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The Week in Pictures
Kabimba’s bribe refusal claim aimed at diluting ACC probe
Various stakeholders have expressed concern over Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba’s recent statement suggesting that he rejected a bribe from a named company which approached him in an effort to win the contract for the supply of crude oil to Zambia.
This is a matter he is being investigated by the Anti Corruption Commission.
The Zambia Youths Association in the Fight against Corruption (ZYAFAC) says the statement by Mr. Kabimba is an attempt to dilute people’s perception on the ongoing investigations.
In an interview with Qfm news, Association Executive Director Rickson Kanema says Mr. Kabimba is a learned legal practitioner who understands the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Act very well.
Mr. Kanema says offering a bribe is an offence under the ACC law and wonders why Mr. Kabimba did not report the company in question to the ACC.
He has therefore challenged the Justice Minister to furnish the ACC with information and report the same company to relevant authority for attempting to corrupt a public official.
And Zambia Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) president Cephus Mukuka says Mr. Kabimba’s remark is an attempt to pre-empty the ongoing probe by the ACC.
Mr. Mukuka has told Qfm that Mr. Kabimba should have kept quite and allow the Anti Corruption Commission to present its findings to the Zambian people.
In a separate interview, International Fellowship of Christian Churches (IFCC) President, Bishop Simon Chihana says Mr. Kabimba’s statement is aimed at influencing the public opinion on the matter in order to come out clean.
Bishop Chihana says the Justice Minister should wait for the ACC to clear him of his corruption allegation and not seeking to prove his innocence in the public eye by making statements that are capable of jeopardizing the investigations.
Zambia Council for Social Development Country coordinator for local governance capacity development and support project Humphrey Sikapizye says the justice minister’s statement puts the findings of the ACC at risk.
QFM
Chiefs from Eastern province want copies of 2013 budget yellow book in their palaces
Chiefs from Eastern province have asked for the copies of the 2013 budget (yellow book) so that they closely follow projects which government is implementing.
The chiefs said the yellow book would enable them to move at the same pace and speak the same language with government in terms of development.
Reading the resolutions on behalf of other chiefs in Chipata, chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni speaking people, who is also outgoing House of Chiefs Chairperson, said it was difficult to follow what government was doing because of not having copies of the yellow book.
The traditional leaders made their decision during the consultative meeting for chiefs which was organised by government through the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs.
He argued that chiefs were also key partners in the process of developing the country hence the need for them to have copies of yellow books.
“As chiefs, we are also a major stakeholder in the development process of our country but we regret that the yellow book is only given to Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers leaving us and putting us in an awkward situation to follow what is happening sometimes in our own chiefdoms,” chief Madzimawe lamented.
And the chiefs have appealed to the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection to carry out a national land audit in Zambia to establish the total land in the country.
The traditional leaders demand to know how land in Zambia was being allocated and utilised.
The chiefs alleged that customary land was being abused by the state hence the need to ascertain the hectors they were entitled to issue out to their subjects and to other potential investors including government developmental projects.
And Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkandu Luo said she would forward traditional leaders’ concerns to the Head of State on the matter.
Professor Luo told the traditional leaders to submit the resolutions to President Michael Sata so that he can address their plight.
ZANIS
President Sata’s directive on Street Vendors misunderstood-PS
Central Province Permanent Secretary, Anne Sinyangwe, has warned local authorities against using the Presidential directive on street vending as an excuse for the influx of street vending in the province.
Mrs Sinyangwe said when President Michael Sata allowed street vendors to continue trading in the streets until alternative areas are found for them he did not mean that the traders, who already have trading spaces in the markets, should leave the markets to trade outside.
The Permanent Secretary said what the head of state meant was that people who wanted to trade but had no places to display their merchandize should temporarily be allowed to trade on the streets until an alternative place is found.
She said this does not mean that even districts with fewer traders and available markets, like Itezhi-tezhi, should trade on the streets.
Mrs Sinyangwe said there is no need for marketeers in Itezhi-tezhi to move to the streets because the district already has two spacious markets that can accommodate a lot of traders.
She said she is aware that the council recently constructed the New Masemu Market to allow more people with business prospects to trade in.
The Permanent Secretary, therefore, directed the council to ensure that street vendors in the district relocate to the markets to ensure cleanliness in the area.
[pullquote]The Permanent Secretary said what the head of state meant was that people who wanted to trade but had no places to display their merchandize should temporarily be allowed to trade on the streets until an alternative place is found.[/pullquote]
Mrs Sinyangwe said the council should not use President Sata’s directive as an excuse for the many misdeeds happening on the streets because the President’s statement was directed to a few people in places where all the markets were fully occupied.
She said it is understandable for big cities like Lusaka and Kitwe to record high levels of street vending because they have a considerable population and most of the markets are filled unlike in smaller districts.
She further directed the council to apply the guidelines in the Local Authority Act and ensure that high levels of hygiene are maintained to avoid diarrhoeal diseases, especially now that it is rainy season.
Mrs Sinyangwe also directed the council to improve sanitation at the markets, install street lights and use the Keep Zambia Clean and Healthy campaign vehicle for the intended purpose.
And the Permanent Secretary has appealed to the women marketeers at the New Masemu Market to form women’s clubs and apply for loans in order for them to boost their business.
She said the women should seize the opportunity as it is the only way through which government can empower them with more money in their pockets.
Mrs Sinyangwe also urged youths to equally come up with their clubs and engage in economically viable activities so as to attract government intervention.
She said it is time the women and youths of Itezhi-tezhi rose to the occasion and applied for funds through the Office of the District Commissioner rather than sit and complain that the government has neglected them.
Earlier, New Masemu Market Committee Chairperson, Peter Ng’andwe, complained that despite the adequate space in the markets, street vending was growing at a fast rate in the district.
Mr Ng’andwe said as a result, there was too much litter in the streets which, if not controlled, will have a great effect on people’s health in as far as contracting contagious diseases like cholera, dysentery and typhoid is concerned.
He also complained against the poor sanitation, lack of running water and security lights at the market.
Mr Ng’andwe also wondered why, despite the availability of the Keep Zambia Clean and Health Campaign vehicle, the marketeers were forced to ferry the garbage at the market using their own means.
He complained that the vehicle was being abused by the local authority as it was being used to ferry beer to the Council Motel and for other purposes than sanitation activities.
ZANIS
Two trucks laden with FRA maize plung into Kabompo river
Two trucks belonging to Radikal Business Solutions of Kitwe ferrying 100x 50 kilograms Food Reserve Agency (FRA) maize have plunged into Kabompo river.
The two truck plunged into Kabompo river after failing to cross a bridge, 148 kilometres from Solwezi.
ZANIS staffer Betram Kaoma, who was in the area with Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit Co-ordinator Peter Kabaso to assess the situation, reports that the two trucks have completely closed off the road, blocking other road users coming into and going out of Ntambu area in Mwinilunga.
Eye witnesses said the first truck registration number ACT 1961, carrying 500 x 50kgs of maize plunged into Kabompo river on Tuesday around 19 00 hours when the driver attempted to cross the bridge.
They said a second truck registration no ACT 1921, belonging to the same company came the following morning and failed to cross the bridge and its trailer laden with 500 x 50 kilograms of maize fell into Kabompo River.
ZANIS
Government to computerise land allocation systems to curb irregularities
Government has unveiled plans to computerize land systems in a bid to address land challenges in the country.
Deputy Minister for Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Elijah Muchima said land issues have always caused problems in Zambia hence computerizing the systems would significantly help in bringing sanity to the process.
Mr. Muchima told ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday that having a computerised system will make management of land an easy task as it will not be done manually.
He explained that this computerisation will prevent cases where people are allocated the same piece of land.
He stated that it was only through computerising the systems that the ministry would effectively carry out land audits to ascertain how much land was available in the country for customary, statutory and developmental purposes.
Mr. Muchima said a team of experts has since been sent out of the country to secure equipment to conduct the computerising exercise.
He also disclosed that after two realignments, his ministry was now embarking on a decentralising process to help administer land to all areas of the country.
The Deputy Minister said land officers have already been dispatched to some parts of the country that had a lot of land activity.
Mr. Muchima cited Ndola, Solwezi and Copperbelt as areas with a lot of land activity.
ZANIS
50,000 girls to be vaccinated with Human Papilloma Virus in 2013
A total of 50,000 young girls are expected to be vaccinated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) during the cervical cancer national pilot project.
Head of Cervical Cancer Training and Prevention Programme (CCTPP) in Zambia, Sharon Kapambwe, disclosed the development in a telephone interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday
Dr. Kapambwe said the demonstration project, which will begin with Lusaka province in March next year, was aimed at reducing new cervical cancer infections in the country.
She said the project, which will target mainly school girls, will later be rolled out to all the other provinces of the country.
Dr. Kapambwe further explained that one of the major objectives of the pilot programme was to prevent new cervical cancer infections especially in young girls who are not yet sexually active.
The human papilloma virus vaccines are given to protect women against cervical cancer infections.
Government, through the Ministry of Health and in partnership with other stakeholders, has intensified the fight against breast and cervical cancer which are the most common cancers found in Zambian women and causes more deaths than any other cancer.
ZANIS
‘New comers’ will not take up key positions in PF-Kabimba
Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General Wynter Kabimba has said the influx of former MMD members joining the ruling party does not mean that the new comers would get key positions in the party’s structures.
Mr. Kabimba, who is also Minister of Justice, said PF will not allow a situation where key party positions are given to new members.
He said the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) was now experiencing problems because of alleged poor leadership in the party.
Mr. Kabimba was speaking last evening on ZNBC programme dubbed, “National Watch” monitored by ZANIS in Lusaka.
“PF welcomes the exodus of MMD members into our party but the influx does not mean they will take over key positions in the ruling party,” Mr. Kabimba said.
Former MMD Mpongwe Member of Parliament and Chairperson for Elections, Gabriel Namulambe is the latest to leave his party to join the ruling PF.
Others are veteran politician and former MMD Lusaka District chairperson Donald Chilufya, former Mines Deputy Minister Jazzman Chikwakwa and Christopher Ngoma.
On job creation, Mr. Kabimba appealed to young people in the country to be patient as government was creating job opportunities for them.
He said jobs cannot be created overnight hence the need for youth to wait adding that the PF government has a passion to improve the welfare of young people in the country.
He said the PF government will work hard because it had entered into a social contract with the Zambian people to improve their welfare as enshrined its party manifesto.
ZANIS
Sakeni describes opposition press conferences as ‘ meaningless ‘
Chief Government Spokesman Kennedy Sakeni says it is a pity that the five opposition parties, led by the MMD have continued congregating at meaningless press conferences for the sole purpose of whimpering about non-controversial issues.
Mr. Sakeni , who is also Information and Broadcasting minister, said in a statement today that, it is becoming clear that the MMD and their miniature partners, namely the UPND, ULP, ADD and ZDDM are a lost cause, that are grappling for some relevance in the country’s political landscape.
The MMD finds itself led by a leader whose legitimacy as head of the party has come under severe test and whose credentials are extremely questionable, given his turncoat history and career.
The UPND and its leadership does not command sufficient respect from the Zambians and lack the necessary credibility to judge the PF government.
[pullquote]It is becoming clear that the MMD and their miniature partners, namely the UPND, ULP, ADD and ZDDM are a lost cause, that are grappling for some relevance in the country’s political landscape.[/pullquote]
It is laughable that ADD, ULP and ZDDM should even merit a platform to talk on serious national issues. The question Zambians may need to ask themselves is whether these three non-entities represent anybody’s interests.
“ These three parties are personal corners of their leaders without any following whatsoever, ‘ he said.
He said the government wishes to assure Zambians that progress is being made in terms of governance and development.
The political atmosphere has improved tremendously from the time PF took over and the economy has continued to grow. Therefore time for politicking is well behind us.
ZANIS
CAF Denies Kalaba and Sunzu Glory
Rainford Kalaba and Stopilla Sunzu left Accra very disappointed after a shock loss for the 2012 African-based player award.
Egyptian Mohamed Aboutreika who failed for a second successive to inspire Egypt to the Africa Cup instead won the award.
The Al Ahly playmaker took the award for guiding the team to the 2012 CAF Champions League.
However, Herve Renard took home the CAF coach of the year while his team won team of the year.
Yaya Toure won the African Footballer of the Year to win back-to-back honours, an award Christopher Katongo was snubbed for in the final shortlist.
Cows die after grazing a field sprayed with chemicals to kill army worms
Five herds of cattle have died after grazing on fields that were sprayed with cypermethrin, a chemical used to kill army worms that have invaded farms in Kapiri Mposhi district.
Kapiri Mposhi District Livestock Officer, Patrick Kawambwa, who confirmed the incident to ZANIS, said the animals belonging to a farmer in Kabwale area in Chief Mukonchi’s area died on the spot yesterday after eating the toxic grass which was sprayed with cypermethrin.
Mr Kawambwa said the chemical was sprayed on the pastures near a maize field to prevent army worms from going into the farm.
The Livestock Officer advised farmers in the district to follow instructions on spraying the chemical as it was lethal to the lives of grazing animals and humans.
And Mr Kawambwa has cautioned people in the district not consume the meat from animals that have died from consuming cypermetrin or any other chemical being used to exterminate army worms.
He said human beings alike can be severely affected after consuming animals that have died from the chemical.
Mr Kawambwa warned butchery-owners in the district to be on the look-out and not to buy and stock carcasses of animals that have died from consuming cypermetrin.
He said his office will soon conduct inspections of slaughter permits of animals in butcheries.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and World Vision- Zambia are distributing cypermethrin and lambda – wipe to farmers in the area to spray against the pests that have invaded many farms and eating newly planted and budding crops.
Over 4000 small scale farmers in Kapiri Mposhi district have had their fields invaded by army worms.
ZANIS
SIM Cards registration is compulsory-ZICTA
Zambia Information and Technology Authority has maintained that mobile phone users have no option but to register their simcards.
Acting manager for consumer protection Edgar Mulauzi says registration of simcards is law.
Mr. Mulauzi was speaking at a media briefing at Southern Sun Hotel in Lusaka.
He has noted that the sim registration is not unique to Zambia alone because 52 countries in Africa have done so.
Mr. Mulauzi has further said the idea to register simcards is aimed at enhancing relationships between users of mobile phones and their provider and also help enhance national security.
The simcards that have been registered would be easily traced in case of theft of mobile phones.
Mr. Mulauzi has noted that those simcards that will not be registered at the deadline to be announced will cease to be functional.
There is no guarantee that once dismissed that the simcard will be allocated the same number.
He has called on mobile phone subscribers to ensure that they register their simcards as one way of supporting government programmes that are being implemented.
ZNBC
Government suspends the export of maize to all the markets in the region
Government has suspended the export of maize to all the markets in the region.
Agriculture Minister Emmanuel Chenda says this has been done in order to secure the available stocks in case of a reduction in crop yield in the next harvest.
The minister told ZNBC news that the country may experience a drop in maize production due to the invasion of army worms that have devastated maize fields.
Mr Chenda says all maize export permits which have been suspended will be reviewed next year after a crop market survey is conducted.
He says the revison will help assess whether the country will have produced enough maize for domestic consumption and export.
ZNBC
Opposition political parties re-submit a fresh joint notification to the police to hold a public rally
Opposition political parties have opted to re-submit a fresh joint notification to the police for their impending public rally in Lusaka’s Mtendere Township.
UPND Deputy Spokesperson Edwin Lifwekelo has told ZNBC News in Lusaka on Thursday that the opposition will soon notify the police again after the earlier notification was turned down.
But Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Joyce Kasosa says her office has not yet received a fresh notification from opposition.
Ms. Kasosa says the opposition were yesterday advised to furnish the police with more information about their intended public rally as required by the law.
Ms. Kasosa was speaking in a telephone interview with ZNBC News in Lusaka on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani disclosed that the opposition political parties’ joint notification for a planned rally was not valid.
Ms Libongani had said this was because the notification did NOT specify the time for the rally and names of the Marshals as required under the Public Order Act.
She has advised the concerned political players to re-do their notification and submit it to the office if the LUSAKA Province Commissioner of Police.
Five political party leaders from the MMD, UPND, United Liberal Party, Alliance for Democracy and Development and the ZAMBIA Direct Democracy Movement intend to hold a joint public.
ZNBC
Zone Six Medals Winners in Cash Windfall
All Zambian medal winners from the just-ended 2012 Zone Six Youth Games in Lusaka have received a message of goodwill this Christmas in form of incentives from the Ministry of Sports.
Sports minister Chishimba Kambwili said all Gold medal winners will get K15million each.
Silver medal winners will receive K10 million each while those that won Bronze medals will be rewarded with K7.5 million.
Zambia won 12 Gold, nine Silver and eight Bronze medals to finish third on the medals table as hosts of the Zone Six Youth Games that run from December 4-17.
South Africa and Namibia finished first and second with total of 132 and 65 medals respectively.