VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott says he has not yet received a letter from former members of the Technical Committee on Drafting the Constitution demanding an apology from him and the Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba for allegedly saying they attempted to transfer government vehicles into their names.

In a telephone interview with the Daily Mail on Monday, Dr Scott said he would thus not comment on the matter.

“I cannot comment on that issue. I will have to consult my lawyer when I receive the letter. I have only seen a copy in the Daily Nation,” Dr Scott said

Mr Kabimba was not immediately available to comment on the issue.

It was reported that in a letter dated June 18, 2014, Mwansa, Phiri and Partners acting on behalf of Ernest Mwansa, Patrick Mvunga, Rodger Chongwe, Mwangala Zaloumis,
Reuben Lifuka, Chief Luchembe, Father Bantungwa and Suzanne Matale demanded an immediate apology from Dr Scott and Mr Kabimba.

“The retraction and apology must be prominently placed in the same newspaper that printed the libellous articles.

His honour the Vice-President and the honourable minister are given 14 working days in which to make the retraction and public apology of their statements,” the letter signed by an A.M Shilimi reads in part.

The former technical committee members stated that the words attributed to them are untrue, malicious and very misleading.

It is alleged that Dr Scott and Mr Kabimba accused the former members of the technical committee of trying to transfer government motor vehicles assigned to the technical committee to their personal names.

THE Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says homosexuals need Jesus Christ and that the church should pray for them.

He told journalists in Kitwe yesterday that ‘gay people need the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ just like anyone else. The Church should therefore pray for them’.

Bishop Welby, who is head of the Anglican church, did not give his church’s specific position on homosexuals but said the church is still consulting on the matter.
The Anglican Church has been split on the issue of ordaining gay priests.

He said the church has an obligation to pray for homosexuals and that prayer is important to a Christian.

“We are trying to listen to what God is telling us on this matter as a church,” Bishop Welby said.

He, however, said there is need to treat everyone with respect and dignity.

“Homosexuality is a global issue, we need to treat others with respect and dignity. It is a human rights issue,” the bishop said.

Bishop Welby also said it is sad that evil-minded people use poverty, unemployment and religion to cause conflict in Africa.

And speaking at a church service at Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels Church in Kitwe, Bishop Welby called on the Church to pray hard so that it can have a positive impact on society.

He said reconciliation is a gift from God for Christians to live in harmony.

“Prayer is what renews our hope as Christians. Reconciliation is important; we need to learn how to love one another.

“We must be a church that loves one another, a church that reconciles with one another, we must be peacemakers. The church should be the unifying factor in communities,” he said.

Bishop Welby urged members of the Anglican Church in Zambia to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to lead by example in their daily lives.

“Going to church does not make you a Christian. Being in church does not make you a Christian, otherwise even benches were going to be Christian. It is knowing and loving Jesus Christ that makes us Christians,” he said.

All People’s Congress (APC) president Nason Msoni has said that he still doubts Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba was delegated with Presidential powers to act as Republican President.

This is despite Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska confirming that President Michael Sata delegated Presidential power to Mr Kabimba by signing the instrument of delegation of the functions of President on Friday, 20th June, 2014 and Gazette Notice No. 385 of 2014 dated 27th June, 2014.

Mr. Msoni said that confirmation by Dr. Msiska has raised more questions than answers.

Mr. Msoni said this is because dates for the signed instrument of delegation functions of President and the publication of Gazette Notice No.385 of 2014 do not reflect the chronological order.

He questioned who was acting republican president between 20th June, 2014 when the instrument of delegation functions of President was signed and June 27th 2014 the date for the issuance of Gazette Notice No.385 of 2014.

Mr Msoni alleges that the two dates that the Secretary to Cabinet has indicated could have been backdated as cover up.

A Zambia Railways Livingstone bound goods train carrying an undisclosed quantity of copper concentrates derailed on Friday night at Magoye lay-by 30 km south of Mazabuka District.

The Goods train was transporting copper concentrates for a company called Bridge Shipping Zambia destined for export to South Africa.

Zambia Railways Central Region General Manager Mubanga Jawala confirmed the accident but declined to give further details.

A check by a ZANIS crew that rushed to the scene found that five wagons laden with 33 metric tonnes of copper concentrates but slipped off the rail and overturned in Magoye.
A salvage operation was however tasked to remove the copper concentrates from the wagons onto waiting trucks.

Workers were found busy reinforcing the rail line that got damaged in order to normalise train operations and passage.

A technical team dispatched to the scene to ascertain the cause of the derailment is yet to conclude investigations.

However, workers at the scene attributed the derailment to alleged over loading on the five wagons.

In December 2010, a Zambia Railways train derailed in Kapiri Mposhi disrupting the travelling public and goods transportation while another derailed in Ndola after slipping off the rail line when transporting lime.

The Zambia Railways obtained a US$120 million loan two years ago from the Euro bond to upgrade rail infrastructure in the country and improve operations.

Three other passengers sustained multiple injuries and are admitted at Zimba Mission Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

Provincial Police Commissioner Mary Chikwanda, who confirmed the incident yesterday, identified the deceased as Masuk Bektas, 53 who was driving from Lusaka to Livingstone.

Ms Chikwanda named the three passengers as Huseyin Erben, 28, Aykut Kaesa, 16, and Nathal Zorlu, 46 who are believed to be also officials from the embassy.

She said Mr Bektas, who was driving a Toyota Altezza registration number ALP 574, careered off the road and overturned due to alleged excessive speeding.

Ms Chikwanda said in an interview that the accident happened on Sunday around 07:20 hours about 15 kilometers from Zimba Township.

“Mr Bektas, a diplomat from Turkish Embassy died on spot due to excessive speeding, the car overturned to the right side of the road and he (Mr Bektas) sustained head injuries,” she said.

Ms Chikwanda said the three passengers who sustained multiple injuries, were immediately rushed to Zimba District Hospital for treatment.

She said that Mr Erben sustained bruises on his right hand while Mr Kaesa, a juvenile, sustained a swollen leg.

Ms Chikwanda said Ms Zorlu suffered a backache and was also admitted to Zimba mission hospital while the body of Mr Bektas was lying at Zimba Mission hospital mortuary.

Acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda has bemoaned the high levels of corruption obtaining in Zambia’s Judicial system.

Speaking in Lusaka today during the launch of the Judiciary Service Charter Justice Chibesakunda noted that the perception of corruption in the country’s judiciary is real as there are some individuals whom she termed as bad eggs within the judiciary and urged the public to be on lookout such people.

“Distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, corruption affects everyone and every institution, and therefore the need to rid our society of corruption or indeed any perception of it, cannot be over emphasized.

“In the case of the judiciary, public perception is that there is corruption in our judicial system. Sadly, this is not just a perception, it is reality. There are a few bad eggs within the judiciary,” said the Acting Chief Justice.

[pullquote]“Some people in the copperbelt do not know who the acting chief justice is; they don’t know whether I’m a man or woman and some officials are taking advantage of that. They go to bars and get beer in my name saying Iam the acting chief justice can I have a beer.”[/pullquote]

She said the local court has been a source of concern as due to litigants appear in person hence making them more prone to abuse.

“The local court has been a source of concern. The local courts are to most litigants the face of judiciary. Litigants in the local courts appear in person so they are more prone to abuse. They are more likely to fall prey to unscrupulous court officials and unfortunately, but true, even to adjudicators seeking bribes to secure a more favorable outcome or judgment,” she explained.

She added that scourge was so rampant such that some Judiciary officials have been impersonating her on the Copperbelt and in the process obtaining free things such as beer.

“Some people in the copperbelt do not know who the acting chief justice is; they don’t know whether I’m a man or woman and some officials are taking advantage of that. They go to bars and get beer in my name saying Iam the acting chief justice can I have a beer.”

The Acting head of the country’s judiciary said it is not a perception that corruption exists in the Judiciary but a reality which all should know.

She further said such acts are not only morally wrong but also undermines the public confidence in the outcome of judicial matters.

Justice Chibesakunda however said there is need to rid of the cancer from the system if Justice is to be offered to Zambians.

And Transparency International Zambia Acting President Kalungu Sampa said the Service Charter which was initiated by his organisation will help reduce the possibility of corruption in the Judiciary.

He said the Judiciary deserves credit on the launch and that TIZ together with the Judiciary will now embark on sensitisation in all provinces.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE MMD

MMD Responds To Attacks by Wynter Kabimba

Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba’s unwarranted attack on the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) as reported in the Sunday Post of 29th June 2014 cannot go unchallenged. He was quoted as saying “We are lucky as a country that God gave us Michael Sata to redeem us from the MMD slavery and corruption.” It is rather disingenuous of Mr Kabimba to unashamedly accuse us in this manner and dishonestly reduce the 20-year rule of the MMD to one thing – Corruption.

We wish to remind Mr Kabimba that if it had not been for the MMD fighting for liberation from the One-Party State, he would not have a platform to pontificate today. No amount of falsehoods from Mr Kabimba will ever erase the proud history of the MMD. We not only brought back multi-party politics which the Patriotic Front Government is attempting to destroy. We liberated the press which he is using today to spread his lies and innuendos.

Soon after assuming power in 1991, crippling shortages of essential commodities became a thing of the past. The public transport sector became fully liberalized and Zambians were empowered with home ownership for the first time since Independence. They could freely criticize the president, engage in private business, had unfettered access to foreign exchange, could freely associate with others, sue the government, travel anywhere they wanted, participate in free and fair elections (against fellow humans and not frogs) and access an improved judicial system. The standard of living of the average Zambian as measured by Per Capita Income, Life Expectancy, Infant Mortality and many other statistics remarkably improved on our watch.

Is this what Mr Kabimba calls “Slavery”?

His accusations of corruption in the MMD have already been dealt with before. He is attempting to resurrect a dead issue. The New MMD under my leadership has already made amends and opened a new chapter by acknowledging our past mistakes. Ironically, the current Patriotic Front (PF) government from top to bottom, including current ministers, has people who were previously key members of the same MMD government he is now trying to discredit. Is he saying his colleagues in government are corrupt slave-masters?

The rule of the PF in the last three years has completely vindicated the MMD which warned the Zambian people that they were dealing with a dangerous group of people who would cause them to regret their decision to vote for the PF. Everyone from marketeers, farmers, businesses men, investors, donors, labour unions, NGOs and miners are mourning the great tragedy that has befallen Zambia because of the PF Government. It is not uncommon to hear street vendors and taxi drivers say “Mudala alitu gon’ga”, meaning “The old man lied to us.”

Zambians have been taken on a disastrous boat ride (Pa Bwato) to nowhere by the PF Government and not a single day passes without them wondering where we are going. They now realize that the PF Government is just power-hungry and has no vision, no heart and no genuine compassion for the suffering people of Zambia.

The PF must be the most hypocritical government since Independence. They have taken us backwards a quarter of a Century to the time when Zambians lived in fear of their own government. Our people are not free to speak their minds; not free to assemble; not free to campaign; not free to even have indoor political meetings. They can be arrested anytime on flimsy grounds; can be beaten anyhow and even killed by PF cadres. We are back to the days of the “Party and its Government” when the State machinery was abused for intimidation of anyone with dissenting political views.

Is this not the real slavery Mr Kabimba should be addressing?

Mr Kabimba has accused the MMD of corruption, and yet the scale of corruption in the PF government begs belief. How did they award the single-sourced tender for renovations of State House to their own Minister of Finance within weeks of assuming power? Why are there still many unanswered questions on the procurement of oil through Trafigura, for which Mr Kabimba himself was investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), only to be “acquitted” under very questionable circumstances?

Why does the Road Development Agency (RDA) report directly to State House? Why are there leaked bank statements in the public domain suggesting that large sums of money have been paid into the president’s personal bank account, allegedly as inducements to award multi-million Dollar road construction contracts? Why have Chinese Companies suddenly become the darlings of the PF when prior to 2011, they were accused of corrupt dealings with the MMD Government? Why was a banquet thrown for these companies when they were targets of threats to be repatriated upon PF getting into power? Who is really benefitting from the celebrated “unprecedented infrastructure development projects” of the PF?

Why is there a deeply entrenched culture of lawlessness in the PF, such that Mr Kabimba is now publicly confessing to illegally smuggling in Kenyans to conduct Parallel Voter Tabulation during the 2011 elections without the knowledge of the Electoral Commission of Zambia? Why is illegal land-grabbing from innocent Zambians by PF cadres being tolerated by the PF Government which is wasting time and resources by appointing an unproductive Lands Commission of Enquiry? Why are PF Ministers arguing and contradicting each other in public?

We shall leave it to the Zambians to answer these questions.

The New MMD stands on a platform of honesty, morality and integrity. We shall endeavor to be truthful in managing the affairs of our people. We will at all costs avoid the temptation, which the PF has fallen into, of making sweet, exaggerated but unattainable promises to our people. When faced with difficult decisions, we will tell the people of Zambia the truth about what can and cannot be done. We will not promise to do things in “90 Days”.

We wish to remind Zambians that Mr Kabimba’s accusations are just another chapter in the vicious ongoing campaign to destroy the MMD through various machinations that include targeting its Members of Parliament, telling outright lies and spreading misinformation. Even prior to the 2011 elections, Zambians were subjected to an endless bombardment of attacks and accusations against the MMD through a vicious, widespread and malicious propaganda campaign.

Instead of focusing on bringing the much-promised development, PF are wasting time and tax-payer money sponsoring divisions within MMD while publicly pretending that MMD is a dead party. If MMD is dead, why is so much effort being put into destroying it?

The PF party President Michael Sata on 31st October 2012 as reported by ZANIS acknowledged that the biggest threat to the PF Government is the MMD. He said “… there is a big vacuum; we are on a big MMD volcano….” Needless to say, he was right.

The New MMD will continue emerging victorious from each and every attack from the PF which thrives on deception, falsehoods and extreme exaggeration to win cheap popularity from unsuspecting nationals. We shall never be put down or destroyed. Every attack is like an exercise of a muscle that makes us stronger and bigger and is leading to renewed public support. The MMD is being purified by fire, removing all the chaff and producing pure gold.

MMD stands ready when re-elected to hit the ground running from day one due to its vast knowledge and experience.

Zambians, we urge you to never experiment again.

Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba
MMD President
MMD – The New Hope for Zambia

Website: mmdzambia.org
Facebook: facebook.com/mmdzambia
Twitter: twitter.com/mmdzambia

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has appealed to political parties participating in the forth coming Mangango parliamentary by-election in Western Province to abide by the electoral code of conduct.

ECZ Public Relations Manager, Cris Akufuna said in an interview yesterday that it was important for the political parties to uphold the electoral code of conduct to ensure smooth running of the
election.

He said preparations for next month’s Mangango parliamentary by-election had reached an advanced stage.

Mr Akufuna said that the training of district staff had since been completed.

He explained that his organization was currently training voter education facilitators to ensure that they were abreast with the process of conducting the by-election.

He said the ECZ was doing everything possible to ensure that the by-election was conducted in the best way possible.

The ECZ has set August 19, 2014, as the date on which parliamentary by- election for Mangango constituency in Western province would be held.

The by- election comes after the nullification of the election of MMD’s Robert Taundi Chiseke by the Supreme Court on May 19, 2014 on grounds that his election was fraught with electoral malpractices.

Patriotic Front (PF) losing candidate, Richard Simbula petitioned the election of Mr Chiseke alleging illegal and corrupt practices.

Before the nullification of his seat, Mr Chiseke served as Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry.