Zambia: public order The government uses a colonial-era law to control and confine opposition parties With the death in late October of Michael Sata, Zambia’s president, opposition parties in Africa’s largest copper-producing country may find their political space a bit wider. Mr Sata, 77, died in London on October 28th where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. There had been much speculation during the year about Mr Sata’s health. He had been out of public view for three months during mid-2014, resurfaced in September to open Parliament, but then missed Zambia’s celebrations on October 24th to mark 50…
Victoria Kelly
Zambia: renewed calls for Barotseland to secede President Sata broke his 2011 campaign promise to restore the kingdom’s autonomy By Victoria Kelly In August, in a small, badly-lit room in a house in Mongu, the impoverished capital of Zambia’s Western Province, a late middle-aged man with a receding hairline called Afumba Mombotwa was filmed taking oath as administrator general of a “new state”, Barotseland. Wearing a dark suit and tie, and standing erect in front of a grey curtain, his right hand raised in the air, Mr Mombotwa, 58, swore to protect, defend and uphold the constitution of Barotseland, which…
Zambia’s draft constitution Several presidents have promised a new legal charter to win votes With Zambia’s presidential election scheduled for September next year, its current chief executive is already campaigning and making promises. “I want to hand you a new constitution,” Edgar Lungu, Zambia’s president, told expectant crowds attending his inauguration ceremony at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka on January 25th. Dressed in a dapper blue suit and crimson tie, the 58-year-old former lawyer promised to “definitely deliver” a “people-driven” constitution in line with a roadmap that Mr Lungu released a few days before the January 20th presidential by-election. Like…
