MONTHLY Socialist SOCIALISTPARTY ISSUE 6, DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 A newsletter published by the Socialist Party, Lusaka, Zambia FREE OF CHARGE The 2021 elections give us a New year, chance to change everything Fred M’membe: Zambia’s and build a future is at stake new hope more just Election will and caring determine society Zambia’s destiny for a generation Socialist staff reporter IF YOU make no other new year’s resolution as we head into 2021, make at least this READY TO TRANSFORM ZAMBIA – Page 6 one: pledge to vote for the So- cialist Party on August 12 and l Meet the latest Socialist Party parliamen- tral), Ambassador Malungisha (Kasempa), me (Kantashi), Mildred Ngambi (Kankoyo), usher in a new era of hope for tary candidates. Womba Nkanza (Zambezi East), Salubeni Kepson Zimba (Kabushi), Humphrey Siame Western Province: Mwisiya Imbula (Senanga Augustine (Mufumbwe), Muchinga Province: (Ndola Central), Bernadette Siabula (Chifu- Zambia through revolution- Central), Edna Biemba (Kaoma Central), Vivian Chunda (Mafinga). Central: Dennis bu), Mercy Bwalya (Bwana Mkubwa), Flannel ary change. Ireen Ilitongo Muhosho (Luena Constitu- Mutumba (Mwembeshi), Misheck Njobo Sichilima (Chingola), Jeff Chabala (Roan), FRED M’MEMBE, Because the Socialist Party ency), Jane Sombo Chingumbe (Mangango), (Nangoma). Copperbelt Province: Nicholas Margaret Sikalonza (Luanshya). Eastern incoming president, Mwenda Kulilisa (Sioma). North Western Mwansa (Kamfinsa), Faston Mwale (Nkana), Province: Doris Mweene (Chipata Central), is the only party that can mean- Province: Salungu Handson (Solwezi Cen- Steven Chewe (Chimwemwe), Mupelwa Sia- Phillip Sakala (Petauke Central). offers #realchange with ingfully tackle hunger, disease, the Socialist Party’s ignorance, and poverty, by pri- policies based on jus- oritising education, health and peasant agriculture. It is the tice, equity and peace. only party that can genuinely Manifesto download tackle the problems of poor details and info about water supply and sanitation, how to join the party housing, food, roads, and jobs, across the width and breadth of are on our back page our country. Introducing the party’s mani- – Page 12 festo in June, party president Fred M’membe wrote: “The election will decide who gets to run the country for the next five years. Whichever party wins will be em- Workers powered to make decisions that could affect your employment, education, healthcare, housing and protest much more. “The election will determine our country’s destiny for a generation. against It is our individual and collective decades of neoliberal capitalist duce parliamentary candidates Dr Musumali said Zambians re- don’t want to give that power or opportunity to set our country on a experiments that have landed us in in September, Dr Musumali said quired transformation. to delegate it, as they have done revolutionary path and establish a poverty and despair.” it had become “apparent that the “Zambia requires a revolution, over the years.” pandemic more just, fair, and humane society Socialist Party general secretary people of Zambia are fed up with a and that revolution is not going to Dr M’membe said Zambia’s – a socialist Zambia. Our manifes- and first vice-president Cosmas system that has failed”. be carried out by the same people fate would be sealed by who won to takes the most radical and hon- Musumali said the neoliberal capi- “The experiment this country who have continued to betray our the elections in August. profiteers est approach to our problems, their talist system had led to a “betrayal” embarked upon since 1991 – neo- masses over the past 30 years. It’s “Your party – the Socialist Par- causes and solutions.” of the Zambian people, and its time liberal capitalism – is coming to impossible. It’s a contradiction. ty – stands a very good chance of Dr M’membe said the party’s was up. “A revolution is coming, end. This is a system that has mar- “Zambians who feel that this winning. And you must win, be- policies were the only ones that a revolution of the masses, of our ginalised our people. It has made is no longer a country, no longer cause what you can’t do for your- Global view “offer us the chance to break away people, who have been betrayed for Zambians second-class citizens, it One Zambia, One Nation, but One selves, nobody can do for you,” he said. from the torturesome path we all these years.” has made Zambians slaves in their Zambia, Two Nations, want to take – Page 10 have travelled over the last three Speaking at a briefing to intro- own country.” power into their own hands. They l Xmas sacrifices – Page 5 JUSTICE • EQUITY • PEACE We need WE CAN FIGHT THIS – Page 4 women in positions of power There is nothing normal about gender violence Clockwise from the top: Rehoboth Kafwabulula, Moddy Nonde Chisha, and Taza Sakala Socialist staff reporter not foreign to us and our Chris- tian faith. More action is needed to change the system and put in place SOCIALIST Party nation- a socialist government dedicated al spokesperson Rehoboth to promoting these noble values,” Kawabulula has urged more she said. women, particularly young “Let us be each brother’s and women, to join politics. each sister’s keeper and end the Speaking at an event as part alarming levels of violence against of the UN-backed Days of Ac- women, girls, and children. Since gender means all of us, we need tivism Against Gender-Based to challenge the attitudes that per- Violence (GBV) compaign, petuate and normalise violence which runs from November 25 and deny women’s right to safety. until December 10 every year, While we recognise that men are Kafwabulula said women con- also victims of GBV, it is impor- tinued to suffer pain and hard- tant that we do not bury the vio- ship and there was an urgent lence faced by women, girls, and need for them to take up lead- children. Chisha said one way to end ership positions. GBV was by focusing on the home “Out of the 156 members of environment. rights issue that people needed to that a lot of our comrades do not you put the sponge in juice, it will won’t respect them but you will parliament in Zambia, how many “We need to pay attention to be educated about. know what GBV is. So we need to absorb the juice. So that’s how our fear them. We need to educate our women MPs do we have? Less the injustices and the oppression “What is gender-based vio- educate them on what it is, about minds are. There are some men fellow Zambians about GBV be- than 15 per cent, and we expect to of women in the home space. We lence? It has many definitions. the dangers of GBV. who think they need to abuse their cause some of people do not know have laws that will favour us? It is need to pay attention to how we One of them is a violation of hu- “GBV is what the mind makes wives, if they don’t, she won’t re- what it is. They think this a normal not possible. There is a saying that bring our children up, the knowl- man rights based on gender. GBV of it,” Sakala said. “ I have come spect them, she won’t know her way of life, that this is the way life laws made by men are designed to edge and advice that we give comes in different forms. It might to the conclusion that GBV has no place, she won’t know that he is should be. serve their interests only, and to a them.” be sexual, emotional, and it might origin but that, rather, it is what we the head of the house.” “The perception that marriage greater extent, I think that saying is Taza Sakala, a member of the be physical. feed our minds with. If you put the But she said there was a big dif- is a shipikisha club shouldn’t be true,” Kawabulula said. Socialist Party youth league, told “Where I am coming from in sponge in water, what will it ab- ference between respect and fear. the case, that is gender-based vio- “We know our suffering, no- the forum that GBV was a human Bauleni, what I have observed is sorb? It will absorb water. And if “If someone abuses you, you lence.” body has to tell us how we have suffered. We are the ones who face gender violence and discrimina- tion whether it is in our homes, on We must remember the needs of the rural areas the streets or in the market places. We know how we have struggled, ZAMBIA needs a longer period for voter “I think they need more manpower seven hours and were only leaving at about improve people’s lives.” Pikiti also shared nobody has to tell us. In nyanja registration, more electoral manpower and to speed it up. They should also think of 16:00 hours. We entered the place and the her experience of the difficulties people face they say, tavutika, in bemba they better facilities, Margaret Pikiti, Socialist extending the period for registration.” queue was still very long. in Malole constituency. say twachula, in tonga they say Party parliamentary candidate for the Ma- She stressed, though, that more manpower “It’s quite disheartening. There was “The situation there is a bit different,” twapenga, and in kaonde they say lole constituency, says. was the priority because extending hours only one ECZ lady official attending to the she said. “In Lusaka, people might be able twayanda. We have suffered.” Speaking on Diamond TV recently, be- would only work in certain areas.