Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director General Roswin Wandi has asked Zambians to maintain faith in the commission’s credibility to operate autonomously.
Ms Wandi said fears that the ACC was operating under the influence of President Michael Sata was just wishful thinking, which should not be allowed to detract people’s faith in the commission.
She said this yesterday during a Copperbelt stakeholders’ meeting involving heads of Government departments and the civil organizations held at Moba Hotel in Kitwe.
“I want to assure you that the Anti-Corruption Commission is carrying out its mandate in accordance with the law and that there is no interference in the operations of the commission,” she said.
Ms Wandi who was responding to concerns during the question and answer over President Sata’s request that the ACC should inform the Head of State when investigating senior officials of his Cabinet said that should in no way suggest there was interference in the operation of the commission.
Ms Wandi’s assurance was echoed by ACC director community education, Festus Chipungu who said President Sata’s statement was only emphasizing on courtesy, which was normal in the conducting of investigations.
“The President Sata did not mean that we should be accountable to him. He just said as courtesy we should inform him because that is the normal way to conduct investigation as we do it even when we are investigating an office orderly, we have to inform the employer,” Mr Chipungu said.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Christopher Yaluma has said that Government did follow the right procedure when appointing suspended Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL)
chief executive officer Clive Chirwa and the Board of Directors before handing them the responsibility to handle ZRL.
Speaking in an interview yesterday Mr Yaluma said that the layed down procedure was followed.
“When appointing a CEO, we look at proficient and experienced people, they are interviewed using the laid down procedure after a body they are affiliated to recommends that they possesses the qualities required. Appointing the board of Directors is also guarded by a statutory instrument,” he said.
And Mr Yaluma has said that the suspension of Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) chief executive officer Clive Chirwa and dissolution of the Board of Directors will not in any way undermine strategic plans to revamp the national railway or in any way hinge on the Governments long-term planned strategies to improve the operations of ZRL.
“We have long-term plans and strategies put in place to enhance the operations of ZRL. These contingencies are there not to derail operations but to put in more efforts meant to sustain the national railway,” he said.
Mr Yaluma said Government’s decision to suspend Prof Chirwa and dissolve ZRL board is proof that the State is committed and would endeavor to see that Parastatal companies are run smoothly to benefit the people of Zambia.
“When we see that something has gone wrong in any Parastatal, such kind of investigations should be instituted to probe what’s going on. If things are not moving smoothly, we will endeavor to see anyone involved is probed, he said.
Mr Yaluma said employees at ZRL should remain calm and committed to the course of duty as law enforcers undertake the probe into the company’s operations.
Two Illegal miners have died after a tunnel they were attempting to quarry copper ore from at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) collapsed due to heavy rains.
Meanwhile police in Chingola have recovered a heap of twenty eight 25 kilogram sacks of copper weighing 1.4 tonnes each.
Given Illunga, 15 and Alick Luapula 18, both of House number 4, Chibwa crescent, Chiwempala in Chingola entered the KCM moolmans pit at 19:00 hours on Tuesday after eluding police officers manning the premises.
The rains which started a few minutes later caused the tunnel to flood and by press time, only Illunga’s body had been recovered
“During the course of their work, it started raining. Unfortunately water entered the tunnel in which the two illegal miners were and the soil got wet and collapsed them,” Copperbelt Police commissioner Mary Tembo said.
Ms Tembo said police rushed to the scene at around 07: 00 found that other illegal miners attempting to retrieve the body of Luapula but were stopped from continuing with the exercise for safety reasons.
Ms Tembo said police suspect illegal miners could have hidden the twenty eight sacks of copper with the intention to smuggle them to an unknown destination.
She said the owners of the contraband abandoned the sacks after noticing the presence of police conducting their usual patrols in the KCM premises.
Kitwe United coach Knight Mpundu is impressed with Chingalika’s start to the 2013 FAZ Division One North campaign.
The Buchi Boys are second on the table with 11 points in five matches and are just two points behind leaders National Assembly.
In an interview at Garden Park in Kitwe on Wednesday, Mpundu said his side has been improving since settling for a 1-1 draw with Nkwiza in their Week One match.
“The boys are improving in each and every game. So far we have played five games, we have drawn two, we have won three,” he said.
Mpundu said Kitwe were now focusing on their next match against Kansanshi Dynamos after beating visiting Grinaker 2-0 on Sunday.
“That victory has gone, we are now looking at upcoming fixtures. We want to ensure that we don’t lose that side,” he added.
This will be Kitwe’s second trip to North-western Province in two weeks having played against FQM Operations on 14 April in Solwezi.
The Zambia medical bench has asked Power Dynamos to be cautious with their star midfielder Mukuka Mulenga’s fitness.
Zambia team physician Dr Joseph Kabungo said Mukuka arrived in camp in Lusaka on Tuesday with a calf muscle injury.
Mukuka has been excused from training by Herve Renard and benched to rest his injury that Dr Kabungo said needed at least three days to rest.
“I have to liaise with the guys at Power because they have to be considerate in the manner they handle players affairs,” Dr Kabungo said at end of Wednesdays training at Barclays Sports Complex in Lusaka.
“It is not fair that the player is half fit then you still want to use him.
“Because that in itself you are not doing the player any service neither are you doing the team any service.
“Because at the end of the day instead of a player resting for a week you end up with a player who is out for a month because of a muscle strain that was minor, it goes all the way into being a major one.
“That in itself has got its own medical implications.”
The news could see Mukuka miss either Power’s league commitments or Zambia’s friendly against Zimbabwe on Sunday at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
“The coaches must understand Mukuka is their key player but when he is injured he is injured you cannot force matters,” Dr Kabungo added.
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has declared opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Misheck Mutelo as the winner of the Lukulu West parliamentary seat.
Mr Mutelo polled 3 894 beating PF’s Eileen Imbwae who had 1 896 votes.
United Liberal Party (ULP) candidate Mubita Sikwa polled a paltry 61 votes.
Of the 11,889 registered voters in the constituency, only 5 922 cast their vote.
Lukulu West Returning Officer Christine Kasemuka declared Mr Mutelo as winner few minutes after 18:00 hours.
Mr Mutelo said he would work hard to develop the area and urged the Government to support various developmental projects in the area.
The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has scooped the Kapiri Mposhi constituency seat following a parliamentary by-election that were held yesterday.
PF candidate Eddie Musonda polled 6, 614 votes against his closest rival of the opposition UPND, Lawrence Zimba who got 5,470 votes while UNIP’s Francis Mwape managed a paltry 443 votes.
ZANIS reports that Kapiri Mposhi Constituency Returning Officer, Jimmy Musweu declared Mr. Musonda as winner of the by-election at exactly 14:45 hours at Kapiri Mposhi District Council which was used as a totaling center.
Mr. Musweu announced that a total of 12,709 ballots were cast against 84, 386 registered voters in the vast Kapiri Mposhi Constituency.
He said 182 votes were rejected as invalid in the by-election marred by high voter apathy.
The Kapiri Mposhi and Lukulu West seats became vacant after the Supreme Court nullified the seats following election petitions citing electoral malpractices during the 2011 General elections.
Following Tuesday’s by-elections, the PF now has 66 MPs, UPND 30 while MMD remains 50, with FDD and ADD with one each and two Independents.
President Micheal Sata pose with some of the 27 chiefs from Southern Province at Chief Chikanta Palace in Kalomo on wednesday 24th April 2013.picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/Statehouse.
Republican President Micheal Sata has urged the electorate of Southern Province to give him Members of Parliament who belong to his party if the province was to develop.
And Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe told a huge gathering that attended the meeting that if President Sata was a tribalist, he wouldn’t have appointed the ten Ministers from Southern Province who are currently serving in his government.
And Chief Chikanta thanked President Micheal Sata for appointing Mr. Munkombwe as Southern Province Minister.
Mr Sata cited Livingstone, which recently gave the ruling party the only PF Member of Parliament in Southern Province, as one of the areas that was receiving development as a result of having voted for a PF MP.
ZANIS reports from Kalomo that the President was speaking at Chungu palace in Chief Chikanta’s area in Kalomo district today. This was during the welcoming and appreciation ceremony for Provincial Minister Daniel Munkombwe.
He said Southern Province was capable of feeding the entire Africa and beyond.
The President has further said that opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has continued to mislead the people in the province by alleging that the Patriotic Front government was a Bemba government when ten of his ministers hail from Southern Province.
He cited Commerce Minister Emmanuel Chenda, Lands Minister Wylbur Simusaa and Western Province Member of Parliament Obvious Mwaliteta as being some of the Ministers as some of the ten Tonga Ministers currently saving in his government.
President Sata observed that government will only deliver in those areas where he has PF Members of Parliament.
President Sata being Introduced To Lovemore Sieva of Zambia Sugar
And Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe told a huge gathering that attended the meeting that if President Sata was a tribalist, he wouldn’t have appointed the ten Ministers from Southern Province who are currently serving in his government.
Mr Munkombwe said President Sata had included Tongas in his government even if they did not vote for him.
And speaking earlier, Chief Chikanta thanked President Micheal Sata for appointing Mr. Munkombwe as Southern Province Minister.
He said Mr Munkombwe will uplift the living standards of the people of Southern Province adding that all the chiefs in the province were in support of the appointment of Mr Munkombwe.
Chief Chikanta said more than 27 chiefs attended the ceremony. He also observed that the province was begging for development in terms of road infrastructure, clinics and to improve the phone network.
And Chieftainess Mwenda of Chikankata district said she was positive Mr Munkombwe would work hand in hand with the President in developing the province.
She said Southern Province was one province that had a lot of problems because people were not united. She called upon her fellow Chiefs to help unite the province.
”We are facing a lot of problems in this area because we are a province that is not united. Chiefs lets unite. This government is planning to bring development, so its up to us to sit together and unite for the sake of development,” she said.
Chieftainess Mwenda noted that government had the problems of the people in the province at heart as it was already considering building palaces for the chiefs.
Earlier, President Sata met more than 27 Chiefs who had come to welcome him at the palace.
Senior Chief Monze in his welcoming remarks noted that there was no ruler on earth who put himself in power unless by the grace of God. He called upon his fellow chiefs to work with the President who was in power and who was ruling.
”We have great respect for the ruler whom God has given us this time. We can talk about the hunger that is looming in this country but only our ruler can do something about it,” he said.
He observed that Mr. Munkombwe was a local person who was well vested with the challenges that the people in the province were going through.
The President who arrived at Chief Chikanta’s palace aboard a Presidential chopper has since returned to Lusaka.
Chongwe District Council has distance itself from assertions that it allocated 31 plots in Silverest Area to Patriotic Front Acting Provincial Chairman Geoffrey Chuumbwe to distribute to provincial and district leaders in Lusaka.
Council Public Relations officer Namasiku Njovu in a statement released to QFM News says at no time did the council allocate any plots in Silverest Area to Mr. Chuumbwe to distribute to party leaders in the province.
Ms Njovu says the allegations are false because the Council has never allocated the said plots of land to Mr. Chuumbwe.
She adds that Chongwe District Council will always endeavor to ensure that its operations are transparent and beneficial to the intended community.
FILE: Former PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda confers with Dr,Austin Sichinga during the occasion of the dissolution of the National Assembly at State House
Former Chief of Staff for former president Rupiah Banda has today testified in court that he edited a letter which was a request for 45 thousand barrels of crude oil and purchase of solid minerals to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Umaru Musa Yaradua.
This is in the continued trial of former president Banda in the case in which he is charged with abuse of authority of office involving a Nigerian oil procurement deal.
Mr. Austin Sichinga 59 of house number 6 Ingwe road in woodlands Lusaka, has testified that during the time he was chief of staff at state house, he dealt with many letters that came from correspondence and some had to pass through his hands because the president could have been busy.
Mr. Sichinga told the court that it was during the same time that one day he was asked to see the president who he found with two people in his office.
He testified that it was at this stage that president Banda asked him to look at the draft of a letter and see if it was of state house standard and have it edited.
Mr. Sichinga told the court that the letter was addressed to the then president of Nigeria Umaru Musa Yaradua, requesting for a possible concession to supply crude oil to Zambia, while offering Nigeria option of buying some mineral from Zambia.
But when shown a copy of the purported letter by Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito for identification, Mr Sichinga told the court that the document he was shown was just similar to the one that he had edited.
Mr. Sichinga explained to the court that the document shown to him was not original and not on standard state house special paper adding that the one he had edited was not signed by the former president Rupiah Banda.
He further testified that the letter in question had a state house date stamp and was on a special paper which was yellow in colour.
He also testified that letter that he was shown by the investigations officer was the one which had a signature of the former president Rupiah Banda.
And when asked by DPP if he had ever heard of the Osigue brothers, he answered in the affirmative and told the court that he meet them when president Banda has gone to address the United Nations meeting.
He told the court that President Banda introduced them as Nigerian businessmen who had interest to invest in Zambia.
Trial in the matter has been adjourned to tomorrow for continued trial.
The current drop in copper prices below US$7,000 per tonne is likely to have an effect on the availability of foreign exchange on the Zambian market thereby adding more pressure on the Kwacha.
The Copper shipments out of Zambia, which have resumed after a two-week export halt because of a railroad accident on Tazara on the 9th April, will bring about additional supplies of copper which will arrive in a market in which stockpiles of extra copper are already on the rise. The amount of the metal held in warehouses overseen by the London Metal Exchange rose 2,000 tons, to 614,350 tons, on Thursday, up 92% this year.
Copper prices have been in decline for much of this year as investors wagered that supplies from new and expanded copper mines would overwhelm demand from manufacturers.These fears escalated at the start of the week, after China reported slower-than-expected economic growth for the first quarter.China is the world’s top copper consumer, accounting for about 40% of global demand. Its gross domestic product expanded 7.7% in the first quarter, a slowdown from 7.9% in the final quarter of 2012.
Copper lost 5.9% on the week, its biggest weekly percentage decline in 16 months, and is down 13% this year. The metal is a component in many products, ranging from bathroom pipes to iPhones.
“Copper is telling us right now that all is not well with the global economy,” said Matt Zeman, head of trading with Chicago brokerage Kingsview Financial. “If people still look at copper as a barometer of economic activity, we’re in for some rough times ahead.”
Analysts said weak demand and robust supplies could continue to put pressure on copper prices.
Zambian economist Professor Oliver Saasa has described the development as bad news for the country and said it is likely to have an effect on the government treasury.
Police in Kapiri Mposhi apprehended a man believed to be from outside Kapiri Mposhi who was allegedly giving out cash to some voters in a bid to woo them to vote for a ‘particular party’, district electoral officer Mpande Hamwende confirmed.
He said the man was apprehended after he was found with KR13,000, five national registration cards and five voters’ cards.
Voting in Kapiri Mposhi Constituency parliamentary by-election yesterday was marred with widespread apathy.In Lukulu West, voting closed at 18:00 hours and most of the polling centres were not reachable by road.
The choppers that were to carry the ballot boxes from 39 polling stations could not be used at night.
Lukulu has a total of 11,889 registered voters and at Mitete Polling Station, the only one ballot boxes was ready, 306 had cast their votes as at closing time out of the total registered voters of 450.
The Lukulu West seat is being contested by Patriotic Front’s, (PF) Eileen Imbwae, Misheck Mutelo for United Party for National Development (UPND) and United Liberal Party’s (ULP) Mubita Sikwa.
The seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court nullified it following an election petition.The voter turnout, however, was reported to be encouraging, unlike for Kapiri Mposhi.
Kapiri Mposhi District has 84,000 registered voters with 89 polling stations.But a check at most polling stations after 10:00 hours found widespread apathy.
In some cases, electoral officers had to wait for people to walk in and cast their votes but most electoral officers were optimistic that more people could turn up later in the day.
A check at Railways, Fire Brigade, Old Civic Centre, Hill Top and Kapiri Mposhi basic schools found no queues, while the electoral officers, monitors and observers found were patiently waiting for voters.
And District Commissioner Beatrice Sikazwe, who was found casting her vote at Kapiri Mposhi Basic School, was not happy with the turn out, saying voter education was needed.
The Kapiri Mposhi election are being contested by PF’s Eddie Musonda, Francis Mwape for UNIP and Lawrence Zimba on the UPND ticket.
Unconfirmed reports put PF in the lead in Kapiri Mposhi.
A 25 year old Man of Kalulushi had part of his tongue removed after being kissed by his lover in unexplained circumstances during a drinking spree.Japhet Mwape of Keampemba farm chati area in Kalulusi District had his tongue cut by Mary Mumba Musa his lover whilst they were kissing.
Copperbelt police Commissioner Mary Tembo confirmed the Development and said that the incident happened on April 17 at around 20:00 hours. She said that Mwape on the material day at around 20: 00 left his farm and went to Chama Tavern for a drinking spree where he was joined by Musa, a lady he had come to know from Chati farm.
Ms Tembo said Mwape liked the woman and proposed love to her and she agreed.Whilst at the Tavern, the couple started kissing each other. After some time, Musa left her lover where they were seated and went out.
It was at this stage that some people within the tavern observed that something strange was happening.Blood was oozing out from Mwape’s mouth.Mwape only discovered that his tongue was cut in half after seeing a piece that was given to him by someone in the tavern who had picked it from the floor.
They later followed the woman to find out what had really happened,” Ms Tembo said.
Ms Tembo said Mwape thereafter took the tongue to the Hospital but the Doctor advised him that there was nothing that could be done because it was too late.Musa has since been arrested and she is detained at Kalulushi Police station waiting to appear in court.
Two boys from the same family have died of suspected food poisoning in Mpulungu’s Chilwa village while three others have been admitted to Mpulungu district Hospital.
Meanwhile, the deceased family members to day beat to death a 49 year old man who they suspected to have given the poisoned foodstuffs.
ZANIS reports that both police in the district and health officials have confirmed the incident in separate interviews.
The deceased were named and aged 12, and five, years, respectively.
Police sources said that the incident happened last evening when the family ate food provided by the late Davies Mazimba.
According to sources, Mazimba accompanied by his wife, are said to have taken some food to the victims’ family during a routine visit.
The whereabouts of wife to the deceased man are unknown after being equally badly beaten.
Facts are that as the family sat to have their meal, the deceased victims developed stomach problems and died on the way to the hospital.
Police said the community later realizing the case as that of food poisoning, descended on Mazimba and his wife and started beating them.
The mob beat up Mazimba who died on the spot whilst his wife was whisked away from the angry mob by unknown sympathizers.
The bodies of the three people are lying in Mpulungu District Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem and burial.
A visit this morning at the hospital found the other victims of the suspected poisoning lying in hospital beds in their respective wards.
Hospital authorities identified those admitted as Cylla Nankala, Eddie Sikapite and William Sikapite.
Police are still carrying out investigations to establish the motive behind the food poisoning.
Government says the requirement for Zambians to show proof of valid yellow fever vaccinations before entering into other countries has economic and political implications.
Health Permanent Secretary Dr Peter Mwaba says the designation of Zambia being a low risk yellow fever country was based on the sero-prevalence surveys conducted between 1940 and 1950.
He said it is for this reason that World Health Organization (WHO) is giving both financial and technical support to Ministry of Health to carry out a yellow fever assessment.
The Health Permanent Secretary said this in a speech read on his behalf by Copperbelt Province Medical Officer Dr Changwe Ngandwe.
This was during the official opening of a Risk Assessment of Yellow Fever training for North-western and Western provinces held at Sankananji Lodge in Ndola yesterday.
Dr Mwaba said the yellow fever assessment is also important as Zambia prepares to co-host the United Nations World Trade Conference (UNWTO) in August 2013 especially that Zambia is borders with countries that are established yellow fever endemic.
He said government therefore attaches great importance not only to the final outcome of the assessment but also the process by which the outcome is going to be derived, adding that if the process is flawed the findings will not be credible.
He urged the participants to take the training seriously and to be determined to be professional in the conduct of the survey.
And speaking at the same function, WHO country officer for Disease Prevention and Control Dr Peter Songolo said over 120 000 US dollars has been put into the program.
Dr Songolo said the role of WHO was to support the country to conduct a risk assessment in areas where yellow fever was reported.
He said the active assessment survey of yellow fever is being conducted in areas where yellow fever was reported in the past and that about 70 000 us dollars have so far been spent.
ZANIS
Editors note: We regret the previous misleading headline and apologize for any inconvenience or panic caused
Government has condemned the indiscriminate selling of customary land by some traditional leaders.
Central Province Permanent Secretary, Anne Sinyangwe says it is unfortunate that most traditional leaders in the country have not realized the value of land by giving it away without following the laid down procedures.
ZANIS reports that the Provincial Permanent Secretary said this in Kabwe yesterday.
This was when she officiated at the Consultative Workshop, organized by the Zambia Law Development Commission, which attracted participants from Central, Muchinga, Northern and Lusaka Provinces.
She stated that government is aware that all development is anchored on prudent and efficient utilisation of land and thus, the demand for land in Zambia has greatly increased.
The Permanent Secretary, however, observed that the issues surrounding the administration of Customary land has over the years raised many concerns from different stakeholders.
She said, for instance, the women’s access to land has been one of those highly debated issues, especially among the civil society organizations.
She added that controversies have also been recorded in some areas between the local communities and traditional authorities, with regard to loss of rights to some common pool areas, including unwarranted land displacements brought by new landlords.
‘’I think there is urgent need to find a lasting solution to issues surrounding customary land administration in the country, because as you may be aware, land wrangles are everywhere, especially among traditional leaders and this problem is obtaining, not only in Central Province but across the country,’’ she said.
Mrs Sinyangwe, therefore, urged the workshop participants to participate fully and make recommendations that will meaningfully contribute to the development of the country.
And Zambia Law Development Commission Senior Research Officer, Abraham Miti, says every nation derives pride from the availability of land.
Mr Miti, however, regretted that currently, the Customary Land is under traditional tenure or open areas administered by traditional rulers, who have no clearly defined property rights, because the community usually have access to natural resources.
He added that this arrangement is sometimes a source of friction among the rural dwellers since no individual settlers can claim a unique proprietary interest in the land.
