Veteran musician Anthony Maonde has died.Mr Maonde, 73 died, in a Road Traffic Accident in Monze area on Saturday afternoon. Mr Maonde and his sister Mrs Deliah Maonde-Kamoga died after
the vehicle in which they were travelling in over turned.The duo died shortly after the accident which hapenned between Chisekese and Mazabuka.. They were travelling from Chisekese area where they had gone to attend a funeral.

Mr Monde, was one of Zambia’s leading pianist, whose music career spans over 50 years has shared stage with great artistes such as African great pianist of the 60s,James Brown, Wilson Picket, Duke Harringtone,Huge Masekela,Mirrian Makeba,Dorothy Masuka and Champion Banda..He quit his job as a laboratory technician working for the mines on the Copperbelt to take up a full time music career in 1969 .He formed the Rokana Melodies in Kitwe in the 1960s.The Rokana Melodies later became the most popular band in Zambia.

[pullquote]The band’s flagship song Chomba Malaila still remains a hit today.[/pullquote]

In 1970 Mr. Maonde went to Livingstone where he teamed up with friends and formed the Los Comrados, which specialised in Zambian traditional music and jazz. The band’s flagship song Chomba Malaila still remains a hit today.

In 1979,he joined the The Broadway Quintet the country’s highest paying band based at Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka. Mr Maonde, who, was popularly known as BaTony in music circles, together with Broadway Quintet headed for Bostwana in 1990 where the performed live music at an exclusive night club called the Cameo, before relocating to The Seraton Hotel in Botswana.

In 1996, we went solo after parting with the Broadway Quitet and headed for South Africa, where as a solo pianist, he played live music in the Royal Pacific and Landmark hotels among other places in Bangkok.

He later teamed up with the Johannesburg based Africa Focus Band, which played music at the Sandton Conference Centre and various hotels in Rosebank area.As a solo artiste Mr Maonde used to be hired to perform music for the rich and famous at the Sandton Sun and Tower Intercontinental hotels.

When he returned to Zambia in 2003.He frequently use to put up live music shows at the Intercontinental Hotel lobby, at State House during state functions apart from putting up exclusive performances for Special guests for the State.

He is survived by eight children and 13 grandchildren..

President Sata’s description of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s letter to him as useless has been term as un-presidential behavior.

The UPND has said that it expected Mr. Sata to respond to Mr. Hichilema’s letter with the courtesy of the Republican presidency.

UPND Deputy Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa however said that the party will not relent in advising President Sata on national issues.

He has therefore advised President Sata to tone down on his language.

Recently President Sata told off United Party for National Development (UPND) president, Hakainde Hichilema, describing the letter the opposition leader wrote inquiring why he was being accused of impropriety when he served as a liquidator during the privatisation of Lima Bank as ‘useless.’

The president said while he acknowledged receipt of a letter dated December 27, 2011 in relation to, among others, House Number F/488a/14/A/3 in Kabulonga which was alleged to have been procured from Lima Bank, he expected opposition leaders to discuss more serious matters affecting the nation.

“I acknowledge receipt of your useless letter dated December 27, 2011 on the above captioned matter. I expect more meaningful correspondence from leaders of political parties which will assist in solving the problems of this country,” The president said in his reply dated January 11, 2012.

President Sata said Mr Hichilema did not appear to understand the issues affecting the people having ascended to the helm of the opposition party without experiencing what it meant to be a cadre.

“Unfortunately, when we have people that have never been cadres who just ascend to the top from nowhere, they do not understand the problems facing this country apart from problems facing their pockets,” President Sata wrote.

President Michael Chilufya Sata has decided to publicize the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 to enable citizens understand and appreciate the contents therein. This is according to statement made available to the media by the President’s special assistant for press and public relations George Chellah.

“During the meeting with our colleagues, the representatives of the Linyungandambo, Barotse Freedom Movement and the Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland, we promised to avail this document to the public,” President Sata says.

“Therefore, as a government we have decided to publish the Barotseland Agreement in order for the Zambian people to read and comprehend the contents of this document. The publication of this document will also enable the general populace to have wider comments over the same.”

During a meeting with Barotse activists at State House last month, President Sata sought greater dialogue on the issue of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964.

The President said there have been misunderstandings on the issue and promised to publish the document to dispel these misinterpretations.

The Head of State said only dialogue will save the country and its people. The President further said Government did not want to spill blood over the Barotseland Agreement, adding that he was not interested in engaging in a confrontation like the previous government did.

The President met 12 representatives of the Linyungandambo, Barotse Freedom Movement and the Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland.

The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba, Home Affairs Minister Kennedy Sakeni, Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection Minister Nkandu Luo and Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Inonge Wina.

Western Province permanent secretary Augustine Seyuba was also in attendance.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“The tongue has the power of life and death…”
(Proverbs 18:21, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
God has given us amazing power through the use of our words. God created the world with the words He spoke, and we also have creative power with the words that we speak.

Maybe you aren’t where you want to be in life today. Could it be because of the words you’ve spoken in your past? Have you spoken words of death by saying things like, “I’ll never rise any higher; I’ve gone as far as I can go?” Or maybe you’ve said, “I’ll never break this addiction. I’ve had it too long; it’s too hard.” Now, you are eating the fruit of those words — you’re still in the same place.

If you are ready to change your situation, then it’s time to change what you say about your situation. If you want a different harvest, you have to change the seeds you are sowing. Today, choose to speak life over your future. Let your attitude be, “This may be the way it’s been in the past, but this is not the way it’s staying. I’m coming up higher. I may feel weak, but my declaration is that I am strong.” Speak life, choose life, and move forward in His victory and blessing.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, I repent for speaking words of death and sowing defeat in my own life. I ask that You uproot any negative crop from the past and help me speak words of faith so that I can walk in victory in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

President Michael Sata has directed the Minister of Justice Sebastian Zulu to release the Zamtel Report to the public immediately in order to protect public interest and curb blantant lies from shameless detractors.

This is contained in a press statement made available to the media by the Special Assistant to the President for Press George Chellah.

President Sata said that the Commission of Inquiry that he constituted to probe the sale of Zamtel came out with brilliantly documented submissions.

“Since we have not released the Report to the public, our detractors and perpetrators of crimes against Zambia and its citizens have had a field day, regrettably supported by some sections of the media and opposition political party leaders who for strange reasons have axes to grind against the Patriotic Front Government,” President Sata says.

“To protect public interest and to insulate our people against blantant lies I direct that we release the Report with due immediacy. Arrange to furnish all foreign missions in Zambia with the Report. And most importantly, let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs send a copy to the Libyan Government using the fastest route.”

The Head of State has assured Hon. Zulu that the Minister of Finance Hon Alexander B. Chikwanda stands ready to aid the process should any financial needs involved in this exercise go beyond the Ministry of Justice’s allocation.

THE Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has said Dr Guy Scott does not only qualify to be Vice-President but in fact qualifies to act as President of Zambia in the absence of Mr Sata.
This has been disclosed by LAZ honorary secretary Paulman Chungu in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday.

“Our position is that Dr Guy Scott is perfectly qualified to be Vice-President and in the absence of the President, for whatever reason, to perform the functions of the office of the President as provided for in the constitution,” Mr Chungu said.

Mr Chungu said following the discussion and debate around the legal propriety of the appointment of Mr Scott as republican Vice-President, LAZ “applied itself to the relevant provisions of the constitution and also studied the position the Attorney-General has taken.”

Recently, former Vice-President George Kunda threatened to mount a legal challenge against the appointment of Dr Scott as republican Vice-President on grounds that his parents were not Zambian.

Mr Kunda, a state counsel and former LAZ president, threatened to take Dr Scott to court to determine whether President Sata should not appoint somebody else in that position.

President Sata scoffed at Mr Kunda’s interpretation of the law and Attorney-General Mumba Malila on Wednesday said there was nothing constitutionally amiss in appointing Dr Scott as Vice-President and that he could actually act in the President’s absence. The President described Mr Kunda as the ‘dullest’ lawyer in the world for failing to correctly read the law.

Mr. Malila said: “In the event that there is a vacancy in the Office of the President in terms of Article 38 of the Constitution or in case of temporary absence of the President in terms of Article 39 of the Constitution, the Vice-President could act as President even if he may not meet the qualification for election to the Office of President. What he cannot do is to stand as President.”

Some have described Mr Kunda’s statements as bordering on racism which must not be allowed to creep into Zambian politics.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott yesterday recommended that political parties should limit their stay in office to at least 10 years to avoid being complacent.

Dr Scott said 10 years is enough and not wamuyayaya (eternal) as the case was previously. It was in reference to the UNIP reign of 27 years under first President Kenneth Kaunda.

This was the first time a senior Zambian political leader was discussing publicly the limiting of a political party’s stay in office instead of rolling out a strategy to stay in office forever as Zambia’s democracy continues to grow.

Dr Scott, who calls himself a Chola Boy (right-hand man of President Sata), cracked the audience with laughter over a breakfast meeting when he fluently recited a Bemba saying that goes: “Koswe nga akokola mung’anda ala lya nakasuba (when a mouse overstays in a house, it openly eats during the day).

Dr Scott was speaking during a question and answer session at a working breakfast at Hotel Intercontinental, hosted by the Patriotic Front (PF) Women’s League. Dr Scott caused more laughter and earned himself applause when he added that the “rat actually graduates from eating during day time to flipping through television channels.”

University of Zambia lecturer Gerald Mwale said he was encouraged by Dr Scott’s statement on limiting the duration a party can stay in office at a time that most parties want to remain in office forever.

“This is very encouraging and ought to be commended because it shows that the current crop of politicians have a life beyond politics,” Mr Mwale said. “They don’t want to make politics as their economic livelihood as the case has been in the past… this type of thinking must be encouraged,” he said.

Dr Scott said it is easy to lose focus when one overstays, adding: “We constantly need to review Governments and for me, 10 years in power is enough.”

He said it is critical for Government to change hands in good time to enhance democracy. Dr Scott said economic prosperity is closely linked to political change. The MMD stayed in power for 20 years in which it changed Presidents three times.

He also disclosed that Government is working on plans to list more public companies on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LUSE).

He was responding to a question from Luse chief executive Beatrice Nkanza, who wanted to know if Government intends to list more public companies on the local bourse in order to boost its growth.
“As soon as the ministries of Commerce and Finance work out policy memorandum, the Government will release huge chunks of public companies on the stock market,” Dr Scott said.

Dr Scott said the PF Government believes in a free market and will encourage privatisation.

“What we are fighting is the bogus privatisation that happened in the past two to three years. We don’t wish to repeat the mistake,” Dr Scott said. He said the PF Government will be happier with honest privatisation.

Dr Scott said during the last three years, selective rules were applied on certain foreign investments. He said there were special deals on taxation, immigration and other selective rules.

He said the PF Government will treat all foreign investments equally. And PF secretary-general Wynter Kabimba, who also attended the breakfast meeting, said it is criminal for political parties to use Government resources for their operations.

“We have tried to completely separate the party from Government. We will not dip our fingers into Government coffers,” he said. Mr Kabimba said the party is on an intensive recruitment drive for more members.

“We need more educated and dedicated members to join our party. We want people who can help to develop this country,” he said. Others in attendance were ministers for Defence Geoffrey Mwamba, Mines Wylbur Simuusa and Traditional and Chiefs Affairs Inonge Wina, among others.

Dr Scott also said President Sata should have actually become President in 2000 and not 20 years later after being “dribbled” and that as “his chola boy, I always knew he would lead the country one day.”

[Zambia Daily Mail]