Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Exercising to the right music can cut your perceived effort by 10% . which means you can train harder
Set goals
Set goals for your self , for example “by the end of next month i should be able to do 100 pushups at a go” . Such goals will motivate you to work hard .
Get a workout partner
Training partners are a great way to get more out of your session. By having someone to compete with, you will push yourself that bit harder.
Think positive
Negative thinking can lead to injuries, so find ways to relax before starting your training and free your mind of all your stress.
Join a group
Exercising in a group can as much as double the level of endorphins your body produces. And research has found that members of groups with a greater sense of cohesion are more punctual, miss fewer workout sessions, and expend more effort.
Welcome praise
Verbal encouragement is proven to increase effort in exercise , so tell the people you are working out with how good they are doing or how good they look .And cheer them on as they do the workout.
Patrick Phiri has returned to coaching following his appointment as trainer of promoted Faz Super Division club Profund Warriors.
Phiri was unveiled today in Lusaka and he will be assisted by Peter Kaumba.
Phiri has been out of a job since May last year after a successful but uneasy three seasons at Simba in Tanzania.
He replaces Wilson Mwale whose contract was not extended despite guiding Profund back to the Super Division after an 11 year absence.
Profund last played in the Super Division in 2000.
Meanwhile, Zambia has headed for Equatorial Guinea ahead of Saturdays 2012 Africa Cup kickoff when they play Senegal in their opening Group A match in Bata on January 21.
The team left Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon for Malabo via Addis Ababa.
Zambia are expected to arrive in Bata on Wednesday afternoon where they will be based for their Group A matches.
WORKERS at National Housing Authority (NHA) in Lusaka yesterday downed tools demanding, among other things, the dissolution of the board and removal of top management officials for allegedly “bringing problems” to the organisation.
According to NHA union branch chairperson, Oscar Mwananyanda, the main cause of the work-stoppage was to push management to pay the workers their commutation of leave days. This was to enable them attend to some of their children’s school requirements as the current education allowance was inadequate.
Mr Mwananyanda said the education allowance for those with children in Grade One to Four, was K500,000 a term while those in Grade Five to Ten was pegged at K550,000. Workers on one year contractual employment got K225,000 a term.
“The entire management has failed to run NHA because they have continued to give us reasons that the company has no money every time we ask for our entitlements.
“They have bought carpets and new furniture (for the company) but they are failing to pay us our meagre commutation despite approving them,” he said.
The workers were demanding that the chief executive officer Elias Mpondela, human resources manager and director of finance, among other senior staff, be investigated for allegedly “bringing problems at the organisation”.
Mr Mwananyanda cited, among other problems, the alleged unnecessary trips abroad by senior management staff using company funds.
Their other complaint was that employees were being denied salary advances when faced with problems.The workers accused management of non-remittance of Pay-As-You-Earn to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) as well as contributions to the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) even after making deductions from workers salaries.
However, a check at the NHA offices in the afternoon showed that workers had called off their work protest.
NHA corporate affairs manager, Bwalya Makasa, said workers had resumed duties.
Ms assured the workers that they would be paid their leave commutation, but expressed surprise that even non- unionised had decided to protest.
She said management was scheduled to hold a meeting with the new workers union leadership to look into their concerns.
Former First lady Thandiwe Banda has been summoned to appear before a joint government investigative wing on allegations of abuse of authority and money laundering.
Mrs Banda has been summoned with Mr Robert Penny who are the directors of Mpundu trust Limited.
This is in a matter involving the manner in which Mpundu Trust and its directors acquired property sub division A number 29 of farm 488 A along Leopards Hill road.
Joint Wing public relations officer Charity Munganga Chanda told ZNBC in a statement that a call out has been served on the former first lady who is believed to be out of the country.
Ms Chanda said Mrs Banda is expected to appear at the Task force offices on February 3 at 14:30 hours to help with investigations.
Meanwhile, Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people of Eastern Province has said that former President Rupiah Banda’s sympathizers are not in a position to determine his innocence.
Chief Mpezeni has since called for the lifting of the former President’s immunity from prosecution so that he can clear himself in the courts of law of allegations of corruption.
The traditional ruler has also called on Zambians to support the corruption crusade being championed by the Patriotic Front government.
Speaking to Journalists at State House this morning in his native Ngoni language, Chief Mpezeni said corruption in the previous MMD government was endemic and that it must be alleviated.
He has downplayed assertions of vindictiveness in fighting graft by the PF government adding that erring officers from the Rupiah Banda regime should be accountable for their part in the alleged embezzlement of public resources.
On the controversy surrounding the fate of Zamtel which government says was fraudulently sold to LAP Green of Libya, Chief Mpezeni said the parastatal company belongs to Zambians and Zambians must chart the way forward.
Electoral Commission of Zambia ( ECZ ) spokesperson Chris Akufuna
LITHOTECH Exports Limited of Cape Town , South Africa has been awarded a tender to print ballot papers for the MSANZALA parlaimetary by-elections.
This will include the four local government by-elections.
Electoral Commission of Zambia -ECZ- Public Relations Manager CRIS AKUFANA disclosed this in a statement to ZNBC News in LUSAKA.
Mr AKUFUNA said that the commission received bids fron three companies.
He said that following the evaluation of bids , Lithotech Exports Limited was awarded the tender to print and deliver the ballot papers for the by -elections which take place on February 16 2012.
Meanwhile, the political race in Msanzala parliamentary by-election has started gaining momentum with two political parties announcing adopted candidates.
The patriotic front has re-adopted JOSEPH LUNGU who previously won the seat as an independent candidate in the September 20 general elections.
PF secretary general WYNTER KABIMBA said the rulling party has settled for col. LUNGU because of his massive popularity in the area.
And the MMD has settled for loosing parliamentary candidate in the September elections PETER DAKA.
MMD chairman for elections GABRIEL NAMULAMBE said the former ruling party feels Mr. DAKA is a credible candidate who will not have difficulties in scooping the seat.
Meanwhile United Nation Independence Party will announce the adopted candidate tomorrow.
UNIP president TILYENJI KAUNDA said five candidates who are jostling to stand on the UNIP ticket will be subjected to primary elections tomorrow.
Alliance for Democracy and Development president CHARLES MILUPI told ZNBC news that his party will not participate in the Msanzala by-election.
The United Party for National Nevelopment has also boycotted the Msanzala by-election but will rally behind MMD candidate PETER DAKA.
The electoral commission of Zambia has set Thursday January 19 as the date for nominations.
Government has accused those opposed to the publication of the Barotseland agreement of 1964 of having ulterior motives. President Michael Sata has decided to publicize the Barotseland agreement to enable citizens understand and appreciate the contents therein.
Reacting to Alliance for Democracy and Development leader Charles Milupi who is said to be against the publicizing of the Barotseland agreement, Commerce, trade and industry Minister Bob Sichinga has expressed shock that certain people can oppose the President’s goodwill.
Mr Sichinga said that Mr Milupi should have been the first to acknowledge that the gesture by the President is good.
He notes that there is currently a generation of people in the country who were not there in 1964 and do not know what the Barotseland agreement is all about.
He says releasing the agreement to the general public will therefore enable people understand its contents, such that when they engage in debate and discussion they will be talking from an informed position.
Mr Sichinga further pointed out that the interests in the Barotse agreement do not only affect the Lozi speaking alone, but that it also affects other tribes in western province.
Meanwhile Mr Sichinga says it is the MMD government which should have considered the costly reversal of the sale of Zamtel to LAP Greent Network of Libya when they made the wrong decision.
Reacting to former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane’s assertions that the reversal of the sale of Zamtel will be very costly to the country, Mr Sichinga wonders whether it was not costly when a wrong was made to sale Zamtel to LAP Green.
He was speaking on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk monitored by QFM this morning.
Looking on are Airtel customer service director Mato Shimabale (l) and Airtel marketing
Airtel Zambia has today launched the 3 G powered internet service which will enhance customers’ access to internet facilities at a faster speed.
Airtel has also reduced the bundle rates from K1,100 to K98 per Megabyte as well as increased the validity of the bundles from 30 to 90 days.
Company Managing Director Fayaz King says Airtel is committed to rolling out internet services to the Zambian people at a lower cost.
He said by December 2011, internet penetration in Zambia stood at 6.7 %, noting that the statistics of access to internet facilities in the country have continued to be low despite the country recording an increase in the number of subscribers having access to mobile phone services.
Mr. King says Airtel will continue investing in the services that will cater for the various needs of its clients.
And Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism director of communication Gilbert Maimbo said the third generation powered INTERNET facility will enable citizen have easy access to information.
Mr. Maimbo observed that the improved and affordable INTERNET services will enhance communication systems among the business community and improve efficiency of various institutions in the country.
Mr. Maimbo also commended Airtel for its continued investment into the country’s economy in monetary terms and skills development.
EMIRATES, one of the world’s leading airlines has confirmed that it will make its inaugural flight from Dubai to Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda (KK) International Airport on February 1, 2012.
Emirates sales executive for the Netherlands Mathieu Hastman said Emirates will fly to Lusaka five times a week on every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Mr Hastman disclosed this at the on-going Vakantiebeurs Tourism Fair in Utrecht, Netherlands, where Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) is one of the exhibitors.
“The inaugural flight will depart from Dubai on Wednesday February 1 and arrive at KK (formerly Lusaka International) Airport at14: 50hrs the same day,” he said.
This is contained in a statement issued by ZTB public relations and media manager Caristo Chitamfya, in Lusaka, yesterday that the flight will depart from Lusaka at 19:00 hours the same day via Harare, and arrive in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) the following morning at 07:00 hours.
Mr Hastman says the response from the business community and public is encouraging hence the launch of the maiden flight into Zambia.
Vakantiebeurs is the world’s biggest trade and consumer fair in terms of attendance with close to 140,000 visitors and annual-held in Holland’s fourth city Utrecht.
The Dutch market is one of the priority areas for the ZTB international marketing strategy and hence their presence. ZTB will also exhibit in Finland, Spain, Germany and the United States, among other countries.
Meanwhile, a Dutch Holiday Research Company has awarded two Zambian Safari Operators a certificate for excellence.
Track and Trail River Camp in South Luangwa National Park and Mukambi safari lodge in Kafue National Park scored 8.9 and 8.0, respectively, in a poll conducted by Zoover, a renowned on-line research company that is supplying destination information to people planning to travel to various destinations around the world.
The research evaluated comments from tourists who visited Zambia last year and focused on three key areas namely: location, price in relation to quality and child-friendliness.
The internationally acclaimed Tripadvisor.com has also given the two operators high ratings.
Former Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane
Former Finance and National Planning Minister in the Rupiah Banda government Situmbeko Musokotwane has urged Republican President Michael Sata to tone down.
Speaking in an interview with Qfm, Dr. Musokotwane who is also Liuwa MMD Member of Parliament says the recent remarks attributed to President Sata in the media are not suitable for a head of state.
Dr. Musokotwane referred to a recent statement in which President Sata labeled former Republican Vice President George Kunda as a dullest lawyer in Africa for his claims that Dr Guy Scott does not qualify to hold the office of vice president.
He explains that such public utterances against perceived enemies will judge President Sata harshly and further calls on him to tone down.
And Dr. Musokotwane has charged that the poor performance of the Kwacha against major currencies is an indication that Zambia is paying the price for government’s failure to provide confidence in the country’s economy.
He says if not quickly addressed, the trend is likely to cause disparities in the country’s economy where imports will be much more expensive than exports.
And Former Commerce, trade and industry Minister Felix Mutati has predicted a difficult 2012 for Zambia.
Mr. Mutati says this is because the country seems to be very fatigued economically.
He points to the erosion of the kwacha which has continued to lose its strength against major currencies.
Mr. Mutati says it is thus important for the PF government to ensure that it is prepared for hard times ahead.
He has further proposed to the government to put emphasis on promoting Zambian business persons by ensuring that they have access to short and long term financing.
Acting Secretary to the Cabinet Evans Chibiliti (L)
GOVERNMENT will soon introduce performance contracts for ministers which will be evaluated every three months as a way of improving service delivery in the public service.
Acting Secretary to the Cabinet Evans Chibiliti said the initiative will be taken as a way of improving performance among public service workers in line with the Patriotic Front (PF) manifesto.
“We will design performance contracts which the President will discuss with his ministers. Each year, ministers will do specific things and the President will evaluate them quarterly,” Mr Chibiliti said.
He said this in Livingstone yesterday when he officially opened an induction workshop for permanent secretaries at Protea Hotel.
Mr Chibiliti said he has already discussed the matter with President Sata and that he is confident his office will deliver on the performance contracts.
He said ministers will also use performance contracts to gauge the performance of their permanent secretaries who will do likewise on their directors.
Directors in various ministries will also evaluate the performance of senior government officers using performance contracts.
Mr Chibiliti said the contracts are ideal because the President has a social contract (the PF manifesto) with Zambians on which he has to deliver and that he is confident the system will yield results.
“If we all deliver, there is no reason why ministers should not perform. There should also be no reason why the President will not perform,” he said.
Mr Chibiliti said permanent secretaries should align their strategic plans and medium expenditure frameworks with the PF manifesto.
He said the PF government wants the public service to improve its service delivery because that is what is expected of it by Zambians. Mr Chibiliti urged permanent secretaries to find ways of maximising productivity in their respective ministries using available resources.
He said controlling officers should make their strategic plans based on available resources government allocates to their ministries.
He said he will give permanent secretaries more authority such as promoting staff as a way of motivating them so that they deliver to people’s expectations.
Mr Chibiliti said the Public Service Commission will no longer be responsible for promoting staff as this will be the duty of permanent secretaries.
And National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) executive director Answell Saka said the learning institution is ready to help the public service become more effective in service delivery.
“NIPA is ready to take on new demands that will arise as the public service continues to respond to emerging challenges,” Mr Sakala said.
A SUPREME Court judgement passed on October 6, 2009 and January 22, 2010 has put into context the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ)’s cry that there is need for reform in the judiciary.
Acting as Chief Justice and sitting with Supreme Court judges Sanderson Silomba and Hilda Chibomba, Mrs Mambilima upheld a magistrates’ court judgement in the case involving two Zimbabweans in what later became the gold-gate scandal.
The judgement was not widely publicised then but has now become of consequence after the gold in question was surrendered to the State, but was later sold to a Swiss national.
Mrs Mambilima’s judgement also lays bare some of the questions the LAZ are asking today about the judiciary after the Zimbabweans were convicted by the magistrates’ court, but were set free by the High Court before being convicted again by the Supreme Court.
The ‘strongly worded’ judgement, in possession of the Daily Mail, shows that attempts were made by officers from the Geological Survey Department, Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to corrupt the bench.
“Our wish is that the relevant wings of the government will take keen interest in what we have observed as we feel that corruption may have been the underlying cause for the strange behaviour of those officers,” Justice Mambilima said.
She added, “This judgement will, therefore, be made available to all those concerned with investigations as well as policy makers.”
The value of the gifts or money that was offered is not stated by Justice Mambilima, but the acting Chief Justice described the attempt as being equivalent to “contempt of court” and strongly condemned the action.
Last week, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) complained that questionable court officers existed at the top level in the judicial system which needed weeding in order to restore integrity to the profession.
A LAZ letter dated January 11, 2012 to the Minister of Justice, Sebastian Zulu called for a breath of fresh air in the judiciary to carry the reforms the association would be suggesting.
In a 141 page judgement, Justice Mambilima expressed disappointment with certain members of society who thought they would help the two Zimbabweans accused of being illegally in possession of the gold by offering all kinds of gifts and promising much more “if we ruled in their favour”.
Justice Mambilima described the inducement attempt as contemptuous and condemned it in the “strongest” terms saying it was only “calculated to interfere with the due process of the law. We shall not allow this to happen.”
The Daily Mail attempted to get a comment from LAZ president James Banda yesterday in order to establish whether incidents of bribery or other forms of activities that could influence the course of justice as inferred by Justice Mambilima were common but Mr. Banda did not answer his phone at press time.
The Supreme Court judgement upheld the conviction passed by the magistrates’ court and quashed the decision of a high court judge saying it was arrived at in error when the unmentioned high court judge released the gold exhibits to the convicted Zimbabwean owners prompting government lawyers to appeal to the Supreme Court.
A senior lawyer told the Daily Mail yesterday that the Supreme Court would normally side with the High Court and not the Magistrates’ court.
The Justice Mambilima-led Supreme Court bench made it clear in its verdict that an error was made by the judge when he returned the non-perishable exhibits (gold) when “it was quite obvious that the state was going to appeal.”
The Supreme Court bench went on to, “therefore, reverse the learned appellate judge’s court order alluded to at the beginning of the judgement and restored the orders made by the learned resident magistrate ‘regarding the conviction, sentences imposed on the respondents and the order of the forfeiture of the gold.”
The two Zimbabweans were jailed for two years with hard labour from January 22, 2010 and have since served their sentence.
The gold was forfeited to the state on Mrs Mambilima’s order but was sold to Swiss businessman Nicolae Buzaianu, who visited former President Rupiah Banda in October last year.
President Sata exposed the sale of the gold to Mr Buzaianu and the businessman’s visit to Zambia. The businessman also met Mr Banda’s son James, and former press assistant at State House Dickson Jere.
Lukona Chambers and Okware Associate who represented the two convicted Zimbabweans that brought in the multi- billion kwacha gold could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In the January 11 letter, LAZ president Banda said, “we are of the view that the current leadership of the judiciary would find difficulties to carry out reforms we will be proposing…judicial reforms invariably will include filling the judiciary with forward-thinking, credible, competent judges and magistrates with integrity.”
This was also the first time LAZ was casting aside diplomatic decorum and taking on the judiciary with all its institutional might in what analysts say may lead to a showdown.
The showdown comes at a time that President Michael Sata has embarked on an anti-graft fight that he says shall have ‘no sacred cows’ and has already affected former leaders such as Dora Siliya, Situmbeko Musokotwane and George Kunda.
The judiciary has not been touched thus far as the Sata-led anti-graft fight engages in top gear with the release of the Zamtel probe report that has placed Ms Siliya on the spot for various irregularities in the sale of the state telecommunication company.
Minister of Justice Sebastian Zulu has said the repossession of 75 percent shares in Zamtel from LapGreen Networks of Libya is non-negotiable. Mr Zulu said as far as Government is concerned, there are “no exit barriers” on the reversal of the sale of Zamtel.
The minister said Government will not negotiate with LapGreen over the plans to repossess the shares because the contract was null and void from the outset. Mr Zulu said in an interview yesterday that Government will soon repossess the 75 percent shares from LapGreen and float them to Zambians.
He said this follows Cabinet resolution on the matter. The minister said Government does not risk paying LapGreen any money as compensation once their shares in Zamtel are repossessed. Mr Zulu said this is so because LapGreen was corruptly awarded the contract by the MMD government, adding that there is documentary evidence to that effect.
Last week, former Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane warned that Government risks paying LapGreen between US$400 million and US$1 billion if it reverses the sale of Zamtel.
But Mr Zulu said Dr Musokotwane is entitled to his own opinion but that Government is unaware of compensation money that will be paid to LapGreen after it repossesses Zamtel.
“Government decided to reverse the contract and take back the 75 percent shares sold to LapGreen because of fraud and many other irregularities that accompanied the contract.
“So, there is nothing like negotiating with LapGreen. We are taking back the shares and if there will be ‘any’ negotiation, it will be to determine whether they (LapGreen) deserve any compensation or not,” he said.
Mr Zulu said LapGreen Networks and RP Capital were supposed to be disqualified initially from the bidding process because they did not meet the criteria set by the Zambia Development Agency.
“The evaluator and contractor should have been disqualified in the first place but because of corruption, they were allowed to do the work. So, how do we compensate them when the contract was null and void?” Mr Zulu said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Libyan ambassador on the matter proved futile. Dr Musokotwane’s mobile line went unanswered after several attempts. The Zulu probe team has recommended that apart from re-taking the 75 percent stake in Zamtel, all top directors and senior managers must have their contracts immediately terminated.
The Siavonga magistrates’ court has convicted and sentenced a 24 year old man to six months imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of being in possession of marijuana, a psychotropic substances.
Siavonga magistrate, Bathromeo Kaonga slapped the six months sentence on Lucky Shamahoko who was facing one count of trafficking in psychotropic substance contrary to section six Cap 96 of the laws of Zambia.
The court however suspended the six months sentence slapped on Shamahoko on condition that he does not indulge himself in any psychotropic substance related offences.
Particulars of the offence are that Shamahoko of Machavika village in Chief Chipepo’s area in Siavonga district, on 25th December 2011 in Machavika did traffic in psychotropic substance namely marijuana without authority.
The court further recorded that when the food and drugs laboratory at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka analysed the substance, it confirmed that it was marijuana which weighed 2.5
grammes.
Shamahoko admitted the charge and said he was using the marijuana as medicine to treat his young brother who had an ear problem.
He told the court that his grandmother advised him to use marijuana as medicine saying it was the best drug for ear problems.
In mitigation, Shamahoko pleaded for court’s lenience saying he was a double orphan and looks after his siblings.
However, the magistrate said the offence committed was a serious one which carries maximum sentence of up to 25 years.
Magistrate Kaonga said the nature of the offence committed was on the increase in the area.
He observed that considering the age of the convict and the quantity of the substance found in his possession, he decided to give him a second chance.
Hyenas in chief Zingalume’s area of Chadiza district are terrorising domestic animals forcing local people to spend sleepless nights in an effort to safeguard their animals.
Jessy Mudenda of Zingalume village complained to ZANIS that a number of goats and pigs have been killed and eaten by hyenas in the area.
Mrs. Mudenda, who spoke through sobs, expressed anger that the hyena had even killed a heifer goat that she had gotten on loan and wondered how she would replace it.
She has since appealed to the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to quickly kill the wild animals before they start to harm people.
File: Peasant farmers wait for the Food Reserve Agency to buy their maize
Farmers in Katete district have continued to complain against the Food Reserve Agency’s (FRA) delay to pay them for the maize they sold to it last year.
Katete District Commissioner, Anselimo Mbuzi, said the farmers have continued to complain over the delayed payments of the outstanding K4billion owed to farmers in the area.
Mr. Mbuzi told ZANIS in an interview that in December last year, the district received K4.1 billion for settling the outstanding balance when the actual balance was over K8 billion.
He however stated that government was committed to ensure that all the farmers were paid their monies adding that it was not government’s intention to disadvantage them by delaying payments.
Mr. Mbuzi, who was optimistic that the district would soon receive funds for the payment of farmers, said government grain worth K45 billion from farmers in the district in the last marketing season.