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.
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.
Inspector General of Police Martin Malama: To issue Statement on Tuesday
INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police Martin Malama says more former leaders will soon start appearing in court over the corruption cases under investigation. Dr Malama said in an interview yesterday that the police are grateful for the patience exhibited by members of the public since the investigations started.
“We understand the concern about delays in prosecuting the matters, which is genuine. There are many cases and some of them will be in court soon,” Dr Malama said in an interview yesterday.
He said police will not take the patience for granted, adding that the investigations have not been about parading people in the media.
He said all the people who have been investigated will be subjected to the criminal justice system, as and when evidence is available.
A combined team of law enforcement officers has interrogated former Finance and National Planning minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, former Mines and Minerals Development Minister Maxwell Mwale and former Education Minister Dora Siliya.
The team is made up of officers from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Zambia Police.
The team has also interviewed former Labour and Social Security Minister Austin Liato and former Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga.
Mr Liato and former DEC chief Aaron Zulu are the only ones who have appeared in court. Mr Liato made headlines when K2 billion was dug from a concrete slab at his farm in Mumbwa and Mr Konga was warned and cautioned over the weekend concerning a number of properties he owns.
Mr Zulu is linked to the gold scam, in which gold, forfeited to the state following a court case, was sold to a Swiss national.
Zambia’s former High Commissioner to Canada Nevers Mumba has also been interrogated.
Lusaka lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, who is representing all former leaders under investigation, has called the investigations a ‘fishing expedition’.
Police have summoned former president Rupiah Banda’s spokesperson Dickson Jere and some Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) senior officials over the sale of gold to a Swiss national and some bicycles left over from the election campaign.
The DEC in July 2011 privately auctioned off seized gold to a Swiss official, at a whopping US$4 million. The gold was believed to have been undervalued.
Mr Jere was summoned over allegations that he helped to single-source the buyers of the gold. He reported to the team on Monday October 17, 2011.
In 2007, the DEC seized 119 kilogrammes of gold worth over US$7 million at the Lusaka International Airport (now Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) from two Zimbabwean nationals who tried to evade sanctions against Zimbabwe and attempted to re-export the gold through Zambia.
Former President Levy Mwanawasa moved former minister of Home Affairs Ronnie Shikapwasha to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting when it emerged that he had shown interest in buying the gold at “disposal value”.
The team also summoned Likolo Ndalamei, the former Secretary to Treasury, who authorised the sale of the forfeited gold.
Investigators have searched various homes and offices of senior MMD officials close to former President Rupiah Banda.
The team conducted a day-long search on the offices of Henry Banda, president Rupiah Banda’s son. Henry was a key figure in the MMD campaign before the September 2011 presidential and general elections, won by Mr MichaelSata.
Although Henry held no official position in the MMD Presidential Campaign Committee headed by prominent politician Dr Boniface Kawimbe, police believe he played a significant role in the sourcing of campaign funds for the MMD.
The team also confiscated 49 bicycles and two motor vehicles, a Toyota Dyna and Toyota Hilux, from MMD deputy national chairman Kabinga Pande’s home in Makeni.
Police seized over 1,000 bicycles from Dr Musokotwane’s home in Makeni.
And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka says revelations of an ‘increased’ number of corruption and abuse of office cases involving former leaders vindicates his organisation which resisted the removal of the abuse of office clause by the former administration for self-preservation purposes.
Mr Lifuka said in Lusaka yesterday that the move was ‘a self-serving measure’ which in fact legalised abuse of office and shielded the offenders.
He was commenting on the increasing list of senior officials in the Rupiah Banda administration that has sucked in the former President himself and his close aides.
Mr. Lifuka said his organisation had vehemently opposed the removal of the clause for fear of wanton and unabated abuses and has called for authorities to cast their net wider and leave no stone unturned as they step up their investigations.
“The conduct of former cabinet ministers who have been caught up in conflict of interest cases should be investigated and appropriate measures taken. It is evident that other ministers could have used their positions of authority to cut deals for companies in which they were shareholders,” Mr. Lifuka said.
He cited the case of former Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane as an example saying clearly, more ministers are likely to have abused their positions of authority.
Mr. Lifuka said Dr Musokotwane’s actions were clear breach of Zambian law.
Mr Lifuka said Dr Musokotwane has not disputed the fact that he is a director of ZamBuild Investment Ltd – a company that supplied concrete building blocks to Varun Beverages, a company he admitted having authorised to take a K10.8 billion tax holiday or deferment.
TIZ is disturbed by Dr Musokotwane’s reaction that there was ‘no conflict of interest’ because he is just a shareholder and not in management of a company that supplied building blocks to Varun, a company he awarded a tax deferment.
“This conflict of interest does not become any lighter simply because he is just a shareholder and not in management. As a shareholder, it is in his interest that the company operates in an ethical manner and does not get involved in deals which drag his name into disrepute. The law is clear, the former minister should have formally written to the authorities declaring private or personal interest in the matter,” Mr Lifuka said.
Mr Lifuka said Dr Musokotwane, as a public officer who was instrumental in providing necessary support to Varun Beverages to invest in Zambia, should not have taken advantage of his unique position to conduct business with the same company.
He said it is important for Government to institute measures to strengthen the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act and ensure that all declarations of assets and liabilities by the Vice-President, Cabinet Ministers and members of Parliament, are verified and all false declarations are penalised.
“It is clear that the definition of misconduct of elected public officials in the Act is limited and should be broadened,” Mr Lifuka said.
Mr Lifuka also urged Government to immediately institute measures to operationalise the Public Interest Disclosure (protection of whistle-blowers) Act.
“We are very confident that there are numerous whistle-blowers out there who are aware of the several indiscretions of the past administration and can provide useful leads to investigative agencies,” he said.
ANYONE calling for dialogue over the Barotseland Agreement is pushing an open door because Government has already instituted measures to find a lasting solution to the issue, Minister of Justice Sebastian Zulu said in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Zulu said in an interview that the commission of inquiry which Government constituted on the Mongu killings has concluded its work and will soon present its findings to Government.
“Those calling for talks over the Barotseland issue are pushing an open door because Government is already looking into it through the inquiry that was appointed,” Mr Zulu said.
He said the commission has finished its work and is already compiling it before it is presented to President Sata.
“Government will find a way forward when the report is ready, so I don’t see any reason why anyone should say Government must dialogue,” Mr Zulu said.
He said the commission, which had been receiving views from members of the public, will recommend possible solutions to the Barotseland issue.
Foundation for Democratic Process executive director MacDonald Chipenzi has urged President Sata to call for a tripartite meeting on the Barotseland Agreement.
He said there should be a meeting involving the Litunga, former president Kenneth Kaunda and Mr Sata.
Mr Chipenzi said this in the wake of revelations by President Sata that a group of people in Western Province is attempting to form its own State within Zambia.
POLITICIAN Cosmo Mumba has advised elder brother Nevers to reconsider his political aspirations, saying many citizens do not subscribe to the values of the MMD.
Cosmo, who is National Revolutionary Party president, has also distanced his party and himself from the activities of Dr Mumba.
“I wish to distance our party from the political aspirations and activities of Dr Mumba, whose major objective is to rescue the MMD from its comatose,” Cosmo said at a press briefing at Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka yesterday.
He charged that the MMD’s ‘distorted’ vision in the last 20 years the party had been in power only managed to kill the country’s economic aspirations.
He said Dr Mumba will have to rewrite the rules of political prophecy for him to resuscitate the MMD.
“The challenge is that Dr Mumba and his colleagues in the MMD tap into the same belief system and yet are members of different spiritual constituencies. Their world views are conditioned by different systems, deadly certainties and mystical orientations,” Cosmo said.
He said it is unrealistic for Dr Mumba, who has been out of the country for over two years, to just come back and venture into politics. Dr Mumba was Zambia’s High Commissioner to Canada until recently.
“To the contrary, we recall President Sata’s pledge to govern the nation based on the 10 commandments of the Old Testament. We hereby advise Dr Mumba to carefully scrutinise his facts to avoid the many errors of judgment he has exhibited in the three short months he has been out of his job as High Commissioner to Canada,” Cosmo said.
He said his party supports the establishment of the technical committee on drafting the republican constitution which will incorporate and reflect economic objectives, strategies and priorities which will be in tandem with national development plans.
He called on political parties to reflect on why they lost the elections and allow the PF to implement their manifesto.
Cosmo said his party will support the PF, adding that the ruling party has delivered on its promises to reduce the price of fuel and increase the tax threshold.
“The PF has inspired hope and confidence in the people by demonstrating its vision with practical policy options,” he said.
Cosmo also said former vice-president George Kunda is not the best person to champion human rights in the country. He accused Mr Kunda of showing no respect for the rule of law as “he only supported Rupiah Banda.”
“We wish to warn George Kunda and his surrogates that the people who voted for the PF are watching him,” he said. He also welcomed the ratification of Mutembo Nchito and Musa Mwenye as Director of Public Prosecutions and Solicitor-General, respectively.
Cosmo said his party will advise the PF constructively and quietly when it makes a mistake. He said he will work with the PF government in whatever capacity. He said current investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of former leaders in the previous administration must be extended to journalist Chanda Chimba, Committee of Citizens executive director Gregory Chifire, New Generation Party president Humphrey Siulapwa and Evangelical Youth Alliance pastor Moses Lungu.
Cosmo called on the people of the Western Province to be patient with the PF government, saying President Sata is yet to study the report by the Roger Chongwe commission of inquiry into the January killings in Mongu.
Meanwhile, THE MMD has started the process of appointing an eight-member committee to organise an extraordinary convention to elect former President Rupiah Banda’s successor.
The committee will include party national secretary Richard Kachingwe and national treasurer Mwansa Mbulakulima.
In an interview yesterday, MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu clarified that the former ruling party has not yet appointed the committee but is in the process of doing so.
“This committee will have men and women who are concerned about the welfare of the party. We want people who will perform and not individuals who do not have the interest of the party at heart. We feel that more women should be on the committee because we believe that they are good performers,” Mr Nyangu said.
He said the extraordinary convention will be held in accordance with the MMD constitution to avoid litigation.
He said other members of the committee will be named after consultations are concluded.
“We will hold the convention as soon as all logistics are in place and we hope to do that soon,” Mr Nyangu said.
On December 17, 2011, MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya announced that the MMD national executive committee (NEC) resolved that the party would go for a convention to elect the party president.
“Initially, we had allowed to field a new president through NEC after President Rupiah Banda announced soon after the elections that he wanted to retire. But the full NEC meeting has agreed that we should pick the president at the extraordinary convention,” Ms Siliya said.
FORMER Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane should have declared interest in a transaction in which his company supplied blocks for construction of the Varun Beverages plant in Lusaka.
Justice Minister, Sebastian Zulu said the former minister should not have allowed a company in which he had interest to engage in a transaction with Varun, the producer of Pepsi drinks.
Mr Zulu said this in reaction to revelations that ZamBuild Investments Limited, in which Dr Musokotwane is a shareholder, supplied blocks for the construction of Varun Beverages in the industrial area.
He said the transaction raised issues of morality of a public officer, who was in charge of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning at the time Varun was getting established in Zambia.
And Patriotic Front (PF) national youth chairperson, Chishimba Kambwili has said revelations that Dr Musokotwane’s company supplied blocks for construction of the Pepsi plant in Lusaka showed that there was ‘recklessness’ in the handling of public affairs during the MMD administration.
Mr Kambwili, who is Foreign Affairs Minister, has since advised Dr Musokotwane to resign as Liuwa Member of Parliament (MP) on moral grounds.
He said the former minister should have declared interest in the matter given that he was Finance minister at the time Varun was getting established in Zambia.
“My only advice to Dr Musokotwane is that he should resign as MP because his hands are soiled. Law makers should be above board and as such, it will only be good if he resigns on moral grounds,” Mr Kambwili said in an interview.
Dr Musokotwane said ZamBuild could have supplied the bricks because they were of high quality and that he was only a shareholder in the company.
