Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) says it cannot lobby for the arrest and prosecution of the Bursary committee members for alleged corrupt practices due to lack of evidence.

TIZ Executive Director Goodwell Lungu told ZANIS in a telephone interview today that the local chapter of the international anti-corruption movement has not received evidence from the general public to pursue the matter.

Mr. Lungu said it was up to the general public to come forward and present evidence in order for TIZ to launch a campaign to hold the bursary committee accountable to the Zambian students and people.

He pointed out that his organisation’s advocacy and campaigns against corruption related issues were evidence based and as such can only pursue corruption charges once proof has been availed.

He said there was however need to have a transparent system that accounts for how the committee arrives at selecting students for bursary.

Mr. Lungu said the bursary scheme in its current format was susceptible to abuse because it lacks a clearly defined mechanism of selecting and awarding bursary to deserving students.

The bursary committee has recently come under fire from the public for allegedly failing to fairly administer bursaries to students at the University of Zambia (UNZA).

This alleged unfairness led to the death of a 19 year old first year student Musanka Mukwamba who committed suicide after being denied bursary.

The Ministry of Education has since announced that the bursaries committee will be transformed into a loans board that will manage the new loan scheme on a revolving fund basis.

Minister of Education John Phiri recently told the National Assembly that a total of K154.9 million was needed to sponsor all the 6,000 first year UNZA students.

Dr. Phiri attributed the bursary predicament to the introduction of new academic programmes and increased enrolment at the country’s highest learning institution.

KASAMA Central member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba has won an injunction restraining the Patriotic Front from expelling him.

Lusaka High Court Judge Nicola Sharpe-Phiri yesterday granted Mr Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, an interlocutory injunction pending the determination of the matter.

This is a matter in which Mr Mwamba had sued the PF secretary general restraining the party from expelling him from the ruling party.

Mr Mwamba who was Minister of Defence until December 2013 was allegedly expelled by the Northern Province PF executive committee pending confirmation of the ruling party’s central committee.

Following his resignation as Defence Minister after the differences he encountered with President Michael Sata over the newly enthroned Paramount Chief Chitimukulu, the ruling party in Northern Province decided to expel the Kasama legislature.

The PF provincial executive committee in Northern Province convened a disciplinary committee meeting without informing Mr Mwamba and recommended his expulsion from the ruling party.

Mr Mwamba argued that the purported charges for which he was allegedly suspended and eventually expelled from the party were never communicated to him and was not given the opportunity to be heard.

“I am of the view that Mr Mwamba would suffer a greater disadvantage if the injunction was not granted. Given all the facts in the matter, I find that this is a proper case to grant an injunction pending the determination of the main matter. The application for an injunction is therefore granted restraining the PF from expelling him from the party,” Judge Sharp-Phiri said.

Meanwhile, the Lusaka Magistrate yesterday rejected an application made by state prosecutor to adjourn the case in which the Kasama Central Member of Parliament was arrested for alleged assault.

The prosecution had applied to adjourn the case to December 9, this year.

When the matter came up for continued trial yesterday, the prosecution applied for an adjournment saying the complainant, Collins Mundai, was indisposed and could not make it to the court.

Magistrate Prince Mwiinga ruled that the case would commence today for continued trial. Mwamba is charged with one count of assault of Mr Mundai, who was operations manager at Arizona Marketing.

Magistrate Mwiinga warned that even if Mr Mundai did not come to court today, the case would proceed without him.

He said the complaint was not the only witness in the matter and that the state could start with other witnesses.

Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Leader Hakainde Hichilema has appealed to Members of Parliament to move a motion in parliament urging government to come up with a clear road map for the constitution making process.

And the UPND leader has maintained that there is a leadership vacuum in the country.

Addressing a media briefing in Lusaka this morning, Mr. Hichilema says it will be unacceptable to hold the 2016 general elections using the current outdated constitution.

Mr. Hichilema has accused new PF Secretary General Edgar Lungu of following in the footsteps of his predecessor Wynter Kabimba with regards the constitution making process.

The UPND leader says the PF government should stop speculating on the release of the final draft constitution but rather act on their promises.

And Mr. Hichilema says the country is in an emergency situation with regards the happenings at the University of Zambia (UNZA) main campus.

He says it is unfortunate that over 17, 000 students applied for admission at UNZA but only 14, 000 qualified and out of that only 6,000 were admitted and regrettably only 2,000 were awarded bursaries.

Mr. Hichilema states that government has up to now not given an appropriate response regarding the awarding of the bursaries to students.

Mr. Hichilema, who called for a moment of silence during the briefing for the first year student who committed suicide after being denied a bursary, says the blood of the student is on the heads of the PF leaders.

Kabwe Principal Resident Magistrate John Mbuzi has found a brother and sister facing incest charges with a case to answer and has put them on their defense.

Mr Mbuzi said the state prosecutor Jonathan Kazunga had gathered sufficient evidence to prove a case against the two.

This is in case where Maureen Musonda and Aaron Musonda of Makululu compound are facing two counts of incest, in count one incest by male contrary to Section 159(1) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence are that Aaron Musonda on dates unknown but between December, 2013 and February 27, 2014 in Kabwe knowing Maureen Musonda was his sister had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.In count two statement of offence incest by female contrary to section 159(1) of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence are that Maureen on dates unknown but between December 1, 2013 and February 27, 2014 in Kabwe knowing Aaron to be her brother permitted him to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her.

In defence Maureen denied that Aaron had canal knowledge of her adding that despite Aaron asking her for sex she refused to sleep with him.Maureen said she never shared a house with Aaron in Makululu and was surprised that one night Aaron knocked at her door and when she opened the door Aaron entered the house and demanded for sex.

She said after refusing to have sex with Aaron a fight erupted between the two and the neighbours called police officers who rushed to the house.

Meanwhile Aaron told court that he never met Maureen in Makululu and the two did not engage in any quarrel.

Last week Magistrate Mbuzi instituted a trail within trial to establish whether or not Aaron willingly and without intimidation admitted to the charge after Aaron told court that he was threatened by police officers to admit the charge or face beatings.

Aaron told court that police officers threatened to beat him up if he did not admit the charge adding that he was scared and admitted.During the trial within trial arresting Officer Margret Ngoma a police inspector at Kasanda Malombe police post in the Victim support Unit told court that on February 28, 2014 she took over the case of incest
that was reported by Charles Musonda uncle to the two accused.

Ms Ngoma told court that after interviewing Aaron he admitted to having had carnal knowledge of his sister as he did not know they were brother and sister at the time.She told court that Aaron was not intimidated neither was he forced to admit the charge as he was claiming.

Mr Mbuzi ruled that according to the evidence before court and the testimony from the state’s two witnesses it was clear that Aaron willingly admitted to the charge and court would proceed and the warn and caution would be used as evidence in court.

He has since set October 20, 2014 as date for submissions from the state and November 4, 2014 for judgment in the case and Aaron has been remanded in custody whilst Maureen’s bail has been extended.

The United Nations system in Zambia has pledged to build a strong partnership that will stimulate sustainable development at all levels across the country as the UN celebrates its 69th anniversary.

UN Zambia Communication Specialist Rekha Shrestha noted that throughout its 50 years of independence, Zambia has played an exemplary role as a responsible member state of the UN.

Ms. Shrestha said as Zambia celebrates its 50 years in the UN, all stakeholders must pledge to live up to the founding ideals enshrined in the UN charter and work together for peace, development and human rights.

She told ZANIS in Lusaka today that Zambia has made great progress in the past five decades and should be proud to have become a lower middle income nation and to have climbed up from the low to the medium category in the human development index.

Ms. Shrestha however stated that there remain serious inequalities and the next step is to make the development sustainable and equitable.

She said in the post 2015 sustainable development agenda, the core principle should be to ensure that no one is left behind in development.

A music concert with a theme ‘Zambia’s 50 years in the United Nations’, will be held on Saturday, October 11 at Levy Junction mall to mark UN day.

Musicians Maureen Lilanda and the Impact Band will perform to send a message of equality ‘Leaving No One Behind’ as the world moves from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

FORMER Agriculture and Livestock deputy minister Rodgers Mwewa and former Cabinet Office permanent secretary Anne Mwitwa Mwewa face arrest for abuse of authority.

Mr Mwewa, who is Patriotic Front Mwansabombwe Member of Parliament, was dropped by President Michael Sata as deputy minister last December with his Labour and Social Security counterpart Ronald Chitotela to facilitate their probe.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has since referred Mr Mwewa to the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA) for prosecution.

Mr Mwewa is alleged to have misapplied the Constituency Development Fund in Mwansabombwe by purchasing a second-hand motor vehicle to be used as an ambulance.

The ACC has also referred the abuse of authority of office case against the former permanent secretary at Cabinet Office in charge of administration Ms Mwewa to the NPA for consent to prosecute.

The European Union (EU) has committed 13.6 million Pounds (about K104 million) for supporting the public finance accountability and statistics.

Out of this amount, 3.2 million Pounds will go towards the National Assembly of Zambia capacity building programmes.

Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Mkhondo Lungu disclosed that the actual implementation of the EU funded three-year project commenced on September 1, 2014.

Mr. Lungu said experts have already made headways in preparing the inception report.

He said the project will among other things enhance the capability of the Public Accounts Committee to ensure that its recommendations and those of the Auditor General are systematically followed-up by the executive.

Mr. Lungu was speaking in Lusaka today during the official launch of the European Union supported project meant to strengthen parliament’s oversight role in public finance management.

And EU Head of Delegation to Zambia Gilles Hervio commended Zambia for being one of the countries with the strongest and uninterrupted parliamentary traditions in Africa.

Ambassador Hervio said the Zambian parliament was one of the longest functioning legislatures in Southern Africa.

He further noted that parliamentary scrutiny of public spending was a vital mechanism of a democratic system.

He said effective financial scrutiny ensures that governments are held accountable for their actions and fiscal policy decisions.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba said the European Commission was the largest provider of grant aid.

Mr. Yamba said in a speech read for him by public finance management project coordinator Mumba Chanda, that the EU was also providing substantial aid in the agriculture, roads, aviation, health and energy sectors.