CHOMBA MUSIKA Lusaka AS THE country seeks to further expand economically, President Hakainde Hichilema has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support the Grow Zambia Agenda, which seeks to generate US$65 billion in annual monetary value. Mr Hichilema said a new programme with the IMF will be complementary to the country’s growth agenda. The head of State said this yesterday in a message posted on his Facebook page after meeting IMF mission chief for Zambia Edward Gemayel. “Today (yesterday), we met the IMF mission chief for Zambia, Mr Edward Gemayel, and his team, who are in the country to discuss a successor economic programme. “Our previous programme with the IMF was successfully concluded in January 2026,” Mr Hichilema said. The President said he used the meeting to reiterate that growth is critical to Zambia’s economy. “A new programme with the IMF is complementary to our Grow Zambia Agenda,...

MAZOMBWE BANDA, JOHN CHAAMBWA Lusaka, Luanshya NEWLY-INSTALLED Lusaka Mayor Chitambala Mwewa says keeping the country’s capital city clean is a shared responsibility rather than the duty of the council alone, pledging to place the interests of residents at the centre of his administration. Mr Mwewa says developing and keeping Lusaka clean requires firm partnerships among the central government, local authority, private sector and communities, among stakeholders. He wants councillors in Lusaka to work together to identify challenges and find practical solutions while involving communities in shaping decisions that affect them. Speaking after being installed as City Father yesterday, Mr Mwewa said Lusaka faces challenges that demand urgent attention, pledging to place people’s interests at heart. “We must continue to address issues including waste management, drainage, road infrastructure, traffic congestion, sanitation, housing, markets, street lighting, environmental protection and access to quality social services,” he said. “The council must provide systems, infrastructure,...

MATHEWS MALAZIKA Lusaka AS PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema prepares to address Parliament tomorrow, the Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called for a comprehensive focus on the unique challenges and opportunities facing women and girls in Zambia. In a statement yesterday, NGOCC chairperson Beauty Katebe highlighted that for the Government’s ambitious Grow Zambia Agenda to deliver inclusive economic expansion, women and girls must participate fully in design and practice. “Women produce much of Zambia’s food, yet they remain locked out of land tenure, finance, irrigation and structured markets,” Ms Katebe said. She said achieving national agricultural targets, like the 10 million tonnes maize goal, requires secure land rights, targeted input subsidies, and tailored extension services for female farmers. Ms Katebe said expansion across mining, tourism and livestock exports should generate decent jobs, ownership stakes, and supply-chain opportunities for women-owned enterprises, fulfilling commitments outlined in the United Party for National Development...

MELODY MUPETA Kitwe CHINSALI General Hospital has successfully performed its first-ever brain surgery, saving the life of a 40-year-old man who sustained severe head injuries after being struck with a log. The landmark emergency procedure, known as a craniotomy, was conducted by a multidisciplinary team comprising four doctors, a medical licentiate, an anaesthetist and three theatre nurses. According to a statement from the Muchinga Province administration, the patient was admitted to Chinsali General Hospital following the incident. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed extensive blood clots between the skull and the outer covering of the brain, placing severe pressure on the brain. Acting head of clinical care Dawin Sichimba said the patient had also suffered a mild stroke, right-sided paralysis and was unable to speak. He said the scan showed that the blood clot had caused the brain to shift to the right, requiring urgent surgical intervention. Dr Sichimba said...

MATHEWS MALAZIKA Lusaka UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) secretary general Batuke Imenda says President Hakainde Hichilema’s economic diplomacy strategy is yielding positive results, citing continued investor interest and foreign direct investment as evidence of growing confidence in Zambia’s economy. President Hichilema has, since assuming office in 2021, placed economic diplomacy at the centre of Government’s efforts to promote economic growth, attract investment and expand opportunities across various sectors. The President has also consistently urged Zambia’s diplomatic missions to prioritise economic diplomacy by promoting the country as an investment destination and strengthening economic ties with other nations. Mr Imenda said the strategy had contributed to increased foreign direct investment and was opening up new opportunities for the country. In an interview, Mr Imenda pointed to the recent signing of six agreements between Zambia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), valued at a combined US$2.4 billion, as a significant milestone arising from...

Rules that Kabwata seat petition was duly filed GRACE CHAILE Lusaka LUSAKA High Court has dismissed an application by Kabwata Member of Parliament Danny Yenga seeking to have a petition challenging his election dismissed, ruling that the petition was filed within the prescribed 14-day period. Mr Yenga, who contested the Kabwata parliamentary seat on the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) ticket, won the August 13, 2026 election with 31,565 votes, defeating United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate and former MP Andrew Tayengwa, who polled 21,114 votes. The matter came before High Court Judge Mary Mulanda for determination of Mr Yenga’s application to dismiss the petition under Section 100(3) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35. Mr Yenga argued that the petition had been filed out of time, contending that he was declared duly elected on August 15, 2026, while Mr Tayengwa filed the petition on August...

FUMBE CHANDA Lusaka LUSAKA City Council (LCC)’s enforcement operations to restore order and cleanliness across the capital are now transitioning into the second phase, involving putting vendors into designated and conducive trading places. Lusaka Mayor-elect Chitambala Mwewa, working in co-ordination with council police, confirmed that the first phase of the operation, focusing on clearing street vendors and illegal trading in the central business district (CBD), has been successfully finished. Mr Mwewa announced that the local authority is now moving to the second phase. A check by a Zambia Daily Mail crew in CBD yesterday morning revealed clean, swept streets, with designated waste bins installed to encourage proper garbage disposal. State and council police officers were also positioned strategically to prevent vendors from returning to the streets. Meanwhile, United Party for National Development (UPND) Lusaka Province chairman Obvious Mwaliteta has supported Mr Mwewa’s urban renewal drive. In a statement, Mr Mwaliteta...

AMOS KAWISHA Solwezi SOLWEZI Magistrates Court has refused to allow opposition figures Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu to present oral evidence in support of their challenge to the court’s jurisdiction and has adjourned the matter to October 13, when a ruling is expected. The two are facing two counts of seditious practices, contrary to Section 57 of the Penal Code Act. The defence had asked the court to allow the accused persons to give oral evidence based on the contents of their warn-and-caution statements, as part of their challenge to the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case in Solwezi. Defence lawyer Bonaventure Mutale argued that the alleged offences were committed in Lusaka and, therefore, questioned why the matter was being heard in Solwezi, which he said was contrary to provisions of the Subordinate Courts Act and the Criminal Procedure Code. However, Director of Public Prosecutions Gilbert Phiri opposed the application,...

WE HAVE taken note of the warning by Kitwe City Council (KCC) regarding boarding houses that are overcrowded and lack adequate sanitation facilities. This scenario is certainly not unique to Kitwe – it is the prevailing situation in most urbanised towns, including Lusaka, where demand for higher education far outstrips available facilities, including student accommodation. The demand for accommodation has led to most landlords opening their properties to students. Or put differently, landlords converting their residential homes to business premises. Admittedly, it is good business with students most times not minded to paying whatever is being charged as long as they have somewhere to sleep regardless of the standards of the facilities on offer. But while this may be good business, it has brought about a lot of challenges, often compromising social order and public health. For a start, some of these facilities have no business operating as boarding houses...

Move will give teachers structured grievance process JOHN CHAAMBWA, ESTHER NG’ANDU, CHISHALA MUSONDA Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone GOVERNMENT will this month launch a teacher grievance redress mechanism guideline. And Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) has implored Government to increase the 2027 national budget to fund the long-delayed upgrades of thousands of teachers. Speaking at the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day, Ministry of Education permanent secretary for administration Noriana Muneku said the guideline, developed with World Bank support, would give teachers a fair, transparent and structured process for having administrative, professional or personal concerns addressed. Ms Muneku said the ministry had also developed a Teacher Professional Development Index, a competency-based tool to support training, mentorship, assessment and career progression. She said the ministry had re-united more than 1,782 couples separated by transfers and deployments, and that Government had reserved 10 per cent of recruitment opportunities for persons with disabilities. “Celebrating...