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The Zambia netball team made history today in Mozambique after winning its first ever medal at the All Africa Games.
Zambia netballs win was also the country’s first medal so far at the games in Maputo that come to close this Sunday.
Zambia secured bronze after beating Ghana 106-16 in their final round-robin game played on Thursday.
However, Zambia was denied silver on a technicality which went to Tanzania despite overhauling the latter’s superior goal difference in the game against Ghana.
Uganda took the gold.
Tanzania secured silver thanks to a 43-25 win over Botswana in the later kickoff on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Zambia netball teams’ win puts a shine on a disastrous All Africa Games outing especially in boxing.
Swimming, karate, badminton, tennis and table tennis all failed to yield any medals.
Judo and chess are still in contention with action coming up on Friday although a gold or silver should be in the offing in the individual chess category.
Veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga has urged people of Southern province to reject politics of tribalism.
Mr Mwaanga says it is the wish of President Rupiah Banda to work with all Zambians including people of Southern Province.
He says the people of Southern Province are industrious and should therefore embrace the historic opportunity to work with President Rupiah Banda.
Mr Mwaanga was speaking during a mammoth rally in Munyumbwe Gwembe district on his continued campaign tour of Southern province.
He says there is need for people in the Province to focus on building a better and more prosperous Zambia.
Mr Mwaanga has appealed to the people of Southern Province to vote for President Banda because he deserves another mandate in order for him to continue with his development crusade.
Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) has appealed to mining companies in the country to allow their employees to exercise their right to vote next Tuesday.
MUZ Acting president Charles Mukuka says all mining companies should consider declaring the Election Day as half day to allow all miners to cast their vote.
Mr. Mukuka said this in a statement released to ZANIS in Kitwe on Wednesday.
Mr. Mukuka further appealed to the miners to ensure that next week’s elections are held in a peaceful, free and fair atmosphere.
He urged miners to vote for parliamentary and presidential candidates that are going to spur the country to greater development, peace and stability.
He says the country has been holding peaceful, free and fair elections in the past.
He says this time again peace should be guaranteed by ensuring that all leaders of participating political parties lead by example and denounce all forms of violence.
Collins Mbesuma on Wednesday evening broke his three-match goal draught to inspire Golden Arrows to a 3-1 home win over Platinum Stars.
Mbesuma scored a brace to help Arrows to their first league win of the season and rise out of the demotion zone for the first time this season after three successive defeats.
The Zambia striker also completed the 90 minutes in this game that saw arrows move up to 12th place on the table.
His two goals should come as good news for Zambia coach Dario Bonetti who has backed Mbesuma in the midst of a two-match scoreless run with Chipolopolo.
Bonetti had earlier said he expected Mbesuma to peak by December in time for the Africa Cup should Zambia qualify and the striker stays healthy.
Mbesuma scored 11 goals for Arrows last season and has scored twice for Zambia in five games played this year.
The opposition Patriotic Front PF Wednesday afternoon barred journalists from the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation -ZNBC- from covering its campaign rally at the Freedom Park in Kitwe.
Irate PF cadres said they have nothing to do with ZNBC reporters because they allegedly peddle lies against the opposition party and its leader, Michael Sata.
About six unidentified body guards for Mr. Sata wearing tags written PF Security pushed a ZNBC camera person assigned to cover the rally away from the podium where Mr. Sata was sitting.
The PF security personnel ushered the ZNBC News crew away from the rally after a senior PF member identified the team.
The situation was further aggravated when Mr. Sata told the crowd that he was annoyed with a story in the 13.15 hours Radio News bulletin.
Meanwhile, Mr Sata has claimed that ZNBC News aired a false story which alleged that his rally in Kitwe was a flop before it had even started.
But ZNBC News never carried such a story.
At the same rally PF members were seen pushing and forcing a man wearing a European Union Election Observer Mission T-shirt to take photographs of the crowd.
And Electoral Commission of Zambia Director Priscilla Isaac the PF’s action against the ZNBC crew as unfortunate.
Ms Isaac said political parties that are turning away the media from covering their rallies are doing a disservice to the electorate.
She noted that people need to be fully informed on the campaigns being conducted by all political parties.
Ms Isaac says ZNBC News as a public broadcaster should be given an opportunity to cover all political parties in a fair and balanced manner.
File:President Rupiah Banda addressing a public rally
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the Zambian people should avoid premature celebrations for their respective candidates in Tuesday’s presidential and general elections until the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officially declares the winner and warned people intending to fan violence that they will be dealt with severely.
Mr Banda said agitation for chaos would be stopped and assured the Zambian people that his Government was ready to stem a breach of the law by dealing with politicians planning to frustrate peace as he addressed one of the final rallies before the close of the campaigns on Sunday.
Addressing a mammoth rally in Petauke yesterday, President Banda also explained that his seven-point plan would ensure improved living standards at household level if implemented in the next five years and urged Zambians to give him chance to unlock his pledge for their benefit.
Mr Banda said Patriotic Front (PF) leaders were taking Zambians for granted by unleashing a vague symbol called ‘Don’t kubeba’ instead of telling the people what they intended to do if they were elected into office. He said it was primitive to persistently flash a symbol that presumes secrecy instead of being transparent.
The president also addressed a rally in Nyimba District where a senior PF member of the national mobilisation committee, Pembele Mumba resigned to join the ruling party alongside 58 other members of the opposition party.
President Banda called on all Zambians to pray for peace and advised them to be wary of some PF members who were threatening to cause chaos and had been shown on television preparing weapons.
He said the Government was still functional and that anyone engaging in such activities would be arrested and dealt with in line with the Zambian laws. The president said the PF was eager to stir violence after realising that it was not ready for the elections.
Mr Banda said the elections did not depend on PF, adding that he set the date of elections because he was the Head of State. The president said PF leaders had pressed him to call for early elections for about a year but when he did, the opposition leaders engaged in activities that suggested that they were not ready for the polls.
He said he was impressed with the huge crowds that had been attending his rallies in every part of the country and that he would address one tomorrow in Ndola after which he would have another one on Saturday in Lusaka.
“Every rally I have addressed has been like this. When they see these pictures tonight on television, they will not sleep. We must work together to protect peace and build tomorrow’s Zambia,” President Banda said.
Mr Banda said the people of Eastern Province should vote for him not because he hailed from the area but because he was a good and humble servant who had performed well in the last three years despite many Zambians doubting his capacity when he assumed office in 2008.
He said MMD was the only party that had a national character having fielded candidates in all the 150 constituencies countrywide. “We have come this far together. You can vote to move forward or you can vote to go backwards after working so hard with your Government.
“This is our final week of campaigning. After Sunday, it will be up to ECZ to prepare for D-day. Let us work hard until the final day of campaigns,” President Banda said. He said the development the people of Nyimba were witnessing was being undertaken everywhere in the country and would continue if he was re-elected on Tuesday.
Mr Banda said he wanted to open more mines, improve the performance of agriculture further and invite foreign direct investment in order to create jobs for the youth. Meanwhile, 1, 860 cadres from the PF led by Petauke District women’s chairperson Precious Zulu resigned from the party to join the ruling party, accusing Mr Sata of promoting divisions in the country.
Ms Zulu, who spoke for the defectors, said her engagements with Mr Sata, who did not have any vision of his own, were restricted to scheming against the progressive ideas of President Banda.
United Party for National Development (UPND) says the ferrying of party cadres from district to district by the ruling MMD is self deception of being popular in Southern Province.
UPND Southern Province General Secretary Mayaba Hanseluka was speaking in an interview this monring.
Mr. Hanseluka said ferrying of MMD cadres whenever President Banda goes in Southern Province is as much self deception by the MMD in the same way the PF’s Post Newspaper magnifies crowds at Mr Micheal Sata’s rallies which he described as a ‘fools paradise.
”President Banda and the MMD are ferrying cadres from district to district in the province claiming that they are popular but let me tell you that these cadres are from all the eleven districts of Southern Porvince and not Monze as claimed by the MMD”, said Hanseluka.
”This is self deception by President Banda and his MMD thinking that they are popular here.Its the same way the POST is portraying the PF to be popular by magnifying their crowds during rallies but come next tuesday, you will be shocked what the people of Zambiaa will do for their country”, added Hanseluka.
He claimed that the MMD has, in their panic stricken state, introduced a new dimension to corruption by dishing out mealie-meal,sugar, cooking oil among others to to voters after checking their voter’s cards.
The UPND Provincial General Secretary, however alleged that MMD’s outdated tactics will not work claiming that the real change wind is unstoppable world-over as can be seen in Middle-East and North Africa.
”Only those who have never worked with Sata who the Post painfully and shamefully want to make Zambians believe is the saviour of the people when the same paper which claims to dig deeper continues covering up hackings and arming of Kadobis in the Chawama bye-election when he was MMD National Secretary, so for us in the UPND, Sata and William Banda are the same”, Hanseluka said.
LAWYERS representing the MMD have demanded payment of K6.475 billion from Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Wynter Kabimba as costs after the Lusaka High Court dismissed a matter in which he sought to restrain the MMD from distributing its campaign materials.
According to a letter dated September 14, from SBN Legal Practitioners representing the MMD and addressed to AMC Legal Practitioners and Ellis and Company, who represented Mr Kabimba, the lawyers were demanding payment of the amount within seven days.
The lawyers represented the MMD, through its national secretary Richard Kachingwe, as third defendants in a case they were jointly charged with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Attorney General as first and second defendants respectively.
The letter stated that the lawyers were demanding payment of K6.475 billion from Mr Kabimba, who had sued in his capacity as the PF’s secretary general, following the dismissal of the case by the High Court and order to pay costs.
“Please note that while we appreciate that the case was determined and has ended at a preliminary stage, there is an undeniable fact that the level of responsibility and care required and involved was very high,” the letter reads in part.
The letter also states that the case required a considerable amount of legal skills to be applied and that the fee earners in the case were two former solicitors general, Patrick Mvunga and Sunday Nkonde, former Justice minister Eric Silwamba and two assistant advocates Lubinda Linyama and Bwalya Mubanga.
Meanwhile, some Lusaka-based lawyers have questioned Mr Kabimba’s credibility as a lawyer following his string of failed legal suits against the MMD. Welcoming a Lusaka court’s dismissal of an injunction by PF, which was filed by Mr Kabimba, to restrain the MMD from distributing campaign materials, Hobday Kabwe said yesterday the PF secretary general should have known from the beginning that the matter was frivolous.
Mr Kabwe described the action by the PF to drag the MMD and ZRA to court as a sheer waste of time and resources. He said the whole process was of no benefit to the PF and MMD.
He wondered why PF leaders decided to waste time instead of channelling their energies and resources to campaigns considering that time was not on their side. Mr Kabwe said it was surprising that Mr Kabimba, who was a senior lawyer, could allow the matter, like others before it, to reach the courts despite lacking merit. “I mean the whole process was extremely frivolous and of no benefit to both parties. Actually the end was known from the beginning.
“Mr Kabimba should have advised his party officials accordingly but now they will end up paying costs instead of channelling the same monies to campaigns. This is a serious miscalculation,” Mr Kabwe said. State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota from Central Chambers described the action by PF as one which had only worked to deplete the opposition party’s resources.
Mr Sikota said yesterday that the PF should have used the money it was spending on legal suits to buy campaign materials which the party was allegedly struggling to purchase. He said he was surprised that Mr Kabimba found it fit to take such a matter to court before conducting any research so that he could offer correct advice to his party.
Mr Sikota said the PF was using such tactics to sway people’s attention and described them as kicks of a dying horse. He said it was clear that PF had lost popularity and confidence from the people of Zambia.
The Lusaka High Court on Tuesday dismissed an injunction by PF restraining the MMD from distributing campaign materials. That was in a matter in which PF had sued ZRA, the Attorney General and MMD national secretary Richard Kachingwe.
Mr Kabimba, in his capacity as PF secretary general, had sued the ruling party and ZRA for allegedly failing to collect import duty from the party for importation of campaign materials worth about K3.5 billion brought into the country. High Court Judge Florence Lengalenga threw out the injunction restraining the MMD from distributing motor vehicles, bicycles, chitenge materials and T-Shirts until the duty payable was assessed by ZRA and payable by the MMD on grounds that the relief sought was not practical and was unsustainable.
Judge Lengalenga in handing down the judgment stated that she dismissed the PF’s action due to its irregularity and that it was not properly brought before the court.
Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Nonde-Simukoko
The Zambia Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) has advised unionized employees of Finance Bank Zambia Limited not to sign any resignation letter and sign new offer of employment with First National Bank Zambia Limited.
ZUFIAW General Secretary Joyce Simukoko tells QFM in a statement that the workers should not sign any contract with FNBZ until his union and the managements of FBZL and FNBZ constitute a bargaining unit that would agree on the terms of termination of employment with Finance Bank Zambia and the new terms of employment offers by First National Bank Zambia.
Mrs Simukoko says ZUFIAW is already in contact with the managements of FNBZ and FBZL on the way forward on the issue.
She has since appealed for calm from all unionized workers.
The Bank of Zambia has sold most of Finance Bank Zambia%u2019s assets to First National Bank of South Africa for K27 billion.
Universal Printing Group Projects Manager Mr Vik Vaid shows the Blind voting template to be used by blind people during the 2011 Tripartite Elections
The Zambia Association of the Blind has commended the Electoral Commission of Zambia, (EC) for coming up with braille templates for the presidential ballot papers in next Tuesdays polls.
Association Secretary for Social Affairs Clement Chanda said the move would increase transparency of voting among the visually impaired who have for a long time faced difficulties in the exercise.
In an interview with ZANIS in Kabwe today, Mr. Chanda said brail would be the ultimate alternative and means of restricting people from misleading the visually impaired in polling booths.
“Voting is a very sensitive exercise which makes it difficult to easily entrust someone to vote on your behalf or assist you” he stated.
Mr. Chanda who is also Central Province Disability Focal Point person also appealed to ECZ to further devise a programme aimed at sensitising the visually impaired on how to use the templates correctly.
He further emphasised on the need to create rumps for the wheelchair bound voters.
Mr. Chanda also appealed to the physically challenged persons across the country to turn out en masse and cast their votes in next Tuesday’s polls.
The ECZ has included Braille templates for the visually impaired for presidential ballot papers to enable them participate in the electoral process.
Some unknown people are circulating a statement purporting to be from first republican president, Kenneth Kaunda’s office.
In the statement dated 14th September 2011, Dr Kaunda is allegedly appealing to the ECZ to deal with electoral stakeholders’ concerns.
The statement further states that Dr Kaunda has also said peace and stability would only be guaranteed when the ECZ listens to the stakeholders.
Dr Kaunda is also quoted saying the controversy surrounding a named ECZ contractor is one of the grave indictments on the electoral process.
But the office of the first Republican president has said a statement purported to have been issued by Dr Kenneth Kaunda regarding a perceived impasse at the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was a forgery.
Chief of staff in the former president’s office, Godwin Mfula said he was not aware of any statement in that regard and described it as bogus. Mr Mfula said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that it was unfortunate that people bent on causing confusion would come up with such a statement that did not represent the views of Dr Kaunda.
“It is not our statement. I am not aware of that statement. I am the one as chief of staff who prepares statements for Dr Kaunda and I don’t know the motives of the people circulating that statement. “We refute that statement and we are not part of that statement. It’s unfortunate that people can put their thoughts in the mouth of an innocent person,” he said.
The statement was also not on the letterhead of the office of the first republican president, but on a plain paper. Mr Mfula said Dr Kaunda was not In a position to have issued the statement as he has been indisposed.
Mr Mfula said his office only learnt about the statement through a reporter from Yatsani Radio who wanted to obtain more details. He said the language in the statement did not reflect that used by the former president.Mr Mfula said the office would study the matter today to decide the way forward. It is believed that the statement was authored by an editor of a private newspaper.
Below is the refuted Statement in full;
========================================
First Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda has said that revelations that Universal Print Group the printers of ballot papers for next week’s election has been involved in acts of corruption with Electoral Commission of Zambia officers is a grave indictment on the electoral process.
In a statement released to QFM today, Dr Kaunda said that this in itself threatened the peace and stability of the country because it undermined the credibility of the electoral process in the eyes of the Zambian people.
Dr Kaunda said that this bred justifiable suspicion of possible collusion and electoral malpractices that may lead to the election result not being accepted by both the losers and the winners.
The first president said that it was therefore in the interest of everyone that the ECZ rose to the challenge and dealt with the complications that have been created by the revelations of the character of UPG to the reasonable satisfaction of all key political players.
He warned that ignoring such a serious problem may prove to be a naive and costly mistake that the country cannot afford.
Dr Kaunda called upon the ECZ, on whose behalf he said had advocated for peace to act in a way that made the preservation of peace possible regardless of the outcome of the elections.
He said this will require that the Electoral Commission of Zambia urgently sits with all key political players, including the church, to ensure that this problem is resolved in the best way possible for the country.
The former president explained that such an approach will ensure that as the country goes to the polls next week, all people will have reason to believe that their concerns have been dealt with.
Dr Kaunda added that the will and interests of the Zambian people prevail without let or hindrance so that Zambia can maintain its historic reputation as an oasis of peace and tranquillity.
He further stated that if his appeal for peace through the media and bill boards is to accompany next week’s elections, the primary requisite is to eradicate the causes or possible causes of dissension among key political players and their supporters.
A state of blame, anger and grief greeted the final whistle at Railway Grounds after Kabwe Warriors suffered their fifth successive league defeat this afternoon.
Warriors lost 1-0 at home in their rescheduled Faz Super Division Week 19 game against fellow strugglers Nkwazi.
The home side dominated the match but poor finishing cost second from bottom Warriors the vital points in this all relegation battle against Nkwazi who climb out of the D-Zone from 14th to 12 positions.
Nkwazi, who have a history of confining big clubs to relegation doom in the past with Nkana and Mufulira Wanderers reference cases, scored the game’s only goal in the 66th minute through Peter Lungu.
Lungu finished off a cross from Sydney Nteke that caught Warriors goalkeeper Kelvin Musonda flatfooted.
And it was Musonda whom a section of Warriors fans turned on at the end of the game with missiles and insults.
A brave Musonda climbed over the fence to confront a bunch of Warriors supporters and a fight ensued but the outnumbered player was rescued from further punishment by his teammates.
Outside, Warriors fans mourned as the prospect of the returning to Division One after over 22 uninterrupted years looks a very distinct possibility.
Prior to the Nkwazi game, Warriors have lost all their last four Super Division matches.
The highlight in that bad patch was a 1-nil away defeat to bottom placed Kalewa in Ndola last Saturday that came on the back of losses to Nkana at home plus away games to Green Eagles and Zanaco.
Warriors trace their last win to August 6 away to Forest Rangers whom they beat 2-1 in Ndola.
Netball is about to enjoy a rare share of the spotlight with Zambia poised to collect its first medal at the All Africa games in Maputo.
It has been a very poor All Africa Games in one of Zambia’s displays at the quadrennial event since coming away with one medal at South Africa 1999 with a silver in football.
The Zambia netball team, who recovered from their opening two defeats to win five straight games, are in a battle for silver or bronze with Tanzania locked on 10 points heading into their final round-robin games on Thursday.
Tanzania have also won five and lost two games, one of those defeats a 46-42 loss to Zambia in its first win.
Goal difference separates the teams with second placed Tanzania playing Botswana while third positioned Zambia takes on Ghana while Uganda recorded an unassailable lead and have banked the gold medal.
Whatever the results on Thursday, Zambia will win their first ever medal win in the event that began as a demonstration game at the 1997 Zimbabwe Games.
Furthermore, a medal win should help revive the profile of a once popular schoolgirl pursuit that has slid into almost obscurity.
Meanwhile, Judo, 5000 meters runner Tony Wamulwa and Chess are battling to join Netball on the medals podium as Zambia tries to save a second All Africa Games embarrassment after withdrawing as hosts of the same tournament two years ago.
The verification of the ballot papers for the September 20th elections has started.
The verification exercise is being conducted at the Lusaka International Airport amid tight security in the presence of district electoral officers and political party representatives.
The process started with the verification of ballot papers for the Western Province.
And Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson Justice Ireen Mambilima says the commission has given itself a deadline on which all the ballot papers are expected to be transported to their various destinations.
Justice Mambilima says the ECZ has engaged the Zambia Air force to transport the ballot papers to areas that are not easily accessible by road like parts of the western province and Luano Valley in the Central province.
Meanwhile, the ECZ has postponed the parliamentary elections for Magoye constituency following the death of National Movement for Progress candidate Willie Malambo.
Justice Mambilima says the ECZ has been notified of Mr Malambo’s death and the date for voting in the constituency will be announced after a meeting with stakeholders.
The Zambia league will take a 10-day break after this weekend’s matches ahead of Tuesdays presidential and general elections.
Faz said today that all league games will resume on October 1.
“In view of the presidential and general elections next Tuesday 20 September 2011, FAZ has decided to revise the premier league fixtures in order that the schedule allows the football fraternity to participate in the process of national governance,” Faz communication officer Erick Mwanza said during the weekly press briefing at Football House in Lusaka.
And Mwanza revealed that Zambia will go into camp on October 2 ahead of its final 2012 Africa Cup Group C qualifier against Libya on October 8 at Nchanga Stadium in Chingola.
FAZ Super Division Week 23
17/09/2011
Forest Rangers-Green Eagles
Power Dynamos-Red Arrows
Nkwazi-Nkana
Nakambala Leopards-Green Buffaloes
Zanaco-Kalewa
Nchanga Rangers-Lime Hotspurs
Kabwe Warriors-Konkola Blades
Zesco United-Roan United
