PRESIDENT Banda has trashed allegations that he was involved in the US$98 million deal between Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) for the rehabilitation and upgrading of Society House.

Mr Banda told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that he had nothing to do with the deal.

He said as head of State, he is briefed before parastatals embark on such big projects but he has no role to play in tender processes because Zambia has procedures on public procurement.

“I don’t do things that way. In this country we have procedures but of course people say a lot of things.
And when I look at a project and approve it, the rest is up to the technocrats,” Mr Banda said.

He said this at Lusaka International Airport on arrival from Turkey where he had gone to attend the United Nations conference on least developed countries (LDCs).

Mr Banda said as head of State, he neither participates in nor interferes with tender procedures.

“I don’t participate in tender procedures. It is illegal for anyone to interfere with tender procedures just as it is illegal to interfere with the judiciary and Parliament. It is not right. You know this is life and somebody has to be accused,” he said.

Mr Banda said he saw the initial story carried by The Post and response from both ZNBS and NAPSA. He said what the two parastatals have said on the matter is the correct position.

Early this week, The Post alleged that the President was involved in awarding a US$ 98 million tender for the rehabilitation of society house to a Kenyan firm without following tender procedures.

But ZNBS and NAPSA dismissed the allegation and produced a copy of the advertisement for the tender.

The advertisement, issued by the Zambia Public Procurement Authority in the Zambia Daily Mail edition dated August 11, 2010, called for tender applications from interested parties.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has proved that he will be a danger to national security if entrusted with power to run the country going by his failure to uphold confidentiality in his own party.

Lusaka Province MMD task force spokesperson Chiwele Maimisa said it was not surprising that Mr Sata had been discovered by his own central committee members to cause confusion in the opposition party because the PF leader did the same way back during the days when he served as a constable in the colonial government in which he used to leak information leading to the arrest of Zambians.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) national youth chairperson, Joe Kalusa said Mr Sata was a danger to State security and should not be allowed to become Republican president after admitting that he had been personally leaking sensitive information against rival individuals in the country’s biggest opposition party.

On Wednesday, Mr Sata admitted that he had been leaking confidential information within the party’s central committee, saying he had been doing so to promote transparency.

Mr Sata also said he used to do the same when he was MMD national secretary.

Mr Maimisa said it was pleasing to note that Mr Sata had finally chosen to expose his true character of being a danger to national security and an untrustworthy person by admitting to leaking information which had in the end cracked his party hierarchy.

“It is not surprising that Mr Sata’s tricks have caught up with him because this is the man who used to report to the colonial masters every bit of information when others met to liberate the country.

“Zambians should be extremely careful with this man because the liberation he is talking about now may just mean taking the country back to his colonial masters going by the issues he went to advocate for during his recent trip to the United Kingdom,” he said.

Mr Maimisa said it was true that some PF Members of Parliament were currently disgruntled and were planning to leave the party, especially that Mr Sata did not seem to be set to go to the party national convention.

“In fact some MPs are now planning to petition the PF central committee to elect a person to be floated as a presidential candidate in this year’s elections because they feel Mr Sata is undemocratic and wants to continue imposing himself on the members,” Mr Maimisa said.

And Mr Kalusa said an opposition leader who admits having leaked information that is responsible for causing divisions among his leaders could plunge the country into chaos should he assume State power.

Mr Kalusa said even when UPND and PF ran the pact, Mr Sata leaked sensitive information to a private newspaper, a habit which showed lack of leadership skills. He warned Zambians that the country could degenerate into turmoil against other states should the PF leader become president.

He said Mr Sata should know that he would not become president of Zambia and that the challenge would only be between President Banda and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Kalusa said the weaknesses that had exposed Mr Sata, including his support for homosexuality, should make the PF leader forget about becoming president of this country.

Mr Kalusa also said in his usual dictatorial way of running the party, Mr Sata whose party had failed to hold the national convention, recently appointed Rebby Chanda as PF Copperbelt provincial chairperson despite having been rejected by the PF members who attended the provincial conference in Mufulira, in preference for former Masaiti PF secretary Sturdy Mwale who had since been suspended for challenging Mr Sata’s preferred candidate and tribesman.

[Times of Zambia]

Dr Machungwa said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that those who supported MrSata have learnt a lesson and the divisions are likely to continue.

He was commenting on divisions which have rocked the opposition party.

“More members will leave the PF because of the bad leadership exhibited by Mr Sata. He will only remain with people who have accepted to be insulted and shouted at,” he said.

He said Mr Sata’s negative attitude towards his members will cost him in the 2011 elections.

Dr Machungwa said Mr Sata’s dictatorial leadership will force all good members to leave the PF.

And Committee of Citizens (CoC) executive director Gregory Chifire said the divisions in the PF are a sign of Mr Sata’s type of government should he be elected president.

Mr Chifire said Kafulafut amember of Parliament George Mpombo, former works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti and former ambassador to Libya Mbita Chitala have contributed to divisions in the PF.

He said the three individuals and Mr Sata practise ‘politics of lies and fabrications.’

Mr Chifire said Mr Sata is good at using people to advance his cause.

He said Zambians are not ready to vote for Mr Sata because he has never been democratically elected at a party convention.

Mr Chifire said Mr Sata’s support for gay rights will extensively divide the party. He said MrSata has nothing to offer and deliver to the people of Zambia as he lacks leadership qualities.

Mr Chifire urged PF members who are still reluctant to leave PF to do so as MrSata is just wasting their time.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing Moses Muteteka says the Patriotic Front (PF) in Northern Province has continued to sponsor hooligans who are disturbing MMD meetings at which the ruling party is explaining to the people the projects it has implemented in the area.

Mr. Muteteka said in a telephone interview from Chinsali yesterday the PF is unsettled by what the MMD has done for the people of Northern Province, and has therefore resorted to violence.

He said the reason for that behaviour is that the PF has no issues on which to campaign, and has chosen violence as a way of venting its frustrations on the MMD.

He said on Wednesday night the MMD uncovered a ploy in which some PF youths in Chinsali were strategising on how to disturb the MMD meetings, and threatened Minister of Education Dora Siliya, who is in the same entourage as Mr Muteteka and Minister of Labour and Social Security Austin Liato.

Mr. Muteteka said the youths became unruly, but police managed to apprehend some of them in connection with the violence.

“It is just normal for the PF to appreciate that we have delivered development, but what they are doing is backward type of politics,” he said.

Mr Muteteka said he has also discovered that PF MPs in the province are abusing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) money by engaging their relatives and friends and giving them money for contracts that they are not executing.

He said in one incident, he discovered that a named MP paid a purported contractor K60 million for the construction of a clinic, but the project has been at foundation level for the past seven months. Nothing is happening at the site.

Mr. Muteteka said it is unfortunate that the PF MPs have taken advantage of the huge allocations of CDF, which is supposed to benefit the people in the communities.

But he warned that any contractor who will be discovered to have got CDF money for unexecuted projects will be dealt with accordingly.

And Mr Muteteka has said as MMD youth chairman, he is disappointed with the PF leadership for abusing youths to work against the government, which is working hard to empower young people with survival skills and resources.

He urged the PF to discipline its cadres involved in acts of violence against the MMD.
[ Zambia Daily mail ]

THE Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has been challenged to publish the grounds on which the association wanted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to rely on in appealing against the judgment involving former president Frederick Chiluba.

Former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Edward Mumbi has also challenged the association to publish the entire judgment so that members of the public can read and make informed decisions on the acquittal of the former Head of State.

In a letter to LAZ president Musa Mwenye dated May 11, 2011 concerning his statement of May 10, Mr Mumbi said it was surprising that almost two years after the judgment was passed, the association had failed to publish the said judgment from which calls for the resignation of Chalwe Mchenga had emanated.

“Publishing the judgment would have greatly assisted the public make informed decisions on the case of Dr Chiluba.

“In fact, the failure by LAZ to publish the judgment in the case of Dr Chiluba is what has led to unjustified and misguided attacks on Mr Mchenga, magistrate Jones Chinyama and the judiciary,” he said.

Mr Mumbi said LAZ was perceived to be in the forefront of attempting to destroy the credibility of the judiciary and the justice system in Zambia.

“In order to restore the credibility of LAZ and show that the association believes in fairness and justice, I challenge you as LAZ president to ensure the entire judgment in the Chiluba case is published for people to make informed decisions on the acquittal of Dr Chiluba and the reasons or grounds which LAZ expected that the DPP should have relied on in appealing the judgment are published immediately before issuing any further misleading statements,” Mr Mumbi wrote.

He also challenged Mr Mwenye and LAZ to behave differently from uninformed civil society organisations by ensuring it published judgments in which the public may have interest so members of the public could read on their own and appreciate the contents.

[Times of Zambia]

Zambia is among Least Developed Countries that will face a gradual phasing out of grant aid from donors because of its good economic performance.

Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has told journalists in Turkey that Zambia’s income per person has grown from US $330 to $1 200 in the last ten years.

Dr Musoktwane says the donors are reviewing their position with countries that are posting positive economic results including Zambia.

He says Denmark has already given a three year notice while Holland has also indicated its intention to do the same even though the withdrawal period is yet to be agreed upon.

Dr Musokotwane says the process of phasing out aid dependency will be gradual and will be negotiated from country to country.

[pullquote]Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has told journalists in Turkey that Zambia’s income per person has grown from US $330 to $1 200 in the last ten years.[/pullquote]

He says Zambia should be ready for the move because it can not depend on aid permanently.

Zambia is deemed as one of the country’s that can graduate from the LDC category to the middle income status because of its increased per capita income.

Members of the Least Developed countries must have a per capita income of about 7-hundred and fifty or less but Zambia has per capita income of 1-thousand 2-hundred.

Other factors that make a nation a Least Developed country include high economic vulnerability in relation to population size, diversity of goods exported and instability of exports of goods and services.

ZNBC

The Danish government has denied accusations that Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata was soliciting for funds from that country in return for Zambia’s recognition of gay rights once the PF forms government.

Danish Ambassador to Zambia Thomas Schjerbeck has denied the assertions describing them as false and should not be believed.

In an interview with QFM-Radio this morning, Mr. Schjerbeck has challenged those accusing the Danish government of holding talks with Mr. Sata on the gay rights to prove their allegations.

He has stated that it is wrong for the media and people to speculate that the Patriotic Front leader was soliciting for funds from gay supporting countries in exchange for the recognition of gay rights in Zambia once the PF forms government.

Mr Scjerbeck adds that the interview that the Danish media had with Mr. Sata was a private matter that has nothing to with Danish government.

He further says that the rumors and accusations are based on a false foundation.

Mr. Sata has recently come under attack from some organizations for allegedly soliciting for funds from donor countries in exchange for the recognition of gay rights in Zambia if he became President.

QFM

Critical water shortage has severely hit parts of Chipata town in Eastern province since last Friday after water pipe was damaged during road construction works.

Eastern Water and Sewerage Company Managing Director Wamuwi Changani disclosed during a media briefing in Chipata yesterday that Sable Construction Company damaged the 280 millimeter asbestos water pipe on Kanjala road.

The affected areas are Kanjala, Little Bombay,Chipata Motel, old Jim and Jere areas.

He added that the most hit of the area was Chipata Motel adding that the company would send a water baser to cushion the problem.

He urged the residents in the affected areas to pay attention to the schedule so that they do not miss the opportunity of access to water.

The Director assured the residents that water supply would be restored by May 14, since the company had already managed to source for the materials.

And Mr Changani stated that the utility company would continue to engage stakeholders to relate on ways of how to protect infrastructure without damaging and causing problems such as the bursting of pipes.

He stated that the company would continue meeting with stakeholders to ensure coordination improved and infrastructure protection to avoid inconveniencing the residents.
[ ZANIS ]

A prosecution witness has contradicted herself in evidence given to a Choma magistrate court during the ongoing trial of a Germany national facing a charge of defilement of a minor.

Julia Saboi,35, a businesswoman of Kabanana compound in Choma gave a different statement in court from the one she presented to the police.

This was after Saboi was twice made to read section 104 and the amended act no 6 of 1972 criminal procedure code no 150 cap 88 of the laws of Zambia.

Saboi, however, told magistrate Jacob Mbolela that she made a mistake in her earlier statement to the police and that she did not go through it hence her contradictory statement to the court.

This was in cross examination by defence lawyer Milner Katolo of Milner and Associates.

This is in a case in which Bernd Hieke is alleged to have defiled his eight year old step daughter.

In her earlier statement to the police which was read in court, Saboi had told police that she had attempted to insert her fingers into the private parts of the eight year old girl in the process of trying to ascertain if the minor had been defiled.

Saboi had told police that when she attemtped to insert her fingers, the minor screamed but during cross examination by defence she denied the act.

And another witness Flovian Mayuka 33 of Kabanana compound in Choma also told the court how she received a phone call from the mother to the alleged defiled girl to go and help her find out why there was some strange smell from the alleged victim’s private parts.

She narrated how they made the alleged defiled girl lie on her bed and started counselling her before they checked her private part.

Mayuka told the court that together with Saboi, he saw some kind of a red pimple and a cut inside the girl ‘s private, prompting them to question what happened.

The trial Magistrate adjourned the matter to 13th June, 2011 for continuation of trial as two medical doctors who are prosecution witnesses could not make it to court. One is reported to be out side country while the other is attending a workshop.

Last week an eight year (8) old girl of Choma testified before the Choma Magistrate Court how her stepfather alleged sexually abused her in their family house.

The named girl who is a grade three (3) pupil at one of the private Schools in the district said her stepfather is alleged to have been used to sneaking into her bedroom with intent to have sex with her.

She told the Magistrate court that her stepfather had allegedly sexually abused her twice in their home who during the act had threatened the little girl not to tell her mother.

She explained that the man had promised to continue buying her presents which the mother was not buying her because he loved her.
Bernd Hieke who is currently staying in Lusaka is a former employ of Southern Water and Sewerage Company.

Defence Lawyer made an application for a speedy trial because his client is out of employment as his contract was terminated by the Germany Technical Cooperation (GTZ) owing to the same case and is currently facing financial constraints.

He added that the tenancy of his client is ending this month end and pleaded for the case to be speeded up.
[ ZANIS ]