UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday conceded that the pact formed last year with Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata is in a serious crisis.

And Luapula member of Parliament, Peter Machungwa has said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema are being haunted by the wide age difference and ideological variances for their parties which are serious problems that can only be resolved temporarily.

Mr Hichilema, while describing the causes of divisions as minor, said he and Mr Sata should accept that the issue of blaming each other should be discussed.

In an interview in Lusaka, Mr Hichilema said the two political parties would call a crisis management committee meeting involving senior party members from both ends to resolve the problems and hoped the divisions would be mended urgently.

He said the problems faced by the pact were similar to the one faced by the MMD where Chilanga MP Peter Magande and former Defence minister George Mpombo had continued to criticise the Government.

Mr Hichilema described the divisions in the pact as minor and said it was still strong on the ground.

Meanwhile, Dr Machungwa said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema lacked a common purpose resulting from the wide cultural and age differences.

He said the two leaders did not have anything in common to share.

Namwala United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament, Robbie Chizhyuka has said Mr Hichilema’s shifting positions show he is ill-prepared for the Republican presidency.

Major Chizhyuka said yesterday that Mr Hichilema’s insincerity on the political scene had confirmed the reason why Mr Sata had continued mocking him as a junior politician.

Mr Hichilema told a daily tabloid last weekend that he did not join active politics to become a president but to serve the people of Zambia.

And former PF secretary general Charles Chimumbwa has said the pact supporters who gathered to witness the launch should feel cheated by their two leaders whom he said had now left them in the cold following their failure to provide unity.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Chimumbwa said it had become clear that the two leaders were playing political tricks for their own gain without necessarily taking into consideration the feelings of their supporters.

Meanwhile, UPND youths plan to hold a consultative forum to discuss the future of the pact.

UPND national youth chairperson Joe Kalusa said in an interview yesterday the youths in the party, like their colleagues in PF, would be holding a consultative forum to discuss various issues that had been raised on the pact and to chart the way forward.

A PF youth leader was yesterday quoted on Radio Phoenix as saying his leadership was conducting a countrywide consultative forum with members to advise the national leadership whether the party should remain in the pact.

And the UPND in Southern Province has maintained that the pact in the area is intact and preparing for the 2011 general elections.

Provincial vice-chairperson John Chidyaka said there were no cracks in the pact except allegations that were only being perpetrated by the “enemies” of PF and UPND.

In Chingola, the UPND has made a desperate plea to its national leadership to ensure the party’s continued involvement in the pact.

District chairperson Raphael Chimupi said in an interview the grassroots members wanted their leaders to resolve any outstanding issues between the two parties.

Mr Chimupi said it was in his party’s best interest to continue in the pact with the PF and guarantee success in the coming elections.

But PF founder member Samson Zulu said in Lusaka yesterday the pact was falling apart because its leaders were more interested in going to State House than anything else.

Mr Zulu, who resigned from the PF after differing with its leader Michael Sata over the party’s convention, said the crumbling of the pact was a foregone conclusion.

He said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema were both preoccupied with going to State House and had forgotten about important issues such as consulting their members before entering into a pact.
[ Times of Zambia ]

The Southern African Center for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has condemned Copperbelt University (CBU) students for damaging vehicles and beating up some members of the public on Saturday evening after the institution experienced a power failure.

SACCORD Information Officer Obby Chibuluma said the violence by the CBU students was very unfortunate and should be condemned at all levels.

Mr. Chibuluma told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the students should have used the right channel to air their grievances.

He added that it was unfair that they ended up damaging vehicles and beating up some innocent members of the public.

Mr. Chibuluma said the students should have instead acted like professionals as expected of them every time they were aggrieved.

He said it was surprising that the students did not learn from their past mistakes when they have engaged themselves in violent activities and got arrested by the Zambia Police Service (ZPS).

He said SACCORD would continue discouraging any form of violence across the country as violence was not a solution to any problem.

Mr. Chibuluma added that what people needed to realise and understand was that any form of violence endangered the lives of people in the country.

On Saturday evening CBU student damaged vehicles and beat up members of the public after the institution experienced a power failure and two students were arrested by University security officers and were detained at Riverside police post.

ZANIS

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has approved Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO)’s request to increase electricity tariffs by 25.6%.

This follows ZESCO’s earlier application to ERB to authorise the increment of electricity tariff of up to 36% which the power utility company proposed. ERB Chairperson Sikota Wina announced the adjustments at a Press briefing in Lusaka today.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Wina said the board arrived at its decision to approve the 25.6% increase after considering submissions from both the power utility company and the general public.

He explained that the new tariffs would take effect from August 1st, 2010 to 2011 and would be applied according to customer categories.

Once effected, residential customers would be paying K376.09 per kilo watt hour representing a 41% instead of the 69% tariff increase which ZESCO applied for while large power consumers would now be paying K320.54 per KW hour representing
a 12% increase.

For the small power consumers, the tariffs have increased by 15% equal to K280.32 per KW hour instead of the 14% the utility company applied for. 27%increase has been slapped on commercial customers and 33% increase would be effected for
the services tariff.

The Board Chairperson hoped that ZESCO would generate adequate resources to operate commercially and profitably after the 25.60% tariff increase.

Meanwhile, the board has recommended that Government should consider recapitalising the power utility company if it was to operate efficiently saying that it was under- capitalised.

The board has also observed that ZESCO’s receivables were still high and that Government should liquidate the debt it owes the power utility company.

Mr. Wina further added that ZESCO should accelerate the installation of pre-paid meters in all Government departments and urged the company to be proactive in debt collection.

He stated that it was imperative that the tariffs in the country were cost reflective to encourage more investment in the energy sector especially in light of the power deficit.

And speaking in a separate interview, ZESCO Managing Director Ernest Mupwaya said the power utility company was happy with the approved tariff adjustments.

Mr. Mupwaya noted that the increment would help the company cover operating costs and serve its customers more efficiently.

ZANIS

Commerce Minister Felix Mutati has called for unity among MMD members as they campaign for their candidate Frank Ng’ambi for the August 5 Chifubu Constituency parliamentary by-election.

Addressing a meeting at Pamodzi Basic School grounds in Ndola yesterday, Mr Mutati said it was only the MMD candidate who would be able to develop Chifubu if they voted for Mr Ng’ambi as member of Parliament (MP) for the area.

Mr Mutati said the MMD would not promise development in Chifubu for the sake of doing so, but that through Mr Ng’ambi, Government would ensure the area was transformed.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) has claimed that some PF members have promised to vote for its candidate Brian Banda in the Chifubu by-election.

ADD campaign manager, Joseph Phiri said in Ndola yesterday that some PF cadres were not happy with the party’s candidate, Susan Kawandami whom they alleged to have been imposed on them.

And the PF has said it would reclaim the Chifubu seat because its candidate was the best as she has experienced suffering that women undergo.

PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba was speaking at a rally on Saturday to drum up support for its candidate, Ms Kawandami.
[ Times of Zambia ]