Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani says investigations into the whereabouts of former President Rupiah Banda’s son Henry have not been closed.
Mrs. Libongani said Henry is still on a wanted person’s list and that the case is being handled the joint government investigations team.
She said the team is using all possible channels to see to it that Mr. Banda is brought back home to answer to some corruption related charges.
“Yes we are still pursuing Mr. Henry Banda, we have not abandoned the search,” Mrs. Libongani told Reporters Tuesday morning.
Henry Banda, a self-styled businessman was a key figure in his father’s failed bid for reelection and is believed to be living in South Africa.
Some local and regional newspapers speculated early in the year that Mr. Banda had been hiding at Kenya’s State House as a guest of President Mwai Kibaki.
He was placed on the Interpol wanted list after the PF government sought to have him return to answer questions about his alleged involvement in some corruption tainted government contracts.
His International lawyers however successfully pushed that his name be struck off the Interpol list.
President of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions Leonard Hikaumba says time has come for the Zambia Police Service to allow its officers to belong to a trade union movement.
Mr. Hikaumba has now appealed to the PF government to consider allowing police officers to start joining a union of their choice.
“This is an issue we pushed very hard with colleagues in the past administration. The MMD refused to buy into this idea but we feel we have a chance with the PF government because it has shown that it is worker friendly and police officers are workers too.”
Mr. Hikaumba told the recently concluded Tripartite Consultative Labour Council in Lusaka that Zambia should emulate countries such as South Africa which has allowed officers in the South African Police Service to be unionized.
“We recently had the representative of the South African Police Union officiated at the biannual
“There is nothing wrong with allowing the police officers to be unionized, the fears that we have cannot be justified because industrial relations in the police service could still be managed even with the unionization of the police service,” Mr. Hikaumba explained.
Over K4 billion meant for infrastructure and other developmental programmes has allegedly been misappropriated by the Provincial Accounting Unit (PACU) in Luapula Province.
This development, which has angered Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Kennedy Sakeni, came to light when he paid a courtesy call on Luapula Province Minister Benson Kapaya in Mansa yesterday.
Mr. Sakeni, who is on a tour of media institutions in Northern and Luapula Provinces, said the Patriotic Front (PF) government was in a hurry to develop the country hence those who were frustrating it development pace will be sent elsewhere.
He said government has a passion to foster development in all parts of the country.
The misused funds have affected the completion of a bridge in Tayali community.
This facility is meant to aid school going children to smoothly cross a stream in order to get to school.
“Children will be cut off when going to attend classes especially when schools resume on January 14 next year because the culverts are still lying idle for over six months as nothing has been done since they were sourced,” Mr. Sakeni said.
Mr. Sakeni, who is also Chief Government Spokesperson, lamented that some civil servants were in the habit of paying themselves allowances in the pretext of working to develop the country when in fact not.
“About K4 billion has been misappropriated maybe half of it has gone towards allowances. It is sad that projects were being affected in this way,” he said.
And the continued misuse of funds has paralysed the operations of the Zambia News and Information Services offices (ZANIS) in Mansa.
This came to light when Mr. Sakeni toured the offices in Mansa yesterday and was told that the provincial office had not received their monthly allocations since September this year.
ZANIS
The opposition MMD has continued to plunge into deeper trouble following calls from its leadership in Muchinga province for president Nevers Mumba to step aside and allow national chairman Kabinga Pande to lead the former ruling party until after a convention is held.
MMD Muchinga province chairlady Janet Mulenga said in Mpika today that due to the wrangles which have engulfed the party, members at the grassroots level feared that it might die if no serious measures are taken.
Ms. Mulenga said the party in Muchinga province was petitioning the National Executive Committee (NEC) through the national chairman to ensure that Dr. Mumba is relieved of his party duties with immediate effect.
Ms. Mulenga was supported by provincial information and publicity secretary Listo Ng’onga and provincial youth information publicity secretary Geoffrey Kapengwe.
The party leadership in Muchinga province has also petitioned the NEC to call for an urgent convention to elect new office bearers because the current leadership was allegedly heading nowhere.
Ms. Mulenga said in order to avoid further resignations of committed members from the party, it was important that new office bearers who love the party were allowed to lead the MMD
The MMD provincial leadership has since threatened to force Dr. Mumba out of the party it the NEC fails to heed to their demands.
She said Dr. Mumba was suspending and firing party members that have different views thereby making the MMD weak.
She claimed that the latest member to be suspended was national chairlady for women Catherine Namugala who is also Mafinga Member of Parliament.
Ms. Namugala has however expressed ignorance about her reported suspension but said she would not be surprised if at all the rumours were true.
But when contacted for a comment, Dr. Mumba maintained that he will not step down until after the next scheduled convention is be held.
He told ZANIS that the party would stick to the current leadership adding that there were no plans to hold an urgent convention.
On the reported suspension of Ms. Namugala, Dr. Mumba referred all queries related to this matter to the acting national secretary, Kapembwa Simbao who could however not be reached for a comment.
Health Minister Dr Joseph Kasonde (in Father Christmas fatigues) admires a Christmas baby when he visited the University Teaching Hospital maternity ward
The University Teaching Hospital (UTH) has recorded 18 Christmas babies born between midnight and 08:00 hours today.
UTH Public Relations Manager Pauline Mbangweta confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Ms. Mbangweta disclosed that 10 of the babies born at UTH today are boys while eight are girls.
She said the first baby to be born was a boy and was born at 01.26 hours.
Ms. Mbangweta further said all the 18 babies are in a healthy condition and were doing fine.
And Chongwe District Medical Officer, Charles Msiska has disclosed that four babies were born at Chongwe district hospital today.
Dr. Msiska told ZANIS that all the four babies that were born today are girls and healthy and stable.
He said the first baby was born at around 02:00 hours and no complications have been recorded from any of the babies.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe has urged Zambians to reflect on their lives as they celebrate Christmas day today.
Mr. Sikazwe said this in Lusaka today when he presented baby hampers to three babies born on Christmas day at Kalingalinga Clinic.
He said government was committed to ensuring that children grow up in a clean, healthy and happy environment.
He further said government will always endeavour to give back to the community and ensure that children are taken care of.
Mr. Sikazwe said it was also government policy to recognise the contribution that mothers make in shaping a good society with right morals.
He further urged the people of Lusaka Province to celebrate Christmas in a peaceful manner.
He said Christmas was a day to remember the achievements made this year and further plan for the coming year.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Province Medical Health Officer Tackson Lambart said his office will ensure that all people receive proper health care and support.
Dr. Lambart said his office decided to take time to celebrate Christmas with the newly born babies because they bring pride to any home.
And one of the mothers who received baby hampers, Christabel Njobvu said she was delighted to receive a present from government.
All the three babies born at Kalingalinga Clinic today are female.
Ex-Power Dynamos striker Wedson Nyirenda has hailed the planned introduction of a pre-season tournament in honour of the Power 90 squad.
Power Chairman Owen Silavwe on Saturday announced that the Arthur Davies outfit will early next year start staging a cup competition in honour of the famous Power 90 team.
Commenting on the plan, Nyirenda now the coach of Zesco United said the honouring of the Power 90 members was long overdue.
The former international said members of the Power 90 should be recognised for winning the Mandela Cup (now CAF Confederation Cup) in the early 1990s.
“I thank the executive committee of Power Dynamos FC for recognising the true legends of Power and Zambia.Though long overdue and many brothers we fought with have passed on, it is never late to recognise a legend,” he wrote on the Power supporters’ forum on face book.
“I hope this can extend to the Government, Power did it for Zambia and not Kitwe alone,” Nyirenda added.
File:President Michael Sata in ceremonial ZAF Uniform at KK international airport before he flew into Livingstone to commission ZAF Officers.Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza Presidential photographer
By Chitapankwa
Recent events demonstrate that Zambia is emerging into an authoritarian regime under PF. This does not only pose a challenge for our young democracy but it puts democracy at cross roads in Zambia.
I write with a heavy heart to observe that the PF government is quickly sliding back on the very democratic tents that brought them in power in the first place. I wish to underline here that democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. These values are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies.
The strong message I want to send to the PF government, make no mistake, we the people of Zambia chose democracy as a model of governance, we fought for it and we shall defend it. Democracy is about our own individual liberties and freedoms as enshrined in our constitutions; freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly. The current authoritative tendencies exhibited by Sata and his minion cannot be allowed to continue.
Political opposition under authoritarian rule
In politics, an authoritarian government is one in which political authority is concentrated in a small group of politicians. I have observed political intolerance since PF came into power. Mahatma Gandhi famously argued, “intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit”. Sata should realise that opposition political parties as much as civil society and the media are the bedrock of democracy. This is so, because opposition political parties play an increasingly important role in shaping policy agendas, conducting civic education, and fighting corruption. Opposition parties are free to criticize the ruling party’s policies, ideas and programs and offer alternatives.
[pullquote]“intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit”[/pullquote]
However, whenever, the PF government is criticised, they turn to use outdated laws left behind by the colonial British government, whose objective then, was to stop the locals to express their view through peaceful demonstration and assembly. We know authoritarianism emphasizes arbitrary law rather than the rule of law. The public Order Act and Statutory Instrument No.33 simply put are outdated laws. The continued harassment of key political figures in the name of maintaining peace and order is tantamount to abuse of state power and authority.
Political tolerance is a key critical ingredient to good governance and democracy. The police and our legal systems should act in a more professional and sane manner as they discharge their duties and not to be used as tools of oppression. It follows, therefore, that the culture of democracy rests on the principle of majority rule, coupled with tolerance of dissenting views. Democracy also calls for the zealous protection of the fundamental rights of individuals, disadvantaged groups and minorities, even when they disagree with the ideology, policies and programs of the ruling party.
Political Governance: Corruption and by-elections
How else can one explain Sata’s demand of Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia that every time they want to investigate senior government and party officials they have to get permission from him? What has happened to accountability? Wynter is accountable to the Zambia people, because political accountability is the accountability of the government, civil servants and politicians to the public and to legislative bodies such as a ACC or parliament.
[pullquote]Democracy also calls for the zealous protection of the fundamental rights of individuals, disadvantaged groups and minorities, even when they disagree with the ideology, policies and programs of the ruling party.[/pullquote]
Obviously authoritarians support their rule by a mixture of instilling fear and granting rewards to loyal collaborators. Corruption is corruption regardless of who commits it, whether it is committed by a poor person or senior person. When did Sata rewrite the rule book? This is the government that won the election on the promise of stamping out corruption and ensuring zero tolerance to corruption.
Political rhetoric on the fight against corruption should come to an end if Sata is genuine about it. The two PF ministers under investigation ought to step down on moral grounds and pave way for thorough and smooth investigation and not the nonsense exhibited by Wynter Kabimba.
Finally, whose interest is Gabriel Namulambe serving? Only few months ago, this country spent colossal sums of money on one by-election and the PF government have allowed another selfish disgruntled politician to rob the people of Mpongwe development. The budget allocation towards holding by-election of one selfish person should have gone towards providing farmers of Mpongwe access to finance or better still improve the schools and health posts in rural Mpongwe. This is very retrogressive!
THE Kitwe magistrate court yesterday slapped a six months simple imprisonment sentence to the woman that allegedly poured hot porridge on her husband.
Two months out of the six would be suspended for 12 months meaning that she will only serve four months simple imprisonment.
Mavis Mwansa,29, of house number 692, Bulangililo was facing one count of causing grievous bodily harm contrary to section 229 of the Penal Code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
On October 12 this year Mwansa, unlawfully did grievous bodily harm to Nelson Mwanza after pouring hot porridge on him.
She however denied the charge But in his judgment, senior resident magistrate Daniel Musonda noted Mr. Mwanza was grievously harmed by Mwansa.
The court also noted that Mr Mwanza sustained burns on the left side of his body and part of his face.
In her mitigation , Mwansa said has learnt a lot from the time she was remanded at Kamfinsa prison and asked for lenience. She also said that she was sorry for whatever she had done.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has expressed worry at the continued trend by parents and barons to use children as illicit drug couriers.
DEC Commissioner Alita Mbahwe said recently, a 14 year old girl was arrested in Serenje district where parents left over 50 kilogrammes of cannabis with her to sell to the abusers, while they went into hiding.
ZANIS reports that Ms. Mbahwe was speaking in Kabwe at the just ended two days sensitisation workshop for chiefs in Central province, whose theme was, ‘one chief, five Industries’.
She called on chiefs to sensitise their subjects against using children in drug related issues.
She said chiefs’ voices were very much respected and can help to prevent the abuse of children in drug trafficking.
Ms. Mbahwe further said Central province has continued to record a high number of people arrested for trafficking in cannabis and miraa, adding that the province was also the hotbed spot concerning the growing of the psychotropic substances.
The Commissioner has further called upon chiefs to work with DEC in order to effectively preach the message that will make communities free of illicit drugs such as cannabis and miraa.
She added that a fight against the scourge of illicit drugs will be in vain without the chiefs’ support as their role in the battle goes to the root of the problem when it comes to cannabis cultivating and trafficking.
Ms. Mbahwe also urged chiefs to guard the communities against falling prey to vices such as white collar crimes.
According to the 2011 DEC report, Central province was leading in the amounts of cannabis seizures, accounting for 58 per cent of 83 kilograms of cannabis seeds seized countrywide.
And from January 2012 to date, a total number of 358 people have been arrested for drug related offences and a total of seven tonnes of cannabis has been seized in Central province.
Minister of Defence Geoffrey Mwamba has said tremendous progress has been made towards capturing the notorious Mailoni brothers in Mkushi district.
Mr. Mwamba assured the nation that the trio will sooner or later be captured by government forces that were deployed to Luano valley to clamp them down.
He said the forces have made inroads in tracing where the Mailoni brothers may be hiding and that it was just a matter of time before the killer brothers are brought to book.
Mr. Mwamba could however not divulge much information concerning the matter for fear of jeopardizing operations to arrest the three ‘blood-thirsty’ brothers who have caused untold terror to the people of Luano valley of Mkushi district of Central Province.
He was speaking to journalists in an interview in Lusaka today shortly after presenting Christmas hampers to patients at Maina Soko Military Hospital.
And Mr. Mwamba has urged citizens to always have a heart for patients and other vulnerable people in society by sharing the little they have especially during the festive season.
He urged citizens in the country to cultivate a heart of giving as it was more joyous to give than to receive.
Speaking earlier, Maina Soko Military Hospital Commandant Panganani Njobvu thanked the minister for the gesture saying the gift hampers would significantly help in quickening the recovering process of the patients.
Brigadier General Dr. Njobvu also disclosed that the maternity wing at the hospital, which was undergoing renovations, was ready for use and had been fully refurbished.
He said what was lacking was staff of at least ten medical officers to work in the maternity wing.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu has said the Public Order Act is a good piece of legislation in its current form.
Mr. Lungu said government will not amend the Act unless the opposition political parties give valid reasons and convince government to make adjustments.
He said he can only take the proposed amendment to cabinet if the opposition political parties give him valid reasons for amending the Act.
Mr. Lungu was speaking last evening on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) programme dubbed, “Sunday Interview” monitored by ZANIS in Lusaka.
“The law (Public Order Act) in its current form is a very good piece of legislation we have in the country. This law can be improved when they (opposition) form government and they want me to discard it, no l will not,” Mr. Lungu said.
Mr. Lungu, who is also Patriotic Front (PF) Chawama Member of Parliament, advised the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and United Party for National Development (UPND) to dialogue with government and desist from rushing to the court when aggrieved.
“I am surprised that the opposition are saying the Act is a bad law. As PF we are open to dialogue but we see our friends doing things deliberately,” he said.
He further advised the opposition political parties to understand government’s position on holding public rallies.
He said having a meeting was not absolute adding that government has a duty to protect the rights of the citizens.
MMD leader Dr. Nevers Mumba and his UPND counterpart Hakainde Hichilema have accused the PF government of not being democratic by not allowing them to hold public rallies.
Rainford Kalaba might make a full return to training this week when Zambia enters camp in Johannesburg.
Zambia team physician Doctor Joseph Kabungo said he set to make a decision this week when the team goes into camp on December 26.
“Rainford is doing well I think he should be able to join full training in the next few days,” Dr Kabungo said.
“We will determine how well he’s progressed in the next few days.”
Kalaba sustained his injury in a CAF Champions League semifinal game against Esperance of Tunisia on October 10 in Lubumbashi.
The midfielder has since then been sidelined and has been doing light separately from the rest of the Zambia team since it entered camp on December 15 in Lusaka.
Kalaba also missed Zambia’s final leg qualifier against Uganda on October 13 and sat-out last Saturdays 1-0 loss to Tanzania in a friendly game.
Patriotic Front cadres this morning heeded to party Secretary General Wynter Kabimba’s directive not to block embattled Kabwata Members of Parliament and Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda from entering his office as planned.
Mr. Lubinda told Qfm News in an interview this morning from his office that he does not expect anyone to block him from carrying out national duties.
He says he will continue serving the people of Zambia despite the continuing pressure on him to resign from the ruling party.
And speaking in a separate interview, PF Kabwata Constituency Chairman David Silubanje said he has withdrawn his cadres from blocking Mr. Lubinda to allow the disciplinary committee take necessary action against him.
Mr. Silubanje says it is the will of the people that Mr. Lubinda is reprimanded by the party’s disciplinary committee on allegations of divided loyalty.
Yesterday PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba called on party cadres to exercise patience and wait for the disciplinary committee to hear cases instead of locking suspected offenders outside their offices.
[pullquote]“This is not my party and I am equal to every one of you here. Therefore, I have no reason or objective to hound anyone out of this party. People will hound themselves out, not me. They will also be hounded out by members who want to defend the party,” Kabimba said.[/pullquote]
“I want to urge you colleagues that we should allow the process to take its course,” Mr Kabimba said. “May I also state that a disciplinary committee was constituted to look at all pending issues,” he said.
The Justice Minister added, “I would urge you to exercise patience and do not lock anyone out of their offices,” he said.
He said the ruling party will act to protect itself from anyone who attempts to frustrate its efforts and this must not be mistaken for hounding out foes.
Mr Kabimba said the PF is presently going through a defining moment to protect its ideology which requires it to correct erring members.
He said he has been accused of trying to hound out and victimise some party members but that these are the people who do not want to repent about bad situations they have created for themselves.
“This is not my party and I am equal to every one of you here. Therefore, I have no reason or objective to hound anyone out of this party. People will hound themselves out, not me. They will also be hounded out by members who want to defend the party,” Kabimba said.
Mr Kabimba said the PF has to cleanse itself in order to be strong.
“We want people to be members because of what they can do for the party and not what the party can do for them,” he said.
Mr Kabimba said while Government makes up the administrative structures of the country, the ruling party is the political authority of the country.
“The ruling party is important and supreme. It has nothing to do with the one-party state because before Government, there was a party,” he said.
He said President Sata founded the PF for the poor, not the rich.
He asked ministers to serve interests of the poor, adding that if they have missed that point, they will not last. He cautioned Government leaders not to take anything for granted.
Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) women have defended party president Hakainde Hichilema over his alleged remarks advising single women in the opposition to deny their Patriotic Front boyfriends sex.
Speaking at media briefing in Lusaka this morning, UPND Chairlady for Women Affairs Namakau Kabwiko says Mr. Hichilema never insulted the women when he made the alleged statement under scrutiny.
Mrs. Kabwiko says it is shocking that instead of the PF government concentrating on real issues affecting the country, they have resorted to attacking the UPND leader.
She says UPND women will stand by their leader, adding that Mr. Hichilema does not owe anyone an apology for his remark.
Mr. Hichilema was on Thursday quoted by some sections of the media as having appealed to single women in the opposition political parties to deny their boyfriends sex in protest over the PF governance system.
The statement has prompted condemnation from the ruling party with Gender Minister Inonge Wina describing the remarks alluding to women as sex objects as unacceptable.
