A serious rift has emerged between Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata and members of the central committee who have accused their leader of leaking confidential information to newcomers in the party.

PF founder member, Sam Zulu said in Lusaka yesterday that some members of the central committee had indicated that there were differences in the opposition political party where Mr Sata had resorted to play a “role of a swinger.”

When contacted, Mr Sata confirmed that he had been doing so because he did not believe in gossip but wanted transparency in running of the party.

Mr Zulu said there were complaints among the senior members that Mr Sata had decided to embrace newcomers such as Panji Kaunda, former Zambian ambassador to Libya Mbita Chitala, former Defence minister George Mpombo, and former Works and Supply minister Mike Mulongoti at the expense of the ‘old faithful’.

Some members of the central committee have said Mr Sata was fond of reporting every piece of information which came on his desk by virtue of his position, a situation which had raised questions about his credibility as a leader.

They said Mr Sata was at the centre of promoting gossip in the top party hierarchy because he wanted to impress newcomers at the expense of old members.

“What is happening in the PF is real disaster because a lot of members of Parliament are now even planning to defect to the ruling MMD just after Parliament is dissolved.

“Having been a PF member and still with friends in the opposition political party, some members have confided in me that there is actually a serious crisis which has totally cracked the PF hierarchybecause of Mr Sata’s divide-and-rule tactics.

“There are complaints that there is too much gossip in the party such that one cannot even confide in the PF leader for fear of being reported to the person under discussion,” Mr Zulu said.

He said with such happenings, several PF MPs who did not even attend the National Constitutional Conference were now planning to defect to the ruling party once Parliament was dissolved.

According to some members of the central committee, Mr Sata had decided to sideline two once-upon-a-time vocal party spokespersons Wynter Kabimba and Given Lubinda, accusing the duo of failing to campaign for him effectively and now preferred to use Colonel Kaunda, Dr Chitala andMr Mpombo whom he had unleashed to discredit the Government.

He said although Mr Sata had accepted Mr Mulongoti, he had hinted to some of the senior PF members that he was reluctant to work with the former MMD chairperson for elections because of his inconsistencies, and that the PF leader did not have trust in him.

“In fact very soon you will hear that Mr Kabimba has resigned because he is bitter while Mr Lubinda who Mr Sata wants to contest Keembe Constituency in this year’s elections is frustrated because he knows that he cannot beat the incumbent MP, Ronnie Shikapwasha and now thinks Mr Sata just wants him out of the party limelight.

“As for Mr Kabimba, the problems with Mr Sata started just after his (Kabimba’s) father publicly condemned his son for working with the PF president,” Mr Zulu said.

Mr Sata confirmed that he had been giving out information in order to promote transparency in the party.

“I believe in transparency and that is why each time anyone talks about someone, I go and tell the person under discussion. What is wrong with me doing that? In fact that was what I was doing even when I was MMD national secretary.

“In fact that Zulu has never held any position in PF and he is now just playing the role of fufuleza (meaning Vuvuzela) for the MMD,” he said.

He said there was nothing wrong in him embracing the newcomers in PF, adding that there were no membership cards in his party to distinguish new members from old ones.
[Times of Zambia]

Former Vice-President Lupando Mwape should disclose the real reasons behind his recall from China where he was serving as ambassador, the MMD has said.

MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu said in a statement yesterday that his party finds Mr Mwape’s “cowardly and veiled” attack on President Banda in yesterday’s edition of The Post “irresponsible, misleading and uncalled for”.
He said those who are privy to details behind his recall find his statement “hilarious”.

“Mr Mwape should shut up before he disgraces himself further. He must stop provoking others,” Mr Nyangu said.

Mr Nyangu said Mr Mwape must realise that the attacks on President Banda will not help him in any way and he should not deliberately mislead the public.

Mr Mwape alleged during the burial of former Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) vice-president Chewe Lupili in Ndola on Monday said he was recalled from his diplomatic posting because he was “too old”.

The former Vice-President also said President Banda has not initiated any development programmes and has just been implementing what President Mwanawasa initiated.

“Mr Mwape’s statement on President Banda’s government is coming from an extremely bitter and ungrateful heart,” Mr Nyangu said.

He said Mr Mwape should stop apportioning his own failures on innocent people including President Banda.

“Mr Mwape is entirely to blame for his recall. He cannot point a finger at anyone. It is saddening that Mr Mwape chose to vent his frustrations at a funeral,” Mr Nyangu said.

Mr Nyangu said Mr Mwape’s opinion on President Banda and development must be dismissed as careless talk which does not even deserve a response.

He said it is not anybody’s fault that Mr Mwape has chosen not to see the development strides President Banda and his government are making.

Meanwhile, JERRY MUNTHALI reports that the MMD in Northern Province has castigated Mr Mwape for attacking President Banda.

MMD Northern Province chairman Stephen Mukuka said in an interview from Kasama yesterday that Mr Mwape is not a factor in politics because he allegedly failed to explain Government policies when he was sent into the diplomatic service.

“Mr Mwape is nowhere to be in Northern Province. He was sent abroad so that he can explain Government policy but he couldn’t make it,” Mr Mukuka said.

He said he is happy that the people of Northern Province are rejoining the MMD because of the Patriotic Front’s alleged support for gay rights and the collapse of the United Party for National Development -PF pact.

“The people of Northern Province are not happy with the vulgar language of the PF. They have lost confidence in the leadership of the opposition party because of its support for homosexuality and lesbianism. We are appealing to them to vote for President Banda in this year’s elections,” Mr Mukuka said.

Mr Mukuka said 82 PF members from Tazara township in Kasama defected to the MMD on Monday.

He said the MMD’s tour of the 13 districts of Northern Province has yielded positive results as former members have been rejoining the MMD.

Mr Mukuka said the presence of Minister of Education Dora Siliya and Minister of Labour and Social Security Austin Liato has helped the MMD in the province to explain Government policy to the electorate.

The MMD tour of Northern Province started on May 3 and is expected to end on May 17.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

The House of Chiefs has condemned Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata for allegedly lobbying the British government to help to reinstate the disbanded Task Force on Corruption in Zambia.

House of Chiefs chairperson Chief Madzimawe said in an interview yesterday that such acts of desperation are not good.

The chief said it is surprising that Mr Sata went to lobby for the reintroduction of the Task Force on Corruption when he knows very well that there are existing structures in the country which adequately deal with cases of corruption.

He said what Mr Sata should be doing is to call on donors to financially assist existing structures such as the Drug Enforcement Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police.

During his recent visit to London, Mr Sata is alleged to have also sought support to split Zambia through the Barotseland Agreement.

“The motives behind Mr Sata’s actions are difficult to understand. The House of Chiefs has preached over and over that politicians should talk about issues, but this seems to fall on deaf ears,” Chief Madzimawe said.

On the Barotseland Agreement, Chief Madzimawe said even Mr Sata himself, if elected President, would not like to inherit a split country.

He said seeking this kind of support is not beneficial to Zambia.

“We are a unitary state and calls for the secession of Western Province must be dismissed,” he said.

Independent Churches of Zambia president David Masupa said Mr Sata’s trip to the UK is regrettable.

He said it is not right for a leader of a political party to lobby for such kind of support from former colonial masters who have recognised Zambia as a sovereign state.

Reverend Masupa said most people will recall that Mr Sata was against the Task Force and called it an illegal body which practised selective justice.

“Mr Sata is showing citizens that he is not a serious leader and the British government must begin to see this and ignore him,” Rev Masupa said.

He said it has now become clear that Mr Sata is desperate for power and will go to any lengths to try to assume power.

“He has shown that he does not care about the people of Western Province by calling for it to be separated from Zambia,” he said.

Rev Masupa said the MMD is a responsible Government which cannot allow Zambia to be split into two.

He said Western Province is part of Zambia and this is the reason Government has initiated several projects in the province.

Committee of Citizens executive director Gregory Chifire said Mr Sata is a man of “double standards” who is on record as having labelled the Task Force an illegal institution.

Mr Chifire said the PF leader has shown that he has no leadership qualities and does not understand what it means to be a sovereign state.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

Former Finance minister Ng’andu Magande says the ruling MMD will not have it easy in this year’s elections.

Mr. Magande says the type of leadership the MMD has continued to provide to the country will make it hard for them to bounce back into power.

He has also noted that the ruling party’s campaigns will be hard especially with the expulsion of senior members.

Mr. Magande says it is evident that the MMD’s chances of winning this year’s elections are blink.

He adds that the concerns raised by former Vice president Lupando Mwape and the criticism coming from former works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti is a sign that the Rupiah Banda administration has failed.

He says Zambians will now judge for themselves if the MMD has worked according to their expectations.

Mr. Magande said this in an interview with QFM.

QFM

The Lusaka Magistrate Court has set June 15 as judgment a case in which Enviroflo Limited Director Angelique Elsing was sued by her maid for defamation of character contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

51 year old Elsing, a nurse by profession and director at Enviroflo Limited, appeared before Chief Resident Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile for allegedly telling , Rosemary Mbuzi, her maid ,that she was HIV positive.

Angelique told the court during cross examination by the defense lawyer that she did not fire Rosemary on grounds that she is HIV positive and did not at any point tell her that she was HIV positive.

She told the court that Mbuzi, who worked for her for 4 years, refused to renew her contract last year in September after it expired and that the she only got concerned about the Mbuzi’s health as she had developed lymphnods when she resumed duty from leave.

The court further heard that after Mbuzi’s husband died, his employer hinted to Elsing ‘s husband that the deceased had died from HIV related illness.

In addition, she told the court she had heard that Elsing was saying that Rosemary’s daughter was not growing well as she always slept in class.

The accused told the court that she then told her maid to go for Voluntary Testing and Counseling (VCT ) as there could be possibility of one becoming infected from an infected partner. However, Mbuzi did not go for counseling as advised by her employer.

The court also heard that when Mbuzi told her employer that she had TB (tuberclosis) last year, the accused wrote a letter to the doctor to asking if Rosemary’s TB was conten or not and got a response was that it was not.

Elsing further said after Mbuzi refused to sign forms to renew her contract she only got a phone call from a named private television station in November last year that she fired Mbuzi for being HIV positive.

During chief cross examination by the complaint, Mbuzi insisted that Elsing told her that she was HIV positive and that her daughter has also been sick.

She said her employers’ remarks has dented her image and human dignity.

Magistrate Mikalile urged the contending parties to make written submissions to the court before June 15, 2011, the date which has been set as judgment.

ZANIS

Four Zambian U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan’s contested Abyei region were yesterday shot and wounded by unknown attackers, the United Nations said.

The oil rich Abyei region is another north/south flashpoint.

The attackers shot the Zambian peacekeepers in Goli north of Abyei town on Tuesday afternoon, Hua Jiang, spokeswoman for the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said.

She said one of them was seriously wounded, and all were evacuated to Abyei for treatment.

In a separate incident more than 80 rebels and civilians were killed when insurgents attacked a camp in south Sudan, the army said on Tuesday, in the latest violence to mar preparations for the region’s independence.

People from Sudan’s oil-producing south overwhelmingly voted to secede in a referendum in January, promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the north.

Celebrations over the independence vote have been marred by a wave of tribal violence and clashes between the south’s army and renegade militias.

QFM

President Rupiah Banda has urged the international community to address the challenges that least developed countries (LDCs) face in the effective utilization of preferential trade arrangements.

Speaking during a high-level interactive debate on the theme: “Harnessing Trade for Least Developed Development and Transformation”, yesterday, President Banda said major gaps still remained with regard to timeliness, adequacy and appropriateness of such preferential trade initiatives.

The President said notable challenges with preferential market access schemes have been the rules of origin as well as the stringent and sometimes excessive standards requirements.

Mr. Banda noted that LDCs’s continued to face supply side constraints that impeded their efforts of integrating into global trade. He pointed out that these constraints were related to infrastructure problems which negatively affected production, transportation and quality assurance of products emanating from least developed countries.

“It is, therefore, imperative that these challenges are addressed in a coherent and practical manner if we are to harness the role of trade in development and poverty reduction. Our cooperating partners need to go beyond the preferential market access schemes and invest in making LDC’s true development and trade partners,” the President said.

President Banda said the lack of progress in the negotiations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s Doha Development Agenda has also added to the challenges faced by LDCs.

“The Doha Agenda is an important platform to create reasonable progress towards the attainment of sustainability and equity in global trade. Delays in concluding the talks are of particular concern to our countries. The development-oriented conclusion of the WTO Doha round of negotiations is, therefore, crucial,” the President said..

The Zambian Head of State noted that while economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations with the European Union have reached a critical stage, the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) concerns have not been fully addressed.

“We need to re-think the development path that will contribute to the stability of the global economy at large and the sustained growth and structural transformation of LDCs in particular. Harnessing trade for LDCs development and transformation requires concerted efforts from all partners and stakeholders supported by adequate financial, institutional and human resource,” President Banda said.

The President said there was need also to reform the investment policies to facilitate the flow of resources to sectors that allowed LDCs to tap into high-value supply chains and ensure that LDCs were not condemned to being perpetual suppliers of raw materials.

Prseident Banda said technical assistance and capacity-building programmes such as the Enhanced Integrated Framework and Aid for Trade should continue to be strengthened to assist LDCs address their supply capacity constraints, especially for value-added processes.

“My delegation firmly believes that trade, if properly managed and linked to other economic and social sectors, has high potential for unlocking the path to sustainable development and structural transformation for LDCs” the President added.

ZANIS

The ruling MMD in Mkushi district in central Province has disputed claims attributed by opposition Patriotic Fronts (PF ) in the province that the opposition party was more popular in the district.

MMD Mkushi North Constituency Chairperson Emmanuel Mwansa said the statement issued in the post Newspaper published on May 3rd, 2011 are untrue and unfounded.

In the Post Newspaper story, PF Provincial Chairman Benson Chali is quoted as saying his party enjoyed widespread popularity in Mkushi district.

However, Mr. Mwansa said to the contrary the ruling MMD in Mkushi district was intact at all levels and has pledged support for President Rupiah Banda in this years’ tripartite polls.

Mr. Mwansa said the PF claims had no substance and that Mr. Chali had never successfully articulated the PF manifesto to convince Mkushi residents on why they maintained its solid shape in the district.

And MMD Mkushi District Youth Chairman Charles Chanda observed that the PF was panicking because of the many successes recorded not only in the district but across the nation by President Banda.

Mr. Chanda described the PF claims of popularity as wishful thinking because the PF was nervous of the developmental projects embarked on by the MMD Government.

He added that PF leader Michael Sata and the entire PF leadership were panicking and now opted to issuing false claims where-ever they are in a bid to build the image of the party.

ZANIS

Former Defence minister George Mpombo has charged that Zambians will one day know the truth about the $100 million arms deal allegations he made against President Rupiah Banda.

The Kafulafuta Member of Parliament says he has left the issue arms deal to Zambians for them to judge in the coming months.

Mr. Mpombo says President Banda knows it deep down that that he has always been telling the truth on the arms deal.

He adds that documents support the allegations he made are at the ministry of finance and national planning and has challenged investigative wings to take up the matter.

Mr. Mpombo explained to QFM News that President Banda is merely jittery because he knows that his time in State house is almost coming to an end.

He further states that it is clear the Republican President is in panic mode because of the diminishing support that the ruling party has continued to experience.

He says time will tell his allegations against the president of are false and cannot be supported.

QFM