T-Sean finds connection

AWARD-WINNING dancehall artiste T-Sean aka DJ Baila last weekend returned to Livingstone, the tourist capital in grand style.
His last performance in the tourist capital was in July last year at the Miss Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) beauty pageant at the New Fairmount Hotel.

T Sean on stage at Club Connect. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

But last weekend, the singer, songwriter, rapper and producer was at Club Connect.
He certainly found the right connection. Opened last month, Club Connect looks nothing like Seven Eleven.
It is a place higher.
The lighting and sound system is top class. Little wonder it is a preferred spot for party goers. T-Sean pulled a fairly large crowd. The organisers wanted him to get on stage at 02:00 hours to allow for more people to troop into the nightspot, but he was not having any of it.

Fans join in on the fan. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

After performances from Green Horns based in Livingstone such as MJ, Edmarck, Counselor Mwape and Sky Empire, the impatient fans, who could not wait any longer after hearing that T-Sean, demanded that he steps on stage.
At exactly, 00:35 hours after D Stereo’s performance, the wait for T-Sean, who was mobbed backstage by local artistes and even workers at the club, was over.
He was on stage.
He opened his performance with an anthem before going on to perform some of his old hits songs such as Sinizaibala, Daily Daily, 90 Days and Wonder Why, a song that he recorded in 2010 with B1 at K Amy studios.
“I am humbled that you guys are singing along to this song that I recorded eight years ago,” he told the fans as he went down on his knees to salute them. Other songs he performed are Mayeso and Don’t Lead Me On, which he saved for last. At exactly 02:55 hours, he left the stage.

But fans still wanted more. Today, he is in Kasama where he is expected to perform.
On his return, T-Sean will tomorrow and Sunday make stop overs in Kitwe and Kabwe respectively where he is scheduled to perform before staging more shows in Lusaka.
Club Connect on the other hand is today hosting the Lusaka Bikers who have a performance tomorrow. 

T Sean is joined on stage by female fan. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

T Sean makes his way to the stage. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

T Sean on stage

Desmond Laws with DJ Dexter on the decks. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

A fan takes a selfie with T Sean backstage at Club Connect in Livingstone. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

Date set for Mosi Day of Thunder

ZAMBIAN Breweries, the sponsors of the Mosi Day of Thunder, have officially confirmed Africa Freedom Day as the date for the music extravaganza.

A statement released by Langmead and Media says Zambian Breweries is eagerly anticipating another fun-filled day of festivities in the tourist capital, Livingstone.
“The last two Mosi Day of Thunder concerts have been a great success and we look forward to having another fantastic celebration of music, arts and culture,” Zambian Breweries country director Jose Moran says.
“The Mosi Day of Thunder has become a highlight of the entertainment and social calendar in the last two years. The 2018 event will be the third instalment of the successful music show and promises to be even bigger and better than ever.”
Last year’s concert attracted over 7,000 party enthusiasts from across Zambia. It was headlined by Tanzanian bongo flava recording artiste and dancer Naseeb Abdul Juma, otherwise widely known by his stage name of Diamond Platnumz.
He was supported by local musical heavyweights like Danny Kaya, Urban Hype, James Sakala, Jay Rox, Chef 187, Slap Dee, Marimba Band from Avani, DJ Psycho Tash and the Bittersweet poets.
Zambian Breweries expanded the format of last year’s event to include the best of the country’s arts and culture, as well as arranging for ticket holders to get free access to the stunning Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls, aka The Smoke that Thunders.

Livingstone Museum visits drop

THE Livingstone Museum recorded a drop in the number of visits from a total of 37,072 in 2016 to 31,910 in 2017.

The Museum

This is despite recording an increase in revenue in 2017, compared to 2016 when it recorded a higher number of visits.
A total of K566,007 was realised from entry fees in 2017, compared to K469,351 in 2016.http://epaper.daily-mail.co.zm/

Up close with Zambia’s Public Protector

DO YOU have any complaint about the services offered by a public institution or any public official?

Mrs Zulu

Don’t worry. Caroline Chuma Sokoni may be able to help you.
Who is this Mrs Sokoni? Perhaps you might be wondering.
She is the country’s Public Protector, or, in other words, the ombudsman entrusted with the mandate to promote and safeguard the interests and the rights of an individual in their quest to receive a ‘public service’ that is not only just, but also fair.
That is who Mrs Sokoni, 51, is – Zambia’s Ombudsman.
The concept of the institution of the ombudsman dates back to 1809 in Sweden, when the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman was established in order to safeguard the rights of its citizens.
The ombudsman’s office was set up to be a supervisory agency which was independent of the executive branch of government.
In the 1960s, the institution spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Zambia was the second in Africa to establish this office in 1973.
The institution has been recognised as an office provided for by the constitution and is headed by the Public Protector, formerly designated as the Investigator General.
The name change came about when President Edgar Lungu signed the Constitution Bill number 17 of 2015 which, among other clauses, changed the office of the Investigator General to the Office of the Public Protector.
This constitutional innovation provides the institution of the public protector with the necessary protection required for it to properly carry out the functions of the ombudsman with integrity and independence.
This reporter caught up with the Public Protector recently.
She said her office, which has been in existence for many years, is open to anyone, regardless of their status.
“Everyone can be vulnerable due to a bureaucratic system. It could be as a result of their social, economic or even biological status,” she says.
The institution itself may have been there for a long time, but it is still not popular among the general populace – whose interest it was set out to protect.
According to Mrs Sokoni, the office of the Public Protector is not popular due to many reasons, one being lack of coordination between political will and implementation.
“For people to know and have confidence, they must see you perform. The law has given us the mandate to protect people. We have been given the legislative mandate, but we haven’t really been given the institutional mandate just yet,” she says
The transformation from the old system was to give the institution autonomy over the executive.
“As it is, all the operatives are from the old system. We haven’t really been given the autonomy and powers that we require, especially by the implementers,” she says.
Mrs Zulu says her office has had challenges attending to cases and increasing her office’s visibility because it was still operating under the old system.
She adds, “We want to be weaned off from the executive completely. Let them give us the institutional autonomy by cutting off all the links they still have with us.”
Mrs Zulu is however hopeful that once the new system is fully implemented, people will come to know and appreciate the office of the Public Protector.
“I still don’t have deputies, registrars, directors, and I only have very few investigation officers. All the operatives are from the Public Service Commission, which shouldn’t be the case,” she says.
However, as the saying goes, ‘a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’, the office has been doing everything within its means to attend to cases.
One major milestone has been advocating for the change of the Ombudsman’s Office from an Executive Ombudsman which made the operations of the office restrictive as it operated in camera to a Parliamentary Ombudsman Office.
“We are getting there,” she says before adding that her office’s mandate is bigger than that of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
“With us, we can investigate any case. We have unlimited jurisdiction within the confines of maladministration,” she says.
Under the former constitution, the office of the Investigator General merely made recommendations to the institutions complained against.
The office of the Public Protector goes further. It may, among other functions, investigate an action or decision taken or to be taken by a state institution in the performance of an administrative function.
It may bring an action before a court, hear an appeal by a person relating to an action or decision taken or to be taken in respect of that person.
The office may also make a decision on an action to be taken against a public officer or constitutional office holder, which decision shall be implemented by an appropriate authority.
About Mrs Sokoni – the Ombudsman.
She began her professional career after admission to the Bar in 1989 as a State Advocate under the then Ministry of Legal Affairs (now known as Ministry of Justice).
In 1997, she pursued a Masters of Law in Criminology from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London in the United Kingdom.
She served under the Ministry of Justice for 15 years.
It was during her time at the ministry that her professional career began to rise. From State Advocate (1989-1993) to Assistant Senior Advocate (1993-1995) to Senior State Advocate (1995-1998), Assistant Principal Advocate (1998-2001), and Deputy Chief Advocate (2001-2004), till her appointment as Acting Director of Public Prosecutions for the Ministry of Justice in February 2004.
In November 2004, she was appointed as the Investigator General for Zambia’s National Ombudsman Office.
At the time of her appointment, the office was known as the Commission for Investigations.
Currently serving as Public Protector of Zambia, Mrs SokonZulu has served under the position of the country’s Ombudsman for 13 years.
As Zambia’s Ombudsman and through her passion and dedication towards her professional career, she continues to fulfil the core mandate of the office, which is to combat vices of maladministration in the Public Service by promoting principles of good governance, democracy and the rule of law.
She has used her position as Ombudsman of Zambia to advocate for the rights of Zambian citizens that face abuse and discrimination through the public service system.
Besides her success as Zambia’s Ombudsman, Mrs Zulu has contributed to the growth of the institution of the ombudsman on the International platform. She served as the Africa Ombudsman Mediators Association (AOMA) SADC Coordinator from 2009 to 2014 and currently holds the position of treasurer general. Between 2009 and 2013, she served as Regional Director for Anglophone Africa on the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) board.
She has been elected twice, in 2013 and 2016 respectively, to hold the position of IOI Africa regional president which she currently holds.
She attributes her success as a woman in a male-dominated industry to her stance on accomplishing her duties with excellence and integrity as her personal values and mantra.
So, if you are a victim of an unfair or delayed public service delivery system, do not suffer in silence. The Public Protector is there for you. You have the right to a fair, efficient and expeditious public service.

Explaining FISP reforms

SPEAKING at the Caucus of African governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Gaborone Botswana, recently, minister of Finance Felix Mutati said structural reforms in the agriculture sector were key to the economic transformation of the country.

He said that Government had taken a different approach in financing and supporting the sector. How? You could be wondering.

It has made policy reforms to do away with the ordinary Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the electronic voucher system.

What’s even better is that it has been rolled out to all 113 districts from the initial 53.
Mr Mutati said the shift is in line with Government’s commitment to safeguarding expenditure and channelling support to the right people.
“The e-voucher has eliminated a lot of costs. So far, a lot of farmers that were on the programme out of duplication have been eliminated. We are now going to get more beneficiaries,” he said.
The Zambia Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) has in the past called on Government to make reforms in the manner in which the Farmer Input Support Programme is implemented in order to increase its effect on nutrition.
In a joint submission to the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services recently, the CSO-SUN) and the Centre for Trade Policy and Dialogue said FISP had failed to address the high levels of malnutrition in Zambia.
CSO-SUN Zambia advocacy and communications manager Eneya Phiri said in addressing the malnutrition crisis, it was important to realise the emphasis placed on the various sources of nutrients in the common diets in Zambia.
He said the role of maize in the promotion of optimal health for the Zambian population is an area of contention.
He said, “The “agriculture policy” in relation to the “FISP debate” in Zambia has been pursued without due consideration to nutrition and development.”
“While the debate focuses on removal of the subsidy to correct market forces, limited attention has been paid to the negative consequences of high maize consumption. In Zambia, there is a heavy reliance on staple consumption with vegetables at the expense of protein and fat intake.”
Well, it has been reformed.
FISP beneficiaries are now obliged to redeem inputs of their choice at approved agro-dealers using a centralised Zambia Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (ZIAMIS) which will be the backbone mechanism for management of the programme.
And the value of the card, K2,100 will have to be apportioned towards the production of any legume of the farmers’ choice. It is not restricted to maize only.
All this is in a bid to foster Government’s policy on agricultural diversification as well as food and nutrition security.
 “Households that require support but are not eligible under FISP will be put on either the Food Security Pack (FSP) or social cash transfer,” said Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya at a media briefing in Lusaka recently.
Ms Siliya said that for the first time in the programme’s history, Government through Mayfair Insurance will also provide weather index insurance.
“K100 from the K2, 100 subsidy will go towards the weather index insurance,” she disclosed.
With the reformed FISP and the clean-up exercise, Government will save over K2 billion.
“This is a cost effective way. This year we are targeting a total of one million beneficiaries as opposed to 1.6 million for last year,” she said.
On distribution of farmer inputs for this year’s planting season, Ms Siliya said seed companies, financial institutions and agro dealers are ready.
“We are ready to roll out the e-voucher system to all 113 districts from the previous 53 districts,” she said.
What’s even better is that a FISP call centre has been set up where everyone ranging from beneficiaries, banks and also suppliers and agro dealers can find all the information that they desire about the new system.
Frank Kayula, director general of the Zambia National Union of Small- Scale Farmers, says his association welcomes the move taken by Government because was an efficient way of managing and supporting farmers.
“We welcome the move. We have always recommended to Government that we need the e-voucher system. What’s even better is that it will be managed by Smart Zambia,” he says.
He says the new system is favourable to the farmer.
“The fact that it offers a farmer a wide choice of products to purchase, is even better. We are really happy as an association,” Dr Kayula.
He however, called on Government to expedite the process of crediting the farmers’ accounts so that the cards could be activated soon.
Under the new system, each benefitting farmer is expected to deposit K400 into accounts to activate the card, while Government will pump in K1, 700.
A total of 1,200 agro dealers have been registered as input suppliers for the 2017/2018 agricultural season. Those that were registered in the 2016/2017 season will also continue to participate in the programme.
Munzuma Estates is one of them.
Gilbert Vlahakis, the executive director says the new e-vouchers were more user-friendly than previous ones.
“The new system has diversity to it, especially with these inconsistent climate change conditions it is critical that farmers see the benefit from this,” he said.
A catalogue of all participating agro dealers and the type of inputs they will stock has been created and introduced on the ZIAMIS platform.
The system has been customised and is deployed by Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) with the technical support of co-operating partners, notably the European Union (EU) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
The Ministry of Agricture in conjunction with SZI has identified areas that have limited network coverage. These are 14 districts that have limited mobile phone network connectivity, among them Kalabo, Sikongo, Mitete, Shangombo, Lunga, Luano and Ngabwe.  
Others districts are Zambezi, Ikelenge, Chama, Mafinga, Chilubi, Nsama and Kaputa. Farmers in these areas will be required to do offline applications.
“I have been assured that the major suppliers have ordered sufficient stocks of D Compound and Urea fertilisers, the bulk of which is already in the country,” Ms Siliya said.
The minister further said seed companies have indicated that they have stocked sufficient seed quantities for this farming season.

Irrigating drought-prone Chirundu’s Lusitu

THE people of the drought-prone Lusitu in Chirundu District will soon benefit from Government’s US$ 4.2 million World Bank-funded irrigation scheme which will give them an opportunity to carry out farming activities throughout the year.
The works are already underway and are being undertaken by Savenda Management Services, which is expecting to complete the project by November this year.

LUSITU Irrigation Development Project chief engineer Abedinego Chalikosa giving an update on the US$4.5 million that is meant to benefit local people of the drought-prone area in Siavonga. PICTURE: NDANGWA MWITTAH

So far, clearing and levelling of 278 hectares of land for the creation of irrigation plots has reached an advanced stage.
Lusitu Irrigation Development Project chief engineer Abedinego Chalikosa says the project involves the tapping of water from the Zambezi River to a central pumping station about 200 metres away.
From the central pumping station, the water will be supplied to the irrigation areas through a system of pumping stations, reservoirs and pipes. Close to 4,000 households are expected to benefit from the project.
The scheme, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Irrigation Development Support Programme (IDSP), is being actualised on the left bank of the Zambezi River, downstream of Kariba Dam, about 15 kilometres south of Chirundu.
“In general, the works can be described as construction and installation of an irrigation network with all ancillary structures including pumping stations, reservoirs, pipelines, valves and hydrants, and access and service roads,” Mr Chalikosa says.
He explains that Savenda Management Services was working round the clock to ensure that the project is completed before the end of this year so that the people of Lusitu, who only depend on rain-fed agriculture, can begin to sustain themselves throughout the year.
Mr Chalikosa says the irrigation area will be divided into Tier I, Tier II and Tier III to cater for small-scale farmers, a cooperative society and an anchor commercial farmer, respectively.
He says the Ministry of Agriculture had taken a soil analysis in the area and found it to be fertile and suitable for the growing of various crops, adding that the irrigation project will, therefore, be a lifeline for the people of Lusitu.
“The Government wants to improve the bread basket by promoting agriculture. That’s why it is coming up with supportive programmes like the irrigation scheme, which will give people access to water throughout the year. So, as Savenda Management Services, we are working very hard to ensure that this project is completed by November this year,” Mr Chalikosa says.
Savenda Management Services has also, from the contract cost, already created access and feeder roads from the central pumping station to the storage reservoir with a total volume of 2, 700 cubic metres.
The project should have been completed last month but there had been some challenges including adverse weather conditions and the relocation of people from the land earmarked for the irrigation plots to an area where modern houses are being built for them.
Mr Chalikosa says that the villagers could not be convinced to leave their land without first having the new houses ready for occupancy. Therefore, the faster the new houses are built, the quicker the irrigation project will be completed.
Some of the 89 families, however, have already moved into some of the houses that have, so far, been completed by another contractor.
Mr Chalikosa is grateful to the government and the World Bank for the overwhelming support rendered to Savenda Management Services towards the implementation of the project.
Through rain-fed farming, small-scale farmers in Lusitu supply tomatoes and bananas to markets as far as Siavonga, Chirundu and Kafue.
And Lusitu Irrigation Development Project general manager Iain Macrae says the irrigation project is an enormous one as it will transform the lives of the people of Lusitu.
Meanwhile, a member of the Lusitu Community Land Trust has praised the government for the irrigation initiative, saying the people of Lusitu have suffered for a long time because of the rainfall pattern which makes life difficult in the area.
“We can’t wait for the completion of this project. We have suffered a lot. Rain-fed agriculture is not reliable. So, this irrigation project is a very good idea as it will change our lives a great deal,” Monday Sai, whose group acts as a bridge between the community and the implementers of the project, says.
Despite being just about 200 metres from the Zambezi River, Lusitu has never been a beneficiary of Africa’s fourth-longest river that gives life to six countries; from its source in North-Western Zambia, then Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique before flowing into the Indian Ocean.