OPPOSITION political parties, major trade unions, the Church and the Commuters’ Rights Association have hailed President Rupiah Banda for the launch of an all-round road refurbishment process in some selected parts of Lusaka as a process that will create a new path of th eeconomic development.

President Banda on Saturday launched a K300 billion project for the construction of roads in Lusaka to provide quality service to the Zambian people.

The president also said Government, through Zesco Limited would start providing solar panel geysers for free to its citizens while connection fee for electricity to homes had been spread to many months to reduce the impact and suppress the cost.

Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) secretary general Ozwell Munyenyembe said the gesture to improve road infrastructure would benefit the mine workers.

Mr Munyenyembe said the Zambian workers must support the efforts bythe Government and noted that some workers had failed to procure geysers for their homes because of the high costs.

Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba noted that the road rehabilitation project had come at the right time when economic activity was increasing in Zambia.

Mr Hikaumba appealed to the Government to scale up similar efforts in the rural areas to spread the benefits of development because some areaswere impassable.

United Liberal Party (ULP) secretary general, Langton Sichone said the Government should not lose focus following some destructive statements that development should not be given to the people because of elections.

Mr Sichone said the restructuring of connection fees for electricity and the provision of solar energy geysers to the people was a great initiative taking place for the first time in the history of Zambia and should be commended.

Mr Sichone said the MMD party was elected to deliver development to the people for a period of five years and the Constitution allows Government to construct roads even when there are elections taking place in the country.

Zambia Consumers Association (ZACA) commended Government’s decision to allow consumers to access electricity by paying a nominal fee as opposed to the past when the huge amounts of money were inhibiting access to electricity.

ZACA executive director Muyunda Ililonga said the move shows Government’s commitment to poverty reduction among the people of Zambia.

Mr Ilionga said the decision would also accelerate Zambia’s move towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number one on cutting poverty by half by the year 2015.

He said the introduction of prepaid meters by Zesco had helped the consumers and Zesco to conserve power which could now be spread to other users.

And the Christian Coalition spokesperson John Mwendapole commended President Banda’s relentless effort to develop thecountry through the rehabilitation of roads and easy access to electricity.

Mr Mwendapole said most houses in township areas have not been electrified for a long time and this would give them an opportunity to electrify their houses and venture into various businesses.
[ Times of Zambia ]

FORMER republican vice-president Lupando Mwape says he is still a faithful member of the MMD and has condemned people trying to alienate him from the party.

Mr Mwape said in a telephone interview yesterday he resigned as party trustee in 2006 to facilitate his appointment into the diplomatic service by then President Levy Mwanawasa.

“You can assure the nation that I am a faithful member of the party, and I shall remain loyal to the government and the people of Zambia. I have never gone on any platform to announce that I am not MMD. I have never relinquished my membership,” he said.

He said the government is doing very well under President Banda, and needs encouragement.

The former vice-president, who was Zambia’s ambassador to China from 2006 to 2009, thanked President Banda for allowing him to complete his contract when he assumed the presidency in 2008.

He said people expected President Banda to recall him from diplomatic service, but the President allowed him to complete his three-year contract.

“I wasn’t fired or recalled. I am grateful to the President because he would have recalled me. But he allowed me to complete my contract. What else can one do but appreciate?” Mr Mwape said.

He said he wants to lead a quiet life because he does not want to cause any political controversies.

“I want to remain a loyal member of the MMD, but lead a quiet life until I am approached. I am a politician, and if I am approached by any political party that feels I have a role to play, I will make my position known,” Mr Mwape said.

He said he was shocked by the way he was misquoted by a private tabloid on the remarks he made recently in Ndola at the burial of former Zambia Postal Services Corporation postmaster general Chewe Lupili.

Mr Mwape said he was even more surprised at the reactions to the report, with no-one approaching him to give his side of the story.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

The MMD in Kitwe District on the Copperbelt has denounced calls by catholic Priest Richard Luonde that the stand up for Zambia television programme by freelance journalist Chanda Chimba should be banned.

MMD District Vice Treasurer Suzyo Ngulube says the Stand Up For Zambia TV programme which runs on both ZNBC TV and Muvi TV is informative as it has exposed a number of issues which the Zambians could not have otherwise known.

Mr. Ngulube wondered why Father Luonde wants the programme banned saying every citizen has the right to freedom of expression.

He accused Father Luonde of being afraid of the truth and has described his calls to ban the programme as baseless and illogical.

Mr. Ngulube says it is surprising that the catholic clergyman is not calling for the banning of sensational publications which have taken a deliberate and confrontational stance to discredit Government.

And the MMD in Kitwe has accused the Patriotic Front (PF) run councils in Lusaka and the Copperbelt of failing residents.

Mr. Ngulube says government has now undertaken the task to rehabilitate township roads because councils which were supposed to take on this mandate have failed.

He condemned PF Chairperson for Local Government Given Lubinda for politicizing the road rehabilitation programme.
[ ZNBC ]

Mwinilunga District MMD Chairperson Daniel Manjomba says the party in the area is intact and will scoop both the Mwinilunga East and West parliamentary seats in this year’s general elections.

Mr. Manjomba says the ruling party has positioned itself well in readiness for the polls.

And Mwinilunga West Member of Parliament Elijah Muchima has appealed to voters to elect President Rupiah Banda and the Movement for Multiparty Democracy MMD in general elections this year.

Mr. Muchima who is also Southern Province Minister says the MMD government under the leadership of President Banda has proved that it is the only one which can take the economy of Zambia to prosperity.

[ ZNBC ]

Mr Banda has also launched the Differed capital contribution scheme with free installation of solar geysers in Lusaka’s Mandevu Township today.

President Banda said the new ZESCO initiatives, will enable residential customers to have their houses connected without paying in cash but in instalments.

The president stressed that the capital contribution costs of between K769,000 and the K2,783,000 will not be paid up front.

Mr Banda added that the capital cost will now be recovered from residential customers in installments that will be paid over a period of 24 months through a prepaid meter system.

He added that this initiative will provide reliable and affordable power in homes without putting much pressure on families adding that all new residences will be connected without payment of capital contribution and solar Geysers will be connected for free.

The President said the introduction of new solar geysers by ZESCO will be connected free of charge to interested residential customers adding that ZESCO will finance the Geyser installation progarmme countrywide.

President Banda has also reduced the reconnection fee for electricity from K767 000 to K21 000 in low cost houses while that of high cost houses has been reduced from over K2 million to K77 000.

The President has said these fees will apply for a period of three years.

President Banda has further said the policy of the MMD government is to ensure that lives of the majority Zambians are improved.

Mr Banda urged people in the country to continue supporting the MMD government because it has delivered on the promises and further appealed for people to consider objectively construction work going on in various sectors of the economy.

President Banda urged citizens that as they go to vote in this year’s elections to bear in mind that his administration has worked hard to reduce poverty ( to deserve another term).

The president however, urged the MMD party to embrace every one as it embarks on the door to door campaigns as it is a peaceful party.

ZANIS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…Run in such a way as to get the prize”
(1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Oftentimes, when we have a dream in our heart, we start off strong. We head down the path toward our goal, and we’re so excited! But along the way, we hit some roadblocks and encounter some adversity. Many times, people will just give up and take the easy way out. But we have to remember, it’s not how we start that counts; it’s how we finish. Anybody can be fired up at the beginning, but I’m encouraging you to stick with it until the end! Have the determination to go all the way through. Don’t stop at the halfway mark just because times are tough. Don’t quit because you don’t see anything happening. The scripture tells us not to walk by sight, but to walk by faith.

Today, if there’s a dream in your heart, something you’re believing for — a relationship to turn around, a business opportunity or to overcome an addiction — keep pursuing it! Run your race to win the prize! Don’t settle until you see the fullness of what God has placed in your heart. As you stand strong in your faith, I believe God will pour out His favor and blessing upon you, and you will see the victory He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, today I choose to stand strong in You. I set my focus on Your promises and choose to run my race with conviction. I let go of the past by faith today and press forward into the destiny You have in store for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

A 32-year-old man of Lusaka’s Libala South township has told the Lusaka Boma local court that his wife has been threatening to leave him because he rejected her demand that she terminates her nine-month pregnancy.

Wellington Mwamba said his wife, Mildred Nachisambwe, 25, has never been happy since then because she is ashamed of having fallen pregnant soon after the couple had their second child.

Mwamba said this in a case in which Nachisambwe, of Chawama Township, sued him for marriage reconciliation. The two got married in 2004 and they have three children together.

Mwamba said their marriage began to shake when he started suspecting that Nachisambwe was pregnant but she adamantly denied that this was so until the pregnancy started showing.

“When it was obvious that she was indeed pregnant, she started getting annoyed over nothing. Later she demanded that I give her money to have an abortion saying she couldn’t keep the pregnancy because our other child was still very young,” he said.

Mwamba said to please her and restore peace in their marriage, he give in to her demands and he escorted her to see a doctor to carry out the abortion.

While there, Mwamba changed his mind about Nachisambwe terminating the pregnancy and this infuriated her.

To ease her mind, Mwamba said he consulted elders who advised him against Nachisambwe aborting because it was dangerous and she could die.

“After that she started demanding that I take her back to her parents’ place but on one condition that she should not be pregnant. That was impossible because she was very pregnant at the time,” he said.

He said their marriage has never been the same as each time they quarrel she demands that he takes her back to her village because he rejected her wish to terminate the pregnancy.

Mwamba said the unnecessary quarrels prompted him to move out of their matrimonial home in September last year. He said Nachisambwe also did not want him in the house.

“Each time we argue she threatens to leave or asks me to take her back to the village in Mpulungu because she does not want to be with me because I forced her to have another child. This does not really make sense to me because she is a married woman. I still love her nonetheless and I am ready to reconcile with her but only if she wants me back,” he said.

In her submission, Nachisambwe said she was not serious about having the abortion but made the statement just to scare him.

“I did not blackmail him, I just told him that I wanted to go back to the village and that if he had to take me, he had to ensure that I was not pregnant as I needed to go back childless the way he married me; without children, but I could have never gone ahead with the abortion,” she said.

Nachisambwe said, however, that that Mwamba is abusive and at one time he threatened to kill her with an axe.

She said she was only rescued by her neighbours and a cousin. She said she would have presented the axe in the court as evidence but that her cousin has thrown it away.

When asked by Mwamba why Nachisambwe’s cousin took him in after she chased him from their matrimonial home if he had indeed tried to kill her, Nachisambwe could not answer.

Asked by the court if she was still interested in reconciling with Mwamba, Nachisambwe said she still wanted him because he was her husband and a good father.

“I do love my husband and I want him to move back although he scares me at times, but we have been happy in our marriage,” she said.

Acting principal presiding magistrate Elipha Mwewa, sitting with senior court magistrate Lazarous Mwape, reconciled the couple and urged the two to love and respect each other and to be open about their expectations in their marriage.
[ Sunday Mail ]

A 29-YEAR-OLD woman of Lusaka’s Garden Township has told the Lusaka Boma local court that her husband denied responsibility of her pregnancy because he claimed he was on a contraceptive pill for men.

Passfrora Nyirongo also said that on another occasion her husband, Christopher Mumba, 36, denied being the father of their child claiming that its complexion was too dark for it to be his.

Nyirongo said this in a case in which she sued Mumba, a mineral explorer, for marriage reconciliation. The two got married in 2003 and Mumba paid K500,000, half of what he was charged, as lobola. They have two children together.

She said although problems in their marriage have intensified over the years, trouble started almost immediately after they got married. She said she has never known peace in her marriage because of Mumba’sbehaviour.

“In January 2004, a month after we got married, I conceived but he denied the pregnancy claiming he was on a male contraceptive pill. That stressed me so much that I ended up miscarrying. Fortunately, I conceived again after four months,” she said.

Nyirongo said when the child was born, Mumba refused to hold the baby claiming it was not his because the child was dark in complexion. She said in April 2006, Mumba took her back to her parents’ home for traditional counselling.

“When we separated, he visited me when he felt like but he never bothered to inquire about the child. I managed to provide for our child and myself because at the time I was still in employment,” she said.

Nyirongo said that in June 2008, Mumba asked for reconciliation so they could have another child and she agreed because she was still in love with him.

She said in September the same year, she conceived but two months later, Mumba said he had to travel to South Africa on business where he stayed for six months.

Nyirongo said she later found out that Mumba was actually in Mumbwa and not in South Africa.

“When our second child was born, he told me to stop work so that I could take care of the baby because it was born with bronchitis. So he became the only provider. However, he does not consult me about anything, He does as he pleases,” she said.

Nyirongo said Mumba bought two buses using a loan that he got from a financial institution without consulting her as his wife.

She also said that Mumba is in the habit of dating her friends and that he has even proposed love to one of their landlord’s daughters.

“When he is home, he sleeps with his clothes on. If not, he sleeps in the sitting room. He does not care about me or our children so I want him to tell me if he is still interested in me as a woman and his wife,” she said.

In his submission, Mumba said the problem in their marriage is that Nyirongo nags him and that this is what prompts him to leave their matrimonial bedroom.

He said Nyirongo also insults him so much that their neighbours laugh at him. He said this was why he decided to take her back to her parents’ place.

“I love my wife but she nags a lot and I do not like her attitude. I am tired of her insults. That is the reason I move out. I would rather sleep on the roof of the house than be in the same room with her. I do not have a girlfriend, if I did I would never return home to her,” he said.

Mumba said he has always provided for his family and he cares for it.

He said he was skeptical about their first child because he suspected she was having an affair with another man three days before their wedding.

“It’s only normal (to be skeptical). I had doubts about the child but she is a good mother. I just can’t take the nagging,” he said.

The case, which was before acting principal presiding magistrate Elipha Mwewa, was adjourned to tomorrow, May 23, for judgement.
[ Sunday Mail ]

Government will spend US$3 million on the improvement of infrastructure and student allowances at the University of Zambia (UNZA).

President Banda said yesterday that he has sourced the monies from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to help improve library facilities and students’ welfare at the country’s highest institution of learning.

He made the announcement in Lusaka yesterday during the commissioning of rehabilitation works on selected Lusaka urban roads and launch of the Zesco deferred capital contribution scheme with installation of solar geysers.

Scores of UNZA students attended the event in Lusaka’s Mandevu Township.

Mr Banda said the MMD government will continue ensuring that the education sector is further improved as enshrined in the ruling party’s manifesto.

He said his administration wants to improve tertiary education and will ensure that more institutions are constructed.

“We promised to fight illiteracy and today you are witnessing construction of schools in our country. We, as a party and Government, have concentrated on education, our next target is to improve tertiary education,” President Banda said.

Meanwhile, Mandevu Constituency, currently in the hands of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), yesterday turned into a euphoric MMD venue when President Banda surprised thousands of residents, taking a walk through the township.

The township came to a virtual standstill when Mr Banda walked through it.

President Banda arrived at the roadside market at the Independence Stadium in Mandevu around 14:30 and was immediately mobbed by throngs of residents and marketeers.

The security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd as he humbly ambled towards the ground where his official assignment was to be.
[ Sunday Mail ]