The Citizens Forum has charged that government’s silence on the constitutional making process is a clear confirmation that it does not care about it.

Citizens Forum Executive Secretary Simon Kabanda said the Finance minister should have given an indication on the way forward with regards the constitution making process during the presentation of the 2011 budget.

Featuring on Monday Night Live last evening, Mr. Kabanda said that finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane should have announced how much money had been allocated for the referendum in the constitution making process.

He added that a lot of money was spent on the NCC and that the silence on the part of government on the way forward on constitution making process with regards to the allocation of funds in the national budget towards the process is questionable.

And featuring on the same programme, Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) Executive Director Patrick Mucheleka called on government to seriously consider revising the mining agreements.

Mr Mucheleka said it is important that the government considers reviewing the mining agreements so that the country could benefit accordingly from its natural resources.
[ QFM ]

Hundreds of Ndola-based Census of Population and Housing enumerators yesterday staged a protest outside the regional offices of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) demanding that their training allowances be increased after hearing that their counterparts in Lusaka were being paid K900,000 while they were paid K500,000 as training allowances.

Ndola District Commissioner (DC), Joshua Mutisa and District police chief, Bonnie Kapeso held a meeting with the representatives of the enumerators after police convinced the protesters to disperse and give an opportunity to their representatives, CSO and the office of the DC to resolve the impasse.
[pullquote]“The truth of the matter is that the Ndola enumerators will be paid the K2 million like their Lusaka counterparts who have also started receiving their down payments while the rest of the payments would be honoured after the completion of the 21-day long exercise,” Mr Mutisa said.[/pullquote]
Mr Mutisa said it was discovered that allegations that the Ndola enumerators were being underpaid were not true because the people they were comparing with in Lusaka were paid K500,000 training allowances and an additional K400,000 as down payment for their redeployment allowance.

He said the Ndola enumerators had not been given their redeployment allowances down payment because the local 2010 Census authorities planned to issue the payments after those engaged took oath and signed their contract forms.

“The truth of the matter is that the Ndola enumerators will be paid the K2 million like their Lusaka counterparts who have also started receiving their down payments while the rest of the payments would be honoured after the completion of the 21-day long exercise,” Mr Mutisa said.

The countrywide 2011 Census of Population and Housing is expected to officially kick off on October 16.

Lusaka resident chief magistrate Charles Kafunda yesterday rejected an application by Lusaka lawyer John Sangwa and his client, former Finance Bank chairperson Rajan Mahtani to have their forgery case stayed.

This is in a case in which Mathani and Sangwa are facing five counts of forgery, uttering false documents and fabricating evidence.

Mr Kafunda dismissed the application to stay the proceedings pending hearing of the same case in the Kitwe High Court because proceedings before him would not in any way be prejudicial to those before the Higher Court.

Mahtani had applied for judicial review in the Kitwe High Court challenging his arrest by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) alleging that his arrest on money laundering charges by the commission was illegal.

Mahtani’s lawyer Steven Malama said his client had filed a notice of judicial review in the Kitwe High Court and urged the lower court to stay the proceedings pending hearing of outcome.

But Mr Kafunda said the notice of judicial review before the High Court may or may not act as a stay of proceedings of the matter and that there was no substance in the argument because the accused would not suffer any prejudice if the matter was not stayed.

And public prosecutor, Mwewa Musonda, had earlier objected to the application claiming it was based on speculation and it could not be prejudicial to the proceedings in the High Court.

Mahtani, 62, business executive, of 5 Finance House Heroes place in Lusaka and Sangwa, 45, lawyer, of subdivision 1/subdivsion U of farm number 125A Lusaka West have both denied the five charges.

In count one Mahtani, is jointly charged with Sangwa with one count of forgery contrary to section 342 and 347 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence allege that Sangwa and Mahtani between July 13 and August 30, 2010 jointly and whilst acting together and with intent to defraud or deceive did forge a letter dated July 12 this year purporting to show that it was genuinely prepared and signed by deputy Bank of Zambia Governor Denny Kalyalya when in fact not.

In count two, three and four Sangwa alone is facing three counts of uttering false documents contrary to Section 352 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

The matter comes up tomorrow.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Police in Solwezi have arrested a 13 year-old boy after he allegedly stole a vehicle which was parked outside a named night club sunday.

The boy is reported to have sped away in Joseph Kaselenge’s car around 02:00 hours.

The juvenile used a make shift key to unlock and drive the car registration ABH 7631.

North Western Province Commanding Officer, Charles Lungu confirmed this to ZNBC news Monday.

Mr Lungu said the teenager however, abandoned the car after he plunged into a ditch.

He said police have arrested the boy and confiscated the makeshift key used to unlock and drive the car.

Meanwhile, a 22 year old man is struggling for his life in Solwezi General Hospital after a crocodile bit his legs while swimming in the Zambezi River.
[ ZNBC ]

Zambia’s freedom fighter and veteran politician Dingiswayo Banda has died.

Mr Banda died Monday around 08:30 hours at the University Teaching Hospital -UTH.

UTH Public Relations Manager Pauline Mbangweta confirmed the death of M Banda to ZNBC News today in Lusaka.

Mr Banda served in government as Minister of Housing and Social Development in the first Cabinet of 1964, before being transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Works in 1966.

The late Banda also served in the Ministry of Youth Co-operatives and Social Development before he was appointed Copperbelt minister.

He also served as Member of Parliament for Mandevu and Lundazi Central constituencies during the one party state.

Mr Banda parted company with Dr Kaunda in 1995 when he vehemently opposed the former president’s move to come back to active politics.

In 1996, second Republican president Fredrick Chiluba appointed Mr Banda as Zambia’s High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, where he worked for seven years before the late President Levy Mwanawasa retired him 2003.

Mr Banda was a member of the National Constitutional Conference -NCC-.
[ ZNBC ]

Zambia National Broadcasting (ZNBC )staff will join Tuesday’s demontration against Patriotic Front (PF) Munali MP Mumbi Phiri if she does not apoligise for her insulting remarks to journalists.

This was disclosed by ZNBC Public Relations Manager Mirriam Tonga in Lusaka Monday.

Mrs Tonga said it is unfortunate that Munali Patriotic Front-MP Mumbi Phiri has so far failed to apologise for referring to Journalists in the public media as dogs.

Mrs Tonga said Mrs Phiri must acknowledge that she erred and the corporations is ready to accept the acknowledgement.

She said ZNBC takes strong exception to the use of unpalatable language irrespective of where it is coming from.

Mrs Tonga said in a statement that ZNBC is hoping that Mrs Phiri will heed to calls for an apology for using bad language and bringing into disrepute the standing of parliament.

However, the PF MP has since apologised to journalists in Zambia for referring to public media reporters as ‘Information minister Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha’s ‘dogs’.

Ms Phiri said she did not call the journalists in question “Dogs” but “Watch Dogs”.
[ ZNBC ]

Institute for Human Rights and Democratic Governance (IHRDG) Director Franco Kapijimpanga says the violence that marred the Chilanga nominations proves that Zambian politics are still immature and full of intolerance.

And Mr Kapijimpanaga has challenged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to take responsibility of the violence that occurred in Chilanga last week on Thursday.

Mr Kapijimpanga said the (ECZ) failed to enforce the electoral code of conduct by allowing those who perpetrated violence go unpunished.

He said it is important that institutions that have been given the power to bring sanity to the politics of this country take their occupation seriously and ensure that people respect the law.

Mr Kapijimpanga noted that ECZ could not end at blaming the political parties involved in the violence but also take responsibility for having failed to take action despite the power that has been vested in the commission to deal with whoever abrogates the law in the electoral process.

Mr Kapijimpanga also said that it is reckless for Caritas Zambia Executive Director, Sam Mulafulafu to claim that the Chilanga by-elections might be bloodier than the Mufumbwe by-elections.
[ QFM ]