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UPND, PF both to blame for pact demise – Nkombo

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United Party for National Development (UPND) Mazabuka central Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo has described the breaking up of the UPND/PF pact as the most difficult and terrible time for the opposition political parties.

Giving his personal view to QFM yesterday Mr. Nkombo says that the demise of the pact should be blamed on the failure by the pact partners to understand each other.

Mr. Nkombo says though he is personally displeased by the decision of the UPND to break away from the PACT, he believes the action was God’s intervention.

He says the relationship between the two parties was not good for them to form government.

Mr. Nkombo has appealed to Zambians to understand that the relationship of the two political parties was going to be a perfect ingredient to put the nation on fire.

He further noted that among the factors that made the PACT fail was that the two political parties never trusted each other.

Mr. Nkombo observed that there was a heavy hand in the Patriotic Front that did not want to see the PACT succeed.

And Mr. Nkombo has stated that the PF does not have what it takes to revive the failed political alliance.
[ QFM ]

Sata is a liar – HH

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UPND president Hakainde Hichilema

UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema has described PF leader Michael Sata as a liar and a dishonest person. Mr Hichilema said that it was unfortunate that Mr. Sata who is seeking public and political office can go on Radio to tell Zambians lies about him.

He said that it was a blatant lie for Mr. Sata to mislead the public that the two leaders have been meeting after the collapse of the political pact.

Mr. Hichilema was speaking this morning when he contributed to a live-phone in programme dubbed ‘Lusaka Star’ on UNZA radio. He said that dishonesty by Mr. Sata was the order of the day even when the two parties were in the pact.

And Mr Hichilema said that his party wanted to agree on policies with PF Leader Michael Sata before forming government because they suspected Mr. Sata could have introduced gay and lesbian rights.

He said that the UPND did not want Mr. Sata to pull a surprise by introducing gay and lesbian rights once in authority.

Mr Sata recently told journalists from Denmark that Zambia has laws that recognise Gay and Lesbian rights which only need implementation.

The church and civil society organisations have since roundly condemned Mr Sata for advocating gay rights.

[ZNBC]

Weeeknd Scorecard: NCV Strong Without Me-Simataa

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Simataa Simataa says his absence from the FAZ AGM on Saturday will not sway the affiliates resolve over the no-confidence vote.

Simataa is serving an indefinite suspension after ignoring a Faz disciplinary committee summon to answer charges for writing letters to banks to freeze Faz’s accounts at the height of the impasse when he was the Andrew Kamanga led factions general secretary.

¨For some reason they believe that if Simataa is not there they will have it easy,” Simataa told Muvi TV Assignment show on which he was the guest on Sunday.

“This is not about Simataa it is the affiliates. Suspending me on writing to banks well this area they have come into is a forest for them but for me it is a plain.

“They have entered into an area where there are no free kicks I have been a banker most of my life. How did they expect the banks to operate when there was a dissolved committee as directed by the National Sports Council?¨

SCORECARD

CAF AFRICA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

19/03/2011

Trade Fair Grounds, Ndola

Zesco United 5 (Alfred Luputa 2″ 11″ 77″, Kangwa Chileshe 15″, Nicholas Zulu 67″) – Young Buffaloes 0

CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

18/03/2011

Kenya stadium, Lubumbashi

Lupopo 1(Carrington Gambo 21”)- Nchanga Rangers 0

TOP SCORERS

19/03/2011

Kangwa Chileshe (Zesco): 5

Alfred Luputa (Zesco United):4

Lewis Macha (Nchanga Rangers): 3

Portipher Zulu (Zesco United): 2

Nicholas Zulu (Zesco United): 1
Innocent Mwaba (Zesco United): 1
Enock Sakala (Zesco United): 1
Dears Kakunta (Green Buffaloes): 1
Chakwa Lungu (Zesco United) 1
Jackson Mwanza (Zesco United):1
Alfred Luputa (Zesco United): 1
William Chinse (Nkana): 1
Raynold Kampamba (Nkana): 1
Allan Kombe (Nkana): 1

Shangombo Hospital project on course

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Construction works on the 13 billion kwacha Shangombo district hospital in the Western province have reached an advanced stage.

The contractor Tomorrow Investments Ltd is hopeful to finish works by August this year.

A ZNBC news crew that visited the area found workers busy plastering the walls, while others were putting floor.

Site Engineer Fanizani Phiri says he is satisfied with the in-flow of building materials, to finish up the 14 staff houses and the hospital.

The finishing of the hospital, whose works stalled for almost four years, has cheered Shangombo residents.

They are happy with government, because they depended on Senanga hospital hundreds kilometres away.

Area Member of Parliament, Mubika Mubika who is in the area to check on developmental projects is satisfied with works at the long awaited hospital.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation works on the 500 million kwacha Shangombo district civic centre are progressing well.

And the construction of 1 billion kwacha 6 council staff houses, which include 5 medium cost, and one high cost, have reached advanced stages.

A check by ZNBC News crew has found that 3 houses have been roofed, while others have rafters, in readiness for roofing soon.

Council Secretary Mwiya Mwiya is happy with the government’s gesture to rehabilitate the offices, and build staff houses.

He says the projects will motivate workers to help deliver development.

Mulilakwenda Enterprises Ltd Site Manager John Lungu however bemoaned the high cost of transporting building material from Lusaka to Shangombo.

ZNBC

Verify recovery of funds from Ephraim Mateyo – Hachipuka

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Former Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has told the Auditor General’s Office to verify claims that K25 million advanced to former Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo ahead of his aborted posting to German is being recovered.

Chairman of the Committee Emmanuel Hachipuka made the remarks after the Ministry of foreign affairs submitted before his committee that the 25 million Kwacha advance is being recovered from his terminal benefits.

Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Lucy Mungoma says Mr Mateyo was given the advance on the understanding that he was due to be posted to German as Ambassador.

But Ms Mungoma and her team of assistants could not give the committee a clear statement as to which ministry was recovering the advance from Mr Mateyo’s benefits.

And Ms Mungoma also told the committee that an accountant at the Mission in Bostwana illegally awarded the Zambian High Commissioner to that country a 27 million kwacha loan.

Ms Mungoma says the accountant gave the High Commissioner the loan under the pretext that it was an education advance when in fact the envoy had a pending advance.

She said told the committee that the misappropriated funds which where highlighted in the auditor General’s report are being recovered.

And Ms Mungoma says the Zambian mission in Tanzania paid over 75 thousand US dollars to a contractor to fix a new elevator at the embassy without a contract.

Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Lucy Mungoma says the payment was made in 2008 but the anomaly was only discovered last year.

Ms Mungoma told the committee that the ministry is taking corrective measures which will include disciplinary action.

But Committee Chairman, Emmanuel Hachipuka requested the ministry to provide the committee with documentation supporting action to be taken.

Mr Hachipuka says would assist the Auditor General’s office to verify the matter.

ZNBC

Human rights group defends Sata’s gay statement

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The Hope for human rights has charged that Zambians should not be misled that the patriotic front president Michael Sata supports homosexuality.

Hope for human rights executive director Smart Chanda has stated that after close analysis of the gay allegations, it has come to the organizations knowledge that Sata does not support homosexuality.

Mr. Chanda says that Zambians should analyze the allegations other than commenting on something they do not understand.

In an interview with QFM radio, Mr. Chanda has clarified that Mr. Sata was recognizing laws that were talking about homosexuality.

He says that Mr. Sata never meant to support the homosexual relationships as alleged by some media organizations and civil society organizations.

He has further called on Zambians to study the statements before making their opinions known.

QFM

UPND to discipline Col Panji Kunda for endorsing Sata

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Panji Kaunda

The United Party for National Development (UPND) says it will formally summon Colonel Panji Kaunda to exculpate himself and explain media reports that he endorsed the candidature of PF leader Michael Sata in this year’s elections.

UPND presidential adviser Douglas Siakalima has told QFM news that Colonel Kaunda’s statement that Mr. Sata is the right candidate for this year’s elections is an indication that he has chased himself from the UPND.

Mr. Siakalima says Colonel Kaunda is hopeful that Mr. Sata will win this year’s elections hence his move to side with the PF leader.

He says people like Colonel Kaunda always looked for opportunities to be linked with ruling parties for personal benefit.

But when asked on whether the UPND has any plans of extending its disciplinary action to Professor Clive Chirwa for proposing that Mr. Sata was the most preferred candidate at the time the pact was still alive, Mr. Siakalima said professor Chirwa has apologized for his actions.

He adds taking disciplinary action against Professor Chirwa would be unfair because PF secretary General Wynter Kabimba was to blame for the leakage of information that was deemed confidential.

And party president Hakainde Hichilema has challenged Panji Kaunda to leave UPND and join the Patriotic Front (PF) so that he can effectively campaign for PF leader Michael Sata.

[pullquote]“As UPND, we have passed the stage of reconciling with PF and if Col Kaunda thinks Mr Sata is a better presidential candidate of the pact, he should leave UPND and join PF so that he can campaign effectively for the PF leader,” Mr Hichilema said.[/pullquote]

Mr Hichilema said Colonel Kaunda did not own UPND and was, therefore, free to leave and join the PF to enable him campaign for Mr Sata whom he felt was a better presidential candidate.

He was reacting to Col Kaunda’s statement during the Copperbelt Pact Forum at Jubilee Lodge in Kitwe that he believed Mr Sata could lead Zambia and that Mr Hichilema should be Mr Sata’s vice-president.

One of the resolutions which constituted what was called the ‘Jubilee Declaration’ was that Mr Hichilema should accept to be vice-president to Mr Sata, failure to which members of the pact should identify who should lead the pact.

But when contacted, Mr Hichilema said the UPND had gone beyond the stage of reconciling with the PF because the former pact partners had failed to exhibit seriousness on important national issues.

He said Col Kaunda should leave the UPND because he (Hichilema) was not ready to be vice-president to Mr Sata.

“As UPND, we have passed the stage of reconciling with PF and if Col Kaunda thinks Mr Sata is a better presidential candidate of the pact, he should leave UPND and join PF so that he can campaign effectively for the PF leader,” Mr Hichilema said.

Mr Hichilema said Col Kaunda did not form the UPND and nothing would change even if he left the party.

He said PF officials were insisting that Mr Sata be the presidential candidate of the pact because they were more interested in sharing positions than serving the interests of Zambians.

Mr Hichilema said the PF had failed to explain how it would improvepeople’s lives, but insisted that Mr Sata should be the candidate of the pact because it wanted to share positions and enrich from the national resources.

QFM

ZNBC crew whisked from PF attack

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A ZNBC news crew was Sunday afternoon whisked away from a Patriotic Front-PF supporters’ attempted attack after the party’s public political meeting in Lusaka in Mandevu.

The ZNBC Reporter and Cameraman were rescued by the Patriotic Front party security.

The PF supporters accused the ZNBC news crew of filming for freelance Chanda Chimba the third’s “Stand Up for Zambia” Television programme.

They also warned that they would ensure that the ZNBC news crew does not the leave arena.

The PF supporters removed the ZNBC microphone from the podium where the party officials were addressing the public rally.

PF officials later removed the shield, which had a ZNBC label and put the microphone at the podium.

Meanwhile two people who include a fifteen year old boy of Lusaka’s Kanyama compound are nursing serious wounds after they were allegedly shot and wounded by PF caders over the weekend.

The incident followed the fracas that happened at garden house motel were PF and MMD carders clashed.

Kanyama MMD Constituency chairman Loyd Kaseba confirmed the attack in which 16 year old Keegan Mofya sustained gun shots wounds.

And Keegan’s mother Queen Mofya has appealed for justice to prevail in her son’s shooting incident.

Mr. Kaseba also says 25 year old Charles Banda was brutally beaten by the alleged PF cadres.

He was speaking with ZNBC News in Lusaka.

And MMD Provincial vice Youth Chairman Whatson Mtonga has called on police to investigate the alleged shooting and bring the culprits to book.

Police Spokesperson Ndandula Siamana said police have not received a report over the alleged shooting incident.
[ ZNBC ]

Copper thieves plot assassinations

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Copper thieves are plotting to launch an assassination trail of police officers involved in the fight against theft of the commodity.

This is according to Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer Martin Malama.

Dr. Malama says police have information about a clandestine meeting which illegal copper dealers recently held in Kitwe to plan assassinations.

He says the police investigations in the copper-theft syndicate have advanced and he has vowed that all those involved will be brought to book.

Meanwhile Dr. Malama has confirmed that police in Luanshya have impounded a truck loaded with suspected stolen copper ore and a man has been arrested to help with investigations.

Dr. Malama says the truck was found parked at a house in Minkomfya Township and named the arrested suspect as Fanwell Kambobe.

The Copperbelt Police Chief says the fight against copper thefts is inevitable.

Dr. Malama says no amount of threats will stop the officers in the operation from doing their duties because Zambia needs resources to develop.
[ ZNBC ]

Ikeleng’i upgrade cheers residents

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Residents in the newly-created Ikeleng’i District in North-Western province are happy with the Government’s upgrading their area, District Commissioner (DC) Alex Mapapayi has said.

Mr. Mapapayi said yesterday that people’s aspirations in the area were high from the time President Banda declared Ikeleng’i as a district.

He said that his office, with the help of the provincial authorities, was putting up a district leadership that would spearhead development.

He said although there was need for more infrastructures such as a police station, and agricultural office, there were others already in place.

Mr. Mapayayi said as DC, he was happy that the provincial leadership and the neighbouring Mwinilunga District had promised to assist his new district to eventually run independently.

He was grateful to Mr Banda for appointing him as DC and pledged to ensure that he worked to fulfill Government’s desire of having Ikeleng’i as a fully-fledged district.

And MMD North-Western Province MMD chairperson Pinakin Patel said the party had already moved into the new district and set up constituency and district structures.

“As MMD we have beaten everyone and so far we have established structures in the new district and more members are being recruited,” Mr Patel said.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Mumbi hails HH rejection of Sata

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File:Former Patrotic Front secretary general Edward Mumbi

Former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general, Edward Mumbi has described as an act of intelligence, the decision by United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema not to reconcile with PF leader, Michael Sata.

 

Mr. Mumbi said in Lusaka yesterday that Mr Hichilema’s decision showed what an intelligent and focused leader he was.

He said Mr Sata was not a person who could be trusted as he was always changing positions on important matters.

Mr. Mumbi said Mr Hichilema’s rejection of the appeal for reconciliation was justified because the PF leader always degraded his former partner in the PF/UPND Pact that had now collapsed.

“Today Mr Sata has felt the pinch of his action towards Mr Hichilema. He now realises that he cannot win without UPND since PF has become very unpopular. He is actually riding on UPND’s popularity,” he said.

Forum for Leadership Search Zambia executive director, Edwin Lifwekelo said it would be unreasonable for Mr Hichilema to reconcile with Mr Sata.

He said if Mr Hichilema reconciled with Mr Sata, he would be showing Zambians that he lacked political direction.

“The writing is on the wall, once beaten twice shy. Mr Hichilema has learnt a bitter lesson and he should not fall in the same trap again,” he said.

Zambia’s former ambassador to Libya Mulondwe Muzungu said the Zambian people should reflect on the events that led to the failure of the pact and Mr Sata’s public pronouncements on homosexuality.

Mr. Muzungu said in a statement yesterday that Zambians should not embrace Mr Sata’s leadership because it would be destructive for the country.
[ Times of Zambia ]

BY chides PVT advocates

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National Democratic Focus (NDF) president Ben Mwila has said the organisations promoting the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) of election results are preparing Zambians to reject the 2011 presidential poll results.

Mr Mwila said in the likely event that the opposition lost the elections, the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers (PFC), Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) and Caritas Zambia could never have good intentions for Zambia.

He said the three organisations were always against the Government and had preferred candidates they wanted to lead Zambia.

Mr Mwila said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should use the current debate to bar the three organisations from accrediting as monitors because they were biased and did not mean well for both the Government and the Zambian people.

He questioned the capacity and neutrality of PFC, which was basically The Post newspaper, for them to claim they could run a process that required impartiality and maturity.

Mr Mwila said PVT was a smokescreen for the organisations to prepare ground for the rejection of the election results by announcing their own figures, and lead to confusion like it happened in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The Nchelenge parliamentarian said ECZ had credible systems that could be relied upon at all times.

He said PFC, SACCORD, and Caritas Zambia were behaving as if they were an extension of the opposition Patriotic Front, and wondered why donors selected them when they knew that they were always critical of the Government even when it was performing well.

Mr Mwila also described Catholic priest Frank Bwalya and Citizens Forum executive director Simon Kabanda as failed clerics who had now turned to politics to help cause confusion.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Women upset with Sata for asking Jean Kapata to undress in protest of LCC suspension

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Mumbi Phiri and Jean Kapata
Jean Kapata (L) with Mumbi Phiri

THE Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) on the Copperbelt says women deserve respect and must not be asked to undress in public.

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata is reported to have told Mandevu member of Parliament Jean Kapata to go to the Inter–City Bus Terminus in Lusaka and undress in protest against the suspension of the Lusaka City Council.

YWCA Copperbelt co-ordinator Jurita Mutale said women deserve dignity.

“Maybe Mr Sata was just joking because I know Ms Jean Kapata very well.

How can she be directed or asked to undress in public?” Ms Mutale, who was reluctant to comment on the matter, said.

But some women in Mufuchani settlement in Kitwe yesterday accused Mr Sata of being disrespectful towards them.

Former Mufuchani Women of Substance chairperson Lydia Besa, who spoke on behalf of several other women, said it is unfortunate that the PF leader has continued exhibiting characteristics of a bad leader, who does not have respect for other people.

“In the first place, the whole farming community in Mufuchani area is disgusted that Mr Sata can ask an elderly woman to go and undress at Inter-City Bus Station. Where are we going as Zambians? Even if it is politics, please, let us have respect for women,” Ms Besa said.

She urged women in Zambia not to vote for Mr Sata in this year’s elections because of his alleged vulgar language against them.

“Maybe Mr Sata enjoys seeing women undressing in public. This is why he is advocating rights for gay people in Zambia. Mr Sata does not have respect for Zambians. Now, I believe that this man can do anything just to get into power. Does he have women in his family, and I would like to think that my sister Jean Kapata is married or has a man in her life or she has children. How on earth can you tell someone’s woman or mother to undress in public? Someone must educate Mr Sata on public relations and diplomacy,” she said.

Ms Besa said it does not make sense to support Mr Sata, and that this is why the PF has failed to form government in the past elections.

“Honestly, how can you have a president in State House who directswomen to undress? This is a taboo, and Mr Sata must seriously apologise to the womenfolk in Zambia. In all fairness, he does not deserve our support as women because if he is elected as our president in this year’s elections, he may end up directing all women in Zambia to march in their birthday suits during the International Women’s Day celebrations,” she said.

Ms Besa urged politicians to respect women and desist from using them for their personal gain.

“This whole thing is interesting, and at the same time worrying. How can Mr Sata feel if someone asked his close female relative, for example his wife or his sister, even his daughter, to undress in public?

Mr Sata must have respect for other people’s women and mothers. MsKapata has a family; she has brothers and sisters. This is an insult, I don’t know how she looks at it,” she said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Court dismisses $1.9 million claim against Kavindele

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Former vice president Enock Kavindele dancing to Luvale music

THE Kitwe High Court has dismissed with costs a case in which ZCCM Investment Holdings Plc sued former republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele’s company, Woodgate Holdings Limited, claiming over US$1.9 million as proceeds from the sale of copper concentrates.

This is in a case in which ZCCM-IH Plc sued Woodgate Holdings Limited claiming US$1,900,430 as proceeds of the sale of copper concentrates to the company.

Kitwe High Court judge-in-charge Rhoyda Kaoma said in her judgment on March 18 she is not satisfied that ZCCM-IH has proved on a balance of probabilities that Woodgate Holdings Limited is indebted to it in the sum of US$1,900,430 as an outstanding balance in respect of sale proceeds of copper concentrates.

“In conclusion on this aspect of the matter, and regrettably so, the plaintiff’s claim fails and is dismissed with costs to the defendant,” Mrs Justice Kaoma said.

On Woodgate Holdings Limited counter-claim, Mrs Justice Kaoma said based on the evidence before her, it is a fact that an excess amount has been paid by Woodgate Holdings Limited amounting to K19,422,183.

She said this represents the difference between the amount of K2,120,750 paid by Woodgate Holdings Limited and the K2,101,327,817 in the letter of demand.

Mrs Justice Kaoma said ZCCM-IH’s former accountant Fackson Phiri admitted that as far as the demand letter is concerned, this amount must be returned to Woodgate Holdings Limited.

“Having dismissed the plaintiff’s claim, and on the totality of the evidence, I am satisfied that the defendant is entitled to recover the amount overpaid to the plaintiff,” she said.

She accordingly entered judgement in favour of Woodgate Holdings Limited for the amount of K19,422,183 with interest at 10 percent and costs to be taxed if not agreed.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Zambians abroad urged to register at embassies

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Foreign Affairs minister Kabinga Pande

GOVERNMENT has appealed to Zambians to ensure that they get in contact with foreign missions each time they travel out of the country so that their presence is known for easy location and identification in view of unexpected events such as political violence and natural calamities.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kabinga Pande told journalists in Lusaka on March 20 it was easy for Government to locate and evacuate all Zambians who were in Libya when fighting heightened between that country’s leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces and rebels because all of them were registered with the Zambian mission in the North African nation.

Mr Pande appealed to all Zambians living abroad to register with embassies so that their existence in foreign countries is known.

The minister said currently, it is difficult for Government to ascertain whether or not all Zambians who were in Japan at the time of the tsunami and earthquake are safe because the Asian country is made up of several islands.

“Japan is a big country, and there are many islands that constitute it. As of now, there is no report of any Zambian caught up in the disaster there.

“This also brings me to the point where Iam appealing to Zambians that each time you are going out of the country, you must make sure that the nearest embassy or foreign mission is aware of your presence in a particular country for them to keep data,” he said.

Mr Pande said there is no information from Japan on the safety of Zambians whose presence in that country is not known by the embassy there.

The minister appealed to Zambians who are still in Japan on business visits and other errands to quickly leave that country or move to places where there are no nuclear reactors.

“If there are nearer to where nuclear reactors are, they should leave that country or get to safer areas instead of waiting for the last minute,” he said.

Last month, Government managed to successfully evacuate all the 42 Zambians who were living and studying in Libya.

However, Government has not been able to evacuate any Zambian from Japan because there are no reports so far of Zambians caught up in the disaster.

On March 11 this year, an earthquake and a tsunami hit north east Japan, destroying infrastructure and displacing thousands of people.

On March 20, an unexpected rise in pressure inside a troubled reactor set back efforts to bring the country’s overheating, leaking nuclear complex under control as concerns grew that minor contamination of food and water is spreading.

[Zambia Daily Mail]