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It is almost impossible to resurrect a political party, Southern Province Minister, Daniel Munkombwe has observed.
Mr. Munkombwe who boasted of being in the political domain for 3 decades now said once a political party is thrown out of power, it loses its relevance.
He said UNIP and MMD are such political parties that are finished and would not come back to their former glory.
Mr. Munkombwe who was addressing heads of government departments in Gwembe this week said it would be utter folly for anyone to hope for a better political party than PF presently.
However, Mr. Munkombwe who is also Southern Province PF chairman pointed out that at some point, PF would also be phased out from the political landscape and another one would come forth.
And Mr. Munkombwe has said that he does not need favours from anybody as he was relevant, useful, and hardworking.
Mr. Munkombwe boasted that he had managed to work in the Kenneth Kaunda, Frederick Chiluba, Patrick Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, and now Michael Sata administration as he was undoubtedly useful and he is still going strong.
“We do not care where you come from. We care about how you work and your capacity to work. We can only care about where you come from when you fail to do the work correctly. Prove yourself. When you are given work to do, do it diligently,” Mr. Munkombwe told civil servants in Gwembe District.
He urged civil servants to desist from hiding in tribalism and further appealed to government workers to avoid being incited by groupings that he said do not mean well to the development of the country.
Mr. Munkombwe stressed that government was proud of the civil service as they were the engine of development.
The Provincial Minister further urged civil servants to work with the District Commissioner.
“Work with your DC. Let her finish herself so that you are not blamed for her failures. Nobody is an angel that is why we need to accommodate each other’s weakness,” he concluded.
A new smashing single by Eddie Black.
The song is an inspirational song for Eddie Black and pretty much all listeners… he raps about how he’s untouchable and how he goes up and is never about to go down as he compares himself to tornadoes and stadium lights! The young lad who says rapper, Ludacris inspired him to be what he is today,is definitely going to get you with the punchlines in Mujulu.
And since we know and agree that the Duke Of Hazard rarely and has in fact never disappointed before.
He is rapping in the song, and the song has this unique “Folk-Song” feel to it which brings calmness that’s gets you in touch with Mama Africa, so for that obviously we expect more people relating to this piece.
Mujulu which was produced by Zambian Taurus Musik signee “Peezey Cables” who is an exceptionally good artist /producer is out to set a frenzy!
Watch out for it! Listen share and enjoy
Protestors from various organisations demanding KCM published profits and taxes
On Wednesday 9th April more than 40 protesters from Foil Vedanta(1), the Afrikan diaspora(2) and other organisations in London chanted, played drums and held banners and placards outside the Zambia High Commission in London.
Concerns
Protesters demand KCM annual reports are made public, and compensation paid to communities poisoned by polluted water.
Vedanta’s share prices are falling due to opposition to their operations all over the world, for undervaluing resources and violating laws.
The protestors demanded that some of the revelations in Foil Vedanta’s groundbreaking report Copper Colonialism: Vedanta KCM and the copper loot of Zambia(3) are addressed by Vedanta and the Zambian government, and asked the UK Government to formally investigate the company. Meanwhile Vedanta may be about to de-list from the London Stock Exchange as Chair Anil Agarwal becomes the 70% owner by buying up shares in the suffering company.
Protesters at the Zambian High Commission held a banner reading ‘Vedanta plunders, Zambia bleeds and placards asking the UK government to bring Anil Agarwal to trail. Loud and rhythmic drums and megaphone chants echoed in the streets during the vibrant demonstration. A delegation met the Deputy High Commissioner and handed over a copy of the report in the presence of Zambian TV and diplomats. The delegation pledged to assist the Zambian government in monitoring Vedanta and making links with its operations in other parts of the world to understand its pattern of operation. The protesters called for Vedanta and the Zambian government to release KCM’s annual reports, containing figures on profits and tax payment, which are currently kept secret. Figures from Vedanta’s own documents, revealed in the report, suggest that KCM made $362 million in 2013, contrary to its own claims that it was making a loss and may need to be saved by the Zambian government.(4
[pullquote]KCM made $362 million in 2013, contrary to its own claims that it was making a loss[/pullquote]
The report also highlighted that the true volumes of production and export from KCM are not known, and suggested that tax evasion scams such as transfer mis-pricing (undervaluing exports) and under-declaring production may be occurring. Protesters demanded an independent investigation into volumes of copper and cobalt mined, processed and exported from KCM’s plants, and their direction of export.
In the UK Foil Vedanta will continue to echo the calls of parliamentarians and financiers to formally investigate and bring Vedanta to trial for its environmental and humanitarian crimes and poor corporate governance.(5)
They will also demand that Vedanta is forced to pay the fine of $2 million served by Zambian courts in 2011 as compensation to 2000 claimants poisoned by major pollution of the river Kafue in 2006, and stop ongoing spills affecting Chingola residents. (6)
Finally, they joined the calls of KCM employees and former employees in Zambia, demanding that retrenched workers are properly compensated for taking redundancy, and existing contract labourers are unionised. Following the visit of new Vedanta CEO Tom Albanese in February, newspapers reported that Vedanta has come to an agreement with the labour minister that retrenchments would be stopped and casual labourers unionised1. Protesters in London will demand that this promise is fulfilled.
Since Foil Vedanta’s report was published in late January, Vedanta executives have visited Zambia more than four times, and claimed that the report is misleading and incorrect. However, as of yet no evidence has been presented by Vedanta to dispute the figures and other claims presented in the report.
Foil Vedanta’s Samarendra Das says:
“There is a clear pattern in the way this company operates across India – building projects without permissions, evading tax, de-unionising and illegal mining. They have also been found guilty of gross negligence leading to mass fatalities and major pollution incidents. The Government of Zambia must make KCM’s accounts and annual reports public. The Zambian people and the international community demand to know the volume of copper leaving KCM’s plants.”
Vedanta’s share price dropped by a third during 2013, prompting Chairman and majority owner Anil Agarwal to raise his stake in the company to 69.71% to keep the company afloat, and raising questions about whether Vedanta will soon de-list and become a private company. The loss of earnings was largely due to illegalities and local protests at Vedanta’s operations in India. In Goa, Vedanta’s iron ore mines have been stopped for the past year following revelations that they had exported 150 million tonnes of iron ore in 2010/11 while only declaring 7.6 million, their agreed export allowance. In Odisha, their Niyamgiri mine has been banned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests due to local opposition, costing them $10 billion in lost investments, and in Australia their Mount Lyell copper mine has been suspended following a series of fatal accidents2.
Francis Wambuzi, Chair of the Former KCM Miners Association(7) and resident of Wusakile township, located beside KCM’s Kitwe smelter says:
“KCM workers are being over taxed and under paid, and Vedanta has shifted the majority of workers onto contractual labour who’s union they do not recognise. Those who were retrenched from KCM this year as part of cutbacks have received peanuts in redundancy pay, just like the rest of the 752 retrenched workers in our group. Their factory chokes us with sulphur and we can’t even grow crops. Is this development?
We demand that Anil Agarwal answers our question: who is with-holding our severance benefits?”
100 workers staged a lock in on 17th March, refusing to come out of Shaft no 1 at KCM’s Chililabombwe mine because meals for overtime workers had been stopped by KCM management.
Note:
(1) Foil Vedanta are a London based international solidarity group focusing on the activities of British mining company Vedanta. We link up global communities affected by Vedanta, and hold them to account in London. We are currently aiming to make the case for Vedanta to be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange for their human rights and corporate governance abuses.
(2)Members of the Pan-Afrikan Society Community Forum, the Pan-Afrikan Reparations Coalition in Europe and the Global Justice Forum will attend the demonstration alongside other groups.
(3)The full report Copper Colonialism: British miner Vedanta KCM and the copper loot of Zambia can be found at www.foilvedanta.org. The report, released in January 2014 has caused shock waves in Zambia and raised the debate on the way copper mining companies operate in Zambia.
(4) Excerpt from report (p.12):
KCM and other mining companies in Zambia don’t publish their profits, even though the Zambian taxpayer has a share in most of them via ZCCM-IH. However Vedanta’s 2013 annual report claims KCM produced 216,000 tonnes of copper in 2013. In the same year costs of production were valued at 255.1 US cents/lb, putting the total cost of production that year at $1.2 billion, which would constitute a profit of $362 million (at a current copper price of $7,300).
Analysts reports from Global Data reveal that KCM made 12.19% of revenue for the entire Vedanta group in 2012 so they are certainly not doing too badly.
(5) In a parliamentary debate on 28th Nov 2012, MP John McDonnell made the case for Vedanta and other ethically contentious mining companies to be strongly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, including possibly de-listed ‘because of their behaviour in the developing world.’3 Other parliamentarians, financiers and the former CBI Director Richard Lambert have also highlighted how Vedanta’s listing is used for legal immunity to hide their corporate crimes.
Vedanta was described in Parliament by Labour MP Lisa Nandy as ‘one of the companies that have been found guilty of gross violations of human rights’. Ms Nandy in her speech quoted Richard Lambert the former Director General of the Confederation of British Industries: ‘It never occurred to those of us who helped to launch the FTSE 100 index 27 years ago that one day it would be providing a cloak of respectability and lots of passive investors for companies that challenge the canons of corporate governance such as Vedanta…’.4.
Similarly City of London researchers from ‘Trusted Sources’ have noted Vedanta’s reasons for registering in London:
‘A London listing allows access to an enormous pool of capital. If you are in the FTSE Index, tracker funds have got to own you and others will follow. Both Vedanta Resources and Essar Energy are members of the FTSE 100. London’s reputation as a market with high standards of transparency and corporate governance is another draw for Indian companies. Both Vedanta and Essar have faced criticism on corporate governance grounds in India, and a foreign listing is seen as one way to signal to investors that the company does maintain high standards.’
(6) In 2006 KCM spilled effluent into the Mushishima stream, and the Kafue river, raising chemical concentrations in the river Kafue to 10 x acceptable levels of copper, 770 x manganese and 100 x cobalt. Thousands were poisoned, and a litigation on behalf of 2000 Chingola residents by private lawyers resulted in a landmark $2 million fine being delivered by judges in 2011 to be paid to the claimants5. However, Vedanta challenged the ruling and the case is yet to be re-heard while the fine remains unpaid. Affected residents are now experiencing birth deformities and severe health problems, while the Mushishima stream remains regularly contaminated by the KCM mine, leaving communities without clean water and suffering ongoing health problems. (See p.21 of report)
(7) The Former KCM Miners Association is a union of workers retrenched from KCM since 2000. They are 752 in total, and 235 of them were retrenched during Anglo American’s ownership of KCM (2000 – 2004). None have received the full severance pay they were entitled to, while those fired under Anglo have received nothing at all. The group have been campaigning on this issue for many years.
ZAMBIANS should reject people who champion the legalising of marijuana because such calls are against Christian principles of a Christian nation, Livingstone based Anglican Priest Emmanuel Chikoya has said.
Father Chikola said not everything that came from Western countries was good for humanity and hence calls for legalising marijuana should be dismissed with the contempt that it deserved.
He said in an interview yesterday that trading in marijuana would harm the morals of many people especially children.
Father Chikoya cited the recent sex party on the Copperbelt where pupils indulged in immoral activities after they took drugs.
“From the Christian point of view, it is not just about making profit and we don’t encourage the use of drugs.
“As a country, we should have sustainable business which promotes the dignity and well being of human beings because we were created in the image of God,” he said.
Father Chikoya said having a culture of trading in drugs in Zambia where for local or export market could bring about anarchy.
“When people are under the influence of drugs, they start behaving like animals like what happened on the Copperbelt.
“Let us analyse everything on moral, spiritual and wellbeing of human beings instead of just legalising anything that happens elsewhere,” he said.
Last Saturday, Green Party president Peter Sinkamba said his Government would also legalise the production of marijuana in the country because it would help to enhance revenue once exported.
Mr Sinkamba said the production of Marijuana would be controlled and would also be strictly for the export market.
“We have noticed that a lot of youths have been jailed because of engaging in either production or selling of marijuana.
As Green Party, we are going to legalise the production of marijuana because that is going to help the nation create more revenue when it is exported,” Mr Sinkamba said.
The supporters of Kasama Central member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba and civil rights activist Kelvin Sampa have agreed on the operation guidelines with the police after holding a meeting that both sides attended.
Northern Province police commissioner Milner Muyambango said a meeting had been held at the police station where both parties were cautioned to desist from behaviour contrary to what regulation stipulate.
“Those that want to make processions are free to do so with the condition that they notify us. This is so that we are able to regulate their activities within the confines of the law. Those who will insist on going against the law will be dealt with firmly” he said.
The police chief the meeting was fruitful because both rival camps agreed to comply with guidelines given top them.
Trouble started brewing after Mr Mwamba’s supporters claimed Mr Sampa’s donations were not charitable but an undercover campaign for the Kasama Central parliamentary seat.
Mr Mwamba’s supporters in a convoy of more than 20 vehicles went round the central business district honking, in an apparent displeasure over Mr Sampa’s charity work in Kasama and allegedly blocked Mr Sampa’s convoy which was on its way to Chilubula Mission.
Mr Sampa, who has for some time now been working with the underprivileged in Kasama and making donations to various causes denied campaigning for political office saying his works were purely altruistic in nature.
The National Restoration Party says it is deeply saddened with the continued road carnage in the country and has called on government through relevant institutions and other stakeholders to find a solution to ending it.
NAREP General Secretary Javan Kamanga said it is saddening that the country continues to lose people through road accidents hence the need for the government and the public at large to find ways of putting an end to road accidents in the country.
Rev Kamanga has further sent a massage of condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives in yesterday’s accident which happened along the Solwezi- Mwinulunga road.
He said members of his party are mourning with the bereaved families adding that the party has unconfirmed reports that 2 of the deceased are members of the party which makes it even more personal for them as NAREP.
Six people died on the spot while 25 were injured 14 of them seriously when a Lusaka bound Jitotwe bus they were traveling in overturned along the Solwezi and Mwinilunga road.
Relatives of opposition MMD President Nevers Mumba have accused some government officials in Chinsali of denying them some social services because of their relations to him.
The over 30 relatives who tracked from villages near Lubwa Mission Hospital (where Dr Mumba’s mother came from) to Chinsali town were the opposition leader was staying at a family house during his tour of Chinsali accused the District Commissioner of instructing some government officials not to provide any assistance to the families.
They complained that the bole hole that was put up during the MMD era has broken down and PF officials have reportedly told them that they cannot help in repairing it because their relative is allegedly fighting President Michael Sata in the opposition hence forcing them to walk long distances to fetch water.
[pullquote]“They tell us that your relative was Vice President, go and ask for help from him. Why should we include you in our programmes when your relative is in the opposition fighting the President, even our women groups are no longer being considered” said one of Dr Mumba’s relatives.[/pullquote]
They further complained that they are being left out of any community programmes such as the Fertilizer Input Support Program (FISP) and their cries have been ignored for the same reasons.
“They tell us that your relative was Vice President, go and ask for help from him. Why should we include you in our programmes when your relative is in the opposition fighting the President, even our women groups are no longer being considered” said one of Dr Mumba’s relatives.
But Dr Mumba said what the PF officials were doing was against the law and that he will take it up with President Sata.
He said he would help in areas that he was able to but that he would not do everything as he was only able to help to a certain extent adding that it was government’s obligation to provide social services to everyone in the country regardless of their political affiliation or relation.
Dr Mumba wondered what sort of people the PF were for them to deny people services they deserved simply because they were related to him saying the MMD provided services to all Zambians without segregation when they were in power.
He reminded the PF appointees to remember that Zambia is a democratic nation and that they will not be in power forever therefore should be mindful of their action.
KCM
Vedanta Resources has posted 19% lower fourth-quarter copper output from its Zambia operations on the back of lower ore production at its Konkola and Nchanga underground mines.
The company’s copper output l for the three months to March reached 27 000 tones, compared with the 33 000 tones reported in the corresponding quarter last year.
The company explained in a statement that production at Konkola was affected by unscheduled stoppages at shafts 1 and 4, with the mid-shaft level of Shaft 4 resuming operations during the quarter and Shaft 1 becoming operational in the first week of April.
The full-year mined metal production, at 128 000 tones, was lower than the 159 000 tones recorded last year, owing to the suspension of mining operations at the Chingola open pit since January 2013.
“We are focused on increasing volumes at the Konkola mine, with recent progress made towards augmenting talent in the underground mining team and implementing productivity improvement measures,” Vedanta said in a statement.
Output of mined metal content of copper at its Konkola mine in Zambia was down 19 per cent, while finished copper production declined 18 per cent. Copper ore production at the Konkola and Nchanga underground mines was lower, it said.
It added, “We are focused on increasing volumes at KCM, with recent progress made towards augmenting talent in the underground mining team, and implementing productivity improvement measures, custom volumes remained constrained by blending challenges and underlying commercial issues of recovery of VAT credit from the Zambian government.”
Eight people have drowned in Chuungu Lagoon in Lochinvar Game park after a vicious hippo hit the two paddling boats in which they were.
Confirming the death of the eight people Lochinvar park ranger, James David Phiri, told Monze DC, Biggie Mwiinde, that two paddling boats carrying four and 12 people respectively were hit by a vicious hippo suspected to have been nursing its young ones in the area around 05:00hrs on Monday.
Mr Phiri explained that the vicious hippo hit the two boats on the same day and eight people drowned while six were rescued by marine travellers.
The ranger said among the deceased were three adult females of which one was pregnant and five children aged between two to three years.
He further said by yesterday only two bodies of juveniles were retrieved and six bodies were still missing while the searching continued.
Meanwhile Monze District Commissioner, Biggie Mwiinde, has described the situation as a disaster to the district and a nation as a whole.
Mr Mwiinde and Chieftainess Choongo have appealed to ZAWA to crop the beast in order to save human life.
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda (right) and Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) General Secretary Roy Mwaba
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda has warned Councillors in the Copperbelt and the country at large to desist from allocating land illegally.
Mr. Shamenda said the current statistics have shown an increase in the abuse of land by the civic leaders which he says is often perpetrated by civic leaders in respective councils.
He said the government is however committed of ensuring that development is taken to the Zambian people.
Mr. Shamenda said this during the installation of Kelvin Sinyangwe and Godfridah Chulu and Kitwe Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively.
He challenged the Kitwe Mayor to ensure that the infrastructure development taking sharp in the city benefits the people.
Mr. Shamenda added that government is determined to ensure that the living standards of the Zambian people is improved.
And Out-going Kitwe Mayor Chileshie Bweupe noted with concern the reduction of the salary grant from the government through the local government commission.
Mr. Bweupe also expressed concern with the levels of vandalism on the street lights along the Kitwe-Ndola dual carriage way.
Meanwhile newly installed Kitwe Mayor Kelvin Sinyangwe has promised to ensure cooperation with the private sector to develp the city.
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) expressed dismay at the hostility exhibited by the Republican President Michael Sata towards Rev Bishop George Lungu, Catholic Bishop, for allowing prayers for the release of the constitution to be conducted in his diocese.
In a statement released to the media, CCZ said that the attacks were unwarranted, misdirected, uncalled for and an act of intimidation
Below is the full statement.
STATEMENT ON THREATS AGAINST CATHOLIC BISHOP GEORGE LUNGU BY THE REPULICAN PRESIDENT
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has noted with dismay the hostility exhibited by the Republican President Michael Sata who issued threats against the Rev Bishop George Lungu, Catholic Bishop, for allowing prayers for the release of the constitution to be conducted in his diocese.
These attacks are unwarranted, misdirected, uncalled for and an act of intimidation. CCZ would like to support the stand taken by Bishop Lungu to allow for prayers on the release of the constitution to be conducted at one of his parishes as this is the path that the church has taken, to take the constitutional issues to the pulpit.
Let it be known that this campaign for a people driven constitution will continue until the Zambian people give unto themselves a new constitution that will improve the way our country is governed by those we elect into political office.
The church cannot standby and let the poor people of Zambia continue to wallow in abject poverty in the midst of all the God give resources we have in the nation which are befitting only a few because of lack of proper governance structures.
CCZ would like to make a gentle reminder to the President that an attack on one faithful servant of God is an attack on the entire body of Christ.
A new constitution is amust and the church will not rest until those whom we have put in office hear the voices of the people in Zambia. This, we believe, is not too much to ask of our own government.
The church leaders who are advocating for the release of a new constitution have no political ambitions, but are instead drawing their authority from their God given mandate to speak for the silent majority.
CCZ is therefore calling upon President Michael Sata to do the right thing and that is to give Zambians their constitution sooner than later.
Issued By:
Rev Dr Alfred Kalembo PRESIDENT -COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN ZAMBIA
The Anti-Corruption Commission in Choma has arrested an Immigration Officer at the Department of Immigration for suspected corrupt practices involving K5, 000.
Jonathan Mulando Miyanda, 54, of House number S1011, Sha Compound in Choma, an Immigration officer and Public Prosecutor at the Immigration Department, was arrested on the 7th April, 2014 and charged with one count of corrupt practices by Public officer contrary to Section 19 (1) as read with section 41 of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012 of the Laws of Zambia.
Details are that on dates unknown but between 1st April and 7th April 2014 in Choma, Miyanda, being a Public officer, by himself or in conjunction with others unknown, corruptly solicited for K5, 000 and actually received K1, 000 cash gratification from a Mr. Bahaal Abdalla, an Egyptian National, as an inducement or reward for himself in order for him to discontinue a case in which Abdalla and his brother had violated the Immigration Act.
He is currently on police bond and will appear before the Choma Magistrate Court soon.
This is contained in press statement released by ACC Public Relations Manager Timothy Moono in lusaka today.
A new political Party the Democratic Assembly has called on Republican President Michael Sata to dissolve parliament and resign the Presidency to pave way for general elections.
DA president Maxwell Mwamba says he was mindful of the five year electoral mandate which will run its course up to 2016 but to save Zambia from further economic collateral damage it is imperative for President Sata to resign.
Mr. Mwamba says the unbearable economic climate created by the PF government has made business houses to be unsustainable.
‘The looming fuel hikes can only compound and worsen the situation, it is inconceivable that the Zambian people have to pay K85 for a 25KG bag of mealie-meal, Mr. Mwamba says.
He says the cost of living is beyond 70% of the people who are living below the poverty datum-line a thing he said the PF does not care about.
And Mr. Mwamba says Finance Minister Alexandre Chikwanda wants to see the Zambian economy collapse like he did when he was minister of Finance in the UNIP government.
A group calling itself Friends of GBM has accused Kelvin Sampa of campaigning aheard of of possible occurance of a by election in Kasama. In a Statement made available to the media , the group said that they were in fact surprised that even those charged with a responsibility to enforce the electoral law could allow someone to openly go on defying, raping, insulting this piece of legislation.
Below is the full statement
Press Statement by Friends of GBM.
Recent Happenings in Kasama
It’s been appalling to see one, who claims to be a civic person, and his little known NGO doing political campaign like activities in a constituency with a sitting MP without even his office being notified of such.
We think all the people of Kasama did was to stand up to maintain sanity. Over a period of almost a month, the general public have been asking when did the area MP stopped representing them and when was the seat declared vacant, because of late they see someone going round campaigning.
And the people have been wondering why only one person is being allowed to campaign in the area, if at all the seat was vacant and not all the political parties. The people of Kasama are eager to see the ruling PF deliver development through their lawfully elected and serving MP.
Although any NGO may have the right to carry out activities anywhere around the country as they may feel like, why should someone go and camp in Kasama, which currently has a MP well known to have been suspended by his own provincial official on what seems to be cooked up reasons?
This NGO leader, if at all he has any working sense of reasoning, should be alive to the fact that certain activities like he has been carrying out in Kasama Central does not need one with a special sixth sense to see that they amount to anything else than campaigning.
In fact it’s surprising that even those charged with a responsibility to enforce the electoral law could allow someone to openly go on defying, raping, insulting this piece of legislation.
Zambia is big and day in day out the media have continued to highlight the so many areas faced with much more dire plights like recently the nation saw ZNBC showing Milopa School in Lufwanyama where teachers sleep in structures like meant for goats or pigs.
These are the places where the small NGO should rush to go and render help by donating bricks and other buildings material to help build teachers a little better and habitable structures not Kasama which has one of the most vibrant MPs in the country.
While the works of civic organisations are welcome in Kasama we think that as Friends of GBM such must not be done without the collaboration with a sitting MP anywhere in the country, if anything MPS now have Constituency offices sitting right in the areas.
By so doing civic leaders will help themselves from being misunderstood for having hidden agendas like that displayed in Kasama
It is our hope that the people of Kasama Central will defend their area MP from any machinations aimed at rendering him irrelevant despite all he continues to do for them under difficult circumstances and constrained budget.
For GBM the people of Kasama Central are his priority number one and if rules of distributing constituency development funds (CDF) were to change to allow directing all the developmental funds to one constituency at once, he would wish that Kasama Central comes among the first to receive, this is not to say the area is more important than any other part of Zambia but simply because of the thirst and desire to try and make the PF government deliver development there faster.
It must be born in mind henceforth that Kasama is one of the areas in the country with very organised PF structures with people interested in seeing that the party in power does not seem to be seen as confused. The government is in a hurry to deliver development to all parts of the country to see to it that while it’s people granted mandate lasts only the best is done and lives of citizens improved for the better. To all civic organisation you are never needed in this country ever than now. Be at hand to collaborate with lawfully elected leaders and transparently be a meaningful partner in development.
Striker Festus Mbewe on Wednesday ended his goal drought at Golden Arrows.
Mbewe finally found the target in Wednesday’s 2-2 away draw at Ajax Cape Town with Arrows’ second goal in the 85th minute just 25 minutes after coming on the pitch.
However, troubled Arrows were denied a vital three points when the hosts snatched a late equaliser.
Mbewe found the target in his seventh game at Arrows since joining them in January from Nkana on a six month deal.
The striker have five more games to impress Arrows further who are rooted at the bottom of the log in 16th place on 14 points from 25 games.
