Fresh Perspective

You don’t realize what you are doing when you throw certain things on social media because you are scaring off an investor who we have worked so hard to attract

- Hakainde Hichilema

GREAT EAST, TWIN PALM ROADS ON TRACK FOR DECEMBER 2026 COMPLETION

Upgrades to the Great East Road and Twin Palm Road in Lusaka's Ibex Hill area are on schedule, with both projects set for completion by December 2026, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has said.

LCC Public Relations Manager Chola Mwamba said the two roads form part of the 40.1-kilometre Urban Roads Rehabilitation Project, which aims to upgrade the city's road network and reduce traffic congestion.

She said the section of Great East Road between Munali and Airport roundabouts is now 60 percent complete. The road is being widened to six lanes to handle rising traffic volumes, with the full stretch due for completion in December 2026.

Work on the 3.4-kilometre Twin Palm Road, a key route linking several residential and commercial areas in Ibex Hill, is further along at 65 percent, with completion expected by November 2026.

Ms Mwamba said drainage construction is currently the main focus on both roads, describing it as essential for managing storm-water, preventing flooding, and protecting the road surface from early wear.

Once finished, the projects are expected to improve traffic flow and road safety, cut travel times, and support the movement of goods and services — boosting economic activity across the city.

"The Lusaka City Council remains committed to delivering quality and durable road infrastructure and will continue to provide regular updates to the public as the project progresses," she said.

Okay Catherine P**e nipatali! 😂🙌🏾

Lusaka hubby sleeps with wife's bestie, blames it on wife's disrespect

THE Chelstone Local Court was yesterday left in shivers as a young wife narrated how her husband slept with her best friend, a person with whom she used to share her marital problems.

Mary Phiri, 30, of Lusaka's Obama Compound, an area named after 'B Flow's dad' and former US president Barack Obama, took her 33 year old bricklayer husband, Litford Mwape, to court for laying his baby making brick in the wet and slippery foundation box of her best friend.

Mary shared a sweet friendship with her best friend, whose name was not mentioned, before learning that she had involuntarily and unknowingly started sharing the same sausage of happiness with her.

On a particular day, the bricklayer husband left his matrimonial home, telling his wife he had a 'bine' for building a house within the neighbourhood.

Little did Mary know that the 'bine' her husband was talking about was one to do with building another home with her bestie by using his 'biological gauging trowel' to plaster her sweet and warm interior.

As time went on and Mwape continued bricklaying in the insides of his wife's friend, the time for reckoning would eventually come.

With the energy of PF commandos at bus stations before August 2021, Mary confronted and attacked her bestie, almost blacklisting her from planet Earth with Chuck Norris marshal arts skills.

However, before she could even finish teaching her best friend a lesson, she received a phone call from another side chick, who claimed to have been impregnated by her husband.

"We got married in 2017 and we have three children. We stayed for four years without problems. It all started when I got pregnant again and instead of being happy, he told me to abort and gave me K800 for the termination, which I refused to do.

"After I refused to abort the pregnancy, he started sleeping out and eventually impregnated his other girlfriend, who even had the audacity to call me, saying she was carrying my husband's child. He then stopped paying school fees for our kids and started sleeping with my best friend. When I confronted him about sleeping with my best friend, he challenged me to leave the house," she narrated.

With a heart as heavy as Chilanga cement, Mary looked on as her husband gave testimony in court, which proved that among the four chambers of his heart, there was space for other women.

During his defence, Mwape told the court that unlike the Virgin Mary, his Mary was not a Queen of Peace and lacked an immaculate heart, hence having dated her best friend, who did not only give him respect but was like an enzyme that made his metabolic reactions happen faster.

He told the court that Mary would also give her mother in law the attitude of an NRC issuance officer every time she visited their home, making him have a better reason to defect to the s*xual party of her best friend.

"When we got married, we stayed good for three to four years. I love her, but the problem is that my wife doesn't talk to me respectfully. She does not have respect for me. I remember at some point she spilled hot porridge on me, she almost hit me with a knife and she bit me with her teeth. She doesn't only insult me but my parents too. We do not even have s*x," he said.

Seeing that the wife was still in love with the man of her youth, Magistrate Elizabeth Zulu, wearing the heart of a mother, adjourned the matter for some time to allow the two parties to talk things over.

By Catherine P**e

USA COMMENDS ZAMBIA’S PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

The United States has commended Zambia for conducting successful and peaceful elections on August 13, 2026.

Executive Director to the Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for International Affairs, Eugene Park, said America is proud of Zambia’s democratic conduct and reaffirmed strong bilateral ties during a courtesy call at the Ministry of Defence.

Mr. Park noted Zambia’s leadership in international military engagements, citing the hosting of the Africa Land Forces Summit in 2024 and the African Air Chiefs Symposium in 2026. He pledged continued support towards the modernisation of the Zambian military.

Acting Permanent Secretary Milicent Mwenda said defence cooperation between Zambia and the United States continues to grow, with Zambian personnel benefiting from training opportunities abroad.

She thanked the American government for infrastructure support at the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Training Center in Lusaka.

WOMAN SUES UTH AFTER SURGICAL SWAB WAS ALLEGEDLY LEFT IN HER ABDOMEN

A Lusaka woman has sued the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH), demanding more than K700,000 after a surgical swab was allegedly left in her abdomen during a caesarean section, reportedly leaving her permanently infertile.

Vera Mwanda is seeking damages for alleged negligence, psychiatric and psychological harm, pain and suffering, loss of amenities of life and loss of fertility.

She is also claiming K507,035 in special damages, K150,000 for future in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment and K50,009 for future psychological and psychiatric care.

Ms Mwanda has cited the Attorney General, UTH Board of Management and surgeon Dr Amon Mudenda as defendants.

According to a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, Ms Mwanda was admitted to UTH on May 26, 2018, where she underwent a caesarean section allegedly performed by Dr Mudenda.

She claims that after being discharged, the surgical wound remained infected and failed to heal for about five months. Despite repeatedly returning to UTH, she was reportedly advised to continue cleaning the wound.

In October 2018, she sought treatment from Kabelenga Family Hospital, Faraja Diagnostic Centre and MKP Hospital before being referred back to UTH.

An exploratory operation later conducted by Dr R. Sibanda allegedly revealed that a surgical swab had been left inside her abdomen during the caesarean section.

Ms Mwanda claims the retained swab caused a severe infection in her womb and pelvic cavity and damaged her fallopian tubes, making it impossible for her to conceive naturally.

She further claims that a psychological assessment conducted on May 25, 2026, diagnosed her with high-risk post-traumatic stress disorder, moderately severe depression, high-risk postpartum depression, a moderate sleep disorder and hypoactive s*xual desire disorder.

According to her claim, IVF is now her only option for pregnancy, while she also requires trauma-focused and couples therapy, perinatal mental health support and psychiatric review.

The lawsuit follows similar cases involving alleged retained surgical materials. Mwila Kowa of Chipata recently sued Wellspring Speciality Hospital for K5 million, while Idah Lungu filed a K1.4 million lawsuit against Levy Mwanawasa Hospital in 2024.

FORMER EDUCATION PS, PROCUREMENT CHIEF ARRESTED OVER US$401.8M DEAL

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested and charged former Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Henry Tukombe and former Head of Procurement and Supply Jacob Masatunya over alleged procurement irregularities involving a US$401.84 million Government loan obligation.

ACC Head of Corporate Communications Joseph Mwenya said the case relates to a contract awarded to Hong Kong-based Mikalile Trading Company Limited for the supply of various school materials across the country.

The contract had a principal value of US$259.25 million, interest amounting to US$138.7 million and arrangement fees of US$3.89 million.

The ACC alleges that between January 2016 and December 2021, the two former officials allowed the procurement process to proceed without a request from the user department, bid evaluation or approval from the Ministerial Procurement Committee.

Mr Tukombe and Mr Masatunya have each been charged with three counts of wilful failure to comply with applicable public procurement guidelines.

They have since been released on bond and are expected to appear in court soon.

NEVERS MUMBA RETIRES FROM ACTIVE PARTISAN POLITICS

Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba has announced his retirement from active partisan politics.

Dr Mumba has also resigned as president of the New Nation Party, formerly the MMD, and stepped down from the Council of Presidents in the UPND Alliance.

We live in a world that puts a lot of emphasis on how we look.

We invest in our clothes, our appearance, our homes, our cars, our social media presence and how people perceive us.

There is nothing wrong with looking good or taking care of what is on the outside. But sometimes we invest so much in the outside that we neglect what is happening on the inside.

God is interested in more than how we present ourselves. He is interested in who we are becoming.

Our character, our attitude, our conduct, our kindness, our integrity and the way we treat people are all part of our witness.

Sometimes God wants to minister to someone through you, not because of what you say, but because of what they see in you.

Peter speaks about the “hidden person of the heart” and the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:1–4).

The question is not only, “How do I look?”

It is also, “Who am I becoming?”

Invest in the outside, but don’t neglect the inside.

Because what is happening inside you will eventually show up in how you live, how you treat people and how God can use you to influence others.

Don’t invest so much in looking good that you neglect becoming good.