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President Rupiah Banda and Inspector General of Police Francis KabondeHouse of Chiefs chairperson Chief Madzimawe has described as irresponsible, a Mongu headman Sampaya Nyambe’s statement that President Rupiah Banda should be arrested for murder when he leaves office over the death of two Mongu youths recently.
Chief Madzimawe said yesterday that the Government operated through a system and when anything happened, the system was blamed and not a single individual.
He said it was equally wrong to assume that protesters destroying property should be left to go scot-free.
Chief Madzimawe advised traditional leaders to be rational in their statements and use defined channels to air their opinions.
He said it was sad that some leaders had continued to issue statements with political connotations that were likely to cause anarchy.
Chief Madzimawe said this in reaction to a statement by Sampaya Nyambe, headman of Lifweko Village in Mongu, that President Banda should be arrested for murder when he leaves office over the death of two Mongu youths recently.
He said it was wrong for the headman to make such an irresponsible statement because as a traditional leader, he should be aware of how the Government operated.
“How can he make such a statement as if President Banda is the one that killed the two youths?
“How do you advance development when you are protesting and destroying property?” he asked.
Chief Madzimawe said if there was any wrongdoing in the Mongu incident that led to the deaths, the law was there to deal with the culprits through the laid-down procedures.
“Take the Mazabuka incident, for instance. We have been informed that the police officers involved have been arrested for causing the death of the four people there.
“This sends out a strong message that even the police had a responsibility to discharge their duties professionally.
Headman Nyambe was quoted in yesterday’s Post newspaper as having said President Banda should be jointly charged with Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lungu and Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde.
[ Times of Zambia ]
The Increased levels of theft at some of Lusaka’s Manda hill shopping have become a source of concern.
In the last few days, three female suspects have been arrested on theft charges after stealing from the shops.
A young lady of Lusaka’s Chelstone area was picked by the police when she attempted to get away with some underwear from Mr Price shop.
The shop’s Assistant Operations and Administration officer Mwenya Mulenga told Muvi TV News that a number female suspects have in the past few days been caught stealing.
Ms. Mwenya also said the trend among the female folk is worrying.
[ MUVI ]
MMD acting national secretary ChembeNyangu says suspended chairman for elections Mike Mulongoti, Katubamember of Parliament Jonas Shakafuswa and Kafulafuta MP George Mpombo will not be allowed to attend the national convention set for next month in Kabwe.
Mr Nyangu said at a media briefing in Lusaka on yesterday that the three are not eligible to attend the convention because they are not in good standing with the ruling party.
And Mr Nyangu said the party cannot act on Mr Mulongoti’s exculpatory letter because the MMD secretariat only received a photocopy while the original was allegedly leaked to The Post.
Mr Mulongoti was asked to exculpate himself for allegedly bringing the MMD into ridicule by publicly attacking the MMD leadership.
But Mr Mulongoti denied ever leaking the letter to The Post and that someone from the MMD secretariat picked the original copy from him and delivered it to Mr Nyangu’s office.
He said he will do everything possible to push for his rights until he attends the national convention.
“Mr Mulongoti is not eligible to attend the convention. Mr Shakafuswa and Mr Mpombo will also not be allowed to attend the convention because they are not in good standing with the party,” he said.MrNyangu said the national executive committee suspended Mr Mulongoti on charges of bringing the name of the party into disrepute and he was given limited time to exculpate himself as stipulated by the MMD constitution.
He said he was surprised that the letter of exculpation was published in The Post edition of February 7 without his office receiving the original copy.
The same exculpatory letter was also copied to the party president and national chairman.
“Mr Mulongoti delivered a copy of the letter to the acting national secretary, not the original. If I may ask through you, where is the original copy?”
He refuted claims by The Post reporter that the letter the newspaper published was obtained from the MMD secretariat. Mr Nyangu said he believes Mr Mulongoti leaked the letter to the tabloid.
Mr Nyangu said the MMD secretariat and media experts have observed that The Post reporter who wrote the article based on the letter was the same one whose story contributed to Mr Mulongoti facing disciplinary charges.
“Anyone will therefore know that Mr Mulongoti leaked the exculpatory letter to The Post and connived to accuse members of the secretariat of leaking it,” he said.
Mr Nyangu said he is not in the habit of discussing internal party matters in the press but that the secretariat has been forced to clear the air and state categorically that it did not receive the original copy of Mr Mulongoti’s letter.
He said Mr Mulongoti is a senior member of the party who knows the right channels of communication on any party matter. Mr Nyangu said Mr Mulongoti has all along been observing such communication channels but it is surprising that of late, he has deliberately been using the press.
He said since Mr Mulongoti allegedly decided to leak the original copy of his exculpatory letter to The Post, the secretariat will consult with party chairman for legal affairs BwalyaChiti on the way forward.
But Mr Mulongoti said he sent the original letter to Mr Nyangu and that there is nothing wrong with the latter seeing a photocopied letter as long as he knows who the author is.
Mr Mulongoti accused Mr Nyangu of not addressing substantive issues contained in his exculpatory letter.
MMD Spekesperson and Education Minister Dora Siliya
MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya says the United Party for National Development (UPND) president HakaindeHichilema should consider contesting as a member of Parliament to gain experience on governance issues.
Meanwhile, Mr Hichilema has maintained that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata is to blame for the demise of the pact between the two parties.
“It is good that Mr Hichilema has learnt a lesson, and should now consider running for a parliamentary seat,” Ms Siliya said.
She said at a press briefing in Lusaka on March 9 there have been MPs who were presidents and presidents who are now MPs.
Ms Siliya said it is for this reason MMD is encouraging Mr Hichilema to re-channel his energy.
She said the pact between the UPND and the PF died a long time ago.
Ms Siliya condemned PF president Michael Sata and his party members’ attacks on the media.
“You cannot have a leader who is violent, and he has started inciting his members to be attacking journalists,” she said.
Ms Siliya said it is for this reason that Mr Sata should stop using youths for his fight for the presidency.
She said youths have a right to say no to a wrong thing because leaders like Mr Sata are not building the nation, but destroying it.
She said even when the MMD has lost about four by-elections, it has increased President Banda’s popularity since 2008.
“This is so because we don’t work with emotions, but strive for national development,” Ms Siliya said.
President Rupiah Banda has said this year’s general elections will be held before September.
President Banda also says the MMD and his expectations in the general elections are to win by a big margin.
According to the Reuters reports monitored in Lusaka, Mr Banda has not given a date for the polls but he says they are coming soon, however, indicating they would take place before September.
President Banda has also said that the MMD will score an easy victory this year in a general election.
Faz announced on Wednesday that the 2011 league season kicks off next weekend.
The Super Division will kick-off on March 19 while Division 1 will commence the following day.
Division 2 football will kick-off the following weekend on March 27.
RANGERS LOSE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Nchanga Rangers on Wednesday morning lost 1-0 to South Africa National First Division team Amatuks in a friendly game played in Pretoria.
Dennis Omino struck in the 68th minute to score the games’ lone goal to confine Rangers to their first defeat after two warm-up games played of their two-week pre-season training camp of South Africa.
The loss came 24 hours after Rangers beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 at Johannesburg Stadium.
ZAMBIA TRAINING CAMP
The Zambia national team goes into camp in South Africa on March 20 to prepare for their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group c qualifier against Mozambique on March 27 in Maputo.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Under-23 team’s Olympic preliminary round first leg qualifier against Rwanda will also be played on March 27 at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
And finally, Zambia has moved up from an all-time-low on the Fifa/Coca Cola rankings shifting from101 posted on February 2 to 97th on March 9 thanks to Zambia’s 4-0 win over Swaziland on February 9 in a friendly game in Manzini.
Transparency International Zambia Executive Director Goodwell Lungu (R)
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has charged that only desperate people with ill motives can be against a transparent system such as the Parallel Voter Tabulation system.
TIZ Executive Director Goodwell Lungu in a statement released to QFM today said it is extremely worrying that a wrong picture is being painted that a Parallel Voter Tabulation system in Zambia is illegal and can cause confusion, when the MMD used the same system during the 2008 presidential elections when it projected that president Rupiah Banda would win by 62,000 votes.
Mr Lungu said as far as TIZ is concerned the the system provided adequate checks,balances and promoted transparency ,and challenged Zambians not to allow a few selfish people to shoot down a tool that provides opportunities for greater transparency in the electoral process.
He added that it is not enough for Zambians to cast their vote, but that they should protect their vote and ensure that their choice is protected.
Mr Lungu has since declared that Transparency International Zambia is seriously considering looking at the possibility of undertaking a Parallel Voter Tabulation Exercise.
He added that they have already scheduled activities to train and deploy election monitors in most of the polling stations in Zambia and that working together with other CSOs, they intend to place monitors in all polling stations.
He further stated that they will consider the option of conducting a PVT to complement the work of the election monitors.
Mr Lungu challenged the Electoral Commission of Zambia to tell the nation which law disqualifies citizens from adding up declared results by presiding officers to compare with officially announced results.
He noted that the Electoral Code of Conduct, Statutory Instrument No.90 of 2006, the Electoral Regulations of 2006, Regulation 14 already provides for media to disclose election results.
File: Vice president George Kunda and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema shake hands.
Former Nchanga Member of Parliament Charles Chimumbwa has called on UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to convince his party to join the MMD.
He said that if Mr. Hichilema hopes to become President one day he needs to partner and work with the able leadership of President Rupiah Banda.
Mr.Chimumbwa has also called on Home Affairs Minister Mhkondo Lungu to summon Colonel Panji Kaunda to explain his statements on violence in the forth coming elections.
Mr. Chimumbwa said there is need for a commission of inquiry to probe Col. Kaunda’s sentiments on violence.
He said this in a statement to ZNBC news in Lusaka.
Mr.Chimumbwa said Colonel Kaunda will be held responsible should there be violence in the country during and after the elections.
File:Some female judges and other judiciary staff pose for a photograph after a workshop in Lusaka
Vice-president and minister of Justice George Kunda says government is in the process of setting up a campus for the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education -ZIALE
Mr Kunda said the move aims at absorbing the anticipated increase in the number of law graduates seeking professional training.
He explained that several private universities have set up law schools resulting in an increased number of law graduate schools in the country.
Mr Kunda said preliminary works on the establishment of the campus have started.
He was speaking at the official opening of the symposium for ZIALE in Lusaka.
The Vice-president also said that government will soon govern the accreditation of law schools.
And the chairperson at the board of the examiners at ZIALE, Justice Lombe Chibesakunda said the board is deeply concerned with the poor results at the institution.
Justice Chibesakunda explained that over the past five years the results have been very poor and below expectations.
She said in 2006, only 8 law students passed the exams out of 116 that enrolled.
And ZIALE director, Palan Mulonda said the institution will support government’s effort in advancing legal education in the country.
Earlier, chairperson of ZIALE council and Attorney General Abyudy Shonga said a collective intervention is key to dealing with the law pass rate at ZIALE.
The three-day symposium aims at reviewing the curriculum for law students to align it to modern trends.
File: A prison warder leading inmates who had been released on parole at Lusaka central prisons
President Rupiah Banda has ordered the release of 574 prisoners country-wide.
President Banda has further ordered that the persons be released from custody immediately.
President Banda has released the prisoners according to the powers vested in the President under article 59 D of the constitution of Zambia.
Their release is however on conditions that during the period up to the respective dates when they were supposed to have completed serving their sentences, they do not commit offences similar to those for which they are convicted.
This is according to the statement released by Home Affairs Minister Mhkondo Lungu to ZNBC news in Lusaka on Wednesday.
Mr. Lungu said that, “the President BANDA hopes that the released prisoners will be received well in society, and be accorded an opportunity to re-integrate and be law abiding citizens”.
FILE: President Rupiah Banda with former Works and Supply minister Mike Mulongoti during the MMD provincial Conference in Kasama
The MMD secretariat says it has not received the original exculpatory letter written by its suspended senior member Mike Mulongoti.
MMD Acting National Secretary Chembe Nyangu said the MMD secretariat has only received a photocopy of Mr. Mulongoti’ss exculpatory letter.
Mr Nyangu told a media briefing that the secretariat suspects that Mr. Mulongoti could have given the exculpatory letter to the Post newspaper.
He explained that the MMD secretariat will not act on photocopied letters and is currently consulting its legal department on how to proceed on the matter.
Mr Nyangu has advised Mr Mulongoti whom he said is a senior party member to follow the correct channels of communication, when aggrieved.
He explained that it is wrong for Mr Mulongoti to attack the party through the media.
Mr Nyangu said Mr Mulongoti,Katuba MP Jonas Shakafuswa and Kafulafuta MP George Mpombo are not eligible to attend the forth coming MMD national convention next month.
He said this is because the trio are not in good standing with the party.
File: 8 accountants from ministry of Home Affairs who where jailed for five years each for theft by public servant by the Lusaka magistrate court being escorted to prison after the conviction
By Lubinda Mwipihi
The accounting code of ethics consists of the four important qualities namely: Confidentiality, Integrity, Competence and Objectivity. Accounting professionals undertake to adhere to this code of ethics defined by accounting boards.
Accountants at some point in their career will find themselves having to make a decision whether their situation is ethical or not. Ethics are an important aspect of an accountant’s job. As an accountant, one has the duty of care to their customers. In this, the accountant should demonstrate competence and apply confidentiality, integrity, and credibility to their work. Competence is where one shows a high level of professionalism as well as developing the knowledge and skills needed from an accountant.
Confidentiality is when one as an accountant keeps clientele information confidential, unless authorized or legally required to release such information. The Accountant’s ability to communicate with their associates in a manner that avoids any conflict of interest is called integrity. Lastly, credibility is the manner through which the Accountant communicates reasonably and objectively.[pullquote]Do we need a calculator to know that low sales value of copper to the mother company is tax avoidance?[/pullquote]
If trying to resolve an ethical issue, an employee must understand their firm’s business and strategies. If you feel that you may be at risk of violating your ethics then you should contact your personal attorney. This is because your personal attorney can advise you as to what is best for you to do in a particular situation. They will also have your best interest, and if you feel as though you cannot continue to work for your firm any longer then you should give your firm your notice and leave. At times if the situation is pressing and concerns you then this may be your best bet.
Coming from that background of Accountancy – It’s hard to comprehend how Accountants at Moponi Mines could not show professional ethics in their work. The 2008 and pre-audit reports are a slap in their face. The matter is compounded further in the recent independent reconciliation which revealed an absolute discrepancy of K247 billion between what mining companies paid and what the government received in 2008 confirmed the high level of revenue leakage the country was suffering in the mining sector. We need controls to tighten the built.
Their conduct leaves many questions unanswered such as: Are they afraid of losing their jobs? Are they holding these jobs as political appointments? Are these Accountants ones who join the career for money? Etc. Only God knows. Mopani qualified Accountants have proved that they don’t have professionalism, accountability, integrity, honesty, no commitment & dedication to duty & lack competence. Mopani’s failure to address the real issues raised in the audit is another credibility failure. Do we need a calculator to know that low sales value of copper to the mother company is tax avoidance? Does a qualified accountant not know that Tax avoidance is breaking the law? What more do we need to save the nation if accountants cannot show professional ethics?
To deprive poor people of such huge monies is what need to be explained. Zambians still needed clarity from GRZ on why it decided to maintain a lower tax rate compared to the average 47 per cent rate in the southern region. The issue of the windfall tax is now immaterial and the government should adopt a preferred system that would still maximize revenue collection from the country’s core natural resource. The Minister of Finance announced in Parliament that they are providing a long-term fiscal regime to the mining companies of 10 years. After 10 years, they would have ripped the super profits and introduce another investor to continue with the business. Copper is ought to be the main source of greater government income than borrowing as proposed by the Minister. The tax regime in Zambia is very porous. It must be tightened up so that government can collect Taxes across board. It is a fallacy for Government to record GDP growth when copper is not bringing income.
“Ethics in its broader sense, deals with human conduct in relation to what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. It is the application of values to decision making. These values include honesty, fairness, responsibility, respect and compassion.” said Rushworth Kidder (President, Institute for Global Ethic).
File: Young members of the Girl Guides Association of Zambia
President Rupiah Banda has said that the country cannot afford to ignore women and girls who account for more than half of the population in its quest to attain development.
He said Zambia needs more scientists, technologists and mathematicians to be able to position herself properly globally as well as to consistently address issues regarding national development from a scientific and technological perceptive.
Mr Banda said in a speech read on his behalf by Vice-President George Kunda that participation of women in science and technology was not only a right but a prerequisite for achieving the Vision 2030 and internationally agreed development goals.
The president was speaking during the commemoration of the 2011 international women’s day at the Lusaka show grounds under the theme, ’Equal Access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women.’
Mr Banda said the Ministry of Education had embarked on a countrywide programme to build technical schools for girls in each province to enable them enter the world of science and technology.
The president said to address the challenges that the women and girls faced in the education system during the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) period there was a significant increase in access to education which led to increase in construction and rehabilitation of education infrastructure coupled with the recruitment of teachers.
“This resulted in an increase in pupil school enrolment from 2.9 million in 2005 to 3.6 million in 2009. Our efforts to ensure equal access to education are bearing fruit as we have witnessed an improvement in the Gender Parity Index (GPI) from 0.95 in 2005 to 0.99 in 2009 at primary level,” he said.
Mr Banda said this was in line with Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number two on achieving primary education[pullquote].Ministry of Education permanent secretary Andrew Phiri also disclosed in an interview in Lusaka that government plans to build 37 day high schools and recruit over 7,000 teachers this year[/pullquote]
He added that equal Gender parity index has improved at high school level from 0.81 to 0.87 during the same period.
He President was also happy that the Gender in Development Division has already embarked on a programme to empower grassroot women across the country with skills and financial support through grants as well as providing agro technologies such as drip irrigation, treadle pumps and hammermills in all the 150 constituencies across the country.
“This is the clear demonstration of the interpretation of the theme in that we are promoting appropriate skills, science and technology at the level where most of our women operate. This is part of the promise that my Government pledged to fulfill by taking development to all corners of Zambia,” he said.
Ministry of Education permanent secretary Andrew Phiri also disclosed in an interview in Lusaka that government plans to build 37 day high schools and recruit over 7,000 teachers this year.
“As a ministry, and as a government under the able leadership of President Banda, we are focused on the development of the country. We are taking school infrastructure everywhere where our people live because we understand that an educated society plays an important role in the development of the country,” he said.
Gender and Women in Development Minister Sarah Sayifwanda who was overwhelmed with the level of participation for this years Women’s Day commemoration, said that women would continue supporting Government for empowering them with skills and tools to make their lives better as well as allowing them to contribute to national development.
US Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella announced at the same function that his Government would next year offer 16,000 academic scholarships to orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia of which 60 percent of these scholarships are for young women.
And the United Nations (UN) acting resident coordinator Iyorlumun Uhaa said empowering women remains at the heart of the organisation to build their capacity and ensure that their voices are heard.
“Therefore, education in science, technology and mathematics should be given proper attention if meaningful development was to be attained especially in view of the positive impact that technologies such as mobile phones are having on society across the country,” Mr Banda said.
He said at this level, a country needed a systematic approach to education and training in order to harness technology such as information communication technology (ICT) in all spheres of development.
Finance and National Planning minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said that the late president Levy Mwanawasa may have changed his stance on the windfall tax. Dr. Musokotwane said that it is wrong to state that he changed his mind on the windfall tax, when he was the economic adviser to the late president.
He said that even under the late president, he had his opinion, ruling out the possibility of entirely supporting the windfall tax. He said that he has since maintained that the windfall tax was wrong, describing it as an illusion.
He said that whether Zambians like it or not, the windfall tax was very wrong to the Zambian mining sector. Dr. Musokotwane stated that the sooner Zambians realize that it is a wrong initiative to collect tax, the better. He said that it is government’s responsibility to ensure that they collect enough tax from the mine companies.
And Dr. Musokotwane has announced that beginning next year, the mining companies will be paying more tax. He said that the mining revenues will increase, from the initiatives that the government is putting in place.
