Trial in the presidential election petition case will start on Friday this week, 2nd September 2016 and finish on Thursday next week.

The UPND is contesting the re-election of President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF).

The Court is however reconvening shortly to hear the argument related to the 14 days limit set by the Constitution.

The lawyers representing President Edgar Lungu argue that the 14 days in which the Petition should be heard will expire on Friday.

The lawyers are relying upon Article 103 (2) that states that: The Constitutional Court shall hear an election petition relating to the President-Elect within fourteen (14) days of the filing of the Petition.

The lawyers are also relying on the Constitutional interpretation as provided for in Article 269 (d) which states that weekends are counted if the days of the matter exceeds 6 days.

UPND lawyers, on the other hand are contending that the 14 days will end next Thursday on 8th September 2016 if weekends are excluded.

The UPND contend that the Court should consider 14 working days instead of ordinary 14
days.

The Court will seat to determine the arguments.

Meanwhile, UPND President Hakainde Hichilema has reiterated his call for President elect Edgar Lungu to step aside and allow the Speaker of the National Assembly to act as President while the presidential petition is still on going.

Mr Hichilema said it is illegal for President Lungu to continue as President of the Republic and that his continued stay in office is tantamount to treason, an illegal usurpation of power – a coup d’état, for which the police should arrest him.

He said the law is clear that the Speaker should act as President until the presidential petition is determined by the Constitutional Court.

“The continued stay in presidential office by PF presidential candidate Mr. Edgar Lungu is tantamount to treason, an illegal usurpation of power – a coup d’état, for which the police should arrest him.

“The law is very clear that he has to hand over the instruments of power to the Speaker of National Assembly until the presidential petition is determined by the Constitutional Court.

“Mr. Lungu’s lawlessness is putting undue pressure on the Judiciary. We call on all stakeholders such as the civil society organisations, the church and the international community to voice out on Mr. Lungu’s disregard of the Constitution and general lawlessness,” he said.

He also called on President Lungu and “his cadres” to stop threatening constitutional office bearers and other institutions such as Law Association of Zambia.

He further demanded the reopening of the private media houses which were recently closed.

“We once more demand the reopening of the closed private media houses namely The Post newspaper, Muvi TV, Komboni Radio, and Itezhi Tezhi Radio. Mr Lungu’s actions are typical of the behaviour of any dictator. We know dictators always want citizens not to have free speech and access to information.

“We are also urging journalists from the public media to act responsibly and stop hate speech currently going on as that amounts to inciting ethnic divisions,” he said.

He added “We keep calling for calm and peace but our messages are not being heard, especially after the closure of the biggest media channels.”

Strong rumours have emerged alleging that dismissed State House Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Chilubanama was heard in an audio recording saying that Mr Sampa and Mr Sata have written to State House pleading to re-join the party.

In the same audio, Mr Chilubanama is alleged to have mocked UPND Vice President Geoffrey Mwamba saying his truck business is grounded due to lack of business since he left government.

It is also alleged that Mr Sampa is now in debt after he failed to pay for his trucks and now want to get back into Government.

In the same audio, Mr Chilubanama is also alleged to have Chishimba Kambwili’s health condition who has since been treated in South Africa for a heart condition.

It is alleged that he suffered heart complications after he learnt that President Lungu has left him out of his latest cabinet he came up with after his three-day stay in Mfuwe.

But Mr Sampa has rubbished the reports saying there is no element of truth in them.

He said he has not written a letter in the last six months or so.

“For the record; I have not written any letter in the last 6 months or so,” Mr Sampa said in a brief statement posted on his Facebook page.

He quoted the words of Suzy Kassem saying “Never judge someone based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person speaking.”.

The fourth season of Zambia’s lifestyle and entertainment programme Kumwesu premieres on 31st august on DStv channel 160, Zambezi Magic with new presenters in multi -talented radio and television host and musician Paul Munanjala, actress, model and voice-over artiste Grace Rumsey and new kid on the block Shakirah Phiri.
Zambezi magic is thrilled to have the programme back.
“We’re excited to announce the start of a fresh season of Kumwesu with new faces to the show and amazing content which will resonate with our audience,” says head of Zambezi Magic channel Addiel Dzinoreva.
“In this new season, viewers can look out for interesting destinations, events, exclusive interviews with the ‘who’s who’ in Zambia’s entertainment industry plus more for their viewing pleasure.”
Kumwesu, which means ‘our place’, is a half-hour lifestyle and entertainment magazine programme that showcases the Zambian lifestyle.
Inspired by the vibrancy of the Zambian lifestyle and culture, the show covers events, award shows, and goes behind the scenes of productions from television drama series, films and music videos.
The presenters also get up-close and personal with some of the leading Zambian media and entertainment personalities as well as encourage entrepreneurship through interviews with some of Africa’s leading young businessmen and women.
Most viewers will know Paul Munanjala by his moniker of Paul Da’Prince. He rose to fame in 2007 when he participated in a singing competition on a Zambian television show Teen Star, where he came in second place.
In 2009, he released his first single ‘Number One’, and has since released various other singles, including an album which he titled 812. A music video to Ruff kid’s song “Boss Lady” featuring Paul Da’ Prince was done in 2010 and was aired on MTV Base.
Grace Rumsey is a versatile actress, model, dancer and voice-over artiste with a decades-spanning professional entertainment career. Displaying- great range from a very tender age, she was a regular and prominent feature in productions during her primary and high school years, receiving nationwide recognition for her talents at the South Africa National Arts Festival. Grace went on to train with the Johannesburg Civic Theatre.
In 2010, she made her television debut playing a supporting role in the ground-breaking five-part mini-drama series entitled My Country.
In 2012, she featured in the Zambian hit series Love Games, and most recently in Zambezi Magic series ‘Fever’ as the infamous Mwaka.
And new-kid-on-the-block Shakirah Phiri was born in Zambia but later moved to South Africa where she completed her high school education. It was in ninth grade that she realised she had a talent for mass communication, where she would often effortlessly do exceptionally well in school plays and public speaking.
She recently re-located back home to pursue a career in television and further her tertiary education in media studies. With Kumwesu being her first opportunity at realising her dream, Shakirah is eager to make her mark in the entertainment industry.

Today I thought I’d keep it nice and simple with this beef, mushroom and greens stir –fry.  I love this dish because it is so easy and quick to make, it can be eaten by the whole family and it is so delicious and flavoursome.

Preparation 10 mins | Cooking 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 400g beef steak, thinly chopped
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 300g spring greens (or green beans, peas or broccoli – any green vegetables you would like to use)
• 150g  of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt  & pepper to taste

Method

Marinade the meat with soy sauce (and oyster sauce if you’re using it), garlic powder, salt and pepper.  For the flavour to really soak in, marinade the beef the night before or at least 4 hours before, cover it and leave it in the fridge.

Heat a wok or a large pan until it is smoking hot; add 1 tsp oil, then stir-fry the meat until browned all over. (You may need to do this in 2 batches if your pan is not big enough, adding a little more oil).

Remove the meat, and then clean the wok.  Add some more oil. Stir-fry the greens and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often; add the beef and spring onions.  Cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and everything is cooked through.

Serving

Serve with rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.

United Party for National Development (UPND) Vice President for Administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba says the UPND will accept and respect the final verdict of the constitutional court regarding the petition challenging the declaration of Edgar Chagwa Lungu as a winner of the 2016 polls, reports Pan African Radio Journalist Hermit Hachilonde.

Speaking during a media briefing held at the Party secretariat in Lusaka on Monday the 29th August, 2016, Mr. Mwamba implored UPND supporters to remain peaceful as they patiently wait for the ruling from the constitution court.

He further urged UPND sympathizers to ensure that they avoid any act that may ensue into violence.

Mr. Mwamba has since assured both public and private media houses that should the constitutional court rule in favour of the UPND, there will be no political interference in the operational of the media houses in Zambia, affirming that the UPND led Government will only come in if there is any misrepresentation from a media house merely to correct the situation.

He added that the UPND will immediately open the post newspapers and the three recently suspended media houses.

“As UPND we will accept the outcome of the petition from the constitution court” GBM said

Meanwhile, the UPND vice President for Administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba also revealed that a team of UPND lawyers who went to serve a Petition on President Lungu, urging him to allow the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Patrick Matibini to Act as President were in the morning on 29th August, 2016 beaten by the soldiers at statehouse.

“Our lawyers who went to serve president lungu with the Petition challenging him to allow the speaker of the national Assembly Dr. Patrick Matibini were beaten by the soldiers at Statehouse” He said

And the former defense minister also advised Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy spokesperson Father Frank Bwalya to desist from commenting on matters that are in court as it is disrespectful to the courts of law.

“Frank Bwalya must stop commenting on matters that are in court” he said