Metro

Zambian presidency accuses SP leader M’membe of plans to abolish constitution

Published

10 months ago

February 12, 2024

The Zambian presidency has has accused the leader of opposition Socialist Party (SP), Dr Fred M’membe, of planning to abolish the country’s constitution and rule by decree if elected president in 2026.

The allegations were made by State House Chief Communications Specialist, Clayson Hamasaka, who said M’membe and his party were propagating an idea of appointing Zambian traditional leaders into roles not provided for under the current constitution of the republic.

In a statement he issued in Lusaka on Monday, Hamasaka
said the constitution of the country was very clear in terms of the role and place of the traditional leaders.

He noted that traditional leaders in the country were important custodians of the national cultures, traditions and customs, hence the present administration’s investment in their welfare.

“It is for this reason that the United Party for National Development (UPND) government is investing heavily in the uplifting of their palaces including improving their conditions and benefits and those of their support staff,” Hamasaka stated.

He furtger said the UPND government would, therefore, not trivialise the important position the traditional leaders hold in the country by reducing them to partisan politics as M’membe was doing, all in the interest of scoring cheap and dangerous political points.

Hamasaka emphasized that Chiefs play a very important role in safeguarding the national cultures and traditions and ultimately preserving the national identity and heritage.

“The UPND has no intention of reducing this solemn responsibility bestowed upon them as is being carelessly suggested by the well established power hungry, divisive M’membe who once labeled an entire tribe as a Bantustan,” he stated.

“M’membe intends to replace the supreme law of our land with his whimsical and personal petty ideas so he can introduce unconstitutionalism to our country,” he claimed.

He described M’membe as a “danger to constitutionalism and the nation” and warned that Zambians should stay awake against this “professed and known divisive figure as his reputation of attempting to divide Zambians can be traced back to his failed newspaper days.”

Hamasaka added that M’membe was back as he did when he ran his newspaper to try and divide the nation, all in the name of his short sighted hunt for votes.

“The Zambian Constitution is very clear in terms of how the executive functions of the government are distributed.

“The Republican President, with his appointed Cabinet is mandated by the Constitution to execute all executive functions of the government, alongside the other two arms of government, these being Parliament and the Judiciary,” Hamasaka said.

He said the spurious idea M’membe was suggesting, “vis reducing the solemn role of Chiefs to menial government administrative work was not only disrespectful to them but also goes against the provisions of the constitution.”

Hamasaka therefore, warned Zambians to be alert that M’membe had by his statements sent signals that in the very unlikely event that he ever gets elected as president, he would rule by decree and not as provided for in the constitution.

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Metro

Zambia: FOX report highlights persistent media harassment, calls for reforms

Published

13 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new Freedom of Expression (FOX) report by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, has raised concerns over what it describes as the continued harassment of media professionals in the country despite collective efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

The FOX Report serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to create a safer and more enabling environment for the media to operate without fear or intimidation.

Chairperson of the MISA-Zambia Board, Lorraine Mwanza, who raised the concerns while launching the report on Tuesday at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, highlighted that journalists and media practitioners in the country still faced intimidation, censorship, and violence for fulfilling their role of informing the public.

“The harassment of media professionals is a stark reminder of the threats posed to democratic values and the fundamental rights to seek, receive, and impart information without fear or hindrance,” Mwanza said.

She expressed solidarity with those who are targets of attack, and reaffirmed MISA’s commitment to defending journalists’ rights and protecting the integrity of the profession.

Mwanza further called on the government to address barriers preventing journalists from accessing public officials, emphasizing that public officials were custodians of critical information necessary for informed decision-making.

“When citizens have access to government data, they can better understand policies, monitor public spending, and advocate for change in their communities,” Mwanza noted.

She also appealed for the review and repeal of laws that undermine democracy, stressing the importance of enacting legislation that guarantees media freedom, freedom of expression, and digital rights, and commended the government for responding to calls from civil society organizations to withdraw the controversial Cyber Bills from Parliament.

Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Thabo Kawana, in a speech read by Ministry Director Mordern Mayembe, reaffirmed government’s commitment to upholding media freedom and freedom of expression in Zambia.

Metro

Nigeria: 614,937 killed, 2.2m abducted in 1 year— Report

Published

22 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new report released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that over 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country in one year between May 2023 and April 2024.

The NBS report, titled, “The Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024”, says based on the surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024, the 2.2 million Nigerians who were kidnapped across the country paid a whopping N2.2 trillion as ransom, with an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.

The report also disclosed that murder rate was highest in rural areas with 335,827 incidents and 279,110 in urban areas.

A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North-West had the highest murder cases of 206,030, followed by the North-East which stood at 188,992, while the least was recorded in the South-West at 15,693.

The report also revealed about seven in 10 households reported murder cases to the police nationwide with 33 per cent of households responding that the killer was an unknown person, and 23.4 per cent confirmed that the murderer was a member of the household; while 1.0 per cent reported that the murderer was either a spouse or a lover.

The report said 1,668,104 persons were kidnapped in rural areas and 567,850 in urban areas with the North-West having the highest cases of kidnapping with 1,420,307 abducted, followed by the North-Central with 317,837 and the South-East at 110,432.

“Of the estimated amount of N2.2 trillion payments to free victims, the North-West reported the highest ransom paid with N1.2 trillion; while the South-East was the least with N85.4 billion.

“Disaggregated by zones, the North-Central reported the highest proportion of payment of ransom at 83.4 per cent, followed by North-East at 78.6 per cent.

“Households in urban areas paid an average of N3.7 million compared to N2.3 million in rural areas,” the report stated.

It added that about 91 per cent of kidnapping incidents were done for ransom in the form of money, goods or other benefits.

“While 2.4 per cent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives; 2.1 per cent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 per cent of cases,” the report said.