UPND Vice President Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba says the UPND government will decisively deal with all PF leaders involved in the exploitation of the Mukula tree and other natural resources for personal gain.

Dr Bwalya says the level of criminality in the PF has reached epidemic levels resulting into a total collapse of the economy which they can’t rescue owing to their appetite for self enrichment.

He said the country is yet to see the worst of President Edgar Lungu whom he said has failed to discipline his thieving cartel because of his involvement.

He said there is only a small clique of PF officials that was involved in shoddy deals such as the Mukula trade while several Zambians are going for days without proper food.

” Even those that intercepted those Mukula trucks are PF chaps who are benefiting from this trade.This is not about the country but personal riches.We shall deal with them.That I can assure you”,he said.

The UPND deputy strongman said it is unfortunate that President Lungu has completely failed to address the economic and social misery in the country describing 2017 as a miserable year he would love to quickly forget.

On Saturday evening,The Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Mr Sturdy Mwale clarified that ZAFFICO was mandated by government to export the illegally harvested and confiscated Mukula logs on its behalf.

Mr. Mwale said this at a press briefing following an incident where a haulage of Mukula logs was intercepted by some citizens on suspecion that the the logs belonged to a senior government official.

“I wish to inform the nation that the Zambia Forestry and Forest Limited Corporation, ZAFFICO, has been given a mandate by the government of the Republic of Zambia to export the illegally harvested and confiscated mukula logs to China on its behalf. It is in this vain that on 29th December, 2017, ZAFICO was transporting 10 containarised trucks laden with mukula logs from Lusaka to Chirundu and a further 11 trucks from Mporokoso and Nsama to Chirundu. When they were intercepted in Shimabala area, initially by suspected UPND cadres and later by suspected PF cadres on allegation that the consignment belonged to a very senior government official and were being illegally transported without documentation,” said Mwale.

“In the process, ZAFFICO officials escorting the trucks were robbed of some official documents for the movement of the trucks from Lusaka to Chirundu and money amounting to approximately K30,000 a matter which defense and security wings are investigating.”

In August 2017, Muchinga Province Minister Mr. Malozo Sichone revealed that the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) is likely to raise US$1 million from the sale of mukula logs that were seized from unscrupulous timber traders in the province.

Government then engaged ZAFFICO to collect and auction the Mukula tree that was illegally cut in Muchinga Province by timber traders.

Mr Sichone further stated in an interview that Muchinga has plenty of mukula logs that were illegally cut by the traders and that ZAFFICO is likely to generate US$1 billion from the logs that they will collect from the bushes.

“Muchinga has plenty of trees, which are of commercial importance. Here in Muchinga, we also have the mukula tree and right now, the Zambia Forest and Forestry Industries have been engaged to auction the logs that were cut illegally,” he said.

Following the mandate bestowed on them by government, ZAFFICO travelled to china and shortlisted some Chinese companies who participated in the auction.

The auctioned Mukula logs (which was initially harvested illegally by unscrupulous dealers) are now being escorted out of the country by members of the Joint Operations Commiittee (JOC) comprising secret service, Zambia Army, ZNS, Police, DEC, ZRA, and Forestry to ensure that, no fresh contraband is added along the way.

So when the intercepted truckers said we bought the logs off the auction, it is true but ZAFFICO remains the official exporter until the contra leaves our borders.

President Edgar Lungu says he is geared and determined to develop the country attain greater heights.

Updating the nation on the performance of the economy on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) this evening, President Lungu stated that business environment in 2017 recorded significant improvement.

President Lungu also said his administration has managed to build investor confidence to the country’s key sectors of the economy in energy, health, infrastructures, transport and communication among others.

Mr. Lungu said electricity generation increased to 3.69 million megawatts (MW) in the third quarter of 2017 from three million (MW) hence rebounding economic activities and load shedding significantly reduced.

On infrastructure development, the Head of State said government will continue to undertake major projects in various sectors of the economy ultimately contributing to job creation and enhancing the well-being of the people.

“2017 scored some successes and the economy performed favorably. The business environment in 2017, recorded significant improvement and this is attested to the positive ranking ultimately contributing to the country’s gross domestic product growth rate of 4.2%,” President Lungu said.

He said Zambia migrated to cost reflective electricity tariffs to attract more investment to meet the growing demand for power and this culminated in country achieving positive results.

Mr. Lungu added that inflation declined to single-digit closing at 6.6 percent and resulted in the exchange rate of the Kwacha against major currencies remained relatively stable due to stability in commodity prices on the domestic market.

He added that his administration reduced poverty among the most vulnerable Zambians, through social protection programme, where more than 600,000 people benefited from the initiative in all the 109 districts of the country.

On sport, President Lungu echoed that 2017 cannot go uncelebrated as the Under 20 national football team won the U-20 Africa cup of nations championship for the very first time.

He commended the junior Chipoloplo Boys for making first quarter final appearance at the U-20 world cup tournament in South Korea.

On ending the year, the Head of State observed that the country encountered some challenges such as unemployment, disease, diminishing levels of patriotism, moral decay, gender based violence and political intolerance.

In 2018, President Lungu pledged to work towards growing the economy, strengthening domestic revenue collection and accelerating economic diversification aimed at creating wealth and improving the quality of life for the Zambian people.

He called on all stakeholders like the chiefs and the private sector to continue providing counsel to the government but in a responsible manner besides observing the rules and laws that govern the nation.

On the political front, President Lungu urged the political players to take extreme care because the people want tangible progress on many fronts and therefore, the opposition should desist from subjecting government to fruitless arguments.

He expressed gratitude that most post-election problems have been resolved as the nation enters the New Year.

“I’m glad that most post-election problems have been resolved but we still have a collective responsibility to transform these challenges into good lessons for the future,” he said.

Mr. Lungu, the Commander In-Chief of the Defense Forces, implored all the Zambian people to work extra hard in 2018 towards galvanizing national unity and promote peace, love and good health and take the country to greater heights.

“We hold the key to unlocking the potential of what this country has. Let us build a nation where every-one continues to do the best of our ability: hard work, a nation abundant of compassion, love and care Together, we can transform our country into a prosperous and all inclusive nation,” Mr. Lungu stated.

President Edgar Lungu has condemned the Lusaka City Council and its Mayor Wilson Kalumba for failing to bring order in the City with both inspectorate and Health departments having gone to sleep.

The President said that the Mayor and his team have been in office since 2016 and there was no excuse or justification for the failure to deal with the crisis.

The President said that said his heart bleeds to see the trading places at City Market and Soweto markets which are contaminated with dirt and faecal matters.

The visibly annoyed Mr. Lungu took a swipe at the Office of the Lusaka Mayor for ‘tolerating’ poor sanitary conditions at markets and on the streets where heaps of garbage is piling and lying un-collected.

Mr. Lungu regretted that there were a lot of unplanned structures at the market as well as on the streets.

“Where is the Mayor and his team plus the LCC’s inspectorate unit? They have been in office for over one year and there are tolerating this garbage. LCC should own up. They allowed the situation to happen and this is the source of cholera,” he asked.

He said the lack of proper sanitation at the Market threatened the lives of thousands of people as the market was the distribution nerve-centre for fruits, vegetables, foods and goods for Lusaka residents.

The President has pledged to use what he called “draconian measures” to bring sanity and order in Lusaka.

“We will demolish illegal and unplanned structures, abolish street vending in certain areas to restore order in Lusaka,” the President said

He said he has directed the Lusaka City Council to immediately demolish illegal and unplanned structures in the City especially those that have clogged drainage systems.

He has therefore directed that space be created for drainage and unplanned structures be demolished without compensation.

Outside City market, traders have constructed stores and shops over the main Lumumba road drainage system chocking it into blockage.

President Lungu said unplanned structures would be demolished without compensation.

He said his government has planned for modern markets but this had been overcome by street vending and unplanned structures.

He said he had directed that the exercise be completed in the next seven days to clean up Soweto, City Market and CBD areas.

President Lungu on Sunday afternoon joined the armed forces and the keep Lusaka Clean Taskforce to help clean up the City.

In October 2017, Cholera broke out in Lusaka and has since claimed 41 lives with over 1,550 people treated for the disease.

Former Health Minister in the MMD Government Levison Mumba has also joined the newly formed opposition party the National Democratic Congress NDC.

Others who have also joined the NDC include former Energy Deputy Minister Angela Chifire and former justice permanent secretary Joseph Akafumba.

According to a statement from the NDC Media team, the five prominent political figures have since been co-opted into the Central committee the highest decision making wing of the NDC.

And NDC consultant Chishimba Kambwili says he is happy that the newly formed party has continued to grow three months after its formation.

Mr. Kambwili said the coming on board of new member’s to the NDC is a sign that the political grouping is poised to form Government in 2021.

Mr. Kambwili has disclosed that several prominent political figures, lawmakers and former Minister’s have shown growing political groupings in the country.

The NDC will in the next few hours issue a detailed and comprehensive statement on its first central committee meeting held in Luanshya today.

Opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema says George Weah’s victory as Liberia’s President is an encouragement to the party.

In his congratulatory message to President Weah, Mr Hichilema said he is encouraged by Mr Weah’s indomitable spirit in winning the presidency after 12 years of trying.

“Your excellency President George Weah, on behalf of the United Party for National Development (UPND) in Zambia, we extend our heartfelt congratulations on your impressive victory in Liberia’s general election,” Mr Hichilema said.

“We are encouraged by your indomitable spirit in winning the presidency after 12 years of trying. Your win marks 73 years since Liberia experienced a democratic transition of power.”

Mr Hichilema added, “as the first son of Africa to have been voted FIFA’s world player of the year and to have won the Ballon d’Or for Europe’s best player, you have managed to break records at the tender age of 51.”

He said the UPND is sure that Mr Weah’s presidency will be punctuated by many more auspicious milestones.

“We pray that God may guide you as you lead our Liberian brothers and sisters to prosperity. Many congratulations,” he said.

Prominent PF Member Kelvin Bwalya Fube has proposed that the party holds a party indaba to resolve a lot of issues affecting the general membership of the party.

Mr Fube said the general memebefship of the PF is currently not happy with the way things are moving in the party.

He has since appealed to the general membership of the Patriotic Front to calm down and be patient for a little while.

Mr Fube said that while he is alive to the frustrations, grievances and anger that many of the general membership of the Patriotic Front are feeling, he agrees that members have every right to complain and demand answers from the leadership when things do not seem right.

In an open letter, Mr Fube has proposed the weekend of 12th/13th and 14th January 2018 as the feasible earliest time for such an indaba.

Below is the full letter from Mr Fube

I HUMBLY CALL FOR A PF PARTY INDABA – KBF

To My Dear PF Family,

Season’s Greetings.

Allow me to outrightly apologize to those who shall be offended by my call for an indaba. I have learnt that people will always construe things according to the positions they have chosen to take. This I cannot help. My concern is the unity and future of the Party.

I have come to the conclusion that silence is not always golden. I am therefore, humbly appealing to the general membership of the Patriotic Front to calm down and be patient for a little while. I am alive to the frustrations, grievances and anger that many of the general membership of the Patriotic Front are feeling. I agree that members have every right to complain and demand answers from the leadership when things do not seem right.

I know that we as a party have got problems and we must face them and deal with them together. I accept and believe that we as the Patriotic Front Party have the best members because our members have fought for the party and given it all they have without complaint and without revolt. This we must applaud as leaders and take responsibility for the unhappiness of our members because they as members have played their part repeatedly and it is we the leaders who must reciprocate.

That being said, I am appealing to the general membership, especially our youths to take a “Michael Sata Chill Pill” and reflect. During this reflection period let us please allow the leadership an opportunity to attend to the concerns that the membership has raised and brought to the fore over the last few weeks.

In view of the foregoing, it is now my humble appeal to His Excellency the President Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu to sanction my call for a leadership/membership indaba. The purpose for this important gathering is to bring together

# Central Committee

# Parliamentary representatives

# Women’s representatives

# Youth representatives

# Party stalwarts

# Special groups representatives

# Any other groups that may be deemed necessary.

Whereas it is my earnest belief that the indaba is an urgent opportunity, I am alive to the time of and season of the year and therefore propose the weekend of 12th/13th and 14th January 2018 as the feasible earliest time for such an indaba.

Further, I earnestly besiege the President’s indulgence that a steering committee to spearhead the indaba be constituted; comprising, The Party Secretary General Mr Davies Mwila, The DSG Madam Mumbi Phiri, The Women’s Chairlady Honourable Jean Kapata, The Youth Chairman Honourable Steven Kampyongo, 2 Members of Parliament, The Media Director Mr Sunday Chanda, Colonel Panji Kaunda, Mr Mumba Kapumpa SC and I, including any other persons the President may deem necessary to be part of such a committee.

It is my sincere hope that I have caused no offence and truly hope and pray that the proposed indaba can and will help bridge the gap between the leadership and the general membership.

It is my sincere submission that the President sanctions this indaba.

May the good Lord bless us all.

Sincerely,
Kelvin Fube Bwalya – KBF

Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba says Zambia has always advocated for a two state solution to the Palestine and Israeli challenges.

Mr Kalaba said that it was normal procedure for a country to abscond from voting on a proposed motion at the United Nations, as doing so is expressing a vote in itself.

Mr Kalaba said Zambia would like to see a peaceful settlement of the impasse between Israel and Palestine.

He said Zambia enjoys cordial relations with both Israel and Palestine adding that both countries have Ambassadors resident in Zambia.

Mr Kalaba also said Zambia being a Christian nation understands and values the important role that Jerusalem plays in the Christian faith, as well as its importance to the people of Palestine.

He said Zambia was not the only country but was amongst the 35 who absconded on the vote to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
And Mr Kalaba called for unity amongst Zambia as the country goes into a new year.

He says Zambians must work at that which united them and avoid that which divides the country.

In his message of love and unity in the Nation, Mr Kalaba said time had come for Zambians to push differences aside but work for a common good and develop the Country.

He was speaking at Bole International Airport when he transited from France.

Mr Kalaba was received by Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Susan Sikaneta and newly appointed Minister Counsellor John Chanda Chisanga.