24/09/2025
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24, September 2025 ๐ฐ
๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ
GOVERNMENT has suspended operations at China Eleventh Chemicals Construction Company, along with five other subcontractors, citing violations including failure to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the absence of proper sanitation facilities.
This came to light when Minister of Labour and Social Security Brenda Tambatamba, who was accompanied by Labour Commissioner Givens Muntengwa, inspected the company yesterday.
During the visit, it was discovered that workers have been working without toilets and most of them being paid K800, which is below the minimum wage.
Some workers also complained that some of the employers kick them on their private parts and abuse them verbally.
Mr Muntengwa said according to the findings during the visit, there are no contracts given to any employee and that the last contracts were signed last year.
He said the company last issued three-month contracts and according to section 22, any company is supposed to give a contract in writing to the employees that have been engaged over the past one year.
FAZ, FIFA TO HOST CLUB PROFESSIONALISATION PROGRAMME IN NDOLA
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) will host the second African edition of the FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Programme in Ndola from 13 to 14 October, as part of efforts to strengthen football administration in the country.
FIFA will send top experts to orient the administrators on governance, finance, strategic planning, commercial and marketing.
The programme, which will initially train 50 administrators, will be rolled out in phases and is expected to reach more than 200 administrators from both menโs and womenโs teams nationwide.
FAZ General Secretary, Mr. Machacha Shepande, says the initiative is part of the associationโs wider reforms to empower different sectors of the game.
โThis programme is critical for building the capacity of our clubs. It will ensure that football in Zambia is not only played on the pitch but also managed with professionalism and accountability off it,โ Shepande says.
The reforms are aligned with the FAZ Football Reforms Strategy and the 2026โ2035 Strategic Vision of the Keith Mweemba-led Executive, which has embarked on professionalising club football management to ensure good governance, commercialisation, self-reliance, and competitiveness. The long-term goal is to build efficient, results-oriented clubs that can drive football development in Zambia to world-class standards.
The first preparatory meeting for the Ndola workshop was held on Monday.
For and on behalf of:
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA
NKWETO TEMBWE
HEAD OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
UPND IN PANIC MOOD
...as seen from the early campaigns embarked on by the ruling party, says SP National Youth Chair
Lusaka... Wednesday September 24, 2025 โ The opposition Socialist Party (SP) has said the ruling party UPND is in a panic mood after realizing that they have lamentably failed to perform.
SP National Youth Chairperson Kelvin Kaunda says this is why they have embarked on early campaigns because they are afraid of losing next year's general elections.
He said the UPND claims that there is no strong opposition in Zambia to unseat them but they are busy campaigning across the country.
He claimed that even at public events, the UPND are trying by all means to take advantage of such events to campaign.
He said this when he featured on Millennium Tonight programme on Millennium TV in Lusaka.
โWe have taken time to listen to the sentiments that there is no credible opposition in Zambia by the UPND. But the question is, if there is no opposition in the country, why is it that our colleagues are in a panic mood? Why is it that day in day out, they are in a business of talking about the opposition,โ he questioned.
โThey have alleged that there is no strong opposition in Zambia that can defeat the UPND. So, if there is no opposition that can unseat the UPND, why are they busy campaigning? I thought that the UPND by now should be in a space where they are enjoying and relaxing but even the people of Zambia can see that they are desperate. They have started campaigning. Every time the President is out even in places where there must be no regalia, they wear UPND regalia. All that shows desperation.โ
Mr Kaunda further claimed that the UPND are scared because they have failed to perform according to the promises made to the people of Zambia.
He said they over promised because they did not know what was expected of them when it comes to govern.
"ENERGY PROMISES WITHOUT PLANS RISK CRIPPLING ZAMBIA" - ENERGY EXPERT WARNS
Energy expert Borniface Zulu has sounded the alarm on what he calls โdangerous political populismโ in the energy sector, cautioning political parties against making unrealistic promises on electricity tariffs and fuel prices as Zambia heads toward the 2026 general elections.
Zulu said that while pledges of cheap fuel and low electricity tariffs may win political mileage, they risk destabilizing investor confidence, distorting market dynamics, and undermining long-term sectoral growth if not backed by sound financial and technical strategies.
โEnergy is the backbone of Zambiaโs economy, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented sectors during campaigns. Overpromising on prices without a clear roadmap is not only economically unsound but also a recipe for eroding public trust,โ Zulu warned.
He stressed that both the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) and opposition parties must resist the temptation of short-term rhetoric and instead anchor their manifestos in real-time data and expert consultation. Without this, he cautioned, Zambia risks compounding its already fragile energy environment.
Zulu further criticized politically motivated subsidies, describing them as โunsustainable fiscal burdensโ that shift costs onto taxpayers while failing to address structural inefficiencies in the sector. He argued that such subsidies often collapse once the political dust settles, leaving citizens to bear higher costs.
Instead, the energy expert urged leaders to prioritize investments in expanding Zambiaโs strategic petroleum reserves, scale up power generation and transmission capacity, and increase public awareness about the true cost of energy production and distribution.
With the 2026 campaigns fast approaching, civil society and economic KUMWESU will be monitoring whether political parties present credible, data-driven energy policies or continue dangling what Zulu described as โcheap but costly promisesโ to lure unsuspecting voters.
PTAZ ATTRIBUTES CURRENT FUEL SHORTAGES TO GOVTโS DECISION TO LEAVE PROCUREMENT OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR
The Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia โPTAZ-says the current fuel shortages being experienced in the country is due to the government's decision to leave the procurement of petroleum products entirely in the hands of the private sector, a move he describes as risky, and creating gaps in the fuel supply chain.
With various parts of the country currently facing fuel shortages leading to queues at the few filling stations that may have the commodity, PTAZ Secretary General Benson Tembo has expressed surprise at this experience, despite hundreds of fuel tankers moving products on a daily basis.
Mr. Tembo has also wondered why shortages persist for the end user, when oil marketing companies and transporters are constantly delivering petroleum products, contending that the dominance of foreign truckers has sidelined local transporters, as most companies now own their own filling stations, fleets, and depots.
He is calling on the government to allocate at least 50% of fuel supply through INDENI petroleum refinery to ensure adequate deliveries to all strategic depots.
Mr. Tembo has told Phoenix News that no oil marketing company is currently willing to take fuel to some strategic depots because of profit concerns, costs, greed and monopoly.
He further suggests that INDENI, which sits under the Industrial Development Corporation, could be financed through state funding or Public-Private Partnerships, stressing that without reforms, fuel shortages will continue to disrupt the economy and disadvantage local players.
PN
KBN TV EDITOR'S CHOICE- ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐น๐ - MPs Who Have Failed to Debate or Defend Democracy Are Going!
By Dr Mwelwa
The greatest battle for Zambiaโs future will not be fought at State House โ it will be fought on the floor of the National Assembly. The presidency can win elections, but if Parliament is lost, governance is lost. The enemies of development know this, and that is why they will resist, by every means necessary, the rise of an objective Parliament.
They will hide behind party directives, telling aspirants not to campaign where sitting MPs have failed. They will use fear, intimidation, and money to silence those who dare to challenge the status quo. They will even attempt to sponsor โsafeโ candidates โ loyal to party elites, not to the people โ to ensure that Parliament remains a rubber stamp.
But Zambia cannot be saved by a Parliament of praise singers. We need a Parliament of patriots, thinkers, and guardians of the Republic. We need MPs who will not tremble before the executive but will interrogate its decisions, amend its budgets, and reject its bad laws. As Seer 1 warned, the biggest risk is not losing the presidency โ it is losing control of Parliament. Without a majority of objective MPs, even the most pop**ar president becomes hostage to manip**ation, threats of impeachment, and a Parliament that can grind governance to a halt.
We must accept this truth: the enemies of an objective Parliament are the enemies of national progress. They fear a Parliament that can call for audited campaign accounts. They fear a Parliament that can summon a minister to explain a shady mining concession. They fear a Parliament that can block unconstitutional bills and demand accountability for every kwacha spent.
This is why Operations 101 is not just a movement โ it is a revolution. It is the call to every aspiring candidate with a clean conscience and a vision for Zambia to rise and present themselves. It is the call to citizens to reject MPs who spend five years in silence, never debating, never defending, never delivering. It is a call to fill the National Assembly with men and women who can turn it into the cockpit of democracy, the true engine of transformation.
We must not wait for permission to engage the electorate. We must not wait for the party to decide when it is convenient for us to speak. The people are waiting. They want an alternative. They want MPs who will stand on the side of justice, not on the side of a party elite that has forgotten them.
In 2026, we must elect a Parliament that cannot be bought, cannot be bullied, and cannot be silenced. A Parliament that knows its power and uses it โ not to destabilize, but to direct the nationโs course toward justice and prosperity. A Parliament that ensures no deal is cut in a toilet, no campaign funded by mortgaging our copper and gold, and no budget passed without real scrutiny.
Let the enemies of progress tremble, for the age of rubber-stamp Parliaments is coming to an end. The people of Zambia will no longer be spectators in their own democracy. They will be participants, and through their vote, they will reclaim Parliament as the peopleโs house.
The fight for an objective Parliament is the fight for Zambiaโs soul. And in this fight, neutrality is not an option. The time for excuses is over. The time to rise is now.
TWIN TODDLERS DROWN IN VILLAGE WELL IN CHITHUMBA.
A sombre mood has engulfed Chithumba Village in Vubwi District after two toddlers drowned in a well on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
Eastern Province Police Commanding Officer Robertson Mweemba confirmed the incident.
Mr. Mweemba says Vubwi Police Station received a report of drowning from Mr. Hamilton Phiri of Hamilton Farms, Chief Pembamoyo, who disclosed that his grandchildren, Catherine Phiri and Cephas Phiri, both aged 2 years and 10 months, had died after falling into a well.
He says the tragic incident happened at a 1.2-metre-deep well located along Mphanjila Stream, which serves as a water source for families in the area.
The toddlers, who resided at Samson Mshanga Farms, are believed to have wandered off and accidentally slipped into the water while their parents were working in the fields.
"The bodies were first spotted around 14:00 hours by Ms. Christine Banda, aged 22, of Kandolo Farms, who found them floating in the well. She quickly alerted villagers, and the matter was later reported to the police", Mr. Mweemba reported.
Police officers visited the scene and retrieved the bodies.
Investigations revealed no signs of foul play, and the family has since opted to proceed with burial
arrangements.
VOHTBN
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