Zambia Weekly
In this issue
In this issue
Why is Zambia peaceful?
5 out of 9 new judges are women
Can mayoral elections be free and fair?
Quotes
2011 budget is out
One presidential trip costs K 5 billion?
No more patients in corridors at UTH
Two women sue first lady
How to survive a political suicide?
Advert: Colour your Life
Now you can fuel in Zambezi District
Mabenga’s daughter buried - at last
Editor’s note
The government is busy building hospitals
left, right and centre in Zambia (see page
4). No doubt a hospital in each of Zambia’s
72 districts will improve access to health
care – but how about the access to quality
health care? After all, our current hospitals
are chronically understaffed. Zambia has
for a long time been struggling with brain
drain in the health sector, and the prospect
of working in a faraway district – albeit in a
new hospital – is not going to entice many
brains to return. Zambian salaries are still
uncompetitive compared to abroad. The gov-
ernment is putting a lot of money into edu-
cation and training of new health personnel,
but is it sufficient? This week, president Ban-
da commissioned new diagnostic equipment
at the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka,
but this state-of-the-art technology is only
as good as the people operating the machin-
ery – along with the ones interpreting the
results. Hopefully, the government will do
better than some of the private hospitals that
brag of the newest medical equipment but
can’t use it properly. One could argue that it
would make more sense to gather Zambia’s
medical expertise in a smaller number of
central hospitals rather than spreading it
thin on 72 district hospitals? According to
Banda it is now a thing of the past to fly
people to South Africa for cancer diagnostic
services. Maybe the government could con-
sider shelving all flights for all people for all
medical problems. Now, that would improve
the access to quality health care!
Week 37, Volume 1, Issue 23, 17 September 2010
Why is Zambia peaceful?
24 out of 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa
1 have experienced at least one period of civil
1 war over the past 50 years. Yet, the other half
– including Zambia – has avoided civil war.
2 Why is that?
2 A research study (Inclusive Elite Bargains
3 and Civil War Avoidance: The Case of
Zambia) by Stefan Lindemann at the Crisis
3 States Research Centre of the London
4 School of Economics has taken a closer
look at Zambia’s unique peace in a region of
4 conflict.
5 Lindemann argues that “Zambia’s enduring peace and stability goes back to the persistence
6 of inclusive elite bargains, which have manifested themselves in high degrees of political,
economic and military power sharing between competing linguistic and tribal groups”. He
7 defines elites as holders of strategic positions in powerful organisations and movements,
including dissident ones, who are able to affect national political outcomes.
7
The inclusive elite bargains have helped to address the colonial legacy of high social fragmen-
tation, prevented the emergence of cohesive group grievances and thereby laid the founda-
tions for Zambia’s lasting peace.
The closest Zambia has come to civil war was when Adamson Mushala and his followers
tried in vain to launch an armed rebellion in North-Western Province between the mid-1970s
and the early 1980s. This is the only attempted insurgency in the history of post-colonial
Zambia. Four coup attempts in 1980, 1988, 1990 and 1997 were either uncovered in the plan-
ning phase or put down within a matter of a few hours.
The avoidance of civil war has also been helped by the presence of credible political leaders as
mediators “above tribe”, the existence of an external threat in form of regional instability and
high levels of urbanisation, which have blurred linguistic and tribal cleavages.
Lindemann points out that the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD)
initially was dominated by Bemba speakers, yet, over time, the MMD party leadership has
come to reflect a “broadly national outlook”. He warns, however, that Zambia’s stability
should not be taken for granted. He refers to the “re-tribalisation” of political competition,
evident in the strength of the Patriotic Front (PF) in the Bemba-speaking North and the
United Party for National Development (UPND) in the Tonga-speaking South.
The MMD has also lost ground to the PF in the urban centres, and “most of the people”
interviewed by Lindemann in Zambia – and the list is very long – agreed that a PF victory in
the 2011 elections may polarise Zambia further (Sunday Times).
5 out of 9 newly appointed judges are women
Nine new judges have been appointed to the benches of the High and Supreme Courts
in Zambia. Five of them are women, which is no coincidence, according to president
Rupiah Banda: “This is a deliberate move both by the judiciary and government to
ensure that participation of qualified ladies is taking place in our country continu-
ously,” he said. Banda swore in seven new High Court Judges, including Mrs Anessie
Bobo, Mr Justine Chashi, Mrs Flavia Chishimba, Mr Isaac Kamwendo, Mrs Mugeni
Mulenga, Mrs Petronella Ngulube and Mrs Gaudentia Salasini. The two new Supreme
Court judges are Mr Muyinda Wankie and Mr Gregory Phiri. The SADC Protocol
on Gender and Development commits countries to work towards having 50 percent
women in political and decision-making positions by 2015 (Post/Times/Daily Mail
11). The government is also in the process of increasing the number of high court and
supreme court establishments from 30 to 50 and from 9 to 11, respectively (Post 10).
The best of the Zambian media 1
 Zambia Weekly News

Can mayoral elections be free and fair? Quotes

Mayoral elections across the country have been
marked by confusion.
In Chililabombwe, five Patriotic Front (PF) “ Ideally as a mayor, you have become the
first citizen of the city, connoting that

councillors were expelled for allegedly voting for
the governing MMD party’s candidate Trudy
Ng’andu. Ng’andu was elected new Chililabom-
bwe mayor with 12 votes even though her party
has 8 seats in the council.
In Kalalushi, the MMD suspended newly elected
”
you cease to live a life of your own.
Minister of local government, Eustackio
Kazonga, to new Kitwe mayor Elias
Kamanga (Post 15).
“ Your most unhappy customers are your

”
greatest sources of learning.
mayor, Emmanuel Mazokela, for alleged gross
indiscipline. The MMD had chosen Mazokela’s Bill Gates (Daily Mail 10).

“
predecessor, Evaristo Mwalilino, as their candi-
date, but Mazokela decided to contest the elec- The problem we have as a church is
tion as well – and won, according to the MMD that we always talk about things other

”
because Mazokela had “aligned himself ” with the PF. In fact, the election was “characterised people fail to talk about.
by exchange of gifts and money”, said MMD provincial chairperson Joseph Chilambwe. Zambia Episcopal Conference president
In Luanshya, police arrested and detained Adam Zulu (PF), who was aspiring for the position bishop George Lungu on the Catholic
of mayor and allegedly had offered 2 million kwacha cash as inducement to another councillor Church’s involvement in development
who he wanted to vote for him. The arrest prompted the PF councillors to boycott the elec- (Daily Mail 14).

“
tions, which was won by MMD’s Peter Phiri.
Architects should freely express them-
In Solwezi, Jameson Kapumba (MMD) was elected mayor some 24 hours after mayoral elec- selves and come up with world class
tions were deferred after results were nullified. Kapumpa, who before the postponement of the buildings that will improve the faces
first polls had his nomination rejected, beat two others. of our cities. At the moment, many
buildings are lacking. We need to up
In Kitwe, the MMD suspended three councillors and reprimanded four other after they al-

”
standards in our cities and towns.
legedly went against the party’s directives to contest the position of mayor (Daily Mail 10 and
Times 11). Deputy minister of works and supply,
Christopher Malila, on building new
rather than renovating old (Post 15).
Zambia’s world press freedom hero
The International Press Institute (IPI) has commemorated its 60th anniversary by presenting
“ I do not believe as a health institution
we have anything to hide. If there is
something that is wrong, we are ready
their 60 World Press Freedom Heroes from around the world. One of them is Zambian. Post to say, yes, there is this which needs to
editor Fred M’membe was mentioned when IPI interim director Bethel McKenzie gave nar- be done and thank you for letting us
ratives of each journalist’s achievements and challenges in their furtherance of press freedom.

”
know and we are going to fix it.
She mentioned M’membe’s recent four months prison sentence for contempt of court. “In
addition the authorities continued to use criminal defamation and other laws to stifle inde- Acting minister of health, Brian Chi-
pendent reporting,” she said. The IPI is a leading press freedom organisation consisting of a tuwo, on picture in the Post showing
global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists (Post 14/15). patients sleeping on the floor in the
corridors at UTH’s filter clinic
(see page 4) – Daily Mail 10.

No torture in Zambian prisons? “ To make change, we must empower

women, only then can we claim real

”
Government says there is neither brutality nor torture in the Zambian prisons. “[S]ome of the progress.
things that have been reported are not true because government has already addressed some UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon -
of the challenges prisoners were facing in our prisons,” explained Minister of Home Affairs, see page 5 (Post 13).
Mkhondo Lungu. Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report that stated inmates
were routinely tortured and subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment at the
hands of police. Together with two local civil society organisations, Human Rights Watch had
interviewed prisoners at six prisons in Zambia between September 2009 and February 2010. Advertise in Zambia Weekly
But Lungu said the government has dedicated its efforts and resources towards improving the
welfare and conditions of prisoners in line with the international Convention against Torture One full page in full colour for extra impact.
to which Zambia is a signatory. Improvements include the construction of a second maximum Only one advertiser per week.
security prison at Mwembeshi, new prisons in Kalabo and Luwingu districts and 36 open-air Contact the editor for more details.
prisons throughout the country. The government has also amended the Prisons Act to allow
for the establishment of parole and a medical directorate (Daily Mail 11). But these improve-
ments hardly change the behaviour of prison staff. Hopefully the 11.4 million US dollars Zambia Weekly
recently pledged by donors to the Access to Justice programme will help.

The best of the Zambian media 2

 Zambia Weekly Public Money
2011 budget of 17.9 trillion kwacha
The government has proposed a 17.9 trillion kwacha budget for
2011, equivalent to 20.4 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Secretary to the Treasury, Likolo Ndalamei, said prudent fiscal
policy would remain critical during the 2011-2013 Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF). The focus is to create fiscal space
through the expansion of domestic revenues, the reduction of lower
priority expenditures and the allocation of more resources to infra-
structure and human development. In fact, the government projects
to incur a deficit of 3.5 percent of GDP between 2011 and 2013 to
finance ambitious infrastructure expansion programmes in roads
and the energy sector. In the medium term forecast, total domestic
revenues and grants are projected to marginally increase from 19.6
percent of GDP in 2010 to 20.7 percent by 2013, while total expen-
ditures are expected to increase from 22.1 percent in 2010 to 23.7
percent in 2013 (Post/Times 16).
Public pay reform on its way
The government will in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework
(MTEF) 2011-2013 embark on pay reforms to ensure a productive
civil service. Secretary to the Treasury, Likolo Ndalamei, said the
wage bill for the civil servants had been growing rapidly in the last
five years, thereby causing a risk to the fight against poverty. Wages
are expected to consume an average of 44.5 percent of domestic rev-
enue during this MTEF period compared with 48.3 percent in the
2008-2010 MTEF period. “Despite this downward trend, the wage
bill still consumes an excessively high share of domestic revenue,”
Ndalamei said. He stated that the challenge would be to contain
annual wage awards within inflationary levels. “Wage awards have
been consistently above inflation for the last five years and have
been the single largest contributor to the exponential growth of the
wage bill,” he said (Times 13).
One presidential trip costs K 5 billion?
President Rupiah Banda’s foreign trips have generated investment
worth more than 400 million US dollars (about 2 trillion kwacha),
according to chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha.
He dismissed assertions by United Party for National Development
(UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema that the trips had been costly
to the country at a cost of about 5 billion kwacha per trip. Shikap-
washa said the cost of each trip was by far lower than the value of the
investment – even if the figure was true (Times 16).
Road funds to resume
Donors have agreed to resume its funding of the road sector in
October as long as the government resolves the problems cited in the
Auditor General’s report on the Road Development Agency (RDA).
Ministry of Works and Supply permanent secretary Watson Ng’ambi
said government and donors have put in place corrective measures to
address the financial and administrative irregularities identified by the
Auditor General. Measures include disciplinary actions and investi-
gations of officers cited in the report, addressing the poor relations
between the RDA and the National Road fund Agency by seconding
staff from one agency to the other, recruitment of senior management
advisors in procurement, financial management and engineering with
support of cooperating partners and management of resources and an-
nual work plans to avoid over-commitment of funds (Daily Mail 15).
Mining in brief
Another mining union
Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the National
Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) claim a
splinter union has been formed in North Western Province
with government backing. In a confidential budget proposal
of 26 April 2010, the new union named Consolidated Miners
and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CMAWUZ) expressed
delight at being accorded an opportunity to meet with President
Rupiah Banda: “Sir, we are a new union to be registered in the
mining and allied industries. Our objective, among others, is to
work with your government in fostering national development
unlike other unions who fail to address issues and only condemn
the government of the day,” the letter read in part. According to
MUZ president Rayford Mbulu, CMAWUZ has assured Banda
of its support during the 2011 elections in exchange for 2.9 bil-
lion kwacha for operational purposes (Sunday Post).
Konkola Copper Mines in court
Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has obtained a stay of execu-
tion by the Supreme Court after bailiffs seized a number of its
vehicles. On 9 September 2010, the Lusaka High Court made
an arbitral award in favour of Copperfield Mining Services of
Kitwe, but KCM was not served with a notice of the award,
which rendered the seizure illegal. According to sources within
KCM, the mining firm owes Copperfield about 2.5 million US
dollars (12 billion kwacha). According to KCM corporate affairs
manager Jacqueline Kabeta, Copperfield was claiming 2 million
US dollars from KCM but the mining firm was contesting that
on procedural grounds. She stated the dispute had been going
on for two years. KCM plans to contest the seizure and appeal
to the Supreme Court (Post 16). Recently, KCM agreed to sus-
pend its outsourcing of various units – although it had argued
that the outsourcing was a survival measure.
Mining tax revenues above target
The revenue from mining taxes in the first half of 2010 is above
target by 265.3 billion kwacha. Zambia Revenue Authority
(ZRA) commissioner general Chriticles Mwansa said the ZRA
had recorded an outturn of 503.4 billion kwacha against the tar-
get of 238.1 billion kwacha. However mineral royalty collections
were below target by 8.3 billion kwacha based on an outturn of
249.4 billion kwacha against the target of 257.7 billion kwacha.
In gross taxes the ZRA collected 10.2 trillion kwacha during the
same period. After refunds, net taxes stood at 8.0 trillion kwacha
against a target of 7.5 trillion kwacha (Times/Post 16).
This week’s figure
It costs about K 3 billion to hold a single by-election ac-
cording to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (Monitor
and Digest 14-20 September).
The best of the Zambian media 3
 Zambia Weekly Health

No more patients lying in corridors at UTH Law suits in brief

Soon the corridors at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) will be free of patients – at
least according to the government which is in the process of building 26 hospitals across
the country. The aim is that every district will have a hospital by 2012. Two women sue first lady
This will alleviate the pressure on UTH, said president Rupiah Banda, when he this week First lady Thandiwe has been sued by
commissioned the newly upgraded Chawama Hospital: “[T]he UTH is a referral hospital two women in the Northern Province
for the whole country that is why it is critical to decongest it,” he told Chawama residents. who want to know the financial source
of her personal trips and donations to
“[A]part from alleviating the work load at UTH, you will be able to care for your loved various women’s clubs and other groups.
ones closer to your homes,” he said. Evelyn Kangwa of Kalalantekwe Vil-
lage in Chinsali District and Marjorie
A total of five clinics in Lusaka are being converted into hospitals in Chawama, Chilenje,
Nakaponda of Chiwanda Village in
Chipata, Kanyama and Matero Townships. So far the government has spent about 65 bil-
Isoka District had also applied for an
lion kwacha on building theatre blocks at the clinics, and the Japanese Government has
injuction to restrain Thandiwe from
adopted the modernisation of Chilenje and Matero clinics at a cost of 20 million US dol-
using alleged government resources.
lars (about 98 billion kwacha).
The duo also jointly sued the Attorney
The government expects eight of the new hospitals to be complete this year, including the general as the second defendant. Lu-
Lusaka General Hospital, which is over 70 percent complete. The 40 billion kwacha hos- saka High Court judge Philip Musonda
pital is being built by China Jiangsu next to Chainama Hospital. The referral centre at the rejected the application for an ex-parte
hospital will cater for 139 in-patients and 477 out-patients. injunction and ruled that the matter
be heard inter parte on 24 September
According to Banda, UTH specialists will be going to Chawama and other hospitals to
2010. The plaintiffs said that as spouse
provide the required services (Daily Mail 11/15 and Post/Times 16).
of the president Thandiwe had no of-
Recently, the Post published photos of patients lying in the corridors of UTH’s filter clinic. ficial status in the government. The use
of government facilities such as vehicles
and helicopters through unauthorised
No more cancer diagnostics in South Africa expenditure was therefore tantamount
to abuse of government resources.
This week president Rupiah Banda com- Vice-president George Kunda’s wife
missioned new diagnostic equipment at Ireen has been appointed to represent
the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka. Thandiwe, while the two women are
The MRI and CT scanners have already represented by Patriotic Front (PF)
significantly reduced the cost of sending secretary general Wynter Kabimba’s law
patients abroad for specialist services. firm (Daily Mail/Post 10 and Times
11).
“This is a historic event because we
have achieved a major milestone in the
improvement of diagnostic services in the
Nyirenda versus Zain
country,” Banda said. One minority shareholder in Zain
Zambia Plc has threatened to sue
The MRI scanner – the first of its kind in Bharti Airtel and the government
Zambia – was installed in July, a few months after the CT scanner. Since then, 157 patients should the 22 percent listed shares be
have had a MRI scan and 596 patients have had a CT scan – saving Zambia a lot of money. devalued. This follows allegations that
In South Africa, an MRI scan costs 3,500 US dollars (about 17 million kwacha), whereas in Bharti Airtel has been trying to influ-
Zambia the cost is about 2.4 million kwacha. ence a downward revision of the price
The government said it would pay for patients than cannot afford the costs: “Nobody will be of 1,126 kwacha per share as proposed
turned away for not being able to pay for the scanning services at the cancer diseases hospital. by the Securities and Exchange Com-
Ours is a caring government and our people should not be denied health care. For those who mission. But shareholder and former
cannot afford to pay, government will pay for them,” Banda said. Kasenengwa MP, Timothy Nyirenda,
said that before the sale, the business
Out of the 596 patients that have received a CT scan, the government subsidised for 452 at was valued, and Bharti Airtel “prom-
full cost, whereas 127 out of the 157 patients were fully exempted for MRI. ised” they would pay minority share-
“For many years patients have been sent to other countries such as South Africa for the diag- holders around 1,200 kwacha per share.
nostic services at great cost. I am pleased to inform the nation that this will now be a thing of “Zain made more profits in Zambia
the past,” Banda added. than any other country in Southern Af-
rica. So, there is no way they should pay
A 6 million US dollar loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development signed last minority shareholders less than what
year will be used for the construction of wards for cancer patients and a training centre to the company was worth at the time it
train Zambians in the field of cancer (Times/Daily Mail 14 and Post/Times/Daily Mail 15). was being sold, plus premium to entice
The CT (computed tomography) scanner uses x-rays to make detailed pictures of structures us,” he said (Post 16).
inside the body, while the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner uses a powerful mag-
netic field, making it particularly useful for scanning of soft tissue.

The best of the Zambian media 4

 Zambia Weekly This week’s controversy

GBM the wife-beater: How to survive a political suicide?

First he resigned from parliament. Then, barely one day later, he with- on Kasama’s Radio Mano explained why he had beaten his wife (Post
drew his resignation. Patriotic Front (PF) MP Geoffrey Mwamba, 13).
known as GBM, played the main role in this week’s controversy.
“I beat my wife because I love her. (...) Am I the first man to beat up
Last week, GBM beat up his wife – not for the first time – but on his wife? I have stayed with my wife for 32 years. So they think we
this occasion the family decided to report GBM to the police, as they can stay this long just without us fighting? (...) And you should know,
had recently lost another sister to a wife beater. The ensuing public even if I am an MP, so doesn’t an MP fight with a wife?” he asked.
hullabaloo forced PF president Michael Sata to temporarily relieve
GBM, who apologised for what had happened, explained that his
GBM of his duties as party chairman for elections (Post 10).
wife would also beat him up. But he said a political party was not
But GBM heard about his suspension through the media and decided supposed to poke its nose into issues of wife battering because the
he wasn’t “needed in the party” when other PF MPs remained in their issue was domestic. He also said the media jumped on the bandwagon
positions despite being in court. He therefore announced that he because he was in the opposition.
would resign to concentrate on his business. He did regret, however,
Nonsense, said several women, who booed GBM in Kasama (Daily
not having had the opportunity to consult his electorate in Kasama
Mail 13), and secretary general of the Council of Churches in Zam-
Central Constituency but said he was sure they would understand his
bia, reverend Susanne Matale, said GBM was trivialising gender-
situation (Times/Daily Mail 10). He was wrong.
based violence: “The moral equation far outweighs the cost of a
Northern Province PF chairman Frederick Chisanga said Kasama by-election in my view,” she observed (Post 13).
residents had refused to accept GBM’s resignation: “[I]n Kasama,
On 13 September, the police charged GBM with assault occasioning
we are shocked. It has come as a surprise,” he said (Post 11). Many
actual bodily harm but he was released on police bond (Times 14).
of them pointed out that GBM’s resignation would result in another
He appeared in court – together with his wife – on 16 September
costly by-election in the northern province following the death of
where he pleaded not guilty (Post 17).
Mpulungu MP Lameck Chibombamilimo (PF).
After plea, Mwamba’s lawyer Mumba Kapumpa applied that the mat-
Okay, declared GBM: “If they insist, (...) then I won’t resign because I
ter be withdrawn because the couple had reconciled. “To this effect,
owe it to them and they do not owe it to me,” he said (Daily Mail 11).
the complainant has given a statement of reconciliation to the police
Maybe, said former PF secretary-general Edward Mumbi, GBM to withdraw the matter,” he said. But magistrate Kafunda referred the
changed his mind because he is the strongest financier of the PF application to later and adjourned the matter to 21 October 2010.
(Daily Mail 13)? Or maybe, speculated President Rupiah Banda,
PF appointed Ngosa Simbyakula as acting chairman for elections.
GBM had realised that if he resigned the PF would lose the Northern
Simbyakula, an advocate of the High and Supreme Courts of Zambia,
Province all together (Sunday Post).
has served as permanent secretary in various ministries (Post 14).
GBM himself decided to really dig himself a very deep hole when he

Wife beating - according to the editorials:

Sunday Post 12 September:
The violence that GBM meted against
his wife has given an appropriate, if not
unfortunate, opportunity to condemn
this shameful practice. It is good that his
party decided to suspend him. It is not
always that political parties move against
their senior members when they conduct
themselves in shameful ways. In fact,
more often than not, politicians tend to
protect each other and hide behind the
notion that whatever those problems are,
they are private. There is nothing private
about wife battering. There is a tendency
in our society to believe that people’s an-
ti-social behaviour can be separated from
their performance as leaders. In other
words, we seem to believe that somebody
can be scandalous and despicable in their
private lives and yet be able to perform
in a leadership position.
Times 13 September:
Women have for years suffered in silence
at the hands of their partners because
tradition socialised them to believe that
crying wolf was an act of betrayal to the
husband. This silence unfortunately has
resulted in countless numbers of women
being killed or permanently maimed
by the very people who are supposed to
show them love. No matter the circum-
stances, violence against women must
be condemned in the strongest terms
because it is a violation of one’s basic
human rights. It is particularly disturb-
ing when gender violence is perpetrated
by leaders who are supposed to be role
models. Such leaders do not deserve to
lead the country because if they fail to
run a small constituency – the home –
how will they manage the bigger affairs
of the country.
Daily Mail 14 September:
It is good that the police have arrested
Kasama MP Geoffrey Mwamba, alias
GBM, for allegedly battering his wife,
Chama, but he should also be expelled
from the House and does not deserve
the title honourable at all. The assault on
his wife last week was bad enough for
himself and his immediately family, but
to come out in public to justify assaulting
his wife as an act of love defies all mode
of reasoning. What is also concerning
is that all those honourable MPs in the
House are strangely quiet and have not
uttered a single word of condemnation.
And just in case the honourable MP
for Kasama did not know, even the UN
Secretary General Ban ki-Moon (...)
worries that the international communi-
ty, Zambia inclusive, has failed to protect
women and girls.

The best of the Zambian media 5

Zambia Weekly Advert
 Zambia Weekly Titbit News

New voters: still a long way to go Deaths in brief

As at 28 August 2010, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)
has registered 606,576 new voters in its continuous voter registra-
tion exercise which commenced on 21 June 2010. The mobile voter’s
registration exercise will end on 18 September but voter registration Mabenga’s daughter buried - at last
will continue in all 72 districts at council offices until December 2010
(Daily Mail 10). The ECZ is targeting to register 2.5 million new vot- MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga finally agreed to
ers before the 2011 elections. bury his 35-year-old daughter, Maketo. Her burial was postponed
at the last minute on 14 September after the family disputed
the results of the post-mortem, which indicated that she had
committed suicide. The Mabenga family believed her husband,
Ready for the next farming season Chansa Chitika, was linked to the death. Maketo was found dead
in bizarre circumstances at her matrimonial home in Lusaka’s
The government has distributed farming inputs in readiness for the
Chilenje South area on 11 September and police picked up Chi-
2010/11 farming season. According to minister of agriculture and
tika to help with investigations in the matter as they suspected
cooperatives Peter Daka fertiliser and 8,000 tonnes of seed are already
“foul play”, said Lusaka Police Division commanding officer
in depots awaiting distribution to small-scale farmers. The government
Greenwell Ng’uni. Present at the post-mortem was a relative of
is still struggling to deal with the surplus of this year’s alleged bumper
Chitika, a trainee doctor, whereas the Mabenga family was not
harvest of 2.8 million tonnes of maize. Daka appealed to the private
allowed to attend. “We are not satisfied with what has happened,”
sector to complement the efforts of the Food Reserve Agency (FRA)
said Mabenga – and duly postponed the burial. Vice president
in purchasing maize – now that “government has liberalised the export
George Kunda’s wife and several others were among many
of maize”. But so far the private sector has proven reluctant to partici-
mourners who were kept waiting at the Cathedral of the Child
pate – especially at the floor prize of 65,000 kwacha per 50 kg bag set
Jesus. Eventually, after a second post-mortem – of which the
by the FRA (Daily Mail/Times 15).
result is still to be released – Maketo was buried. Maketo was an
executive officer at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Services (Post/Times 13, Post/Times/Daily Mail 15/16).
Zimbabwe thanks Zambia
The Zimbabwean government has commended Zambia for its as- Spear killers’ weapon recovered
sistance during the time that the country faced sanctions imposed by
The spears used by serial killers in the Luano Valley have been
western countries. “We thank the Zambian government for answering
recovered by a special paramilitary police taskforce – although
SADC’s call to assist Zimbabwe during the difficult period when we
the killers managed to escape. Inspector General of Police
faced challenges arising from the illegal sanctions imposed by western
Francis Kabonde said the three suspects would be captured
countries,” Zimbabwean minister of foreign affairs, Simbarashe
“very soon”. The suspects escaped an ambush leaving behind two
Mumbengwegwi, said at the 15th session of the Zambia/Zimbabwe
spears suspected to have been used to kill the chief pilot of the
Joint Permanent Commission. He added that although the sanctions
Zambia Flying Doctor Services, Moses Masumba, and several
that had denied Zimbabwe access to credit lines, balance of payments
others. The police have been hunting three Mailoni brothers
and development assistance were still in force, SADC’s support had
since May, when Masumba was murdered. The Mailoni broth-
mitigated the effects of the sanctions (Times 10).
ers have been at large within the vast Luano Valley since 2007,
when they killed another person. Meanwhile, 100 more special
paramilitary taskforce officers were deployed to beef up the unit
Now you can fuel in Zambezi District dispatched earlier to Luano Valley (Times 13).

Zambezi district is about to get its first filling station. The Cheeka
Service Station is expected to be completed in October, according to
its proprietor, Brian Mukuyu, who explained that Cheeka’s investment
of 1.5 billion kwacha was supplemented with 250 million kwacha
from the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission. Allegedly
people travel 560 kilometres to source for fuel today (Times 13).

Zambia Weekly
Cultural villages across the country Week 37, Volume 1, Issue 23, 17 September 2010

The government intends to construct cultural villages throughout
Zambia as a way of preserving the country’s cultural heritage and
enhancing development. When officiating at the Kusefya Pa Ng’wena
ceremony of the Bemba speaking people in Mungwi District, presi-
dent Rupiah Banda said the government will also continue to support
traditional ceremonies because of their role in cultural heritage and
tourism. 300 million kwacha has been earmarked for the Mwela Cul-
tural Village in Mungwi District (Sunday Times).
Zambia Weekly is a free e-zine that extracts the news you really need to
know about. It provides an effortless way of keeping up-to-date with current
affairs in Zambia. Zambia Weekly is being distributed by email every Friday.
If you wish to advertise in Zambia Weekly please contact the editor. Feel
free to share Zambia Weekly with colleagues and friends. Comments, criti-
cisms or suggestions are always welcome!
Editor: Camilla Hebo Buus, zambiaweekly@gmail.com, mobile 0977 461 877

The best of the Zambian media 7