Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have again walked out from parliament.

The MPs walked out at 11:30 hours, 45 minutes after the morning break.

Chairman for Committees Chifumu Banda adjourned the sitting to Tuesday, 23rd October, 2012.

Yesterday, the MPs walked out from the House and vowed not to attend the proceedings of the House when it is time to debate the 2013 national budget if Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda who is acting President will continue to be absent during deliberations.

The opposition MPs said they were not happy with Mr. Chikwanda’s continued absence from the House.

Some MPs talked to by ZANIS said the House had not been informed who was acting Finance Minister since Mr. Chikwanda was acting Head of State.

The parliamentarians demanded that Mr. Chikwanda be physically present to listen to various debates on the budget that he presented to the house.

“We are here to represent our people and we are not happy that Mr. Chikwanda is not around as Finance Minister to listen to our concerns raised on the budget he presented.

This is the third time the opposition MPs were walking out of the House this week despite several rulings by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini who cautioned them that there was no dis-functionality in the House as a result of the walkouts.

And Government Chief Whip, Yamfwa Mukanga challenged the opposition MPs over their decision saying they should inform the electorates on whether they were tired of being in Parliament so that they could be replaced through fresh elections.

Mr Mukanga who is Mines, Energy and Water Development Minister said in a separate interview that the stance by the MMD and UPND Parliamentarians would not solve anything.

He said the opposition law makers needed to be in the House and continue debating to foster national development.

ZANIS

The Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has called on the leadership of political parties taking part in the forthcoming by-elections to be in-charge of their cadres, failure to which they will be held responsible for any violence that might break out in Mufumbwe.

SACCORD information officer Obby Chibuluma has charged that presidents of the political parties competing in the by-elections will bear the responsibility of any violence that will take place in Mufumbwe if they take time to intervene.

Mr. Chibuluma stated that if the ruling PF engages in violence, party president, Michael Sata, who is Republican president, will be held fully responsible and the same for MMD leader Nevers Mumba if his cadres engage in violence.

He told QFM news that perpetrators of the reported violence in Mufumbwe must be brought to book and punished so as to set an example to other perpetrators.

Mr.Chibuluma says the leadership of the political parties should take the responsibility of giving proper guidance to party cadres as they campaign for the by-elections slated for next month.

Meanwhile the Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to find an amicable way of calming the current volatile situation in Mufumbwe to avoid electorates shunning the elections next month.

AVAP executive director Richwell Mulwani said reports he is receiving from Mufumbwe, indicate that campaigns have heated up with tension also high.

Mr. Mulwani said there is urgent need for calm to be returned to Mufumbwe for people not to be reminded of the violence that erupted in the 2010 by-elections which he says might lead to voter apathy.

Speaking to QFM news, Mr. Mulwani said the people of Mufumbwe need to be given a chance to go to the polls and choose their leader without any political interference.

He has since advised candidates competing in the by-election not to encourage their supporters to abrogate the electoral code of conduct by engaging in violence.

Mr. Mulwani states that the country needs to be saved from unnecessary petitions and nullifications as by-elections only divert public resources from developmental projects.
[QFM]

Parliament yesterday unanimously ratified the appointments of retired Supreme Court Judge Christopher Mushabati and a scholar Fredrick Ng’andu, to serve as members of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Moving the motion in the House, UPND Choma Member of Parliament (MP) Cornelius Mweetwa said the Parliamentary Select Committee scrutinised the presidential appointments of Justice Mushabati and Dr Ng’andu to serve as ECZ members.

Mr Mweetwa said Justice Mushabati had credible qualifications considering that he served both at High Court and Supreme Court levels and was confident that he would work diligently as ECZ member.

“Justice Mushabati is a member of the Judicial Complaints Authority and the authority is also in support of this appointment and over the years, he has been practicing law,” he said.

On Dr Ng’andu, Mr Mweetwa told the House that he was carefully srutinised by all state security agencies and was found with no bad record hence deserved the appointment as ECZ member.

He said Dr Ng’andu worked as dean of students in the school of law at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and was a learned person who was also currently with the Zambia Open University as Registrar.

He said Dr Ng’andu was an honest man considering his rich background of being a hard working individual.

Contributing on the appointments of the duo, MMD Mpongwe MP Gabriel Namulambe urged them to ensure there would be no violence in the forthco0ming Mufumbwe by-election.

He said the two were eminent persons who needed to enhance operations of ECZ but was saddened that the three church mother bodies, the Zambia Episcopal Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and Council of Churches in Zambia could not comment on their appointments.

Police have made a major break through in their investigation of the gruesome killing of 19-year-old Ruth Mbandu in Lusaka’s Emmasdalearea in July this year. A man has been apprehended and confessed that he had administered a
lethal drug before pealing off the victim’s facial skin.

Ruth’s uncle, George Kalomo of Kabanana Township, Bishop Evans Ngulube and his driver, Stanley Munkonji, are other suspects that are currently in Police custody and have been charged with murder.

Lusaka Province Police chief Solomon Jere said in Lusaka yesterday that the suspect, who is 30-year-old, was apprehended on Tuesday this week in Mpika where he is reported to have committed “numerous” rape cases.

“We have arrested the man we have been looking for, he has confessed to killing Ruth and narrated how they removed her facial skin,” Dr Jere said.

Police now have a water-tight case in the four-month murder puzzle that has gone down in Zambia’s history as one of the worst on the late National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) human resource’s student.

Dr Jere said the suspect confessed that he and others hit Ruth with a sharp object on her head in addition to drugging her and when she became unconscious, they gouged out her eyes and removed other parts.

The suspect whose name has been withheld was apprehended in Mpika with four others who are facing rape cases.

“He narrated how she was drugged and how they removed her facial skin, ears and gouged out hereyes.

We also suspect that a sharp object was used to hit her and while she was unconscious, they performed their acts,” Dr Jere said.

Following the latest discovery, Police believe Ruth died as a result of excessive bleeding, as she had her facial skin, eyes and ears removed.

Police have withheld the suspect’s name for his own security but that the suspect, along with four others, was in Police custody.

Ruth’s naked body was discovered in the early hours of Saturday, July 14th, this year in Emmasdale.

“There are a number of people involved in this case and we want to give this matter a thorough investigation,” he said.

President Michael Sata is not impressed with the pace at which Samsung, the Korean ninth top global electronic engineering company, is developing its investments in Zambia.

President Sata said while Samsung, which employs 200,000 people in 72 countries around the world, is associated with huge investments worldwide but has not expanded its business interests in Zambia in terms of setting up a manufacturing plant.

The President was speaking at the Samsung manufacturing plant located on the outskirts in Suwon, about 30 kilometres from Seoul when he met the senior management team of the company which was led by its president and chief financing officer, Ju-Hwa Yoon.

“I am not impressed with the development of Samsung in Zambia. You are building a new plant in Seoul and not in Zambia. I am inviting you to come and join Hyundai and Daewoo who have invested in my country,” said President Sata.

Samsung Electronics has 21 centres in Sub-Saharan Africa and a sales outlet in Zambia which employs only six people providing after sale services to customers.

However, President Sata said the global electronic company, which has this year been voted ninth among the top 100 brands in the world and a profit posting of US$14.7 billion in 2011, should re-invest its resources into the Zambian market.

The President said Samsung also enjoys a big market share in Zambia and therefore opening up a factory would capture the entire SADC market which has a population of over 400 million people.

Samsung also earned a revenue of US$148.8 billion in 2011 making it one of the richest electronic engineering companies in the world.

President Sata noted that it was not enough for Samsung to operate through affiliate companies in Africa and Zambia in particular but should instead use its huge profits which are more than the finances of the Korean government to put up tangible investments.

The President appealed to Samsung to capitalise on the good telecommunications infrastructure in Zambia which is better than in other countries to increase the company’s investment portfolio and also help increase the flow of trade between Zambia and Korea.

President Sata was later taken on a conducted tour of the Samsung digital city where he was shown a display of both the old and modern technology that the company has been producing since 1969 when it was set up with an initial 36 employees.

The President was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda, Commerce Minister Bob Sichinga, Agriculture minister Emmanuel Chenda, Tourism minister Sylvia Masebo and Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, George Chellah.

Meanwhile, President Sata has urged Samsung to take its investment to rural areas in Zambia by capitalising on the abundant water resources that generate hydro electricity as opposed to using solar energy to implement its projects in the country because it is expensive for the poor people.

The President also said Zambia’s vast agriculture sector could benefit from the diverse product range that Samsung manufactures for this sector which is not visible in Africa but only outside the continent.

“You can sell Korea more in Zambia if you use your resources there although solar energy is very expensive in Africa. Come to Zambia and use the hydro energy generated from our abundant water resources,” he said.

Earlier in his welcoming remarks, Samsung President and Chief Financing Officer Ju-Hwa Yoon said his company is involved in a number of social activities targeting the poor community in the education and health sectors of Zambia.

Mr. Ju said Samsung will continue strengthening its investment portfolio and presence in Zambia and that the vision is to become a more trusted and helpful company for the Zambians.

In the education sector, Samsung is implementing a solar powered project called ‘teach the teachers laptop project’ financed through ABC Bank using the ZAMTEL nationwide optic fibre network to improve information technology.

And Mr. Ju has since assured President Sata that Samsung will give a positive consideration to his request of setting up a manufacturing plant in Zambia.

“We have a large presence in Africa and our biggest market is in Egypt but our basic principle is to go where the market is. We will give your request positive consideration,” said Mr. Ju.

But President Sata said Zambia has a larger market for Samsung investment than Egypt considering its location in the SADC region.

The President noted that Samsung will reduce on its production costs once a plant is set up in Zambia because of the abundant resources, water, hydro electricity and copper which is largely used in electronic engineering.

Meanwhile, President Michael Sata has left for South Korea and headed back to Zambia.

ZANIS

MMD vice-president for administration Brian Chituwo has disclosed that his party’s leadership and that of the United Party for National Development (UPND) are closely working together ahead of the forthcoming Mufumbwe parliamentary by elections.

And MMD chairman for elections Gabriel Namulambe has accused the Patriotic Front (PF) of bribing voters with K5000 notes and planning to cause chaos in the area by dressing up their cadres in MMD regalia.

Responding media reports that the UPND was withdrawing its support from the MMD in the Mufumbwe by election, Dr Chituwo admitted that no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties was signed, but that they had agreed to support each other owing their existing loose alliance.

Dr Chituwo disclosed that two opposition parties had agreed that should there be areas of concern, they needed to be discussed by senior members from both sides and wondered if there was need to state in the press even if there was no MoU existing between MMD and UPND.

“Indeed, there is no MoU as such. So that is true, but was there a need, therefore, to say that in the press?

”To counteract that I want to state that as far as Mufumbwe is concerned, MMD, UPND leadership is working side by side, supporting one another because we agreed that in Mufumbwe MMD and UPND will work together and that is positive. That is the situation at the moment,” he said.

And Mr Namulambe accused the PF of dishing out K5000 to individuals in Mufumbwe’s Yasonso area on Tuesday and that the MMD had evidence to that effect as some of its members were some of the beneficiaries and it would use that that as evidence “should the worse comes to the worst”.

“We are again aware of the fact that because of the diminishing popularity of PF despite being the ruling party and that they are not known in the area they intend to ferry some people to Mufumbwe with MMD party regalia so as to go and cause confusion. I don’t know where they will pick them from, but that’s the information we have,” he said.

Mr Namulambe appealed to the PF to observe the Electoral Code of Conduct and in a manner that befitted it as a ruling party, adding that Mufumbwe electorates should be left to vote peacefully without engaging in any form of violence.

Mr Namulambe said all political players participating in the November 8, 2012 by elections should preach a message of peace by focusing on issue-based campaigns as opposed to fighting, adding that acts of violence “are minds of primitive people”.

Mr Namulambe said the MMD had since been sensitizing its members to desist from acts of violence even when provoked and that electoral violence had a potential of tarnishing Zambia’s image of being a haven of peace.

He also expressed optimism that the MMD candidate, Stafford Mulusa would scoop the Mufumbwe seat as former area MP Steven Masumba was arrogant and disrespectful, the attributes the voters were no happy about and that his findings after being in Mufumbwe had revealed the former ruling party’s candidate was the favorite to win the seat.

Mr Namulambe added that it was a known fact that all along the battle in Mufumbwe had always been between MMD and UPND, hence his confidence as being the favorite to win the seat which was left vacant after the MMD expelled Mr Masumba from the party who later defected to PF.