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ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS
ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE
#18 13 May 1997
ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE is written by Zambian journalists in Zambia and brings you the news from their point of view. It is assembled and edited by South Africa Contact, the former anti-apartheid movement in Denmark, publishers of i'Afrika, a quarterly magazine concentrating on Southern Africa.
ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE joins MALAWI NEWS ONLINE and TANZANIA NEWS ONLINE in providing up to date news from our established network of journalists in Southern Africa. These newsletters will be followed, in the very near future, by individual news updates from other countries in the region.
ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE is brought to you through a co-operation
between South Africa Contact and Inform, Denmark's
leading alternative information network.
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In this edition:
Feature:ZAMBIA'S POLITICAL OPPOSITION FALLS APART
Stories:
1 a. ZAMBIA'S UNEASY CALM WITH ZAIREAN REBELS
1 b. COUNCILLORS DEMAND REMOVAL OF REFUGEES
1 c. ZAIREAN AMBASSADOR TO ZAMBIA THREATENED
2. 'MOCKERY' LABOUR DAY AWARDS RILE CIVIL SERVANTS
3. SEX WORKERS RESIST ANTI-AIDS DRIVE
4. a SATANISM CREEPING INTO CHRISTIAN ZAMBIA
4 b....AS DIVISIONS ROCK CHURCHES
5. THE NEEDY ATTACK CONCERNED NGO
6. ZAMBIA THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF COMMONWEALTH
BOXING COUNCIL
7. ZAMBIA'S SOCCER FORTUNES WANE
Feature:
ZAMBIA'S POLITICAL OPPOSITION FALLS APART
Six months into the MMD's second five-year term of rule, Zambia has become a virtual one-party state. All the major opposition political parties have virtually fallen apart and there is no indication that any of them could soon resurrect to give the ruling MMD any serious threat to their continued governance.
The anger and threats that some of the parties expressed after being defeated in the last parliamentary and presidential election (November 1996), has all but died out. The only voices of opposition now being heard are in court and occasionally in the MMD-dominated parliament. Many members in some of the key opposition parties like UNIP and the Zambia Democratic Congress (ZDC) are now disillusioned about the quality of their leaders and the fate of their prospective parties. Many of them are leaving the parties to join the MMD.
UNIP leader Kenneth Kaunda, whose party boycotted the 1996 elections, has dampened the morale of some of his party members by failing to produce the 'killer punch' to the MMD as he promised soon after the elections. Kaunda had said that there was something being worked on and that the MMD would not last one month of its new term of office. The ZDC leader, Dean Mung'omba, had also threatened to make the MMD's rule difficult by what ever means available.
Six months on, however, the MMD seems stronger than ever before while the rest of the opposition parties continue desperately trying to hold on to the few members who have remained loyal to their respective parties. This effort to retain members has proved difficult for UNIP, the ZDC and even the National Party that has five members of Parliament. Pressure, particularly on the UNIP and ZDC leadership, has been mounting over the months with members demanding that they be told the direction the parties were headed. The leaders have failed to give convincing answers resulting in a steady stream of resignations.
While Kaunda and Mung'omba, on the few occasions they have spoken in recent months, contend that the MMD government is losing popularity and that the economy was on the wane, factors on the ground reflect a different story. President Chiluba who led the MMD to victory in 1991 and to another landslide in 1996, is evidently still popular. At a recent international soccer match at Zambia's national stadium President Chiluba was given a standing ovation as he entered the stadium. This was in sharp contrast to the kind of reception Kaunda was given some six years ago at the same stadium on the eve of the 1991 elections. Kaunda, the then president, was jeered and his motorcade pelted with orange peel and plastic bottles.
The opposition parties are also making it easier for the MMD to consolidate its hold on power by staying away from parliamentary by-elections. All the major parties which had been expected to take part in three parliamentary by-elections at the end of this month have chickened out and now the MMD seems headed for a walkover. UNIP says it sees no point in taking part in these elections having boycotted the 1996 elections. The ZDC says it will stay away because it does not believe that the electoral process in the country guarantees fairness. The Liberal Progressive Front says it does not have money to fund candidates and the National Party says it will be up to its members in the respective constituencies.
UNIP and the ZDC have said they will never take part in any by-elections until the supreme court makes a ruling on their joint petition over their dispute of President Chiluba's eligibility to contest the last presidential elections. They contend the Chiluba is not a Zambian by birth and therefore, going by the Zambian constitution, does not qualify to contest the elections. "We cannot participate in an election of which we have raised serious questions about the entire process. That would be inconsistent with our position of staying away," Mung'omba says.
The inability by most of the other parties to contest the polls, however, is due to lack of popularity and problems of finance. As National Lima Party co-chairman Dr Guy Scott says, "we are not fielding any candidate in these elections because we do not have the capacity to do so in terms of resources. The party is just being practical. By-elections require a lot of money, which we don't have."
Elections are due for the Mwembeshi (Central Province), Petauke (Eastern Province) and Zambezi East (North-western Province) seats on May 28 following the deaths of the incumbents. The MMD has already announced its three candidates to contest the seats. The three, who include one woman, were picked from a list of 31 applicants.
With opposition from other parties now virtually non-existent, the MMD members have in recent months increased their 'fights' among themselves. In-fighting increasingly appears to be the major 'opposition' that the MMD faces. Despite constant calls by party leaders for unity, MMD members continue to oppose each other especially on selection of candidates to contest elections. In the 1996 elections, several members broke away from the MMD to contest the elections as independent candidates. Although only 10 managed to get seats in parliament, the option of contesting elections as independents, if not adopted by the party, remains popular.
The rift in the MMD could, however, come in the quest for party presidency after Chiluba completes his second and final term of office in 2001. Already several names are being floated as potential candidates. The picture of who the candidates are, however, remains hazy because of the strong opposition some influential leaders have against an early campaign for party presidency. MMD leaders in Lusaka, Luapula and the Copperbelt, the three most influential provinces, say that they are aware of some senior leaders who have long been campaigning and have warned that these leaders would be "dealt with". Among the MMD leaders said to be front-runners for the presidency are vice-president Godfrey Miyanda, MMD national secretary Michael Sata and Defence Minister Ben Mwila. All have, however, denied interest in the presidency.
However, Lusaka Province MMD youth chairman Michael Bwalya says he and other leaders in the province are aware of continued "clandestine' campaigning and demanded that these presidential hopefuls quit their government or party posts and openly campaign. Luapula Province Minister Norman Chibamba says party organisation in the area had been adversely affected because of the early campaign for the 2001 elections. And Copperbelt MMD chairman says the presidential hopefuls were giving out huge sums of money to party members to help them in their underground campaign. He warned that any party cadre found accepting such money would be punished.
The MMD leaders are evidently not worried about who they field for presidency in 2001. With the opposition parties in virtual tatters, they can afford to fight among themselves and leave the campaign for the few months before elections.
Stories:
1 a. ZAMBIA'S UNEASY CALM WITH ZAIREAN REBELS
Despite the relative calm that has returned to Zairean towns near the vast Zambian border, the Zambian government has warned that it is not safe to venture into the war-torn country. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Shimba says that the government cannot guarantee the safety of any Zambian who ventures into Zaire. Shimba's warning follows the killing of two Zambians along a road that links two regions of Zambia, through Zaire.
However, several traders and residents in Luapula and the Copperbelt, the two regions linked by this road, have objected to proposals that the road be closed. They argue that the situation is not as bad as projected in the news media. The bodies of the two Zambians, said to have been shot by bandits, were returned to Lusaka with the help of soldiers of the rebel forces fighting to depose President Mobuto.
1 b. COUNCILLORS DEMAND REMOVAL OF REFUGEES
Councillors of a small border town on the Copperbelt Province have resolved that some 93 Zairean refugees accommodated at a community centre in the town, be shifted to another site because they were a health and security threat. The councillors of Chililabombwe contend that keeping the refugees at the centre which has only one water tap and one toilet could cause an outbreak of a highly contagious disease like cholera.
1 c. ZAIREAN AMBASSADOR TO ZAMBIA THREATENED
An anonymous letter has been sent to officials of the Zairean Embassy, including the ambassador, threatening them with death if they don't leave their posts. The letter, written in French, Zaire's official language, demands that the embassy officials vacate the station immediately. The authors of the letter claim to be supporters of the Zairean rebel forces led by Laurent Kabila.
But Ambassador Bongo Lenga Zongakusa has declined to comment on the threats and continues to operate from the embassy.
2. 'MOCKERY' LABOUR DAY AWARDS RILE CIVIL SERVANTS
The Civil Servants Union of Zambia (CSUZ) has been riled by "mediocre" Labour Day awards given by government and some companies to workers as appreciation for their labour. CSUZ general secretary Japhet Monde says some of the awards given demoralised rather than motivated the workers because they (awards) fell far below expectations. He was particularly perturbed by the giving of K10,000 (about US$9) to some workers as Labour Day Awards.
The May 1 Labour Day celebrations were boycotted by some civil servants in protest against government's delay to pay them the previous month's salaries. They boycott was supported by the opposition political party, UNIP. The boycott was, however, hardly felt at most celebrations around the country.
3. SEX WORKERS RESIST ANTI-AIDS DRIVE
Sex workers, the most targeted in the fight against Aids, are proving to be the biggest hurdle in the effort. A recent survey conducted by a NGO that helps in reforming prostitutes, revealed that up to 78% of the sex workers interviewed do not care about practising safe sex by using condoms.
The NGO, Tasintha, also notes that there is a growing number of teenage prostitutes, mostly young girls between 12 and 15. Lusaka, which has a population of about 1.2 million people, is said to have over 4,000 prostitutes. Recent reports also reveal that some of the reformed prostitutes turn back to the trade because of the economic difficulties they face in attempting to build new lives. 4. a SATANISM CREEPING INTO CHRISTIAN ZAMBIA
There are increasing reports around the country of the practice of Satanism and the Christian community has expressed concern over this. Of more concern are strong allegations that some of the heads of Satanist groups are senior Christian church members. Both the print and electronic media has in recent weeks carried reports of confessions of reformed Satanists who claim that weird rituals are carried out by the Satanists.
Several Christian groups have called for a concerted effort to rid their religious community of the Satanists but evidently so far little has been achieved. According to some of the reformists, mostly young women, the Satanists operate in highly secret communities and are very careful with the way they choose their recruits. The practice has been reported in Lusaka and the Copperbelt Province.
4 b....AS DIVISIONS ROCK CHURCHES
Three major churches in Zambia have in recent weeks been rocked by divisions among its members, resulting in splits in two of the cases.
A key Pentecostal church in Lusaka split recently following a struggle for power among its leaders. In another case, a 32-year old union between the United Church of Zambia, the Church of Barotseland and the Methodist Church ended with a split early this month Even more recently, divisions have rocked the Reformed Church of Zambia in Lusaka in another leadership wrangle.
5. THE NEEDY ATTACK CONCERNED NGO
Concern by a human rights non-governmental organisation about women having to do manual work in exchange for food has drawn a sharp reaction from these labourers. The Southern African Human Rights Foundation contends that compelling women to work for food was no different from child labour and that this was an infringement of human rights. The foundation's executive director Archibald Ngcobo says that the food for work scheme, run by Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM), another NGO, was modern slavery.
Some women involved in the scheme argue , however, that they appreciate the effort PAM was doing and demanded that the foundation stops discouraging organisations that were helping keep them from starving. The scheme involves mostly women who repair gravel roads in townships in exchange for food.
6. ZAMBIA THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF COMMONWEALTH BOXING COUNCIL Zambia is contemplating withdrawing from the Commonwealth Boxing Council because of alleged biased officiating against Zambian boxers contesting for titles in the union. The Zambia Professional Boxing Control Board chairman Hillary Matyola says there is no point in Zambia continuing to belong to the union when it is evident that Zambian boxers were being robbed of titles through biased refereeing.
Matyola's sentiments were in reaction to the declaration that Zambian boxer Felix Bwalya had lost the light-welterweight title fight to Britain's Bernard Paul by half a point. Matyola contended that Bwalya won the fight as also printed in virtually all British newspapers writing on the fight fought in London. Zambia has officially protested against the verdict to the CDC. The case will be heard next month.
7. ZAMBIA'S SOCCER FORTUNES WANE
Hopes of Zambia qualifying for the World Cup soccer finals remains low despite the recent 3-0 victory over current group leaders Congo. Zambia is in third place on the four-team table and needs to win its remaining two matches while hoping that the other contenders Congo and South Africa lose their matches.
Zambia has meanwhile shelved plans to recruit an expatriate coach to take over the coaching of the national soccer team. The Football Association of Zambia and the government had sent two officials on a recruitment mission to Mexico but they came back empty handed because of the enormous sums demanded by the potential coaches.
There is, however, a growing demand that Zambia uses a local coach, George Mungwa, who coached the team when it beat Malawi 4-0 in a regional competition, and Congo 3-0 in the World Cup qualifying rounds. ***********************************
From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:15:40 +0200 Subject: ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE #18 Message-ID: <1262325655.68044598@inform-bbs.dk>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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