Political activist Mbita Chitala says the Young African leader’s Initiative (YALI) proposal to have a referendum on the new constitution alongside the 2016 elections is misguided.

Dr. Chitala says this is because despite the civil society organization being entitled to make its own opinion its proposed roadmap on the country’s constitution has fallen out of what a majority of the people in the country want.

He has told Qfm news in an interview that what YALI should instead do is to come back to the fold and continue with all stakeholders that are calling for the country’s constitution to be enactment without any further delay.

Dr. Chitala says the issue of enacting the new constitution must not be delayed further as the processing of coming up with the country’s supreme law has already attracted unnecessary costs.

He says any further delays on the issue of the constitution will only make it more destabilizing and unnecessary.

The political activist notes that this is why he holds the position that YALI is misguided and did not give it much thought when they chose to come up with a proposal that may further prolong the process of enacting the country’s new constitution.

He has suggested that what should happen now is for the nation to prioritize the issue of enacting a new constitution especially that the current constitution is one that represents a one party state where the country’s Head of State is left with too much power.

And YALI governance advisor Isaac Mwanza has told Qfm news that by proposing its roadmap, his organization does not it mean it has intention of imposing its roadmap on Zambia’s constitutional reform or any stakeholder in the current constitution making process.

Mr. Mwanza says, being one of the stakeholders in the constitution making process, his organization believes that it has every right to propose a constitutional roadmap, especially at a time when government has appeared to be hesitant to come up with a roadmap to guide the process.

He says his organization further believes that all stakeholders must engage in the process of coming up with the final roadmap and that if its proposed roadmap is able to kick-start this process, YALI will be happy to continue working with all stakeholders in delivering a Constitution that all Zambians will be proud of.

The YALI governance advisor also notes that his organization views the work of the Grand Coalition in pressing government to release the Draft Constitution and provide a roadmap as essential towards making the ruling Patriotic Front fulfill its promise to enact a of enacting the new Constitution of Zambia.

He however says YALI’s participation in the Coalition does not entail that his organization has surrendered its independence to make decisions or engage with both the opposition and government in finding a way forward on the issue of the constitution.

Mr. Mwansa adds that YALI attaches greater urgency to the enactment of the new Constitution and that if there are any means it can come up with a new constitution before 2016 that takes into account concerns of all stakeholders, his organization will be pleased to be part of such a process.

He says his organization does not however wants to see a process that will end up failing in Parliament as the case was in March 2011 during the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) era.

Mr. Mwanza says this is why his organization is thus challenging other stakeholders to help government by providing an alternative roadmap which can be agreeable to all stakeholders and that YALI stands ready to examine any such proposal and support it if it’s attainable in the shorter term.

The Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has elected Catholic Archbishop of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu as its new President for a third time running.

Archbishop Mpundu was elected during a ZEC plenary meeting held at Kapingila House in Lusaka from Monday ,July 7 to yesterday, Friday, July 11, 2014.

Archbishop Mpundu will de deputized by the Right Reverend Alick Banda, the Bishop of Ndola.
ZEC Secretary General Cleophas Lungu announced the election of Archbishop Mpundu in a media statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Fr. Lungu said Archbishop Mpundu takes over from Archbishop Ignatius Chama of Kasama Diocese who is also the Apostolic Administrator of Mpika.

He explained that Archbishop Mpundu comes to the helm of the ZEC Board as President for the third time.

Archbishop Mpundu was first elected ZEC President in 1993 and served for two terms before leaving office in 1999 and was later elected in 2002 serving until 2008.

Other members of the ZEC Board are Reverends Raymond Mpezele, Bishop of Livingstone, George Lungu, Bishop of Chipata and Charles Kasonde the Bishop of Solwezi.

Fr. Lungu said the ZEC immediate past President Archbishop Chama of Kasama is the designated alternate member.

Construction of the 76 kilometers Chadiza- Chipata road under the link Zambia 8000 Road project has stopped .

This was after the Chadiza magistrate court ordered Chinese State engineering company to stop getting gravel from a villager’s private land along the Chadiza Chipata stretch.

And an excavator operator at China state engineering company has been arrested after he was founding excavating gravel from the villager’s land.

Chadiza subordinate court magistrate Fabian Likulunga yesterday ordered the Chinese State Engineering Company ,the company that government has contracted to construct the 76 Kilometers Chadiza- Chipata road into bituminous standard to stop getting gravel from a pit after a villager sued the company for trespassing on his land.

John Banda of Kamseche village has sued China State engineering Company, claiming K150, 000 as compensation for damages to his land where the construction company is getting the gravel.

And during a court session yesterday the court went on a site visit where it ordered the construction company to stop excavating gravel until the matter was exhausted by the court but some workers defied the court order and continued working before the magistrate ordered for their arrest.

Mr. Likulunga ordered for the arrest of an operator for the excavator that was found working in the borrow pit and has also confiscated keys for the two trucks that were found loading gravel at the site.

The case in which United Party for National Development (UPND) President, Hakainde Hichilema, has been sued for alleged contempt of court was yesterday set for August 18.

The case, which was scheduled before Kitwe High Court Judge, Catherine Makungu, was adjourned after lawyers representing Ms Lombe Chibesakunda informed the court that they were unable to serve Mr Hichilema with the summons because he was not found at the given address.

This is in the case in which acting Chief Justice, Lombe Chibesakunda, applied for contempt proceedings against Mr Hichilema for allegedly commenting on an issue that was active in court.

Ms Justice Chibesakunda said the UPND leader was quoted in the Daily Nation Newspaper of June 12 this year under the headline “PF Ministers courting UPND’ in which he allegedly made direct reference to her position and tenure of office as acting Chief Justice.

She said the words spoken and published amount to a personal scurrilous abuse of her as the acting Chief Justice in the judicial system.

Mr Hichilema has been added as an alleged contemnor in the case in which the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has sued the Attorney General and Ms Justice Chibesakunda over her re-appointment as Supreme Court Judge.

Ms Justice Chibesakunda said the words spoken constitute contempt of court on proceedings on a matter that awaits determination by the court.

THE transit camp setup within Helen Kaunda School grounds in Kitwe to provide accommodation relief for the displaced Mindolo residents has been invaded by intruders who are not victims of the Kitwe City Council house demolition operation.

The invasion of the transit camp by intruders has caused a strain on the limited toilet facilities to cater for the resettled households.

A check at the transit camp yesterday found families complaining of inadequate toilets at the centre.

The residents said only 10 mobile toilets were provided at the transit camp for the over 100 families to use.

They complained that they were from time to time compelled to use the surrounding bush to answer the call of nature.

But Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) national coordinator, Patrick Kangwa said the 10 mobile-toilets dispatched at the transitsite should be enough to cater the resettled residents except that the area had been invaded by intruders.

Mr Kangwa revealed that other people were coming through to fuse themselves among the displaced Mindolo residents with the view to benefit from the provided relief accommodation.

He said it was these other people that were coming through and making themselves as part of the resettled households that were causing a shortage of toilets.

“The good thing is that we did a screening exercise so we have a baseline for all the genuinely affected households,” Mr Kangwa said.

Mr Kangwa however said the DMMU was dispatching a further 10 mobile toilets to the transit camp to bring the total number to 20.