Examinations Council of Zambia Director Michael Chilala has revealed that K 8,000 was paid to an artist that erected the statue that was recently pulled down after widespread public condemnation over its poor quality.

Mr Chilala said the Council paid 8,840 to a local artist who expressed interest in carrying out the work and the institution believed it was paying the right price for the pieces.

He said procurement for the art works followed the right procedures and there were no underhand methods.

“We followed the right procedures and we thought we were going to help citizens identify the ECZ entrance easily with the statue standing there but I guess the public felt otherwise and we listened. We are a public institution and we value the citizen’s views,” Mr Chilala said.

He however explained that the campaign to remove the statue was over blown saying the campaign initiator Mubita Nawa could have first engaged the Council before launching a social media campaign.

“As an institution, we have an open door policy, if Mr Nawa really felt strongly about the statue, we could have found a better way of engaging positively so that we move forward,” he said.

Mr Chilala said the Council was concerned that the issue of the statue was beginning to overshadow some of the important development taking place at the institution.

“We have major projects underway to modernize and improve exam management in this country but it is a pity that the public was being made to focus on the statue forgetting for instance that the ECZ just delivered successfully June GCE exams for the first time,” he said.

Mr Chilala said the Council has also significantly reduced the number of examination malpractices and introduced the use of ICT’s in examination management.

“Now you can see and verify your results via SMS just by simply sending a text on all the three networks. We have a new service centre to be commissioned by September in Woodlands as a way of improving customer services,” he said.

Mr Chilala further explained that the Council is also preparing to host the annual conference for the Association of African Education Assessors in Livingstone after which Zambia will assume the presidency.

MMD National Secretary Muhabi Lungu says the former ruling party does not have a position on reports that Rupiah Banda will bounce back into active politics because they are mere speculations.

Mr Lungu said the MMD is not compelled to state its position because it feels the reports are mere speculations without any substance.

He said as far as the MMD is concerned, Mr Banda is a retired politician who is enjoying his retirement.

“I don’t think it will be fair for the MMD to state its position on a matter it believes does not exist because what we know is that Mr Banda is not in the equation anymore. He is retired and that is all there is,” Mr Lungu said.

Mr Lungu added that the MMD currently has a President in Dr Nevers Mumba and any change of presidency in the party is governed by clear constitutional provisions.

“The MMD is a well-structured organisation with clear constitutional provisions. We will not worry about somebody coming to take over the party because the party has rules and procedures on how these things could be done,” he said.

There have been growing speculations that an underground movement is underway to convince former President Rupiah Banda to come out of retirement and steer the nation in a transitional period in an event of a presidential by election.

Mr Banda has however dismissed the speculation through his office by stating that he has no intentions of stepping back into politics.

Given Lubinda has has forgiven his enemies within the Patriotic Front (PF)who schemed for his downfall, which resulted in his losing his ministerial position and the membership of the party’s central committee .
He said this yesterday when he featured on the Millennium Radio programme; “The Interview”.

Mr Lubinda who is Kabwata member of Parliament said he had courage to confront some of his enemies by telling them off and declaring that he had forgiven them and that he did not hold any bitterness against them.

“I told them that if I don’t tell you, it means I have not forgiven you, I have forgiven you. I came to realise that during that period, I was acting like a very foolish man who was carrying this bitterness like a person drinking poison slowly and saying he must die, he must die.

“It was me who was dying and not them. They were going about their things happily and I was suffering. So I decided that no!; can you take this cup of poison away from me, can you take this cup of bitterness away from me and let me be who I am,” he said.

Mr. Lubinda said he could not afford to keep the bitterness because he could have died before aging.

“I have no bitterness against anyone, I am totally at peace firstly with myself, I am at peace with everybody and whoever had a hand in this, I am sure that they have realised that I am at peace. I don’t carry the grudge; I don’t want to die before I age,” he said.

He said he felt disappointed after some of his colleagues in the ruling party schemed against him on allegations that he was selling party secrets to the Daily Nation, the opposition political parties and some other bodies. Mr. Lubinda who is former Minister of Foreign Affairs said he was not a traitor in the PF as perceived by some PF officials.

“I am still as innocent as I have always been, am still as innocent as I was in 2006 when United Liberal Party (ULP) formed a pact with the Patriotic Front party and later became a member of the PF.

“Whatever happens, happens for a reason, I have to be honest, I was quiet bitter…So when this episode of carrying mock coffins happened and so forth, then I knew I was being victimised, I was so bitter,” said Mr. Lubinda. He said he had completely forgiven people who wanted him out of the party and has healed from the victimisation he went through. Mr. Lubinda said he had cried enough and that he could no longer cry but to stand up and pick up broken pieces and move on.

“But like the old adage says; time heals, over time I have come to understand things better, I have come to look at things with a clear vision and I say to myself, so be it I cannot continue to cry,” said Mr. Lubinda.
Mr. Lubinda said he was disappointed with his colleagues in the PF because he felt that they wanted to push him out of the party.

“I want to inform you and listeners that I heard about my suspension through the press and to-date I have not received any letter telling me that I was suspended. Certainly I received two letters alleging that I had done this and that and that I was leaking information to the Daily Nation Newspapers and the opposition and so forth. There was also an element in there that I was actually a suspect of espionage. “I was also suspected that I had leaked information to a foreign national and not a foreign company but a foreign government, a state. And I responded to deny all those allegations before I was called for a meeting which I believed that it was going to be a hearing, at that meeting there were colleagues of mine who were sitting and asking me why are these things happening,” he said.

Mr. Lubinda said to-date he had not received the judgement, adding that, “I don’t know what I was found guilty of. On this one I still stand accused because even when they said my suspension has come to an end, I did not receive a letter. I just saw in the press that my suspension is over; I am free to interact with the rest of the party. But as far as I am concerned this never happened at all. You know the provisions of the PF constitution is that if you are not happy or dissatisfied with the ruling you can use that ruling to appeal to the senior organ, but now what is it that I can use now. I have got nothing.”

A fourty four year old Mbala man has died after being attacked by a raging bull.

The incident happened on Wednesday this week when the deceased was raring his employer’s cattle at a named farm near the former United Bus Company of Zambia (UBZ) garage in Mbala.

ZANIS reports that Northern Province police commissioner Charity Katanga has confirmed the incident, in an interview, today.

Ms. Katanga named the deceased as Friday Simwanza of Little Poland Compound in Mbala district of Northern Province.

She said Simwanza sustained multiple injuries in the attack, adding that he died instantly after the incident.

Police have ruled out foul play in Simwanza’s death.

The body of the deceased is lying at Mbala general hospital mortuary awaiting burial.

United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema says media practitioners deserve the respect of politicians regardless of the media houses they represent.

Mr. Hichilema notes that Journalists play an important role in the dissemination of information to citizens hence the need to grant them the respect they deserve and to protect them at all times.

Mr. Hichilema says suppressing and intimidating the media is tantamount to infringing on their freedom and denying the majority Zambians access to vital information.

He says Zambians have the right to information and to be educated on the many issues affecting the nation hence the need to give space to the media to do their work professionally for the benefit of all Zambians.

The UPND leader has since hailed both the public and private media for the hard work and fair coverage of all political parties in the country.

Mr. Hichilema notes that there has been great improvement in the way journalists are executing their duties in the country apart from a few media houses which he hopes will also emulate other professional media houses.

Meanwhile, UPND Vice President for politics Canisius Banda has dismissed as political propaganda assertions that his party is locked in a fight with the MMD.

Dr. Banda says those insinuating that the two opposition parties are fighting each other have fallen prey to the machinations of what he has termed as dark forces.

He has told Qfm news in an interview that the fight his party is involved in is against poverty, ignorance and disease.

Dr Banda says it is on this basis that the UPND wants the ruling Patriotic Front to be removed from power for allegedly deceiving Zambians and subjecting them to misery and suffering.

He says his party is offering an alternative development plan which will, among other things, ensure education for all, food security, reduce deficits in the national budget and ensure decent healthcare.

Dr. Banda has further stated his party is not overrating itself by claiming to be the only political party currently with the capacity to wrestle power the ruling PF.