FINANCE and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has advised his predecessor Ng’andu Magande to appreciate the Government’s great efforts in building the country.

And Dr Musokotwane has explained that the Danish Government’s announced withdrawal of aid to Zambia would not be immediate but would be phased out over a period of three years.

Dr Musokotwane told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that President Rupiah Banda’s Government was managing the country through strategic planning which aimed at sustaining growth and development contrary to assertions by Mr Magande.

Mr Magande was in yesterday’s Post newspaper quoted as saying that Zambia was headed for a bad future because President Rupiah Banda’s Government allegedly lacked planning.

“It is not true that we have failed to plan, we are running the same Government under which Mr Magande served and he should know that the Fifth National Development Plan is a developmental plan which has been concluded.

He said the Government was on the verge of launching the Sixth National Development Plan which he said would be realized.

“Unless Mr Magande is telling us that after leaving office he has forgotten, there is planning,” Dr Musokotwane said.

On the Danish government’s withdrawal of bilateral aid, Dr Musokotwane said all the Danish projects would be completed and reasons given for the cut of aid were that the Danish Government was facing economic hardships because of the global economic crisis.

He said several other countries such as Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece were facing financial challenges because of the economic recession.

[pullquote]“If Mr Magande’s vision was to continue with the dependency syndrome, the vision of the current Government is to graduate Zambia from such dependency. Let him keep his vision as ours is for national planning and sustaining it,” Dr Musokotwane said.[/pullquote]

He, however, said he was happy that Britain had not decided to cut its budgetary support to Zambia.

“Denmark was left in a tight financial corner by the global economic crunch. It is not like Britain which has chosen to maintain Budget assistance to Zambia. Denmark has noted that Zambia’s economy is growing steadily and that was why it had cut its aid,” he said.

He said the opening up of the new mining companies this year would increase Zambia’s copper production in two to five years, thereby significantly growing the national economy to self-sustaining levels.

“If Mr Magande’s vision was to continue with the dependency syndrome, the vision of the current Government is to graduate Zambia from such dependency. Let him keep his vision as ours is for national planning and sustaining it,” Dr Musokotwane said.

[Times of Zambia]

THE Ndola City Council has suspended six councillors accused of spearheading illegal allocation of plots, Town Clerk Charity Mpande has said.

The Patriotic Front (PF)-dominated council has also sacked more than 10 employees believed to have been conniving with the councillors in the plot scandal.

Last week, Local Government and Housing Minister Brian Chituwo announced the suspension of Lusaka City Council, also dominated by the PF, for 90 days and appointed an administrator to manage the affairs of the council following allegations of impropriety in the allocation of 102 plots at the Lilayi Housing project.

Ms Mpande said in Ndola yesterday that five PF councillors and one from the MMD had in the last six months been banned for issuing plots illegally, while more than 10 senior and junior employees had been dismissed over the same matter.

“The plots issuance has been revoked by the council which has since repossessed all the illegally-issued plots which have been advertised so that some members of the public can access them,” she said.

Ms Mpande said the Ministry of Lands had launched investigations into the issuance of some commercial and industrial plots in various parts of Ndola which were alleged to have been obtained illegally.

She said the council management recently formed an integrity committee which, among other things, would study cases of illegal allocations of residential plots in Chifubu, Ndeke and Kabushi townships and other alleged bad practices among council employees.

Ms Mpande said the local authority was ready to be probed by any relevant security wings over the alleged illegal allocation of plots by councillors and employees in some PF-dominated councils.

“There is a problem of illegal allocation of commercial and industrial plots involving some officers within the council and some outsiders and as council management we are not sitting idle as agents of the Ministry of Lands.

“The Commissioner of Lands was here last week following up this particular issue and we are just waiting for him to issue a report over the matter,” Ms Mpande said

The Lusaka City Council is serving a 90-day suspension over alleged abuse in the allocation of plots in Lusaka.

The council is alleged to have allocated 10 plots to the office of the mayor Daniel Chisenga and five to his deputy, claiming they would be distributed to residents although the criteria to be used was not clear.
[ Times of Zambia ]

A group of Ndola based Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) Cadres have called upon Republican President Rupiah Banda to intervene in the manner in which the party’s Ndola District officials are allegedly dividing the party in the district.

ZANIS Ndola reports that the cadres who sought anonymity said the newly elected Victor Koni Executive were championing personal agenda’s and not unifying the party.

The cadres, who are calling themselves as MMD Activists, said the Victor Koni led executive had embarked on a massive harassment campaign of party cadres and officials from the previous Cephas Katongo led executive.

“President Rupiah Banda should immediately come to Ndola and find out for himself how this newly elected Victor Koni Executive is dividing the party, Koni is busy chasing away people from the party that did not endorse his adoption as MMD Chifubu Parliamentary seat candidate,’ they alleged.

“They are harassing cadres and party officials that served in Mr Katongo’s executive, this is not good for the party they are just tearing us apart,” they charged.

The cadres alleged that Mr Koni was not happy that the party did not adopt him as a candidate for the Chifubu parliamentary seat but instead adopted Frank Ng’ambi who eventually lost the seat to PF’s Susan Kawandami.

The Cadres said Mr Koni’s executive was currently planning to suspend the entire Chifubu MMD Constituency Committee.

“Victor Koni is still upset that he was not chosen as the candidate for the Chifubu seat, that is why he is planning to suspend the entire committee,” they said.

They said Mr Koni has since approached the owner of Chachitika motel in Chifubu to take up the seat of Chifubu Constituency.
[pullquote]“Victor Koni is still upset that he was not chosen as the candidate for the Chifubu seat, that is why he is planning to suspend the entire committee,” they said.[/pullquote]
The cadres alleged that in previous Chifubu by-election, Mr Koni was accused of having been seen at Chachitika motel dishing out money to voters and advising them to vote for the PF candidate and not the MMD candidate.

‘He has already approached Mr Mwelwa to be the new constituency chairman, the same person he is accused of having worked with last year, in de-campaigning MMD candidate Frank Ngambi,” they said.

The cadres further accused Mr Koni of having introduced the PF’s latest slogan “Don’t kubeba”, after he started advising people to mingle and eat with the MMD but to make sure that they voted for the PF candidate.

“Koni is the same person who brought about the PF slogan Dontch Kubeba, he told people to eat and pretend to be MMD supporters but to make sure that they voted for the PF candidate, what type of a chairman can such a one be?” they asked.

The cadres went on to say that they are shocked that Mr Koni’s executive has asked them to surrender all campaign materials such as T/shirts, Chitenge materials that they received from the Kephas Katongo led executive for the Chifubu by-election campaign period.

“And now he has asked us to return all T/shirts and Chitenge material that we were using during the Chifubu campaign, how are we going to take back clothes that we have been wearing, the President should intervene otherwise the party will disintegrate,” they observed.

The cadres further said the open de-campaigning of Vice President George Kunda’s candidature at the on coming party’s national convention and the preference for Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande by Mr Koni and his executive was tribal and should not be encouraged in the MMD.

And when reached for a comment, Mr Koni denied all the allegations and said he was aware that there was a splitter group in the MMD which wanted to destabilise the party in the district.

Mr Koni said the group which was referring to itself as MMD Ndola District activists were PF bound cadres who wanted to bring confusion to the MMD before finally showing their true colours.

He called on the cadres in the district to be very careful with the Activists as he alleged they had the potential to break the party.

And MMD Chifubu constituency chairlady Mable Simbule confirmed that no official in her constituency had received any suspension letter neither were any plans of suspending their entire constituency.

She said the party was very strong and that no one had been asked to return any campaign materials such as Chitenge materials, T/shirts and bicycles in Chifubu.

The chairlady said the new executive was working tirelessly and that it was unfortunate that some people were attempting to distract its focus.

She said Mr Koni’s executive had only been in office for one month and had already started working wonders.

“As Chifubu constituency we are behind the Chairman, he has only been in office for one month and he has done wonders, just go and check the district for yourself, you will see, she said.

[ ZANIS ]

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Justice Florence Mumba has invited the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate alleged reports of corruption at the commission.

Justice Mumba said this follows allegations that have been made against her by former Commission Director Dan Kalale.

Justice Mumba said the ACC should probe contracts relating to the supply of materials and services and the budgetary accountability for the tripartite and by elections.

In a statement issued on her behalf by Commission Secretary Eric Kamwi in Lusaka today, Justice Mumba said:

“Following aspersions made against the electoral commission of Zambia, the Chairperson has decided to invite the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to probe, among other things they may wish to investigate, the following:

1. 1. Dates and mode of appointment of all staff, academic and professional qualifications; when and where obtained;
   2. All moveable property, chattels, when and how procured.”
   3. All motor vehicles, when and how procured and to whom assigned and at what times; maintenance records, insurance policies, garages used for repairs, fuel, and relevant contracts, where applicable;
   4. Budgetary accountability for tripartite elections and by-elections, etc,
   5. Contracts relating to the supply of materials and services and actual materials and services,”

On Sunday Mr. Kalale accused Justice Mumba of engaging in corrupt practices. Mr.Kalale said Justice Mumba and other commissioners irregularly singled sourced KPMG to undertake consultancy services on the confidential audit system review for ECZ the year 2008 to 2009 at a cost of one Billion Kwacha.

He said Justice Mumba and the commissioners did not refer the matter of engaging KPMG to the Zambia Public Procurement authority for authorisation.

Meanwhile the Leadership In Development has called on Justice Mumba to step aside, to pave way for investigations into the alleged corrupt activities at the commission.

Executive Director, Moses Kalonde says revelations of alleged corrupt activities at the commission are worrying; especially that it is an election year.

Mr Kalonde has also appealed to the investigation wings to quickly move in so that sanity is brought back to ECZ. He was speaking with ZNBC News in Lusaka today.

And the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions- ZCTU is concerned with events unfolding at the Electoral Commission of Zambia ECZ.

The ZCTU has since called on Government to quickly and thoroughly investigate recent developments at ECZ in order to restore confidence in the electoral process.

ZCTU Director of Public Relations Martin Chembe says developments at ECZ are impacting negatively on the institution.

Mr. Chembe says it is sad that such issues are occurring at a time when the country is preparing for elections.

He has advised Government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.

Mr. Chembe also says the embarrassing situation at ECZ could have been avoided if the Commission had allowed workers to be represented by a trade union.

This is contained in a statement he has issued to ZNBC News in Lusaka today-Tuesday.

Earlier in the morning Evangelical Youth Alliance expressed saddened at the stand off between workers and commissioners at the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Alliance Chairperson Moses Lungu said it was unfortunate that the impasse had emerged in an election year.

Reverend Lungu told ZNBC news in Lusaka that there is urgent need to resolve the problems at the commission, before full fledged election campaigns kick off.

He advised ECZ Chairperson Florence Mumba to step down to pave way for investigations into her alleged corrupt activities.

ZNBC

A miner at Mopani Copper Mine in Kitwe has died after being electrocuted.

National Union of Miners and Allied Workers -NUMAW Secretary General Goodwell Kaluba has confirmed the development to ZNBC News in Kitwe today-Tuesday.

Mr Kaluba says Morgan Ngosa a thirty – three year old miner who was working as a whistle man died in the early hours of Tuesday.

He said the late Ngosa was operating at 3360 level at Central Shaft when he met his death at about 02 30 hours.

Mr. Kaluba said Ngosa was riding on a electric trolley when the lining of the machine got burnt thereby electrocuting him.

He said the body of the late miner has since been retrieved from the underground.

Meanwhile Operations at the Non Ferrous China Africa- NFCA mining where miners were protesting against the formation of a new company have normalized.

All the workers have returned to work.

National Union of Miners and Allied Workers- NUMAW Secretary General Goodwell Kaluba has confirmed the development to ZNBC news in Kitwe today.

Mr. Kaluba said the miners have returned to work and mining activities are running normally after management gave the workers two options.

He said management asked workers willing to return to work to do so while those who were not interested were asked to sign forms to be laid off.

Mr. Kaluba disclosed that the workers chose to keep their jobs and have since started working.

He also revealed that management has agreed to revisit its decision to operationalise the new company which triggered the protest.

Mr. Kaluba said management has promised to involve the union so that the best way forward is found before the new company can start operations.

He said employees are still working under the old conditions of service as stipulated in the collective agreement signed by NFCA mining
[ ZNBC ]

A 32- year old housemaid of Dambwa compound in Livingstone has been arrested on suspicion that she defiled a 20- months old baby who was entrusted in her care.

Southern Province Police Commanding Officer, Lemmy Kajoba, confirmed the development to ZANIS in Livingstone today.

Mr. Kajoba said the named housemaid, who is also a divorcee, was arrested and is in custody at Livingstone Central Police.

He said on the day the incident happened, the mother to the baby boy went for work but returned home unexpectedly and found the maid completely naked while the undressed baby lay between her legs.

Mr. Kajoba said when she was caught in the act, the maid started apologising and upon being taken to the police station, she gave a statement confirming that she had defiled the infant.

She claimed that she did not know what made her abuse the baby.

The Provincial Police Chief said the baby’s parents have since been given a medical report form for medical personnel to examine the boy and establish his health status.

ZANIS