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Erected tents at Helen Kaunda Secondary School grounds for the homeless Mindolo North squatters whose houses where demolished
Government says it will only allow the Mindolo North displaced people to be in the temporal tents behind Hellen Kaunda School for only three months.
Deputy minister in the office of the Vice president Davis Mwango said the government is only providing humanitarian support and not solutions to the illegality.
Speaking when he toured the displaced residents at their new tents today, Mr Mwango says the government will not provide any food but water only.
” We are not supporting illegality and we will only help for the next three months thereafter these people should find where to go, Mr Mwango said.
We as the government, we are just providing temporal shelter and after three months these tents should be removed so that other people can use them.
This is not a disaster where we give full support, it is illegality here which the government does not support,” the Deputy Minister said.
The residents whose homes were recently reduced to rabbles by the Kitwe City Council have been relocated to parklands behind Helen Kaunda secondary school where their tents have been erected.
GOVERNMENT is disappointed at the conduct of some diplomats accredited to Zambia who went to Kapiri Mposhi to show solidarity for two men accused of practising homosexuality, Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary George Zulu says.
On Monday, United States charge d’affaires David Young, German ambassador to Zambia Bernd Finke and UNAIDS country co-ordinator Helen Frary went to Kapiri Mposhi to offer solidarity to Philip Mubiana, 22, and James Mwape, 21, who face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of sodomy.
This was the day the verdict was due to be delivered but the magistrate handling the case failed to turn up.
Mr Zulu said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that though diplomats are allowed to visit prisons or any part of the country, they were wrong to travel to Kabwe to give solidarity to the two men accused of practising homosexuality.
He said Government is disappointed at the conduct of the diplomats because supporting homosexuality is against the values of Zambia as a Christian nation.
Mr Zulu said giving solidarity to the two men accused of practising homosexuality is a clear indication that the diplomats want to influence the decision of the court.
“We are urging our diplomats accredited to this country to respect our laws, which are anchored on our Constitution.
“Zambia is a country of laws and we want the courts to be independent and not to be influenced by our diplomats.
“We feel by visiting and showing solidarity to these two men, the diplomats were not sensitive to our laws because they have already expressed their opinion on the matter,” he said.
Mr Zulu said all the diplomats serving in Zambia should observe the laws of the land as well as the diplomatic etiquettes which are anchored on diplomatic values and the Vienna Convention.
He appealed to the West to respect Zambia’s rights to live by these Christian values adding that Government will endeavour to protect the constitution by all means.
Mr Zulu said Government will not support proposals that are in contradiction to the laws and biblical teachings.
He said it is unfortunate that some rich nations are forcing African countries to accept homosexuality as a condition for receiving aid.
On Monday, judgement in the case involving Mubiana and Mwape, who have been accused of practising homosexuality, could not be delivered because the trial magistrate was indisposed.
The pair has been held since May 2013 on charges of having sex against the order of nature.
Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will make a three-country trip to Africa this summer to promote girls’ education and women’s participation in government, the economy and civil society.
The White House says she will visit Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.
She departs on the week long trip Monday.
She will travel with USAID administrator Rajiv Shah and Catherine Russell, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for global women’s issues.
The White House says the trip will highlight how increasing women’s involvement in government can accelerate economic development, strengthen democracies and foster peace and security.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mkhondo Lungu
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly has ordered Vice-President Guy Scott to deliver a statement to clarify President Michael Sata’s visit to Israel to help subdue unnecessary speculations on the matter.
Deputy Speaker Mkhondo Lungu made the ruling in Parliament today following a point of order by Monze Central United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament (MP) Jack Mwiimbu.
Mr Lungu asked the Vice-President to deliver his statement by Thursday and could do so even before the scheduled day.
“To avoid speculation, innuendos, I will ask the leader of Government business in the House to make a statement on the matter so that we can put this matter to rest,” Mr Lungu said.
Mr Mwiimbu in his point of order asked whether it was in order for the Government to remain mute without clarifying the matter.
“The visit by President Michael Sata has been surrounded by controversy because international media is stating that the Prime Minister of Israel is in the US to meet President Obama. Is Government in order to allow speculation on this matter,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
File:NCHANGA Mine rescure Team B Captain Jonathan Kolala inspects air underground during the Zambia Mine Rescure Association competetion at Namundwe Mine
Zambia is withholding $600 million in VAT refunds owed to copper mining companies and will repay the cash only when they produce import certificates from destination countries, mining minister Christopher Yaluma said on Tuesday.
“That money is owed and we will have to pay as long as they fulfil the requirement. It was slightly above $600 million as at the end of May,” Yaluma told reporters on the sidelines of a mining conference in the southern African nation’s capital.
The government in Africa’s second biggest copper producer last year started enforcing a 2008 requirement that exporters provide it with foreign country import certificates for copper shipments in order to curb tax avoidance.
However, the companies complained that they were often unable to do so because they sold via middle-men.
The companies affected include the local units of First Quantum Minerals, Vedanta Resources, Barrick Gold and Glencore Xstrata.
Yaluma said they had started producing the correct documentation after meeting Ministry of Finance officials three weeks ago.
Officials from the affected companies were not immediately available for comment.
Republican Vice President Guy Scott says the future of Zambia should not only depend on the Mining and Energy Sectors for development. Dr Scott called on the investors to consider diversifying from complete dependence on copper to other sectors.
Speaking during the opening of the 4th Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition, Dr. Scot said Mining alone should not be taken as key driver of the country’s economy but other sectors should also be put into consideration.
The two-day conference and exhibition has attracted more than 300 participants with over 40 exhibitors from different countries.Dr Scott said the mining sector should make a fair judgment and employ some of the people that were on the labour market as a lot of Zambians did not have jobs.
The Vice President also said the depreciation of the Zambian Kwacha is mostly driven by “portfolio Investors” that decide the price of the country’s natural commodity.He said Zambia’s currency has recently experienced some instability due to some portfolio Investors that influence copper prices.
Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma said he is hopeful that in the next two years Zambia will have 1.5 Million tones of minerals sent on the market for sale.
Meanwhile, Chambe of Mines President Emmanuel Mutati said the Chamber is happy to have recorded 25 per cent tax contribution to government.
File:Sata with Wynter Kabimba at State House in 2012
The Patriotic Front (PF) has declared itself an illegitimate government following confessions by Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba that he smuggled into Zambia some Kenyans to participate in the country’s 2011 general elections, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema’s special advisor Douglas Syakalima has charged.
Mr Syakalima has said the PF was a danger to country’s peace and security because it had exhibited a propensity of breaking the country’s laws.
He said if Mr Kabimba who is the Acting President was capable of successfully engaging in illicit electoral activities while his party was in the opposition, Zambians should shudder at the crimes they could have committed since forming government.
The UPND official has demanded that the Immigration department should make a comprehensive statement on revelations by Mr Kabimba that he smuggled Kenyans through the Nakonde border to help the PF with Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT).
He said it was important for the Immigration Department to state how the foreign nationals smuggled into Zambia left the country because there was a possibility that such people could still be in the country illegally.
Mr Syakalima recalled that soon after the PF formed government, all the road blocks across the country were cleared wondering whether the move was meant to facilitate the smooth exit of the foreigners that were smuggled into the country in 2011.
He said it was worrying that the man who had a record of smuggling foreigners into the country was the one who had been given the privilege of acting as president after President Sata left the country for Israel.
Mr Syakalima said it was dangerous for the country to have a person who had confessed breaching the immigration and electoral laws to be entrusted with the presidency.
“This crime of Mr Kabimba having smuggled into Zambia some Kenyans to help the PF win the 2011 general elections will not die. We are going to demand that the matter be brought to a logical conclusion. This government has declared itself illegitimate and illegal by the revelations that they smuggled foreigners to illegally participate in the country’s electoral process. Mr Kabimba is supposed to be arrested and it is extremely unfortunate that the man who has publicly confessed of committing a criminal offence is the one acting as president of the country,” he said. And UPND provincial secretary Alex Mulenga said it was surprising that Zambians should be ready to face the PF leadership in the next general elections because there were strong signs that they would refuse to accept defeat if they lost the elections.
Mr Mulenga said the PF would ensure that they illegally remain in power and that if they would fail to rig the elections, they would forcibly reject the election results.
He said if the PF was ready to spill blood in the 2011 general elections, it was likely that Zambia would have the most violent elections in 2016 as those in government were not showing signs of respecting the wishes of the people.
He said Zambia had seen the unprecedented entry of foreigners after the PF won the elections and that most of the small business such as running barber shops and Salons were now in the hands of foreign nationals.
MINISTER of Sport, Youth and Child Development Chishimba Kambwili
Youth and Sport Minister Chishimba Kambwili says only the President has the power to quash his 14-days ultimatum he gave to Times of Zambia management to pay workers outstanding salary arrears.
Mr. Kambwili says he is disappointed with his Labour counterpart Fackson Shamenda for dismissing the 14-days ultimatum without consulting him.
He says Mr. Shamenda should respect his decision as a Cabinet Minister.
Mr. Kambwili has told QFM News in an interview that the Patriotic Front government has a mandate to ensure that workers are well treated without making their lives difficult.
Mr. Kambwili says it is unfortunate that Mr. Shamenda rushed to the media in dismissing his ultimatum instead of asking him why he gave the management such an ultimatum.
And Mr. Kambwili says he will not relent in speaking on behalf of the workers.
He says the Patriotic Front will not allow the ill-treatment of workers by employers.
He says workers deserve to get what is due to them.
Last week, Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda directed the Times of Zambia management to ignore the directive by Mr. Kambwili to pay workers their salary arrears stating that he did not understand the operations of the management.
Peasant Farmers transporting bags of Maize to the FRA Shem satellite depot in Isoka.
Republican Vice President Guy Scott says there is still room for engagement between government and other stakeholders over concerns raised on the announced floor price for maize.
Government has set the maize floor price at K70 per 50Kg bag, a price some stakeholders such as the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) think is too low in view of the upward adjustment in the cost of fuel, depreciation of the Kwacha and the increase in Interest rates among other factors.
But Dr. Scott has told Qfm news in an interview that he has personally taken time to read what the ZNFU’s position on the announced floor price, and that he is ready to meet with the farmers union to discuss the matter further.
Dr. Scott, who was quick to dismiss any promises of reviewing the maize floor price, says government should not be expected to start with the highest price after adjusting the price which had remained stagnant for six year since 2009.
He however says ZNFU is welcome if they want to have a meeting with him over the announced maize floor price.
He says he will also invite the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance to such a meeting in order to look at the facts and figures the union has at its disposal.
The Vice president says it is also important to keep it in mind that most of the maize produced in this year’s harvest will go on the market.
CHIPATA District Commissioner, Kalunga Zulu, briefs Justice Minister, Wynter Kabimba, when he paid a courtesy call at his office in Chipato
The opposition has charged that living PF General Secretary Wynter Kabimba who is at the centre of controversy regarding his confession that he smuggled Kenyans to participate in the 2016 election to act as republican president is an indication that PF doesn’t care about the rule of law.
UPND Deputy General Secretary Kuchunga Simusamba said the PF has time and again shown their lack of respect for the law as can be seen from their appointments of former convicts to senior government positions.
He said Mr. Kabimba should not even be the country’s Justice Minister as he has confessed that he broke the law but that with the PF in office it seems breaking the law is normal.
“This has been the trend since the PF took over office and we know that former convicts have been appointed as chief of security at state house.
“We don’t know whether to advise them know that former convicts have been appointed to senior government positions after they have been pardoned by the president some of them are DCs and some are chief of staff at state house so evidently this how Mr. Sata appoints people.
“Clearly Mr. Wynter Kabimba does not even deserve to be a Justice Minister because he is a self confessed criminal who actually broke immigration laws and electoral laws and now this self confessed criminal is the one who has been entrusted with the instruments of power,” Mr. Simusamba said.
And MMD National Secretary Muhabi Lungu said it is not a surprise that a self confessed criminal has been left to run the country as with PF the rule of law does not mean anything to them.
Mr. Lungu said living Mr. Kabimba to act as president shows that the PF does not care about integrity and have no regard for the law.
He said what Mr. Kabimba confessed to is a serious matter which the law enforcement agencies should be investigating even if he is acting president because he is not immune to being investigated.
James Mwape one of the suspect allegedly involved in a homosexual relationship entering the court room in Kapiri Mposhi
JUDGEMENT in the case involving two men of Kapiri Mposhi allegedly practising homosexuality could not be delivered yesterday, for a third time, because the trying magistrate was indisposed.
And the United States (US) and German embassies and the UNAIDS are, however, unhappy that Philip Mubiana, a hair dresser, and his alleged partner James Mwape, a brick-layer, have been in custody for a long time.
Kapiri Mposhi magistrate in charge Ackson Mumba yesterday said he was aware that Kabwe Principal Resident Magistrate John Mbuzi was expected to deliver his judgement but he was indisposed.
Mr Mumba said Mr Mbuzi indicated that he would be ready to deliver his judgment on July 10 this year.
“He asked me to find a suitable day. From the look of things, judgement is ready but somehow he is indisposed,” he said.
The accused’s lawyer, Sunday Nkonde, however, told the court that July 10 was not suitable for him and asked if judgment could be delivered at 10:30 hours on July 3.
Mr Nkonde also said he was only aware that Mr Mbuzi was indisposed around 08:40 hours after the prosecution informed him.
Earlier, public prosecutor Alex Cheelo said Mubiana and Mwape were appearing in court for judgement.
“The two accused persons are here. It is a matter coming before the PRM [principal resident magistrate]. It is scheduled for judgement today,” Mr Cheelo said.
“However, since the trial court is not coming, we are applying that this matter be mentioned by this [Mr Mumba’s] court,” he said.
After hearing from both the prosecution and defence, Mr Mumba told Mubiana and Mwape that Mr Mbuzi was indisposed and he had adjourned delivery of judgement to July 3 next week.
Mr Mumba later had a meeting with Mr Nkonde in his chambers.
After the adjournment, United States embassy Charge d’Affaires David Young, German ambassador to Zambia Bernd Finke and UNAIDS country director Helen Frary expressed disappointment at the adjournments.
“Unfortunately, the case has been adjourned without a decision. They [Mubiana and Mwape] have been held for over a year without bail.
“We believe that is unfortunate,” Mr Young said in a joint statement.
The two men, both aged 21, were charged with offences of having sex against the order of nature, contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
In count one, Mubiana allegedly permitted Mwape, between April 11 and April 25 last year to have sex with him against the order of nature.
In count two, it is alleged that Mwape, on unknown dates but between April 11 and April 24 last year, permitted Mubiana to have sex with him against the order of nature.
In count three, Mwape is accused of having permitted Mubiana to have sex with him on May 5 last year while Mubiana also faces the same offence in count four.
The two have denied any wrong-doing, but Mr Mbuzi in March this year found them with a case to answer and put them on their defence.
They were arrested in April last year and have been in custody since then.
The court denied them bail after the State countered the defence application for bail.
GOVERNMENT has launched the first ever technical audit on various roads in an initiative aimed at enhancing transparency in the road sector. The project will cost K1.5 million.
Scott Wilson Piesold Zambia Limited won the tender to carry out the technical audit for a period of three months.
Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Felix Nkulukusa said the consultancy service, which will be monitored by the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA), will also offer checks and balances in the sector.
“This technical audit which we are launching today will change the face of the road sector as it will take to task contractors who offer shoddy works,” he said.
Mr Nkulukusa was speaking yesterday at a press briefing in Lusaka, where the technical audit was launched.
He said contractors who will be found wanting by not adhering to the contract will be taken to task so that others are deterred.
Mr Nkulukusa said that the results of the audit will in a way help improve the way road contracts are implemented.
NRFA director and chief executive officer Antony Mwanaumo said the overall objective of the technical audit is to verify that resources have been used efficiently, transparently and economically.
Dr Mwanaumo said this is also meant to ascertain value for money in the road sector.
He said the technical audit includes detailed evaluation of various projects which are on-going, under defects liability period and completed ones.
FILE: Rupiah Banda shakes hands with Mwansabombwe MMD candidate Chriticles and his counterpart for Kawambwa central Elizabeth Chitika Mwansa on arrival at Kazembe grounds
MMD chairperson for Arts and Culture Elizabeth Chitika Mulobeka has noted that women are avoiding politics because they are scared of failure.
Ms. Mulobeka who is also former Kawambwa Member of Parliament said women do not want to be associated with failure and the current political atmosphere is not appealing to women as it sets them up for failure.
She said the country’s current political atmosphere were there is a lot character assassination is not good for women as they are few women who can go head to head against men hence making it difficult for a woman to win an election.
“If you look at the participation of women in politics for the last 50 years of it hasn’t been encouraging because of various reasons. It very difficult to attract women to participate in the country’s politics because most women fear failure and then the verbal abuse associated with these political parties, women fear to be verbally abused in terms of insults as you know politics sometimes can be very ruff,” said Ms. Mulobeka
Ms. Mulobeka also said most women willing join politics lack the financial muscle to back their ambitions.
She noted that politics is a very expensive venture hence most women avoid it because they don’t have enough money to venture in to politics.
“Women are financially very, very week. This is one of the main reason why women fear to participate in politics,” Ms. Mulobeka added.
Ministry of Finance Public Relations Officer Chileshe Kandeta (L)
Ministry of Finance Public Relations Officer Chileshe Kandeta has disclosed that the European Union (EU)- Zambia relations are cordial and both parties are focused on achieving greater development.
In a Statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday, Mr. Kandeta said this is contrary to assertions by some sections of society.
Mr. Kandeta said the two partners have agreed that the EU support to Zambia will be channelled through project support via implementation of the 11th European Development Fund Programme once signed.
He said under the programme, the EU has pledged Euro 484 Million of support to Zambia for the period 2014 to 2020.
Mr. Kandeta said the 11th EDF Programme will focus on energy, agriculture and governance.
He said in the energy sector, the proposed support is expected to compliment the resource requirements for rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam, and the promotion of technology transfer through solar power projects, as an alternative household energy source.
Mr. Kandeta said in the agriculture sector, Zambia will benefit through programs targeted at strengthening the provision of nutrition, animal vaccine production, fisheries and conservation farming.
He added that with respect to governance, the EU plans to offer financial support through Sector Budget Support to the Public Financial Management Programme.
THE Lusaka City Council is scheduled to meet of the Street Vendors’ representatives at the Civic Centre on Tuesday, June 24, 2014.
This follows wide consultations with the Government on how best to resolve the issue of street vending that has become an eyesore in the capital city.
Lusaka Mayor, Mulenga Sata said the Lusaka City Council, as the major enforcers of the Local Government Act, wants to regulate street vending in the capital by finding a permanent solution to the problem and decided to engage the vendors’ representatives through dialogue.
“After wide consultations with the Governement, through the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, we as enforcers of the Local Government Act, are inviting all representatives of the Street Vendors groups to a consultative meeting at the Civic Centre at 14:30 hours tomorrow.”
“We want to see how best we cac regulate street vending in Lusaka going beyond the Jubilee Celebrations,” the Mayor said.
Zambia is this year commemorating 50 years of Independence, having attained political freedom on October 24, 1964.
