Posts in category: Uncategorized

By NATION REPORTER 

A CONSORTIUM of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has vowed to conduct a peaceful protests across the Copperbelt Province over the return of Vedanta despite the police denying them a permit.

Vedanta Must Return Community Campaign Movement coordinator Chishala Mwamba said on the 8th August, 2023, the CSOs submitted a letter notifying the Copperbelt Province authorities of their intentions to conduct simultaneous peaceful protests across the region to which they had been denied police permit.

He said as a movement comprising of various organisations across the Copperbelt Province, they believed they should be granted permission to conduct these peaceful protests as they were doing it in good faith.

Mr Mwamba said the over one 1000 members of their organisations were set to take part in these peaceful protests in a quest to see KCM and Mopani become functional again.

“Our protests hinge on the fact that hundreds of young people, women and miners are being subjected to extreme levels of poverty due to the non-functionality of the two mines. Just this month, more miners have not had their contracts renewed at KCM, salaries have been delayed, and many more are on forced leave,” Mr Mwamba said.

He said that was why after being denied this permit by the Copperbelt Police Division, they had instructed their members to be on standby as they made further engagements with the Minister of Home Affairs, Jack Mwiimbu, to enable them to proceed with our provincial peaceful protests on the 25th of this very month. 

“We also wish to take this opportunity to appeal to the Republican President, his Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema to look into this matter, perhaps through his experience as a seasoned negotiator and business man he can speed up the process and give life to the people of the Copperbelt,” he said.

Mr Mwamba said Vedanta resources had already made various commitments with regards to recapitalising KCM. Commitments ranging from investing millions of dollars in CSR activities, paying off suppliers, capital injection of over 1billion dollars, salary increments and much more.

“Therefore, as community members, we have every intention to proceed with those protests in Ndola at Cabinet Offices, in Mufulira, in Chingola and Chililabombwe on the 25th of this month,” he said.

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While COVID-19 lockdowns are no longer mandated, the stress and anxiety of the pandemic still lingers, especially among young South Australians, say health experts at the University of South Australia.

For more than 100 years, it has been believed that sunlight and vitamin D deficiency were associated with the risk for many deadly cancers including colorectal, prostate and breast. But some scientists remained skeptical that this nutrient provides any benefit for reducing cancer risk and morbidity and mortality and several randomized controlled trials that have supported this doubt.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) varies widely in its age of onset, presentation and severity. Recently, the SORL1 gene has received increased attention since variations in this gene have been associated with both early and late onset AD. However, little is known about how damage to SORL1 leads to disease.

The prevalence of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50 has risen in recent decades. One suspected reason: the increasing rate of obesity and high-fat diets.

For people who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, taking a daily aspirin has been shown to help prevent a second one. Yet, despite aspirin’s low cost and its clear benefits in such scenarios, fewer than half of people worldwide who have had a heart attack or stroke take the medication, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan. The study appears Aug. 22 in JAMA.

By NATION REPORTER 

CHIENGI independent Member of Parliament Given Katuta has yet again been arrested, this time for the offence of threatening violence. 

The first time Ms Katuta was arrested and detained at Emasdale Police was over common assault.

Police spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga confirmed that the arrest was made at Emmasdale police station. 

Mr Hamoonga said brief facts of the matter were that Ms Katuta, after she was ordered parliament by the Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti to take a walk of shame misconducted herself.

Mr Hamoonga said after being suspended from the house for gross misconduct, Ms Katuta threatened violence against a Times of Zambia Photojournalist. He said being irritated by the journalist, who was taking photos of her Ms Katuta started yelling to an extent that she spat in the face of the journalist, manhandled him with the help of other Members of Parliament and forced him to delete the pictures.

Mr Hamoonga said Ms Katuta had been released on police bond and will appear in court soon. The incident occurred on July 21, 2023 at Parliament building around 09:00 hours.

Meanwhile Ms Katuta has said that it was unfortunate that the head of state who had gone through similar circumstances was trying to punish his counterparts in the opposition.

She said called on Zambians to pray for her through the trying period but that it was wrong to take pleasure in afflicting pain on opponents.

“I want to appeal to all Zambians to be strong and fight for their rights without giving in to afflictions,”Ms Katuta said.

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By NATION REPORTER 

GOVERNMENT is not being sincere over the Goldgate scandal that has, in the past one week rocked the country leading to the arrest of several people including five Egyptians, the Patriotic Front (PF) has charged.

Brian Mundubile, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Mutotwe Kafwaya, the Lunte Member of Parliament say government has been making frantic efforts to cover up the gold and cash scandal at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) but had so far made too many conflicting statements for Zambians to believe.

Featured on Kasama Radio over the weekend, the two legislators said government was giving inconsistent statements about the Goldgate scandal which has since been exposed by South Africa lawyers who have pin-pointed some of the lies that were being propagated.

Mr Mundubile is now challenging President Hakainde Hichilema to come clean over the gold and cash scandal because as head of State, he should never attempt to cover criminal acts being committed on the Zambian soil by foreign nationals. 

He said that so far, over six different statements had been issued by government over the matter, an indication that the government communication system had totally broken down.

Meanwhile Mr Kafwaya challenged government to give the names of the individuals who authorised the landing of the plane. He wondered why no officers at the airport were suspended for involving themselves in illegality and that this was an indication that they were some big fish in the deal.

Mr Kafwayasaid that the KKIA Goldgate scandal was an eye opener for Zambians since the UPND were claiming to be saints yet there had been more scandals under their reign  than ever before.

And PF chairperson for legal affairs George Chisanga said that the lawyers that were representing the detained foreigners had noticed that the plane numbers were not marching to what the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) was reporting. Mr Chisanga said that the lawyers noted that the planes had different numbers and that they had raised alarm over the matter.

“One of the lawyers from South Africa has told his colleagues that there are a number of inconsistencies about the issue and it has exposed government,” he said.

He insisted that one of the planes had flown out of the country contrary to what DEC director general Nason Banda claims that the planes were grounded when the plates number plates were different.

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By NATION REPORTER 

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has said he is looking forward to the smooth completion of the Ndola/Lusaka Dual Carriageway whose works have actually commenced.

President Hichilema said the project would lay the foundation for other similar arrangements as they make Zambia the transport hub for Southern and Central Africa.

The head of state said works on the much awaited Ndola-Lusaka dual carriage way project had commenced and that it was one of the UPND governments flagship project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) financing model. 

“We look forward to the smooth completion of this project and lay the foundation for other similar arrangements as we make Zambia the transport hub for Southern and Central Africa,” he said. 

Government indicated that works on the 327 Km Ndola-Lusaka Dual Carriage will be completed in 3 years and will have a 25 year concession.

Minister of infrastructure Charles Milupi indicated that works would commence in August and the works would be conducted by a consortium known as Macro Ocean.

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By GRACE CHAILE

THE Pilot at the centre of the raging gold scandal, Patrick Kawanu, has filed an application for habeas corpus before the Lusaka High Court, demanding that he be granted bail for the offense of giving false information to a public officer.

According to an affidavit in support of ex-parte notice of motion for writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum, Mr Kawanu’s lawyer, Bwalya Muchimba of messrs. J&M Advocates, contends that the offense with which the applicant (Mr Kawanu) is charged with is bondable and bailable. 

Mr Muchimba said his client has readily available sureties to secure his release and attendance at any competent court. 

He said Mr Kawanu has been subjected to inhumane living conditions at Kabwata Police Station since last week.

“That the combined team of police and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers has not indicated valid reason for the continued detention of the applicant on a bondable and bailable charge and particularly also has the applicant has indicated that he has sureties who would secure his attendance at Court whenever the State needs their attendance,” he said. 

Mr Muchimba said the continued detention of Mr Kawanu is unreasonable and unconstitutional in the circumstances.

Mr Kawanu, Lusaka business man Shedrick Kasanda, Mahogany Air Chief Executive Officer, Jim Belemu, and Oswald Diangamo and nine other foreign nationals were last week arrested in connection with the gold bullion and the US$5.7 million scandal at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Mr Kawanu is said to have been flying the in-transit private Jet. 

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