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 FORMER Minister of Health Doctor Chitalu Chilufya and his four-year-old daughter have survived a serious Road Traffic Accident. His daughter however, sustained injuries and is admitted in hospital. The accident occurred yesterday around 19:00 hours near Misisi footbridge along Kafue road. Police deputy spokesperson Danny Mwale who confirmed the incident said it occured when a […]

By NATION REPORTER

MUMBI Phiri has declared she is not retiring from politics because doing so would be defeating the fight against injustices and the struggle  for political emancipation which would be a betrayal, not only to female politicians but to the cause for good governance.

And Mrs Phiri says she is sad that the State arrested her judgement from being delivered by entering a nolle prosequi minutes before the Mongu High Court could deliver its judgement.

In an interview from Mongu yesterday, Mrs Phiri, the former deputy secretary of the Patriotic Front (PF) said she was not going to retire from politics after what she had gone through as a result of her participation in politics.

Mrs Phiri said she had realized that God had a purpose for her even after being in prison for 429 and a quarter day for a crime she did not commit and that she had now become politically stronger.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was the day my son died and that is the day I was given a nolle prosequi. I am very sad that when I was about to hear my judgement, the State came with a nolle to avoid me from hearing my verdict. So, even when I was thinking of retiring from politics, I have realized that God has a purpose for me and this is not the time. If I retired now, I will be sending a scare to women to get involved into the political governance of the country,” Mrs Phiri said.

Mrs Phiri said God had blessed her with good health despite being a diabetic person and her spirit and conscious were urging her to remain in politics and continue to serve the country.

She said her 429 days in prison did not dampen her spirit because she had always known she was innocent and had never committed any crime against anyone.

She said the State had hired witnesses and that some were paid money and promised diplomatic jobs in in an attempt by some people to find her guilty so that she could be jailed.

“I want to thank the women across the country. I want to thank the woman who was a state witness who refused to testify against me despite having been given money and promised a diplomatic job. That woman is a marketeer like me. Men are weaker souls and that is why God Created man first and gave him a helper.”

“So, even when I was thinking of retiring from politics, this is not the time after what I have gone through. I have been in prison for 429 and a quarter days and if I retire now, it will be a scare to women to get involved in the political governance of the country,” Mrs Phiri said.

Mrs Phiri has paid glowing tribute to her family her lawyers, the Patriotic Front for ever being there for her during the time she was incarcerated.

She said the love and unity her family and the former ruling party showed meant that she had more to offer to the country despite the persecution she had gone through.

LUSAKA High Court Judge Charles Kafunda has rejected the medical report presented to him that James Bwalya, one of the men accused of abducting Pamela Chisumpa and 12 others, is not fit to stand trial due to traumatic spinal code injury.

On Monday, Bwalya’s lawyer Osborne Ngoma told the Court that the accused was involved in an activity that led to a fall and sustained back injuries, therefore required medical examination to ascertain his fitness to attend trial.

Judge Kafunda allowed the application that Bwalya be examined between Monday and Wednesday and the report tendered to Court on April 6, 2023.

But when the matter came up this morning, a medical report dated March 23, 2023 under the hand of Dr. Charles Mbewe of the University Teaching Hospitals-Adult was presented to Court.

According to the medical report, Bwalya has traumatic Spinal code injury and compressed fractures vertebrae, therefore he was unable to stand and walk.

Senior State advocate Bob Mwewa said they were disappointed with the said report because the order of the court was for Bwalya to be examined in his present state.

Mr Mwewa added that the report did not indicate the review date for the patient, therefore there was no return date.

Judge Kafunda rejected the medical report describing it as being casual.

He said the order was very clear that the accused must be examined in his current state and a report tendered on April 6, 2023 and not a previous report.

“As the senior state advocate rightly observes, the accorded report does not give details of when next the patient will be reviewed in order for the principle question of fitness to stand trial to be answered,”

“Dr Mbewe cannot just make a blank statement that the patient is unable to under-go trial. So, what next is the question? Because A1 is unready for trial before this court. All in all, I find the report to be very casual and further that the medical practitioner concerned appears to deliberately lose over the clear directions of the court,” he said.

Justice Kafunda ordered for the examination of Bwalya in his current state and the report tendered on April 17,2023.

He ordered that the reports of their mental fitness also be tendered on the same date.

He directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health to ensure that the orders of the court as issued are adhered to by his officers to avoid a situation which would appear as if they are being compelled to do so.

“Seriousness must be attached to the proceedings before the court, the matter will therefore be adjourned to 17th April, 2023 for receipt of the two reports,” he said.

Bwalya and his co-accused Matthews Sikaonga, both 22, are facing 54 counts which include abduction, trafficking, rape, aggravated robbery and assault.

Ends…

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

ZAMBIA’s economic growth is expected to moderate to 3.6 percent in 2023 assuming a timely agreement with official creditors on an appropriate debt treatment, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

And Government is optimistic that working with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) and other creditors, it will soon reach an agreement on debt restructuring.

IMF Chief for Zambia, Allison Holland said while growth was expected to moderate to 3.6 percent in 2023, assuming a timely agreement with official creditors on an appropriate debt treatment, it was projected to accelerate over the medium term.

“This pick-up in growth will reflect the anticipated pay-off from the government’s economic transformation agenda, including a recovery in mining production driven by new and ongoing investment,” Ms Holland said in statement.

She however noted that further delays in reaching an agreement with creditors risked a worsening outlook for Zambia, delaying its return to sustainable growth, and reducing its capacity to repay.

She therefore urged official creditors to move forward and agree an appropriate debt treatment in line with the financing assurances they provided in July 2022.

“In light of Zambia’s strong performance under the Fund-supported program, the critical next step is to secure an agreement with official creditors on a debt treatment consistent with the IMF Executive Board-approved program parameters and debt targets,” Ms Holland said.

She also said in line with the Government’s commitments under the Fund-supported program, fiscal performance had been very strong.

Spending, she said, had remained within budget limits and that more importantly, social spending had increased in line with government targets.

Ms Holland stated that ambitious structural fiscal reforms were contributing to raising domestic revenues, strengthening public financial management and debt management, and transparency.

“This rebuilding of budget credibility is critical for restoring fiscal and debt sustainability in the medium-term. Continued efforts to ensure value for money by following public procurement regulations and providing transparency will also contribute towards fighting corruption,” she said.

Meanwhile, Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, said Government remained optimistic that working with the OCC and other creditors, would soon reach an agreement on debt restructuring.

Dr Musokotwane said this would help in achieving economic recovery and attain sustainable growth.

“We are grateful to the IMF and all our creditors for their continued support. We will continue to work together to ensure that a debt restructuring deal for Zambia can be achieved as swiftly as possible.

“It is essential that we continue to access IMF funding to anchor our reform agenda and invest in development. It is in everybody’s interest that Zambia succeeds,” he said.

  A 30-YEAR-OLD  woman of Lusaka has died after she was yesterday hit by a motorbike bearing registration number ZP 3074 while crossing the road near Selena Trust School in Chalala area. In a statement, Police deputy spokesperson Danny Mwale said Mirriam Tembo was rushed to the University Teaching Hospitals where she was pronounced dead […]

The oral antibiotic doxycycline prevented the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when tested among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women who took the medication within 72 hours of having condomless sex, according to findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Specifically, the post-exposure approach, termed doxy-PEP, resulted in a two-thirds reduction in the incidence of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia among the study participants, all of whom reported having an STI within the previous year. However, the research also revealed a slight increase in antibacterial resistance that requires further exploration, the authors found.

Regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to promote health and well-being and reduce chronic disease risk. However, many Americans fall short of the amount of regular physical activity needed to reap these benefits. Many studies have investigated the ways that the built environment and social factors influence physical activity, but a greater understanding of how physical and social factors interact and affect physical activity levels is crucial for addressing this activity shortfall, especially as communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and have relaxed physical distancing measures.

From COVID-19 to monkey pox, Mers, Ebola, avian flu, Zika and HIV, diseases transmitted from animals to humans have multiplied in recent years, raising fears of new pandemics.

As night fell in Mexico’s Yucatan jungle, veterinarian Omar Garcia extracted blood and fluids from a bat as part of an investigation aimed at preventing the next potential pandemic.

By NATION REPORTER

THE State’s entering nolle prosequi on the day of Judgment in the Mumbi Phiri case is a form of intimidation of the highest order so that she could continue living in fear and gag her from expressing herself, Lunte Member of Parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya has said.

Mr Kafwaya said a Nolle Prosequi meant the State had no evidence and that Mrs Phiri could be rearrested which could leave her yoked to fear of being rearrested at any time in her life.

He said Ms Phiri had already been prosecuted and since the State did not have enough evidence, it should have allowed the court to acquit her.

Mr Kafwaya is wondering why the State was fearing the acquittal of Mrs Phiri, stating that the prosecution had lamentably failed to prove their case against the former PF deputy secretary general.

Mr Kafwaya said entering Nolle Prosequi on judgment day after someone had already been prosecuted has never happened in the history of this country, stating that the State should have let the judge read out the judgement.

He said if the state did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute her then why was she prosecuted up until judgment day, why was she kept in prison for that long if they had no evidence.

And PF chairperson for legal affairs, George Chisanga said the events surrounding the MumbI Phiri and Shebby Chilekwa murder trial were as disturbing as they were mesmerizing as the State had to wait for more thasn a year to enter a nolle prosequi.

Mr Chisanga said a casual look at the document revealed that the prosecuting counsel handling the case was hurriedly instructed to prepare this document and, in the rush, he simply cut and pasted a document intended for use in the Magistrate Court at Mongu when the murder trial was in the High Court.

He said what was more disturbing and disheartening was that some section of the society knew that outcome of the case and the fate of Shebby Chilekwa before the Judge of the High Court had an occasion to deliver his judgment.