Kwacha Magazine

27/11/2025

697 likes, 9 comments. “Most Difficult questions asked in US Citizenship Test”

27/11/2025

6109 likes, 1992 comments. “A prayer for your son”

27/11/2025

*NKANA CONSTITUENCY ASPIRING CANDIDATE RAISES CONCERN OVER GARBAGE COLLECTION*

By: Hype FM

Nkana Constituency aspiring candidate Thenjiwe M Simfukwe is calling on the Kitwe City Council to intensify its efforts in garbage collection amidst growing health concerns. Speaking with HYPE FM News, Mrs. Simfukwe stressed that the inconsistent garbage collection poses a health risk to Nkana Constituency residents.

She stated that the council should engage with residents and establish an agreement, potentially involving a fee, to ensure consistent waste collection, given the growing population in the constituency. Mrs. Simfukwe cited the risk of health issues like cholera, particularly with the onset of the rainy season, and urged the council to address the issue promptly.

Mrs. Simfukwe emphasized the need for the council to work closely with residents to find a solution, ensuring a clean and healthy environment for the community.

26/11/2025

Maize Politics
By Dickson Jere

The President, Hakainde Hichilema, announced last week that his target is for Zambia to grow 10 million tonnes of maize by 2030 - a very realistic and achievable target if I may add. However, Agriculturist, Chance Kabaghe, agreed but with a concern. Zambian small-scale farmers grow less than 1 tonne per hectare despite being heavily supported by government through Farmer Input Support Program (FISP). On average, most farmers in the region grow about 5 tonnes per hectare.

Where is the problem?

This question will be debated in Parliament this week following a Private Members Motion to be presented by Christopher Kangombe. This is a very important debate for the country. How I wish I was in Parliament to add my voice to this noble debate.

Here are the issues;

1. The first one is Seed. Good seed is equal to good harvest. Most small scale farmers buy seeds from uncertified suppliers including those fake ones which are merely painted. Coupled with this, it is the recycling of seed by our farmers to avoid buying what is termed as expensive seeds. We need policing on the mushrooming of fake seeds on the market. Arrest and prosecute the culprits. They distort the yield.

2. Unlike commercial farmers, our small scale farmers lack technological expertise to grow maize as a business. They usually use human resources to grow their maize as opposed to machinery. We need to invest in the procurement of machinery through cooperatives. CDF can come in handy.

3. Our small scale farmers lack the advisory support. Most extension services does not exist at big scale. Some way we employ doctors and nurses in numbers, we also need extension officers to support these farmers. I was told the correct ratio is one extension officer per 400 farmers but in Zambia we are way above the 2000 per officer!

4. Soil testing is paramount to increased yields. In Zambia, we have been customed to two types of fertilizers regardless of the area and soils. It is D-Compound and Urea. No one checks the soil deficiencies and what is required to improve. Some countries now blend fertilizers to match the soil needs. We need more soil testing.

5. We need ready market for export. We do not really need to sell our maize to FRA and start waiting for payments. Maize must be sold to private sector who can export any anytime for hard cash. FRA should just remain as food security entity.

With the above points taken into account, we can actually move our tonnage from the 3.5 million tonnes recorded thus far, to the nearest 10 million without even opening up new areas.

I hope our MPs have done their research for the debate on Thursday. Well done Christopher for the motion. Food is the economy and the economy is food!

26/11/2025

26/11/2025

GUEST ARTICLE: 59 Percent Of Zambian Voters, VOTED For President Hakainde Hichilema

By Talk With Frank

Mr President, I hear you when you say you are hated. I have faced a mixed reaction in my last 55 years in the media, exactly 55 on December 31. In my early days Marta Paynter, a TV columnist, would sometimes write scathing things about my presentation, and I convinced myself she hated me. One day I did the unthinkable. I called her and complained bitterly, and asked her why she hated me. Calmly she said, “I could never hate you. You are a public figure, and I have on behalf of the public to constructively criticise you, so that you learn and become a better broadcaster.” From that day I developed a thick skin. Today, after 55 years, I am still criticised by some, and praised by others. They do not have to hate or love me as a person. Because I am doing a public job they only have to judge my output. One thing I have developed over the years is self criticism, and self assessment.

Mr President, allow me to say this with respect and clarity. There are many good things your government has done. The economic recovery, the stabilisation, the commitment to social spending even when the coffers were dry, these are achievements that deserve recognition. No one has given the country a painless path out of the debilitating debt crisis we were in. And as I have pointed out before, your media team has not packaged and communicated these successes with the sharpness they deserve. There is still time, like former politician Katele says, for your successes to be repackaged and strategically communicated to the public.

In case you have forgotten, 59 percent of the electorate voted for you, the highest after the return to multi party democracy. How can all these now hate you.

But there is one thing I must state openly. The constitution is above all of us. It is not about you as a person, and it cannot be centred on your office. Your office is a creature of the constitution, not the other way round. Citizens have every right to express concern about Bill 7 without it being interpreted as a personal attack. We the people give ourselves the constitution. That is what the preamble says.

You said this is the first time citizens are standing up against a constitutional amendment they do not want, but history does not agree. Bill 10 was rejected. President Chiluba’s third term attempt was rejected. Both processes saw citizens stand up and speak out, peacefully. You were part of those who rejected Bill 10. If citizens could oppose Chiluba, and oppose Lungu, why can they not oppose you. What has changed.

And as for 1996, that amendment was a clear example of how a bad process produces a bad constitution. It introduced the parentage clause that targeted President Kaunda. It introduced the simple majority clause that destabilised the early Mwanawasa years. Citizens were so upset that both clauses were later changed. That is exactly where we would be if Bill 7 passed. We would be needing another amendment even before your signature dried on it.

Then there is the matter of CDF being fronted to justify delimitation. CDF is less than 5 percent of the national budget. The constitution does not say Kanchibiya and Lusaka Central must receive the same amount. That is a decision made by the government of the day. UPND did not need a constitutional amendment to increase CDF, and it does not need one to allocate it according to need.

Lastly, Mr President, you implied that those who oppose Bill 7 want someone else in office. But by the same logic, one could conclude that you also want the amendment now for political reasons. That is dangerous territory.

Dialogue only works when it is done in good faith. Many citizens were disappointed because the process after your meeting with CSOs did not reflect the promise you made when Bill 7 was deferred. No one would have agreed to a Technical Committee that focused only on clauses of Bill 7, or to a rushed process where even procedure lacked consistency. It felt like being promised a hearty meal of chicken, only to uncover the plate and find chicken feet swimming in watery soup.

So here is the question, a variation of the one you asked the nation. If your successes can be repackaged, if your achievements are real, if your mandate came from 59 percent of the electorate, what exactly is in Bill 7 that the government wants so desperately, and wants now.

The Speech Analyst

26.11.2025

26/11/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Vincent M. Yarbawa, Ernest Gbelay, Meisterpeace Loaded, Sabelo Dhlamini, Gibbons Musukwa, Webster Cjay

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

26/11/2025

26/11/2025

25/11/2025

I had a friend who got a scholarship to study in Canada.
After three years abroad, he came back home looking fresh and full of life.

When I visited him, I joked,
“Chei, David! So the food you've been eating made you a different person? You have changed a lot man !”
We both laughed.

He smiled and said,
“My brother, if you see the difference between our systems and Canada you can cry. Even the school system alone makes you respect yourself.”

I was curious.
“What do you mean?” I asked.

Then he told me something that shocked me.

“In my school in Canada, the lecturers don’t give students zero in exams. Even if you fail, they’ll still find a way to encourage you. The lowest you can get is 40%.”

I was confused.
“Wait, you mean even if a student writes rubbish, they’ll still give him 40?”

He nodded.

“Yes. So, one day I asked my lecturer the same question. I said, ‘Sir, why not give zero? Isn’t that the right punishment for failure?’
The man looked at me and said something that broke me.”

He said,

“Young man, no human deserves a zero.

How can I give a zero to a student who wakes up early every day to attend lectures?

How can I give a zero to someone who tries, even if he didn’t succeed?

How can I give a zero to a mind that is still learning?

Here, we don’t grade just answers. We grade effort. Because everyone deserves to feel seen.”

My friend paused for a while, his eyes almost teary.
He said, "Felix, that day I knew the real meaning of humanity. They don’t just teach books there, they teach value.”

His story took me back to my childhood.
I remembered how my primary school teacher used to give me zero and then announce it proudly in class.
She would draw big eyes and mouth on my script and tell my classmates to sing “Shame, shame, shame!” while she flogged me in front of everyone.

Back then, I thought it was normal.
But now I know many of us didn’t fail because we were dull.
We failed because the system made us believe we were nothing.

Sometimes, all a child needs is encouragement, not humiliation.
Zeros destroy confidence.
Mockery kills interest.
Once a student believes he’s useless, he stops trying.

Teachers, parents, lecturers let’s change this system.
Let’s stop tearing children down in the name of discipline.
Let’s start teaching with love, patience, and respect.

We can build a better Africa.
Because every child deserves a chance not shame. 💔