Kabwe Municipal council has confiscated about 69 stray goats from four compounds in Kabwe District.

Council public relations manager Anne Mumba said the council moved into action to confiscate stray animals in compounds following concerns by the public.

Ms Mumba explained that the council had gone round communities sensitizing the residents on the need to have their animals caged.

She said despite the sensitization programmes the residents had continued to let their animals stray away into the streets and destroying fields.

Ms Mumba added that the council had given the animal owners an ultimatum of that had come to an end.

She said the council was keeping the animals and had given the owners of the animals an ultimatum in which to pay K450,000 fine failure to which the animals would be auctioned.

She urged all people in the communities keeping livestock to ensure that their animals are caged to avoid been confiscated.

She added that the animals that were confiscated are goats which had become a nuisance as they were destroying people’s crops.

Five people in Chief Kazembe in the valley area of Lundazi district are admitted in Kazembe clinic nursing injuries they sustained following ZAWA officers assault.

Kazembe Ward Councilor Reuben Zimba told ZANIS in Lundazi that the incident happened recently when ZAWA officers conducted a night search patrol in five villages and in the process beat-up several people including children.

Mr Zimba lamented that ZAWA officers believed to have come from Kanusha ZAWA camp in Chief Chifunda in Chama district conducted a search patrol but failed to find any game meat nor snares and in frustration went on rampage beating up innocent people including children in nearby villages.

The civic leader named Maiko Phiri aged 25 and Rodrick Phiri 46 both of Kango village, Gibson Nyirenda 30 of Sokotoko, Londa Phiri 23 of Chinyampe and Kafwila Banda 23 of Kafwila villages as victims assaulted by ZAWA officers.

Mr Zimba further claimed that Lyson Phiri 24 of Kango village was apprehended and is currently in police cells at Lundazi boma following his request to see a search warrant, a measure he was arrested for and charged for obstructions.

But when contacted for comment, Chifunda ZAWA camp Park Ranger, Justine Chisako could neither confirm nor deny, however he referred all queries to Eastern Province Area Warden Ms Lusuzi Mwale who refused to comment saying she was on leave.

Meanwhile, (ZAWA) Officers have arrested three suspected men for allegedly being in possession of government trophy contrary to the laws of Zambia.

ZAWA Prosecutions officer based at Kaoma, Evans Mushimbalume confirmed the incident to ZANIS this week and identified the trio as Charles Kapenda 38, Muti Chinyemba 25, both of Kalamba area in Chief Mutondo’s chiefdom and Katanda Katanda 51, of Kaado area in TBZ of Nkeyema district.

Mr Mushimbalume said the trio were apprehended in Kafue National park on Monday this week and were found with sable dried game meat weighing about 20 kilogrammes and an oribi dried game meat weighing 2kgs without authority from ZAWA.

He said the three were also found with one shotgun serial number 55988 without the firearms license.

Mr Mushimbalume said the suspects have since been charged with three counts of unlawful possession of government trophy without authority from ZAWA, illegal entry into the Kafue National Park and being in possession of a shotgun without a firearm license.

He said the trio will appear for plea in Kaoma magistrate court tomorrow and are currently remanded in Kaoma police cells.

Mr Mushimbalume has however, appealed to those engaged in poaching activities in all the three districts namely Luampa, Kaoma and Nkeyema respectively to desist from such illegal vices as the law will visit anyone found wanting.

ZANIS

The price of mealie-meal in Mungwi has continued to maintain an upward trend despite government instituting regulatory measures.

A survey by ZANIS in Mungwi today revealed that the price of a 25kg breakfast is costing K70, 000 while a 25kg roller meal is fetching K45, 000 at the three (3) suppliers of the commodity.

Local dealers at Mungwi market have attributed the price of mealie meal to high transportation costs from Kasama to Mungwi.

One dealer Gilbert Mulenga says they were getting a 25kg breakfast at K 61,000 and a roller meal at K40, 000 from Kasama adding that they could not sell the commodity at not less than K70,000 and K45,000 respectively due to the high transportation costs.

Some residents have however expressed fear that the price of mealie-meal would go up further if government does intervene.

Meanwhile, the supply of the commodity has greatly improved following government’s ban on the exportation of maize to other countries.

A check at Mungwi market found huge stocks of breakfast and roller meal.

And Mealie-meal prices have drastically increased in Nakonde district of Muchinga Province despite government having released more maize to all the millers in the country.

A snap survey carried by the Zambia News and Information Services( ZANIS) in the district yesterday revealed that many retailers in the area had increased the commodity by K11,000 and K8,000 for Roller meal and breakfast respectively.

A 25 kg bag of roller meal is now selling at K79, 000 from K68, 000 while breakfast meal is now being sold at K80, 000 from K72, 000 last week.

One of the retailers who trade as Remnant Investments told ZANIS that the hike in mealie-meal prices in the area is due to high transport costs they were incurring when transporting the commodity from Lusaka to Nakonde.

Another retailer Enock Sikanyika explained that there were so many factors that contributed to the increase in the mealie-meal price in the area.

Mr Sikanyika said that transport, loading and offloading fees were very high hence forcing them to increases the retail price.

Mr Sikanyika further appealed to all the wholesalers in the country to consider reducing the commodity price further in order for the retailers to do the same.

But Nakonde District Commissioner James Singoyi has described the mealie-meal price increase in the area as unjustifiable.

Mr. Singoyi said that last week Government released some more maize to the millers through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in order to see a reduction in the mealie-meal prices country wide.

Mr Singoyi said consumers in Nakonde are being exploited as they do not expect the price of the commodity to start going up following government’s intervention.

The District Commissioner said that the drastic increase in mealie-meal prices at Nakonde border was due to some traders who were reportedly illegally exporting maize to the neighboring countries.

Mr Singoyi has since warned that whoever will be found exporting maize to the neighboring countries illegally, will be dealt with firmly once caught.

He said that government decided to offload more maize to the millers in the country in order for the local people to benefit and not the foreigners.

ZANIS

Chiefs from Central Province have strongly condemned Members of Parliament (MPs) defecting from one political party to another.

The Chiefs say defections are uncalled for and just drain huge resources from the nation.

Reading the resolutions on behalf of other chiefs in Kabwe, Chieftainess Mwenzwa of the Illa speaking people in Itezhi-tezhi district, said money meant for by-elections could be channelled to needy areas like construction of roads, schools, health and police posts among other capital projects.

The traditional leaders made their resolutions during the consultative meeting for chiefs organised by government through the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.

The chiefs lamented that by-elections are costly to the nation and appealed to MPs against being ‘political prostitutes’.

“As chiefs, we add our voices on MPs who have a developed a tendency of running from one party to another. This conduct is un-called for and a drain on our meagre financial resources. Money meant for by-election can be channled to needy areas particularly improving the livelihood of our subjects in our chiefdoms,” charged the traditional leaders.

The traditional leaders, drawn from the chiefdoms of the Illas, Lenjes and Swakas drawn from Central Province, also resolved to be non-partisan and pledged total support to the Government of the day.

The Chiefs noted strongly that they made their resolution knowing very well that all politicians were their children.

And Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister, Nkandu Luo, commended the chiefs for their wise decision and that government would depend on them for guidance and wise counsel.

Prof Luo said government is in a hurry to taking development closer to the people in chiefdoms.

She, however, appealed to the traditional leaders to help government fight all forms of gender based violence, early marriages and excessive beer drinking in their chiefdoms because the vices retard development.

ZANIS

A two years old boy of Muselepete compound in Kasempa district died after falling into a ditch yesterday while his mother was reported to be out with the boyfriend.

According to police confirmation, the boy was left alone in the house around 22:00hours on Christmas Eve while the mother, Maureen Kanyata, 20, went out clubbing with a boyfriend.

Kasempa Police Officer in-Charge Clement Nchimunya said the boy upon realizing that he was alone went outside the house in the hope of finding the mother but ended up being soaked with the heavy rains and slipped into a hole.

Police have since detained the mother of the little boy awaiting further investigations and postmortem.

Meanwhile, Kasempa police have arrested about 15 people on Chrismas day for conduct likely to cause the breach of peace contrary to section of the penal of the laws of Zambia.

Mr Nchumunya noted that apart from the 15 people arrested, the district was generally peaceful and incident free.

And Mr Nchimunya has also commended the Inspector General of police for providing Kasempa police with a land cruiser to easy operations and described the vehicle as good for the terrene.

Kasempa police has for the past one year been operating without its own vehicle which had been difficult to conduct operations.

ZANIS