THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has refuted reports that the pact has settled for Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata as its presidential candidate.

PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba told a press briefing that his party had received proposals from UPND through its chairman for international relations Clive Chirwa, indicating among other issues that Mr Sata should be the pact presidential candidate in the 2011 general elections.

But UPND president Hakainde Hichilema said it is mischievous for Mr Kabimba to publicise suggestions made by an individual member of the UPND.

Mr Kabimba said during the press briefing that the PF received fundamental proposals from the UPND regarding the pact, including one that the two political parties should design and agree on a common manifesto or social and economic development agenda.

The other proposal is that the two parties share constituencies with the PF taking 60 percent of the parliamentary seats and the UPND 40 percent.

Mr Kabimba said the UPND also proposed that Mr Sata be the pact presidential candidate in the 2011 presidential and general elections and that Mr Hichilema should be vice-president if the pact forms government.

The UPND also proposed that the Cabinet portfolios be shared, with PF taking 60 percent and UPND 40 percent, and that these proposals should be embodied in a document to be signed by the two leaders at a ceremony to be witnessed by NGOs, the Church and other stakeholders.

“In our desire to ensure that the pact makes progress and in order to show our commitment to the PF-UPND pact, we hereby accept these proposals within the working time frame attached to them. I have accordingly written to the UPND secretary general,” Mr Kabimba said.

[pullquote]“We don’t want to go into government as a bunch of jokers. We don’t want to bring old politics of hide and seek and opportunism. If the PF is ready to talk, we are ready,” he said.[/pullquote]

He said the pact between PF and UPND is still alive and viable as an alternative government to the MMD during this year’s tripartite elections.

But Mr Hichilema, who also held a press briefing later, said no decision had been made on the pact presidential candidate.

“It is important that we present facts. Anybody issuing contrary statements to this fact is being malicious and is misleading the nation,” he said.

Mr Hichilema said UPND had requested the PF to dialogue but that it had taken eight to nine months without the meeting taking place.

He reiterated the need for both parties to agree on the national social economic programme.

He said the issues include the provision of health and education and clean water.

“We don’t want to go into government as a bunch of jokers. We don’t want to bring old politics of hide and seek and opportunism. If the PF is ready to talk, we are ready,” he said.

And asked what he thought Mr Kabimba’s motives were, Mr Hichilema replied, “One has to check his motives. Anyone with interest in this matter can only speculate.”

“Our management style is different and, therefore, we will not be driven by Mr Kabimba’s style. For me, what is good for the Zambian people is what matters.
[pullquote]“Our management style is different and, therefore, we will not be driven by Mr Kabimba’s style. For me, what is good for the Zambian people is what matters. [/pullquote]

We should not rush to choose candidates. What’s the point of having a position if you can’t deliver? The presidency and public office must be taken seriously, so let us not be excited about the views of one individual,” he said.

And in his response to Mr Kabimba’s letter, UPND secretary general Winstone Chibwe said the proposals are the personal views of Professor Chirwa and should not be taken as the official position of the party.

“The UPND is procedural in decision making and has not made any of the alleged proposals,” he said.

Mr Chibwe said it is important for Mr Kabimba to show maturity and seriousness in the way this matter is handled to promote mutual trust and confidence in matters of the pact.

“It is important to engage each other in a procedural and dignified manner as we seek public office. Any departure from this will only serve to undermine our standing in the eyes of voters. Confidence, procedure and decency are important ingredients in pact governance,” the letter reads.

Mr Chibwe said UPND had written several letters to which there has been no response from the PF.

“The last letter to the PF president dated 20th January, 2011 had an enclosure of our UPND press statement which contained fundamental social economic and governance issues that we in the UPND believe must come first before even contemplating the issue of Presidency that you have clumsily dealt with this morning,” the letter reads.

“We are, therefore, surprised that you have opted to take the personal views of Prof. Chirwa to the press without contacting us when you have failed to respond to our official position,” Mr Chibwe said in his reply.

And President Banda says he cannot blame UPND for distancing itself from the reports.

The President said on arrival from Livingstone that Mr Sata is a “hostile and aggressive” man who dwells on insulting other people, but does not want to be criticised.

[pullquote]“We are, therefore, surprised that you have opted to take the personal views of Prof. Chirwa to the press without contacting us when you have failed to respond to our official position,” Mr Chibwe said in his reply.[/pullquote]

He said the politics that Zambians want will eventually marginalise him.

And Chief Mwanachingwala says the pact has failed to work because Mr Sata has not been honest with Mr Hichilema.

“Hakainde has been very honest but Mr Sata has not, so the pact cannot work,” he said.

He said the wrangles in the pact have given the ruling MMD a 60 percent chance of winning the elections.

“What I know is that Mr Sata will not allow Mr Hichilema to stand as pact president. And how can Hichilema be vice-president when the Constitution does not provide for a running mate?

How sure is Sata that he is going to win and make Hichilema vice-president? And how sure is Hichilema that Sata would not change his mind if he was to win the elections?”

Chief Mwachingwala advised Mr Hichilema and the UPND to work with the MMD.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

A forty one year old female accountant has pleaded not guilty to sixteen counts of theft and forgery of over hundred million kwacha and over sixteen thousand us dollars.

Exhildah Mutekenya is alleged to have stolen the said resources from her employer our lady’s hospices between May 14th 2009 and December 4th 2009.

She is alleged to have forged two cheques and a receipt which purported to show that they were genuinely obtained and signed for by relevant authorities.

The cheques are in amounts totaling forty five million kwacha and the receipt is totaling twenty million kwacha.

Ms. Mutekenya who appeared before Lusaka resident magistrate, Wilfred Muma, also pleaded not guilty to two counts of altering the two cheques she is alleged to have forged to one, Kemma Kandepu.
[ MUVI ]

Nazarias Mbewe who was a chief pay master at Kaoma’s Luena Barracks has been jailed for five years with hard labor while two other officers Crispin Nyirongo and Willy Mbukwana have been slapped with a four year jail sentence.

The trio who was jointly charged with two others, Benedict Chankanga and Ganizani Goma who were yesterday acquitted, are alleged to have stolen the said resources from the Public pensions fund.

The said money was deposited into Nazaria Mbewe’s account on pretext that it was his retirement package when in fact he was dismissed after being convicted of other criminal charges.

And in passing sentence Lusaka resident magistrate Exonobet Zulu said he had heard all that the convicts had said in their mitigation.

Magistrate Zulu, however, noted that while it is a fact that Mr. Mbewe served in the Zambian army for thirty four years, what matters is his service rendered to the army.

He said it is of no benefit if in his 34 years of service he stole tax payers’ money.

And Magistrate Zulu has further ordered the three convicted officials to pay back the three hundred and twenty six million kwacha they are alleged to have stolen.
[ MUVI ]

Some civil society organisations (CSOs) working with opposition political parties have launched a campaign to discredit the outcome of the 2011 presidential and general elections and psyche Zambians to reject the results if the MMD won the polls, it has been learnt.

Former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Charles Chimumbwa said the continued allegations on radio stations by the known CSOs was part of the campaign.

Mr. Chimumbwa, who is also former Nchanga PF member of Parliament, said the organisations wanted to rally support for the collapsed alliance involving PF and the United Party for National Development (UPND).

He said the CSOs wanted supporters of the two political parties to reject the results if they would be in favour of the ruling party.
[pullquote]“The motive behind this trick is to make people lose faith in the commission and once this happens, the people will not accept the results that will be announced.

“This will be the genesis of the revolution against the MMD Government,” Mr Chimumbwa said.[/pullquote]
Mr. Chimumbwa said the campaign involved attacking the credibility of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) by claiming that the commission would rig the elections in favour of the ruling party.

He said the CSOs had taken advantage of the situation at the ECZ where former chairperson Florence Mumba resigned her position following protests by workers over a K1 billion contract awarded to KPMG to audit the commission.

“We urge our leaders not to listen to these CSOs that have turned into prophets of doom, lying that the elections will be rigged or have already been rigged,” Mr Chimumbwa said.

He said PF leader Michael Sata was a failed politician and urged Zambians who had not yet registered as voters to go ahead and register because the rumours about rigging were unfounded.

Mr. Chimumbwa said President Rupiah Banda was the right person to run Zambia to help consolidate the economic gains so far recorded.

He said there had been attempts to create an impression that the recent confusion at ECZ was fuelled by the ruling party.

“The motive behind this trick is to make people lose faith in the commission and once this happens, the people will not accept the results that will be announced.

“This will be the genesis of the revolution against the MMD Government,” Mr Chimumbwa said.

He called on the law enforcement agencies to ensure those involved in such clandestine activities were brought to book.

[ Times of Zambia ]

United Party for National Development leader Hakainde Hichilema has said there is need for his party and its pact partners the Patriotic Front to agree on how they intend to develop the nation when voted into government before jostling for positions in the pact.

Mr. Hichilema told QFM news in an interview that the two political parties need to agree on governance issues and how they will work towards improving the living standards of the Zambians when in government.

Mr. Hichilema added that the two parties need to commit themselves to work on a constitution that will among other things address the 50 plus 1 and the presidential running mate clause.

He said the pact also needed to indicate that it will also work towards liberating the judiciary so as to improve the dispensation of justice in the country.

Mr. Hichilema noted that his party had written to its pact partner the PF on the need to convene and agree on all the pertinent issues affecting the nation.

And Mr. Hichilema has clarified that according to the memorandum of understanding signed when the pact was formed; the two political parties are free to campaign as single entities.

The opposition leader said the formation of the pact was based on issues of national interest and that its existence does not in any way take away the legitimacy of the individual political parties.

Mr. Hichilema added that despite a few misunderstandings the pact is still valid and hoped that the PF will respond in good time to UPND’s request for the two parties to meet and address issues affecting the pact.

He was reacting to media reports that the pact’s existence had vanished following the revelations that the two parties had embarked on separate campaign tours.

QFM

By LusakaTimes
Government has condemned PF leader Michael Sata’s conduct at chief Mporokoso’s palace in Northern Province where he is alleged to have harassed the chief’s retainers.

And the Zambia Daily Mail has demanded an apology from Mr. Sata and payment of K5 billion for damages for storming into the newsroom during an editorial meeting yesterday.

In a statement released today, Information and broadcasting minister Lt. General Ronnie Shikapwasha said Mr. Sata’s blatant disrespect for the traditional ruler to openly quarrel with his retainers at the
palace was unacceptable.

Lt. General Shikapwasha who is also chief government spokesperson said the Zambian society was premissed on traditional rulers as custodians of norms and values.

He described Mr. Sata’s reported outbursts at the chief’s palace and at the Zambia Daily Mail where he is also said to have stormed into the editorial meeting as unbecoming.

Meanwhile the Zambia Daily Mail has demanded an apology from Mr. Sata and payments of K5 billion for damages.

George Zulu the corporate director at Zambia Daily Mail said Mr. Sata issued threats at management and reporters and stressed that it was not the first time that the opposition leader was storming into the
newspaper’s editorial meeting and disrupting business.

Government has abolished Academic Production Unit (APU) classes.

This means all pupils that were under the programme will be incorporated in the main education system.
Education Minister Dora Siliya said that the APU classes have been abolished because Government has built more schools to accommodate the pupils.

Ms. Siliya said that government has put up massive school infrastructure to increase access to schools by pupils.
And Ms Siliya has warned Head teachers against forcing pupils to pay tuition fees when they want to rewrite examinations.

She was speaking when she addressed teachers in Mumbwa district on Tuesday.
And Central Province Education Officer Paul Ngoma said all pupils who were under APU system will have to pay normal tuition fees.

Mr. Ngoma said all pupils will pay uniform and tuition fees.

APU classes were introduced as way of accommodating pupils who could not enter the main stream education system owing to inadequate infrastructure.

But Government has rolled out a massive infrastructure development programme which has seen new schools constructed and old ones upgraded.
[ ZNBC ]

Police on the Copperbelt have arrested two opposition Patriotic Front Councilors at the Chingola Municipal Council for alleged illegal allocation of land.

Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer Martin Malama confirmed the arrest of the two councilors to ZNBC in Kitwe on Tuesday.

Dr. Malama says one of the councilors who is detained at Chingola Central Police station is alleged to have sold a plot to a Chingola resident at fifteen-million-Kwacha but it was later discovered that the plot belonged to someone else.

Another councilor allegedly obtained a motor vehicle valued at fifty-million-Kwacha in exchange for a plot which did not belong to him and had already been developed.

Dr. Malama said police will investigate the two cases professionally.

Recently the ministry of Local Government suspended the Lusaka city council for alleged illegal allocation of plots.

The Anti Corruption Commission -ACC- has since instituted investigations into the matter.
[ ZNBC ]