Outgoing Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Leslie Mbula has reiterated his appeal to Zambians living in South Africa to prepare for their retirement by investing back home.

Mr. Mbula said that there is need for Zambians living in South Africa to invest back into Zambia so that they do not become destitute when their stay in that country is over.

This is according to a press statement made available to ZANIS by Second Secretary, Press Philip Chirwa at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa.

Mr Mbula said it is important that Zambians start looking for land back home where they can invest so that they are well prepared for their return home

He said this in Jonesburg South Africa when the Zambian Association in South Africa (ZASA) hosted a farewell party in his honor last night.

“Whatever little you have find time to look for a place to invest so that during later years and this will surely come you will have something to fall back on” he said.

Mr. Mbula has also called for unity among the Zambian community in South Africa urging them to embrace the Zambian slogan of ‘One Zambia one nation’.

He also commended the Zambians living in Gauteng for their support to one another as shown by their contribution to help bury one of their colleagues who died there last month.

“As Zambians in South Africa lets be united, let us cooperate. If one has a problem it should be a problem of all of us. Am very proud that Zambians in general and those in Gauteng in particular have lived to that only a few days ago when one Zambian lady died you cooperated to ensure she had a decent burial.” Mr Mbula said.

And ZASA Chairperson Edwin Mununga paid tribute to Mr. Mbula for his generous work during his period as High Commissioner to South Africa.

He described him as the best High Commissioner to South Africa Zambia had sent.

ZASA also presented Mr. Mbula with a golden football and a multipurpose electric cooking pot in recognition as an ardent soccer fan and an exemplary good family man.

In a similar development, Mr. Mbula has commended Zambians living in that country for doing the country proud by keeping away from criminal activities.

He said at another farewell party hosted for him by the Mission Staff in Pretoria on Friday that there was upsurge in violent crime committed by foreign nationals but noted that no Zambian was involved.

He attributed this to the fact that the majority of Zambians residing in that country were either professionals, students or businessmen who were contributing to that country’s economic development.

Mr. Mbula urged the Zambians to keep up the spirit and continue being good ambassadors of their country by respecting the laws of that country.

“Day in and day out the media is full of stories of murders, robberies and other crimes perpetuated not only by South Africans but foreign national as well. The good news is that such foreign nationals have not included Zambians, at least the news has not reported anything to that effect” Mr. Mbula stressed.

The mission Staff also presented Mr. Mbula with a petrol driven lawn mower which they bought through their contributions.

Mr. Mbula has since appealed to Zambians to cooperate with his successor so that together they can score more successes and promote economic cooperation between the two countries.

ZANIS

The council of churches in Zambia has charged that the 2010 NCC draft constitution has failed to meet the aspirations of the Zambians.

The churches said that the draft constitution has failed to meet the aspirations of the people as it has fundamentally departed from the people’s submission as contained in the Mung’omba draft constitution and report.

The churches added that the aspirations of the people are very clear on what they wanted the country’s constitution to look like.

In statement issued in Lusaka this morning signed by the CCZ members, consisting 21 churches, they say that NCC draft constitution has left out certain cardinal and fundamental rights such as right to shelter, food, water, sanitation and environment, and the right to education after basic school level which must be enjoyed by all.

The further noted that the NCC draft constitution has instead of devolving the powers of the president, increased the powers.

The churches further noted that accessibility to the NCC draft constitution has been another constraint in the current constitution making process.

The church also said that the current constitution making process and the NCC draft constitution leaves much to be desired.

They also said that the will of the Zambians as reflected in their submissions to the Mung’omba constitutional review commission has been disregarded with impunity by those charged with the responsibility to defend the aspirations of the citizens.
[ QFM ]

The Committee of Citizens has expressed happiness at the calm political situation in Chifubu constituency where campaigns for the parliamentary and local government elections have heated up.

Committee of Citizens Executive Director Gregory Cifire says the calm in the area is encouraging because it shows maturity on the part of political parties. Mr. Cifire said all parties in Chifubu are peacefully campaigning for their candidates without engaging in any kind of violence or name calling. He said this shows that the parties have learned and improved on public relations a situation he said is good for the security and peace of the nation.

Mr Cifire has since commended the parties participating in the by elections for adhering to the electoral code of conduct and making the campaigns free of
violence. He said the country is likely to witness violence free by elections on 5th August if parties involved continue to observe the electoral code of conduct.

Mr Cifire noted campaigns in the area are issue based. He further added that no political party has imported cadres to Chifubu which he said was also a contributing factor to the free campaigns in the area. Mr. Cifire however called on the UPND/PF pact leaders to resolve their differences surrounding the pact before members of the pact start physical
confrontations.

He explained that there are serious divisions in the pact where the UPND have started de-campaigning the PF a situation he said has potential to bring anarchy in the constituency. He disclosed that some senior members of the UPND are going round Chifubu telling people not to vote for their sister party the PF.

Mr Cifire noted that if the two leaders keep quiet, they will soon lose all their members hence the need for an urgent intervention to end the differences. He said Zambians want to see peace and not violence and that all parties should make sure that they avoid violence in their camps. The Chifubu by-elections are slated for August 5th .

And Vice President George Kunda was yesterday expected in Ndola for a two day working visit to drum up support for the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) candidate in the forth coming Chifubu parliamentary by election slated for August 5.

The Vice President while in Ndola is expected to attend a church service at the Chifubu Roman Catholic church tomorrow morning and later in the afternoon hold a public rally at Kaniki in Sakanya area along Ndola-Mufulira road.

This is according to a statement obtained by ZANIS from the Provincial Administration in Ndola. Mr Kunda is also expected to hold another rally on Monday at Musundu roundabout in Ndola before his departure for Serenje.

Mr. Kunda will be accompanied to Ndola by Local Government and Housing Minister, Eustarkio Kazonga and his deputy Moses Muteteka, Agriculture deputy minister, Allan Mbewe, Labour Deputy Minister, Simon Kachimba, Deputy Minister in the office of the Vice President, Gaston Sichilima and Kabwe District Commissioner Jonathan Kapungwe.

The Kapenta fish operators from Sinazongwe have bemoaned that the industry is collapsing owing to high number of illegal fishing vessels being thrown on the Lake Kariba .

Maaze Holdings Director Johann Jordan said there are about 1000 vessels for catching Kapenta on the Zambian side of Lake Kariba while the Fisheries department has issued about 715 licences.

Mr Jordan pointed out that the Kapenta industry which is the largest employer of people from Siavonga to Sinazongwe district in Southern Province is threatened.

He said the stocks of kapenta on the Lake is depleting because people were throwing their vessels on the lake without licences and there is no control from the Fisheries department.

Mr Jordan disclosed that people were fishing anyhow in the breeding areas and the Kapenta catches have drastically reduced.

He said the poor people would be affected once the price of kapenta was increased because of its scarcity.

The Maaze holding Director who has been in the Kapenta industry for so many years said some people with illegal fishing vessels were allegedly stealing Kapenta from other people’s vessels.

He said the fisheries department charged with the responsibility of preserving the fishing stocks were not conducting patrols on the lake adding that previously they were conducting them together with Kapenta operators but they have stopped.

“There is no control in the Kapenta industry, people are fishing any in the breeding areas and there are no road blocks to curb the theft,” Mr Jordan said.

He explained that according to the Southern African Development Community’ (SADC) protocol, Kapenta operators are supposed to be producing 50000 tones of kapenta per year for sustainability of the species.

He said at the time of signing the protocol the Zambians had about 230 vessels for catching Kapenta while Zimbabwe had 260.

It was also agreed that to increase the number of vessels on the lake a study had to be conducted to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

LakaFish Director John Hutchison said the SADC protocol also indicated that only 500 vessels were to be allowed on Lake Kariba for the industry to be sustainable but that limit has been abandoned and people own illegal fishing vessels.

Mr Hutchison said they were worried because once people lose their jobs their families and dependants would be affected.

He said he suspects there is some political influence attached to the increase of fishing vessels on the lake which is threatening the sustainability of kapenta stocks.

The Lakafish Director who has been fishing for over 18 years said the department of fisheries should release information concerning their study of the Kapenta stocks on the Lake which has allowed them to issue so many licences to the Kapenta operators.

Mr Hutchison said he was not worried about the number of vessels on the lake as long as it is based on the study and the system is sustainable.

Another Kapenta Operator Dodo Sindaza said the influx of Kapenta fishing vessels should be controlled.

Mr Sindaza called for coordination among the fisheries department and the Marine department under the Ministry of Transport and Communication to ensure that sanity was brought to the Kapenta industry in the valley.

He said most people have found it easy to enter the Kapenta industry without following the right procedures which is threatening the industry.