COAST NOT CLEAR YET, GET VACCINATED: Ministry of Health embarks on door-to-door vaccination drive

JOHN Chewe (not real name), lost his livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As soon as Zambia went into lock down in March 2020, he was laid off as a senior sales consultant at a travel and tour operator in Livingstone.

As the months passed, he found it increasingly hard to survive and provide for his family of five and care for his elderly mother.

“It was a very difficult, challenging period. I also had a loan and I didn’t know how to pay it,” he says.

Nonetheless, he was not so much afraid of the financial problems as he was of the virus.

“It was scary. Whenever I interacted with my mother, I wore gloves and masks, because she is very old. I was afraid somebody would die from the virus,” says Mr Chewe, who has since relocated to Solwezi where he recently found a job. 

“But thankfully, we didn’t get Covid, because I don’t know what we would have done.” 

Mr Chewe, like many of his peers, had been skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines on the market – largely due to lack of access to accurate and reliable information.

“We heard all kinds of things. Some said you won’t be able to have children if you are vaccinated,” he says.

With so much misinformation and rumours circulating in the communities, providing reliable and factual information is essential to encourage Mr Chewe and others in his community to get vaccinated.

It is for this reason that the Ministry of Health is embarking on a countrywide door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination campaign programme. The goal of the initiative is to provide information and raise awareness on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination among the marginalised and also vaccine-hesitant groups.

Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) director Roma Chilengi says the exercise is aimed at beating the required 70 percent herd immunity target by June this year.

COVID-19 vaccination uptake has drastically reduced, raising fears and concerns that if this situation continues the coronavirus will continue mutating and a new variant could emerge.

Currently Zambia has vaccinated about 22 percent of the required 70 percent to attain herd immunity. 

“When you get vaccinated, you get a personal benefit from the vaccine. What we want is to get the eligible population to vaccinate. If we get to something like 60 to 70 percent of them vaccinated, then we would be making progress,” he says

“When we get to 70 percent herd immunity, it will mean that we have a lot of people vaccinated and cannot infect other people. That way, you are reducing and killing the chances of the virus from progressing further.”

Prof. Chilengi says currently, about 10,000 vaccinations are done on a daily basis.

“Beginning next month [May], we shall kick-start this exercise. Teams are getting trained and logistics are being put in place as we speak. We want to vaccinate as many people as possible and ensure that those requiring booster shots get them so that we get to the required numbers,” he says.

Of the 22 percent vaccinated population so far, Western Province has the highest number and Lusaka has the lowest. A vigorous advocacy strategy has since been mounted to ensure that even those with mythical disbeliefs get vaccinated.

This article was also published in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper of April 26, 2022 on this link http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/coast-not-clear-yet-get-vaccinated/

PAMELA CHISUMPA: What is known so far as the search for the 22-year-old continues

IT IS now almost two weeks since 22-year-old Pamela Chisumpa disappeared from her business place on Cairo Road in Lusaka, only to appear – a few days later - in a video pleading for her life while her kidnappers lashed her with what appeared like a metal rod.

Her ordeal spread both fear and anger among many citizens not accustomed to such crimes.

Pamela was reported missing on April 16 by her sister.

But according to information, the young woman, who operated a mobile money booth, went missing on April 13, around 13:00 after two men approached her for a money transaction.

It is believed that the two men asked Pamela to follow them because the money they wanted to transact was huge.

The two men were later seen leaving the booth together with Pamela, and walked across Cairo Road. They were never seen again.

Those who were around to witness whatever could have happened only have a hazy recollection of events or the physical identities of the two men.

“I saw the men, it’s just that I cannot really describe them but if I was to see them, I can easily identify them,” says Mary Tembo, who is also a mobile money agent.

Her booth is just a few metres from Pamela’s. 

“I was here and one of them even stood here on my booth. When I asked him if he needed to transact, he said, no, I am with him [pointing to his friend who was talking to Pamela],” she says.

She says the whole ordeal has left her and other operators scared for their lives and safety.

“It was around 13:00 hours and we thought she would come back. We really hope she is alive. Let the abductors just release her safely,” she says.

A parking lot attendant working for the council, who sought anonymity, describes Pamela as “a very humble and quiet person” who does not deserve to go through what her abductors are making her go through.

She says Pamela kept a very small circle.

“She has very few friends, apart from her boyfriend [Richard Chanda] who is studying to be a nurse. She doesn’t drink or go out and never engaged in any illicit activities – so we are really shocked that this is happening to her,” the parking lot attendant told me.

Investigations instituted so far are indicating that on April 15, Pamela’s boyfriend, Richard Chanda, received a call from the victim’s phone demanding a ransom of K15,000 for her release.

When reached for comment, Mr Chanda refused to comment despite having earlier agreed to call me back with all the details.

“Like I said, I cannot share any information,” he told me. 

When asked to share contact details for any of Pamela’s relatives, he refused.

“I cannot share any information,” he said, before hanging up.

Apparently, Pamela’s case is not the only one.

Early this month, local television station Spring TV carried a story of abduction involving a female mobile money agent, together with her three-year-old daughter.

Both the girl and her mother had been missing since March 17, 2022. It was not until after two weeks that the daughter showed up around Chris Corner area in Chilenje and revealed that her mother had been abducted by unknown people.

Filtress Mwiluti, sister of the missing woman told Spring TV that her sister’s life is in danger after she was abducted on March 17 together with her daughter after knocking off. She also operated a mobile money booth in the Kamwala shopping area.

In a statement released recently, inspector general of Police Lemmy Kajoba said the police will use every resource at their disposal to ensure a safe release of the victim.

“We would like to inform the public that this type of crime is alien to our country. The Zambia Police takes protection of women against any form of crime very serious and we have put in all our resourcese clock to have her released from the alleged abductors.” and are working with other collaborating partners to secure a possible safe release from the allegedly abductors,” he said.

He added: “We are calling on the general citizenry to fully cooperative with us as we work round th

The story of Pamela has got many people talking, many suggesting ways to prevent such crimes in future.

As the police continue to carry out investigations, people have weighed in with suggestions of how national security can be enhanced, in order to make it easier to not only track down people, but also make it easy to investigate such cases.

Former Road Transport and Safety Agency chief executive officer Zindaba Soko suggested that it’s high time the country moved from a physical national ID card to a biometric one.

“…meaning that all registered nationals and non-nationals must have their identities attached to their fingerprints,” he said. “This system eliminates double or replicated registrations, provides an easier way to carry out demographics and easy provision of Government services and eliminate ghost citizens.”

Precious Daka, a computer expert said once it goes digital, Government should also consider issuance of national registration cards (NRC) during the issuance of birth certificates.

“…and not the current arrangement were one can even alter the picture on the NRC,” he says.

In March this year, Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu told Parliament in a ministerial statement that work to put in place a new biometric ID system, dubbed the Integrated National Registration Information System (INRIS), has started, with the biometrics of at least 15,000 Zambians already captured for that purpose.

Mr Mwiimbu said the biometric ID documents to be issued under the INRIS scheme include national registration cards, as well as birth and death certificates.

“The INRIS will assign a national identity number at birth as opposed to when a citizen is 16 years old. This will make it very difficult for any ineligible person to register as a Zambian citizen,” said Mr Mwiimbu.

He added that the new biometrics-based ID system is intended to replace the old one which has been in place since 1965. The manual and paper-based system is said to have many vulnerabilities which make it easy for foreigners and criminals to exploit.

Days after the suspected abduction of Pamela, the booth from which she operated remains closed for business. Her colleagues who operate from the same busy spot hope one day she will return.

This article was also published on page 10 of the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper of April 24, 2022 on this link http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/pamela-chisumpa-what-is-known-so-far/

UNZA takes on mealie-meal business in an attempt to bridge the gap between theory and actualisation

“I HAVE tasted it. It is very smooth, and very, very nice. Once you taste it, you will stop buying other brands of mealie meal.”

These are the words of the University of Zambia vice Chancellor Luke Evuta Mumba on the mealie meal produced by UNZA Milling and being sold at its recently launched sales point within the institutions’ main campus on Great East Road.

According to Prof. Mumba, the mealie meal befits the superlatives he used because “the Chinese technology of the milling plant is state-of-the-art technology that is not like any other ordinary milling plant.”

The K26million UNZA milling plant which is situated some 20km east of Lusaka, in Chongwe district is one of the three milling plants that the People’s Republic of China donated to the Zambian government through the presidential milling initiative.

The other two, whose production capacity is 240 tons per day, are in Mpika and Monze. They are being managed by the Zambia National Service (ZNS).

“We requested this one, which is the smallest of the three, to be donated to UNZA so we can use it to develop and offer milling science training programmes in the School of Engineering so that we can have experts in running milling plants,” says Prof. Mumba.

He adds: “…also that when we train people, they can also go and work in other milling plants as professionals while at the same time, use it to process maize products for income generation at the institution. We are under pressure to reduce our reliance on government grants.”

Currently, it is only South Africa and Kenya that are offering programmes in milling science in the region.

The milling plant has a production capacity of 40 tons per day, translating in a maximum of 800 bags of mealie meal.

The milling plant systems, whose construction works finished last year, have since been tested and gauged for effectiveness and efficiency.

The plant is still yet to be officially commissioned.

“We are currently using a generator to power the plant. The area [Liempe Farm] is yet to be supplied with electricity. We have already paid to Zesco and made numerous attempts to have it [power] connected there, but we have failed. Let me take this opportunity to appeal to them [Zesco] through you, that they connect power to the place,” he says.

Prof. Mumba says once Zesco connects electricity to the facility, it will be able to operate on a daily basis.

The UNZA milling plant is currently producing breakfast mealie meal (K135 per 25kg bag), roller mealie meal (K100 per 25kg bag), and maize bran (K100 per 50kg).

“…but our aspirations are that when we officially commissioned it and we start running at full capacity, we shall be able to supply at a large scale,” he says. “We also want to start packaging the mealie meal in smaller bags so that our students can also be able to afford it.”

Mick Mwala is the director of the UNZA Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centre (ATDC) situated along Great East Road, just opposite the milling plant.

He oversees operations at the plant.

“If you look at the location, this is just within Chongwe district, a farming district. This comes with many benefits to the local small scale farmers here. By us bringing the plant here, closer to them, we are giving them a chance to cut down on transportation costs for their maize,” he says.

He adds: “We won’t even delay in processing payments like some milling companies do.”

Dr. Mwala says on top of buying maize from the locals, the institution which has plenty of land will also look to growing and supplying the milling plant with some of its own maize.

“The locals here are excited about this prospect because they know it will empower them a great deal,” he says.

He says all products before being offloaded to the outlet undergo chemical, microbial and organoleptic tests to make sure that they are not only nutritious, but also safe for both animal and human consumption.

The milling plant which is fully automated also came with a set of spare parts and a team of Chinese technicians who will oversee maintenance of the equipment for some time.

A check at the UNZA Milling Plant retail outlet within the campus revealed that the commodity had almost run out, with new stock being awaited.

“The mealie meal is going very fast. The university community has taken all of it. Breakfast has finished, we are just remaining with these same bags of roller meal that you are seeing,” the sales lady there told this reporter.

The institution which is in a hurry to establish viable revenue generating activities in an attempt to reduce dependence on government grants may have just found the missing answer – and this could be it.

This article was also published in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper of April 19, 2022 on this link http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/unza-takes-on-mealie-meal-business/