The Ministry of Home Affairs has disclosed that it successfully repatriated about 9,000 Congolese refugees back to their country last year.

Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Ndiyoyi Mutiti said the repatriation exercise is one of the major achievements that Government through her ministry scored.

Ms. Mutiti attributed the achievement to good relations Government has had with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN support agencies, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the Congolese government .

She told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka that the success of the exercise also led to the closure of two refugee camps at Kala and Mwange in Luapula and Northern provinces respectively.

Ms Mutiti said the two camps had been in existence for a long time and played a critical role in hosting many refugees in the country.

“ I think it is important for all the refugees to realise that it is better for them to return to their country when facilities are still available with the support of the UNHCR ,” she said.

She urged all refugees in the country to take advantage of the peaceful environment in their countries to return.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mutiti has disclosed that Government will this year engage and work with the Angolan government to find ways of ensuring that the programme to repatriate Angolan refugees succeeds.

The Permanent Secretary said circumstances and the environment in Angola was now conducive for the refugees to return to their native country.

Ms. Mutiti disclosed that Government held a few meetings with the Angolan government last year and was looking forward to holding another meeting early this year to plan for the repatriation of Angolan refugees who are still in Zambia.

She said the Angolan government was keen to have the Angolan refugees return to their home country and that that it was ready to receive them.

[ ZANIS ]

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has called on Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha to reason with the media fraternity and ensure that self regulation of the media in the country prevails.

TIZ Executive Director Goodwell Lungu said in an interview that the state control of the media has a negative impact on the operations of the industry.

Mr. Lungu said government has capacity to control the media to its advantage which has made it difficult for practitioners working in the state media to operate objectively.

He has appealed to Lt Gen Shikapwasha not to be hostile over self regulation of the media adding that the dialogue the minister is suggesting has failed to yield positive results.

This comes in a wake of General Shikapwasha’s statement that government will not recognize the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) that is set to be launched by the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) and other media bodies on the basis that the media council is not inclusive and will not help the media industry and the country as a whole.
[QFM ]

THE Ndola High Court has set today as the date for hearing the appeal of Kafulafuta Member of Parliament (MP) George Mpombo who has appealed against his conviction and sentence for bouncing a K10 million cheque.

Ndola High Court Judge-in-Charge Munalula Lisimba set today as the date to hear the appeal after he adjourned the matter yesterday when it came up for hearing.

Mr Justice Lisimba adjourned the matter after State advocate Nkumbiza Mumba told the court that Mpombo’s lawyer had informed her that he was not aware of the date which was set to hear the appeal.

Ms Mumba said the appellant’s counsel, a Mr Chabu of Ellis and Company, informed her through a mobile phone text message that he was not aware of yesterday as the date set to argue the appeal.

She said Mr Chabu had told her that he would travel yesterday from Lusaka to Ndola and would be available to argue the appeal today.

Mr Justice Lisimba, therefore, adjourned the matter to today.

Mpombo was in August convicted for bouncing a K10 million cheque and was sentenced to two months in prison and fined K4 million by the Ndola magistrates’ court.

Facts of the case were that Mpombo on December 18, 2009 with intent to defraud issued a cheque to Colwyn Limited in the amount of K10 million drawn on a Standard Chartered Bank account.

Mpombo borrowed K10 million from Colwyn Limited through its chairperson Terence Findlay on December 11 in 2009 and wrote a post-dated cheque in the same amount for December 18 the same year.
[ Times of Zambia ]

The resumption of Voter Registration exercise has suffered a setback in Milenge District since the mobile exercise ended in December, 2010.

Milenge Council Secretary Fidelis Chanda told ZANIS in an interview today that since December 1, 2010, the voter registration centre in the area has recorded almost none.

Mr Chanda attributed the poor turn out to lack of sensitization on the exercise and long distances to the registration centre.

He said most people, especially those who live in far places, are not even aware that the exercise has continued at the civic centre.

He said there is great need to sensitize people that the voter registration exercise has continued at the council office.

Mr Chanda further attributed the poor turn out for the voter registration to long distances to the centre.

He said it is difficult for people to move long distances to Milenge District Council to register as voters.

Mr. Chanda said being the cultivation season many people would rather go to their crop fields than walk a long distance to the civic centre to register as voters.

He cited Milambo and Fibalala areas as two of the places situated far from the district council and it would require someone the whole day to ride to the civic centre where the voter registration exercise is taking place.

Mr. Chanda suggested that government should introduce a deliberate measures to allow for mobile registration in order to reach the potential voters.

He said most people who live near the council offices had already registered during the mobile registration exercise.

He said government had done well to introduce the mobile registration exercise that yielded good results, but noted that as far as the voters’ registration exercise remained stationed at the council offices he does not expect the turn out to improve.

Meanwhile, Mansa Municipal Council Public Relations Officer Chris Mumba has appealed to the government to put up sensitization programmes on the Voter Registration Exercise.

Mr Mumba said despite the district recording a favorable number of voters from December 1, 2010 to date, there is still need for effective sensitization on the exercise especially in rural areas.

He further explained that some people who come to replace their voters’ card in most cases find it inconveniencing to go to the police station to get a police report.

He said people were used to getting police report from the registration centre and since police officers stopped issuing police report from the centre, many people just walk away when they are advised to go and collect a police report at the police offices.

[ ZANIS ]

Two male juveniles were this morning apprehended by Police in Solwezi District in North Western Province for allegedly causing the death of their friend in a fight.

North Western Province Police Chief Charles Lungu confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Solwezi today and named the deceased as Raphael Kapang’a aged 18 of Chawama compound in Solwezi district.

Mr Lungu said the incident occurred at the weekend but could, however, not give the exact age of the two apprehended juveniles who beat up their friend after a misunderstanding ensued at a local bar.

Mr Lungu said Kapang’a was admitted to Solwezi General Hospital after the incident and he later died on Sunday.

He noted that the matter was not immediately reported to Police and that the body was still lying in the mortuary awaiting postmortem.

And quick action by police this morning saved the two suspects from being lynched by family members of the deceased.

[ ZANIS ]

Government has disclosed that about 25 billion kwacha is needed to cater for the national shortfall of 400, 000 school desks.

Education minister Dora Siliya said the ministry has plans to purchase desks in bulk to avoid shortfalls.

Ms. Siliya was speaking in Lusaka today when she met 38 local desks manufacturers from across the country.

She said it is important for Zambians to appreciate giving business to the local manufacturers as they have the capacity to produce quality products.

Ms. Siliya added that promoting local manufacturers would help fight joblessness as more jobs will be created for the locals.

The Minister disclosed that government has a target of constructing about 100 high schools across the country by 2012-2013.

Ms. Siliya said the construction of the high schools cannot be done at once but in stages.

[ QFM ]

The Forum for Leadership Search has challenged the PF/UPND pact to state their position on the gay rights.

Forum for Leadership Search executive director Edwin Lifwekelo has said the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) should state their position on the issue of homosexuality and secular state with regard to Zambia being declared a Christian Nation.

Mr. Lifwekelo has told QFM today that he is aware of the fact that some opposition political party leaders are meeting donor countries that believe in the rights of gay persons and support the declaration of Zambia as a secular state.

He said Zambians would not allow selfish leaders that support gay rights and Zambia being a secular state, calling on the church to guard jealously the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation.

He added that the church should resist leaders that have auctioned Zambia on condition that they would recognize gay rights and declare Zambia a secular state once in State House.

Mr Lifwekelo noted that he fully supports vice president George Kunda’s challenge to the UPND/PF pact to state their position on the same sex relationships.
[ QFM ]