And FDD Candidate in the 6th August by- election Robby Mwansa has observed that previous MPs in the area have kept voters ignorant on how they can utilize the natural resources in their constituency to redeem themselves from the clutches of poverty because they want to continue using poverty to manipulate voters.

Speaking when she addressed a public meeting in Chimembe ward, Ms. Nawakwi said Luapulu province has always voted for the ruling party but has nothing to show for it because people in the ruling party know that even if they don’t deliver, the province will give them a vote.

She explained that since independence the people in luapula have sided with the ruling party but that the province was among the least developed in the country with alarming levels of poverty, illiteracy and mortality rate.

She called on voters to vote for the FDD candidate to remind the ruling party that they too exist and need a share from the country’s resources.

” The people in this province are loyal to the ruling party because you have always sided with the party in Government. You always voted for UNIP when they were in office and when MMD came in power you gave them all the seats and now you have given PF all the seats in parliament but you are not benefiting from this loyalty.

You vote for the ruling party but you have no schools, no clinics and the road infrastructure is nothing to about this because you have never shown these people that you deserve better and you can only do that by not voting for them.

I’m asking you to vote for the FDD not only as a reminder to this Government that you exist but because he is a better candidate standing on a party with morals and integrity as well as the best policies to help communities start on evelopment path using the natural resources which are abundant in the constituency,” Ms. Nawakwi said.

Meanwhile FDD Candidate Robby Mwansa said the constituency continues to be impoverished because previous MPs were using it as a tool for keeping them in office.

He said the constituency had all the natural resources needed for developing communities but their leaders had not provided leadership use the resources to benefit them and improve their lives.

“The problem we have had is that the people we put in office want to keep chained to poverty because they want to came and manipulate you were there elections. They want to make you think that they are good people by keeping you ignorant on how you can develop your communities.

You have natural resources which can transform our communities in a short time but what you need is visionary MP to help with the transformation. I will not promise you heaven on earth but I can confidently say that I will lead the way in ensuring you do not remain baggers in the midst of plenty.

We have three lakes in this area which I intend to use as a launch pad for the development of this constituency. We can be a productive community using the water resources and the fertile soil. We will be a prosperous Constituency if we work together as a people and ensure that decisions are made at local level.”

(Pictures) FDD President Edith Nawakwi talks to voters in Bangweulu Constituency at Chipako in Bangweulu Constituency.

FDD Candidate Robby Mwansa joins the as he is welcomed by FDD women at Chipako.

Mr Kabwe said the mine rescue team exhibited professionalism during the rescue operation as the surviving family members were given updates on their findings on a daily basis.

He said this today in a press statement made available to the Zambia News and Information Services(ZANIS) in Lusaka today that Kitwe is going through a difficult period with deep sorrow due to the untimely death of the miners.

Mr Chanda appealed to the residents of Kitwe to give a dignified send-off to the miners who died during the course of their duty as they were determined to ensure that the mining industry continue to develop for the betterment of the future of Zambia..

He also thanked all the Mining Unions, the Church, Mopani Copper Mines, Mines Safety Department and other stakeholders for the support rendered to the bereaved families both materially and financially.

He further hailed families of the deceased for being calm and exercising patience during the mourning period as the mine rescue team searched thoroughly for the remains of the four at the Mopani Copper Mines South Ore Body Shaft.

Mr Chanda said the death of the miners was a big loss for the mining sector and the nation at large because the quartet contributed positively to the development of the country as mining is the mainstay of Zambia’s economy.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS today, Mr Sikazwe said Government is committed to ensuring that the roads are upgraded to bituminous standard as soon as the variations are done by the Road Development Agency (RDA).

Mr. Sikazwe advised politicians to conduct issue based campaigns instead of talking about township roads which government intends to work on in the area.

The Minister revealed that the project is part of the terminated contract which was awarded to CADG Construction Company.

He said government terminated the contract for CADG due to failure to abide by the contract agreement.

Mr. Sikazwe explained that government through the RDA is doing a variation on the township roads so that works could start soon.

He said political parties should not feel that the programme is a campaign strategy especially that works are expected to go on during campaigns in Kasama Central constituency.

The Minister has also urged residents to ignore politicians trying to politicize the positive developments being undertaken by the Government in the area.

A political analyst Alex Ng’oma has formed an organization known as the Intellectual Forum Institute of Zambia (IFIZ).

Dr. Ngóma said the aim of the organization is to serve as a platform for intellectuals in the country to interact and share knowledge and ideas through public presentations and intellectual debates.

He told ZANIS in Lusaka today that the organization hoped to ensure that outputs from the said presentations and intellectual debates can feed into the wider national debates and development agenda.

“IFIZ is a local, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. Its mandate is to serve as a platform, or a kind of Insaka, for intellectuals from all walks of life, to interact and share knowledge and ideas through public presentations and debates,” Dr. Ng’oma explained.

He said the organization will serve as a channel for intellectuals to make their knowledge known and ideas available to the nation as well as to interrogate issues that are taken for granted.

Dr. Ngóma has meanwhile observed that Zambia has increasingly become an arena for impolite behaviour noting that some of the political players have chosen to pursue politics of character assassination, insults and violence.

He said this kind of behaviour has scared away intellectuals from making contributions for fear of denting their integrity.

He disclosed that the Intellectual Forum Institute of Zambia will be officially launched in due course when all necessary logistics are put in place.

The remains of the four victims of the Mopani Copper Mine accident have been buried at Nkana East Cemetery in Kitwe.

Hundreds of Kitwe residents turned up to pay their last respect to the deceased miners.

The burial procession was preceded by a church service at Nkana stadium in Kitwe.

And Government has called on mining companies to step up their safety measures to reduce mine accidents.

Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma said the Mopani Copper Mine accident is a strong reminder to government that there is still a lot of effort that needs to be put towards enhancing safety in the mining companies.

Speaking during the church service for the deceased miners, Mr Yaluma directed all mining companies to step up their safety measures to reverse the current trend of mine accidents which he described as worrisome.

And Mr Yaluma cautioned miners against rushing to go and work without observing if the work sites are safe.

The Minister urged the miners to refuse working from unsafe environments assuring them that no one can fire them for doing so.

And Mr Yaluma disclosed that Mopani has agreed to employ one person from each of the grieved families in order to cushion the economic hardships that they believed families may be subjected to due to the death of the miners.

And Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) President Chishimba Nkole urged Mopani Copper Mine to review the cause of the accident that claimed the four miners.

Mr Nkole called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the accident so that the lives of other miners will not be put at risk since the South Ore Body (SOB) shaft where the accident happened from is still working.

He also challenged the Mine Safety department to establish if the accident was predictable and preventable.

And Mopani Copper Mine Chief Executive officer Johan Jansen said the mining house will ensure that safety is enhanced.

And speaking after burial, Information minister Chishimba Kambwili who represented all the bereaved families urged Mopani to fulfill its promise of compensating the families and establish the true cause of the accident.

The funeral precession was attended by senior government officials that included Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda, Foreign Affairs deputy Minister Rayford Mbulu, Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge and other senior government and Patriotic Front officials among others.

The deceased are Arnold Mambwe, Honesty Mushota, Emmanuel Kyongola and Abel Munthali who were all machine operators.

They died two weeks ago after a rock fall in an underground pit when the area caved in at South Ore Body (SOB) shaft.