By Maurice Makalu

I would like to respond to Dr. Mutesa’s, president of Zambians for Empowerment and Development (ZED), call that the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) be included on the 20 member panel for constitution making. I personally think that leaving them out is really not “discriminating” against any Zambians.

I think so because, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) is just like Chanda Chimba, Edwin Lifwekelo and Gregory Chifire forming a national organisation to deceive people that they represent national interests. No they don’t. Most of them are just one man show churches, capitalising on TV publicity, who have no concern for the poor Zambians…Go here and see for yourselves

Is it not evangelicals who “prophesied” Chiluba’s third term? Who castigated catholics over the NCC to an extent of saying, “Don’t comment over the NCC, you refused to be part of it.” They were proud to be part of a process that did not serve national interests and were happy to enjoy the money. And this weakness for money makes a lot of them suspect.

Most of them enrich themselves, driving hummers and other expensive cars, buying private jets, etc over the heads of their poor members. And they call this being “blessed.” This means these people represent themselves; they represent nobody else out there.

If the rich people in their churches give them expensive and luxurious gifts, they count these gifts as part of their blessings and eat them, without sharing with the members…

They are not servants, they are the master. “Men of God,” they call themselves; who must not be touched because they are the anointed of God, the “special” ones.

How they use the tithes and offerings they collect is proof of that.

They say, “Bring your tithes and offerings to the Lord, so that there is plenty in the Lord’s house.” When people do that, they discover the pastor gets rich, while they stay poor. And yet both of them are in the SAME house of the Lord.

This is the same as Gregory Chifire saying, “Rupiah has brought development while Zambians are suffering, him he is enjoying.”

Dr. Mutesa, we do not want such people in our constitution making process. That is being responsible, not discriminatory.

I would also like to appeal to EFZ to come up with some code of ethics for their members, most of them who are one-man show churches. The fact that you stand before men and represent God before them does not make you better than others. When you collect tithes and offerings, let there be food for ALL, not just for you alone, in God’s house.

The UPND has requested President Michael Sata to refer to Parliament the report of the Commission of Inquiry on the sale of ZAMTEL.

Party Deputy Spokesperson Cornerlius Mweetwa says Parliament is the most impartial and competent body to scrutinize and determine the findings of the Commission of Inquiry.

Mr Mweetwa says referring the report to Cabinet will not be fair because the Commission was established with the authority of Cabinet.

He was speaking at a media briefing at the UPND Secretariat in LUSAKA on Friday.

Mr Mweetwa says President Sata should consider the UPND’s request in the spirit of good governance, transparency and accountability.

Meanwhile, the UPND has also asked President Sata to broaden the composition of the Twenty Member Technical Committee tasked to draft the new republican constitution.

Mr Mweetwa says the technical committee in its current composition lacks wider representation required a national undertaking.

He says the UPND is also opposed to holding provisional conventions to get fresh recommendations on the new constitution from the people.

Mr Mweetwa has further challenged government to announce the time for holding a national referendum within the stipulated one year time-frame.

[ZNBC]

The Islamic Supreme Council of Zambia has cried foul over being left out of the 20 member technical committee appointed by President Sata to draft the new constitution.

Council Secretary General, Sheik Shaban Phiri says the Technical committee is not representative of all religions, which may be a threat to national unity.

He said that Muslims must be represented on the committee on account of their contribution to the country’s economic growth through the many businesses run by Muslims. Sheik Phiri has since disclosed that the council has written to President, Sata requesting for a redress of the matter.

And a clergyman has welcomed the appointment of a technical committee to draft a new Constitution but bemoaned the exclusion of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), a major church mother body.

Luapula Anglican Diocese Bishop Robert Mumbi said in an interview it was good that the committee had been appointed to immediately begin working on the new Constitution. Bishop Mumbi said he was impressed with the legal representation in the committee but said the President should still consider including the EFZ.

President Sata on Wednesday announced the appointment of a 20-member committee that included the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) and three bishops from the Catholic Church. “It may send a wrong impression that one major Church mother body is left out when there was no such intention on the part of Government,” he said.

And Bishop Mumbi said the committee should not be restricted to completing its task within 90 days because this might compromise its work quality. He said Zambians expected a Constitution that would stand the test of time and he hoped the public would be allowed to look at, and give comments on the draft before it was referred to Parliament or to a referendum.

And the Zambian People’s Pact (ZPP) said it was happy with the composition of the committee because most of the members had been part of the Constitution-making process in the past.

ZPP national secretary Peter Sinkamba said the committee, led by former chief justice Annel Silungwe, was solid enough to come up with a Draft Constitution that would be acceptable to the people. Mr Sinkamba said focus should be on the review of past constitution commissions from 1991 in order to come up with a Draft Constitution after 90 days.

Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Musa Mwenye said in Lusaka yesterday that the plan to use a technical committee followed by a referendum and thereafter enactment of the Constitution through Parliament without further debate, was the best route.

“The appointment of the 20-member technical committee was only done yesterday (Tuesday) publicly. I must say that we are studying the composition and I can’t give a conclusive position on the composition,” he said. He said LAZ would support any measures that would lend credence to an all-inclusive and comprehensive constitutional review process.

Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) executive director Lee Habasonda said while his organisation welcomed the appointment of the technical committee, there were, however, too many lawyers on the working group.

“The Constitution-making process is not just about law, it is also about socio-economic and political factors,” he said. “We also do not think that it is good for the minister of Justice to be part of discussion and process. To improve checks and balances, the minister should be involved when the draft is given to Cabinet,” he said.

UPND secretary general Winston Chibwe said the technical committee was not regionally all-inclusive and was tilted towards the Northern Province. Mr Chibwe said there was need for the president to reconsider his nomination of three Catholic bishops on the working group so that other Church mother bodies could be represented.

Zambia Land Alliance director Henry Machina said the committee of experts should critically look at the Land Chapter of the Draft Constitution and ensure that it provided protection to local people, particularly those who held customary land. “Our major concern is the displacement of rural communities who depend on land for survival by large-scale investors, often with inadequate or no compensation,” he said in a statement.

And the National Restoration Party national secretary John Phiri said there was need for the Patriotic Front Government to include youths in the Constitution-making process because it had the civic responsibility to do so.

[MUVITV/Times of Zambia]

CHINGOLA residents have expressed happiness at the court judgement that went in their favour against Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).

The Lusaka High Court last week ordered KCM to pay K10 billion as general and punitive damages to 2, 000 Chingola residents who suffered consequences of the company discharging effluent from its mining operations into Kafue River, the source of their water. The man who led the law suit, James Nyasulu Chimkowora said yesterday that he was happy that the court ruled in their favour.

Mr Chimkowora said the highest point of the judgment was not the amount of money the court had ordered the mining company to pay but the precedent that had been set. He said environmental protection laws as well as laws that empowered the general public against big industries were currently not strong. “Zambia has natural resources that require to be protected for our benefit. This is what this judgment has achieved,” he said. Mr Chimkowora said the ruling should be an example to the rest of the companies.

He said the judgment should not be seen as being against investors but as one that improved the welfare of the country. Another beneficiary of the judgement Esson Simbeye of Musuku Road in Kabundi central said this should serve as a wake up call for all the companies in the mining and other industries.

Reverend Simbeye said even if the money for compensation was not enough, the judgment had set a good lesson and raised hope for the residents of Chingola. The National Restoration Party (NAREP) on the Copperbelt said the judgment should serve as a warning to other companies to be sensitive to the rights of people that may be negatively affected by their operations.

Party provincial spokesperson David Chikwanda said the High Court decision was a step in the right direction as it was sending a warning signal to other companies to ensure that their operations did not negatively affect the people in nearby communities. “As NAREP, we welcome the High Court decision, although we believe that K5 million for each affected resident cannot be adequate compensation for the damage that the pollution has caused in the lives of the people, however, we believe that this is a step in the right direction,” Mr Chikwanda said.

The Zambia Institute of Environmental Management (ZIEM) said the judgment was a major milestone in the enforcement of environmental protection laws in Zambia. ZIEM chief executive officer Morgan Katati said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that his organisation welcomed the judgment by the Lusaka High Court although it felt the K10-billion compensation
was inadequate in comparison to the long-term ecological impact of the pollution of Kafue River.

Mr Katati said following the judgment it was his hope that other mining companies would take a leaf especially those operating above the ambient air and water standards.

[Times of Zambia]