Dangote Cement Blocks Mwatishi Stream In Masaiti

Part of the Mwatishi stream drying up in Pinta Village By Paul Shalala in Masaiti The crops are dying and life has become unbearable in Senior Chief Chiwala’s Chiefdom in Masaiti District on the Copperbelt. For the past three weeks, thousands of residents in 12 villages have had no access to water. The affected villages are Pinta, Kantanga, Yusufu, Saidi Situbisha, Saidi Mujale, Kalulu and Kapindo. Other villages are Chisoboya, Chingwele, Kapala, Maliko and Matutu. Their only source of water, the Mwatishi stream, is dry and this is not because of natural causes but because of human activity. Not because it is not rain season, but because the stream has been disturbed by mining. Dangote Cement, the Zambian arm of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s empire, has dug a limestone quarry inside the stream, completely blocking the floor of water. Water now flows from the stream’s source to the quarry and it stops there. After the quarry, the streams is dry up and there is no water reaching the confluence with the Kafubu river in Ndola. “Dangote has affected us. That quarry they have constructed on the stream  has affected us so much. As you can see, our crops are drying up due to lack of water,” said Pinta Musonda, a farmer in Pinta Village. Dangote runs a cement plant in Senior Chief Chiwala’s Chiefdom. The plant is strategically located in an area where limestone is readily available. However, authorities have raised the alarm. Vegetables drying up in villages along the Mwatishi stream After receiving complaints from villagers, newly appointed Masaiti District Commissioner Patrick Zulu has visited the area to see for himself what is happening. “The stream is completely blocked as you can see. In as much as we need investment in this district, we also need to balance with the needs of the local people. There is need for regulators to come and investigate this matter,” said Mr Zulu as he toured the quarry. Mr Zulu was shocked to find that Dangote had been pumping water from the other side of the stream with pipes and delivering it to the dry river bed to help keep the stream flowing. However, that effort backfired when the pumps developed faults and water could not reach all the villages. In an interview, Dangote Cement denied blocking the stream. “We have not blocked the stream, what happened is that our pumps failed to work and we could not pump more water to the other side of the stream,” said Taata Kalokoni, a Project Geologist at Dangote Cement in an interview. Asked why the company decided to build a quarry across the stream, Mr Kalokoni claimed all activities by the company are lawful. “We adhere to all regulations and all our activities have been approved. But for the quarry, we just need to normalize things with the authorities,” he added. However, civil society organizations are concerned. Their worry is that Dangote’s activities have potential to harm both humans and the environment. “The stream has been blocked completely, it no longer flows. Dangote and the government must now work together to restore this stream to its original state. Our biggest worry is that people in these villages who depend on their gardens may starve and this will lead to poverty,” said Archie Mulunda, a Board Member at FIAN Zambia. Meanwhile, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has sent a team of inspectors to the Mwatishi Stream to investigate the matter. This is where the Mwatishi stream used to flow ZEMA Spokesperson Irene Chipili has told this blogger that the team has in the past few days been on the ground, investigating the blocking of the Mwatishi stream by the cement giant. “The inspectors are investigating the impact of the action on the environment and if any illegality has been done. A full report will be availed to the public as soon as possible,” said Mrs Chipili. As to what punishment can be meted out if Dangote Cement is found wanting, Mrs Chipili said it was premature to talk about punishment before work is completed on the ground. And the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) has also sent its team of inspectors to the site. WARMA is a government agency which regulates the use of water resources in the country. At its cement plant in Masaiti, Dangote Cement employs hundreds of workers who produce thousands of bags of cement which briefly stabilized cement prices when the company entered the country a few years ago. The company also runs a fleet of trucks which ferry cement across the country.

Zambian Minister Fired Over Leaked Nude Videos

David Mabumba - Picture courtesy of Kalemba

By Paul Shalala

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has fired his Minister of General Education David Mabumba a few hours after nude videos of the politician went viral on social media.

Mr Mabumba was captured in three videos, fondling his genitals while looking straight into the camera.

In the leaked videos which looked like recorded WhatsApp calls, the Minister’s face can be seen clearly as he touched himself without uttering a single word.

However, the image of the person on the other side of the video call was deliberately blurred and it is not known who that person is.

The Minister, who is a career teacher, is serving his second five year term as a Member of Parliament for Mwense, a rural constituency in Luapula Province.

The videos were widely condemned by Zambians who took to social media to call for either his resignation or dismissal.

In a brief statement issued by the State House Press Office, President Lungu did not state the reason for Mr Mabumba’s dismissal.

But before the dismissal, Zambians from all walks of life weighed in on the scandal.

Former State House Spokesperson during the Rupiah Banda presidency Dickson Jere was one of the first prominent people to comment on the matter.

“In my country, it appears, only sex scandals unite the people across political divide. Bring Bill 10, corruption, rule of law or political violence, we are split! Come sexual scandal, we all united and want the minister fired! We are certainly a special breed,” wrote Jere on his Facebook page.

Another commentator Andrew Sakala, who is the President of the Press Association of Zambia, wrote: “Human interest stories especially sleazy ones involving people in high places attract massive attention anywhere in the world.”

But Tech Journalist Brenda Zulu brought  more interesting discussion on the matter.

Writing on her Facebook page, Brenda described Mr Mabumba’s videos as revenge pornography.

“He is the latest victim of revenge pornography. Many victims have been women but in this case we have a known personality and leader. 1. So first of all, a live webcam and video recording button are activated using a laptop during the sexual act. 2. The sexual act is recorded and stored on the laptop. 3. The sexual act is shared to a trusted partner or social media and BOOM there is a viral video.”

And then she added this: “Usually the sharing of such a video with sexually explicit images of individuals to social media and online spaces is without the permission of the actors. The sexually explicit videos are usually selfies or made by a partner of an intimate or non-intimate relationship with or without their knowledge. Revenge Pornography has injured many people and is a common cybercrime in Zambia. So why has this video leaked to social media?” she asked.

Politicians, mostly from the opposition, were some of the first people to comment on the matter.

They unanimously called for Mr Mabumba’s dismissal.

Mr Mabumba has not issued any statement or appeared in public since his nude images went viral.

Producing or circulating pornographic materials is a criminal offense in Zambia.

The Zambia Police Service has not yet commented or made a move over the matter.

Just yesterday, Mr Mabumba was on state television, talking about the impact of the Corona Virus on the education system and what measures his Ministry had put in place to help pupils in examination classes continue learning.

Over the past month, dozens of pornographic videos have been leaked in Zambia, exposing several young ladies who are said to have been sending them to their loved ones.

Zambia’s President Pardons Gay Couple

By Paul Shalala

The two men talk to their lawyer Daniel Libati shortly 

after they were convicted in Kapiri Mposhi in 2018.

-Picture courtesy of The Punch

Six months after they were sent to jail to serve a 15 years sentence, two men who became the first Zambians to be convicted for homosexuality are now back home, thanks to a Presidential pardon.

Steven Sambo and Japhet Chataba found themselves among 2,984 prisoners who were pardoned by President Edgar Lungu on the eve of African Freedom Day (Africa Day) which was observed on Monday.

According to the Government Gazette number 6,874 published on Friday last week, Chataba and Sambo are listed as number 2,561 and 2,562 respectively on the list of pardoned prisoners.

In August 2017, the two men found themselves in a bitter fight at a lodge in Kapiri Mposhi where they allegedly had sex.

Kapiri Mposhi is a transit town in central Zambia which has had three court cases involving homosexuals, two of which ended in acquittals.

In a video which went viral on social media in 2018, Chataba was filmed forcibly dragging Sambo back into a room at a lodge as he allegedly tried to run away from his partner.

As the two men fought each other and ended up back in the room again, lodge workers and onlookers filmed the episode on their mobile phones, footage which later proved to be critical evidence during trial. 

The Government Gazette which carries names of 

those pardoned, including Sambo and Chataba.

A day after the incident, the two men were arrested and charged with practicing what the Penal Code describes as “unnatural acts.”

During trial which took a year, several witnesses were called to the stand.

They included workers at the lodge, a medical doctor and the arresting officer.

It was alleged that the two men had carnal knowledge of each other.

Sambo and Chataba were convicted by the Kapiri Mposhi Magistrate’s Court on 3rd August 2018 but were only sentenced by the High Court in November 2019.

The 15 year sentence sparked a diplomatic row between Zambia and the United States of America.

Then US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote expressed support for the two which led to a sharp reaction from the Zambian government.

Later, the United States government recalled Mr Foote back to Washington, DC.

According to the Penal Code, homosexuality is illegal in Zambia and it carries a 15 year sentence.

Zambia is a largely conservative country which outlaws homosexuality.

Its powerful church mother bodies do not approve of homosexuality.

However, the country has a handful of organizations which champion the rights of homosexuals who are estimated to be in their hundreds. 

Zambia Closes Border With Tanzania Due To Coronavirus

By Paul Shalala

Dr. Chitalu Chilufya at the press briefing in Lusaka 

-Picture courtesy of Ministry of Health

Zambia has shut its border with Tanzania a day after it recorded 85 Corona Virus cases, most of whom were traced from the border town of Nakonde.

On Saturday, the town recorded 76 Corona Virus cases, which included 18 Tanzanian truck drivers and eight of their Zambian counterparts.

Others included 31 Immigration, customs and clearing agents, 13 sex workers and lodge workers, two health workers from Nakonde District Hospital and four people who came in touch with a Zambian couple which had travelled to Tanzania and tested positive two weeks ago.

During a press briefing, Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya said starting Monday, no vehicle will be allowed to enter or leave Nakonde to allow for massive screening and retraining of health and border personnel.

“We are temporarily closing the border at Nakonde and we will ensure that we screen everyone. We are also enforcing a Stay Ay Home order in the town so that we deal with the virus,” said Dr. Chilufya.

The Minister revealed that Corona Virus cases in Nakonde are likely to increase as more samples have been collected from the border town.

“We have picked up a number of samples from there and tomorrow we will be announcing the results. We are still doing a validation for those samples and I urge the public to be patient. However, stay away from Nakonde, don't go there,” he added.

Nakonde is a busy border town between Tanzania and Zambia.

On a daily basis, about 1,000 vehicles cross either side of the border, mostly trucks plying the Dar Es Salaam – Lubumbashi route which feeds the mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo with equipment and fuel from abroad.

Sex work is a thriving business in the town and with the threat of the Corona Virus, contact tracing has been heightened.

The busy border has made the hospitality industry grow which has seen hundreds of lodges being built.

Zambians who travel to Tanzania to order clothes or pick imported vehicles through the Dar Es Salaam port, spend their nights in Nakonde where sex work is a ‘normal’ way of life.

“Sex workers have been very helpful in tracing some of their clients. In one case, a sex worker gave us a contact of a Tanzanian truck driver who was her client. When we phoned the number, the person who picked the call said the owner of the phone had already been hospitalized for Covid 19,” said Dr. Chilufya.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs is sending more Police officers to Nakonde to support the response by the Ministry of Health.

“Tomorrow we will be sending more Police reinforcements to the border to enforce the health regulations announced by the President. People have to be home, we will not allow any movements,” said Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo at a joint press briefing with his Home Affairs counterpart in Lusaka.

He added that the Police Command in Muchinga Province were Nakonde District belongs, is mobilizing officers to be sent to the border tomorrow.

Already, all trucks from Nakonde are escorted by armed Police and they are not allowed to stop anyhow along the Great North Road.

The shutting down of the Nakonde border is likely to impact those who run small businesses such as clearing and forwarding, bus services and those who sale the popular Nakonde rice.

The rice, which is mainly grown across the border in Tanzania but packaged in Nakonde, is popular across the country and it is sold by thousands of small scale traders who transport it to markets across the country through trucks and buses.

On a lighter note, Zambian men have taken to social media announcing that they are switching off their phones for fear of being identified by some of the sex workers in Nakonde in case they hand over their phone numbers to health authorities as their recent contacts.

This joke has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter with some prominent radio personalities joining in the satire.

Since the wearing of masks was made mandatory in Zambia last month, most Zambians have largely followed the order.

However, across the border in the adjacent town of Tunduma in Tanzania, masks are nowhere to be seen.

This is being seen as the reason why cases in Nakonde are high because health regulations are relaxed in Tanzania.

President John Magufuli has caused controversy with his handling of the Corona Virus in Tanzania.

Cumulatively, Zambia has now recorded 267 cases of the Corona Virus out of which 7 died, 117 have recovered while 143 are still being treated.

According to the Zambia National Institute of Public Health, cases have been recorded in four out of Zambia's 10 provinces.

Corona Virus Sends 20,000 Zambian Miners Home

By Paul Shalala

Mine Workers Union of Zambia President Joseph Chewe 

(in blue shirt) addresses miners who have been 

sent home by Mopani.

The Corona Virus pandemic has been used as an excuse by a major mining firm in Zambia, Mopani Copper Mines, to lay off 11,000 miners.

This means that a further 9,000 workers employed by subcontractors and suppliers, who are mainly South African and Peruvian firms, will also lose their jobs.

Zambia has in the past one month recorded 52 Corona Virus.

So far, two patients have died, 30 recovered and 20 are still being treated by health personnel.

Mopani Copper Mines, which is jointly owned by global mining giants Glencore (73.1%) and First Quantum Minerals (16.9), has placed two of its mines in the copper rich towns of Kitwe and Mufulira on care and maintenance, sending its workforce home.

“In addition to the impacts of a rapid decline in the copper price, Mopani’s situation has been further impacted by the critical disruptions to international mobility, transportation and supply chains arising from COVID 19,” said Mopani in a press statement issued on 7^th April. 

The mining giant has also given its subcontractors a month to wind up business.

The decision was communicated to the Zambian government which responded with anger, giving the miner a seven days ultimatum to rescind its decision or face revocation of its mining licence.

Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said government will not take kindly manoeuvres by Mopani.

“Our workers, together with the union must not accept mediocrity from Mopani. And they have government support to stand on their right, on their mine, our God given resource, that’s our position.” Said Musukwa in an interview with News Diggers, a Zambian online newspaper.

And on 8^th April, there was commotion as thousands of Mopani workers collected their letters after being sent away by officials.

Since then, the four workers unions in the mining sector have been holding daily protests to pressure Mopani to rescind its decision.

This is because previously, whenever a mine places its operations on care under maintenance, it means workers will automatically lose their jobs, irrespective of the assurances by the mining firm.

Meanwhile, 0n 15^th April, Mopani Copper Mines Chief Executive Officer Nathan Bullock was intercepted at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka just before he boarded a flight for Australia.

It is not known why the Australian native was leaving the country at the height of a crisis.

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo confirmed that Mr Bullock was intercepted by Immigration officers at the airport.

The minister told the media that it was surprising that Mr. Bullock, who attended meetings over the crisis at the mine in the morning, would attempt to leave the country without informing authorities.

According to media reports, the mining executive was driven by road to Kitwe which is 300 kilometers away accompanied by armed Police officers.

Armed Police officers are now guarding Mr Bullocks' house but government has denied media reports that he has been placed under house arrest.

The Ministry of Mines has set up a Taskforce to investigate matters surrounding Mopani Copper Mines.

One of the people the Taskforce is supposed to interrogate is Bullock.

The Taskforce is expected to give recommendations on the way forward.

Mopani is a big stakeholder in Zambia.

It sponsors Nkana Football Club, a Kitwe-based premier league side which holds the record of winning 12 league trophies more than any other club in Zambia.

The firm also sponsors other clubs in various disciplines and its business supports thousands of Zambians in various mining towns.

Last year, the Zambian government took over Vedanta-owned Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) after it failed to pay its contractors and suppliers despite repeated appeals and pledges of investing more into its mines.

KCM, which is now being run by a liquidator, is said to have cleared all previously owned contractors and suppliers but its future is still being contested for in the courts of law.

The mining giant owns mines in Chingola, Chiliabombwe and Shibuyunji.

Zambia is Africa’s second largest producer of copper after the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Most of its mines are run by foreign entities with the Zambian government retaining minority stakes through the ZCCM-IH conglomerate.

In the end, the Zambian government is likely to prevail in the Mopani case because it cannot risk 20,000 potential voters going home hungry, a few months before the crucial 2021 general elections.

The Copperbelt is a stronghold for the Edgar Lungu-led Patriotic Front government where it has 20 of the 22 Members of Parliament and any moves aimed at undermining its grip on the grassroots are always fought to avoid the opposition taking advantage.

Already, the PF leadership in the area has seen how politically sensitive this matter is and has been joining mine unions and residents in protesting the Mopani move at the mine offices daily. 

For Mopani, which has so far invested millions of dollars in sinking new shafts and modernizing its operations, they stand to lose if the mining licence is grabbed and given to another firm.

Already, rumours are flying around alleging that some Chinese firms are lining up to take over the two mines.

With the deep resentment Zambians have over Chinese investment in Zambia especially over their low human rights record, it maybe hard for the Chinese to sway public opinion if at all they succeed in taking over the facilities.

SDA Church Donates K290,000 For Coronavirus Fight In Zambia

By Paul Shalala

Pastor Sinyangwe hands over the donation to Copperbelt

Minister Japhen Mwakalombe. -Pictures by Richard Bulaya

On a day when Zambia has recorded its second death due to the Corona Virus, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) has donated K290,000 kwacha towards the fight against the pandemic.

The two governing entities of the SDA Church in the country; the South Zambia Union Conference (SZUC) and North Zambia Union Conference (NZUC) have made K160,000 and K100,000 cheque contributions respectively and a third contribution of K30,000 has come from the Midlands East Conference (MEC).


MEC is one of the conferences and fields which falls under NZUC.


In a live televised donation on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) TV1, SZUC President Dr. Harrington Akombwa handed over a proof of payment amounting to K160,000 to Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya.


This was during the daily update on the Corona Virus situation by the Minister of Health at Ndeke House in Lusaka this morning.


While putting on a face mask to show the seriousness of the situation, Dr. Akombwa said the church was making the contribution in appreciation of the great work done so far by government to fight Covid 19.


“We make this contribution in appreciation of the work you as Minister and the efforts made by His Excellency the President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu towards the fight against the pandemic. In handing over these documents, the money has already hit your account,” said Dr. Akombwa.


Simultaneously, NZUC President Samuel Sinyangwe also handed over an assortment of items to Copperbelt Minister Japhen Mwakalombe in Ndola.

Some of the donated items on display at Cabinet Office

The items, all valued at K100,000, include 50 liters of sanitizers, 160 bottles of liquid soap, 24 bottles of Dettol, one electric kettle, one water dispenser, 30 reflector vests, fuel worth K23,385 and four boxes of barrier tape.

The donated items will be critical in helping frontline health personnel who are taking care of two Corona Virus patients who are being treated at an isolation center in Masaiti District.


And in handing over the donation, Pastor Sinyangwe said the SDA Church made the move after realizing that the community is being ravaged by the pandemic.


“We are with the government and the people of Zambia in fighting this Covid 19 pandemic, not with weapons but with fervent prayer and acts of kindness,” said Pastor Sinyangwe.


He added that the church will continue offering solidarity to government.


“Honourable Minister we want to assure His Excellency the Republican President, his Cabinet and your Provincial Administration that our God in Heaven will give us resounding victory over this pandemic and we will emerge stronger and more united as a country, said Pastor Sinyangwe who was equally putting on a face mask.”

The delegation from NZUC and Copperbelt Conference

 which made the donation in Ndola

Among those who witnessed the donation were Ndola Town Clerk Wisdom Bwalya, Ndola Teaching Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent Dr. Joseph Musowoya and other senior government officials.


From the church, senior figures included NZUC Health Ministries Director Dr. Mwate Mwambazi, Copperbelt Conference President Kerries Liambai, Executive Secretary Angel Chipulu, Youth Director Mubika Chibwabwa and some youth representatives.


Zambia has so far recorded 40 Corona Virus cases leading to two deaths.


38 other patients were hospitalized in Chilanga and Masaiti Districts.


According to the latest update by the Minister of Health, 25 people have so far recovered and have been discharged while 13 are still being treated.