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Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani speaks with Tourism Permanent secretary George Zulu shortly before President Michael Sata arrived at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport for the opening of the UNWTO 20th General Assembly -Picture and caption by THOMAS NSAMA
Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Senanga Member of Parliament Likando Mufalali has accused a Police officer in Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani’s motorcade of assaulting him.
Mr. Mufali has told Qfm News in a telephone interview that the incident happened this afternoon around 15:00 hours on his way back from the Copperbelt near Mulungushi University in Kabwe.
He narrates that while he was driving a the Police Inspector General’s motorcade signaled from behind and that he pulled off the road to give way for the motorcade to pass, and later started following the motorcade behind when one of the Police officers stopped him and asked why he was following the Inspector General’s motorcade.
Mr. Mufali explains that it was at this point that the Police officer twisted his arm and before breaking his car keys.
The Parliamentarian has complained of pain in the arm which was twisted by the Police officer who left him stranded after his keys were broken.
But when contacted for comment Police Spokesperson Charity Munganga Chanda says the Inspector General’s official vehicle ZP 1 is a VIP vehicle and that Police have the duty to protect the Inspector General of Police at all times.
Mrs. Chanda says no one has the right to follow the vehicle behind without permission as doing so raises suspicious as to what the motive of a person following behind might be.
She has however stated that police will investigate the matter.
Napsa Stars have attributed their scoreless away draw against Roan United on Sunday at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe to the one hour delayed kick-off.
The FAZ Super League Week 17 game only kicked off at 16h00 due to a lack of security at the stadium when Police were only deployed across the road at Arthur Davies Stadium for the Power Dynamos and Indeni game.
“The delayment stalled our game and I am disappointed with the way that Roan have organized the game,” Napsa coach Hector Chilombo said.
“They know protection is supposed to be provided both for the referee and the players but there wasn’t any.
“We started the game after 16h00 after the players had been warming up for one hour and the players went cold after the warm up and it has cost Napsa the game we were supposed to win this game.”
The match was Roan’s first home match at their temporal home venue in Kitwe following a five-match ban imposed on them by the FAZ Disciplinary committee from playing games at Kafubu Stadium in Luanshya.
This follows crowd trouble that led to the abandonment of Roan’s Week 9 game against Red Arrows at Kafubu on May 10.
All-rounder Kabange Mupopo has sailed into the semifinals of the women’s 400 meters at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Mupopo, who is also Shepolopolo captain, is into Monday evenings semifinal heat one after finishing second in Sunday’s preliminary round heat 1.
Meanwhile, there was no joy for Rhodah Njobvu who bowed out of the women’s 400 meters heats including Yvonne Nalishuwa who also exited in the women’s 100 meters heats while Titus Mukhala also bowed out of the 100 mens meters heats.
And Zambia also suffered a setback in the ring on Sunday night when boxer Charles Lumbwe lost 3-0 to Junia Jonas in the last 16 of the light welterweight contest.
Zambia now has two boxers left with Middleweight Ben Muziyo in acton on Monday night against Brody Blair of Canada in the last 16.
Light Flyweight Bwalya Lumbwe enters the ring for the first time on Monday against Ugandan Fazil Kaggwa.
A family in Chief Kaingu Area in Itezhi- Tezhi district happily enjoying the catch of fish
Catholic Bishops in the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) say the threat to the family in AMECEA region is now more real than ever before as the crisis of marriage and the family has been increased by individualism in the contemporary society, breakdown of morals, and attacks on the family unit, poverty and unemployment.
The bishops have pledged that as a Church in the region, they will endeavour to protect the family which is the domestic Church against all these dangers.
“We commit ourselves to pastoral care of broken families and all those who are going through difficulties in their families. We also condemn all forms of domestic violence. We affirm institution of marriage as an indissoluble union of love between a man and a woman open to procreation and denounce any attempt to redefine this institution. Family life must be respected, promoted and protected so that it can provide men and women who can weave a social fabric of peace and harmony. We strongly condemn same sex unions and other deviations that go against human nature and natural law,” Read the Communiqué presented by Most Rev. Berhaneyesus Souraphiel, the new AMECEA Chairman.
“We urge for the protection and defence of the family at all costs as that is the beginning and pillar of human life and society. We seek to enable the family to be an instrument of New Evangelisation which is truly African and truly Christian. We welcome and await the fruits of the forth coming extra ordinary synods on marriage and family life.,” The Communiqué added.
Meanwhile the Catholic Bishops are saddened by the on-going conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia and other parts of the world.
In a communiqué at the end of their 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in Lilongwe, 16th to 26th July, 2014, the Bishops deplored the suffering of the people in those countries.
“We strongly advocate for a peaceful resolution to these conflicts and remain committed as Catholic Bishops in AMECEA region to do whatever is within our ability to bring about lasting peace to these Countries. We also ask our Catholic faithful and people of good will to remember Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia in their prayers and to attend with a helping hand to their urgent needs and further appeal to all peoples in these countries to embrace peace, seek reconciliation and work towards nation building.” The Communiqué read.
And on New Evangelization, The Catholic bishops have committed to make use of the strategies of the Missionaries who took a positive view of African cultures and in them sought to find the concepts, terms and ways of expressing the Christ-event and the Christian life.They acknowledged with appreciation the efforts many agents of evangelization who are committed to the spread of the Gospel in different ways and encouraged them to remain faithful to the mission we have received from Jesus Christ.
On the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Media for Evangelization, the Catholic Church in the AMECEA region, says will continue to empower social communication departments in order for the Church to fully embrace new forms of media as modern ways of propagating the Gospel and urged pastoral agents to make responsibly use of media and contribute to the content. The bishops have furthermore cautioned all people against misuse of social media.
Additionally, urged parents and all those who are responsible for Children to teach them the ways of God and protect them as children and youth are a gift to and hope of the Church and society.
On Terrorism and Violence, bishops say the AMECEA region and beyond though claim to enjoy relative peace, the recurrent acts of violence and terrorism are very disturbing.
“We appeal to governments in the region to work hard to address the root causes of these problems and ensure protection of the lives of people and their properties. We further appeal for concerted regional and global efforts towards solving these problems” The communiqué read.
The Catholic Bishops in the Association of Member Episcopal Conference in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) were meeting for their 18th Plenary Assembly in Lilongwe.
AMECEA consists of eight countries namely Malawi, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, Zambia, Uganda and Ethiopia. AMECEA conferences are held every three years and it’s the third time Malawi is hosting the conference.
Opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has rubbished assertions that he personally looted state resources during the privatization programmes by undervaluing some state assets.
Mr Hichilema maintained that he offered a professional service to the Zambian Government during the privatization exercise through his firm Coopers & Lybrand which later changed its name to Grant Thornton.
He said he has never worked in Government and does not understand how a professional firm could hoodwink an entire Government system to sale its assets cheaply adding that he was never involved in the sale of any ZCCM asset.
Mr Hichilema was speaking last evening when he featured on the Assignment programme on Muvi TV.
“You cannot say I influenced Government to sale cheaply, I performed valuation services and it was up to the Zambian Government which included some people that are in big leadership roles today to sale or not to sale,” Mr Hichilema explained.
He said the MMD cabinet that decided on the privatization exercise included President Sata who was then Minister without portfolio and current Vice President who was then Agriculture Minister.
“These were key men. You need to ask them to account for their actions including the current Minister of Finance Chikwanda, he was at State House as Chief of Staff. Don’t blame HH for privatization, you know who was in Government then.”
Mr Hichilema added, “I’m not a thief, I have no thread or iota of thieving in my blood. I challenged the President when he accused me of having stolen Cattle that he has a thieving culture I don’t have, if I have stolen something, I challenged him that if I stole Cattle let him arrest me because Cattle is not like rats.”
The UPND leader said he is just a simple villager who started from the floor to acquire what he has.
“I’m a guy who comes from the floor, every Zambia should be proud of their heritage, I come from the floor, went to a village school then later went to a secondary school in the area God chose I should be born, no one chooses where to be born and which language to speak, by the way there is no minority tribe in this country, all of them are equal.”
Mr Hichilema continued, “I was born in grass thatched house, not in a maternity wing of a hospital or clinic, walked to school bare foot, drew water from shallow wells that is why am so passionate about free education so that no other children whether orphans or not should have to go through what we went through.”
I then went to the University of Zambia. Did many things, I bought my first plot in Kalingalinga using my second salary, I could not afford a brick layer with a team of helpers. So I pushed the wheelbarrow myself. I couldn’t complete it and I sold it for a profit, bought another plot, sold it at a profit. I can say I got my business training by rearing Cattle. Entrepreneurship comes from our heritage, cattle rearing. When I was building, my fellow classmates from were laughing at me that I was building a house in the Komboni but I knew I was better because they were renting and I was building a house.”
On the issue of tribalism, Mr Hichilema said the tribal tag does not bother him.
“It’s a non-issue, it’s a matter am completely relaxed about, it does not bother me. UPND is the most represented party in terms of regions. I come from the South, two Veeps from North Western and Eastern Province, Kaputa Northern Province and National Secretary is from Central Province. The structure of the NMC has every part of Zambia represented,” he said.
He said the UPND has Councilors and MPs from all the provinces of Zambia adding that the party has pushed its doors to accommodate anyone even from regions such as Luapula and Northern Province.
Mr Hichilema said the issue of tribe is not serious because PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba is on record as having said the PF is the tribal and indiscipline political organisation in the history of Zambia.
Mr Hichilema also denied reports that the UPND is courting Kasama PF MP Geoffrey Mwamba for the position of Vice President.
“We are courting everyone. The UPND has bedrooms for the 13 million Zambians. We are not courting GBM for the Vice President position but we are courting every Zambia,” Mr Hichilema said.
A government Minister and some District Commissioners in Mangango were yesterday caught red-handed placing private number plates on government vehicles with the intention of abusing the motor vehicles in the by-election campaigns in the area.
However, the police in Western Province have locked up a United Party for National Development (UPND) official identified as Nasilele for grabbing the keys of the vehicles and the private number plates and reporting the matter to police.
An alert UPND campaign team exposed the electoral scandal when they reported the Minister and the District Commissioners to police after they caught them removing government number plates from 18 government vehicles and replacing them with private number plates.
According to UPND deputy secretary general Kuchunga Simusamba, the UPND campaign team grabbed the private number plates and the keys to the government vehicles and took them to police in Kaoma.
The UPND has since submitted a list of 18 government motor vehicles whose government number plate numbers were allegedly changed to private ones so that motor vehicles could be used in the Mangango constituency by-election campaigns.
Mr Simusamba told the Daily Nation from Mangango yesterday that the opposition political party campaign team discovered that the PF Ministers and some District Commissioners were swapping the GRZ plate numbers with private ones so that the vehicles could be used for their campaigns.
Mr Simusamba said Western Province UPND official Nasilele was arrested after grabbing the car keys and the plate numbers from Mr Mwaliteta when he quickly rushed to police to report.
Mr Simusamba has warned that the UPND would not tolerate the Patriotic Front (PF)’s continued abuse of government resources during by-elections.
Mr Simusammba said the UPND would continue effecting citizens’ arrest if the PF would continue flouting the electoral rules and regulations and that no amount of intimidation and harassment would deter them from ensuring the political playing field was leveled.
‘This morning, our campaign team found some PF Ministers and a number of District Commissioners (DCs) in Western Province who were in the act of changing government plate number to private one so that the vehicles could be abused in their campaigns. They have so far changed the GRZ plate numbers to private ones on 18 vehicles and we have submitted the list of the motor vehicles to police. The youths who found the Minister in the act grabbed the keys and the number plates and quickly rushed to the police to report. But instead of arresting the Minister, the police arrested our youth leader Nasilele and have denied him bond,” Mr Simusamba said.
He said it was annoying that the police were acting like puppets of the ruling party adding the UPND had sent more youths on the ground to monitor the illegal activities of the ruling party.
Mr Simusamba said the UPND would not stand with its arms akimbo and continue watching the ruling party violate the electoral rules with impunity.
Police spokesperson Charity Munganga when contacted referred the matter to Western Province police commissioner.
President Sata and the first lady visiting the Presidents son Kazimu at Milpark hospital Johannesburg
By Field Ruwe
The smile
When a father gives care, a son gives him love. Look at the picture again; President Sata shows genuine delight at seeing his son. He may not grin; the smile on his face is rare and spontaneous. It is one of those special smiles drawn from the subterranean of paternal love.
Look closely. You may not see the smile if you are bent on seeing how sick he looks. Look at it from a father-son perspective. Although radiated from a face overwhelmed by illness, the benign smile has power in it; it has eternal love, comfort, encouragement, assurance, and reassurance. His smile is not only substantial, but also a requisite to Kazimu’s recovery, and psychological well-being.
Sata’s smile would be even more consequential if Kazimu was lying in our very own University Teaching Hospital, in a ward as sophisticated as the one in the picture. The smile would be as contagious as to deeply affect us all. It would go beyond being a gesture for love of his son, to being a symbol of pride for all; of great accomplishment, self-empowerment, and advancement.
Sata’s smile would spread to Kazimu’s friends Steven Kawandami, and Tiberth Musambachime, wounded in the same accident. It would engulf the wards and light up the souls of patients less fortunate than Kazimu. That’s what a smile does; it brings happiness, appreciation, and pleasure to those who are treated equally.
Disappointment
The noun associated with “equally” is “equality,” a word that implies that people have the same status in certain respects. In this aspect it refers to “health equality.” A country with 14 million people highly susceptible to all sorts of diseases due to poverty requires the absence of prejudice stimulated by an inalienable part of a person’s class. It calls for the absence of disparities in critical aspects of health. Simply put, it calls for equality in health care.
When allowed to be digested, the above paragraph evokes a feeling of disappointment. Unlike a smile, disappointment hurts. Disappointment is synonymous with failure. It carries with it words like letdown, discontent, displeasure, setback, disillusionment, regret, and shame.
With disappointment in mind look at the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellence Michael Chilufya Sata seated by the bedside at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, a country that is not his. See how his presidential mystique and prestige are stripped of him. He looks ordinary—lackluster—at the mercy of South Africa. He is in South Africa, in a Milpark ward because his own country does not have state-of-the-art life-saving facilities. For almost fifty years it has lamentably failed to build a hospital of Milpark’s caliber. And since he is the current ruler, he becomes the epitome and conventional emblem of failure.
Zambian doctors
Look at the picture again, the president looks exhausted. Hardly had he rested after spending two weeks in a hospital in Israel than he found himself in another foreign hospital visiting his son. In the picture, he is hoping South African doctors can save his son’s life, just like he has entrusted his life with Indian, British, and Israeli doctors.
What does all this mean to our very own doctors, fully bred at the Ridgeway Campus after seven years of excruciating training, some of it spent in the morgue? Let me be candid, the president’s son lying in a hospital bed in South Africa is a blotch on the image of the medical profession in Zambia. It undermines our doctors and conveys an impression of medical incompetence. It also sends a wrong message to the international medical fraternity and often results in our doctors being ostracized. They are seen as second-rate, middle-of-the-road, and of course inferior to their foreign peers.
Take the president’s wife for instance. She is a fully-fledged medical doctor. In the picture, she is using the visiting hour at Milpark to see her stepson. She too has put all her hope in the South African doctors. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to see her in a white coat as leader of the Zambian medical team treating Kazimu at UTH? That aside; how wonderful it would be to see her attending to her very own husband in a state-of-the-art ward in Lusaka. Look at the picture again. There is absolutely nothing she can do to help her stepson on foreign soil.
Self-empowerment
While a picture is worth a thousand words, I have focused on specific words like “smile” “equality” and “disappointment.” Now, let us look at another word, “self-empowerment.” It is a word related to “self-sufficiency.” Self-empowerment in this context is the ability to own facilities that are vital to the survival of a people. In successful cultures, it exudes pride, and confidence.
“Pride” and “confidence” are the words the owner of Netcare Milpark Richard Friedland, carries with him. This is an individual who can afford a state-of-the-art hospital, while our leader who presides over a country with abundant wealth cannot. He cannot afford even a single modern medical ward like the one in which his son is recovering, let alone an Intra-MRI operative machine. Our very own president would rather globe-trot and spend millions of tax-payers’ dollars in aviation gas, medical bills, accommodation, and food.
The cost to the tax-payer on Travel,Fuel,medical bills etc
Let me expound. On the day he visited his son the president first flew by helicopter to the airport and boarded the presidential Challenger jet. After slightly over two hours he landed at Lanseria International Airport. The Challenger 604 jet consumes 262 gallons (1191.1 litres) of fuel per hour which is worth $3,851.00. It takes approximately two hours to Johannesburg, a total of $7,702 one-way and $15,404 return plus parking fees. A seven-hour return Lusaka flight to Tel Aviv would cost approximately $53,914 plus parking fees per hour, and other incidentals. If you add the South African and Israel bills, you get close to $70,000 in gas alone. Add medical bills, food, lodging, and jet parking fees you have a colossal figure.
Zambia can afford to have a state of the art hospital
Why can’t such amounts be channeled to the building of a state-of-the-art annex at the antiquated UTH or any other hospital for that matter? By the way, I stumbled on a quotation of $302 million for a high-tech hospital with 320 beds. A third of the budget (100 beds) would cost approximately $53 million. Surely president Sata can raise this amount without getting a loan.
Let me show him how. Back in January 2009, Frederick Chiluba, appearing in Ndola High Court told Deputy Registrar Jones Chinyama that according to an audit conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers and Grant Thornton there was $53 million in the Zamtrop account of which $8.5 million was his. This is the exact required amount for the project. The Zamtrop money is ours. If it has disappeared, those responsible must be brought to book. In the case the money cannot be recovered, there are many other fund-raising alternatives.
Sourcing medical attention abroad should stop. It exposes a class society built on power. It also exposes disparity due to lack of imagination and poor priorities. What Zambia needs is health-empowerment. Sata’s government must build a state-of-the-art Urgent Care hospital in Zambia that will provide exceptional medical care for all without class distinction.
Thanks to the Sata-Kazimu picture it is as enthusing as disappointing, and serves as an eye opener. The next president must take heed. Having said that let me end by wishing the president’s son Kazimu speedy recovery.
Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili has threatened to sue The Post and Times of Zambia newspapers for publishing a story in which he is reported to have called the referee who handled the Nkana-Etoile Du Sahel match stupid.
Kambwili on Saturday confronted Ethiopian ref Bamlak Weyesa after Nkana beat Tunisian club Etoile 4-3 in a CAF Confederation Cup match in Kitwe .
Speaking during a media briefing at his residence in Luanshya on Sunday, Kambwili denied calling Weyesa stupid but admitted telling off the ref.
He gave the two newspapers 48 hours in which to retract the story failure to which he will sue the media institutions and the two reporters in their individual capacities.
“I said that I was extremely disappointed with the manner the referee had handled the game and that it was such kind of refereeing that had destroyed football in Africa,” he said.
“I am urging The Post to retract that story I am giving them 48 hours failure to which I will take legal action,” Kambwili said.
INTERNATIONAL Organisation for Migration employee Felix Ngoma hugs his wife Mary
THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) employee Felix Ngoma, who was abducted by suspected Janjaweed militia in Sudan, has returned home describing his 21 days in detention as the most horrible in his life.
Mr Ngoma arrived on Ethiopian Airlines at 14:00 hours to the jubilation of his family and Government officials, including Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary George Zulu and his Tourism and Arts counterpart Steven Mwansa.
Narrating his ordeal on arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Mr Ngoma said his captors sometimes kept him without food or water for days on end and only survived through some well-wishers who risked their lives by sneaking food to him.
“The first four days I went without food and water,” the surprisingly composed Mr Ngoma said. “Those people did not care whether I had eaten or not but somehow I knew that as long as they kept me under lock and key, they were not going to harm me.”
Mr Ngoma’s joyful mother, Halesi Chima, jokingly asked him how come his potbelly was still intact despite his disclosure that he went for days without eating.
He thanked the Zambian and Sudanese governments, his employers IOM, the entire United Nations Systems in New York and Geneva, the African Union and United Nations chief of Mission in Sudan for their role in securing his release.
Mr Ngoma said working in Sudan was an occupational hazard but vowed to go back to work as soon as possible.
He said all the people who were instrumental in his release occupy a special place in his heart and lauded the united front all stakeholders put up after hearing his abduction.
Mr Ngoma’s wife Mary recounted the anguish of hearing that her husband had been abducted by the rebels and that the family feared for the worst but never lost hope.
“To borrow his words, it was a horrible experience. We lived in fear wondering what was going to happen to him. Thank God he is here with us today,” she said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba said President Michael Sata was happy with the release of Mr Ngoma and that the Head of State was closely monitoring the case.
Mr Kalaba said this at his office during a brief ceremony at which IOM chief of Mission Andrew Choga and UN resident coordinator Janet Rogan handed over Mr Ngoma to the Zambian Government.
“This is a joyous day for all of us. On behalf of the Zambian Government, I would like to express gratitude to the IOM, the UN and all other parties, including the Mission in Geneva that worked tirelessly to release Mr Ngoma. Welcome home,” he said.
Dr Choga said the IOM was happy that Mr Ngoma had returned unharmed and that the organisation was looking forward to work with him after he recovers from his ordeal.
Ms Rogan said the UN System rejoiced at the momentous release of Mr Ngoma from his captors and that the organisation was happy to have played a part in securing his release.
INTERNATIONAL Organisation for Migration employee Felix Ngoma waves to onlookers as his wife Mary (left), his mother Halesi Chima (second from right) and Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary George Zulu (right) look on following his arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka
PATRIOTIC FRONT (PF) campaign manager in the August 19 Mangango by-election Obvious Mwaliteta was yesterday attacked by suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres who also grabbed K500 from him, Western Province Commissioner of Police Lombe Kamukoshi has confirmed.
Ms Kamukoshi said in a telephone interview that police in Kaoma have since arrested former district commissioner in the MMD regime Gilbert Nasilele to help with investigations.
“I wish to confirm that we have arrested former district commissioner, a Mr Nasilele for leading a group of youths to attack and rough up Mr Mwaliteta, who was on a routine campaign trail,” she said.
Ms Kamukoshi said the suspected UPND cadres also stripped Mr Mwaliteta’s car and got away with two number plates and a car remote control.
She said she has since dispatched more police officers to Kaoma for reinforcement.
Mr Mwaliteta is Kafue member of Parliament and Central Province minister.
And in a separate interview, Mr Mwaliteta denounced the violence by the suspected UPND cadres.
“There were over 10 cadres led by Mr Nasilele who attacked me together with Mr Daudi Chiseke. They grabbed our car keys and stripped our vehicle and got away with K500 cash. We were rescued by Rae Hamoonga [deputy police spokesperson], who was on his way to Mongu,” Mr Mwaliteta said.
He said UPND cadres have issued threats on his life saying he must leave Mangango.
He pleaded with UPND not to engage in violence, saying people are interested in development and not fighting.
“I appeal to the UPND to embrace peace. They must take back these cadres to Mongu. They are bringing confusion here,” Mr Mwaliteta said.
He said the PF will not engage in violence because it is focused on bringing development to the nation.
Efforts to get a comment from UPND campaign manager Misheck Mitelo proved futile as his mobile phone was switched off.
Attempts to speak to UPND’s party spokesperson Charles Kakoma and his deputy Cornelius Mweetwa also failed.
GOVERNMENT says it will complain to FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the misconduct of Ethiopian referee Bamlak Weyesa during Saturday’s Confederation Cup match between Nkana and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.
And Nkana coach Beston Chambeshi said his team’s victory over Tunisian giants has motivated his players to beat Al Ahly of Egypt in next Saturday’s Confederations Cup Group B return match.
Minister of Youth and Sport Chishimba Kambwili made the announcement in Luanshya yesterday that both FIFA and CAF would be communicated to on the poor officiating of the match by the 33-year-old Weyesa.
“I would like to inform the nation that I am extremely disappointed with the way the Nkana match was handled yesterday [Saturday] by the Ethiopian referee,” the minister said.
Kambwili has also requested Nkana to complain to CAF over the poor handling of the match by the Ethiopian.
Nkana beat Sahel 4-3 with the Tunisian team being awarded two questionable penalties, one in the fourth minute which Youssef Mouihbi converted to put his side ahead and again stepped up to score the second penalty at the nick of time with the Zambians leading 4-2 at the time.
“I told the referee personally that I was going to write CAF to complain about the manner he handled the match and I want to urge Nkana FC to lodge in an official complaint about the way the game was handled,” he said.
“And as minister, I am writing to FIFA and CAF to complain and urging them to review the video of the game and see what had transpired. Games are there to bring people together and bring unity, but games are not there to disunite the people.
“But if referees are not fair in the way they handle the games, then we are going to have a lot of problems…so as a country, we are officially going to lodge in a complaint to both CAF and FIFA,” he said.
And speaking in a post-match interview on Saturday, Chambeshi said his team will now concentrate on preparing for the next match against Al Ahly to ensure they collect maximum points.
Chambeshi said the technical bench will work on the defence that looked shaky on Saturday to avoid conceding unnecessary goals against Al Ahly.
“It’s a good victory for the team and the boys. It’s not easy to score against Arab teams but we managed to do it. We need to maintain the same spirit even in our next match against Al Ahly,” Chambeshi said.
Nkana have four points, four behind leaders Al Ahly, who edged Sewe Sport of Ivory Coast 1-0 in a late kick off in Cairo.
President Sata with Bob Sichinga and Foreign Affairs minister Harry Kalaba in Brussels
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba castigated MMD president Nevers Mumba for suggesting that the PF government has neglected Luapula Province.
Mr Kalaba said it is sad that Dr Mumba can continue misleading the nation that the PF has neglected Luapula when Government is busy taking various development projects to the region.
“We are very surprised as a PF government that Dr Mumba was in Mansa district talking about the fuel situation in the area.
“Mansa district is enjoying good roads, reduced power outages and many other development projects. We therefore don’t expect Dr Mumba to continue lying to the nation that we are not doing anything as a government in the area,” he said.
Mr Kalaba says President Sata has the vision to develop the country and must be given support by all well-meaning Zambians to achieve this dream.
Mr Kalaba said Zambians must continue supporting President Sata because he is the vision-carrier of the country’s development agenda and the torch-bearer of the Patriotic Front (PF).
He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Zambians have a duty to rally behind President Sata so that he can develop the country to meaningful levels.
“We have seen unprecedented development taking place in this country and the people’s lives are being improved across the country.
“What we are asking for as a government now is for the people of Zambia to continue supporting this hard-working President of Zambia so that he can deliver on his campaign promises,” Mr Kalaba said.
He said President Sata has created new districts throughout the country to help serve people by taking government closer to them.
Mr Kalaba further said the PF must continue to be an instrument of service to the people, adding that President Sata has worked hard to build roads, clinics, houses and schools countrywide in the few years he has been in office.
FEMALE and male students at Choma Trades Training Institute have been sleeping in the same block of flats owing to inadequate boarding infrastructure for female students.
The institution, which was built in the 1970s, was initially meant for male students only.
It has emerged that female students at the institute occupy the ground floor of one of the hostels while their male counterparts sleep on the upper floor, a situation the students describe as “not conducive”.
This came to light during the institute’s 5th graduation ceremony in Choma on Friday.
In a vote of thanks, James Mukuka, a graduating student, said there is a dire need to build more hostels to cater for female students who were recently introduced to the institution.
“There is need for Government to help build hostels for the females. Currently, we are sharing a block of flats, and females sleep on the ground floor while the males sleep on the first floor.
“This situation is not conducive, our parents always express concern when they come to visit us,” Mr Mukuka, who graduated with an automotive craft certificate, said at the event graced by Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education David Mabumba.
Mr Mukuka said the institute has enough land for construction of more student hostels.
He also appealed to Government and other stakeholders to help restock the school library and workshops, which are in need of modern machinery.
“It’s been a challenge for us students to do our practicals because the equipment in our workshop is old, most of it was bought in the 70s.We also need modern books in our library,” he said.
Mr Mukuka said students will only excel if the learning environment is conducive.
He, however, thanked Government for providing bursaries for students.
Earlier, Principal Tom Kampamba said management has in the last five years been requesting the Ministry of Education to construct hostels for female students.
kazungula ferry, Zambia to Botswana border crossing
The African Development Bank (ADB) says the Kazungula Bridge project would facilitate trade between Botswana and Zambia and the entire SADC region once completed.
ADB President Donald Kaberuka says it is pleasing to note that construction works on the bridge were going on smoothly.
He said he was happy to be in support of the project adding that there was need to change the way traffic was handled especially that there are 100 trucks on either side that are taking two weeks to be cleared at the border post.
ZANIS reports that the ADB president said this at a press briefing today when he visited the sites from the two countries at Kazungula Border post where the bridge project shall pass.
The ADB President said the Kazungula Bridge is a multi-national project on the North-South corridor on the Zambezi River which would cost US$ 259 million funded by loans from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and ADB as well as contributions from both the governments of Zambia and Botswana.
Dr. Kaberuka disclosed that the Joint Steering Committee for the Kazungula Bridge project is still meeting for the next two weeks in Kasane in neighbouring Bostwana to discuss preparations for the ground breaking ceremony to be announced soon.
He hoped that the small gap remaining can be resolved very quickly so that the commencement of the Bridge can start.
Earlier, Dr. Kaberuka and his entourage visited the famous Lumbo village housing project on the Zambian side where the affected families have been built 40 houses as compensation.
He was happy that the affected families have been relocated to a new site with a community school and other facilities provided for them.
Meanwhile, Commerce, Trade and Industry minister Robert Sichinga said in an interview that more benefits await the SADC region once the project is completed.
Mr. Sichinga says once completed, the project shall reduce the traffic at the border like at Chirundu border post where said business has been quickened.
He added that the Bridge shall also improve border management operations and easy trade between the two countries as well as reducing transport costs.
Mr. Sichinga further charged that the Kazungula Bridge project is very vital because it is a confluence of four countries namely Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe adding that he was also delighted by the assistance of ADB, JICA and the governments of Zambia and Botswana.
He disclosed that the gap remaining was US$ 60 million towards the project.
And welcoming the Zambian delegation on the Botswana side was that country’s Transport and Communications Minister Norofo Molefhi.
While in Botswana, the Zambian delegation held a closed door meeting with their Botswana counterparts at Cresta Mowana Lodge Resort in Kasane.