Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

The following are news highlights in Zambia's major media outlets on Sunday.

--Lawmakers in Zamia have been challenged to emulate President Edgar Lungu and cut their hefty sitting allowances in the wake of austerity measures announced by the government.

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) said the country's vice-president, as leader of government business in parliament, should encourage lawmakers to shed their sitting allowances.

Last Friday, Lungu cut his monthly salary by 50 percent to lead by example in implementing austerity measures embarked on due to economic challenges the country was facing. (Times of Zambia)

--Some parts of Zambia have been left in total blackout after a 330 kilovolts cable in the central part of the country tripped.

Henry Kapata, spokesperson of the power utility, Zesco Limited, said the fault occurred around noon on Saturday and that this could have been caused by lightning.

He said five of the 10 provinces were affected but assured that engineers were on site trying to restore power. (Zambia Daily Mail)

--Zambia's ruling party has warned its councilors to immediately stop pushing government to start paying them salaries because the treasury has no capacity to pay them.

Davies Mwila, the secretary-general of the Patriotic Front (PF), said most of the councilors who were in the forefront demanding to be paid monthly salaries were from the ruling party and has since urged them to stop. (Daily Nation). Endit