The Tonga Traditional Association has asked the government to revoke the mining Licence awarded to Mwembeshi Resources a subsidiary of the Zambezi Resources of Australia to start a large-scale open pit mining in the Lower Zambezi National Park as it will interfere with the environment culture, tradition and heritage for the people of Southern Province, says association president Dickson Namanza.

Namanza said that the decision by the Minister of Lands and Environmental Protection, Harry Kalaba to allow mining was irrational and it lacked consultation with various stakeholders who among them included the traditional leadership in the area.

Namanza said that as a traditionalist, his association was worried and concerned at the speed government was running to deplete the world’s heritage.

“We are concerned as people from Southern Province about the manoeuvre by the Minister of Lands Harry Kalaba to issue a mining licence in a National Park. We are wondering in whose interest they are issuing the licence? We ask this government to revoke the licence because it is not in the best interest of the people of Southern Province and Zambia in general,” Namanza said.

He said that it was shocking that government was insisting on starting a mine in the national park at the expense of a thriving wildlife.

“The Lower Zambezi National Park is our pride as Zambians, it is our pride as the people of Southern Province and we see no reason why government should allow people to mine in this area. There should be no displacement of animals in that national park.

Why can’t government ask the same investors to go to Munali Nickel mine in Mazabuka and continue with the mining project there rather than to start a new mine in the national park? We don’t want any further displacement of human beings and animals,” said Namanza.

He said that his association and traditional leaders in the region have protested the move, as it lacked support from the locals adding that politicians should learn to consult the locals, on matters of development.

“This is another fallen project by the PF; we shall not support it as it will destroy our tradition. That national park has a true meaning for the people of Southern Province and Western Zambia. We cannot compromise with our tradition. Let them go elsewhere with their money. We don’t need it,” said Namanza.

The Lusaka Magistrate Court this morning granted a K10, 000 cash bail with two working sureties to former President Rupiah Banda’s son Andrew. Sinda Member of Parliament Levy Ngoma and Muchinga Member of Parliament Howard Kunda signed bail forms for Andrew

Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Joshua Banda last week sentenced Mr. Banda to 24 months in prison for corruption.The state had yesterday rejected Mr. Banda’s bail application. Mr.Banda had to spend another night in prison because the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court yesterday could not to grant him bail pending appeal to the High Court on grounds that the State was not ready to respond to his submission against a two-year jail sentence slapped on him.

The former President Rupiah Banda’s son, was last Friday jailed by the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court for soliciting and receiving over K171,000 as a reward for assisting Fratelli Locci SRI to get a contract.

This is in a matter in which Banda, a former First Secretary at the Zambian mission in Italy, was charged with one count of gratification for giving assistance on contracts, contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

According to the notice of appeal, Banda said his conviction is unsafe and against the weight of evidence.

Banda argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that he solicited gratification when there was no evidence to that effect.

He said the trial court erred in law and fact when it ignored the evidence of witnesses from the Road Development Agency (RDA) when they said the contracts were awarded to Fratelli Locci SRI Limited on merit and he played no role at RDA.

Banda submitted that the trial court erred in law when it held that he could be held liable for payments made to AB Logistics Limited without any order of the incorporation of the said company.

“The trial court erred in law and fact when it disregarded the evidence of the business relationship between the accused and Antonelli Locci,” part of the notice of appeal reads.

In his bail application, Banda said the State will not be prejudiced if he is granted bail pending appeal and he is ready to abide by bail conditions set by the court.

Banda said appeals take long to be heard by the High Court and his continued stay in custody will be prejudicial to him.

Banda said if his appeal succeeds in the High Court, he would have served a considerable time in jail.

“I am not in any way a flight risk as I have fully complied with bail conditions and have never absconded from any proceedings,” he said.

But the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was not ready to respond to Banda’s notice of appeal as he needed time to study the document.

President Sata’s disparaging remarks against single parents is insulting and demeaning to hardworking women who raise children single handedly often because of irresponsible men who shun performing their duties as fathers, Non-Government Coordinating Council (NGOCC) board chairperson Beatrice Grillo has said.

President Sata she said had insulted women for questioning the parentage of United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema and has advised the Head of State to stop trivializing important national debate at the expense of personal and petty.

Grillo reiterated that it was only mothers who knew the fathers of their children and therefore talking about someone’s parentage in the manner that President Sata has been doing was counterproductive and an insult to all mothers, including single mothers who worked very hard to bring up their children.

[pullquote]“In any case it is only the mother who knows the father of the child and even those who claim to know their fathers should consult their mothers. Talking about such issues at the expense of development is an insult to us women,” Grillo said.[/pullquote]

She has chided President Sata, telling him that it was the exclusive advantage of a woman to know the true parentage of children in a family and that the attacks on Hichilema were politically and morally baseless and trivial.

“We are not happy with the leaders who are insulting us. All these insults will never bring any food on the table, and we are calling upon the President to restrain from such statements because he is the father for the people,” Grillo said.

She said it was unacceptable for the Head of State to continue attacking Hichilema’s parentage because it was a bad example to the next generation and such should not be supported by right thinking Zambian.

“In any case it is only the mother who knows the father of the child and even those who claim to know their fathers should consult their mothers. Talking about such issues at the expense of development is an insult to us women,” Grillo said.

She said the President as the current father of the nation must show good leadership which young people would be able to emulate.

Grillo said that the country still had major challenges that needed the leaders to look at and find solutions to them and yet they waste time attacking one another.

“When is Zambia going have leaders who speak about national development? What we hear is politics of character assassination which has become the order of the day,” she said.

She said that the role of government was to make the enabling environment in which the people would be able to see the benefit of having a government whose pledge was to improve their lives.

She emphasized that women movement in the country would not support situations where mothers were insulted, and advised leaders to tone down their abusive language which had remained a medium, whenever they were responding to each other.

President Michael Sata’s continued disparaging remarks against United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema’s parentage are a disgrace.

Former Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) director Paul Mususu said it was morally and spiritually disheartening that those in leadership had continued trivializing important national issues for personal issues that promoted prejudice.

Bishop Mususu said the church was extremely concerned with the lack of quality political leadership in the country and has advised the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership to avoid governing the country using acrimony and disparaging language.

He said the UPND leader did not choose to be born in a family where he was and that President Sata should avoid discussing the parentage of the opposition leader because such debate was immaterial and was not improving the lives of the people.

Bishop Mususu stated that President Sata and the leadership should stop the daily attacks on Hichilema and his persona because the office of the presidency had suffered loss of dignity under the current crop of leadership.

The former EFZ director has appealed to media houses to stop publishing and airing what he termed President Sata’s ridiculous and unpalatable language against other political leaders.

Bishop Mususu said the church was deeply concerned with the poor governance adding that the country’s economic and political outlook had remained bleak under the PF government.

He said the rate at which government was giving land title to foreigners was also a source of concern and advised government to be careful in the manner it was allowing foreigners to own land.

And Hichilema has said his parentage was a non-issue and that President Sata should stop dwelling on his parents unless he was worried that somebody would one day question him about his suspected Tanzanian origins.

Reacting to President Sata’s attacks on his parentage, Hichilema said Zambians were focused and would never stop demanding for a people driven constitution because it was their document.

“He has been attacking my parentage for a long time now but to me that is a non-issue for any normal person except one who is worried that someday, someone may question him about his Tanzanian origins. Zambians are focused this time around. Zambians are asking the President to stop sleeping on duty but focus on delivering the constitution and many other unfulfilled campaign promises. None of his usual comical behavior will be accepted,” Hichilema said.

Hichilema said he was happy and proud to be Zambian even amidst speculation that he did not know any of his parents or was a street child because that would not have been his fault.

The UPND leader said it was normal to fall ill and that it was God’s grace that he was fine adding that the day he would fall sick, he would not be ashamed to seek medical attention and asked Zambians to pray for him.

He said there was no need for anyone to hide or even be ashamed about falling ill.