Sale of expired goods haunts Chaisa compound residents

By Ann Zulu

RESIDENTS of Chaisa compound in Lusaka have expressed worry over the rise in number of expired goods being offered for sale by some traders to unsuspecting buyers.

The goods range from foodstuffs, body lotions, soaps and detergent pastes which have flooded the area.

                                             Expired goods

CCPC public relations officer Hanford Chaaba said the commission would make a follow-up and investigate the issue.

Mr. Chaaba warned that the commission would initiate criminal action against traders who sell expired food products in the area.

“We will carry an investigation and in a situation where we find anything, we will be able to inform the public and those found trading expired products will face punishment,” he said.

Some of the residents who had fallen prey to the vice told the Daily Nation that the situation was serious and needed urgent action.

“There are so many expired goods been sold here and people are just blindingly buying them. I just hope that the authorities will do something to stop this because there is no way people could be sold expired goods,

“This is so unacceptable in a country like Zambia which has been independent for more than 50 years,”said Marvis Mwaba, a regular customer at Chaisa market said.

She appealed to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to look into the matter and protect consumers from buying products that were considered to be harmful.

Another customer Jack Kaliche, said many people had interest in the products because they were sold at relatively cheap prices.

“With the current economic situation, people always want cheap products and you always find many of them buying these expired products,” he said.

He noted that some women had ended up damaging their faces because of using expired body lotions.

Mwenya Musonda, who had once bought a bottle of lotion from one of the shops at the market, said the expired products were harmful.

“I remember I once bought some lotions, because I thought it was just fine, but then, later on I discovered that with time my face started changing, I had reacted badly and developed dark spots all over my face,” she said.

She advised other people in the area to be outlook and check for expiry dates when buying lotions to avoid health complications.

Sale of Ngwenya Dam sends shivers to nearby community

By Ann Zulu

THE reported sale of Ngwenya Dam in Lusaka’s Nkoloma Ward 1 in Chawama constituency to a foreign investor has made residents living around the area wary, as they fear that their properties might be demolished.

                                                Ngwenya dam

According to Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) vice president Charles Kafumbo, who has lived in the area for many years, the sale of the dam was ‘‘unacceptable’’ as property owners and the community were not consulted.

Mr. Kafumbo claimed that the dam together with the land around it was sold by former ward councillor Lawrence Sichalwe who is now Member of Parliament for Chawama constituency and that property owners affected were expected to receive K2,000 as compensation.

He said it was ‘‘shameful’’ that the former councillor had opted to sell the dam to foreigners when there were many Zambians who had shown interest in using the facility for fish farming.

“If it is confirmed that Ngwenya dam in Nkoloma Ward 1 has been sold to a foreign investor and property owners who will have their property demolished will be compensated K2,000 each, it will be very shameful,” he said.

Mr. Kafumbo challenged Mr Sichalwe to explain to the people of Nkoloma Ward 1 the issues surrounding the sale of the dam.

He said that failure to do so might cause anarchy as the people were angry.

“Who did he consult? Honestly, can you really sell a dam? It’s very shameful, according to our information he is the one who sold the dam.

“Let him explain this sale because it will bring anarchy, which we don’t want to happen. People here are already looking for him; the dam is owned by the community,” he said.

Illicit sex among Lusaka youths stalls HIV/AIDS war

By Ann Zulu

THE illicit sex being perpetuated by youths in Lusaka is worrying and detrimental to the fight against HIV/AIDS, says a senior citizen Robby Mwale.

Mr. Mwale said he was concerned about the escalating immoral activities by young people and their patronising of and night clubs for alcohol.

 “The way our young people are conducting themselves and their frequenting of bars in Lusaka is very worrying, youths are indulging in sexual activities without even caring about their future and health,

“If you go to Kabwata, it’s young people between the age group 17-26 years who are occupying most of the bars and night clubs. Eventually they end up having unprotected sex and increase the spread of HIV,” said Mr. Mwale.

He challenged young people not only in Lusaka, but Zambia as a whole to embrace behaviour change, as part of the nation’s efforts to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

He charged that that discipline and behaviour change by young people were key in defeating HIV/AIDS in Zambia.

“Youths should concentrate on positive behaviour, this will reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and other potential social ills in our country,” he said.

He observed that the fight against HIV/AIDS could only be combatted if youths started to develop positive minds towards their future and careers rather than concentrating on activities that would endorse the disease.

However, Mr. Mwale attributed the bad trend being exhibited by youths to lack of moral and spiritual guidance from both parents and other concerned stakeholders in their upbringing.

He appealed for concerted efforts from various stakeholders to mentor the young people on how to focus on their dreams instead of engaging in illicit sex and alcohol abuse which could lead to the spread of HIV and AIDS.

“Everyone needs to get involved in saving the current generation from HIV/AIDS, especially the parents. They need to guide their children and educate them on the dangers of HIV,” said Mr. Mwale. 

Next Parliament best ever-YALI

By Ann Zulu

THE next National Assembly will have the best Members of Parliament that Zambia has ever had, the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has observed.

                          Andrew Ntewewe-YALI president

YALI president Andrew Ntewewe said a better Parliamentary representation after the August 11 general elections was envisaged because of the progressive provisions in the amended Constitution such as to have people with Grade 12 school certificates.

 “It is our view as YALI that the next parliament will be one of the best, in a sense that if you look at the amended Constitution, especially  on the provision to have people of a certain academic qualification of a Grade 12 school certificate.

“We are hopeful that we are going to have MPs that are well-informed, equipped and knowledgeable enough to comprehensively debate matters of national interest,” he said.

He reiterated that the country had in the past faced challenges due to perceived uneducated representatives.

“The biggest problem we have had in the past is that we had some MPs who may not have been well-informed, so even when bills are presented in parliament because of their lack of knowledge, they did not meet the minimum education qualification, they couldn’t research adequately and so the debates were always very bad,” Mr. Ntewewe said.

Phone cons on the rise in Lusaka

By Ann Zulu

THE rising number of phone cons in Lusaka has brought so many concerns among city dwellers.

                                 counterfeit cell phones

The streets, especially the Central Business District is flooded with vendors selling counterfeit cell phones.

Kelvin Phiri, a student from Evelyn Hone College explained how his dream of owning a smart phone turned into a nightmare after he was tricked into buying a cell phone stuffed with mud from Cairo road.

“The boys who sold me a fake phone are real cons; I wanted to buy a smart phone of any kind but because the new ones are costly I chose to buy from the streets since prices are negotiable. I only realised when that I had been sold a dummy after I got to campus, I found nothing inside but mud, "he said.

Another victim Boniface Silume of Kalingalinga Township bought a Nokia C3 Phone from Freedom way and realised that the phone was dead when he got home.

“I once bought a Nokia phone from the streets, I was shown a genuine phone, so I thought they were all genuine. But when I got home and tried to charge it, the phone was not working, it was completely dead,” he said.

But the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) Public Relation Officer Hanford Chaaba has warned consumers against buying from the streets.
Mr. Chaaba said it was difficult to seek recourse in the event of falling foul to tricksters.

“We advise customers to buy from shops that give guarantees purchased goods. Many are falling prey to conmen because they want cheap goods,” he said.

Trees enhance quality of life - NGO

By Ann Zulu

ACTION Africa Help International (AAH) has urged civic leaders to enforce tree planting at household level as a way of curbing devastating effects of climate change.
AAH Zambia country director Lameck Simwanza whose organisation is aimed at improving quality of life for livelihood-challenged communities in Africa, noted that it was incumbent on civic leaders to educate their communities and ensure that trees were planted at household unit level.

                 Tree Planting

Mr. Simwanza said the planting of trees was another way of enhancing food security for communities since families could easily get relief from fruits.

“In most cases councillors are the ones that stay with the people in communities; we encourage them to talk to the people out there and agree on the methods they can use so that they enforce the planting of trees particularly fruit trees at every household level.

He said it was shocking that some homesteads in the country did not even have a single fruit tree like guava or mango.

“Trees, apart from offering shelter to animals and providing us with oxygen, are also the source of medicine that saves our lives. We should continue planting them as they are used for food security, in treating various ailments and giving shelter to our animals.

“Remember it is the depletion of trees that is causing climate change which is now breeding droughts,” he said.