UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Zambia News Online - (41), 5/20/98

Zambia News Online - (41), 5/20/98

ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE/ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE

Edition: #41 20 May 1998

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A bi-monthly update of news from Zambia!

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In this edition:
Feature:
ZAMBIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER SCRUTINY
Stories:
1. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS UNDER INVESTIGATION
2. TREASON TRIAL STARTS JUNE 1
3. UNIP VICE-PRESIDENT REFUSES TO RESIGN
4. UNIP CAUTIOUS ABOUT COMING OUT OF SELF-IMPOSED EXILE
5. SELL OF KEY MINES STALLS
6. ELECTRICITY SUPPLY MONOPOLY TO END
7. RENOWED ZAMBIAN ASTROLOGER AND AFRICAN MEDICINE HEALER GOES INTO RESEARCH
8. ZAMBIA'S SOCCER AT A CROSS ROADS

Feature:

ZAMBIA'S HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER SCRUTINY

Zambia's human rights record has again come under close scrutiny.But with it has also come a contention that human rights bodies raise their voices only if it is rights of prominent persons that are being infringed. These voices were raised to new heights recently as Zambia presented her case to the Consultative Group of bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors for financial assistance.

As Zambia's delegation headed for the Consultative Group meeting in Paris, so did some human rights bodies and they began underscoring the need for donors to tie aid to Zambia's human rights records.Both international and local human rights bodies contend that Zambia does not deserve aid because of its poor human rights record and lukewarm efforts in trying to correct the situation.

Leading the campaign was London-based Amnesty International and Afronet, based in Lusaka.Amnesty International said in a statement released in Paris on the day Zambia was presenting its case, that donors must demand concrete and effective human rights reforms in Zambia before aid is released.

"We had wanted to be able to congratulate the Government of Zambia for initiating human rights reforms, but unfortunately it has failed to tackle effectively recent violations such as police torture of political detainees, nor has it made any promise to change laws that enabled that torture," Amnesty International said.The human rights body also demanded that the Zambian government act more urgently on human rights and that there should be immediate and concrete steps to take action against any one, especially police officers, alleged to have tortured coup detainees. Some of the 82 people arrested and charged with either treason or misprision of treason are said to have been tortured by police.They were arrested after the October 28, 1997 failed military coup.Of the 82, 78 are soldiers.

``There should be immediate and concrete steps by authorities to suspend and institute prosecutions against those who were allegedly involved in the torture of coup detainees who had a prima facie case established against them," Amnesty International stressed.The initial evidence of torture was established by a Permanent Human Rights Commission established by government last year following growing demands for such an establishment.

Amnesty International and other human rights bodies like Human Rights Watch and the Zambia Independent Monitoring Team (ZIMT) enhanced their pressure by staging a protest outside the World Bank building in which the Consultative Group meeting was being held.They distributed literature on Zambia's human rights record and the need to pressure the country into heading towards human rights reforms more speedily.The protestors, however, failed to draw the direct attention of some key players in the talks.

Zambia's delegation leader to the talks, Finance Minister Edith Nawakwi, faced the protestors on the steps of the building.After the exchange of a few pleasantries, she demanded that the human rights bodies should first understand Zambia's situation and its people thoroughly before committing themselves to a protest.This did not cause the protestors to waver. Amnesty International further stated: Fundamental reforms have not been initiated and that any reports concerning human rights should be made public.

Nawakwi, however, says that Zambia has one of the best human rights records and took a swipe at local human rights organisations which "campaigned against their own country".She said it was unpatriotic for any Zambian, even in the name of human rights, to start campaigning against his own country. She said a cut in aid to the country would affect the most vulnerable groups of the society more.

In an apparent preemptive action, a week before the meeting in Paris, government announced that the Permanent Human Rights Commission has submitted to government an official report on alleged torture of coup suspects.Government also announced that a special complaints tribunal would be established to receive complaints about offences especially against operations of the Zambia Police service and other law enforcement agencies. The police force has in recent months come under severe criticism from members of the public for alleged excessive use of force in effecting arrests.

Home Affairs Minister Dr Peter Machungwa said the Human Rights Commission was working in liaison with the Ministry of Legal Affairs towards establishment of an impartial inquiry.He said the process of amending the Zambia Police Act and establishing the complaints authority had already begun.

Amnesty International described this as a tactic to persuade donors that real changes had taken place.Amnesty International says that in March this year it released a report documenting allegations that at least six political detainees were tortured by police and it (AI) made a series of recommendations which have not been initiated."The police who appear to have run a torture chamber in the Zambia Police Force Headquarters remain on the job, in charge of suspects taken into custody, and must now feel they are immune from prosecution."

Zambia, however, is in no position to relax on police officers accused of torture.Parliament has also been voicing its concern about the allegations of torture and Legal Affairs Minister Dr Vincent Malambo has indicated that action would be taken after the receipt of the report from the Human Rights Commission.

And,although Zambia has won $530 million in aid from the bilateral and multi-lateral donors, the money will flow only if there is progress in human rights reforms , democracy and governance.Because Zambia is desperate for the money, it is almost inevitable that the coup suspects will get their rights and some accused torturers could be charged.But it also remains to be seen if there will be as much pressure on government on the need to provide other basic human rights to less prominent citizens.

Stories:

1. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS UNDER INVESTIGATION

Amid speculation of gross incompetence, Zambia's Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has been suspended from office by President Chiluba and placed under investigation.Meebelo Kalima, in office for barely a year, has in recent months been under increased pressure and accusations of delaying the start of the treason trial of 82 persons accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

Chiluba's spokesman Richard Sakala who announced the suspension declined to say why Kalima has been suspended but said Chiluba has appointed three senior justices to investigate Kalima's conduct.Kalima too has declined to say why he has been suspended

2.TREASON TRIAL STARTS JUNE 1

Over seven months after the failed military coup, a treason trial of 78 soldiers and two politicians finally starts on June 1 - two months later than stated.Also expected to start on the same date is the misprision (concealment) of treason trial of former president Kenneth Kaunda and his security chief Moyce Kaulungombe.

The state has lined up 163 witnesses, mostly soldiers and policemen.The list of witnesses includes Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation staff who were on duty on the morning of October 18, 1997 when a unit of soldiers took control of the state-owned radio station and announced a military take-over through a Captain Steven Lungu.Former Army Commander Lieutenant General Nobby Simbeye and his wife Kinah are also witnesses.Simbeye is said to have escaped from his home just before rebellious soldiers captured it and held his wife captive.Simbeye was retired from the Army soon after the coup was crushed.

3.UNIP VICE-PRESIDENT REFUSES TO RESIGN

United National Independence Party (UNIP) vice-president Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta is in an awkward position over his continued stay in the party post. Many of his subjects prefer that he gets out of politics but the comparatively young traditional and political leader says he will keep wearing his two hats.Recent speculation that he had quit politics was received with wide congratulations by his subjects, the Lozi people who dominate the vast Western Province of Zambia.But this joy was short-lived as Inyambo said he was not ready to quit yet.

Inyambo is apparently following his father's political-come-chieftainship footsteps.His father, paramount chief of the Lozi, was once a member of UNIP's inner leadership core.But the paramount chief has bowed out of politics and now appears more comfortable with the new government framed by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) which accords him special treatment.

4. UNIP CAUTIOUS ABOUT COMING OUT OF SELF-IMPOSED EXILE

The former ruling party, UNIP, is showing increasing signs of wanting to return to the political scene but is being cautious about it.Renewed evidence of UNIP desiring to get into active politics has been noted in a forthcoming parliamentary by-election.Although UNIP is not contesting the election, it has sent some of its senior members to help campaign for candidate of another opposition party.

And more UNIP leaders have voiced their support for the party contesting local government elections coming up later this year.UNIP fell out of government after losing the 1991 elections and they boycotted the 1996 polls on the contention that the voters' register was manipulated to ensure a victory for the MMD.

5. SELL OF KEY MINES STALLS

The Privatisation of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), Zambia's main foreign income earner, has run into a hitch.The initially smooth process run into trouble when the government failed to reach an agreement with a potential buyer over the sell of two key mines - the Nchanga and the Nkana mines.There are no concrete signs of a new potential buyer coming up, but mines minister Dr Syamukayumbu Siyamujaye says sooner rather than later a buyer would be found.

A buyer seemed on hand until recently when negotiations between government and Kafue Consortium collapsed.The negotiations seemed on course until the consortium made fresh demands which government said it could not accept. The consortium initially offered $150 million and demanded 300 housing units and offered ZCCM a retention interest of 12 per cent.They later reduced the retention interest to six per cent.They also demanded free electricity from another former ZCCM company that has since been privatised.

6. ELECTRICITY SUPPLY MONOPOLY TO END

A monopoly of electricity supply in Zambia is expected to soon come to an end when four new suppliers begin providing the service.Four foreign companies have had their applications for the supply of electricity approved but the Energy Regulation Board has declined to disclose which these companies are.

The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is currently the only supplier of electric energy and it is coming under increasing criticism over what customers perceive to be too high rates.

7.RENOWED ZAMBIAN ASTROLOGER AND AFRICAN MEDICINE HEALER GOES INTO RESEARCH

An internationally acclaimed astrologer and African medicine doctor is to set up a research centre in Lusaka to held give credence to herbal medicines. Dr Rodger Ng'ombe,a qualified conventional doctor but who now concentrates on herbal medicines and fortune telling, said he would carry out research for the benefit of the Southern Africa sub-region.Dr Ng'ombe, who has a home in Switzerland, says he is a millionaire in dollar terms and would like to invest some of his wealth in research.

Dr Ng'ombe, who travels around the world to administer his medicine and to fortune tell for a wide range of customers, says that by building a modern clinic he hopes to set new standards in herbal healing and remove the stigma of the practice being associated with witchcraft.

8.ZAMBIA'S SOCCER AT A CROSS ROADS

Zambia's favourite sport is at a crossroads and under serious threat of sinking into the doldrums.This follows the dissolution of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) executive committee by the National Sports Council of Zambia, the supreme sports governing body in the country. The Sports Council dissolved the committee on grounds of it "misapplying" K789 million (about $400,000) given by the government for the national soccer team's participation in the Africa Cup finals in Burkina Faso last February.

An interim committee has been appointed and tasked to call for fresh elections within 60 days of its appointment.But the dissolved committee, in office for just 11 months of it four-year term, contends it is still the legitimate committee to run soccer in the country.Its president Teddy Mulonga says: "As far as we are concerned, the FAZ constitution mandates us to continue in office."

He also says that it is unconstitutional for the sports council to dissolve the committee. However, Sports Council general secretary Mathew Mulwanda counters by saying that the council is empowered to dissolve the executive committee but not the whole football association. FIFA, the World soccer governing body, also says that it only recognizes the committee headed by Mulonga.

Mulonga and his executive have been forced out of the FAZ secretariat but they say they will form another one in another building.It is, however, unlikely that the ousted executive committee will continue to have much influence as clubs and the national soccer team have since started following programmes set by the new committee.

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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network), AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk Date: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 15:10:19 +0200 Subject: ZAMBIA NEWS ONLINE #41 Message-ID: <1262354431.21094335@inform-bbs.dk>

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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