A man of Mufulira has committed suicide after killing his wife and seriously wounding his mother-in-law with an axe.

Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Martin Malama has identified the man as Lewis Chomba.

Dr. Malama has told ZNBC News in Kitwe that Chomba’s wife Brender Ziwawo run away to her mother following a dispute with her husband.

The husband followed the wife to her mother’s home where he murdered her.

Dr. Malama says the husband then used an axe to inflict deep wounds on his seventy-year old mother-in-law, Violet Mutuba who sustained serious injuries.

The man then drunk Boom and died later.

The injured old woman is in hospital while the bodies of the husband and his wife are in the mortuary.

[ZNBC]

The United Party for National Development UPND has dispelled information circulating on one of the online publications that its leader Hakainde Hichilema will endorse President Rupiah Banda in this year’s elections.

UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has described the information as nonsensical stating that his party will never endorse the presidency of the MMD.

Mr. Mweetwa says the information is being circulated by enemies of the party that would want to see the UPND collapse.

He says the UPND has been fighting the Movement for Multiparty Democracy since its inception, and wonders how the party can now enter into alliance with the ruling party.

He has since stated that despite the negative publicity the party has continued to receive, it will not stop from advancing its agenda to the Zambian people.

Mr Mweetwa adds that the party will this Saturday launching the Vote for HH 2011 campaign in Lusaka ahead of the polls.

He says the launch will mark the beginning of the campaigns for the UPND ahead of the tripartite elections.

Information circulating indicates that Mr. Hichilema will endorse president Rupiah Banda as the presidential candidate a few days before filing of presidential nominations.

It is reported that high level secret meetings have been taking place since early last month between Mr. Hichilema, President Banda and top level private trustees.
[QFM]

Striking Shoprite workers have vowed not to go back to work until management pays out the sixteen billion kwacha service fund owed to workers.

ZNBC found Shoprite workers at Manda Hill chanting slogans and dancing in protest against management.

Several shoppers were disappointed to find the Manda Hill store closed.

National Union of commercial and industrial workers President Robert Munsanje says the workers will not return to work until management pays out the sixteen billion kwacha or transfers the funds to NAPSA.

Mr Munsanje told ZNBC News on Tuesday that the workers are also demanding an end to casualisation of workers.

He said about 70 percent of the workers at Shoprite are casual workers.

Mr Munsanje says Shoprite management has been taking workers for granted for too long.

Efforts to get the minister of labour failed as he was reported to be in a meeting.

Shoprite workers started their nation wide strike on Monday
[ ZNBC ]

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has said Patriotic Front(PF) leader Michael Sata and his supporters are now under pressure to clear the mess surrounding their party following its alleged promise to defend and protect the rights of homosexuals and lesbians in an event that the PF wins this year’s elections.

Mr Hichilema said in an interview that it was unfair for the PF and what he termed as their favourite newspaper to continue attacking the UPND because it resolved to differ with them over their homosexuality stance.

He said he was an African and a Christian, who did not believe in homosexuality and that his party, should not be unfairly attacked for making its position clear on the matter.

Mr Hichilema, who also accused some sections of the media of openly supporting the PF and neglecting the rest of the opposition parties said, the same media was now misleading the public on the demise of the electoral pact between his party and the PF.

Mr Hichilema said those who wanted to misinform the public on issues which led to the demise of the UPND-PF Pact and his party’s position on some national issues which came out afterwards, were just wasting their time.

“Mr Sata should come out in the open and tell Zambians the truth about his party’s support for homosexuality because a lot of people are aware of the interview he gave to the foreign media in which he suggested that he supports gay rights.

The UPND should not be blamed by this mess which needs to be cleared by Mr Sata and his favourite newspaper,” he said.

He said it was not a secret that The Post Newspaper and Kafulafuta Member of Parliament (MP) George Mpombo, had embarked on a campaign suggesting that UPND was working in collaboration with President Banda to discredit Mr Sata.

Mr Hichilema said the stories published by The Post claiming that he was campaigning for President Banda clearly showed that Mr Mpombo and others were determined to deliberately mislead the public about the UPND position on national issues.

He said the PF’s poor performance in last month’s Mutaba Ward by-election in Kafulafuta Constituency, despite being under the leadership of Mr Mpombo, had left the PF and its supporters bitter.

“The loss of the PF which was being led by the area’s sitting MP has shown the nation that Mr Mpombo no longer has influence in Kafulafuta and among the Lamba’s in general,” he said.

Mr Hichilema said he was consistent in raising issues and not personalities in all his campaign messages in Mutaba and other parts of the country he had been holding public meetings.

“I have held public meetings in Mutaba, Chongwe, Nangoma and Mazabuka but I have personally neve r discussed Mr Sata or any personalities because I believe in addressing issues.

“Its unfortunate that Mr Mpombo is now not happy that the public media covers some of my public meetings just because their favourite newspaper is giving me a blackout they expect all media houses not to cover me. Is this fair?” Mr Hichilema asked.

And UPND Copperbelt Province chairperson Elisha Matambo has accused Mr Mpombo of being ungrateful to Mr Hichilema and the UPND which he alleged assisted him with K10 million last year when he was facing a financial crisis.

Mr Matambo said his party regrets having assisted Mr Mpombo, who once served as its councillor in Kafulafuta before he defected to the MMD.

And Mr Hichilema confirmed that he assisted Mr Mpombo with cash but refused to divulge further details on the matter.

“My only advice to Mr Mpombo is that he should learn to be grateful to people who help him when he is facing serious problems,” he said.

But Mr Mpombo denied having received any money from Mr Hichilema and challenged the UPND to take him to court if he owed them any money.

Meanwhile, UPND trustee for presidential duties Cornwell Sakala advised Mr Mpombo to have integrity and tell the truth about where he go t the K10 million which he used to settle a debt he owed Ndola business-executive Terence Findlay, who dragged him to court after he issued a rubber cheque last year.

[Times of Zambia]

Chief Government spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ronnie Shikapwasha has called for cooperation from all electoral stakeholders to allow the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to do its job without interference.

Lt. Gen Shikapwasha says the ECZ is the only body authorized to announce and conduct elections in the country.

He emphasized that other organisations should pave way for the ECZ and let the rules apply in order to have peaceful elections.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha was reacting to Chipata Catholic Diocese Vicar General Fr. Gabriel Sepo’s statement that the catholic church will go ahead to conduct the Parallel Voter Tabulation in this year’s tripartite elections.

He said that government will not allow some organizations to bring anarchy by being insistent about conducting PVT.

The Catholic Church has maintained that it will conduct the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) during this year’s general elections.

Catholic Diocese of Chipata Vicar General Gabriel Sepo said the church will conduct PVT as it is not illegal during this year’s elections.

He stated that the church through Caritas Zambia is already training election monitors to conduct PVT during the forthcoming general elections.

He said this in Chipata over the weekend.
[ QFM ]

CHIEF Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has accused the Post Newspaper of using a former Ngambela of the Barosteland, Maxwell Mututwa of Mongu to peddle a political agenda aimed at discrediting President Rupiah Banda’s hard work.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said Mr Banda was mourning the deaths of two youths killed during a riot sparked by debates on the Barosteland Agreement of 1964 and that it was wrong for Mr Mututwa to charge that the president was unapologetic over the shootings and killings in Mongu.

Reacting to Mr Mututwa, 92, who was quoted in yesterday’s Post as having said President Banda should leave his post because he was unapologetic over the Mongu shootings, Gen Shikapwasha said Mr Banda was a leader for all Zambians.

He said the Post and Mr Mututwa were fighting a political war against President Banda and the Government reflected through the continued negative writing on happenings in Western Province.

Gen Shikapwasha said the Post was closely working with Mr Mututwa because the two had set an agenda to soil the image of Mr Banda’s hard working Government.

“President Banda is remorseful and compassionate over the loss of the two lives in Mongu.

“He is currently mourning with the bereaved family and the Post Newspaper with Mr Mututwa are just on a political agenda to discredit the good name of President Banda,” he said.

He said the president was focused on ensuring peace and harmony continued to prevail in all parts of the country to foster development in Zambia.

In January this year, Mr Mututwa with several Mongu residents were arrested and charged with treason over the Barotseland Agreement fracas which left two Mongu youths dead.
He was later discharged through a nolle prosequi.

[Times of Zambia]