The Constitution of Zambia Bill failed to pass through the second reading stage in Parliament today after failing to garner the minimum two thirds majority to pass.

This was after only ninety three Member of Parliament voted in favour of the Bill of the required 106.

Twenty Members of Parliament abstained from the voting which was conducted through a physical division after the electronic voting system developed a technical fault shortly before voting could take place.

Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwamba told the Members of Parliament that the failure of the Constitution Bill to GO through the second reading stage means that the 1991 constitution as amended substantially in 1996 will remain in place in its current form.

Earlier Vice president George Kunda told the house that the Constitution of Zambia bill sought to preserve laws in existence before the coming into effect of the constitution as amended.

QFM

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]