Kitwe District Commissioner Elias Kamanga has described the on-going mealie–meal shortage in Kitwe as artificial and a ploy by some unscrupulous people and some millers to frustrate government efforts of developing the country.

Mr Kamanga said there is no way millers would claim to have no maize when the maize buying exercise in which they participated has just closed.

He said some millers were withholding maize thereby reducing their production which has resulted in the unavailability of the commodity on the market.

The District Commissioner charged that the act by the millers amounts to economic sabotage as it was likely to cause inflation.

He vowed that government will not rest until the situation is normalized and the people are able to by mealie-meal at an affordable price.

Mr Kamanga was speaking in Kitwe today after conducting an on the spot check on millers in Kitwe district.

The District Commissioner toured Mpongwe milling where he was assured that the production has now normalized after a break down on the plant which had stopped working in the past few days.

The Mpongwe Milling General Manager Riaan Rautenbach assured the District Commissioner that the milling company will increase its production as well as extend the production hours this weekend to avert the short.

Mr Rautenbach added that the milling company will also temporarily stop supplying mealie- meal out of the town until it meets the high demand in Kitwe.

And a check by ZANIS found that the company had huge stocks of mealie-meal and maize and the milling plant was working at full capacity.

Earlier, a check at Jamas Milling Company showed that the plant was working but the Executive Director John Cutois said the company did not have enough maize stocks for it to produce and supply enough mealie-meal on the market.

Mr Cutois claimed that the maize stock the milling company bought from the Food Reserve Agency finished in April and was currently buying from farmers outside the province who were selling at a higher price.

And at Olympic Milling Company, the company had very little stock of mealie-meal while a huge number of people were queuing up for the commodity.

However the depot Sales Manager Guido Basili said the company was operating at its usual capacity but it could not satisfy the local demand as it also had to supply to Ndola and Mufulira.

And at Antelope Milling outlet in Chimwemwe, there was no mealie-meal at all.

Kitwe has over the past one week been hit by a serious mealie-meal shortage, forcing the prices of the commodity to rise as high as K80,000 a 25kg bag in some retail shops.

There are also allegations that millers are supplying the commodity to the Democratic Republic of Congo where it is fetching higher.

ZANIS

Opposition Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) says it wants to see clean and mature politics in 2013.

ADD Secretary General Stafford Lizu observed that 2012 has been characterised with in-fighting among political parties and mudslinging at the expense of development.

Mr Lizu says people want development at their door steps next year where the opposition would work with the government of the day on issues of common good.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Lizu described 2012 as average because both the ruling Patriotic Front government and the opposition have allegedly failed to harmonise and accept each other politically.

“There has been a lot of antagonistic and politicking among politicians this year (2012) at the expense of development. We need more development and less politicking next year,” Mr Lizu said.

Mr Lizu who is also ADD Kabompo East losing parliamentary candidate said parties should strive to dialogue and change by exhibiting political maturity in 2013.

He however, expressed happiness that the PF government under the leadership of President Michael Sata will deliver to its promises as seen from the developmental programmes being undertaken country wide both the PF initiated ones and those that were left by the previous regime.

UPND Secretary General Winston Chibwe accused the MMD of fighting the ruling PF through-out the year instead of accepting defeat.

Mr Chibwe said MMD should accept and believe that it is no longer in power and therefore, it should give the PF government chance to govern the people of Zambia to economic prosperity.

ZANIS

United Party for National Development (UPND) Lusaka province Chairman Adrian Bauleni who was six days ago charged with the murder of Patriotic front (PF) member Crispin Menyani Zulu, has walked to freedom.

Ambassador Bauleni 66 of Lusaka’s Ibex Hill Township was unconditionally released by from police custody on Thursday evening.

He was on Friday last week charged together with four others for the murder of Mr Zulu who died in Rufusa.

But Ambassador Bauleni has since been unconditionally released giving an indication that he had no case to answer.

UPND Secretary General Winstone Chibwe confirmed the release of Ambassador Bauleni on Thursday.

Mr Chibwe said that they were no conditions which were attached to the release of Ambassador Bauleni but said it was an indication that the UPND member had no case to answer.

“Yes Ambassador Bauleni was released yesterday evening and we were not given reasons for his release but one thing you should know is that police can charge a person but it does not meant that is the final position, anything could happen before he is taken to court”, Mr Chibwe said.

And UPND lawyer Martha Mushipe said in a separate that she was not present at the time when Ambassador Mr Bauleni was being released but only got information that her client had been set free.

Ms Mushipe said she did not know the circumstances that led to release of former Ambassador because she was not present and was not communicated to by the people who set him to freedom.

“As a lawyer to Mr Bauleni, I don’t even know what transpired to the release of my client because there has been no communication with me. At the time police apprehended Mr Bauleni, if they knew there was nothing, why did they act that way because my client is now traumatized,’ she said

Ms Mushipe said it was not right for police to have charged Ambassador Bauleni with murder and release him before the case could go anywhere without proper explanations and communication.

But when contacted for a comment, Ms Kasosa referred all queries to Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mutembo Nchito.

Ms Kasosa said the role of the police was to investigate and charge of the suspects and therefore hand over to the DPP who was supposed to prosecute the case.

MMD Spokesperson Dora Siliya has been challenged by her party to explain what her visit to State house was all about in what appears to be a deepening rift in the former ruling party.

MMD National Youth Secretary Tobias Kafumukache says the party has information that Ms. Siliya visited State house the same day National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe and party Chairperson for women affairs Catherine Namugala visited plot one.

Kafumukache says it is surprising why the visit of the two national executive committee members Major Kachingwe and Ms Namugala is being blown out of proportion when it was the National Executive Committee of the party that assigned them to converse with the head of State over the appointment of MMD members of parliament to government positions.

He says if some members think that the visit by the two officials was wrong, it would be better that the entire national executive committee of the party is hounded out for mandating the two officials to have a meeting with the head of State.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka this morning, Kafumukache says Ms. Siliya’s visit to State house should be explained to avoid speculations of her working with the Patriotic Front Government.

And Kafumukache has accused some party officials of sponsoring some party youths to cause confusion within the party.

He has also accused former party Lusaka province chairperson William Banda of organizing UPND youths to masquerade as MMD youths in an effort to destabilize the party.

Kafumukache says the party cannot afford to be ridiculed over simple issues instead of focusing on very important developmental issues that will benefit the people of Zambia.

QFM

Vice president Guy Scott has accused millers of blackmail in view of the shortage of mealie meal that has hit the Copperbelt.

Dr Scott during the vice president’s question time in response to a question by Mafinga Member of Parliament, Catherine Namugala who wanted to find out government’s position on the mealie meal shortage, said millers ignored the advice given to them to buy maize for themselves on the open market up until the end of December when the FRA would supply them with maize in the second half.

Ms Namugala told the House that mealie-meal prices on the Copperbelt had gone as higher as K75, 000 making it difficult for the locals to purchase the commodity.

Dr Scott said that the millers thought they were clever and left the Food Reserve Agency to buy all the maize as has previously has been the case in the past with all the corruption and maize wastage involved.

He says unfortunately the millers’ blackmail seems to have some effect into forcing government into directing FRA to release maize earlier than planned in order to bring down mealie meal prices down.

The Vice president disclosed that the situation has further been compounded by the mechanical outage at Mpongwe milling which has been down for seven days.

“Mpongwe milling has be down for past seven days which has aggravated the situation because it is the largest milling and supplier of mealie-meal on the Copperbelt, but by next week the situation will normalise, “he said

Dr Scott also said South Africa had stopped supplying the commodity to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a situation which had caused severe demand of mealie-meal from Zambia into DRC.

The Vice President has assured that the escalating prices and shortages of mealie meal on the Copperbelt will normalise by next week.

The Vice President said Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Emmanuel Chenda would next week issue a comprehensive statement on various issues such as mealie-meal shortages.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) Nangoma MP Boyd Hamusonde wondered why there had slow distribution of the farming inputs under Fertiliser Input Support Programme (FISP). In his response, Dr Scott said Government inherited a system that was full of corruption.

He said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government found FISP marred with high corrupt practises and that it was cleaning up FISP distribution exercise.

Dr Scott said the Government would promote transparency and accountability in the manner farming inputs were managed for the benefits of several Zambians farmers.