Threat of Corona Virus Causes Congestion at Kasumbalesa Border

Trucks parked along the Kitwe-Chingola Dual Carriageway 

road this morning. -Picture by Ralph Mukuka

By Paul Shalala at Kasumbalesa Border

Thousands of trucks from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are stuck on the Zambian side of the Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe District following the detection of two suspected cases of Corona Virus in the Congolese city of Lubumbashi.

On Sunday, authorities in the Congolese border town of Kasumbalesa closed their side of the border after word went round that the Corona Virus had reached Lubumbashi.
This caused panic on the Zambian side as hundreds of truckers from SADC parked their vehicles after failed attempts to cross the border.

This forced authorities on the Zambian side to engage their Congolese counterparts who agreed to address the truckers.

“The border is wide open as I speak. But the truth is that we had two cases of Corona Virus in Lubumbashi yesterday and the Governor of Upper Katanga has directed us to take measures to avoid the spread,” said Adrian Kapampa, the Mayor of the Congolese town of Kasumbalesa when he addressed hundreds of truck drivers on the Zambian side.

Despite this assurance, truckers refused to cross fearing the Corona virus.

Buy the end of Sunday; the queue of trucks from the Kasumbalesa border reached the town of Chililabombwe which is 15 kilometers away.

And by midday today, the queue has reached the mining town of Chingola which is 50 kilometers away.

The trucks are now pilling up on the Kitwe-Chingola Dual Carriageway and authorities fear that if truckers do not cross into the DRC, the queue may reach Zambia’s second largest city Kitwe which is 54 kilometers away.

Kasumbalesa is the busiest crossing point between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Trucks from across SADC use the border to supply the DRC with mining equipment, food and fuel.

On the other hand, raw materials from the mineral rich Katanga region pass through the Kasumbalesa border on its way to ports like Durban in South Africa, Walvis Bay in Namibia and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.

Kasumbalesa, which handles about 1,200 trucks on a daily basis, is a major economic center for the region and any disturbance on the operations has far reaching consequences to the two countries.

“As a municipality, we are worried because these truckers are parked along the road where there are no sanitary facilities. This is a big threat to us and can spread communicable diseases. Secondly, most truck drivers come from countries where the Corona Virus has already been detected,” said Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo in an interview.

A visit to the Chingola-Kitwe Dual Carriageway, Chingola-Chililabombwe road and the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa road found drivers using the nearby bush as toilet.

“In this situation it is easy to catch the Corona Virus because as drivers, we come from various countries,” lamented Kelvin Milambo, a Zambian driver who works for a South African trucking company.

Other truck drivers are more worried about health.

Some truckers from foreign countries have been stuck 

on the queue for over two days.

“We are asking the Zambian government to supply us with a water bowser so that we can be washing our hands and relieving ourselves,” said another driver who did not want to be named.

The threat of Covid 19 is high in Zambia, a southern African country which has now confirmed 12 cases.

Earlier in the day, President Edgar Lungu addressed the nation and announced that 10 more cases had been detected and an undisclosed number of people have been placed under quarantine.

As a measure to contain the virus, all schools, bars, gyms and cinemas have been shut while churches only operate for an hour per week.

The Zambian government has resisted calls to lockdown the country insisting that the country’s landlocked geographical position can disadvantage it if a lockdown is enforced.

Opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has led calls for a lockdown.

President Lungu has shut down three international airports, only allowing the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka to handle international flights.
Zambia has four international airports in Lusaka, Ndola, Mfuwe and Livingstone.

Of the 12 cases of Corona Virus recorded, 11 involve Zambians who returned from abroad.

This could be the reason why some international airports have been shut.

The airport in Lusaka has more sophisticated surveillance equipment.

Zambia imports and exports a lot of products from China, Europe and the United States of America and it relies on its neighbours for passage of these vital products.
This could be the reason why the Cabinet has resisted locking down the country as South Africa has done.
But despite this disease posing a big challenge to society, Zambians have taken a casual approach to it.

On the streets, people can still be seen gathering in large numbers, shaking hands and hugging.

If a lockdown ever comes to Zambia, soldiers have to be deployed to enforce it because Zambians cannot keep themselves away from the streets.

But one positive aspect the Corona Virus has brought is a quest for cleanliness.

Markets and streets are being cleaned by traders without being forced by authorities.

And the threat of the virus has hit hard on the hospitality and tourism sector.

Several national and international conferences and meetings have been cancelled or postponed.

“So far, 15,000 visitors have cancelled their trips to Zambia since we recorded our first case of the Corona Virus. Some of them are even demanding refunds,” said Zambia’s Tourism Minister Ronald Chitotela last week.

Livingstone, a town which hosts the majestic Victoria Falls, has suffered heavily due to the Corona Virus.

The town, which is unofficially recognized as Zambia’s tourism capital, has seen a slump in tourist bookings and arrivals and with the closure of its international airport as announced today, the situation is likely to become even worse.

The state run Times of Zambia newspaper has reported today that 759 out of the 1,200 workers involved in the tourism industry in Livingstone have lost their jobs.

Livingstone is named after the 18^th Century English explorer David Livingstone who became the first white man to see the Victoria Falls which locals call “Mosi Ou Tunya” or the Smoke that thunders.
In the mining region of the Copperbelt, the effects of the Corona Virus have also been felt.

The Copperbelt, which borders the DRC, has several copper, cobalt and emerald mines.

“We have also been badly hit by the Corona Virus. Most of the equipment we supply to the mines come from China and the restrictions put in place to contain the virus thatside have seen our products delaying on arrival for between 15 to 20 days,” said Augustine Mubanga, President of the Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors.

Mine Suppliers and Contractors are a major stakeholder in Zambia’s mining sector as they employ thousands of workers to execute their contracts in major mines run by renowned international firms like Glencore, Gemfields and Vedanta.

Countrywide, alcohol based sanitisers which are being encouraged by health authorities, have run out in most chain stores as Zambians rush to protect themselves from the virus.

This has led to locals using improvised methods of sanitizing their hands using local products.

Performance of Zambia’s Mining Sector in 2019

Action Aid protesting against some mine investors in 2019

By Paul Shalala 

2019 has been a challenging year for the mining sector in Zambia.

Africa’s second largest copper producer started the year with implementation of various government measures which were prescribed in the 2019 National Budget.

One of these was the 15 % tax imposed on imported copper concentrates.

This measure was meant to boost local production of copper concentrates which is a highly sought after product in the mines.

However, this measure was heavily opposed by the mining houses.

“This measure was done without consultation. It led to a situation were the sector thought government was fighting it. The measure brought problems for Chambishi Metals which ended up laying off some workers,” said Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors of Zambia President Augustine Mubanga.

Secondly, the 2019 National Budget also brought in Sales tax.

This tax was brought in to replace Value Added Tax which had been in use for decades.

But due to heavy opposition from the mines, talks between government and stakeholders went on for almost the whole year.

Implementation of the tax was postponed two times and in the end, the Ministry of Finance ended up scrapping it off in the third quarter.

Mining, being a huge undertaking, has far reaching consequences on the environment.

A number of mine houses were caught off guard in this area in 2019.

For example, in March, Mopani Copper Mines was exposed for constructing an illegal tailings dam in the Nkana Tailings Complex in Kitwe.

Here, harmful products were being released into this tailings dam which was built without approval by authorities.

The illegal tailings dam was exposed when then Mines Permanent Secretary Paul Chanda toured the tailings complex and found Mopani workers discharging waste into the bush.

In anger, Mr Chanda threatened to take on the mining giant.

Inspectors found traces of harmful substances in the effluent and the mining firm was later fined by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency.

And in October, the Nchanga Acid Plant in Chingola released harmful substances into the environment.

Over 300 pupils at Nchanga Trust School and several KCM workers were hospitalized.

This was after a power surge.

“The other issue which was topical in 2019 in the area of the environment is the debate on the opening of a mine in the South Luangwa National Park. The sad part is that the mine life span is seven years. Now look at seven years and what impact mining will do on the ecosystem to mine for only those few years,” said Lovemore Muma, an environmentalist who runs The Earth Organisation.

But the biggest of all the 2019 mining stories was the takeover of Konkola Copper Mines by the ZCCM-IH, a government congolomerate which has stakes in several mines.

KCM is the largest employer in the mining sector in Zambia and it has operations in Kitwe, Chingola, Chililabombwe and Nampundwe.

Following protracted negotiations over the failure by KCM to pay its suppliers and contractors, ZCCM-IH moved in and ejected Vedanta Resources, an Indian owned conglomerate.

For years, KCM had been reporting losses despite holding to a mine which many Zambians think was sold for a ‘song.’

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu announced the takeover of the mine during a meeting with mine suppliers and contractors in Ndola.

“They have lied enough to us. We will go to court and get a divorce,” said President Lungu.

Since then, Milingo Lungu was appointed as a liquidator and took over the running of KCM.

Suppliers and contractors are now receiving their money.

“The take over of KCM was well received by us and other stakeholders because KCM was unfaithful. They owned our members millions of dollars and some of them went for over five, six or nine months without payment. Now we are being paid within a month,” said Mubanga.

And in the small scale mining sector, there was a lot of activity.

A number of tailings and dumps, mostly on the Copperbelt were given to the young people.

The youths are still pushing for capital to actualize their dreams.

Still in the small scale mining sector, gold was discovered in Mwinilunga, Mumbwa and Petauke, leading to a rush by local and foreign interested business people.

In Chief Chibwika’s area in Mwinilunga, thousands of prospectors invaded the area in August.

“My chiefdom is under siege. Three thousand people have come to my villages and we are worried because the sanitary facilities in the villages cant cope, am worried for my subjects,” said Chief Chibwika in an interview.

Another gold rush is currently underway in Mumbwa where hundreds of small scale miners are prospecting. 

A video which circulated on social media a few days ago showed hundreds of residents using hand held tools digging for gold in Sichanzu area, near Luiri Mine.

And the Small Scale Miners Association has some advise on how the newly found gold can be utilised.

“We need laws that can govern the mining of gold. The mining going on is uncoordinated. The price of gold is better that copper. Going forward, we advise government to utilise this mineral which can bring the much needed wealth to this country,” said Kunda Chani, President of the Small Scale Miners President.

On a sad note, several miners died in a number of mine accidents.

Mopani Copper Mines, which is partly owned by Glencore, recorded the highest number of deaths in several mine accidents across the country.

This led to suspension of operations.

“These mine accidents and deaths at Mopani exposed their challenges in terms of safety. Mopani must invest in safety, it is not good to continue losing workers like that,” said Joseph Chewe, President of the Mine Workers Union of Zambia.

2019 is also the year when Manganese mining became very prominent in Central and Luapula Provinces.

Various foreign firms, mostly owned by Chinese investors, have set up factories in the two provinces ready to refine the mineral.

As the country enters 2020, the mining sector hopes to see an increase in copper production which saw a drop in 2019.

Jailing Of Homosexuals Sparks Zambia-US Diplomatic Row

By Paul Shalala

Chataba and Sambo talking to their lawyer Daniel Libati

last year. -Picture courtesy of The Punch newspaper

A diplomatic row has broken out between Zambia and the United States after two Zambian men were recently sentenced to 15 years each for practicing homosexuality.

The two men, 39 year old Japhet Chataba and 31 year old Steven Sambo, are the first Zambians to ever be convicted and subsequently sentenced for practicing homosexuality.

On 25 August 2017, a video of the two men dragging each other at a lodge in the central Zambian town of Kapiri Mposhi went viral on social media, sparking huge debate about homosexuality in this deeply conservative Southern African country.

In the video, Chataba was seen dragging Sambo back into the lodge where they allegedly had more sex.

The video formed part of the prosecution evidence during trial which was handled by Kapiri Mposhi Resident Magistrate Ackson Mumba who later convicted the two on August 3, 2018 and committed them to the Kabwe High Court for sentencing.

And last week, the High Court sent the two men to jail for 15 years, the minimum sentence people charged with “unnatural acts” can receive.  

This sentence resulted in a strongly worded statement by the United States Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote who brought in various issues to the debate.

“I was personally horrified to read yesterday about the sentencing of two men, who had a consensual relationship, which hurt absolutely no one, to 15 YEARS imprisonment for “crimes against the order of nature. Meanwhile, government officials can steal millions of public dollars without prosecution, political cadres can beat innocent citizens for expressing their opinions with no consequences, or poachers/traffickers can kill numerous elephants, barbarically chainsaw and sell their tusks, and face a maximum of only five years imprisonment in Zambia,” said Ambassador Foote.

The American envoy added: “Decisions like this oppressive sentencing do untold damage to Zambia’s international reputation by demonstrating that human rights in Zambia is not a universal guarantee. They perpetuate persecution against disenfranchised groups and minorities, such as people from other tribes or political affiliations, albinos, the disabled, our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) brothers and sisters, and anyone who is deemed “different.”

This statement led to a sharp reaction from Zambia’s chief diplomat.

“The Government of the Republic of Zambia takes great exception to the remarks made by the Ambassador on the decision by the High Court as well as his comparison of the homosexuality case to other cases of alleged thefts by government officials, political violence and poaching. The Ambassador may wish to note that all cases that are brought before the courts of law are adjudicated based on the available evidence.  It is extremely unfair and highly misleading to suggest that such cases are never brought before the courts of law,” said Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji.

Malanji added that Zambia is a signatory to major international and regional treaties protecting human rights and has several well-established institutions to promote and protect human rights. 

The sentence made it to the front pages of daily newspapers

At a press briefing in Lusaka, the Foreign Affairs Minister disclosed that he phoned the American envoy to express Zambia’s disappointment with his reaction to a matter he considers domestic.

And in a post sentence interview with foreign media, Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu said the Southern African country will not be bullied into adopting what he termed “foreign practices.”

“We cannot allow homosexuality in Zambia. We cannot be forced to allow men to marry men because even animals do not do so,” said President Lungu in an interview with British news channel Sky News a few days ago.

And one of Zambia’s prominent diplomats Emmanuel Mwamba says Ambassador Foote’s statement is in contrast with US President Donald Trump’s policy push that revises pro-LGBTQ rights and protection aggressively promoted by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Mwamba, a journalist who is currently serving as Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, says President Trump promotes pro-family policies.

“The Trump administration has withdrawn special privileges fronted as "rights" granted to the LGBTQ community by the Obama administration in; healthcare, employment, housing, education, commerce, the military, and prisons. President Trump also issued an Executive Order to create obstacles for people seeking to enter the U.S. on the basis of LGBTQ alleged discrimination or harassment from conservative countries that ban or do not recognize these LGBTQ rights. The administration has also cut spending to the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for programs related to abortions and LGBTQ,” wrote Ambassador Mwamba in his opinion piece published by Mwebantu, an online news outlet.

Chataba and Sambo's  case has brought the issue of homosexuality back to the limelight.

Various interest groups, including churches have commented on the matter.

Because of the sensitivity of the matter, a few LGBTQ organisations operating in Zambia have not commented openly on the sentence for fear of the law.

In the past, about two cases involving homosexuality had been dismissed by the courts of law.

Coincidentally, the two cases were both held in Kapiri Mposhi, the same town where the recent case was tried too.

Kapiri Mposhi is a transit town in central Zambia which is located at an intersection of both rail and road junctions heading north to Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and south to Lusaka and other places in the south of the country.

Ritual Killers Target Albinos' Body Parts in Zambia

By Paul Shalala

A poster the Albinism Foundation of Zambia

is circulating against killing of albinos

Parents of children born with albinism across Zambia are now employing extra security for their children following a number of cases in which albinos have been killed or brutally attacked by ritual killers.

Some Zambian fortune seekers believe that using albino body parts can make one rich.

This myth has led to many albinos being killed or their body parts being chopped off.

In the latest case, a seven year old female albino in the mining town of Kitwe lost her left arm and hair after three assailants broke into her family house.

Dorothy Mulenga, who is a Grade One pupil at Mutupa Primary School, was sleeping with her sister and parents on Tuesday night when the three men stormed their house in rural Kitwe and snatched her in the dead of the night.

“The three men were armed with machetes, they broke the window, jumped into our house and grabbed my daughter. They threw her outside and ran with her towards the bush,” said Joseph Mulenga, the 27 year father who watched the attack as it unfolded.

Mulenga says as he and his wife pursued the attackers, they sliced off her left arm and dropped her 100 meters away from the house.

“They ran away with my daughter’s arm. Am worried about our safety. They may come back and kill me so that they can get her. We are asking our government to guarantee our safety.”

Police said the motive of the attack was not known.

“The couple decided to shout for help and after realizing that the neighbours would come, the criminals immediately chopped off the left arm of the girl just slightly above the elbow using a machete and took away the piece to unknown destination,” said Police Commissioner Charity Katanga who presides over the Copperbelt region where the attack happened.

The house where three criminals abducted Dorothy Mulenga

A visit to the family house by this blogger revealed a trail of blood from the house to a nearby bush where the girl had been dumped by her attackers.

Four days after the attack, no one has been arrested.

But this case has brought a lot of good will from civic leaders, human rights activists and other well-wishers who have donated money and material things to support Dorothy and her family.

Dorothy spent three days in the Intensive Care Unit of the Kitwe Teaching Hospital and she was only moved to a general ward on Friday.

Due to worries about ritual killers striking again, the juvenile is being guarded while in hospital and access to her is strictly supervised.

Another recent case of an attack on an albino happened on 31 October when a 39 year old man was murdered in the eastern Zambian town of Nyimba in a night attack by ritual killers.

The attackers used a knife to cut his throat but before they could get any body parts, villagers pursued the attackers who were at the time dragging the albino to a nearby bush.

The attackers scampered in all directions upon seeing the villagers in pursuit.

“The deceased was attacked while he was sleeping in his grass thatched house and in the process his throat was completely cut and was stabbed twice on the left side of the chest’” said Zambia Police Service Spokesperson Esther Katongo.

After intense investigations, Police arrested four people, who included a married couple who are believed to be the masterminds of the murder.

They have all been charged with murder and are scheduled to appear in court in the coming week.

This case has brought anxiety in eastern Zambia especially among the albino community.

Chief Ndake of the Nsenga speaking people of Nyimba has immediately summoned all his Headmen in the area to sensitise them against the myth that albino body parts are a lucky charm.

In an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services which has been shared widely to all media house in Zambia, the traditional leader expressed shock that such a gruesome murder happened in his chiefdom.

And a clergyman in the region has called for citizens to protect all albinos from ritual killers.

“They (albinos) just have a deficiency of scientific attribute that makes them look the way they look but in terms of humanity, they are as good as anyone else and they should be left alone to do whatever they want,” said Bishop William Mchombo of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia.

And in northern Zambia, a 73 year old albino had her fingers cut off and a tooth removed by unknown people on 25 July this year.

Three suspects were arrested in this matter, who included a grandchild of the victim.

The three are still appearing in court while the victim was relocated from her village for her own safety.

Over the years, the Albinism Foundation of Zambia (AFZ) has been supporting and relocating many albinos who are attacked or those who do not feel safe.

John Chiti

The organization says most of these attacks are carried out by ritual killers and people who sale albino body parts to buyers both locally and abroad.

“Most of the cases where albinos are being attacked are happening in rural areas because there is lack of security. We note that these cases are increasing because there is trafficking of body parts from one country to the other,” said AFZ Executive Director John Chiti, who is a prominent Zambian musician.

He goes on to explain that in Chama, a town which borders Malawi, a young girl was attacked last year and one of her hands was chopped off.

Mr Chiti says with the help of the Police, the hand was recovered in Malawi and this proves that trafficking in albino body parts is an international activity.

“We are asking the Police to do their job and ensure that people attacking albinos are brought to book. To the families of albinos, please stay safe, take care of the children because our lives are in danger due to these ritual killers who are after us,” he added.

And a young parent who has two children living with albinism in the mining town of Kalulushi says he has started taking precautions for his children.

“I have two children who are albinos and we are worried now. Should we be guarding them everytime? When they are going to school, should we escort them? This is very worrying. Our children are now a target and for me, am now guarding them throughout,” said the parent who sought anonymity.

For years, albinos were living freely in Zambia and there was even a common adage that “Albinos do not die, they just disappear.”

However, now they are being killed or attacked for being what they are.

Curbing The Zambian Economic Leakage

By Kasuluba Mashonga

What is leakage?

Borrowing from the Keynesian economic theory, it refers to capital or income that exits a system(economy) as opposed to remaining within it. Wikipedia asserts that leakages are the non-consumption uses of income, including saving, taxes, and imports, yet other scholars simply postulate that leakage occurs when money leaves an economy. In other words, when funds are not used for their initial intended purposes or money is pushed out of a closed cash flow cycle, leakages are created.

If a pipe were to describe the Zambian economy and water being money, then a hole in that pipe causing water to ooze out would be a practical representation of leakage in that, a lot of water would constantly be lost if the pipe were not mended.

Effects of leakage

It is imperative to note that leakage is very common in almost all economies globally not only Zambia and does not necessarily hinge on bad governance. A leakage causes the exiting of money from an economy and results in a gap between the supply and demand chain. In the retail sector for instance, this would mean consumers spending money outside the local market, forcing businesses within such an economy to find other ways of drumming up revenue just so that they may avoid incurring losses and this may prove difficult.

Causes of leakage

There are several reasons that lead to leakage but only a few are going to be discussed. Firstly, capital that leaves an economy or system as opposed to remaining within results into leakage. This happens when proceeds from a Zambian or local investment venture are removed from the economy by investing in say real estate, supermarkets or other foreign projects.

In addition, money spent outside an economy for purposes of tourism, export funds that are not used within the area of their initial production or money spent out of the local market are all deemed to be leaked. This topic is broad, and it is vital to make mention that even funds that are saved for too long result into leakage. This is because if that money has no velocity within the economic system (no movement), there will be a shortage of funds in the country.

Compensation for leakage

In dealing with the problem that is detrimental to many systems such as the Zambian economy, a few suggestions will be provided by this literature based on research. As a depiction from the circular flow model of economic activity, the Zambian government might stimulate its economy through injecting cash into the financial system when leakage affects the flow or circulation of money.

However, injection does not entail borrowing from foreign financial institutions or other countries in the wake of austerity measures(reduction of money spent in the country by the government). That being the case we still cannot completely do away with borrowing. Hence, local financial institutions would be the best sources of extra funds because that money is still going to be kept within the Zambian economic system.

As narrated by one of the Oversees Development Institutes’ articles, they argue to say about 75% of tourism proceeds are taken out of the host nation. This is because international tour operators are paid huge sums of money which they spend in their native countries. For this reason, they propose that tourist destinations should invest in home grown tour operators, thereby keeping money locally.

The other solution to dealing with leakage lies in what USA and the UK do which is paying attention to little denominations of currency. These and other big economies have come up with ways to ensure that Cents and Pennies, respectively are in constant circulation and it has proven to be very beneficial.

These forms of currency are used when people visit rooms of convenience (Toilets), purchasing of refreshments and other foods via vending machines, including the other advantages being that they keep prices low and are depended upon by charity organisations. Zambia should also ensure that smaller denominations of currency such as 5 and 10 Ngwees are ploughed back into circulation. By so doing, this activates the multiplier effect leading to increased money by the central bank, which would then be injected back into the economy in the long run.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, it is quite impracticable to eliminate leakage completely but measures can still be taken to reduce it to the lowest possible level, if the measures discussed or even more are taken into consideration.

Zambian Investigative Reporter Dies In Mysterious Circumstances

By Paul Shalala

Humphrey Nkonde

A 42 year old Zambian investigative reporter who has been writing on sensitive topics has been found dead, 10 days after he went missing.

Humphrey Nkonde, an Assistant Editor at the Catholic-run Mission Press in the northern town of Ndola went missing on 22 September, a day before he was scheduled to fly to Germany for the Global Investigative Journalism Conference.

Nkonde, whose last stories in the Icengelo magazine focused on the escalating mealie meal and fuel prices, was found floating in a lake in the rural district of Masaiti.

Police confirmed picking the body on 26 September and subsequently buried it in Ndola at Kantolomba Cemetery in the absence of his family or employers.

This act by Police has led media bodies to question the speed at which the journalist was buried.

“How did the Police bury without anyone witnessing? Why did the Police claim it was unidentified body when they themselves revealed that he had his passport in his pocket? The Police must answer these questions,” said Clinton Masumba, the Secretary for the Northern Region Media Club.

Other media bodies put the blame on the Police.

“The Police must come out clean on this matter, we want conclusive investigations into the death of our colleague. His death is a big blow to the Ndola Press Club,” said Ndola Press Club President Chishala Musonda.

On October 5, Police officers exhumed Nkonde’s in order for a Pathologist to conduct a postmortem.

The procedure was completed after two hours and the body was reburied.

The Police pathologist, who came from Lusaka, carried samples from the journalist’s body to Lusaka for analysis.

According to Police sources, the results of the postmortem will be released in the coming days.

But Humphrey’s employer is suspicious over his death.

“There are too many versions surrounding Nkonde’s death. The family is insisting that its suicide. For us, we want conclusive investigations before we can believe anything,” said Mission Press Director Fr. Ferena Lambe.

The clergyman, who was close to the late journalist, says Nkonde was fearless.

“He was a courageous journalist who we promoted to Assistant Editor in June this year. He used to write sensitive and political stories. His last story was too sensitive, could it be the reason he is dead today?” asked Fr. Lambe.

Initially, the family objected to a postmortem but management at Mission Press insisted on it being done to find the cause of death.

Family members told the media that a day before he disappeared, he appeared was doing suspicious things like hugging his children and talking to himself.

They claimed he was being led by a demon.

However, in the 10 days Nkonde was missing, non of the family members reported the matter to the Police.

But his employers are not buying that story. 

Nkonde interviewing former President Kaunda

“On the evening of 22 September, he came home to say bye because the following day he was scheduled to fly to Germany for a journalism conference. He was in a good mood, he wasn’t confused as his family is claiming. I even suggested to him that when he is back, we will hold a workshop for Zambian journalists to learn from his investigatory skills,” said Mission Press Human Resources Manager Honorius Chilufya.

His fellow workers at Mission Press are devastated.

“He was a close friend of mine. I knew him decades ago before he joined us at Mission Press. If a reporter can work at the Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail and now Mission Press, it just shows you how hardworking he is,” said Danny Chiyesu a Graphic Artist for Icengelo magazine.

Chiyesu reveals that Nkonde was in the process of writing a book on Zambia’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda and the project had advanced.

He adds that the book was supposed to focus on Dr. Kaunda’s life from his time in State House to his role in society after leaving office.

In November, Nkonde was scheduled to travel to The Netherlands to take a three weeks course in Investigative journalism at the Radio Netherlands Training Center which is located in the Dutch city of Hilversum.

Through out his career, Nkonde practiced investigative journalism and attended various workshops and conferences at home and abroad to perfect his skills.

Apart from his fulltime work at Mission Press, he was also a correspondent for several international publications specialized in aviation and business.