THE fight for the MMD presidency has resumed in earnest after a short lull with Chisamba parliamentarian Moses Muteteka appealing to his rival Dr Nevers Mumba, whom he described as “childish”, to go back to God and “repent” for abandoning Him.

But Dr Mumba has urged his rivals not to launch personal attacks on him because he did not target them exclusively in his call for transparency and accountability.

Mr Muteteka was reacting to remarks attributed to Dr Mumba that all MMD aspiring candidates disclose their source of wealth before they are put into office to enhance transparency and morality.

He said Dr Mumba has no moral right to challenge other members of the MMD because he has failed not only the party but Zambians in general in the various capacities he has served.

“What integrity is he talking about when he abandoned his flock for political office? He was also fired as the republican vice president because he failed to perform; he failed the MMD party and that was the reason the then president fired him.

Instead of challenging other candidates, my advice to him would be for him to first go back and seek God’s forgiveness for embarrassing Him and abandoning his flock before he can start pointing fingers at other people,” Mr Muteteka said.

Mr Muteteka said he had no problem declaring his source of wealth to the party members and the general public, but described Dr Mumba’s utterances as “childish and immaterial” to the growth of the MMD.

He said his intentions to vie for the MMD top position was not to amass wealth through dubious ways and mislead the people, but to contribute to the betterment of the party as a man of integrity, honesty and hard work.

“I am a man of the people and I understand the challenges in MMD. I am not vying for the MMD presidency because I want to steal from the party and the people; I am standing because I can deliver as a leader.

“I have proved that I can deliver through the various positions that I have held in Government. He should not start behaving like a champion in MMD because the party is still formidable and existed before he came along,” he said.

Another aspiring candidate, Felix Mutati, who refused to comment on Dr Mumba’s challenge, said MMD members must learn to sort out party issues internally without involving the media and “outsiders”.

A political analys,t Sunday Chanda, said there was no justification in calls for MMD presidential aspiring candidates to be compelled to disclose their source of income.

Mr Chanda, who was also MMD’s aspiring candidate for Kanchibiya constitituency in the 2011 general said the MMD party does not need a broke president as he would be easy to compromise or eventually sell the party to the highest bidder.

“Let’s be honest, we can’t afford a financially fragile leader at this stage. Let those making this misplaced call refer their arguments to the functions of the party president,” Mr Chanda said.

However, Dr Mumba said it was unfortunate that some aspiring candidates had personalised the challenge carried in yesterday’s edition of the Daily Mail because the statement was not exclusively meant for those vying for the MMD presidency but all party members wishing to contest any position in the party.

Dr Mumba said his proposal for all MMD members to declare their source of wealth before being elected into office would help change people’s perception that it is a party for “corrupt people”.

“It is regrettable that some aspiring candidates have decided to start attacking me because that statement was not targeted at them but all party members, and it is for the good of the party.

“I have also advocated for all leaders, including myself, to declare our source of income to public scrutiny so that we are held accountable by our members. It is unfortunate that people would attack me based on unsubstantiated reports,” he said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

President Michael Sata has urged investors in Zambia and ZAMTEL workers not to panic or be used by individuals who have axes to grind with the Government and are peddling all kinds of lies as a cover for their crimes.

The President has said that the PF Government’s primary duty was to be custodian of public interest and it therefore has a duty to correct falsehoods, distortions and misrepresentation of facts by elements that have unscrupulously plundered public resources.

“Despite the release of the Report of the committee investigating into the sale of ZAMTEL to LAP Green Networks to the public, members of the tainted MMD administration assisted by some imprudent media houses are still having a field day spreading falsehoods, alarm and despondency,” says President Sata.

President Sata underlined that LAP Green failed to meet three cardinal bench marks prescribed by the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) in the sale process.

“And these are: (a) a minimum of five years of licensed operation in the telecommunications industry (b) have more than three million subscribers on fixed, mobile or fixed wireless networks; and (c) a minimum of US$250 million Shareholders’ equity for private entities or a minimum market capitalization of US$500 million for public listed entities,” President Sata said.

“LAP Green all the same had the sale consummated by a corrupt regime which disregarded its own legal requirements of effecting the tender process, the mandatory legal consent by the Attorney General and ensuring valuation within the provisions of our laws. Although, there is no documentary evidence of any valuation, R.P Capital were paid US$12.6 million which was shared with the corrupt collaborators with explicit assistance by the Government officers at various levels.”

Mr Sata said that Government is convinced that a deal of this nature shrouded in insidious corruption cannot be sustained by any court of law in the international community.

“Therefore, the scare mongering tactics by Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane intended to cover up his crimes is essentially an exercise in futility. The PF Government’s unequivocal stance on zero tolerance for corruption has the fullest support of the international community which abhors resource misdirection through corruption, a big contributory factor to Africa’s retardation,” President Sata said.

“Since the advent of the PF administration all donor institutions and Governments have increased their aid outlays to Zambia and the challenge is in fact for Zambia to develop adequate capacity to use the external aid timely and effectively. ”, Mr Sata Said

On investment, President Sata said it was flowing into the country at a commendable pace because investors trust the PF policy consistency and predictability, the pillars of credibility.

“The type of investors that are idols of the likes of Dr. Musokotwane who come via the route or channel of corruption are a luxury Zambians can do without. Make no mistake about it, for we are determined to see transparency, accountability and good business moral codes in all spheres of Governance,” the President says.

“Investors who are here and those planning to invest in our country are assured Zambia is a reliable investment destination. Zambia has not only both peace and stability but is irrevocably committed to the rule of law. What is more, there are no restrictions let alone cumbersome procedures for externalist of dividends.”

The President said that suggestions of investors shunning Zambia is a misperception and pipe dream of Dr. Musokotwane.

“The former minister has as yet a lot of things to answer including the tax deferment concessions he gave in ways which Zambian law does not mandate. Sabre rattling as a defence, he will soon prove, is unsustainable and will not get him off the hook even with the lavish coverage he is getting from reckless media houses with a strange agenda,” President Sata said.

“This Government will not be stampeded into precipitate actions and if the Government is slow in bringing to book those who have committed crimes against Zambia, it is only because they want to follow the due process of the law. We urge ZAMTEL workers not to panic or be used by people who have axes to grind and who are peddling all kinds of lies as a cover for their misdeeds. If any accounts have been frozen it is to prevent the money from being taken out and it is basically in public interest.” , Mr Sata said

President Sata emphasized that when ZAMTEL has been sorted out the majority of the shares will be owned by Zambians.

“ZAMTEL is a viable proposition when things have been realigned and streamlined. The temporary setbacks of the workers will be attended to so that workers are not subjected to uncertainties any more. Government has both the will and capacity to meaningfully capitalize ZAMTEL,” President Sata said.

“As Head of State, I will never sideline my commitment to safeguard and superintend the interests of the Zambian people. Zambians with the passage of time will realize that they never misallocated their trust by entrusting me to preside over their fate and destiny.”

Zambia earned an excellent opening day 2-1 win over Senegal in Group A of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Emmanuel Mayuka opened the scoring for Zambia after only 12 minutes.

Career

Mayuka is a former player for hometown Kabwe Warriors. In early 2008, Mayuka was the youngest player at the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations and he made his competition debut against Sudan.He is included in the 23 man team for zambia 2012 AFCON

 Club Career

 Maccabi Tel Aviv

In September, he joined Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv. In April 2010 Mayuka renewed his contract at Maccabi Tel Aviv until 2014.

BSC Young Boys

On 28 May 2010, it was confirmed that Mayuka had signed a five year contract with Swiss club BSC Young Boys for a transfer fee of 1.7m US, paid to Maccabi Tel Aviv as the replacement for Seydou Doumbia, who was sold to CSKA Moscow. On 17 February 2011, Mayuka scored a last-minute goal against Russian club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in a 1/32 final UEFA Europa League match to help his team to a 2:1 home win.

 International career

He was part of the class of 2007 under-20 which included Fwayo Tembo, Clifford Mulenga, Sebastian Mwansa, William Njovu, Stophira Sunzu, Joseph Zimba, Rogers Kola, Jacob Banda, Nyambe Mulenga and Dennis Banda. He was the youngest player at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the only school boy in the team. Despite not scoring there, many soccer pundits and fans acknowledged his contribution to one of the finest youth squads in Zambian football history.

Mayuka was not part of the U-20s that participated earlier that year at the African Youth Cup in Congo (where Zambia finished fourth) but, in the first game against Jordan, he was picked in the starting lineup, and remained such for the other two group stage matches and the round-of-16 clash with Nigeria.

Mayuka debuted for the senior side in the 2007 COSAFA Cup, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 rout of Mozambique.

The African Nations Cup will give Mayuka a platform on which to showcase his precocious striking talent. Linked with Premier League sides Fulham and Newcastle United and with clubs from France, Russia and Germany all thought to be keeping tabs on his progress, the Chipolopolo forward could soon find himself plying his trade in one of Europe’s top divisions.

BY KAPA187

The Tears of a Fool and the Dreams of a Panafricanist

By Emmanuel Mumba Katyoka

“I said experience should speak, gray hair should teach…….but it is the spirit in man, the breath of the most high that gives understanding” Job 32:7, 8
I have waited long to express my thoughts, waited for my youthful zeal to be tempered by the experience of life and the benefits of gray hair. For life will oft give wisdom and experience in exchange for ones years. I waited for life, waited to give it my years, hoping that somehow time would afford me a greater measure of wisdom and understanding.

I tried to hold my peace long enough for a few gray hairs to appear but “my thoughts within me are like a fire locked up in my bones”

For as I look on Africa the continent of my fore-fathers, I see a continent shaped like a question mark. It is as though a question was asked…but went unnoticed, faded with time until only a question mark remained; leaving behind a puzzle that has continued to defy the intellects of philosophers, scholars and statesmen alike.

For Africa is a continent faced with a multiplicity of problems, intricately woven into a tapestry of misery, pain and despair. Is there hope for
Africa? You ask;[pullquote]Millions of Africans cannot see beyond the hunger, civil war, corruption, bad leadership, unfulfilled political promises and a future that looks bleak by the day; having been told it is in the skin[/pullquote],

Africa has many questions. Questions you see etched on the brows of a million labourers failing to make ends meet, questions you see on the swollen stomachs of fatherless malnourished children in the streets asking how they got here, Questions that you see lurking behind the smiles of prostitutes prowling the dark streets of many a city across the continent.

Searching the major news networks of the world, one cannot help but observe how poverty continues to wear an African face. Our forefathers dreamed of pan-Africanism, today we Dream of an ‘African renaissance’. Yet Like one who dreams he eats and awakes hungry, the hopes of the masses remain unrealized and the rat race continues unabated. Is there hope for Africa?

The Tears of a Fool

Legend has it that when Alexander the great reached the banks of the river tibre, he broke down and cried “there are no worlds to conquer.” Unbeknown to him, his tears were nothing more than the creation of his map writer’s ignorance. For the map Alexander held in his hands showed him that the world ended at the river tibre.

Millions of Africans cannot see beyond the hunger, civil war, corruption, bad leadership, unfulfilled political promises and a future that looks bleak by the day; having been told it is in the skin, it is genetic, it’s a curse from God, it’s a Blackmans problem, and it’s an African problem. Nothing can change.

So like Alexander, they weep. But Unbeknown to Africa, its misery like that of Alexander is nothing but the creation of the map writer’s ignorance.
For God does not make winners or losers, he only makes ‘choosers’ and choice is more powerful than chance. Africa needs to make choices; Choices of leadership, education systems and priorities.

Africa needs to choose the future over today. To choose the best among its sons to lead the way into the future; for though Africa has no shortage of leaders, Africa has a shortage of visionaries. For Leaders can only look but visionaries can see. Africa has needed a microscope to see a cell and a telescope to see the stars. But in order to see the future, Africa will need visionary Leaders. Those who can discard the map of limitation and look to the ultimate map writer who said “If you can only believe….. All things are possible…….”

For a nation or a people to overcome the challenges of backwardness and economic stagnation requires effective knowledge management and a sustained commitment to attaining thought leadership. Africa needs to focus and manage its learning needs beyond the attainment of literacy and basic education towards research and development.

Man has explored space and discovered that the universe continues to expand at the speed of light. We in Africa need to explore the ‘universe of ideas’ and expand our reach in the areas of science, technology and research with thought at the speed of light.

We need to think. Thoughts are free. But thoughts do not cost the same. Some thoughts are worthless, some costly, others- worth a million dollars.

We in Africa, need to define a new standard of thought, vision,conduct and achievement. Poverty does not grow out of the soil of Africa, It is manmade. Blaming the past and burying our heads in the sands of neo colonialist conspiracy theories will not take Africa forward. Africa needs to use its imagination to see a future worthy of its endowments.

I believe God shaped Africa like a question mark, in order to let us know that the key to resolving the many challenges that beset our continent and indeed the third world, lies in our ability to question and challenge the status quo, To question our poverty, to question the boundaries of our expectations and to begin to place a demand on our ability. Africa has been great before. Africa was the continent of the great pyramids, the continent where paper was invented and yet today the continent suffers from widespread illiteracy.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well”
(Psalm 139:14, NKJ)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Have you ever noticed that when you ask someone “Who are you?” a lot of times they’ll say, “I’m a salesman.” “I’m a minister.” “I’m a coach.” “I’m a teacher.” Many people find their identity in what they do. The problem with this kind of thinking is that people identify themselves with their negative habits and strongholds, too. I hear people say, “I’m an alcoholic; I just can’t beat it.” No, that’s not who you are, that’s what you do. But if you keep thinking that way and talking that way, it will become so ingrained on the inside that you’ll convince yourself that it’s true, and it will keep you from rising higher.

One time somebody told me, “Joel, I’m a drug dealer.” He was embarrassed by it. He didn’t want to live that way. I told him what I’m telling you, “That’s not who you are. If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then who you are is a child of the Most High God. It’s time to start acting like it because you have a destiny to fulfill.”

As a believer, you are the righteousness of God in Christ! You are the head and not the tail! You are an overcomer! Today, embrace who you are in Christ and don’t ever let your performance change your identity.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for who You are and for who You’ve made me. I declare today that I am the righteousness of God in Christ. Help me to keep my identity in You and glorify You in all that I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC)has clarified that ZAMTEL workers will be paid their January salaries as the company’s salaries account has not been frozen DEC Acting Public Relations Officer, Samuel Silomba says the Commission has not frozen the salaries account number: 0030210000008659 which is domicile at Zanaco Bank.

He says this account has sufficient funds to cater for workers’ salaries.

Mr. Silomba says it is therefore a lie to insinuate that workers at Zamtel will not get paid their January salaries.

He says the Commission took into account the plight of the workers and therefore, Zamtel management should be able to pay the workers without hiding in the frozen accounts.

And Mr. Silomba says it is safer for Zamtel to be depositing money into the accounts, as deposits can be made into frozen accounts but not withdrawals.

He reaffirms that the commission has indeed frozen some of the accounts of Zamtel to facilitate investigations into the alleged fraudulent sale of the telecommunication company.

MUVITV