A 75-Year ex- prisoner Davies Mwaba has submitted to the legal and justice Sector Reforms Commission that all prisons in Zambia be turned into skills training centre so that convicts can acquire skills and income while in prison.

Dr. Mwaba who was incarcerated during the liberation of Zambia and after independence observed that the country under-utilized human resource by keeping prisoners confined instead of teaching them skills and utilizing them to work on infrastructural projects.

Dr. Mwaba noted that most of the projects that are being done by Chinese contractors can also be done by prisoners once they are empowered with skills.

Dr. Mwaba who was once imprisoned at Mukobeko maximum Prison for 18 months noted that current prisons are meant to punish inmates instead of being correctional institutions saying prisons are likely to repeat the crime if they serve the sentence without undergoing reformation.

He said Zambia needs to transform its prisons from what they are to correctional centres where inmates will leave with professions and enough resources raised from projects undertaken while in incarceration.

He added that instead of wasting resources on feeding prisoners, the prisons service should be self-sustaining and should be allowed to tender for projects which will be executed by prisoners.

Dr. Mwaba who is a medical Doctor further recommended that prisons should be built away from town as they outskirts have vast space for skills training and suggested that such places should be called prison’s village.

And Dr. Mwaba has observed that the Zambian judiciary has pegged itself out of reach of the ordinary Zambia as the citizens cannot afford to raise finances for both the writ of summon and legal representation.

He noted that the Legal Aid Board exists but the logistical expenses to access their services are beyond the reach of poor Zambians who constitute the majority in the country.

But Law Association of Zambia President George Chisanga wondered whether professionals who are convicted like Dr. Mwaba require retraining in crafts and how they could be utilized to earn some income for the country.

Mr. Chisanga also noted that establishing prisons villages where prisoners should be kept and trained will bring discrimination towards inmates once they are released and integrated back into the society.

Meanwhile, another petitioner Kennedy Malama submitted that the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) should engage highly qualified lecturers with 10 years law practicing experience to tutor students and not practicing lawyers who deliberately fail students to avoid competition in the industry.

Mr Malama stated that practicing lawyers who are currently engaged as lecturers contribute to the high numbers of students failing at ZIALE because they are competitors to them.

A four- year- old child of Katikulula resettlement scheme area in Chitambo district in the Central province was yesterday evening found dead in unclear circumstances after six days of missing from home.

ZANIS reports that the child identified as Bethsheba Kunda went missing on 1st August around 09:00 hours after she went to relieve herself behind the family house.
The body of the child was found by passerby’s near the road side at Mulembo river with a cut on the ribs and protruding intestines.
Father of the deceased Evaristo Kunda was visibly shaken and expressed shock at the death of his daughter who was a twin.

And Katikulula Scheme Manager, Davies Lombanya confirmed receiving a report of the missing child and expressed sadness and distress upon seeing the body of the child and called on the police to act upon the case as soon as possible and bring the culprits to book.

“I received the report of the missing child on 1st August and people were mobilized to search for the child,” he said.
“I am very surprised and sad to see that the child has been killed in such a manner, the Police should act quickly and bring the culprits to book,” he added.

And scheme chairman Godfrey Sondashi said he had never witnessed such a thing since birth and added that it would be very difficult to supervise people in the scheme after such an incident.

“I’m really shocked at what happened. Since I was born I have never seen such a thing. It will be very difficult for me to supervise people now,” he said.
Central Province Commissioner of Police Standwell Lungu said he had not yet received a report on the matter by press time.

Four Patriotic Front(PF) officials have been injured, one seriously, in clashes with suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres in Choma.

ZANIS reports that the PF officials were allegedly attacked last evening in the ongoing Batoka ward by election campaigns .

One of a the seriously injured female PF official was last night admitted to Choma general hospital after being evacuated by District Commissioner Bernadette Hamweemba from Batoka rural health centre where the four had initially been admitted to.

A ZANIS news crew that rushed to Batoka last night found Ms Hamweemba making frantic arrangement to transfer the victims to Choma general hospital due to security concerns in Batoka as only two policeofficers had been deployed to the area.

Ms Hweemba confirmed that four PF members were seriously injured while others also suffered multiple body injuries in the attack.

According to Provincial Political Secretary Siamalonga Siachoona the PF cadres who were travelling in a truck were ambushed after attending a public meeting addressed in the area by Labour minister Fackson Shamenda and Home Affairs Deputy minister Stephen Kampyongo.

Mr Siachoona told ZANIS last night that some senior UPND officials commandeered the attack in which missiles, iron bars and sjamboks were used to assault the PF cadres many of them women.

He has described the action by the suspected UPND members to attack the PF members as barbaric and unacceptable urging the police to bring all the culprits to book.

A check at Choma general hospital at 22.00 hours last night found medical personnel busy attending to the injured PF officials while Southern Province police commissioner Mary Chikwanda and a team of senior police was also present to assess the injuries and get first hand information on the situation.
Ms Chikwanda could not immediately comment on the situation.

But UPND campaign manager for the Batoka ward by election Cornelius Mweetwa said he was not at the scene of the attack as claimed by some PF members who charged that the land cruiser for the Choma central member of parliament was used to launch the attack.

The police command in Western Province says the roadblocks which have been mounted in Longe area and at the Katunda junction in Kaoma district are meant to curb the proliferation of offensive weapons into the area.

Reacting to opposition UPND’s concern over the increasing police presence in the area, Western Province Police Commissioner Lombe Kamukoshi said the police need to verify that people don’t bring offensive weapons in the area where parliamentary and ward by-elections will be held in Mangango and Luampa respectively.

The by-elections will be held on August 19, 2014.

UPND candidate for the Mangango by-election Godwin Putu said the move by police to mount checkpoints was meant to intimidate the opposition supporters an assertion the Police Commissioner dismissed as false saying it was not segregating when carrying out the searches.

Mr Putu claimed that PF cadres were being allowed to cross at will while the rest of the people are allegedly being denied their freedom of movement.

But Ms Kamukoshi urged the opposition party to lodge a formal written complaint to her office so that their grievances can be addressed insisting that all travelers to the area are being subjected to the search regardless of their party allegiances.

Mr Putu said Western Province is a peaceful area as evidenced by the incident-free by-elections in Mitete which should be replicated in the Mangango polls.

And UPND assistant campaign manager Kenny Ndumba said the party will not be unsettled by whatever action from the law enforcers and any attempt by the police to crackdown the opposition in the run-up to the by-election will be met by resistance.

He said such undertakings breed discontent and suspicion adding that the UPND would like to see a situation where a cordial relationship exists between the police and opposition political parties.

Kitwe District Commissioner, Elias Kamanga, has expressed happiness at the progress on the rehabilitation works of the Presidential Guest House in Kitwe.

Mr Kamanga, who toured the guest house which is undergoing rehabilitation, said the works will be completed in December this year.

He said the contract to rehabilitate the guest house has been given to Huachang Limited, a Chinese contractor, at a cost of K6.5million.

The rehabilitation of the Presidential Guest House by a new contractor follows the outrage by President Michael Sata who expressed disgust at the dilapidated state of the structure and the poor quality of works by the former contractor.

Mr Kamanga said his office took the concerns that were raised by the Head of State and ensured that a reliable contractor was found to replace the former contractor who had no capacity to do quality works.

He, however, expressed sadness at the level which the structure was neglected by the past governments.

Early this year President Michael Sata admonished Works and Supply Minister, Yamfwa Mukanga, and Kitwe District Commissioner, Elias Kamanga over the poor state of the Presidential Guest House in Kitwe.

Health deputy minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya who is also PF Mansa central constituency law maker commissioned the works of the stalled Mushwala health post in Mangango constituency of Kaoma district in Western province.

Dr Chilufya said he is in the province to conduct routine check-ups on service delivery and assessing the progress of infrastructural needs under the health sector in Western province.

Dr. Chilufya also said government has donated X-Ray machines, laundry and kitchen equipment to Mangango mission hospital in order to improve health delivery in the area.

[pullquote]Mr Chiseke said people should not vote for UPND candidate Godwin Putu who comes from Kabompo district because he will be failing to utilize the constituency development funds properly as he is a timber dealer.[/pullquote]
He said government has embraced partnership with church in the area to ensure that health services reach the people in the rural parts of Mangango constituency.

Dr. Chilufya said the vision of the Patriotic Front government under the leadership of President Michael Sata is to invest in the health of its citizens by constructing, rehabilitation and completion of district hospitals and health posts in the country. He said Government has released about K54 million to all the 10 provincial medical offices in a bid to invest in the health sector countrywide.

Dr. Chilufya said since independence, people in Lukulu district have been accessing medical services at Sancta Maria mission hospital that carted for total population of over 74, 000 people.

He said the aim of the PF government is to bring health services closer to the door steps of the people in the country.

Meanwhile, former MMD Mangango constituency MP Taundi Chiseke has requested the people of Mushwala ward to vote for PF’s Rodgers Lingweshi who is an indigenous and a resident of Mangango on August 19.

Mr Chiseke said people should not vote for UPND candidate Godwin Putu who hails from Kabompo district in North-Western province because he will be failing to utilize the constituency development funds properly as he is a timber dealer.

He told the electorates that Hakainde Hichilema does not want his Members of Parliament in the UPND dominated constituency to work with the government of the day adding that many of his MPs are currently facing suspensions and expulsions from the party such as Siavonga’s Richwell Siamunene, Itezhi-tezhi’s Greyford Monde and Sinjembela’s UPND MP Poniso Njeulu who are battling their cases in the courts of law.

Mr Chiseke urged the electorates not to waste their votes on the opposition UPND which has no tangible solutions to offer to the many people who are suffering in the area.

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) secretary-general Wynter Kabimba says the ruling party agrees with a contention that some sections of the Public Order Act should be amended so that the law can meet the demands of democracy.

Mr Kabimba, who is also Minister of Justice, said the PF is an ally of those that have been calling for the amendment of the Public Order Act.

“The Minister of Home Affairs superintends over the issue of internal security and the Public Order Act. They are the people that make judgments over these issues. But let me tell you the PF position, we also believe that there are some provisions in there that need to be amended. They need to go,” Mr Kabimba said.

He was speaking in Lusaka on Wednesday when he met members of the Oasis Forum.
Mr Kabimba said the belief by opposition political parties that the Public Order Act favours the ruling party is incorrect and judgemental.

The minister said Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini is handling the issue of the Public Order Act.

He said Dr Matibini constituted a team comprising opposition members of Parliament and some Cabinet ministers to look at the Public Order Act.

“A small committee was set up between the members of opposition and Cabinet ministers to deal with the issue of the public order Act and recommend amendments and make it respond to the current democratic environment,” Mr Kabimba said.

He said it is unfortunate that some people dare the police but the PF co-operated and followed what the law enforcers wanted when it was in opposition.

Earlier, Oasis Forum chairperson Suzanne Matale expressed concern at the application of the Public Order Act.

“We are concerned with increasing and rising intimidation that beset our constituencies each time we want to exercise our democratic right to assemble and engage people to pray for the country, to pray for you our leaders. We feel like foreigners in our own country and this makes us very sad,” she said.
Rev Matale, who is also Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) general-secretary, said the Church feels citizens have the right to associate and assemble.

“We want to exercise our right to pray as citizens of this country. And as secretary-general of the ruling party and at the same time Minister of Justice, you, we feel, have powers to intervene,” Rev Matale said.

She said the Oasis Forum or the Church has no intentions to undermine or frustrate Government.
“You are our Government. We voted you into power. It is not our intention to frustrate your efforts,” Rev Matale said.

The Zambian Primary education curriculum has gone online in a bid to improve interactive enquiry based learning among pupils beyond the classroom environment through the use of ZEduPads.

ZEduPad is a first ever in the world specially built low cost multimedia educational tablet computer preloaded with the entire Zambian primary school curriculum covering over 5,000 multimedia lessons.
The product which comes in home, school and teacher versions uses technology never used before to cut across infrastructure challenges to improve learning.

iSchool Zambia Limited, the developers of the ZEduPads say the eLearning solution will revolutionise education in Zambia.

Managing Director Mark Bennet said the iSchool learning materials on the ZEduPad tablets are fully localised and compliant with the ministry of education approved primary school curriculum.

“We can see the enthusiasm with which children and their parents are continuing to embrace the ZEduPad, and trust that this response will continue to move forward in wider educational circles in the country, where it has already been adopted by a number of schools in a variety of different areas and situations, as well as by BETUZ,” he said.

The tablet which costs K1,200 was piloted at selected schools in Lusaka, Katete, Lukulu and Mongu as a supplementary and alternate learning.

It provides teachers with detailed daily lesson plans that are easy to incorporate in individual teaching styles to offer lifelong learning.

Over 30,000 ZEduPads are currently in circulation country-wide since the product was launched in 2013 and can be used by the general public to access information particularly on health.

And Branding Agent Nambowe Chishimba disclosed that the educational tablet computer has received increased interest from other African countries.

She said the tablet computer will soon be rolled out to the rest of the continent and will be tailor- made to meet respective educational needs and situations of the various African countries that want to adopt it.