The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) in Mpika district of Muchinga Province has seized a total of 1,035 KG s of loose cannabis, making it the first ever largest seizure in the country in recent years.

Ten people from Lubunga Village have been arrested in a village sweep operation conducted by DEC.

The ten who are remanded at Mpika police station are expected to appear in court soon.

Chief Mpumba of the Bemba people of Mpika district disclosed this to Muchinga Province Minister Charles Banda when he paid a courtesy call on him at his palace yesterday.

Chief Mpumba said there is need to encourage such operations adding that drugs such as cannabis have serious effects on one’s life.

And Muchinga Province Minister Charles Banda said he is happy with the seizure and has appealed to the DEC not to relent in its quest to rid the country of illicit drugs.

Meanwhile, Chief Mpumba has expressed great concern over the indiscriminate killing of wild animals in his chiefdom and has appealed to the Zambia Wild Life Authority (ZAWA) to quickly intervene.

Chief Mpumba says because of the rising waters in most of the rivers and streams, animals are running away coming to the upper land and locals are taking advantage of the same to kill them.

Mr. Banda, who was recently transferred to Muchinga Province from Eastern, is on a familiarization tour of the region to check on developmental projects in the area.

Mr. Banda is also taking time to visit chiefs to explain government programmes and plans for development

And DEC has arrested a businessman and a traditional healer, both of Lusaka for being in possession of more than K60 million (KR60, 000) counterfeit notes.

DEC Public Relations Officer Samuel Silomba said Gilbert Phiri, 45, a businessman of Chaisa compound has been arrested and jointly charged with Nelson Banda, 33, a traditional healer also of Chaisa for being in possession of K60.2 million counterfeit notes.

Mr. Silomba said the duo was apprehended at Chaisa Bus Stop in Lusaka.

Meanwhile, Mr. Silomba said the Commission has arrested 10 people for trafficking in over one tonne of loose cannabis in Mpika.

He said the 10 were apprehended in Lubunga village in chief Mpumba’s area in Mpika district and appeared for plea in Mpika magistrate court on Wednesday.

Trial in the case commences on February 11, 2013 in Mpika magistrate courts.

And on the Copperbelt, the Commission has arrested a 32 year old man of Ndola for trafficking in diazepam.

Mr. Silomba said Musompo Musonda, 32, of 2216 Kabushi in Ndola has been arrested for trafficking in 223 tablets of diazepam weighing 39.2g.

ZANIS

The Lusaka provincial constitution consultative convention has amended article 38 of the draft constitution to transform state-owned media such as the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to public owned media.

The convention has amended clause 4 (a) to remove state-owned and replaced with public owned so that it can read as all public owned media shall be free to determine independently the editorial content of their broadcasts or communications.

Delegates to the convention argued that in a democratic nation, the freedom of the press was cardinal but noted that in Zambia the national broadcaster, ZNBC operates as a state owned media.

Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda noted that there was need to introduce another clause to cater for a state owned media which will be distinct from the public owned media.

But Kellies Kaunda, a MISA representative, observed that the need to replace state-owned with public owned was in line with the revision of the ZNBC act.

Meanwhile, ZNBC Director of Finance Victor Nyasulu, who is also a delegate at the convention, clarified that the national broadcaster was owned by the state with the majority shareholdings belonging to government through the Ministry of Finance.

Mr. Nyasulu noted that based on the ownership of ZNBC, it has been operating as a state-owned media house although it was striving to serve the interest of the public.

He said amending the clause would further enable the media to serve the public better but did not clarify how the shareholding would be transferred from government to other stakeholders for it to be a public media.

And the Lusaka convention has retain with amendments, the access to information article of the draft constitution which states that citizens have the right to access information held by the state and information held by another person.

Meanwhile, the convention has retained article 35, clause 1 and 2 of the draft constitution on the freedom of religion and conscience.

The article states that a person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion and that a person has the right either individually or in a community with others, in public or in privacy to manifest any religion or belief through worship, observance, practice or teaching.

ZANIS

Chief Government Spokesperson, Kennedy Sakeni, has dismissed as petty and irritating claims by the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) vice president Brian Chituwo that government had a hand in the nullification of the former ruling party’s parliamentary seats in Kapiri Mposhi and Lukulu West by the Supreme Court.

Mr. Sakeni said government played no role in the dispensation of justice by the judiciary in line with the principles of the three arms of government and it was therefore baseless for Dr. Chituwo to accuse the government of wanting to destroy the former ruling party simply because it had lost a court case.

He explained that it was not the first and last time the courts annulled an election because the constitution provided for a losing candidate to file a petition when dissatisfied by the election result.

Mr. Sakeni, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said this in a press statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

He added that history was replete with examples in which both the ruling and the opposition parties have had their seats annulled or upheld by the courts of law after being petitioned by a losing candidate.

Mr. Sakeni said the courts of law are the custodians of justice and Dr. Chituwo should therefore respect the institution because his insinuations and accusations meant that the learned bench was incapable of making independent decisions.

He said he was aware that the MMD used to interfere with the judiciary when it was in office but that the PF would never sink so low as to start mutilating the laws that it was sworn to uphold.

He further said it should now dawn on the MMD and all political parties that electoral malpractices did not pay and could lead to annulment of an election.

Mr. Sakeni has since reaffirmed government’s commitment to improving the living standards of people saying government would not engage in unproductive political discourse such as destroying a party which was killing.

He advised the MMD not to use the government as a scapegoat for its dwindling political fortunes.

ZANIS

President Michael Sata has assured the Catholic Church and Zambians in general that sufficient progress is being recorded in terms of governance and development.

This is contained in a press statement just released to the media today by his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, George Chellah.

The Head of State, who was responding to the Pastoral letter signed by 13 Catholic Bishops, among them the Archbishop of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu, Archbishop of Kasama Ignatius Chama and Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) vice president Alick Banda, said his administration values the close working relationship it enjoys with the Church.

“As elected representatives of the people, the Patriotic Front (PF) Government remains open to dialogue as an important aspect of nation building, unity and development.  We therefore take note of the pertinent issues raised by the Catholic Church in the Pastoral Statement on the occasion of their January 2013 Plenary,” President Sata said.

President Sata reiterated that since assuming office, the PF Government has left its doors open to dialogue on many national issues and has further established other platforms and processes, such as the on-going Constitution-making process, through which various issues are being addressed.

President Sata guaranteed that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government will not depart from its commitment of upholding the fundamental tenets of democracy, good governance and the rule of law as espoused in its party manifesto.

“The concerns raised by our beloved and revered Bishops in their Pastoral letter with respect to the spate of parliamentary by-elections cannot be blamed on this administration, but can be traced back to poor and autocratic leadership in political parties that have failed to inspire their parliamentarians,” President Sata said.

“It is therefore, unfair to criticize the PF Government when opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) decide to quit due to intolerable situations solely incited by high-handed leaders in their political parties. By law, it remains a requirement that within three months of a seat falling vacant, a by-election ought to be held.

“It has to be borne in mind that whatever the cause, the law has to be upheld. Within the democratic discourse of a multiparty political system, the principles of free entry and free exit to and from one party to the other cannot be outlawed. And we welcome a broad range of law-abiding citizens, including MPs to join the party.”

The Head of State further said it should be recalled that this is not the first time that such a political situation is prevailing in the country.

“As regards the appointment of some MPs from the opposition, we wish to remain true to the Constitutional order that permits any elected MP to be eligible to be appointed as minister. Again here there is no violation of the Constitution in any way because all MPs are eligible to be appointed to ministerial posts. This position is not new. Others before me have appointed MPs from other parties. It is therefore grossly unfair to accuse us of creating by-elections.”

The President said his administration fully understands its limitations as enshrined in the Republican Constitution.

Government has vowed not to take kindly to any media institution that will be publishing misleading and unresearched information so as to cause alarm and instability in the country.

Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga said the role of the media was to objectively inform their audiences about what was happening in the country and beyond so that people can make informed decisions.

Mr. Malupenga said government was however still committed to the promotion of media freedom by allowing media institutions to operate without interference.

He said this in a speech read for him by Ministry of Information Acting Director for Planning, Press and Public Relations, Beaton Kaluba at the 10th anniversary of Breeze FM Radio station and launch of the radio station’s expansion programme and internet broadcasting services in Chipata last evening.

He said his ministry was concerned about the way some media players were taking advantage of government’s kindness by publishing malicious, defamatory and false stories about some private citizens and government in general.

Mr. Malupenga stated that this was not the type of media freedom government wants to be associated with as it was both unprofessional and unethical.

He congratulated Breeze FM on its 10th anniversary and appealed to its management and staff to continue working with all stakeholders in providing useful information to the public.

Meanwhile, Breeze FM Managing Director Michael Daka said his station has made the people in both urban and rural parts of Chipata district one of the most well informed in local and international affairs.

Mr. Daka, who is also the founder of Breeze FM, disclosed that through its expansion programme, the station has doubled its radius over the last 10 years.

He also revealed that the station has an average audience of about one million listeners adding that this was a huge responsibility.

Mr. Daka however bemoaned lack of financial support from local companies for the station to meet transmission costs.

And Eastern Province Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary Zachariah Luhanga said the station was a platform for government to know how people were reacting to various projects which it was implementing in the district.

Mr. Luhanga has since pledged government’s support in helping the station expand its programming so that more local people can benefit than before.

ZANIS