Felix Ngoma, a Zambian National who was abducted in Sudan’s volatile Darfur region about two weeks has been freed by his captors.

Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary George Zulu has told a media briefing in Lusaka this afternoon that Mr Ngoma was released at 12:00 hours today and was surrendered to the Sudanese government authorities who have been part of the negotiations for his release.

Mr Zulu says Mr Ngoma will undergo medicals tomorrow before proceeding to Khartoum on his way to Zambia.

The Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary has thanked the government of Sudan, International Organization for Migration, United Nations Agencies, the Zambian media and the Ngoma family for their support to the government in securing Mr Ngoma’s release.

Mr Zulu states that Zambia stands for nothing but peace and that the government of President Michael Sata will do everything in its power to protect Zambian citizens so that can enjoy their freedom.

Mr Ngoma who is a humanitarian worker with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was abducted by suspected Janjaweed militia about two weeks ago as he was returning home from work

A clergyman has warned that Zambia risks formulating laws that will disadvantage boys in a bid to protect girls from Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Redeemed Methodist Church Bishop Paul Bupe has told the Legal and Justice Reforms Commission that at the pace laws are being formulated to protect girls in Zambia was likely that male children will soon be neglected and deemed as criminals in the name of protecting girls from being abused.

Bishop Bupe noted that laws should not be enacted to benefit girls only but also boys as they are all equal in the society.

The Bishop observed that if left unchecked, the laws formulated to protect girls would end up sending all the boys to jail which he said will render them useless in society as they would be unemployable because of the criminal records.

He stated that even boys need protection by statute adding that fast Track courts and stiffer punishments will not end GBV if societal norms and values are not imparted in the young Zambians.

Meanwhile Bishop Bupe has condemned advocates of homosexuality in Zambia saying such acts are unchristian and uncultural hence should not be condoned in the country.

The Bishop stated that Zambians are facing such problems because they tend to copy anything that comes from the western culture which he said has ruined the countries culture.

Bishop Bupe who has resided in the United States for over 10 years stated that western culture has penetrated Zambia but urged the public to reject such practices as they are evil and against the culture and beliefs of Zambia.

He said in the States where he has been residing, homosexuality has left a trail of un productivity as same sex marriages do not bear children.

Meanwhile former Women for Change Director Emily Sikazwe stated that her organization and its partners took over 7 years to come up with the GBV Act in order to end violence against women and girls.

Dr Sikazwe stated that GBV in Zambia has been on the increase hence the need to tighten the Law to curb it adding that the laws are not in any way meant to disadvantage boys and men but merely to regulate the society.

And Commission Chairperson Frederick Chomba noted that some incidences of GBV have been reported in very remote areas where the western influences cannot be blamed.

Justice Chomba stated that much as the western culture can be to blame for most of the bad practices in Zambia, some incidences happened in remote areas which he said is an indication the Zambian citizens also come up with some bad practices which need laws to regulate them.

The petitions by Zambians in the diaspora for government to constitutionally allow them to have dual citizenship have continued to emerge with the latest coming from those living in Scotland in the United Kingdom.

And government has expressed scepticism on the matter of dual citizens, saying unscrupulous people may abuse the privilege and end up denting the image of the country abroad.

Meanwhile, Zambians living in the United Kingdom have been urged to always have valid documents that allow them to stay in the region.

Scotland-Zambia Partnership (SCOZAP) Chairman, Lazarous Chisela, said allowing Zambians in the diaspora to have dual citizenship would promote their participation in the economic growth of their country of origin.

Mr Chisela pointed out that dual citizenship would enable Zambians abroad to freely apply their skills, knowledge and investment in their country.

He said this in Glasgow yesterday when Vice President, Guy Scott, and Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Paul Lumbi, met Zambians living in Scotland.

Mr Chisela also said Zambia and Scotland should further enhance their already warm relations and consequently increase social and economic benefits for the peoples of the two countries.

He further said Zambians in Scotland were preparing for a huge celebration of the country’s golden jubilee in that nation in October this year.

But Dr Scott said much as government would want to allow its citizens abroad to have dual citizenship, it feared that some crooked people might abuse the privilege thereby putting Zambia at risk of losing its positive image of being an oasis of peace.

“I think we all realise that having just one passport in this time and age is an inconvenience but at the same time there is potential of abuse by citizens concerned,” he said.

He has since appealed to the Zambians in diaspora to understand government’s fears but did not rule out the possibility of allowing them to have dual citizenship.

The Vice President explained that government was studying ways of strict monitoring of the system if dual citizenship was introduced.

And Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Paul Lumbi, has warned Zambians in the region against staying there without valid passports and other relevant documents.

Mr Lumbi said his mission staffs were always ready to process relevant documents for Zambians in order for them to stay in the UK freely.

“I know some of you are living here illegally because your passports have expired. I appeal to you to get the right documents and live here legally,” he said.

There are over 1,000 Zambians living in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Dr Scott earlier in the day attended a meeting on sustainable trade and investment: trade plus aid which was held at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow.

Dr Scott, who was one of the panellists in one of the discussions, said poor lending conditions by banks in Africa were hampering the growth of infrastructural development in many countries of the continent.

He said countries in the west have developed because of favourable lending terms and conditions to individuals and companies that want to invest in infrastructure.

He noted that financial lending institutions in most African countries were demanding high interest rates on loans over and short loan repayment period.

Dr Scott is in Scotland where he witnessed the official opening of the 20th Commonwealth Games at Celtic park in Glasgow on Wednesday, July 23, 2014.

Zambia has 43 athletes representing her at this year’s Commonwealth games.

ZANIS

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

DAVIES MWILA’S ALLEGATION

25th July 2014

As United Party for National Development on the copperbelt we have learnt with deep regret the comments attributed to Davies Mwila one of Sata’s crazy ministers who is claiming that the UPND has always wished Sata death.

We would like to remind this Mwila maybe has short memory or maybe he has chosen not to remember anything deliberately. As UPND we are not like Mwila’s boss Sata who ridiculed and laughed at President Mwanawasa and George Kunda whom he called all sorts of names. Maybe Mwila has forgotten, his boss Sata at one time claimed to have picked brains of Mwanawasa after that fatal accident that President was involved in accident, when he was still the Vice-President and said Mwanawasa was not fit to rule because he was not normal.

In case Davies has forgotten, Sata is on record of having ridiculed the late George Kunda that he had red lips due various diseases and Sata challenged George Kunda to go for an HIV/AIDS tests to see who will come out positive between George and Sata. As UPND we believe that Mwila has nothing to do or to say hence trying to gain cheap and empty favours from Sata by trying to do political armpit scratching by mudslinging the UPND, leaving well known people in his party who are busy saying they are eligible to rule this country.

We are therefore urging Davies to find better ways of getting favours from Sata unlike trying to become irrelevant every time he opens his mouth. We expected Davies to tell the nation how far his party has
gone in terms of honouring the Barotseland Agreement that his party said will restore in 90 days.

People of Zambia are waiting for the constitution that Sata promised to deliver within 90 days; these are issues Davies should be telling Zambians unlike uttering wild and baseless allegations. We expected Davies to tell Zambians why mealie meal in this country has become so much expensive despite his party having told the Zambian people that they will have more money in their pockets and lower
taxes.

Davies should find time to reflect on why electricity and fuel has become expensive under the regime of PF that ascended to power through lies. We expected Davies to advise his boss to create more jobs for
the youths of this country unlike mentioning figures of jobs created that do not exist on the ground.

Finally Davies should know all members of parliament are part and parcel of government and have the right to see the President anytime they demand to do so, and Davies should tell the Zambian people why has it suddenly become difficult for Zambians to see Sata. As UPND now we understand why Sata called PF ministers and MPs useless.

Issued by: Kennedy Kalunga
UPND Copperbelt Spokesperson

Opposition United Party for National Development says it will not allow its Members of Parliament to demand a pay rise in parliament.

Addressing a media briefing UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said that the move by MPs to demand a salary increment was not only ill timed but also irresponsible.

Hichilema said his party had deliberated on the matter and resolved not to back calls by other MPs for a pay rise.

The UPND leader said members of parliament needed to know that political leadership was not about amassing wealth but service.

“I want to indicate that categorically we in the UPND do not agree with the Members of Parliament. For right or wrong, the interpretation by members of the public is that MPs are asking for better and more money,” he said.

“I think that is how is has been put, we do not want to get into a debate of what exactly each member said but disagree we disagree with members of parliament asking for more money.”

He said MPs should know that political leadership was about service and should be aware that the majority of Zambians were wallowing in poverty.

“Members of Parliament as well as anyone aspiring for public office should know that it is about service and that if they want more money they can go back in the private sector that is where the money is,” he said.

HARARE – Two Zimbabwean journalists won a victory for free speech when the Constitutional Court struck off a statute which made defamation a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba said the court found that the law was unjustified and “had the effect of interfering with the exercise of the right to freedom of expression.”

Zimbabwe has tough media laws which have been used by president Robert Mugabe’s government to expel foreign correspondents and arrest journalists from the independent press.

But the authorities are tinkering with hundreds of statutes after the country last year adopted a new constitution which curtails the president’s powers, among other provisions.

Malaba made the ruling in a case in which two journalists were charged with criminal defamation after their paper, The Zimbabwe Independent, published a story naming state security agents alleged to have abducted opposition and human rights activists in 2008.

The journalists, Constantine Chimakure, a former editor at the Zimbabwe Independent and Vincent Kahiya, the group editor-in-chief, challenged the constitutionality of the law, arguing that it was not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

In October last year, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku said sections of the statutes which provided for criminal defamation had a chilling effect on those seeking to express their right to freedom of expression.

He noted that other countries were moving away from the criminalization of defamation and asked prosecutors in the case to cite countries where defamation was a crime.

The top judge also summoned Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to court to give reasons why the criminal defamation law should be retained in the country’s statutes.

However, he said he did not intend to oppose the challenge to the law.

Nampa-AFP