The Litunga of Western Province Edwin Lubosi Imwiko the second has been sued by his subjects. According to the originating notice of motion by the subjects issued through the Mongu High Court today, the traditional leader has been asked to relinquish his position as the reigning Litunga of Western Province lawfully in accordance to the law.

The traditional ruler has been sued for alleged gross incompetence and abuse of authority.

Speaking to Journalists soon after suing the Litunga at the High Court premises in Mongu, Induna Charles Mutemwa said 92 percent of the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) structures that includes Sub-Chiefs have disproved the Litunga’s leadership and have since called for his immediate resignation.

Induna Mutemwa challenges that among other things, the traditional leader has, since the Litunga’s inception into power on the 13th of October 2000, always been prioritizing his personal interests and pays little attention to the governance system of his Litungaship within which the Barotse Royal Establishment was anchored.

The current Litunga goes around many times doing his personal business at the expense of governing and caring the core-value of the Barotse governance system.

And Induna Nabiwa Imikendu who is also among the senior most Indunas in the BRE structure disclosed that advising the Litunga has proved futile saying doing so has been met with fierce resistance from the traditional leader.

He has described the Litunga Edwin Lubosi Imwiko the second as a stumbling block to the development of Western Province adding that since his enthronement he collects market revenues docking fees and sitting on traditional land without making any improvements to such strategic facilities.

Induna Nabiwa reiterated that failure by the King to observe the Lozi traditional, norms, decency and discipline has compromised the file of hierarchies of his subjects within the Barotseland structure.

The Indunas accused that the Litunga is highly hoarding the the traditional land ads well adding that it is only given to affluent land developers to put up structures even in in proximity of cemetery for money.

The notice of motion for the Litunga Lubosi Imwiko the second to resign has been filed in at the Mongu High Court by four Indunas namely; Nabiwa Imikendu, Litia Charles Mutemwa, Mukubesa Ilukena and Mumbisho Liswanio.

The Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) is dismayed and disappointed with President Edgar Lungu’s recent pronouncement in Ethiopia that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is not in a hurry to facilitate a National Referendum to adopt the new Bill of Rights.

President Lungu and the ruling party should be reminded that the Constitution belongs to the Zambian people and that the role of Government is only to facilitate the process of ensuring that the country has a durable document, embodying the people’s wishes. For many years, Zambians have demanded for the expansion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution, some.of which are fundamental rights of every citizen.

The failure of the August 11 National Referendum was as a result of the arrogance by the Executive to bulldoze the process that was combined with the highly partisan General Elections. As stated earlier, it is high time that the expanded Bill of Rights were included in the Amended Constitution 2016

The expanded Bill of Rights is critical to the well-being of citizens, especially the women and children. Therefore, on behalf of the women of Zarnbia, we appeal to the President to reconsider his position on the matter. A draft Bill of Rights already exists, What needs to be done is only to review some contentious issues and re-submit to the people of Zambia for inclusion in the Amended Constitution.

Further, NGOCC notes the many inconsistencies and contradictions in the 2016 Amended Constitution which were as a result of the rushed manner the document was adopted by parliament. Surely the patriotic Front Party led government needs to realize that there can never be real economic growth and social uplifting of a people if their human rights are treated as a secondary matter. A good constitution is the foundation for sustainable national development. Zambia today faces major governance and socio-economic challenges because of the faulty Constitutional provisions that do not adequately address the aspirations of the Zambian people.

We therefore, demand that the Government must embrace the wishes of the people of Zambia and take on a more consultative process of cleaning up the Amended Constitution of 201,6 and the holding of a National Referendum to adopt the draft Bill of Rights before the 2021 General Elections.

Sara H. longwe
BOARD CHAIRPERSON

A total 458 people died in 7,341 road traffic accidents recorded during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo says this is compared to 444 people who died during the same period in 2015.

Ms Katongo says 1,479 people were seriously injured in during the fourth quarter of 2016 as compared to 1,032 in the same period in 2015 representing an increase of 447 people injured.

Esther Mwaata ZPShe says of the 7,341 accidents, 386 were fatal accidents, 769 serious 1,373 slight accidents, while 4,813 were recorded as damages only.

Ms Katongo says 1,901 people were slightly injured in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to 1,778 in the same period in 2015 representing an increase of 123 people.

Ms. Katongo says Lusaka recorded the highest number of accidents at 3,984, from which 122 people died, with 267 sustaining serious injuries followed by Copperbelt which had 1,047 with 61 deaths, while Luapula recorded the lowest number with160 accidents resulting in 16 deaths.

She points out that most of the accidents that happened during the year 2016 were attributed to human error as a result of excessive speed, misjudging clearance distance, failing to keep to the near side and cutting in.

Ms. Katongo has since appealed to all road users to adhere to traffic rules and regulations in order to reduce the number of traffic accidents on the roads.

Government has instructed the contractor building the Provincial
Administration block in Choma   to immediately remove the untreated
timber that has been used in the six storey building.
Infrastructure and Housing permanent secretary Charles Mushota issued
the directive to the Southern Province Building Engineer that the
untreated timber could have an effect on the six storey building hence
his demand that it be removed.
The contractor was finalising the installation of fittings in the six
storey building which would be first of its kind in the provincial
capital.
“Why is the contractor using this kind of timber, this is not treated,
has the Building Engineer seen this? Ensure that it is removed
immediately,” Mr Mushota said when the Minister of Infrastructure and
Housing Ronald Chitotela toured the facility.
Southern Province Building Engineer O’Brien Mungole assured the
Permanent Secretary that the untreated timber would be removed and
ensure that contractor adheres to the directive.
Mr Mungole said the building was about 80 percent complete and the
contractor was finalising the internal fittings and also working on
the floors.
“The contractor is finalising the electrical fitting, and we still
need more resources to complete some works outside. As for the housing
units they were at 90 percent complete. The contractor revised the
programme and we are hopeful that the works would be
completed soon,” he said.
He remained hopeful that all the works would be completed this year
but was concerned at the lack of support structures and other recreation
facilities at the site.

When Government declared Choma as a provincial capital it embarked on
the construction of the provincial administration block, and housing
units for civil servants which are yet to be completed.

A WITNESS  told the fully packed Chipata Magistrate Court
that a couple gave some parts of the dog meat which they had claimed
to be goat meat to eight children and some people who were drinking
beer.
This is in a case in which Ruth Mwanza, meat seller and her husband
Charles Mwanza both of Munga Township are charged with common nuisance
contrary to section 172(1) of the Penal Code 87 as read with section
79 of the public health Act Chapter 295 of the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that the two on January 6th, 2017 jointly and whilst
acting together offered to sell dog meat purporting it to be goat
meat.
Fridah Jere 22, of Munga Township told Resident Magistrate Boniface
Mwala on Thursday that the couple on the material day around 08:00
hours came to her mother’s place with a dish which contained some meat.
She told the court that the meat was covered with a table cloth and
the woman asked her mother to buy some goat meat.
“When they came with meat and asked my mother (Amake Mpundu) to buy
some goat meat which they had. The meat was covered with a table cloth
but my mother replied that she had no money to buy the (dog) meat,”
she said.
She revealed that after her mother failed to buy some pieces of the
meat which was in the range of K1 to K4, the two sets of twins, her
two children and two children of her brother started crying which
prompted the accused (Ruth) to give them some pieces of cooked dog
meat which the woman was selling.
Ms Jere said after the eight children were given the pieces of meat,
some of the people who were drinking beer also took turns to buy the
meat.
“It was at that particular time that the people who bought the meat
started saying these is not a genuine meat but should be dog meat. At
that time the couple had already left and the  children had already eaten the
meat, “she said.
She said around 14:00 hours, the couple return back to her mother’s
drinking place and it was that moment when the two were apprehended by
the people who ate the meat in question.
Ms Jere said the appearance of the meat was not okay adding that it
had bad smell.
During the cross examination by the two accused persons, the witness
maintained that it was not a good meat adding that the smell had
proven enough that it was a dog meat.
And Magistrate Mwala directed that the prosecution team should bring
all the three witnesses remaining by February 10th  to
conclude with the trial.
The matter had since been adjourned to February 10, 2017

CHISHIMBA Kambwili should explain why he appointed United Progressive Party (UPP) president Saviour Chishimba to head the National Youth Development Council (NYDC) which was looted by the self-acclaimed anti-corruption activist, Cosmo Mumba has charged.

Mr Mumba has vowed that he will report Dr Chishimba to police for corruption tomorrow and would then go for Chishimba Kambwili for abuse of authority for appointing a leader of the opposition political party to a Government institution.

Mr Mumba has warned the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to brace itself for ‘‘torrid times’’ for failure to investigate corruption allegations against Dr. Chishimba who was reported to the commission in 2014 over fraudulent activities at NYDC.

Speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr. Mumba said he had just concluded searches at the Registrar of Societies and the Patents and Company Registration Agency (PACRA) and discovered that Dr. Chishimba was appointed as chairperson of the NDYC by Mr. Kambwili at the time he was already leader of the UPP.

Mr. Mumba said he would present a consolidated report on the irregularities in the appointment of Dr. Chishimba and his alleged syphoning of public funds from the NDTC before protesting at the ACC offices for its inertia to probe the opposition leader.

“I first of all want to deal with the appointee who went on to loot public resources before I go for the appointing authority because Mr. Kambwili knew that Dr. Chishimba was a leader of an opposition political party when he appointed him to a Government institution and that amounts to abuse of authority of office,” Mr. Mumba said.

“Dr. Chishimba’s case is well tabulated in the Auditor General’s report but we have not been updated whether the ACC are investigating the matter just like other cases or not. What are they scared of? Why are they reluctant?

Meanwhile, Dr. Chishimba is tomorrow at 14:30 expected at the High Commission of Malawi to give evidence in the maizegate scandal which he generated.

Popular local musician Joe ‘the ambassador’ Chibangu has died.

Joe died in his sleep at his home in Lusaka and was taken to Coptic Hospital in Northmead where he was confirmed his passing.

The cause of death has not yet been established.

The musician who doubled as a producer produced a number of hits in contemporary Zambian music.

Some of the songs he did include Chikashana, Sera, Bamudala, I will be Waiting and Nakupenda among others.

He had taken a low profile in the music scene backseat in the recent past but was always available to help upcoming musicians.

The Ndola born artiste started doing music in 1995 after he was inspired by his late Father who was a music producer.

He released his first album The Ambassador which helped shoot him in the limelight.

Joe is a previous winner of the Best Male Award at the Azami Awards.

He was also a two-time nominee for the Best Male Southern Africa at the KORA Awards.

He leaves behind a wife Jubilee and two kids.

And Joe’s contemporaries have taken to social media to express sadness over the death of their friend.

Mainza Chipenzi who collaborated with Joe on a number of musical projects said, “This has really coloured the day grey. My long-time friend and collaborator. We made history together and now you’re history. I was hoping this wasn’t true.”

Dance hall artiste Blow said news of Joe’s death is heart breaking.

“Rest in peace Joe Chibangu. Am so broken right now. Your contribution to Zambian music will always be appreciated. A trendsetter has died. I started listening to Joe Chibangu when he was a member of the rap prophets with Saili Nyondo and Desh in the late 90s, then he formed Melt Down with Mainza. He also worked with Yesu Culture and went on to become head producer for Mondo Music alongside C.R.I.S.I.S and Mainza. Joe helped shape many artists’ careers before he released his “The Ambassador” album under Mondo. He was the pioneer of modern day Zambian music production. I am one of the many people he inspired. He was with me in the studio when I was recording Letter to P-Jay (Waya Bwangu). He will be greatly missed. R.I.P LEGEND,” wrote B-Flow.

Emmanuel Nyoni also known as Fresh wrote, “My friend Joe Chibangu Chibangu… I’m lost for words. May the good Lord be with family during this unbearable time. MHSRIP.”

Danny Kaya wrote on Facebook that “Another sad day for the industry……. Ambassador sure… Why?”

Indian telecoms giant Bharti Airtel which operates in 15 countries across Africa has refuted speculations that it is exiting from Africa.

The firm has reaffirmed that it remains committed to Africa and will continue to invest in its operations to grow sustainably in Africa. 

Airtel Africa Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Raghunath Mandava said “All the steps taken recently with regard to human resources and infrastructure have been geared towards readying the organization to grow efficiently and sustainably in the medium to long term.”

Mr Mandava said the company remains committed to competing in various markets and providing more choice to customers through further investments to ensure consistent delivery of quality and value for money services to our customers.

“We are also accelerating our investments in new data networks and to modernize our existing networks. We are committed to launch 4 G in multiple countries.”

He added “Mergers and acquisitions continue to be the norm for any multinational organization and they affect all global organizations in equal measures as and when they happen. As a strategy, we look for opportunities to acquire or merge in opcos that are operating in a fragmented market structure with too many players in a small market.”

But according to Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, the firm is planning to rationalise its African operations.

Mr Mittal admitted that the firm’s run in Africa had not been successful as they had hoped.

Last year, Bharti Airtel sold its operation in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone to Orange for a reported US$900 million.

To further cut debt, Bharti Airtel sold 1,350 communication towers and 100 infrastructure development sites to the American Tower Corporation in a $180 million deal.