Local Government and Housing Minister Brian Chituwo has said that he can only institute special audit investigations in other council after receiving complaints from the public.
Dr. Chituwo has called on the public to report their complaints to his OFFICE to prove their allegations.

The minister has also said that there is no discrimination in the ongoing investigations of councils in the country.

He says it is cheap politicking for people to label government that it is only targeting councils that are controlled by the opposition political parties.

Dr. Chituwo adds that the local government Act cap 281, gives mandate to the minister in charge to institute statutory audits in all the councils in order to strengthen the systems in the local authority.

He says he should not be pressurized to audit all the councils as he can only institute a probe after receiving complaints.

Dr. Chituwo has further said that he wants to administer the local authority as a civic responsibility while prioritizing people’s interests.

QFM

FORMER Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Edward Mumbi and Committee of Citizens executive director Gregory Chifire have challenged PF leader Michael Sata to produce evidence that he has been remitting tax to the Zambia Revenue Authority(ZRA) from consultancy works he claims to have been providing.

They said in separate interviews in Lusaka yesterday that Mr Sata, who had been claiming that the US$27,000 confiscated in South Africa, was money paid to him after some consultancy work he did was allegedly evading tax and should be prosecuted.

Mr Mumbi said according to the laws of Zambia, those providing consultancy services were supposed to remit tax to ZRA and that Mr Sata should produce evidence that he had been doing so, failure to which he should be prosecuted for evading tax.

He said it was sad that Mr Sata was now trying to intimidate journalists by threatening them with law suits so that they stop exposing his wrong deeds.

“Mr Sata’s new stance of threatening to sue journalists in their own capacity is an act of childish and irresponsible behaviour,” he said.
He said Mr Sata should not rush into challenging him and Mr Phiri to produce the list of Lebanese and Greek nationals he had been borrowing money from.
Mr Mumbi said the PF president should first clear his name on several matters that had already exposed his misdeeds such as the dividing of Northern Province into two, selling of a piece of land in Luapula Province, and the issues surrounding his dealings which are currently before the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).

But when contacted, Mr Sata said the issue of the $27,000 had been overtaken by events and that he would rather not talk about it.

“How many times am I going to talk about the $27,000? That money has even been overtaken by events and by now it may even have gone to $100,000. What do Mumbi and Chifire know about ZRA?” Mr Sata said.

He also maintained that he would continue suing journalists in their own capacity as the country heads towards the 2011 elections.

“Where have you seen a driver knowing his boss’ debts? Yes, a driver can know about his boss’ girlfriend but not the debts his boss owes the people,” he said.

He also said he would ensure his former bodyguard and driver, Kelvin Phiri was prosecuted for what he called criminal defamation.

And Mr Chifire said Zambians should be wary of people like Mr Sata who would engage in shoddy deals with the aim of paying his creditors in an unlikely event that he was elected president.

He also said Mr Sata’s tendency of leaking confidential correspondence between him and President Rupiah Banda showed that the PF leader had no confidentiality and should not be trusted.

Meanwhile, the labour commissioner is today expected to meet Mr Sata’s former body guard Kelvin Phiri over a report submitted to his office concerning the opposition leader’s failure to pay K12 million terminal benefits.

Labour Commissioner Noah Siansimuna confirmed this in an interview.

[Times of Zambia]

Commenting on Fr. Bwalya’s Intentions to protest on the need for the country to have a new constitution before this year’s elections when parliament resumes sittings, ZED President Dr. Fred Mtesa says the priest has a right to express himself so long it is within the confines of the laws.

Dr. Mtesa also noted that the country needs more democratic laws to govern the electoral process and that calls to have a new constitution before this year’s elections are prudent.

He added that the government will positively respond to the calls for the Zambians and to adopt the Mung’omba draft constitution.

Dr. Mtesa says the Mung’omba draft constitution contains the true aspirations of the Zambian people.

He was speaking in an interview with QFM news.
[ QFM ]

Youth, Sport and Child Development Permanent Secretary Teddy Mulonga has disclosed that only K150 million has been pumped into youth projects in Luapula Province.

Mr. Mulonga attributed the low levels of funding to lack of interest by youths in the province to apply for funds.

ZANIS reports that he said his ministry never received any application from Luapula Province for funds from the Youth Empowerment Programme until youths were senstised by the District Commissioners (DC).

Mr. Mulonga told Samfya DC that his ministry has a lot of money for youth empowerment.

He said Government wants to engage the youth in productive ventures hence the need for them to apply for funds.

He has since appealed to the youths to apply for funding from the ministry immediately.

Mr. Mulonga made the appeal when he paid a courtesy call on Samfya DC, Cleophas Chimembe today.

He said Government has allocated K1.7 billion for youth development and K10 billion as Youth Empowerment Funds.

He said youths were facing economic challenges hence Government was doing everything possible to empower and equip them with skills.

The PS further said the empowerment programmes have the potential to uplift the living standards of young people and enable them contribute to national development.

He expressed sadness at the fact that some politicians are taking advantage of unemployment among the youths to use them for violent campaigns for personal benefit.

He was ,however, happy that most youths have refused to be used as tools for violence.

And Samfya DC, Cleophas Chimembe has appealed to the PS to help youths in the district with bursaries to continue with their education.

He said there are many orphaned youths in the area who have dropped out of school because of lack of sponsorship.

[ ZANIS ]

NRP President Dr. Cosmo Mumba said all well meaning opposition leaders should come on board and unite so as to have stronger ground to defeat the ruling MMD.

Dr. Mumba told QFM in an exclusive interview that divisions among the opposition political parties would give the MMD a loophole to still the votes hence the need for unity.

The opposition leader has, however, suggested that should the opposition unite a council of presidents that will endorse the candidature of an aspiring president be formed.

Dr. Mumba further observed that Zambia needs a new wave of leadership that will live to address the aspirations of ordinary citizens.
[ QFM ]

Itezhi-tezhi District council has commenced construction of houses to help meet the growing demand for accommodation in the area.

The house construction is in phases and thus the council has in the first phase constructed seven houses which are almost ready.

Acting Itezhi-tezhi District Council Secretary Cheembo Mang’wato has confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS today.

He said that the seven medium cost houses being built were financed under capital projects allocation of the Local Government budget for the year 2010.

“ The construction of the houses is almost complete, there are only a few things remaining such as electrical fittings, painting, and ceiling boards, all these will be completed by 20th February this year,” he said.

The project begun in August last year and being constructed by two local companies namely Nambala Contractors and Musonda Investments limited, respectively.

He said that the seven medium cost houses being built will help in alleviating the critical shortage of accommodation in the district.

Meanwhile Mr. Cheembo disclosed that forty five (45) out of fifty five (55) boreholes have been sunk under the DANIDA rural water supply and sanitation programme in rural areas of Itezhi-tezhi district.

He said that of the 45 boreholes that have been sunk, two of them were dry boreholes due to the fact that water could not be found when the contracted depth of the boreholes were reached.

Mr. Mang’wato further said that the 55 borehole that have been sunk with financial help from the Danish government will improve accessibility to clean water in rural Itezhi-tezhi where lack of clean water supply and poor sanitation has become a hallmark.

[ ZANIS ]

17 village headmen of Chief Singani’s area in Choma yesterday stormed the office of District Commissioner demanding to know why Town Mayor Mason Chaboya has been expelled from the opposition United Party for National Development(UPND).

The aggrieved headmen who were representing 57 others from the chiefdom also presented a petition to government not to declare Mayo’s Chaboya’s position as ward councilor for Siasikaboole vacant because they have not been furnished with reasons why their subject has been hounded out of the party.

The traditional leaders told Dstrict Commissioner (DC) Laiven Apuleni that they had travelled to the district administration (BOMA) to lodge an official complaint on the alleged victimization of mayor Chaboya who is their subject.

They said they were not interested in a by-election adding that government and the Electoral Commission of Zambia(ECZ) should not declare Mayor Chaboya’s position as ward councilor vacant following his unexplained expulsion from the UPND.

The headmen argued that by-election are not only too costly to government but also distort the way of life of the local people as they divert their attention from their daily economic activities to expending their energy and effort on political campaigns.

They said it was worrying because the UPND leadership has not bothered to explain to them the reasons leading to the expulsion of their subject.

But DC Apuleni advised the headmen that government cannot interfere with the internal wrangles of the UPND.

Mr. Apuleni, however, said there is nothing administratively that stops mayor Chaboya from performing his civic duties until the council and the ECZ declares his position vacant.

The opposition party recently expelled mayor Chaboya from the UPND for allegedly being involved in activities inimical to the UPND.

The party sources in the District confirmed to ZANIS that the mayor was expelled because of openly supporting government policies and programmes.

[ ZANIS ]