Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Coach George Lwandamina says he will do his best following his appointment as Zesco United head trainer.
Lwandamina was unveiled as Zesco coach in Ndola on Thursday after signing a three-year contract.
He has been tasked to win the 2014 FAZ Super League and to at least guide Zesco to the group phase of the 2014 CAF Confederation.
“I will try to do my level best, it’s attainable and it is collective responsibility,” Lwandamina said.
He added:”It is not just me but offcourse I will bring another dimension to what is already on the ground but like I said if we work together we can achieve (targets).”
Lwandamina will be assisted by Tennant Chembo and Alfred Lupiya.
Zambia will play Uganda in a friendly on March 5 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Patrice Beaumelle has named 16 foreign-based players for the friendly who include Jacob Mulenga who has been side-lined with injury since December at Dutch club FC Utrecht.
Also in the team is club-less Captain Christopher Katongo who left Chinese club Henan Jianye last October at the end of his three year contract with the club.
Cyprus-based midfielder William Njobvu also returns to the fold after a year away from the team.
Rainford Kalaba is also expected to make his first return to the team since Zambia’s 1-1 draw with Senegal in Paris last August.
The foreign-based players are expected to start arriving in camp on March 2 in Ndola while the provisional 26 home-based players called up for the game entre camp in Lusaka on February 23.
Goalkeepers :Kennedy Mweene (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa)
Defenders: Davies Nkausu (Bloemfontein Celtic, South Africa), Kabaso Chongo (TP Mazembe, DRC), Stoppila Sunzu (Sochaux, France), Joseph Musonda (Golden Arrows, South Africa), Hichani Himoonde (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Emmanuel Mbola (Hapoel Ra’anana, Israel)
FAZ Super League side Zesco United have appointed George “Chicken” Lwandamina as club head coach.
Lwandamina was unveiled on Thursday morning in Ndola after signing a three-year contract.
He takes over from Tennant Chembo who has been relegated to the role of assistant coach.
“We have reinforced the technical bench by bringing in George Lwandamina as head coach,” Zesco chairman Kenneth Muteto told a media briefing on Thursday.
The Ndola club has tasked Lwandamina to win the 2014 FAZ Super League title and reach the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup group phase.
“It is a three year contract with clearly set targets. The challenge that is here is to win the Super League and minimum to go through to the group stage,” Muteto added.
Alfred Lupiya is now the second assistant coach.
Meanwhile, Lwandamina bounces back into coaching weeks after being fired by Red Arrows.
Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba has been cleared of any wrong doing by the Judge Evans Hamaundu led tribunal.
One of the petitioners confirmed that the three man tribunal probing Mr Kabimba’s alleged breach of the constitution did not find him wanting on any of the allegations.
Mr Mulusa told Journalists at Supreme Court that the tribunal has found that Mr Kabimba did not breach any law in his conduct as Justice Minister.
Mr Mulusa condemned the verdict and described entire justice system in Zambia as laughable.
“If the tribunal is saying Hon. Kabimba didn’t breach any law when a Supreme court ruling said that Kabimba’s copying of that letter and passing on the opinion from Solicitor General to the Acting Chief Justice gave a perception that there was interference in the matter. So the Supreme Court took a stand that this is what it means and then to have a tribunal comprising High Court judges rule otherwise, I can assure you that the entire judiciary is now a laughing stock,” Mr Mulusa charged.
He added, “This is why the Judiciary should stop referring to themselves as learned, they are not even educated because how can High Court Judges in a tribunal over rule Supreme Court Judges? This is very unfortunate.”
Mr Mulusa suggested that the entire judicial system be disbanded and new Judges appointed.
President Sata this morning received the report from the tribunal and promised to leave the report.
Mr Mulusa along with civil rights activist Brebner Changala had petitioned Acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda to set up the tribunal in order to investigate whether Mr Kabimba breached the constitution and the oath of secrecy when he shared a legal opinion from Solicitor General Musa Mwenya to Justice Chibesakunda over the nullification of MMD seats.
President Michael Sata has challenged those pushing for the enactment of a new people driven constitution to state whether they have ever seen an animal driven constitution.
President Sata said proponents of a people driven constitution should first show a document which was driven by animals.
He said he does not understand why some people are always demanding for a people driven constitution when Zambia already has a valid constitution.
President Sata said this at State House when he received a report from the Judge Hamaundu led tribunal probing Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba.
At the same function, President Sata also swore in four Deputy Chairpersons of the Industrial Relations Court.
“And for all of you here, ask the most learned woman here, Madam Chibesakunda. You are always saying people driven constitution, people driven constitution. Madam, where do you have an animal driven constitution?”
He added, “Have you ever seen an animal driven constitution, which country because everybody is talking of people driven constitution, so once you produce the animal driven one, let’s ask Mr Phiri, once you produce the animal driven constitution, we compare the two constitutions, what we have and then we shall look at that.”
President Sata promised to study the tribunal report on the alleged abuse of office authority and breach of secrecy by Mr Kabimba.
“We say thank you Madam Chief Justice for this tribunal, you are giving us a job like judges, judges are the ones that are supposed to read thick books but all the same we shall invite Mrs Jere to assist us,” President Sata said.
File:Labour Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela (centre) addresses a Zambia School of Management Studies meeting on the minimum wage in Lusaka
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) says investigations into allegations of corruption against Pambashe Member of Parliament Ronald Chitotela and his Mwansabombwe counterpart Rodgers Mwewa are progressing well.
The two parliamentarians are under investigation for purchasing second hand ambulances for their respective constituencies against the guidelines of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
ACC Public Relations officer Timothy Moono told Qfm News that the Commission has so far made tremendous progress in its investigations by interviewing several people regarding the matter.
Mr. Moono says the Commission is working tirelessly to gather as much evidence as possible on the matter.
Two were dropped as deputy Ministers by President MichaeL Sata after being named in the Auditor General’s report having irregularly bought the ambulances in question using CDF.
Please find attached an article about a meeting that took place at State house to scheme against the process of finding a peaceful solution to the Barotseland impasse. I will appreciate if you can publish this article to expose this dirty scheme. regards, Concerned Lozi
The Zambian Government is said to be gripped by shivers and jitters since receiving the 258 page document of Forensic Evidence and Arguments from The African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights ACHPR earlier submitted by Barotseland to the commission. The Government is expected to respond to the Evidence and Arguments within a period that is believed to lapse on Saturday 22nd February, 2014.
The Sata led PF Government switched into panic mode this week as they realised that the time is slipping away without any tangible progress towards their response to the commission.
On Monday 17th February, 2014 the Litunga of Barotseland was air lifted from an unknown place in Barotseland (Most likely Kaoma) to State House for a crucial meeting the same day. The meeting was also attended by the president Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, first republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, UNIP Cowboy Sikota Wina, former Induna Ingangwana Mr Nyambe Mwenda and Solister General Mr Mumba Malila.
The main agenda for this emergency meeting was to find ways to halt the matter that is now before the ACHPR which is based in Banjul, The Gambia.
The Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II is reported to have not minced his words during the meeting but clearly stated that the matter is far beyond him and there is nothing that he could do because it is in the hands of the people since in Barotseland power is with the people. He said that it is up to the political establishment and powers that be to find a way of swaying the opinion in Barotseland so that the people can have a change of heart and rescind their resolve to accept the Zambian Government’s abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 to consequently determine their own destiny, independent of the Republic of Zambia.
The Government team at the meeting expressed utter surprise at the depth of the 258 paged document of ‘Evidence and Arguments’ which was in Government hands and accused the Litunga to have aided in the compilation of this document with input from files from the palace to which the Litunga replied that he has no such files at the palace and he is equally amazed at the wealth of information contained in the document.
The ‘Judas Iscariot’ duo of Sikota Wina and Nyambe Mwenda was then tasked to venture into Barotseland to try and work their magic to convince the people of Barotseland to rethink the Banjul issue and give the Zambian Government a chance. The two who are well known for their love for ‘Thirty pieces of Silver’ reluctantly accepted the challenge pointing out that the errand is an extremely dangerous venture and cannot be done openly but some strategy to disguise the operation must be muted.
A proposal was floated at the meeting to have Hon Clement Wainyae Sinyinda re-arrested since he is in the fore front of pushing this petition, but the Solicitor General, Mr Mumba Malila advised against any such move saying that it would only add to the evidence of abuse already before the Banjul based Commission.
Reliable sources have indicated that Mr Siandenge and Mr Solomon Jere have been dispatched today (18th February, 2014) to head for Banjul to try and find a way to turn things around (Many will recall that it is these two who jointly commandeered the Mongu January 14 killings)
In another development Police officers today (18th February, 2014) went to Hon Sinyinda’s Residence and questioned him over allegations that he travelled to Lukulu to influence the people there to grab the land that the BRE gave to the Council for the Old Market.
The people of Barotseland are being warned against the ‘Judas Iscariot’ Duo of Sikota Wina and Nyambe Mwenda who are believed to already have the ‘Thirty Pieces of Silver’ in their deep pockets in line with the PF Slogan of more money in your pockets to confuse and derail the course of justice that has commenced in Banjul. While the Litunga must be given a pat on the back for being open with the enemies of Barotseland in telling them that in Barotseland the power is with the people.
The Bank of Zambia called an emergency meeting with lenders to probe a drop in the nation’s currency to a record against the dollar, two weeks after Ghana limited foreign-currency sales to halt a slide in the cedi.
“The central bank just called a treasurers’ meeting to try to understand the dynamics” affecting the kwacha, Mwewa Kyamulanda, a currency trader with Investrust Bank Plc, said by mobile phone from Lusaka, the capital.
The currency of Africa’s biggest copper producer slid as much as 1 percent to 5.78 per dollar, its lowest level since Bloomberg began compiling records in 1994. It was trading 0.6 percent weaker at 5.76 as of 6:03 p.m. Tuesday. The kwacha has declined 3.2 percent this month, the continent’s worst performer after the Gambian dalasi. Yields on Zambia’s $750 million of Eurobonds rose four basis points, or 0.04 percentage point, to 8.24 percent, matching a record high.
A falling currency increases the risk of higher inflation in Zambia, which imports items from oil to breakfast cereal. It also makes repayments on external borrowings more expensive. Ghana’s central bank announced limits on dollar use as well as withdrawals and transfers on Feb. 5 in a bid to halt a decline in the cedi, Africa’s worst performing currency this year. Emmanuel Pamu, financial markets director at the Bank of Zambia, declined to comment when contacted by phone before the meeting and three subsequent calls to his mobile were unanswered.
Kwacha Correction
“There seems to be a view that the kwacha has been overvalued quite a bit and this is a correction,” Kyamulanda said. The meeting was with heads of treasuries and Investrust was among those invited to the meeting, which happen “from time to time,” according to Kyamulanda, who said he wasn’t allowed to attend on behalf of his manager and declined further comment.
“Zambians use the value of the kwacha as a direct barometer of how well the country/economy is faring,” Chris Becker, a market strategist at ETM Analytics in Johannesburg, said in an e-mailed note yesterday.
Countries including Zambia and Nigeria may follow Ghana’s clampdown on foreign-exchange trading, which may cause investors to withdraw dollars, curbing supply of the greenback, Becker said in a separate note before today’s meeting. Zambia banned the use of dollars in domestic transactions in 2012.
Nigeria has enough reserves to keep defending the naira, Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor Sarah Alade said Feb. 14. The cedi has weakened 6.9 percent this year and the naira 2.3 percent.
“The risk is that these governments and central banks respond with their own soft currency and capital controls to prevent an outflow,” Becker said. For the kwacha, “further downside is on the cards, and interest rate risks are tilted strongly to the upside,” he said.
POLICE in Lusaka are investigating Alliance for Better Zambia (ABZ) candidate for the Katuba parliamentary by-election Patricia Mwashingwele for allegedly issuing two cheques amounting to K13,000 on an insufficiently funded account.
Ms Mwashingwele was refunding a client whom she allegedly sold a piece of land to.
She is alleged to have sold one piece of land to two people who argued over who was the rightful owner.
Lusaka Province commissioner of police Lemmy Kajoba said in Lusaka yesterday that it was later agreed that Ms Mwashingwele should return the money for one of her clients.
Mr Kajoba said the incident happened last year.
Ms Mwashingwele is said to have agreed to make the refund and that she allegedly issued two cheques.
“She cut two cheques amounting to K13,000. The cheques might have been given out at different intervals. But when he [her client] took these cheques to Standard Chartered Bank Northend branch, the cheques bounced,” he said.
Mr Kajoba said the man was so infuriated that he decided to report the matter to Lusaka Central Police Station.
“The report that we received at Central Police was from a complainant who was claiming that sometime in 2013, she [Ms Mwashingwele] sold him a piece of land. When he went there to try and develop the piece of land, he found there was another person,” he said.
Mr Kajoba said after the man found another person on the land he bought, he accosted Ms Mwashingwele over the issue and it was agreed that she should refund him.
Mr Kajoba said Ms Mwashingwele’s scheduled interrogation at Central Police Station yesterday was postponed so that police officers could finalise their investigations.
“We have met her lawyer. He came here yesterday [Tuesday] and met the officers and an appropriate time will be fixed when we will conclude the investigations,” he said.
He said after the investigations, Ms Mwashingwele’s lawyer will avail her to police for questioning.
Ms Mwashingwele declined to comment when contacted while ABZ president Frank Bwalya said it was unprofessional for police to summon someone without stating reasons.
Father Bwalya alleged that the intended summoning of Ms Mwanshingwele is politically motivated.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Emmanuel Chenda
GOVERNMENT says it is concerned with the trade barriers South Africa has imposed on some Zambian products and has led to trade imbalances between the two countries, with earnings standing at K5.65 billion per annum.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Emmanuel Chenda said Government was negotiating with South Africa to relax its rules on the export of Zambian products to that country’s market.
Mr Chenda said this in Parliament on Tuesday evening, in a follow up question on why South Africa was not allowing the export of grapes from Zambia on suspicion that they were infested with a pest known as Maconellicoccus Hirsutus.
Patriotic Front (PF) Lupososhi Member of Parliament (MP) Bwalya Chungu asked the minister if the disease existed, but Mr Chenda said laboratory results from Zambia and South Africa had shown that there was not such a thing.
“These are just trade gimmicks that South Africa is doing with us. Laboratory tests conducted both in Zambia and South Africa have proved that this pest does not exist.
“We have, however, continued to negotiate with our counterparts to allow the export of grapes from Zambia in that country,” Mr Chenda said.
Mr Chenda told Parliament that grapes grown in Zambia were being exported to the European Union and consumed by people in that region with no problems at all.
He said this when MMD Liuwa MP Situmbeko Musokotwane questioned if the grapes from Zambia were being exported to other countries.
Earlier Commence Deputy Minister Richwell Siamunene told Parliament that a pest risk assessment was conducted and submitted through the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute and the National Plant Protection Organisation of South Africa and proved that the pest did not exist.
Mr Siamunene said this following a question from United Party for national Development Kalabo Central MP Chinga Miyutu.
President Sata with Mr George Chellah at AU Summit
STATE House has advised United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema to tone down on his political rhetoric because it is irritating Zambians.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations George Chellah said yesterday that Zambia was bigger than any individual.
He said in a statement that it was the desire of everyone to move forward with all progressive forces and not people like Mr Hichilema who was driven by unguarded ambition and self-aggrandisement.
Mr Chellah said Mr Hichilema seemed to be obsessed with his voice and that he was so disillusioned to the extent of believing his own propaganda.
He said the opposition leader’s view that the Constitution-making process would revive his consistently dwindling political fortunes was misconceived.
“If he doesn’t wake up soon, he will suffer a rude political shock in 2016. Let him realise that currently the country is calm and peaceful, the ‘tension and acrimony’ he is referring to only exists in his mind particularly that he is bitter and angry all the time and offers no objective checks and balances to the elected Government.
“Clearly, he is a victim of an inherited political vision. We wish the late Anderson K. Mazoka [MHSRIP] had lived longer and saved us from the current trial and error headship in the UPND,” Mr Chellah said.
He said the late Mr Mazoka’s shoes had proved to be a hundredfold bigger than Mr Hichilema’s because the amount of unrepentant anger and unpatriotism he carried was the opposite of who the late leader was and stood for.
“The truth is the UPND urgently requires a new and mature person in charge if they are serious about keeping Mr Mazoka’s vision afloat.
“Mr Hichilema needs to be reminded that his cantankerous political rhetoric is irritating the Zambian people as there is nothing new in his daily submissions about various national issues that are laced with pessimism and doomed prophecies. Besides, his jaundiced analysis always appears hapless and abortive,” Mr Chellah said.
He said Government had had a robust agenda to get Zambia working again, and that its contract was with the millions of Zambians and not leaders with pessimistic, poisoned and divisive minds like Mr Hichilema’s.
“We reiterate that we seek positive engagement with various stakeholders concerning the affairs of this country.
“Zambia is bigger than all of us and it’s our desire to move forward with all progressive forces and not people like Mr Hichilema who is driven by unguarded ambition and self-aggrandisement,” Mr Chella said.
MMD die hard youth leader Bowman Lusambo captured during the gathering to demand for the release of the Zambian draft constitution.
Press statement for immediate release
President Sata should honour Mung’omba’s legacy by giving Zambians a new constitution
Lusaka, 19.02.14, Following the death of Mr Willa Mung’omba, State House has released a message of condolences to the Mungomba’s in which President Sata has described the late Mung’omba as a distinguished lawyer and business executive of many years.
The Head of State said the late Mung’omba leaves behind a rich legacy of promoting democracy, good governance and upholding peace and stability among the people of Zambia.
As MMD youths we find President Sata’s message interesting and has prompted our response.
We believe that if one was to be sincere and discuss late Mung’omba’s legacy, they will not do so without acknowledging the late Mung’omba’s efforts in the constitution making process.
We can only speculate why State House avoided highlighting the late Mung’omba’s work as Chairperson of the Constitution Review Commission in President Sata’s message of condolences.
As MMD youths, we wish to remind President Sata that the late Mung’omba worked tirelessly with his team of honourable men and women to deliver a draft constitution and report as a key step towards enacting a new Republican Constitution.
The late Mung’omba’s led a team of distinguished and patriot Zambians who traversed the length and breadth of Zambians to hear people’s submissions on the kind of constitution they wanted to give to themselves.
Under the late Mung’omba’s leadership, the Constitution Review Commission produced a report within reasonable time which was generally accepted by all stakeholders.
For us, mourning the late Mung’omba without finishing off the work he had started off on the constitution making process will be a disservice to his legacy.
Even granting Mr Mung’omba a state funeral will not measure up to the honour that the late Mung’omba deserves.
We therefore submit to President Sata that granting Zambians a new Republican Constitution would be the most apt manner of honouring the legacy of the late Mung’omba.
Merely issuing statements mourning Mr Mung’omba’s death would be tantamount to showing crocodile tears.
Our final call is that the lives of gallant men of the soil such as late Mung’omba, late Mainza Chona and late John Mwanakatwe should be celebrated and their legacies upheld by giving Zambians a new constitution.
When President Sata stubbornly refuses to give Zambians a new constitution stating that the country already has a valid constitution, he is pouring scorn on these great men who showed greater love for this great nation.
We appeal to President Sata to move the debate forward from issuing messages of condolences to releasing the final draft constitution to the Zambians.
We also appeal to the Head of State to constitute a Referendum Commission and set the process of having a referendum in motion.
The work of the Technical Committee Drafting the Constitution will add to the already piled up work of the Mainza, Mwanakatwe and Mung’omba gathering dust in Government offices if President Sata does not gather his political will to give Zambians a new constitution.
President Sata is sitting in a very unique position to leave a lasting legacy on Zambia by giving Zambians a new constitution.
If President Sata delivers on his promise of giving Zambians a new constitution, we know the kind of obituaries people will write when his time to go and be with the Lord comes.
It would be sad if people would start adding President Sata’s name to the past leaders who have failed to deliver a new constitution.
President Sata has a chance to mourn the gallant men and women who have worked on the constitution making process by releasing the final draft and allowing Zambians to have their say on the matter via a referendum.
May the soul of our gallant men continue to rest in peace and may they continue inspiring the youths of Zambia in pushing for a new constitution.
We offer our warmest sympathies to the Mungomba family, his friends and the entire nation on this untimely loss of a giant who fought for a better Zambia.
Issued by: Bowman Lusambo-MMD Die Hard Youth Wing National Coordinator
Tourism and Arts Minister Hon. Sylvia T. Masebo MP has distanced herself from a statement on her Facebook page stating that she will do what it takes to defend wildlife in the country because it is key to tourism development.
Ms. Masebo told ZNBC News in an interview that the posting could have been made by computer hackers with evil intentions to create war between herself and Lands Minister Harry Kalaba. She says the public should ignore the posting because it was not posted by her.
The Minister has further explained that recent reports of her being against the Kangaluwi Mining Project in the Lower Zambezi National Park, when she appeared before the parliamentary committee, were supposed to be held in camera* [*in private]. She says her statement of not being for the idea was as a response to a question that was put to her on her thoughts.
Ms. Masebo adds that the project was actually started during the MMD Government and the PF Government only found it when it assumed office. She says she will not be drawn into petty issues by people with evil intentions who are making the matter political.
