As we continue to promote Poetry in Zambia ; here are this weeks poems ,enjoy.

I WANT TO HURT YOU

by Esnala Banda

I don’t want to HATE you,

i merely want to hurt you.

I want you to feel the pain i felt when you

ripped my ribcage open, stole and then broke my heart.

I want you to feel the despair i felt when i yelled “stop! Thief!” but

no one responded.

I want you to have the pain shoot through every inch of your body

the way i felt when life stitched my heart and my chest back together

without dealing me an anaesthetic.

I want you to feel what i felt.

I don’t hate you, how could i?

But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to hurt you.

From wanting your heart to bleed from the inside out,

and have you choke on your own blood,

gag and ckoke again.

I want you to feel the burning yet numbing pain in your heart as

though its being feasted upon by millions of soldier ants.

I don’t want to HATE you.

I merely want to HURT YOU!

THE MAN AND THE GIRL by Chipo Chitambi

She deserves a medal; she’s been true to her lies. Get her a lawyer, just don’t hand her a mirror

She’s been as faithful as a villain and as authentic as a mask

Give her obscure, you can keep the real

No, don’t look, her back is bare

The worms and secrets she conceals have eaten it off

Leaving her stripped of worth

Like a colour blind painter

Like a mute soprano Gumption that lacks good sense

Yet it is consequence not circumstance.

So she got on the bus heading to the northeast corner of nowhere. She traded in her bus fare for aplane ticket instead.She found her seat, #323. She sat next to a man without a face; he asked her if she recognised him. She smiled, but her lips were stiff. He told her 6 feet under is not deep enough. That her imagination was nothing if not reality and she should have known. A wordsmith with a void pen skill. He told her she was looking for perfection on filthy ground. That It’s hard to love imperfection especially if it dwelt within. She got off at the next stop. She turns on to 316 street; she’s been here a thousand times. She keeps coming back.The story changes, this is the part she remembers. Please forgive her as she forgives herself. Forgive her insecurity, restore her health. Show her a bud, hide away the wreath. Then plant a tree. This time it won’t wilt. Him and her, different squares of a quilt.

This piece is random, unlike Him. But it is true; it just seeks a theme

Reflecting thoughts, refracting time. Same room, different places. Same womb, a thousand cases. It almost turns back. But it is not worth the danger duality brings. You get it, don’t you? I wrote this about myself but the meaning evades me.

“AM EVERY WOMAN” -By Art

Silent screams for help

dorminate my unvoiced

conversations…echoes of dispair wrapped in a cocoon emotional turbulance.

Etched on my breaking back is

a burden deeply buried in my

conscience.

My skin bears witness to the

brutal employment of

everyday physical abuse. Tatooed on my once marble smooth skin are grotesque meanderings of misconstrued use.

You

ask, “is that a birth mark??”,I

answer “no,these are eternal

scars left after incessant beating sessions I have now

grown accustomed to”.

Traumatised psychologically,

my self esteem maimed

because of a cancer called

‘loyalty and love’. I am tired,I need help, will

anyone hear me??

Enough is enough!! Can

somebody put a stop to this

violence. A domestic brutality

left unaverted. I am me, I am you, I am every

woman fallen victim to the

attrocities of gender based

violence!! Help, help, help…
By Kapa187

Republican president Michael Sata this morning led senior government officials paying their last respects to the late former republican vice president George Kunda at the Mulungushi conference center were his body lie-in-state.

President Sata was accompanied by, first lady Dr. Christine Kaseba, Vice president Guy Scott, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Judges, ministers, deputy ministers and other senior government officials.
Others in attendance were service chiefs and former government ministers and deputy ministers.

After viewing the body of the former vice president, the president proceeded to the widow Mrs. Irene Kunda to personally offer his condolences.

President Sata has declared three days of national mourning in honour of the late former republican Vice-President George Kunda who will be put to rest tomorrow at the Leopards hill memorial park.

ZAMBIA’s gross international reserves have dropped to US$2.317.7 billion in March from US$2.371.4 billion in February this year, says the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) .

BoZ head of public relations Kanguya Mayondi says the foreign reserves declined slightly to 3.2 months of import cover in March.

This means that in the event of a major crisis, the country can survive on imports for a period of three months and two weeks without going on its knees economically.

However, this is still below the six months import cover recommended by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Mr Kanguya said in response to a Daily Mail query in Lusaka yesterday that the 3.2 months import cover is in comparison to 3.3 months import cover recorded in February 2012.

Mr Kanguya said there has been a minimal decline in the reserves since January.

On Tuesday, BoZ deputy governor Bwalya Ng’andu said the central bank sales of foreign exchange to the market aimed at moderating the depreciation in the exchange rate amounted to US$152.5 million.

Dr Ng’andu said in managing the exchange rate, BoZ intervenes in the market for the purpose of mitigating instability in the exchange rate and accumulating international reserves.

He, however, said the intervention has limits, and when the exchange rate is depreciating, intervention aimed at protecting the exchange rate at a certain level will result in the depletion of the country’s foreign reserves, thereby impacting negatively on the country’s ability to meet its international obligations.

Some analysts say the reduction in the foreign reserves is minimal, adding that the country is within the required threshold.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

THE Lusaka High Court has declared MMD’s Milanzi Member of Parliament (MP) Whiteson Banda as duly elected in the last tripartite elections.

High Court judge, Christine Phiri in her judgment yesterday said the petitioner failed to prove his case to a higher standard of probability that required the court to nullify the election results.

Losing Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Musa Banda had petitioned the election results on grounds that the election was not held in a free and fair atmosphere as a result of electoral malpractices.

Mr Justice Phiri said the burden of proof rested on the petitioner, but noted that evidence from witnesses was based on hearsay without tangible proof being brought before court.

“I find that the petitioner on all the evidence adduced in this court has failed to prove this case beyond a required standard of probability and I accordingly dismiss this petition and declare that Mr Banda was duly elected,” she said.

The petitioner alleged that Mr Banda violated Section 8 of the Electoral Act Number 12 of 2006 of the Laws of Zambia by engaging in electoral malpractices.

He said Mr Banda had dished out footballs to teams in the villages as well as sinking eight boreholes during his campaign trails.

The petitioner also claimed that the respondent gave six women clubs K2 million each to entice them to vote for him.

“He again gave six blankets to each headman in villages namely Chinzili, Kagolo, Masekese, Kapala and Kabilima in exchange for votes,” he said.

In an interview, the respondent said he was happy with the outcome of the judgment and that it was according to the wishes of the people of Milanzi.

And the petitioner Mr Banda indicated that he would lodge an appeal in the Supreme Court soon.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu has said that the provincial elections the party is going to conduct to elect the new party president are legal, contrary to assertions by some members of the party.

Mr Nyangu said that the provincial elections will be conducted in a credible and transparent manner. “In each province, we are going to have officials from the Electoral Commission of Zambia and some members of the national executive committee. This is to ensure that the elections are held in a credible manner,” he said.

Last week former national secretary Katele Kalumba questioned the manner in which elections will be conducted to choose a new leader, saying that the MMD constitution does not make provisions to elect a party president through provincial conferences.

“The idea of a party conference in this respect is to elect the leadership of the party in provinces. The provincial conferences under the MMD constitution are not there to elect the president of the party. So under what constitutional provision will they stand in using provincial conferences as a vehicle for electing a president? ” Dr Kalumba asked.

Meanwhile, Mr Nyangu has advised members aspiring for presidency to ensure that their campaigns are issue-based.Mr Nyangu said aspiring candidates should avoid attacking opponents and concentrate on explaining what they are able to do for the party if elected.

He said members are not interested in bickering but want to know how the incoming leader will improve operations of the former ruling party. Mr Nyangu said the party’s leadership has observed with concern, the habit by some aspiring candidates to attack their opponents in the media.

And Mr Nyangu said the race for the top position is still open, adding that any presidential hopeful is free to join the race. “It is better for intending candidates to submit their applications now so that they can have ample time to campaign ahead of the elections,” he said.

So far, only five candidates have applied to contest the party’s top job. They are former Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati, Zambia’s former High Commissioner to Canada Nevers Mumba and former Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane.

Others are Chisamba member of Parliament Moses Muteteka and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kabinga Pande.

Mr Nyangu however said members are free to join the race on or before the May 15, 2012 deadline. The provincial elections have been set for May 25 this year.

Minister of Finance and National Planning, Mr. Alexander B Chikwanda arrived in Washington DC as head of a Zambian delegation to the 2012 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings.

Also attending the meetings is the Bank of Zambia Governor Dr. Michael Gondwe and other officials from the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance that includes the Secretary to the Treausry Mr. Fredson Yamba.

According to a programme availed to the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in Washington DC, Finance Minister Alexander B Chikwanda and his delegation will hold meetings with the management of the IMF and the World Bank such as the Vice President for the Africa Region, Ms. Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank Executive Director Mr. Hassan Taha and the International Monetary Fund(IMF) Director of the African Department Ms. Antoinette Monsio Sayeh to discuss recent economic developments in Zambia, as well as areas where the two institutions can assist in the achievement of Zambia’s development agenda.

Mr. Chikwanda will also meet with the Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mr. Lars Thunell to discuss IFC work programme in Zambia and future assistance. Last December, IFC assured Zambia that it would continue supporting the country’s investment climate reforms and was committed to supporting the new PF government consolidate positive gains already realized.

Another meeting is scheduled between the Minister and the President of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Mr. Daniel W. Yohannes. The MCC recently approved a US$354.8 million Compact with Zambia designed to increase Lusaka’s overall water supply, extend and improve select water supply, sanitation and drainage networks.

The compact also aims to decrease flooding and provide Lusaka residents greater access to water and better water supply, sanitation and drainage services. It also provides technical assistance to ensure women and vulnerable populations benefit from project investments.

As part of the Spring Meetings, the Zambian delegation will participate in different seminars and briefings that have been lined up through to the end of the meetings. One interesting meeting will be on “Mining Tax Regime Meeting: Case Study on Zambia” with Prof Conrad from IGC

Speakers at the various seminars and briefings include a Press Briefing on the “Global Financial Stability Report “ (GFSR) by Mr. Jose Vinals who is the the Financial Counselor and Director of the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets.

Two other documents, the “World Economic Outlook” (WEO) and “Fiscal Monitor Report” will be presented by Mr. Oliver Blanchard, IMF Economic Counselor and Director of Research Department and by Carlo Cottarelli, Director of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department

Zambia will also participate in a seminar entitled “The Rise of Social Safety Nets in Africa” which will bring together policy makers, practitioners, civil society representatives, development partners and Bank Management to review social protection success stories in Africa and elsewhere, the challenges that remain in the development of appropriate safety nets in Africa, the evidence base that safety net programmes help reduce chronic poverty and develop human capital and the key messages from the new Africa Region Social Protection Strategy.

IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde and outgoing World Bank President Robert Zoellick will also participate in Press briefings during the course of the meetings.

Patriotic Front Secretary General Wynter Kabimba has said that the PF as a party in government has nothing to do with the dismissal of journalists at the Times of Zambia.

He has since advised UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to desist from commenting on issues he does not understand.

Mr. Hakainde Hichilema stated that the early retirements slapped on the six journalists at the Newspaper amounted to infringement on press freedom in the country and demanded for their immediate re-reinstatement.

Mr. Kabimba said he is not aware of the grounds on which the Times of Zambia journalists were retired adding that the contract was between Times management and the journalists involved.

He however, noted that Times Printpak just like any company has a right to terminate a contract with employees they feel have not performed well.

Last Friday six young but senior journalists were retired by the government controlled and funded Times of Zambia.Many see this move as politically engineered by former Post Journalists and staff who now hold key positions in the PF government.

[QFM,Archives]