Rise in commodity prices a recipe for trouble if not arrested – Archbishop Banda
ARCHBISHOP of Lusaka Alick Banda says majority of the needy people will be subjected to more suffering and misery if the continued increase in commodity prices is not arrested. Dr Banda says if the trend continues, criminality will be on the rise as the already struggling people will resort to unorthodox methods to make ends meet. The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) earlier this week increased the fuel pump prices for February. Petrol was increased by K2.73 from K24.29 to K27.22 while diesel saw an increment of K2.81 from K26.44 to K29.25. In an interview, Dr Banda said the fuel increment.......
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In Zambia, there’s corruption talk, not corruption fight
THE Corruption Perception Index is out. Our conclusion is simple, there is an aggressive anti-corruption talk in Zambia, but not really an anti-corruption fight. In terms of corrupt actors and their activities, nothing much has changed. In terms of aggression from law enforcement agencies, there has been zero improvement. According to Transparency International, Zambia has maintained its score of 33 on the 2022 Corruption Perception Index for the third consecutive year, a development that goes against the political assurances from the UPND administration that it would improve in the corruption fight. TIZ: “We have been moving from 38 in 2016, 37 in 2017, 35 in 2018, 34 in 2019 and then we maintained the score in 2020 at 33, 2021 at 33 as well and then for the year 2022 the score has been maintained at 33. So if you compare with other countries, we are not doing very well. We would have done better in terms of moving up. We’ve been making this comparison for the past three years and Zambia has always been at the bottom. The 2022 CPI for Zambia is against political assurance from the UPND administration that they would improve in the fight against corruption. But the government has simply not done enough to change the corruption narrative for the better”. To be fair, we are surprised that Zambia’s status on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index has not changed because they have really tried to talk, talk and talk. If perception is all what it is, then we would have expected them to get an improved rating. If you ask a random non-aligned member of the public to state which administration they think is.......
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Ndola police hunt for defilement accused grandpa
POLICE on the Copperbelt have launched a manhunt for a 60-year-old Ndola man who is alleged to have defiled his 12-year-old granddaughter. According to police, the incident is believed to have occurred on January 29, 2023, and was reported to the police by the victim’s mother, aged 43. Copperbelt Police Commissioner Peacewell Mweemba disclosed in a statement that the victim sustained painful private parts and some general body pains. He explained that the incident occurred when the victim went to…….
Chicken prices reducing due to change in consumer behaviour – PAZ
POULTRY Association of Zambia (PAZ) has attributed the reduction in prices of chickens in Lusaka to the changes in consumer behaviour due to load shedding. Despite the anticipated increase in prices of chickens, a check by News Diggers in some parts of Lusaka found most traders selling their chicken between K90 and K110. PAZ Executive Manager Dominic Chanda said customers had shifted from buying chickens in bulk to immediate consumption due to lack of storage facilities. In an interview, Tuesday,…….
Court finds GBM with case to answer
THE Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has found former defence minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba with a case to answer in a matter in which he is charged with 24 counts of conflict of interest, money laundering, among others. Mwamba has since been placed on his defence. Mwamba is facing eight counts of conflict of interest, one count of money laundering and 15 counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime. When the matter came up for a…….
I’m fighting to regain my spot – Zesco’s Chibwe
ZESCO United goalkeeper Cyril Chibwe says he is optimistic about returning between the sticks after suffering a major knee injury that has kept him out for over two months. The South African-born shot-stopper made his debut in October last year in Zesco United’s 1-1 draw against MUZA and went on to play against Kabwe Warriors before his progress was halted after sustaining a knee injury in the team’s 3-2 win over Buildcon. Speaking in an interview, Wednesday, Chibwe said it’s…….
It’s time to enact the Tobacco Control Bill
2023 marks exactly 15 years since Zambia became party to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) and made an undertaking to come up with a domestic comprehensive tobacco control law. In the absence of a tobacco control legislation, Zambia will continue losing around 8,000 lives annually due to tobacco consumption, according to WHO statistics. These are preventable and premature deaths which are an economic drain on both household (family) and national levels. Even before leading to....