Victoria Kalima
{{short description|Zambian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Victoria Kalima
|image =
|office = Minister of Gender
|president = Edgar Lungu
|preceded = Nkandu Luo
|succeeded =
|term_start = 6 October 2016{{cite web|url=http://derricksinjela.blogspot.com/2016/10/gender-minister-luapula-ps-lgc.html|title=Gender Minister, Luapula PS, LGC Chairperson sworn|publisher=Blogspot}}
|term_end = 11 June 2018
|office2 = Member of the National Assembly for Kasenengwa
|term_start2 = 2011
|term_end2 = 11 June 2018
|preceded2 = Vera Tembo
|succeeded2 = Sensio Banda
|party = MMD (until 2016)
Patriotic Front (2016–2018)
|birth_date = {{birth date |df=y|1972|10|4}}
|birth_place = Kitwe, Zambia
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2018|6|11|1972|10|4}}
|death_place = Lusaka, Zambia
}}
Victoria Kalima Phiri (4 October 1972 – 11 June 2018)[http://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/238 Victoria Kalima] National Assembly of Zambia was a Zambian politician who was Minister of Gender and member of the National Assembly for Kasenengwa from 2016 and 2011, respectively, till her death.
Early life
Kalima was born on 4 October 1972 at Kitwe,{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/7561|title=Motions: Death of Hon Victoria Kalima, MP|publisher= Parliament of Zambia|date=14 June 2018|access-date=4 May 2019}} the third child of Mustered and Evelyn Kalima.{{cite web|url=http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/kalima-had-a-heart-for-people/|title=Kalima had a heart for people|date=15 June 2018|access-date=4 May 2019|work=Zambia Daily Mail}} She attended Kabale Primary School and Lwitikila Girls School in Mpika. She studied for an MBA at Cavendish University in Lusaka and also gained diplomas in agricultural business management and international relations. She then started a company from scratch, plant agr-chem services, growing it to one of the best agro dealerships in Zambia.
Career
Kalima worked as a business administrator for the Zambia Cooperate Federation in Lusaka from 1994 to 1998. In 1999, she established and was CEO of her own company, Plant Agri-Chem.
Kalima was selected as the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy candidate for the Kasenengwa constituency for the 2011 general elections. Although she was elected to the National Assembly with a majority of over 17,500,[http://www.elections.org.zm/media/28092011_2011_national_assembly_elections_results.pdf 2011 National Assembly election results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305044228/http://www.elections.org.zm/media/28092011_2011_national_assembly_elections_results.pdf |date=5 March 2016 }} Electoral Commission of Zambia she was later criticised by Ngoni Chief Madzimawe for not visiting her constituency enough.[http://breezefmchipata.com/?p=2473 Kasenengwa MP, Victoria Kalima accused of not visiting her constituency] Breeze FM, 23 November 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2018. Her victory in the elections was overturned in the Supreme Court in December 2013 on the basis that she had given out bicycles and chitenge material to voters and claimed that the Patriotic Front would kill old people and stop the distribution of antiretroviral drugs.{{cite news|url=http://www.lusakavoice.com/2013/12/30/mmd-loses-kasenengwa-seat-nullified-by-supreme-court/|title=MMD loses Kasenengwa seat, nullified by Supreme Court|work=Lusaka Voice|date=30 December 2013|access-date=5 April 2018}} Kalima was re-selected as the MMD candidate and contested the 2014 by-election, in which she was returned to the National Assembly with a reduced majority of 7,452.[http://www.elections.org.zm/media/results_announcement_sept_11_by-elections.pdf Results For Kasenengwa, Mkushi South, Solwezi Central, Vubwi, Zambezi West parliamentary and one (1) local government by-elections] Electoral Commission of Zambia
After being re-elected, she joined the Committee on Government Assurances and the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights, National Guidance, Gender Matters and Governance. During the 2015 presidential elections she campaigned for Hakainde Hichilema{{cite web |title=HH extends campaign to Eastern Province |url=http://www.qfmzambia.com/2014/12/28/hh-extends-campaign-to-eastern-province/ |website=QFM Zambia |date=28 December 2014 |access-date=12 June 2018}} of the United Party for National Development, leading to most local councillors in Kasenengwa saying that they would seek to ensure she lost her seat in the general elections the following year.{{cite news|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2015/01/19/mmd-mp-victoria-kalima-disowned-kasenengwa/|title=MMD MP Victoria Kalima disowned in Kasenengwa|website=Lusaka Times|date=19 January 2015|access-date=5 April 2018}}
Prior to the 2016 general elections Kalima called for an alliance between the MMD and Patriotic Front.{{cite news|url=https://zambiareports.com/2016/01/28/mmd-east-lawmaker-backs-alliance-with-pf/|title=MMD East Lawmaker Backs Alliance With PF|publisher=Zambia Reports|date=28 January 2016|access-date=5 April 2018}} Despite previously criticising other MMD politicians for doing so,{{cite news|url=https://zambiadailynation.com/2012/12/19/defecting-mmd-mps-condemned/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225104600/http://zambiadailynation.com/2012/12/19/defecting-mmd-mps-condemned/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 December 2012|title=Defecting MMD MPs condemned|work=Zambia Daily Nation|date=19 December 2012|access-date=5 April 2018}} she later defected to the Patriotic Front and was nominated as the party's candidate in Kasenengwa in the elections. She was re-elected to the National Assembly with a 9,259 vote majority.[https://www.elections.org.zm/results/2016_national_assembly_elections/constituency/kasenengwa Candidate results for Kasenengwa] Electoral Commission of Zambia Following the elections she was appointed Minister of Gender.{{cite news|url=https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/kalima-taking-development-towards-gender-parity/|title=Kalima: Taking development towards gender parity|work=Daily Mail|date=13 October 2016|access-date=5 April 2018}}
In 2012 she defended the rights of journalists who got detained and whose cameras were confiscated.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ValCTe_BAdcC&q=Victoria+Kalima|title=Official Verbatim Report of the Parliamentary Debates|issue=152|page=793|date=19 July 2012|publisher=Government Printer}}
In 2017 she became an activist against gender inequality and child marriages.{{cite news|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2017/06/02/african-women-vow-end-gender-inequality/|title=African women vow to end gender inequality|website=Lusaka Times|date=2 June 2016|access-date=5 April 2018}} The same year she also proposed a revised version of Marriage Bill which will ban any marriages between a man and a woman until both are at least 21 years of age.{{cite news|url=https://www.znbc.co.zm/marriage-act-to-be-reviewed/|title=Marriage act to be reviewed|publisher=Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation|date=27 August 2017|access-date=5 April 2018}}
Personal life
Kalima was a widow, and the goddaughter of former President Rupiah Banda.{{cite news|url=https://www.zambiawatchdog.com/minister-kalima-too-sick-to-work/comment-page-1/|title=Minister Kalima too sick to work|work=Zambia Watchdog|date=20 February 2018|access-date=5 April 2018}} She had two children and was a devout Christian. Kalima died at Maina Soko Military Hospital in Lusaka on 11 June 2018 at the age of 45.{{cite web|url=https://www.zambianobserver.com/sad-news-minister-victoria-karima-dies/|title=SAD NEWS: Minister Victoria Karima Dies|date=11 June 2018|access-date=12 June 2018|work=The Zambian Observer}}{{cite web|url=https://diggers.news/local/2018/06/11/gender-minister-victoria-kalima-dies/|title=Gender Minister Victoria Kalima dies|date=11 June 2018|access-date=12 June 2018|work=Diggers News|first=Sipilisiwe|last=Ncube}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalima, Victoria}}
Category:Movement for Multi-Party Democracy politicians
Category:Patriotic Front (Zambia) politicians
Category:Gender ministers of Zambia
Category:Women government ministers of Zambia
Category:Members of the National Assembly of Zambia