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Kapiri Mposhi FIFA Referee Jani Sikazwe has described his appointment to officiate at the 2012 Africa Cup as a dream come true.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has selected, Sikazwe a teacher by proffesion, to officiate at the Africa Cup finals to be
hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Sikazwe declared that he is honored to be included on the list of elite referees to be at the continental competition.
“I feel honored and I thank my Almighty God who has allowed me to reach this far, I feel great,” he stated.
“I have been working hard toward a goal of officiating at a major tournament one day. So this is a dream come true,” he added.
He said that hard work and discpline has helped him to be recognied locally and on the international soccer scene.
“At the Africa Cup, I will try to work hard and try to lift the Zambian flag.Refereeing has not been recognized for a long time,”
Sikazwe promised Sikazwe has since thanked God over his achivement in refereeing.
An unidentified woman and her daughter selling vegetables and other foodstuffs at Kapapa market in Chipata, Zambia
Zambia’s consumer inflation sharply slowed in December on lower food prices , the Central Statistics Office said said today.
Inflation was at 7.2 percent year-on-year in December from 8.1 percent in November and was expected to end the year at 7 percent, the CSO said.
“The decrease is mainly attributed to a reduction in some food prices,” the statistics agency said.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) used to compute inflation covers three series, namely, the Metropolitan Low Income Group, which covers Low Income households in the urban areas, the Metropolitan High Income Group, which covers High Income households in the urban areas and the Non-Metropolitan Group, covering households in rural areas.
The Metropolitan areas comprise the 10 major towns. These include Livingstone, Lusaka urban, Kabwe urban and all the Copperbelt towns. The Metropolitan areas are further classified into Low and High Income households. All the small towns and the rural parts form the Non-Metropolitan.
And Zambia expect GDP growth to drop to 6.5 percent in 2011 from 7.6 percent last year, with lower expansion seen in the primary sector.
“The slower growth in the primary sector is attributed to the expected smaller increase in the mining output,” the CSO said.
It said Zambia had recorded a 315.9 billion Zambian kwacha surplus in November 2011 compared with a 187.5 billion kwacha surplus in October
Newly opened, zambian owned, Fresh view cinema at Manda Hill , is the first and only cinema in zambia where people can experience watching 3D movies . Zambians can watch the latest movies immediately they are released ,in the format in which they are released . Kids are in for a treat this holiday season with movies such as “Puss in Boots” “Arther Christmas” and “Alvin and the chipmunks 3” all in 3D.
Fresh View cinema will not only have 3D movies ,normal movies will be there, they will also be show casing Zambian Movies which is very good for the movie industry.
It has six cinemas with a total sitting capacity of 939. These include VIP seats, which are designed for two people .
Hopefully the competition with Ster Kinekor cinema at Arcades shopping mall , will see a reducing in ticket prices.
MMD Chisamba Member of Parliament Moses Muteteka (in glasses)
Government should involve all the concerned parties when handling the controversy surrounding the restoration of the Barotseland agreement of 1964, Chisamba Member of Parliament and MMD presidential aspirant Moses Muteteka has urged the Michael Sata led administration.
This follows reports of a named group in Western province that is allegedly calling for the Independence of the province.
In an interview with Qfm, Mr. Muteteka explains that the issue of the Barotseland agreement is a sensitive matter that needs to be handled with caution.
He says it is therefore important for the government not to politicize the issue but that they should ensure that they implement what they promised the people of Western province during campaigns in the run up to the just ended tripartite elections.
But Republican president Michael Sata has urged the people of western province not to resolve to confrontation in dealing with issues surrounding the Barotseland agreement.
Meeting officials from the Linyunga Ndambo and the Movement for the restoration of Barotseland at State House this morning, President Sata called for dialogue stating that government is willing to address challenges facing Western Province.
And President Michael Sata says government will commence exploration works for oil in the western province.
The president has also observed the need for the rice growers in the province to be assisted with a market for their produce saying this will help in addressing that the people of that area are facing.
He adds that there is so much agitation among the people of western province because of the high unemployment levels among the other many challenges they are currently facing.
The president was speaking when met the officials from the Barotseland Freedom Movement (BFM) the Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland (MRB) and the Linyungandambos at state house today.
And the president has observed that there is a lot of misunderstanding on the Barotseland agreement but added that the PF government would give all the ethnic groups of western province to give their views on the matter.
President Sata notes because of the ignorance of the colonial masters about the geographical setting when they came to Zambia, the made the Litunga sign the agreement illegally on behalf of the other chiefdoms on the issue of concessions.
The president however, expressed government’s determination to resolve the matter through dialogue with all the interested parties.
A search beam from the roof of a night club called Limusote night club in Nakonde district of Muchinga Province last night sent panic among curious Nakonde and Tunduma residents in the neigbouring Tanzania.
The beam can be revolved in public square, large building, paradise gymnasium, castle, big outside performance and stage.
There is a similar light beam that emanates from Vegas at Namakau House in Lusaka’s Chilenje Township.
In Nakonde, the A 799 light search with 220 Volts that adopts high voltage xenon lamp whose quartz cold reflector focuses well, light beam was visible up to 10 km from the border forcing residents to gather in groups.
With few stars in the sky, the search light beam revolved from one end to the other for about two hours continuously bringing most of the activities such as drinking and selling to a stand still.
A Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) reports from Nakonde that some visibly shocked residents where in serious prayers for their lives.
Many thought this was time for rupture as the light in the sky was threatening and coincided with a quarter moon that was experienced last night.
One of the residents Dorothy Chikonde said in an interview that she thought this marked the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Mrs. Chikonde said she immediately started praying as night revelers at a nearby drinking place at Kamba-kamba scampered for safety.
At a near by church called in Ntindi area , a clergyman Pastor Shadrick Silungwe was found in serious prayers with his congregation interceding for God’s peace.
Pastor Silungwe said the search light beam was seen for the first time in Nakonde district and this caused panic among many people who had never seen it before and were wondering what was really happening.
He added that having seen a lot of panic in his neigbours, he engaged them in serious prayers to pray for what was being experienced in the border town.
Across the border in Tanzania the situation was the same as scores of people gathered in groups coming towards the border to see where the light was coming from.
The presence of Zambia Airforce (ZAF) personnel earlier in the day compounded the situation as some thought what they were seeing was a plane maneuver by the air men.
Manager at Limusote Dauti Musonda said the light search beam was switched on at 20:00 hours and was switched off at 22:30 hours.
Musonda said the light beam which was switched on for the first time caused panic among the residents of Nakonde of Tunduma in Tanzania.
He added that many people flocked to the area to catch a glimpse of the search light after discovering from where it was being beamed from.
Musonda described the scenario as spectacular saying it formed part of tourism attraction in the border town as people from Tanzania defiled the border procedures and crossed into Zambia at night to see the rare light.
Power Dynamos goalkeeping coach Martin Mwamba has hailed the inclusion of keeper Joshua Titima in the 26-man Chipolopolo squad that is in South Africa preparing for the 2012 Africa Cup.
Mwamba said Titima, who is the first choice keeper at Power, deserves to be in the national team which will compete at the Gabon/Equatorial Guinea Nations Cup.
The former Zambia keeper stated that the Herve Renard led Chipolopolo technical bench have made the right decision by selecting the former Zanaco net minder.
Mwamba heaped praises on the young star saying he is one of the best keepers on the local scene.
He added that given an opportunity, Titima has the potential to excel at national level.
“This time the national team technical bench has made a good decision by picking the right person (Titima),” said Mwamba, a member of Zambia Team which minted silver at the 1994 Africa Cup finals.
“I have always told national team selectors to pick young goalkeepers and this time they have done it. They have picked the right person,” Mwamba said.
Chief (Mwene) Mutondo of the Nkoya people of Kaoma Western Zambia. Photo by Danny Namenda
The Nkoya Royal Council and the Kazanga Cultural Association of Western Province have appealed to President Sata to either quash the Barotseland Agreement or call for a referendum whose cost should be borne by the British government.
Nkoya Royal Council chairperson Edwin Nkomesha and the Kazanga Cultural Association chairperson Layton Kaushiku said this during a joint press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Nkomesha said the President, using powers vested in him by the Constitution, must quash the Barotseland Agreement.
“We the people of Western Province do not want the Barotseland Agreement. We therefore appeal to the President to quash it,” Mr Nkomesha said.
He said a few greedy individuals are using the Barotseland Agreement to foment confusion in Western Province.
“We don’t dislike anyone but we hate the Barotseland Agreement, which segregates us as Nkoyas and other ethnic groups of Western Province,” Mr Nkomesha said.
He said there’s a government in place that must be recognised and respected.
Mr Nkomesha said if the government goes ahead and implements the Barotseland Agreement, the country’s peace will be compromised.
“If Government goes ahead and implements the Barotseland Agreement, it will be 21st century slavery and we will react,” he said. He said the Nkoyas must not be underrated by anyone.
Mr Nkomesha said it is only a handful of people in Western Province who are agitating for their interests and Government must not give them a platform.
He said in the event that Government does not want to quash the Barotseland Agreement, a referendum must be called.
“This Barotseland Agreement is not our baby. It’s the British who are the architects, so they must fund it,” Mr Nkomesha said.
He said he did not agree with anyone who says first President Kenneth Kaunda must intervene, saying he was merely a Prime Minister at the time of signing.
“Leave Dr Kaunda out of this because it’s the British who were calling the shots then,” Mr Nkomesha said.
And Mr Kaushiku of the Kazanga Cultural Association said Zambia is a unitary state and secession talk must not be entertained.
Mr Kaushiku said the Nkoyas will not be part of clandestine activities that have been linked to a named group in Western Province.
“We are also of the view that this Barotseland Agreement should be quashed for the sake of peace in this country,” Mr Kaushiku said.
He said only a few people are giving an impression that all people in Western Province are interested in the agreement.
“In fact, there are only two provinces, Eastern and Northern, that are not touched by this Barotseland Agreement which is being championed by a few greedy people. So will all these other provinces accept it?” Mr Kaushiku said.
Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga has refuted allegations that the Lusaka City Council Medium Term expenditure for 2012-2014 Budget Estimates deliberations were last week adjourned to
today (Wednesday) because the Patriotic Front (PF) Councilors are incompetent.
Mayor Chisenga said the PF Councilors are competent enough to deal with any issue before them in the chamber.
Speaking in the Council Chamber at Civic Centre in Lusaka today, Mr.Chisenga pointed out that the report alleging that the PF Councilors are incompetent is untrue and it should be brushed aside by the members of the public.
Mayor Chisenga stated that the deliberations were merely adjourned because Councilors were availed with the report at short notice and the full Chamber decided to give them enough time to study the report.
He charged that accusing the Councilors of being incompetent was unfair. Mayor Chisenga stated that the PF Councilors are serious with their business in the chamber and urged all those peddling unfounded lies to give the PF Councilors time to deliver.
Lusaka District Councilors are currently debating on the Lusaka City Council Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2012 – 2014 budget estimates.
Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) Executive Director Bonnie Tembo has officially announced his retirement from the civil society organization.
Mr. Tembo who has been at the helm of AVAP for 16 years, stated that this was the right time for him to leave civil society advocacy work.
He called upon civil society organizations to reposition themselves and create space for impact-making advocacy in this new political dispensation that saw the defeat of the MMD regime during the
September 20 tripartite elections,.
Mr. Tembo said regime change was inevitable as the electorate responded well to the benchmarks of democracy.
“At the helm of AVAP, three Republican Presidents, that is the late Dr Frederick Chiluba, Dr Levy Mwanawasa and Mr. Rupiah Banda interacted with AVAP with a view to promoting good governance. In a democracy, people always yearn for change and hence overstaying is not good enough”, he stated.
He noted that civil society organizations always point fingers at politicians and often accuse them of overstaying in power and being recycled.
Mr. Tembo said the move taken by former Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) Executive Director Lee Habasonda and himself will inspire a new wave of civil society leadership to take SACCORD and AVAP respectively to the next level.
He has since encouraged leaders of CSOs to be strategic, focused and fearless as they champion the cause of governance. Mr. Tembo further urged them not to be compromised and swallowed by
the new political dispensation.
He appealed to them to uphold neutrality if they were to maintain the confidence of the people. He thanked the media for reflecting AVAP to all corners of Zambia.
A civil organistation in Kitwe has commended the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) for its transparency it exhibits each time the mining body holds elections.
Democratic Governance and Human Rights Advocates (DEGHA) national coordinator Gerald Mutelo said unions in the country should emulate the way MUZ conducts its elections in a peaceful, air and transparent way.
ZANIS reports Mr Mutelo saying this in a statement made available in Kitwe today .
“ We are particularly happy to see the high levels of democracy that MUZ practices every elections period. We urged MUZ president and his team to continue promoting democracy in their union, “Mr Mutelo says in the statement..
He also appealed to the union leadership to continue representing their members effectively without fear or favour because most miners have confidence in the union.
Mr. Mutelo however says there is need for unity among the trade unions in the country If they are to represent workers effectively.
Meanwhile Mr. Mutelo has appealed to President Sata to consider creating another province in North Western province in order to create more developmental programs.
He said the named province is one of the biggest provinces in the country and if this is done it will contribute positively to national development.
President Sata’s government recently partitioned Northern Province into two provinces into Muchinga Province which takes part of the original province and Eastern Province.
President Michael Sata has condemned the recent terrorist attack that killed 39 people near the Nigerian Capital Abuja on Christmas day.
In a letter to his Nigerian counterpart, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Sata expressed deep sorrow at the untimely demise of people in a terrorist bomb attack.
The President said his government condemns the outrageous and cowardly attacks on the Catholic Church by the radical Muslim sect, Boko Haram which he said is responsible for at least 491 killings this year alone.
This is according to a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations George Chellah.
“On behalf of the people of the Republic of Zambia and, indeed on my own behalf, I extend our heartfelt condolences to you, the bereaved families and those injured in the explosion,” the President said.
He assured President Jonathan that Zambia shares the burden of grief and pain with Nigeria and the bereaved families in particular.
‘It is our hope that the Almighty God will give these families comfort and guidance during this period,” Mr. Sata said.
Republican president Michael Sata has urged the people of western province not to resort to confrontation in dealing with issues surrounding the Barotseland agreement.
QFM News reports that President Sata said there is no need for the people of western province to be confrontation as they are on the weaker side.
The President has called for dialogue stating that government is willing to address challenges facing the western province.
The Head of state stated that the underdevelopment in western does not only affect that area, but most parts of the country.
He says government understands the challenges facing the province and is willing to take development to all parts of the country.
President Sata made the remarks when he met officials from Western Province at State House this morning.
And The southern Africa center for the constructive resolutions of disputes SACCORD has called for constructive engagement with the government.
SACCORD information officer Obby Chibuluma says that attacking the government in its first few months of its leadership will not yield anything.
He says that Zambia belongs to all Zambians and that they is need to engage the current leadership on constructive criticism.
And Mr. Chibuluma has observed that it is also important for the current government to quickly rectify problems that might arise. He says that being in government is a challenging matter stating that sometimes government can go in a wrong way.
POLICE Inspector-General, Martin Malama says law enforcers will soon make arrests of politicians and individuals who want to use underhand methods to ascend to power through the formation of an illegal parallel “cabinet” in Western Province.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister, Geoffrey Mwamba has said his ministry has started working closely with security wings to ensure that people planning the secession of Western Province from Zambia were brought to book with minimum delay.
Mr Mwamba said Zambians should be assured that order would be maintained in Western Province because it was part of the unitary State called Zambia.
Mr Mwamba said even though his ministry was not responsible for engaging with individuals breaking the law, the Zambia Army had an interest when it came to people talking about parallel governments as that bordered on the security of the country.
And Dr Malama said people who lost the September 20, 2011 presidential and general elections should realise that there was a new and democratically elected Government in place.
In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Malama said police had covered enough work through the cooperation of the people of Western Province to identify individuals behind plans to form an illegal cabinet, an act which was in breach of the Republican Constitution.
He said Zambia was a unitary State which would not be allowed to collapse into chaos and divisions and that police and other security wings would maintain their duty to protect the Government so that it could concentrate on delivering development for the people.
Dr Malama said a combined team of security wings was on the ground in Western Province and that a comprehensive statement would be issued through the Government soon.
President Michael Sata last week asked the defence and security wings to move in and check some elements in Western Province who were trying to form a State within a State.
Reports received by the President indicated that a prime minister had already been picked for the illegal government.
The Inspector-General said the police had established that the people of Western Province were generally peaceful but were being confused by a clique loyal to some losing candidates in the September 20, 2011 elections.
“They lost the elections because that is democracy and we shall protect the same democracy and the Government which is in place right now. We want the Government to implement development,” Dr Malama said.
“It was illegal in any democracy for losing candidates or sympathisers of losing candidates to sneak into Government through the backdoor,” Dr Malama added.
He said because the people of Western Province were against the illegal formation of a parallel government, they had been giving details about the identity of those planning a parallel government.
The general understanding of the role of the opposition was to propagate alternative policies upon which they could win support and not to form parallel governments.
Dr Malama said while a few individuals wanted to fan trouble in the province, ordinary Zambians in the area were concentrating on economic ventures such as agriculture and fishing because they were not interested in agitation for secession of the province.
FORMER Energy minister Kenneth Konga said he will cooperate with investigative agencies as he is a public figure who should be accountable to the Zambian people.
Mr Konga, who is Chavuma Member of Parliament (MP), said in Lusaka yesterday that he would be available throughout the process and defend himself of any allegations through his lawyer Sakwiba Sikota.
And police have intensified investigations against the former minister, whose hotel and other properties have been seized by law enforcement officers.
Police acting spokesperson Rea Hamoonga said security personnel were on the ground to establish how the Chavuma MP acquired property.
Mr Konga’s lawyer Sakwiba Sikota on Monday said the action on his client was a witch-hunt because the former minister was capable of raising money to buy property.
He said Mr Konga had been MP in Chavuma Constituency since 2006 and was entitled to a car loan from the National Assembly.
On reports that police also seized a farm in Chavuma, Mr Konga said he had never owned a farm in Chavuma.
Mr Konga on Monday appeared before a team of security officers in Lusaka’s Woodlands area where he was questioned in connection with the source of funds used to buy three motor vehicles, including a Hummer.
Mr Konga’s luxurious hotel, located near the Railway Systems of Zambia station in Lusaka, was seized under the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act to facilitate investigations on corruption.
Other properties seized were semi-detatched flats in Kabulonga and a bulldozer in Makeni.
He was warned and cautioned for abuse of authority of office.
Other former leaders under probe are former president Rupiah Banda over the Mpundu Trust account that is alleged to hold US$1million, former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, from whose residence 1,000 bicycles were seized.
The police have also questioned former Zambian high commissioner to Canada Nevers Mumba.
Dr Mumba is believed to have solicited for $122,000 from the giant mining company, Barrick Gold purportedly to finance a cultural event while he served as head of the mission in Toronto.
PRESIDENT Sata has relieved Secretary to Cabinet Joshua Kanganja of his duties following the expiry of his contract on November 30. Mr Sata commended Dr Kanganja for his valuable service to the nation during the time he served as Secretary to Cabinet.
In a letter dated December 20, 2011, President Sata told Dr Kanganja that should need arise, the State will call on him for his services. And Dr Kanganja confirmed the expiry of his contract and said he leaves the public service a happy man.
“I did my part to the best of my ability. I believe everything I did was for the good of the country,” Dr Kanganja said. He said in an interview yesterday that he is one of the privileged Zambians to have served under all four republican presidents.
Dr Kanganja said he has served the public service since he left university. He has written to President Sata to thank him for the opportunity to serve under his administration.
Dr Kanganja first served under First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda as permanent secretary and was appointed High Court judge in 1989, a position he declined.
He also served under President Frederick Chiluba as permanent secretary at the Public Service Management Division before he took over as Secretary to Cabinet from Mr Lesley Mbula in 2004.
Dr Kanganja said he served a big team and added that “not everyone is a Saint’. He said he received a lot of support from the public service and unions during his time as Secretary to Cabinet.
Dr Kanganja said the public service has a lot of experienced people he has left behind who will continue where he has left off.
“There are a lot of experienced civil servants who I believe will carry on from where I have left. I believe the public service has a good future,” he said.
Kapiri Mposhi FIFA Referee Jani Sikazwe has described his appointment to officiate at the 2012 Africa Cup as a dream come true.
