One Year On – Reflecting on my Service for Zambia in Canberra

By Dr Elias Munshya Today marks a significant milestone – precisely one year since I arrived in Canberra, Australia, to assume the role of leading the Zambia High Commission. Reflecting on this journey, my heart is filled with gratitude and a resolute sense of humility. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to His Excellency, President Dr Hakainde Hichilema, and the people

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O Presidente Hakainde Hichilema Felicita Angola pelo 50.º Aniversário da Sua Independência

COMUNICADO DE IMPRENSA Para Divulgação Imediata10 de Novembro de 2025Luanda, República de Angola O Governo da República da Zâmbia associa-se ao Governo e ao Povo da República de Angola na celebração do 50.º Aniversário da Independência de Angola, cuja cerimónia oficial terá lugar no dia 11 de novembro de 2025, em Luanda. Numa mensagem dirigida a Sua Excelência o Presidente

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Tributes Flow as Dr. Munshya Ends Diplomatic Tenure in Australia

By Cascious Mumba, TV Bakwetu Tributes poured in after the announcement that His Excellency Rev. Dr. Elias Munshya was concluding his tour of duty as Zambia’s High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand. Messages from Zambians and Australians alike expressed warmth, gratitude and quiet admiration. For more than three years, Munshya led Zambia’s mission in Canberra with a sense of

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PK Chishala’s Impumba Mukowa: A Kalindula Narrative of Matrilineal Identity and Loss among the AbaUshi

By Rev. Dr. Elias Munshya Abstract This article examines PK Chishala’s Impumba Mukowa, one of Zambia’s most socially and culturally layered kalindula songs. Drawing upon the linguistic, ethnographic, and moral dimensions embedded within its verses, the discussion explores how Chishala’s composition becomes a vehicle for transmitting matrilineal consciousness, mourning, and moral instruction among the AbaUshi people of Luapula Province. Through

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Building Bridges: Zambia and Australia in Mining Collaborations

Dr. Elias Munshya, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Australia, reflects on a successful economic diplomacy mission aimed at fostering partnerships in Zambia’s mining sector. Accompanied by AustMine METS companies, the delegation engaged with local businesses and explored opportunities beyond minerals. The trip emphasized the importance of human connections and cultural engagement, leading to ongoing initiatives for deeper collaboration and investment in Zambia.

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Zambia’s Village in Samoa: A Journey Through CHOGM 2024

Dr. Elias Munshya recounts his experience during the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. He expresses pride upon seeing Zambia’s presence and celebrating cultural ties with the local community, particularly in Samatau Village. The visit culminated in a traditional Ava Ceremony, emphasizing the emerging relationship between Zambia and Samoa.

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Australia, Tourism and Trade: My Meeting with Uganda’s H.E. Dorothy Hyuha

During my courtesy call on Her Excellency Dorothy Hyuha, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Australia, we had a productive discussion on a range of topics that are relevant to our service in Australia. We talked about the importance of maintaining collegial relations between our respective countries and working together to promote the interests of not only Zambia and Uganda, but also

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Strengthening African Diplomatic Ties In Australia: My Meeting with Zimbabwe’s Ambassador Joe Mhishi

As African nations work towards shared goals of economic development, security, and prosperity, strong diplomatic ties between nations are more important than ever. Today, I had the privilege of meeting with His Excellency Joe Mhishi, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Australia, to discuss ways in which our two missions can work together to enhance bilateral relations and promote the interests of African

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ICRC Director-General Meets with Canberra’s Diplomatic Corps

As the High Commissioner for Zambia in Australia, I recently had the privilege of attending a briefing by Robert Mardini, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who is visiting Canberra, Australia. Mr Mardini discussed several critical issues affecting Australia, Zambia, Africa, and the world. One of the salient points Mr Mardini addressed was the urgent need

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AMB. DR. ELIAS MUNSHYA’S REMARKS ON GHANA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY

On this special day, we celebrate Ghana’s independence anniversary and commemorate the bravery and sacrifices of the Ghanaian people who fought for their freedom from colonial rule. As the High Commissioner for Zambia, I join our brothers and sisters at the Ghana High Commission, and indeed the entire Ghanaian nation in celebrating this momentous occasion. Ghana’s rich history, culture, and

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Exploring the Victoria Falls: My Experience

As Zambia’s High Commissioner to Australia, I am delighted to share my experience of visiting one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders – the Victoria Falls. On October 10, 2022, I was privileged to present my credentials to Australia’s Governor-General as the High Commissioner for Zambia. It was an honour and a privilege that will stay with me forever.

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TVBAKWETU: The story of our involvement in the victory of the new dawn revolution

By Elias Munshya Where history is written by the victors, or rather, by a section of the victors, it becomes necessary for us to provide a little documentation of our role in the struggle that eventually led to the vanquishment of the scandalous presidency of Edgar Chagwa Lungu. We must tell our story from our perspective. We must communicate our

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Lawyers Accounts and Money Laundering: Has LAZ Failed to Regulate and Discipline Its Members?

By Elias Munshya The most critical issue right now regarding lawyer regulation in Zambia is not about whether some lawyers have become kelenkas. The most egregious thing is that the regulator of lawyers in Zambia seems to have no plan and has completely failed to rein in its members. In its current form, the Law Association of Zambia has wholly

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Inside Edgar Lungu’s “Kelenka Debt Swap”

By Elias Munshya Just days before the general elections, the Patriotic Front government has suddenly got a brilliant idea. They will stop the public service division that administers payroll for most civil servants from deducting loan payments that government employees owe to various small scale tuntemba lending and microfinance companies. According to the geniuses who came up with this brilliant

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Citizenship and the Myth of Indigeneity in Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Beyond

by Elias Munshya A proposal is currently making its way through the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national assembly to change Congolese citizenship laws. The changes, if passed, will restrict Congolese citizenship to “pure” Congolese and ban those perceived to be “impure” Congolese from contesting for the presidency of the republic. The attempt, of course, is to try and stop one

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The Malawian who Ruled Zambia: The Times and Life of Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda

by Elias Munshya The Letter to Malawi One morning in 1972, that is at least ten years in power, first as Prime Minister and then President of Zambia, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda wrote a letter to the Minister of Home Affairs of the neighbouring nation of Malawi. “Dear Minister”, wrote Kenneth Kaunda, “I write you to renounce my Malawian citizenship.”

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Zambian Kalindula and Traditional Music: My Top 15 Songs

Zambian Kalindula and Traditional Music: My Top 15 Songs By Elias Munshya I will highlight these top 15 songs in descending order beginning with song number 15, and then make my way down to the top Zambian traditional song. The number 15 song is Kashambala by Serenje Kalindula Band. Combining Lala folklore and popular themes, this band’s versatility is seen

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The Freedom Struggle and the Aftermath: Sophena Chisembele’s book on the personal story of Sylvester Mwamba Chisembele

By Elias Munshya In the book Zambia: The freedom struggle and the aftermath, Mrs Sophena Chisembele chronicles the personal story of freedom fighter and leader Sylvester Mwamba Chisembele. It is a fascinating story. But more than just being the story of her husband, it was actually her own story as well. Contrary to what I had known all along that

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“Muka Muchona” and “Na Musonda”: Women, chastity and faithfulness in Kalindula music

By Elias Munshya In Muka Muchona, legendary Zambian singer and musician Peter Tsotsi Juma paints a picture of a woman in the village whose husband has temporarily left her to look for greener pastures in the mining towns. “Ama chona” is a term used to describe a phenomenon after the World Wars of village dwellers who left the villages to

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APOLOGY: TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

By Elias Munshya I wish to apologize to everyone who was offended when I posted that President Magufuli had died of COVID-19. In fact, the Tanzanian government has confirmed that he died of a heart failure occasioned by a cardiac arrest. Just yesterday the Prime Minister of Tanzania announced that the late President was doing well and was pushing files

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Towards the Philosophy of Interpreting the Zambian Constitution – Given the grade 12 requirement

By Elias Munshya The state has access to all the resources one could ever think of when drafting a constitution. In its employ is the crème de la crème of the best legislative drafters and lawyers. Further, Parliament has famous busy bodies dotting the government house walls. Also, parliamentarians are mature fathers and mothers who should be presumed to know

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Marriage Tentativity Under Zambian Customary Practices: A Folk-Music Methodology

By Elias Munshya Customary marriages in Zambia are by their nature “tentative”. While the civil marriages give the impression of some permanence until they are dissolved by a positive order of a high court, this concept does not apply in customary marriages. Further, in civil marriages, dissolution of marriages must be on well established legal grounds such as adultery, living

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Redeeming Zambian Customary Laws: What we can do about making marriage and divorce laws fairer

By Elias Munshya Last week, Zambia’s Justice Minister offered quite staggering statistics of divorces in Zambia. He said that in the four years between 2016 and 2019, Zambian courts recorded 61,000 divorces. Sixty thousand marriages were dissolved in Zambia’s local courts, while 1,000 marriages dissolved in the High Court of Zambia. For those unfamiliar with our system – local courts

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Ukufutikila: Towards A Pentecostal Theology Of Healing During Zambia’s COVID-19 Pandemic

By Elias Munshya In the early years of the Pentecostal movement – particularly the one under the US-styled prosperity preachers’ flavour – healing was widely believed to be the “children’s bread” (Matthew 15:26-28). This expression popularised by USA faith healers and preachers meant that Christians, at least the legitimate Christians were entitled to God’s healing as a matter of right.

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How A Revivalist And Renewal Zambian Faith Became A Faith Of Chief Bishops And Anointed Water

By Elias Munshya The rise of Pentecostalism in Zambia marked a massive shift in the religious landscape of the country. Long dominated by traditional churches such as the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Zambia, Pentecostals renewed emphasis on spirituality, revival, and renewal. It was in the 1960s, and in the 1970s, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (Zambia)

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MADE IN NYASALAND: THE ENDURING INFLUENCE OF MALAWIAN DIASPORA IN ZAMBIA

By ELIAS MUNSHYA Of Zambia’s 8 ( or 9) neighbors, no country has had more economic, religious, educational, political, and cultural influence over Zambian than Malawi. First Republican President Kaunda was born from parents who came from modern day Malawi. The current president of our Republic, Edgar Chagwa Lungu is believed to have sufficient Malawian connections as well. On or

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Police Shootings and the Failing Presidency of Edgar Chagwa Lungu

By Elias Munshya On December 23, 2020, the nation was awakened to the horror of two murders that had just happened in broad daylight in Lusaka. The armed Zambia Police service members had shot into a crowd on unarmed citizens killing two and injuring dozens more. What followed after the killing is not only shocking but also symptomatic of the

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HOW MANY ZAMBIANS ARE NRC CRIMINALS? wELL THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

If Zambia prosecuted all NRC offences nearly the whole country will be in jail from the President to everyone of you with false information on your NRCs. False information includes the following: 1) false year of birth – bengi sana. Jail awaits you. You criminals. 2) false place of birth – ati wafyalilwe kwi? 3) false village and chief –

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Nevers Mumba’s Week from Hell and the Negligence of the PF Government

By Elias Munshya Isn’t it the case? That the Patriotic Front government tries to insist that President Lungu should be respected because he is the “father of the nation”? Those who advance this theory shove on our throats this grandiose idea that the Head of State deserves respect and deference from the country’s political players. Further, this idea manifests itself

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The Electoral Confusion of Zambia: What Zambia’s Elections Body Must Do To Inspire Confidence

By Elias Munshya The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has a very fancy and lofty leader in Justice Esau Chulu. Just a few weeks ago, the elections body claimed to have put together a body of eminent Zambians to advise the constitutionally elected body. However, what we see coming from the ECZ has the potential of churning our country into

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The Patriotic Front Government Should Stop Abusing Police Powers In Zambia

By Elias Munshya Power is easy to abuse. There is this sense endemic in those who wield guns and bombs to think that they are somehow invincible. To this theme, we must return. Daily. If not monthly. But frequently we should. We will continue writing. And talking. And teaching. We will continue to demand. And demonstrate. We will continue to

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The Failure of the Parastatal Economic Model in Zambia

by Elias Munshya There is definitely a series of stories that can be told about President Frederick Chiluba’s privatisation program. It had its own positives and its negatives. It could definitely have been done better. But privatisation, we needed to do. There was no alternative. Several of our citizens insist that those companies were “assets”. Indeed, they were. But years

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Christianity, Campaigns, and the Politics of God’s Choice

by Elias Munshya Never have we, and neither should we, object to the Honourable Minister of Religious Affairs Rev. Godfridah Sumaili exercising her constitutional right to belong and campaign for her political party of choice. As a citizen of this country, she has the right to belong and promote a party of her personal choice. In fact, as a member

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WHEN THE COMMANDER GOES ROGUE: PRESIDENT LUNGU, ACC, AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

By Elias Munshya President Lungu’s trip to the Copperbelt this last weekend did not just end up spreading COVID-19 to the innocent masses that attended his rallies. Still, it was also the opportunity for the President to say the darndest things. If the  President and his handlers want us to accord some respect to his high office, he must behave

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The Cabbage Who Became A Piece Of Steak: Remembering Levy Patrick Mwanawasa

By Elias Munshya President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (Zambian President from 2002 to 2008) was a controversial figure. Without a doubt, he has gone into history as one of the most controversial presidents. Several things about Mwanawasa are contentious. Just how he was called from political retirement to become Chiluba’s preferred MMD presidential candidate ruffled many feathers within the MMD in

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PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU MUST STOP UKUSEYA to control the spread of covid-19 to zambia’s villages

by Elias Munshya When I say that His Excellency, the President of our Republic, is spreading the COVID-19 virus, I do not mean that he has the virus. What I mean is that his current travel schedules expose the people of Zambia in remote areas to COVID-19. The President does not travel alone. Even if the President himself has done

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Dr. Chisela Chileshe Should Resign or Be Fired

By Elias Munshya This past weekend His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, flew to Monze to hand over Chinese constructed houses for officers of the Zambia Correctional Service. The Zambia Correctional Service is one of the security wings over which President Lungu, as commander in chief, presides. President Lungu’s incursions into Choma and

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President Lazarus Chakwera And the Opportunities of A Pentecostal Political Theology

By Elias Munshya Malawian Pentecostals must be very proud of themselves. They have managed to get one of them to become President of Malawi. What a great honour and privilege. Rev. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is not only a member of the Pentecostal fraternity; but one of the classical Pentecostals’ well-known figure across Southern Africa and indeed the world. He has

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Towards A Post-Africanist Renewal

By Elias Munshya Pan-Africanism has serious deficits, as a philosophy for the African. It has so far failed to help Africans imagine a future that goes beyond useless slogans. Pan-Africanism cannot spur African imagination any longer as it is deeply steeped in victimhood. Africans, according to Pan-Africanism, are victims – victims of forces outside the African. And to defeat those

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Blood in Isoka: The continuing failure of Edgar Lungu’s leadership

By Elias Munshya Honourable Dora Siliya, the minister of information and broadcasting, issued a statement on May 17, 2020, condemning the behaviour of ruling PF cadres who had invaded several radio stations in Muchinga Province. The conduct of PF thugs is unwelcome. This behaviour is a detriment to the development of both common sense and the rule of law. The

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Writing to Pass: My Dissertation Advice to Law Students

By Elias Munshya Occasionally, law students from Zambian law schools do contact me for some “dissertation ideas”. Some find our blog very helpful in helping them narrow down a topic or two. While http://www.eliasmunshya.org is meant for the general audience, we are humbled at how we are contributing to the budding legal scholarship in Zambia. Here then are some dissertation

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The Nakachinda Parliamentary Committee Report on Bill 10

Disclaimer: Elias Munshya and Munshya Law are not responsible for any inaccuracies of this draft report. This is a draft report which becomes official after the Committee presents it to the Zambian parliament using parliamentary procedure. Should any one require specific legal advise arising from any issues in this document, kindly consult members of the Zambian bar – except perhaps

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Zambia is a Christian Nation and a Multi-Religious Nation

By Elias Munshya The commotion over Bill 10’s proposal to Christianise the Zambian constitution is in my opinion, wholly unnecessary and a waste of time. Zambia is already a Christian nation. It has been a Christian nation. White Christian missionaries brought education and Christianised much of the Zambian territory. Indigenous African evangelists such as Rev. David Kaunda of Malawi brought

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Zambian Pentecostal Leaders Must Speak Up Against Bill 10: Here is Why

The Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Bill 10) appears to have some footprints of the Pentecostal mindset in so far as the Declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation is concerned. Nevertheless, this footprint is not quite what it promises to be. There is a need for Pentecostals to push back against this idea that the faith should be

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Drop Bill 10: Why Zambians are taking the “Constitution of Zambia Amendment Bill” personally

By Elias Munshya Obliterating the Personal? One of the first things that get destroyed when a dictatorship is trying to entrench itself is personal responsibility and personal accountability. When a government wants to kill and maim its people, it first begins by depersonalising them and the issues that concern them. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Justice Minister is

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Zambia’s Bill 10: Why aren’t Pentecostal church leaders speaking up?

By Elias Munshya Bill 10 proposes to abolish the multi-religious character of the Republic of Zambia that is enshrined in the Constitution of Zambia – in both the entrenched and the unentrenched provisions. With due respect to my vocal Pentecostal sisters and brothers – Zambia is a multi-religious nation. And the history and suspicion that we Pentecostals have had to

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The Johannesburg High Court’s KCM Ruling Embarrasses The Zambian Judiciary and All of Us

By Elias Munshya Zambia has excellent legal minds. It has exceptional jurists. However, there is something fundamentally problematic within the Zambian legal system that continues to tolerate mediocrity. When ZCCM-IH obtained the ex-parte Order from the Lusaka High Court to begin liquidating KCM, we sounded the alarm. The alarm was really not about whether Vedanta was the right investor or

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The 2019 Constitution of Zambia Amendment Bill Should be Withdrawn: Here is why

By Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. The Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been published as Bill 10. Very soon, it will be presented to the parliament of Zambia for debate, consideration, and possible enactment. To say that Bill 10 has significant problems is an understatement. Bill 10 is a disaster and its effect on the constitutional architecture of

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MUNSHYA LAW: What our law firm can do for Zambians wishing to emigrate to Canada

by Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. Munshya Law (www.munshyalaw.com), is a Canadian immigration law firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Elias Munshya is the principal of the law firm. Munshya is a member of the Law Society of Alberta. He holds various academic and professional degrees including an MBA in Law, an LLM, and an LLB from England. We want

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A Senate of Betrayal: Of Doctorates and Good Governance

By Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, MDIV. The Senate of the University of Zambia has, in its wisdom, or most appropriately, foolishness decided to confer upon President Edgar Lungu an honorary doctorate. Typically, universities around the world have a specific choice for an honorary degree. Universities usually grant the general “doctor of laws”. Surprisingly, even those without a faculty of law

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The Mafia in Charge: Is there collusion to undermine the rule of law in KCM’s liquidation?

By Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. It is strange that ZCCM-IH went ex-parte to the Lusaka High Court to apply that Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) be placed under liquidation, or to be technically correct, under “provisional liquidation”. From the look of things, this Application and its resultant Order seems to have been obtained in the cover of the night. It

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Hope for Aunty Dizzy: Zambia’s minister of finance needs immediate access to addiction treatment

By Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. President Lungu knows or ought to know, that Honorable Margaret Mwanakatwe MP is struggling with an apparent illness requiring urgent treatment. However, I am wondering why despite this notorious fact, the president still maintains her at the ministry of finance. Is the president taking advantage of a woman’s illness for his political ends? As

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“Impumba Mukowa”: Our analysis of GBM’s resignation from the UPND and his tribal ideology

By Elias Munshya, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. She who comes to tribalism must come with pure tribal hands. You cannot be an impumba mukowa and yet choke our nation with useless, baseless, and senseless tribal nonsense. What is even more concerning is that Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) has not repented from his vicious tribalism and tribal bait over the years. The

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The Supreme Court of Zambia’s Chifire Contempt Ruling: Our View

By Elias Munshya, BA, MA, LLB, MDIV., MBA, LLM We doubt whether this Chifire contempt case will help restore faith or respect for the Zambian Supreme Court, the respect which it deserves and desperately needs. This Chifire decision, particularly the sentencing, will not help matters at all. The Court will not garner more respect than it previously had before the

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Who is right on the CBU medical degree between Dr. Mujajati’s HPCZ and Prof. Simukanga’s HEA?

By Elias Munshya, BA, MA, LLB, LLM, MBA, M.DIV. A discussion of this nature places a demand upon us to situate this issue within elementary concepts. Zambia’s administrative law is developing very quickly. As should be expected in a burgeoning democracy, the executive state is shedding-off much of its responsibility and assigning it to statutory bodies. Changes in the administrative

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The Law Association of Zambia’s Statement on President Lungu’s eSwatini Land Gift

This is the media statement issued by the Law Association of Zambia The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has followed with keen interest the public debate that has raged following revelations of a piece of land granted to President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in the Kingdom of eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland. LAZ has also noted the serious insinuations and allegations

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