PF Copperbelt mobilisation committee chairperson Bowman Lusambo says he doesn’t have time to engage the National Arts Council regularise the permits for the invited South African performers Mafikizolo and Master KG, saying the event is in his hands and he will simply cancel it if the foreign artistes are not allowed to come.

And Lusambo says he is not a music promoter but a politician conducting politics, and therefore, he will not be forced to hold the event with musicians whom he doesn’t like.

Lusambo had organised a political rally scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday), under the guise of COVID-19 sensitisation, at which he had invited the two foreign music groups as well as renowned Zambian performers, including Chanda na Kay and Yo Maps.

However, in a statement, Wednesday, National Arts Council of Zambia (NAC) director Maanka Chipindi stated that the South African artists were not yet cleared to perform in the country.

“It has been brought to our attention that the Copperbelt mobilisation committee is intending to bring two international artists from South Africa to perform at the COVID-19 sensitisation rally scheduled for Saturday 17th October, 2020 at Musa Kasonka Stadium in Ndola. We wish to guide that under provisions of the National Arts Council Act Cap 170 of the laws of Zambia and statutory instrument 129 of 1995 section 5, no person or organisation is allowed to promote any artistic event without a promoters licence obtained from the National Arts Council of Zambia,” stated Chipindi.

“Further foreign artists are supposed to be cleared, at least three months before the event and are expected to pay 20 percent of performance fees as withholding tax to the Zambia Revenue Authority. In view of the above, we write to advise the committee to urgently normalise these matters if the foreign artists are to be cleared to perform in Zambia.”

When contacted, Lusambo who is also Lusaka Province Minister said “Fyabupuba!”

Asked if he would engage NAC to normalise the issue, Lusambo said he had no time.

“Fyabupuba! There is no comment actually. We have no comment. The programme in Ndola is there, If they are not cleared I can’t be forced to get artists whom I don’t want. There is no one who can force me, there is one one who can force us. We can only do with what we want. If they are not coming we are going to cancel the function. I am not a promoter, these are just politics there is nothing like being hard. That is my decision, it is me who decided to bring them and the committee to have that meeting. So canceling the meeting is within ourselves. I have no time [ to talk to the NAC],” said Lusambo.