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Chief Government spokesman Kennedy Sakeni has said that the Government would like to advise all those who want to play national politics to learn to be honest. Misrepresenting facts will not take them anywhere.
In a press statement to the media today Mr Sakeni said that the Former President Rupiah Banda has been requested by law enforcement agencies to answer allegations levelled against him in the ongoing corruption investigations.
He said that they have told him that whilst they respect his immunity, he should consider attending the interview to clear the air. “There is nothing unconstitutional about this,” Mr Sakeni said
“Mr Banda is immune to prosecution and not investigations. So, let him face the allegations levelled against him”
“Attacking His Excellency President Michael Sata will not take away the allegations that Mr Banda is facing. Let Mr Banda answer the corruption allegations because there is nothing illegal that law enforcement agencies have done,” concluded the statement
Government has disclosed that Zambia is not ready to meet the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deadline of 31st December 2013 on digital migration.
Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said Zambia will however meet the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline of June 2015.
Mr. Malupenga said disclosed this today when he appeared before the parliamentary committee on Information and Broadcasting which was looking at the country’s preparedness to switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting together with other SADC countries this year.
He said the country will this year only manage to partially migrate due to financial challenges.
He submitted to the parliamentary committee that Zambia will this year partially migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting but will ensure that it meets the ITU deadline on digital migration which falls on June 17, 2015.
The Permanent Secretary however noted that the failure to fully migrate from analogue to digital this year has no negative repercussions on consumers as the two systems, analogue and digital, will run side by side up to 2015 which is the deadline for the whole world to switch over.
Mr. Malupenga disclosed that this year, government has allocated KR25 million for the digital migration processes which will include the upgrading of transmitters and other relevant infrastructure throughout the country.
He explained that the whole digital migration process requires colossal sums of money which he said the Ministry of Finance was tasked by Cabinet to find.
Mr. Malupenga further said once the process was done, even remote areas where there was currently no radio and television signals, would be covered because of new technologies that will come along with the switchover.
Meanwhile, Mr. Malupenga has called on the media to partner with his ministry in sensitising the public on digital migration.
Mr. Malupenga’s appeal came after Mbabala Member of Parliament (MP) Ephraim Belemu observed that members of the public, including some MPs and members of the taskforce on digital migration, had little knowledge on system.
He said the media and some members of the taskforce were not doing enough to enlighten the public on the switchover.
According to the SADC roadmap for digital broadcasting migration, all member countries were supposed to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting on 31st December 2013.
But according to the International Telecommunications Union, an agency of the UN spearheading communications technology development in the developing world, the analogue signal will be switched off in June 2015, a deadline the Zambian government has pledged to meet without fail.
The Permanent Secretary was accompanied to parliament Zambia News and Information Services Director Patrick Lungu, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Director General Chibamba Kanyama, the incoming chairperson of the taskforce on Digital Migration Sydney Mupeta and his predecessor Luwani Soko and other senior officers in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services.
THE Zambia police has called on people in Livingstone to desist from finger pointing each other over the death of Johan Lyakoka, aged 19 who dead in the early hours of Saturday in Livingstone.
Lyakoka was the cook, who was the Patriot Front (PF) Livingstone bye elections campaign Manager Obvious Mwaliteta died in unclear circumstances.
The Deputy Inspector General of police Dr Solomon Jere called on the people in Livingstone to ensure that they wait for the full investigations to be concluded.
Speaking to the journalists at Livingstone central police, Dr Jere said that there is need to give the police a chance to conclude the investigations.
The Deputy Inspector General said that there is a confirmed report of a person.
“We had a team from Lusaka that came to reinforce the investigations and after doing their work they have since gone back,” he said.
He said the post mortem has been carried out to find what happened.
“The Doctor and his team has travelled here to help with the investigations have travelled back to their laboratory,” he said.
“We don’t know what could have led to the death of that person,” he said.
He appealed that to stakeholders to hold their emotions and ensure that their campaigns and the elections are peaceful.
Dr Jere said Livingstone is the tourist capital of the country and that it will co-hosting the UNWTO.
“Livingstone should be peaceful as it is the venue for the UNWTO,” he said.
“As the situation stands, we are in an election bye election period here in Livingstone,” he said.
He said that the police have come to full force into Livingstone and that it has enough man power to control Livingstone.
“If some people want to cause confusion then they would doing so on a wrong platform, my officers are itching for action,” Dr Jere said.
He said the police are ready bring down any form of criminality as they are also itching to act.
Dr Jere said the importation of foreign elements will not be allowed in this bye election.
“The Government has been discouraging the importation of people into a constituency and that there is need to allow the local people to do the campaigns themselves,” he said.
He said the police would have a closed door meeting with the political parties that contesting in this bye election.
And United Party for National Development (UPND) director of strategy and mobilization, Request Muntanga said that the party would take legal against the post newspaper and that PF secretary general Wynter Kabimaba for alleging that the UPND is involved in the death of Mwaliteta’s cook.
He said that his party has nothing to do with the death of the cook as vindicated by the Times of Zambia newspaper.
“I want to clear the accusations of the post newspaper headline that UPND is involved in the death of the Mwaliteta’s cook,” he said.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director General Rosewin Wandi has refuted allegations made against the Institution that it has not delivered the summons to the Office of the Fourth President Rupiah Banda asking the former Head of State to appear before the commision for question.
Ms Wandi said that said the letter of invitation to Mr Banda was delivered to his office on Monday afternoon.
“As far as I am concerned, we served the letter yesterday (Monday) in the afternoon that’s when it was delivered to his office to appear for interviews at DEC,” Ms Wandi said
However the office of fourth President said that had not received the letter of summons from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) ordering the former president to appear for interrogations over allegations of corruption and criminal activity,his administrative assistant Mikatazo Wakumelo has said.
Mr Wakumelo said in a telephone interview yesterday that the letter of summons had not yet been delivered to Mr Banda’s office as of yesterday and that he was not aware of it.
“Ask ACC who delivered that letter of summon to my office, I don’t know about the summon you are asking me about because I have also just seen that summon in the [media] and there is no summon that was delivered to my office. You know, I am the one in charge of Mr Banda’s office, so I could have seen that summon you are talking about. I have only read about it this morning (yesterday) in the newspapers,” MrWakumelo said.
When asked further if Mr Banda would still appear since he (Mr Wakumelo) had known about the summon in the press yesterday, he said “I can’t say much about it,”
Meanwhile, international lawyer Robert Amsterdam has said that summons sent by Anti-Corruption Commission to Former President Rupiah Banda is entirely bogus and without foundation.
“This letter forms part of a wider crackdown against the rights of the opposition, and is clearly an attempt by a morally bankrupt regime to hold trial by headline,” said Amsterdam. “The political manipulation of the ACC by the PF government is a sad commentary on the present state of affairs in Zambia.”
“Unfortunately, in Zambia today under the PF, the anti-corruption campaign has itself become discredited and corrupted as a tool of political persecution judging by the arbitrary selection of targets, inaction on cases of actual substance, and the fundamental lack of evidence,” said Amsterdam. “This latest absurdity concerning former President Banda cannot be taken seriously.”
Mr Amsterdam said that last December, President Michael Sata publicly threatened Ms. Wandi telling her that the ACC would have to ask his permission to investigate government ministers – an event which prompted outcry from civil society groups such as the Law Association of Zambia.
Controversial African football expert Mamadou Gaye says a brand new Africa king will be crowned this weekend but stuck to his guns that Zambia were lucky winners and that he is happy Didier Drogba is gone.
Gaye told Tuesday’s edition of 083 sports With Robert Marawa on Metro FM that it will be an all-Sahel final between Mali and Burkina Faso on February 10 at Soccer City.
“A Zambian journalist he told me Herve Renard, that is his opinion, I will not reveal his name, was just a lucky man,” Gaye said.
“Because the team he took there you remember very well the Italian coach before he came did all the job prepared the team put everything in place.
“He qualified Zambia just to be kicked out before the Nation’s Cup. Herve Renard came and took over that is how he won the cup.
“He was telling me that Herve Renard had a full year to prepare his own plan, to prepare his own team for 2013 what is the result champions kicked out in the first round.
“Of course they are still the champions but at they have brought the cup to South Africa it is no longer in the coffers in Lusaka at the moment it is here in Jozi.”
And Gaye blamed Didier Drogba for Cote d’Ivoire’s failure to win the Africa Cup saying a team, not stars win the tournament.
“It is not about players announcing retirement for me it is about the coach, it is about the 23 players,” Gaye said.
Gaye went on to allege that Cote d’Ivoire coach Sabri Lamouchi was brought in by Drogba.
“I still remember what Drogba says I remember it was last year saying he will carry on until after Brazil 2014 I said who are you to say that I will be there until Brazil 2014 what about if the coach don’t pick you?” Gaye said.
“This is the kind of influence that Drogba has in the team in general the coach that is there you have just talked about the profile of the coach he never coached in his entire life.
“He got his coaching license two months later everybody was shocked seeing him being the head coach of Cote d’Ivoire even as assistant coach he never coached any where even a third or fourth division now that coach can be bought by the players especially Drogba and I said it now it has become a club of friends if Drogba is there (Salomon) Kalou must be there, Siaka Tiene who never played the whole season sitting on the bench of PSG .
“He did not kick a single ball but because he is part of the club of Drogba and friends they decide and say coach we have brought you a player and you must bring him. It backfires that game against Nigeria Drogba had no business there.”
Chipolopolo Boys’ coach Herve Renard’s decision to maintain the same squad ahead of the forthcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifying games next month has elated soccer fans in the country.
And his counterpart Yotam Mwanza, the Chipolopolo boys Soccer Fans Association Chairperson, has noted that his organization supports Renard’s decision not to change the squad for the qualifying World Cup games.
Chipolopolo boys Brass Band Supporters Chairperson Chisenga Lwipa says the stance taken by the Frenchman was a step in the right direction.
Lwipa told ZANIS sports in a telephone interview in Lusaka today that this shows Renard still confident in the 2012 AFCON champions despite what he called their dismal performance in the on-going 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.
He was certain that the squad has greater chances of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for the first in the history Zambia.
Lwipa pointed out that it was possible for the Chipolopolo boys as former Africa Champions to qualify to the World Cup as they are leading group D with six points, three better than group rivals, Ghana.
“ Failure to defend the AFCON trophy is not the end of the world. It is an opportunity for the Chipolopolos to go and represent Zambia at the World Cup by ensuring that win all the remaining games during the qualifiers, ‘ he said.
Lwipa however called on all Soccer fan bodies to come to together, merge and be incorporated in the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) as key partners.
He added that this would be of great importance as it will assist to ensure that they offer all the necessary moral support all the way until the Chipolopolo boys qualify to the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Chipolopolo boys Soccer Fans Association Chairperson Yotam Mwanza noted that his organization agrees with Renard’s move not to change the squad for the qualifying World Cup games.
Mwanza stressed that the squad that the Frenchman prepared for the AFCON was good enough to make it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He added this was because the team was experienced and all what was needed is to put in place more strategic good mechanisms that would add value for them to qualify.
Mwanza stated that it was therefore imperative for all soccer fans to rally behind Renard’s decision and give total support to the squad as they are on a crucial journey to qualify to the World Cup in Brazil.
The Chipolopolo boys will face Lesotho in consecutive matches for the World Cup qualifiers before hosting Sudan and an away fixture to Ghana.
Zambia is currently leading Group D with six points, three better than second placed Ghana while Sudan and Lesotho have a point each.
President of opposition National Movement for Progress (NMP) Ng’andu Magande has said taking part in by-elections was not a priority for his party at the moment.
Mr. Magande said his party’s current preoccupation was to see how it can effectively contribute to national development.
He told ZANIS in Lusaka today that NMP would engage in progressive politics as opposed to politics of insults and unnecessary criticism.
Mr. Magande said it was extremely self deception for some political parties to claim that electorates were supporting them when they knew they were not.
He advised other political parties to stop making claims of popularity in some areas saying only results can determine their popularity.
Mr. Magande observed that politics should not be about making mere rhetoric but instead getting things done in accordance with people’s wishes and aspirations.
And the NMP leader has expressed happiness with members of his party that took part in various provincial constitutional conventions recently.
Mr. Magande explained that participating in democracy was not only about contesting in elections but also about pushing for good governance and delivery of quality services to citizens.
He has meanwhile bemoaned the high levels of character assassinations among the major political players saying this would only promote retardation of economic growth of Zambia.
Meanwhile, Mr. Magande has commended the Electoral Commission of Zambia for holding workshops with a number of political parties on the importance of having peaceful and fair elections.
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah says indigenous African national team coaches need to be respected if they are to achieve more success.
Appiah is one of two local coaches at the helm of a team in the semifinals at the 2013 Africa Cup in South Africa together with Stephen Keshi of Nigeria.
“I have totally respect for white coaches but once a black coach is given an opportunity, especially the media, need to put their support behind the black coach as they would have done with a white coach,” Appiah said at Ghana pre-match briefing at Ingwenyama Lodge in Nelspruit on Tuesday ahead of Wednesdays semifinal clash against Burkina Faso at Mbombela Stadium.
“The other most important thing is this black coach must be strong and not allow people to do what they want.
“And most of the times that is what happens with black coaches; people take opportunities to try and push you around, but once you stand your ground you will be fine.”
Appiah, who won gold for Ghana at the 2011 All-Africa Games, was appointed Ghana coach in April 2012 taking over from Goran Stevanovic.
“If they get the support needed, they can do the same things anything any (white) coach would do,” the ex-Ghana captain said.
Appiah is hoping to emulate his compatriot the legendary Black Stars coach Charles Gyamfi who won the Africa Cup three times in 1963, 1965 and in what was Ghana’s last triumph in Libya in 1982.
Zambia’s Africa Cup debutant Mukuka Mulenga has failed to make it on FIFA’s new discoveries at the on-going 2013 Africa Cup.
The list includes two South African players despite the teams all-round modest displays on their way to reaching the quarterfinals.
Mukuka,19 of Power Dynamos who came on as a second half substitute in all three of Zambia’s Group C matches had an outstanding tournament despite Chipolopolo’s early exit.
The players on the list are all from quarterfinal teams and include Togo defender Djene Fakonam, Ghana goalkeeper Fatawu Dauda, South Africa midfielder Dean Furman and Nigerian midfielder Sunday Mba.
Others are Cape Verde midfielder Ryan Mendes, Bafana-Bafana winger Thuso Phala and Mali defender Molla Wague.
The Nigeria duo of Godfrey Oboabona and Kenneth Omeruo including Ghana midfielder Mubarak Wakaso complete the list.
FORMER United States President Jimmy Carter has written to Zambia’s Former Rupiah Bwezani Banda, appointing him leader of a 50-person Carter Centre international observer mission for next month’s general elections in Kenya.
In a letter dated February 1, 2013, President Carter said he was grateful to President Banda for his past service on election observer missions in the Republic of Sierra Leone in 2012 and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.
“Staff have reported to me your immense contributions to Sierra Leone’s recent election, where your leadership and diplomacy contributed to acceptance of results and a peaceful post-election period,” said the 39th US President who served from 1977 to 1981.
The Kenyan general elections will be held on March 4, 2013 to elect a new president after the expiry of incumbent President Mwai Kibaki’s two terms in office.
In inviting President Banda to the Kenyan elections, President Carter made special mention of the former Zambian head of State’s ability to add value to the Carter Centre delegation in Kenya.
“I invite you to serve as a leader to our delegation. Your experience, knowledge and political leadership would be invaluable to the mission. I hope that you will be able to join us,” wrote the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
And President Banda says he is honoured by the invitation to lead the Carter Centre delegation to Kenya, stressing that he will always be available to play his part in helping e4lection observer missions whose purpose is to ensure free and fair elections which the African continent is in great need of.
“I am grateful to the Carter Centre and all the other observer missions that have requested for my participation in their programmes. I will never shy away from continuing being of service to my continent and humanity in general,” said the former Zambian head of State.
Last month, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), in partnership with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, and the Kenyatta University School of Law invited President Banda to deliver a keynote speech at an international conference called to prepare for the elections.
Apart from leading the Carter Centre missions to Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Banda was also head of the EISA observer mission to the National Assembly elections in the Royal Kingdom of Lesotho in 2012.
FILE: MMD president Dr Nevers Mumba speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka.
MMD President Nevers Mumba has strongly condemned the decision by the Anti-Corruption Commission to summon Former Republican President Rupiah Banda over allegations of corruption and other criminal activities.
Dr Mumba said the MMD is appalled at the abuse of both office and constitution by President Michael Sata and the PF government.
He said President Sata’s instruction to the ACC to demand that Mr. Banda be summoned is a major breach of the constitution which has provided immunity to the former Head of State.
Dr. Mumba told a media briefing in Lusaka this afternoon that Mr. Banda enjoys immunity and that the demand for him to face the law enforcement agencies in an illegality that must be stopped.
“As a party, we do not seek to defend any wrong doing by anyone of us. If there is something wrong done while Mr. Banda was President, that can only be pursued by following constitutional provisions,” Dr. Mumba said.
He said the MMD considers the action by the ACC as part of the ongoing harassment of MMD leaders with the hope of destabilizing the party.
[pullquote]“It is immoral for this government to have released the letter from the ACC to the public media before serving it on Mr. Banda, this shows that the whole exercise is in bad faith and Zambians must demand that procedure of law is followed.”[/pullquote]
“We have not reacted to President Sata in his unreasonable assault on the opposition. His total disregard for the Law and the constitution he had sworn to defend. Today’s action is a step too far.”
Dr. Mumba said the action comes at a time when the PF wishes to sidetrack the population which is demanding to know the whereabouts of the President and his condition.
“The action also seeks to divert people’s attention from the failed policies of the PF administration,” Dr. Mumba stated.
He warned that the blatant disregard for the law and constitution continues to provide necessary material for the impeachment of the President.
Dr. Mumba alleged that President Sata wants to freeze the constitution so that he can govern by decree.
“The MMD is ready to stop the PF from fatally injuring the democratic gains made under the MMD leadership. We shall fight using all constitution avenues available to us including impeachment which now remains a strong alternative to stop this President from ruling by decree.”
He also condemned the action by the ACC to release the letter to all state media even before Mr. Banda could be served with the letter.
“It is immoral for this government to have released the letter from the ACC to the public media before serving it on Mr. Banda, this shows that the whole exercise is in bad faith and Zambians must demand that procedure of law is followed.”
File:Mini bus sharing sidewalk with pedestrians because middle of road is flooded
Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga has disclosed that the drainage system at Kulima tower bus station in Lusaka has not been worked on because it was omitted in the renovation contract for all other pieces of infrastructure at the station.Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka today, Mr. Chisenga regretted that the drainage component was omitted when the renovation contract was signed with the contractors.He described the omission as serious.He noted that it was because of this omission that the bus station experiences flooding after rains.
Mr. Chisenga however assured the public that a proper drainage system will be put up at the station in phase two of the renovations which will commence soon.He said the council was concerned about the flood situation in several parts of the city and has therefore commenced emergency works on drainages.
Mr. Chisenga said the emergency works include unblocking and reinstating drains along roads in the central business district and residential areas in Lusaka.He also disclosed that about KR200 million has so far been spent on drainage works in the city.
And Mr. Chisenga said the council was facing challenges of clearing waste generated from drainages because it has no light trucks.
He said the council has not been very effective in working on drainages along Cairo Road due to lack of equipment to unblock underground drainages.
Mr. Chisenga explained that the council has to hire equipment it uses to unblock underground drainages at a high cost.He called on the public to be patient as government wants to find a lasting solution that will make yearly flooding a thing of the past.
PF supporters (right) stand in grief as a postmortem of late Johan Lyakoka (whose coffin wait on the left) was being conducted inside Batoka Hospital Mortuary
PRELIMINARY results of a postmortem conducted on Patriotic Front (PF) Livingstone by-election campaign manager Obvious Mwaliteta’s cook Johan Lyakoka who died on Saturday have indicated that the death was as a result of a road traffic accident.
The body of Lyakoka, aged 19, was found in the early hours of Saturday on Livingstone-Lusaka Road opposite Crossroad Lodge.
Southern Province police chief Charity Katanga said preliminary results of yesterday’s postmortem revealed that Mr Lyakoka died after a hit and ran road accident in Livingstone.
Ms Katanga said the initial results have since been communicated to the family of the deceased people.
After the postmortem, the body of Mr Lyakoka was taken to Sioma District in Western Province for burial.
South African poultry group Rainbow Chicken has announced plans to buy a 49 percent stake in Zambeef’s ZamChick.
The firm says it will pay $14.25 million in cash for the stake.
ZamChick currently manages and operates Zambeef’s chicken broiler business, including the broiler houses, chicken abattoir and processing plant.
Zambeef is a major player in the Zambian agri-business market and has an established track record in operating in African markets with operations in Zambia, Ghana and Nigeria.
In a statement Rainbow Chicken called it an “exciting opportunity” to “take the poultry industry in Zambia to a new level”.
The transaction is subject to Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Zambia approval and approval from South African Reserve Bank.
South African poultry Rainbow Chicken will buy a minority stake in ZamChick of Zambia as part of an African expansion plan
Zambeef and Rainbow are each entitled to appoint 2 directors to the ZamChick board of directors, with Zambeef continuing to manage the day to day operations of ZamChick and Rainbow providing technical assistance.
Police in Kasama had a tough time to control the crowd scrambling for meal-mealie at Kasama milling TAZARA outlet yesterday.
And ZANIS news crew that rushed to the scene found long queuing as people struggled to buy the commodity.
The residents told ZANIS that the millers have caused an artificial shortage by packaging the commodity in 10 kilogrammes (kg) bags and not in 25 kg bags and are selling the small bags at KR25.
And a survey carried out in town revealed that all outlets had no 25 kg bags of mealie-meal.
At PTJ Supermarket only 10 kg bags of mealie-meal were found while at National Milling Company, management had put up a notice that there was no mealie-meal in the shop.
And when contacted for a comment, Northern Province Minister Col. Garry Chanda said the shortage was created by greedy millers who have taken advantage of the situation by creating an artificial shortage of 25 kg bags of mealie-meal.
He said Food Reserve Agency has enough stocks of white maize in the shed and in order to control the situation he directed that households to be buying two bags of 25 kg of white maize.
Kasama district has in the recent past recorded shortage of 25kg bag of meal mealie causing panic to consumers.
