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The opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) has warned that it will go to court to block the impending sale of state owned companies.
UPP President Savior Chishimba said the party’s will go to court to stop the impending sale of ZESCO, ZAMTEL, INDENI Oil Refinery, TAZAMA, ZSIC, ZNBS, & Zambia Railways.
Dr Chishimba said the announcement by the PF Government that there will be a review of state owned enterprises is actually a pre-sale notification of these national assets.
“UPP is preparing to engage a team of lawyers which will help us to stop the sale of these public assets. We shall fight this battle up to the Supreme Court,” Dr Chishimba said.
He added, “In all the historic sales of national assets it’s the people of Zambia who have been losers. Politicians and businessmen are the ones who power their pockets by conniving with buyers.”
“ZESCO, ZAMTEL, INDENI OIL Refinery, TAZAMA, ZSIC, ZNBS, & Zambia Railways shall not be sold! We shall fight for the people and workers in these corporations to the end.”
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
(Ephesians 5:15–16, NLT)
Redeem the Time
Time is the most valuable commodity that we have in life. It’s more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you woke up this morning, God gave you a present called “today.” And with that gift comes a responsibility. The scripture tells us to redeem the time, to make the most of every opportunity. That simply means don’t let it go to waste. Don’t live this day unfocused, unhappy, negative or defeated. Make the most of every day. God has entrusted you with His life. He has breathed His very breath into you. He has put gifts and talents on the inside of you. You have seeds of greatness deposited in you. You’re a person of destiny, and you have an assignment and a purpose to fulfill!
I encourage you today to evaluate how you are spending your time. Refocus your life. Let go of any distractions. Shake off any self-pity, any discouragement, any disappointments of the past and run your race with purpose. Be careful how you live and redeem the time so that you can fulfill the destiny He has prepared for you.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the gift of today. I dedicate this day to You. I dedicate my mind, will and emotions to You. Use me this day for Your purposes and keep me on the path You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
The opposition UPND says results in Thursdays local government and Council Chairpersons by elections has shown that the party is making strong inroads in PF traditional strongholds.
UPND Spokesman Charles Kakoma said the party has won most of the local government by-elections held this week.
He said UPND managed to win the Kalumbila and Mwandi council chairmanship. UPND also won in Keembe in Chibombo district, Ngabwe, Mandondo in Namwala and Mukuba ward in the City of Kitwe, among others.
Mr Kakoma said the victory in Kitwe appears to have stolen the limelight because the Mukuba ward was in Nkana Constituency which was considered to be a PF stronghold.
“Infact, the UPND candidate Graddy Simukoko of Mukuba ward joins many other councillors who won on the UPND ticket on the Copperbelt. There were 46 councillors who won on the UPND ticket on the Copperbelt in the August elections. There are also three council chairmen who won on the UPND ticket in Copperbelt rural as well as two members of parliament,” Mr Kakoma said.
He added, “In the so called PF strongholds of Luapula, Northern and Muchinga Provinces, UPND has councillors. UPND has three councillors in Luapula, nine councillors in Northern and six councillors in Muchinga Provinces. In Central Province, UPND has 70 councillors, five council chairmen and five members of parliament.”
Mr Kakoma said in Lusaka province, the UPND has 36 councillors, two council chairmen and five members of parliament.
“In North Western Province, UPND has 140 councillors, 10 council chairmen and all the 12 members of parliament. In Southern province, UPND has 192 councillors, all the chairmen and mayors of the districts and members of parliament in all the Constituencies.”
“In Western Province, UPND has 16 members of parliament and most of the councillors. I’m still counting councillors in Western and Eastern Provinces,” he said.
The top two status quo was maintained in the top two of the FAZ Super Division on Saturday when leaders Zanaco and second placed Nkana drew in their respective home fixtures.
At Sunset Stadium in Lusaka, Zanaco were held 1-1 at home by Green Eagles.
Richard Kasonde put Zanaco ahead in the 59th minute but Eagles equalized in the last quarter through Kabamba Chilibwe.
It was the same story at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe after Walter Bwalya put Nkana ahead in the 12th minute in their 1-1 draw with Red Arrows.
The goal was Bwalya’s 23rd as he homes-in on the 2016 Golden Boot.
Arrows then equalised in the 23 minute through Francis Simwanza.
But Arrows goalkeeper Kenny Mumba stole the spotlight when he made four second half saves to deny Bwalya extending his goal haul and Nkana desperately fought to find the three points.
Zanaco and Nkana have 69 and 67 points with four and one game left to play respectively.
Meanwhile, Power Dynamos drew 0-0 at home with Lumwana Radiants to stay fourth and end their top two ambitions.
Power have 57 points with three matches left for them to play and cannot usurp Nkana.
However, third placed Zesco United on 57 points with six games left for them to play hope to push Nkana and Zanaco to the finish line when they visit Mufulira Wanderers on Sunday.
The Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested an Assistant Social Welfare Officer in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services–Lusaka for corrupt practices involving K1 500. 00
ACC Public Relations Manager Timothy Moonosaid Mr Stephen Mulongoti, aged 33, of Chilenje Township, was arrested and charged with two counts of Corrupt Practices by Public Officer contrary to Section 19(1) as read with Section 41 of the Anti-Corruption Act Number 3 of 2012 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence in the first count being that Mr. Mulongoti, on dates unknown but between 10th November 2016 and 17th November 2016, corruptly solicited for K750.00 from Mr. Moses Chikwanda Chitutu and his wife Rosemary Malubula.
Mr Mulongoti is also alleged to have received K750.00 cash gratification from Mr. Chitutu and his wife through Mr. Lapson Muyemba as an inducement or reward for him to prepare a Social Welfare Report required for the sentencing of their child, David Kaulu, a juvenile offender, in a matter where the said David Kaulu was jointly charged with Titus Muyemba and convicted for drug offences.
Mr Moono disclosed that in the second count Mr. Mulongoti, on dates unknown but between 10th November 2016 and 17th November 2016, corruptly solicited for K750.00 from Mr. Lapson Muyemba.
He said that Mr Mulongoti received K750.00 cash gratification from the said Mr. Muyemba as an inducement or reward for himself for him to prepare a Social Welfare Report required for the sentencing of his son, Titus Muyemba, a juvenile offender, in a matter where the said Titus Muyemba was jointly charged with David Kaulu and convicted for drug offences.
Mr Mulongoti has since been released on Bond and is soon scheduled to appear before court.
The Decentralisation Secretariat has completed training local authorities in all the districts across the country on the creation of Ward Development Committees.
Decentralisation Director Alfred Sakwiya told ZANIS in Lusaka that establishment of the Ward Development Committees was set to be completed 90 days after the elections of the councillors in a general election.
Mr. Sakwiya said WDCs are supposed to work with the councillors in the wards to implement projects at local levels.
He said the creation of the committees is progressing at different stages in various districts owing to resource constraints as the process is costly depending on the location of the wards.
He stated that the decentralisation secretariat has already trained all councils to ensure that they create the WDC by this month as directed by the Secretary to the Cabinet.
Meanwhile Chikankata District in Southern Province has already created 10 Ward Development Committees out of the total 12 wards in the district.
Chikankata District Council Secretary Damson Mukwato said his district is expected to establish the last 2 WDCs by Thursday next week to complete the process of establishing the local structures in the decentralisation process.
Mr. Mukwato said the local authority in the district is now working on training the elected officials and the process is expected to be completed by December this year which will mark the completion of the decentralisation process in Chikankata.
The District Council Secretary disclosed that the establishment of the WDCs has cost the district K50, 000 per ward.
The Secretary to Cabinet recently directed the Decentralisation secretariat and Provincial Permanent Secretaries to ensure that councils prioritise the process of creating WDCs
The WDCs are the sub structures prescribed in the Constitution and the Secretariat was directed to take measures to ensure that all Councils form WDCs not later than three months after the August general election.
President Edgar Lungu with councillors when he was conferred with a status of Freeman of Chipata
By David Kapoma
This is currently a ‘Hot Issue’ in our local politics. Many commentators, civil society and political leaders have made several interesting comments on this matter. I am meant to believe that this has come about because councillors realised that they are the only class of politicians holding public office who are walking away with a pay less than what most maids and garden boys are getting especially those working in ministers homes. It is very important that to argue on this matter, we understand why councillors get what they get.
Let us lock at the background; the idea of having the councillors was and is to have representation at grassroots level. Councillors are the ones who are in touch with the local people while MPs concentrate more on formulation of laws in parliament. Councillors in novelty are not full time employees of the city councils. They only become an employee once they assume the position of deputy mayor and begin earning a salary. In fact out of all elective political positions, councillors are the only ones who are allowed to contest for election while at the same time having a full time job. President, MPs and Mayors are by law requested to resign from formal employment to qualify for adoption. This means that councillors ‘must’ be in some form of employment that give them a stable income while representing the people in their capacity. I am sure this partly explains why councillors only get K 700 monthly allowance and another K 410 seating allowance per month making a total of K 1,110 per month. This is not a salary but an allowance.
But why then are the councillors complaining? Members of parliament according to the information I have get a weekly seating allowance of circa K 10,000 per week in cash. So every Friday the pay master is at parliament building dishing out this money to honourable members. This also means that the MPs don’t get taxed. On top of the K 10,000 per week, MPs get another K 30,000 as monthly allowance putting their monthly income at about K 70,000 without including other allowances they earn for belonging to different committees etc. So councillors get less than two (2) percent of what MPs get per month. Let me be quick to mention however, that some of the figures above may not be too exact but 90% true since no one openly tells us how much they get for fear of victimisation.
So the real question is are the councillors justified in their claims to have their pay increased? To answer this question fairly we must first look at the current councillors we have. Most of them including the daughter to the president have no full time jobs. This is partly because the current political environment makes it grim for someone in full time employment to take part in politics freely and later contest for election. Otherwise most employers including government may not be too reassuring to see their employee contesting for political office and still continue serving in their capacity at a formal job.
The reality is that these councillors have families and still need to among other things support their children in school, feed them and be able to take their lovely spouses out for dinner on a Wednesday or take them for a drink on a Friday like the way MPs will take their loved ones this evening after getting their pay. With K1,110, it becomes impossible for them to do any of the above. This is one of the reasons why most councillors pay themselves through illegal land allocation. This is not to say i support illegal allocation of land but facts must be stated as they are.
With the scenario above it simply means that we may need to realign and balance the equation and give councillors a decent pay just like other politicians are enjoying. It is unfair to continue giving them something that makes them slaves in their own land. They need money to be able to leave a bag of mealie meal at that funeral in their wards. They are the ones who face the people and solve the many challenges their people face. As members of parliament further amend our constitution in parliament, can they also look at the plight of councillors and not only issues that benefit them directly. What about MPs letting go of just a K 5,000 and give it to councillors. ‘Ubuntu must be that easy’.
ZAMPOST Post Master General Mcpherson Chanda and Finance Director Best Mwaichi touring the refurbishment of the main Postoffice building
ZamPost’s subsidiary Zampost Microfinance has announced that it has raised K 25 million capital in just two months, a major step into transforming the entity into a bank.
Post Master General McPherson Chanda revealed that as part of the ZamPost’s diversification agenda, ZamPost incorporated ZamPost Microfinance Limited (ZMFL) about 2 years ago and acquired a Deposit Taking License from Bank of Zambia 2 months ago.
Mr Chanda said over the past 2 months ZMFL has raised over K25m capital.
He said the firm is now targeting to raise another K25m by December 31st, 2016.
“ZMFL provides a competitive rate of return for investors. Moreover, it is profitable and is expected to be one of the ZamPost subsidiaries that will provide reliable dividend income – streams to the holding company. Creating strong income streams is how we will look after our staff and retirees,” Mr Chanda said.
He said ZMFL will be transformed into a Post Bank in three years.
“This vision has the strong support of our inspiring Minister of Transport and Communication Hon Brian Mushimba MP who visited ZamPost HQ last weekend. This afternoon our Finance Director Best Mwaichi and self-inspected the ongoing refurbishment in readiness for opening the ZMFL branch at Lusaka Main Post Office,” he said.
Mr Chanda said more branches will be set up at all major Post Offices countrywide.
PF Secretary General Davies MwilaTHE Patriotic Front is stronger and even more united at the moment as there are no divisions among senior party members despite some unscrupulous people claiming otherwise, PF secretary general Davis Mwila has charged. The PF was said to be divided on a number of key issues, including the appointment of Felix Mutati as Finance minister and the dismissal of Chishimba Kambwili as Information and Broadcasting minister as well as chief Government spokesperson.
But Mr Mwila dispelled the claims, stating that the party was still enjoying cordial relations with Mr Kambwili, who he said was still a member of the party and also a member of the central committee.
He also said that President Edgar Lungu enjoyed his prerogative to hire and fire and that no one could question why he appointed Mr Mutati.
“It is the prerogative of the President to appoint or fire whoever he wants and no one can question that. There are no divisions among senior members of our party as some unscrupulous people are claiming.
“As for Mr Kambwili they are talking about, we are still enjoying a cordial relationship with him; he is still a member of the party and the central committee. There is unity in the party, there are no divisions,” he said.
He said that the PF, as a party, did not have any problems with Mr Kambwili even if he was being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
And Mr Mwila said that those who thought that PF officials were aggrieved by the appointment of an opposition leader (Mr Mutati) as a Cabinet minister were wrong because they understood the President’s powers to hire and fire. He said that personally he was happy with the way Mr Mutati was executing his duties so far as the Minister of Finance.
By Mwizenge S. Tembo, Ph. D. Professor of Sociology
Why has this American Presidential election result caused so much wide-spread angst, anxiety, fear, anger, crying, Trump inspired vandalism, profound disappointment, disillusionment, outrage, and deep depression in the American society? I was awake up to 1.30 hours during election night and went to bed with profound depression that Hillary Clinton had lost and Donald Trump had won. I have lived through so many Presidential elections here in America since 1980. The vast majority of American citizens and I have never felt this way about any Presidential election results in recent memory.
The usual run of the mill explanations will not do justice to understanding this massive wave of national consternation. In America some say Hillary Clinton, the liberals, the media, and the Democratic Party lost. They had ignored and thumbed their noses at those white poor working class in the rust belt and rural areas who had lost their jobs in the 1990s and from 2,000 due to American manufacturing companies moving away and out sourcing jobs from America to countries where labor costs are much lower. That way the companies could make super profits.
Others in America say that Donald Trump and the Republican Party outwitted the left, bamboozled the Democratic Party and won the election in a stunning way. Somehow these explanations sound hollow and do not seem to explain this deep national depression and wide spread uncertainty about the future of government.
What are the true feelings among the tight circle of Trump aids about the win? What are the true feelings of Trump supporters, and Republicans? Are they truly very proud, giddy and elated about how this result was achieved? Can the Republicans and even those swing voters in the rust belt who apparently swayed the election, be truly jubilant and proud about the outcome? I doubt that too many Americans are happy about the outcome of the elections.
Why is the nation profoundly deeply depressed? It is because whatever political party each citizen voted for including about 44% of the population that did not vote, we all have one feeling: we all feel we have participated in a very intense, dirty, emotionally exhausting, muddy, and tiring, gutter level excruciating competition where the whole nation is swimming in a deep sewage of moral filth. The process usurped our energy, deeply divided the nation, and compromised our public morals. All the normal rules of everyday behavior were broken. We were hoping and expecting that our collective confidence in the electoral system to vet and weed out a horrible candidate would work. The Republican primaries failed to weed out the candidate and so did the general election. Indeed, up to the time of the counting of the votes, we were hoping and all the polls told us that he lesser of the two bad candidates would prevail at the end. As Trump began to win with the counting of the votes up to the wee hours of the morning, the despair sank deeper into our very souls.
The reason we are so deeply disappointed and depressed is that virtually all both liberal, conservative, left and right deeply held fundamental values may have been destroyed during this election. There is an equivalent of an earth quake and we are buried in the rubble of the political mayhem. Everyone is trying to cope or make sense of what has just happened over the last 18 months. We just don’t know what to believe any more about American values. This is what is most upsetting and causing the most depression.
Donald Trump announced his candidacy on June 15 2015 by insulting Mexican Americans who sneak across the border as drug dealers, thieves, and rapists. Racial bigotry, xenophobia, the Ku Klux Klan white racist support, you name it, Trump has done or condoned it or looked the other way. During the 18 months the whole nation has had to endure one outrageous insult after another. His bullying of the fellow 17 Republican Party Presidential candidates rivals during the debates and campaigns during the primary elections was horrible. He called candidate Florida Senator Marco Rubio “Little Marco”. He called Texas Senator Ted Cruz “Lying Ted”. He later called the opposition Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton during the general election: “Crooked Hillary” as large Trump campaign crowds chanted “Lock her up”. Trump was caught on video boasting that he can forcibly grab women’s genitals because he is famous. This is sexual assault against women. The New York Times published over 2 pages of insults Trump had directed at virtually everybody and hundreds of lies he had told publicly and openly told during the 18 months of campaigning.
Everyone is shocked and wondering why people still voted enough for him to win the Presidency. Americans are now asking that since Trump has won, how we can tell our children that bullying others and lying are wrong. What are we going to teach our children? What will be our private and public morals among the youth and the young in colleges and universities? Does honesty, right or wrong matter anymore? Do the moral values we hold dear matter anymore?
Karl Marx said: “Religion is the opium of the people”. He meant that religion prevents the exploited masses under capitalism to realize their conditions of hardship. A similar question is: “Has the capitalist desire to win at any cost embedded in Donald Trump and in the American ethos finally stripped us of all our morals here in America?” What is winning a job without morals? What is winning the Presidential election without morals? What is building the wall to keep out illegal immigrants without any national ethos of morals? Is it that the internet, Face Book, and Twitter have unintended consequences? There are so many fake stories now on the internet that it is difficult to know what is true. The story now is that the internet, including Face Book, may have spread so many fake or false stories, that they may have helped Trump win. Does honesty and telling the truth matter anymore? Indeed, one can ask the biggest question, “What is the meaning of all our lives when most of our morals may have been stripped not just here in America, but the cancer will now probably rapidly spread all over the world due to the internet and globalization?”
FORUM for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi cannot go for a third term as party leader following the Lusaka High Court’s decision to grant an injunction restraining national secretary Nathan Mulonga from amending the party constitution to allow her seek term extension.
In this case, chairman of the differently abled persons committee of FDD Bwalya Ng’andu and party deputy national secretary Kaluba Simuyemba have asked the Lusaka High Court for an injunction to restrain FDD from suspending or expelling them for challenging the third term bid by Ms Nawakwi.
Mr Ng’andu and Mr Simuyemba contend that there are manoeuvres by other members of FDD, including the president, to amend the party constitution so that Ms Nawakwi can be allowed to go for a third term
In a statement of claim in the High Court, Mr Simuyemba and Mr Bwalya Ng’andu, the FDD chairman for the differently abled persons, have stated that Ms Nawakwi was last elected president of FDD in 2005 and had served as president for more than 10 years which was against the party constitution. The duo stated that FDD had not held a convention for a decade and that in terms of the party constitution article 42 (I), the president shall hold office for a maximum period of not more than two consecutive five-year terms. Mr Simuyemba and Mr Ng’andu have said that Ms Nawakwi had served for more than 10 years as president of the FDD and was therefore ineligible to contest the position again.
‘‘We are taking the party to the convention and the constitution will be amended and people will decide whether I should continue or not,” Ms Nawakwi said.
The two are also seeking a court order to bar Ms Nawakwi from extending her presidential term. They stated that manoeuvres by Ms Nawakwi to amend the FDD constitution so that she could secure a third term were a recipe for anarchy in the party and could subject her to impeachment proceedings under article 42 (3) (a) of the party constitution.
Mr Simuyemba and Mr Ng’andu are also seeking a court order to declare their expulsion from the FDD null and void because the standing committee that recommended their expulsion was illegal.
“The plaintiffs claim for a declaration that the current president for the FDD, Ms Nawakwi, is barred from going for another term as president having served two consecutive five-year terms, an injunction restraining the FDD from suspending or expelling and/or from taking any action that will be inimical to the full enjoyment of memberships of the plaintiffs,” Mr Simuyemba and Mr Ngandu said.
But Ms Nawakwi has accused her long-time vice-president, Chifumu Banda, of having started the campaign against her so that the former Chasefu parliamentarian could assume the FDD presidency.
Ms Nawakwi has also said FDD deputy national secretary, Kaluba Musenda Simuyemba, is also part of the scheme to hound her out of the party.
Ms Nawakwi charged that Mr Simuyemba would remain expelled from the FDD and that if he together with Mr Ng’andu wanted to continue in politics, they should form their own political party. Ms Nawakwi claimed she had personally financed the campaigns for parliamentary candidates in the FDD in the last general elections and could not continue taking care of their financial affairs.
Ms Nawakwi claimed that Mr Simuyemba was on a wanted police list for allegedly selling a laptop belonging to the FDD.
“I know this is the work of Mr Chifumu Banda who wants to knock Nawakwi from the FDD presidential race so that he can be unopposed at the coming convention. Tell Mr Banda that the FDD is a party that is strong and they should not be scared of the convention. ‘‘We are taking the party to the convention and the constitution will be amended and people will decide whether I should continue or not,” Ms Nawakwi said.
The FAZ Super Division resumes after the two-week international match window.
Leaders Zanaco and Nkana are in action this Saturday while defending champions Zesco United, who are third, are in action on Sunday.
Zanaco and Nkana have two points separating them on 68 and 66 points respectively.
Zanaco will be home when they face Green Eagles who have never beaten them since the Choma side was promoted in 2008.
The Bankers have eight wins and three draws against Eagles whom they beat 3-1 away in Choma in the first leg meeting in June.
In Kitwe, revenge is in the air for second placed Nkana when they host Red Arrows in Wusakile.
Arrows beat Nkana 1-0 but the homeside will be eager to get the 3 points to stay two points behind Zanaco with just two games to play for the 12-time champions.
Elsewhere, 4th placed Power Dynamos battle new boys Lumwana Radiants in the curtain-raiser in Wusakile, Forest Rangers visit Green Buffaloes in Lusaka, while Nchanga Rangers and Mufulira Blackpool clash in an-all demotion clash in Chingola.
Zambian Voice Executive Director Chilufya TayaliThe Zambian Voice Executive Director Chilufya Tayali says Zambia’s international image has seriously been dented due to media suffocation under the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, reports Pan African Radio Journalist Hermit Hachilonde.
Speaking on Pan African Radio Programme dubbed “Media Agenda” recently, Mr. Tayali said the abuse of journalists and infringements of their rights worsened after the death of President Michael Sata.
He said PF Government is far away from appreciating the media because the current happenings in Zambia leave much to be desired in terms of media protection.
Mr. Tayali stressed the need to do a lot to help the media and avoid such a bad international reading about Zambia.
He said it is imperative that the media is protected and allowed to disseminate information freely without fear or favour.
“Zambia’s international image has seriously been dented due to media suffocation under the PF Government especially under president Lungu’s leadership” Mr. Tayali said
The United Party for National Development (UPND) has said that the party’s performance in the just ended local Government Elections have vindicated their claim that they won just the ended General Elections.
Percy Chanda, the UPND Chairperson for Labour said that his party has been saying that the elections were stolen from them and that the PF has used the police to suppress the truth.
He said the message from the by elections is very clear that they did not just win the August election but that just like he had predicted it is the end of PF as a party.
“As UPND we have been saying that the August elections belongs to us but these thieves have been suppressing the truth by intimidating us using their brutal police. Today and many days to come will prove that HH and his Vice President GBM and the people of Zambia are the true winners of the August elections.
“The message from these by elections is very clear that we did not just win the August election but as I earlier predicted this is the end of PF as a party. The PF knows very well that they cannot win an election without stealing. This is the more reason why these thieves are in a hurry to amend the Constitution so that with simple majority they can continue stealing,” he said.
He said the PF are in hurry to amend the constitution because they are scared of their crimes.
“By tempering with the Constitution they are just confirming that yes indeed they are scared thieves. Who are ridding and living on UPND’s stolen victory.But let me severely warn these thieves that their days are numbered. Very soon you will pay for whatever crimes you have committed to the people of Zambia which is well documented. There is no dignity in stealing our victory apart from perpetual embarrassment that will live with you till death.
“I urge all UPND members to celebrate this victory which has vindicated you that you are the right winners to put on our Party regalia throughout the Country. In any case why should you fear a thief? One thing about thieves is that they morally weak and cowards. Remember God protects that which is right. Stealing has no place in the eyes of the Lord.
“As UPND we dedicate this victory to all our colleagues are incarcerated by this brutal dictatorial regime. Brothers and Sisters scattered throughout our filthy prisons be and remain strong God is with you. Very soon you will walk out of those prisons and then these thieves will take your places, for them they will remain there for good,” he said.
The Opposition United Party for National Development UPND has scooped the Mukuba Ward Local government seat.
UPND Candidate Graddy Simukoko polled 438 votes beating his closest rival Gilbert Mushota of the Patriotic Front who polled 361 votes.
Chibwe Kaputo and Dorica Lungu who both stood as independent candidates polled 138 and 32 votes respectively.
Returning Officer Brian Mbula declared Graddy Simukoko of the UPND as the duly elected candidate for Mukuba Ward.
And speaking to the media, newly elected Mukuba Ward Councillor Graddy Simukoko said the victory means that the party is now being accepted in the province considered a PF stronghold.
Simukoko said the win is a stepping stone for the UPND in the Patriotic Front stronghold.
But this victory has been seen as confirmation of the divisions reported in the ruling party on the Copperbelt.
Senior PF officials in Kitwe said they did not campaign because of divisions in the Party.
“Just this week, senior PF officials complained of divisions and been sidelined. Now you can see these results. In fact a lot of PF officials especially the youth leadership are very happy with this loss. This party is divided and they feel like they are not benefiting anything. So its better the MMD takes over than for us to fight for a party that can’t appreciate us,” they said.
Meanwhile PF media Committee member Sunday chanda has disputed claims that UPND won the wards elections. Mr Chanda released the following information to the media.
CONTRARY TO SOME REPORTS IN ONLINE MEDIA, PF WINS 11 OUT OF 17 WARD SEATS
PF Won 11 Seats, While the UPND Won 7 PF
1.. Isoka – 2 Seats
2.. Chinsali – 1 seat
3.. Chipili – 2 seats
4.. Chembe – 1 seat
5.. Masaiti – 1 seat
6.. Mufumbwe – 1 seat
7.. Nalolo – 1 seat
8.. Chipangali -1 seat
9.. Serenje – 1 seat.
UPND Won
1.. Namwala – 1 seat
2.. Gwembe – 1 seat
3.. Ngabwe – 1 seat
4.. Kembe – 1 seat
5.. Mukuba – 1 seat
The Patriotic Front won the Senga Hill council Chairmanship, whereas the UPND has won Mwandi and Kalumbila.
