November 11

November 11 is the 315th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 51 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Colonial Era (Northern Rhodesia)

• 1953: Kenneth Kaunda, who would later become Zambia’s first Republican President, moved to Lusaka to assume the position of Secretary-General of the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress (ANC) under Harry Nkumbula. This marked a key moment in the nation’s growing independence movement.

Post-Independence

• Annually: Zambia joins other Commonwealth nations in observing Remembrance Day, honouring Zambian soldiers and all Commonwealth forces who lost their lives in the World Wars and later conflicts.
  • Historical note: Although the armistice ending World War I was signed on this date in Europe, the final surrender in Africa occurred on 25 November 1918 at Mbala (then Abercorn) in Northern Rhodesia, when German commander Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck laid down arms—making Mbala the site of the war’s last surrender.
• 2003: The Lusaka Magistrate’s Court dismissed an application by former President Frederick Chiluba to halt his corruption trial. The decision came after Parliament had earlier lifted his presidential immunity, paving the way for his prosecution.
• 2014: The Government of Zambia declared a national public holiday for the burial of the late President Michael Chilufya Sata, whose state funeral was held at Embassy Park Presidential Burial Site in Lusaka.

Recent Years

• 2022: The Government of Zambia completed the closure of Kamwala Remand Correctional Facility in Lusaka as part of broader correctional reforms. Inmates were transferred to the upgraded Mwembeshi Correctional Facility to ease congestion and improve prison conditions.