Government has strongly condemned the harassment and beating up of Journalists from Muvi Television by some suspected MMD cadres in Lusaka West yesterday.

Chief Government Spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha says beating up of Journalists amounts to lawlessness, is undemocratic and unacceptable to government.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the Government of President Rupiah Banda has come out openly in support of the media which he said is the country’s fourth estate.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said this in a statement in Lusaka today.

Lt. Gen Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said government remains a firm proponent of freedom of the media as part of the continued growth of the country’s democracy.

The Minister warned that government will not allow anarchy in the nation as the country approaches a sensitive period of the general elections.

He has since advised political activists and the public at large to respect Journalists and restrain themselves from engaging in any manner of harassment and violence against media practitioners .

He stressed that information is the hallmark of any democratic society adding that Journalists should be free to gather and disseminate information to the public without intimidation and harassment .

The Minister stated that there are adequate administrative and legal avenues in the country which aggrieved members of the public could pursue instead of resorting to taking the law into their own hands.

The Chief Government Spokesperson reiterated government’s position that perpetrators of violence against Journalists will be met by the full force of the law.

QFM

Kitwe high court has squashed a bail application by a convicted 59 year old man of Ndola who is charged with having carnal knowledge of a 12 year old school girl against the order of nature.

According to a statement of offence, Grey Servana 59 years, committed unnatural offence contrary to section 155(1) of the penal code Chapter 87 as amended no.15 of 2005

The particulars of the offence are that Servana on November 5, 2009 in Chingola had carnal knowledge of a 12 years old girl against the order of nature.

Servana on the material day sodomised the minor at his garage in Chingola.

He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by the Kitwe High Court in May this year and applied for bail pending an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Servana stated in his ground of appeal that the lower court erred and misdirected itself when it held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt when the weight of the evidence did not go to support such findings.

But the state opposed the application stating that the court had jurisdiction to admit a convict to bail pending appeal. The state also argued that the application ought to be exercised judiciously.

The defence urged the court to exercise its inherent discretion and admit the application to bail pending appeal as the state would not suffer prejudice.

In making her ruling Judge Judy Mulongoti said the issues raised in the applicants affidavit as bad health and ability to find sureties were not special circumstances.

Judge Mulongoti said the bail pending trial is liberally granted as a right as it’s not the case with bail pending appeal.

She stated that the prospect of success of appeal may be considered as a special circumstance and did not see it as such in this matter.

Judge Mulongoti said accordingly she has exercised her discretion and refuse to grant the application for bail pending appeal.

[ ZANIS ]

Patriotic Front Shiwangandu Member of Parliament Celestino Chibamba has resigned from the opposition PF to join the ruling MMD.

Major Chibamba’s resignation comes barely a week after Mufulira Central MP Marjorie Mwape ditched the opposition party to join the MMD.

Major Chibamba says he has resigned from the PF because the party and its leadership of Mr Sata have nothing to offer to the country.

He says the country cannot risk putting the leadership mantle in Mr Sata’s hands because the PF leader is petty and is too preoccupied with crticising the development of President Banda.

Major Chibamba says he has joined the MMD because President Rupiah Banda has demonstrated a clear vision of developing the country as seen in the last few years.

Major Chibamba has told ZNBC News in an interview that he cannot risk being a member of the PF when the MMD under President Banda has delivered development to the satisfaction of the Zambian people.

ZNBC

Commerce Minister Felix Mutati was on Monday involved in a road traffic accident in Mporokoso district, and has since been evacuated to University Teaching Hospital by the Zambia flying doctors service.

Mr Mutati along with his driver left Kasama aboard a flying doctor service around 11:30 hours on Tuesday.

He was seen off by Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mwalimu Simfukwe, some MMD officials, Members of the local business community and a team of doctors from Kasama General Hospital where he was briefly attended to.

Speaking to ZNBC shortly before the departure, Mr Mutati said he had been referred to UTH for further medical attention which will include a scan for his head and neck injuries.

The accident happened on the newly rehabilitated Zachariah Chanda road when the driver lost control and rammed into a tree.

Mr Mutati was briefly treated at Mukupa Kaoma Rural Health Post before being referred to Kasama General Hospital.

ZNBC

Teachers in Luwingu district in Northern Province have appealed to Examination Council of Zambia ( ECZ ) to consider paying invigilators’ risking allowance.

Teachers made a resolution at a meeting held at Luwingu high school staff room over the weekend that they risk handling the examinations during invigilation which has lead into some of them being fired from employment.

They argued that their fellow teachers who prepare final papers for grade seven, nine and twelve and those who mark the same papers are paid leaving three quarters of the teachers who invigilate these examinations.

The aggrieved teachers said the ECZ should emulate Cambridge examination which pays teachers who invigilate their papers. They cautioned that if ECZ does not improve on the condition then the teachers will boycott handling of their papers.

They said that handling of ECZ examination papers was not among the conditions of service for teachers but they were merely risking their work.

Zambia national union of teachers (ZNUT) district chairperson Mr. Michael Bwalya Chimponda said teachers have lost employment without getting their benefits leaving families in misery.

And Mr. Chimponda observed that some members of ZNUT were captured wrongly by Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) resulting to contributing twice.

He said the affected teachers did not apply for memberships and wondered how their names were capture by BETUZ.

Mr. Chimponda appealed to the authorities to quickly normalize the situation immediately before the matter gets out of hand.

He said the affect teachers are not happy with what BETUZ has done saying they might take the matter to court.

The district chairperson has thanked the government for embarking on managerial training courses which has resulted into improving the standard of education for most of school managers who lacked such skills.

[ ZANIS ]

Patriotic Front (PF) aspiring ward councilors have disclosed that their party will not be in the position to purchase maize next year if it is elected into office in this years presidential and general elections.

Aspiring ward councilors said the party will not purchase 2011/2012 agricultural produce because MMD government would have exhausted funds and that the new government will have no money to buy the agricultural produce from peasant farmers’ country wide.

The ward councilors accused MMD government of spending huge sums of money in order for PF government to find it hard to carry out its functions if elected into office next year.

Speaking on behalf of aspiring councilors, Kanfinsa ward aspirant Moses Chanda said Rupiah Banda’s administration has embarked on infrastructure development this year aimed at crippling Patriotic Front (PF) if it is elected into office.

He said, following the misuse of government funds by MMD government, it is automatic that the new government will not purchase maize from peasant farmers, if they (farmers) decide to intensify their farming activities this year.

It is a known factor that the MMD government has deliberately begun a vigorous infrastructure development country wide which will require spending huge sums of money leaving the country bankrupt.

Mr. Chanda, however, appreciates government for embarking on infrastructure development saying even if MMD loses the election people will benefit and that the standards of living will be uplifted especially in remote areas.

He said Luwingu is one of the districts which has also benefited in these infrastructure development especially in health, education, and the tarring of Kasama Luwingu road.

Mr. Chanda further appealed to the government to speed up the construction of lupososhi high school situated in chief Chabula area and the tarring of township roads.

[ ZANIS ]

MMD national chairperson for women’s affairs Catherine Namugala has said Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata is enjoying ad hoc levels of popularity he has repeatedly experienced since 2006 and people joining him will regret their actions.

Ms Namugala reminded Zambians that 21 ministers, senior MMD officials resigned to form a formidable political party in 1991 but they all went down.

She said former Works and Supply deputy minister Lameck Mangani, her predecessor Sylvia Masebo, former minister of Works and Supply Mike Mulongoti and former chairperson for Lands Judith Kapijimpanga would enjoy temporally popularity but must prepare for their downfall.

In an interview in Lusaka at the weekend, Ms Namugala said a lot of people got carried away by the public rallies addressed by Mr Sata despite repeatedly losing all the previous elections after creating wrong impressions about his popularity.

Ms Namugala, who is minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, said the Government of President Rupiah Banda would forge ahead after elections while Mr Sata would continue with his usual rantings and living in fantasy.

She said the PF did not have any future because its senior leadership did not have any programme and their flare would end soon.

“They will enjoy some headlines in their favourite newspaper but Zambians know that about 21 senior leaders, including 12 ministers and the former vice-president resigned from our party to form their own party but where are they?

The same will happen to these people like Mr Mangani, Mr Mpombo, Ms Masebo and the rest,” Ms Namugala said.

She said people were being cheated by the crowds that turned up to attend Mr Sata’s big rallies.

She said Mr Sata was not attracting big rallies for the first time and the PF leader would always lose elections.

Ms Namugala said President Banda’s performance, especially the construction of schools, roads and health centres country-wide had already campaigned for him.??She said the Zambian people knew what President Banda was capable of doing and would not leave a performer for a man who had no vision for the country.

And MMD chairperson for finance and economic affairs Situmbeko Musokotwane has said the people of Luapula Province have changed after the MMD delegation received a high-profile reception during the 12-day tour of the province. Dr Musokotwane said Mr Sata’s campaigns were failing because the Government had implemented everything that he promises to do if elected president.

Dr Musokotwane said Mr Sata was not clear with what he wanted to do for the people and had ended up backtracking on many policy issues that he previously stood for.

He said the people of Zambia would not accept to be cheated again following President Banda’s decision to implement what he promised in many areas while other development projects were being lined up.

Meanwhile, MMD Copperbelt provincial chairperson Joseph Chilambwe has said Mr Sata should not be misled by the artificial rally crowds but start preparing how he is going to stomach the worst defeat in the 2011 elections because the electorate had seen that he had become irrelevant to the current politics.

Mr Chilambwe said Mr Sata had allegedly become irrelevant to the country’s political landscape because he did not articulate issue of national development.??The MMD provincial chairperson said the claims that PF had taken Eastern Province were wishful thinking because it would never be a reality.

He said PF had resorted to cheap propaganda of claiming that it was becoming popular everywhere by using borrowed crowds, when the party was falling apart because of alleged poor leadership.

“Serious-minded Zambians have seen that Mr Sata is not a leader who can drive the country’s economy forward and so, no matter what kind of propaganda the PF leader and his allies put up, the MMD will scoop the 2011 elections,” Mr Chilambwe said.

[Times of Zambia]

THE Ngoni-speaking people of Eastern Province have said the appearance of Paramount Chief Mpezeni at a rally addressed by Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was not an endorsement of the opposition leader’s candidature.

Chief Madzimawe, who is chairperson of the House of Chiefs, said he had an audience with the paramount chief who explained that he would have attended the rally even if it was addressed by United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema.

He said he was certain that the people of Chipata would attend all rallies, including the ones to be addressed by President Rupiah Banda since people wanted to listen to the leaders for them to vote wisely.

Paramount Chief Mpezeni appeared at a public rally addressed by Mr Sata at Feni Village in Chipata where he greeted the cadres but Chief Madzimawe said the paramount chief had made it clear during the public rally that his appearance should not be misconstrued as endorsing Mr Sata.

“Paramount Chief Mpezeni cannot endorse Mr Sata. The fact that he appeared at a rally does not mean that he is supporting PF but that is his village, he can greet his people. I have spoken to him and I am still making efforts to speak to him. He never endorsed Mr Sata,” Chief Madzimawe said.

He said the paramount chief would attend all rallies where he had been invited, especially that it was held in his village.

Meanwhile, Chief Madzimawe said Mr Sata’s huge rallies in Eastern Province were not a measure of popularity, especially that voting was secret and people were making their decisions on who to vote for on the basis of the messages during rallies.??He said rallies were held in selected corners of the?province and careless talk that PF was gaining ground in the province was inaccurate.

“How can you hold a rally in one corner of Chipata and claim that the whole province is supporting you? People will attend all rallies and do not get surprised if the next rallies by MMD or UPND at the same venue will be bigger than the PF ones,” chief Madzimawe said.

He said it was not possible for any leader of a political party to address a rally and people do not turn up because attendance helps them make informed choices about leaders.

Chief Madzimawe said the Ngoni Royal Traditional leadership had been encouraging people to elect leaders who would provide development to the people.

He said President Banda had shown the zeal to address the needs of the Zambian people by launching a programme to construct schools, roads and hospitals but the Zambian people would judge on their own.

[Times of Zambia]

Kanyama Patriotic Front Member of Parliament Colonel Gerry Chanda has observed that the country will be in big trouble should Zambians fail to change government in the forthcoming general elections.

Mr. Chanda says people in his area have for a long time suffered due to the negligence of the ruling MMD.

He says as area member of parliament, he is trying his best to improve the livelihoods of his people but noted that it is challenging as government withholds constituency development funds.

Mr Chanda said that it is government that that explain why the CDF is not released to help address the number of challenges being faced by citizens.
[ QFM ]

President Rupiah Banda has sais a team of senior government officials constituted to look into the issue of the Barotse agreement has made good progress in its work.

In a statement released last evening by his special assistant for press and public relations Dickson Jere to brief the nation on the Barotseland agreement and the ongoing dialogue between government and the Barotse royal establishment, President Banda says he expects the team to conclude its work in the near future.

President Banda says following the presentation of the Barotse national council resolutions, his government has been actively dealing with the issue, and calls on the people of western province and Zambians to appreciate the efforts government is making.

He added that dialogue with the Barotse royal establishment has continued even after the presentation of the resolutions for purposes of seeking clarity on various issues so that the matter is concluded in a manner that is realistic and satisfactory to all concerned parties.

Mr. Banda has also commended the Barotse national council for emphasizing the fact that it is not secession from the rest of Zambia which is being advocated.

President Banda, however, described as unfortunate that inspite of the Mongu fracas early this year,some politicians have continued to take advantage and tried to hoodwink the people of western province into believing that the issue of restoration of the Barotse agreement of 1964 can be resolved overnight.

[ QFM ]