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Southern Province Permanent Secretary Chileshe Mulenga (middle), Zambia Railways Limited chief executive officer Clive Chirwa (left) and Senior Chief Mukuni (right) exchange light moments inside a train the launch of the midweek train service in Livingstone
The Lusaka Magistrate Court today heard that the payments for former Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) Chief Executive Officer Clive Chirwa’s accommodation at Falls Way Apartments were authorized.
Former Zambia Railways Limited Finance Manager Elijah Nyirenda told the court that payments were authorised by former ZRL Director of Finance Regina Mwale.Mr. Nyirenda, who is currently ZRL Director of Finance, told the court that Mwale in her capacity as Director of Finance was the one who authorised all the payments of goods and services for the company.
The witness told Principal Resident Magistrate Obbister Musukwa during continuation of trial that after the authorization of the payments by Mwale, he as Finance Manager signed the vouchers to facilitate for the payment of the money towards Chirwa’s rentals at Falls way apartments.
When he was asked during cross examination by defence lawyer Mulilo Kabesha where the payments for Chirwa’s accommodation were coming from during the period he stayed at Falls way apartments, he responded that it was from Zambia Railway Limited.
He further said when the investigations officer visited him over the matter, he produced three payment vouchers for payments for Prof. Chirwa’s rentals at Falls way apartments which were later produced in court.
And state prosecutors told the court that they were only remaining with one witness in the matter before closing their case..
This is a case in which Prof. Chirwa is charged with failure to disclose interest and abuse of authority of office contrary to the laws of Zambia.
Prof. Chirwa is in the second and third counts jointly charged with Regina Mwale, 50, of High Ridge in Kabwe and former Zambia Railways Limited Finance Director for abuse of authority of office, after the duo allegedly authorised payment of K72, 282,210 to Falls way Apartments for Prof. Chirwa’s accommodation, an amount which was beyond his entitlement and an act which is arbitrary and prejudicial to the rights and interests of the government of Zambia.
The second and third counts allege that the accused persons authorized the payment to Falls way Apartments on unknown dates but between February 1st and March 2nd 2013 in Kabwe.
The Magistrate has since adjourned the matter to June 4, 2014 for continuation of trial and police bonds for the accused persons have been extended.
Christian Democratic Party President Dan Pule has called on workers in the country to turn up in numbers and celebrate labour and petition government for better working conditions.
Dr Pule said labour is meant for the workers and that politicians should not hijack the day.
He urged the workers to ensure that they unite and ensure that government does not implement the wage and employment freeze as its implementation does not add up with high cost of living obtaining in the country.
And Dr. Pule has charged that President Michael Sata has no vision of running the country.
He said Mr. Sata has lost his worthiness that Zambians knew him for in 2011 as he has not been available to the public like he was prior to the 2011 elections.
He further condemned bad polices that the PF has which he said has led to high cost of living.
And Dr. Pule predicted that by the time PF and Mr. Sata leave government, Zambia will have an external debt of 10 billion US dollars.
He accused the PF government of borrowing money to service the existing debt as opposed to developing the country.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pule has rubbished the ongoing Constitution Indaba saying it will not yield any positive results if President Sata does not attend.
He said if it is Mr. Sata’s ill health that has stopped him from attending, CDP will continue praying for him so that he gets well soon.
Dr. Pule however said his party will not attend but demanded that Mr. Sata gives Zambians the Draft Constitution he and PF have hidden.
And Dr. Pule says his party is doing fairly well compared other parties that only have Presidents but has no members.
Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba has said that his ministry will only release the draft Constitution to the public after seeking Cabinet authority.
Speaking at the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Dispute (SACCORD) constitution summit in Lusaka today, Mr Kabimba said that he will have to wait on Cabinet to authorise him on when to release the document.
He says more debate will be allowed on the draft constitution upon its release to the public.
Mr. Kabimba also said that there is need to continuously build consensus on the Constitution making process.
Mr Kabimba further said that Government will not back-peddle its stance on the constitution making process. He insisted that government will release the draft constitution at an appropriate time.
Mr Kabimba said that if the desire of the nation was to have a constitution that will stand a test of time devoid of any political ambitions, there was need to give the process more time.
He assured Zambians that government shall remain open to dialogue on the constitution in order to contribute to consensus building so that people can give themselves a legitimate constitution which has eluded them since independence.
The Minister of Justice said government will stick to the yardsticks required on the ongoing process of dialogue and consensus building until reaching the stage of enacting the constitution by parliament.
Mr. Kabimba said the ownership of the constitution making process should present itself as people owned and people driven adding that it must be an inclusive and non-partisan in its complex and not a political tool by one group of people.
He clarified that the genesis of the current ongoing constitutional making process was the Patriotic Front (PF) initiative and will never be abandoned.
The law maker said the president has expressed government’s commitment to the constitutional making process adding that the draft constitution has been handed over to the Ministry of Justice.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kabimba has commended SACCORD for facilitating the constitution Indaba saying the culture of promoting the hegemony of views or ideals by one group against another cannot yield positive results.
However, some groups of stakeholders have expressed anxiety that subsequent comments by the government seem to suggest the negation and lack of consistent policy pronouncements.
And Mr. Kabimba, who also PF Secretary General, urged stakeholders against taking preconceived and rigid positions on the matter because it is a national issue and not for a selected section of society.
Meanwhile, SACCORD board chairperson Nkolola Wakumelo says dialogue over the constitution must be promoted at all cost.
Dr Wakumelo says the forum was one of the platforms organised to kick off dialogue of the Constitution-making process.
Several interest groups and individuals are attending the forum which is being held at Lusaka”s Protea Hotel.
One of the PF trouble makers is nabbed by the police during the Kabwata violence
In a recent article entitled “Kabimba Advises PF Members, Officials to Avoid Violence,” which appeared in The Post Newspaper of 28th April 2014, Comrade Wynter Kabimba is quoted as having advised Patriotic Front (PF) members and leaders to avoid violence because the country “can go into flames if violence becomes part of our political culture.”
This is fundamentally true. However, it is also intuitively true that violence is actually already an ingrained part of our beloved country’s political culture, and it is likely to destroy our country only if we fail to make a resolute attempt to address the situation.
Since our country’s political independence in October 1964, politically motivated violence has apparently become a major feature in both inter-party and intra-party politics.
This has been occasioned by several factors, including the tendency by some politicians and/or their supporters to consider dissent and criticism as insults, and a tendency to consider other citizens who have dissenting political views, and those who belong to other political parties, as “enemies” rather than “patriots” who also have a genuine interest in the future of our beloved country.
The incidence of intra-party and inter-party violence has also been exacerbated by intolerance, lack of respect for the rule of law, and an inability, on the part of perpetrators, to reach compromises with people who have dissenting views.
Also, the tendency by some wicked politicians to demonize and/or stigmatize political opponents has tended to incite political supporters against those who are labeled as political malcontents.
Moreover, violence has been perpetrated against some leaders within political parties merely because they are often seen mixing with leaders from other political parties. But how on earth can a relative, a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, or a fellow worshipper become an “enemy” simply because he or she happens to belong to one of the other political parties in the country?
Besides, the fact that political cadres are readily available to be used by their leaders to engage in violence on a regular basis in exchange for booze, a bag of corn meal, or a few pieces of silver attests to the unprecedented lack of decent means of earning a living.
Consequently, political hooliganism has become entrenched in our country’s nascent political system, and it is likely to continue to haunt us in perpetuity unless we start thinking of ourselves as being part and parcel of the Zambian family – a family whose members have similar needs, dreams, and aspirations, and a family whose members have profound and enduring love for their country!
After all, we are Zambians first in spite of the different political parties we belong to, the 73 different ethnic groups to which we belong, the different languages we speak, or the different politicians we support within or outside our political parties.
In fact, we are all affected by the socio-economic problems currently facing our beloved country.
And, apparently, we all wish for a more efficient and more constructive government, merit-based scholarships for vocational training and university education, low-interest educational loans, an effective and efficient healthcare system, greater access to education and training, greater and sustained food security, lower taxes and interest rates, greater employment opportunities, safer local communities, improved public infrastructure, improvements in garbage collection and disposal, and improved socio-economic conditions in rural areas.
Moreover, we wish for lower water charges and electricity tariffs, greater participation by women in national affairs, greater care for children and the handicapped, sustained protection of the fragile natural environment, preservation of our cultural values and traditions, a genuine effort to address the scourge of corruption, and, among other things, a system of justice that is free and impartial in both word and deed.
We should, therefore, not allow politics to create divisions amongst us to the extent of battering each other during campaigns and whenever we have differences in opinion over intra-party politics, inter-party politics, and/or a particular national issue.
And we should always remember that the real enemies of our beloved country today are not any given individuals or groups of individuals; and they are certainly not any given political parties, foreign countries, non-governmental organizations, or a particular political or economic ideology.
Rather, our real enemies are poverty, hunger, ignorance, illiteracy, disease, widespread unemployment, crime, corruption, and moral decay.
As such, we need to put our political alignments, ethnic identities, religious convictions, and professional affiliations aside and earnestly seek to promote and propagate our political views in a manner that honors and acknowledges other citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed right to participate in the political process.
Political leaders have an enormous role to play in this endeavor; in the pursuit of their political ambitions, for example, they need to walk the walk in exhibiting a high level of tact and utmost respect in their dealings with political opponents and other members of society.
They also need to make an earnest effort to discern and address the factors which agitate political cadres to engage in politically motivated violence, some of which are cited above.
The author, Henry Kyambalesa, is a Zambian academic currently living in the City and County of Denver in the State of Colorado, USA.
The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has attributed the rise in the number of women indulging in alcohol abuse to the high levels of poverty in the country.
According to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), no nation has harder-drinking women than Zambia, where 41 percent binge drink at least once a week.
NGOCC Board Chairperson, Beatrice Grillo, has told QFM News in an interview that most women are frustrated because things are becoming tougher for them thereby resorting to drinking beer carelessly.
Ms Grillo says it is for this reason that women should be empowered economically so that they desist from such unwarranted vices.
She has since challenged women across the country to look for other ventures that will help them to be stable in life and avoid consumption of alcohol.
And Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) Board Chairperson, Beauty Katebe, says there is need to ensure that bars located in residential areas are closed as this has contributed to alcohol abuse.
Ms Katebe has told QFM News in a separate interview that most women resort to drinking beers because they have nothing to do, adding that if they are empowered, they can not involve themselves in such vices.
File:MINISTER of Youth and Sport Chishimba Kambwili displays a copy of the 2014-2018 Luanshya District Strategic Plan, as District Commissioner Harold Mbaulu(left) and Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda Bwalya (right) and Town Clerk Alex Mwansa looks on during the launch of Strategic Plan at Luanshya Civic Centre grounds
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) says it is still investigating Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili for abuse authority of office.
Mr. Kambwili is alleged to have ordered officials in his ministry to place adverts in two daily newspapers using public funds congratulating him for containing a Degree from Copperstone University.
ACC Public Relations officer Timothy Moono has told Qfm News in an interview that the case is still active.
Mr. Moono explains that the commission is still gathering information pertaining to the case involving the Minister.
Mr. Moono adds that the commission is committed to ensuring that all cases brought before it are thoroughly investigated.
Zambia Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Joseph Katema addressing 36th Session of the UN Committee on Information in New York 28 April 2014
Government says Zambia is a strong proponent of freedom of expression, freedom of the media and public access to information, as fundamental pre-requisites for sustainable social and economic development and democracy.
Speaking when he addressed the 36th Session of the United Nations Committee on Information in New York, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Joseph Katema said the Zambian Government has embarked on a wide range of measures to reform and reposition the country’s media industry.
This is according to a statement released to the media in Lusaka by the First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations Chibaula Silwamba.
Dr. Katema said the reforms would enable the media to play its full and rightful role in national
development.He said principle among the measures includes the ongoing process to enact the Access to
Information Bill.
“At the heart of this right is the recognition that in a democracy, the Government is only the custodian of information and its true owners are the people,” Dr Katema said. “Among other merits, the Access to Information law, enhances public scrutiny and participation in national affairs and helps in combating corruption and wrongdoing by those entrusted with the custody of public assets and interests.”
Dr Katema, who is also Chief Government spokesperson, said since the time Zambia liberalized the airwaves in 1991, the country now has over 70 community and commercial radio stations and about 10 television stations.
He told the United Nations Member States that Zambia has several private newspapers and magazines, print and online, that significantly widened and deepened public access to information.The Minister stated that Zambia has established the Independent Broadcasting Authority, a statutory body responsible for investment and management of the country’s broadcasting sector.
“Riding on Government’s hands-off approach in the operations of the media sector, journalists and other media practitioners in Zambia have since formed an independent, non-statutory and self-regulatory mechanism to promote ethical and professional conduct among themselves,” the Chief Government Spokesperson said. “These and other measures, represent the Zambian Government’s unwavering commitment to providing a conducive environment for the growth of a free, professional and independent media in the country.”
The Minister expressed the Government’s appreciation to UN Member States for electing Zambia to the Committee on Information bureau to represent the African Group.
He also said Zambia was pleased to have been elected chair of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) Group and pledge to continue working closely with fellow Member States in making the world a better place to live.
The Minister commended the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) for fostering global peace and understanding through information dissemination.He said Zambia was grateful to the DPI for its timely dissemination of deliberations and activities of the UN and the Member States.He said the Zambian Government would like to strengthen its cooperation with the DPI for the benefit of its people.
While in New York, Dr Katema will hold meetings with UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Mr Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal and his directors, the Chairperson of the Committee on Information Mrs Lyutha Al- Mughairy and tour the UN news and media division, among other high-profile engagements.
President Michael Sata listens to Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba (left) at the launch of the African Peer Review Mechanism report at State House in Lusaka
Patriotic Front secretary-general Wynter Kabimba says President Sata is aware of the challenges Zambians are facing and is working hard to address them before the 2016 general elections.
Mr Kabimba said President Sata knew about the challenges Zambians are facing when he assumed office.
“President Sata knows that people want a government that will transform their lives for the better. They want hope and this government under President Sata is working on that,” he said.
[pullquote]President Sata loves you[/pullquote]
Mr Kabimba, who is also Minister of Justice, said this in Mansa when he addressed government officials.
Meanwhile, Mr Kabimba said President Sata has established many new districts in order to bring Government closer to people and that the PF understands local government very well.
“We knew when we were creating these districts that there would be challenges such as lack of office space for our officers, housing blues and so on. We knew we would have budgetary constraints, but no country has ever developed from a comfort zone,” Mr Kabimba said.
He encouraged civil servants to work hard because the task of developing the country lies on their shoulders.
“We want to see a spirit of hard work in our civil servants. I can assure you that the PF administration cares for you very much because we know you are the drivers of our policies. President Sata loves you.
“People are not interested in the challenges you are facing, they want results. So show the spirit,” Mr Kabimba said
He said Mr Sata is a leader of immense political experience who knows the challenges that civil servants in remote rural areas are facing.
“Mr Sata knows that civil servants in the rural parts of this country have peculiar challenges and so don’t think he’s seated comfortably. His life and heart always cry for a better Zambia,” Mr Kabimba said.
MMD President Nevers Mumba has appealed to all Zambians to promote peace and national unity.Dr Mumba said Zambians should use every occasion to unite and show love to each other.
Dr Mumba was speaking in Kitwe during the funeral service for his Sister in law Chisenga Mwila Onesi.He said peace and harmony is essential for national development hence the need for people to show love to each other.Dr Mumba said every emotional occurrence such as funerals creates opportunity for the devil to create acrimony and disturb the peace.He said just like in families, nations should also strive to resist situations that are conducive for confusion to prevail.
And speaking to Reporters shortly after the funeral service who asked him about the infighting in the party, Dr Mumba said he will not be drawn into discussion such issues as he is in mourning.Dr Mumba requested that he and his family be given the opportunity to mourn the late Mrs Mwila Onesi in peace.He said he will not dwell on the issue of the MMD infighting as it has been exhausted.
The Forum for Democracy Development says Republican President Michael Sata holds the key to the Constitution Crisis Zambia is faced with.
FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza said it considers the Constitution Indaba as a waste of time if Mr Sata does not attend as the president is the only person who can resolve the crisis.
Mr. Mwanza said the president being in-charge of the PF Government that is “hiding” the Constitution should be the one to attend and provide answers failure to which FDD considers the proposed indaba a waste of time hence will not participate.
And Mr Mwanza said his party is aware that the PF has received the draft document and should not lie about its whereabouts.He challenged the PF government to come clean and tell the people where the draft document is.
He further challenged the president to explain why the technical committee has been disbanded when the draft constitution has not been released to public.He said, “President Sata dissolved the committee in writing but has not explained to the public why the constitution has not been given to the people.”
SACCORD has called for an indaba so as to find solutions to the current constitution impasse but many stakeholders have indicated that they will not attended the indaba unless the president attends or the draft document is released.
Yesterday the Grand Coalition joined 16 opposition political parties that have also snubbed the indaba claiming that there is nothing to talk about but that the PF releases the draft constitution immediately.
The Lusaka High Court has granted MMD vice-president for administration Brian Chituwo and his political affairs counterpart Michael Kaingu leave to commence contempt proceedings against party president Nevers Mumba and 37 national executive committee (NEC) members for defying a court order.
High Court judge Eddie Sikazwe allowed Dr Chituwo and Dr Kaingu to start contempt proceedings against Dr Mumba and others after reading Dr Kaingu’s affidavit filed in the Lusaka High Court yesterday.
This is in a case in which Dr Kaingu and Dr Chituwo were granted an order restraining Dr Mumba and other party members from holding a NEC meeting but the MMD president allegedly refused to accept the order and proceeded with the meeting.
Dr Chituwo sued MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu in his capacity as acting party national secretary.
“Upon hearing counsel for the plaintiffs [Dr Kaingu and Dr Chituwo] and upon reading the affidavit of Dr Kaingu, it is ordered that leave to commence contempt proceedings against Dr Mumba and 37 NEC members be and is hereby granted and that costs be in the cause,” Mr Justice Sikazwe said.
This is according to an ex parte order for leave to commence contempt proceedings against Dr Mumba obtained by the Daily Mail yesterday.
In his affidavit, Dr Kaingu said Dr Mumba and the 37 NEC members defied the court order preventing them from convening the NEC meeting to elect the party national secretary.He said in disregard of the court order, the 38 party members went ahead to have the meeting which elected Dr Mumba’s spokesperson Muhabi Lungu as national secretary.
Dr Kaingu said the court ordered that the MMD should not proceed with the meeting until determination of the matter but Dr Mumba and others went on to convene despite having been communicated to about the order.
“The action to go ahead and convene was a deliberate act of disobedience of this honourable court order and calculated to prejudice the administration of justice and lowered this court’s dignity and authority, which amounts to contempt of court,” he said.
And wrangles in the MMD have taken a new twist with Mr Lungu slapping gross indiscipline charges on Dr Kaingu and Dr Chituwo.In a letter dated April 28, 2014 addressed to Dr Kaingu and Dr Chituwo obtained the Daily Mail yesterday, Mr Lungu has issued a 10-day ultimatum in which the two, along with spokesperson Dora Siliya, former Solwezi member of Parliament Lucky Mulusa and national youth secretary Tobias Kafumukache should exculpate themselves.
The letter was also copied to Dr Mumba, national chairman Kabinga Pande and chairperson for legal affairs Bradford Machila.
“In view of the seriousness of the charges levelled against you, you are, therefore, required to submit an exculpatory statement in defence within 10 days from the date of this letter in conformity with regulation 9 (2) of the disciplinary regulations – 1993.
“Failure to comply will result in stern disciplinary action to be taken against you,” the letter reads in part.
Mr Lungu later said in an interview yesterday that the MMD will not tolerate indiscipline and that members are expected to adhere to the party constitution.He also said he will issue a circular instructing members to seek approval from relevant authorities before holding press conferences at the party secretariat.But Dr Kaingu said the letter is frivolous and a product of an illegal meeting.Dr Kaingu said he has handed over the letter to his lawyer Milner Katolo.
The Anti Corruption Commission says the Zambia Police Service’s traffic, Prosecution, Accounts and Administration departments are the most corrupt.
Speaking at the opening of a managerial accountability workshop for the Zambia Police, ACC Director General Rosewin Wandi said the meeting is meant to identify areas and find interventions that will strengthen the operation system of the Zambia Police and seal loopholes that attract corruption.
Mrs. Wandi said ACC is committed to working with the Zambia Police to improve governance where there is need for improvement.
She noted that Public Officers have a significant role to play in ensuring that integrity activities receive the much needed attention from both management and members.
Mrs. Wandi said this in a speech read for her by ACC Director of Community Education Lawrence Hasingo.
And Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani is hopeful that assessing the processes and procedures will help identify the vulnerabilities that will improve service delivery in the police service.
Mrs. Libongani said this in a speech read for her by Lusaka Province Deputy Commissioner Chola Katanga.
Former President Rupiah Banda has filed 19 criminal contempt charges against Post Newspaper owner Fred M’membe who has been accused of slandering and convicting the former president through his editorials.
President Banda has complained that the editorials were intended to influence and thereby prejudice the current procedings.
In a complaint submitted to court on 25th April 2014 and subsequently reduced to 19 criminal charges, Mr M’membe together with his newspaper, the Post have been charged with contempt for writing defamatory and contemptuous editorials in total disregard of court proceedings which president Banda firmly believes was meant to influence the court process.
The complaint has been lodged at the Lusaka Magistrate Court where it has now been allocated.
Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper have been dragged to court by president Banda for maliciously insinuating that that the former head of state was corrupt in their editorials, whose contents were prejudicial to the court proceedings.
President Banda has complained that the duo jointly and while acting together did write contemptuous editorials while a judicial proceeding involving the former head of state was pending.
In the first count, Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper are said to have caused the publication of an editorial comment entitled ‘What is Rupiah afriad of’ whose contents were prejudicial or capable of prejudicing president Banda who was an accused in the proceedings.
President Banda complained that the publication was calculated to lower the authority of the court before whom the former Head of State court proceedings were taking place.
In the second account, Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper are said to have caused the publication of a contemptuous editorial comment entitled ‘Hakainde is nothing but a defender of corruption’ whose contents were prejudicial.
Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper in the third count are said to have caused the publication of an editorial comment entitled ‘Some people forget early’ in which the duo accused president Banda of being a corrupt man.
In the fourth and fifth counts, the duo jointly and whilst acting together caused the publication of editorial comments entitled ‘Why are you defending Rupiah’s corruption?’ and ‘Why is MMD defending corruption?’ whose contents were prejudicial against and capable of prejudicing president Banda and which publication were calculated to lower the authority of the court before which the former head of state court proceedings were taking place.
Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper in the sixth, seventh and eighth counts are said to have caused the publication of editorial comments entitled ‘Opposition and the corruption fight’, Rupiah’s vulgar language’ and ‘Nevers failures and his removal’ whose contents were also prejudicial against the former president.
President Banda has also complained that Mr M’membe and the Post Newspapers jointly and whilst acting together in counts nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen ensured editorials entitled ‘Corrupt politicians shouldn’t stand’, ‘Before things change, we must change’, ‘Stand up and detest acts of corruption’, ‘Mweetwa’s lonely, dangerous mission and ‘Sata’s lone voice on corruption’ respectively were published against him whose contents he said were contemptuous and meant to lower the authority of the court before which the former head of state was appearing.
The duo jointly and while acting together also committed contempt when they knowingly caused the publication of editorial entitled ‘A lonely man’, ‘Siamunene and Hakainde’, ‘Rupiah and the MMD’s future’ which fall in counts fourteen, sixteen and seventeen, the editorial whose contents were not only contemptious but were capable of lowering the authority of the court before which president Banda was appearing.
In the last two counts, Mr M’membe and the Post Newspaper are said to have committed contempt after jointly and whilst acting together caused the publication of editorials entitled ‘What type of leaders do Zambians want?’ and ‘Character’ which were prejudicial to the former president court proceedings.
[Daily Nation]
President Michael Sata has been accused of compromising the Judiciary by allowing Justice Lombe Chibesakunda to act as Chief Justice for two years even after Parliament rejected her ratification.
A group of judges said the contract of acting Chief Justice was coming to an end next month and have wondered whether the President would extend her contract in order for her to continue acting as Chief Justice.
President Sata had given Justice Lombe Chibesakunda a two contract which was ending May 2014 as Supreme Court judge and subsequently appointed her acting Chief Justice.The judges said it was shocking that the office of the Chief Justice had been vacant for two years while President Sata continued to ignore the rejection by parliament to ratify her.
They complained that an institution like the judiciary needed to be treated with the seriousness it deserved and that the status quo was sending a wrong signal to the spectators who will doubt the independence of the institution.
They said for the first time in the history of Zambia the office of the Chief Justice had remained unoccupied for two years since President Sata appointed Justice Lombe Chibesakunda in acting capacity.
They challenged the Head of State to clearly state why he has not appointed a substantive Chief Justice to replace Justice Chibesakunda who was rejected by all interested parties when she was being scrutinized by Parliament.
“We would like to remind President Michael Sata that the judiciary is one of the institutions in the country that should be treated with seriousness and having an acting Chief Justice for two years is something that we have all failed to believe. This situation raises a lot of concerns and the head of state should treat it with the seriousness it deserves.
“The President knows that he is creating a scandal by insisting that Justice Lombe Chibesakunda stays in that office even after knowing that she does not qualify. As judges we know who is qualified to hold that office and it is time that our sister makes a decision.
“ This inflexibility is not good especially that the Head of State has constituted the Legal and Justice Reform Commission which among other things is supposed to look at judicial reforms,” they said.
The justices further warned that it was not possible to attain meaningful judicial reforms when the highest office in the judiciary was involved in a scandal.
They said the Head of State should have exhibited support for judicial reforms by appointing a substantive Chief Justice instead of letting Justice Chibesakunda act for two years.
“We are waiting to see what the President is up to because we know what a scandal this is. There are a lot of men and women who qualify for that position and we wait to see what happens after May,” they said.
[Daily Nation]
Nkana are back on the road in the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup with an opening Group B trip to Cairo.
Masauso Mwale and his team will play Al Ahly on May 18 in Cairo where on March 30 they were lost 5-0 to their hosts archrivals Zamalek who eliminated them from the 2014 CAF Champions League.
Nkana will then host Sewe Sport of Cote d’Ivoire in the two sides first ever meeting on May 24 in Kitwe.
The Kitwe side will later make their second trip to Tunisia this year to face 2012 CAF Confederation Cup champions Etoile du Sahel on June 8 before the competition takes a one and a month long break to make way for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Nkana will resume their Group B campaign on July 26 at home when they host Etoile before Al Ahly visit Kitwe on August 8 in their penultimate pool game.
Nkana will then take their first trip to Cote d’Ivoire since 1998 to play face Sewe in Abidjan in both sides final Group B match.
Winner and runner-up will advance to the two-legged semifinals to be played during the weekends of September 19 and September 26.
The two-legged final is scheduled for November 28-30 and December 5-7.
