Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale has called on members of the community in the region to assist government track down individuals bent on causing destruction to public facilities through arson.

Dr. Hamukale says government does not stand aloof and watch individuals with ill motives burn public facilities meant for the common good.

He assured people in the province that government is determined to provide security by bringing to book arsonists who have been torching public facilities such as markets.

He was speaking in Choma when he visited Lynns Matebeto restaurant where one room was gutted by fire whose cause has been described as mysterious.

The restaurant is managed by a senior official of the Patriotic Front (PF) party.

Restaurant Manager Sandra Moono informed the minister that the cause of the fire was difficult to understand.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hamukale said the burning down of Maramba cultural village in Livingstone and the Ministry of Agriculture offices in Mazabuka has further raised serious concern to the provincial administration.

He said the provincial administration has also decided to offer a reward of K100, 000 to individuals who will provide information to law enforcement agencies about the cause of the strange fires.

Dr. Hamukale, who unveiled contact details through a special email address and telephone number, urged the people in the province to cooperate with government to help bring the arsonists to book.

He said it was the duty of government to protect its citizens against harm from individuals who have hidden motives.

And Dr. Hamukale expressed confident that the Zambia Police Service will corner thieves that stole cameras and other equipment from the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) provincial office in Choma.

He said he has been in touch with the police command in the province over the matter to ensure speedy investigations.

A week ago, thieves broke into the ZANIS offices housed at the provincial administration block in Choma district and got away with two professional cameras and other equipment worth thousands of Kwacha.

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) has arrived in the country for a retreat that will focus on the root causes of violent conflicts on the continent.

Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) Osman Keh-Kamara has revealed that conflicts hinder development in Africa hence finding ways to resolving these disputes enable economic growth.

Ambassador Keh-Kamara said countries in Africa need to double up their efforts in order to end the conflicts.

He said this year’s retreat is being held under the theme ‘Practical steps to silence the guns in Africa by the year 2020’.

Amb. Keh-Kamara said the retreat will be held from the 7th to the 9th of November 2016 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.

He thanked the Zambian government for the integral role it has played in promoting regional peace.

He further said the council remains committed to fighting for peace and stability which are two of the main components of the Agenda 2063.

Amb. Keh-Kamara has meanwhile congratulated President Edgar Lungu for his re-election as President and commended Zambia for holding peaceful general elections.

Zambia recently became a member of the African Union Peace and Security Council and is hosting the 2016 retreat.

YALI Governance Adviser Isaac Mwanza has condemned the continued detention of UPND Lusaka Province official Gilbert Liswaniso saying his continued detention is uncalled for and a gross violation of his Constitutional rights.

“I have read about the continued detention of Gilbert Liswaniso with sadness and a heavy heart. First, I was told Liswaniso had said that he and the UPND will not accept President Lungu as Republican President and for that reason he was arrested after the program and now incarcerated at Woodlands,” Mr Mwanza said.

“My first reaction is that this makes a very very sad reading. I have said it before that we all know that President Lungu was declared duly elected and was duly sworn in as President of Zambia even though other players have refused to accept his re-election.”

“He is President. But President Lungu must ask his men and women in uniform to stop being overzealous. If people like Liswaniso and his party will not want to recognise President Lungu, you can’t force them or use the whip of the law to have them recognise him. He must let them continue to speak that they don’t recognise him while he continues to govern otherwise the President will get distracted with such fights and citizens and the world will view him his Presidency with question marks.”

He added, “If somebody does not like me or doesn’t want to recognise me as an Business or NGO leader or Farmer when I am one, that is his business. I have no need to chase after them.”

Government has recalled some diplomats following revelations of financial irregularities in the 2015 Auditor General’s report.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harry Kalaba says his Ministry has also cautioned mission staff against flouting financial regulations saying government will not hesitate to instill discipline.

Mr. Kalaba says the ministry will adhere to the directive by President Edgar Lungu to ensure austerity measures are implemented to cut down on government expenditure and curb financial irregularities.

He told ZNBC News in Lusaka that the ministry has also recalled 38 accountants from various missions for failing to adhere to the financial rules and regulations for missions abroad.

And Mr. Kalaba says Government will soon embark on constructing and rehabilitating infrastructure for missions in order to save money spent on rentals.

He says two teams have already been sent abroad to carry out feasibility studies on the project.

A female student air crew officer from the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) has called for more women to join the aviation industry for the benefit of the country.

Second Lieutenant Florence Mbewe says Zambians, particularly women, should consider taking up aviation as a career choice to not only increase the manpower but also foster gender equality in the industry.

Lieutenant Mbewe told ZANIS in Port Alfred of South Africa that women should be actively involved in the aviation industry and should not feel inferior to their male counterparts.

Lieutenant Mbewe leads a team of eight air crew officers undergoing training in commercial Pilot course at 43 Air School of South Africa.

Members of her team include second lieutenants Joseph Kauseni, Simwala Maiba, Willie Mayaba, Andrew Monde, Nsofwa Njilika, Costa Nsemukila, and Kankinza Tolodi.

And 43 Air School Flight Manager, Kyle Menin, lauded the students saying they were determined and committed to their work and responsibilities.

Mr. Menin called for increased collaboration between Zambia and South Africa in terms of boosting aviation standards in both countries.

Meanwhile, ZAF Chief of Training Brigadier General Henry Nyundu said he was impressed with the performance of the air crew students who have shown resilience and commitment to their work and careers.

Brig. General Nyundu disclosed that the eight officers had undergone intensive training which has fully equipped them to handle various weather situations in their respective flying careers.

Opposition People’s Party (PP) president Mike Mulongoti says the commission of inquiry on electoral violence that President Edgar Lungu has instituted must ensure that perpetrators of the vice are prosecuted.

Mr. Mulongoti stated that it will be a waste of tax payers’ money if those that will be found wanting are not prosecuted as has been the case in the past.
He said President Lungu did well to constitute a commission of inquiry to look into the post-election violence so that what was experienced during the 2016 general elections should not happen again in future elections.

“It will be interesting to know who was behind the violence that characterized the 2016 elections because this is the first time that the country experienced such a thing,” Mr. Mulongoti said.

The opposition leader said this on the side-lines of the Universal Peace Federation International Leadership Conference at Continental Hotel last evening.

President Lungu appointed a 15-member team headed by Justice Munalula Lisimba to examine the causes of political violence before and after the August 11 general elections and tasked the commission to submit its report within 120 days from the date of appointment.