GOVERNMENT has assured the nation, in particular people of Western Province that there is peace in Mongu district.

This follows speculations on some social media networks that there is unrest in the district because Government has failed to sign the Barotse agreement.

Provincial Minister Richwell Siamunene told the Zambia Daily Mail yesterday that “I can assure you that people in Western Province are peace loving and they want peace to continue.

As far as I am concerned, there is peace and people are carrying out their normal operations, they are doing their social and economic activities freely. There is no work disruption what-so-ever. Speculations about the unrest here are unfounded. I think it is not even worth commenting on because such things are neither here nor there”.

Mr Siamunene has since called on the people of Western Province to work hand-in-hand with the Patriotic Front (PF) government in order to foster development and reduce high poverty levels in the area.

“One person should not take advantage of the youth unemployment levels in the province to discredit Government. The truth of the matter is that these same challenges we are facing today will still be there in future. There is no one person who should come and claim that he would be able to sort-out these problems in a day. Development is a long term process which requires time,” the law maker said.

He said people should learn to have patience for both Government and the President, adding that President Michael Sata is aware about the challenges the youth are facing in Zambia.

“The President is working day and night to ensure that the problems Zambians are facing are minimised. People should not take advantage of the situation. Do we even know what the other gov-ernment would bring in terms of development? If we are not careful we shall be jumping from the frying pan into fire.

Of course there is no human being that is perfect; it’s not a crystal ball which is all-round. As far as I am concerned, the President has told me that he has a huge concept about Western Province. He wants the province to receive a fair share of the development process,” Mr Siamunene said.

The Minister said people of Western Province should allow the PF government to continue with the development processes because its plans and aspirations are already in motion.

And a check by the Daily Mail in the central business district found people going about their business.

However, a sizeable number of police officers were patrolling the area to keep vigil.

One of the residents who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, disclosed that most schools and business houses were closed on Wednesday following reports of confusion in the town centre.

Muchinga Province Police Commissioner Bonnie Kapeso has denied allegations that the police in Muchinga Police hounded out the United Party for National Development (UPND) entourage in Chinsali District today.

Mr. Kapeso has told Qfm news in a telephone interview that police is only doing their job by advising the opposition not hold meetings without notifying the police in accordance with the Public Order Act.

Mr. Kapeso says there is need for political parties to abide by the Public Order Act and give notice to the police before holding public meetings.

Mr. Kapeso explains that the UPND should not exaggerate the situation on the ground but accept that police only advised the entourage to get permission seven days before holding their party meetings.

Earlier during the day UPND Secretary General Kuchunga Simusamba told qfm news that the UPND entourage had been hounded out of Chinsali District were they are for party mobilization.

MMD President Dr Nevers Mumba has described the warm reception he received by Eastern Province party officials as humbling.

And Dr Mumba has called on the people of Eastern Province not to demonise the ruling Patriotic Front but instead judge the party based on its promises made during the campaigns.

Dr Mumba who was in the province to reorganize and mobilize the party said Eastern Province was the “bed room” of the MMD and that the officials in the province should ensure that it remains so.
On the tour of duty, Dr. Mumba had meetings with officials from Chipata, Chadiza, Vubwi, Malambo, Katete, Sinda and Petauke among other districts and constituencies in the province.

Although the meetings took place in different districts, Dr. Mumba had almost the same massages for the party officials in the province.

He told party members to ensure that they stand on love for one another and to be truthful all the time as lies and hatred will destroy the party.

Dr Mumba said for the party to get back to its past glory, its members needed to work with one another as well as for one another.

The opposition leader further told members that the PF was scared and afraid of the opposition as can be seen from its abuse in the implementation of the Public Order act which the ruling party is using to stifle freedom of association making it difficult for the opposition to reorganize its structures and adequately prepare for the elections in 2016.

Dr. Mumba told party officials that the PF had messed up by promising a lot things that they could not deliver, giving the MMD a chance to reclaim power within the shortest period of time as people know what the MMD can do for them.

On the pessimists saying the former ruling party is finished, Dr. Mumba urged members to ignore such people as leadership is not given by man but God.

He said as long as the party remained intact, MMD stood a better chance of scooping the 2016 elections compared to other political parties as it is the biggest party in the country with a presence in all provinces which other parties including the ruling PF cannot boast of.

And speaking when he featured on Chipata’s Breeze FM, Dr. Mumba asked the people of Eastern Province to compare what the PF has done for the Province and the country at large with the performance of the MMD in power.

He said when the MMD was voted out of office, it left a country with sound economic policies and stable currency as well as an agriculture policy that was putting not only food on the tables of poor people but some extra money for school fees as well as other essentials which he said the PF has destroyed in less than 3 years of being in office.

He accused the PF government of not caring about the poor in Zambia as can be seen from the harsh and unfriendly economic conditions that are currently prevailing in the country. 
And speaking shortly before departure for Lusaka on Thursday to attend the NEC meeting scheduled for Saturday, Eastern Province Executive Committee Chairman Alexander Miti said the visit by Dr Mumba was timely and encouraging to the members in the province.

Mr. Miti said Dr Mumba’s visit will encourage officials in the province to work extra hard as they have been motivated by their leader.

The MMD leader also visited Chief Zingalume of Chadiza and witnessed Headman Simalambo of Mkaika renounce his association with the PF.

Headman Simalambo said he had campaigned for the PF in the last by-election but was going back to the MMD after noticing that the PF was not a factor in the province.

The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has with immediate effect closed 61 driving schools out of the 100 that were inspected countrywide for failure to conform to the required standards.

And the Agency has disclosed that it has in the first quarter of this year collected a total of K110.4 million as road user fees from the general public on behalf of government.

RTSA Chief Executive Officer Zindaba Soko said this development follows the countrywide inspection of driving schools that the Agency undertook recently, where it was discovered that over 90 per cent of the driving schools in Zambia do not conform to the required standards.

“Among the driving schools that are barred are: Abecon, Auto Drive Driving School, Best Bike Driving School, Camel, Forward Driving School K and C, Kakeka, KOM, Maticus, Presmark Rinos, Shalom, Silvia, Drive mate Driving School all of Lusaka.

“Others are, Mbumwaye and Kabanga Driving Schools, all from Southern Province. The other driving Schools that have been closed are, MSI, 2010 driving school, connect, Galaxy driving school all of Copper belt Province,” Mr Soko said.

Mr Soko further disclosed during a media briefing in Lusaka today that RTSA has also revoked the Driving School Licenses for Drive Mate Driving School and has also suspended the Driving School Licenses for five Driving Schools on the Copperbelt.

He stressed that the Agency will not in any way transact with any of the closed driving schools.

He noted that there are a lot of illegal driving schools in the country that have negatively contributed to the high number of road accidents in the country, saying to this effect, a special operation will soon be conducted to clap down all the illegal driving schools in the country.

Mr Soko also revealed that the fast track court which RTSA launched in Lusaka together the Judiciary and the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has in the past five months convicted over 3,500 people for various traffic offences.

He said unlicensed drivers have continued to top the list of offenders followed by dangerous driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and obstruction of motorway by motor vehicle.

Mr Soko said as a way of promoting road safety and adherence to road traffic regulations, the Agency in collaboration with the Judiciary plans to roll out the Fast Track Court on Traffic Offences to all the ten provinces in the country.

He said in the third quarter of 2014, the fast track courts on Traffic offences will be rolled out to Kabwe, Livingstone, Chipata, Ndola and Kitwe.

And the RTSA Chief Executive Officer disclosed that the Agency has in the first quarter of this year collected about K 110.4 million on behalf of the Government as road user fee.

Mr Soko stressed that a review of the Agency operations reveals that the Agency has great potential to increase its revenue collections, improve road safety profile and meaningfully contribute to national development.
He further stated that owing to the fact that the RTSA is not present in over 50 percent of the areas in Zambia, the levels of compliance to road safety regulations has continued to deteriorate and government is losing over 50 per cent of uncollected tax from road user fees and permits.
He however, stated that currently, registration of motor vehicles has been decentralized, which means that motor vehicle and trailer registration can now be done at any RTSA station in the country.
Mr Soko said the road safety agency is now working on modalities to decentralize the printing of driver’s license.
Meanwhile, Mr Soko revealed that RTSA plans to strengthen the Enforcement Unit by employing over 100 Road Traffic Inspectors so as to increase routine patrols in order to ensure enhanced and sustainable road safety enforcement.
He said Currently the Agency has only about 70 Road Traffic Inspectors against the culminated total of about 600,000 registered motor vehicles in the count, meaning that one Road Traffic Inspector is managing overs 1500 vehicles.
He said besides the routine patrols on the highways, the Agency has initiated the process of procuring CCTV to be installed on highways.

Mr Soko said this process has reached a stage where the Agency will soon be inviting the expression of interest to survey the highways and map out strategic points where to install the CCTVs.

He said the need for more personnel coupled with the installation of CCTVs along the highways is paramount especially with the opening of new corridors such as the link 8000 road project.

Mr Soko further disclosed that Minister of Transport, Works, supply and Communication Yamfya Mukanga will soon be handing over two toll trucks to the Agency which will be used to sweep out stationed vehicles that pose a great danger to road safety especially on the highways.

Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska has reiterated government’s commitment to promoting a gender responsive and inclusive development for all Zambians.

Dr. Msiska said government has continued to demonstrate this by strengthening gender equality in prioritised areas of the economy such as agriculture, construction, infrastructure development, job creation and tourism.

He said effective gender mainstreaming is a tool that will enable government make the development agenda more inclusive and responsive to the needs of women, men, girls and boys.

ZANIS Reports that Dr. Msiska said this in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy Ambassador Peter Kasanda during the official opening of the two days Retreat for a Committee of Permanent Secretaries on Gender.

The two days gender retreat is a joint support programme between Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department for International Development Aid (DFID).

Dr. Msiska has since urged the committee to accelerate gender responsiveness development by ensuring that sector plans and budgets are fully engendered.

And Dr. Msiska has directed the Public Service Management Division (PSMD) to ensure that the Strategy and Implementation Plan for Engendering the Public Service is fully operational.

Dr. Msiska also urged the PSMD to make tangible follow ups on the recommendations of the gender strategy plan which he said is cardinal in strengthening the Gender Focal Point System in the public sector.

The MMD is today expected to hold a national executive committee meeting to decide the fate of its two vice-presidents Dr Michael Kaingu and Dr Brian Chituwo along with Dora Siliya, Lucky Mulusa and Tobias Kafumukache a day after the Lusaka High Court dismissed the contempt of court case against the former ruling party president Nevers Mumba.

MMD national secretary Muhabi Lungu told the Daily Nation yesterday that he would be presenting a report to NEC members on the rebel members after they had refused to exculpate themselves over charges of indiscipline.

Yesterday, the Lusaka High dismissed the contempt case against Dr Mumba on account that the injunction to stop the MMD leader from going ahead with a NEC meeting was served on a Sunday.

High court Judge Eddie Sikazwe said the preliminary issues of the injunction which were raised by Dr Mumba Advocates contending that although there was a court order for an injunction it was served on a Sunday which was not in line with the High Court Order of the laws of Zambia.

Judge Sikazwe ruled that the second preliminary issue raised by Dr Mumba was to do with personal service of the MMD president could not render him (Dr Mumba) to be liable for contempt proceedings.

Judge Sikazwe added that the applicants Dr Micheal Kaingu and Dr Brian Chituwo knew that there was going to be a NEC meeting with a programme of electing a new National Secretary of the party.

Judge Sikazwe further added that the litigants before court were coming from one party, MMD and he therefore ordered no costs to either party.

This is in a case where the two MMD Vice Presidents Micheal Kaingu and Dr.Chituwo sued Dr Mumba and 34 NEC members for allegedly convening a NEC meeting which elected Mr.Muhabi Lungu as the party national secretary.

It was alleged that upon granting this order at around 13:00 hours then national secretary Chembe Nyangu was served with the same order at around 14:10 hours while preparing documents for the meeting at the Movement for Multi Party Democracy-MMD Secretariat by Messer Katolo and associates and he acknowledged receipt.

But Dr.Mumba disregarded the Court’s order of an injunction on the basis of that the court order could not be served on a Sunday and the disobeying of this court order was thereby lowering the Court’s dignity and authority.

And Mr Lungu said he NEC to be held today would decide what action to take against its rebel members and added that now that the court battle was over, it was important for the party to move forward to catch up with the time lost in mobilization.

Mr Lungu said while the ideal situation would have been to see reconciliation between the Dr Kaingu faction, discipline was cardinal for the smooth running of the party.
He said it would not help the MMD to have a small group of people moving in a different direction from the rest of the members because that was what was causing disunity in the former ruling party.

He said if there was going to a complete secession from maligning the leadership of Dr Mumba by those who had been calling for the removal of the MMD president, it would be prudent to consider reconciliation because the party was running out of time.

“We are having a NEC meeting tomorrow and I will be submitting my report over the disciplinary action that commenced against our colleagues. And the ideal situation after this episode should have been reconciliation but if you a small group in an organisation pulling in the wrong direction, then it is difficult to stay together. So NEC will decide on what action would be taken,” Mr Lungu said.