Zambia
Kazhila picked up?
. Kazhila
By ESTHER NG’ANDU –
ONE of Chingola’s most famous preachers, Bishop Joseph Kazhila, is reported to have been picked up by police while appearing on a live radio programme on Kokoliko Radio yesterday.
Bishop Kazhila’s son, Gabriel, confirmed the arrest of his father, overseer of Life Gospel Fellowship, through a Facebook post.
He said his father had been picked by police while he was live on a radio programme ‘speaking for the people of Chingola’ on suspected ritual killings.
Kariba water inches up 26 cm – ZRA
By CHILA NAMAIKO –
WATER levels at Lake Kariba have gained some 26 centimetres in the last eight days, according to the Zambezi River Authority’s hydrological bulletin.
The ZRA says the rise was highest from its lowest level at 476.61 metres on January 12, 2020, to close the period under review at 476.87metre (9.46 per cent usable storage) on Monday this week.
“Last year on the same date, the Lake level was 482.01m (47.01 per cent usable storage),” the bulletin reads in part.
Unveil insurance package before implementation – CSAWUZ
By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) has urged National Health Insurance (NHI) authorities to unveil the insurance package to civil servants before implementation.
CSAWUZ president Davy Chiyobe said unveiling the health insurance scheme package for public service would allow the stakeholders like the union to make observations and help amendments anywhere possible.
Mr Chiyobe appealed to the authorities to ensure that the package was unveiled and contributors given a chance to make amends.
Repair of culvert on Mulamba stream underway
By EMILY KUWEMA in Rufunsa –
HOUSING and Infrastructure minister Vincent Mwale has said repairing works of an Armco culvert at Mulamba stream in Rufunsa District on Great East Road that was washed away by rains would start today.
Mr Mwale said that the repairing works would be carried out by the Road Development Agency (RDA) in one month at a cost of K500,000.
He said when he toured the site yesterday that it was believed that the collapse was due to vandalism by the local people who allegedly stole the metal pipes found inside the culvert.
Man sues boat operator over death of relative
By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
A NDOLA resident has sued Pendulum Transport and Fisheries Limited for allegedly causing the death of his relative who drowned while on a boat cruise on Lake Tanganyika.
Mwika Mizinga is claiming more than K21 million as compensation.
Mr Mizinga, suing as a personal representative of the estate of the late George Mizinga, states in a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court recently that, before his death Mr George Mizinga was working.
Mr Mizinga explained that George started working for an American Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Equip in April 2018 and was getting a monthly net salary of K18,000.
Deal with perpetrators of fake news
PEOPLE’s emotions trump reason when it comes to sharing news, the BBC’s in-depth research project Beyond Fake News found in 2018.
This rings true for some towns on the Copperbelt where innocent people are now losing their lives because of being suspected to be ritual killers.
What began as public concern over criminal activities that rocked Chingola, is now on the brink of becoming a full blown crisis owing to unfettered and reckless spread of fake news on social media platforms.
Today, we have carried a story from Chililabombwe where a Lubambe Copper Mines employee has been brutally murdered and his body burned by an instant justice mob which mistook him for a ritual killer.
The deceased, who stayed in the district’s Mine Township, had gone to visit his girlfriend in PP Zambia area on Wednesday night when he met his fate.
The man was attacked by the mob which was armed with assorted missiles on suspicion that he was a ritual killer.
He was beaten to death and his body set ablaze.
On Tuesday this week, a mob attacked a family in Kalulushi, stoned one man to death and seriously injured three of his relatives who were suspected of being ritual killers.
The family was attacked in JVC area where the group suspected them of being ritual killers who were on the run from Chingola for fear of getting arrested.
That brings the number of innocent people killed in the last three days to three.
In the meantime, countless warnings and chilling details of fake ritual killings and suspected killings continue flooding social media platforms, prompting the Inspector General of police to threaten arrest of those behind the falsehoods.
Although investigations instituted by the police to establish the truth about reports of ritual killings have yielded nothing, the rumours and fake reports have intensified, leading to the recent eruption of riots in four townships in Kitwe.
The country has not seen the last of these disturbances because the situation in some townships has remained volatile and more innocent people may lose lives.
So, rather than wait for the situation to deteriorate further, there is need for authorities to restore public confidence in the security institutions by taking decisive measures.
Additionally, we urge the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to work closely with the police cyber crimes unit to quickly deal firmly with perpetrators of fake news.
We should not wait for the situation to become as bad as it did in India in 2018 when the spread of fake messages on social media created an unprecedented crisis that spurred lynch mobs, often prejudiced against certain minority communities and incensed by fake news, to start taking lives of innocent people.
Time has come for this country to seriously consider establish infrastructure to police the public’s use of the Internet in the same way the physical space is regulated.
‘I know nothing about Micho’ …Sports minister parries claims he’s not impressed with proposed new Chipolopolo coach
. Mulenga
By ADRIAN MWANZA –
SPORTS Minister Emmanuel Mulenga has brushed off media reports suggesting that he is opposed to the Football Association of Zambia’s choice of the next national team coach.
Speaking at a media briefing at his office yesterday, the minister expressed shock that his name had been mentioned in the recruitment process saying he does not even know whom the FAZ had picked.
The FAZ has all but confirmed that it settled for Serbian Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic after last week’s interviews and submitted his name to the minister for approval.
So what next!
THE road to Qatar 2022 World Cup finals was unveiled on Tuesday and Zambia was drawn against Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania in Group of the African qualifiers.
While the draw might looks relatively fair on paper, it may turn out to be another difficult assignment for the Chipolopolo who still do not have a coach.
Planning is very key for a team success to negotiate past a group stage and two legged play-off to reach the World Cup finals. We should have by now a coach to make that plan for the team than having these differences between the Football Assiciation of Zambia (FAZ) and Ministry of Sports.
It is sad the relationship between government-who are the major sponsor of the Chipolopolo as well as payers for the coach salary-and the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) seem to be deteriorating everyday.
This raises questions to how seriously the relevant stakeholders are interested in seeing the team performs well. It is sad that we can, up to now from the time Belgian Sven Vandenbroeck contract expired, we can be entangled in the issue of hiring a coach.
The two embarrassing defeats against Algeria and Zimbabwe in the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers were not by accident but our own doing and failure to set the priorities right.
As former Chipolopolo coach Wedson Nyirenda observed, Zambia should have had a coach as in yesterday looking at the workload ahead of him. This new coach will have to come to understand the players, the football politics with only a month in between before the AFCON qualifiers get underway.
FAZ has now on two occasions attempted to hire a coach but its seems it’s preferred candidates have failed to impress the payers.
Guess it is time the Ministry of Sports told the nation whom they really want to appoint as coach. Soccer fans should not be made to suffer for the differences Sports Minister Emmanuel Mulenga might have with FAZ.
Zambians deserve better and football is the only thing that has proved to bring about unity and productivity in a nation.
But at the moment the morale among fans is at its lowest and some news that had encouraged them that FAZ had hired Serbian seem to have been evaporated after delay by government to approve the candidate.
Mind you, this is not the first time government has rejected FAZ preference for a coach.
Former Botswana and Bloemfontein Celtic trainer Veselin Jelušić last time around was almost named as Zambia coach but he got rejected and FAZ was given a whole list of guidelines to follow to appoint another coach.
And during this period, our opponents have been progressing while Zambia has been going two steps backwards. Now after the guidelines were sent and procedure followed-its seems our Ministry has more issues which I feel they should let the public know.
We should equally bear in mind that the money we are offering is too little to attract a world class coach and Micho is this in-case what Zambia can manage at US$10, 000 though it’s supposed to raise to US$22, 000 with FAZ expected to top up.
And the Micho has received many offers and it not only Zambia that is interested.
“Since December, I’ve received offers from left and right. I’ve been offered a job by Pyramids in Egypt, from Club Africa in Tunisia, from MC Alger in Algeria, from Wydad Casablanca, the Zimbabwe national team, the Ghana national team, the Zambian national team.
“Also with Al Taawon, one of the top five in Saudi Arabia, and Al Ain in United Arab Emirates. “All these offers are part of life, but, for me, I’m at a crossroads and I need to choose whether to go for a club or national team,”.
So when one compares the amount of money offered, it would have been wise to tie up a deal quickest than look so disorganised and make the coach seek other options in as much as it is no secret Micho’s love and admiration to coach Zambia.
So there standoff between the Ministry of Sports and FAZ is not benefitting anyone but hurting an innocent fan who wants to go to a stadium and watch his team win so he can celebrate and try to forget whatever problems s/he might have.
He sooner this coach recruitment is sorted out the better for Zambian football otherwise we shall continue to have caretaker coaches-who are committed with their clubs and will have little time with the national team.
So what next for Zambian football?
Till next week, wish you all a blessed sporting weekend and remember to interact via email on [email protected]
U-20 pickup pieces
By GODFREY DUBE –
ZAMBIA Under-20 national team girls captain Anna Mukubuta says the embarrassing 2-0 loss against South Africa has left the team with no choice but to go for an outright win in the reverse fixture.
The team that resumed training on Tuesday was yesterday drilled by 2019 COSAFA double winning coach Oswald Mutapa Jr joined by the rest of the technical bench.
South Africa would host the Costa Rica/Panama 2020 World Cup preliminary round return leg during the weekend of January 31 to February 2.
We’ll start well – Chongo
By Kalumiana Kalumiana –
CHIPOLOPOLO captain Kabaso Chongo says the team can not afford another poor start in Group B of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Memories of their bad kick-off in their Cameroon 2021 AFCON Group H qualifying race are obviously still fresh.
Zambia have been drawn in Group B for the Qatar qualifiers against Equatorial Guinea , Mauritania and five-time FIFA World Cup finalists Tunisia.
The draw has a similar tone and team rating to Chipolopolo’s 2021 AFCON Group H where they have another big North African opponent Algeria including Zimbabwe and Botswana.