2016: Year in Review

  2016 has been one of the most eventful years in recent history. Being an election year, it was always going to provide drama.
  The year begun with our economy in the worst shape it could possibly be with inflation high and rising steadily. Our currency was also losing value and had a very bad 2015. There was also a looming threat of massive job losses in the mining sector which is a critical part of our economy. Prices of goods and services were following an upward trend. This meant the cost of living increased at an alarming rate throughout the year. This was coupled by mass electricity cuts countrywide.
  The year also saw one of the most dramatic elections in our history. It all begun with the signing of the new constitution in January.  Certain provisions in the electoral act were amended; paving the way for presidential running mates and setting the threshold for victory at 50%+1 of votes cast. With the previous election just over a year before, excitement and anxiety were both still ripe and attention turned to the two main political parties, PF & UPND, as well as small parties like the FDD which were expected to split the vote.
  Everyone was curious to see who the parties were going to pick as running mates as this was going to have a huge bearing on the parties' chances of not only beating their opponents but also surpassing the new threshold for presidential elections.
  Beneath, a storm was brewing. The PF had already seen one of their heavyweights in GBM leave to join the UPND. The year saw a mini exodus in the ruling party as several members, described by the party as non factors,  sought greener pastures in the main opposition party.
  The aftermath of the dissolution of Parliament saw some drama as the incumbent president decided to keep cabinet ministers in their posts until a 'new' president was sworn in. Various stakeholders aired their displeasure at this as they felt it went against the law of the land. The issue was finally settled with the constitutional court that the decision of the president went against the provisions of the law. The ruling has however, yet to be followed.
  With campaigns started, it was clear to see that most voters were split between the two main parties. Attention turned to who the respective party presidents' would pick as running mates. Most kept everyone guessing until the last minute but there was hardly any surprise regarding who the two major players picked; with the incumbent choosing his right hand woman and the main challenger HH opting for his newly found ally GBM.
  The campaigns were more of a noise making competition with parties opting to invest in catchy songs and offering very little substance and limited ideas. The animosity between the two main contenders filtered through to the grassroots and the tension around the country was inescapable.
  The actual elections themselves were not without drama as all sides accused each other of using underhand methods. With the ECZ unable to earn the confidence of some parties in the manner in which they conducted the elections, the presidential election results were petitioned before the constitutional court. Unfortunately for the petitioners their case floundered and the declaration of the incumbent Edgar Lungu as duly elected president was upheld.
  The country's labour policy was put under the spotlight after an incident at a popular Lusaka eatery in which a customer witnessed workers being verbally abused. In the wake of this, social media was rife with opinions. The allegations were investigated by both the ministry of labour and the human rights commission. Whereas, the ministry cleared the restaurant of any wrongdoing, the HRC highlighted several human rights abuses.
  The Zambian labour force has experienced abuse at the hands of both local and foreign employers from time immemorial because our labour laws are weak and do not protect us. It is therefore our duty as citizens to contribute to a new labour policy that will restore our dignity as workers.
  In football, it was a bad year for our national football team as they failed to qualify to the next edition of the African Cup of Nations. The future looks bright though as an impressive u-20 team showed class and resilience to win the u-20 COSAFA Cup. It was a good year for club football as 2015 league champions ZESCO Utd became the first Zambian club to reach the semi- finals of the CAF Champions League.
  All in all 2016 was an eventful year for the country and 2017 looks critical for the long term future of our country. Major questions loom; will our economy survive? Will basic needs be affordable for everyone? Will real jobs be created? Will we solve our power crisis?
   Compliments of the season and have a fruitful 2017.