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President Michael Sata has apologised to Angola over the decision by the former ruling party MMD to side with the late former rebel leader Jonas Savimbi during the civil war in that country.
President Sata says he has sent First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda to apologise on behalf of Zambia to the Angolan government for the MMD government’s treacherous behaviour.
He described the MMD’s conduct against Angola during the civil war as greedy and fraudulent.
The President was speaking at State House Wednesday morning when he received letters of credence from Ambassador Designate of the Republic of Angola to Zambia Balbina Malheiro Silva.
President Sata says it is a shame that Zambia is not benefiting from the eight million United States dollar refinery that Angola has built.
He also says the Patriotic Front-PF government looks forward to opening up more trade links with Angola.
Earlier, Ambassador Silva reaffirmed Angola’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with Zambia.
MMD National Secretary Richard Kachingwe talking to Party President Rupiah Banda
The MMD Secretariat has said that it will soon start looking for a new leader to lead the party. MMD National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe however said that the party is currently dealing with post election problems such as petitions, parliamentary by-elections and witch hunting.
Major Kachingwe told ZNBC News in an interview that the MMD will immediately call for a convention to elect its party President once it has resolved the post election challenges.
He said that only the convention can elect a Party President, while the National Executive Committee-NEC only has authority to fill casual vacancies. Major Kachingwe further explained that the MMD leadership is aware of the need for new leadership but appealed to members to remain calm as the party deals with major challenges.
And Major Kachingwe has said that the MMD is still conducting a postmortem on why it lost the September 20, general elections.
Government has recalled 12 ambassadors and high commissioners including those in Kenya and Tanzania, said Foreign Affairs Minister Chishimba Kambwili.
Mr Kambwili told the media that the termination of contracts for the envoys was “with immediate effect” but they would be accorded a three-month period to prepare their return home in line with their conditions of service.
Among prominent ‘casualties’ are former Republican vice president Dr Nevers Mumba (High Commissioner to Canada), former president Rupiah Banda’s cousin Agness Ngoma (High Commissioner to Mozambique), Christine Lambart (High Commissioner to Kenya), late president Levy Mwanawasa’s aunt Marvis Muyunda (High Commissioner to Tanzania) and Zambia Army ex-commander General Isaac Chisuzi (High Commissioner to Namibia).
According to Mr Kambwili, others recalled are Professor Royson Mukwena (High Commissioner to the UK), ex-minister Marina Nsingo (High Commissioner to Botswana), Albert Muchanga (Ambassador to Ethiopia and AU), Reuben Musakabantu (High Commissioner to Malawi), Dr Sipula Kabanje (Ambassador to Zimbabwe), Anderson Chibwe (High Commissioner to Malaysia) and Alexis Luhila (High Commissioner to Nigeria).
The minister said former deputy chief executive of ex-ruling party – the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) – Jeff Kaande, who served as counsellor at Zambian Embassy in Japan and TV personality Doreen Mukanzo, who was first secretary for press at the mission in South Africa had also been recalled.
Sackings of diplomats were expected after their April 2011 meeting where then president, Mr Banda, thanked them for financing the MMD and urged them to finance his re-election campaign. Michael Sata, then main opposition leader now President, rebuked Mr Banda.
“That is the direct Presidential directive that those diplomats should divert money from their missions and send them to Lusaka for his campaign,” Mr Sata said then.
The body of a South African national aged 42-year who drowned at Victoria Falls was flown to South Africa yesterday, Southern Province police commanding officer Lemmy Kajoba has said.
Mr Kajoba said in an interview that the fire brigade in Livingstone successfully retrieved the body and was flown to South Africa yesterday.
The deceased was a director at Bell Dewar was attending the firm’s annual conference in Zambia at the Victoria Falls. He is said to have gone out for an early morning walk alone. He appeared to have lost his footing and drowned at Victoria Falls up stream around 09:00 hours on Sunday 16th October.
Southern Province police commanding officer Mr Kajoba said the deceased’s body was caught up in rocks before falling in to the gorge.
Meanwhile, Mr Kajoba said a 17 year old girl of Maramba township drowned at the Victoria Falls boiling point around 18:00 hours on Saturday.
Mr Kajoba said Juliet Mwamba of house number ME 171 Maramba who was in the company of friends slipped off while walking on the rocks near the river.
He said the body of the deceased was retrieved by the fire brigade and it was lying at Batoka hospital mortuary.
Local Government and Housing Minister Nkandu Luo
LOCAL Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection Minister Nkandu Luo has said some management personnel at Kabwe Municipal Council (KMC) will be asked to stay away from their offices to allow for a comprehensive audit of council operations.
Professor Luo said during an orientation meeting held with KMC staff, councillors and retirees in Kabwe on Monday that she would ask her colleagues from the ministry to conduct a thorough audit of the council’s operations in the last five years and that the results would enable the ministry to take clear action.
“This council is in very bad shape and is one of the councils which have a lot of issues with regards to management.
“The audit will not just be focused on finances but will encompass the auditing of road rehabilitation contract awards, as well as the management of parks and car washes and the results will be shared with everyone,” she said.
Prof Luo said she was saddened by the treatment of retired staff that went to inquire about their pay at the council, and the huge salary gap between the town clerk and casual workers.
She said all the leaders should reflect on their behaviour and urged all those who would continue in managing the council operations to change the way they conducted themselves.
Prof Luo assured the retirees that she would study means to pay off the K7 billion owed to them by the Government once the budget was tabled in Parliament.
Speaking earlier, Boyd Banda, who represented the retirees, appealed to the Government to consider getting rid of the entire management at KMC because they were allegedly corrupt.
Zambia Local Authorities Worker’s Union chairperson Nicholas Chitambala said KMC employees were among the worst paid and most victimised by management in Zambia and called for the immediate removal of the Kabwe town clerk, director of administration and director of finance.
THE Commission of Inquiry on the operations of the Energy Regulation Board yesterday heard that the Ministry of Energy and Water Development requested the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) to waive open bidding twice to allow single-sourcing of companies to supply the country with fuel worth billions of United States dollars in the last three years.
The authority oversees all procurement by Government ministries and parastatals and uses open bidding, direct bidding and limited bidding as its methods of bidding for contracts.
ZPPA director-general Samuel Chibuye said the ministry requested for the waivers to enable Dalbit and Independent Petroleum Group (IPG) to supply fuel because of crises brought about by the closure of Indeni Petroleum Refinery during the period in question.
He said this in response to questions from the commission, chaired by Mr Wynter Kabimba, on contracts the authority authorised in the last three years.
Mr Chibuye said the authority gave the ministry authority to procure over one million metric tonnes of fuel valued at US$3.5 billion from IPG and authorised another procurement estimated at US$1 billion at different times but the ministry negotiated the prices with the two companies without informing it of the final price.
“They were supposed to revert back to us but they never came back to explain how they negotiated the contract,” he said.
Mr Chibuye said the IPG contract was negotiated downwards to US$1.2 billion and that ZPPA was not updated.
He said even the US$1 billion-estimated contract involving Dalbit was negotiated by the ministry with the oil company but the ministry had not gone back to the authority over the negotiation to date.
Mr Chibuye said ZPPA authorised the instances of single-sourcing in question because it did not want to bear the blame of consequences of shortage of fuel occasioned by the closure of Indeni Oil Refinery.
He said the authority also gave Dalbit a contract to supply fuel, refurbish three fuel storage tanks in Ndola and provincial depots at a cost in millions of US dollars without undertaking to ascertain whether the company had expertise in engineering works.
Mr Chibuye said ZPPA relied on the Ministry of Energy and Water Development to allow Dalbit to refurbish the tanks and depots.
He said the authority could not find out the suitability of the company for the work because of the urgency brought about by the closure of Indeni Oil Refinery.
“We did not take time to verify the expertise of the company because of the urgency created by the shutdown at Indeni. We were aware that there were Zambian companies that could do the engineering works but Dalbit had the capacity to provide the finance,” Mr Chibuye said.
Earlier, Ministry of Energy and Water Development director of human resource Paul Chanda said the ministry had just been given Dalbit as the only name to consider to procure fuel and refurbish the tanks and depots.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
The University Teaching Hospital (UTH) has embarked on a project of evaluating new and practical tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic methods using a loop-medicated isothermal amplification (LAMP) which is said to be rapid, cost effective and simple does not require sophisticated equipment compared to the conventional method currently being used.
The main objective of the study is to establish a new diagnostic method based on the LAMP using sputum and urine for the direct detection and differentiation of Mycrobacteria in clinic samples.
UTH TB laboratory technician Charity Habeenzu said during the second scientific meeting for HIV/AIDS and TB diagnosis by LAMP at UTH last week that the new diagnostic method could also be used on various fields such as tumor detection and other bacteria.
Ms Habeenzu said the LAMP method currently at the learning stage in the UTH TB laboratory should be improved.
She said the LAMP method would only take a day to diagnose TB compared to conventional method, which take about three weeks and it is user friendly as it could be performed in a simple laboratory.
And UTH Head of Pathology and Microbiology Victor Mudenda in his closing remarks at the same function said the LAMP method would assist in quick TB diagnosis and treatment thereby reducing on the number of cases.
Dr Mudenda said the hospital was looking for such early and cheaper diagnosis because many people were still dying from TB.
“LAMP would help answer many of the questions raised on how to reduce the TB burden in Zambia,” he said.
The new method would assist in preventing others from getting infected as it would provide for quick TB diagnosis.
He called on the young scientists to be part of such important research in future that aims at enhancing good health in the country.
[Times of Zambia]
IRATE miners at Grinaker LTA, a contracted company engaged by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Chililabombwe, on October 18 attacked police officers with catapults during a protest over poor conditions of service.
The miners working at shaft number four engaged police in skirmishes and also blocked the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa road with stones but quick action by police dispersed them.
Acting Copperbelt police commanding officer Milner Muyambango said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that the miners attacked the police officers after they were dispersed from KCM plant.
He said the miners blocked some township roads and burnt tyres but police immediately moved in to restore peace. “The miners in Chililabombwe this morning fought running battles with police, they started stoning the police officers using catapults after they were removed from the plant. The miners also blocked the road leading to Kasumbalesa but now the situation has normalised,” Mr Muyambango said. He said the police did not arrest any miner during the fracas.
And miners at China Non-Ferrous Corporation (NFCA) in Chambishi yesterday evening protested over management’s refusal to award them a K2 million salary increase. The miners blocked the road with stones but quick action by police prevented the protest from degenerating into a riot.
Acting Copperbelt police commanding officer Milner Muyambango said in an interview yesterday that 60 police officers have been deployed to Chambishi to maintain law and order. Mr Muyambango said the workers burnt tyres and blocked the road with stones but that no-one was injured.
“The workers at Chambishi NFCA have been protesting for three weeks now. Yesterday [Tuesday] in the evening they blocked the Kitwe-Chingola road. They burnt tyres on the road and put huge stones but no-one was injured,” he said.
Mr Muyambango said the protests in Chambishi and Chililabombwe have so far been peaceful and that the police have not made any arrests. He said police will continue maintaining law and order to protect lives and property in the communities.
SPEAKER of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini has directed Vice-President Guy Scott to address the House today on the point of order raised by former Vice-President George Kunda, who has questioned the abolition of the position of secretary to the treasury, a position that was created by Parliament under the Public Finance Act No. 15 of 2005.
Mr Kunda, who is also Muchinga MP (MMD), asked whether Government was in order to abolish the position of secretary to the treasury without seeking authority from the House.
Mr Kunda, who raised the point of order during debate on the President’s address to Parliament, said the secretary to the treasury is the controlling officer for public funds and that he is the one who appoints controlling officers.
“The secretary to the treasury, inter alia, performs the functions of preparing estimates of expenditure (budget), reviews the budget, submits financial reports to the minister and prepares supplementary estimates.”
“With the abolition of the position of secretary to the treasury, who is going to prepare and authenticate the budget for 2012, and who is appointing controlling officers? The abolition of this position has far-reaching implications,” Mr Kunda said.
He said according to a story which appeared in the Zambia Daily Mail of October 4, 2011, President Sata decided to abolish the position, which was held by Mr Likolo Ndalamei, saying it was extravagant.
Dr Matibini told the House that he expected Dr Scott to address the matter today.
Meanwhile, Mfuwe MP Mwimba Malama (PF) has commended President Sata for laying out the vision he has for this country during his address to Parliament last on October 14.
Mr Malama, who moved the motion for debate, said the President’s speech has given hope to Zambians, who lived in fear of a bleak future.
[pullquote]“With the abolition of the position of secretary to the treasury, who is going to prepare and authenticate the budget for 2012, and who is appointing controlling officers? The abolition of this position has far-reaching implications,” Mr Kunda said.[/pullquote]
He said the PF will not let the people of Zambia down and assured that the party will deliver on its pre-election promises. In seconding the motion, Petauke MP Dora Siliya (MMD) said she was happy to note that the PF prioritises sectors such as agriculture, health and education, just like the former ruling party.
She said, however, that the President did not say anything on the PF’s foreign policy and that there was nothing mentioned on the windfall tax. Kalomo MP Request Muntanga (UPND) said he found the speech to be “open-ended” and that most of the things that were promised may take longer to implement.
Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism Given Lubinda
Government has urged UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to stop trivializing the decisions that government is making for the benefit of the Zambian people.
Chief Government spokesperson Given Lubinda says the opposition leader is at liberty to engage the government on policy matters stating that the PF government will not allow the opposition to derail it in its quest to deliver development to the Zambian people.
Mr. Lubinda says it is regrettable to learn that Mr. Hichilema has been attacking government for its decision to relocate the provincial capital of southern province from Livingstone to Choma which is centrally located.
He says moving the capital to Choma will reduce the cost of running government business in the province adding that it is sad that the opposition leader has failed to see logic in the decision made.
Mr. Lubinda has further stressed that the establishment of Muchinga province as the 10th province was one of the issues which the PF talked about during its campaigns and that the government is merely fulfilling its promise to the people of that area.
And Mr. Lubinda has advised Mr. Hichilema to take a break and recover from the election fatigue. The Chief government spokesperson adds that the UPND leader should also reflect on the future of his political career and that of his party.
Movement for Multiparty Democracy MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga has castigated the MMD North Western Province Executive for calling for his resignation and the stepping down of former President Rupiah Banda from the party presidency.
Mr. Mabenga says there is no way he will relinquish his position as chairman of the former ruling party. This follows the resolution by the MMD Provincial executive committee in North Western Province for former president Rupiah Bwezani Banda to relinquish his position as president of MMD with immediate effect and retires from active politics.
MMD provincial secretary Emmanuel Chihili says the executive further wants Mr Mabenga, and National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe to resign on moral grounds for lamentably failing to run the party.
Mr. Chihili says the provincial leadership has also proposed that former commerce minister Felix Mutati assumes the MMD Presidency in an interim capacity as they wait for the extraordinary convention.
Mr. Chihili states that the MMD in Northwestern Province are not comfortable and happy with the way the top leadership is handling the party affairs following the painful defeat orchestrated by lack of foresight.
But Mr Mabenga says he will not relinquish his position because of a complaint from one individual. Mr. Mabenga in an interview with QFM radio has also doubted media reports quoting Mr. Chihili. He says the MMD has a procedure which should be followed and not rushing to the media to air grievances.
He adds that the MMD only went to the convention this year and that there is no way the party will organize another convention.
Nkana Assistant Coach Zeddy Saileti has told LT Sports in Kitwe that Saturday’s Barclays Cup quarterfinal fixture between the Wusakile side
and Zanaco will be tough.
Saileti stated that what makes the Nkana and Zanaco encounter interesting is that the two teams are familiar with each other having
met in several league and cup games.
“The game will be tough; I think it is 50-50 and at the end of the day a team that will be work hard deserves to win,” he said.
“We have played Zanaco before, and we know how Zanaco plays so this game will be more like a league game and we are not under pressure,”
Saileti added.
The ex-Chipolopolo striker declared that Nkana was targeting to get a better result when they face the Bankers at Nkoloma Stadium.
“After learning that we will play against Zanaco in the Barclays Cup, we are working hard. In the league will draw 1-1 in Lusaka and here we
lost 2-0, so we are looking forward to get a better result,” Saileti said.
He promised that Nkana supporters should expect the Wusakile Boys to put up a spirited fight in this year’s Barclays Cup Competition.
In other Barclays Cup quarterfinals to be played on Saturday, Power Dynamos will face debutants Luena Buffaloes and Konkola Blades will take on Nakambala at Arthur Davies in Kitwe.
Meanwhile Red Arrows are scheduled to face Division One North side Indeni at Nkoloma Stadium.
Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Musa Mwenye has said that at no time did the association’s executive press him to condemn activities of Republican President Michael Sata.
An online publication has indicated that the LAZ Executive has been pressing Mr. Mwenye to condemn the numerous constitutional breaches that President Michael Sata has allegedly committed.
Mr. Mwenye said that the Law Association of Zambia will not allow to be used to fight political confrontations. Speaking to QFM in a telephone interview, Mr. Mwenye said that LAZ will continue to carry out its mandate of saving people, regardless of their political affiliation.
Mr. Mwenye noted that the association can only condemn an act on legal basis either privately or publicly.
And when asked on reports that he is expectant to be appointed Solicitor General by President Sata, Mr. Mwenye said he could not comment on the matter because he was not the appointing authority.
The LAZ president said that President Sata is the only person who can answer such questions because he is the one making the appointments.
Zesco United will not be taking part in this year’s Barclays Cup tournament.
The 2010 champions and record 3-time winners failed to make the top 6 cutoff point by Week 15 matches of this seasons Faz Super Division.
The Top 6 teams in this year’s Barclays Cup tournament are Nakambala Leopards, Nkana, Red Arrows, Konkola Blades, 2010 runner-up Zanaco and 2009 champions Power Dynamos.
Division 1 North promotion chasers Indeni and Division 1 South club Luena Buffaloes from Kaoma complete the quarterfinal set-up for this year’s Barclays Cup.
The quarterfinals will see two doubleheaders taking place this Saturday, October 22 at Nkoloma stadium in Lusaka and Arthur Davies in Kitwe.
The big one will be at Nkoloma where 2010 runner-up Zanaco will face Nkana in a 15:00 kickoff in what is expected to be the big draw game in the preliminary stage of the tournament.
Nkana have never qualified to the Barclays Cup semifinals and the furthest they have been is the 2007 quarterfinals where they lost 1-0 to Konkola Blades in the inaugural tournament.
And in the lunchtime kickoff at the same venue, Arrows will host Indeni at 13:00.
At Arthur Davies, Power face Division 1 South promotion contenders Luena in a 15:00 kickoff while Blades take on Nakambala at 13:00.
The semifinals will be held on October 29 at Nkoloma while the final will be played on November 19 at Arthur Davies.
This year’s winners will like last year take home K150 million but the runners up not go empty handed unlike last year.
The loser will get K75 million while the coach and the player of the tournament will pocket K10 million and K5 million respectively.
FLASHBACK Former Zambia national soccer team assistant coach George Lwandamina steps in a new Toyota Raider which was given to him at State House at the time
The Football Association of Zambia says one of the motor vehicles which was never returned to Football House has been located parked at State House.
FAZ Communications Manager Eric Mwanza says the vehicle is the one which was under discussion at the weekend.
Mwanza says as the Football body withdraws the other Hilux from former coach Dario Bonetti, it is their wish to take both vehicles for services in readiness for handover to the new coaches who will be appointed soon.
He says the other vehicle caught fire while in the hands of Bonetti and FAZ had to give him the one he had been using until the termination of his contract.
He says FAZ is now trying to engage State House on possibilities of returning the motor vehicle.
Mwanza says it has never come to the attention of the Association as to why the motor vehicle was never surrendered to Football House for use by the coaches.
Over the weekend, FAZ had asked government to investigate the whereabouts of a Toyota Hilux vehicle, meant for national soccer team coaches.
FAZ Communications Manager, Erick Mwanza said at the time that the association was unaware of the whereabouts of the said vehicle, since it was handed over to State House a few months ago.
The respective vehicle was among 3 double-cab Toyota Hilux vehicles donated to FAZ by First Quantum Minerals in 2009.
