Latest posts by Gershom Ndhlovu
Are Zambia's Miners Paying More in Taxes than Mining Companies?
A podcast (Taxcast) by Tax Justice Network titled 'Zambian miners paying more tax than mining company' has been posted online claiming that miners pay more tax than the multi-national mining companies they work for.
Zambian Phone Apps Gather Country's News in One Place
After an Android phone app that allows Zambians to participate in the on-going constitution making process was developed, a couple of new apps, Zambia News Daily and The Zambian, which collate news about the country from a number of online sources, have appeared on the market.
Zambia's Currency to Get a Makeover
Zambia is set to rebase her currency by removing three zeroes from the Kwacha at the beginning of next year. Netizens have weighed in on the massive project for which the Bank of Zambia has even proposed 31 December, 2012 to be a holiday to allow for the smooth transition to use the new currency. While some netizens support the exercise some argue that it is simply cosmetic.
Zambia's Intelligence Agency Rates Watchdog Website as “Most Influential”
Citizen news website, Zambian Watchdog, has received "endorsement” from the most unlikely source, the Zambia Security and Intelligence Service better known as the Office of the President (OP), which has described it as the most influential news source in the country due to its critical stance of the current government.
Zambia: YouTube Documentary on Negative Impact of Copper Mining
A documentary titled “Zambia: Good Copper, Bad Copper” about Zambian copper mining and its negative impact on society has emerged on YouTube and has so far attracted over 6,000 hits. After watching the documentary, one YouTube user wrote, "Cry our beloved country. Why should we remain poor when a coveted product is plenty and mined at the expense of the locals' health."
Zambia: MP Suspended for Criticising President's ‘Jokey’ Speech
An opposition MP in Zambia was recently suspended from the House for overly criticising one of President Michael Sata’s official speeches. While addressing parliament, a presidential annual tradition which is supposed to be a solemn occasion, President Sata kept on cracking jokes which made him divert significantly from the prepared speech.
Zambia's “Imaginary” Terror Plot
Zambia appears to be on the brink of ethnic conflict after a separatist group from Southern Province claimed to have killed members of the President’s tribe. However, many Zambians regard the threat posed by the Tongas Under Oath as the latest attempt by the government to discredit opposition parties.
Zambia: Former First Lady, Betty Kaunda, Dies
There was an outpouring of grief on social media networks on Wednesday September 19, following news of the death of former Zambian First Lady, Betty Kaunda, wife of Zambia’s first President Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
Zambia: Mining Proposal Threatens Lower Zambezi Ecosystem
Potential mining activity in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, part of a greater World Heritage Area, is threatening its ecosystem and that of the adjacent Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.
Zambia: Tonga Terror Claim – Real or Fake?
An apparent Zambian terror group, 'Tongas under Oath' have claimed on television to have killed three Northern Province Bemba people, including a baby. But this soon came under suspicion following state-owned newspaper coverage.
Zambian National Football Team Coach Granted Permanent Residence
Zambia has had many expatriate national football team coaches, but Frenchman Herve Renard, who led the team in scooping the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012, enjoys special affection. In recognition of his success, the government has accorded him permanent residence but the decision has assumed political overtones.
Zambia: President’s Salary Secretly Hiked Twice in Three Months
Earlier this year Zambian President Michael Sata’s salary was discreetly increased by nearly 100 per cent together with those of other constitution office holders. No media organisation picked up the story until three months later when the citizen news website, Zambian Watchdog, got wind of it.
Zambia: Chinese Mining Boss Allegedly Killed by Striking Workers
The tragic death of a Chinese supervisor at a coal mine in southern Zambia allegedly at the hands of striking workers demanding the implementation of the new minimum wage policy has reached all corners of the globe from the New York Times to the China Digital Times.
Zambia: State TV Ignores Homegrown Sprinter for Jamaica's Usain Bolt
On the day a Zambian runner - Gerald Phiri - qualified in third place for the men's 100 meter semi-final at the Olympics, the national broadcaster, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), led instead with the qualification of Jamaican superstar, Usain Bolt.
Zambia: Catholic Priest Deported for ‘Poverty’ Sermon
A Catholic priest from a parish in the rural Eastern Province of Zambia has been deported for a Sunday sermon in which he allegedly preached that the rich in the country were getting richer while the poor were getting poorer.
Zambia: Pupils Expelled For Facebook Activities
Twenty one pupils at a secondary school in rural western Zambia have been expelled over vile messages against their teachers on Facebook. Meanwhile, ruling party boss wants Zambian citizen news website shut.
Zambia: New Minimum Wage Pits Employers Against Government
The Statutory Instrument stipulating the minimum wage payable to domestic servants, shop workers and other general workers is arguably one of the most controversial policies of the 10 months old Patriotic Front (PF) government. This issue has divided Zambian netizens on citizen media and social network sites, those for and those against it, in equal measure.
Zambia: More Officials Than Athletes Travel to London Olympics?
Sports and Youth Minister Chishimba Kambwili recently said Zambia does not expect any medals from the London Olympics. Well, how can Zambian win medals if there will be more officials than athletes in London?
Zambia: African Union Leaves Liberation Hero Out of Honors’ List
When Zambia’s foreign minister Given Lubinda went to Ethiopia to attend the African Union summit , he was shocked to discover that the country’s first president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, was not among the continent’s prominent personalities who have been honoured at the new AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. Zambian netizens have reacted to the omission with mixed feelings.
Zambia: Police Thwart Xenophobic Attacks Against Congolese Traders
The Zambian law enforcement agencies prevented what could have been deadly retaliatory and xenophobic attacks on neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo citizens living in Zambia following the burning to death of a Zambian driver in the border Congolese town of Kasumbalesa.
Zambia: A President's Joke Gone Too Far?
Zambian netizens have condemned President Michael Sata's apparent lack of diplomatic etiquette after he told former American President George W. Bush that Zambians are grateful when a former colonialist like him come back to pay back what was stolen during his country’s colonial and slavery past. George W. Bush was in Zambia to promote cervical cancer detection and treatment programs for women.