Champions Zesco United have suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of lowly placed side Nkwazi 48 hours after news their coach George Lwandamina was tipped to join Tanzania outfit, Yanga.

Mwila Kabwe scored for the police outfit with Lwandamina on the technical bench. Zesco have a few games in hand after spending most of the season most of the season campaigning in the CAF Champions League.

The post Champions Suffer Shock Defeat At Hands Of Nkwazi appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Zesco has extended load shedding hours. This is according to a statement by the public relations unit.

Bessie M. Banda explains the reasons below

ZESCO Limited wishes to inform its esteemed customers that the current extended load shedding being experienced in some parts of the country has been necessitated by the following;

a) Works involving the upgrade of the 220kV line to 330kV between Muzuma and Kafue in readiness for the total evacuation of power from Maamba Collieries power station,
b) The loss of 48MW generation from Ndola Energy Company Limited,
c) Reduction of generation at Kafue Gorge Power Station from an average of 700MW to 600MW to manage the water levels.

ZESCO is committed to providing reliable electricity and is doing everything possible to ensure all transmission and generation constraints are mitigated in the shortest possible time. In particular, the line upgrade works will be completed by 11th November 2016, which will strengthen the capacity to evacuate power from Maamba. We expect the extended load shedding to end by 12 November 2016.

In view of the foregoing, ZESCO therefore wishes to appeal to its customers to use electricity efficiently and to use alternative sources of energy where possible.
The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

Issued by: Bessie M Banda
Senior Manager Marketing and Public Relations
26 October 2016.

The post Zesco Extend Load Shedding Hours appeared first on Zambia Reports.

I lost my Chongwe parliamentary seat because I was branded a prostitute prominently known as ‘’Belinda’’ and a witch who turned into a snake by PF parliamentary candidate, Japhen Mwakalombe, UPND Parliamentarian candidate Sylvia Masebo has claimed.

Masebo alleged that she was accused of being a political prostitute who moved from one political party to the other and that she did not even have a husband and kids and could not look after the voters well, she said that really affected her candidature because Chongwe was a traditional and cultured area so matters of prostitution and marriage were taken very seriously.
‘
This is in a case in which Masebo 53 of Ibex Hill in Lusaka is petitioning the election of Lusaka Province Minister Mr Mwakalombe and wants the court to nullify his election because of malicious and vicious propaganda which Mr Mwakalombe, his party supporters and the PF used against her prior to the August 11 elections. Ms Masebo explained before High Court Judge Getrude Chawatama that Mr Mwakalombe went round during campaigns telling people that they should not vote for the UPND because the party President Hakainde Hichilema was a Satanists who did not belong to any church and that he was involved in ritual killings.
‘
Masebo said she was not the one who instructed the officers to shoot dead innocent people in the Kampasa area of Chongwe but that she was the one who convinced the owner of Galaun farms to leave part of the land for the residents and that she was given 20 acres of land. She said that this really affected her campaigns in the area because it was very difficult for her convince the voters because the issue had gone viral on media.

Masebo added that another malicious propaganda which affected her candidature was when the PF allegedly threatened the electorates that they would never be given fertilizer if they supported the UPND candidate. She said that really had a negative effect on her candidature because most people in Chongwe relied on farming so they got scared of voting for the UPND because they risked losing fertilizer. The matter continues up to Saturday 29 with 23 witnesses to testify.

The post They Called Me Prostitute, That’s Why I lost The Election – Masebo appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Cosafa has resolved to support the candidature of a serving football association president for a vacant position on the FIFA Executive Committee at the 2017 Congress although there are indications former FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya has shown interest in contesting the same election.

According to resolutions passed recently by the regional body, Cosafa members have agreed to support and campaign for the sitting candidate in order to have representation on the world soccer governing body’s board.

Officials at the Cosafa secretariat have confirmed to bolazambia all 14 Cosafa members including Zambia were represented when the endorsement for the identified candidate was made. Regional bodies have traditionally passed resolutions to vote candidates at either CAF or FIFA elections.

“Cosafa is support one candidate because we believe we can’t go to FIFA like a divided lot. This is important for us and we have identified a strong candidate for this position,” a source at the secretariat has said.

Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius make up the Cosafa membership that passed the resolution.

The FIFA Executive Committee Member position will be held in
March next year.

In February this year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee during a meeting in Rwanda passed a resolution to support the candidature of Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman for FIFA president. Sheikh Salman eventually lost to Gianni Infantino in the election that brought Sepp Blatter’s era to an end.

Then FAZ general secretary George Kasengele said Zambia was bound by the CAF resolution to support Sheikh Salman.

The general secretary proceeded to announce that Zambia was to vote the middle east tycoon. Zambia was represented at the FIFA Election Congress by Kalusha (who voted), former committee member Pivoty Simwanza and Kasengele.

“We are part of the African Football family under CAF and we shall follow what the continental mother body has advised. CAF has taken a stance and as you may know our President (Kalusha Bwalya) is an Executive Committee Member there, we would not want to appear to be at variance with our leaders,” Kasengele was quoted.

Source: Bolazambia

The post COSAFA Backs One Candidate For FIFA Slot appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Self-confessed venal Kalusha Bwalya is arm twisting the FAZ executive committee to issue him with a letter of endorsement to contest the FIFA Committee Member Election at next year’s Congress even when he is still being investigated for obtaining money by false pretense.

Kalusha, using his operatives in the FAZ executive committee, has mounted pressure on his successor Andrew Kamanga to also disregard a decision by the regional body COSAFA and issue a letter to endorse his candidature.

A rift is now brewing in the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) executive committee over the nomination of Kalusha with some members warning they may be held responsible for undermining the authority of an investigative agency such as the Anti Corruption Commission.

Kalusha is on record confessing he pocked over US $80, 000 from disgraced Qatari billionaire Mohammed Bin Hamman which was said to be a bribe. The bribe was part of money Hammam was dishing out for both his failed FIFA presidential bid and his country’s World Cup 2022 hosting campaign.

The former FAZ president had claimed the money given to him was “inkongole” debt to clear bills for the association. Financial records at FAZ show the funds were not remitted to the association but Kalusha’s personal bank account.

With such a record, Kalusha may have challenges passing an integrity test which he will be subjected to. The 1988-African Footballer of The Year ran both a corrupt and debt ridden FAZ when he was at the helm of the association for 8 years until being dislodged early this year.

Meanwhile, bolazambia reports that World football governing body, FIFA, will be having executive committee elections next March and the southern African region is supposed to float one person to contest the polls.

At a meeting two weeks ago in Johannesburg, the region’s football body, COSAFA, resolved to abide by the principle of “one position per person in COSAFA, Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA.

The meeting which was attended by 10 out of the 14 COSAFA members further agreed that no single person can hold more than one position in the aforementioned football bodies.

Bwalya is currently a member of the CAF executive committee.

Sources at the COSAFA secretariat have disclosed that Bwalya’s name did not even come up for possible consideration from the regional body.

“Kalusha’s name was not proposed for endorsement to FIFA as the 14 serving presidents from the COSAFA region are equally eligible to stand,” the sources said.

“It will not do for COSAFA to endorse a candidate who is not running a country’s football association. His position is further compromised by the new principle of one person per position since he is already representing Zambia in CAF.”

But while COSAFA has unanimously settled for a named sitting president of a country’s football association from the region to contest the FIFA election, Bwalya who is a former FAZ president, is pushing hard for Zambia to float his candidature as well.

Sources say while FAZ president Andrew Kamanga and the association are bound by the COSAFA resolutions, Bwalya is now scheming hard for the association to write him a nomination letter as required by FIFA for his candidature to be valid.

Kamanga was not immediately available for a comment but sources at FAZ indicated that Bwalya is working with FAZ vice president Richard Kazala and some committee members to arm-twist Kamanga and pressure him into signing the letter.

“He is panicking. He is now using people like Kazala who doesn’t seem to be reasoning that in these matters, once organisations like COSAFA make a resolution, it does not appear well for any of their member associations to go against such resolutions,” a source said.

The deadline for nominations for the FIFA position is November 15.

The post Corrupt Kalusha Arm-Twisting Kamanga To Issue FIFA Nomination Amid Criminal Investigations appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Kabwe Central Member of Parliament Tutwa Ngulube may have touched a raw nerve in parliament when he said that the referendum failed because some free masons and people suspected to be Satanists campaigned against it.

Commenting on the Ministerial Statement by Justice Minister Given Lubinda on the failed referendum, Ngulube who was being cheered on by some members on the right side of the house was however asked to take his seat.

And Lubinda said the referendum will only be held at the nearest possible time as it was a very costly exercise.

He said that the UPND had concentrated on shooting down the referendum instead of campaigning for victory.

Lubinda said the UPND had erroneously hoped that they would win the election by default if the referendum failed.

He said the referendum had been an opportunity for Zambians to expand the bill of rights.

Lubinda said however that government had started consulting over the next move over the referendum.’

He said that it was wishful thinking to expect government to step down over the failure of the referendum as the issue was separate from the elections.

“The referendum was not a test of whether the PF was popular or not? So to expect
the government to resign is wishful thinking,” he said.

“There were two parallel elections one for the referendum and the other over who the people could trust to run the affairs of the country and their answer was categorical that they could trust Edgar Chagwa Lungu.”

The debate about the referendum has been revived in the post election period.

According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia the referendum failed because less than 50% of the eligible voters took part.

The post Kabwe MP Digs Up Freemason Debate In Parliament appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Ruling Patriotic Front member of the Central Committee Paul Moonga has tested the political temperature by suggesting that parliament considers amending the five year term to seven for any serving President.

Moonga said five years may be a little time for any government to deliver on long term developmental goals.

He said that elections were an expensive venture that could not be held too routinely like in five year spaces.

The debate is likely to irk some political observers although it could open up debate over the tenure of office.

Zambia currently has five year tenures for political office bearers.

The post PF Official Calls For Introduction Of 7 Year Tenure appeared first on Zambia Reports.

The Central Statistical Office has announced a significant drop in the inflation rate from 18.9% to 12.5% in the month of October.

CSO Director John Kalumbi said Zambia has recorded an increase in the trade deficit valued at K998 million in September from the K705 million in August.

Kalumbi said of the overall 12.5% annual inflation recorded in October 2016 food and non alcoholic beverage product accounted for 8.1%.

The Central Bank may be within its target of winding the year with single digit inflation although the recent hike in fuel prices may be a hindrance.

The post Zambia’s Inflation Makes Significant Drop appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Vice President Inonge Wina has said Patriotic Front member Paul Moonga’s statement urging parliamentarians to consider increasing the tenure of office to seven years was not the position of government.

Wina has also warned civil servants in Southern Province that are displaying the portrait of Hakainde Hichilema instead of President Edgar Lungu.

During the Vice President’s Question Time, Wina said government had not given any position regard the tenure of office for presidential candidate but will not stop people from expressing their political opinions.

Yesterday, Paul Moonga, a member of the PF central committee, said presidential tenure be increased to seven years because holding election every 5 years was becoming expensive.

And responding to a question from Nchelenge Member of Parliament Anthony Malama who wanted to know what was being done to civil servants in Southern Province reportedly displaying Hichilema’s portrait, Wina said the act was wrong.

“People in one region do not want to hang the portrait of President Edgar Lungu who is the President of this country and instead have the portrait of another person masquerading as President,” Malama said.

Wina said the people hoping that there will be change in the announced winner of the August 11 elections should stop hallucinating.

“I can only advise politicians and civil servants who want to prolong the campaign that the campaigns are over and it is now time to work,” she said.

“All those civil servants who are still going round believing that another person will be declared winner should know that elections are over.”

Wina said that the people that were claiming to have won the election should swallow their pride and move on.

“They should swallow their pride and realise that we can only choose one President and there will be another chance should Zambians want another person then they will change,” she said.

And Wina said the government will fund the newly created ministries from the current budget cycle.

On Thursday parliament voted unanimously to ratify the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection and Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development.

Wina also said civil servants will be paid by the month end.

Civil servants have recently been anxious about the payment schedule that has of late been stretching them beyond the previously 18th of every month that they used to receive their pay.

“Thirty days is not over yet so the Ministry of Finance will make sure that all public servants are paid by end of October,” she said.

The post Veep Inonge Says Paul Moonga’s Position On Presidential Tenure Is Not Government Position appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Electoral expert MacDonald Chipenzi has cautioned justice minister to stop behaving like Mr Know It All especially on critical legal issues like the failed referendum.

BELOW IS CHIPENZI’S STATEMENT

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCT 27, 2016

Minister of Justice, Hon. Given Lubinda, is likely to end up in a similar way his predecessor, Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula, found himself in over the referendum process should he become Mr. Know it all.

Listening to his responses in Parliament this afternoon from members of parliament who were reacting to his statement on the same, Hon. Lubinda seemed to have been so very excited over his appointment and started politicking on the way forward regarding the failed referendum.

The continuous blame-game especially towards those who campaigned against the referendum is in itself putting the future process in great jeopardy and courting potential for its failure.

Minister Lubinda must know that the major culprits on the failed referendum process was the government and its failure to consult and accommodate other views and positions contrary to those of the party in power.

Selective consultation with those who supported the government’s piecemeal amendment of the constitution and piecemeal enactment of the constitution by holding a referendum separately from main documents at the expense of genuine advice.

In any case, why start blaming those who exercised their rights to a choice by voting a No to a process they had little knowledge about?

Yet people who butchered the constitutional provisions on Ministers outside Cabinet, proportional representation and provincials assemblies have assumed a role of innocents.

The advice to Minister Lubinda is let him avoid the pitfalls his predecessor fell into by depoliticizing the process and genuinely embracing all stakeholders including political parties.

Government should desist from thinking it is doing a favour for its citizens on the referendum but rather realize that without consultations with the greater populace, any national process regardless of how good it is, is likely to meet a mountain-like resistance and opposition from citizens themselves.

Therefore, let us avoid politics on this process because its success depends on the involvement of all citizens and stakeholders.

McDonald Chipenzi
Electoral Expert

The post Chipenzi Takes On Lubinda: “He Is Behaving Like Mr Know It All” appeared first on Zambia Reports.

FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza has accused the ruling party of testing the minds of Zambians by proposing that the presidential tenure be increased from 5 to 7 years due to the cost of holding presidential elections.

Paul Moonga, a Member of the PF Central Committee, has triggered emotional debates after he held a press briefing yesterday to outline his proposal.

BELOW IS A CONTRIBUTION BY ANTONIO MWANZA

PF IS TESTING ZAMBIANS

Yesterday, Paul Moonga, a PF member of the Central Committee announced the intention by the PF Government to expand their term of office from the current 5 years constitutional limit to 7 years. Mr Moonga informed the nation that to this effect, the PF will bring a proposal in Parliament to amend the Republican Constitution so that PF’s stay in office should be extended beyond 2021. He said 5 years is not enough for them to develop Zambia and that elections are expensive.

Those who are naive have dismissed Mr Moonga as a lose canon speaking from his sides but those who know better know very well that what Mr Moonga was saying is in fact the official position of PF; he was speaking at a press briefing organised and sanctioned by the PF leadership and his position has not been challenged because it represents the official PF position on this matter.

If you just take a walk back in the recent past you will recall that Mr Davies Chama, the former PF secretary general was publicly advocating for Zambia to return to a One Party State so that PF can be in power forever. And that mission has not been abandoned, actually it is being pursued in all other manner. That is why the PF Government is on a vicious crusade to silence, intimidate and close all private media outlets that are critical to its leadership. Just last week they went after UNZARadio. All media houses, individuals and institutions that are critical to the PF will continue to face systematic suppression, threats, intimidation and eventual annihilation.

That’s exactly how dictatorship starts: it starts with small acts of propanganda and manipulation such as trying to use religion to brainwash the masses then it goes to aggression and suppression against individuals and institutions then it goes to curtailing of freedoms and liberties of the people then it goes to changing of the fundamental laws of the country to take over everything. That’s how Hitler, Museveni, Mugabe even our own KK started. Before you realise it you find yourselves under the terror of dictatorship.

And in a country were even the learned would wake up at 03 to go and queue up in the cold and in the rain just to cast a vote between Kaunda and a Frog anything can happen; in a country were booty licking and vuvuzelaling is seen as a smart strategy to eat with those in power anything is possible.

The PF are testing the people’s reactions to see whether they can go ahead and unleash the next phase of total state control. Once they manage to buy enough opposition MPs in the House to reach the required two thirds majority to amend the constitution, they will move a motion in Parliament to change the Government’s term of office from 5 years to 7 years.

Will you choose to stand aside and watch while the country is taken down the drain of dictatorship or you will choose to defend, protect and uphold the Constitution?

The post PF Is Testing Zambians With Proposal To Increase Presidential Tenure – Antonio appeared first on Zambia Reports.

FAZ executive committee member Lee Kawanu yesterday leaked correspondence from Football House and passed it on to his surrogates who run some soccer website in a bid to scandalise and force association president Andrew Kamanga to sign a letter nominating corrupt Kalusha Bwalya for a FIFA position.

The aim of the leak was to portray Kamanga as the person blocking the self confessed money launderer Kalusha in his bid to contest the FIFA executive committee member position in March next year.

According to sources close to Kawanu’s network, the idea was to covertly portray Kamanga as a bad and only person in the eyes of government and especially President Edgar Lungu who is patron of FAZ, standing in Kalusha’s way.

The correspondence which is now in public domain, thanks to Kawanu, shows only Kamanga’s direct responses to FAZ executive committee members.

In their scheme, queries by Kawanu and others to Kamanga outlined in the leaked correspondence have not been published. Sources say the reason the queries have not been published is because they show how some executive committee members disrespect and undermine Kamanga’s leadership.

In their scheme, they claim Kalusha has garnered support from across Africa to run for FIFA office next year. However, information reaching Zambia Reports show that the well known and self-confessed thief of FAZ money has not even been endorsed by his own region – COSAFA.

Kawanu’s leaked communication quoting Kamanga explaining to ExCo members the position of the region reads; “COSAFA has 14 serving presidents and one has been floated to stand in FIFA. Are you suggesting that Zambia should disregard this position on account of serving an individual (Kalusha)? Football in Zambia does not belong to one individual, and don’t forget that Kalusha is no longer President of FAZ and this is a consequence of losing the last election.”

Kamanga, in standing with a decision of Cosafa added: “As FAZ president I will be failing in my duty to guide ExCo on this matter, and it will be irresponsible on our part to ignore the position of COSAFA. Kindly confirm that ZAMBIA should pull out [of] COSAFA with immediate effect to serve the interest of an individual.”

Kalusha’s team claim the FAZ executive committee is not bound by any rules or bodies on election matters and can issue Kalusha the letter to contest at FIFA. But when Kalusha was still president of FAZ in February 2016, he issued a statement saying they were bound by CAF to vote for a man from a little known non football nation of Bahrain Sheikh Salman for the FIFA presidency.

Kalusha’s then general secretary George Kasengele said; “We are part of the African Football family under CAF and we shall follow what the continental mother body has advised. CAF has taken a stance and as you may know our President (Kalusha Bwalya) is an Executive Committee Member there, we would not want to appear to be at variance with our leaders.”

Sheikh Salman lost the FIFA election to Gianni Infantino even with Kalusha openly declaring support for the former as directed by CAF.

Meanwhile, at a meeting two weeks ago in Johannesburg, the region’s football body, COSAFA, resolved to abide by the principle of “one position per person in COSAFA, Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA.

The meeting which was attended by 10 out of the 14 COSAFA members further agreed that no single person can hold more than one position in the aforementioned football bodies.

The heavily corrupt Kalusha is currently a member of the CAF executive committee. He is also facing criminal investigations by the Anti Corruption Commission for confessing he got bribes worth over US$ 80, 000 which he claims was a debt to the association although no such figures were recorded in FAZ financial statement.

The post Lee Kawanu Leaks FAZ Correspondence To Smear Kamanga In A Bid To Force A FIFA Nomination Of Corrupt Kalusha appeared first on Zambia Reports.

NORTHERN Technical College students on Wednesday night rioted over extended load shedding by Zesco which they say is affecting their academic performance.

The irate NORTEC students took to the streets, burning tyres and throwing stones on Kwacha road.

The students sang songs denouncing Zesco and the PF government while others took advantage of the situation to throw stones at the nearest buildings.

Motorists had to use alternative routes to avoid clashing with the students.

“This is too much now! Since after the elections, we can’t study at night because of this load-shedding. Power goes at 18:30 hours and only comes back after 22:00 hours. How do we study on empty stomachs? We thought load sheding had ended, but they dununa us reverse,” a student, Marcus Phiri, complained.” There is even no genset at this school and how do they expect us to study in the dark? We can’t blame management but we blame the PF government for cheating us. We wish we had listened that PF had no plans.”

He said students could not manage buy already prepared food under the current challenging economy.

“Now we can see the fruits of dununa reverse! They are dununaling us very badly. How can we be buying take away foods with these hardships? With this challenging economy? Life is hard for most of us the students because money is not in circulation,” said Phiri. “If this trend continues, we will be failing our exams because we won’t have enough time to study. So ba Zesco naba PF, be serious with our plight before we take further actions.”

Source: The Post

The post Nortec Student Riots After Zesco Extends Load Shedding Hours appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Correspondence leaked by FAZ executive committee member Lee Kawanu to his surrogates at some local football website has revealed how FAZ vice-president Richard Kazala is harassing the association president to make haste decisions on national issues.

According to the correspondence now obtained by Zambia Reports, Kazala wrote an email virtually directing Kamanga to sign a letter nominating corrupt Kalusha Bwalya for a position at FIFA disregarding full executive committee blessing.

Part of the correspondence published by Kawanu’s surrogates on their website on Thursday conveniently ignored publishing Kazala’s email  to portray Kamanga as someone blocking Kalusha’s nomination.

Kazala’s email to Kamanga copied to all FAZ executive committee members and the General Secretary and his deputy is published below;

Subject: Re: Nomination Letter for FIFA Council 2017 – Mr. Kalusha Bwalya

Mr. President.

I hope this email finds you well. Following the email below from the immediate FAZ past President Mr. Kalusha Bwalya which was acknowledged by the General Sec Mr. Liwewe and also my phone conversation regarding the same subject above before the email was written.

I have been requested to seek Your indulgence and that of the Executive Committee that Mr. Kalusha Bwalya be nominated by FAZ to aspire as Committee Member at the forth Coming CAF Congress in Ethiopia next year March 2017, The CAF congress will vote for positions that have fallen vacant at FIFA.

Mr. President and Fellow Exco members, I am aware that the President ( Mr. Kamanga )has asked the General Sec Mr. Liwewe to have this request as an agenda item at the next Exco Meeting.

I have been informed that the letter of Nomination is urgent as it has to be posted by Post Office and must bear Cairo Post office Stamp for it to be valid, also there are other internal procedures that require the said Nomination letter to be validated before his Candidature becomes legitimate.

I therefore seek your indulgence that this letter through you Mr. President be issued to Mr. Kalusha considering the processes involved.

When Kamanga responded by advising FAZ general secretary Ponga Liwewe to include the matter as an agenda item at the next full executive committee meeting in view of COSAFA’s position to back a sitting president or a candidate that was not already serving CAF as a way of spreading responsibilities, Kazala fired back.

Mr. President/ GS and DGS.

It is the view of all Exco that the Nomination letter be written irrespective of the regions candidates.This is about our Country and not Cosafa or Cecafa who have no control over us. Note that 5 members of Exco are in agreement, this is sufficient consensus, GS and DGS, you are following the discussions and I do not want to accuse both of you of taking sides or being mute deliberately.

Mr. Liwewe and DGs, just remember that you are employed by the Executive, your muteness is being noted and understood to be taking sides on a matter that you know you are supposed to advise and proceed especially that there is consensus here.We have made discussions on very serious matters without full EXCO I wonder now why we seem to be very hesitant with the request of Nomination letter.

If Kalusha loses or wins we will be vindicated for having done our Country man the favour.

Regards

Richard Kazala-Laski

But Kamanga advised Kazala to consult the body’s constitution with regards decisions of COSAFA and the relationship FAZ shares with the regional body.

Dear VP,

I take note of your mail and request that you refrain from misguiding Exco . Article 59(4) of the FAZ constitution is very clear regarding our involvement with COSAFA.

COSAFA has 14 serving Presidents and one has been floated to stand in FIFA. Are you now suggesting that Zambia should disregard this position on account of serving an individual? Football in Zambia does not belong to one individual, and don’t forget that Kalusha is no longer President of FAZ and this is a consequence of losing the last election.

As FAZ President I will be failing in my duty to guide exco on this matter, and it will be irresponsible on our part to ignore the position of COSAFA.

Kindly confirm that ZAMBIA should pull out of COSAFA with immediate effect to serve the interest of an individual.

Regards,

AN Kamanga

Kalusha Bwalya bid for nomination has been complicated by his confession he pocketed over US $80, 000 from disgraced Qatari Mohammed Bin Hammam. He had claimed the money was a debt to FAZ but financial statements have never shown receipt of such funds. The Anti Corruption Commission is still investigating the matter.

The post How Kazala Is Harassing Kamanga To Make Haste Decisions Without Full ExCo appeared first on Zambia Reports.

A Zambian medical doctor Dr Suwilanji Situmbeko has mysteriously disappeared in the US capital Washington DC forcing local police to issue an alert to establish his whereabouts.

Dr Situmbeko, commonly known as Doc Stukie among peers, is attached to Global Health Corps. His online presence may provide clues to his disappearance as investigators dig into the matter.

The 27-year-old Zambia had made Facebook posts and twitter comments suggesting he was being racially abused. He has been missing since October 21, 2016.

Based on his recent comments, Dr Situmbeko seemed to have experienced unpleasant and strained relationships with his roommates named Erica, Laura and Morgan who appeared to take umbrage with the fact that GHC fellows of color were being specifically chosen to attend media events, signaling that they believed that as white women, they were being discriminated against.

Dr Situmbeko was educated at University Mentouri de Constantine in Algeria on a Zambian scholarship. In April of 2015, he was selected as a Global Health Corps finalist for US12-Int: Global Program Associate, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Out of an applicant pool of 5000, only 150 people would be selected and confirmed for the coveted associate positions and Dr Situmbeko made the final cut.

His comments about being a GHC fellow states, “I am a Global Health Corps fellow because I strongly believe that in order to move the needle on health disparities, we need to act together. As the movement for health equity gathers momentum, every human being’s inalienable right to health is affirmed and upheld.”

Dr Situmbeko also holds an MBA from the Paris Graduate School of Management. He pursued a degree in medicine because of his passion to alleviate suffering and improve health outcomes. During his time in medical school, he was involved with the International Federation of Medical Students Association and also attended the 15th International Peer Education Training held in Hammamet, Tunisia. Dr Situmbeko completed a medical clerkship in cardiology in Tunisia and cardiac-thoracic imagery in Belgium.

Some screen shots about his online comments

The post Zambian Medical Doctor, Suwilanji Situmbeko, Mysteriously Disappears In Washington DC appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Central African heads of state meeting Wednesday in Luanda, Angola, endorsed the deal signed last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo that delays that country’s elections by nearly two years. But the regional stamp of approval has not diminished tensions in the country itself.

The African Union-mediated agreement pushes elections in the DRC from next month to April 2018. President Joseph Kabila will stay on until then at the head of a new power-sharing government, though his elected mandate expires in December.

Angola’s president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, himself in power since 1979, said Wednesday the accord will help “put an end to the climate of contestation and destabilization.”

Violent protests over the delayed elections killed more than 50 people in September, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

The regional summit’s closing statement congratulated Kabila for convening what was billed as the “national dialogue” that produced the agreement. Dos Santos urged those in the DRC who did not participate in negotiations to sign up to the deal.

Not all on board

However, that does not appear likely. The endorsement of regional leaders has done little to dampen the anger the agreement has aroused among Kabila’s opponents. The country’s main opposition coalition, known as the Rassemblement, or the Assembly, boycotted national dialogue talks.

Franck Diongo, a leading Rassemblement figure, told VOA the African Union and the regional blocs are showing a negative solidarity. He said the Luanda summit was a syndicate of dictators who feel a need to stick together. But he added that the Congolese people will have the last word.

The Rassemblement has called for a public meeting November 5 in which Diongo said veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi will lay out their plan of action.

La Lucha, a prominent civil society group, has also denounced the agreement and the role of the African Union, which it accused of displaying “arrogance, disdain and condescension” during the negotiations.

Activists arrested

In the eastern city of Goma, at least 17 members of La Lucha were arrested this week while protesting the accord. In Kinshasa, authorities banned a sit-in in front of AU headquarters.

Under the DRC’s constitution, Kabila is not eligible to stand in the next elections, having served his two-term limit.

The Congo Research Group, part of New York University, polled nearly 8,000 people nationwide and found that less than eight percent of Congolese would vote for Kabila if an election were held this year.

The survey also found that more than 80 percent of respondents oppose a constitutional revision to allow Kabila to run for a third term and 74 percent say he should step down this year.

Source: Voice of America

The post Congolese People Defiant; They Want Kabila Out Despite Regional Back To Delay Elections appeared first on Zambia Reports.

An international bank, Standared Chartered, has allegedly frozen the bank accounts for opposition UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma.

Kakoma has since accused the bank of being manipulated by the Zambian government to victimize him for his political inclination.

“I never thought a reputable international bank could be manipulated by the Zambian government to victimise it’s political opponents. Today [yesterday] it happened to me. Standard Chartered Bank Zambia has frozen an account of a limited company in which I’m one of the shareholders because I’m a politician,” Kakoma narrates.

“When I went to find out from Stanchart at Levy Mall in Lusaka why they froze the account, one of the staffers, Godfrey, told me that they were told that I was a high profile person who was appearing on the National Assembly of Zambia website as a member of parliament.

“He also told me that according to their search, I was also a spokesman for an opposition political party . I couldn’t believe that in our country, it is now an offence for an opposition politician to hold an account at a bank .

“Mid this year, the bank asked me to provide the shareholding structure for the company. I did that through E-mail. Last month, the bank wanted the directors of the company to update their details. We did that by providing passport size photos, water bills as proof of residence, Pacra shareholding structure, etc.

“Why am I a suspect? I was being asked to disclose how much I earn as spokesperson for UPND and what are my other incomes after leaving parliament. I /we owe the bank no money neither have I /we applied to get a loan from them.

“There is no unusual deposit to suspect money laundering. Why has our account been frozen?. If Stanchart don’t want us to bank with them, fine. Close the account and give us our money. If I have committed a crime, please come and arrest me. I’m at home waiting for the police to come,” he posted on his Facebook page.

Stanchart has not responded to the allegations.

The post Standard Chartered Bank Freeze Accounts Of UPND Spokesperson appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Zambians have taken to social media in search of a young Zambian physician Dr Suwilanji Situmbeko who mysteriously disappeared in Washington DC, USA on October 22, 2016.

Zambia Reports exclusively broke the story following an alert by the DC Metropolitan Police prompting Zambians to take to social media where they are prodding authorities to expeditiously investigate and establish the whereabouts of Dr Situmbeko fondly known as DocStukie.

Dr Situmbeko is attached to Global Health Corps. His online presence provide clues to his disappearance.

The 27-year-old Zambia had made Facebook posts and twitter comments suggesting he was being racially abused. He has been missing since October 21, 2016.

Based on his recent comments, Dr Situmbeko seemed to have experienced unpleasant and strained relationships with his roommates named Erica, Laura and Morgan who appeared to take umbrage with the fact that GHC fellows of color were being specifically chosen to attend media events, signaling that they believed that as white women, they were being discriminated against.

Dr Situmbeko was educated at University Mentouri de Constantine in Algeria on a Zambian scholarship. In April of 2015, he was selected as a Global Health Corps finalist for US12-Int: Global Program Associate, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Out of an applicant pool of 5000, only 150 people would be selected and confirmed for the coveted associate positions and Dr Situmbeko made the final cut.

Dr Situmbeko was last seen talking on his cell phone near Eastern Market in Southeast Washington at around 4:45 a.m. on Oct. 22. He also posted the following message on twitter.

@Docstukie; “Jamie Swift. Come over. Au Bon Pain. Eastern Market. Come now. Uber over. @ghcorps will reimburse you…Let me know when you are here. JC”

Below are a selected twitter posts that have spread to international news media, personalities like British journalist Piers Morgan and Errol Barnett of CNN. US President Barack Obama’s twitter handle also received a mention from a Zambian who was calling on the White House to take an interest in the disappearance of Dr Situmbeko.

AdrianFGS and 3 others Retweeted
#WhereIsStukie ‏@ErasmusMweene

Let’s all tweet @DCPoliceDept so they investigate these @ghcorps folks over the mysterious disappearance of @DocStukie. #WhereIsStukie

Blessed and 3 others Retweeted
Gray M’hango ‏@Gray_Mhango

Hello @BBCAfrica ,a young Zambian Doctor has gone missing in the USA, we suspect @ghcorps is involved. Please help us. #WhereIsStukie

ML 350 and 5 others Retweeted
Qha. ‏@Just_Midzi

Standing with Zambians, looking for answers about Stukie. Please help spread the word, esp to US twitter.
#WhereIsStukie

Aquarius and 1 other Retweeted
#WhereIsStukie ‏@YoliSpice

Digestion of Suwi missing is hard to settle in. It’s uncalled for #WhereIsStukie

#WhereIsStukie and 2 others Retweeted
Martha Ashley Nakaz ‏@MarthaNakazwe

#whereisstukie

May the God of Moses protect him wherever He is. As we pray and stay hopeful that he will be found.

#WhereIsStukie and 2 others Retweeted
Mr Rox Zone Fam Verified account ‏@JayRox05

Help us find our brother #WhereIsStukie

Electoral Commission and 75 others follow
Mr Miyagi ‏@zedd_tahlz

I feel like I can’t tweet anything else but #WhereIsStukie

#WhereIsStukie and 1 other Retweeted
#WhereIsStukie ‏@LaBelleMossie

Hello @usembassyzambia and @ZambiaEmbassyUS please help us find our friend @DocStukie #WhereIsStukie

Aquarius ‏@caesarcognac

We will fight for you and with you bro @DocStukie ✊#WhereIsStukie

Kudakwashe and 2 others Retweeted
Red Lipstick ‏@LaBabyScientist

Let us all unite and tweet the hashtag #WhereIsStukie till it trends and @ghcorps and @DCPoliceDept give us answers.

Luke ツ ‏@NubianSkywalker

My desire to settle down or live in the USA dies a slow death every day because of situations like this. Honestly, truly. #WhereIsStukie?

Chishala Chitoshi Jr and 4 others Retweeted
Doctor N’kisu
‏@lenac63

We are giving you by tomorrow 7pm Zambian time @ghcorps to tell us where @DocStukie Is #WhereIsStukie

Kapala Chisunka and 2 others Retweeted
Nkole Nkole ‏@nkolewanseko

Young, brilliant and black. #WhereIsStukie #BringBackStukie

Namushi ‏@ThaNewMe

#WhereIsStukie @ghcorps?? Don’t give us that “we are worried” nonsense when YOU KNOW very well what you’ve done!

The post Zambians Take To Social Media In Search Of Missing Dr Situmbeko With Hashtag #WhereIsStukie appeared first on Zambia Reports.

If Joseph “No Pressure” Chingangu saw an opportunity to become a commissioner on the World Boxing Council (WBC) today, will the Zambia Professional Boxing Board and the National Sports Council of Zambia give him clearance, or provide him with a nomination letter even as he faces criminal charges ranging from aggravated robbery to burglary? The answer is most certainly no. The man is under investigation and should first have his name cleansed locally before he can go on to represent more than 14 million Zambians on an international stage. Giving Chingangu such clearance will be undermining the country’s judicial bodies and the system as a whole.

The question is; how different is Chingangu from his fellow sportsman Kalusha Bwalya? Both are human beings with excellent records in their sporting careers. Are they subject to different laws of the land? Is one of them more equal than the other? Why should they be treated differently when faced with similar circumstances? Kalusha and Chingangu are both facing issues with the law (one is more of an alleged petty thief specialising in stealing laptops etc and the other is a self-confessed money launderer belonging to a highly organized white collar group of sophisticated criminals posturing as sports administrators in international football).

News that Kalusha had shown interest in vying for a position at FIFA in March next year should ordinarily be celebrated and encouraged. It should be something whose nomination should not be subjected to debate whether he is in FAZ or not. But let’s face it, Kalusha is not in the best form to represent Zambia at that level. The man still has some unfinished business with the Zambian law.

Following Kalusha’s infamous confession that he pocketed a bribe worth US $80, 000 from disgraced Qatari official Mohammed Bin Hammam, the former soccer star has been subject to investigations by the Anti Corruption Commission. Those investigations are still active todate.

It’s therefore shocking that FAZ vice-president Richard Kazala, a former lawmaker representing the residents of Chingola, can lead a horde of executive committee members to harass FAZ president Andrew Kamanga and the secretariat over the nomination of a person who first is under criminal investigations and second has not received regional backing.

In the correspondence among FAZ officials that was leaked by executive committee member Lee Kawanu, Kazala seems to play the patriot line. He claims to be doing the country a favour by floating Kalusha to FIFA? Really? If Kazala is so patriotic to Zambia, where has he been when Zambians have been asking for Kalusha to declare the US $80, 000 he got on behalf of FAZ? Kalusha infamously admitted that the money he got from the Qatar man was a debt meant to help FAZ meet its obligations. Kazala has been part of FAZ since 2012. Can he tell Zambians where that money was used? Or is Kazala one of the beneficiaries of the US $80, 000 bribe? Since Kazala is a patriot, can he help us find our money Kalusha got from Qatar so that referees and the poor lower league teams get a share of it to meet their expenses?

Indeed, only thieves will back a fellow thief. If Kalusha is given the nomination, it will only say one thing; thieves are still in charge of FAZ. And make no mistake, whoever will participate in releasing a nomination to a person who still has issues with the Zambian law must be ready to face the temerity of their action.

FAZ has professionals like Kamanga, the general secretary Ponga Liwewe, treasurer Rix Mweemba, and that useless doctor called Joseph Mulenga and the deputy general secretary Lombe Mbalashi – a lawyer. These individuals have affiliations to bodies such as the Law Association of Zambia in the case of Mbalashi. And if Mbalashi is going to participate in disregarding Zambian laws, proceedings can be instituted to revoke his practicing licence. Is this what Kazala wants for an otherwise young and brilliant lawyer? Anyway, Kazala seems impaired when it comes to understanding much less interpreting the FAZ constitution. He will do well to hire a lawyer to help him understand the laws of the game. He needs no reminder that Zambia is not a juggle where people can behave like monkeys and do anything as they please. We are what we are because we have a set of rules and regulations that coordinate how we relate and manage our affairs. The ACC is not a decoration. It’s an institution established by parliament and Kazala, of all people, should know better.

Kazala is showing a lot of energy demanding for the letter of nomination for Kalusha to contest a FIFA post. Can he also show the same tenacity in recovering what is due to Zambia which Kalusha got on behalf of FAZ? Or whose interest is he serving in Zambian football? The country or an individual? Maybe it’s about time these football officials are taken to task. Those that have stolen from FAZ must starting facing jail. Perhaps, there will be sanity at Football House. Kazala wants to reward a self-confessed thief. Surely, is that the way things should be? Does Kazala think he owns FAZ? He needs no reminder that FAZ is an institution with 14 million shareholders.

We are all parties of interest to events at FAZ. There is no way Zambians can allow football officials commit crimes with impunity. It is about time the same law that sent Austin Liato to jail for burying money in the sand visited Football House. FAZ and its officials should not be allowed to operate as laws unto themselves. They are all in Zambia and are subject to Zambian laws. There are a lot of fools and idiots at Football House pilfering national resources. This must come to an end. This is why it not in good faith or national interest to give Kalusha nomination to contest the FIFA election. Kalusha is currently not in good standing with the Zambian law. Period. He is under criminal investigations. He has confessed to taking a bribe. He says that bribe belongs to Zambia because it was a debt. But that money has never been used for its intended purpose if at all it was ever going to. Is this the man we want to send to FIFA?

Can Kazala allow his employees to steal from his company but still go ahead to reward them with bonuses? What nonsense is this? The FAZ executive, including those 5, who thing they owe their presence in the committee to Kazala should know that their allegiance is to Zambia. If they proceed to issue a nomination letter to a self confessed thief, a self confessed money launderer they should be ready to answer before a competent court in the near future. We hope they will take time to think and soberly deliberate as they meet in the FAZ executive committee meeting.

The post Opinion: Why Should Zambia Nominate A Self-Confessed Thief For FIFA Slot? appeared first on Zambia Reports.

Foul tempered lawyer Martha Mushipe this morning had to deal with bailiffs that pounced on her office.

Mushipe who is also opposition United Party for National Development legal counsel had bailiffs visiting her office in Millennium Village in Longacres.

The bailiffs reportedly sealed off the offices as part of recovering money owed by Mushipe.

Mushipe gained nationwide notoriety with her unforgettable outbursts at the height of election tension over the releasing of results.

The post Bailiffs Pounce On Mushipe Law Firm appeared first on Zambia Reports.