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The United Party for National Development, UPND, has joined Patriotic Front President, Michael Sata, in calling for President Rupiah Banda to call for an early election next year.
UPND Secretary General, Winstone Chibwe, told QFM in an interview this morning that even if the UPND was not consulted by the PF leader to call on President Banda to call for an early election, the UPND has always been ready for a tripartite election as well.
Mr. Chibwe said the fact that the UPND has been participating in every by-election is a clear indication that the party is always ready for an election at any given time.
He said it was for this reason that the party is in the business of politics to form government.
Patriotic Front President, Michael Sata, said in Kitwe over the weekend that President Rupiah Banda should call for an early election next year because the PF is ready to go to the polls.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chibwe has welcomed October 28 as the date set for the Mpulungu by-election.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia yesterday announced October 28 as the polling day for the Mpulungu parliamentary seat which fell vacant following the death of MMD parliamentarian, Lameck Chibombamilimo.
Mr. Chibwe said the UPND finds no problem with the set date because it is timely, and that the election will be held before the rainy season.
He said the party stands ready to see how events will progress from now up to that polling day because the date is within the confinements of the law.
The ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD)in Lusaka Province has joined in calls for Police to ‘cage’ Kasama Central Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba for assaulting his wife Mrs. Chama.
MMD Chairperson for Women’s Wing for Lusaka Province Jane Mkalipi told journalists during a briefing at the party’s provincial headquarters in Lusaka today that as women, they were so disappointed to learn that Mr. Mwamba ,who is a law marker, could be involved in such a barbaric behavior of assaulting his wife to a point where she was admitted at UTH.
Mrs. Mkalipi said society expects Mr Mwamba to uphold and respect the rights of citizens who include his own wife.
“ Failure to adhere to such legal enforcements, the law should visit anyone including Mr. Mwamba so that a precedence is set,”she said.
She emphasized Mr. Mwamba’s ‘ barbaric action on his wife’ went against the convention on the elimination of discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and International Bill of Rights of Women which forbids all forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading forms of punishment.
She said as MMD Women Wing , they would ensure that there the interest of Women and children in general are protected, adding that fore ever, the women wing of the MMD would vow to fight for women’s rights in the country.
The MMD Women Movement has also called on parliament to discipline Mr. Mwamba for his bad behavior adding that Parliament is not for thugs but for law abiding Citizens not people like Mr. Mwamba.
She added that the Royal establishment where Mwamba comes from should take a stern action against him as he has embarrassed not only himself but many people such as parliament and his family.
She said MMD Lusaka Province Women’s Wing will follow this case with keen interest to ensure that justice prevails.
The women’s movement in Zambia has described as barbaric and dishonourable the conduct of Patriotic Front Kasama member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba popularly known as GBM who last Sunday assaulted his wife.
The movement has since called for the immediate arrest of Mr. Mwamba.
And the Human Rights Commission has also added its condemnation of Mr Mwamba for his behavior, describing his action as a drawback to the fight against gender-based violence.
Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) publicity secretary Juliet Chibuta said women were disappointed with Mr Mwamba’s conduct, especially because he was a law maker who is supposed to observe high moral standards.
And Police have received an official report on Mrs Mwamba’s alleged assault and have opened a docket.
The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have described Mr Mwamba’s alleged conduct as barbaric and dishonourable considering his status in society.
They said the incident is a drawback to the fight against gender-based violence.
Ms Chibuta said women are disappointed with Mr Mwamba’s conduct because he is lawmaker who is supposed to observe high moral standards.
A civic leader in Mapatizya area of Kalomo has appealed to the security wings in the district to ascertain two devices suspected to be an ‘Anti Tank land mines’ to prevent any possible loss of human lives if suspected mines become accidentally tampered with by civilians.
Bwiko ward councilor, Miles Sikafwamba disclosed to ZANIS during the on going mobile voter registration exercise that one device was discovered in a small stream near Chibuyu village in chief Simwatachela’s area and children of the same locality are still busy playing around it..
Mr Sikafwamba also said the other device is hidden in the rock with a green wire protruding from it and was also in the vicinity of by passers at mine number 6 posing danger to the community.
The councilor said the local mobile police unit based at Kariba minerals Limited in Mapatizya who accompanied him to the location of the two suspected ‘land mine’ devices have so far taken protective measures by pilling tree branches around the two areas.
He however, expressed concern over the delay by the local security wing and the Action Mine centre to come to the area to identify the two suspected devices despite being informed of the situation.
Mr Sikafwamda feared that if it takes long for the security agencies to act the devices may be washed away by rains to other places and could cause possible destruction since it was towards the onset of the rain season.
The Mapatizya area in the lower Zambezi basin of Kalomo especially in Siampondo has been dogged with land mines which were left by the then Southern Rhodesian guerrilla fighters in the struggle for the now independent Zimbabwe in the 1980s.
The defunct Tonga- Gwembe project in the recent past years only managed to demine some meters away of the ‘ Bottom road which connects the lower districts of the Zambezi basin in Southern province paving way for the construction of Kamukeza basic school which is now a polling station in the rural remote valley of Kalomo district.
President Rupiah Banda
Republican President Rupiah Banda has praised the high performance of Zambia’s mining sector through privatization, a revised tax regime and a more effective way of collecting revenues from the mines to ensure that the Zambians benefit from the country’s natural resources.
President Banda’s praise for the mining sector follows the applaud for Zambia’s copper mining successes by World-renowned business news service Dow Jones in an article released yesterday.
Mr Banda said Zambians want reassurance that one of their richest natural resources yields benefits which could assist in developing other sectors and in providing vital social services.
in a statement released to QFM by his special assistant for press and public relations Dickson Jere,president Banda noted that the mining sector is enjoying a period of steady growth, and that it is right that the sector makes an appropriate contribution to revenues.
The Dow Jones article highlighted Zambia’s impressive copper output, which is expected to hit 740,000 metric tons up from 696,900 tons last year because of the increased production at several copper mines.
The report repeated comments made by Likolo Ndalamei, Zambia’s secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, who revealed that copper output is expected to keep rising which is due to the resumption of operations at Luanshya Copper Mines as well as increasing production at copper mines on the Copperbelt and North Western province.
Zambia’s copper production in the first half of 2010 increased by 10.2% to reach 363,682 tons compared with 330,125 tons produced in the same period a year earlier.
The copper mining sector continues to recover and rising global copper prices have induced mines to ramp up production.
The future picture for Zambia’s mines also looks healthy, with the recent reopening of Luanshya Copper Mines following its takeover by Chinese-owned NFC Africa. The company announced in July that it intends to invest at least $500 million to develop Chambishi South copper mine on the Copperbelt province.
[ QFM ]
The newly-retrenched Zamtel workers have vowed to stage a protest if management at the company does not respond to their grievances about their separation packages.
The workers who met at the Zamtel headquaters building in Ndola yesterday said they would stage a protest if management did not respond to their grievances by today.
They complained to have received a raw deal from the sale of Zamtel to LapGreen Networks of Libya.
LapGreen Networks interim Chief Operations Officer Mukela Muyunda, who was Zamtel managing director, said he could not comment on the matter because by press time, he was in a meeting.
One of the workers, a Mr Chiyobwe said out of the 620 workers in Ndola, only about 50 have been paid in full.
He said it was unfortunate that the workers that had been paid were the ones that had been retained by the new management.
“The whole payment process is not transparent and is very selective because only about 50 have been paid and those are even the ones that the company has retained,” Mr Chiyobwe said.
He said that was not how the workers understood the agreement between LapGreen, the Government with the union.
[pullquote]“The whole payment process is not transparent and is very selective because only about 50 have been paid and those are even the ones that the company has retained,” Mr Chiyobwe said.[/pullquote]
Mr Chiyobwe said it had been three weeks since they were retrenched but that they had not been paid even if the contract stated that they would be paid within 24 hours of their retrenchment.
Another former employee, Violet Bwalya said the money that was being offered to the former employees was not enough.
Ms Bwalya said the new management did not follow the law in their calculation of the workers’ payments.
She said the workers had been retrenched and yet their separation packages were calculated as though they had opted for early retirement.
Because the payment system is that of early retirement, Ms Bwalya said some workers were going away with as little as K5 million.
Ms Bwalya said the management should work out the payments properly because the current payments were unfair to the former employees.
[ Times of Zambia ]
PF leader Michael sata and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema
MMD chairperson for information and publicity Dora Siliya has said the pact formed last year by United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema and Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has collapsed because it was formed for selfish motives.
Ms Siliya also said condemnation of the recent visit to Northern Province by First Lady Thandiwe Banda was out of ignorance because every first lady had the right to donate to the vulnerable people in society.
At a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Siliya said the pact lacked a long term vision and a plan of action on how it would deal with the politics of ethnicity and as a result, it had been reduced to a tribal pact.
Ms Siliya, who is Minister of Education, said at its formative stage, the pact leaders did not have a joint action plan to deliver development to the Zambian people but rushed into announcing even without proper regard for the grassroot members.
Ms Siliya said the first week the pact was formed, the two leaders started calling for votes and launched the alliance without announcing their road-map, manifesto and vision which showed how short sighted the two leaders are.
She said the two political parties were tribal and had remained so even after the formation of the pact which had led to its demise.
Ms Siliya said two leaders coming together for the sole purpose of gaining power would always clash as they seek to appropriate power between themselves.
She said the PF and UPND were simply tribal parties and the ruling party was the only genuine political party whose manifesto addresses the needs of the whole nation.
Ms Siliya said the pact lacked true leadership that could unite all tribes in the country and had remained strong in a selected number of provinces without a proper explanation from the leadership.
She said the fact was they remained strong in a selected number of provinces because they campaigned on tribal lines while the MMD was constructing infrastructure throughout Zambia.
The minister said political parties and civil society organisations sympathetic to the opposition were condemning Government and yet the international community was praising Government efforts in delivering development to the people.
She was optimistic Zambians would start ignoring them because they were able to see huge infrastructure development such as health centres, schools and roads being constructed.
Ms Siliya said the Government had decided to construct five health centres in the high density areas of Lusaka as it seeks further plans to reduce distances from one health centre to another.
The minister said 23 district hospitals were being constructed throughout Zambia.
Meanwhile, Ms Siliya dismissed assertions that the national executive committee had become illegal on account of the expiry of its mandate.
She said the MMD constitution allows the NEC to function in-between conventions to provide continuity.
She said letters had been authored and Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande should have received by now and they were no longer members of the MMD.
[ Times of Zambia ]
UPND Spokesperson Charles Kakoma (R) and Patriotic Front Secretary General Wynter Kabimba (l)
THE United Party for National Development says it is shocked that the Patriotic Front (PF) decided to contest the position of deputy
Mayor in last Monday’s Lusaka Mayoral elections, a clear departure from the mutually agreed rules as stipulated in the UPND/PF memorandum of understanding.
UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said his party is surprised that PF has again gone against the alliance agreement, a development which has exposed deeper cracks in the fragile pact.
But when contacted for a comment, PF president, Michael Sata there was nothing wrong with the two political parties competiting against each other in an election.
On Monday, the UPND and PF competed against each other at deputy mayoral level with victory going to Kanyama ward 10 councillor, Harry Hampende of the UPND.
He polled 23 votes out of 41 cast.
Mr Hampende beat the PF’s Kalingalinga ward 31 councillor Dapson Chansa who got eight votes and the UPND’s Lilayi ward four councillor Lazarous Chulabantu who had nine votes.
Lately, the two political parties have breached their agreement not to contest against each other. Last month, they fielded candidates against each other in Kaoma and Chadiza ward by-elections.
But Mr Sata said there is nothing wrong for the two alliance parties competing against each other during elections.
Mr Sata said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that competition is healthy in any democratic society.
He said members of the two parties must be allowed to compete against each other to allow the selection of the best candidate.
“Competition is very healthy and besides that, the two parties competed against each other on the deputy mayoral position but all in all, it’s good to allow people to choose the best candidate,” Mr Sata said.
He said, however, that PF members also supported Mr Hampende as he could not have emerged victorious without PF’s support.
But Mr Kakoma said his party is surprised that the PF decided to contest the deputy mayoral position.
Mr Kakoma said the two partiers had an understanding that the PF would contest the mayoral post while the deputy mayoral position would be left to the UPND.
He said the party has not received communication why the consensus between the two parties was defied.
“If Mr Sata is saying competition is good then we didn’t know about this rationale because there was an understanding that our party should contest the deputy position while the PF would contest the mayoral post,” he said.
And MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya said the continued confusion in the pact is an indication that the leadership is disorganised.
Ms Siliya said Zambians should not trust the pact’s leadership because it has no agenda for the nation.
She said the MMD is the only organised party which Zambians should trust.
Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM)'s residence in Kabulonga.
THE Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called for the immediate arrest of Kasama Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba for beating his wife leaving her with deep cuts, bodily bruises and a stitched face.
Mr Mwamba, however, said he regrets his action to clobber his wife but said she went too far which forced him to resort to violence.
NGOCC executive director Engwase Mwale described as unacceptable actions by the PF chairperson for elections to beat up his wife and has urged the police to arrest him to answer charges in the courts of law.
Commenting on Mr Mwamba’s battering of his wife Chama on Sunday, Ms Mwale said her organisation was deeply saddened and disappointed by the conduct of the PF MP.
“We are very disappointed that we can have leaders in this country today who engage in wife beating. We strongly condemn this act. Mr Mwamba should be brought to book for the violence against a woman,” she said.
[pullquote]
“I regret it had to happen. I acted out of impulse. It was a very small matter, which could have been resolved but she over reacted. But I love her and we love each other. Because of this, a lot of people have been admiring us,” Mr Mwamba said. [/pullquote]
She advised Mrs Mwamba against withdrawing the case saying the law should take its course.
Ms Mwale said leaders should account for their actions and they should lead exemplary lives.
But Mr Mwamba said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that he felt sorry for beating his wife and blamed her family members of influencing her to report the matter to police because he had been chasing them from his house lately.
“I regret it had to happen. I acted out of impulse. It was a very small matter, which could have been resolved but she over reacted. But I love her and we love each other. Because of this, a lot of people have been admiring us,” Mr Mwamba said.
Mr Mwamba’s wife Chama is admitted to KPM Hospital in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area after she was beaten over a family dispute.
Police at Woodlands police station have since opened a docket against Mr Mwamba.
“You know I married from the Mwenso family and they used to have a lot of money and they have now become so broke. This is a family matter between the two of us. I come from a royal family and a rich background but we have got our own ways of solving problems,” Mr Mwamba said.
When informed that there was pressure from the civil society that he should be arrested, Mr Mwamba said anybody who wants to interfere with his family matters should go ahead and he was not moved.
“Let them go ahead. Marriage is about two people whether civil society or no civil society so what. We are going to court I will defend myself and I will give them reasons why that had to happen and that’s when they will know the truth. Tell them I don’t care. I have my own life to lead,” Mr Mwamba said.
Asked why he had not visited his wife since she was admitted, Mr Mwamba said “I don’t want problems. I know that my wife is being incited by her stupid brothers so if I go there, they may offend me and I will react.”
A LUSAKA man convicted of aggravated robbery and murder yesterday confessed to killing former president Kenneth Kaunda’s son, Wezi.
Moses Mulenga told the Supreme Court sitting in Ndola that he robbed and murdered Major Kaunda and that he was not hired to do so but did it out of banditry.
This is when Mulenga, 41, appeared before the Supreme Court bench sitting in Ndola yesterday comprising Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and Supreme Court justices Lombe Chibesakunda and Marvin Mwanamwambwa for appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Mulenga appeared with Amon Banda, 43, for appeal against their conviction of robbing Major Kaunda and murdering him.
Facts of the case in the charge of aggravated robbery are that Mulenga and Banda on November 3, 1999, in Lusaka while jointly acting together and armed with an AK47 assault rifle, robbed Major Kaunda of a Toyota GX Land Cruiser, registration number AAL 5948, valued at K80 million, and during the act used violence to retain the said property.
Mulenga and Banda were also charged with murder and facts were that the two, on November 4, 1999 in Lusaka, murdered Major Kaunda.
They were sentenced to death when the Lusaka High Court found them guilty on July 25, 2003, but they appealed against both the conviction and the sentence. When the matter came up yesterday, senior Legal Aid counsel Kelvin Muzenga said he was appearing for the second appellant, Banda and that Mulenga would represent himself as he had something to inform the bench.
Mulenga then told the court that he deeply regretted the matter over which he was in court and to clear his conscience, he was abandoning the appeal.
“My conscience cannot allow me to go ahead with this appeal because everything that the judge in the lower court found I had done, I did,” he said.
Mulenga said he took part in the stealing of the vehicle and the shooting of Major Kaunda, adding that he did it out of banditry and that no one sent him or hired him to do so.
Mr Justice Sakala asked Mulenga if he had consulted widely before he decided to drop the appeal and Mulenga said he had and that he did it because of his troubled conscience.
As for Banda, Mr Muzenga said the trial judge misdirected himself when he convicted his client based on uncorroborated evidence.
He said the trial judge relied on the evidence given by three witnesses, who were the taxi driver that drove the two to Major Kaunda’s house, Major Kaunda’s wife and a third witness.
Mr Muzenga said Mrs Kaunda was traumatised at the time she was identifying Mulenga and Banda and therefore gave weak evidence while the other two witnesses were accomplice witnesses who had interests to serve.
The State counsel, Ms Phiri urged the court to uphold the conviction for Banda because while the other two were suspect witnesses, it was an odd coincidence that the two could identify the same people as Mrs Kaunda who had no interest to serve.
The judgment on the appeal was reserved to a date to be announced later.
Zambia national rugby team players Benaya Mukwamba and Patrick Chanda of Diggers have received long-term bans from the game.
Mukwamba and Chanda has been handed a four and two year bans respectively from the game for their part in the brutal assault on referee Caution Bweupe last month in a ZRFU league game between Diggers and Arrows.
Mukwamba and Chanda together with club mate Lawrence Njovu were found guilty of assaulting Bweupe on August 14 in Lusaka at the end of a Week 16 match Diggers lost 8-5 to Arrows.
Njovu received a two-year ban.
Bweupe was left with a broken nose and left unconscious following his assault before being rushed to the hospital after Diggers players accosted him.
The ZRFU disciplinary committee statement said the players escaped life bans despite the magnitude of the offence after witnesses allegedly withheld further evidence pertaining to the case although the issue was still active and being pursued by the police.
The statement read: “Benaya Mukwamba : Since he is not a first offender in such incidents having earlier been involved in the incident between Chibuluma and Diggers, he is banned from all rugby activities for four (4) years.
“Patrick Chanda and Lawrence Njovu: As first offenders, they are banned from all rugby activities for two (02) years. Chris Chileshe and Frank Chansa (all Diggers RC former player and supporter) Are banned for life from all rugby activities, including patronizing any ZRFU affiliated Rugby Club.”
Meanwhile, two other persons Timothy Nkhoma and Sydney Ngosa were cleared of any charges since there was no direct evidence against them.
Promising Nkana starlet Raynold Kampamba is expected to make his under-17 debut with Zambia when they face Ghana undert-17 this weekend.
Kampamba popularly known by Nkana fans as “satey-satey” was part of the 18-member team coach Oswald Mutapa named today.
The speedy and skillful teenage striker has already acquired some cult status amongst the Nkana fans this season since joining the team from Kitwe Football Academy.
Kampamba, no relationship to former Nkana midfielder Gift Kampamba, has yet to score this season and is usually comes on as a second half substitute for the team.
Meanwhile, Zambia leave for Ghana on Wednesday morning at 11:00 ahead of this weekend’s CAF U17 Cup first round, second leg qualifier.
Zambia currently lead Ghana 2-1 from the first leg played a week ago in Lusaka.
Goalkeepers: John Banda, Charles Mweemba
Defenders: Musesha Phiri, Alex Sichone, Kacholo Banda, Marlon Gondwe, Chishimba Changala, Wilson Zulu.
Midfielders: Stephen Mutama, Shadreck Malambo, Lubambo Musonda, Patrick Sakala, Larry Bwalya, Masautso Tembo.
Strikers: Moses Phiri, Emmanuel Phiri, Chris Chishimba and Raynold Kampamba
MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya says Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata’s challenge to call for an early election is baseless because only President Banda is mandated by law to announce the date for elections.
Ms Siliya said in Lusaka yesterday during a press briefing that Mr Sata’s call for elections is retrogressive.
She said President Banda has a bigger mandate to develop this country than listening to Mr Sata.
“Only President Banda has the privilege to announce the date for the 2011 elections because the law allows him to do so,” Ms Siliya said.
Mr Sata was quoted yesterday calling for early elections.
Ms Siliya said, however, that the MMD is not scared because it has more experience in winning elections than the PF.
And PF Matero Constituency member of Parliament Faustina Sinyangwe has said it is impossible for the PF to win early elections because the party, in alliance with the United Party for National Development (UPND), has not revealed to Zambians its preferred candidate in the 2011 elections.
Mrs Sinyangwe said Mr Sata is being misguided to think that he can win elections when the PF is on the verge of collapse.
She said Mr Sata’s utterances on early elections clearly show that he is allegedly power-hungry.
“As far as Zambians know, the PF-UPND pact has not chosen a leader despite Mr Sata being ready to win the elections,” Ms Sinyangwe said.
She said Mr Sata’s statement clearly shows that he will not participate in the 2011 elections as a pact representative but as a PF president.
Ms Sinyangwe said the PF is bound to lose more votes than it did in previous elections if an early election is called.
“The PF leadership should put its house in order because there is too much confusion in the party,” she said.
United Liberal Party president Sakwiba Sikota said the opposition political parties have no authority to call for early elections even if they declared themselves ready.
Mr Sikota said only the republican President is backed by the law to call for elections when his five-year term elapses.
Alliance for Democracy and Development president Charles Milupi said the opposition can only be sure about the date of elections when the draft constitution is enacted because there is a proposed date that specifies when elections are supposed to be held.
Mr Milupi said at the moment, the date of elections can only be known by the President.
And Ms Siliya has said the MMD has officially written to its expelled members of Parliament, George Mpombo for Kafulafuta and his Chilanga counterpart, Ng’andu Magande.
She said the duo was expelled because they brought the name of the party and that of President Banda into disrepute, contrary to the MMD constitution.
“In the letters to Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande, we have indicated that they have been expelled because they failed to abide by the MMD constitution,” Ms Siliya said.
She said the charges against Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande are similar.
“The two failed to uphold the rules of the party and national executive committee (NEC) members felt enough warnings had been given to the duo and the logical thing to do was to part company with them,” Ms Siliya said.
She said Mr Magande did not even bother to exculpate himself when summoned by NEC and Mr Mpombo could not give compelling reasons.
“As far as MMD is concerned, the duo are not our members and anything they say, we will consider it as vuvuzela,” Ms Siliya said.
She said any member of the MMD who brings the name of the President and that of the party in disrepute is not a desirable member of the ruling party.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]
Expelled Kafulafuta Member of parliament George Mpombo
Expelled MMD Kafulafuta Member of Parliament George Mpombo has maintained that he will only make known his next move over his expulsion after receiving the letter from the MMD secretariat.
Mr Mpombo said it is too early for him to disclose his next course of action following his expulsion from the ruling party when he has not yet received the letter.
He said he has no idea on the contents of the expulsion letter and that for him state whether he would challenge his expulsion in court would be pre-mature.
On the invitation by the Patriotic Front to join its ranks following is expulsion, Mr Mpombo laughed before saying he would confirm today.
The MMD National Executive Committee on Saturday expelled Mr Mpombo and his Chilanga counterpart Ng’andu Magande from the ruling party during a meeting held at State House.
and The Patriotic Front (PF) said the Movement for Multi-party Democracy, MMD, is in a state of confusion.
Commenting on the decision by the party to expel Kafulafuta and Chilanga MMD Members of Parliament from party, PF Vice President, Guy Scott, said it is a sign that the ruling party is embroiled in confusion.
Dr Scott said the ruling party has bitten its own legs and arms by expelling the two parliamentarians whom he says did not deserve expulsion.
Dr Scott noted that the ruling party has de-campaigned itself both in Chgilanga and Kafulufuta constituencies, adding that the PF will scoop the two seats.
He said the expulsions of Mr Magande and Mr Mpombo has been stage managed by the ruling party to bar the duo from challenging President Rupiah Banda for the party presidency at the convention.
Dr Scott was speaking with QFM in an interview in Lusaka.
[ QFM ]
The World Bank has praised government for its good economic management that has led to steady increase in the country’s economic growth rate.
World Bank Executive Director for Africa one constituency, Toga McIntosh, said an upward revision of the growth rate is an indication that government has put in place good policies aimed at addressing the challenges of poverty.
Government yesterday announced the revision of its projected 2010 economic growth target from 5.8 percent to 6.6 percent due to good performance of various economic sectors in the country.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka Mr McIntosh said without good economic policies, it hard for any country to effectively fight the vices of poverty that usually affect the growth rate.
He said the policy and action of the World Bank for the past 10 years has been focusing on encouraging increased growth rate through poverty reduction.
He noted that this is why it is important for the member states of the World Bank to have mechanisms that are in line with the bank’s vision of eradicating poverty.
Mr McIntosh also disclosed that the World Bank has mobilized funds to be used for economic development especially in developing countries.
He added that it is for this reason that Zambia, with a background of good economic indicators,should benefit from this fund for its infrastructure development.
Mr McIntosh, whose tenure of office is ending on 31st October 2010, has since thanked Zambia for actively participating in the activities of the bank.
He also urged his Sudanese successor to ensure that he effectively represents the interests of the 22 member states in the Africa one constituency, which is an Anglophone region, while the Africa two is a Francophone region.
[ QFM ]
