November 2019 Elitis Synopsis of Early Post Independence

October - November 2019

www.mahoganyair.comPhoto by Magz Mumba of Magz Photography

Complimentary Copy

Stop for a moment and listen to Mother Nature’s cry

Elitis Synopsis of Early Post Independence

II In-flight Magazine | Oct - Nov 2019

oyota erbelt Toyotaoyota

Visit a Toyota showroom today and request a quotation

/toyotazambiawww.toyota.co.zmThe images shown are for illustrative purposes only | This unit is a Limited Edition with only a few units on Offer | Terms and Conditions apply

1www.mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 2019

oyota erbelt Toyotaoyota

Visit a Toyota showroom today and request a quotation

/toyotazambiawww.toyota.co.zmThe images shown are for illustrative purposes only | This unit is a Limited Edition with only a few units on Offer | Terms and Conditions apply

2 In-flight Magazine | Oct - Nov 2019

EDITORIAL TEAM

Collins MaliseleEditor

CEO: Dr Jim Belemu

Director: Cynthia Belemu

Production & Sales Consultant: Naomi Musala

Marketing: Diana Belemu

Publisher: Cynthia Belemu

Editor: Collins Malisele

Assistant Editor: Sandra Mundambo

Photography: Fortress Media

Graphic Designer: Choolwe Nakalonga

Printers: New Horizon Printing Press Ltd.

Profile

Tisa Mulima Nkonga

MAHOGANY is a complimentary magazine for all Mahogany Air passengers and is published for Mahogany Air by MAHOGANY AIR.

The editorial content of MAHOGANY is contributed by freelance writers and journalists. It is the sole responsibility of the publisher and does not necessarily express opinions held by Mahogany Air. No part of the magazine may be reproduced without written express permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Contributors

Collins Malisele

Cynthia Belemu

Dr. J. B. Zulu

Gunet Mwalungali

Herbert Mazuba

Ian Harry Stephenson

Jeff de Graffenried

Judith Lembela Mupeta

Julie Helene Arnulphy

Kebby Kashinamilunda

Lombe Musonda

Major Emmanuel Katongo (RTD)

Mwape Katembula

Mwape Michael Moono, Esq.

Naomi Musala

Sean Sheedy

Tatenda Sasa

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:

+260 977 709 464 | +260 956342 134

Email: [email protected] | [email protected]

For Customer Care: +260 968 786 614

FOR BOOKINGS CALL US ON

+260 968 786 900 | +260 965 351 926

[email protected]

www.mahoganyair.com

Naomi MusalaProduction & Sales Consultant

Gunet MwalungaliColumnist

3www.mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 2019Photo by Dr. Moses Simuyemba (Moses Chikoti Photography)

UPFRONT

BUSINESS

A word from our CEO

Mahogany Diary

Note from the Publisher


Stop for a moment and listen to Mother Nature’s cry

Sustainable Tourism for Diversification

6

7

8

9

53

45


Jacaranda Mall NdolaShop No. 20.

Ndola.

Tel: +260954117228

Kafue MallShop No. 04,

Kafue River Mall.Tel: +260 957 074 161

Tel: +260 212 280 071

Barotse MallShop No. 14,

Barotse Mall, MonguTel: +260 956 998 184

MazabukaShop No. 03,

Shoprite, MazabukaTel: +260 950 560 777

EastPark MallUnit # 11, Great East Rd,

Near Pick N Pay,Tel: +260 953 883 746

Cosmopolitan MallLusaka,

Tel: +260 950 368 781

Lewinaka MallShop No. 45,

Lewanika Shopping Center

LusakaTel: +260 955 250 430

Timings : Monday to Saturday 9-00hrs to 18-00hrs

Sunday and Public Holiday 9-00hrs to 13-00hrs

We accept all medical insurances


Jacaranda Mall NdolaShop No. 20.

Ndola.

Tel: +260954117228

Kafue MallShop No. 04,

Kafue River Mall.Tel: +260 957 074 161

Tel: +260 212 280 071

Barotse MallShop No. 14,

Barotse Mall, MonguTel: +260 956 998 184

MazabukaShop No. 03,

Shoprite, MazabukaTel: +260 950 560 777

EastPark MallUnit # 11, Great East Rd,

Near Pick N Pay,Tel: +260 953 883 746

Cosmopolitan MallLusaka,

Tel: +260 950 368 781

Lewinaka MallShop No. 45,

Lewanika Shopping Center

LusakaTel: +260 955 250 430

Timings : Monday to Saturday 9-00hrs to 18-00hrs

Sunday and Public Holiday 9-00hrs to 13-00hrs

We accept all medical insurances

Photo by Tatenda Sasa (Tate Megapix)

FEATURESWhere is the Gold? In Kasemuka Stream of Chibwika Village

A Walk in the Park: 100 miles across the wilds of Kafue National Park

Chakwela Makumbi Ceremony

Beauty on the Farm; Will the Youths Take to the Land?

Gratuity Is Now Mandatory, End of Year Bonuses Are Not

The Endowernment of Sinazongwe

My Night of Roasts in Kenya

Life is a Journey

Mahogany Face

Persuasion, but Only Enough of It…

Sun Burn

Sustainable Tourism for Diversification

ASpiritualReflectionAboardMahogany Air

Summer Language

True or False About Flying

Tisa The Trendsetter

Cassava Leaves Recipe

Spotlight

2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships

Zambia’s Permanent Representative to Sadc and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Elected to the ICAO Council

12

16

20

24

27

28

32

34

38

40

42

45

49

50

52

54

58

60

62

64


DIARY

Independence Day24th October 2019

Africa Food Manufacturing &Safety Summit Southern Africa (AFMASS)

9th to 11th October 2019

Mulungushi International Conference Center

Chakwela Makumbi Traditional Ceremony



The Hotel show 201930th to 31st October 2019

Taj Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka

Ndola and District chamber of Commerce and Industry (NDCCI)

9th November 2019

Levy Mwanawasa Stadium

The Luapula Expo Heriatge Reconstruction & Development Programme (honoring Samuel Matate& Kalusha Bwalya)


Samfya

A word from

our CEO

It is summer time again. Summer is synonymous with brightness, happiness, fun and hope for life. It’s our sincere hope

that Mahogany Air will add some radiance to your summer journey. In Zambia, a lot of celebration happens around this time of the season and we as an airline would not like to be left out. While you fly, we shall celebrate with you with our on board service. We shall continue shining bright in your world/life with excellent on board service.

Conversely, the year is almost winding up. People are in fast motion working very hard

to use the remaining months to attain the goals of the year 2019. All this entails a lot of movements before the year ends. In such a scenario, saving time is of paramount importance of course without compromising on safety. Mahogany Air assures you both of these.

I am pleased to inform you that the Aircrafts have just successfully undergone periodic inspection and maintenance in South Africa as per requirement and as such, they are in the best of the condition. In fact, they are closest to brand new. But why you must continue flying with Mahogany Air? Well, it is the safest mode of transport backed by a lot of regulations. The safety and comfort is second to none.

We are safely bridging the gaps between places. The Samfya beaches are a must visit this summer. With the proximity that we can comfortably talk about because of our flights, weekends can easily be spent relaxing at the beaches of Samfya.

Trying to wind up the business of the year, we have flights to Solwezi, Ndola and Lubumbashi.

Take to the skies with us and see the main wonders of Zambia and the Congo DRC.

Dr. Jim BelemuCEO: Mahogany Air

DIARY

Independence Day24th October 2019

Africa Food Manufacturing &Safety Summit Southern Africa (AFMASS)


Mulungushi International Conference Center




The Hotel show 201930th to 31st October 2019

Taj Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka

Ndola and District chamber of Commerce and Industry (NDCCI)

9th November 2019

Levy Mwanawasa Stadium

The Luapula Expo Heriatge Reconstruction & Development Programme (honoring Samuel Matate& Kalusha Bwalya)


Samfya


Note from the Publisher

What is under my sleeves in this edition? Firstly, it is Zambia’s independence period that is celebrated on 24th October annually. Happy Independence Mother Zambia! Most independence celebrations tilt towards awarding of Freedom Fighters. This is indeed a good

thing. However, there is also need to take cognizant of the contribution that technocrats have made from the time we got independence in 1964 to date. You may already be aware that there were very few trained and educated Zambians capable of running Government soon after we gained our independence. These people worked toiled for Zambia’s economic take off. Coincidental with this year’s independence celebration, we engaged Dr. Zulu, one of the Technocrats that emerged after our independence, to share with us how working for the first Government was as a young ambitious graduate from the land’s highest institution of learning.

We thereafter delve into one of the devastating challenges currently being faced across the globe namely climate change. This scourge is becoming an emergency as it affects both human and biodiversity. If there has to be a better tomorrow, we all need to contribute in a little way to mitigate the impact of climate change. Under the kids’ corner, we are all vehemently implored to get involved in protecting the environment. It is imperative to note that while the problem of climate change is being combated currently, the threat on wildlife is also being exacerbated by poaching. To prevent the total depletion of wildlife, some individuals and organizations have come on board to passionately to raise awareness on the effects of poaching on Wildlife. Among them is Jeff who together with his team undertook a 100 miles walk in the Kafue National Park as a campaign for wildlife conservation. Herein, he shares his interesting experience that you would not want to miss. Jeff, what hair raising journey you embarked on. What a sacrifice!

Read with keen interest an article on farming that discusses how farming in Zambia can be transformed into a lucrative business that the youth can start yearning to venture into as is the case in the USA.

While discussing food from the production point of view, we take a slant to look at food in our Kitchen. This time, we cook a dish that is popular both in Congo and Zambia namely cassava leaves. If you have never tried this delicacy, please get a chance to try it as the recipe has been shared in this edition.

It is summer time. From the health segment, we have taken some time to focus on Sun Burns. In this article, we look at its causes, prevention and treatment. Besides, we also give some tips on staying comfortable for summer in so far as our dress code is concerned. We speak some summer language in order to stay eloquent this season.

For the ardent lovers of sport, there is a very interesting feature on the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championship in which Zambia was represented in Budapest. Reading the article by Coach Ian reassures us that there is a future for swimmers in our country. At the same time, his presentation of the article is so excellent it was beyond sports chat to share key principles of life such as perseverance, discipline and taking responsibility.

We worked with very passionate authors and maintained a broad perspective of magazine production as you will see from articles such as Chakwela Makumbi of the Soli people, Life is a journey, a spiritual Reflection aboard Mahogany Air, Destined to Live , Tisa the Trendsetter to mention but a few.

Cynthia Makunka Belemu


I was born in Fulata Village about 16 kilometers from Chipata, one Kilometer off the Great East Road. I was the second in the family of eight children. My

first school attendance was Chibolya in Lusaka. In 1941 Chibolya was, to my knowledge, the first and only urban shanty compound for Africans.

I moved to Kabwe for my primary school; back to Lusaka for my secondary school at Munali. Five years later, I proceeded to Fort Hare University College (Rhodes University), South Africa, for my B.A. and onwards, in 1959, to the University Of Rhodesia and Nyasaland for my Postgraduate diploma in Education (London University). Accordingly, 1942 to 1959 covered a frenetic first period of investment in my human development.

My family had no resources to fund my education. I had a Northern Rhodesia scholarship at Munali Secondary School, a Rhodesia and Nyasaland Federal Government scholarship at Fort Hare University College and University of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. I had a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship for leadership combined with a Smith and Mundt scholarship for my postgraduate program at Colorado University.

Contributions It must be emphasized that my contributions were coincidental with the exceptional changes of the times. Zambia had gained political independence and was ripe for rapid transformation. The IMF was in the grip of rapid growth in membership following decolonization and planned economies joining the institution. I just happened to be around at the time.

The contributions were of course, the products of combined efforts with many other people. They included the politicians who appointed me and risked my idealistic tendencies and approaches. I had just come out of University and everything seemed doable! There were the colleagues as well as juniors, most of whom shared my passion and challenging experiences. I had more passion than evidence based economic knowledge! Most importantly, I did not want to pass up an opportunity to work hard and learn.

As Permanent Secretary at the Office of National Development, I led the effort to draw up the First National Development Plan, 1965 to 1969. The priority was economic, social, road and communication infrastructure installation. Simply stated, and as an example, a hospital at every provincial headquarters, a secondary


By Dr. J. B. Zulu


school at every Provincial headquarters. The Provincial Headquarters had to be connected by all-weather roads and communication systems across the country.

Beyond infrastructure, specific projects were identified and put in place to stimulate the production of goods and services and to generate jobs. A battery factory in Mansa; a cashew nut plant in Mongu; a pineapple project in Mwinilunga; a bicycle plant in Chipata and a Land Rover assembly plant in Livingstone, were prime examples. This strategic thinking was equivalent to the current concept of economic zones. They were designed to jumpstart economic activities based on the comparative advantages of available raw materials and comparative advantages of location etc. A rudimental concept of multi-facility economic zones was already there in 1965. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was suddenly appointed to be Governor of Bank of Zambia in July 1967, midway the implementation of the First National Development Plan.

At the office of National Development and Planning, I prepared weekly progress reports on development activities for the Economic Committee of the Cabinet. It was chaired by the Vice President. The knowledge of the state of various projects across the country had enriched my participation in the general

Dr. J. B. Zulu

Dr. J. B. Zulu adressing the World Food Confrence, Rome, 1996


economic exchanges with the line Ministries and Permanent Secretaries. On hindsight, the Ministries of Health and Education were not participants of Economic Committee of the Cabinet. I can’t understand why I fell short of the wisdom to advise the Government to include the two ministries in such a strategic Committee!

In the Bank of Zambia, I introduced the Kwacha to replace the Zambian pound. The historic day was 16th January 1968. The Kwacha was then equivalent to two US dollars. I followed this action with the Zambianization of the staff in an orderly fashion. I started with replacing expatriate women coin counters with Zambian women. After appropriate consultation with the Government, I embarked on planning and later designing the current headquarters building of the Bank of Zambia. I was tough as nails on fiscal prudence. I insisted that Government expenditure levels stay within 2/3 of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. I guess, this was one of the reasons I was relieved from the Bank before completion of my five year term.

I was appointed as State House Economic Assistant. The knowledge and information of both the real sector and financial and banking sector became handy in advising the President. Mark Chona and I were the first special assistants to the President. Mark drafted all political speeches; I drafted speeches on economic, education and health issues. We often finished and submitted them to the President past midnight. And then saw the President deliver them the following day with incredible punch and lucidity. The public speeches were three times more powerful and engaging than that what we had drafted. Mark and I were always on cloud nine with KK’s passion and delivery.

My involvement with the founding of the University was tangential. I was in the job as Junior Lecturer and Assistant Dean of Students for only four months. In November 1965, the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, Ian Smith, declared the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) and imposed an economic blockade on Zambia. On that fateful day, President Kaunda appointed me to the position of Permanent Secretary, Office of National Development and Planning.

Lameck Goma and I were the first Zambians appointed on the staff of the University of Zambia as it was being established. The President called and told me that Lameck Goma would remain at the University, while I joined the Government. To my knowledge, Lameck was the first PHD graduate in Zambia, while I was probably the second. We were both encouraged to return home by President Kaunda. Lameck was already a senior science lecturer at Legon University in Ghana. I was a brand new PHD, with zero prior experience. I had graduated on 4th June, 1965 and I was on the job on 1st July, 1965. The President assured me that I would eventually return to the University of Zambia.

I was immediately tasked to divert the country’s trade routes from the South to the North /east. This signaled the birth of Tazama Oil pipe Line and Tazara Highway. I lead a team of Zambian experts alongside

the Tanzanian counterparts and successfully negotiated Tazara from 1966 to 1970.

My tangential contribution to the founding of the University of Zambia, was in two parts.

At the request of the political leaders my office and other experts had to advise on what type of Zambian university degree program to sell to the University of London. Following intense deliberations, we advised the Government to adopt a four year degree program rather than the standard British system of sixth form followed by a three year degree program. The politicians emphasized to us that they were in a hurry to get started. A compelling reason was to collapse the sixth form into the first year of the 4 year degree program. It was imperative to economize on the recruitment of overseas teaching staff. The second task was the directive to recruit the first Dean of the School of Medicine plus four senior lecturers, and five senior lecturers for the School of Engineering. I lead a team of civil servants to Moscow, The Soviet Union. This is how the two legendary schools were founded. None of us on the team had prior experience in the recruitment of university academics.

Other matters of interest. Admittedly, I was young and impressionable, the work experience as Permanent Secretary to President Kaunda and Vice President Kamanga, showed me a passion for integrity and public service. The stint at the Bank Of Zambia gave me a broad and enduring technical experience. The two opportunities significantly contributed to the long and productive career at the International Monetary Fund. I was also lucky to be around at a time of great transformation in Zambia and the IMF.

Every moment in my career was challenging. I had vastly limited prior experience in the jobs I was tasked to do. I couldn’t however pass up the opportunity to work hard and to learn. I benefitted from the wisdom and ideas of those above me. I maintained a healthy self-confidence and integrity, which helped me better manage those under my charge for effective team work.

My parents had the greatest influence in my life. They never attended any school. But their generosity, selflessness, love of education and a high work ethic left a lasting impression on me.

At 85 years, I have maintained a challenging life style even after retirement for the past twenty years. I am currently undertaking property development projects for my family in Chikupi, Kafue.

Last but not least, and to the young women and men who have dreams, I say this: If your dreams don’t scare the hell out of you, forget it. They are needs, not dreams.


WHERE IS THE GOLD?In Kasemuka Stream of Chibwika Village

According to Echolls 2017, the Gold exists in extremely diluted concentrations in

both freshwater and seawater, and is thus technically present in all rivers. The only difference is that in most instances, the concentration is very small, difficult to detect and its extraction is not currently feasible or economically profitable in most water bodies. However, in some rivers around the world, flakes of gold and significant gold deposits can be found and mined at a profit with advanced technology. Whether the recently discovered Gold in Chibwika village at the Kasemuka stream falls under the profitable or non-profitable industrial mining is the question to be answered.

This article has been necessitated by the recent News of the newly discovered gold at Kasemuka stream, in Chief Chibwika in Mwinilunga District. A number of us were really pleased with the news which to our ears was like one of those tales we used to hear when we were growing up. It was interesting and puzzling at the same time as to how not only Mwinilunga but a nation as a whole were stepping on gold without a clue. We were a blind village and nation about the Chibwika Gold, I

thought to myself.

Probably, Government has always been aware of the gold in Chibwika only that perhaps the concentration is very small and possibly its extraction may not be economically profitable for the nation. It is now that a few of us are learning that technically Gold is present in all rivers. Yes you heard me right, it is present in all rivers. With these facts on our fingers tips, our reaction of shock when we heard about the gold in Kasemuka Stream was misplaced. The focus instead should have been and is to understand the quantity of placer deposits. Are they significant to be mined at a profit with advanced technology?

Nonetheless, if the deposits at Chibwika are not significant, I am sure Government will still give the local population some artisan certificate to mine. The initial gold scramble that we saw needed to be managed to safeguard lives, hence, the Government’s intervention of restricting access to the area is the right step regardless of the concentration available. The scramble appeared to be life threatening, and sadly the passion to mine was so intense that some

people identified another unmanned prospective spot where they went to mine in the night, and some lives were lost.

Where is this place that has generated the interest of Zambians? Chibwika is situated about 40km from Solwezi Boma. Like most rural Zambia, the mainstay of the people of the Chibwiku is Agriculture until….a few weeks ago when they attempted to change their livelihood to mining and precious stone traders which didn’t last but a time.

The Kasemuka Stream in Chibwika is where gold has purportedly been found. The stream has been used for decades to quench the thirsty of the people of Chibwika/Kasenseli. Little did we suspect it had potential to quench some rural poverty experienced in Chibwika village that is if the placer deposits are significantly profitable.

As an active citizen of the land, the rumour of the discovered gold did not pass me by. I read with interest the stories and watched videos on social media. Emanating from that, I embarked on a search of my own version of the story about

By Cynthia Belemu


what transpired and gain some understanding about gold mining. I used my network previously built when I was working on agricultural interventions in the Country, hence the Agricultural Extension Officers were my point of contact. I called a few people and eventually I was live in Chief Chibwika through telephone interview with Mr. Bernard Zulu.

I introduced myself and explained my reason for the call. When I touched on what I was calling for, I could sense Mr. Zulu’s enthusiasm. In fact, he did not want me to waste time on protocol and formalities of my introductions. He was almost stopping my introduction midday so that he could tell it all. I felt auspicious to have connected with Mr. Zulu. You will agree with me that there is nothing as elating as finding the right orator for a good story, and I found exactly such a one in Mr. Zulu.

Mr. Zulu started by confirming that the story was indeed true, gold had been discovered in Chief Chibwika, but the significant of the deposit was not yet known. He narrated how some local people picked some strange looking stones around the Kasemuka stream and took them to a teacher at Mantochi Primary School. It is understood that the teacher took the stones to a business man around Mwinilunga Boma. It is the business man who indicatively pronounced the strange stones as gold. Sooner or later the teacher and the people who picked the strange stones had their lives transformed.

If what I have been told is true, that the teacher’s life is transformed, I think for once this teacher is thanking the Ministry of General Education for having posted him to Chibwika Village as he will always be part of the history of Gold discovery. See how we all want to clog ourselves in Lusaka when things are happening in Chibwika at Kasemuka stream!

How feasible is it for the Gold to be discovered at Chibwika.We have already touched on this earlier in the article when we said that gold is technically found in

all the water bodies with varying degree of concentration. To further enhance our understanding, the World Bank Research 2015 explains that Gold deposits are found in different types of rocks and geologic formations, falling into two mining categories: lode (primary) and placer (secondary). Lode deposits are contained within surrounding rock whereas placer deposits are dust particles contained in streams and stream beds like the Kasemuka Stream in Chibwika of Mwinilunga. Placer deposits are concentrations of gold transported from enclosed rocks through erosion and gravity. Gold is resistant to weathering, but flakes and dust are easily transported via streams that surround gold-bearing geologic formations. The placer deposits accumulate in stream beds and in sand and gravel, also

known as “black sands’’. After a few reading or research, the social scientist in me feels comfortable to use placer deposits, since in the picture of Chibwika gold, there is the Kasemuka stream and the black sand…the major components of the description of placer deposits. Join my comfort seat and role with me…as new Metallurgists without certificates!

How did Government come to Cordon the Kasemuka Stream?Some things are too good to keep to oneself, the first people who had the encounter with gold didn’t keep it to themselves either. Word went round the village that the stream of life holds the treasures of gold necessitating the scramble we have been reading on social media. Mothers, Fathers, youths, children…kikiki even infants using whatever means could ran to

Kasemuka stream to go and mine the gold. Others crawled, others ran, others walked…towards the gold stream…Everyone exhibited their desire to be rich. This challenged my sociological thinking that if you have not seen much, you will not desire much, as we saw people’s utmost energy towards one life time chance to change their circumstances. Does it mean that the desire to be rich is inherent? In a video, I saw children in the stream trying to pan out some wealth.

Word did not only end at the village level, it spread and reached the Government and the serious business started and my article changed the tone as follow;

According to the Zambian laws, all minerals belong to Government, and as such even the stream you

casually visited yesterday in Chief Chibwika too belongs to the government. The locals have no property rights to the minerals.

Government is the owner of the resources on behalf of the people for equitable distribution. It is the Government that is the collector of public revenues from resources, and is the conduit of distribution of the benefits to the rest of the economy (via public spending). How much the

discovered resource improves the livelihood of the people is dependent to a larger extent on whether the revenues received are put to good use.

What are the future prospects for the chiefdom of Chibwiku?The discovery of the gold in Chibwika of Mwinilunga is undoubtedly good news. Mining in itself has the potential to contribute to growth of the economy, but in this case we are actually talking about Gold which has even more value, hoping that the deposits are significant.

We are likely to see some infrastructure development in the area, even in the preparatory stage. The new mine would require accommodation, schools and hospitals for its employees and their families. The road infrastructure

“Does it mean that the desire

to be rich is inherent?”


and other similar facilities required by the mining industry are likely to improve. We are cognizant that studies have challenged this to say, the effect of mining on investment in local roads and bridges, while not zero, has not had a large impact in any of the countries. The mines tend to build infrastructure just sufficient for their needs, and are rather limited. It is good to point out some of these challenges, in order for us to be pushing for policies that do not leave behind the mining areas, considering that mining also disrupts the original livelihood of the people through some of the negative impact of pollution and other issues that will be discussed later.

Meanwhile, mining usually provides many job opportunities in surrounding town, and would be considered by local people as an

integral part of their economy. The hope is that, it will improve the living standard of Chibwika people and the nation at large.

Furthermore, in other Mining Areas, evidence of improvements in productivity through worker training and education, which often spread beyond the mine. It is expected that the same will transpire for Chibwika in Mwinilunga where local people will acquire other life skills as a result of interactions and engagements.

The development of the Gold mining will not only hinge on bringing about the benefits, naturally any change that happens even the

best change talked about come with some disruption in the systems. The same is expected for the Gold mine in question.

The cost of living may go up in the area incommensurate to the local earnings, thereby disadvantaging the local population who may not be benefiting as much from the mines. The demand for things like accommodation and consumables are likely to go up disproportionally to local earning. The correlation between growth and poverty reduction is not obvious especially in Africa, as evidence has previously shown. The conversion of growth into poverty reduction is considered to be much lower in Africa than in the rest of the developing world (Christiaensen, Chuhan-Pole, and Sanoh 2014), and the low growth

elasticity of poverty is attributed to natural-resource-led growth, a factor that underlies the disappointment that is often felt following a natural-resource-led boom. This is partly because, despite contributing substantially to the country’ gross domestic product (GDP) and export revenue, the total employment numbers generated country-wide by mines are generally modest.

The industry also brings with it negative environmental and health impacts, which the community may feel not adequately compensated. If Industrial mining is embarked on, it might have some negative effect on

the quality of water. There is also likehood of leakage of substances from the mines often absorbed to the land and water reserves which basically may make them no longer eligible for consumption. For example, the operation of large mining equipment requires fuel and results in the emission of greenhouse gases can cause pollution.

To create the mine, the company most likely will cut down trees in order to provide spaces for their equipment, distribution path, or residence. This could disrupts the local populations of flora and fauna. Flora and Fauna is important for maintaining the environment.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that the benefits of significant gold mining outweighs the disadvantages. Even though the pollution is a danger, a good monitoring system can allow for remedial measures. Mining is also likely to be somewhat transformative in terms of the quality and quantity of employment in Mwinilunga District and the nation. The key beneficiary of the Mwinilunga gold is the Government and all of us, the citizen of the land. At the moment, the greatest wish for nation is that the resources will be put to good use. Transparency from Government on the utilization of resource is ALL THAT WE CAN CALL so that the discovery of this precious gold can yield the benefits. Stay blessed mother Zambia..

Taylor Echolls; 2017: Does Every River Contain Gold? https://sciencing.com/river-contain-gold-23685.html

World Bank Report: June 25, 2015 Africa Socioeconomic Impact of Mining on Local Communities in Africa:


#DStvThanks | Visit dstv.com/thanks

WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH DStv THANKS

Terms and conditions apply


A WALK IN THE PARK 100 miles across the wilds of

Kafue National Park

In the twilight before sunrise we came upon two African wild dogs harassing a hyena. In their playful way, they were trying to take back an impala kill that the hyena

had scavenged for its own meal. Known to locals as Tripod, this thief has three good legs. The lower part of a front fourth was lost to a poacher’s snare. For Tripod this handicap proved no hindrance as he wrestled the prize from the dogs.

We took this sighting as a positive omen for the days to come.

It was August, the tail end of the Zambian winter and about 8 degrees Celsius as the sun appeared. Our packs were loaded in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser bouncing its way down a dirt road toward the Nalusanga Gate of Zambia’s largest wilderness, Kafue National Park. Waiting there to join us were Lipoko and

Yuram, Wildlife Police Officers (WPOs or scouts) from the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Lipoko, a hulk of a man we called Chipembeli (or Rhinoceros in the local language) was a 12-year veteran and expert tracker from a nearby village. Yuram, an eager young man and new WPO recruit, came from the capital city, Lusaka, and was learning from Lipoko. With these guides at the ready, we unloaded our gear, filled our water bottles, and took our first steps into trackless Kafue.

I’m not a thrill seeker. I don’t free-climb thousands of feet on an open rock face or wingsuit glide of mountains. While I enjoy a good time as much as anyone, I’m no adrenalin junkie. Yet, there I was setting off on a 100-mile trek across one of Africa’s classic parks, full of predators – animal and human. We were about to disappear into a landscape as large as some countries.

Words and images by Jeff de Graffenried

A view from the top Mutumbwe


Along with my Zambian companion Phil Jeffery, co-owner of a safari camp and Musekese Conservation (MC), we began bushwhacking across harsh terrain, working our way northwest across Kafue’s northern tier. There was no phone signal or internet. There were no porters to haul our gear and no tents to provide shelter. It was us, the bush – and of course the animals. Elephants, lions and snakes lay ahead – along with armed criminals aiming to slay whatever choice animals they could find. How many activities need not one, but two armed guards?

Yes, we did this for the adventure, but our real motivation was to promote MC’s wildlife conservation through my crowdfunded campaign Saving Kafue National Park One Step At A Time (www.savingkafue.com). It wasn’t long before adventure caught up with us.

At about 1,450 meters, Mutumbwe is the highest point in the park. Steep-sided, narrow and rock-faced, the ridge sits almost 300 meters higher than the surrounding plain. After six hours of trekking through the rising heat, we arrived at Mutumbwe’s base. Not knowing how to tackle this giant, we ascended what seemed to be a gentle slope. Before long, we were clambering over boulders, sharp rocks and soot-covered bush. Dropping our packs, we resorted to a hand-over-hand struggle up

the jagged rocks, determined to reach the crest before darkness descended.

Squeezing through tight gaps and clinging to roots and boulders, we managed to reach a prominent cliff. This would be our highest point for the day as the steep slope ahead made reaching the pinnacle before dark too risky. We enjoyed a 360-degree view over what seemed like a never-ending landscape of trees.

Early the next morning we finished our coffee, loaded our packs and headed out before the heat crept in. It wasn’t long before we saw signs of bush pig, warthog, aardvark, elephant, and various antelope. Following a lone bull-elephant’s trail, we pushed our way through 2-meter-high grass that transitioned to Miombo woodlands, a thornless, deciduous forest landscape that covers much of Zambia. The light Miombo canopy tends to be open and sparsely shaded with tall grasses and low shrubs.

Poachers snares and traps are deadly, silent, and indiscriminate. We saw a maimed zebra and the skeletal remains of a sable antelope, with a snare around its horns. In one area, not only did we find the carcass of a recently executed elephant, we encountered skeletons of two other pachyderms that the scouts estimated

were killed in the last couple of years. Three elephants slain in one area drove home the sobering reality for wildlife in this park.

We saw signs of illegal activity throughout the trip. There were trees downed for honey harvesting, unoccupied poachers’ camps, bicycle tracks, and a broad, well-used foot-trail that originated beyond the park’s eastern boundary. According to Lipoko, people from more than 80 kilometers away walk or cycle along this “poachers highway” to unlawfully enter the park, hunt and remove game. The Zambian government estimates that as many as 6,000 poachers operate around Kafue.

National parks officials are working closely with MC to better address the increased poaching and human encroachment pressures on Kafue. Using their money, Musekese recently built an anti-poaching base that houses 12 government WPOs

Snared sable skull Wild Dog

18 In-flight Magazine | Oct - Nov 2019A hidden Eden

Climbing up fishing weir

19

and supervisors, and has a first-in-Kafue central communication center to reduce response times during emerging threats to wildlife.

While passing through the anti-poaching base, an excited ranger led us to a singular sight. A massive python had recently devoured a small animal, possibly a bushbuck. The snake was resting safely under thick bush close to the river, digesting its food. Approaching quietly, we crept up on the scene. The python appeared to be at least 4 meters long and 20 to 25 centimeters wide. The engorged section was two to three times its normal size.

Leaving the full python, and walking north, we entered the Special Conservation Zone, a scenic area of Kafue with extensive grasslands filled with puku and impala. Along oxbow lakes there were signs of elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard. The animals could sense of our presence as far away as 500 meters, and retreated swiftly, darting and leaping through the tall grasses and small shrubs, disappearing into the bush.

Traveling north along the Kafue and Lafupa rivers, we came to the traditional community fishing weirs. A defined number of these weirs are part of the original park agreement that allow communities to continue traditional fishing. The weirs are not much more than hand-made dams that span the river, constructed from small trees and grass thatch. Water is routed through a narrow hole in the dam’s center and then into hand-made baskets woven from riverine reeds, trapping fish.

To reach our destination, we needed to cross the Lafupa without a bridge or boat to help. That left one option. Gingerly, one person at a time, the team climbed onto a rickety weir, keeping a wary eye on a nearby raft of hippos, and on the black water below in case a crocodile waited for its next meal.

Testing the strength of hand and foot holds, each of

us inched across the frail structure until safely reaching the opposite shore. Awaiting us was Kafue’s jewel, the Busanga Plain.

After a march along riverine forests filled with resting hippos, the Busanga Plain spilled out in front of us. Before dark, Lipoko found a camping spot near an old river channel and on raised bare area next to a large termite mound. This comfortable location was near water and out of the surrounding tall grass. We relaxed around a fire, our defense each night against encroaching creatures, and took in the constellations. Nearby a leopard coughed, elephants grumbled, and hippos splashed and called in their low staccato laugh.

Early the next morning, we woke to hyena whooping not 30 meters from our camp.

Late in the afternoon on the eighth day, we arrived at our destination in the Busanga. Sore and weighing a few kilograms less, we dropped our packs and enjoyed a cold drink to celebrate our accomplishment. We eyed each other in a mutual understanding of our shared achievement in crossing this African wilderness.

In today’s hyper-connected world it’s easy to imagine that we intimately know a place or feel that we’ve already been there just by following a friend’s photos on social media. However, after walking through the heart of nature, I was reminded that to truly experience life, you have live it. Disconnect, put your shoes on, and get acquainted with a place in person.

These awakening moments happen when you are soaked with sweat, feel the bite of the tsetse fly, and enjoy the refreshing coolness of the river on your feet after a long, hot day of walking. The feeling comes too in your sleeping bag when the reassuring silence is broken by the distant roar of a lion.

Python


By Kebby Kashinamilunda

CHAKWELA MAKUMBI CEREMONY

The origin of the Soli speaking people of Lusaka Province can be traced back to KOLA. ( Mwata Yamvo’s Kingdom of modern day Democratic

Republic of Congo). They came under a chief called MBONSHI arriving in Zambia in 1650 and settled at Katende (BWINGI– IMFUMU) at the palms just where Kakoma farm is located in Chongwe, southeast of the Chongwe Toll gate . Here they found short people (BA KALALA MAFWASA) who fled southwards running away from the tall people. These are suspected to be the bushmen of modern day Kalahari desert.

After being here for some time MBONSHI and his people fled from slave traders heading eastwards to modern day mwachilele and others are said to have turned into palm trees ,the very big palm trees we

now see at Kakoma area west of katende in Chongwe. Folklore has it that there were people who used to go round and every time they found a village without a fire burning they would capture the villagers into slavery.

With the passage of time, the population grew and it became difficult to administer the Solis from a central place so MBONSHI appointed four (4) chiefs namely:• Nkomeshya in manyika area between Kampekete

and Bimbe primary schools• Shikabeta in the Lunsemfwa area • Mpanshya in eastern Rufunsa• Chiyaba area around the confluence of the Zambezi

and Kafue rivers

And Mbonshi himself remained at Chinyunyu, becoming the first chief Bunda Bunda ( bene Shamifwi


– specialized in making bow and arrows ). Of all these chiefs, Nkomeshya is the senior chief.

Chakwela makumbi is a soli phrase literally meaning pulling of (the rain) clouds, it is a spiritual.

The Ceremony is an undertaking that involves her royal highness praying for a good rainy season in preparation for the planting of good seeds of which she symbolically has to be the very first person to plant a seed .

In times of droughts, the Solis of old had a chosen number of people from a cousin clan ( bashukulu) of the chief ,who used to pray for rains.

Every time the rains delayed or if there was a prolonged dry spell in the rainy season these bashukulu would go to the royal burial site ( kumalimbo) to inspect the graves,they would look for one that had collapsed ,then a goat was slaughtered , roasted and eaten without salt . Then all the bones were thrown in the said grave and they retreated home singing;

“Chakwela makumbi , chakwela makumbi chishi chaba chongwe” , singing over and over.

Before they reached home, it would rain and they would be reaching home drenched to the bone. But with the passage of time, it became an annual event taking place just before the rains instead of waiting for droughts.

The Chikwela, is a ceremony where Her Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II intercedes through the ancestors to God for good rainfall just before the onset of rainy season. The actual day of the ceremony is characterized by a lot of traditional songs and dances that start in the morning until a time when Her Royal Highness comes out of her palace. As she emerges from the palace, she is accompanied by her daughters, indunas , some subjects and some musketeers ( bakalu –the royal guard ). The royal guards continuously fire their muzzle loaders whose sound symbolizes the thunder of the much anticipated rains. She is escorted to the grand stand in the main arena in the royal grounds where a throne is placed for her to officiate at the ceremony.

The path on which she walks on barefoot is painted in shades of clay and no one is allowed to walk on it before she does, these shades symbolize the people, the land and the Solis exodus from Kola. The chieftainess is entertained by more songs and dances as she sits down, the dances are performed by the zones that make up the chiefdom while others are performed by visiting groups like the tribal cousins the Luvales and others.

After a few performances, the chieftainess takes Centre stage when the community brings an assortment of planting seeds and she puts them together in bowls, sprinkling them with rain water collected from the previous rainy season from a clay pot. This is done to bless the seeds. Surrounded by indunas and women,she kneels down to pray facing the heavens. After praying

Her Royal Highness preparing herself to start the prayer

Her Royal Highness preparing the seeds

Her Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II


the royal entourage later proceeds on foot to the field along with the guest of honor, other officials and other onlookers to light a fire in the royal field. This signifies the clearing of the fields for the new farming season. She then tills a small portion of land and plants some seeds to signify the beginning of the farming season, she plants the first rain fed seeds.

Afterwards Her Royal Highness returns to the main arena for speeches, more performances and receiving of gifts and finally retiring to the palace leaving the festivities going on late into the night .

The major highlights of the ceremony are as follows;The chief’s role: the prayer, the preparation of the seeds, preparation of the field and the planting of the first rain fed seeds.The royal guard ( bakalu) : showcasing how they protect their chief.Traditional dances and songs : chinsengwe, ba mooba and mikonkobesho.Ba moye (initiation): showcasing how Soli girls were initiated into womanhood.

The young generation of Solis and people at large should value this ceremony because it has a lot of significance. It teaches the value of faith as it is a ceremony based on faith, we pray to God for rain and most times it rains on the material day.

This event is an annual ceremony that is held in the last weekend of October. This is the time of year when it’s very hot and dry, people and livestock are in dire need of water and this is the best time to pray for sufficient rains.

The Soli are so close to urbanization which is both advantageous as well as disadvantageous, Because of our proximity to Lusaka ,which is in Nkomeshya chiefdom, the indigenous people are being pushed further and further away into hinter land away from their fields and water sources all in the name of development.

It is also affecting soli culture negatively because the rapid urbanization has brought a culture shock to many young people who feel that its backward to even speak soli in public places preferring English and or other major Zambian languages like Nyanja and Bemba. They feel it’s fashionable to speak these instead of Soli because to them Soli is to be spoken by villagers.

It has also brought a lot of people from different parts of Zambia and Africa in general who have come with their own cultures which are now in contrast with Soli ones.

The plus side is that it has brought health facilities closer to the people and has eased communication due to better road networks etc.

How are you preserving the soli culture? As a community, we take recognizant of the dangers of cultural erosion, and that is why certain steps are beinga taken.For instance, by having such activities like the Chakwela Makumbi ceremony and getting the youths to get involved so they learn what Solis are all about ,in that way they can also teach those that are coming after them the Soli tradition and culture. The ceremony is a revisiting of the past as we need to recognize the past and keep in touch who we are.• We have people who have written books on soli

tradition and culture, we shouldn’t lose ourselves in development and other trends.

• We also have people who go on local radios to teach soli culture.

• All this is being done to try reconnect with the people who are not really in touch with their roots.

What should people expect from this year’s ceremony?They should expect to see original soli tradition and culture being showcased. And we promise them pure SOLI hospitality.

Anything you would like to share.This prayer for good rainfall during the impeding rainy season gives Chakwela Makumbi its own uniqueness from most traditional ceremonies in Zambia which only celebrate their ceremonies after harvest and floods.

It is our prayer that this ceremony can develop into something that could create jobs and become more of a tourist attraction where the local people can take more ownership in the ceremony and also something that can start to compete for attention with the more commercially recognized traditional ceremonies.

Her Royal Highness praying for the seeds


Are your wings clipped by the business authorities for non-compliance? At Harrison & Associates Chartered

Accountants and Business Advisors, we will handle your business-related compliance matters such as auditing,

accounting, tax, company secretarial, management consultancy, and other value-for-money assignments; and allow you to

continue �ying high.

CONTACT [email protected] | +260 211 845 541

No. 8 Lubambe Road, Northmead, Lusaka 10101, Zambia.Dr. Harrison Banda PhD, MSc, FCCA, FZICA, +260 977 654 599.

Auditing | Accounting | Taxation | Investigations | Management | Consultancy | Company Secretarial

HARRISON & ASSOCIATESChartered Accountants and Business Advisors

www.harrisonandassociates.com

24

Beauty on the Farm Will the Youths Take to the Land?

The foremost excitement of the previous three months was attending a summit in the United States of America. I was finally travelling to this great

country for the first time. I had received an email earlier congratulating me on being among the 10 agricultural Journalists chosen to attend the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists ‘IFAJ’ boot camp and congress.

I landed in Washington DC aboard a South African Airways plane after about 17 hours of flight time. I had to take another two-hour flight to Minneapolis, the city in which the IFAJ congress was hosted. This is the city

that would become my home for the next 8 days. As we were about to touch down at Minneapolis International Airport, I looked through my window only to be greeted by this wonder city. It is all green with plenty of water bodies. I soon realized that my imagination of America were far from reality. I expected to be greeted with a built-up scene, but lo and behold what I saw an expanse of nature which was very beautiful to gaze at.

My aerial view of Minneapolis was to be confirmed by a road trip to the corn fields of Minneapolis the following morning. Our route to this farm was a sight to behold; I have never seen such beauty of green corn going on and on. It was beautiful. I immediately thought of back home where we have dusty roads which turn into impassable muddy roads as we experience the rainy season, and yet, here we were, in beautiful roads lined with beautiful corn fields. I couldn’t help but imagine how many youthful Zambians would have taken to farming if it were this beautiful. In the age of social media, young people love to be associated with an abundance of beauty in their surroundings and a technological advanced system embedded into their business.

The Zambian idea of a farm is a muddy road, sometimes impassable ran by an elderly, probably retired farmer, who uses hard labour to plant, weed, fertilise and maintain the farm. Some farms still use hoes

to till the land yet every year our policies are suggesting that we should take agriculture as the second biggest earner of forex for Zambia; however our investment in mechanized agriculture is moving at a very slow pace. Could Zambia turn around our farm situation in the foreseeable future? That question will remain to be answered.

TODAY WE ARE VISITING FAR GAZE AND KEIFFER FARMSI couldn’t get my eyes off the sides of the road as we approached Keiffer farms. It was lined with green corn, which looked immaculately laid.

The Keiffers revealed just by sight that they were 5th generation farms that are still operational and show no sign of phasing off. It was amazing to learn that for 5 generations this farm was still in operation as generation farms are rarely found in my native country because once the parents that operated a farm become tired of working on the farm, production ceases. Most times,

By Judith Lembela Mupeta

Judith Lembela Mupeta

25

the children dwelling in towns and cities end up neglecting their aging parents to go and search for greener pasture and for easier access to better medical facilities in cities. Once the old folks are no more so goes the farm. Although the current American policy on immigration may be posing a problem as regards finding labor to work on farms, the Keifers hope it is something that won’t make their operations difficult. With not so many Africans and Hispanics being allowed into America, the farms are suffering as the available labour force would rather take up jobs in factories that are able to pay a little better.

At Gaze farms, we learnt that just last year, the farm suffered severe losses to farm infrastructure due to the tornado that swept across the farm. The other issue is the importance of farm insurance so as to recover from such damage. To what extent do we as Zambian farmers insure our farm installations? Let alone our crop. Farming is a risky business that

requires us to consider insuring our investments.

I can see how generation farming can thrive in an environment like that I found in Minneapolis corn farms. It creates an ambience where children grow up on the farm so that they can see a future for themselves as farmers. The farms are well equipped with various technologies to reduce the amount of hard labor individual farmers have to put in to make the farm profitable. This is in contrast to our Zambian context were our farmers struggle on the farm. I doubt if any young ones would like to perpetuate the legacy of family farms. In the first instance, even parents would rather push their children into towns and cities to find a better life. This mostly leaves the aged Zambians on the farm.

A GROWING CONCERN WORLDWIDEThe scenario of aging farmers is not only seen on Zambian farms, in fact, a growing concern worldwide

is that our farmers are aging globally. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, ‘FAO, the average age of farmers is said to be about 60 years.

The issue of youth leaving farms is acknowledged at the highest level of governance in different countries globally. In Zambia, the Republican President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, recently acknowledged that most industrial activities are mostly focused in urban and peri-urban areas, predominantly along the line of rail. This scenario has resulted in increased rural-urban migration. People especially the youth are migrating to cities in search of jobs and business opportunities. This has caused congestion in cities and towns, hence putting pressure on government to provide adequate social amenities to the ever growing population.

President Lungu wondered why the youth are leaving the rural areas where farmland is available


and ironically, most of the natural resources upon which industrial activities are in abundance. ‘To address this rural-urban drift, government is committed to providing an enabling environment for rural industrialization to flourish’. President Lungu said.

Another country facing the effects of low youth involvement in agriculture is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jacques Katwe, the Katanga regional governor, recently bemoaned the low levels of food production in his country. In his lenses, the youth’s lack of participation in agriculture has partly contributed to this predicament. The youth are shunning agriculture in preference for better paying and easy jobs in the mining sector. This came to light in Ndola recently, during a meeting held between the government of Zambia and the government of Congo, where the two countries were discussing modalities of normalizing trade in agricultural products between the two countries.

‘Production of agricultural products in Congo has continued to remain low because young people would rather engage in mining than farming. The Katanga governor was optimistic for the future, as the country was doing its best to encourage young people to take up farming, even though he was quick to admit that Congo was still not making much progress. ‘As you can imagine we can only have 200 thousand tons of maize produced per annum. We therefore invite farmers,

and investors based Zambia to come to Congo and set up farm businesses there’ said Jacques Katwe.

FACE BOOK DEBATEIn conclusion, let me leave you with this. I recently asked the question why a young Zambian avoid taking up farming in a Facebook post. Here are some of the responses I was able to get. Picked from Facebook as posted.

Namataa Muyunda, said: The old have finances to establish farms and usually would have learnt that formal employment is come to an end and would want to start a business to sustain them. Youth still think they have a long time to go till it’s necessary to invest.

Sims Simataa posted: Reason: It’s hard work. No easy thrills! No easy money.

Pesida Chilufya Maali in response to another post wrote: It’s not true that its lack of resources. There is plenty of land laying idle in our country. You do not have to start out as a commercial farmer. You can start small. I agree with Sims Simataa. Farming is hard work and most of our youths would rather sit down on a street corner and sell “Chinese made pegs”. Or be somebody else’s dependent (at 25 years or so). Ignorance is also an issue- I have family members telling me that farming is for old people.

Patrick Mwenya wrote: Agriculture is a strategic sector which involves production, distribution and

marketing just like the manufacturing sector. Small scale producers have little access to the distribution and marketing channels of agricultural products. FRA is only into maize as a national buyer but there is need to empower farmers to control the agricultural markets. Farmers can initiate marketing corporative through which they can sell their produce. Individual small-scale producers get shocked at the price spar or Shoprite offer to buy their products. Its low but they have no choice.

Maumba Tembo said: There is a misconception in Zambia that the only time to take up farming is when one retires. Farming a realistic contributor to our GDP than manufacturing where we are spending colossal sums of money begging for investors. The great part of farming is that it can be taken up from a very micro scale and increased to a mega scale and with value addition. The government has already demonstrated a strong political will but the onus is on the youth to embrace this occupation with passion. I don’t agree with people who are saying that farming is hard work. When one takes up a job which he truly loves, and does that job form one’s heart, one would never feel like he’s worked a day in his life.

I believe a habitable environment in our rural farms could contribute to attracting more youth to the farm.


Zambia has a new Employment law. It is the Employment Act no. 3 of 2019. This new law has introduced a fundamental

shift from the pre-existing position on Gratuity in Zambia. Previously, Gratuity was only payable to those employees whose contracts of employment expressly provided for it. However, under the new law:

• every employee under a contract for a fixed duration

• every employee under a long term contract

is legally entitled to gratuity at the termination or expiry of their contracts of employment. Section 54 of the Employment Act no 3 of 2019 provides that:

“54. (1) An employer shall pay an employee a severance pay, where the employee’s contract of employment is terminated or has expired, in the following manner:

(b) where a contract of employment is for a fixed duration, severance pay shall either be a gratuity at the rate of not less that twenty-five percent of the employee’s basic pay earned during the contract period or the retirement benefits provided by the relevant social security scheme that the employee is a member of, as the case may be;

(c) where a contract of employment of a fixed duration has been terminated, severance pay shall be a gratuity at the rate of not less than twenty-five percent of the employee’s basic pay earned during the contract period as at the effective date of termination;

Further, section 73 of the same Act provides that:

“73. (1) An employer shall, at the end of a long-term contract

period, pay an employee gratuity at a rate of not less than twenty five percent of the employee’s basic pay earned during the contract period.

END OF YEAR BONUSES The Employment Act no. 3 of 2019 does not make the payment of end of year bonuses mandatory. In fact the new law expressly excludes Bonuses from forming part of Basic Pay. An end of year bonus is only mandatory

if the employee’s contract of employment expressly provides that one shall be payable. The Act provides that:

“full pay” means basic pay, allowances and the cash equivalent of any allowances in kind applicable for a period not exceeding one month, but does not include payments in respect of any bonus;

The Act further states in section 66(6) that:“(6) Subsections (1), (2) and (3) do not apply to the payment of an allowance or bonus where the allowance or bonus does not form part of any payment due under the contract of employment.”

In conclusion, as we approach the end of the year, do not worry that you might be legally

obliged to pay end of year bonuses; YOU ARE NOT! Gratuity is a different story though.

GRATUITY IS NOW MANDATORYEND OF YEAR BONUSES ARE NOT

By Mwape Michael Moono, Esq.(L.J. Michaels Legal Practitioners)

“...where a contract of employment of a fixed

duration has been terminated, severance pay shall be a

gratuity at the rate of not less than twenty-five percent ....”

CONTACT INFOL.J. MICHAELS LEGAL PRACTITIONERS,

Plot 396A Kafue Road, [email protected] | [email protected]

+260 966 650 000

Sinazongwe District in Southern Province of Zambia is home to Lake Kariba which is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume, but not by surface

area. The reservoir covers 5,580 square kilometres and is around 250 kilometres long and 32 km at its widest point. It also has a mean depth of 29m. This lake is located between Zambia and Zimbabwe and Sinazongwe has the largest portion by far both on the Zambian and Zimbabwean side. This feat is accompanied by a diversity of landscape, fauna and flora. Over 90% of the lake at this point is on the Zambian side while the district alone accounts for 60% of the Zambian waters and the rest are shared between Gwembe and Siavonga districts of Zambia.

Back in the 80’s when I was a young boy growing up in Monze, it had always been my childhood dream to visit this part of Lake Kariba especially Maamba, the home of Zamcoal Diggers Football Club who were our arch rivals at Monze Swallows Football Club. Thirty years later, my dream finally came true when I managed to visit Sinazongwe with my family for the first time.

It was on Thursday 21st December in the year 2017 when my wife and I with our two kids finally left Lusaka around 11 am after waking up normally due to the rainy weather. After some errands, we were soon on our way for our very first holiday as a family. The rainy weather continued throughout most of our journey but, this

made it peaceful and pleasant because the road was not congested. After a brief lunch break in Mazabuka, we finally arrived to a warm welcome by Brian Maher, his wife, and their treacherous Vervet monkeys. These would be our hosts at Lakeview Lodge in Sinazongwe for the next four days. We didn’t see much that day because of the rainy clouds. We just had some sumptuous chicken curry for dinner after which we retired for the night in our beautiful two storey family chalet.

The following day, I woke up very early in the morning ahead of my family, picked up my camera and set out to the beach with the aim to discover the beauty of this place. The first thing that caught my eye was peaks and the numerous islands on the Zimbabwean side if the Lake. It is here where the sun rises very quickly. I must stress here that this is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. This being in the valley and having been the hot season, it dawns on the lake with ferocious heat across the many night fishing trawlers reminding the fishermen of their time to rest. Sinazongwe is home of the Fish Eagle. Its predominant calls all around in this area would remind you of the news sigtune of the olden days on Radio one of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. According to Chief Sinazongwe through a quick phone call by the Council Secretary, the name Sinazongwe comes from the Zongwe River which flows eastwards into Lake Kariba from the Zeze hills to the west which also gives the name to Sinazeze, another town in

LAKE KARIBA The Endowernment of Sinazongwe

By Lombe Musonda

29

the district just before you turn left to Sinazongwe town which is right on the banks of the lake.

‘Today would be interesting’, I thought later as we set out to view two of the most interesting islands on the Zambian side of the lake. In fact, this was the main reason we went to Sinazongwe. The notable islands of Lake Kariba are Antelope, Zebra, Sampa Karuma, Snake, Fothergill, Bed, Mashape, Maaze, Sekula, Chete and Chikanta. Just a few minutes after 10am, when we boarded a police speed boat from the government harbour. On board was myself and my guides-Mr, Henry Siseho, District Ranger from the Department of Wildlife, Mr. Siamujompa Mazuba from the Forestry Department, Simon from Lake View Lodge and Chisela, the Cockswine from the Zambia Police Service. The 10 minutes ride to the first island, Chete, was thrilling with the boat racing away leaving a jet splash while the mainland dwindled behind us. Chete Island is situated to the south east of Sinazongwe harbour. It is 27 square kilometres in size and is not only the largest of Lake Kariba’s islands but is also larger than Sekula, the second largest at 18 square meters which is also on the Zambian side. These two are both owned by the Zambian government. As we were approaching the island, a large fish eagle was trying to settle on one of the trees. Upon seeing this, I immediately began to take some shots. ‘A Hippo bull, mother, and calf over there!’ shouted Mr. Siseho pointing at a tiny bay on the left side of the island. He quickly jumped out of the boat and went ahead of us towards the pool while signalling to us to follow him quietly and gently. It was very exciting to spend a few minutes here watching the Hippo family continuously emerge and submerge in the water until the cow roared and Henry told us it was no longer safe to stick around any longer. We also saw a couple of adult Egyptian Geese as we were venturing deeper into the island to see the site of the

former lodge. ‘Let’s start off for Chikanka, the weather is getting bad!’ shouted Chisela as he came running to us from the boat where he and Simon had remained behind for some fishing. The other animals found here and the surrounding islands including the ones on the Zimbabwean side are Elephant, Crocodile, Hippo, Buffalo, Warthog, Lion, Leopard, Baboon, Kudu, Impala and many others. There are also other large birds like the Hawk and some smaller species like the Little Egret. ‘The presence of these animals here is as a result of the flooding of the lake after the damming of the Zambezi River further downstream in Siavonga which made the animals to seek for refuge hence being trapped in the former highlands. Several decades later, the animals feel safer on the islands than on the mainland of either Zambia or Zimbabwe where poaching and human conflicts are prevalent. “However the animals swim or fly from one island to the other every so often”, said Henry on the boat as Chete began to dwindle behind us on our way to Chikanka Island. There are other smaller non gazetted islands on Lake Kariba and one such is square somewhere between Chete and Chikanka

Further down but, south west of Chete Island is the privately owned Chikanka Island which is not only a bird watcher’s or sport fisher’s paradise but also the most habitable of the Zambian islands on the lake. Lake View Lodges on the mainland in Sinazongwe operate this island through providing state of the art family and executive chalets, lounge, bar and dining facilities. The Finch is the most common and exciting bird on the island among many others. Apart from the crocodiles patrolling the shores, other smaller reptiles on the island are Blue Lizard and Water Monitors.

Sunrise on Lake Kariba, Sinazongwe


1

2 3


Chikanka is also rich in flora through the various indigenous and exotic species of trees and plants dotted all over the island. The common fish caught around here are Tiger and Bream. It was also very exciting being at Chikanka starting off first with lunch before venturing out on a conducted tour of the Island by Simon. After a good time here, it was once again time to go back to the mainland since the weather was once again becoming bad according to Chisela.

The next day, my family and I decided to just take a walk around the town of Sinazongwe which is by far the greenest in Zambia. I have never seen it during the other seasons but, by mid-December it was already a thicket, if not a jungle. The vegetation around here is so thick no wonder the common sights of common reptiles like the Blue and Monitor Lizards. Big birds like the Fish Eagle and Hawk are also predominant. ‘The common local trees throughout the district are Musikili, Mubuyu, Mopani and Acacia’, said Janet Chikololo from the Forestry Department as she took us through the gravelled streets. ‘Others are Marula (Mangongo) and Mulombe which is commonly known

in Zambia as Mukula. Forestry products are also produced for supply to the Fisheries, Mining and Crocodile Farming industries’, she explained further.

‘Fishing is the economic mainstay of the district with over 200 licensed commercial fish companies operating about 3000 Rigswhile. There are also about 8000 artisanal (small scale fishermen) spread out between the mainland and islands. The common fish are Kapenta (sardines), Bream and Tiger. The Lake Kariba Fisheries Research Station and a Fisheries Training Institute are actually found here in Sinazongwe,’ chipped in Mazuba at a later point.

‘The other major economic activity in the district is Agriculture’, chipped in Mr. Charles Simulunda who is the District Agriculture Co-ordinator.’The district alone accounts for 75,000 herds of cattle going by the census of 2016 and this is mostly from the communal free range system whose animals thrive from the rich pastures of Lake Kariba’, he continued. ‘Sheep and goats are also in abundance here, then we have chickens, guinea fowls and other birds as well. Like Janet indicated earlier, Sinazongwe is also home to the largest crocodile

farms in Zambia with Zongwe Farms in the Siansowa area being the largest’.

The following day, we were unable to visit Zongwe Farms but, were fortunate enough to visit Lukhinze Crocodile farm, another giant within the same area. This was just before we visited Maamba, the third ,and largest commercial town in the district owing to its rich history as Zambia’s largest producer of coal to date.

Our final day in Sinazongwe was just about chilling out at our hosts- Lakeview Lodge where we enjoyed as a family by splashing in the pool, photos, wining, dining and hanging out with the resident Vervet monkeys before saying our tearful goodbyes the following morning to the wonderful staff. We headed back to Lusaka on Christmas day 2017.

This dear reader is yet another story told through my eyes and lens.

Far Left 1. Lions

2. Elephant

3. Kudu

Below An aerial view of Chikanka Island, Lake

Kariba, Sinazongwe


I had heard so much about Nairobi, the Capital City of Kenya and it had always been my dream to visit Nairobi. I had my picturesque of the place, though it

did not turn out exactly the way I had been imagining it from the physical side of it, but I had a very good time. Some of the high-rise buildings that are dotted around ignited some anxiety in me as they appeared not well engineered, but probably I am just that coward who has phobia for tall buildings.

I quickly changed my focus to experience the high vibes of Kenya. I did not want to miss out on any fun by concentrating on analyzing engineering works where I am not an expert. I reminded myself of who I am a social scientist…with keen interest in understanding people’s lives. Immediately that sunk, life started happening, and truly I had a good time.

I finally realized that I needed to let myself loose, and mingle with life and people. I even lured the Scientist I travelled with, my husband into letting loose too so that we could attend to the business we had travelled for (we had to stay sober to deliver our presentations at the Conference), and reserve the rest for the last day. The scientist was receptive of this idea.

We explored the Safari Park Hotel, which is the largest conference hotel in East Africa, and we ended up at Nyama Choma Ranch. The place is a very beautiful decent outing, with a combination of Restaurant, Bar and Stage for performance on the other side.

Immediately we sat, the waiters started caving at our table with all kinds of roasted barbecued beef, both usual and unusual ones on skewers. The beef included Nyama Choma (Goat grill), kuku choma (grilled chicken), beef grills, lamb chops, mutton, crocodile meats, Ostrich, Turkey, guinea fowl, name it.

My date likened this arrangement to Steak house in Washington DC where he had an experience of nonstop flow of steaks. I could not relate with Washington, because I have not been there but that did not stop my mind from wondering/imagining.

Ki Kiki, I also had my own imagination, not the

My Night of Roasts in KenyaBy Cynthia Makunka Belemu


Washington one of course, but my Primary School study of Kenya where we learnt a lot about the Masai whom we were told were mostly Pastoralists who lived on meat and its byproducts. I told myself strongly that I am living on meat like a Masai people tonight. Only that the night grills were actually beyond the Maasai diet, whom I learnt do not eat any wild game, as my grills included game meat such as crocodile, and ostrich to mention but only a few.

Thinking through now after meeting and getting some enlightenment from Jeff on Conserving Wildlife, my participation in the meat munch would have been limited only to livestock raised for food or sukuma wiki. Having learnt a lot on Wild Conservation, I am watching my plate.

We were blessed to have chosen the Nyama Choma Ranch that features one of the most evocative stage shows in Africa. We watched a dance team called the Safari Cat dancers dance with a compelling kaleidoscope beat, colour, costume, culture and acrobatic as we were enjoying the grills over some drinks according to our different tastes. The dancers were so immaculate. I was told that they are actually professionally trained just to dance on such occasions.

The arrangement was well timed as there was no dull moment, and the well-choreographed dancers were actually what you needed to watch while you were excited about trying the different types of meat, drinks, wines and exotic cocktails. There was no dull moment of the night because after the Cabarets performance, the live band kicked in…and we got enticed into joining

the stage or dance floor. You know how nights unfold. Usually, people pretend to be shy at the first songs are being sung. They dance from their seats, moving the heads, thumbing the feet, and clicking the fingers…BUT I have not seen people resist good music for long. My date and the crowd on that night weren’t from this explanation. One by one, we shyly matched to the dance floor. I whispered to my date, “today is the only time to try out all imagined dance moves, our kids (whispers…and employees) are not here to laugh at our uncoordinated moves.” We belted it out and felt rejuvenated, until we were tired.

What a beautiful business trip it was, combined with a lot fun. What a night to remember in Nairobi! I cannot wait for another business fun trip. Let us see where next…

NOTE: Sukuma wiki is a simple dish made with greens similar to kale or collards that can also be made with cassava leaves, sweet potato leaves, or pumpkin leaves. Its Swahili name comes from the fact that it is typically eaten to “get through the week” or “stretch the week. In other words, it is a budget dish.http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Kenya.html

Below Cat Dancers (Image from www.rhinoafrica.com)


When I was young, there was an automobile company that had an ad campaign for their latest pickup truck. The caption on the magazine

and billboard ads read “Life is a Journey, Enjoy the ride.” Accompanying this caption was an image of a tough rugged pick-up truck half perched on a rock overlooking a beautiful panoramic vista. Being young, I never thought much about this and what it could mean but as the years rolled by, those words started to have a deeper meaning to me.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Kitwe for a friend’s wedding. Most people know me as a photographer, so when I arrived at the wedding venue, everyone’s first thought at seeing me was that I will be documenting the wedding. As usual, I had my gear with me all packed up and ready to capture some stunning pictures........ but none of them had anything to do with the wedding.

Having just returned from an overseas trip, I had a huge backlog of work back in Lusaka and did not want to spend the night in Kitwe hence I decided I was going

to do what in my vernacular language we call “kubata jongwe nemuromo ” simply translated – “to be on the move before the rooster crows”. Being a morning person, this was absolutely no problem for me. In fact, I always enjoy the tranquillity and serenity on the road before the truckers and buses are let loose at dawn. The only problem was that I was still battling jet lag and operating at US East Coast Time, which meant I was 6 hours behind the current time, so even though it was 4am here, my body was telling me its 10pm and I should be getting ready for bed.

Regardless I got up, took a bath, made a cup of tea, and packed an overnight bag just in case because I wasn’t sure I could withstand driving + 700km in one day plus the rather obvious fact that the wedding would start late and there was no way I was going to leave there early enough to be home before it is dark.

As it gets closer to dawn and I’m cruising along on track without a hitch, I glance at the marvellous colours being painted just over the horizon. And I say to myself


its show time. Here is the reason why I brought my camera and tripod.

A few kilometres before I get to Kabwe, I see the most beautiful haze hovering over the ground. It’s just so glorious. I pull over safely to a side road and start jumping over bushes like a mad man composing and framing images from all sorts of angles. See! This is the reason I like to travel alone. I can sing on top of my voice. I can have deep conversations with myself and I can stop anywhere and take pictures without anyone thinking I’m going crazy or wasting time. And so that was my first of many stops and in the end, I rolled into Kitwe at 10:30am almost six hours after my departure.

Dear friend! You see Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride; do not be obsessed with arriving because that means you miss all the beautiful things along the way. Life is a Journey, Enjoy the ride, pause, hold on for a second, take a deep breath and enjoy where you are right now but not forgetting where you are going. Life is a Journey. Enjoy the ride.

If you would like to see more of my adventures around the world, follow me on Instagram @tate_megapix.

Images by Tatenda Sasa (Tate Megapix)


Ntumbachushi Falls

LocationThe Ntumbachushi Falls National Monument Siteis located 15Km from Kawambwa town (Boma)on the Kawambwa – Mbereshi Road.AreaThe 186-hectare monument site embraces theNgo’na River and all the land within 500m ofeither bank of the river, for a distance of 1, 000mupstream and an equal distance (1, 000m)downstream.Special Features Cascades/Cataracts

Upstream the main waterfalls, the Ng’ona Rivergracefully meanders but with yet several miniwaterfalls; 5 cataracts and 8 natural swimmingpools and at least 2 cataracts downstream.

Tributaries

The most prominent and perennial tributary of theNgo’na River is the Mabila Stream

Wild Life

Wild animals known to be found at the include Bushbucks, Antelopes, Elands, Bush Pigs, Warthogs, Porcupines, Impalas, baboons, Vervetmonkeys, Duikers, Rodents and Hares.

There is also a diversity of avifauna (birds) specieswhich include Guinea fowls, Ground hornbills, CattleEgrets, Fish Eagles Honey guide, Night Jar Owls,Swallows, Bishops to name but a few.

Ancient Rock Art PaintingsApart from the traditional and spiritualdimensions of the local people, NtumbachushiFalls Site is also blessed with a number of RockArt Paintings.These paintings provide a “window into thepast” world of the Later Stone Age (LSA)peoples or the Ba Twa or Bushmen peoples

Legal StatusThe site is a protected National Monumentgazetted as such under Statutory InstrumentNo. 69 of 1976. Ntumbachushi is part and parcelof a protected Forest Area No. 265, which is aBotanical Reserve.

AccessibilityThe site is highly accessible

Development/Investment OpportunitiesOrnamental Game RanchingHotels and LodgesCamp Site Facilities

Complementary Facilities/ServicesNtumbachushi Falls is located nearMwansabombwe, home of the UmutombokoTraditional Ceremony. Historically, the site was atone time, a retreat area for the UNIP functionariesincluding the first President Kenneth D. Kaunda.During the UNIP era, some structures wereconstructed and utilized for accommodation whileothers were public areas such as thestage/podium.

These structures are currently undergoingrenovation for adaptive use.The site also has a modern visitor shelter whichalso serves as a Take Away facility.

Activities Around the AreaPicnic sitesWithin the vicinity of the falls is another waterfallpopularly known as Mabila (daubed theWitchdoctor)Walking trails to rock art sitesSwimming

Additional InformationThe Ntumbachushi Falls National monument siteis characterized by four (4) main vegetation typesvery ideal for botanical studies. These vegetationtypes are, namely Miombo woodland, RiparianForest, Mixed Scrub and Grassland (dambo).

Kawambwa-Northern Province, Zambia

For Further Information Contact:National Heritage Conservation CommissionDedan Kimathi Road, Plot No. 9304P.O. Box 320013, Lusaka, ZAMBIATeL: +260 211 226506 / +260 211 223414Website: www.nhcc.org.zmFacebook Page: National Heritage Conservation CommissionE-mail Address: [email protected]


Ntumbachushi Falls

LocationThe Ntumbachushi Falls National Monument Siteis located 15Km from Kawambwa town (Boma)on the Kawambwa – Mbereshi Road.AreaThe 186-hectare monument site embraces theNgo’na River and all the land within 500m ofeither bank of the river, for a distance of 1, 000mupstream and an equal distance (1, 000m)downstream.Special Features Cascades/Cataracts

Upstream the main waterfalls, the Ng’ona Rivergracefully meanders but with yet several miniwaterfalls; 5 cataracts and 8 natural swimmingpools and at least 2 cataracts downstream.

Tributaries

The most prominent and perennial tributary of theNgo’na River is the Mabila Stream

Wild Life

Wild animals known to be found at the include Bushbucks, Antelopes, Elands, Bush Pigs, Warthogs, Porcupines, Impalas, baboons, Vervetmonkeys, Duikers, Rodents and Hares.

There is also a diversity of avifauna (birds) specieswhich include Guinea fowls, Ground hornbills, CattleEgrets, Fish Eagles Honey guide, Night Jar Owls,Swallows, Bishops to name but a few.

Ancient Rock Art PaintingsApart from the traditional and spiritualdimensions of the local people, NtumbachushiFalls Site is also blessed with a number of RockArt Paintings.These paintings provide a “window into thepast” world of the Later Stone Age (LSA)peoples or the Ba Twa or Bushmen peoples

Legal StatusThe site is a protected National Monumentgazetted as such under Statutory InstrumentNo. 69 of 1976. Ntumbachushi is part and parcelof a protected Forest Area No. 265, which is aBotanical Reserve.

AccessibilityThe site is highly accessible

Development/Investment OpportunitiesOrnamental Game RanchingHotels and LodgesCamp Site Facilities

Complementary Facilities/ServicesNtumbachushi Falls is located nearMwansabombwe, home of the UmutombokoTraditional Ceremony. Historically, the site was atone time, a retreat area for the UNIP functionariesincluding the first President Kenneth D. Kaunda.During the UNIP era, some structures wereconstructed and utilized for accommodation whileothers were public areas such as thestage/podium.

These structures are currently undergoingrenovation for adaptive use.The site also has a modern visitor shelter whichalso serves as a Take Away facility.

Activities Around the AreaPicnic sitesWithin the vicinity of the falls is another waterfallpopularly known as Mabila (daubed theWitchdoctor)Walking trails to rock art sitesSwimming

Additional InformationThe Ntumbachushi Falls National monument siteis characterized by four (4) main vegetation typesvery ideal for botanical studies. These vegetationtypes are, namely Miombo woodland, RiparianForest, Mixed Scrub and Grassland (dambo).

Kawambwa-Northern Province, Zambia

For Further Information Contact:National Heritage Conservation CommissionDedan Kimathi Road, Plot No. 9304P.O. Box 320013, Lusaka, ZAMBIATeL: +260 211 226506 / +260 211 223414Website: www.nhcc.org.zmFacebook Page: National Heritage Conservation CommissionE-mail Address: [email protected]


My name is Julie Helene Arnulphy, and I was born in Mauritius, an Island located on the Indian Ocean. I am 29 years old and the youngest in a

family of two. My elder brother is currently pursuing his passion in the tourism industry. I must hasten here to say that my brother and I have had a beautiful and exciting life altogether. Personally, I think that we have been inspired to work in the tourism and aviation industries by our parents who were both in the similar industries for over 30 years.

As long as I can remember, my dream of wanting to take to the skies crept in when I was 14 years of age. This dream was further enhanced when we as a family shifted to a residential area near the airport. It was this ambience that greatly contributed to my longing for a chance to work in the aviation industry. Although my dream of becoming a pilot was still active, I knew that this would be difficult as I was not financially stable to take myself to school. Luckily, the banking system was there to assist me with a student loan for the enhancement of my course.

I was trained at 43 Air School, Port Alfred, in South Africa. My stay in South Africa was very phenomenal as it gave me hands on experience through the frequent flights I was exposed to. To date, I have flown Piper Cherokees (140,180, arrow), Piper Seneca, Cessna

182,206,210,337,208; Beechcraft barons, King air 90 and 200, and now fly the Embraer 120. I honestly cannot pick a favorite bird yet as I have realized that each of these Aircraft is unique. Every minute I have spent on each of them has added vast experience to my profession.

There is a myth that Africa is currently experiencing a shortage of Commercial Pilots. I, however, don’t believe in this assertion because I have come upon a very reasonable number of pilots on our continent. Infact, Africa does have experienced pilots. The only setback that our continent faces is that it only has very few senior pilots. This has been exacerbated by the fact that there are few job opportunities available on the market despite having Pilot Training Institutions around.

Every career and every person has their own individual challenges, but one thing for sure is that I love what I do, and I do it to the best of my abilities. Some examples of the type of challenges I encounter in my daily execution of work include; weather situations, work ethics etc. These keep us on our toes by giving us the necessary oomph to work better.

I try to make all my career moments memorable, starting from landing on dirt airstrips to smooth grass ones. Seeing the beauty of the African scenery is just unbelievable because it accords me a chance to view

Opportunity did not Knock Until I Built a Door

Mahogany Face

By Julie Helene Arnulphy


animals. Seeing the sunrise and magical sunset, from hot air balloon ride to river canoe trips full of hippos and experiencing game life gratifies me.

So far, I have had the chance to visit South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania. Other than flying to African countries, I have had also the privilege of visiting countries outside the African continent. My first visit outside Africa was in 2017. As a pilot, you have to exercise some level of discipline. For instance, the alcohol policy by Zambian civil aviation law is 8 hours sober before a flight. It is a condition that is completely part of the job. My job calls for a lot of adjustments and sacrifice which I always adhere to.

My advice to young people aspiring to become pilots is that, it takes passion and sweat to be one. The key is, never compare yourself with another person. Be real by being yourself. Never wish to be someone else because everyone comes from different backgrounds.

The best advice I would give to young people is; • Know what is right and wrong• understand what the value of money really means, • Always be honest and truthful to yourself. • From there take the journey step by step and see

where it leads you.

There are many opportunities in this profession such as to discover unique places, meeting people of different nationalities, learning new languages to mention but a few. Besides, it accords one a chance to mature quickly into adulthood. Interestingly, there is a chance to have fun, to be professional and serious all at once.

In a nutshell, my journey in this noble job has not been all rosy but worthy to be embarked on. As a woman, I will still continue pressing towards my highest calling till I reach greater heights. Unto this I can say; the sky is not the limit in my journey.


Persuasion, But Only Enough of It…By Cynthia Makunka Belemu

Any attempt made to get something out of someone requires great skill. The efficacy of the skill you should possess to achieve the objective

above is something you must take into account seriously. This is because human beings cannot and do not act in isolation. No human being is an island. In other words, we are dependent on one another in various spheres of life for survival. Hence, repeatedly, we get assistance from others for our personal or business survival. How then do we make people amenable to do something for us?

Bear in mind that it is not always that you will get what you want from people or institutions, and that is normal ; however you should get worried if you often times do not get any assistance at all. This calls for concern and self-introspection. The question that should run through your mind should be: “am I lacking persuasive skills? “ Or “am I applying the correct skills of persuasion?” That is to say, is my persuasive skill too little or too much? The emphasis here is the balanced persuasion that results in correct and sustained effect.

Sometimes, we apply too much persuasion that it brings about irritation to the giver as he or she sees a sense of self-centeredness in us. It is better to avoid creating this perception in the minds of the people/institution whose collaboration or help we are seeking.

The application of balanced persuasion also does not require too little or too much of it to a point where people whose collaboration you dearly need remain wondering whether you seriously need their collaboration or assistance. In such a scenario, it is imperative t o

apply only the required and measured persuasion. There are basically two results that emanate from over-application of persuasive skills.

Firstly, people may give in to your wish with a view to quickly shove you off because they are finding you irritating or destructive. Secondly, while you may feel that your persuasion skill has created the right effect by obtaining what you wanted, this is not the sustained way of co-existence or interdependence, because the giver may remain with not so good an impression of you. There is a possibility in future of this type of persuasion not working to the same people or institution because they will have devised a perfect reaction to your request. They will have prepared for your repulsion. You risk not being given an audience next time.

The best approach to take as you endeavor to persuade others with the aim of being assisted is to respect the other party. According to Martin Buber, a

philosopher, human co-existence or interdependence involves engaging in dialogue with each other, with the world, and with God. According to him, human beings may adopt two attitudes toward the world namely,


I-THOU or I-IT relationships. I-Thou relationship is a relation where people engage in a subject-to-subject set up. In this type of relationship, people treat each other with respect because they are equal. Human beings are aware of each other as having a unity of being. On the other hand, I-IT is a relation of subject to object. A relationship in which one party views the other as an object that he or she can use to get what he or she wants. Human beings are therefore encouraged to embrace the I-THOU relationship in their application of persuasion skills. Morally, human beings must seek equality in relationship.

But should the application of these skills be too much or too little?

The amount of persuasive skills needed should neither be too much nor too little but enough to achieve your objective as long as there was no nagging or manipulation involved. Persuasion should not be too little because when you are negotiating for something, you still need to show that you seriously need what you are asking for. In that case while being considerate and polite, be clear that you truly need what you are asking for. Ensure that your humility is not interpreted as lack of interest or focus. Present yourself in the way that increases your chances of being acceptable. One of the ways to do this is through the use of certain words.

For instance, complements are encouraged in this case. This is because they are bound to disarm the person you are seeking assistance from. It makes one feel that the issue on the table is not about “yourself” hence you are not perceived as a threat.

From the sociological perspective, people love to be complemented as this reduces aggression. These complements however should be should be genuine, not flattery. Furthermore, the rule of reciprocity has been studied and applied because human beings most times generally reciprocate good will with good will.

This reminds me of a time when this rule helped me in Namibia at a critical time in 2018. We arrived at the Namibian border to cross into Botswana at a time when immigration officers were about to close the boarder gates. We were rushing into immigration offices because we were trying to beat time. Reaching the boarder late meant driving in the dangerous Game Park route at night. As I drove nearer to the immigration office, I slowed down to greet the Police officers who were patrolling around the border. No sooner had we entered the immigration office than we realized that we had not carried our children’s birth certificate. By the time we were receiving copies emailed to us for clearance, the border had officially closed. The officers offered to seek authority from the Police Officers I had greeted at the border gates. Guess the enormity of assistance I got from these officers? The Police Officers took it upon themselves to communicate to the Botswana Security and Immigration office to wait a little for us before they close the boarder. I did not give them any kick back. It was the power of reciprocity at work. The power of reciprocity is stronger, and it was at play. Just a warm genuine greeting can create magic in people’s lives. It also reinforced a certain principle in me of not waiting until there is a problem for me to try and behave warmly towards others. I learnt to treat everyone with dignity at least in this life. I do not know about the next life.

In doing this, it’s always imperative to use genuine words of gratitude when people help you. Find time to say “thank you”. Do not appear like you always deserve things. Use consultative words even if you are a boss. This increases your chance of getting what you want. You can have a brilliant idea that you would want to be implemented but don’t impose things on your subjects. Use words like, “I was thinking like…..what are your views? If possible remember to send gifts to people once in a while. They do not need to be expensive.

Consultative leadership works wonders and it includes everyone in making decisions and as a consequence, everyone owns the decision and put in a lot of effort for it to be implemented.

It is also prominent as a leader to accept criticisms and listen respectfully even when it hurts. People will feel respected hence they will accord you the necessary support you will need next time. They will even offer alternative solutions to any predicament you are facing. In other words, it is just important to compromise on your stance if the results of doing so are very good.

42

SUN BURN

Rays from the ultraviolet region of the light spectrum are responsible for suntan and sunburn. Sun burn is an inflammatory response

to excessive exposure to ultraviolet light whereby an increase in inflammatory mediators results in capillary vasodilatation and increased capillary permeability.

Long-term problems of sun-induced skin damage are premature skin aging and, more importantly, acute exposure to ultraviolet light is associated with increased incidence of skin cancers. Skin surfaces (e.g. face and hands) that are exposed to a lifetime accumulation of UV radiation are also associated with cancers.

The prevalence of sunburn is unknown but the incidence of cancers related to long-term skin damage

has dramatically increased since the 1980s. The incidences of sun-related cancers are greatest in white skinned people living in equatorial regions.

Treatment/prevention of sun burnVery few medicines offer a specific treatment for sunburn; prevention is truly better than cure. Sunscreens allow ultraviolet light to be filtered, preventing burning and premature aging of the skin. The sun protection factor (SPF) gives a rough estimate of the efficiency of the product to block UV light:for example, if a person normally shows signs burning in 30 min without protection, a product with an SPF of 6 would extend the period of time until burning begins to 3 hours (i.e. it extends the time taken to burn by six times).

A plethora of sunscreen products are marketed. All

By Gunet Mwalungali

Images by transfercancun-airport.com | consumerreports.org | medicalnewstoday.com

products should be reapplied every 2 to 3 h and after swimming to ensure maximum protection. Rather than selecting a specific sunscreen for skin type it is advocated that all white-skinned people should use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15. This level of protection is effectively a sun block because it absorbs more than 90% of UV radiation and, provided it is applied in sufficient quantity and regularly (every 2 to 3 h), then higher SPF sunscreens are not needed.

Chemical sunscreensChemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV energy and give protection against either UVA or UVB. The majority of marketed products contain a combination of agents including benzophenones, cinnamates, dibenzoylmethanes and para-aminobenzoic acid. Some individuals’ skin may be sensitive and even react to some of the agents.

Physical sunscreensPhysical sunscreens are opaque reflective agents and offer protection against UVA and UVB radiation. Examples of physical sunscreens include zinc and titanium oxide.

HINTS AND TIPSHow to avoid sunburnPeople can develop sun burn even on cloudy days because ultraviolet light is not effectively filtered; therefore patients should be told to still apply sunscreen. Avoid the hottest parts of the day (between 10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.)

Wear a hat with a brim and also long-sleeved shirts and trousers during the hottest parts of the day.

Water-resistant sunscreensThese are claimed to be effective after immersion in water. However, studies have shown that sunscreen effectiveness decreases after water exposure. It would therefore be prudent to reapply sunscreens after swimming.

Eye protectionProlonged (over years) sun exposure can contribute to age-related macular degeneration. Therefore wrap around sunglasses and lenses that effectively filter UV light should be won.

But what if the person has got sunburn?Mild sun burn can be managed with a combination of topical cooling preparations such as calamine lotion and pain killers.



Image by David (@Talbottraveler)-TripAdvisor

Historically, Zambia has largely been dependent on Copper. This over-reliance on Copper

has not worked well for Zambia due to the fact that Copper is a diminishing resource. Therefore, there is need for our country to diversify into long term economic sectors and Tourism is one such sector.

According to World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism is the second world largest industry. It has shown capacity to create jobs, reduce poverty, and foster human development. The Zambian government has realized how

sustainable tourism is an integral tool to achieving economic development hence its effort in boosting it. But what really is sustainable tourism?

Sustainable Tourism refers to a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over a long term because it results in net benefit for the social, economic, natural, and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place. Through Sustainable tourism, money is generated and reinvested in the local economy for sustenance. This calls for a lot of local participation so that the standard of living of the people is

improved. We need to be a people that see opportunities for investment in tourism. Our current focus is supply business, and construction aimed at promoting town centered tourism. This is a demerit to our country because such endeavors are highly susceptible to competition with other country’s urban tourism.

A recent observation has shown that locals are not investing in tourism in places outside urban areas like South Luangwa. This is quiet discouraging because as long as we leave investment to foreigners, it will be difficult to stop the resources from being externalized. The implication of this is that locals will stop seeing the importance of preserving our much cherished tourism sites. It is cardinal for communities dwelling in places where tourism sites are located to benefit from tourism travels. This will encourage them to conserve whatever it is that people are coming to view.

On another note, we have seen big Hotels trying to engage the locals through buying products like food from them. This is a step in the right direction. The only discouraging factor sometimes has been the low calibre of local products. It is therefore important for the locals to ensure that they invest in improving on the quality of their products when opportunities such as these present themselves so that they satisfy their clients’ needs. Low calibre products can be a discouraging factor to the Hotel owners and tourists at large.

To achieve this, sustainable tourism

should not only focus on stimulating or showcasing international tourism markets, but also the domestic market. The key to success in this venture is participation of both, so that when the low seasons, in which the numbers of international travels reduce comes, domestic tourists perpetuate the mantra of tourism. That way, we will see tourism jobs that are constantly sustained throughout the year. This will further lead to a balanced distribution of resources between urban and rural

Sustainable Tourism for DiversificationBy Cynthia Makunka Belemu

46

Amabila Ceremony of the Shila people in Luapula Province

places that are hubs for most of the wonders of tourism in our country.

Another keynote feature of sustainable tourism is cultural co-mingling between the locals and international tourism. This calls for both the hosts and guests to learn more about each other’s culture and at the same time respect each other’s cultural viewpoints. This actually is the true meaning of authentic tourism.

Being culturally authentic sets one apart. It is what gives one a sense of identity hence tourism sustainability calls for preservation of those customs, values and anything that is unique to a country. In a candid, what is culturally original to a group of people is what is paramount in tourism. We need not adulterate our cultural ceremonies, our traditional foods, and our language, oral and non-oral/expressions. Our original way of life and sites are what tourists desire to know about us. We should not be a lost people even as we get exposed to other styles of life. We should always remember that the road that leads to home despite using other alternative roads. Home is home and our home is Zambia. We should not miss this route. Our focus should not be on the negative side because every home/country has its own challenges. Sometimes, our limited local travels are a contributor to our failure to appreciate who

we are. We have travelled more outside Zambia than we do in our own country. It is for this reason that I would like to encourage you to first make local visits before you attempt to travel abroad as it is this that will inculcate a strong sense of identity and appreciation in you. It is a pity to note that most locals find it much easier and cheaper to visit international tourism sites than domestic ones. Locals should also get acquainted with visiting local tourism sites. This however is a mission impossible if we as a country do not resolve certain challenges such as the cost of air transport emanating from the high cost of operation. This is a pre-requisite for a viable tourism industry and as such, any government looking to grow tourism needs to work with the private sector on matters of transport , affordability, and accessibility.

If domestic tourism is encouraged to grow, we are likely to see much more increased international tourism arrival in the country. This is because as we share our experiences especially in this era of technology, our good experiences will generate interest in others to want to come and savour of some of our experiences.

There is need also to profile adequately all possible tourist destinations for easy marketing. Certain places have been over visited, hence they are not appealing to certain tourists anymore, be it local or domestic. Thankfully, Zambia still has a lot of tourism sites that are very beautiful but not yet much put out there to generate the interest of tourists.

All this effort should then be complemented by a good transport system, air or other forms. In order to access the most yearned for tourism sites, tourists will be able use a transportation mode of their choice. Full exploitation of tourism needs to be accompanied with safe, fast, and reliable transport, which in this case is air transport. If it is for International tourism, air transport is the main mode of transport; however, nowadays, local tourists also use air transport for convenience sake.

In a nut shell, the government needs to continue working out favorable policies that encourage investment in tourism and necessitate the opening of new routes to access tourism sites. This is because tourism has vast potential to contribute to economic development. To achieve this, a lot of education for the local people is required so that everyone becomes tourism oriented, thereby making all tourism experiences unforgettable.


Reshaping African Banking

Registered Commercial Bank

Prime Banking

atlasmarazambia.com

Accelerate your success.

Switch to Success…

What You Get• Current and Savings accounts• Multi Currency Prepaid Cards• Personal Loans• Free Online Banking• Personalised Mobile Banking App• Free Insurance Cover

Get Prime Benefits• Negotiated Interest Rates on

scheme loans• Special Product Offers• Discounts and special deals from

our key partners• Easy access to your money via the

widest ATM and branch network

Prime Banking

4Reason No.

Call 202Terms and Conditions apply. For more information visit us at Atlas Mara Zambia or your nearest Atlas Mara branch. Call 202 and 0211 224459/0211 237022 or go to www.atlasmarazambia.com

611

6D

/AT

LA

SM

AR

A/A

4

Mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 2019

By Major Emmanuel Katongo (RTD)

I boarded flight KT 0114 at Lusaka’s KKIA slightly before 17:00hrs on my return flight to Ndola, Sunday the 1st of September, 2019 after a two prolonged

visit to Lusaka to see my family and physician. Flight KT 0114 took off as scheduled and after the initial flight procedures, we reached cruising height and settled to enjoy the rest of the journey to Ndola to resume my “single” status.

As I settled and relaxed in my seat, I decided to take a look at the wing span of the aircraft and while away the flight. As I gazed out of the window, I realized that we had scaled the clouds which now appeared below us like a silver-grey blanket shielding the earth from our sight. Staring further, the clouds formed a great expanse with literally no end in sight. It was then that Psalm 19 suddenly dawned upon me.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2)

As a young reggae enthusiast in the 80s, I had learnt the above verses from a stanza in a song by Toots Hibbert and the Maytals entitled, Revival time. Later in my Christian life I discovered that the whole stanza had actually been plucked word for word from the King James Version of the Bible.

And so it was on that Sunday evening as I gazed out of the aircraft window at the expanse of the clouds, that the testimony of the song began to bear on me. That what I was seeing (which I had seen before many times but had never thought about in similar light) was a manifest declaration of the majestic glory of God in creation. The firmament or the skies actually depict God’s handiwork. Yes and how that day after day

speaks about God’s creation and existence. Further, that night after night shows the ultimate knowledge of God in creation. The heavens speak. They preach. Psalm 19 further says in verse 3 that “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” My heart melted at the greatness of God that evening. I felt such an appreciation for God and a closeness to Him as never before. My eyes welled with tears of gratitude that the maker of Heaven and earth and everything therein, is my God. Mine to love, and to cherish; to honour and to worship. I decide to break into a silent but intense moment of worship there and then. I don’t know how long the silent worship lasted but I was brought to the present by the crack of the pilot’s voice as he announced that we were soon beginning our descent to Simon Kapwepwe Airport.

As I came to, I remembered a song by Brian Doerksen with the following words; How could I say there’s no God? When all around Creations talks; A mighty tree; A singing bird; The vast expanse of land and sea.

We made a smooth landing at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport and as the plane taxied to the apron, I couldn’t help but thank Mahogany Air for renewing and strengthening my relationship with God.

And when my time on earth is done and I appear to give my report to God over wonder, Mahogany Air will form part of my report!

A Spiritual Reflection Aboard Mahogany AirA Personal Reflection

49


Roxanne Barratt Photographer: Alex M. Ng’andu photography Make-up: Splash Of Makeup - Yvette Zaloumis

Zambia has a tropical climate with three seasons –

cool and dry from May to August, hot and dry from September to November, and warm and wet from December to April. Our summer season is here as already evidenced by some temperature rise. Summer is said to be the best period to spend time with family and friends. Not only is summer time good for this, it is also the time to experiment with unique dress codes. Though people enjoy this privilege, it is imperative to have some sound knowledge of the various summer dress codes on the scene not just for the style but also for one’s own comfort.

Wearing wrong summer attire can be irritating to the body. The heat makes the body feel like just freeing itself especially if clad into wrong clothing hence understanding the language of summer dress code can make you stay trendy this summer. The cardinal principle to summer dress code is comfortability.

With the high temperature we are facing direct sun rays on our bodies, hence there is need to dress in a way that fairly helps to reflect the heat and light as opposed to absorbing the radiation. The colours and weight of the clothes in summer need our attention for us to be comfortable.

Let us avoid over burdening the body with inappropriate thick dark coloured clothes that push the body into steaming inappropriately. Sweaty, coloured armpits with foul odour are a real turn

Summer Language

By Cynthia Belemu


Candy KambolePhotographer: ZoomYouth Media

off. The emphasis is to wear something that stays a little cooler and comfortable on us. That is where cotton and light coloured clothes get much preference for the comfort that they offer in summer. For instance, cotton that is less heavy has properties of a good absorber of water. It absorbs sweat from our body and exposes the sweat to the atmosphere, hence making its evaporation faster.

For the sake of not overburdening the body, summer dress code reduces on accessories. Plus the bright coloured clothes in themselves add enough glamour because there aren’t many accessories required.

Loose clothing for some breeziness should be part of the summer language. The loose clothes under normal circumstances do not stick to the body, thereby allowing some aeration.

Eye shielding through UV sunglasses is also a necessity this summer. You may not be used to this, but it is a habit worth cultivating, as the eyes are very sensitive and need protection.

When outdoor, wearing a hat would also act as a shield.

Stay hydrated and take the right type of fluids to keep the body cool.

While investing in right clothes for summer is a must, it is not the only thing. The right clothes must also be complemented with antiperspirants and some good fragrance.


1. An aircraft door can be opened during a flight.The cabin doors can only be opened if the pressure of the aircraft is the same on both the inside and outside. The pressure inside and outside is definitely not the same once airborne. The air pressure at high altitude is extremely low, which is why the cabin pressure is increased. Aircraft doors fit into the aircraft very tightly into the opening. Mechanical systems ensure that they can only open outwards. Only super human strength would be able to open the door, not even enough to slide your hand through.

2. You can get sucked into an aircraft toilet.Although it certainly sounds likely when you push the button and hear that loud sucking sound, Aircraft toilets have a closed vacuum system. When you flush the toilet, a powerful vacuum system located near the waste tank sucks down anything that’s lying over the hole and draws it down into the tank. But the toilets and the system are designed in such a way that you cannot be sucked into the toilet.

3. Aircraft dump their toilet waste in the sky The toilet’s contents get sucked down a pipe to waste tanks at the rear of the aircraft. The tanks hold water and chemical mixture to dissolve and to an extent, disinfect the contents These waste tanks are emptied at the airport after every landing, regardless of how full they are. So, NO it doesn’t rain poop and urine when you flush in the air

4. An airplane window can shatter and you can be sucked out of the airplane.

While this occurrence is extremely rare, it has happened. It can only happen if a sharp metal object makes excessively hard impact with the window

5. Don’t stress those little holes in the windowIf you’ve ever been nervous about the little hole in your airplane window, don’t stress. The hole is necessary to regulate cabin pressure. Aircraft windows are made up of multiple panels, so the hole helps the middle panel from becoming overloaded with pressure during flight.

6. What’s the safest seat on an airplane?While most airline companies maintain that there is no safest seat, a look at research findings about airline accidents results indicate that it’s safer at the back. The investigation found that passengers near the tail of the plane were 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those in the front. So next time you book a flight, you might want to get a seat at the back

7. Why do cabin crews dim the lights when a plane lands?

One of the most unknown facts about flying is that cabins dim the lights during landing for security preparation reasons. Dimming the lights is a precautionary measure that allows a passenger’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. That way, if something goes wrong on the descent, everyone’s eyes will already be adjusted for evacuation. This saves vital time when your reaction to instructions from the crew is critical.

8. Lightning strikesThere’s really nothing to fear about lightning. Most crew members are actually oblivious to lightning strikes thanks to lightning wicks that are built into the wings and tail to dissipate the electricity. Standard commercial aircraft are designed to take lightning strikes. They are not a severe problem from a safety point. When operators route around stormy areas, it is to prevent turbulence or possible external damage caused by things like hail rather than to avoid lightning.

By Sean Sheedy

about Flying

We have all heard some stories about flying. Besides we see some of these happen in movies. What is and isn’t true about these stories?


Stop for a moment and listen to Mother Nature’s cry, as we take this earth apart piece by piece,you may die of old age but I will die from climate change

Stop for a moment just for our earth because this place we call home will be no more in less than 10 years If we can take charge on gun violence why can’t we take charge on climate change

Stop for a moment look outsideDo you see the burning trees The flooding IslandsAnd the dry rivers

Stop for a moment because we all have the power to reduce this Young or old we can all act the only question is are you willing to Stop.

STOP

Image by Magz Mumba of Magz Photography. Model: Asia Kapapa Chilongo

By Beenzu Belemu


Tisathe Trendsetter

When you hear the mention of a comedian or master of ceremony in Zambia, you most likely think it is a man. However, in the recent past we have seen women becoming everything they could ever dream of and performing to the best of their ability. In an Interview with Tisa Mulima Nkonga, one would attest to the fact that our country has talented women. She shares her background with a beautiful smile throughout our interaction.

I was born on the 14th of June in 1980 at Kitwe CentraI Hospital. I grew up with a single mom, Nelly Mofya and 7 sisters in Lusaka Zambia. My

childhood was filled with a lot of adventures which mum obviously never approved of but allowed because she believed I was a free spirit and could only flourish if I took on the world as my stage. I went to the best schools abroad and it was there where I got my skills and tools to be confident entertainer. I quickly joined dance groups and did solo performances during our termly music festivals. Being away from my home country made me hold on to the cultural values I left behind and upon completion I returned home. I went ahead and got trained as professional Early Childhood Teacher and taught at our family private school Leah House Academy for 9 years. After losing my Mother to Cervical Cancer in 2014, I then took my experience as a teacher

and became School Principal, a position I held for 4 years. The

challenges of running a business and earning a sensible income in the education

sector took a toll on my family’s finances and that is when I opted to join the world of the

marketing industry. My Master of Ceremony dream never came as surprise to those who knew that all I

required was an audience and a microphone to showcase my talent. That opportunity only came on April 2018 when

I was hired to MC a baby shower. Weeks later with the help of my social media pages on Instagram and Facebook under the

alias ‘Tisa The Trendsetter’ I began a journey which started trending at a very fast pace with followers of up to 70,000 people and 1 million

views of my video posts.

I knew earlier on that I wanted to stand out of the crowd and being a middle child never seemed to help much. I wanted to be on TV so badly I would record

myself using our family home video recorder acting or singing. When I completed grade 12 at Westwood International School in Botswana, I got interested in singing

with a local Zambian music band called Muvi Pose with Keith Mutate, Saga and James Chamanyazi. I only performed twice with them because mum had her concerns and advised

I get into University. I got mum’s advice and applied to go university. I was accepted to a course in Mass Communication. Peer pressure and lack of focus made me fail to complete my studies

By Naomi Musala


but due to my perseverance, I finally settled for Teaching while managing some family business. I thrived there. Teaching is the most rewarding profession in the world but it doesn’t pay as well and so 13 years of doing what I loved I walked away, but I never stopped dreaming of being on a center stage speaking to masses.

The fact of me coming from a family of very talkative women is what ignited the spirit of standing before crowds without fear in me. Mum always knew I was different but my carefree attitude gave her sleepless nights and so

she invested so much in ensuring me and my siblings got the best education. Westwood International School was where I knew I belonged on stage. A teacher of music, Mrs. E. Alard , saw something in me and groomed me to find my voice and perform at one of the biggest musical festival the school had each year. My teacher of art, Mrs. G. Pritchard, also nurtured my artistic and creative side and our teacher of English, Mr. K. Beulieu, taught me the world of books and how to use words to express my thoughts. All these encounters made me realize I could be bigger than ordinary but I was never confident to start then mainly due to my past failures in life. So even if I knew I had a gift, I was too afraid to show the world.

I had no idea at all and certainly not at the speed my videos went viral. My objective was just to convince people I could entertain a crowd as a Master of Ceremony and because I never had footage of any work I had previously done, I had to use videos to discuss various topics that ranged from normal life issues to serious matters. I wanted to be relatable and unscripted and I knew it would fall into place once I started talking. You see, God has a way of moulding you for your purpose and I am a clear example of this. All my doubts, shortfalls, and

failures had lessons in them. Every scar and achievement I had from my past led me to have

contentment and confidence to speak and be heard. The support from my followers humbles me to date and for that I remain grateful.

Cliché as it may sound, my mother inspires me even in her physical absence. She had so much resilience and determination to raise us but most importantly give us the best lives she was capable of. She held her career and progressed and still managed to be a mother and a family woman helping extend help to anyone who asked. My greatest lessons can fill a book but one lesson I still carry with me is “ Strive to work hard and provide for your family; anything that is comes for free will have to be paid for one way or another hence strive to work for your money and you will sleep at night”.

I want to stand on grand stage and speak at prestigious events. I want to fly my country’s flag high and stand for a more evolved generation woman who remains true to her culture and her family values. I want to hold massive conferences empowering young people to awaken their dreams and I want to speak on behalf of women about issues we are too afraid to address. I want to make people comfortable in being different but I want to make people laugh in the process. There is healing in laughter.

Don’t be too scared to speak the truth and never feel you are too young to be heard. Package yourself like the dream you want to walk in. You need your body to be looked at after so that it can keep your voice hence make wise decisions and speak about things you know can bring change. The world may seem dark at times but every living child brings light and hope to it. So be the light that will help others see and don’t be afraid to start today.

From Left to RightKasonso Nkonga Jnr, Kasonso Nkonga (Husband), Mutale

Christopher Nkong, Dumisani Liam Nkonga, Katayi Christine

Nkonga, Tisa Mulima Nkonga.

“...be the light that will help others see and don’t be afraid to start today.”


Our Future Leaders

www.zsic.co.zm

+260 211 222 424

You have the power to make a better tomorrow by securing yourchildren today.

Give us a call to find out more.

SAVINGS AND FINANCIAL PLANNING | INVESTMENT PLANS | FINANCIAL PROTECTION


Education is one of the most powerful tools that has helped to change the world over generations. ZSIC Life Limited understands this and the importance

of having an educated citizenry in a nation. To this end ZSIC Life has since 1968 been developing various Life assurance policies with the focus on positively contributing to the development of the education sector in Zambia. The School Fees Policy was specifically tailored to ensure that there is sustainability in the education of children.

The School Fees Policy is offered to three different levels of education namely Primary; Secondary and Tertiary education. The Policy is taken out to provide payment of education fees for the Life Assured (Assured Child), which become payable when the child reaches the stipulated age in the option chosen. The Assured, who is the Parent or Guardian, selects the anticipated annual school fees for their child at proposal. The Policy can be taken out as a stand-alone or it can be combined with two or more levels of education.

The Primary School Fees Policy is offered with premium paying terms of 1 to 6 years, when the child (Life assured) reaches the age of 7, the Policy matures and as such payment of premiums ceases and the selected school fees becomes payable annually for the 7 years duration of Primary School .

`

The next tear of Secondary School Fees is offered with premium paying terms of 1-13years. When the

Life Assured reaches the age 14, for instance, the Policy matures and thus payment of premiums cease. The school fees then become payable annually for the next 5 years through the Secondary education.

The last level of Tertiary School Fees is offered with premium paying terms of 1 to 18 years, when the child (Life assured) goes into tertiary education, the Policy matures and therefore the payment of premiums ceases and the selected school fees becomes payable annually for 4 years through to graduation.

One of the greatest advantage of this Policy is that financing of a child’s education is guaranteed! Should the parent or guardian happen to die before the Policy matures, payment of future premiums is waived and future premium obligations are transferred to ZSIC Life until the Policy matures. The School Fees benefits then become payable to the beneficiary (child) through the paid for education level.

With the School Fees Policy you can be rest assured that your child’s school fees will be covered even when you are no more.

Secure your child’s future by getting the School Fees Policy Today!

ZSIC Life - Securing you all the Way.

The ZSIC Life School Fees Policy A Sustainable Soloution to Managing Education Bills

58 Images by recipesfromapantry.com | Telande World

Cassava Leaves RecipeCassava is a shrubby, tropical, perennial plant. It is commonly grown for its tubers, but the leaves are also

edible. The leaves are prepared in a variety of ways as a relish. In Zambia it is eaten along with the staple traditional nshima.

INGREDIENTS• Tender cassava leaves • 1 onion Chopped• 1 big tomato chopped • 3 Table spoon of Palm Oil

(Chinkondya)• Wild Aubergines (Impwa) or the

eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1 cm squares

• Salt to taste

METHOD Blanch the Cassava leaves by putting it in hot water for 2-5 minutesPound the cassava leaves. Place the blended leaves in a saucepan with approximately 150 ml of water to immense the vegetable.Add salt and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until it is soft. When it soft and still boiling add the wild aubergines/eggplant, onions, tomatoes and palm oil and simmer for 20 minutes.Serve with nsima..

Notes*Cassava leaves contain Cyanide and as such it is advisable that it is blanched, pounded and cooked for a long time before eating.

Benefits of Cassava Leaves• Cassava leaves are high in protein (100g of cassava

leaves contain up to 7g of protein) comparable to that of fresh eggs

• They are high in dietary fibre.• They contain a good range of mineral and vitamins

(2g/100g of leaves) that surpass most legumes (except soya beans).

• They are gluten-free.

By Mwape Katembula


C O R

WE ARE

LIGHTCAMERAACTION!

DARKAT MEDIA

OUR COMPANY SERVICES

Darkat Media is a team of creative and talented people who work as one to complete any task. Our talent and our passion is creating superior imagery and strategic video solutions that resonate with viewers.

Corporate Video Documentaries TV Commercials Event Coverage

FOR MORE INFORMATIONSCONTACT US

We value the relationships with our clients and their organizations

You need a video production agency that will help you in-spire your viewers and achieve your ambitions. And you need to ensure you’re getting bounding creativity and ex-cellent value for money. That’s us

Our videos generate leads, go viral, inspire trends on social media, increase landing page conversions. We are a creative video production company that makes content with impact.

P O RA T E

EXPERIENCE VIDEOS WITH IMPACT

:ADDRESS2085Q, Waterfalls, Lusaka097 9 220019 :PHONE

[email protected] :MAIL

DARKAT MEDIAw e m a k e i t h a p p e n

60 In-flight Magazine | Oct - Nov 2019The

new

add

ition

to

our

fllee

t, a

n Em

brae

r EM

B-1

20

61www.mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 2019Barotse Royal Establishment(BRE) royal padlers showcasing their paddling skills on the Ndila(boat)

during the Kupuwana Ceremony on the Zambezi River in Livingstone. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDA

The Litunga of the Lozi speaking people of Western Province Lubosi Imwiko II(middle) confers with former Zambia Tourism Agency(ZTA) Board Chairperson Peter Jones(left) at the Zambezi Boat Club in Livingstone ahead of the historical Kupuwana ceremony on the Zambezi River. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDA


2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships

By Ian Harry Stephenson

The FINA World Junior Swimming Championships (or “Junior Worlds”) is a swimming

championship event organized by FINA (the governing body for swimming) for girls aged 14–17 and boys aged 15–18 on 31 December of the year of the competition which is held biennially. This event was ‘designed’ to discover the future stars of swimming. The junior World Championships are the youngest among the major FINA swimming events. Its inaugural edition took place in 2006 in Rio de Janeiro. The first three meetings took place in South America. It was then staged in Dubai where the championships

reached another level. Thanks to this easier-to-access location. The trend went on in Singapore and most recently in Indianapolis 2017. The 7th edition was held in Budapest, which was another historical milestone as it was the first junior Worlds in Europe.

FINA provides qualifying times for these events. If swimmers make the qualifying time, FINA’s quota will apply. However, if no swimmer meets these qualifying times, FINA may allocate universality places to which ZASU selection criteria applies. Our National Federation does have a qualifying standard of

500 FINA points for junior athletes to be considered.

I don’t know when exactly Zambia started participating in the championship, but I did have the privilege of going with one boy and one girl to the 5th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, which were held on August 25–30, 2015, in Singapore

We are seeing tremendous improvement. For instance, only two athletes were eligible in 2015, now we had five. That was a big win for us, as it points to the rising standards in Zambian swimming. Hats off to the local clubs and their coaches for the tireless effort they put in to raise the standards of swimming in Zambia despite the little resources at their disposal. Swimming is a very technical sport that requires a lot of support and most importantly discipline for one to excel. Our athletes’ dedication and drive to be at the top of the


pile regionally, continentally and internationally is evidenced by the continued growth we have witnessed down the line. I can attest to the fact that they were faithful with what they had; consequently have been blessed with more. Our seasoned swimmers obliterated National Age Group records. In a nut shell, our newbies enjoyed lifetime best swims. For me though, it was pleasing to see our swimmers believe in themselves and battle it out with the best in the world. One must understand that these are the best age groups in the world competing at this competition. We are really proud and happy of ourselves not because everything was good, but because we can see the good in everything they are doing.

Honestly, it was so humbling to feel the warmth and support for all these athletes whilst we were away. It truly made us proud to be a Zambian on the world stage. I must hasten here to mention that our swimmers were fired up, and the excitement I had to be working with these swimmers was brimming at the seal. It was a reality check to be honest. These young boys and girls showed me that strong character, and hunger for good results are embedded in our culture as Zambians. We not only took our chances of winning and losing but also took chances on being better at everything this opportunity threw at us. They swum like there was nothing more important to

do in their lives in that moment. They came out and worked well. A great reminder of the separation of defining who we are and what we do. No matter what happened, we bounced back. It was pleasing to see them take ownership and make so many positives moments. I can say they won many moments by learning to understand what’s Important at a particular juncture. They took the opportunities that came their way and breathed life into them. They wanted to win for each other and their country more than they wanted to win for themselves, and they had a blast doing it. With everyone believing that their efforts will allow them to feel like the champions they know they are.

It was not a small competition as it hosted around 1000 swimmers representing 107 National Federations with 42 events being contested over six days. 20 Nations won at least won something with the stalwarts in swimming USA leading the medal table and the Russians in a close second.

We are did our best though our biggest challenge locally is promoting swimming as a sport at school level. For me, it’s all about the quality of the young student athletes produced at school level that breeds the success on the international stage. The bigger the pool of swimmers, the higher the quality in athletes as opposed to just participants.

All said, the Zambian Government needs to come on board to ensure that it supports swimming at school level. Moreover, individuals need to see the joy and satisfaction that comes from coaching. We need more passionate coaches to work with our committed kids.

I am optimistic that Zambia will continue to grow steadily as our leadership in the country really does have the athletes’ best interests at heart. We should continue to be athlete centered, coach driven and administratively supported for us to reach the standards that will make us a force to reckon with continentally.

Swimming teaches us about life. The principals at play are spot on. You have to work hard for the things you want. You learn to cope with failure and setbacks. You learn how being a good team mate makes everyone better, including yourself. You learn that how your loss is as important as your win. You learn the unbelievable power of self discipline. Ultimately you make the uncomfortable comfortable. Understanding that success is a process.


MONTREAL CANADA – The Permanent representative of Zambia to SADC and ICAO Mr. Vincent Banda has been elected to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council in Montreal, Canada. Mr. Banda becomes the first Zambian to be elected to the ICAO Council which is ICAO’s a governing body. This follows elections that took place at the on-going ICAO Assembly in Montreal , Canada today.

Commenting on his election, the Civil Aviation Authority Director General, Mr. Gabriel Lesa who is also the President of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), a specialised Agency of the African Union responsible for civil aviation matters says Mr.Banda’s election is a huge milestone for Zambia’s aviation industry.

“Zambia’s election to the ICAO Council is a huge milestone for Zambia and the entire African continent as African States will be well represented to drive international civil aviation matters that will be progressive for Africa. Africa’s representation on ICAO’s supreme body , the Council means Africa’s interests will be well represented, hence we expect to see improvements in African States’ Effective Implementation which is a critical benchmark to monitor performance in the civil aviation sector.

He further stated that as the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC)’s President, having campaigned and ensured the election of eight African candidates to the ICAO Council in such a stiff competition, this victory is such a huge milestone and success for the entire continent, Zambia and SADC in particular”.

And Mr.Vincent Banda in his speech said his role will not only be to adopt Standards and Recommended Practices as his priority areas but will also ensure that he works closely with the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority and Zambia Airports Corporation Limited.

“My role will not only be to adopt standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation”.

“I also have a task to work closely with Zambia Civil Aviation Authority, Zambia Airports Corporation Limited, the newly established Zambia Airways 2014 Ltd as well as the Zambia Department of Immigration to improve and uphold the highest standards and recommended practices in order for Zambia to have a world class aviation service that will also promote tourism”.

Mr. Vincent Banda has over 26 years of international work experience in the aviation sector that includes working in mainstream airlines, logistics, airline cargo management and operations as well as strategic decision making.

He started his career in Zambia’s prestigious national carrier then, Zambia Airways in the Customer Service division in 1993. He also worked for Aero Zambia as Station Manager. He was later appointed as Country Manager Zambia by Express Air Services (PTY) Zambia Ltd., before being appointed General Manager-Africa by Express Air Services (PTY) South Africa Mr. Banda also served in various senior management portfolios in BIDAir under the Bidvest Group. He also served as Director on various boards in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania and Chief Executive Officer of Bid Air Cargo Tanzania and Chief Operating Officer BidAir South Africa before being appointed as Permanent Representative of Zambia and SADC to ICAO.

The ICAO Assembly started on 24th September and will end on 4th October 2019. The Assembly takes place at least once every three years and is convened by ICAO’s governing body, the Council.

African States that were elected to be part of the ICAO Council include: Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa in Part two. Cote D’Ivoire. Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia were elected to part three. Zambia got 145 out of 177 votes which translates to a score of 82%.

For more information or clarification, kindly contact Sepiso Zimba Public Relations ManagerP.O Box 50137Lusaka

Mobile: +260 977-406666

ZAMBIA’S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO SADC AND ICAO ELECTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION (ICAO) COUNCIL DURING THE 40TH ICAO

ASSEMBLY IN MONTREAL, CANADA. PRESS RELEASE, TUESDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2019

42 || IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE ISSUE 10 - APR/MAY

Mahogany courierEncompasses transfer of mail, parcels documents and unaddressed mail such as newspaper in record time

Livingstone, Ndola and LusakaCall +260 971765 481 / +260 968 786 614

65www.mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 201942 || IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE ISSUE 10 - APR/MAY

Mahogany courierEncompasses transfer of mail, parcels documents and unaddressed mail such as newspaper in record time

Livingstone, Ndola and LusakaCall +260 971765 481 / +260 968 786 614

Had an amazing experience flying with Mahogany, the staff were great and very friendly. I will always fly

Mahogany- Njavwanji Nachela Chitiya


Embraer EMB-120Emnbraer’s. The EMB-120 is a twin-turboprop commuter airliner, produced by Embraer of Brazil.

It is one of the most popular passenger aircraft in the world. Our two aircraft have the capacity to seat 30 passengers, with a range of 1,750km (945 nm, 1,088 mi).

Engines

Wingspan

Length

Height

Crew

Seats

2x 1892 ESHP PW118.

19.78m

20.0m

6.35m

2 Pilots, 1 Flight Attendant

30

11,500kg

Max landing Weight 11,250kg

Max Speed 608km/h

Range 1,750km

Mahogany Fleet

Beechcraft 1900DThe Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger,

wing aircraft that was manufactured by Beechcraft. It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport.

The aircraft was designed to carry passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways. It

(970 km), although few operators use its full-fuel range. It is one of the most popular 19-passenger airliners in history.

Crew: 1 (2 for airline operations)

Capacity: 19 passengers.

Length: 17.62 m

Wingspan: 17.64 m

Height: 4.72 m

Empty weight: 4,732 kg

Useful load: 2,882 kg

7,764 kg

Mahogany Fleet

67www.mahoganyair.com | Oct - Nov 2019IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE | ISSUE 11

Beechcraft 1900DThe Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger,

wing aircraft that was manufactured by Beechcraft. It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport.

The aircraft was designed to carry passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways. It

(970 km), although few operators use its full-fuel range. It is one of the most popular 19-passenger airliners in history.

Crew: 1 (2 for airline operations)

Capacity: 19 passengers.

Length: 17.62 m

Wingspan: 17.64 m

Height: 4.72 m

Empty weight: 4,732 kg

Useful load: 2,882 kg

7,764 kg

Mahogany Fleet



RO

UTE

S

70 In-flight Magazine | Oct - Nov 201960 || IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE

Morning Star Travel sarl Agence De VoyageCosmas Kapaya Manda+243 851 144 449 | +243 995 778 864No. 48, Av. Chaussee Mzee L.D. KABILA, C/L’shiHaunt-Katanga, [email protected]

Miles Travel

City Bond (Pavan) Travel & Tours +243 818 776 811 | +243 890 010 [email protected]@gmail.com

Jeffry TravelsSalman Zavery+243 816 546 523Batiment LAC, 62 boulevard Mzee Laurent Desire Kabila, DRC

Malabar Business TravelVictoire Nkana+243 811 971 848Lubumbashi, [email protected]

www.malabar-group.com

Sammy Singh+243 818555006 | +243 990542165Coin des Av. Mwepu/Munogo (ex Kasai)Ref. Hotel Belle Vue. Centre Ville, Lubumbashi/Haut-Katanga/ [email protected]@yahoo.com

“FOR BOOKINGS CONTACT THESE TRAVEL AGENTS”

Fly Mahogany Air “an insignia of Zambian hospitality.”

Lubumbashi! Fly

FLT NO.A/C 1 MONDAY A/C 2 MONDAY

DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

FLT NO. DEPARTURE ARRIVAL













A/C 1 TUESDAY AC2 TUESDAY

A/C 1 WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY

A/C 1 THURSDAY THURSDAY

A/C 1 FRIDAY FRIDAY

A/C 1 SATURDAY SATURDAY

A/C 1 SUNDAY SUNDAY

L/STONE STANDS FOR LIVINGSTONE L/MBASHI STANDS FOR LUMBUMBASHI

MAHOGANY AIR FLIGHTS SCHEDULE

East Park Mall, Great East Road, Lusaka, Zambia, Cell: +260 977 865 810, +260 965 346 082

09:00 10:1010:40 11:50

09:00 10:1010:40 11:50


FLT NO.A/C 1 MONDAY A/C 2 MONDAY

DEPARTURE ARRIVAL














A/C 1 TUESDAY AC2 TUESDAY

A/C 1 WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY

A/C 1 THURSDAY THURSDAY

A/C 1 FRIDAY FRIDAY

A/C 1 SATURDAY SATURDAY

A/C 1 SUNDAY SUNDAY

L/STONE STANDS FOR LIVINGSTONE L/MBASHI STANDS FOR LUMBUMBASHI

MAHOGANY AIR FLIGHTS SCHEDULE

East Park Mall, Great East Road, Lusaka, Zambia, Cell: +260 977 865 810, +260 965 346 082

09:00 10:1010:40 11:50

09:00 10:1010:40 11:50




November 2019 Elitis Synopsis of Early Post Independence

Documents