The Professional Teachers Union of Zambia (PTUZ) has welcomed the removal of Education Permanent Secretary Mirriam Chinyama and has described the action as long overdue.

Professional Teachers Union of Zambia General Secretary Kangwa Musenge said this should serve as a warning that the current government has set focus and ambitious plans on how best to run the education sector.

In a statement made available to ZANIS, Mr Musenge stated that the Republican President is only demonstrating that he wants effective operations in the Ministry of Education.

Mr Musenge alleged that everyone has been complaining within the Ministry and has called on the president to ensure the next individual to be appointed as Permanent Secretary is a seasoned civil servant who understands the civil service.

Mr Musenge further claimed that there were no indications of progress in the Education sector and saw failure in bringing sanity in the trade unions under Ms Chinyama’s stay as Permanent Secretary.

And Mr Musenge said as PTUZ it strongly condemn the suspension of its president Vincent Mwitumwa and Provincial Chairperson Fabian Chilala by Monze District Education Board Secretary and has asked government to intervene saying it is a violation of Labour laws.

He also said that there are some District Education Board Secretaries who are in the habit of frustrating government efforts and with a tendency of quarreling with teachers.

Mr Musenge observed that most of the District Education Board Secretaries openly declared the support for the former ruling party the Movement for Multi-party Democracy.

ZANIS

The Technical Committee on Drafting the Zambian constitution says it has successfully completed the District Consultative Fora on the constitution- making process in North-Western, Copperbelt, Lusaka, Southern, Central and Eastern provinces.

In a statement to ZANIS today, Committee Spokesperson Enerst Mwansa disclosed that the third and final round of the District Consultative Fora comprising Luapula, Muchinga, Northern and Western provinces started on Monday 29th October and will end on 3rd November 2012.

Mr Mwansa said the Fora has been among other things examining and deliberating on the clause of the first draft constitution and also considering comments and recommendations from community consultative Fora.

He explained that after completion of all Fora, the Technical Committee will submit reports with comments and recommendations to the provincial constitution convention for consideration in all 10 provincial centres.

He said the provincial conventions will be mandated to examine and deliberate on the clauses of the first draft constitution which will culminate into the holding of the National and Sector- Groups convention.

Mr Mwansa said after considering the first draft constitution, reports, comments and recommendations from the provinces, the National and Sector-Groups convention will submit validation report with comments and recommendations to the Technical Committee for input into the final draft constitution.

Meanwhile, The Technical committee on drafting the Republican Constitution has removed Simon Kabanda as its Spokesperson replacing him with Ernest Mwansa.

In a statement made available to the media, the committee has however not given reasons for Mr. Kabanda’s removal.

Some sections of the media recently linked Mr. Kabanda to the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) fraud involving K71 million.

ZANIS

NAREP President Elias Chipimo has clarified that there is nothing illegal with the decision to start constructing President Michael Sata’s retirement home.

Mr. Chipimo said the decision to commence the constructing of Mr. Sata’s retirement home only raises the question of priorities.

He said the law is clear that a house shall be constructed and handed over to a former President but does not restrict when such a house should be constructed.

Mr. Chipimo said it is even cheaper to construct retirement homes for Heads of States before they retire unlike having to pay rent for them as they wait for their houses to be ready.

He observed that people raising the constitutionality of the decision are merely trying to score political mileage over the matter.

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has warned Livingstone residents to stop drinking water or consuming fish from Maramba river after unknown people poured suspected poison onto the river leaving massive number of fish dead.

Environmental Health Inspector Webby Simwayi confirmed this to ZANIS in an interview yesterday, saying unknown people have poured toxic substances which poses health hazard.

Mr Simwayi said people should stop drinking or eating fish from Maramba river adding that the agency in conjunction with other relevant authorities was working to determine the nature and extent of pollution on the river.

“Yes I can confirm that Maramba river is suspected to have been polluted with unknown toxic substance which has led to fish dying in large numbers,” said Mr Simwayi.

“And I want to warn members of the public especially those living in Maramba area to be cautious and not drink water from the river or eat fish believed to have been caught from the Maramba river,” Mr Simwayi said.

Mr Simwayi said the agency has since embarked on a serious sensitization exercise to members of the public on the dangers of eating poisoned fish from the said river.

A spot check by ZANIS today found scores of people, mostly youths scooping the dead fish from the river for sale to unsuspecting consumers.

According to some residents talked to, this was not the first time unknown people have poured poisonous substances in Maramba river.

One of the local residents Oscar Mwiya said some unknown people have the habit of poisoning the fish in the river during this time of the year for unknown reasons.

Mr Mwiya has since called on the department of Fisheries to institute investigations in order to bring the culprits to book.

ZANIS

Police in Kaoma district of Western province yesterday fought running battles with suspected copper thieves commonly known as jerabos.

Both Police Officer-in-Charge Rodgers Chiwila and District Commissioner Joster Manjolo confirmed the development to ZANIS.

The incidence happened around 07:30 hours yesterday.

Mr Manjolo said police managed to intercept a Volvo truck registration number ALC 1951 laden with about 15 to 25 tonnes of high grade copper.

He said the truck was intercepted by police on its way to Mumbwa district from Kalumwange area between Kaoma and Mufumbwe districts.

Mr Manjolo identified the illegal suspected copper thieves as Ibrahim Abba 35, and the driver Fezar Abba 27, both of low density area house number 145 in Chief Liteta’s area in Mumbwa district.

Others are Ernest Moseni Ngoza 40, of Lusaka west and Samuel Chasia 38, of Kanyama compound in Lusaka.

He said the four illegal copper dealers are in Kaoma police custody and will appear in court soon and have since been charged with being found in possession of property believed to be unlawfully acquired.

The District Commissioner said the dealers did not possess proper documentation that allowed them to transport copper as other papers such as police clearance, delivery notes, mineral rights and weigh bridge papers among other documents required were missing.

Mr Manjolo said the Patriotic Front government has created an enabling environment for the local investors to deal in mining activities in order to create more jobs for the locals but that proper channels should be followed.

He said the PF government is strongly against corrupt activities in the country and those who intend to perpetuate illegal activities would find it hard as police is keeping vigil on all illegal activities.

And Police Officer in Charge, Rodgers Chiwila said police will not tolerate lawless to prevail in Kaoma district and vowed that illegal copper dealers fearing to use the Copperbelt route and think that Kaoma route is porous will find it difficult to penetrate.

ZANIS

Visiting Finish Minister of International Development Heidi Hautala says the implementation of the Freedom of Information Bill (FoI) bill into a piece of legislation will help uphold good governance and reduce corruption levels in the country.

Speaking when she visited Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda at his office this morning, Ms. Hautala asked the Minister on the progress of the FoI Bill.

And responding to her question, Mr. Lubinda said the bill was still being studied by the Ministry of Justice who will later pass it on to parliament.

Mr. Lubinda who is also chairperson of the African Network for Parliamentarians against Corruption expressed confidence that once the bill gets to parliament it will be implemented into law as it plays a critical role in the fight against corruption.

He added that the Fol bill will provide for the maintaining of checks and balances in all sectors of development.

ZANIS