MINEWORKERS Union of Zambia (MUZ) president Nkole Chishimba has won the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) presidency by a landslide margin after beating Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) leader Davies Chiyobe.

Mr Chishimba drew 193 votes against Mr Chiyobe’s 99 votes in elections whose results were announced at 02:00 hours yesterday.

Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) president Newman Bubala was elected ZCTU first deputy president after polling 272 votes while National Energy Sector and Allied Workers Union (NESAWU) president Manson Mtambo became ZCTU second deputy president after polling 139 votes against Meat and Grain Workers Union president Blake Mulala who got 119 votes.

Former ZCTU deputy secretary general Cosmas Mukuka scooped the secretary general position with 235 votes against Judiciary and Allied Workers Union of Zambia president Peter Mwale who got 56 votes.

And Mr Chishimba has appealed to Government to address the plight of workers, arguing that there is no strong economy with a poorly paid working class.

Mr Chishimba also urged Government to address the plight of workers at TimesPrintpak, who have gone without salaries for four months.

He also commended the Patriotic Front (PF) top officials for reconciling.

Closing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security Rayford Mbulu said Government is committed to working with the union to ensure a productive labour force that will grow the economy.

Outgoing ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba called for unity to ensure the new leaders succeed in pushing forward the agenda of the Zambian worker.

And Zambia Federation of Employers president Tyson Chisambo has urged the labour movement to be flexible in negotiating for better conditions of service so as not to make Zambia an unattractive investment destination for employment creation.

Mr Chisambo urged the labour movement to champion social dialogue on labour markets with stakeholders.

“Your role should not be seen in negotiating for better conditions of employment for those already in employment but also make a positive contribution towards creation of jobs in the country by making workable proposals and also not make the cost of labour very high,” he said.

Meanwhile, ZCTU Livingstone chairperson Maybin Kashumba has called on Government to urgently domesticate the new law that criminalises casualisation of labour, which he said has engulfed the tourism industry in Livingstone.

Mr Kashumba challenged Government to also start grading hotels and lodges, as knowing the status of these institutions has a lot of benefits to both Government and unions.

And Friedrich Ebert Stiftung resident director Hemut Elischer has implored the labour movement to ensure workers’ rights are fully safeguarded and well-represented.

Mr Elischer urged ZCTU to continue playing an active role in policy formulation and offering checks and balances to Government.

FORMER MMD secretary-general Muhabi Lungu has described his expulsion and that of his deputy Chembe Nyangu as null and void and vowed to challenge it in court.

MMD president Nevers Mumba on Friday expelled Mr Lungu and Mr Nyangu, saying he had no choice because it would be very difficult to work with them.

“Dr Mumba, who was reinstated as MMD president, has no powers to expel me and revoking the nominations of the national executive committee (NEC) members,” Mr Lungu said.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Lungu said Dr Mumba should be cited for fraud because of illegally obtaining a certificate of adoption he presented to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Mr Lungu, who maintained that he is still MMD secretary-general, said that the Supreme Court ruling only reinstated Dr Mumba as MMD president but did not make him MMD presidential candidate for the January 20 election.

He also said that it is wrong to insinuate that the MMD has endorsed United Party for National Development (UPND) presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Lungu said the MMD NEC will hold a meeting tomorrow to determine which of the presidential candidates that have so far filed their nominations to support.

He said that as the situation stands, the MMD has not chosen any candidate to support until a NEC meeting is held.

Mr Lungu said it is also not true that some MMD members of Parliament (MPs) have endorsed Mr Hichilema.

Meanwhile, NEC has apologised to former President Rupiah Banda after the Supreme Court could not rule in his favour for him to be the MMD presidential candidate.

Mr Lungu said Mr Banda should not be demonised after the court ruling because it was not his plan to contest the presidential election but the wish of NEC and other MMD members.

The opposition MMD President Nevers Mumba has advised his fellow politicians not to use the recognition of Henry Kanyanta Sosala as paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba speaking people as a tool for their campaigns.

Addressing a rally in Kasama District in Northern Province this afternoon, Dr. Mumba says it is unfortunate that most of the political parties are using the recognition of Mr. Sosala as a way of getting into State House.

Dr. Mumba states that there is need for politicians to engage in meaningful campaigns and not use issues that they cannot fulfill.
And Dr. Mumba has urged the people of Zambia not to vote for the PF for failing to pay farmers up to this time.

He wonders how most farmers will buy their farming inputs when government has delayed to pay them.

He has assured them that he will fight for them until they are paid all their dues so that they adequately prepare for this farming season.

Katete District Patriotic Front Chairperson, Joseph Duma Makukula, says the Patriotic Front (PF) party has greater chances of scooping Eastern province during the January 20, 2015 Presidential polls.

Mr Makukula told ZANIS in an interview that his party has proved beyond reasonable doubt its capacity to develop Zambia and uplift the lives of the people.

He boasted that in the three years the PF has been in power, it has done many projects aimed at uplifting living stands of people across the country.

In pointing out some of the major projects undertaken by the Patriotic Front government, Mr Makukula said Katete, despite being an old district, did not have a good water source but today the district has seen the construction of a dam and water treatment plant with various urban and rural roads being worked on.

He said because of this people have no reason to change government but to allow the PF to continue its developmental course.

Commenting on the defection of former Patriotic Front Provincial Chairperson, Lameck Managani, and Former Mkaika Member of Parliament, David Phiri, to the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), Mr Makukula said the two have done great justice to the PF as they were not a factor in any way.

Mr Makukula lamented that Mr Mangani and Mr Phiri were given a chance by the patriotic Front but failed to work for the people.

He said the two were in politics for personal gain and not serving the people of Zambia.

The PF district chairperson said people should not mind the two as they have proved to be inconsistent and undecided through their acts of changing political parties like clothes.

He noted that it was unfortunate that people like Mr Mangani and Mr Phiri have kept on using people in order to enrich themselves at the expense of voters.

Mr Makukula has since urged people in Katete district to vote for the Patriotic Front Candidate during the January 20 Presidential elections for continued development.

He added that changing government will affect the development that the Patriotic Front (PF) government has embarked on.

Yesterday, Katete Patriotic Front leaders held a meeting to intensify its campaigns ahead of the January, 2015 Presidential polls.

Thank you to everyone who showed up for our rally in Freedom Park, Kitwe yesterday. Together with my colleagues and alliance partners including Former First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa, Lunte MP Felix Mutati, Former Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, ADD President Charles Milupi, UPND Chairperson Mutale Nalumango, UPND Vice President Dr Canisius Banda and Independent Lubansenshi MP Patrick Mucheleka, we addressed the crowds.Today there will be rallies in Mufulira and Ndola as we continue to campaign on the Copperbelt.

Every time I visit the Copperbelt I am always struck by the fact that despite the wealth the region is home to, many people are struggling, from youths who can’t find work or access the right training opportunities, to retired miners who do not have sufficient means to support themselves and their families in their old age. Then there are issues like bad sanitation that affect everyone, no matter how old or young they are, and have knock on impacts for health in particular.

Over the past few weeks we have set out an ambitious agenda to address these problems and for moving Zambia forward. I believe this is achievable, but we can only make this happen if we have better economic management by government.

We need to get serious about the economy if we want to have money to improve sanitation, build more roads and invest in education and healthcare all at the same time. We need a government that understands that and is ready for action.

It doesn’t make sense to me that there is currently so much government waste while at the same time we are lacking money to invest in our country and our people.

We can stop this waste by slimming down government, and ensuring that people are appointed based on merit and professionalism, not connections or relationships. We can also cut down on waste by awarding government contracts through open procedures whereby the contractor is selected on the basis of best value for money; by investing in sectors that will in turn deliver growth; and by making intelligent deals with investors. Finally, we can cut waste by stopping this trend of by-election after by-election.

A critical part of this is making sure we are smarter about how we use our natural resource wealth and what deals we make with investors. Firstly, we need to make sure we are always receiving enough in return for the extraction of our natural resources in terms of jobs, revenues and investment. Secondly government needs to use the revenues it collects from the mines to invest in areas that will improve the general living conditions of the Zambian people, such as sanitation, education and healthcare.

The resources and potential are here beneath our feet. It we don’t get serious about better economic management soon then not only will we fail to meet our great potential, but the Zambian economy will remain dependent on debt and vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices such as copper.

Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President

HE United Party for National Development (UPND) has pledged to firmly use Government resources to profusely improve the living standards of Zambians once elected on January 20.

UPND vice president Richard Kapita said that party president Hakainde Hichilema had a greater passion to improve the living standards of all Zambians hence need for them to vote for him.

He said UPND through its comprehensive developmental agenda, once elected in next month’s presidential election, Mr Hichilema would work harder to uplift the lives of all Zambians.

Addressing scores of people during a rally at Lusumpuko House grounds in Choma at the weekend, Mr Kapita assured the people of Southern Province of massive developmental projects in the area.

“Once Mr Hichilema is elected, his preoccupation won’t be to steal money, or build houses for himself, he will work for you the people of Zambians to improve your lives,” Mr Kapita said.

He said that Mr Hichilema would among other tasks, improve the agriculture sector by ensuring that UPND deliver abundant farming inputs such as fertilizer and seeds to farmers on time.

He said Mr Hichilema had already been accepted by many Zambians across the country because of his visionary leadership to ensure the lives of people were drastically improved.

He said it was for the reason that more than 20 Members of Parliament from MMD had resolved to endorse and campaign for Mr Hichilema because of his creative leadership for Zambia.

UPND Choma Central Constituency Member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa was happy that people in the province were geared to collectively vote for Mr Hichilema as president.

Others in attendance at the rally include Pemba Member of Parliament Mutinta Mazoka, her Mbala and Dundumwezi counterparts Ephraim Bbelemu and Edgar Sing’ombe respectively.

National Revolutionary Party president, Cosmo Mumba, has withdrawn from the Presidential race for the January 20, 2015 elections.

Mr Mumba, who was accompanied by his wife and a handful of supporters, told journalists at the Supreme Court that he had withdrawn from contesting next year’s Presidential elections because he was still mourning late President, Michael Sata, who was his mentor.

Mr Mumba said since he was not ready to stand in the 2015 elections he will rally behind the PF Presidential candidate, Edgar Lungu, and join the team in campaigning for him.

He disputed past reports that he withdraws from Presidential races because he fails to raise the required nomination fee.

Mr Mumba boasted that he was rich and cannot fail to pay the K10 000 which was required for him to file his nomination papers.

He told journalists while holding some batches of money in his hands that he had the money for his nominations and has since donated a K15 000 to the PF secretariat to support the party in the campaigns.

And Mr Mumba has thanked Acting President, Guy Scott, for having reconciled with the PF Presidential candidate, Edgar Lungu.