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.
Chief Nyamphande of the Nsenga people in Petauke district has appealed to the government to address the mealie- meal shortage that has recently rocked the province.
Chief Nyamphande says it is disturbing to see people queuing up for the essential commodity when the country has recorded successive bumper harvests.
He said that he witnessed people almost looting a truck which had brought mealie-meal to Petauke district recently.
The chief raised the concern when eastern province permanent secretary Bert Mushala paid a courtesy call on him at his palace.
And Mr Mushala said government has put in place measures to ensure that the staple food is in constant supply to avoid shortages.
The permanent secretary disclosed that the government has also written to shop owners to allow consumers to buy only two bags of mealie-meal as a stop- gap measure to reduce smuggling.
He observed that the shortage is as a result of some unscrupulous people who are smuggling the commodity to Malawi.
And in a related development, Chief Mumbi of the Nsenga people of Petauke district has noted that his chiefdom will experience a low crop yield in the 2013/2014 farming season owing to the late delivery of fertilizer.
Chief Mumbi told the permanent secretary that apart from the late delivery of the commodity some civil servants were abusing and manipulating the system to disadvantage farmers.
He said there was need to transfer the named officers because they were counterproductive to the development of the country.
He also lamented the poor road network in his chiefdom which has become impassable because of the rains.
The chief also appealed to government to consider drilling more boreholes and build health centers as people are forced to walk long distances to access the facilities.
A team of officials from the Commonwealth Secretariat in London is in Zambia to investigate claims by the opposition that the PF government is abusing human rights.
The Commonwealth team has already started having meetings with members of the civil society regarding the petition submitted by the Coalition for the Defence of Democratic Rights over the alleged worsening human rights situation in Zambia.
The team is based at Lusaka’s Intercontinental Hotel and is using various meetings with several stakeholders including the Civil Society to get to the bottom of the opposition petition.
A source who attended the meeting on Monday described the session as the beginning of a process to make the Zambian government account for its recent actions.
“The guys (Commonwealth) appear to have taken this matter seriously, even the level of engagement at this meeting was very serious. They are asking key questions and making reference to published material over the PF’s style of governance,” the source said.
All those that have attended meetings with the Commonwealth investigators have been asked to keep the nature of the discussions private.
The Commonwealth team is also expected to meet Zambian government officials before concluding their one week.
The Coalition for the Defense of Democratic Rights (CDDR), which comprises opposition and some civil society groups, recently called for Zambia’s suspension from the Commonwealth.
The group accused President Michael Sata and his administration of human rights violations and stifling democracy, harges the government strongly denies.
The group has called for an independent investigation of alleged human and civil rights abuses following its petition seeking Zambia’s suspension.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has confirmed that this morning, Tuesday 5th March, 2013, they held a meeting with a two man delegation from the Commonwealth at the Commission offices. A delegation of six represented the HRC. The meeting centred on the human rights situation in Zambia.
HRC also said that in another development, the Commission has received a complaint from the United Party for National Development (UPND) over the alleged assault in Kaunda Square of their member, Humphrey Bwalya, by suspected Patriotic Front (PF) supporters, on Sunday 3rd March 2013. He is alleged to have been attacked on suspicion that he was part of the group that alegedly murdered a PF member in Livingstone last week. According to the complaint by UPND, Bwalya is being held without charge at Chelston Police while nursing wounds from the attack. The Commission has launched investigations.
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) president Nevers Mumba has said that if there was a constitutional way of rejecting the nolle prosequi he would have rejected it.
This follows the move by the State today to enter a nolle prosequi in a case in which he was charged with others for conduct likely to breach peace
Speaking to his supporters outside the court Dr Mumba said that the entering of a nolle prosequi in the matter proved that he was arrested to be harassed and intimidated without committing an offence and without witnesses.
The State today decided to drop charges of misconduct likely to cause breach of peace against MMD President Nevers Mumba. The State decided to entered a nolle prosequi in the case in which MMD president Nevers Mumba and others.
Kitwe Senior resident magistrate Daniel Musonda discontinued the matter after District Prosecutions Officer Gabriel Chipalo told the court that he had received a letter of instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to discontinue the case.
“Now that I have read the instructions, I discharge you. You are free to go home. Your case has been discontinued through the nolle prosequi,”
Nevers Mumba, 52, was charged for being a disorderly person, contrary to section 178(f) of the penal Code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that Mumba, on December 24, last year in Kitwe, publicly conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace.
File:One of the injured women is helped out of the Lusaka Central Police Station after the police fired tear gas at UPND members within the police station
The Focus on a NON ISSUE
Lately, national debate has centred on the press conference that was held in the Republic of South Africa by a group of politicians and some members of civil society, prominent among them, Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) president Dr Nevers Mumba, United Party for National Development (UPND) president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, and United Liberal Party (ULP) president Mr Sakwiba Sikota.
Sadly, the debate has centred, not on the substance of the press briefing, but on whether it was justifiable for the concerned people to hold a press briefing in a foreign country and supposedly ‘denounce’ their own country. This approach has tended to relegate the main concerns being raised by the concerned grouping.
However, lest we are perceived to be trivializing this concern, we believe as a Human Rights Commission, and this is also common practice, that for any matter pertaining to human rights violations to be addressed and positively tackled by international and regional bodies including the United Nations and the Commonwealth, it must first be addressed by all possible legal and other recourses at national level, i.e. within the country.
[pullquote]
These developments suggest that something may have seriously gone wrong in our country and this is what our Government must rise to and address.
[/pullquote]On this score, questions may justifiably be raised as to whether all such possible local avenues were exhausted with regard to the alleged human rights violations as outlined in the dossier submitted to the Commonwealth by the concerned grouping. The answer, to our knowledge, to this assertion is No, as some of the matters raised are still pending adjudication before our courts of law in Zambia. One such matter is as pertains to the interpretation of the Public Order Act, which the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has taken to court.
However, having said that, from a human rights point of view, there is absolutely nothing wrong with people, irrespective of their nationalities or political affiliations, addressing press conferences in foreign countries to draw attention to what they may perceive as violations of human rights of nationals by their sitting governments. Examples of this abound in many parts of the world. The right to freedom of expression, as espoused in Articles 19 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which instruments Zambia has acceeded to, entails that one should enjoy the right to hold opinions and express them using a variety of possibilities including speech, writing, art and so on, in imparting and receiving.
In today’s technological world, one can use a variety of media including social media, which readily and easily carries the message to an international audience just at the press of a button. It follows, therefore, that for one to “expose Zambia’s dirty linen” to the international audience, does not necessarily have to go abroad to do it. Whatever is carried by our local media can be accessed by the international community very easily. To this effect, the fact that the concerned grouping addressed foreign press in a foreign country to complain about some alleged human rights violations in our country is essentially a NON ISSUE.
Targeted Politicians do not suffer when Sanctions are imposed on a country
As for calls made by the concerned grouping for sanctions against Zambia, the Human Rights Commission states that it is very uncomfortable with the call to suspend Zambia from the Commonwealth and impose sanctions on her. Experience has shown elsewhere, that the targeted politicians do not suffer when sanctions are imposed on a country. The brunt of the sanctions is fully borne instead by the innocent majority people in the affected country who have little influence on the political direction of the country once they have elected a government into office. As such, the Human Rights Commission totally disagrees with this call as it might lead to more rights being denied to the common people of Zambia.
[pullquote]The people of Zambia must carefully study this document so that they make their own judgment whether what is being alleged is true or not in fact.[/pullquote]
As stated earlier, however, we must not lose sight of the substance of the press briefing or the contents of the 39 page dossier which has been submitted to the Commonwealth by the concerned grouping. This, in effect, is what should interest us all. The people of Zambia must carefully study this document as it is in the public domain, and also evaluate the substance of the press briefing so that they make their own judgment whether what is being alleged is true or not in fact.
In our view, the complaints about human rights violations may be justifiable in certain instances. Lately, Zambia has indeed experienced suppression of some of the fundamental rights and freedoms, and in the greater majority of instances, this has been directed at prominent politicians and selected political parties which, it may be speculated, are seen as the major threat to the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).
The PF Governments silence to address issues raised
We will not go into listing these violations because they are being debated almost on a daily basis and are now common knowledge. What concerns us now is that the Government has so far not been seen to take public steps to address these concerns that are being brought forward by its own people regardless of their political affiliation. What the Human Rights Commission expects is that the Government should lead the way by sitting down with the various political parties and dialogue on whatever concerns are raised in the spirit of our democratic dispensation. Lack of genuine dialogue between the Government and opposition political parties can easily lead to desperation and exasperation on the part of those that may feel not to be part of the country’s democratic process and thus seeking foreign intervention in frustration.
Consequently, as a Commission, in our capacity as a constitutionally established national human rights watchdog, we now earnestly and urgently call upon our Government, to initiate genuine dialogue with all political parties that have concerns regarding the running of the affairs of our country. After all, that is what is expected of a listening Government.
A call to a National Dialogue
Now that matters have gone so far as to allegedly involve the international community, this should not be an impediment to have local dialogue. We cannot over emphasise the desirability of having locally initiated solutions to our local challenges. At a cost of repetition, what is most appropriate at this point is a deliberate effort to commence dialogue among all concerned parties with honest intentions on both sides to arrive at a positive and mutually beneficial result. We should add here that concerns raised by the said grouping may not just be reserved to political players in the country. Other segments of the Zambian society, including the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), in addition to several NGOs and individuals, have all raised concerns on these human rights issues with the Government.
The Catholic Bishops recently issued a Pastoral Letter which also touched on violations of human rights in our country. All these various segments of our country cannot be speaking from without. These developments suggest that something may have seriously gone wrong in our country and this is what our Government must rise to and address. It is the firm view of the Human Rights Commission that our precious and enduring national unity and peace must transcend our political diversity.
As a Human Rights Commission, ours is therefore a non partisan call to all stakeholders to a national dialogue and this must be done now.
By Pixie Kasonde Yangailo
Chairperson, Human Rights Commission.
Kyawama compound residents in Solwezi today ran amok and smashed windows at a local police station as they protested over the death of a 13-year-old girl who was hit by a police vehicle.
The protesting residents also smashed windscreens to private vehicles that were packed at the police station.
North Western province deputy police commissioner Paul Achume confirmed the death of the girl, identified as Lister Kajhilambinga of highland residential area in Kyawama compound.
Mr Achume said the girl was hit by a police vehicle registration number ZP 2164B as she ran across the road while the vehicle was approaching.
The accident happened at 07.50 this morning sparking protests from residents.
The deputy police commissioner said at least six vehicles which were parked at the Kyawama police station had their wind screens smashed.
A ZANIS news crew that rushed to Kyawama compound found the residents had blocked the Independence-Mutanda road with wooden planks and ZESCO poles which they had set on fire.
Police are still fighting running battles with residents in a see-saw fashion with a huge crowd of angry residents throwing stones and carrying sticks pushing police backwards at instances while police also retaliated by firing warning live bullets and teargas canisters.
Mr Achume said police are in the process of beefing up its manpower to keep to calm the situation.
[ZANIS]
UPND Itezhi-tezhi Member of Parliament (MP) Greyford Monde
United Party for National Development (UPND) Itezhi tezhi Member of Parliament (MP) Greyford Monde, who is Agriculture deputy minister, has maintained that the court should protect him from being ejected out of the party because he was not given an opportunity to be heard before being expelled.
This is in a matter in which Mr Monde has sought an injunction asking the court to restrain UPND from expelling him for accepting a ministerial position from President Michael Sata’s government.
But UPND has urged the Lusaka High Court not to grant Itezhi tezhi Member of Parliament (MP) Greyford Monde an injunction restraining the party from expelling him because he is not a member of the party.
UPND Secretary General Winstone Chibwe in his affidavit in opposition of Mr Monde’s summons for order of interim injunction stated that Mr Monde was not expelled from the party because of his appointment but because of his recurrent treacherous behaviour.
Mr Chibwe of Sub division E of 682 Lusaka West who was sued by Mr Monde in his capacity as UPND Secretary General, vehemently denied Mr Monde’s assertions that he was an MP for UPND Ithezi thezi constituency as he was expelled.
He said that contrary to assertions by Mr Monde that President Sata had Constitutional powers to appoint MPs within the National Assembly, the UPND has challenged the purported constitutional powers of the President in a matter of Kuchunga Edwin Simusamba vs Attorney General 2012/HP/1561.
Mr Chibwe emphasised that Mr Monde’s charges and his subsequent suspension were not necessitated by his appointment to a ministerial position but were due to his recurrent treacherous acts.
He said contrary to Mr Monde’s assertions that he was not given an opportunity to be heard, UPND gave him three days from February 15, 2013 to exculpate himself but he failed to do so and that his purported request for further and better particulars over his charge came late after the expiration of the period given to him to exculpate himself.
Mr Chibwe said there is no irreparable damage that Mr Monde and the Constituency would suffer for his expulsion from the party and has not demonstrated any such anticipated alleged damage and regrettably, by-elections were provided for in the republican Constitution once an MP has been expelled.
“I therefore crave the indulgence of this honourable court not to grant the plaintiff an interim injunction as he is no longer a member of UPND having been expelled on February 22, 2013. That UPND has an inherent right to sanction any of its belligerent members and that as long as due processes and rules of natural justice are adhered to, it’s not subject to control by any external institutions as the party is a private members club,” Mr Chibwe said.
But Mr Monde insisted that the UPND constitution does not set pout or indeed stipulate the number of days an alleged erring member maybe given to exculpate herself or himself.
Judge Evans Hamaundu who is presiding over the matter adjourned the case to March 15, 2013.
Meanwhile, UPND MP Richwell Siamumene says he is not aware of fresh charges against him by his party that the disciplinary committee would soon prevail upon.
Mr Siamunene who was appointed Commerce, Trade and Industry deputy minister by President Michael Sata last week, was yesterday shocked that his party intended to resume old disciplinary charges which were leveled against him for accompanying Government ministers on a tour of roads and bridges in his constituency about six months ago.
He said he was not aware of any other charges leveled against him besides the old ones and wondered if the party intended to resurrect the same.
“I have not received any charges and I am not aware of any disciplinary charges from my party. The only disciplinary charges I know of are those that were leveled against me some six months or so ago, unless they say the want to resurrect the charges,” he said.
UPND secretary general Winston Chibwe said yesterday that the disciplinary committee would soon be sitting to determine the fate of Mr Siamunene who he said was facing disciplinary cases.
Mr Chibwe said Mr Siamunene had been facing disciplinary charges since December 2012 and the committee would soon decide his fate.
Mr Siamunene is the second UPND MP whom the party slapped disciplinary charges emerging after their appointments to serve in Cabinet.
Itezhi tezhi UPND MP Greyford Monde was the first that the party slapped with disciplinary charges and later expelled him from the party after he accepted the position of deputy minister.
Mr Chibwe said Mr Siamumunene would not be suspended or expelled because of the appointment but because of the disciplinary charges that he was facing.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu says it is shameful and embarrassing that 50 years after independence, some officers in his ministry still operated under trees and tents.
Mr Lungu noted that it was high time that the welfare of police and immigration officers across the country was improved to enhance their performance.
And some Indunas at Mwandi have appealed to the government to improve police presence in the area to contain and prevent escalating levels of crime.
Speaking when he toured Mwandi district today where police officers are still operating under a tent, Mr Lungu said the situation needed quick government intervention saying it was embarrassing that 50 years after independence police officers could operate under a tree and tent.
He said he was dismayed that police officers were operating under a tent while, immigration department was manned by one officer who operates from his house due to lack of an office.
Mr Lungu who toured the area for the first time vowed to ensure that the welfare of police officers and the condition under which they work were improved in order to enhance efficiency and professionalism.
He also said people should learn to respect and appreciate the work that police were doing even under extreme difficulties all for the love of the country.
“We need to give respect to our police officers who work under difficulty situations like in this case here where they work without water, proper accommodation and as long as I remain Minister I will
ensure that police officers are not only protect from unwarranted criticism but work to improve their conditions as well,” said Mr Lungu.
Mr Lungu who also inspected the Police post being constructed at a tune of K1.1 billion(KR 1.1 million) said he was happy that government has started making efforts towards alleviating office space challenges officers were currently facing in the area.
Earlier during a courtesy call on several indunas at Mwandi Royal palace, Mr Lungu appealed to the government to improve police presence in the area to contain and prevent escalating levels of crime.
Induna Wamulwa said there was a lot of crime in the area owing to its vastness which further poses challenges to officers who are operating without a vehicle and often use their own resources to carry out operations.
“Our most pressing problems here in Mwandi is inadequate police officers, lack of police post and vehicles for officers to conduct effective patrols and as a result the officers are overburdened as
they have to cover large swaths of land,” Induna Wamulwa said.
He also stressed the need to expedite the construction of the police post so as to improve security in the area.
Meanwhile, Induna Ambanwa implored the government to revamp training facilities for crafts men and teachers’ colleges in Sefula, Lukulu, Mongu, Namushakendi and Senanga to provide life survival skills to the youths.
He explained that people in Mwandi were also excited when government announced it had plans to put a training college.
“We were very excited when we heard that government would put up a college here and we immediately allocated land for that purpose but up to now we are still waiting whether that promise will be fulfilled,” Induna Ambanwa said.
And reacting to concerns raised by the indunas, the Home Affairs Minister said the Patriotic Front government was eager to engage every Zambian on developmental issues adding that government therefore values the role that traditional leaders play in ensuring that desired development was brought to people as close as possible.
“As government we shall not work in isolation and we shall continue to engage everyone more especially the traditional leadership to ensure that the desired development is brought to the people,” Mr Lungu said.
He pointed out that government also would want to engage the opposition parties to see how best development can be attained but that the opposition always accuses government of wanting to poach its Members of Parliament.
Mr Lungu however, cited Mwandi MP Micheal Kaingu for showing willingness to engage with government on how best his area could be developed.
Mr Lungu assured the indunas who represented Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta that all their concerns under his ministry will be taken care of as soon possible.
“I can assure you that very soon you will have a boma, police station, prisons, a hospital and other government departments to complement Mwandi as a district status.
He further urged the people in Mwandi to respect and accept government’s decision to elevate Mwandi to district status saying the move was aimed at accelerating development in the area.
But Sesheke District Buildings Department Work Supervisor Kapanda Kapanda expressed worry over delays by the government to release the K1.1 billion meant for the construction of the police post saying any further delays will jeopardise the construction works.
Mr Kapanda explained that the contractor, Kamunje Enterprise has so far used its own resources to buy bricks and work on the foundation of the police post expected to be completed in five months time.
The residents who scramble to buy mealie meal which is in short supply have also complained of the increased price of the commodity which is now selling at KR65 per 25 kilogram bag of breakfast meal as opposed to the government directive to sell it at KR50.
A check by ZANIS in the central business district found most shops without the commodity while those that did said they would continue selling mealie meal at KR65 saying the order price of the committee had increased to KR50.
´How can you expect me to sale the commodity at a loss, it doesn’t make business sense. If they want us to sale at KR65, they should reduce the order price,’ said Zacheus Nyau, a trader at Kapata market.
Authorities at Spar supermarket said they would only sale 10kilogram bags of mealie meal because it could be sold at a profit.
“We cannot make profit if we continue to sale the 25 kilogram bag of mealie meal because the order price is KR50 and we cannot sale at the same price,” said Diana Seri who is Spar Chipata Manager.
And James Daka has appealed to government to quickly address the situation saying it is not normal to hear government issue a directive without addressing other issues saying it is clear that there were some irregularities that led to the shortage and substantial increase of the staple food.
“How is it possible for people to ignore a Presidential directive?” he wondered.
Mr Daka said government should monitor the sale of the commodity on the ground and appreciate the concerns of the traders who have vowed not to reduce the price of mealie meal before government addresses the issues of the cost of transportation and order price of the staple food.
Information and Broadcasting Services minister Kennedy Sakeni
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Kennedy Sakeni has accused fourth Replication President Rupiah Banda of letting the late President Fredrick Chiluba off the hook when he was facing corruption charges.
In a press statement made available to the media last evening Mr Sakeni said that Mr Banda freed the late former president because he himself knew that his hands were soiled.
Mr Sakeni said Zambians had not forgotten that it was infact former Mr Banda’s Government that set a bad precedence by letting Dr Chiluba off the hook.
“We recall how Mr Rupiah Banda talked about the late Dr Chiluba’s judgment at a rally in Kabwe even before it was delivered in court. Clearly, Mr Banda was trying to protect the late former President
Chiluba so as to protect himself in return,” he said.
An in reaction to Mr Banda’s statement to the media in Kenya, where he has been invited to lead a delegation to monitor that country’s general elections, that a bad precedence would be set
if his immunity is to be lifted. Mr Sakeni said that there will be no bad precedence set in removing immunity, adding that that government was acting within the Constitution by proposing the removal of Mr Banda’s immunity.
Mr Sakeni said immunity was not a birthright but a privilege which could be removed as and when deemed necessary, in accordance with the law.
“Government wishes to state categorically that there will be no bad precedence set in removing former President Rupiah Banda’s immunity, contrary to his assertions in Kenya today , as reported in the media,” Mr Sakeni said.
“This is just as the MMD did not act outside the law to remove the late former President, Dr Chiluba’s immunity,” he said.
He said the MMD, lifted, through Parliament, the immunity of late former President Frederick Chiluba, who was their own member, to enable him clear his name on the allegations of plunder of the national resources levelled against him.
“This was the MMD then in power lifting the immunity of the man they themselves sponsored to lead the nation,” Mr Sakeni said.
Late President Levy Mwanawasa, in moving the motion to strip his predecessor of his immunity, stated that the action was good in order to set a good precedence both for himself and other leaders after him that whoever was entrusted with the privilege of presiding over public resources as Head of State, did not abuse that privilege and use the resources for personal or family benefit.
He said if Mr Banda had nothing to hide, he should avail himself for interrogation and clear his name with the due process of the law.
Sudan have lost top spot in its 2014 World Cup qualifying group after sport’s highest court stripped a victory against Zambia for fielding an ineligible player.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it rejected the Sudanese Football Association’s appeal against a FIFA ruling to award Zambia a 3-0 win by default.
CAS says Sudanese officials “couldn’t not be aware of the fact that” Saif Ali was suspended and ineligible to face Zambia last June.
Ali scored in Sudan’s 2-0 win in Khartoum, four months after being sent off when the same teams played an African Cup of Nations quarterfinal.
The court’s ruling puts Zambia top with six points from two matches, three ahead of Ghana. Sudan falls to third with one point. Lesotho also has one point.
Ghana, now second on the log with three points, will need to win its two-legged ties with Sudan and an away match to Lesotho. Ghana could be fancied to beat Lesotho away and Sudan at home.
However, beating Sudan at its home is a herculean task.
The decider appears to be the Zambia –Ghana clash to be hosted by Ghana.
Chipolopolo has the luxury of drawing this game or even losing it, provided Ghana stumbles away to Sudan or Lesotho and that’s assuming Zambia maintains a 100% record.
Source: MTNFootball.com
New Nkana coach Masautso Mwale has declared that success will come at the legendary club this season.
Nkana, who have suffered demottion twice over the last nine years, not won any trophies since winning the 2001 league title.
The former Zesco United and Konkola Mine Police coach said he was currently moulding a strong squad that would challenge for the league title this season.
He has reinforced the Nkana team with new signees among them striker Chakwa Lungu, defender Billy Mwanza, winger Lottie Nyimbiri and forward Josphat Nkhoma.
In interview, Mwale said he was pleased with the way Nkana’s pre-season training was progressing.
He assured that Nkana would be ready for the 2013 FAZ Super Division campaign that kicks-off this month.
“I want to believe that success will come at Nkana. I know how to create a successful environment,” Mwale said.
“The players are coming up well, you know we have new players and it takes time to gel them.”
“We will be ready in the next one week. We are coming up with a formidable team.”
Zambia Police Chief Inspector Nebert Chellamaumba was today locked up in court cells by Magistrate Chola Musonda for failing to carry out a court order to issue murder suspect Mazabuka Member of Parliament (MP) Gary Nkombo with a medical report within 48 hours as ordered by the court last Friday.
This was when the case for Hon Gary Nkombo, who is charged with murder contrary to section 200 of the Penal Code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia, came up for hearing.
Last week, the defence complained that their client , Hon Garry Nkombo, was unwell after he was allegedly assaulted by Western Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta. This prompted Magistrate Musonda to directe the station officer in charge to issue Mr Nkombo with a medical report within 48 hours.
Today, Magistrate Musonda asked Nkombo if the police had given him a medical report following a court order last Friday but the Mazabuka lawmaker said he was not given.
This prompted magistrate Musonda to summon the criminal investigations officer but the court was told that the officer was out of station and Inspector Chellamaumba came to court to represent the police.
At this point, magistrate Musonda said he expected police officers to take court orders seriously.
“I have found that you disobeyed the court order. It is not the intention of the court to punish police officers but if you neglect your duty to implement court orders, this honourable court will not be shy to punish you,” Magistrate Musonda said after which Inspector Chellamaumba was led to court cells.
Magistrate Musonda has since directed Livingstone district prosecutions officer Jonathan Chenda, who was present in court, to immediately facilitate the medical report for Nkombo to receive medical attention.
However, Southern province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga defended the Police saying that there was no written court order for the police to issue Nkombo with a medical report.
“We only learn’t of the magistrate’s directive through the media and there was no written court order as was done in one instance in Lusaka where a magistrate gave an instruction in court and followed it up with a written court order to the police,” she said.
File:Construction workers conducting maintenance works on the G4 unit, which failed to generate power after rehabilitation. The loadshedding schedule has been extended
The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has disclosed that the country will experience reduced load shedding in the next two days when repair works on the Kariba North bank power station are completed.
Late last month, Kariba North bank power station experienced a mechanical failure while Unit five (5) at Kafue Gorge power station was also undergoing repair works after developing a fault.
ZESCO Principal Public Relations Officer Yammie Zimba told ZANIS in Lusaka today that the power utility company was working tirelessly to rectify the faulty machines.
Ms. Zimba said Unit Four (4) at Kariba North station, which is being repaired, was expected to resume running this Wednesday.
She urged customers to take responsibility by switching off unnecessary loads such as geysers and lighting when not needed for use.
Ms. Zimba attributed the recent intermittent power supply in the country to failure of large generating units at the two power stations.
She explained that the thrust bearing failed on unit 5 at Kafue Gorge while the combined bearing top cover bolts got snapped at unit 4 at Kariba North Bank Power Station thereby leading to the downtime of the two machines.
She added that this subsequently led to a flat deficit of 345 Mega Watts (MW) as opposed to about 70 MW deficit at peak time when all the machines are operating at full capacity.
Ms. Zimba has since assured the country that there will be reduced load-shedding now that the machine at Kafue was operational and the other at Kariba will soon be running.
Recently, ZESCO apologised to the nation for the unplanned load shedding of electricity which was a result of mechanic failures at Kafue Gorge and Kariba North Bank respectively.
Kenyan authorities have finally cleared more than ten trucks carrying Zambian sugar destined for that country which were marooned at Namanga on the Tanzanian border after a three-week delay, Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent secretary Stephen Mwansa has confirmed.
And Government has lifted the tariff charge which was slapped on all goods imported from Kenya, in an apparent response to the decision by customs authorities not to allow entry of Zambian sugar into that country
Mr Mwansa said in an interview in Lusaka at the weekend that, the trucks were released on Monday last week.
The trucks carrying Zambian sugar destined for the Kenyan market were marooned at the border despite Zambia Sugar Plc meeting all export regulations including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) rules of origin.
Mr Mwansa said the trucks had been cleared and that Government had been given assurance by Kenyan authorities that none of Zambian exports would be interfered with in future.
“I must confirm that the trucks which have been marooned at Namanga for over three weeks after being denied entry by the Kenyan authorities have now been cleared and assurance of the non repetition of arbitrary import blockage has been given by the Kenyan authorities.
On our part as Government we have lifted the full tariff charge we slapped on all Kenyan imports,” Mr Mwansa explained.
The permanent secretary said Government had engaged COMESA who had assured that future Zambian deliveries to Kenya would not be interfered with.
“We did not pay anything towards that release of the trucks as that was not a ‘kidnap’ with ransome demand. It was a lapse in procedure reference trade relations,” he said.
Mr Mwansa said last week that all goods entering Zambia from Kenya would now attract full duty in view of that country’s refusal to allow a convoy of more than 10 trucks ladden with sugar from Zambia Sugar Company, to the Kenyan market which had been marooned at Namamga border for the last three weeks.
The permanent secretary said Government decided to evoke provisions of the protocol of COMESA which gives the right to retaliate to any unfair practices with regard to trade within the region.
File:The classrom block’s roof is too low for the average person as one has to stoop to stand under the assemblage of ricky corrugated iron sheets as demonstrated by Mango groove head teacher.
Teacher unions in Eastern Province have expressed scepticism on the pronouncement by government to recruit retired teachers to cushion the shortage of staff throughout the country.
Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Eastern Province Chairperson, Alakwisa Phiri, says the decision by government to recruit retired teachers will not be a lasting solution to the problem.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Chipata today Mr Phiri said government should exhaust all the trained personnel by employing them and also improving its recruitment system and the number of training institutions.
Mr Phiri disclosed that currently there are a lot of trained teachers that are still waiting to be employed by government, hence engaging teachers that have retired will be unfair on them.He said since government is promoting youth employment in the country, the recruitment of retired teachers will deny qualified youths a chance of getting jobs.He expressed sadness that some teachers, who graduated as far as 2010, are still in the streets and have not yet been employed by the government.
Mr Phiri said the situation will impact negatively on the education standards especially in rural areas where the teacher-pupil ratio is still high.
He has since advised government to reduce the number of years for training primary school teachers from three to two years through reducing the bulk content of the course and expand and improve the existing infrastructures to take up more students.
Recently, Ministry of Education acting Chief Human Resources Management officer Stephen Siame, disclosed that the Ministry of Education will recruit retired teachers to cushion the shortage of staff country-wide.Mr Siame said the country is in dire need of more teachers, adding that teacher training colleges have failed to meet 5,000 net recruitment that has been put as a target for the ministry.
The recruited retirees, who must be below 65 years and have not served in administration, will be given a three year contract.
