THE youth leadership in Western Province has resolved to back former Kaoma Central Member of Parliament (MP) Austin Liato as the MMD’s vice-president.

Those in support of Mr Liato are youth chairpersons from Kaoma, Mongu, Sesheke, Kalabo, Lukulu, Senanga, Shang’ombo and Mulobezi districts.

The resolution was made at a meeting held at Ishaa Mbingo’s Kraal Lodge in Kaoma at the weekend.

Those that signed the resolution were Kaoma District youth chairperson David Chiyuka, Vincent Mapunga from Mongu, Sesheke’s George Simulilo and Mulambwa Munalula representing Kalabo.

Others were Mutete Mutete from Lukulu, Senganga’s Muyambwa Wamundila, Lifasi Mutonga of Shang’ombo and Sililo Kusika representing Mulobezi.

When contacted for comment, MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu said Mr Liato was a “free man as his suspension was lifted long before his conviction.”

He said Mr Liato was an active and loyal member of the former ruling party.

Mr Nyangu said the position of vice-president had not been advertised yet, but that it would be announced soon.

He said members who were in good standing with the party would be urged to contest.

“By 30th June, 2012 we should have the two vice-presidents in place,” he said.

Western Province youth Chairperson Musangu Njamba said the resolution to rally behind Mr Liato was based on his exemplary track record in various portfolios he served and that it was arrived at after wider consultations in the province.

“We have resolved that we are going to sell Liato for the position of the vice-president of our party because we have seen how he has worked. Mr Liato has worked well in all the portfolios he was given in the Government of this country,” he said.

Mr Njamba cited Mr Liato’s portfolios he had served as Labour minister, Energy deputy minister, Lusaka Province Minister, Kaoma Central MP for ten years, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) vice- president.

He also served as Zambia Electricity and Allied Workers Union president.

The Lusaka Magistrate’s Court last month sentenced Mr Liato to two years imprisonment with hard labour for possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime. This was in connection with the K2.1 billion, which was dug out from his Mwembeshi farm.

He was released on K50 million bail pending his appeal to the High Court.

At the MMD provincial conferences, which ushered into office Nevers Mumba as the party’s president, it was resolved that the vice- presidency position be reintroduced after being frozen for several years.

The party would now have two vice-presidents, one in charge of political affairs while the other one for administration.

[Times of Zambia]

Former Head of State Rupiah Banda has been admitted to the Club de Madrid, the prestigious organization of democratic former Heads of State and Government.

Mr Banda, who left office last September, joins other eminent leaders around the world, including former US President Bill Clinton, former UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, and former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

Club de Madrid has become the world’s largest forum of former Presidents and Prime Ministers committed to sharing their experience in government and to overcome the challengers of leading and decision-making in contemporary politics worldwide.

The Club de Madrid’s honorary members include former US President Jimmy Carter and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It has in the past addressed issues of global concern such as climate change and sustainable development, social cohesion, terrorism, the role of women in peace and security, or the global economic crisis.

Under the motto “Democracy that delivers”, Club de Madrid has also provided peer to peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation.

Mr Wim Kok, President of the Club de Madrid, said on inviting President Banda into the organisation,

“On behalf of the other 87 democratic former Heads of State and Government, that form part of the organisation, I thus have the pleasure of formally inviting you to become a full Member of the Club de Madrid,”

Mr Banda said,“This is a huge honour and one that makes me particularly happy as it is recognition from amongst my political colleagues around the world. Looking at the other distinguished members, I see that democracy really is at the heart of any country that cares about its people. I want to be able to use my experience to help other countries not only in the region but as far and wide as possible. I am grateful to my colleagues at Club de Madrid for helping me in my task of spreading the word that a democratic country is a better country – for all.”

The former head of state has just returned from Lesotho where he led an election observer mission from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) to monitor National Assembly elections in that country.

Prior to that, Mr t Banda was in the US as President-in Residence at the Boston University’s African Presidential Archives and Research Centre where he lectured on a wide range of issues.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”
(Acts 4:13, NKJV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
God wants to empower and strengthen you to overcome every obstacle in this life. He wants to give you confidence, wisdom and boldness to pursue the dreams and desires in your heart. He wants to give you supernatural insight so that you can be a witness of His goodness. In scripture, Peter and John were supernaturally equipped. Everyone around them marveled at their boldness, at their ability. They knew Peter and John didn’t have any formal training. They knew there wasn’t anything special about them. This power and wisdom could have only come from one place — the presence of Jesus.

Friend, when you spend time with Jesus, people will see it. You’ll be energized by His anointing and equipped by His grace. That’s why it’s so important to take time every day to be in His presence. No matter where you are on this earth, His presence is only a prayer away. Scripture says He is near to all who call upon His name. It says that He inhabits the praises of His people. Make your relationship with Him your number one priority and be empowered by His presence each and every day!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, I humbly come before You giving You all that I am. I surrender every area of my life to You and invite You to have Your way in my heart. Empower me with Your love as I daily set my focus on You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

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…/