Over the past five years, the government has used the charge of defamation of the president and elaborate legal arguments to arrest a number of critical opposition leaders, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and other people simply for peacefully exercising their human rights. While the Constitution provides that the President can neither sue nor be...

MINISTRY of Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga says the government has done its homework to ensure that any revenue lost from the waiver of visa fees will be recouped through increased tourist arrivals. Recently, government announced the waiver of Visas for a number of countries including America, Canada, UK, China, Japan and some gulf states...

THE Lusaka High Court's Economic and Financial Crimes Court has set aside Magistrate Jennifer Bwalya’s decision to discharge Ronald Chitotela of two counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime. The Court has ordered that the criminal proceedings should be recommenced against Chitotela, but before a different Magistrate. Magistrate Bwalya earlier discharged...

GOVERNMENT Chief Whip Stafford Mulusa has urged young parliamentarians to show maturity while in Parliament so that more youths are voted as MPs. Lumezi independent member of parliament Munir Zulu reported back to Parliament this week after serving his 30-day suspension for saying “everyone here shaves their pubic hair, we’re all elders”. Zulu also vowed...

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the European Union-Zambia Forest Partnership. According to a statement issued by Chitendi Chiyengi from the Political, Press and Information Section, Delegation of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA, one of the objectives of the...

THE Choma Subordinate Court has convicted and sentenced two Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers to 16 months imprisonment with hard labour for corrupt practices. Mweebo Mushokobanji and Lawrence Chikoli were arrested by the Anti-corruption Commission for soliciting for K3,000 cash gratification from Esther Kabwe, as an inducement or reward to facilitate the release of a...

THE Emerald and Semi-precious Stones Association of Zambia has called on government to put policies in place that will compel companies mining gemstones to deposit a certain percentage with the Bank of Zambia as reserves. In an interview, recently, association president Victor Kalesha said having such reserves in the Central Bank could serve as collateral...