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Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia executive director Pukuta Mwanza follows proceedings during the meeting to demand for the release of the draft Zambia constitution
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has observed that much as the church is willing to offer spiritual help to Homosexuals, those practising it should also be willing to get help.
Visiting Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has advised the Church to pray for homosexual saying they need Jesus Christ.
But EFZ Executive Director Pukuta Mwanza says those practicing Homosexuality should be willing to get spiritual help and prayers stating that if they think what they are doing is right it becomes difficult to help them.
Reverend Mwanza says the church is ready to offer spiritual help, counseling and prayers to those in need, but that those committing wrongs should acknowledge them and show willingness to listen to the gospel.
He notes that not only those practicing homosexuality need prayers and spiritual counseling but everybody who is still living in sin and need the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Reverend Mwanza further states that the church will not relent in reaching out to those that need help and prayers so that the country can be an example to other countries especially that it is a Christian nation.
People’s party President Mike Mulongoti says the explanation by Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska on the delegation of presidential functions to Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba to act as President is not satisfactory.
Mr. Mulongoti has since challenged Dr. Msiska to publish the signed instrument of delegation of the functions of President.
He says this is the only way people will believe and stop speculating about the manner in which Mr. Kabimba assumed the role of acting President.
Mr. Mulongoti says Dr Msiska MUST end the speculation once and for all by publishing the signed document, considering that the government gazette is a public document.
Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska on Tuesday confirmed that President Michael Sata handed over the instruments of power to acting president Wynter Kabimba in accordance with all aspects of the Law before he left for a working holiday in Israel.
Open Society Foundation (OSF) says there is need for a clear succession plan in the ruling Patriotic Front.
OSF Executive Director Sunday Chanda has told QFM News that the PF’s succession plan must also signal a generational change that can inspire citizens once again.
Mr. Chanda says President Michael Sata pioneered the PF but that there is need for party to present another transformational leader to steer the party into the future.
Mr Chanda adds that there is need for the ruling party to also deal with opportunists within its ranks.
But Patriotic Front PF National Chairperson Inonge Wina says it is premature for anyone to talk about succession in the ruling party.
Ms Wina has told QFM News in a separate interview that the question of who succeeds President Michael Sata in 2016 is irrelevant at the moment.
She states that there is no reason why people should push the PF to look for alternative Leadership when the party has a Leader who continues to oversee the affairs of the state.
District Commissioner (DC) Royd Chakaba has said Nchelenge District in Luapula Province risks losing out from the civil aviation fund because of the standoff over the management of the airstrip.The Saint Paul’s Mission Hospital that own and manage the airstrip for the Flying Doctors Medical Services was reluctant to allow a government takeover.
Saint Pauls Catholic Church Board Chairperson Tassisius Mwansa asked for time to consult with the hospital management over the matter.Mr. Mwansa said there was a donor that had promised to aid the Catholic Church with funds to rehabilitate the airstrip and that with passage of time the situation could have changed.
However District Commissioner (DC) Royd Chakaba said government through the aviation department has put aside undisclosed amount of money to expand and refurbish the airstrips in the Province.
Mr. Chakaba said the Catholic Church through the Saint Paul’s Mission Hospital that own and manage the airstrip for the Flying Doctors Medical Services was reluctant to allow a government takeover.
He said the government through the civil aviation has indicated its willingness to improve and expand the existing infrastructure of all the airstrips in the province.
The DC noted that nothing much has been achieved in Nchelenge because of the resistance by the church over the government intent to take over the management of the airstrip.
Mr. Chakaba said this during the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) meeting which was held at the Council Chamber yesterday.
He urged the DDCC members to engage the church leadership on the way forward before the money is meant for the district is redirected.
Mr. Chakaba observed that the airstrip in the area has been encroached and risk being closed if nothing is done to change the status quo.
He further said the people have with impunity continued to indiscriminately bury their dead and build houses around the airstrip.
The District Planning Officer (DPO) for Nchelenge Danny Chibinda has bemoaned the indiscriminate encroachment at the airstrip and said efforts to put a stop to the vice have proved futile.
Mr. Chibinda said the local authority had put up posters and radio announcements through the local Radio Station to stop the vice but to no avail.
President Michael Sata cannot continue to reward Dr Guy Scott as Vice President at the expense of all Zambians..We acknowledge the President’s need to reward a colleague he feels helped him and the PF get into Government..However the whole country cannot continue to suffer at the expense of one man. There must be other ways to reward Dr Scott.
The current debate on Dr Scott’s derogatory remarks is his failed attempt to correct a bad situation created by what is clearly an anomaly in Government and that is he, Dr Scott, is a ceremonial VP who cannot act as President of Zambia. It is also as a result of failed communication in Government whenever the President travels out of Zambia.
At the moment tension is high in the country due to the manner in which the President left Zambia for Israel. Everyone is questioning if indeed proper procedures were followed to handover power to an acting President..This speculation is clearly fuelled by the fact that the normal order of things, where the Vice President takes over, in the absence of the President, is not the case at the moment..No wonder the Secretary to the Cabinet has found himself between a rock and a hard place. This is because he cannot reveal the circumstances in which the President left the country, if the President himself, who is an elected official and accountable to the people of Zambia, does not see it fit, through the Presidency machinery to share this with the nation. Our colleague George Chellar seems to have no network where ever he is.
It is our considered view that all the speculations and innuendoes will disappear once the constitutional crisis caused by the current person in the Vice Presidents office is replaced with a bonafide Zambian who can act when President Sata is away..
We wish to urge President Sata to make this his first order of business upon his return so that Zambian families do not suffer unnecessary economic hardships at family level due to the uncertainty in the economy caused by speculation whenever he travels out of the country and does not leave a bonafide person in the office of the Vice President. Generally human beings like order and as Zambians we wish to see order in our Government.
It is time for the brave men and women in Government to advise the Presidency and all the Executive on the importance of Government procedures which are there purely to serve Zambians…Communication, and clear communication is critical at the moment to remove doubt from Zambians that all is well in our country..The alternative is that we will all continue speculating on the whereabouts of the President and who should act at the expense of dealing with real issues such as the high cost of food, rentals, transport and lack of jobs for the youth.
Police in Kalulushi are holding a woman that has been going round churches to steal hand bags.
Police sources in Kitwe who confirmed the development today, said Bertha Chuulu 27 years of Mindolo Natwange (MN) had been targeting churches in Kitwe and Kalulushi stealing hand bags and money.
Sources said police managed to trace Chuulu after she sold a stolen phone to someone that reported her to the police station.
Sources said that Chuulu was found home with her two kids and a nine year old niece whom she had been sending to get people’s hand bag.
Sources said police found chuulu’s bedroom with a lot of different types of hand bags which she admitted, saying that she sold some of them in order to earn a living.
Sources disclosed that there were 47 Cell phones in the stolen hand bags and 35 hand bags have been discovered.
Chuulu is in police custody and will appear in Court tomorrow.
Erected tents at Helen Kaunda Secondary School grounds for the homeless Mindolo North squatters whose houses where demolished
Mindolo North squatters in Kitwe whose houses were demolished by the Kitwe City Council (KCC) recently have thanked Government for providing them with temporal shelter.
Speaking on behalf of the other squatters, Paulina Kapatiso commended government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit for erecting tents for them.
Ms Kapatiso said the squatters were happy to sleep in the tents unlike sleeping in the cold, a situation they were subjected to when their houses were demolished.
ZANIS reports the displaced settler said this in an interview, in Kitwe District , yesterday.
Over 287 families have been given tents although there are some people at the who have not been given tents yet and were still sleeping in the cold besides the tents.
However , Ms Kapatiso expressed concern that children were not able to go to school due to the long distance to Mindolo primary school where most of the children attend lessons.
And another affected squatter, James Katanga appealed on government through the council to find alternative land for them where they can construct houses permanently.
Mr Katanga said the squatters were faced with numerous challenges such as transport for school going children and inadequate lavatory facilities which he said were not conducive for children.
A combined team of Kitwe City Council and State police recently demolished more than 600 houses in Mindolo North which were allegedly built on land belonging to Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Phoenix materials.
However, the Disaster Management Mitigating Unit (DMMU) under the Vice President’s office offered humanitarian aid to those affected by the demolition exercise by putting up tents at Helen Kaunda Secondary School grounds.
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema confers with Alliance for Better Zambia leader Father Frank Bwalya
Alliance for Better Zambia ABZ says demands by the public for proof that President Sata handed over power to Mr Wynter Kabimba point to people’s lack of trust and confidence in the PF government.
ABZ president Father Frank Bwalya said the PF has only themselves to blame for the lack of trust that the public has in them as they prove to be dishonest and lied on simple governance issues.
Fr. Bwalya noted that if the PF were honest the recent speculations would have risen as they would have pro-actively taken full disclosure before any debates had started.
The opposition leader also noted that the demands by Zambians for evidence that republican president Michael Sata properly handed over power to Mr. Kabimba speaks volumes about the confidence that the public has in the PF government.
Below is the full statement
ALLIANCE FOR BETTER ZAMBIA (ABZ) PRESS STATEMENT JULY 2, 2014
TOPIC: APPOINTMENT OF MR WYNTER KABIMBA AS ACTING PRESIDENT VITAL POINTS IN THIS STATEMENT
1.Demands by the public for proof that President Sata handed over power to Mr Wynter Kabimba point to people’s lack of trust and confidence in the PF government.
2.PF has proved to be dishonest. They have lied even on simple governance issues hence they are to blame for people’s lack of confidence in them.
3.If PF were transparent and accountable they would have proactively undertaken full disclosure even before the public started demanding for proof that President Sata handed over power to Mr Kabimba thereby breaking the tradition of appointing Mr Alexander Chikwanda for the same.
4.Zambians should pray for Mr Sata and his family during this period of darkness. They should also pray for honest leaders.
The demands by the public for proof that President Michael Chilufya Sata handed over the instruments of power to PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba speak volumes about how the people of Zambia have lost trust and confidence in the PF government.
Ordinarily the issue of whether President Sata handed over power to Mr Kabimba and whether procedure was followed should not have been a big issue at all. However, it has become a very big issue because of the manner government has handled the disappearance of President Sata. The public has been left to guess and speculate the state in which Mr Sata was when he left the country. This has fueled speculation and the blame for this speculation lies squally on government.
The sad reality is that PF has proved to be dishonest and they have chosen to tell lies even over straight-forward governance issues. For instance they lied with a straight face that the constitution draft report had gone missing. They also lied about what was causing the delay for the Technical Committee on drafting the new republican constitution to handover their final report to the Republican President and the people of Zambia simultaneously. PF has in the past lied about the itinerary of President Sata and they have claimed that he was in good health when his physical appearance was telling a different story. The litany of PF cheating is long.
Against this background, PF should not blame anyone else apart from themselves for losing the trust and confidence of the general public. If the PF government were a transparent and accountable government they should have taken a proactive approach of making a full disclosure on this subject. Such a mature approach would have demonstrated much needed leadership in our country during this time of anxiety and panic. But as usual the PF government has chosen to feed our people on a diet of lies.
As ABZ we think that it is not too late for the PF government to tell the truth and put an end to the unproductive speculation and useless panic that has engulfed all of us. We know that PF’s approach to national issues is “Don’t Kubeba” literally translated as “Don’t tell them”, but on this one, we are begging them to show leadership and seriousness and make a full disclosure.
We want to urge the PF top leadership to realize that Mr Sata as Republican President is a property of all Zambians including those that didn’t vote for him. These people have a right to know the truth about the condition of their president. They also have a right to know whether he actually handed over power to Mr Kabimba and they want proof that the law was followed when undertaking the handover.
Finally, we call upon all Zambians to pray for Mr Sata and his family during this period of darkness. We urge them to continue praying for honest leaders that will respect the tenets of good governance especially transparency and accountability.
Prince and Princes S Akashino arrives at KKIA and is welcome by Prof. Nkandu Luo, Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs and Japanese Ambassador to Zambia. They later watched traditional dances by the Zambia National Dance Troupe
VISITING Japanese Imperial Highnesses, Prince Akishino and Princes Kiko Akishino have left Zambia with a call for continued cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.
The royal couple left at 07:15 hours today after winding up their five-day official visit that took in stops in Livingstone, a courtesy call on acting President Wynter Kabimba and a State dinner hosted by Vice-President Guy Scott.
They were seen off at a chilly Kenneth Kaunda international airport by Chiefs and Traditional Affairs minister, Nkandu Luo, deputy Mayor of Lusaka, Portipher Tembo and other senior Government officials.
Speaking on Tuesday evening at a reception to mark 50 years of relations between Zambia and Japan, Prince Akishino said the mutual relationship the two countries have continued to enjoy must be enhanced beyond the 50 years.
The Imperial Highnesses congratulated the people of Zambia on the country’s attainment of the Golden Jubilee.
Prince Akishino was accompanied by Princess Kiko to the reception which was also attended by Dr Scott and Foreign Affairs Minister, Harry Kalaba and Prof Luo.
He underscored the need to further strengthen the exiting cooperation that the two governments are enjoying in various sectors of the economy.
Prince Akishino has paid glowing tribute to the peoples of Zambia and Japan for fostering and building strong bilateral ties between the two states.
The visiting Japanese Imperial Highness observed that both countries had spent time and effort in ensuring that the cordial relations between them thrived.
Speaking at the same reception, Mr Kalaba thanked the Japanese government for the support it was rendering to Zambia in various sectors of the economy.
Mr Kalaba said Zambia would remain indebted to Japan for the role it has played in the development of various sectors of the economy.
He said as Zambians reflects on her achievements of the last 50 years since independence, the country would remain indebted to Japan for being an all-weather friend.
Earlier, Japanese Ambassador to Zambia, Kiyoshi Koinuma, said Japan had supported Zambia’s economic development since 1964.
Mr Koinuma noted that Japan would focuses on enhancing the economic exchange between the two countries.
He said through the economic exchange, sustainable growth of Zambia’s economy would be strengthened.
Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini has warned members of Parliament against coming late and dodging from Parliament at the expense of using tax payer’s money labelling such conduct as ‘notorious’.
The Speaker also ordered Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga to apologise for coming late and furnish the House with an explanation for his conduct after the first question on the order paper directed at the Ministry lapsed.
The question concerned the construction of Kitwe’s Mukuba Mall and was asked by Patriotic Front (PF) Kamfinsa Member of Parliament, Moses Chishimba.
Dr Matibini said coming late and dodging was only disadvantaging the Zambians in that the legislative arm of Government should adhere to high levels of discipline and not misuse public resources.
Dr Matibini said today following a point of order raised by Chipili PF MP, Davies Mwila, who sought guidance on the absence of the Minister and his deputies.
Mr Sichinga, his two deputies, Miles Sampa and Richwell Siamunene, were not present at the start of business.
“It is indeed correct that all these questions are asked in a representative capacity, on behalf of the constituents and meant to ensure Government is held accountable. Above all the sittings are scheduled and it is of utmost importance that all of us, from the Speaker, attend on time.
“We must be very religious about this, at least I am. It is especially displeasing when colleagues on the right (Cabinet Ministers) are not here to respond. There are many of you who come late and leave early before business ends. We must be disciplined.
“We are required to be here throughout. When we conduct a census by the end of business today, the situation will be different. Some of the members are notorious for that. We are not using tax payer’s money properly. This is tax payer’s money and we must be serious,” Dr Matibini demanded.
Mr Mwila said that Parliamentarians tabling questions laboured to conduct research on various topics so that the electorate could be informed on various important national issues.
Zanaco coach Aggrey Chiyangi is happy the club has met its short-term goal for the campaign at the midway point of the 2014 FAZ Super Division season.
The six-time champions last Saturday beat Red Arrows 2-0 to stay top of the table heading into the mid-season break following 15 rounds of matches played.
“For us it is important that we have archived out short-term goal which was to be on top by the midterm break,” Chiyangi said.
“What is important now is to re-plan for the second round game because we know the second round is always tough because some are fighting to remain in the Super League and some are fighting to be leaders.”
Zanaco are chasing their first league title since 2012.
They currently lead the log on 33 points from 15 games and are three points ahead of second placed Zesco United who have a game in hand.
It has been a busy Wednesday of player’s shuffling at Nkana with two big names leaving led by striker Evans Kangwa.
Kangwa has moved to Israeli club Hapoel Ra’anana on a one-year loan with the option for a permanent move thereafter.
“We are happy with the deal, it is a good deal and we said let him go and try his luck,” Nkana club secretary Ken Mwansa said.
And asked why Nkana decided on the Israeli move rather than another strong offer from south African giants Orlando Pirates, Mwansa said: “Pirates have never come back to us after they pushed in the inquiry and we wrote back to them that they give us an offer they never responded to us.”
Also leaving Nkana is winger Bruce Musakanya whose six-month deal from Red Arrows was not extended after the airmen recalled him to attend a trial at South African club Amazulu.
Meanwhile, striker Festus Mbewe has finally been received his FIFA clearance to play for Nkana following the expiry of his six month loan stint at demoted South African club Golden Arrows.
The news means Festus will play this Saturday in Nkana’s rescheduled home game against Konkola Mine Police.
Former Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Steven Masumba third (left) and Northern Province Permanent Secretary Hlobota Nkunika play drums at the Youths consultative meeting which attracted youths from Luapula
The case in which former Sports and Youth Deputy Minister Stephen Masumba has appealed against his twelve months sentence by the Magistrate Court for forging an accounting Diploma from the National Institute Public Administration failed to take off this morning.
Mr Masumba’s lawyer Mutakela Lisimba informed the court that he was ready to proceed with the matter but the state had made an application.
The state applied for an adjournment as the case record was served late and they did not have adequate time to study the document.
But Mr. Lisimba argued that he had served the submissions to the State on 18th June 2014 and wondered why the state was not ready to proceed with the matter.
High Court Judge Chalwe Mchenga has since directed the state advocate to file her submission by 1stAugust this year.
The matter has been adjourned to 8thAugust 2014 and bail for Mr Masumba has been extended.
And in interviews with Journalists shortly after appearing in court, Mr Masumba complained that development in his constituency has stalled as he is now a ceremonial MP.
Mr. Masumba said the people of Mufumbwe are upset over his absence in Parliament.
“The constituency is at pain. Why is it at pain? This is because I cannot be on the ground to represent my people. I cannot stand in Parliament to speak for them. The people are upset on the ground but as you will appreciate this is a constitutional issue and it has some restrictions on what you can do as a ceremonial MP,” he said.
He said that he has been unable to represent the electorate effectively as he is not attending parliament due to his court case.
The Northern Province Cooperatives and Marketing Union has opposed the crop levy that government intends to re-introduce.
In an interview with ZANIS today, Union vice chairman Obed Kampamba said the proposed crop levy will negatively affect the farmers and ‘kill’ the agriculture sector in the country.
Mr Kampamba said currently the cost of crop production especially maize in the country was already very high and that additional charges like the crop levy will make farming as a business unsustainable.
Local government and Housing Minister Emmanuel Chenda said recently that government was considering the possibility of re-introducing the crop levy in order to help councils increase their revenue base.
But Mr Kampamba said the crop levy will further burden the farmers and make others shun farming.
He stated that if government wanted to empower councils, they should aim at increasing the grants and provide other means of raising revenue for the local authorities.
‘In the past, councils used to own farms, they used to run nursery schools and they had houses and Rest houses among other sources of revenue,’’ said MR Kampamba.
Kampamba said with the reduction of the subsidies to the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), the farmer, especially peasant farmers were already negatively affected.
He advised the government to get back to the basics in order to make farming a viable and attractive business venture again.
‘There is a lot to do in the agriculture sector to replicate the memorable maize bumper harvest of 1988 where the country recorded excess maize that we had to burn some,’’ he said.
Mr Kampamba added that increased funding to the sector was cardinal in reviving programmes that made agriculture tick in the second republic.
Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata has angrily responded to sentiments attributed to Vice President Guy Scott over the Lusaka Mayor’s eligibility to stand as Republican Presidency.
In the Wednesday edition of the Post Newspapers, Dr Scott is quoted as having made some insinuations that he Mulenga Sata is barred from contesting the Presidency because of the eligibility clause in the constitution.
In the article titled Kabimba is the most senior in PF to act, Dr Scott said that there is nothing sinister about Wynter Kabimba acting as President of Zambia.
Dr Scott said Kabimba was the senior-most-person in the Patriotic Front who qualified to be President.
“Me I am not qualified to stand as President because I am excluded by the same amended 1996 Constitution, which excluded (Kenneth) Kaunda and excludes as far as I understand me, Given Lubinda and excludes Mulenga Sata. Both your parents have to be Zambian. So the President is reluctant in my understanding to appoint someone who could be a target of a petition in the courts,” Vice-President Scott said. “If this man is not qualified to stand as President, how can we make him the acting President? He President Sata does not want to have a constitutional crisis, when he is somewhere else. So there is no big deal.”
When contacted for a comment from South Korea, Mulenga Sata expressed surprise and concern at the remarks by the vice president.
“I find the remarks attributed to the vice president inappropriate, divisive and factually incorrect. The circumstances of my birth are completely different from his,” he said.
“My mother was born in the Copperbelt province of northern Rhodesia which later came to be known as Zambia. That makes her Zambian by birth and descent since Zambia was born in 1964. My father is a known element. Dr Scott’s parents were British on the other hand. I cannot comment on others mentioned in the article.”
He added, “As far as I’m aware there is a ruling on former president Chiluba’s parentage which indicated that since he was born in a territory which later came to be defined as Zambia of parents’ similarly born he was a Zambian who was eligible to stand for the highest office in the land.”
“As a patriotic nationalist I remain committed to the development of my country and the social upliftment of our people particularly our women and youth since they constitute the majority of our population. What we want is leadership that fosters unity in the country across ethnic and/or religious divides, that resonates with the hope of our young peoples and most importantly enables us to participate substantially and substantively in the economy.”
“Those are the things we should be talking not idle chatter just because the substantive president is out of the office for a few days,” he said.
