STANDARD Chartered Bank managing director Mizinga Melu has relived the horrendous experience of being on Emirates Airline, Flight EK 714 which caught fire 30 minutes after take-off from the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Sunday night.

Mrs Melu, who is also Zambia Daily Mail board chairperson, narrated the hair-raising experience of over 135 passengers and 15 crew members.

“We could have died…Thank God we are alive,” the shaken Mrs Melu said.According to Mrs Melu, all seemed well until 30 minutes in the air when “we heard a bang…it was so loud and suddenly the plane started shaking…Thank God we are alive…I’m traumatised.”Mrs Melu was flying to America through Dubai.

Emirates country manager Khalid Ali Hassan said flight EK 714, which was flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet above sea level, returned safely to Lusaka after an engine failure.

The Airbus 330-200 carrying 135 passengers took off from KK International Airport around 23:00 hours.Mr Hassan said Emirates engineers from the Dubai head office were scheduled to arrive in the country to establish the cause of the fire.

Impeccable sources have also disclosed that the British manufacturers of the Rolls Royce engines and other aircraft body are expected in the country to launch comprehensive investigations.

The manufacturers are “seriously concerned” about the fault because it is the first time an airbus 330-200 has developed such a serious fault which could be a manufacturing error, the sources said.

“The aircraft landed normally, taxied to the stand and passengers disembarked. Passengers were accommodated in hotels and have now been re-booked on alternative flights with Emirates or other airlines. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised,” Emirates spokesperson Ms Gillian Langmead said.

A check for some of the affected customers at some hotels in Lusaka yielded no results as management at the hotels declined to disclose clients lodging on the Emirates account.

But impeccable sources at Kennth Kaunda International Airport disclosed that the engine is extensively damaged and requires replacement and that blades snapped and ripped through the engine cover.

The sources said about three port side fan blades snapped off the propeller and shot through the engine nacelle (engine cover or housing), causing a big hole.
The port side is the left hand side of a plane occupied by the captain while the co-pilot occupies the star bode on the right hand side.
The sources said the development caused a fire to the engine which the pilots managed to put out using an inbuilt fire extinguisher operated from the cockpit.

“The plane left at 23:00 hours and the next flight we were going to service was KQ [Kenya Airways] after clearing Emirates but we received information when it was 64 miles [about 103 kilometres] away from Kennth Kaunda International airport, that the Emirates plane had an engine fault.

“It had an alternative of landing in Ndola but the airport does not operate for 24 hours, and it is limited in capacity to handle such a big plane,” the source said.

The source added that the plane also had another alternative of landing in a neighbouring country but could not because of instability in that country.
And a check at the airport found an investigations team made up of officials from the Department of Civil Aviation and Zambia Air Force, inspecting the affected engine and taking photographs for preliminary investigations.

The plane had been towed away from the apron and its engine covers were visibly covered with black soot. It was cordoned off with masking tapes.
Airport officials were by press time searching for possible debris which could have fallen from the plane, to no avail.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Former MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba, has dragged Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda to court for allegedly grabbing a piece of land from him.

Dr Kalumba who is a former Finance Minister has since asked the Lusaka High Court to grant him an injunction to restrain Mr Shamenda from carrying out any developments on the said land.

This is contained in a writ of summons filed on Monday before the Lusaka Principal Registry by Dr Kalumba of Lake View house, Natende, Chiengi district, Luapula province.

He has sued Attorney General Mumba Malila as the second defendant pursuant to the State Proceedings Act Chapter 71 of the Laws of Zambia.

He is seeking a declaratory that the re-entry by the Commissioner of Lands on the said plot was null and void and an order that Mr Malila should give back the said Certificate of Title L 318 to him or alternatively to Dr Kalumba and be the re-registered beneficial owner and issued with a Certificate of Title.

Dr Kalumba is further seeking damages, profit accrued, interests and costs from Mr Shamenda.

He contends in his statement of claim that he was the holder of Title number L318 relating to Plot number 9395/M situated in Lusaka province and that Mr Shamenda was purported to be the holder of Certificate number 185050 relating to Lot number 9395/M situated in the same province.

Dr Kalumba said he was at all material times ending October 19, 2012 the registered owner of the property situate in Lusaka and known as Lot Number 9395/M, Lusaka.

He said by October 9, 2012 the Commissioner registered in the Lands and Deeds Registry a Certificate of re-entry and on October 12, 2012, the Registrar of Lands issued a new Certificate of Title number L8550 to Mr Shamenda.

He said when he acquired the said property, he engaged Aquanova Limited to carry out construction of developments but the police had started using the same land as their recreation place and as such it was not available for development.

He said he approached the Commissioner of Lands and attempts were made to give him an alternative piece of land but the same never came to pass.

Dr Kalumba said when the Commissioner of Lands failed to give him alternative land, his wife delivered building materials to the place but was advised by the people he found at the site that the land belonged to Mr Shamenda.

He said this was done without any notice given to him adding that there were no lawful grounds which existed for forfeiture or re-entry of the said property before allocating it to Mr Shamenda.

Dr Kalumba said as a result of Mr Shamenda’s behaviour, he has suffered loss and damages the reason he was seeking relief from the courts of law.

He is being represented by Vincent Malambo and Company.

Zambia Police Service Spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela has refuted reports suggesting that Government has withdrawn housing allowance for police officers across the country.

In an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Ms. Kanjela described the reports as unfounded and misleading.

She said police officers accommodated in Police Camps are not entitled to housing allowance but those not residing in the camps.

She stated that the sentiments being peddled by some media houses are untrue and that they should be brushed aside.

Ms. Kanjela said the September and October payslips do not contain any changes to that effect.

She advised some people circulating this rumour to desist from doing so because it is un ethical and dangerous to mislead the public.

Recently some sections of the media alleged that government had withdrawn housing allowances from Police Officers across the country effective last month.

It was also alleged that Police officers have complained that their housing allowances were withdrawn without any explanations from the top command.

ZANIS

Lusaka Magistrate Willie Banda yesterday refused to grant bail to a Zambia business woman on grounds that she has more than one passport.

Rosemary Mwasakandu aged 49, a resident of Kitwe’s Parklands area appeared in the Lusaka Magistrate Court for plea on a matter where she is accused of being in possession of more than one passport without authority contrary to section 55 of the Immigration and Deportation Act number 18 of 2010 of the laws of Zambia.

Mwasakandu a Zambian by birth is believed to have been married to Mr. Abdoulaye Ndiaye a Canadian and Senegalese national in 1996 but later divorced in 2006.

After denying the charge before magistrate Banda, Mwasakandu made an application for bail saying she had been in police custody from the day she was arrested.

In passing ruling on the application Magistrate Banda told the court that it was not easy to trace Mwasakandu in this case due to the controversy surrounding her passports.

However, Mwasakandus’ lawyer Andy Wright argued that there was no law in Zambia that prohibits women to adopt the nationality of their husbands if they were married to a foreign national whose country permits them to do so.

Mr. Wright further argued that by virtue of Mwasakandu being married to a Canadian man she had the right to have a Canadian nationality and passport bearing her husband’s sir name.

He added that according to the Tanzanian investment laws, when an investor is considered as a major investor they are entitled to acquire the Tanzanian nationality.

He said there was nothing complicated in the matter adding that Mwasakandu was her father’s name and Ndiaye was her ex-husband’s name through which she acquired the other two passports.

However, Magistrate Banda maintained his stance and denied bail to Mwasakandu.

Particulars of the offence her that Mwasakandu rosemary, a Zambian national while in Kitwe on unknown dates but between July and October 2012 did without authority for dual nationality had in possession three valid passports namely Zambian passport number ZN 291038 in her name, a Tanzanian passport number AB307945 in the names of Mwasakandu Rose Gwekabini Glynn and a Canadian passport number WS161821 in the names of Ndiaye Rosemary all with passport photos impressed on them.

Magistrate Banda further set November 1, 2012 for mention and commencement of trial on November 20 while Mwasakandu will be remanded in police custody.

ZANIS

Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkandu Luo says time has come for the ruling Patriotic Front to implement its campaign promises.

Addressing a royal council meeting in Macha chiefdom in Choma yesterday, Professor Luo said the PF has an obligation to deliver development to the people of Zambia as it promised them during the campaign period.

Prof Luo said poverty levels still remain high in the country hence the need for government to quickly address the situation as part of its fulfillment of the campaign promises.

The minister pointed out that the PF will in its remaining four years work on reducing the poverty levels as wells as uplifting the living standard of people.

Prof Luo explained that her ministry will work closely with chiefs in its quest to meet people‘s aspirations.

She added that government has identified the need to engage the traditional leadership in its fight against the high levels of poverty people have been subjected to in the past 20 years of the former regime because they are not voted like politicians.

The minister said traditional leadership does not change even if there is change of government hence the reason for any ruling party to recognize and work with it.

Prof Luo disclosed that government will next year set up seed certification in all chiefdoms involved in farming so as to increase accessibility of inputs to all potential farmers.

She said the idea is meant to reduce poverty by empowering chiefdoms through agriculture and as well as agro processing equipment that can be used to store and dry caterpillars as well as mushroom for export.

Prof Luo further urged people to identify projects that they can manage in their chiefdoms in order to improve their lives through exporting such products outside the country.

However the minister said issues of HIV/AIDS in the country have continued hindering people from being productive.

She said the PF government will strive hard to ensure that it helps its people to be productive as way of fighting poverty.

Meanwhile Chief Macha has called for concerted efforts among his subjects in the fight against poverty.

He said development is based on how much knowledge one has hence the need for government to adequately inform its citizens on all development programmes.

The chief cited water blues as among many other challenges his chiefdom is faced with that needs urgent government attention.

ZANIS