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Chishimba Kambwili with Amos Chanda at Statehouse
Government has warned Copperbelt University (CBU) lecturers to return to work or risk their employment contracts terminated.
Chief Governments Spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili, who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister, said government will not hesitate to fire any lecturer who will continue blackmailing government.
Mr. Kambwili said government has not found anything wrong with CBU management adding that any lecturer who has a problem with operations at the institution should resign.
“We will not start firing people under duress just because lecturers said we should fire them. We are not going to be blackmailed. We will evoke the whip, such people will be forced out,” said Mr Kambwili.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kambwili has urged Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation (ZNBC) workers who were on a go-slow this morning to return to work.
Mr. Kambwili said ZNBC workers should find a better way of airing their grievances instead of resorting to a boycott.
He further stated that there were many people looking for employment and that government will not hesitate to offer jobs to others if those who have them behave otherwise.
Chishimba Kambwili with Amos Chanda at Statehouse
Government has approved in principle the introduction to parliament bills entitled the border management bill, the higher education loans and scholarship bill and the gender equity and equality bill.
Chief Government Spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said the decisions were made during the 14th Cabinet meeting held yesterday.
Mr. Kambwili said the border management bill will harmonise the interaction between the various agencies at the border posts while the higher education loans and scholarships board bill is aimed at addressing challenges in following up on payment of the loans by students from higher intuitions of learning.
He said the gender equity and equality bill is targeted to eliminate forms of discrimination against women in accessing productive resources, education opportunities and quality health services.
Mr. Kambwili said cabinet also took note of measures that the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development was undertaking to mitigate the power outages as a result of the current load shedding.
He said government was looking at increased investment in other sources of energy such as solar and gas which have proved to be alternative sources of energy in some countries.
Beijing (CNN)Security camera footage has emerged of a mother saving her young son’s life seconds before losing her own on an escalator in China.
The 30-second video begins innocently enough: As the escalator in a shopping mall almost reaches the top, a woman in a white shirt and black skirt lifts up her young son to get ready to step off.
But as she does, a metal panel collapses under her feet. She falls into the gap.
Chinese state media on Monday named the woman as 31-year-old Xiang Liujuan.
Struggling with only her upper body above the metal structure, Xiang is seen pushing her son forward. The boy is quickly pulled to safety by a mall employee standing near the top of the escalator.
Two other mall employees try to drag Xiang out, but within a few seconds, she disappears through the hole into the escalator shaft.
Despite a four-hour rescue operation at the upscale AZG Mall in central China, firefighters declared Xiang dead when they finally cut the escalator open and found her body Sunday afternoon, state media reported.
‘Human error’
Officials in Jingzhou, a city of more than 5 million residents in Hubei province, blamed human error for the tragedy at a news conference Monday night.
Mall employees found the collapsed panel to be loose and protruding five minutes before the incident but failed to stop the escalator for inspection and repair, said Chen Guanxin, the local official in charge of work safety.
CNN’s repeated phone calls to the shopping mall went unanswered Monday. A representative from the maintenance service provider declined to comment.
Mounting number of escalator accidents
State media on Monday also reported two other incidents involving escalators in shopping malls.
In southwestern Guangxi province, a toddler’s left hand and arm were caught in a gap of an escalator on Monday after he tripped and fell at the bottom, firefighters told local media. He suffered multiple trauma, including a fractured arm, and was hospitalized.
In Beijing, a boy’s foot was stuck in an escalator at a shopping mall on Sunday, according to People’s Daily. He was rescued by firefighters within half an hour and appeared only slightly injured, witnesses told the newspaper.
Last year, 13 people were injured when an escalator traveling upward abruptly reversed direction at a busy subway station in Shanghai. In 2011, a similar incident at a Beijing subway station killed a teenage boy and injured 30 others.
Victim’s family angry
Frustrated with the mall’s handling of the situation, Xiang’s family members have gone online to call for a thorough and transparent investigation.
“An ordinary Sunday shopping trip ended up in such a sudden tragedy, almost ruining an entire family,” said user @kkcake, who identified herself as Xiang’s sister-in-law and posted some of the earliest pictures from the scene on the popular microblogging site Weibo.
“The shopping mall is still open and the killer escalators are still running,” she added. “Shoppers have no idea about the tragedy upstairs and no one knows if such disasters will strike
File:Police Officers on parade at Machile Camp being addressed by Inspector General (IG) Stella Libongani ahead of the 30th June Mulobezi Parliamentary by-election.
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani says her service has sent a reinforcement comprising 120 police officers to Samfya District ahead of the Bangweulu constituency by-elections to forestall electoral violence.
Ms. Libongani said the presence of Police officers in the district will help prevent acts of violence which have been happening in the recently held by-elections around the country.
The Inspector General of Police said this in Samfya District when she addressed her officers.
Ms. Libongani said the Zambia Police Service intends to deliver a violent free election and would not want to see the violence which happened in Mulobezi by-elections repeat itself elsewhere.
In this regard, check points will be mounted on all roads to ensure that no one from outside brings weapons which could be used for violence.
She however warned police not to infringe peoples’ rights and urged the police officers who will be on check points to effectively search people and vehicles and confiscate any offensive weapons found.
Ms. Libongani cautioned members of the public not to take the law in their own hands but instead report any forms of violence to law enforcement
officers.
The officers in Samfya were asked to coordinate with and embrace other units like the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the civil society and political leaders.
The people of Bangweulu Constituency in Samfya go to the polls next week on August 6th.The seat fell vacant after the death of the area Member of Parliament Chifita Matafwali.
The labour movement has called on government to promote inter-provincial transfers among government workers if the country is to curb tribalism in the country.
Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) President, Davy Chiyobe, made a call yesterday during the opening of a 3-day (CSAWUZ) Northern Provincial conference which is taking place in Kasama.
Mr. Chiyobe observed that tribalism is slowly getting to its roots in many public offices, a trend he described as retrogressive to the development of the country.
He noted that in the past such issues were not being entertained especially among the working places.
The Union Leader stated that inter-provincial transfers especially in the civil service must be encouraged so that government officers can have an opportunity to appreciate different cultural diversity prevailing in the nation.
Mr. Chiyobe has since called for unity and love in the country through the restoration of the One Zambia, One nation’ motto.
And speaking at the same function, Northern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Boniface Mbuzi praised the role the labour movement has played in the promotion of social justice and equality among public service workers in the country.
Mr. Mbuzi revealed that government considers trade unions as critical partners in national development.
He urged labour leaders to always seek dialogue with employers when negotiating for better conditions of service for public and private sector workers in the country.
The Zambia National Women’s Lobby group in Northern Province has appealed to government to empower more women with finances and skills so that they can become self-reliant.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kasama today, Women’s Lobby Provincial Secretary Precious Mwamba said it is important for women to be empowered in order to move the country forward economically.
Ms. Mwamba said women are usually victims of gender based violence but most of them fail to speak up because of being too dependent on their spouses.
She said this can only be prevented if women are economically empowered hence the need for them to take up farming as a source of livelihood.
Ms. Mwamba has appealed to commercial banks to consider giving soft loans to women clubs to help them venture in viable businesses.
She further urged government to train more women in various entrepreneurship skills adding that most women lack business knowledge hence the need to empower them.
Dipak Patel (l), Hakainde Hichilema, Dr Maureen Mwanawasa and political activist Dante Saunders
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) says it has already prepared its 2016 budget in anticipation that it is going to form Government in the 2016 general elections.
The UPND has also said it will reduce the size of Cabinet in a bid to reduce budgetary expenditures and that it would manage the country’s resources more prudently to spar economic growth.
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema announced during the Muvi TV special assignment on Sunday that his party was forward looking and had already formulated its dummy budget for the 2015/2016 fiscal year.
The special edition of the Assignment programme also featured UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, his counterpart Dr Canisius Banda, former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa and Senenga Member of Parliament Likando Mufalali.
Mr Hichilema said the UPND was going to exponentially reduce external borrowing but would improve the economy by ensuring that local resources were generated and optimally utilized.
Asked how much time he would need to turn round the country’s economy, Mr Hichilema said he did not want to promise Zambians a specific timeframe in which he would meet their needs and expectations.
He however said a five-year mandate after being elected president would be his time in which to work and deliver his promises adding that he was going to avoid making Zambians to expect their economic challenges resolved in a short period of time.
Mr Hichilema said the latest Euro Bond had been acquired at the rate of nine percent which he said was too high and that his government was going to source cheaper loans at the rate of three percent from which the country could save millions of dollars.
“The UPND is forward looking and we have already prepared our budget for next year and it is somewhere in the suitcase. We are going to run this country prudently and we are going to cut down on expenditure by reducing Cabinet. We are also going to reduce on foreign borrowing to save money that could be channeled to other economic sectors and prudently manage the country’s resources to the benefit of Zambians,” Mr Hichilema said.
Nigerian ‘Prophet’ T.B. Joshua’s prolonged public absence is not only raising concerns among his followers but severely damaging local business in the area where his church is situated.
The last time Joshua was seen in public was nearly three months ago at a ‘Miracle Crusade’ in Mexico City, allegedly attended by over 150,000 worshippers.
However, since his return to Nigeria, the cleric has uncharacteristically not appeared in any church service at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), all of which are broadcast live on Christian television channel ‘Emmanuel TV’.On June 7th 2015, Joshua released a statement via Facebook, stating, “I came back from the revival trip last week Saturday, waiting for God’s command on what to do next. I can’t wait to join you.”
However, almost two months down the line, which has seen the controversial conclusion of a coroner’s inquest into the tragic building collapse of a guesthouse within his church last year, there’s been nothing but silence.Last Sunday 26th July made it 12 consecutive weeks of absence.
It’s the first time in over 25 years of ministry that T.B. Joshua has missed a church service, barring foreign ministration and his arrest and 2 week incarceration by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over charges of drug-dealing in 1996, which were later dropped.A report by Nigeria’s Sunday Guardian newspaper chronicled the economic effects Joshua’s ‘disappearance’, coupled with the reduction in church services since the building collapse last year, has had on the local environment.
“If you come here on Sunday, you will find that a lot of shops are closed. There’s no more business,” a shop owner on the street close to the church lamented to The Guardian reporter, the welfare of most businesses in the area connected to the church’s fortunes.
“If you go there now (Ikotun-Egbe) and see the market, you will realise how bad things have become. If it were before, at this time, you would be seeing many people, foreigners, coming and going… Even those hotels – the workers are crying because people don’t come there again.”
“I think all you newsmen should come together and talk to this man and see what is happening,” a Nigerian cab operator angrily told The Guardian.
Outside the SCOAN courtesy Ihechukwu Njoku
“Programs have totally stopped. Foreigners don’t even see him on TV live. If they just see him on TV in the Sunday services, they will come. A lot of them bought their tickets. But there has been no prayer line,” he continued.
“We are just waiting and praying to God to make him restart the programs. The bitter fact is that there is nothing that can be done to stimulate business in this area. Without foreigners coming and injecting their resources, there is nothing, virtually nothing else to fall back on.”
A Muslim fabric trader in the region, Mrs Eyitayo, however, stated that the evolving events were ‘retribution’ for the selfish antics of local house owners who evicted many tenants in order to cash in the church’s popularity by converting their houses to hotels.
“The man (T.B. Joshua) is doing good but some people are doing bad because of the money they are seeing. When you drive tenants out, and they don’t have anywhere to go, some of them will cry to God. This thing that has happened will let them know that there is God.”
Eyitayo reminisced the time she regularly ordered new clothes from Dubai when visitors, especially foreigners, streamed en masse to the area to worship at the church.
“Two years ago, if you came here, you would think you were overseas because we traded in dollars,” she stated, bemoaning the regions recent drop in fortunes.
Engr. K. Y. Aminu, owner of Kaywy Lodge, a hotel along Segun-Irefin Street near The SCOAN, admitted that his customers were currently paying half-price.
“Business is zero,” he lamented. “I am partially closing down. The 10 rooms here are undergoing conversion,” he explained, adding that he was forced to reduce his staff due to inability to pay their wages.
According to The Guardian report, even international airlines are feeling the impact, as one of Nigeria’s foremost tourist destinations is passing through an uncannily ‘dry’ phase.Joshua’s supporters believe the pastor is in a period of ‘fasting and prayer’ but the call for him to reappear is certainly heightening, evidenced by various petitions on the cleric’s Facebook page.
“I know that when he eventually steps out, it will be with an explosion of prophetic fire,” a shop owner near the church in Lagos optimistically told the Guardian reporter, hoping that Joshua’s eventual re-emergence will revive the waning local economy.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) says Government’s appetite for borrowing will have its own future consequences.
EFZ Executive Pukuta Mwanza told QFM News in an interview that the EFZ is concerned that government does not want to listen to the advice from the people of Zambia with regards borrowing.
Reverend Mwanza said the fact that the borrowing limit was increased does not mean that government should borrow any time it feels like.
He said government has frequently been advised by the people of Zambia and the relevant stakeholders to borrow only for urgent needs and not anyhow.
[pullquote]the people who are borrowing now will not even be there when it is time to pay back the loans[/pullquote]
Rev Mwanza pointed out that the borrowing of US$1.25 billion Eurobond shows that government does not listen to its people and is doing things just as it wishes despite the people cautioning government on certain decisions.
He noted that much as the people of Zambia are in need of infrastructure development, borrowing is not the solution, but that some of the infrastructure projects can be funded using internal revenue.
He said what needs to be done is to strengthen the country’s internal revenue mechanisms, stating that the country cannot be surviving on borrowing.
Reverend Mwanza further said that what is even more worrying is that the people who are borrowing now will not even be there when it is time to pay back the loans, therefore being unfair to the young people who will have to pay back.
Police in Isoka District of Muchinga Province have arrested man of Nakatendo village for allegedly raping a 27 year old married woman after he pretended to be her husband.
The 20 year old Chileshe Chanda Bwalya an ex- convict who was sentenced and jailed for attempted murder was arrested over the weekend.
Police Commissioner for Muchinga, Auxensio Daka who confirmed the development to ZANIS today said the incident occurred on Saturday 25th July, 2015 around midnight.
Mr. Daka explained that the suspect pretended to be the husband to the named woman whose identity has been withheld.
He said Bwalya unemployed entered the dark house and went straight to bedroom where he allegedly had carnal knowledge with another man’s wife adding that by the time the woman realised it was not her husband, it was too late as the rapist had already finished his business and was preparing to leave.
As he was preparing to leave the woman realised that he was not her husband as her husband was still out.
The Regional Commissioner said Bwalya is currently in police custody waiting to appear in court soon.
The suspect is an ex- convict from Katombora where he served his sentence after attempting to kill his young sister.
Experienced Nkana defender Joseph Musonda says his struggling FAZ Super Division side must up their game in order to dodge the relegation battle.
Nkana are fifth from the bottom of the table with 19 points from 17 games.
Since rejoining Nkana last week, Musonda has featured in two matches that have ended in draws.
“I can’t say I am satisfied with our performance in the last two matches. We needed maximum points so we must work hard,” he said.
The Chipolopolo defender believes Nkana have the potential to start moving up the 16-team Super Division table.
“We have alot of work to do but in football everything is possible if you are working hard. We need to encourage the young players to work hard,” Musonda said.
Nkana have so far posted four wins, seven draws and six defeats.
The multiple league champions are just three points away from the relegation zone.
: L-R – FOREIGN Affairs Minister, Mr. Harry Kalaba shakes hands with Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu. Looking on is Tourism and Arts Minister, Ms. Jean Kapata, and out-going Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Muyeba Chikonde. This was during a visit to see the Archbishop at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg
CATHOLIC Archbishop of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu, who was admitted at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg for specialist treatment, returned home yesterday, saying he is “feeling on top of the world”.
A jovial Bishop Mpundu arrived in the country at about 15:00 hours aboard Kenya Airways.
The cleric said in an interview at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport that he is feeling better and further thanked the people who were praying for his quick recovery.
“I am feeling much better, I am feeling on top of the world. I was taken to South Africa because I was ill and I want to thank those that prayed for my quick recovery,” he said.
President Lungu instructed the evacuation of Bishop Mpundu to South Africa for specialist treatment following his admission to the University Teaching Hospital.
President Edgar Lungu in Livingstone
President Edgar Lungu has urged the people of Livingstone and Southern Province to count on him.
President Lungu said he also counted on the people of Southern province.
“All I can say is I am one of you, count on me and as I will count on you,” he said.
He said this on arrival at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport ahead of the official opening of the 59th Local Government Association of Zambia Annual General Meeting and 12th Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level (AMICAALL) at Chrisma Hotel.
Mr. Lungu was accompanied by his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda and Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya.
He was welcomed at the airport by Local Government Minister John Phiri, Local Government Service Commission Chairperson Christah Kalulu, Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu, Provincial Permanent Secretary Sibanze Simuchoba and other senior government and Patriotic Front party officials.
President Lungu pledged to meet with some stakeholders during his visit to discuss various issues saying dialogue was the essence of living together.
“If I’ll have a bit of time, I will chat with some of you on a number of issues. Dialogue is the essence of living together. The dynamics of life demand that people keep interacting,” he said.
Mr. Lungu said he was keen to officiate at the LGAZ AGM as it would give him an opportunity to meet local government leaders and to make some important pronouncements.
He further said in spite of loving Mongu, Solwezi, Chipata, Mansa and other provincial capitals, Livingstone was special and he would keep coming back.
“Livingstone is a special city and I will keep coming back, whether you like it or not, but am grateful that you like my coming here, I’ll come again,” he said.
Earlier, Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu said preparations were underway to confer President Lungu with the ‘Free man of the city’ status.
“We would like at the earliest possible time to recognise and honour you with the ‘Free man of the city’ status because you are the most travelled President to the city of Livingstone, than your predecessors,” he said.
Mr. Mubukwanu said Mr. Lungu’s regular visits showed his commitment and love for Southern Province and the city of Livingstone.
The Local Government Association of Zambia interacts with government at the highest level to provide policy direction to local government.
The Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) has clarified that Aluworks Industries Limited a company co-owned by Commerce Minister Margret Mwanakatwe and her husband Mupanga Mwanakatwe qualifies for economic empowerment as a citizens owned company under the CEEC Act no.9 OF 2006.
CEEC Public Relations and Communications manager Glenda Masebe has told Qfm news in a statement that the company got a loan of K945,000 (rebased) in 2009 from CEEC.
Ms. Masebe says Aluworks Industries LTD is among the 144 applicants whose loans were approved by the commission between 2008 and 2012,adding that the loan is still active on the CEEC loan book.
Ms. Masebe has also dismissed allegations suggesting that the commission has been giving loans to senior government officials and other people who are well to do at the expense of the poor Zambians.
She says the CEEC a transparent and professional loan approval system in place and that only eligible and bankable empowerment proposals are approved by the commission.
Ms Masebe adds that the commission has a policy in place to priotize empowerment funding to rural areas, women and youths.
[pullquote]“CEEC supports all citizens, hence the name. It is not just for the poor but all citizens to ensure that they take part in the economy.[/pullquote]
Ms. Masebe states that between 2013 to 2014 the commission approved 1,892 loans for targeted citizens valued at K108 million,with 92 percent of those loans benefiting rural applicants, 27 percent women and 35 percent youths.
Yesterday, Mrs Mwanakatwe said that Aluworks Industries borrowed funds from the Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) after presenting a bankable project.
The minister did not understand the motive of bringing a private matter into the public domain. She also dismissed assertions that there was political influence for the company to obtain the loan and that Aluworks, which she owns with her husband, Mupanga, borrowed from CEEC like any other company.
Aluworks Industries is specialised in making roofing sheets.
Mrs Mwanakatwe said Aluworks borrowed from CEEC to enter an industry that is primarily foreign-owned.
“This is many years ago, we are trying to get Zambians to be part of that industry. Aluworks Industries benefited from CEEC support and we are very grateful,” she said.
The minister said at the time the money was borrowed, she was not in the country and that it will be repaid in full.
“Circumstances are such that when you borrow money, it can take a bit of time to pay back, but this is a company that will pay back because these are public funds,” she said.
Mrs Mwanakatwe said there was no political influence at the time the money was borrowed and there will never be.
“CEEC supports all citizens, hence the name. It is not just for the poor but all citizens to ensure that they take part in the economy. The economy right now needs more and more Zambians to take part in its development,” the minister said.
Mrs Mwanakatwe said the money was borrowed five years ago and with it the company employs more than 40 locals.
“My submission is that I do not understand why all of sudden this is an issue and I am very surprised that the banker-borrower relationship is in the open because that is a very cardinal relationship. It is like you and your doctor; your doctor cannot share your information about you with the public,” she said.
She expressed concern on how her company’s borrowing money from CEEC is in the public
“It is obvious there is a challenge within me and CEEC and I have to deal with that,” she said.
Meanwhile the Zambian Voice has demanded that Commerce Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe pays back the money she owes or give a reliable commitment plan on how she will liquidate the loan sir gar other people can access the money.
[pullquote]I am very surprised that the banker-borrower relationship is in the open because that is a very cardinal relationship. It is like you and your doctor; your doctor cannot share your information about you with the public,” she said.[/pullquote]
Executive Director Chilufya Tayali says failure to do will prompt his organisation to report the case to the Anti Corruption Commission so that an investigation can be launched on how she and her husband acquired the loan and where the money went.
He says they are highly doubtful as an organisation that the money was borrowed with good intentions.
Mr Tayali adds that his organization is disappointed with the response of Mrs Mwanakatwe over the loan they got from CEEC, by refusing to take responsibility of the debt in the guise of corporate veil that it is the company that borrowed and the company will pay.
He states that companies do not exist in a vacuum,but are rather created by individuals who bear responsibility of liability depending n the circumstances.
Mr Tayali further argues that contrary to Mrs Mwanakatwe’s suggestion that she was not aware of the loan because she was out of the country,she acted together with her husband to obtain the loan from CEEC using the company in which she has shareholding of 60% to her husband’s 40%.
Mr Tayali adds that Mrs Mwanakatwe took full responsibility of the loan in question when she took over the running of the said company as evidenced in a letter she wrote to CEEC on 23rd January 2015 to CEEC which she signed as Managing Director.
The Lands Tribunal sitting in Ndola has opened thirty eight (38) cases for the tribunal to consider.
Registrar for Lands tribunal Michael Chisengele told ZANIS in an interview in Ndola today that the tribunal has received over one hundred cases but that only thirty eight will be considered.
Mr. Chisengele explained that apart from the thirty eight cases that the tribunal would consider others would not stand in court as they involved squatters who did not have the right papers.
He further explained that the cases that are prominent are to do with squatters who have no papers but are fighting to acquire the papers in order to have title to land.
He said most people think that they own land once they start living on a given piece of land but that there is a procedure on how to acquire land.
Mr. Chisengele said other cases involve land which is on title but not yet developed but offered to another person.
He said with such cases the one who has title on that piece of land should be given back the land or given an alternative.
Mr. Chisengele said a lot of people are not aware about the procedure to follow when acquiring land but that the tribunal was sensitizing people on how to acquire land using the right procedure.
The lands tribunal has officially commenced its sittings for Copperbelt province in Ndola today and will close the sittings on Friday July 31, 2015.
