Minister of Labour and Social Security Joyce Simukoko says the negotiations are on-going and that all government unions which are part to the bargaining unit are aware of the dates when sittings shall resume.

Mrs. Simukoko says she has been informed by the government negotiating team that the sittings were adjourned because of seeking accurate information on the economic performance of the country which is important in the negotiations.

She has told ZNBC News in a statement today that parties to the negotiations even applied for extensions of their current collective agreements and the ministry of labour approved the requests.

Mrs. Simukoko has urged union mother bodies such as the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions to give the bargaining team space to conclude negotiations amicably.

The Minister says the unions should follow the agreed process if any disagreement arises from the bargaining process.

Mrs. Simukoko further says her ministry looks forward to an amicable conclusion of the negotiations which are set for the first week of July 2017.

Speaking when he featured on Radio Christian Voice on Friday, YALI President Andrew Ntwewe said Hakainde Hichilema was not an ordinary citizen but a leader of the biggest opposition party in the country hence the need to be put under house arrest.

He said political bickering has put the country on stand still and that the President should consider asking the courts to put HH under house arrest as a gesture that he was willing to reconcile the nation.

Mr Ntwewe said President Lungu was the most powerful individual in the country and that he must use the power wisely.

He further Mr Ntwewe explained that what his organisation was calling for was for the opposition leader to go through the due process of the law but that we as a country should also be cognizant of the fact that Mr Hichilema was a leader with followers.

He said the opposition have an agenda to ensure that he fails in most areas of governance so that they can use his failures as a campaign tool in 2021 but it was up to him to ensure that he moves away from politicking to delivering on the promises he made during the campaign.

And Ntwewe says the President is living under the shadow of his late predecessor hence failing to admit the challenges he inherited.

He said President Lungu found a crippled economy destroyed under the leadership of PF founding father Michael Sata but that he has failed to tell the nation the main challenges he found because he doesn’t want to upset the PF support base.

Meanwhile Mr Ntwewe has called for the axing of minister incharge of youths and sports for what he termed “the mediocre way he is running the ministry.”

He said Moses Mawere was inept and that he has massively underperformed in a ministry that should look after over 52% of the country’s population.

He said the ministry Mr Mawere is presiding over was a serious ministry which needs someone who understands the challenges youths are facing and is able to offer practical solutions.

And Mr Ntwewe has called for inclusiveness from those in power in the the governance of the country saying President Lungu should take a leaf from late third republican President Levy Mwanawasa who won by 29% but managed to unity the country during his first term.

He said though President Lungu won by more than 50% he should realise that over 45 percent did not vote for him hence should strive to include them in the developmental agenda of the nation.

Mr. Kalaba said this today when he met his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, on the sidelines of the ongoing executive council meetings of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

ZANIS reports that the minister told the delegation from Rabat that Zambia is ready to scale up its relations with Morocco and explore areas of mutual Corporation between the two Countries.

Mr Kalaba said there is need for government officials from both sides to move with speed in actualizing the mutual desire to strengthen ties between Lusaka and Rabat.

“As for us we are ready, we have been ready from the time we signed the Memorandum of understanding. We need to ensure that the instructions given to us by our two leaders are given due importance so that we can actualize the dreams of our leaders,” He said.

And Mr. Kalaba expressed happiness with Morocco’s readmission to the AU after 33 years of absence from the continental bloc.

“Your Excellency even as you have come back to the union, Morocco brings in a lot of expertise and we will be counting on you at both bilateral and multilateral levels to see how we can cement relations,” He said.

Mr Kalaba further told the delegation from Rabat that Zambia will continue to advocate for peace and tranquility in Africa because development can only be realized in an environment free of conflicts.

“It is the desire of President Edgar Lungu, to see to it that peace is not only talked about but that peace is realized not only in our region but across the continent,” Said Mr. Kalaba.

Meanwhile Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation, Nasser Bourita, said Morocco views Zambia as an important player in the socio-economic affairs of the continent.

Mr Bourita said this is why His Majesty, King Mohammed the sixth, has already extended an invitation to President Edgar Lungu to visit Rabat this year.
He said Morocco is eager to share its expertise in Agriculture, housing and other economic ventures from which Zambia can benefit.

“We are expecting a mission from Lusaka to Rabat to come and look at various projects in which we can work together,” said Mr. Bourita.

Mr. Bourita also praised Zambia’s diplomatic efforts aimed at strengthen peace and unity in the 55 member state Union.

Morocco withdrew from the continental Union in 1984 to protest against the admission of disputed Western Sahara territories.

Rabat was readmitted to the continental bloc in January this year during the 28th ordinary summit of the AU assembly of heads of state and government.

Mrs Wina told Parliament that the President used the term in a very different context while addressing Patriotic Front members in Ndola.

She was responding to a question by Kabompo member of Parliament (MP) Ambrose Lufuma (UPND) during the Vice-President’s question time.

Mr Lufuma asked the Vice- President to explain the intimation of President Lungu’s statement.

The UPND legislator, who has been attending sittings of the House since some of his fellow members were suspended by the Speaker, alleged in his question that Government is intolerant to divergent political views.

But Mrs Wina wondered why Mr Lufuma has not uttered a word in Parliament over the last three weeks, an indication that probably his question was a message from the suspended MPs.

“Mr Speaker, the allegations by the UPND member are baseless and not factual. They do not reflect the state of affairs in Zambia. President Lungu was meeting party officials in Ndola when he made that statement and the word violence was used in a very different context,” she said.

And President Lungu did not refuse to meet church leaders who may have sought audience with him because State House is open to all.

Mrs Wina explained during the Vice-President’s question time that the head of State was merely busy with other scheduled programmes.

She was responding to a question by Chipili member of Parliament Jewis Chabi (Independent) who wanted to know if it was true that some church leaders have been denied access to State House to meet President Lungu to discuss national issues.

“In the past one year, President Lungu has met several church leaders and as you may know, the President has been extremely busy with other visitors,” Mrs Wina said.
She said church leaders can also use other line ministries to get to the President.

Meanwhile, Mrs Wina said it was prudent for Government to remove the 10 percent levy on maize exports because the country now has enough stocks of the commodity and the region also has a bumper harvest of maize.

She was answering a question by Nakonde MP Yuzikanji Siwanzi (PF), who wanted to know why Government has scrapped the levy.

Mrs Wina said the removal of the levy will enable farmers and grain traders to become competitive on the international market.

“We had a record output of maize during the last season, surpassing our consumption needs and the region, too, has maize, so it was a prudent move by Government to remove the 10 percent levy,” she said.

Mrs Wina also said Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska will accelerate the process of rolling out performance contracts to all civil servants.

The Vice-President was answering a question by Lunte MP Mutotwe Kafwaya (PF), who wanted to know when performance contracts would be rolled out in the civil service as directed by the President.

People’s Party (PP) President has urged President Edgar Lungu to heed to the Ghanaian President Akufo Addo’s counsel on justice for all in a Democratic Nation.

Mulongoti alleged that President Akufo Addo was very frank, truthful and forthright in counseling the head of state on the need for justice and fair play.

Mulongoti noted that since pre and post-colonial times, Ghana has been a shining example of what democracy and conflict resolution is and insisted that President Lungu should emulate the Ghanaian leadership style.

The People’s Party President said although Ghana Might have had their own turbulent periods, but their challenges have always offered the West African Nation new opportunities for a new chapter of a free, democratic and prosperous Nation.

Those who have been educated by Ghanaian scholars here in Zambia will attest to the fact that our brothers have no room for political patronage and empty sloganeering that is prevalent south of the equator.

“Being politically correct is not in the nature of Ghanaian leaders from the great Nkwame Nkrumah right through Gerry Rawlings and President Addo”

“Some of us who have had the opportunity to serve the Zambians in Government, know that once a visiting Head of State can openly say what President Addo said at a State Banquet, then we have a damn good idea what was said behind closed doors”

“Mr Addo advised Mr Lungu to respect those that didn’t vote for him. “The political tension that characterized the last election, where the margin of victory for the winner was some 100,000 votes, have left many worried because Zambia is one of Democracy’s success stories””

“It doesn’t take an Elbert Einstein to realize that Mr Addo is giving Lungu veiled advice that respect tolerance and fair play must be given to those that do not agree with him because he clearly didn’t win a landslide vote”

“The Ghanaian President puts it clear that at this hour our continent has no room for dictators and abusers of human rights.”Africa is breeding a new generation of leaders who are committed to governing their peoples according to the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and the principles of democratic accountability” This without any shadow of doubt is a far cry for Zambia at the behest of Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the new dictator on the African political landscape”

“If Mr Lungu was looking for ‘wamuyayaya’ praises of fellow dictators Museveni, Mugabe and Kagame, then he had it coming from President Addo. We salute out Ghanaian elder brother for standing in Defence of Democracy and human rights at a time when the entire SADC neighbourhood has chosen to take part in the conspiracy of silence, as Zambia sinks into the abyss of dictatorship” Mulongoti said.