Government has embarked on the construction of a multi- billion kwacha housing project in Misisi compound as part of the expansion of Lusaka Central Business District.

Local government Permanent Secretary Timothy Hakuyu said this when he appeared before the parliamentary committee on government assurances, Tuesday.

Mr Hakuyu has assured the people in Misisis and Kuku Compounds that they will be compensated through the housing project.

He added that the residents will not pay rentals for the government houses.

Mr Hakuyu told the committee that this is part of the expansion of Lusaka City.

He further said that a business complex has already been designed.

And National Housing Authority Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela said a Chinese company called China National Complete Trans Import and Export group will take part in the construction project.

Mr Mpondela said the project which will cost 200 million US dollars will take six years to be completed.

ZNBC

TWO people have died, while eleven others sustained injuries after a ZAMPOST bus they were in over turned along the Great East road.

The accident occurred Tuesday morning around Chinyunyu area in Chongwe district.

The ZAMPOST bus was enroute to Chipata.

Some accident victims, attributed the accident to lack of concentration by the driver.

They told a ZNBC News crew at the scene that the driver was allegedly trying to Change a CD when the bus overturned.

The casualties were earlier rushed to Chongwe district hospital before being rushed to University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.

And ZAMPOST Head of Security and Investigations Gilbert Mupeta dismissed allegations of negligence on the part of the driver.

Mr Mupeta however said that the company will take care of the needs of all the injured victims.

[ ZNBC ]

Former opposition Patriotic Front -PF- Secretary General Edward Mumbi has dismissed sentiments and insinuations by Former Legal Affairs Minister Dr. Rodger Chongwe that the ruling MMD will rig elections.

Mr. Mumbi has described the statements as careless, desperate and dangerous to the country.

And Mr Mumbi has challenged Dr. Chongwe who was also Chief Advisor to government to tell Zambians how he advised the government that he served in preparing the rigging of elections.

He said Dr. Chongwe must be responsible enough to guide the nation on how elections are conducted.

Mr. Mumbi also told ZNBC News that Dr. Chongwe has in possession a foreign judgment against Zambia in the sum of 5 million United states dollars which he thought President Banda would influence Government to pay after the 2008 presidential elections.

He alleged that Dr Chongwe supported President Banda because the late president Levy Mwanawasa wrote to him that there was no law that provided or supported registration of such a foreign judgment.

Mr. Mumbi said Dr. Chongwe’s outbursts and anger towards President Rupiah Banda only reflect his profound loss.

He also challenged Dr. Chongwe to tell the nation what happened when he allegedly fled the country.

[ ZNBC ]

The ministry of Education has announced that the school curriculum currently under review will be ready by March next year.

Minister of Education Dora Siliya says a team of experts will formulate the new syllabus once the review of the curriculum has been concluded.

She told journalist at a media briefing in Lusaka, Monday that the school curriculum is being reviewed to incorporate entrepreneurship and Information Communication Technology-ICT- skills.

Ms Siliya explained that government is of the view that school leavers should have entrepreneurship and ICT skills when they complete school.

The minister said this will enable school leavers become self employed because of survival skills they will have acquired at school.

And Ms Siliya said her ministry will play a critical role in the implementation of the Sixth National Development Plan -SNDP.

She said under the plan government intends to build more schools in the next five years.

The Sixth National Development Plan was officially launched by President Banda last week Friday.
[ ZNBC ]

The Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has appealed to activists calling for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement to be peaceful and learn to tolerate opposing views.

ZEC, a group of Catholic bishops, said in a statement released yesterday that the activists should commit themselves to peaceful means in their advocacy and should tolerate people with different views on the subject.

The bishops said while it was the right of the activists to organise and associate with anybody, it was important to respect the rights of other people who did not belong to the groupings and may have different views on the subject.

“We appeal to the activist groups, particularly the Linyungandambo, Barotse Freedom Movement, Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland Agreement and the Barotse Patriotic Front to commit themselves to peaceful means of advocating for their demands,” the statement reads in part.

It said all stakeholders in the matter should commit to peace by refraining from violence, intimidation or use of force as a means of achieving their objectives.

The bishops said dialogue was the best way forward.

The bishops did not blame any particular party for the violence that took place in January this year in Mongu but called for a lasting solution to remove tension in Western Province.
[pullquote]“We appeal to the activist groups, particularly the Linyungandambo, Barotse Freedom Movement, Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland Agreement and the Barotse Patriotic Front to commit themselves to peaceful means of advocating for their demands,” the statement reads in part.[/pullquote]
They said although they realised the duty of the Government to maintain law and order, it was important not to use live ammunition on the public again.

The bishops appealed to President Rupiah Banda to exercise his prerogative to release those detained in connection with the violence in Mongu in January this year.

They also said the Government should address perceptions that Western Province was sidelined in matters of development.

The bishops said they acknowledged efforts by the Government to take development to the province and called for more development programmes.

They said diocesan groupings, deaneries, parishes and small Christian communities should use every opportunity available to preach, promote and to be witnesses of peace and unity.

[ Times of Zambia ]

THE Government has described former prime minister in the UNIP administration Malimba Masheke as a liar for claiming that Western Province is the poorest region in the country because it has allegedly been neglected.

Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane said General Masheke, who was a Government leader for many years, failed to influence development projects such as the roads from Mongu to Kalabo and Mongu to Sesheke which the Rupiah Banda administration was now spearheading.

Gen Masheke said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that there was little attention paid to Western Province which he claimed had become the poorest region in Zambia.

He was flanked by former minister of Communications and Transport William Harrington, former secretary to the Cabinet Sketchley Sachika and former Southern African Development Community parliamentary forum secretary general Kasukwa Mutukwa.

But Dr Musokotwane said Gen Masheke, Dr Sachika and Mr Harrington failed to deliver development to the province when they held senior positions in the Government.

He said the Government in this year’s national Budget had provided K586 billion for various infrastructure development, which was higher than before when the province was receiving about K50 billion per year.

Dr Musokotwane said the K586 billion did not include the money held by ministries such as Education, Works and Supply, and Agriculture which had their own allocations for projects in the province where huge sums of money were being spent.

The minister asked Mr Harrington to tell the nation what he did when he was minister of Tourism and later Communications and Transport for him to support the statement that the province was poor.

He also said Dr Sachika held the influential position of secretary to the Cabinet and did nothing for the people of Western Province while President Banda’s administration had constructed several schools, health centres and boosted agriculture.

Dr Musokotwane said the province was under-developed because some former leaders such as Gen Masheke failed to provide a proper foundation for socio-economic advancement.

The former prime minister also accused the Government of torturing suspects arrested in connection with the confusion that erupted last month in Mongu over the Barotseland Agreement.

He said the suspects, who had been transferred to Mumbwa, would not have access to legal representation and care from their relatives.

Mr Harrington said the treason accused had merely asked for the recognition of the Barotseland Agreement and were not pressing for the secession of Western Province.

But Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lungu, in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, said Gen Masheke was not telling the truth because all the suspects were under the care of
prison officials.

Mr Lungu said food was being provided for the suspects while legal representation had adequately been addressed.

He said the matter about the treason suspects was in court and urged Gen Masheke, Mr Harrington and Dr Sachika to stop commenting on it because if they were arrested they would start attacking the Government.

The briefing was attended by Kabwata Member of Parliament (MP) Given Lubinda, PF chairperson for mobilisation Charles Banda, former Mandevu MP Patricia Nawa, PF chairperson for legal affairs Edgar Lungu and Barotse Royal Establishment spokesperson Oliver Saasa.

[ Times of Zambia ]