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President Edgar Lungu has appointed Ms. Christah Ursula Kalulu as Chairperson of the Local Government Service Commission and Mr.Stephen Mubanga Chilatu as her deputy.
President Lungu in a statement released by his special assistance for press and public relations Amos Chanda said he hopes that Ms. Kalulu’s distinguished service in the public sector as Lusaka District Commissioner and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Housing will spur her to deliver effectively in her new role.
Mr Chilatu’s public service in local government includes his tenure as Lusaka Mayor.
The other members appointed to the Commission are Mr. Mwase Lungu, Mrs Maggie Sombo Chinyama Kapihya and Ms.Bridget Nyau Sule.
The appointments are pursuant to the provisions of Section 90 of the Local Government Act, Chapter 281 of the Laws of Zambia as amended by the Local Government No. 6 of 2010.
Richard Kapita with President Edgar Lungu and Kaizah Zulu at Mwinlunga Boma
President Edgar Lungu has directed all Members of Parliament to return to their constituencies and lead awareness campaigns for people to obtain national registration cards (NRCs). President Lungu says all MPs must ensure that they lead the mobilization of all eligible persons to register for NRCs in order for them to be able to register as voters later this year. In a statement released by his special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda, the President said before Parliament resumes its sittings on June 16,2015, he will take special interest in monitoring the performance of MPs in the awareness creation campaigns in their respective constituencies.
“It is a civic responsibility for every citizen to vote and one can only vote if one has obtained their national registration card. It is even a greater responsibility for MPs as elected officials to ensure that they mobilize people to register as voters. It is particularly important especially for PF MPs to undertake this assignment as a mandatory obligation,” the Head of State said.
Zanaco coach Mumamba Numba says the Bankers are still in the race to win the FAZ Super Division title despite surrendering the top spot to Zesco United after a 1-1 draw away at Nkana on Saturday.
Numba’s side are now two points behind leaders Zesco who beat National Assemly 1-0 in Lusaka to increase their tally to 20 points.
“I think the race is still on,” he said.
“All we need is to work hard so that we are focused and at the end of the season we see who is going to win the league,” Numba said.
Unbeaten Zesco are the league defending champions.
“I think I have a side that can challenge Zesco to win the league,” he said.
Zanaco are now focusing on their midweek scheduled home game against Mufulira Wanderers in Lusaka.
“We need to work hard in the next game against Mighty on Wednesday,” Numba added.
FAZ vice President Boniface Mwamelo says Football House expects Zambia to retain the Cosafa Castle Cup.
The 2015 Cosafa Cup kicked off on Sunday in South Africa and Zambia will only enter the fray on Sunday with a quaterfinal clash against the winners of Group A which has Zimbabwe, Namibia, Seychelles.
Zambia are on bye from the preliminary group stage.
“Obviously, being defending champions our expectations are that the national team will be able to rise to the occasion and reclaim the title,” Mwamelo said.
“As defending champions we will be a team to beat and we expect stiff competition,” he said.
Mwamelo said the 20-member team coach Honour Janza is taking to South Africa was formidable.
The squad has seven foreign based players amongst them Kennedy Mweene, Nathan Sinkala, Evans Kangwa, Aaron Katebe and Emmanuel Mbola.
“The team which the coach has picked is equal to the task and they should be able to do the country proud,” Mwamelo said.
The Cosafa Cup was last staged in 2013 when Zambia hosted and won the regional competition to tie on a record four titles with Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, Zambia is scheduled to leave for South Africa on Wednesday.
Victim of KCM’s water pollution receives death threats and harassment on behalf of KCM following guilty verdict.
Claimants angry that justice is still not served following Supreme Court decision to reduce $2 million (K10 billion) damages to almost zero in controversial judgement.
Evidence of bribery, corruption and major irregularities throughout judicial process.
On 2nd April the Supreme Court of Zambia upheld a precedent High Court verdict that Vedanta subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) is guilty of major water pollution which turned the Kafue into a river of acid in 2006 and poisoned thousands of people, some of who have suffered long term impacts to their liver, kidneys and other functions. But the $2 million compensation originally awarded by the High Court to 2001 victims who self organised to sue KCM, has been reduced to virtually nothing, denying them their long due justice.
Now lead claimant James Nyasulu has been receiving threats and harassment from agents working on behalf of KCM, telling him not to fight this multinational company, which has connections in the judiciary. Nyasulu and the committee of claimants have evidenced multiple incidents of procedural irregularities, bribery and corruption during their nine year struggle for legal redress:
When victims went with their families to local clinics and hospitals (many sponsored by Vedanta) in November 2006 after drinking contaminated water, they were unable to get medical reports as staff feared they would be dismissed. This was noted in the 2011 High Court judgement but ignored in the recent Supreme Court verdict, which only granted the 12 out of 2001 claimants who had medical reports any possibility of damages, leaving 1,989 victims with nothing.
The claimant’s first lawyer, Kelvin Bwalya (KBF Associates), was initially employed by them when he occupied a very small office, with one vehicle, in the back streets of Lusaka. Several years after taking their case he had inexplicably amassed a fleet of 12 new cars, and moved to large offices and residence in the centre of the capital city. They reported these discrepancies to the court which recused him on grounds of corruption in 2009.
One of the three judges on the bench of the first Supreme Court hearing on 3rd June 2014 in Ndola, was former KCM lawyer Albert Wood.This major conflict of interest should have admitted to the Chief Justice by Justice Wood according to Zambian law, but was only addressed due to the intervention of the claimants, after which he was removed from the bench.
KCM’s lawyers Nchito and Nchito abandoned the case before 3rd February 2015, and KCM instructed Malombo and Malombo in their place, who wrote letters to the claimant’s lawyer Mr K Shepande, advising him of a false date for Supreme Court hearing (6th Feb instead of 5th Feb). However Malombo and Malombo were never been appointed before court or had their documents stamped and filed, though they appeared in court for KCM on 2nd April. Instead, the final judgement again named Nchito and co as KCM’s advocates.
Following the 2nd April Supreme Court verdict, a printed version of the judgement was not released until 6th May 2015, during which time Mr Nyasulu waited in Lusaka, periodically camping in the office of the Chief Justice to demand access to the delayed judgement, as he could not afford another expensive journey from Chingola in the Copperbelt to the capital city. During this period Nyasulu received many death threats and threatening calls telling him not to fight KCM.
Nine years after the pollution occurred twenty two of the original 2001 claimants have now died, some from liver and kidney damage potentially caused by the poisoned water. The rest fear they will never get real justice before they also pass away. Other local people have experienced miscarriages and other birth problems. James Nyasulu from Chingola, lead claimant in the case, who worked for ZCCM from 1987 until 2000, says:
“I know about mining processes and the processes Vedanta use are very different to ZCCM. Yes, ZCCM still polluted but they released very small amounts. Vedanta is polluting with impunity and on a much larger scale and it is still happening all the time. When the water goes off for 2 or 3 days then you know there has been pollution. All those people who drink from the Kafue – from Chililabombwe to Lusaka – they have drunk polluted water at least once. The diseases those industrial chemicals cause cannot even be treated in our hospitals, but the government is not thinking of that.”
London based solidarity group Foil Vedanta claim that disregard for domestic laws and for human and ecological life, and reliance on bribery and corruption is typical of KCM’s parent company Vedanta:
Vedanta has repeatedly been accused of bribery and corruption in India. In Puri, Odisha, the company’s attempts to acquire 10,000 acres of land for a corporate university were heavily aided by the state. Several weeks ago former, Chief Secretary of Odisha, B K Patnaik, who helped push the scheme, left his government employment to become President of the University project.During the Forest Bench hearing of the case challenging Vedanta’s now banned Niyamgiri mine in 2009, Justice S H Kapadia and senior counsel Harish Salve admitted they were shareholders of Sterlite, but were allowed to continue in the case nonetheless.7
Vedanta’s large donations to the two main Indian political parties between 2004 and 2012 were ruled as illegal by the Delhi High Court in March 2014.8
In 2009 Vedanta’s iron mining subsidiary Sesa Goa Western Cluster Ltd, obtained a 1 billion tonne iron ore reserve in Liberia, for just $123.5 million (a fraction of its true value) in a abnormal deal with Israeli company Elenilto.9
In Rajasthan, India Vedanta bought state company Hindustan Zinc Limited for £64 million in 2002 (valued by BNP Paribas), against a true value of £2.5 billion.10 Their current attempt to buy the remaining 30% government shares is being opposed in the Indian Supreme Court.11
People in Kalabo’s Liuwa area are surviving on ‘grass’ due to severe hunger that has hit the area.
Speaking on behalf of the other community members, a senior citizen Nalwalwa Simangolwa of Munde village told ZANIS that Sibeni and Munde villages ran out of food due poor rainfall experienced in the area.
Mr Simangolwa said villagers were at first feeding on fish but the waters in the lagoons have since dried up.
He lamented that the drying up of the water in ponds had left them with no option but to feed on wheat like grass traditionally known as Bucuani .
Mr. Simangolwa appealed to government under the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to assist the area with relief before an outbreak of malnutrition.
The senior citizen, who travelled for over 60 kilometres to reach Kalabo Boma area to ask for assistance from the District Commissioner’s office, was optimistic that government would send relief to the affected areas soon.
Recently District DMMU chairperson Mwiya Inambao who is also Acting District Commissioner said 4500 by 50 kilograms of maize had been allocated for Kalabo District in the first phase and that the transporter would transport the maize into the District soon to alleviate the hunger situation.
The Tribunal constituted to probe suspended Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mutembo Nchito for his alleged misconduct and abuse of office has thrown out all preliminary issues that Nchito raised.
The Tribunal led by chairperson and former Chief Justice Annel Silungwe has also ruled that the proceedings of the tribunal which commence this afternoon will be held in Camera.
The Annel Silungwe led Tribunal had previously failed to commence its formal sittings because Mr Nchito had raised preliminary issues among them the demand that former Chief Justices Mathew Ngulube and Ernest Sakala recuse themselves.
Mr Nchito had also claimed that the tribunal was incompetent because some of the terms of references were allegedly lifted from a letter civil rights activist Brebner Changala wrote to President Lungu petitioning him to constitute a tribunal to investigate Mr Nchito.
Delivering ruling on the three preliminary issues raised by Mr Nchito, Justice Anel Silungwe announced that the two judges do not need to recuse themselves.He said there is absolutely no merit for the two judges to recuse themselves saying Justice Sakala and Justice Ngulube will not recuse themselves because the facts presented before the tribunal do not pose a real danger of biasness. Justice Silungwe said Mr. Nchito is relying on scanty and disjointed facts to ask Judges to recuse themselves.
Justice Silungwe also announced that the hearings will be held in camera not in public in order to protect members of the tribunal and witnesses.The chairperson ruled that Nchito needed to prove that there was not going to be any justice if the tribunal was held in camera. Since he could not prove it, the tribunal will commence hearing in camera.
He also ruled that there is nothing irregular with the President as the appointing authority amending the Terms of Reference for the tribunal saying he can amend the Terms of Reference as he wishes.He said the President has powers to change the Terms of Reference at any given time.
The tribunal Chairman also took a swipe at some sections of the media over the manner in which proceedings of the tribunal have been covered saying they have been taking sides.
He said some members of the tribunal have set up parallel tribunals which might injure the integrity of tribunal members and witnesses.
Justice Silungwe also stated that the tribunal has a duty to serve and protect the office of the DPP adding that the office of DPP does not start and end with Mr Nchito.
Anti Corruption Commission Chairperson Justice Timothy Kabalata has disclosed that the Board of Commissioners has concluded that there are no valid reasons for Commission Director General Rosewin Wandi to step down.
This follows a letter to Mrs. Wandi written by National Revolution Party President Cosmo Mumba who threatened to carry out countrywide demonstrations if Mrs Wandi does not step down.
Mr Mumba demanded that Mrs. Wandi steps down for allegedly leaking classified information, inconsistency and incompetence, selectivity and bias in investigations, failure to realize role to probe corruption case and that the Commission has now become a scarecrow to the public.
But Justice Kabalata disclosed that the Board of Commissioners has considered the allegations as, not only a personal attack on Mrs. Wandi but also an assault on the Board and the entire ACC.
He said the Director-General is a professional of high integrity and the Board has very high regard and confidence in her leadership and management of the affairs of the Commission.
Justice Kabalata said the Commission is conscious of the need to safeguard national security and will ensure that this is upheld at all times adding that the alleged leakage of classified information to the media is currently being investigated by the Zambia Police Service.
‘Therefore we do not understand the basis upon which Mr. Mumba made the conclusion that the leakage came from the Commission and the Director-General in particular,’ Justice Kabalata said.
He said the Director-General and the management team of the Commission have remained consistent and competent in the discharge of the Commission’s mandate.
‘The Commission will not be intimidated by any person or groups of persons with intent to distract the Commission from performing its functions professionally. It will continue to investigate all credible allegations that are brought to its attention with the view of establishing the commission or non-commission of an offence,’ he said.
He has since urged members of the public to employ various strategies to tackle corruption in both private and public and these strategies cover the Churches, NGOs, Government Ministries and Departments as well as parastatal institutions.
‘The Board wishes to reiterate that it has all the confidence in the Commission’s men and women, under the leadership of the Director-General Mrs Rosewin Wandi and calls upon all members of staff to remain vigilant and focused in their duties,’ he said.
‘The Board is confident that the Commission will continue to discharge its mandate as by law provided and will not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority. The threat made by Rev. Mumba for country-wide demonstrations in order to have the Director-General out of office is both uncalled for and highly irresponsible.’
Justice Kabalata said the Board of Commissioners has concluded that there are no valid grounds to cause Mrs. Wandi to resign adding that the culture of intimidating public officials and institutions especially those diligently performing their duties should come to an end.
‘Mr. Mumba’s has accused the Commission of being “a scarecrow to the public”. On the contrary, the Commission does not exist to intimidate or scare anyone. Rather, it exists to diligently discharge its duties in the public interest. Therefore every well-meaning and law abiding citizen should have no cause to fear the Commission but rather support it in the discharge of its functions.’
After defeating international terrorist Owen Shaw, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew have separated to return to more normal lives. However, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Owen’s older brother, is thirsty for revenge. A slick government agent offers to help Dom and company take care of Shaw in exchange for their help in rescuing a kidnapped computer hacker .
PROS
Excellent well executed action sequences
Good send off for Paul walker , one of the main actors in the franchise , who tragically died in an automobile accident.
CONS
The movie takes a long time to really get started . The first 30 minutes is basically wasted in a poor attempt of character development .
Some of the dialogue is cringe worthy . Especially the banter between Ludacris (Tej) and Tyrese’s(Roman) characters. .
The addition of random celebrities to play small roles added nothing to the plot of the movie and were more of distractions .
FAVOURITE QUOTES
Dominic Toretto: I don’t have friends, I’ve got a family.
Luke Hobbs: Daddy’s gotta go to work
Luke Hobbs: Woman, I am the cavalry!
CONCLUSION
If I had to summarise Fast and Furious 7 in one word , it would be disappointing . Don’t get me wrong, this movie is jam packed with dazzling action sequences, impressive stunts , fast cars ,exotic locations , hot girls . What is missing is a cohesive story line . The plot is completely disjointed. In the previous instalments of the Fast and Furious franchise , the characters had a clearly defined mission . In this one the mission felt like an after thought after all the ridiculous and implausible, yet undeniably entertaining, action scenes .
Lions and leopards play a key part in the maintaining of ecosystems and weather patterns beyond what we and specifically our elected officials in government can comprehend.
Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth,” a review paper that was published on July 15, 2011, in the journal Science, concluded that the decline of large predators and herbivores in all regions of the world is causing substantial changes to Earth’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The paper claims that the loss of apex consumers(big cats wolves etc) from ecosystems “may be humankind’s most pervasive influence on nature.”
This paper documents some of the negative effects that the widespread loss of these animals has already had on Earth’s biosphere, climate, biodiversity, and vegetation.
Of relevance to Zambia is the papers’ finding that the reduction of lions and leopards from areas of sub-Saharan Africa caused the baboon population to swell. This unexpectedly increased transmission of intestinal parasites from baboons to humans as the primates were forced to forage closer to human settlements.
The following video shows how the re-introduction on wolves had an impact on the rivers in the Yellowstone national park in the US.
Lusaka Province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga
LUSAKA police commissioner Charity Katanga has said United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema breached the Public Order Act and a docket was opened hence he was requested through his lawyers to write a letter of undertaking.
A letter of under taking is a pledge or promise to the police to admit that a wrong was committed and that next time the law shall be followed.
Last week Mr Hichilema during his door to door visits went to Kamwala market where it is alleged that a fracas ensured between UPND and PF cadres.
Mr Hichilema yesterday was interviewed by Kabwata police officer for over an hour.
Hichilema’s lawyer Jack Mwiimbu who is also UPND Monze Central Member of Parliament (MP) told journalists after the interview that they had a cordial discussion with the police and had resolved the matter.
“We have made headways with the police, we have agreed that from now onwards we will be working with the police to ensure that the POA is operated in accordance with the law of this country,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
He said the police would be informed accordingly on how the party would proceed with meetings and would be notifying police whenever they have a meeting.
Ms Katanga said in a separate interview that Mr Hichilema and his lawyers were instructed to make an undertaking that they would abide by the POA.
“So they have gone back to the office to write the letter of undertaking which would be under the hand of the lawyers, the president and the secretary general of the party and would be submitted here at Kabwata Police by 14:00 today,” Ms Katanga said.
Ms Katanga said there should be a distinction between merely going to the market to buy goods and interacting with the people in a procession as a political party leader.
“There is no need to notify the police if a political party leader is going to the market to buy goods but if he is moving in a procession interacting with the people and politicking then there is need to notify the police because that is as good as campaigning,” she said.
“People should not mock the police that because they are public figures then they should get a permit when going to buy vegetables at market, there is nothing wrong with just visiting a market but if you start politicking there and holding meeting then that is a problem,” she said.
Ms Katanga added that Mr Hichilema was wrong and that a docket was opened for him and police were just waiting for the letter of undertaking of which if not taken to the police, the law enforcers can then move in to arrest Mr Hichilema.
MOOMBA United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament (MP) Highvie Hamududu has advised President Edgar Lungu to live up to the expectation of being the best president Zambia has ever had because he is young with fresh ideas.
Mr Hamududu said President Lungu is different from other presidents that Zambia has had hence he should not be trapped into making decisions that made other presidents unpopular.
“President Lungu is a young president who can make a difference in Zambia but he should be careful with people who are surrounding him if he has to succeed as the best president,” Hamududu said.
The lawmaker added that the people surrounding the president just want to eat and if he loses elections next year, they will run away from him.
Mr Hamududu said in an interview that he doesn’t mind working with president Lungu as long as he approaches his party president Hakainde Hichilema that he wants to work with the UPND MPs rather than poaching them.
“I can work with Mr Lungu as long as he approaches my president that he wants some of us to work with him and help him succeed and move the country forward,” he said.
“We want Lungu to succeed and move this country forward because he is different from these other leaders that we’ve had but it is not right for him to be advised by people who just want to eat and move away, he should be careful and continue being humble as we knew him before he became president.”
Richard Kapita with President Edgar Lungu and kaizah Zulu at Mwinlunga Boma
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has said, though, the resignation of its party vice president Richard Kapita, is an individual democratic right, such decisions, however, have potential to influence other members to join the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).
Mr Kapita, who defected to PF at a rally addressed by President Edgar Lungu in Mwinilunga on Saturday, said he decided to join the ruling party because Mr Lungu inspired him as he wanted to work with all those that wanted to develop Zambia.
Mr Kapita was one of the founding members of the UPND in 1998 and he was Mwinilunga Member of Parliament on the party ticket.
Reacting to Mr Kapita’s defection, UPND Southern Province Information and Publicity Secretary Rudolph Phiri said the opposition party had lost a valuable individual voter.
In an interview yesterday, he said, Mr Kapita, having been a senior party official and one a founder member, his decision to defect from UPND could entice other party members to follow suit.
“You know, losing a party individual whatever status, it means a vote has been lost already. Yes, we have lost a voter as a party but we not the party at large,” he said.
Mr Phiri said that Mr Kapita’s individual democratic right could also attract a few UPND members at grassroot level such as those that were close to him to defect.
He cited some party members from North-Western Province where Mr Kapita had commanded a larger follower of members at the time he was MP for Mwinilunga.
He, however, said joining politics was an individual decision because every party member regardless of the party affiliation had the right to join a party of choice.
“Every person has a democratic right to join any party of choice and Mr Kapita felt that time has now come for him to join PF because it’s his individual right to do so,” he said.
Chief Mpezeni with Mwata Kazembe
PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni People of Eastern Province has called for quick completion of the tarring works on the Chipata-Chadiza and Chipata-Vubwi roads under the Link Zambia 8,000 Road Project.
Chief Mpezeni said yesterday that it was disappointing that the tarring of the road networks was dragging due to erratic funding from Government.
“Let the contractors speed up the construction of these roads networks because I am aware the construction of the roads has been dragging due to lack of payments from the Government side,”he said.
The paramount chief said he would ensure that he lobbied for the speedy construction of the roads network.
And China Jiangxi International Corporation (CJIC) Limited project manager Lin Ning and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) project manager Yimo Wang have stated that payment was the big issue facing their construction companies.
“The biggest issue why the project is not moving is payment,”Mr Ning stated.
Mr Wang said that his company was still waiting for the payment from the Government in order to hurry-up the construction works of the road project.
A fortnight ago, Parliamentary Committee on Estimates led by Bwengwa UPND Member of Parliament Highvie Hamududu assured the contractor of payments.
This was after the parliamentary committee had expressed satisfaction of the road project which China State is doing.
In 2013, Government awarded CSCEC a contract for the rehabilitation of major roads feeding into Chadiza District at a cost of K713, 114,097.33 while CJIC was awarded the contract for the tarring of the Chipata-Vubwi-Chadiza road at a cost of over K529, 047,638.88.
According to Status update, CJIC were supposed to complete the tarring works on Chipata-Vubwi-Chadiza road by 15th February this year while China State was expected to complete the road project on Chipata-Chadiza-Katete by 15th January this year.
A DRIVER of Ticklays Coach Service has died while 33 passengers sustained injuries after the bus on which they were travelling collided with a truck laden with copper concentrates on the Kitwe-Chingola road.
Copperbelt deputy commissioner of police Byemba Musole said yesterday that the accident happened on Sunday around 20:40 hours.
Mr Musole identified the deceased as Augustine Phiri of Lusaka’s Chelston.
He said the accident happened opposite the Food Reserve Agency depot in Chambishi.
“Mr Phiri suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to Kitwe Central Hospital where he died,” Mr Musole said.
He said 25 out of the 33 injured passengers were treated and discharged.
