POLICE yesterday warned and cautioned MMD Lusaka Province chairman William Banda and eight other party members for unlawful assembly.

Lusaka Province division police commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the development in an interview.

Ms Katanga said Mr Banda and about 20 other MMD members unlawfully assembled at a named eating place between Kabulonga and Woodlands where they were planning to organise people to rise against the PF government, for failing to fulfil its campaign promises within 90 days.

“We are recording warn and caution statements from them, then we will release them and carry on with our investigations,” Ms Katanga said.

She said the group had a closed-door assembly between 10:00 hours and 14:00 hours and refused to answer knocks from plain-clothed detectives who approached them.

The commissioner said uniformed police only managed to apprehend Mr Banda and eight others when they arrived at the scene.

She said police will continue investigating the case and have asked Mr Banda and his colleagues to report back to police next week.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Government has advised the labour movement in the country not to simply criticize government over the intended adjustment of the retirement age from 55 years to 65 years, but to make contribution in a factual manner.

Labour, youth and sports minister Fackson Shamenda has since cautioned the labour movement against making threats to government on issues that concern the general populace.

This is in response to the rejection of the proposed government retirement age of 65 by the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions ZCTU and the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) from the current 55 years.

Mr. Shamenda says it should be realized that the issue of the retirement is a matter of all ministries, of which cabinet has to decide upon.

He has advised the labour movement to find a better way of forwarding their concerns on issues instead on imposing on government, stating that it would not work out well because some issues have a number of actors.

The labour minister said this when he officially opened the tripartite consultative labour council meeting in Lusaka today.

The consultative meeting was among other issues looking at the minimum wage and the retirement age.

Earlier, ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba said the labour movement welcomes the president’s directive to revise the minimum wage, which he says will go a long way in improving income levels for workers, who are not covered by union representation.

Mr. Hikaumba however states that the labour movement still considers it of utmost importance for social partners to look at the issue critically so that the outcome will be accepted by all.

And ZFE President Alfred Masupha says the federation respects workers rights at all times but will not tolerate any act of indiscipline in workplaces.

Mr. Masupha has since appealed to workers in the country to desist from retrogressive trends which he says can engage the country into reverse gear and make it lose the admirable gains that it has made over the past years.

And director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, Martin Clemmensson has observed the need to examine the extent to which the current minimum wage is being implemented by the different players in the country’s economy.

Mr. Clemmensson has also called for careful analysis of the different implications of increasing the retirement age stating that the tripartite consultative meeting needs to strike a balance between the demand and supply side of the labour market.
[QFM]

The Technical Committee on the drafting of the Zambian constitution has observed that a constitution-making process that lacks the acceptance of the people cannot produce a constitution that can stand a test of time.

Spokesperson Simon Kabanda says the committee has since adopted a programme of work that will ensure an all inclusive process.

In a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka, Mr. Kabanda explained that the programme of work takes into account the need to expedite the Constitution-making process as well as ensuring that all cross-sections of society are accorded an opportunity to contribute to the process.

He also said the committee has also identified local and international experts to contribute to the process.

He named those identified and already written to as Lusaka lawyer John Sangwa, Eness Chiyenge, Justice Matthew Ngulube, Justice Frederick Chomba, Gladys Mutukwa and Professor Muna Ndulo.

Other are Dr. Choolwe Beyani, Professor Chuma Himonga, Professor Michelo Hansungule and retired Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Justice Chalskerson.

Mr. Kabanda was reacting to concerns raised by the Oasis Forum in a story that appeared in the Post Newspaper of Saturday December 17, 2011 entitled ‘Oasis Forum Questions Committee on Constitution.’

And with regard to the forum’s concern that submission of a report to the Republican President in form of a recommendation was inimical to the principle of a people-driven constitution, Mr. Kabanda said the committee had earlier indicated that it will submit the final draft constitution, the report and the constitution of Zambia Bill 2012.

He said the documents will be submitted to the President, stakeholders and the public.

He called on all Zambians to actively participate in the constitution-making process saying this was the only way Zambians will be assured of a constitution that reflects their long held aspirations.

According to the roadmap, the committee will produce the first draft constitution by the end of February, 2012 while in March and April the same year, the committee is expected to prepare and adopt guidelines for provincial conventions and facilitate provincial and sector groups conventions.

The committee is then expected to produce the final draft constitution after taking into account the comments of the National Convention and constitutional law experts by the third week of May, 2012.

ZANIS

MMD aspiring presidential candidate Nevers Mumba solicited and received more than half a billion Kwacha (US$122,000) from the largest gold digger in the world, Barrick Gold, purporting to fund a Zambian cultural week as High Commissioner to Canada, the Mail can reveal.

However, investigations have revealed that the fire and brimstone preacher could have used the money given to the embassy for purposes other than what the money was meant for.

In a phone interview yesterday, the pastor admitted knowledge of the money but denied any sinister action, saying everything was done above board contrary to documentation in possession of the Daily Mail which places him in a questionable spot.

“I am aware about the money from Barrick Gold but it went to the hosting of Amayenge by the Zambian Canada Cultural Exchange,” Dr. Mumba said without elaborating further.

Investigations, however, show that Dr Mumba could have flouted regulations when he used official Zambian High Commission paper to solicit for the funds including the process he used to open the account for the Barrick Gold donation.

Documentation shows that:

• Dr Mumba opened an account that could not be subjected to a government audit at Toronto’s Domion Bank.
• The account was not declared to the High Commission.
• The opening of the account was not sanctioned by the Zambian government and only one high commission staff member was given the “restricted” role of coordinating and raising payment vouchers subsequently signed by Pastor Mumba
• Questions abound also on how three members of the cultural exchange group were ‘hand-picked’ to be co signatories with Pastor Mumba or why the tender committee at the high commission was left out of the entire sourcing of the funds and the event thereafter. Instead a lady named Edith Dehearne of Oxy gene was hired and paid US$10,000 or K50 million for a service she did not deliver.

According to Government regulations, any monies obtained using the mission abroad needed approval from the permanent secretary, which was not the case in this instance, therefore, further raising questions on Dr Mumba’s dealings.

Further investigations show that Dr Mumba has not presented an account activity report officially to Nedson Nzowa, who has assumed the position of the deputy commissioner in Canada, to detail how the Barrick Gold money was used.

Mr Nathan Chishimba, the Barrick Gold Lumwana Mining Company (LMC) corporate affairs manager, last evening told the Mail he was aware that his company – from the Toronto office – had assisted in the mission cultural event with money but lacked “further details.”

The jury is still out on whether there was any wrong- doing in the manner Dr Mumba handled matters at the mission but so far he stands accused of “impropriety” by President Sata who has embarked on an anti-graft fight he says shall spare no-one.

The President has said no amount of “witch-hunt” or “retribution” accusations from those within and without the ruling PF shall slow him because corruption promotes poverty and erodes governance.

The pastor, who has since handed back his diplomatic passport, has pleaded innocence and says he cannot abuse public funds as a man who fears God but investigations continue.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Debated heated up in parliament today over the ratification of the presidential appointment of Mutembo Nchito as Director of Public Prosecutions, with opposition Members of parliament opposed to his appointment.

And parliament has ratified the appointments of Mutembo Nchito and Musa Mwenye as Director of public prosecutions and Solicitor General respectively.

This was as the house was considering the report of the committee appointed to scrutinize the appointments of Mr Nchito as DPP and Musa Mwenye as Solicitor General.

Muchinga Member of parliament who is also former vice President George Kunda indicated from the onset of his debate that opposition MPs were opposed to the appointment of Mr Nchito as DPP stating that there is a negative perception and dark crowd hovering over the character of the nominee.

Mr Kunda wondered how parliament could go ahead and ratify the appointment of Mr Nchito when investigations into the allegations against the defunct Zambian Airways of which he was Chief Executive officer have not been completed.

He said the danger with going ahead with the ratification is that the PF government might in future reopen the inconclusive cases against Mr Nchito to blackmail him as DPP.

Contributing to the debate, UPND Kalomo Member of Parliament Request Mutanga told the house that Mr Nchito has a serious problem and will have to convince the Zambian people that he means well and will not persecute people.

And Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo said it was clear from the report of the committee that all the witnesses that appeared before it on the appointment of Mr Nchito endorsed his appointment and that of Mr Mwenye.

She stated that there could never be someone better for the job than Mr Nchito.

Ms Masebo said the appointment of Mr Nchito shows how serious President Michael Sata is with the fight against corruption.

And the Speaker had to call for a vote to determine the ratification of Mr Mutembo Nchito as Director of public prosecutions.

After the electronic voting, those in favour of the appointment prevailed with 86 votes against the opposition MPs’ 50 votes while five members abstained from voting.

QFM

Dr. Katele Kalumba has questioned the MMD’s National Executive Committe’s decision to expel the party’s chairperson for health Lumba Kalumba, who is also his wife.

Dr. Kalumba said that the decision taken by the party’s NEC is highly questionable stating that the concerns she raised for which she has been expelled were genuine.

In an interview, Dr. Kalumba who is the former ruling party’s National Secretary said that his wife has been vindicated by the party.

He said that Mrs. Kalumba had fought her battle stating that she has been expelled for speaking the correct thing.

Meanwhile, The opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) is considering amending its constitution in order to re-introduce the position of party vice president.

If amended, the party will resolve to have two positions of vice president, one for political affairs and the other for the administration of the party.

MMD National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe says the party’s legal committee will before the party convention in the first quarter of 2012, make recommendations to the National Executive Committee (NEC), on what should be added or subtracted in the constitution.

Mr. Kachingwe says the party is considering having two positions of vice president because of the massive works it has in preparing for the next general elections in 2016.

Speaking to QFM in an interview this morning, Major Kachingwe says once the legal committee is done with the scrutiny of the constitution, the NEC will adopt it and present it at the convention.

He expressed hope that the positions of vice president will also be tackled at the forthcoming convention where the party will be choosing a new leader but could however not give any assurance.

QFM