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ZICA Acts After Fraud

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Mwenye says staff terminations and administrative changes follow discovery By Francis Maingaila Lusaka, Zambia24 – (18-11-2025)  --- The Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) has taken decisive action after uncovering a K2.2 million fraud involving a staff member, reinforcing its commitment to ethical governance and internal controls. According to ZICA President Mrs. Yande Siame Mwenye, the fraudulent activity, which occurred between January 2022 and September 2025, was discovered through the institute’s newly established internal audit processes.  She said the engagement of an internal auditor was “timely and necessary” in detecting the irregularities. Mr. Joe Nsokolo, the institute’s Management Accountant, has been arrested, and the matter is now before the courts. The council has also terminated his employment and separated the Director of Finance as part of administrative measures to safeguard the institution. Mrs. Mwenye added that ZICA is fully cooperating with law enf...
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Regulator Eyes Compliance

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ZCSA steps up monitoring of manufacturers under compulsory standards. By Francis Maingaila ♥️   Lusaka, Zambia24 – (November 18, 2025) --- The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has stepped up its monitoring of manufacturers as the regulator intensifies efforts to strengthen compliance with compulsory standards, urging industry players to work more closely with the Agency to ensure product safety and protect consumers. During a management visit to Crown Millers Limited in Lusaka on November 17, 2025, ZCSA Executive Director Gerald Chizinga said the heightened oversight is meant to reinforce adherence to mandatory safety requirements while supporting manufacturers to improve production processes. Mr. Chizinga explained that management visits help the Agency understand operations within regulated entities, identify potential compliance gaps, and offer technical guidance to companies producing goods covered by compulsory standards. “As Crown Millers, you have a new milling plant an...
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New Initiative for People-Centered Mining

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Civil society forms Zambia Mining Caucus to ensure local communities benefit from the country’s mineral wealth By Francis Maingaila  Lusaka, Zambia24 – (18 November 2025) – Civil society organizations have launched a new initiative aimed at ensuring Zambia’s mineral wealth benefits local communities. The Zambia Mining Caucus, a partnership between Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) and Publish What You Pay Zambia, will serve as a non-partisan platform to influence mining policies, ensuring they are people-centered, inclusive, and practical. The initiative comes amid concerns that Zambians are largely excluded from the economic benefits of the country’s mineral resources.  Communities are often consulted during policy development but rarely see their input reflected in final regulations. The Caucus will provide analysis and recommendations on the Draft Statutory Instrument (SI) on Critical Minerals Regulations, part of the government’s Critical Minerals Strategy. Collaboration Across...
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PF Accuses Police of Bias

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Lubinda says the cops shielding UPND cadres while blocking the opposition’s lawful briefing. By Francis Maingaila  Lusaka, Zambia24. --- (18th November 2025) -- The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has accused the Zambia Police Service of abandoning neutrality, alleging that officers blocked the party from holding a scheduled press briefing while failing to act against suspected UPND cadres involved in recent attacks.  Acting PF President Given Lubinda described the police’s conduct as a blatant display of partiality that threatens Zambia’s democratic principles. Lubinda told journalists that the police’s decision to halt the briefing was not only unlawful but a direct assault on the democratic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.  He said the PF had formally notified the police about the event, yet officers still appeared at the Secretariat and ordered the gathering to be stopped without any lawful justification.  “If the police choose to protect one political group while suppressi...
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Fresh Concerns Over Voter Registration

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CCMG Flags Serious Transparency Failures, Unresolved Operational Gaps in ECZ’s Phase 5 & 6 Voter Registration Exercise By Francis Maingaila Lusaka, Zambia — 16 November 2025 The Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) has raised fresh concerns over “serious transparency failures, persistent deployment inconsistencies, and continued equipment vulnerabilities” in the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) Phase 5 and 6 mobile voter registration exercise.  CCMG Programmes Manager Peter Mwanangombe said the ECZ’s “failure to publish a full national deployment plan, repeated closure of registration centres, and the withholding of disaggregated daily statistics pose significant risks to public confidence in the ongoing registration drive.” Mwanangombe said the organisation was concerned that 11 percent of registration centres remained closed during the two phases, the same rate recorded in Phases 3 and 4, indicating unresolved deployment mismatches.  “We are seeing the very same weakn...
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State Rejects Link to PF Chaos

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Mweetwa pushes police to fast-track the inquiry and hold perpetrators accountable By Francis Maingaila ♥️ Lusaka, Zambia24, (Sunday, November 16, 2025) — The Government has distanced itself from Saturday’s violent fracas at the Patriotic Front (PF) Secretariat, firmly rejecting any suggestion that the State or the ruling UPND had a hand in the chaos.  Chief Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said the attackers—who were clad in UPND regalia—were not acting under any instruction from the party, and urged the police to fast-track the inquiry, expose the true perpetrators, and ensure they are held fully accountable. Mweetwa described the incident as “unacceptable, regrettable, and inexcusable,” stressing that the violent conduct displayed by the group does not represent the values of the UPND or the New Dawn administration. “We condemn in the strongest terms the thuggery and acts of violence that took place yesterday at the PF Secretariat. Those individuals who descended on the prem...
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Debt Red Flags

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New Analysis Reveals Zambia’s Debt Sustainability Remains Under Severe Pressure Despite G20 Restructuring; CSPR Calls for Reforms to Avert Further Economic Strain By Francis Maingaila ♥️ Lusaka, Zambia24 — (15 November 2025) -- Zambia’s public debt remains in a state of high distress despite the country’s ongoing restructuring efforts under the G20 Common Framework, according to a new analysis presented by Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) researcher Trevor Hambayi. Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement on debt transparency and sustainability, Hambayi said the country continues to “walk a tightrope” as key risk indicators show that Zambia’s debt remains unsustainable and highly vulnerable to external shocks. According to the CSPR analysis, Zambia’s total public debt stood at USD 30.67 billion as of June 2025, comprising USD 15.78 billion external debt, USD 10.21 billion domestic debt, USD 3.31 billion in arrears, and USD 1.37 billion in government guarantees. Hambayi note...
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