Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba has said the rumoured conflicts were not real as the provincial party structures were sound and still intact.

He however, said there was a camp based in Kasama that wanted to hijack the PF led by outsiders who are not functionaries of the party.

Using a proverb in his native language Sala, Mr Kabimba likened the faction trying to hijack the PF to a small dog following an elephant which despite persistent barks could never attract the attention of the elephant.

Urging the PF party leaders to ignore the said camp, Mr Kabimba said the party would not be rocked by individuals with self-interest and attempting do so would be at their own peril.

“No one is bigger than anyone in the PF. We are all equal. If anyone is bigger…maybe in kilogrammes because on the political stage we are all equal,” he said.

At the forum, Mr Kabimba thanked delegates and party members for their self-sacrifice which had ushered the PF into office. He said others were now considering PF as “sweet” party because of their hard work.

Asking them to remain united, he warned party members who were encouraging the creation of parallel structures to desist from the habit.

[pullquote]“No one is bigger than anyone in the PF. We are all equal. If anyone is bigger…maybe in kilogrammes because on the political stage we are all equal,” he said.[/pullquote]

“We will not entertain individuals trying to usurp elected party officials as it is against party policy. We will only deal with recognised party functionaries,” he said.

Though the party was on an aggressive recruitment drive, it did not mean the displacement duly elected officials.

Laying the tone for his expectations on the operations of the party, Mr Kabimba said since the PF was now in power it faced great challenges and relied on the unwavering support of party members in Northern Province.

He expected outstanding discipline and sacrifice because it was the culture of indiscipline that made MMD lose the last general elections.

“We need to insulate the party against auctioneers. PF is not attending an auction of positions to the highest bidder,” Mr Kabimba said.

Basking in the elation of the PF’s victory in Mufumbwe, the PF secretary general said the MMD was still struggling to re-organise itself while the PF continued to grow because of eth discipline among its ranks.

He also prodded the forums’ delegates to look for fresh blood for the party’s upcoming leadership that exhibited the qualities shown by President Sata.

“Mr Sata embraces everyone and puts people first. So look for another Sata. I have known Mr Sata for 30 years from the time I was Town Clerk in kitwe and later Lusaka. I know the values he stands for and handed down. Very few people know him like I do.

“And even though you (delegates) speak the same language as him, he trusts me more than you,” Mr Kabimba said.

He told the delegates to continue mobilising and recruiting leaders for the next generation that believed in the same things as the president.

He however, said he was happy to see the good attendance at the forum which showed that the party was solid and doing well.

The consultative forum was also attended by Northern Province PF MPs all of whom were present with the exclusion of Alfredah Kansembe and Mr Mwamba.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph…”
(2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

When you think about your past, what events do you remember? What memories do you allow to play over and over in your mind? In the Old Testament, they had what they called memorial stones. These were used to remind the people about the good things God did in their lives — their victories.

Today, we need to remind ourselves to focus on our victories, too. Sure, we’ve all had setbacks, but when you meditate on your disappointments and failures, it only drains you of valuable energy. It steals your confidence and joy. But when you focus on your victories, it builds your strength and confidence. It feeds your faith. It gives you a reason to give God praise.

I encourage you today to get into the habit of focusing on your victories. Remember, every good and perfect gift comes from Him. As you praise and thank Him for His favor and victory in your life, He’ll pour out His blessing on you. He’ll open up supernatural doors for you to move forward in strength to fulfill the dreams and desires He has placed in your heart!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to focus on my victories and let go of any negative experiences in my past. I bless and praise You today in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

President Michael Sata has assured all opposition MMD members of Parliament serving in the PF Government that his administration would take urgent and practical intervations to ensure that they are protected against all forms of harassment and intimidation.

The President’s pledge comes in the wake of frequent threats of expulsion that have been issued by the former ruling party on its parliamentarians that are currently serving as deputy ministers in the PF Government.

Mr Sata said this today in a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka by Special Assistant to the President for press and Public Relations, George Chellah, adding that as progressive politicians, immediately the PF Government assumed office, the Head of state co-opted opposition MMD Members of Parliament into his Government.

Mr Sata said he appointed the former ruling party’s MPs purely in the spirit of inclusivity and desire to transform the country to new heights.

He stated that the PF’s aspirations have always been to utilise the proficiency and competencies of citizens who are willing to serve their mother land irrespective of their social or political attachments.

He added that there is no way the head f of state and Government in particular will ever marginalise or ditch the MMD opposition MPs.

President Sata further eluded that together, the PF administration and opposition MPs choose to work together in the interest of the country and that the PF administration shall deliver to the interest of the Zambian people.

Mr Sata stated that as Head of State and President of the Patriotic Front Party, he will endeavour to undertake to protect and defend people both in and outside Government until his administration triumph over adversity just like the party has done in Mufumbwe.

“Even in the worst case scenario, their parliamentary seats are safe as they are guaranteed adoption under the PF ticket. I encourage them to draw comfort, courage and lesson from Hon Stephen Masumba’s case,” President Sata said.

Mr Sata said Mr Masumba’s adoption and subsequent victory speaks volumes of Government’s commitment to work and stand by colleagues even amidst difficulties.

He also urged the parliamentarians to ignore MMD President, Nevers Mumba’s lies, greediness and intimidation.

“We are in a hurry for development and there is no space for trivial and egoistic politics because this country requires devoted leadership and as Government, we are determined to navigate the challenges and contours of the future just to ensure that we improve the quality of life for our people and subsequently restore their dignity,” the President said.

Meanwhile, President Sata has swapped Northern Province Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Mwamba with his counterpart Hlobotha Nkunika from Eastern Province.

The Head of State wishes the duo successes and God’s blessings in their new provinces.

ZANIS

Sympathizers of Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba and Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba have clashed at Kasama Airport as the two camps offered solidarity messages for the two ministers.

There was an exchange of bitter words at the Airports as the PF cadres went to offer solidarity to the two ministers.

Mr. Kabimba is in Kasama to officiate at a PF Provincial Indaba and arrived around 11:30 Hours and he is scheduled to feature on a radio programme on Radio Mano this afternoon.

Confused has ensued between Mr. Mwamba and Mr. Kabimba’s camps ahead of the ongoing indaba.

Meanwhile, Police has confiscated two trucks belonging to Mr. Mwamba who is also area MP which was carrying his sympathizers.

Two drivers of ABV 2596 and ALB 4328 have since been detained at Kasama Central Police station.

Heavy presence of police officers is keeping vigil of the ongoing PF Indaba which is a scene of lawlessness between the two camps.

The Forum for Democratic Process (FODEP) is happy that the Mufumbwe by-election has shown tremendous improvement in terms of the conduct by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) as well as the transparency of the counting and totalling process.

FODEP Executive Director, Macdonald Chipenzi, said the preparations by the ECZ seemed to have been undertaken in a professional manner leading to a smooth voting process.

Mr Chipenzi attested to this by the timely opening and closing of the polling stations throughout the constituency.

He observed that FODEP is pleased that the electoral environment before, during and immediately after the elections was peaceful, adding that political parties and other stakeholders showed increased respect for each other and the electoral process.

He, however, noted that there were persistent allegations that individual party cadres did not always refrain from violence and that people reported incidences of the distribution of money and materials by parties during the campaign period.

Mr Chipenzi also disclosed that there were allegations of electoral blackmailing such as promises by the ruling party of building health posts in the event that it would be elected by local residents or losing government support if voters did not support the ruling party candidate.

He said on the other hand, opposition parties promised a big victory celebration where a number of animals would be slaughtered.

He further added that it was alleged that political parties were continuing to carry out their campaign activities after the official closing of the campaign period.

Mr Chipenzi revealed that no culprit, however, was brought to book and as a result, FODEP noted with great concern that the respect of the provisions of the electoral code of conduct continue to be a challenge for political actors.

He stated that FODEP believes that these incidences could not influence the electoral process to an extent which casts doubt on the validity of the process as a whole.

Mr Chipenzi said FODEP observed with regret that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seemed not to have its presence felt in Mufumbwe during the campaign period and election day, adding that this is casting a lot of doubt on the ACC’s commitment to fighting corruption in the electoral process in Zambia.

He stated that FODEP, therefore, recommends that the ACC should establish its presence before, during and after elections and ensure that perpetrators of electoral corruption are brought to book.

ZANIS

An inferno has swept through a furniture manufacturing factory, Decormore Investments Limited in Lusaka destroying property worth over K3 billion.

The fire which destroyed eight machines, raw materials and finished products is reported to have started on Wednesday night after power, which had gone off, was restored around 20:30 hours.

The factory situated off Lumumba road had been experiencing power outages and in this incident, the factory had no power in the evening and when it was restored, it produced a spark and triggered the fire alarm before the factory was engulfed in fire.

Managing Director Osama Younes found at the scene said the fire lasted close to five hours as a combined team of the council fire brigade and Zambia Air Force (ZAF) struggled to quench it.

“It is very devastating, I saw my machines burning, the Fire tenders came earlier but ran out of water, then we had ZAF to reinforce the quenching of fire which lasted for over five hours and it destroyed property worth between K2.5 billion and K3.5 billion,” said Mr Younes.

He said he had over 30 employees at his factory who would be jobless until his factory resumes operations as it had to start afresh since the fire had extensively damaged the warehouse and the machines.

A check found all the machines, raw materials, finished products burnt and part of the wall where the fire was expected to have started from completely damaged.

An eye witness, a security officer from Giant Eagles Security Services Ben Kunaka said he first heard the alarm set by Armcor ringing an indication that there was danger and when he rushed to check he saw a spark which later stopped.

He said after 30 minutes he again heard the alarm and when he checked for the second time he saw the factory in flames and quickly went outside and started shouting for help and a fire brigade vehicle going somewhere advised him to call their emergency numbers as well as that of the managing director.

“After some time I saw the fire fighters and the others including the owner of the factory Mr Younes who came rushing. We later saw ZAF fire fighters who together assisted to put the fire off,” Mr Kunaka said.

He said the fire was only quenched between 05:00 and 06:00 hours.