Grand Palace hotel General Manager Petros Mogos has fled the country after several workers he dismissed without any cause or explanation complained to the labour office of summary dismissals at the hotel.

Mr Mogos left the country after the workers he fired recently among them Aidah Kamwanga a waitress, Alice Mubita, a waitress and Mr Zulu, a chef, reported the hotel for unlawful dismissal.

Speaking in an interview, the group leader Ms. Aidah Kamwanga said they had decided to seek assistance from the labour office because of the way a number of there colleagues and herself have been ill treated by the hotel owners whom she said were acting as though they own the country despite originating from Ethiopia and Eritrea.

She said Mr. Mogos was summoned to appear before the labour commission on 6th February 2016 but fled the country leaving the daughter, Saloni, who has since indicated that she will meet the Labour commissioners after a second summon on13th April, 2016.

The workers complained of poor general working conditions that included below minimum wage salaries, casualisation, long working hours without bonuses and harassment of workers by management whenever they complained. Further, that they was being forbidden to join any union to safe guard their interests.

The workers added that management of Ethiopian origin supported by their Zambian counterparts had been boasting of having serious connections within the PF senior members hence no harm will come to their business even if the workers reported anywhere.

They also called for government action as losing a job without any cause or explanation was painful in the wake of escalating prices of commodities and the general high cost of living prevailing in the country.

The hotel was in December 2014 accused of slavery conditions by workers as they complained of low wages and long working hours a thing which seem to have been ignored by management as no action was taken then.

Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda has described as malicious lies claims by opposition leaders purporting that the country is importing the maize it exported a few months ago at more than double the price.

And Mr Lubinda has maintained that the mealie meal shortages being experienced in the is due artificial.

Mr Lubinda who claimed that the escalating prices of the commodity was being fueled by lies from opposition leaders.

He said it was disheartening to note that a person aspiring to be a President of the country can lie with a straight face on international media in reference to Mr Hichilema’s statement issued to the BBC that the country was importing its own maize at more than double the price it exported.

He said there is no one who has imported maize into the country and that if anyone has evidence showing that they imported the commodity he was challenging them to produce the evidence so that he can sale his assets and refund them from his money.

He said such leaders should not be allowed to be anywhere near the helm of the country adding that such a leader does not even deserve to be a councillor.

He said it was unfortunate that leaders are trying to incite people to raise against the government by comparing the current escalating commodity prices to that of 1990 and that the statements were irresponsible as the country has enough stocks.

He challenged opposition party leaders to accompany him and visit the maize sheds to prove that maize is not in short supply.

Asked if the PF were being myopic by not accepting that there was crisis in the country as people have documented evidence of the mealie meal shortages Mr Lubinda said it was not his government but the people who were being myopic because government has tried its level best to avert the crisis.

He advised the opposition to stop creating chaos in the country for the same of wining an election adding that the country should go into the election to choose honorable leaders and not cheats who would say anything to win an election.

Meanwhile the Minister said the country has enough grain to feed it’s citizens and that the mealie meal shortages was due to unscrupulous people who are either holding on to the grain with the hope of the crisis being predicted by people he described as prophets of doom can come to pass or smuggling out of the the country.

He said government has been releasing enough maize to the millers to feed the nation but that some people were creating the shortage by smuggling and holding.

He further warned transport companies allowing their trucks to transport maize meant for smuggling to desist from doing business with such individuals as they will only end up losing their vehicles to the state once they are caught.

Mr Lubinda also defended the solar milling plants saying they have managed to reduce prices of the commodity in all the places they have been installed so far.

He said government has released enough maize to all the solar milling plants to ensure that they produce affordable mealie meal for the people in surrounding areas.

Zambian soccer legend Kalusha Bwalya has denied online media reports that he has applied to contest the Kalulushi parliamentary seat on the PF ticket.

A number of PF campaign groups on social media platforms have been displaying posters bearing Kalusha’s name and portrait with slogans such as Kalu for PF and Kalu Kolopa.

His sirname Bwalya has however been misspelt as Balya.

But in a tweet on his official Tweeter handle, Kalusha who recently lost his FAZ presidency to Andrew Kamanga said any involvement in politics.
“No. Not true my brother,” said Kalusha in response to a question on Twitter from football fan Chalimba Phiri.

THE Government will continue paying meal allowances to Copperbelt University (CBU) and University of Zambia (UNZA) students, with a call for a disciplined crop of students at the two institutions.

Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the Government did not scrap the meal allowances for students at the two public universities.

The two universities were closed on February 3, this year, due to persistent unrest over delayed payment of meal allowances.

The Government attributed the unrest to political influence and had since set conditions for the two universities to enable them re-open, which mainly included enhancement of security features.

The two institutions are set for re-opening on April 24, this year.

Mr Kambwili, who is the Information and Broadcasting Services minister, said Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu had indicated that if the students continued with their riotous behaviour, the meal allowances would be withdrawn.

“I wish to inform the nation that Government will continue to provide meal allowances to students when the two universities re-open,” Mr Kambwili said.

He said that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against erring students.

The minister said United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema should not use the disciplinary action on erring students to gain political mileage.

He said the students should be disciplined in order for them to grow into responsible citizens who would contribute meaningfully to national development.

Mr Kambwili also said the Government was aware that the UPND was parading economists with the aim of discrediting Government’s efforts in improving the economy.

He said the remarks attributed to Mr Hichilema on gains in the Kwacha in the Sunday Post last weekend were misleading the nation.

Mr Kambwili said the opposition leader was discrediting the Government and portraying himself as a “messiah” of the country’s economic challenges.

He said the gains in the local currency were resulting from President Edgar Lungu’s credibility and maturity in the way he presided over the economic affairs of the country.

Mr Kambwili said the Government under the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership had attracted huge investments such as the K1.1 billion from Glenco.

He said the Government had maintained dialogue with mining firms, with a view to arriving at a favourable mining royalty tax.

Mr Kambwili said the UPND should concentrate on disciplining its vice-president Geoffrey Mwamba who had continued to insult innocent people on social media.

He said the party should question the kind of leadership the UPND would provide if they were voted into political office.

Meanwhile, the University of Zambia (UNZA) senate has set April 24, this year, as the official day for full-time students at the institution to resume lessons.

Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu had earlier announced that UNZA and the Copperbelt University (CBU) were expected to reopen yesterday.

UNZA public relations manager Damaseke Chibale said the senate sanctioned the date in accordance with the academic calendar and that the two weeks beginning yesterday, would be used to attend to part-time students who are resident at the institution.

Mr Chibale said under the standard academic calendar, full-time students went on a two-week recess to allow for long distance students to receive the prescribed services from the institution.

“April 10, 2016 had been set as a target date for the two universities to meet the conditions for re-opening.

“The senate met and set 24, April as opening day. This is to pave way for part-time students who had not been affected by the universities’closure to meet the course coordinators and handover their assignments,” Mr Chibale said.

Mr Chibale said all full-time students had been informed of the changes in opening date.

When reached for a comment, Dr Kaingu referred all queries to Ministry of Higher Education Permanent Secretary Owen Zulu who said that the two universities had done their part in meeting the set conditions for reopening.

The United Nations Commission on Population and Development, under the leadership of Zambia, commenced its deliberation today with a clarion call for the body to contribute to the attainment of sustainable development.

Officially opening the 49th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD49), Commission chairperson and Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Her Excellency Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota, said 2016 was a crucial year in re-shaping the United Nations system to deliver on its promise of assisting Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda over the next 15 years.

She said the Commission continued with its mandate to support the implementation of the Programme of Action from the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.

“Both the Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda place a strong emphasis on the importance of data – both data production and data analysis – as a means of achieving success in implementation. In the Commission this year, we are focusing on the demographic evidence base. That evidence base is built on a foundation of data,” Ambassador Kasese-Bota said.

She the availability of reliable and timely demographic data was essential for planning and implementing interventions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and to monitor progress towards their achievement.

“Member States have recognized that they can only achieve the ambitious goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda through a revitalized and enhanced partnership of Governments, civil society, the private sector, the UN system and other actors, and by mobilizing all available resources,” the Zambian envoy said. “Millions of people have already engaged with, and can claim ownership of this Agenda. It is an Agenda of the people, by the people and for the people – and for this, we have to work hard and deliver on our promise.”

Ambassador Kasese-Bota said Member States and other stakeholders had a great opportunity to provide effective and evidence-based guidance to the international community on population and sustainable development.

Speaking at the same event, United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon said people were at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that the CPD had a proud traditionof focusing on people.

“Statistics are essential for tracking progress. When people are not counted, they are excluded. To live up to the commitment to ‘leave no one behind,’ we have to make sure everyone is counted,” Mr. Ban said. He said Governments will have to gather census data and use it to understand demographic change because that would help them develop effective plans.

Mr. Ban said Sustainable development demands securing sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and young people.

The Secretary General said the world now has the largest generation of young people in history, and to unleash their potential, there is a need to invest more in education, opportunities and services for youth.

“The United Nations is proud to support efforts to put all people at the heart of development. This is the spirit of the 2030 Agenda,” said Mr. Ban.

The week-long deliberations of the 49th Session of the CPD, taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York, is being held under the theme: “Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the Post-2015 development Agenda.”

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has awarded the tender to print ballot papers for the August general elections to Alghuraair Printing and Publishing Plc of the United Arab Emirates.

In a notice placed on the reception board at Elections House, the tender for the printing and delivery of election materials for the 2016 polls has been issued to Alghuraair Printing and Publishing Plc based in Dubai.

It said according to the tender rules, a 10-day period has been given in which objectives to the proposed award can be raised.

If that does not happen, the Commission will then go ahead and announce officially

Founded in 1978, Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing LLC (AGPP) is the printing and publishing arm of the UAE’s leading business Conglomerate ‘Al Ghurair Group’.

According to its website, the firm is FSC/PEFC and ISO 9001:2008 certified company with 10 multi-colour sheet fed offset presses, 5 Web offset presses, 5 highly automated binding lines and all other print-finishing machines under one-roof.

It has the largest printing and automated binding capacity in UAE and has branch offices in Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, Afghanistan, and representative offices at Mozambique, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

It was involved in the printing of February 2016 Uganda elections ballot papers.

The recently formed Christians for Lungu grouping says most people have misunderstood the group’s objectives.

Group Chairperson Dr Liya Mutale said most people have misunderstood the name “Christians for Lungu” to mean “Christians of Lungu”.
Dr Mutale said the word “for” is only a preposition which is also an antonym for the word against.

“Therefore, Christians for Lungu remains a statement which the group has embraced because it espouses their mandate for being a Christian fraternity of professionals and politicians who are “for” (as in support of) Lungu,” Dr Mutale said.

“The bible says, “They that are for us are more than those who are against us.”

Dr Mutale said presidential Leadership is in phases adding that in this phase President Lungu is the president of Zambia but that his time will come to an end and when it does someone else will take over the mandate and they will need the same kind of support, guidance, and cooperation from mature, spirit filled, ordinary Christians.

“It is important to understand that the main objective of Christians for Lungu is to bring love, peace, integrity, and Christian values into in the political party,” she said.

Dr Mutale said politics is a dirty game because for years’ people have insisted on keeping God and Christians out of politics.

“But if we want to end tribalism, violence, anarchy, insults, poverty, and corruption, then it will be imperative to allow Christians to unashamedly participate in politics without hiding their Christian identity,” she said.

She added, “Also worth noting is the fact that the title is not “CHURCH FOR LUNGU” as this will be an utter theological and moral error. But the title is Christians for Lungu because it immediately appeals to individuals who are Christians and support President Lungu to do so openly irrespective of the denomination.”

This weekend, President Edgar Lungu attended the Christians for Lungu mobilization conference at the Mulungushi Conference Center in Lusaka under the theme Understanding the mind of God over Zambia.

In his speech, President Lungu appreciated the initiative called “Christians for Lungu” for the decision to heed the call that he made on 2nd November 2015 for Christians to come and participate in politics to bring peace and love in the political arena.

He said he was reliably informed that the membership of the initiative spreads across inter-denominations, professional bodies, the young and the old, of like-minded Christians who want in one way of the other to be a part of the governance of this country.

The conference was attended by Patriotic Front Mobilization Committee Chairperson Ambassador Charles Banda, among other senior party members as well as the group Christian for Lungu and some clergy.