Southern Province Permanent Secretary Gladys Kristafor has described Japan as a reliable partner in the improvement of the Zambian economy.

Mrs. Kristafor said for this reason, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had become a household name in the country due to its involvement in various projects that uplift the lives of people, especially the underprivileged.

She said this during the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOVC) 40th Anniversary exhibition at the Livingstone Museum yesterday.

Mrs. Kristafor said through JOVC, Japanese citizens have helped in improving lives of the less privileged people in Zambia and many other parts of the world.

She added that Japan had also helped in meeting various human resource needs in the country.

The Permanent Secretary has since commended the Japanese government for its outstanding work ethics, which she said could help significantly, if adopted by Zambians.

And speaking earlier, Livingstone Museum Director, Vincent Katanekwa said Japan had risen from being on the periphery to the centre of the economic power in the world economic arena due to its hardworking citizens.

Mr. Katanekwa said the JOVC was aimed at promoting cultural appreciation and awareness between Japan and other parts of the world in a bid to build understanding and acceptance among different peoples around the world.

He said the promotion of cultural appreciation was a key ingredient in fostering world peace.

Mr. Katanekwa said the four Japanese volunteers that have been posted to his institution were working on the development of a computer based cataloguing system for the museum’s collections.

He said the system was being tested for computerization of the museum’s collections to facilitate the sharing of information among museums and research institutions.

He added that the system would also make the museum collections more accessible to the public.

Meanwhile, JOVC Representative Mitsuhiro Kimura said Zambia had a long and deep relationship with Japan which spanned over a period of 40 years.

ZANIS

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda will today officially commission the K36-billion New Soweto Market, undoubtedly the capital city’s nerve centre for all marketeers.

Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister Moses Muteteka said in a pre-launch interview in Lusaka yesterday that the Government was excited that the market would finally be launched as it was one of the ways to empower Zambians.

“This is a definite way to put money in the people’s pockets and we are so glad that as a ministry we have achieved such a milestone to give our people infrastructure they can use to better their lives,” he said.

After months of waiting and sometimes acrimony over the allocation of stands in the market, President Banda will today cut the ribbon to officially allow for trading in the 2,100 capacity modern market.

Despite the construction of the new market being over, the trading place could not start operating because of the controversies over stall allocations given the number of applicants.

The interest in the market is high given that as at March 2009, Lusaka City Council had received more than 10,000 applications from traders in the new market, constructed with the help of the European Union.

That should have sent panic into the traders who owned stalls in the old market and partly explains the high number of litigations over the allocations.

LCC public relations officer, Mulunda Habeenzu said in Lusaka yesterday that most of the court cases had been resolved outside court and that the stall allocation had been concluded.

“We are happy that most of the cases have been resolved outside court and now the stall allocation has been concluded,” he said.
Some marketeers spoken to yesterday expressed happiness with the opening of the market.

Regina Mwaka, a fish trader, said she was happy that the market was finally being commissioned.

[Times of Zambia]

KITWE Mayor Elias Kamanga is being investigated for abuse of office after he allegedly obtained K1.7 million from the council to buy suits for himself and another K3 million to dine and wine with some of his fellow councillors at a guest house in Kitwe.

Copperbelt provincial local government officer Solomon Sakala and Ministry of Local Government and Housing Permanent Secretary, Timothy Hakuyu confirmed receiving reports of Mr Kamanga’s alleged abuse of office.

Mr Sakala said he received a report from the council about the alleged abuse of office by the mayor. Mr Hakuyu was handling the matter.

“Yes, I can confirm that my office received a report that when Mr Kamanga was elected mayor, he got K1.7 million to buy himself suits and later took some of his colleagues to wine and dine at Shebourne Guest House in Kitwe where they spent K3 million, but I can’t say much because Mr Hakuyu is handling it,” Mr Sakala said.

Mr Hakuyu said he had received a copy of the report and was cross-checking it with the town clerk to establish under which circumstances the mayor received the money.

“I can confirm receiving a copy of that report but what I usually do, when I receive such kind of reports, I normally cross-check. I want to know under which circumstances he got the money,” Mr Hakuyu said.

When contacted, Mr Kamanga, who is opposition Patriotic Front Bupe Ward councillor, said he could not comment on the matter.
Some documents availed to the Times in Kitwe and signed by Brighton Mbaimbai, who was then acting town clerk, and Mr Kamanga confirmed the latter’s request for the said money.

[Times of Zambia]

Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde has assured Zambians that next years tripartite elections will be free and fair.

Mr. Kabonde says even though past by-elections have been marred by violence, Police and other Defence forces are working out modalities to ensure that peace prevails during the elections.

Mr. Kabonde said this in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when he addressed Zambians living in Ethiopia.

He addressed the Zambians at the residence of Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Albert Muchanga.
This is according to a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian mission in Addis Ababa, Dorcas Chileshe.

Mr. KABONDE said Zambians living in Ethiopia and other parts of the world should continue to pray for continued peace in Zambia.

And Zambia Army Commander Lieutenant General, Wisdom Lopa commended Zambians living in Ethiopia for exhibiting the spirit of unity.

General Lopa said the team spirit among Zambians in Ethiopia has made them a shining example amongst other foreign nationals based in Ethiopia.

And Ambassador Muchanga urged Zambians living in Ethiopia to continue exhibiting traits of peace and unity, as Zambia is a beacon of peace in Africa.

General Lopa, Mr. Kabonde and Zambia Air-force Commander Andrew Sakala are in Ethiopia to attend the 7th Meeting of African Chiefs of Defense Staff and Heads of Security.

The Meeting is focusing on reviewing mechanisms that will make the African Standby Force operate effectively
[ ZANIS ]

First Lady Thandiwe Banda this morning held a closed door meeting with Cardinal Medardo Mazombwe at State House.

Cardinal Mazombwe, who was accompanied by Vatican Ambassador to Zambia Nicola Girasoli held a meeting with the First Lady which lasted for about 30 minutes.

After meeting the First Lady, Cardinal Mazombwe also met President Rupiah Banda for a few minutes, shortly before leaving State House.

The former Lusaka ArchBishop was recently appointed by Cardinal by Pope Benedict the 16th, to become the first indigenous Zambian Catholic Cardinal .

And President Rupiah Banda recently praised Cardinal Mazombwe for the successfully campaigning for the cancellation of Zambia’s 6. 2 billion United States dollars foreign debt.

He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Vice President George Kunda, during the thanksgiving mass to celebrate Pope Benedict’s appointment of Cardinal MAZOMBWE over the weekend.

[ ZANIS ]

Some unruly Mulenga Township residents in Kitwe at the weekend beat up Kitwe City Council grave diggers at Chamboli Cemetery and grabbed picks and shovels from them after they were allegedly stopped from burying their colleague in the high cost burial site.

Kitwe Town Clerk Ali Simwinga said the “thugs” from Mulenga Township who were among mourners who had gone to bury their relative beat up the grave diggers after they were denied access to high cost site because they had not paid for any space there.

Mr Simwinga, who rushed to the cemetery said in Kitwe yesterday that all well-meaning Zambians should condemn the lawlessness exhibited by the youth.

“We all know that there are high-cost and low-cost sites at the cemetery, and to resort to such behaviour was the worst form of lawlessness.

“It is sad that some people could just wake up and decide to go and beat up people who were doing their work,” he said.
Mr Simwinga said it was unacceptable that while some people were desecrating graves, others had now resorted to attacking innocent workers at cemeteries.
[ Times Zambia ]

THE Ndola District administration has constituted a fresh team of experts from various Government departments and other stakeholders to come up with a detailed report on the alleged sexual abuse of pupils at Ndola Girls Technical High School.

This follows the misgivings of parents over the authenticity of a report that would be produced by investigators from the office of the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS).

Ndola District Commissioner, Joshua Mutisa said in an interview in yesterday the anxious parents had wondered how the DEBS office would probe alleged misdeeds of their colleagues without being biased.

Mr Mutisa, who refused to disclose what had been established so far, said the findings of the DEBS team would now be treated as a preliminary report.

He said district administration authorities working in close collaboration with the provincial administration had resolved to constitute a comprehensive team of experts that would include officers from the social welfare department, child and youth development department in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development, and Victims Support Unit of the Zambia Police Service, among others.

“What we want is a report which is not only based on the questioning of the suspected culprits.

“My view is that the experts should talk to all members of staff starting with the office orderly to the senior most employees during the investigations,” he said.

He said investigations were expected to be concluded within a period of 10 days to establish all the factors leading to the alleged abuse of girls.
[pullquote]“What we want is a report which is not only based on the questioning of the suspected culprits.

“My view is that the experts should talk to all members of staff starting with the office orderly to the senior most employees during the investigations,” he said.[/pullquote]
Three teachers accused of sexually molesting 36 girls at the school situated on the Ndola-Kitwe, next to the Dag Hammarskjoeld Memorial Site, were recently banned after Education Minister Dora Siliya ordered thorough investigations into the allegations.
[ Times of Zambia ]