these falsehoods that their days are numbered as the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them, ” the statement concluded

Oxfam has appointed Zambian national Brenda Mofya as Head of its New York Office.

Ms. Mofya is a seasoned international development expert, covering such areas as governance, inequality, human rights, gender, humanitarian action and peace and security.

She will lead Oxfam’s development and implementation of advocacy strategies that are aimed at influencing high-level decision-makers at the United Nations (UN) ensure their policies affecting poor countries have a far-reaching, positive impact on those most in need.

Ms. Mofya’s responsibility will be to ensure that Oxfam’s global influence work, which includes campaigns, advocacy, policy, and research, has high impact and achieves systemic change, with a particular focus on inequality and gender, rights, and justice.

Ms. Mofya has vast experience working with Intergovernmental institutions and civil society at both global and local level.

Her most recent position was Senior Programme Officer, African Union Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (AU-PAPS), coordinating the European Union Support Programme to the African Peace and Security Architecture (EU-APSA).

She previously served as Head of the Rights In Crisis Campaign for Oxfam International.

Other organizations include the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) and Zambia Civic Education Association.

Also, Ms. Mofya served as an assistant to the late Austrian philosopher, Prof. Ivan Illich, in Bremen, Germany between 2001 and 2002.

Prof. Illich was one of the world’s great thinkers, a polymath whose output covered a wide range of topics.

She considered him her biggest mentor.

Ms. Mofya has also published widely in governance, humanitarian and peace and security. She is co-author of the African Peace and Security Architecture Handbook.

She holds a Masters of Law degree in European and International Law (Bremen University), Post-Graduate Certificate in Gender – a woman’s body, politics and experiences (International Women’s Virtual University – Germany), Executive Master’s degree (MA) – Managing Peace and Security (Addis Ababa University) and a Bachelor of Laws degree – LLB (University of Zambia).

Ms. Mofya is a former University of Zambia Law Students Association (UNZA-Law) President

The government has suspended the use of the Electronic voucher system to distribute farming inputs to farmers under the 2021-2022 farming season in Western, Southern and some parts of Lusaka province.

Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo said that the suspension of the system has been considered because it has contributed to delays in the distribution of the inputs. Mr. Mtolo has told ZNBC News in an interview that government resorted to the direct supply method to expedite the distribution exercise.

He further disclosed that the government has completed the distribution of the inputs to farmers in some provinces.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mtolo warned those destabilizing the distribution of farming inputs in all provinces, saying government is aware of some agriculture officers, political party cadres and business people taking advantage of some farmers under FISP and selling fertiliser allocated to them in neighbouring countries.

Mr. Mtolo said those found wanting risk being arrested and that Government will NOT protect anyone despite their political affiliation.

He added that agriculture officers involved risk losing their jobs and taken to jail.

And the Agriculture Minister has directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to expedite the payment of surplus farmers who supplied their maize to the agency.

Mr. Mtolo also clarified that the FRA paid all farmers that supplied their Maize to the agency and that those that have not been paid are farmers who supplied maize after the agency met its targeted tonnage.

Water Development and sanitation Minister Mike Mposha says there is need for more investment in the water sector to enable it address the numerous threats and challenges in the provision of water and sanitation services in Zambia.

Mr MPOSHA says increased investment in the sector will see increased access to water and sanitation.

He says water insecurity has continued to be a threat to all as it affects the wider economy which includes residents and businesses and therefore needs a multi – sectoral approach across the water sector and beyond.

Speaking at the Lusaka water security initiative (luwsi) CEO’s breakfast meeting and signing Ceremony at Radisson blue hotel, Mr MPOSHA said addressing the scourge should include water users, service providers, regulators and policy makers as this is critical in ensuring that stakeholders collectively define and rally behind a shared water security agenda.

The Minister said the collaboration in the water sector remained inadequate thus there is need for support towards implementation of strategic interventions to address threats of national water security.

He said the city of lusaka like many cities around the world, is experiencing a multitude of pressures on its water infrastructure and services and the increasingly fragile resources they depend on.

He said, lusaka lies above a productive groundwater aquifer, which continues to provide 60% of the city’s water supply, but that the shortcomings in land use planning and enforcement of environmental controls, exacerbated by climate change-induced weather patterns, are turning this vital resource into a key vulnerability.

Mr. Mposha also said the proliferation of borehole drilling and increased abstraction is accelerating the drop in groundwater levels.

He said borehole yields are also decreasing and many wells remain dry for several months of the year and yet on the other hand, a high average water table during the wet season coupled with poorly constructed onsite sanitation facilities have become a danger to the provision of clean and safe water supply.

The Minister was also quick to mention that unplanned low-income settlements located in areas of the city that are prone to frequent flooding are disproportionately affected by outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

THE Zambian Roads & Highway Safety Group (ZRHSG) is urging the Traffic officers to allow highway traffic on Zambia’s busy highways like the Great North Road to flow smoothly.

The Highway Safety Group is dismayed to receive reports of many traffic jams and long distance drivers spending more time on major trunk roads as a result of many road blocks and spot checks by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) officers since Monday this week

What motorists would like to see on the highways are officers from the Road Development Agency (RDA) identifying and mending damaged sections of the road and expanding congested sections of the road to create overtaking lanes so that slow moving traffic can give way to faster moving vehicles.

The Highway Safety Group’s monitors this week spotted 7 RTSA snap check points between Lusaka and Chisamba turn off on the Great North Rd, implying a stoppage of moving traffic every 10kms, which resulted in high speed highway traffic being forced to move at snail pace and in close proximity to one another known as known as bumper to bumper.

The Highway Safety Group has always been concerned by the increasing number of accidents being recorded in Zambia and especially on the dilapidated sections of the Great North Road between Chisamba and Ndola.

The Highway Safety Group has always advised that the current state of the Great North Road between Chisamba and Ndola because of its bad state is not fit for a busy highway and is a danger to the travelling public both local and international. Most accidents have occurred along this bad stretch of road.

The Highway Safety Group has also identified slow moving vehicles and police road blocks on the highways that create long queues of highway traffic as another catalyst for over speeding and accidents on these roads. The other cause of highway traffic congestions and panic driving on Zambian roads are the low speed limits of between 40km/hr and 60 km/hr on most highways that further delay traffic.

The Highway Safety Group is therefore urging RTSA to find a much intelligent way of reducing road traffic accidents on our roads and curb lawlessness.

The High Safety Group also urges the Ministry of Transport to spur RDA into action and take advantage of the available resources from toll gates and mend the highways.

The Highways are an important nerve centre of the economy and motorist found on the highway are not there to play but to ensure that goods and services are delivered on time. Most of these drivers usually have long hours of driving ahead of them and therefore require a road atmosphere that allows for easy planning and execution of their duties on these roads for them to safety complete their journeys and transport passengers, goods and services.

Those motorists that ply their trade on these highways also have specific hours they are required to drive between point A and point B and also need to comply with the labour laws of how many hours a day they can safely work as drivers on the highway.

The Highway Safety Group is hopeful that RTSA will pull off their officers and return them to their offices to think through long lasting solutions to effectively make the Zambian Highways a pleasure to drive on safely and on time.

The Highway Safety Group notes that Zambians spend a lot of time on the roads as a result of road blockages and slow driving and hopes the presence of the traffic policers and their professional recommendations would help both RTSA and RDA to upgrade the standards of the highways so cars can safely and efficiently travel from one point to the other.

The Highway Safety Group looks forward to motorised patrols and less disruption of highway moving traffic.

The State has dropped the attempted murder charge against Former Defence Minister, Davies Chama and his co-accused Brian Dumisan Nyoni.

The duo is now charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm with intent, contrary to the Laws of Zambia. Mr Chama and Mr Nyoni have been granted K100, 000 bail each in their own recognizance.

This was when they appeared before Sesheke resident magistrate Chama Nkaka.

It is alleged that Chama and Nyoni on June 6, 2015 in Mulobezi of Western Province jointly and while acting together, with intent to maim, disfigure or disable, or to do some grievous harm, unlawfully wounded and caused grievous harm to Mushaukwa Mushaukwa during a by-election.

The matter has since been adjourned to December 9th, 2021. The accused persons have been behind bars for 11 days.

Last week Police jointly charged and arrested Mr Chama aged 57 of New Kasama for the offence of Attempted Murder Contrary to Section 215 Subsection(a) of CAP 87 of the laws of Zambia.

Also charged alongside Mr Chama was Brain Dumisani Nyoni aged 47 of Matero Compound Lusaka, a former Diplomatic Staff at the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia.

According to a statement by Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, it is alleged that the two persons on the 6th June, 2015 in Sichili of Mulobezi District of Republic of Zambia jointly and whilst acting together with others unknown did attempt to unlawfully cause the death of Mushaukwa Mushaukwa aged 47 of Shesheke.

President Hakainde Hichilema and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi held talks in Kinshasa on Tuesday.

President Hichilema who is visiting the Congo DR said the bilateral talks were very fruitful.

Mr. Hichilema said the talks centered around trade and investment and long-standing border issues between the two countries, which the leaders agreed should be resolved harmoniously.

“We also agreed that trade and investment can be enhanced if we normalize our border challenges.”

He added, “This would not only allow both countries to focus on the creation of business opportunities but that such efforts would, in turn, improve livelihoods, health and education for the people of DRC and Zambia.”

President Hichilema expressed Zambia’s willingness to deal with these challenges with determination because the two countries share a common history, values, and cultures, that would be further cemented if these outstanding matters were amicably resolved.