A committee investigating the Lilayi land scam that rocked the Lusaka City Council was scheduled to start receiving public submissions at Nakatindi Hall in Lusaka today.

Committee Chairman, Barnaby Mulenga says the committee will start receiving submissions for the next two weeks starting.

Mr Mulenga, who is also commissioner of lands, said this in a telephone interview to ZNBC News.

The investigating team will include the ACC, DEC, Zambia Police, Auditor General, ministry of Local government, among others.

The committee will also consider other submissions on land allocation around Lusaka.

The Lusaka City Council was suspended in January following allegations of impropriety in the allocation of one hundred and two plots at the Lilayi housing project.

The Forum for Leadership Search (FLS) has advised delegates to the MMD’s national convention to elect leaders of high integrity.

FLS executive director Edwin Lifwekelo said in Lusaka on March 27 that it will be important for the delegates to elect leaders who will add value to President Banda’s administration.

“I think President Banda is looking for value addition to his administration. He is not just looking at numbers in terms of individuals.

“Members of the MMD national executive committee must recognise that the positions they are aspiring for relate to the interpretation of MMD policies and programmes,” Mr Lifwekelo said.

He said the aspirants must vie for positions which are in line with their specialties and competence.

Mr Lifwekelo cautioned all the aspirants not to harbour selfish motives, but to aspire for office with a view of putting service delivery before self.

“People, like Dr Mbita Chitala, who were looking for jobs are now regretting supporting President Banda because their support was based on the hope that the President will give them jobs. It is important to ensure that those aspiring for positions do so with the idea of providing service, otherwise they will regret like Dr Chitala,” he said.

He said all MMD national executive committee (NEC) aspirants should make it a point to add value to President Banda’s administration, should they be elected into the NEC.

Mr Lifwekelo said the national convention will provide an opportunity to the MMD to pick a diligent team that will work with President Banda.

He said Mr Banda has not had the latitude to work with people of his own choice, as most of the people he re-appointed as cabinet and deputy ministers were initially in Dr Mwanawasa’s administration.

He said there is no basis on which anyone can accuse President Banda of being tribal.[pullquote]aspirants must vie for positions which are in line with their specialties and competence[/pullquote]

Mr Lifwekelo said credibility and morality will be of paramount importance for MMD delegates to elect leaders of integrity, loyalty and commitment.

The MMD national convention takes place from April 5 to 7, and all the provinces have endorsed Mr Banda as the sole candidate for the MMD presidency.

Mr Banda filed his nomination last week while Vice-President George Kunda filed for the position of party vice-president.

Others, who also filed their nominations include Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Lieutenant-General Ronnie Shikapwasha (chairman security), Minister of Works and Supply Gabriel Namulambe (elections chairman), Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Bradford Machila (chairman lands), Minister of Local Government and Housing Brian Chituwo (chairman local government), Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Maxwell Mwale (chairman mines).

Minister of Education Dora Siliya (chairperson publicity and information), Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training Peter Daka (chairman transport), Minister of Labour and Social Security Austin Liato (chairman labour), Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane (chairman finance and economics), Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives Eustarckio Kazonga (chairman agriculture) and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mutale Nalumango (chairperson labour) also filed their nominations.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Confusion engulfed the Patriotic Front (PF) Copperbelt provincial conference in Mufulira when delegates rejected the party president Michael Sata’s manouevres to impose his preferred candidate Rebby Chanda for the position of Provincial chairperson against the delegates’ preferred candidate Sturdy Mwale.

The party leadership present at the conference, which included party vice-president Guy Scott, failed to control the situation, forcing the conference to be postponed to a later date.

Some delegates at the conference told the Times Reporter that Mr Sata had allegedly left instructions to ensure that Mr Mwale was barred from contesting the position of Provincial chairperson and that Mr Chanda should go through unopposed.

However, Mr Mwale filed his nomination amid chants from the delegates as opposed to Mr Sata’s preferred candidate who never received any chants from the delegates when he went in to file his nomination.

After realising that Mr Sata’s preferred candidate had no support from the delegates, the party’s senior official at the scene, a Mrs Atanga had difficulties to announce to the delegates that only Mr Chanda had successfully filed his nominations, while Mr Mwale was unsuccessful.
Her efforts to convince Mr Mwale to withdraw failed, prompting her to inform Dr Scott, who came in fuming against Mr Mwale.

This infuriated Mr Mwale’s supporters who grabbed the phone from their preferred candidate and locked him up in one of the rooms to ensure that Dr Scott or any other party national leader could not communicate with him to convince him to rescind his decision of contesting the position.

After locking up Mr Mwale, the delegates continued to chant “we want democracy, we want democracy and “no Mwale, no elections” and started throwing chairs all-over the Hindu Hall wherethe conference was held.

In an interview, Mr Chanda, who is Ndola District PF Chairperson said the confusion that erupted at the provincial conference was unfortunate.

“My feeling as one of the candidates for the position of provincial chairman is that the confusion was unfortunate. I have been in this party for a long time and I have seen the party grow and so I thought I should aspire for the position of provincial chairman,” Mr Chanda said.

When asked if it was true that he was Mr Sata’s preferred candidate, Mr Chanda just laughed and refused to comment on the matter, saying “I can’ t comment on that.

”And Mr Mwale, who is Masaiti District chairperson, said he was happy that he had the support of the delegates at the conference and would now be just watching the events after the postponement of the conference.

But Dr Scott said some people with money wanted to violate the party’s constitution, hence the confusion.

Some delegates at the conference said even Nkana Member of Parliament(MP) Mwenya Musenge was currently serving his suspension because of his attempts to contest the position of Copperbelt provincial chairperson.

[Times of Zambia]

THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has predicted that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata will lose terribly in this year’s general elections and the loss will mark the end of Mr Sata’s political career.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said the PF are no match to the MMD in the elections.

“The PF has no capacity on its own to dislodge the MMD from power. The PF has not expanded anywhere; its strongholds are the same. It is not in Central Province, North-Western Province and Southern Province,” Mr Kakoma said.

He said this in an interview on March 27 when he reacted to a story in the Sunday Post in which UPND member Colonel Panji Kaunda insisted that he will support Mr Sata for the presidency despite his (Col. Kaunda’s) continued stay in the UPND.

Mr Kakoma said Mr Sata’s loss will also mark the end of Col Kaunda’s stay in politics. He said the UPND will be stronger in the general elections than the PF because a lot of PF members who do not like Mr Sata’s leadership style are defecting to the UPND.

“Several PF members whose toes have been stepped on by Mr Sata and PF secretary-general Winter Kabimba are leaving the PF. Even those who vowed not to support the UPND because of its association with the PF are returning to the party,” he said.

Mr Kakoma said the political landscape in Zambia has changed dramatically and the UPND is getting stronger through alliances it is entering into with other opposition political parties, like the All Peoples’ Congress (APC).

Recently, the PF made an appeal to opposition political parties to help it dislodge the MMD but the plea has not borne any fruit so far.

Mr Kakoma said Mr Sata is losing a lot of members including those from the church who are against his stance on some issues, including gay rights.

He said since the pact is dead, the PF should forget about forming government.

[pullquote]“It’s bad politics to pretend. What’s so difficult about Col. Kaunda coming out in the open to say he’s PF? He should be clear so that we know who is with us and who’s not,” he said[/pullquote]

Mr Kakoma accused Mr Sata of failing the pact by fielding candidates in all the 150 constituencies, without the consent of its partner then, the UPND.

He said Col. Kaunda should stop maligning UPND president HakaindeHichilema and that he (Col Kaunda) should know that as a military person, it does not help for one to be in one party and support another.

Mr Kakoma said it would be helpful for Col. Kaunda, whom he accused of being Mr Sata’s campaign manager, to come out in the open and state that he is a member of the PF.

“It’s bad politics to pretend. What’s so difficult about him coming out in the open to say he’s PF? He should be clear so that we know who is with us and who’s not,” he said.

Mr Kakoma said the UPND is disappointed with Col. Kaunda over his attacks against Mr Hichilema and advised him to reflect on his political activities.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Lusaka Province MMD chairman William Banda has accused Mr Sata of being a foreigner and has challenged him to disclose his true nationality.

Mr Banda made the accusations at an MMD card renewal exercise in Mtendere Township on March yesterday.

The MMD card renewal saw about 32 UPND cadres, including Ngwerere ward chairman John Mutumwa, defecting to the MMD.

Mr Banda said the MMD is geared for the elections this year and that the party will work hard to ensure that Lusaka is recaptured.

And Vice President George Kunda has warned Zambians that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata cannot be entrusted with national affairs.

Speaking when he addressed MMD members at Namakuba Lodge in Kapiri Mposhi on March 26 at the Central Province card renewal exercise, Mr Kunda said Mr Sata is corrupt, tribal and is now calling for homosexuality to be introduced in Zambia.

“This is a serious matter and let’s tell our people that it is dangerous to vote for a person like Mr Sata. Zambia will become a rogue state if Mr Sata is elected president,” he said.

Mr Kunda said those who will vote for Mr Sata in this year’s elections will waste their vote because he enjoys only pockets of tribal support compared to President Banda who is enjoying national support.

The Vice-President said in its past publications, The Post newspaper accused Mr Sata of being a corrupt and unruly person.

He said that Mr Sata did not defend himself against those stories when they were published but now the Post has an uphill battle to re-brand him because they are now working together.

[pullquote]“This is a serious matter and let’s tell our people that it is dangerous to vote for a person like Mr Sata. Zambia will become a rogue state if Mr Sata is elected president,” he said.[/pullquote]

He said the Post should not lecture Government on what terminologies to use because they used the same language in their past editions.

Mr Kunda said Government will continue criticising Mr Sata’s character because he is aspiring to be president and the people should know what kind of person he is.

He said in the past, Mr Sata had insulted President Mwanawasa, President Banda and other government officials.