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Mopani Copper Mines has increased its monthly grant to Zambia Rugby Union League champions Diggers by $ 1000 (KR 53,000).
Diggers chairman Chileshe Bweupe made the revelation during the club’s annual general meeting in Kitwe on Friday.
Bweupe said the grant has been increased from $25,000 (KR13,250) to $35,000 (KR18,500).
“Mopani has increased the monthly grant to the club from $25,000 to $35,000 to enable us help junior players with their education sponsorship and improve our youth rugby,” he said.
“We have since commenced assisting the deserving players,” Bweupe added.
He paid tibute to Mopani CEO Danny Callow over his firm’s support to Diggers.
” Many thanks to Mr. Danny Callow for his personal commitment to Diggers which motivated us to regain the league title after it eluded us for four years from 2008.”
Meanwhile, Bweupe bounced back as Diggers chairman unopposed together with his vice Brighton Mvula, secretary Millington Mambwe and treasurer Lawrence Njovu.
Struggling FAZ Super Division side Forest Rangers have fired coach Weston Mumba.
A committee member at the club has told LT Sports in confidence on Sunday.
Mumba’s eminent dismissal comes hours after Forest lost 1-0 to Konkola Blades away in Chililabombwe.
“Yes, the secretary (Lubinda Maginda) told him (Mumba) that his services were no longer needed.
We are just finalising everything,” the source revealed.
Neither Maginda nor Mumba was available for a comment as their mobile phones were off.
Forest have lost six matches and winning one so far in the league.
Mumba’s assistant Shex Chipoya is expected to take charge of the team.
After last week’s 2-1 loss to visiting Nkwazi in Ndola Mumba said:”It’s dangerous, we can’t go five games without a win it’s a risk to my position as coach.”
Forest hired Mumba late last season after Hector Chilombo left the Dola Hill outfit to join Power Dynamos as an assistant to Beston Chambeshi.
The United Party for National Development (UPND) has called on President Michael Sata to dispatch a special envoy to South African President, Jacob Juma, with unreserved apology as a reparation measure over Zambia’s Vice President, Guy Scott’s remarks on the people of South Africa.
UPND Chairman for International Relations, Mulondwe Muzungu, said South Africa is a great African nation which, under its able and dynamic leadership, is instrumental to the development and growth of economies of her neighbours including Zambia.
In a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr Muzungu noted that since the advent of the African National Congress Government, Zambians and South African people have enjoyed strong bonds of brotherly friendship and mutual respect which Zambia should not destroy.
He said the UPND would like to see the country run in a manner that sustains peaceful political and economic relations with its neighbours and the international community.
Mr Muzungu observed that Zambians cherish peace and would love to see their peace maintained.
The Guardian UK recently quoted Zambia’s Vice President Guy Scott in an interview alleging that the South Africans are backwards in terms of historical development.
-Fifteen Chisamba road accident victims have finally been laid to rest at the old St. Mary’s cementery in Kabwe yesterday.
And government says the death of eighteen people arising from one accident was a big loss and tragedy not only to the bereaved families but the nation at large.
Speaking at the occasion of burial at the cemetery in Kabwe today, central province minister, Phillip Kosamu, said the loss of these lives was devastating and that it has happened barely eight weeks after another accident on the same road which claimed the lives over
50 people.
“Most of these people were business men and women who were travelling to Lusaka to purchase merchandise for trade in Kabwe. They were on their way contributing to the economy of Kabwe and consequently to the nation as a whole,” Mr Kosamu reiterated.
Mr Kosamu said road safety, which includes issues such as road worthiness of vehicles, the state of the driver as well as obedience of the road traffic rules, was a responsibility of everyone to be adhered to in order to avoid accidents.
To the bereaved families, the Minister said the people of Kabwe and the nation at large share the pain, sorrows and grief on such huge loss, and assured them of government’s quick response of speeding up investigations to ascertain the cause of the accident.
And in a separate interview Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Winston Makukula, said his organisation was badly hit because the majority of the commuters in the bus were community business people who were trying very hard to earn a living and fulfill the government’s wish of putting more money in people’s pockets.
Mr Makukula appealed to transport owners to join the Chamber and business Association so that they can work together in providing business skills and ethics that would help them achieve their business goals and targets without resorting to illegal or unauthorized means
of raising more money such as pirating, overloading and over speeding to make many trips.
He said the association has observed that there was too much drunkenness among public service vehicle drivers especially at night, adding that there were too many buses being driven by unlicensed conductors.
He appealed to the government to urgently work on the much needed dual carriageway between Lusaka and the Copper belt as the number of accidents on this road testifies to the urgent need to sort out the problem that traffic congestion has caused.
Presiding at the church service, Rev Timothy Chipyoka said the stretch between Kabwe and Liteta in Central Province has repeatedly been a scene of accident which should make the believers to declare the stopping over the power of the devil to rule over Zambia.
Rev Chipyoka urged the mourners to remain firm during this trying moment and look to God for the strength bearing in mind that everyone will die but each in the way God wants.
The death toll in the April 30 Chisamba accident rose to 18 by yesterday after the death of one victim who died at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka yesterday.
Fifteen out of the eighteen deceased were buried by government at a common burial site which took place at St. Mary’s Old Cemetery today in Kabwe, while the others have been buried by relatives elsewhere.
MMD Vice President for Political Affairs Michael Kaingu has charged that he see the PF government to be in power for only a single term due to its poor leadership.
And Dr. Kaingu has observed that the PF leadership was full of arrogant people who have now ended up bringing the country into disrupted with the South Africans.
Speaking during a press briefing at his Kozo lodge in Livingstone on Saturday morning, Dr. Kaingu said that he does not see the PF to be in power for more that one term especially that outspoken Fr. Frank Bwalya has abandoned them.
Dr. Kaingu said that there is nothing which the PF government has done since it took over power from the MMD in 2011.
He said that all the developmental projects the PF was boosting about were left by the MMD which includes the Eurobond and the bid to host the UNWTO.
Dr. Kaingu charged that the PF government is lack to have found a strong foundation which was left the MMD but that it was unfortunate that the PF is trying to subdue and hide what was left by the former government.
The MMD vice president has also condemned the docility of Zambians for failure to take the PF government to task following increment in the price of fuel.
Dr. Kaingu said that on the day when fuel prices were hiked, Zambians marched and celebrated the Labour Day without feeling anything.
“The docility of Zambian people amuses me, when PF announced the fuel subsidy they kept quiet without asking for an explanation from government why they have increased the fuel price when it is cheaper on the international market,” he said.
“And when the prices of fuel was increased many Zambians marched and celebrated Labour Day without feeling anything,” Dr. Kaingu said.
He said that it was surprising to note that the PF government was increasing the price of fuel when neighboring countries were reducing.
“They are increasing fuel prices when their neighbors are reducing. And even on the international market fuel is cheaper,” he said.
“As Zambians we need an explanation from the PF government and not the waffling ministers are telling us. PF do not know what they are doing in government,” Dr. Kaingu said.
And Dr. Kaingu has observed that the PF leadership was full of arrogant people who have now ended up bringing the country into disrupted with the South Africans.
Commenting on the Vice President’ statement which has sparked the international attention, Dr. Kaingu said that it was unfortunate that the Vice president Guy Scott insulted the people of South Africa for no apparent reasons.
He said it was also wrong for Government Spokesperson Kennedy Sakeni to try to mend it instead of apologizing to the South African government.
“There is no private life in leadership and our Vice president has embraced the government and he has put us in disrepute with our colleagues in South Africa,” he said.
“Sakeni is trying to mend it but it is not possible. They should just apologize because there was no apparent reason to insult them,” Dr. Kaingu observed.
“PF has brought a type of leadership with no respect because they are very arrogant. They should know that they will come out of power and those they are insulting will wait for them, people like Kabimba,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kaingu has paid tribute to Catholic priest Fr. Frank Bwalya for being robust and energetic by deciding to dump the PF government.
Dr. Kaingu said that Fr. Bwalya took PF into government single handedly adding that it is wrong for the PF to call him mad because he has turned against them.
He said that the crusade must continue until Zambian put the right person in state house.
“Fr. Bwalya is robust and energetic; he took the PF into government single handedly and now they are calling him a mad man because he is criticizing them. Fr. Bwalya is welcome in the MMD infact I can resign as vice president so that he can take up that position,” Dr. Kaingu said.
Vice-President Dr. Guy Scott has told a Pan-African conference organized by the Oxford University Union that Zambia is seeking to create opportunities for young Zambians to access affordable mortgages in a bold move designed to reduce the housing deficit in the country.
Delivering a keynote address at the Oxford University-Africa Society “Pan-African Conference 2013” themed “Towards a 21st Century African Renaissance”, Dr. Scott said the lack of access to affordable loans for decent homes has led to many young people entering the labour market to live in sub-standard accommodation for which they pay rents perpetually.
The Vice-President said the high interest rates banks charged on home loans hindered people’s access to affordable housing.
“The interest rates charged on homes here (Britain) are almost negligible and therefore people are able to get home loans even before they complete their postgraduate studies,” Dr Scott said.
The government is targeting to bring mortgage interest rates to an average of five percent in order to make as many young Zambians as possible to afford homes when they graduate from school. “You need to borrow at affordable rates in order to buy a house.”
At national level, Zambia has restructured some loans it inherited from the previous administration to longer-term arrangements and invested them in infrastructure development.
He also assured investors that Zambia’s political stability provides the necessary confidence business looks for when investing in any country.
His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho made the closing speech. Other speakers included senior diplomats, business leaders and academics assembled from a cross section of areas related to the theme of the 2013 conference. Dr Scott, a graduate of the prestigious Cambridge University lectured at Oxford University before he returned to Zambia. His wife Charlotte, a graduate of Oxford, participated as panelist during a session on infrastructure, urbanization and economic growth.
Meanwhile Dr. Scott told BBC Focus on Africa’s Joseph Onyango in a special interview earlier that unemployment was one of Zambia most immediate challenges the PF government was working hard to address.
“We are working hard to diversify the economy and we are doing this very fast. We are creating jobs but there is a huge gap we have to fill because only half a million people were in formal employment at the time we came to power.”
He said the government had put in place changes that sought to create more incentives for investors creating employment rather those simply seeking to extract the country’s resources without due regard to sustainable development.
Dr Scott dismissed as noisy, the Zambian opposition who had it a habit to rush to the international community seeking sanctions against the people of Zambia.
“The opposition are insincere…they are trying to create trouble for the government. They have lost support and now want to create a false impression in the eyes of the international community.”
He said the question of the trial of former president Rupiah Banda was before competent courts of law that would decide the outcome following Parliament’s decision to lift his immunity from prosecution.
There are no violations in Zambia warranting international intervention because the country is functional democracy where the rule of law, respect for property rights and a free political space were guaranteed in the constitution.
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
(James 4:17, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Many people expect the voice of God to boom like a loudspeaker, but scripture tells us that He speaks in a still, small voice. To us, it seems like an impression inside.
We think, “I know I should go visit my parents. I know I shouldn’t eat so many sweets. I know I should stay home and do my schoolwork.” The “I knows” are God talking to you. Don’t ignore it. Learn to be quick to obey.
A lot of times we know what we should do, but we make excuses and reason it out. “I’ll do it later. I’m busy now.” But, we have to understand God doesn’t ask us to do it for His sake. He asks us to do it for our own sake. I’ve learned that before God will release big blessings, He will give you small tests. Too often we dismiss it and think, “Oh, that’s no big deal.” But if you don’t pass these small tests, it will keep you from the big things God has in store.
Today, don’t put off the little things that you know you should be doing any longer. Take a step of faith and obey Him. As you’re faithful in the little things and pass the small tests, He’ll lead you into the greater things He has in store for you.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for speaking to my heart. Thank You for leading me in the path of blessing. I choose to obey You in the small things. I desire to pass the small tests so You can trust me with the greater things You have prepared in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Nkana suffered their first league defeat of the season today after losing 1-0 away to Napsa Stars.
The 2013 league pacesetters where stunned by a 15th minute goal via a header scored by veteran striker Harry Milanzi.
Nkana were disjointed throughout the first half as Napsa dominated.
Dube Phiri came close to extending Napsa’s lead in the 22nd minute but his header was saved by Chansa Kabwe.
Two minutes later, Kabwe was again tested by Milanzi but his effort was saved.
After the break, Nkana came back strong with some good possession but have very little to offer in terms of goal mouth action despite their entertaining football.
Meanwhile, Napsa’s victory was their second successive win after thumping bottom placed Lime Hotspurs last weekend.
Napsa move out of the bottom four from 14th to 15th place after picking up their second win of the season on seven points from as many games played.
Meanwhile, Nkana’s defeat sees their five point lead cut to just two points after Nchanga Rangers beat Konkola Mine Police 3-1 to close the gap.
Nkana stay on 16 points, Nchanga have 14 points after seven matches played.
Kabwe Warriors coach Dick Ngwenya says his side will not fear Green Buffaloes in Sunday’s delayed Super Division match in Kabwe.
Warriors and Buffaloes clash at Godfrey “Ucar” Chitalu Staduim hoping to shed off their respective 1-1 draws in previous matches with Kalulushi Modern Stars and Nchanga Rangers.
“The game will be tough”, Ngwenya predicted.
“We respect Buffaloes but we shall see after 90 minutes. I am urging my players to work hard and remain focused,” he said.
Nchanga Rangers on Saturday eased to a 3-1 win over Konkola Mine Police in the FAZ Super Division Week Seven match in Chingola to move into second place on the FAZ Super Division table.
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Rangers did not hesitate to take an early lead as Cletus Chama tapped in from close range after 13 minutes.
Chama’s early goal aided dominant Rangers to go into the half time break leading Mine Police 1-0.
Bornwell Mwape doubled Rangers’ lead when he scored on 52 minutes with his traditional powerful shot before Alex Ng’onga added the third goal for the home side 20 minutes later.
Chanda Mushili ensured that Mine Police lost with dignity when he pulled one back two minutes before the final whistle.
Rangers are joint second on the log with 14 points while Mine Police remained in the bottom half with six points in seven fixtures.
Malole Member of Parliament, Christopher Yaluma, today held a series of meetings and distributed assorted goods to people in his constituency as a way of appreciating them for having voted for the Patriotic Front (PF) in the 2011 general elections.
And Mr Yaluma has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to developing the country by constructing roads, schools, health centres and sinking boreholes and many other infrastructures countrywide as per PF pledges during the campaigns.
Speaking at various gatherings in Malole Constituency, Mr Yaluma said the PF government started re-building the country immediately after winning the 2011 elections, saying a number of projects have since been launched in almost all constituencies.
Mr Yaluma, who is also Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister, said his government has already embarked on countrywide road construction, citing the Mbala-Nakonde road, Kasama-Mporokoso road, Kasama-Mbesuma road and the bridge, and the construction of schools and health centres in his constituency as some of the projects that have taken off.
The MP noted that the PF made a number of promises to the people and has since started fulfilling them, adding that by 2016, the party will be judged based on its performance.
He commended the people of Malole for giving their votes to the PF, saying his government will ensure that it delivers according to the people’s expectations.
He said President Michael Sata is grateful to the people of Malole for believing in the PF party and its various candidates.
Among the things Mr Yaluma has distributed were chitenge material and blankets to the women and men, and beddings to some health centres plus a fridge to St Joseph Basic School tuck shop.
The minister started the tour of his constituency yesterday and is expected to wind up after handing over hammer mills to women clubs under the Women Empowerment Programme which is being implemented by the Ministry of Gender and Child Development.
During his tour of the constituency, the minister has been encouraging Women and Youth to form clubs in order to access funds while men have also been urged to apply for the Citizens Economic Empowerment Funds which is being administered by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry.
Meanwhile the people of Malole in various wards have commended Mr Yalume and the Patriotic Front Government for embarking on various developmental projects that include road constructions and infrastructural development in the constituency.
A representative for the Natubombelepamo Women Club of Henry Kapata village, Makaliyo Katanda, noted that people in the area are facing numerous challenges but quickly noted that the PF government is on course to address them going by their performance in few years the party has been in power.
Mr Katanda stated that even though some developmental projects have kicked off, there is need to ensure that the Constituency Development Funds reach people in all wards.
He said the people have not been updated on how the CDF has been utilized which he said have raised concerns among the villagers.
But in response, the minister told the gatherings that the council met recently and agreed to call auditors to audit the usage of CDF in the district.
He said government will not allow mismanagement of public resources as it has a huge responsibility of rebuilding the country, hence the need to use all resources prudently.
The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has declared the decision to increase local bus fares by bus operators as illegal and void.
RATSA Principal Publicity officer Mercy Mwila in a statement released to QFM News says while the Agency appreciates requests from two operators; Capital Buses and representatives of a group of luxury buses to vary their current Road Service Licences (RSL) for adjustment of bus fares by 6th May 2013, such a stipulated and concrete date for the desired increase can only be communicated after discussions have been held and concluded by all concerned stakeholders including the Ministry of Transport, Communications, Works and Supply.
Ms Mwila says Bus operators are aware of this regulation, which stipulates the conditions under which Road Service Licences are granted.
She points out that Subsection 12 (d) of Section 108 of the Road Traffic Act No. of 2002 underscores that “a person applying for a road service license, and a holder of such a licence applying for its variation, shall submit to the Director %u2013 the rate of fares of the proposed services”.
She says the regulation therefore entails that bus operators are under obligation to request the Director for variation of the current Road Service Licences or the terms and conditions under which licenses were granted.
Ms Mwila adds that the Agency has also received to vary the Road Service Licenses in a bid to increase bus fares from the intercity bus operators in which they are requesting to increase the fares by KR30.
She has since appealed passengers not to hesitate to call the Agency on 983 toll free line should they be charged be new fares before an agreement has been reached.
Meanwhile, the Agency expressed deep concern over some operators’ conduct, which have been revealed through the Joint National Road Traffic Enforcement Programme, where they have continued to operate without RSLs.
Ms Mwila says in some cases, these operators have continued to disrespect passenger safety including overloading, abandoning passengers and the vehicles, leaving the Agency with no option but incur expenses of towing the vehicles to safer venues.
She has warned all operators that it is against the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 to operate outside the Act and any operator found will be dealt with severely in a bid to safe-guard the lives of passengers and other road users.
Sources within the MMD say Richard Taima resigned as MMD Solwezi East Member of Parliament to join the PF due to billion he owes the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) in unpaid loans.
The sources have told QFM News that Mr Taima’s wants to seek protection from the ruling Patriotic Front over the money he owes the CEEC which has embarked on an exercise to repossess property of people who have failed to liquidate their loans.
The sources further reveal that the CEEC has already started confiscating property belonging to Mr.Taima for failing to pay back the loan he got.
They have also disclosed that a lodge in Solwezi belonging to the parliamentarian has since been repossessed by the CEEC.
The sources say this predicament has left Mr Taima with no option but to join the ruling PF with the hope that President Michael Sata will prevail over the CEEC on his behalf.
They sources have also stated that Mr.Taima is also afraid of losing the petition in which his election as Solwezi East MP has been challenged.
But when contacted by QFM News, Mr. Taima said even if he owed the CEEC huge sums of money,that is not the reason why he has decided to ditch the MMD for the PF.
He was at the time of his resignation serving s Commerce, Trade and Industry deputy Minister in the PF government.
GOVERNMENT is disappointed with the action of Copperbelt police officers who warned and cautioned National Restoration Party president Elias Chipimo on suspicion that he was addressing an illegal assembly.
Minister of Home Affairs Edgar Lungu said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the detention and recording of a warn-and-caution statement from Mr Chipimo by police in Kitwe on Thursday “is a very sad chapter in the history of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government”.
“This is very sad… Elias Chipimo is an opposition leader who has the freedom to criticise and advise on behalf of his party without being harassed by the police,” Mr Lungu said.
The audibly upset minister said police are supposed to protect opposition leaders and anyone else with a divergent view as long as such people are responsible in their actions.
“We will immediately constitute an inquiry to find out under whose instructions police officers were acting because it is certainly not Government policy to harass people,” he said.
Mr Lungu said if police had any suspicion that something illegal was going on at Mr Chipimo’s gathering, they would have investigated the matter instead of rushing into warning and cautioning the opposition leader.
[pullquote]“We will immediately constitute an inquiry to find out under whose instructions police officers were acting because it is certainly not Government policy to harass people,” he said.[/pullquote]
He said Zambia is internationally known for its respect for the rule of law and human rights and will not allow a “few bad elements in the police service” to tarnish the country’s image locally and internationally.
“We inherited a system with a lot of bad eggs, not only in the police service but in many other Government departments. But let this be a warning that we will weed them out to clean up the system because the PF Government is a just government,” Mr Lungu said.
On Thursday, police recorded a warn-and-caution statement from Mr Chipimo for alleged unlawful assembly.
Mr Chipimo, who was holding a workshop at Provident Guest House, was picked up by police officers in riot gear and taken to Kitwe Central Police Station.
The opposition leader was only released around 13:00 hours after being detained for over three hours.
Meanwhile, Mr Chipimo has demanded that Government compensates his party KR30,000 (K30 million) following his arrest and disruption of the workshop he was conducting for NAREP officials.
[pullquote]He said Zambia is internationally known for its respect for the rule of law and human rights and will not allow a “few bad elements in the police service” to tarnish the country’s image locally and internationally.[/pullquote]
Mr Chipimo has also demanded an explanation from the Minister of Home Affairs about why Police in full riot gear stormed the venue of the workshop.
“We spent in excess of KR30, 000 on booking the venue, paying for transport costs, fuel and other incidentals. We cannot recover that money now,” he said.
He said the party wants categorical answers from the state on how they will operate as a political party since they are being barred from meeting their own members.
Mr Chipimo, who is a lawyer, has threatened legal action depending on how the party’s demands are treated by Government.
“Depending on how government responds to our questions regarding the manner in which our meeting was disrupted, we will take legal action,” Mr Chipimo said.
He further said if police continue to disrupt NAREP’s internal party meetings throughout the country, the party will take legal action.
Mr Chipimo said while the police were interrogating him, he received overwhelming solidarity from international human rights watch groups.
“Our conclusion is that the action by police in Kitwe was a deliberate desire by an overzealous government official trying to intimidate us,” he said.
He said NAREP has been practising mature politics and does not expect the police on the Copperbelt to behave in the manner they did.
FAZ slaps three-month ban on Zanaco coach Keagan Mumba for bringing the game into disrepute.
The Zanaco coach was banned following a FAZ disciplinary hearing held on May 1 in Lusaka.
Mumba attacked Herve Renard’s recent 2014 CHAN qualifiers and 2013 Cosafa Cup nationwide trials that he described as moribund.
“We have noted with regret Keagan’s continued attacks on the Football association, its agents, managers and officials of FAZ for a long time and we decided that this time we needed to put a stop to it and sent his case to the DC,” Faz communications officer Erick Mwanza said.
Mumba however did not appear in person to answer charges against him.
“He sent in an exculpatory letter which was consider in the hearing on May 1,” Mwanza said.
“The ban means that he cannot in any way associated with any member of FAZ meaning that he cannot go to the training ground to train Zanaco football club.
