By JAJAH COULIBALY –
SIKANZE Police camp in Lusaka has been hit with a critical shortage of water for the past three years.
Police officers are now forced to draw water from nearby places for their households.
“It is now three years since the camp had clean and safe running water for our daily use.
“The only alternative source of water is the hand pump which was sank two years ago and nearby places,” they said.
A check by the Sunday Times showed that there was only one hand pump under the mobile unit to cater for more than 100 families.
“We have stopped watering our gardens where we get vegetables because of water.
“Our children, especially babies, have waterborne diseases like diarrhoea due to drinking untreated water,” the officers said.
Efforts to a get comment from the police command failed by Press time.

Loan sharks invade Lumumba Bus Station

By CHIPEMA SAKAIMBO –
SOME people suspected to be political party cadres are allegedly collecting money from drivers at Lumumba Bus Station in Lusaka on the pretext that it will be given back to them with interest.
The cadres are reported to be collecting K200 from each driver who agrees with their terms.
They claim the money was being managed under a small loan committee called ‘Chilimba’.
The money collected is given to the cadres who have been tasked with the responsibility and are in turn expected to give the contributors small loans.
“They said the money would mature after a certain period, but it has been a long time and nothing is being given back to us.
“We feel this is another way of swindling us and we now demand that we be paid our money,” Gift Mwanga, a driver, said in an interview.
Mr Mwanga complained that the cadres were milking the drivers out of their daily income, and wondered why they were threatened each time they raised the matter.
“When we ask where the cadres are taking our money, they always harass and sometimes chase us from the station. This is unfair, we need urgent intervention from higher offices,” said another victim who withheld his identity.
Lumumba Bus Station committee chairperson Francis Kamfwa denied the allegations, saying there were no cadres involved in the issuing of small loans at the bus station.
He advised the aggrieved drivers to report those involved in collecting money to the the police.

Muslim community aids Chisamba village

By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Muslim Social and Welfare Trust (MSWT) has pledged to continue with its philanthropic activities in Zambia to supplement Government’s efforts in alleviating the suffering of the people.
MSWT representative Haroon Ghumra made the assurance when the Trust handed over a borehole and water pump, 50 bags of mealie-meal, 50 food hampers, and 16 cases of chlorine to Mpikwa Village in Chisamba District during the week.
Mr Ghumra said the donation was part of the MSWT’s community support programme necessitated by assistance from the Muslim community and other well-wishers, whom he was highly indebted to.
He said the Trust had so far handed over 60 boreholes to various parts of the country and pledged to assist the people of Mpikwa Village with three more in the next four months.
Receiving the donation, Chief Chamuka thanked MWST for the gesture, saying he was hopeful that the borehole would lessen the long distances his subjects had been covering for 11 years to access water.

Sinazongwe army worms contained

By MUNAMBEZA MUWANEI –
THE army worms that destroyed maize fields in four wards in Sinazongwe District have been contained.
District Commissioner Protasio Mulenga said during the week that the worms were wiped out due to the quick response by the ministry of Agriculture.
Mr Mulenga said the ministry responded on time after being informed about the invasion of the army worms in the district.
“All the crops in the four wards have been destroyed and we are lucky that the ministry of Agriculture acted and managed to contain the army worms,” he said.
The affected wards were Malima, Nagombe Sinenge and Nkandabwe.
“This year it has only rained five times and it seems the hunger situation will persist this year again; it has also affected the cotton plantations.
“Sinazongwe is among the largest cotton producers, but it has greatly been affected by this year’s poor rainfall,” he said.
Mr Mulenga said the district would still have to rely on relief maize until 2017 following the poor rainfall that the district had recorded.

Kazungula Bridge workers sensitised on HIV/AIDS

By KELVIN MUDENDA –
MORE than 400 workers involved in the construction of Kazungula Bridge from Zambia and Botswana have been sensitised on the dangers of HIV/AIDS as they implement the project.
The workers who consist of engineers, welders, general workers and mechanics, are benefitting from the HIV workplace programme.
Daewoo Engineering and Construction, which is constructing the bridge, has indicated that workers at the site were currently exhibiting positive behavioural change following the introduction of an HIV workplace programme.
Safety engineer Michael Kabwe said since engaging Chreso Ministries in September last year to sensitise the workers on HIV/ AIDS and on general health care, some workers had been tested for HIV.

Kapiri villagers turn to herbs for treatment

By PASSY HAACHIZO
LACK of a clinic in Mutuka Village in Chief Mukonchi’s area in Kapiri Mposhi District has forced residents to resort to herbs to treat their families suffering from various diseases.
The residents, who have since appealed to the Government to build a clinic around Kamulobwe and Kabonga areas to avoid losing more lives due to lack of a health centre in the area, said the use of roots was a danger to the patients.
Mutuka Village borders Kamulobwe and Kabonga, but has had no clinic since independence.
The nearest health centre is 35 kilometres away from the area.
A resident, Fidelis Simasiku complained that women and children were the most vulnerable as they were made to walk long distances to access health services, while others were still giving birth in their homes and drinking herbs.

‘Choma hospital needs more funds’

By MUNAMBEZA MUWANEI –
THE provincial medical officer (PMO) in Southern Province has appealed to the Government to increase funding to Choma General Hospital.
Acting PMO Abel Shawa, who is Choma General Hospital medical superintendent, said the hospital was the least funded in Zambia despite offering services of a general hospital.
Dr Shawa was speaking recently during a meeting for provincial heads of department in Choma.
He said the level of allocation in the national budget had a significant bearing on service delivery at the hospital.
Dr Shawa said the province did not have any challenges in infrastructure because the Government had embarked on construction of district hospitals and 99 health posts.
Phase one of Choma General Hospital and Gwembe, Kalomo, Munyumbwe and Namwala district hospitals have been completed, while from the 99 health posts, five have been built and were recently commissioned.
“We have no challenges in infrastructure as we are now waiting for phase two of the construction of the district hospitals and Choma General Hospital,” he said.

Social cash transfer scam unearthed
By BILKE MULENGA in Kalulushi and JACQULINE CHIBWE –

in Lunga
LUNGA District social welfare officer Modester Phiri has appealed to all beneficiaries of the social cash transfer in the area not to register twice.
Ms Phiri said beneficiaries registering twice risked being removed from the scheme.
She said in an interview from Bwalya Mponda community during the week that her office had discovered that some people were registering twice as they wanted to be paid double.
Officers from the departments of social welfare and community development, and ZANIS led by Ms Phiri had last week embarked on a tour of some communities in the district to sensitise people on how to go about the social cash transfer programme.