#Hichilema

[moongalovesbally]

Well done Bally♥️ for Transforming Lusaka!

Last week, a remarkable change unfolded in our beloved Lusaka City as street vendors were relocated from the Town area. This bold move brought about some fantastic benefits:

1️⃣ Sparkling Cleanliness: With vendors gone, the streets of The Central Business District (CBD) are now cleaner than ever before.

2️⃣ Spacious x Congestion-Free: Say goodbye to the crowded sidewalks! The removal of vendors has opened up more space, allowing people x cars to move freely through the city.

3️⃣ Picture-Perfect Beautification: Behold the sheer beauty of our shops, buildings x gardens, r now visible without obstruction. Lusaka is truly a sight to behold!

4️⃣ Enhanced Safety: No more worries about Ba Kawalala blending in amongst the vendors. Lusaka is now safer, ensuring that our wallets, phones x belongings remain secure as we wander through town.

The transformation is undeniable x we owe a huge thanks to The UPND Government for spearheading this positive change in our community. Let's embrace the newfound vibrancy x enjoy a truly revitalized Lusaka! 🎉🌇

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

In the last stop of her Africa visit, Vice President Kamala Harris today was in Zambia, which co-hosted this week’s Summit for Democracy. Neither Harris nor Biden will comment in any way about the impending indictment of the former president. At a press conference in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, today, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal reminded Harris that she had “spoken about democracy and the rule of law at every stop in Africa,” and asked her to comment on news of the indictment.

When she declined, Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema stepped forward. “[L]et’s remove names from your question,” he said.

“Let’s put what we decided we will do to govern ourselves in an orderly manner. First, our constitutions, bedrock law. Then, secondary laws, other regulations create a platform or framework around which we agreed, either as Americans or as Zambians, to govern ourselves.  And so, to live within those confines.

“And when there’s transgression against law, it does not matter who is involved. I think that is what the rule of law means.”

[from Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters From An American”]

[hicginewsagency]

Zambian President Suspends Judges Amid Political Tensions.

Critics accuse President Hakainde Hichilema of meddling in the judiciary ahead of the 2026 elections. Courtesy image. Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has suspended three top judges, sparking allegations of political interference within the judiciary. The judges—Justice Annie Sitali, Justice Mungeni Mulenga, and Justice Palan Mulonda—have been at the center of controversy since their…

[dailynation]

Prepare for bad exit, HH warned

By NATION REPORTER A CIVIL society organisation has predicted that President Hakainde Hichilema’s ending will be worse than that of his predecessor, Edgar Lungu because he has adopted hatred, mistreatment and demonising against the immediate past President as the new style of governing the country. Joseck Kunda, the chief executive officer for the Movement for Promoting National Values and…

[yohane23]

Zambia on track for debt restructuring next quarter -finance minister

[daily-media]

Zambia Faces Severe Power Crisis Despite Hydro Potential

Zambia is currently experiencing its worst electricity blackouts in history, despite the presence of the Zambezi River and the Kariba Dam, which traditionally provide significant hydroelectric power. Many cities are enduring outages lasting up to three consecutive days, leaving residents grateful for just a few hours of electricity.

The crisis has taken many by surprise, especially the 43% of Zambians connected to the grid who have long taken reliable power for granted. The primary cause is one of the worst droughts in decades, exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has drastically reduced the country's power-generating capacity.

With 84% of Zambia’s electricity derived from hydro sources, the drought has severely impacted operations at the Kariba Dam, where only one of six turbines is functioning, generating a mere 7% of its installed capacity. Meanwhile, the only coal-fired power plant, Maamba Energy, has been undergoing maintenance, further limiting electricity availability.

On Wednesday, Energy Minister Makozo Chikote announced that the coal plant is now fully operational, promising at least three hours of power daily. President Hakainde Hichilema previously declared the drought a national disaster, but the government’s reliance on Kariba has hindered effective solutions.

Importing power from Mozambique and South Africa is also challenging due to financial constraints, as suppliers demand upfront payment. Despite these difficulties, the government has installed large generators in key areas to provide some relief.

Zambians are adapting to the crisis by visiting restaurants and bars primarily to charge their phones. A new business has emerged, with individuals charging devices for those lacking electricity. Meanwhile, daily life has become increasingly difficult, with reports of spoiled food, reduced business hours, and a growing reliance on portable gas stoves, which are also in short supply.

The government is encouraging a shift to solar energy and has removed import taxes on solar equipment, but many citizens find the costs prohibitive. As families turn to charcoal for cooking, environmental concerns rise alongside frustration over the government’s inability to address the ongoing crisis effectively.

With rising frustrations, Zambians are calling for better long-term planning from their leaders. The government has announced investments in alternative energy sources, including solar and coal, aiming to reduce reliance on hydro power to 60% in the future. However, critics argue that the focus on coal, a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, raises concerns about environmental sustainability.

[stele3]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-warns-west-risk-nuclear-war-says-moscow-can-strike-western-targets-2024-02-29/

[mezzopieno-news]

LO ZAMBIA ABOLISCE LA PENA DI MORTE

Adempiendo a un impegno preso durante la campagna elettorale, il presidente dello Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema ha firmato il decreto ufficiale che abolisce la pena di morte nella nazione. L’abrogazione da parte dello Zambia della legge sulla pena capitale la rende venticinquesima nazione in Africa ad abolire la pena di morte.

Hichilema ha presentato al parlamento il disegno di legge per porre fine alla pena capitale il 25 maggio 2022, in commemorazione dell’Africa Freedom Day, giorno in cui ha anche commutato le condanne di 30 prigionieri nel braccio della morte, salvandoli dall’esecuzione. “Un’enorme pietra miliare nella rimozione delle leggi coloniali che non si adattano all’ordinamento democratico del Paese” secondo l’attivista per i diritti umani dello Zambia Brebner Changala.

Lo Zambia è il centododicesimo Stato ad aver abolito del tutto la pena capitale, la quinta nazione dell’Africa subsahariana ad abolire la pena di morte in questo decennio mentre altre 24 nazioni nel mondo di fatto non la applicano più. Tra gli ultimi, il Ciad ha abolito la pena di morte per tutti i reati nel maggio 2020. Nel luglio 2021 il parlamento della Sierra Leone ha votato all’unanimità per abolire la pena di morte. Nel maggio 2022 la Repubblica Centrafricana ha adottato una legislazione per abolire la pena di morte e il nuovo codice penale adottato dalla Guinea Equatoriale nel settembre 2022 ha rimosso la pena di morte dai suoi statuti.

___________________

Fonte: Zambia Daily Mail

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[lboogie1906]

President Hakainde Hichilema (June 4, 1962) was inaugurated on August 24, 2021. He was born in the Monze District of Zambia. Little is known about his childhood. He graduated from the University of Zambia with a BA in Economics and Business Administration. He earned an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

He served as the Chief Operating Officer of Coopers and Lybrand in Zambia. He served as the CEO of Grant Thornton, Zambia. In 2006, he was elected President of the United Party for National Development. He was the party candidate for president in the elections of 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016. He lost every election. In the 2015 election, he lost by only 27,757 votes (1%).

In early 2017, he was arrested when his convoy of vehicles failed to make way for President Edgar Lungu’s motorcade. He was charged with treason and spent four months in jail before the charges were dismissed. In the 2021 election, he won in a landslide over sitting President Edgar Lungu. This was a rare incidence where an incumbent African president was defeated by a first-time candidate was defeated by the leader of the loyal opposition in the national legislature. He was inaugurated as the seventh president of Zambia on August 24, 2021.

In his inaugural address, he said that “no Zambian should go to bed hungry.” He promised to revive the country’s stagnant economy, provide jobs for unemployed youth, and pledged that his administration would have zero tolerance for corruption. He promised an inclusive government as “diversity is strength.”

He is referred to as “HH” throughout Zambia. He and his wife, Mutinta, have three children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[beardedmrbean]

A fugitive Zambian lawmaker with a bounty on his head has been arrested in Zimbabwe, Zambian authorities have said.

Emmanuel "Jay Jay" Banda, who was facing robbery charges, is accused of having escaped from custody in August as he awaited to appear in court.

He is said to have escaped through a window at Chipata Central Hospital in Eastern Province where he had been admitted following his arrest and was being guarded by police and prison officers.

The police then issued a bounty of 2m Zambian kwacha ($72,000; £57,000) for him.

He denies the allegations of robbery.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the Zambian minister for home affairs said the MP had been arrested earlier this week in Harare.

Jack Mwiimbu said the MP was arrested by Zimbabwean police at a flat he had been renting and would remain there pending extradition formalities.

He said the government was keen to know who had facilitated the MP's escape as well as visits by his wife to Harare.

He thanked the Zimbabwean authorities for their co-operation.

The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) party, led by former President Edgar Lungu, condemned what he called an "emerging and worrying scenario".

Banda, who has been an independent MP since 2021, was previously associated with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hakainde Hichilema that year.

The PF spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, said what was happening was "an abduction" adding that the government should follow "internationally prescribed extradition protocols".

"We are urging the Zambian government that they should not join other African countries that are known to go other jurisdictions and pick and extract a citizen they are looking for for committing crimes," he told the BBC.

The BBC has asked the Zambian government for a response.

On Thursday, the Zambian police said that Interpol in Harare had confirmed that Banda was in their custody and had requested extradition documents.

It noted that Banda had in a preliminary interview with Interpol denied the charges, "alleging he was being targeted due to his familial ties" with Lungu. This prompted a request for clarification on the charges, which Zambia provided.

The Zambian police added that preparations to "finalise and transmit the required documents to [interpol in] Harare are currently underway" and further updates would be given in due course.

In May this year, Banda had been reported missing in unclear circumstances. He resurfaced a day later, saying that he had been abducted.

At least three opposition politicians and a civil rights activists were arrested following the case.

Two of those who were arrested - Edith Nawakwi, leader of the opposition Forum for Development and Democracy party, and civil rights activist Brebner Changala – accused the state of being behind the abductions.

The home affairs ministry however denied the state’s involvement in the matter.

On social media there had been speculation that the abduction was staged, which was denied by Banda’s family.

Banda was later arrested in June this year and charged with the non-bailable offence of aggravated robbery relating to the theft of property worth 12,000 kwacha ($430; £340) in 2015.

He faces additional charges of escaping from lawful custody.

But Mr Mwamba told the BBC that the charges were "politically motivated".

"Hon Jay Jay Banda is one of those members of parliament who are close to the former president, who this government is pursuing relentlessly."

He said the case was from a decade ago and had been processed in court before, adding that the charges were meant to keep him from telling the truth about the abduction.

He said that at the time of his alleged escape, he had been admitted to hospital, because of a medical condition following his abduction.

[moongalovesbally]

itx a Whitewash Victory 🏆 UPND Wins All Elections🥇

Congratulations 🎉👏🏿 to Zambia's most loved 💕 & blessed 🙏🏿 party the invincible 💪🏿 UPND 🏩 for winning 🏆 both elections that took place across the country yesterday. This demonstrates that Zambians everywhere r still deeply & madly in love with Bally & the New Dawn Administration 😍🥰♥️

For those who follow me, u may recall that this fulfills the prophecy I made on Monday that UPND would indeed emerge victorious 🏆 in both elections.

In Western Province️, UPND's Sianga Mwechela❤️ secured a victory with 261 votes✅ which is 9 times more than his closest rival from the former ruling party PF, who garnered a meager 28 votes, x 13 times more than his 2nd rival from the Leadership Movement, who received just 19 votes.

Meanwhile, in Central Province, UPND's Lumingu Alick♥️ emerged as the winner with 648 votes✅ which is 3 times more than his closest rival from the Socialist Party, who only managed to secure 178 votes, x 9 times more than his 2nd rival from the former ruling PF, who received a mere 66 votes - Alabwelelapo kwisa? 😂

Thank u 🙏🏿 beautiful people of Western 🧡 & Central 💛 provinces for giving us these sweet 🧁 Victories 🥇 🙌🏿

Viva UPND 👋🏿❤️

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Michael de Adder, Washington Post

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 31, 2023

Heather Cox Richardson

The second Summit for Democracy organized by the White House concluded yesterday with an invitation to a third summit, to be held in Costa Rica later this year. The second summit was not just a United States party: its virtual sessions were co-hosted by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia. Over the course of three days, participants from more than 100 countries discussed ways to surge resources to reformers during democratic openings, address inequality, promote economic growth, combat corruption, advance the status of women, promote media freedom, encourage youth political participation, combat hate speech, strengthen unions, and defend the rule of law.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden congratulated the attendees for helping to make democracy work, turning the tide against autocracies. In the U.S. he said, “we’ve demonstrated that our democracy can still do big things and deliver important progress for working Americans.” As ordinary Americans have seen lower costs for prescription drugs and health insurance premiums, progress on rebuilding infrastructure, innovation, and policies to address climate change, they have, Biden said, “resoundingly and roundly rejected the voices of extremism attacking and undermining our democracy.”

Biden highlighted the ways other countries are advancing democracy: Angola is trying to build an independent judiciary, the Dominican Republic and Croatia have combated corruption. Biden called out “many other countries…from countries taking the first steps toward reform to well-established democracies of people making real changes to protect and strengthen their democracy.” The work of democracy “has never been easy,” he said. It “is hard work. The work of democracy is never finished. It’s never laid down and that’s it, all you have to do. It must be protected constantly.”

He continued: “We have to continually renew our commitment, continually strengthen our institutions, root out corruption where we find it, seek to build consensus, and reject political violence, give hate and extremism no safe harbor.”

The U.S. has invested in global democracy by committing more than $1 billion to shore up government transparency and accountability, support media freedom, fight international corruption, defend elections, and promote technology that advances democracy. It intends, Biden says, to commit $9.5 billion over three years.

Protecting democracy, the president said, “is a defining challenge of our age.”

Today, Leslie B. Dubeck, the general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, wrote to Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH), chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary; Bryan Steil (R-WI), chair of the House Committee on House Administration; and James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, to warn them that their attacks on Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg and his office were “unlawful political interference.”

Jordan, Steil, and Comer have tried to intervene in the district attorney’s investigation of former president Trump. Even before a grand jury of ordinary citizens voted to file charges against Trump, the three men demanded the district attorney share with them confidential information about the state of the investigation. The district attorney did not give it to them because, as Dubeck said, “our Office is legally constrained in how it publicly discusses pending criminal proceedings,… as you well know. That secrecy is critical to protecting the privacy of the target of any criminal investigation as well as the integrity of the independent grand jury’s proceedings,” she wrote.

She called their interference “unnecessary and unjustified” and reminded the men that Congress has no jurisdiction over individual criminal investigations. Nor does it have jurisdiction over state investigations. “The Committees’ attempted interference with an ongoing state criminal investigation—and now prosecution—is an unprecedented and illegitimate incursion on New York’s sovereign interests,” she wrote.

Dubeck noted that the men were reportedly working closely with Trump to attack the district attorney’s office and the grand jury process, making it seem that “you are acting more like criminal defense counsel trying to gather evidence for a client than a legislative body seeking to achieve a legitimate legislative objective.”

Dubeck noted that Trump has been threatening Bragg personally and warning that his indictment might unleash “death & destruction.” She pointed out that the three men, as committee chairs, “could use the stature of your office to denounce these attacks and urge respect for the fairness of our justice system and for the work of the impartial grand jury.” Instead, they and their colleagues were collaborating with Trump to attack the justice system as politically motivated. “We urge you to refrain from these inflammatory accusations, withdraw your demand for information, and let the criminal justice process proceed without unlawful political interference,” she wrote.

Dubeck concluded by noting that subpoenaing the district attorney for information about an ongoing state criminal prosecution, as they threatened to do, was “unprecedented and unconstitutional” and expressed hope they would “make a good-faith effort to reach a negotiated resolution.”

Also today, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled in favor of Dominion Voting Systems in a key point of the company’s lawsuit against the Fox News Corporation for defamation. The ruling also established the central point for dismissing the story that Trump had won the 2020 election. Davis wrote—in italics—“The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that [it] is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true.”

The Fox News Corporation had argued that the false statements of its hosts claiming that the voting system had thrown the 2020 presidential election to Biden were not defamatory because they were opinions. In his decision the judge went through the statements, calling out 20 occasions on which lies were stated as facts and similar occasions on which deliberately omitted material changed the meaning of what was presented.

The judge has determined that the hosts’ statements were false. Now the case will go to a jury trial in April to determine whether Fox hosts knew they were lying and whether Dominion sustained damages from the defamation. The company is suing for $1.6 billion.

In the last stop of her Africa visit, Vice President Kamala Harris today was in Zambia, which co-hosted this week’s Summit for Democracy. Neither Harris nor Biden will comment in any way about the impending indictment of the former president. At a press conference in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, today, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal reminded Harris that she had “spoken about democracy and the rule of law at every stop in Africa,” and asked her to comment on news of the indictment.

When she declined, Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema stepped forward. “[L]et’s remove names from your question,” he said.

“Let’s put what we decided we will do to govern ourselves in an orderly manner. First, our constitutions, bedrock law. Then, secondary laws, other regulations create a platform or framework around which we agreed, either as Americans or as Zambians, to govern ourselves.  And so, to live within those confines.

“And when there’s transgression against law, it does not matter who is involved. I think that is what the rule of law means.”

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[dailynation]

Find time to visit ECL too, Bishops urge HH

IF President Hakainde Hichilema is able to visit former vice president Guy Scott, Zambians do not expect him to have difficult engaging with his predecessor Edgar Lungu, says the Bishops Council of Zambia (BCZ). BCZ general secretary Bishop Able Kaela said Mr Hichilema was seen on Wednesday visiting Dr Scott when he has totally ignored the former president who has a wealth of knowledge in so far…

[thoughtlessarse]

Experts say the crisis is even more devastating to Zambia's economy and fight against poverty than COVID-19 lockdowns. Zambia is seeing its worst electricity blackouts in memory due to a severe drought. It has left the critical Kariba dam without enough water to run its hydroelectric turbines. Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world by volume and lies 200 kilometres south of Zambia's capital Lusaka, on the border with Zimbabwe. The massive dam wall was built in the 1950s when more than 80 workers died during construction. It was meant to revolutionise the countries' energy supplies by trapping the water of the Zambezi River, turning a valley into a huge lake and providing an endless supply of renewable hydroelectric power. That's not the case anymore as months of drought brought by the naturally occurring El Niño weather pattern, and exacerbated by global warming, have put Zambia's hydroelectric station on the brink of completely shutting down for the first time. In March this year, Zambia declared a state of emergency over its prolonged drought. At the time President Hakainde Hichilema said the lack of water had destroyed about one million hectares of the 2.2 million hectares planted with the staple maize crop. “This drought has devastating consequences on many sectors such as agriculture, water availability and energy supply, risking our national food security and the livelihoods of millions of our people," Hichilema explained.

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