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]

President Rupiah Banda is tomorrow expected in the tourist capital Livingstone, to officiate at the Seventh Zambia International Business Advisory Council-ZIBAC meeting.

The main objective of the ZIBAC meeting, scheduled to take place on March 30th to 31st will be to identify key actions and responses to enhance the creation of jobs in the country.

President Banda who will join several international advisors and key investors says the creation of jobs for youths is top priority on government’s development agenda.

Mr. Banda says government will also provide support to Zambians wishing to start their own businesses.

This is contained in a statement released to ZNBC news by the President’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere.

President Banda says his government is determined to create quality jobs for Zambians.

The President is of the view that government can address poverty through the creation of quality jobs.

President Banda is expected to convene a Heads of State SADC Troika Summit after attending the ZIBAC meeting in Livingstone.

The meeting of the SADC Organ on Defence and Security Cooperation is expected to tackle among others the Zimbabwe and Madagascar political challenges.

Zambia has attracted a lot of foreign direct investment over the past two years since Mr. Banda became Republican President.

President Banda has also accelerated the business reforms, which have led to Zambia being rated as one of the top ten reformers in the world.

ZNBC

The Supreme Court has delivered a consent judgment to pave way for Mufumbwe Member of Parliament Elliot Kamondo to file records of appeal against the nullification of his election results.

However, the restoration of the High Court’s verdict to nullify his election results still stands, pending the hearing of a fresh application before the full bench of the Supreme Court.

On March 16, Supreme Court Judge Muyinda Wanki restored the High Court’s decision to nullify the Mufumbwe poll result.

He had last year stayed the execution of the judgment after Mr Kamondo sought the stay of the judgment.

Re-instating the High Court’s decision Judge Wanki agreed with the sentiments by the petitioner Mulondwe Muzungu that Mr Kamondo had not adduced evidence whether his appeal would succeed.

Mr Muzungu of the MMD lost to UPND’s Elliot Kamondo during the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election held last year.

Mr Muzungu asked the Supreme Court to discharge the stay of the High Court’s judgment on grounds that Mr Kamondo’s appeal was ill fated and had no prospects to succeed.

He also submitted that the appellant had lamentably failed to demonstrate that the appeal was meritorious.

He submitted that Mr Kamondo had only adduced that he had appealed, and would inform the speaker of the National Assembly not to declare the Mufumbwe seat vacant.

On December 15, 2010, High Court Judge Philip Musonda nullified the Mufumbwe Parliamentary by-election.

This was after a protracted hearing where many witnesses testified that the by-election was marred with violence.

ZNBC

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.