News Today

12/08/2026

THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE 2026 NATIONAL RESULTS CENTRE

11/08/2026

KALABA RAISES ELECTORAL CONCERNS WITH EU

Citizens First (CF) party President Harry Kalaba has held a cordial meeting with the European Union Election Observer Mission to Zambia.

The meeting was held at the InterContinental Hotel in Lusaka.

Mr Kalaba was accompanied in the meeting by the acting Secretary General of Citizens First, Doctor Kasese Botha.

They discussed pertinent issues related to the electoral process and highlighted concerns that they have as Citizens First.

Mr Kalaba advanced the concern of the biasness of the electoral calendar.

He stated that the calendar allows the President to go to several places where the times were placed in the provinces.

He added that more often than not, they experience disruptions as a result of the President coming to the areas.

Mr Kalaba observed that they also raised issues regarding the composition of the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

He noted that the current composition raises questions about the independence of the commission.

Mr Kalaba said that the playing field must be level for all political participants.

He affirmed that his party remains committed to peaceful engagement throughout the process.

This is contained in a statement issued by CF Presidential Media Coordinator Bangwe Naviley Chisenga.

11/08/2026

BREAKING NEWS: The Government has declared Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, a normal working day and not a public holiday.

11/08/2026

GREEN INITIATIVE ZAMBIA, KCM RENEW $100,000 ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT

Green Initiative Zambia and Konkola Copper Mines PLC have signed an agreement to renew the KCM-Green Integrated Project for a second year, worth $100,000, running from August 2026 to August 2027.

The project builds on first-year activities including agroforestry, aquaculture, and environmental education manuals, alongside school tree nurseries and a waste recycling study.

Speaking yesterday during the signing ceremony in Chingola, Green Initiative Zambia Executive Director Jonas K***a announced that this year's focus will scale up plastic waste recycling with women and youth clubs in Chingola.

He added that the project will also study three further districts—Kitwe, Chililabombwe and Shibuyunji—for possible inclusion in future years.

K***a observed that agroforestry will be expanded through more tree planting, audits and beneficiary training across all four districts, including beekeeping and lot management.

He noted that a new circular economy component will establish a nerve centre for waste sorting, management and marketing in Chingola, while linking beneficiaries to plastic waste markets.

K***a said the project will support creative minds in schools through environmental clubs and Jets Clubs, turning waste into useful products.

He affirmed that community engagement has been added this year through periodic town hall meetings with leaders in all four districts.

K***a thanked all stakeholders involved in the first year of the project and expressed confidence in building an even stronger database for successful implementation.

The organisation also expressed gratitude to the Government of Zambia through its line ministries for their support during the previous year.

K***a thanked Konkola Copper Mines PLC for trusting Green Initiative Zambia, a wholly Zambian-owned organisation, to deliver this community project.

He described the initiative as one of the best environmental stewardship projects in Zambia, and pledged to maintain high standards throughout the coming year.

10/08/2026

But Ku Chipata

08/08/2026

MMMM NI YABWAJI IYI

08/08/2026

Ati stay aware from Sugar Mums.

Sugar Mum: Sugar boy i have sent you K50,000 go have fun with your friends.

08/08/2026

GOVERNMENT, EU AND GERMANY CALL FOR STRONGER ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN ZAMBIA

Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha has called for continued efforts to build a justice system that is accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of all Zambians, particularly vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Speaking during the launch of the nation policy on legal Aid, Kabesha says access to justice should not depend on a person's income, social status or geographical location, stressing that every citizen deserves an opportunity to understand their rights, access legal protection and receive a fair hearing before the courts.

He said a strong justice system should be measured not only by how effectively it serves those who can afford legal representation, but also by how well it protects those who cannot.

Kabesha said many citizens continue to face challenges in accessing justice due to the high cost of legal services, long distances to service centres, limited awareness and institutional barriers.

He said some people have remained in detention longer than necessary because they could not access legal assistance, while women, children, persons with disabilities and rural communities continue to face difficulties in fully enjoying their constitutional rights.

Kabesha said Government remains committed to addressing the challenges through the 2018 National Legal Aid Policy, the Legal Aid Act No. 1 of 2021, and stronger partnerships and investment in legal aid institutions and systems.

Meanwhile, German Embassy representative Ms. Promita Sengupta has reaffirmed Germany's commitment, through GIZ, to supporting Zambia in strengthening access to justice, particularly for poor and vulnerable communities.

Sengupta said a functional justice system must work for everyone, adding that financial constraints, limited awareness of legal rights and geographical distance continue to prevent many people from obtaining legal assistance.

She said legal aid should be available when people need it and welcomed partnerships between Government and other stakeholders to take legal services closer to remote communities, describing access to justice as a key pillar of national development.

The European Union has also called for sustained efforts to ensure that legal aid services remain accessible to vulnerable communities and are fully integrated into Zambia's national laws, policies and government systems.

EU Head of Governance and Social Sector, Mr. Bogdan Stefanescu, said the EU has partnered with the Zambian Government for more than a decade to strengthen legal aid, civil society participation and transparency.

He said the legal recognition of paralegals under the revised legal aid framework, alongside legislative and judicial reforms, will be critical to ensuring the sustainability and expansion of legal aid services.

Stefanescu further expressed hope that the revised National Legal Aid Policy would be integrated into Zambia's Ninth National Development Plan to help maintain momentum, secure adequate funding and expand legal aid services across the country.

He stressed the importance of involving civil society organisations, community leaders and other local stakeholders in implementing the policy to ensure that services respond to the needs of individual communities.

The EU and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Zambian Government and other partners to strengthen access to justice and ensure that every citizen, regardless of their circumstances, can obtain legal protection and equal treatment.

News Today
08-08-26

07/08/2026

07/08/2026

ERB TAKES ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST 49 ENERGY SECTOR LICENSEES

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has taken enforcement action against 49 licensees for various breaches of the Energy Regulation Act and licence conditions during the first half of 2026.

ERB Director General Eng. Elijah C. Sichone said the enforcement measures are part of the regulator's mandate to protect consumers, promote fair competition, enhance safety and strengthen reliability across Zambia's energy sector.

He said two licensees were sanctioned for contravening the Energy Regulation Act No. 12 of 2019, while 12 were penalised for breaching licence conditions and 35 for failing to meet statutory obligations.

Sichone said non-compliant entities were subjected to various enforcement measures, including fines, warnings, debt recovery actions and, where necessary, legal proceedings to recover outstanding statutory fees.

He warned that the ERB would continue taking decisive action against licensees found operating outside the conditions of their licences.

The ERB Director General said compliance monitoring remains an important component of the regulator's work, with licensees monitored against key performance indicators, technical standards, approved codes of practice, guidelines and sector regulations.

He said the regulator also commenced nationwide validation and compliance inspections of petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas facilities, including depots, filling stations and LPG retail kiosks, during June 2026 to independently verify self-reported compliance information.

Sichone said the ERB also provided regulatory input to the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) on environmental and social impact assessments and project briefs for proposed petroleum infrastructure, reviewing nine environmental and social impact assessments.

He added that the regulator conducted routine fuel quality sampling and testing during the first half of 2026, collecting 1,118 samples, of which two were found to be non-compliant, translating into a product quality compliance rate of 98.3 percent, slightly below the ERB's 98.5 percent target.

On fuel marking, Sichone said the ERB marked 1.3 million cubic metres of fuel against a target of 1.2 million cubic metres, representing an 11.3 percent positive variance.

He explained that fuel marking helps ensure that petroleum products are supplied to their intended markets, including service stations, commercial entities and the mining sector.

He further disclosed that out of 4,486 fuel marking samples collected and tested, 3,955 were compliant, resulting in an overall compliance rate of 88.2 percent against a 2026 institutional target of 90 percent.

Despite falling below the target, Sichone said compliance had improved from 83 percent in the first quarter to 88.2 percent in the second quarter, which he described as a positive trend.

On illegal fuel vending and smuggling, Sichone said the ERB intensified intelligence-led enforcement operations, resulting in 17 arrests and the seizure of approximately 47,900 litres of fuel.

He said five cases were taken to court during the period under review, including one case that was concluded, while fines totalling K109,000 were imposed for illegal fuel vending offences during the first half of 2026.

Sichone said the ERB was also strengthening regulation in the renewable energy and electricity subsectors and was working with statutory institutions such as the Zambia Bureau of Standards to develop national standards aimed at safeguarding the quality, safety and reliability of energy services.

He added that, in response to the growing role of battery energy storage systems in Zambia's energy transition, the ERB had commenced developing regulatory requirements covering performance, safety, interoperability and grid compliance for applications including utility-scale, residential and off-grid systems.

Sichone said the ERB would continue strengthening compliance monitoring and enforcement across the energy sector to ensure that licensed entities operate responsibly and in accordance with the law, adding that the regulator remains committed to promoting a safe, reliable and sustainable energy sector.

News Today
07-08-26