Chapter One Foundation

On 16 September 2026, Chapter One Foundation (COF) held an engagement meeting on Digital Rights, Civic Space, and Evidence-Based Reporting, bringing together content creators, journalists, and other media practitioners in Chipata, Eastern Province.

The engagement enhanced participants’ understanding of the distinctions between the Cyber Security Act and the Cyber Crimes Act, while strengthening their capacity to identify, verify, and report information responsibly. Through interactive group mapping exercises, participants explored how information and claims spread, evolve, and sometimes become distorted. They also developed practical strategies for tracing and verifying sources. To apply these skills, participants transformed public-interest questions into compelling story pitches grounded in facts and evidence.

The session raised awareness among media practitioners about their rights and responsibilities in reporting, with particular emphasis on source verification, accuracy, ethical journalism, and respect for the right to privacy.

By strengthening media practitioners' capacity to produce accurate, credible, evidence-based reporting, Chapter One Foundation is helping build a more informed citizenry, foster accountability, and support a vibrant democratic society.

The Public Gathering Bill (No. 71 of 2026) is a significant piece of legislation that seeks to strengthen and protect the constitutional rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. The Bill aims to regulate public gatherings in a way that promotes public order and safety while safeguarding citizens' ability to assemble peacefully and express their views. Importantly, it proposes to repeal and replace the Public Order Act of 1955, marking a potentially important shift toward a legal framework that better aligns with democratic principles and human rights standards.

The debate over the Public Gathering Bill matters because it directly affects how citizens, civil society organisations, political actors, and communities exercise their rights to participate in public life, voice concerns, and organise collectively. Its implementation could significantly affect democratic governance, civic participation, and the protection of fundamental freedoms in Zambia.

JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION STATEMENT: ZAMBIA'S DESCENT INTO LAWLESSNESS: A CALL TO DEFEND CONSTITUTIONALISM, DUE PROCESS AND THE RULE OF LAW

Did you know that despite the Intestate Succession Act being enacted more than three decades ago, women continue to lose their property following the demise of a spouse? The Zambian non-governmental organisation, Women and Law in Southern Africa Trust (WLSA), reported property-grabbing as one of the top five problems for which Zambian women consult lawyers in 2022. Recorded cases have also risen sharply in recent years: Zambia’s Police Victim Support Unit registered 104 property-grabbing cases in 2020 alone, up from 79 recorded over the two previous years combined. This spike was a direct consequence of the pandemic-related deaths and economic hardship - though the true scale is almost certainly far higher, since the practice is widely underreported.

One illustrative case involved a widow whose husband died leaving both a matrimonial home and seven additional plots of land. A relative appointed to administer the estate sold off the additional plots, distributing the proceeds only among himself and the deceased’s children from a prior marriage. The widow and her children did not get any part of the proceeds. She was later drawn into years of litigation as her stepchildren sought to have her removed from the home she still lived in with her children. At one point, the home was even set alight in an apparent attempt to force her out. Even where the law in section 9 of the Act technically protects a widow’s right to remain in the house for a lifetime or until she remarries, that protection has proven difficult to enforce in practice.

📢COF Releases Its Eighth Internet Disruption Monitoring Report!

Chapter One Foundation (COF) has released its Eighth Internet Disruption Monitoring Report, covering the period 21st - 31st August 2026.

The report presents findings from Internet,
Website monitoring and Network performance conducted across 10 provinces of Zambia as part of efforts to safeguard digital rights and promote transparency ahead of, during and after 13 August 2026 General Elections.

We encourage all stakeholders—including citizens, political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and state institutions—to read the report and engage with its findings:
📢COF Releases Its Eighth Internet Disruption Monitoring Report!

Chapter One Foundation (COF) has released its Sixth Internet Disruption Monitoring Report, covering the period 21st - 31th August 2026.

The report presents findings from Internet,
Website monitoring and Network performance conducted across 10 provinces of Zambia as part of efforts to safeguard digital rights and promote transparency ahead of the 13 August 2026 General Elections.

We encourage all stakeholders—including citizens, political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and state institutions—to read the report and engage with its findings:
https://cof.org.zm/download/internet-disruption-monitoring-report-2/