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Struggling FAZ Super League side Roan United have appointed Dean Mwiinde as new club head coach.
Club secretary Chisoni Miti said Mwiinde replaces Bruce Mwape who has failed to report at Roan after being given the job last week.
Mwiinde has been handed a six-month deal and told to save the Luanshya side from relegation.
“We have appointed Mr. Dean Mwiinde as our head coach.He reported for work today.The contract is performance based and runs up to December,” Miti said.
Mwiinde will be assisted by Simonda Kaunda who was caretaker coach and Hilary Makasa.
Roan are 15th on the league table.
Meanwhile, Mwape was expected to begin his second stint as Road coach last Thursday after signing a contract on Monday.
“Firstly, we settled for Mr. Mwape and he was introduced to the players on Tuesday last week but has not shown up over
reasons known to himself,” he said.
Miti added:”It appears we are squeezing blood from a stone.”
Mwape left Roan to join Konkola Mine Police last August.
The World Bank has given government $50 million for the water resource development project in the country.
The project which aims to provide support to water resources infrastructure in rural communities will see the rehabilitation of 22 dams and the construction of 300 boreholes across the country.
ZANIS reports that Ministry of Mines and water development procurement specialist Anthony Mwila confirmed the development in Solwezi District today.
Mr. Mwila said this during a meeting with North western province permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga at his office today.
He said that the project will also address the small scale water resources infrastructure deficit in rural parts of the country.
Mr Mwila said the tender process for the construction of dams has already started and the building of first two dams this year will start in Manyinga district in north western province and Zimba district in Southern province.
He said the project will implemented over the period of 5 years.
And Mr Malupenga said the project will enhance the quality of life of the people in the province as the majority has no access to clean water.
He said the project will also promote the agriculture sector in the region.
Government spent close to K500,000 on Police operations during the time 219 Police officers were deployed at Chief Chitimukulu’s Police post and surrounding areas of Mungwi District between October 2013 and January 2014.
The deployment of the said police officers followed the announced intentions by the Bemba traditional council to publicly unveil Paramount Chief Chitimukulu designate Henry Kanyanta Sosala on November 16, 2013.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Steven Kampyongo told Parliament today that of the K499, 207.81 spent on the operations, about 235, 852 was spent on allowances for Police officers, while K155, 769.26 was spent on fuel, with K28, 058.76 going towards motor vehicle repairs.
The Deputy Minister was responding to a question posed by Lubansenshi Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Mucheleka who wanted to know how many Police officers were deployed at Paramount Chitimukulu’s Palace between October 2013 and January 2014 and how much government spent on the operation.
Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula has told the House that the decision to deploy 219 Police officers at Chief Chitimukulu’s Police post was made after the Police found it necessary to enhance security in view of the uncertainty that was perceived to occur in the area.
Dr. Simbyakula was responding to follow up questions from Mr Mucheleka Lubansenshi and Chembe MMD Member of Parliament Mwansa Mbulakulima who wanted to know what exact threat necessitated government to deploy such a number of Police officers in the area.
Chipolopolo coach Patrice Beaumelle has called for more investment in the development of football at the grass-root level.
Beaumelle said Zambia has abundant football talent that needs to be nurtured.
He was speaking to journalists after watching the 2014 Airtel Rising Stars National Football Championship final between Southern Province and Luapula Province played at Edwin Imboela Stadium in Lusaka on Tuesday day.
“First of all, I would like to thank you Airtel for supporting that programme with FAZ. It’s very important to give time and to have the opportunity to see the talent coming from different provinces,” Beaumelle said.
“We all need sponsors, without support and money I am not scared to say that we cannot go far,” he said.
Southern beat Luapula 3-1 to win the inter-provincial championship.
Beaumelle added: “We all know that in Zambia we have talent in every province. It’s good to identify talent but we have to produce and develop this talent.
“For example, we have a lot of copper in Zambia if you want the copper to shine we have to polish it so as coaches we have to work on the talent every day after identifying it.”
Alliance for Better Zambia president Father Frank Bwalya blows a whistle against the government’s refusal to release the Zambian draft constitution
Alliance for Better Zambia (ABZ) president Frank Bwalya has been acquitted of charges of defaming President Michael Sata in a case in which he had likened the Head of State to a sweet potato.
In January this year, Father Bwalya was arrested after he used a Bemba idiom; ‘chumbu munshololwa’ in reference to President Sata’s uncompromising stance on national issues.This was when Fr Bwalya featured on Radio Mano, on a paid for programme.
In acquitting Fr Bwalya, Kasama Magistrate Vincent Siloka said he had listened more than ten times to the recording in which it was alleged that the ABZ leader had insulted President Sata but did not hear any part where the opposition leader had called the Head of State ichipuba, ushitontokanya and muwelewele.
Magistrate Siloka said the words he heard from the radio recording was Fr Bwalya likening President Sata to a sweet potato when he said the Head of State was chumbu munshololwa which was not an insult but an idiom.
Magistrate Siloka has however emphasised the need to respect the office of President while stating that freedom of expression should be observed at all times.The Magistrate among many of the pronouncements in his ruling observed that freedom of expression in a democracy must always be encouraged.
He ruled that Fr Bwalya as a politician had the right to criticize government and expose its short-comings as a way of wrestling power from the party in government in order to use the same for the good of the country should the electorate vote for his political party.
Magistrate Siloka said there was nothing wrong with Fr Bwalya criticising the party in government because that was the function of the opposition of providing checks and balances.
And Fr Bwalya told the Daily Nation that he was happy to have been acquitted.He said Magistrate Siloka’s ruling would enhance freedom of expression and democracy in Zambia.Fr Bwalya said the pronouncements made by Magistrate Siloka had added precedence to the courts to promote freedom of expression.
He said the ruling by the Kasama Magistrate would promote the kind of criticism that provided checks and balances in a democracy.
“I am happy not because I have been acquitted but because of what the Magistrate said in his ruling about the need to promote freedom of expression and democracy in Zambia.” he said
The Magistrate among many other progressive pronouncements emphasised the promotion of freedom of expression in a democracy. These pronouncements and many others have added precedence to our courts to promote freedom of expression and democracy,’ Fr Bwalya said.
The ABZ leader said being let off the hook without the pronouncement from Magistrate Siloka would not have made him happy because his aim was to defend the freedom of expression and contribute to the full domestication of democracy in Zambia.
Fr Bwalya said he had forgiven the Patriotic Front (PF) cadres who tried to kill him when he was featuring on a programme on Radio Mano.He also said he would endeavour to emulate President Sata who played his role of criticising the MMD while he was in the opposition.
Airtel Zambia Managing Director, Charity Chanda Lumpa, says the communication service provider has contributed K2.3 billion in taxes in the last three years.
Ms Lumpa disclosed at a media briefing breakfast in Lusaka that Airtel is the top tax payer in the sector.
She said Airtel Zambia paid corporate tax at 40 per cent rate and five per cent levy on revenue.
“Airtel is a tax compliant company that has paid out a total of K2.3billion in taxes in the last three years. In addition we have this year embarked on an US $80 million nationwide expansion programme that will see improved coverage and quality by the end of 2014,” she said.
Ms Lumpa said Airtel will spend an additional US $62 million in operational expenditure to set up and run the expanded network.
“To serve our customers better, we are investing US $3 million in the refurbishment of the shops including 75 express shops across the country that will improve contact experience using our distributor network”, Ms Lumpa said.
She said the company has also added an effective business model that ensures focus on its core business and rationalises operating costs.
Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi has taken a swipe at politicians trying to make political capital out of the debate on President Michael Sata’s health.
Ms Nawakwi said that it was strange and “unAfrican” for any politician to try to politicize the President’s health.
Ms. Nawakwi has told Qfm News in a telephone interview that she that she found the debate on the president’s health as the most disturbing.
She stated that it was normal for anybody to take leave when one has had a strenuous work schedule such as the one the President has.
Ms Nawakwi added that it is a statutory entitlement for the head of State to take leave in any way he is comfortable with.
She said that it was becoming a matter of concern to see some politicians using the debate on the President’s wellbeing to gain political mileage.
The FDD leader has since cautioned fellow politicians to avoid digging holes for each other or risk falling in the same hole they are digging.
Ms. Nawakwi said that the political club is very small hence the need for politicians to wish each other well and good health.
She has further encouraged Zambians to continue praying for the good health of President Sata and for the almighty God to give him strength.
Paul Da Prince released the video for his latest single “Your Name”. Song Produced by Maj Beatz. Video directed by Eddy Nicolay for Nicolay Creatives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tin2Nhu5OTI BY KAPA187
Southern Province won the 2014 Airtel Rising Stars Under-17 National Football Championship after thumping Luapula Province 3-1 in the final played at Edwin Imboela Stadium in Lusaka on Tuesday.
A brace from Evans Silukomela and a goal by Maybin Kalengo sealed the win for Southern while Bradford Mwansa scored Luapula’s face saver on the day.
Chipolopolo coach Patrice Beaumelle and his Under-17 colleague Chris Kaunda were in the stands as Southern walked to the champions podium.
And Copperbelt won the girls 2014 Airtel Rising Stars National Championship after silencing Lusaka 4-3 on postmatch penalties following a goalless draw in the lunch-time final at Edwin Imboela Stadium.
Meanwhile, Kaunda has selected 40 players to be in the provisional squad as Zambia prepares for the 2014 Airtel Rising Stars Africa Championship to be hosted by Gabon later this year.
The players were picked from the ended national championship in Lusaka.
Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) President Nason Msoni has charged that the released still-pictures of President Michael Sata chairing a Cabinet meeting on Monday do not put to rest the speculations over his state of health.
Mr. Msoni has told Qfm news that President Sata should have instead addressed the nation as opposed to releasing still pictures of him.
Mr. Msoni says this is especially that the nation has also been stressed and desperate for information about President Sata’s wellbeing in the face of widespread speculations that he is unwell.
He says this is why he thinks that the released pictures of the President addressing Cabinet are far from the truth.
Mr. Msoni has suggested that government should at this end tell the nation what the President’s health status is as people still have doubts even with release of the pictures.
But Chief Government Spokesperson Joseph Katema has maintained that the released pictures of the President addressing Cabinet yesterday are the official position of government.
Dr. Katema, who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister, has told Qfm News that he was personally in attendance of the Cabinet meeting at State House which President Sata chaired.
He says anyone still not convinced about the President’s well being can continue politicking as there is no big issue as far as he is concerned.
Northern Province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga
POLICE in Kasama have arrested a 19-year-old prisoner of Milima State Prison (MSP) for allegedly sodomising a fellow inmate.
Northern Province Commissioner of police Charity Katanga said on Monday that the incident happened around 20:00 hours on Friday in the juvenile cell when there was a power outage.
“The victim aged 17 years, a capital remandee for murder was sodomised by Chris Sinkamba, aged 19 who was charged for burglary and theft.
At the time of his arrest he was 17 years and was to be sent to Katombora Reformatory School,” she said.
Ms Katanga said the victim complained of pain in the anus and that a medical report was issued.
UPND vice president for administration Canicius Banda during the rally in Mandevu
Public Health Expert Dr. Canisius Banda has advised the Zambian Government not to quickly dismiss remarks infectious disease expert Francis Kasolo that Zambia is not ready to handle a possible Ebola outbreak.
Dr. Canisius Banda wondered whether Zambia has the administrative, structural and commodity capacity level to handle the Ebola virus despite government assurances.
He said Dr. Kasolo is an expert who the Zambian government should engage instead of threatening to revoke his secondment at WHO Africa Office for disclosing that Zambia has no capacity to contain an Ebola outbreak.
“We should listen to him. Dr Kasolo is a skilled and qualified Zambian, we should not be too quick to rubbish his statement. The truth is that we are Ebola preparedly naïve as a nation Dr Banda said.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Yamfwa Mukanga
By Hjoe Moono
‘Kuyamba vintu timayamba bwino manje Poor Finishing [PF]!’ goes Bob Mabege’s song of old. Indeed, Poor Finishing has been the characteristic of most, if not all of our past governments.
On Thursday [10th July 2013], the Post Newspaper carried a poignant article in praise of Uruguayan president, Jose Mujica who lives a humble and simple none-expensive life. Indeed, the Uruguay president has in some circles been called the Poorest President on Earth who lives at his farm house, and the only state security he has is a three legged dog running round his basic farm. Such humility. Such humane leadership. Such empathetic leadership surely deserves admiration, and I would echo the Post’s article’s message.
Listening to the Zambian parliament debate of Thursday, 10th July 2014 however, I got the shock of my life when I heard that K6.5Million (US$1.1 Million) was being spent on ‘renovating’ a ‘Presidential Lodge’ somewhere in Kitwe. The Minister of Works, Yamfwa Mukanga, who the President affectionately called a ‘fool’[Chipuba] over the delay in the renovation of the lodge, heavily defended government’s decision to allocate such an enormous amount of money, more than what has been allocated to the Ministry of Community Development, Mother & Child Health for health promotion for the year.
I have found it hard to fathom the government’s priorities here. Surely, we have mothers dying in child birth due to lack of funding for health care infrastructure. Our mothers and sisters are subjected to the lowest of health services in our hospitals, sleeping on floors in congested hospital wards with poor water and sanitary conditions, and yet, we have a government that justifies spending huge amounts of money, borrowed money for that matter, on prestige presidential lodges? Really? How does a sane person justify such a wasteful expenditure?
Mr. Sata is known not to spend nights out of his official residence at Nkwazi. For all I know, the only time he spends a night out of State House is when he is on Holiday in India, England, and Israel. At all state functions outside Lusaka, the presidential helicopter or the Challenger Jet is on hand to take him back to state house. So why does he need another presidential lodge in Kitwe to be renovated at such a huge cost? Has he run out of rooms at State House? What about the State Lodge in New Kasama in Lusaka, has it become too small for him too? What about the presidential lodge in Ndola? Or has his family grown over the last two years that he needs more rooms built for them using borrowed funds from the Euro bond, which we, the ordinary citizens have to pay through our nose when he has left government?
One of the PF’s early acts in government was to discredit and humiliate Rupiah Banda’s government which was purported to have planned to renovate state house. Mr. Sata was shown on national TV showing images of what would have been the new state house that Rupiah Banda was purportedly planning on building/renovating. But today, the same Mr. Sata and his government are justifying colossal expenditure on a similar venture, not in Lusaka, no, but in Kitwe, at an exorbitant cost. What a shame! What a waste!
FILE: Catherine Namugala
Hon. Catherine Namugala correctly and contextually pointed the poor prioritisation of the PF government: How do you set aside K6.5 million to renovate a presidential lodge YET only disburse K4 million for Child Health programmes under the Ministry of Community Development, Mother & Child Health? Is a luxury additional presidential lodge more important than the health and lives of women and children nationwide?
Clearly this is insanity at its peak! Or has Mr. Sata and his government been motivated by South Africa’s Jacob Zuma’s excessiveness on his Inkandla residence that they now wish to compete with him in excessiveness in lifestyle at the expense of national development? Perhaps they would do well to read the Post Newspaper’s editorial, and hopefully appreciate one or two things about humility and empathy in leadership as shown by the life of Uruguayan President Jose Mujica.
The excessiveness and gluttony of the PF is sentencing many of the Zambian citizenry to permanent ill health and death with its poor prioritisation. Just a stone throw away from the presidential lodge, you will see many orphaned children roaming the streets and sleeping under bridges and trenches, without any hope for the future, their livelihoods ignored, and cut off, by the gluttony and prestige lodges prioritisation of our leaders. Just stone throw away from the multi-million PF presidential lodge, many are living in small poorly constructed houses without water and sanitation facilities, yet, through their labour on the streets they have to fund, through heavy taxes, the ‘High Life’ that the PF leadership is living. Vanity!
At the University Teaching Hospital, it’s a poor and sorry sight: Congested Wards. Women and Children sleeping on the floor. People turned away due to lack of adequate bed spaces and medicines. Poor water and sanitary conditions in the wards. I see only misery. I see only sadness when I walk through our hospitals, where our leaders are too healthy & wealthy to get sick in [would rather embark on medical tourism adventures] YET, they are spending K6.5million on renovating a prestige lodge for the president, which he clearly does not even need, owing to the many that are already functional. All Vanity. Such Gluttony is repugnant and disappointing.
Just a few months ago, the Zambia Daily Mail carried a sarcastic attack on former defence Minister, GBM, through an emotionally driven editorial arguing that his purchasing of a car for his wife, using his private funds from his business, is wasteful and that the money would be better spent contributing to the health sector. I found this absurd, silly, and stupid, coming from a public newspaper in a government where K6.5million is being spent on a lodge, when the health sector would improve greatly even with just 10% of what is being wastefully spent on that lodge.
What is clear is that our leaders lack humility. Our leaders are not empathetic. Rather, they have now acquired higher levels of gluttony, new and sophisticated levels of excessiveness at the expense of nation building and development. There is no empathy nor regard for the lives of the many people that had high hopes and expectations in the PF leadership. Indeed, they started well, but now, they are Poor Finishers [PF].
The Post Newspaper’s editorial rightly observes: “What do we see among most of our leaders today? Entitlement. Arrogance. Pretension. Selfishness. Boastfulness. Vanity. Corruption. All these are found in abundance among our politicians today. And all these have contributed to bad policymaking, abuse of taxpayers’ money and all sorts of corrupt behaviour.”
Isn’t it strange that the government gets grants from Britain, Sweden, USA etc to help fund the health sector, YET the Zambian government has enough money, to the tune of K6.5million to renovate a presidential lodge?
Community Development, Mother and Child Health minister , Emerine Kabanshi,
GOVERNMENT has warned officers looking after elderly people in the country to be transparent and accountable.
Community Development, Mother and Child Health Minister Emerine Kabanshi said there was need for officers looking after elderly people in Zambia to be transparent and accountable.
Ms Kabanshi said her office would not tolerate a situation where officers in charge of Old People’s Homes mismanage donations and other resources donated by the Government and other well-wishers.
She was speaking in Livingstone yesterday when Child Helpline International (CHI) donated detergents, disinfectants, cooking oil and mealie mealie valued at K1, 000 to Maramba Old people’s Home.
CHI is a network of 178 child help lines operating in 143 countries around the world.
“We have been talking about transparency and accountability and whatever is being donated to elderly people should be used for the intended use.
We want Old People’s Homes to be very accountable with their officers by making sure that elderly people benefit from what the Government and other stakeholders give them,” Ms Kabanshi said.
She noted that the private sector in Zambia would not supplement Government efforts in taking care of elderly people if supervisors for such homes were mishandling the donated facilities.
“We want the private sector to come on board and renovate this building at Maramba Old People’s Home.
The infrastructure is cracking and very soon these things will fall but if we are not accountable and transparent, the private sector won’t come on board to supplement Government efforts,” Ms Kabanshi said.
She was however happy that the garden at Maramba Old People’s Home was being managed by Sun International Zambia.
“We want more members of the private sector to come on board and supplement our efforts,” she said.
Speaking earlier at the same meeting, Maramba Old People’s Village officer in charge Humphrey Chileshe said the Home was established in early 1960s to carter for the elderly who were rejected by society mainly because of witchcraft and other reasons.
Mr Chileshe said the elderly people had challenges because of their different mental and physical situations in which they were.
Meanwhile, Ms Kabanshi said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was committed to supporting elderly people in the country.
She said elderly people contributed a lot to the struggle for independence and that they were custodians of the country’s culture.
Ms Kabanshi said this yesterday when she paid a courtesy call on Livingstone District Commissioner Omar Munsanje.
In response, Mr Munsanje said the District was committed to supporting vulnerable children and elderly people.
“We are trying to offer good services to vulnerable children and elderly people.
Yes we have challenges here and there but we have to face these challenges head on,” Mr Munsanje said.
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection says the continued increase in the cost of living is a major source of concern among households in the country.
In press statement released to the media by the social and economic department of JCTR, the organization says though there has been a decrease in some of the commodities the country has continued to record steady increase in the cost of living due to increases on other necessities such as the pending increase in electricity.
The organisation calls on government to put in more long-term and sustainable measures so as to stabilize the overall cost of basic needs for the purposes of guaranteeing social protection of citizens.
Below is the full statement released by JCTR.
INCREASE IN THE COST OF LIVING A MAJOR CONCERN AMONG HOUSEHOLDS
Our government recently released K1.6bn for implementation of poverty reduction and employment creation activities. The government further encouraged various government agencies to maintain the positive growth in the economy and ensure that the disbursed resources are applied in a timely and sustainable manner. This announcement is timely and we as JCTR commend our government on this score. We are alive to the negative effects of funding gaps on accelerated national development on account of disbursement delays which correspondingly lead to implementation delays of development programmes. In this regard we wish to express our serious concerns regarding the implementation of various government projects particularly delays in building earmarked health posts across the vast span of the country. We appeal to government to intervene and address this issue as provision of quality health services through investments in rural health infrastructure is essential in improving rural livelihoods.
Be that as it may, the cost of living for the month of June 2014 measured by JCTR’s Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for an average family of five living in Lusaka was K3, 681.14. This shows an increase of K44.68 from May’s BNB which stood at K3, 636.46. The increase is attributed to the hike in prices of the following food items; Kapenta by K6.00 per Kg, Beans by K6.88 per Kg and Cooking Oil by K1.14 per Kg from the previous month of April. There has also been a significant increase in the price of charcoal from K127.50 in May to K135.00 in June, showing an increase of K7.50. In contrast, other commodities showed marginal decreases in pricing namely, Dry fish which decreased by K14.54 per Kg and Beef which decreased by K0.57 per Kg.
However, despite decreases in the cost of some food items measured by the Basic Needs Basket, JCTR is concerned that the overall cost of the basket indicates a steady aggregate increase in the cost of living. On a general scale prices of essential commodities are under pressure towards an upward thrust. For example, this month ZESCO is poised to effect the revised electricity tariffs. This increase in electricity tariffs will invariably affect the manufacturers’ cost of production and ultimately cause an increase to consumers. The JCTR acknowledges some measures taken by government to cushion some households against the high cost of living and ensure that vulnerable families’ access basic needs, among them the social cash transfer scheme. However, there is need for more long-term and sustainable measures to stabilize the overall cost of basic needs for purposes of guaranteeing social protection of citizens.
As a Centre we recommend to Government to ensure that development efforts are aimed at increasing the long term coping capabilities of majority of households to access basic needs such as food, clean water, health and shelter. It is rather a misnomer to note that there are families that are still surviving on one meal a day and yet the national economy is acclaimed to be positing a steady growth. As an emerging nation we need to rise to the challenge of channeling the positive economic growth into improved living conditions of the majority of Zambians. We are aware that government is committed to addressing the general welfare of Zambians and will stop at nothing to ensure that the mass or our people move from poverty entrapment to a dignified life. We urge government to transcend policy pronouncements and statements of intent and show equal resolve in accelerated implementation of poverty reduction strategies and programmes through timely release of development oriented resources.
For more information, contact the Social and Economic Development Programme of The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection.