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Peter Makembo says Chipolopolo coach Herve Renard has betrayed Zambians by flying to France to attend job interviews at Ligue 1 side Sohaux.
Renard is reported to be among eight coaches vying for the vacant Sochaux top coaching job.
His Chipolopolo contract expires in June, 2014.
Makembo said Renard was a traitor.
“As soccer fans we feel betrayed by Renard’s action, he is even saying that he wants the job in France,” the Zambia Sports Fans Association chief said.
“That is indiscipline and FAZ should discipline him,” he told Radio Icengelo.
Earlier in the week, Renard revealed he is interested in the Sochaux job.
“Yes I have been approached. It is now up to them to make a choice and decide what they want,” he told Foot Mercato.
“But as far as I am concerned, I am very interested,” Renard added.
The Frenchman’s future with Zambia is uncertain following Chipolopolo’s failure to reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup playoffs.
ROAD Development Agency (RDA) has set aside K 4 million for a National Road tolling Plan whose proceeds will be channeled to the rehabilitation of roads in the country.
RDA Director and Chief Executive Officer Charles Mushota said the introduction of road user pay principle was an innovative and self-financing mechanism for sustainable road rehabilitation and maintenance.
Mr Mushota said RDA had come up with another initiative of raising funds different from the traditional ways for road programmes in that it had proved to be a success in other countries like the United States in improving road networks.
He said the programme would be a success only if the public engaged themselves by adhering to new rules on the road which would apply to both government and non government motorists and would be effective in November this year.
“I appeal to the public for support in that it is a well intended programme which will enhance their safety,” said Mr Mushota.
He assured the public of less congestion as the proceeds would help in the construction of new lanes to widen roads.
Mr Mushota said the programme was being carried out by government as it was not intended for profit making and government wanted to control the charges.
Mr Mushota said the programme was not something new as the Minister of Transport, Works Supply and Communications Yamfwa Mukanga had already given a public address to roll out the programme but sensitization programmes were also put in place to get the public informed and engaged in the plan as they were the most affected.
He said there were six phases involved in the plan but RDA would only start with phase one which involved tolling at the weighbridges as it already had infrastructure to assist in the project.
Mr Mushota said the rest of the phases would continue as RDA did not enough funds to assist in the project but would continue the process when necessary infrastructure had been acquired.
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) secretary general wynter Kabimba has turned the heat on Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Emmanuel Mwamba and the public media over what he calls politicization of the public media.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Mr Mwamba and copied to public media heads dated October 3, 2013, titled ‘politicisation of the public media’, Mr Kabimba said in the last week he had seen several headlines against him in the public media.
He accused Mr Mwamba of trying to, “destroy the public media in order to please your paymasters and their cronies.”
“As secretary General of the Patriotic Front, I shall not sit back and allow such a situation to continue unabated to the detriment of national development. I have a duty to protect the majority interest of this country against turncoats whose objective is to serve narrow personal interests of their paymasters.”
He said he had seen several headlines against him in the Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia which were so personal in nature and style that they were unexpected from the Government media against a sitting minister of Government.
“Your insidious activities since you assumed your new position come against the background when members of the public were beginning to show some confidence in the renewed professionalism in the public media under the PF government,” he said.
Mr Kabimba who is also Justice Minister in his letter recalled that two weeks ago, he telephoned Mr Mwamba to express his concern about the pronouncements advising the public media to discontinue the practice by some government ministers who wanted to be accompanied by preferred reporters while on duty outside Lusaka.
[pullquote]“You cannot in this respect be president Sata’s protégé more than me as you would want to project in the manner you intend to politicize the public media,” he said.
[/pullquote]
In the said telephone conversation, Mr Kabimba said he also advised Mr Mwamba to remain professional in the execution of his responsibility as Permanent Secretary.
Mr Kabimba wondered why the advice given by Vice president Guy Scott in an interview with the Post Newspaper dated September 29, 2013 had not been heeded by the public media.
He accused Mr Mwamba of not having the party’s interest at heart and accused him of feeding from ‘late former president Frederick Chiluba and former president Rupiah Banda’s plates’ at the time when he (Mr Kabimba) and others were building the PF.
He said as secretary general of the party, he was the custodian of the party’s manifesto which outlined all social and economic programmes of the Government.
“I am also the official spokesman of the party. In my various contacts and meetings with our party members and the general public, I am enjoined with the duty to inform them about the successes of the PF through government implementation of its programmes,” he said.
Mr Kabimba said he knew that this did not matter to Mr Mwamba since at the time when they were struggling to build the PF he was busy feeding from the late Dr Chiluba and Mr Banda’s plates.
“You are, therefore, not expected to show any sense of commitment or loyalty to this party. After all in the event of the PF’s failure to form government at any time in future, you shall move to another political party in government,” he charged
“You cannot in this respect be president Sata’s protégé more than me as you would want to project in the manner you intend to politicize the public media,” he said.
Nurses and Midwives at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka have downed their tools demanding for increased salaries.
The strike at UTH follows similar actions by nursing staff in some other parts of the country.
The Nurses and Midwives interviewed in Lusaka said they have gone on strike because the 4 percent increment salary offered by government is a mockery and an insult.
The nurses and midwives have vowed not to go back to work until government addresses their concerns.
“If government really respects our profession, they should immediately offer something decent to us. We cannot accept this mockery of a salary increment, we deserve better,” said one of the nurses found at UTH.
He said nursing staff in Zambia is over worked and under paid, a scenario he said should change.
“We are supposed to see a minimum of eight patients per day but we are now forced to attend to 80 patients per day and this government wants to pay us peanuts.”
Nurses and Midwives from Western Province were the first to down tools on Wednesday.
And some people whose relatives are admitted in UTH have appealed to government to immediately end the strike.
They said government should quickly address the matter as this will negatively affect people going to seek medical attention at the health institution.
They stressed that failure to stop the strike action by nurses and midwives will result in many lives being lost.
Zambia Union of Nurses Organisation -ZUNO- revealed on Monday that the total increment of salary for some health workers does not amount to 21%.
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Mwansa Kapeya has assured the nation that government has nothing to hide and is committed to enacting the Access to Information Bill.
In a ministerial statement to Parliament today to update the house on the progress made so far on the Access to Information Bill, Mr Kapeya says government believes the Access to Information Bill is one of the most progressive of its kind have been developed in close and full collaboration and participation of key stakeholders such as the civil society, academia and legislative experts.
Mr Kapeya says the ministry has engaged a legal expert to undertake a review of conflicting legislation to the Access to Information Bill before it is enacted.
He adds that the legal expert has since been given one month in which to undertake the review process.
Mr Kapeya says once the review is completed, the Ministry of Information will proceed to present the Access to Information Bill to the legislative committee of Cabinet for consideration before being taken to Cabinet for approval to be tabled before Parliament.
Meanwhile Information and Broadcasting services Permanent Secretary Emmanule Mwamba has called for unity in the media, stating that business rivalry should not bring about animosity in the industry.
Speaking during a meeting with Media Managers and News Editors in Lusaka today, Mr Mwamba noted with sadness the prevailing disunity in the media.
He also noted that the country has also been divided, urging the media to play a key role in uniting the country.
And Mr Mwamba has assured the media that the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Were he is board Chairperson will not sit on applications for radio or television licenses.
He says the common trend were applications for radio and television licenses went missing at the Ministry of information should come to an end with the operationalization of the IBA.
Mr Mwamba says it is not government’s desire to stifle media expansion.
Embattled Justice Minister and Patriotic Front Secretary General Wynter Kabimba has threatened to close the Zambia Daily Mail.
Mr Kabimba who is under mounting pressure from PF members to step down as PF Chief Executive officer is said to have turned the heat he is under on the newspaper’s editorial staff.
Information and Broadcasting services Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Mwamba told Qfm New in an exclusive interview that the level of harassment by Mr. Kabimba on the Daily Mail staff is unacceptable and should be condemned by all well meaning Zambians.
Mr. Mwamba said that he is saddened by Mr. Kabimba’s conduct which has gone to the extent of phoning him and individual reporters threatening them with dismissals over the stories they have been writing about him.
Mr. Mwamba stated that if Mr Kabimba has any complaint with him or the individual journalists he is threatening to dismiss at the Zambia Daily Mail he should go to the ministry of information and lodge a complaint.
The Permanent Secretary added that Mr. Kabimba should allow the ministry of information to operate professionally.
PF cadres accuse Mr Kabimba of being arrogant, promoting divisions, and losing touch with the party lower ranks.
Irate farmers yesterday stormed the office of Kaputa District Commissioner (DC), Chrispin Kachusha, demanding to be paid money for the supply of maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
This is under the 2013 crop marketing season.
The farmers, who were over 60 in number, stormed the office of the DC demanding to be addressed.
They claimed that the agency has not paid them since August 2, 2013, when they started supplying their maize to the agency.
One of the farmers, Benny Manda, told Mr Kachusha that they were tired of waiting for their money despite several promises that they would be paid soon.
He said the delayed payment of their money has affected them as many of have children in boarding schools but are being sent away for lack of payment.
Mr Manda also explained that the late payment is likely to affect the farming season as farmers use the same money to buy inputs.
Meanwhile, Kaputa District Commissioner, Chrispin Kachusha, who addressed the farmers outside his office, explained that government is also concerned about the situation and is doing everything possible to ensure that they are paid.
MrKachusha, however, called for patience and tolerance from farmers as government worked modalities to pay them.
The DC, who called an FRA official on phone in the presence of farmers to confirm the payments, promised the farmers that they would start receiving their money by yesterday.
The FRA official said government had released money for the farmers and the money was being transferred to their accounts.
The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has so far collected 97.4 percent of the old Kwacha currency from members of the public in the currency rebasing exercise.
BoZ Head of Public Relations Kanguya Mayondi told ZANIS today that only 2.6 percent is remaining to be collected from the public.
Mr. Mayondi said the Central bank faced a challenge to 100 percent currency collection target because of what he termed as ‘improper mindset’ of the people who are still keeping the old Kwacha notes.
He said the collection was conducted over a period of 10 months.
He said some people were allegedly keeping the old currency so that they too could show their children and grand children what they were using in the olden days.
Mr. Mayondi said this has frustrated the efforts of the Central bank to mop up the old currency from the public.
He said the bank has deployed its staff to rural areas to sensitize people on the need to take the old currency to the nearest commercial bank or Post Office because it was still a legal tender until December 31st, 2013.
The BoZ Head of Public Relations regretted that some people have continued to keep the old Kwacha notes in spite of massive sensitization campaign messages.
And Mr. Mayondi has encouraged Zambians to accept the use of coins so that they can be used in circulation.
He observed that for over two decades now, coins were not used in the country hence most of the people did not clear their psychology surrounding the coin usage as a legal tender when they were reintroduced this year.
In April this year, the Bank of Zambia offloaded 61,956,000 coins for trading on the Zambian market.
Patriotic Front (PF) Nkonta Ward Councillor in Kaputa District has asked PF Secretary General, Wynter Kabimba to resign from his position to enhance unity in the party.
Dickson Musonda said the wrangles that have emerged in the party will only stop if Mr Kabimba heeds to calls from the glass root and steps down.
He noted that what is happening to Kabimba is not a witch-hunt but is merely a pay-back time for the evils he did to his colleagues like Kabwata Member of Parliament, Given Lubinda, and Geoffrey Mwamba.
Mr Musonda said what is now expected of Mr Kabimba is that he resigns on moral grounds and heeds to what the majority want.
The PF ward official, who was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kaputa, also proposed the holding of an extra-ordinary meeting where all senior party officials, including Members of Parliament could meet to resolve the differences in the ruling party.
He noted that the happenings in the party are as a result of some senior officials’ lack of knowledge on how to handle party matters.
Mr Musonda also disclosed that what is happening at the top, if left unchecked, will have negative effects on the grassroots as people will start leaving the party to join the opposition.
Meanwhile, Mr Musonda has also advised the party to work hard in ensuring that Kaputa benefits from the various developments that President Michael Sata and his government have initiated.
He noted that the President has undertaken a lot of development but the district is not benefiting much.
Mr Musonda said it would, therefore, be important that the party, working with the area MP, continues to lobby government for development in the area.
Cyprus-based Zambia midfielder William Njobvu is thrilled to be recalled to the Chipolopolo squad after a seven-month absence.
The Enosis midfielder was on Tuesday named in the strong 26-member
Zambia squad to face Brazil in the 15 October friendly in the Chinese capital Beijing.
Njobvu said he was excited to return to the national team.
He last featured for Zambia in the 1-1 draw with Lesotho in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on 24 March in Maseru.
He promised to work hard and maintain his place in the Chipolopolo squad.
“What can I say? I am thankful to God for the opportunity to come back
and serve my country, God willing will prove myself,” Njobvu said.
“It’s like a dream come true, I missed Lesotho, Sudan, Ghana and I am
in for Brazil, how great is our God,” adds the ex-Lusaka Dynamos
midfielder.
Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda says it is non debatable that the Patriotic Front has performed exceedingly well in the last two years the party has been in power.
Mr. Lubinda has told Qfm News that this is evident from the dust emission throughout the country where roads are being constructed.
He says the good performance of the Patriotic Front because of President Michael Sata’s heart to deliver to the people.
Mr Lubinda notes that is also evident that the health sector has improved with more health professionals being employed to ensure that they adequately attend to the patients in all hospitals and clinics without delay.
Mr. Lubinda adds that the fulfillment of the increase in the minimum wage has also shown how realistic the government is in its promises.
He however, notes that there is still more to be done by paying attention to improving the lives of ordinary Zambian in order to reduce poverty.
Prince Edward of Britain has arrived in the country for a two days working visit.
The Prince who is the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth the Second of Britain is in the country to promote the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which was founded by his father in 1956.
Speaking this morning when he paid a courtesy call on acting republican President Alexander Chikwanda, Prince Edward expressed delight at the good relations that have continued to exist between Britain and its former colony, Zambia.
The Prince, who is also the Earl of Wessex, says his also delighted that his family has continued to enjoy good relations with Zambia.
And Prince Edward says he hopes that the program that his father founded in Zambia will further supplement the Zambian government’s efforts of equipping young people with skills and experiences to earn livelihoods.
He says he will also study how the Awards program is working and its plans for the future as well as how it intends to accommodate more people in the country.
And speaking earlier acting president,Alexander Chikwanda also applauded the good relations that the Zambia and Britain have continued to enjoy.
Mr. Chikwanda has thanked Britain for the support that it has continued to give Zambia in the various areas of economical and social development.
Mr. Chikwanda further notes that governments is also appreciative of the Award program which among other things seeks to give additional support to one hundred thousand small scale farmers who will have access to improved Agricultural inputs.
Meanwhile Prince Edward has also paid a courtesy call on vice President Dr. Guy Scott.
The Prince, who is also Trustee and Chairman of the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, is also scheduled to visit tomorrow Alliance Motors, the franchise holder for Jaguar Land Rover products in Zambia, one of several British companies.
Zambia’s Ministry of Finance is raising a new $250 million syndicated loan as more African countries, including Tanzania, turn to the loan market for financing, bankers said on Wednesday.
Zambia’s loan, its first in nearly 30 years, is being arranged by Standard Chartered and Citigroup and is expected to sign this month with a group of local and international lenders, the bankers said.
Syndicated loans for African sovereign borrowers have been rare. Kenya re-opened the market in August 2012 with a $600 million two-year loan.
The new $250 million loan is Zambia’s first syndicated facility since 1984, one of the bankers said.
Tanzania has also sent out a request for a loan of between $200 million-$700 million, the bankers said.
“The Government of Kenya opened the floodgates last year with its loan. Now there are a number of discussions going on with African countries including Tanzania,” the second banker said.
Tanzania’s Ministry of Finance was not immediately available to comment. Zambia’s Ministry of Finance was not available to comment.
Zambia initially considered raising money in the bond market, but opted to approach banks for a loan after recent bond market volatility, the bankers said.
“If the bond market doesn’t open soon there will be more demand for these (sovereign) loans,” a second banker said.
Kenya’s $600 million two-year syndicated loan was a bridge loan to the bond market. The bond has however been delayed due to the Kenyan elections.
“A bond is still on the horizon but not expected to be done until early next year,” the first banker said.
[Reuters]
