Almost the entire opposition Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) provincial executive in Luapula Province has resigned to join the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).

MMD Luapula Province Chairperson Emmanuel Chungu led the defectors who included his vice, David Chanda, provincial spokesperson, Mwiza Mpelembe, provincial chairlady Fostine Chola, provincial chairperson for health Lumba Kalumba, Provincial Treasury Simon Mwale, Kawambwa District Chairperson Johnson Mfula and former Chipili MP Benjamin Kaumba.

Speaking on behalf of the other defectors in Mansa, today, Mr Chungu noted that the MMD provincial executive in Luapula province has refused to be led by party president Nevers Mumba saying the opposition leader he has displayed undemocratic tendencies which they cannot tolerate.

He described Dr Mumba as a dictator who has allegedly failed to respect the constitution of the MMD in his dealings with other party officials.

Mr Chungu said Dr Mumba expelled MMD National Secretary Richard Kachingwe unconstitutionally, adding that this cannot be allowed to continue.

He said genuine members of the party have prevailed on Dr. Mumba to reconvene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to discuss issues among other issues his dual presidency of the MMD and Reform Party, his invalidation of the MMD presidency and the expulsion of Major Kachingwe but that these calls have fallen on deaf eyes.

The former MMD Provincial chairperson said his team will thus work to destroy all the structures of the former ruling party in the province so as to be vindicated for the position they have taken.

He also assured PF members that his group was not joining the ruling party to displace old members but to support the party in all aspect of human endeavour in order to move the country forward.

Mr Chungu also pledged total loyalty to President Michael Sata and the leadership of the PF which he said has being practical since the party assumed office after emerging triumphant in the September 20, 2011 tripartite elections.

He said the MMD was only rhetoric in its promises of bringing development to Luapula province unlike the PF that has shown to be practical by implementing some of the promises they made to the Zambian people.

In welcoming the defectors, Vice President Guy Scott urged PF members in the province not to feel jealousy of the new members but to embrace and work with them in order to push the development in the province and the country at large.

Dr. Scott said it was imperative that all Zambians work together and remain united to push the country’s development agenda.

He said the people that have defected from the MMD to the PF did so with full conviction from their hearts and not their pocket.

Dr. Scott said there was no buying of members in the PF as was the trend in the MMD defections where people were bought for them to resign from the opposition to join the ruling party.

He told the defectors that they joined the ruling party because they believe in its future and not because of goodies that the party has to offer.

And Luapula Province PF Chairperson Kennedy Sakeni said the PF in the province is not interested in any squabbles but want peace to reign so as to develop the area.

Mr Sakeni who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services urged PF members in the province to always maintain peace in order for them to remain united.

ZANIS

OVER 280,000 pupils out of the total number 0f 337, 706 who sat for Grade seven examinations this year have been selected to grade Eight.

Education minister John Phiri says a total number of 337 706 pupils entered for the grade Seven examinations and only 304, 429 pupils sat for the examinations.

Dr Phiri who announced the results at the ministry headquarters in Lusaka yesterday said the results represent a progression rate of 93.49 percent.

He says Grade eight classes will open on January 14th 2013 with a grace period of two weeks.

Dr Phiri has disclosed that all the pupils who sat for the examination in Luapula, Eastern, Copperbelt Northwestern Central and western Provinces have been selected to grade 8.

He says the 2012 examinations recorded four malpractices involving three teachers and nine pupils.

Dr Phiri says the three teachers have been suspended while the nine pupils were expelled from school in a move meant to send a serious warning that government will not tolerate malpractices.

He says the malpractices involved stealing of examination papers to aid candidates.

Dr Phiri praised all key stakeholders who participated in the examination and urged them to continue with the same spirit.

ZNBC

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Kennedy Sakeni, says the Freedom of Information Bill (FoIB) is expected to be presented in Parliament in the first quarter of 2013.

Mr Sakeni revealed the development when he paid a courtesy call on Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Hlobotha Nkunika, in Kasama yesterday.

And Mr Sakeni has said that the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) will soon start operating at the Mass Media Complex in Luaska.

He added that the PF Government advocates for the freedom of the press because it is imperative, especially in a democratic dispensation that the media should be allowed to operate freely.

And Mr Sakeni has urged media practitioners to cover events freely and factually so that the nation is well informed

Meanwhile, Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Hlobotha Nkunika, has praised Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) workers in the area from good performance in informing the nation on the development in the area.

Mr Nkunika said he was happy with the hard working spirit exhibited by officers in the province despite being understaffed.

He, however, appealed to the minister to assist the department in the province with transport and state of the art equipment.

Mr Nkunika cited the non-availability of an editing suite for television content, saying the officers suffer a lot to process the news and pipe stories to the head office.

And commenting on the printing press under construction at Kasama’s ZANIS offices, Mr Nkunika said the progress is seen although the contractor has had problems of sourcing timber.

The Information Minister is in Northern Province for two days on a familiarization tour.

ZANIS

The Chairpersons for all the seven constituencies in the Lusaka district have accused Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda who is also Foreign Affairs Minister of mobilizing United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres to welcome him at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media yesterday, the chairpersons maintained that Mr Lubinda was disloyal, treacherous and a spy in the ruling party and that it was therefore wrong to continue keeping him in the party.

The constituency chairman noted that none of the cadres that welcomed Mr Lubinda at the airport on Wednesday were from the ruling party as the parliamentarian had organized the supporters from the opposition UPND.

“All the chairmen are here and they can attest to that because there was no PF cadre from any ward who was assigned to go to the airport and we aware that those cadres were from the UPND,” he said.

At the same briefing, Chawama constituency chairman, Robert Chikwelete who is also former Lusaka mayor, said the happenings to Mr Lubinda was a wakeup call to PF leaders in Government.

“This is a truly warning to all the leaders that if you don’t tow in party lines, you will be recalled the same way we are recalling Mr Lubinda.

“I know there are some of our councilors that were organizing the UPND cadres to welcome Mr Lubinda at the airport but this should be a timely warning to them,” he said.

Matero constituency chairman, Morgan Ng’ona said that Mr Lubinda should relinquish his position because he had failed to tow towards the party line.

[pullquote]“We further warn him not to report for work on Monday or he will be forced out of his office because we are ready to defend the party,”Mr Ng’ona said.[/pullquote]

“We are disappointed with Mr Lubinda’s statement in today’s Post (yesterday’s edition of The Post) and we are demanding for his resignation immediately.

“We further warn him not to report for work on Monday or he will be forced out of his office because we are ready to defend the party,”Mr Ng’ona said.

Five Opposition political parties have cancelled their rally which was scheduled to be held tomorrow in Lusaka’s Mtendere township.

UPND Deputy Spokesperson Edwin Lifwekelo has confirmed the cancellation to ZNBC News in a telephone interview.

Mr. Lifwekelo says leaders of the Five political parties are currently held up in a consultative meeting at the UPND Secretariat to strategizing on the way forward.

The five opposition political parties are UPND, MMD, United Liberal Party, Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) and Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM).

Mr. Lifwekelo says the leaders will also craft a new Notice to be resubmitted to the Police.

Meanwhile, Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Joyce Kasosa says by ten hours this morning, the opposition political parties had not yet resubmitted their notice.

-President Michael Sata has described the recent hike in mealie meal prices as unjustified and unacceptable.

And President Sata has told Agriculture and Livestock Emmanuel Chenda that he expects the millers to reach a rational consensus that does not only serve their interests but more significantly, the consumers’.

Mr. Sata said his administration will do everything possible to curb exploitation and maintain the price of mealie meal at satisfactory levels in order to insulate the general populace from bearing the effect of unjustified hikes.

This is contained in a press statement released to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today by Special Assistant to the President, George Chellah.

President Sata disclosed that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has offloaded an initial 112, 000 metric tonnes of maize on the market and will continue to do so in the subsequent months.

“Therefore, there is no reason or justification why there should be a shortage of mealie meal in any part of the country,” President Sata said.

He told millers and other stakeholders in the sector to do the right thing as opposed to taking positions that will undermine consumer interests and the industry itself in the long term.

President Sata further urged other millers to emulate APG, Simba, Mpongwe, Olympic and African Milling companies among others that have begun to reduce the price of mealie meal.

“Let them take a leaf from other millers that have begun reducing the price of mealie meal such as APG, Simba, Mpongwe, Olympic and African Milling among others,” he added.

Meanwhile, Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) have with immediate effect reduced the prices of mealie-meal, association acting vice chairperson Chisha Phiri has said.

Mr Phiri said in an interview yesterday that the reduction was as a result of the Government’s move to offload sufficient maize stocks to the millers in the country.

He said the prices of a 25 kilogramme breakfast which was sold between K60, 000 and K 61, 000 had reduced to K55, 000 and K50, 000 for roller meal of the same quantity on wholesale prices.

“I want to confirm that Government has offloaded about one metric tones of maize stock to the millers and it has instructed us to also reduce the prices of the commodities with immediate effect,” Mr Phiri said

He was confident that the reduction of the commodity by the millers would also result into reduced prices of mealie-meal sold by retailers at about K58, 000 countrywide.

On Thursday, the African Milling Company (AMC) reduced mealie-meal prices to K50,000 and that it would print the recommended retail price on all its bags.

Previously the recommended retail price was K55,000 per 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast mealie meal.