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Council of Churches in Zambia [CCZ] General Secretary Father Emmanuel Chikoya has called on the Zambia Police to stop operating in the context of bitterness, but ensure they are professional and above board as they conduct arrests. Fr. Chikoya notes with concern that the Police are slowly returning to how they operated under the PF regime. He says the Police are expected to be professional and ensure that people are not unnecessarily detained. Fr. Chikoya says those that facing bond-able cases should granted police bond as it is their constitutional right. He states that it is high time people start suing Police officers in their individual capacities for refusing to grant police bond on the pretext that they are working under instruction. Fr. Chikoya says this tactic of arresting people is not helpful and reflects badly on the country's democracy.

Retired veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga has cautioned politicians and Zambians against abusing their freedom of speech. Dr Mwaanga says some comments coming some individuals targeted at the Head of State are disturbing. He says Zambians are breathing fresh air due to the freedom of expression that has been restored to them, which however, must not be abused. Dr Mwaanga says the Head of State is a respected figure in any country and that no one should use unpalatable language against him. He has advised politicians to respect President Hakainde Hichilema, adding that those who disagree with his style of leadership must do so respectfully. Dr Mwaanga states that those abusing their freedom of expression are jeopardizing the freedom of others who have more sensible things to say regarding the direction in which the country should go

Government has been urged to develop a system of providing quarterly funding to grant aided Schools so that the quality of education is not compromised with the coming of free education. Christian Coalition Zambia President Professor Charles Mwape says the quarterly release of funds to schools will ensure smooth operations as well as the implementation of the free education policy. And Prof. Mwape says with the earmarked recruitment of 30, 000 teachers, the pupil teacher ratio will be addressed. Professor Mwape is however, regret that those that will be required to pay K1, 000 boarding fee will not see the benefits of the free education policy. He says if the free education policy is going to be appreciated by every child, government should increase funding to boarding schools and ensure that boarding fee is completely removed.

Ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) Namwala Member of Parliament Moono Mapani has observed that the new dawn administration has been lenient with a number of former ministers and PF sympathizers. Mr Mapani says most of the former Ministers are supposed to be in prison because of the wrong things they committed. He says it is therefore wrong for former Justice Minister Given Lubinda to insinuate that the UPND is after ex-Ministers and opposition Patriotic Front members and sympathizers. He has reminded Mr. Lubinda that former PF Secretary General Davies Mwila had told PF members to go flat out and campaign ahead of the 2021 elections, because he knew that if they lost they were going to be arrested for their wrong doings. Mr Mapani says Mr Mwila’s statement was a clear indication that a lot of atrocities were committed during the PF regime. He has advised the PF to count what they did as opposed to accusing the ruling party of witch-hunting.

Civil Rights Activist Brebner Changala has described as careless President Hakainde Hichilema's statement that the corrupt clique which stole from the Zambian people is now teaching his ministers and permanent secretaries how to siphon money from government. Mr Changala says the President should desist from issuing alarming statement, but act against those involved in corrupt activities. He says the head of state has every right to fire those engaging in corruption and replace them with people who share his vision with regards the fight against corruption. Mr Changala has also advised the President to stop talking about the PF which he has referred to a dead organization which may never come again. He is concerned that the fight against corruption under the new dawn administration might not be won if the President continues talking and blaming the former regime. Mr Changala says Zambians voted for the UPND so that they can address the things which were wrong under the PF ...

Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe has advised those being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Drug Enforcement Commission to take advantage of the fast track court on economic and financial crimes that is being established to clear themselves. Mr. Haimbe says it is up to the court to determine whether or not the allegations that have been leveled against an individual can result in a conviction. He says it is wrong and unfair for the ex-Ministers in the PF administration who are being investigated to suggest that the UPND administration has embarked on a witch-hunt of former government officials in the previous regime. Mr. Haimbe says the new dawn administration is not persecuting anyone as perceived by some Patriotic Front members and other stakeholders. The Justice Minister has reiterated government’s commitment to upholding the principles of separation of powers and allowing the judiciary to dispense the highest form of justice based on integrity and indepen...

Retired Catholic Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu says the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) will have themselves to blame if they fail to uphold the rule of law in the country. Archbishop Mpundu  says the UPND should demonstrate their capacity to uphold the rule of law by not tolerating political violence. He says the ruling party should not wait for ugly things to happen, but send a clear message to its members that engaging in political violence will attract severe consequences. Archbishop Mpundu says the UPND should demonstrate to its members that it is serious about ending the culture of political violence in the country.

  President Hakainde Hichilema has been urged to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the corruption that took place during the PF regime especially with revelations made by former ZESCO board chairman Dr Mbita Chitala in his latest book. In his book entitled “Corporate Capture, the Political Economy of Electricity Management in Zambia 2014-2021”, (How Not to Manage a State Enterprise); Dr Chitala reveals several incidences of alleged corruption involving PF government officials in the energy sector. Political Analyst Dante Saunders says there is need for the country to ascertain the wrong doings that were happening under the previous regime government. Mr. Saunders says the revelations by Dr. Chitala is just confirming what Zambians know thus the need to know all the beneficiary's of the corrupt activities that saw some PF Members and Ministers becoming rich overnight. He says a lot of people have information about what was happening and want to express themselves, ...

Economist Chibamba Kanyama has called for transparency in the awarding of contracts by the Public Private Partnership Council of Ministers Mr. Chibamba Kanyama says the Council of Ministers must ensure that those awarded contracts not only have the capacity to undertake such massive projects, but are credible entities that may not pose challenges in the future including reputation risks. Kanyama notes that the Technical team that President Hichilema has put together is robust enough to bring economic value that is required to deepen the integrity of what government wants to implement and achieve with regards to rolling out investments in infrastructure in the country. He states that the infrastructure investments the country witnessed in the previous government were largely from borrowed money which he says should not have been the case. Mr Kanyama notes that the country’s economy is constrained in terms of capacity to finance most of the government priorities. ENDS..

Government has been urged to come up with a clear Road-map on the refinement of the current republican constitution as a matter of urgency. Leadership Movement Media Director, Lonely Tatila says the UPND leadership should fulfill their commitment to address the lacunas in the constitution. Mr. Tatila says five months the UPND administration has been in government is enough to come up with a road-map on refining the constitution. He says the recent assurance by Vice President Mutale Nalumango that government will amend the Constitution before the next general election in 2026 should be preceded by a road-map. ENDS/  

The Zambia Institute of Architects (ZIA) has noted with concern the continued collapsing of both private and public buildings due to heavy rains, notable among them a Church Building in Kasama over the weekend, which killed six members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and left many others injured. ZIA president Architect Bwalya Masabo has since called upon all Councils and Provincial Planning Authorities to uphold their mandate by ensuring planning permission is only granted for buildings designed by registered architects as per requirements of the Public Health Act. In a statement, Architect Masabo has also reminded members of the public that it is important to ensure only registered and qualified professionals are engaged for all design, supervision and construction of both private and public buildings to avoid calamities that are currently being witnessed across the country. He says the institute will ensure orderly development and protect the public from substandard design...

  Opposition United Progressive Party [UPP] President Savior Chishimba has threatened to take legal action against the party’s former Kabwata parliamentary by-election candidate Francis Libanda for obtaining money by false pretense. Mr Libanda withdrew from the by-election forcing the Electoral Commission of Zambia to cancel the election which was slated for January 20, 2022. Dr. Chishimba says the party legal team is looking into the matter. He says getting money by false pretense is a criminal and prosecutable offence and expects the due process of the law to be applied fully. And Dr. Chishimba has maintained that the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) influenced Mr Libanda’s withdrawal from the race. He claims to have evidence he says he will soon publicize proving that the UPND paid Mr Libanda to withdraw from the race.

United Party for National Development [UPND] National Chairman Steven Katuka has dismissed as nonsensical insinuations by some political opponents that the party wants to change it's Kabwata Parliamentary candidate because Andrew Tayengwa is unpopular. Mr. Katuka accused the opposition Patriotic Front of spreading the propaganda because it is scared of the UPND candidate. He has since offered to have his head cutoff if the party changes its Kabwata Parliamentary Candidate Andrew Tayengwa. Mr Katuka says the party did it's homework before adopting Mr. Tayengwa. He says the party is ready to accept the outcome of the by-election as it has done in the past elections. Mr Katuka is however, optimistic that the party will emerge victorious once the election is held. Meanwhile Christian Coalition President Charles Mwape has charged that any political that will change its Candidate for the Kabwata by-election should be held responsible for the cancellation of the by election....

Former Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu has called for the banning of political cadres in the country. Archbishop Mpundu says anyone belonging to this group must be arrested, stating that this is an umbrella under which atrocities are committed. He says caderism should be banned, while political parties should have members who are law abiding citizens. Archbishop Mpundu says government must put its foot down by ensuring that anyone perpetuating political violence in the name of caderism is arrested and prosecuted before being sent to jail for a long period of time as a deterrent measure. He has since appealed to the Zambia Police to ensure they do their work and arrest those perpetuating political violence in the country. Archbishop Mpundu is worried that caderism is still existent in the country, hence the need to ban the practice. Ends.........................