The Technical Committee drafting the Zambian Constitution has extended it by 50 days the period in which stakeholders and members of the public should study and comment on the draft Constitution.

Committee spokesperson, Simon Kabanda said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the general public had been given up to July 31, to study the draft Constitution and make comments.

There have been calls from various stakeholders that the 40 days that were initially given was too little in which to study the document which was yet to be translated into local languages for easy understanding.

“In response to the public outcry for more time, the technical committee has extended the time-frame for stakeholders and members of the public to comment on the first draft Constitution from 40 to 90 days,” he said.

Mr Kabanda said feedback the committee had received from the launch of the draft Constitution April 30 this year indicated that people needed more time to study the contents of the first draft Constitution.

MMD national secretary, Richard Kachingwe said the party welcomed the decision by the committee to extend the deadline in which the public could study and comment on the national document.

Maj Kachingwe said the former ruling party had written to the committee to extend the period because some people had not accessed the document to yet.

“We had written to them because we realised that 40 days was too little to study the document. The Constitution is not about an overnight thing and we are happy that they extended,” he said.

Maj Kachingwe however noted that there was need to translate the draft Constitution into local languages as well as carry out massive civic awareness to enable people make informed decisions.

United Party for National Development (UPND) spokesperson, Charles Kakoma said the extension would not serve the purpose unless the draft Constitution was translated into local languages.

“It is clear that there was need to extend because the 40 days was too short. However, this exercise is a bit of a flop because the people are not reading the document in rural areas.

“I am in Zambezi here and a few copies that have reached here are in English and it means that many people cannot ready. So while we welcome the extension, we feel they should also translate and send copies to rural areas,” he said.

In a related development, draft Constitution copies that have been sent in various communities have gone on sale in some Lusaka’s townships.

A check in Kanyama during the week revealed that the document which should be given free to people in order to study, were sold as much as K5,000 per copy.

Meanwhile, Forum for Good Governance, Gender Equity and Justice the Government for having fulfilling the promise of coming up with a Constitution which would stand the test of time.

Mr Kayula said the Constitution making process had been a good development on issues of good governance and democratic development in the Province.

“However, we would have been happier to see a Legal framework that safeguards and protect the Constitution making process together with its table of contents. This would have made this process sufficiently protected by law,” he said.

Mr Kayula said the Constitution should give and extend powers to the Office of the Auditor General to audit, make arrests, prosecute, convict and consequently pass verdict on those found guilty of community claims on public resources.

The organisation recommended the electorate be given powers to recall a Member of Parliament through a vote of no confidence in case of failure to perform while mayors should be elected by the people instead of their fellow civic leaders.

He said apart from extending the period in which the public should study the draft Constitution, there was need to translate the document into local languages so as the people in rural areas voters could have an opportunity to read the document.

PRESIDENT Sata has sued United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema for alleged defamation of character.

Mr Sata has also sued proprietors of the Daily Nation and Zambian Watchdog Richard Sakala and Lloyd Himaambo, respectively, for the defamation.

He has further sued lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who is acting for former President Rupiah Banda and his son, Henry, and University of Zambia history lecturer Choolwe Beyani.

This is contained in writs of summons filed in the Lusaka High Court yesterday by President Sata’s lawyers Ellis and Company.

Mr Sata has sued Mr Hichilema and four others in connection with stories published in the Daily Nation and on the Zambian Watchdog, regarding an alleged false statement suggesting that he is protecting his “rich friends Mutembo Nchito and Fred M’membe from paying back the K14 billion owed to Development Bank of Zambia”.

He is seeking an injunction restraining Mr Hichilema from defaming him.

“The plaintiff claims an injunction restraining the defendants and each of them, whether by themselves, their servants or agents or otherwise from further publishing or causing to be published the similar words defamatory of the plaintiff,” reads part of the summons.

The head of State is further claiming general and exemplary damages for defamation of character and interest at current commercial bank lending rates.

He is also claiming further or other reliefs as the court will deem fit and costs.

Mr Sata said Mr Hichilema’s statement that “he [President Sata] will not get away with lies” published by the private newspaper and the online publication means he lacks integrity and has aided and abetted corruption and the abuse of public funds.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

An enraged man shocked congregants recently when he stormed a church and beat up his wife and her pastor in Lusaka.

This was revealed in a Lusaka court by Dorothy Mulenga, 26, who said the incident happened in mid-service just as she and other church members were praying.

Her jealousy husband stormed the church and started beating her up.

When her pastor attempted to stop him, her husband, who is a security guard, turned the heat on the man of God, beating him up as well.

Mulenga told magistrate Lazarus Mwape that this was not the first time that her husband, Samson Ngulube, behaved in such a manner because he often used to beat her up.

But on that fateful day, Mulenga said Ngulube, 31, went just too far although he had earlier warned her that he did not like her going to church for prayers.

“He once came into our church and beat me up inside the church in full view of the elders and when my pastor tried to intervene, he insulted and beat him up as well. That is how violent my husband is,” she said.

Mulenga said on another occasion, Ngulube broke their door and started hitting her with an iron rod, commonly placed across doors in houses as a security measure.

She said it had to take their neighbours to grab the iron rod from him and stop Ngulube from beating his wife.

But Ngulube, who resids in Misisi Township, said he was jealousy of his wife because he did not want their marriage to end.

Ngulube said he once thought of killing his wife and later kill himself when he found her in a sexual act with another man.

He claimed before magistrate Mwape that he found his wife with another man in their house after he unsuspectingly went home from work during
the night.

Ngulube said he forgave his wife after she pleaded for forgiveness but that her behaviour did not change afterwards.

“I found her red-handed having sex with another man. The man ran away and my wife started crying asking for forgiveness. I was hurt and I thought of killing her and later kill myself.

This is all because I love her and I don’t want our child to suffer,” Ngulube said.

He said another evening, he left work because he was not feeling well and when he reached home, he found two sachets of Tujilijili on the table.
When he asked his wife about them, he was told that they were hers but this still raised suspicion because he knew that his wife did not take that type of alcohol.

Ngulube said the same evening around 21:00 hours, an unknown man knocked at their door and his wife rushed to there, which again aroused his suspicion.

This forced him to also rush to the door where he found a man who, upon seeing Ngulube ran away. Ngulube said he shouted for help from the neighbours who pounced on the strange man and beat him up.

Ngulube then turned on his wife and beat her up but she retaliated by pouring boiling water on his private parts. This was so painful that he thought of taking his own life.

Magistrate Mwape said the couple’s marriage was marred with mistrust and violence, and without intervention there companionship would result in loss of life.

“This marriage is marred by lies and violence and if the court does not intervene, death may occur,” he said.

Magistrate Mwape dissolved the marriage and told Ngulube to pay his wife K3 million and K350,000 child maintenance monthly.

Ends…/

Head of the Zambian judiciary has finally broken the silence on the protracted demands for his resignation. Chief justice, Ernest Sakala has said that he is more than ready to leave the judiciary. Justice Sakala said that he is not against genuine judicial reforms but the selective process.

He told a gathering in Lusaka that included Supreme Court Judge, Philip Musonda and High Court Judge, Charles Kajimanga who have challenged President Sata’s establishment of a tribunal to probe their alleged professional misconduct.

Justice Sakala added that the judiciary is larger than any member of staff currently serving in the establishment including himself.

[pullquote]“I have said this before and I will say it again, there is nobody in the Judiciary who is resisting judicial reforms but these reforms should be genuine,” Mr Justice Sakala said.[/pullquote]

“If judicial reforms mean dismissing the Chief Justice and judges, then I am not competent to comment. Reforms are welcome because genuine reforms are not about dismissing anyone,” he said.

He said there is nobody in the judiciary who is resisting reforms.

“I have said this before and I will say it again, there is nobody in the Judiciary who is resisting judicial reforms but these reforms should be genuine,” Mr Justice Sakala said.

[pullquote]Justice Sakala added that the judiciary is larger than any member of staff currently serving in the establishment including himself.[/pullquote]

There has been calls by section of the society for the Chief Justice to resign, with a sizeable group of students led by former National Institute of Public Administration (NIPASU) president Muneri Zulu storming into the Supreme Court and presenting a petition to Chief Justice Sakala’s secretary where they demanded his resignation over alleged maladministration of the Judiciary.

However, University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU). purported to be the source of these calls, distanced itself from reports that its members had planned to camp at Supreme Court to press for the resignation of Chief Justice Ernest Sakala.

UNZASU secretary general Mwauluka Sishekanu, in a statement, stated that those who purported to be UNZA students were impersonators.

“As UNZASU, we further wish to state that investigations have since been instituted to establish the authenticity of this claim, and whoever will be found wanting will face the law to the latter. We strongly warn the would-be impersonators to desist from using the name of the students of the University of Zambia and we shall not hesitate to invoke the law should they be found wanting,” stated Sishekanu.

[pullquote]“If there’s nothing else that can be done, if there’s too much resistance from judicial officers; they are finding every way of blocking what should be a smooth process of reform, then we have no option but to resort to this extreme measure of dissolving the Judiciary for the good of this country, for the good of the people,” Archbishop Mpundu said in an interview with the POST Newspaper.[/pullquote]

To this day UNZASU has not published findings of their investigations.

And yesterday, Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu told the POST Newspaper that the Judiciary should be dissolved if it continues to resist reforms. Archbishop Mpundu said the Judiciary was not a sacred cow that should be left untouched when it made mistakes.

“If there’s nothing else that can be done, if there’s too much resistance from judicial officers; they are finding every way of blocking what should be a smooth process of reform, then we have no option but to resort to this extreme measure for the good of this country, for the good of the people,” Archbishop Mpundu said in an interview with the POST.

“They did that in Kenya because there was no other way to go about it. If you are trying to reason with people; there are provisions within the Constitution that say now, look, if judicial officers as a body will not do XYZ, then another wing of government, in this case the Executive is entitled to do XYZ. So, I hope it doesn’t come to that dissolution, but if we must come to that, then let it be.”

MUVITV

Salma Dodia will be releasing her new video “Wonderful World” on 17th june .

WATCH THE PROMO FOR THE VIDEO

By Kapa187

United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hikainde Hichilema has called on party members to desist from any form of violence as they campaign during in the Livingstone by-elections to be held on July 5 this year.

Mr. Hichilema has implored the UPND Candidate for Livingstone by-election Howard Sikwela to put the interest of the electorate first if he wins the elections.

“When you win do not forget the people who will vote for you but fight for development ward by ward,” Mr. Hichilema said. Mr. Hichilema who was optimistic of the party’s victory further advised Mr. Sikwela to attend all council meetings in order to effectively attend to people’s problems.

Speaking when he introduced UPND’s Sikwela to Movement for Multi party Democracy (MMD) and UPND Supporters shortly after he successfully filled in his nominations at Villa Grounds yesterday, Mr. Hichilema said no party members should engage in any form of violence adding that he will personally deal with any members inciting violence during the campaigns.

“We want peaceful campaigns and if it means fighting let us fight the Patriotic Front ( PF) in the ballot box,” said Mr. Hichilema.However Mr. Hichilema called on UPND and MMD members to defend each other whenever provoked and attacked by PF cadres.The UPND and MMD have teamed up to support one candidate.

Mr. Hichilema also called on both MMD and UPND members to seriously embark on a door-to-door campaign strategy to win voters.

And Mr. Sikwela pledged to address problems of sanitation and water reticulation systems in the Tourist capital once voted into office.The Livingstone Parliamentary seat fell vacant following a successful petition by PF’ Joseph Akafumba and UPND’s Frederick Chunga and is fervently been contested by UPND and PF.

ZANIS

Police in Lusaka are said to be keeping a close eye on new UPND member William Banda on suspicion that he might be scheming to spearhead future demonstrations.

Police suspect that William Banda who was associated with violence during the reign of the former ruling MMD could have a hand in the demonstrations.

Sources have disclosed police also suspect that William Banda was part of the UPND members that organized the youths to demonstrate on Wednesday.

The sources have further revealed that a team of police officers has been constituted to closely monitor the maneuvers of the former MMD Lusaka province chairman who is now a UPND member.

And when reached for a comment, Mr. Banda denied any involvement in the planned future demonstrations by the UPND.

He told QFM in an interview that he was shocked that police visited his residence on Wednesday suspecting that he could be ferrying cadres to the UPND secretariat in readiness for the demonstration.

He wondered how he could be part of the demonstrations when he was attending a court session at the time of the demonstrations.

Mr Banda said some Police officers even went to court just to check on him without asking him any questions.

The Zambia Police were not available for immediate reaction.

[QFM]