Kopala Snitch

01/03/2024

Mufulira Councillor Arrested For Soliciting K35,000 For CDF Loans

The Councillor for Kamuchanga Ward 6, in Mufulira on the Copperbelt, has been arrested for alleged corrupt practices.

PAUL CHILESHE, aged 41, is believed to have received 10,000 Kwacha, from a beneficiary of a Constituency Development Fund -CDF- loan.
This was a reward for having helped the beneficiary access a loan amounting to 185,000 Kwacha.

Anti-Corruption Commission Head of Corporate Communications, TIMOTHY MOONO has confirmed, saying this happened between April 1, 2023 and February 23, 2024.

Mr MOONO says Mr CHILESHE had solicited for 35,000 Kwacha Bishop JOSEPHAT MULEBA BWALYA, in a matter involving Joseatec General Dealers, the beneficiary of the loan.

He has explained that Mr CHILESHE however did receive 10,000 Kwacha.

Source: ZNBC

24/02/2024

” ZAMBIA IS BEING USED AS A GUEINEA PIG (good experiment example) BY THE IMF” said President HH.A very good but also a very bad status quo
Sunday January 28th, 2024
Written by Miles B. Sampa, MP
President of the Patriotic Front (PF)
Recent media captioned above headline caught my eye when President HH bragged that Zambia is the blue eyed boy of the IMF because we have followed the script well to qualify.
Well indeed President HH and the UPND government should be commended for having taken the painstaking negotiations and patience to achieve what they have with the IMF via the common debtors framework solution. Most drop the ball through the hard and painful negotiations with the IMF whose programme is a necessary evil for Zambia and most African Countries now looking to Zambia to teach them how to get to the signature point with the IMF.
The IMF deal is however only a panadol or pain killer and not a solution to curing the economic Malaria that Zambia is suffering from and now turned into cerebral. The foreign based economic solution is a good start point given the historical debt circumstances but it is not sustainable.
There is urgent need for a home grown economic solution. Reminds me of the UNIP days when nearly everything begun to be manufactured in Zambia after we ditched IMF. We saw Tarino or Top Top manufactured in Ndola as home beverage of choice. Bicycle manufacturing plant in Chipata, Mansa batteries , Kawambwa tea, Mwinilunga pineapples, Livingstone motor assembly etc. That was the fantastic home grown economic solution by KK of setting up production plants nearly in all provinces and districts based on their raw material comparative advantage. Make no mistake. This was the best solution at the time and KK (& UNIP folks) should be commended for having been brave to bite the bullet to plan and commence implementing a home based economic solution away from the West.
The ideaology worked well for a few years however then failed lamentably. Why? Simple. The UNIP government itself wrongly decided to be the ones to run and manage these companies parastatal. They formed Indeco, Mindeco, Findeco etc to run the parastatals from production, wholesale, retail (ZCBC) even to consumption (Coupons) stages to some extent. The model failed simply because government did not hand over the production process to the private sector. It’s the private sector that are in the business of doing business and know it best. Government role is to create an enabling environment for the private sector like favorable local production tax regime.
High local production of all manner of goods and services will increase much needed tax revenue for government coffers and with that, more ability to prevent and tackle Cholera pandemics.
Brings me to the ZNS mealie meal production. A very welcome move but again it’s just a Pandol solution and not sustainable. Unless ZNS will produce all the maize they will need to gaya the maize meal but if they have to buy from peasant or commercial farmers, subsidy will kick in and then we’ll be back to square 1.
To resolve a medical problem like covid or Cholera, a round table meeting is vital with medical experts or Doctors. In the same way to get enhanced local based economic productivity, a round table meeting is vital with the private sector. They need to be heard and their input not only heard but implemented.
Zambia is in economic quagmire and I don’t care who is to blame but that a solution has to be found. We are a consumption and no production based economy. Population been increasing exponentially while productivity and for food in particular, been on the equal decline. Atleast DRC can say they are in that mess due to the semi civil war in the East part of their Country. Ngaifwe (& us ) what’s our excuse with so much vast land, rivers, good weather, good people etc.
A private sector driven home grown economic model is Zambia’s solution to a better GDP, better Foreign exchange rate and a better life for all of ‘more (genuine) money in everyone’s pockets’. The IMF panadol solution should be exited or massaged going forward while we in full gear for a home grown solution.

Source: The Zambian Observor

19/02/2024

CEPHAS Mwanza of Ndola has committed su***de after losing K5,000 on popular online crash game Aviator.

Aviator, popularly known as Kandeke is a fast-paced, single-player game where one place bets on a multiplier that keeps increasing as long as a plane stays in the air.

The catch is that the plane can crash at any random moment, and if it crashes before one cashes out, they lose their bet. The higher the multiplier goes before one cashes out, the bigger their winnings.

Given the temptation of high winnings, Mwanza gambled with his tuition fee but the plane took flight before he could cash out anything.

Copperbelt commanding officer Peacewell Mweemba has revealed that Mwanza failed to stomach the loss, resorting to taking a poisonous substance.

“Cephas Mwanza aged 22, unemployed, took his life after taking some toxic substances [Doom]. And the matter was reported at Mushili Police post,” Mr Mweemba said, “The deceased left a note which gave reasons as to why he took his life and one of the reasons is that he played a game of chance called Aviator which swallowed his money which his elder brother gave him and which was believed to be K5000.00 for tuitions,”

Mwanza was discovered laying unconscious by his mother, beside him was a bottle of toxic substance.

(Mwebantu, Sunday, 18th February, 2024)

15/02/2024

Invention at its best

12/02/2024

CHIPOLOPOLO may have never reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast but Zambia will have some representation with referee Diana Chikotesha among the officials.
Chikotesha has been appointed second assistant in Sunday’s final that pits Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast.
“FI...

08/02/2024

VEDANTA LOOKING FOR PARTNERSHIP Vedanta Base Metals CEO Chris Griffith says the company is talking to a range of financing partners to raise money for a restart of its Konkola Copper Mines unit in Zambia, including the sale of a minority stake in KCM. "We are in the fundraising process at the moment to raise $1.3 billion," he said. That may involve one of a number of potential outcomes, "one of which is a potential equity sale into Vedanta's 80% that we own in KCM", he added. Source: The Economic Times, Nasdaq, Business Standard.

08/02/2024

07/02/2024

UPND COUNCILOR SWINDLES A KAMUCHANGA FAMILY
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Mufulira’s Chachacha Ward Councilor Danny Lumasa has swindled a Kamuchanga single mother and her daughter of K200,000.

Councilor Lumasa allegedly used the said Single mother's Daughter from Kamuchanga's O Section to apply for a CDF grant and submitted the woman's house as collateral but lied to this family that he is trying to help them take the daughter to University on government sponsorship.

An initial amount of K50,000 was credited in the young lady's account upon which Councilor Lumasa collected everything from the young lady and told her that the balance of K150,000 will be credited the following day.

After the civic leader got all the money from the young lady, the lady went and narrated the story to the mother who advised her to withdraw the remaining money the following day. So the young lady proceeded to the bank and withdrew the money and took it home.

Upon learning that the young lady has withdrawn the money, the Chachacha civic leader charged to the family's residence accompanied by his wife and teenage daughter, and armed Police officers and ordered them to arrest the young lady. The lady was allegedly harassed and threatened of being taken to jail until she gives the money to the Councilor. Neighbors and onlookers witnessed the councilor insulting this woman and her daughter.
“Ba Councilor baishile na bakashi no mwana wabo umukashana, elo bonse batatu batampa ukutuka bana Gile balebeba ati mwenchushi mwe tamutasha. (the councilor had come with his wife and his daughter and they took turns insulting the woman and her daughter calling them poor and ungrateful).’ One of the neighbors who sought anonymity narrated. “kwati ba kapokola na bababosha pantu umulandu ulefinina bana Gile na Gile (it’s like the police have been bribed because the case is not favoring Grace’s mother and Grace).” The informant continued.
“I haven’t stolen anything because when signing the papers I was told this money is for my University. Now am surprised that they calling us thieves when it is our house that was used as collaterial and they used my brother Mulenga to sign surety.” Grace was heard explaining to the police by onlookers.
The councilor is alleged to have later offered a K1,000 kwacha to Grace’s mother but the woman refused the money and demanded that the whole transaction be cancelled and her house removed from being held as collateral.
Kopala snitch is following this story keenly and will update you with all the latest developments.

04/02/2024

Ease is a greater threat to success than hardship…
~Denzel Washington

31/01/2024

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30/10/2023

EIGHT Patriotic Front (PF) cadres have been arrested for causing a fracas yesterday at their party secretariat in Lusaka.

https://www.facebook.com/100064560977290/posts/735106258651400/

The eight are believed to have exhibited unruly behaviour which caused a breach of peace.

Police have also refuted social media claims of a shooting incident in which it is alleged that Andy Luki junior ,a camera personnel was shot at and treated at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said the fracas took place yesterday at the PF secretariat along panganani road in Lusaka.

"Police apprehended and detained eight unruly Patriotic Party cadres for the offence of Conduct likely to cause a breach of the Peace. This occurred at Patriotic Front Party Secretariat along Panganani road. Brief facts of the matter are that Patriotic Front Cadres who had gone to the party Secretariat and became unruly. Alert Police officers managed to apprehend eight of them and calmed the situation," he said.

Mr Hamoonga said the suspects have been detained for the offence of conduct likely to cause a breach of the Peace and will appear in court soon.

He said those detained are Shadreck Munkombwe, of Lilanda Township, Luckson Maliti of Mutendere township, Solomon Harrison Banda of Mandevu township,Walaza Daka of Kanyama township, Sydney Solo of Kanyama township, Felix Mutale of Kanyama site and service, Isaac Chewe of Garden House and George Banda of Mutendere township.

"In a related development the Zambia Police would like to inform the public that we have not recorded any incident of shooting involving Andy Luki Junior as alleged on social media resulting from the fracas that happened at the Patriotic Front Secretariat yesterday."

"We did make effort to check with the University Teaching Hospital as the place that he was alleged to have been treated from, which revealed that the hospital did not attend to such a person," he said.

He strongly encouraged z all individuals to act responsibly, peacefully and within the boundaries of the law.

Mr Hamoonga has further warned all those that want to cause chaos that their actions will be met with the full wrath of the law.

(Mwebantu, Monday, 30th October, 2023)

EIGHT Patriotic Front (PF) cadres have been arrested for causing a fracas yesterday at their party secretariat in Lusaka.
The eight are believed to have exhibited unruly behaviour which caused a breach of peace.
Police have also refuted social media claims of a shooting incident in which it is alle...