The Zambia Police Services Victim Support Unit (VSU) has said economic violence and abuse was on the rise in most Zambian homes.

Speaking in an interview in Lusaka, VSU National Coordinator, Senior Superintendent Tresford Kasale said it was disheartening to note that economic violence had become a common trend in most Zambian homes to settle domestic scores.

He said in most cases bread winners in Zambian homes, male or female, took advantage of their economic position to economically abuse their spouses, children and dependents.

Mr Kasale said bread winners deliberately stopped buying food and other human necessities such as clothing , medical care and education, among others in order to make their spouses feel unwanted resulting in them leaving their matrimonial homes.

The VSU National Coordinator said this during a five- day Gender Awareness workshop for service providers at Red Roof Lodge in Lusaka’s Roma Township which started on Monday.

Mr. Kasale said that such trends were commonly practiced in both high and low density urban areas. He noted that such practices were also part of the issues that the VSU was handling on a daily basis as breadwinners attributed prevailing economic situation in the country as the cause of them not supporting their spouses and family in general.

Mr. Kasale however advised breadwinners not use their economic situation as the reason for not supporting their families saying they should instead be transparent and honest to their spouses and families on their situation.

The workshop sponsored by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is aimed at empowering service providers with adequate information on Gender Based Violence (GBV) which is said to be on the increase in the country.

The workshop has attracted service providers from nearly all corners of Zambia mainly attached to the VSU’s of police stations.

And during the preliminary of the workshop, some participants expressed concern at the law that prohibited housewives from physically reacting to their husbands’ girlfriends.

The participants said this development had actually empowered girlfriends to have undue control of most men thereby creating domestic instability in most homes.

However, Mr. Kasale advised the participants that the affected housewives should take advantage of the law of Adultery which he said was as punitive as any other law.

ZANIS

National Milling Corporation has said good agriculture policies by Government has helped the country to record bumper harvest this year.

National Milling Managing Director, Peter Cottan said Government has also facilitated various players in the agriculture sector to partner with small scale, peasant, and commercial famers to achieve stable agricultural policies.

Mr Cottan said good policies and the enabling environment in the nation had also enabled his company to work and partner with farmers in crop marketing.

He said his company has since put in place mechanisms aimed at providing farmers with a ready market to sell their crops.

Mr. Cottan said this when he presented a donation of 200 by 25 Kg bags of Roller meal to the Lunda Lubanza traditional ceremony of the Lunda people of Zambezi and the Maliko Malende Lwindi traditional ceremony of the Tonga people of Sinazongwe.

He said by providing markets for farmers, his company was helping farmers to stop dealing with briefcase buyers who exploited them by offering unfair prices for their produce.

He has since pledged his continued assistance to traditional ceremonies saying they were a major contributor to the national economy.

And receiving the donation, Senior Chief Ishindi of the Lunda speaking people said while the country was celebrating a bumper harvest, the people of Zambezi feared starvation as their crops were destroyed due to excessive rains.

The Senior Chief said the people may only have food to last for up to September this year.

The traditional leader also commended National Milling for extending its help to hosting of the traditional ceremony slated for next month.

And, Esau Nebwe a representative of Chief Sinazongwe also lauded the company for its continued support to national events.

Mr Nebwe said while the company was known for only sponsoring sports, National Milling had also shown serious commitment to national events like traditional ceremonies through donations towards such ends.

ZANIS

A trade unionist has warned of serious voter apathy if the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Patriotic Front (PF) pact does not reorganize itself.

Zambia Union for Financial and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) president, Cephus Mukuka has observed that the UPND/PF pact has been a party to reckon with during its smooth operations.

He noted that failure by the two parties to deal with the current problems being experienced will result in great apathy in the 2011 elections.

Mr Mukuka also said that the two pact leaders need to realize that it would be an upfront to democracy if they allow their merger to break.

He challenged both Mr Michael sata and his UPND counterpart, Hikainde Hichilema to quickly address the issues.

Mr Mukuka said that there is tension amongst the electorate in the country and the leaders of the pact have a responsibility to calm the situation.

[ QFM ]

Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV) providers in the country have called for the revision of the Rape Act saying the
current one has many grey areas that needed amendment.

The providers said during a five-day Gender sensitisation workshop in Lusaka supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that the current Act had many grey areas such as cases of marital rape which were not clearly spelt out in the current Act.

[pullquote]“ In Zambia , cases of marital rape is on the increase where husbands tend to demand for sex from their wives in the morning, afternoon and bed time,” the participants said.[/pullquote]

ZANIS reports that providers are from the Zambia Police Victim Support Unit, Ministry of Health and the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare among others.

The participants expressed concern that though marital rape was on the increase in the country, there was no definite description in the Law about the case in the Act.

They said it was for this reason that married women were being sexually abused by their husbands without due consent. “ In Zambia , cases of marital rape is on the increase where husbands tend to demand for sex from their wives in the morning, afternoon and bed time,” the participants said.

But one of the Facilitators, Mhlakeni Zulu told participants that there was nothing like marital rape saying it was a husband’s right to enjoy his conjugal rights from his wife anytime .

Mr Zulu, who is Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Criminal Investigations Department said the general public should be aware that marital rape occurred only when couples were in separation and not in matrimony.

During the workshop the Police Service was castigated for not doing enough to investigate cases of marital rape and their inability to differentiate between real rape and marital rape.

[pullquote]But one of the Facilitators, Mhlakeni Zulu told participants that there was nothing like marital rape saying it was a husband’s right to enjoy his conjugal rights from his wife anytime .[/pullquote]

Marital rape is defined as when a husband uses force of any kind to have sex with his wife without her consent.

At the same workshop, UNICEF’s Gender Specialist Annie Sampa told the meeting that the rising cases of marital rape which often times went unreported had created anger in most housewives who in turn became very brutal to the extent of killing their spouses.
Mrs. Sampa said the only solution to this was mutual respect and honour for each others’ human rights in homes.

She encouraged participants to consider sensitising their communities on the need for married couples to respect each others’ human rights if marital rape was to be reduced.

Meanwhile, another facilitator Tresford Kasale said it was wrong for the Zambia Police Service officers to summon witness to their stations where they ( witnesses) were made to submit evidence in cases of mostly civil nature.

Mr Kasale said the trend was very intimidating resulting in witnesses to willfully not submit evidence to police stations. He said his office had also noted with concern that the police became unease when making submissions in court saying, often times, submissions made only resulted in courts throwing out most cases.

ZANIS

The Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) has predicted a landslide victory for the Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) in the Chifubu Parliamentary by election.

ZDDM National Coordinator Edwin Sakala said ZDDM was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the MMD would win the Chifubu seat with a slide victory.

Mr Sakala said residents were alive to the fact that voting for the confusion ridden opposition would not be in their best interest.
[pullquote]“Voting for the opposition is like shooting themselves on the foot, we believe the people of Chifubu cannot continue to make the same mistake which other constituencies across the country have made of denying themselves development through voting for the opposition,” Mr. Sakala said.[/pullquote]
In a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr. Sakala said ZDDM supported the MMD in Chifubu as it was the only party that had the capacity to deliver results.

He said the party was getting inspiration from President Rupiah Banda who was rightfully referred to as man of unity and development.

“Voting for the opposition is like shooting themselves on the foot, we believe the people of Chifubu cannot continue to make the same mistake which other constituencies across the country have made of denying themselves development through voting for the opposition,” Mr. Sakala said.

Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today FPP spokesperson Charles Kafumbo called on the Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) Pact to join the MMD.

Mr Kafumbo said his organisation was solely behind the ruling MMD in the Chifubu by-election as it was the only party with a vision for the people.

Mr Kafumbo said the opposition had nothing tangible to offer to the people of Chifubu and the country at large.

The Chifubu seat fell vacant following the death of PF’s Benson Bwalya and the PF has since filled in Susan Kawandami as its candidate, with Brian Banda as candidate for the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) and the MMD’s Frank Ng’ambi and the United National Independence Party (UNIP) has filled in Poko Mambwe.

The Chifubu parliamentary by-election will be held on August 5 this year.

[ ZANIS ]

MMD losing candidate in the Mufumbwe Parliamentary by-election Mulondwe Muzungu has told the Lusaka High Court that some voters did not participate in the by-election because of the violence during the campaign period.

Mr Muzungu, 67 of house number 106 Hellen Kaunda said the violence instilled fear in the electorate making them shun the polls.

He said over 54 per cent people voted but that the figure could have been higher if the campaign period was not hostile.

Mr Muzungu closed his case yesterday.

This is in a case in which Mr Muzungu has petitioned the election of United Party for National Development (UNPD) Elliot Kamondo as Mufumbwe member of Parliament.

He said during examination in chief when the matter came up for continued hearing that the violence in Mufumbwe caused tension and fear among the electorate.
Mr Muzungu said the entire electorate in Mufumbwe was petrified.

He said on April 13, 2010 after addressing a rally in Kashima West, suspected UPND cadres allegedly attacked MMD supporters.

“Violence in Mufumbwe was unprecedented. We have never had such violence, in which people’s eyes were plucked out, people stabbed and dogs killed. These assailants came with UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema,” he said.

Mr Muzungu said MMD officials were allegedly attacked when they were leaving the venue of the meeting onto the Mutanda-Chavuma road.

He said one of his political activist , Danny Kawishya was badly beaten and ended up in Mufumbwe District hospital where he was admitted for four days.

Mr Muzungu said during cross examination that violence in Mufumbwe was between MMD and UPND cadres.
He however said the UPND supporters were the aggressors.

Mr Muzungu said violence was reported in Kikonge, Matushi, Kakikasa, Kashima and Mushima wards.

He said he won by small margins in some parts of the wards although he would have done better if it was not for the violence.

Mr Muzungu denied being related to Chief Chizela saying he was only a business partner with the traditional leader.

He said he was not aware Chief Chizela was campaigning for him during the elections.

Mr Muzungu said he was not aware that Mr Kamondo was approached by the MMD to stand on the ruling party ticket.

Another witness, Ernest Kambili, 36 of house number 25B Solwezi Police Camp said on April 28 he received several reports of incidents of assault resulting from the alleged violence in the district.

Detective inspector Kambili said on this day he was operating from the Mufumbwe Police station inquiries desk where he issued numerous medical reports relating to assaults.

The matter comes up on Friday for continued hearing.

[ Zambia Daily mail ]

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said part of the solution to ending the wrangles that have rocked the pact with the United Party for National Development (UPND) is to choose a presidential candidate who will lead the two parties to next year’s general elections.

Mr Sata said in Lusaka yesterday that apart from harmonising manifestos and other issues, the critical issue for the pact was to choose a leader and that a roadmap that includes electing the president had been prepared to bring the differences to an end.

He was commenting on a statement by Mr Hichilema that the pact was facing problems that needed urgent solutions and that the issue of blaming each other should be tabled.

Mr Sata said a joint committee with representation from both political parties was planning to hold a private meeting to salvage the pact from collapse, but top on the agenda was the issue of the leadership.

He declined to state when the leadership would be elected and insisted that the matter would be discussed internally.

Meanwhile, UNZA political scientist, Phinias Baala has said the differences between the PF and UPND were serious and advised the two parties to disband.

Mr Baala, a lecturer in the school of political science, said the differences were deep and that it was impossible for the two parties to reconcile.

And Southern Province Minister, Daniel Munkombwe has said the current divisions in the PF and UPND have proved his earlier prediction that their pact would not last.
[ Times of Zambia ]

President Banda has described the Luena Constituency by election as a confusing one because it had not been triggered by the death of an incumbent or court ruling but it was as a result of the resignation of its former Member of Parliament(MP) Charles Milupi for unexplained reasons.

The President said the only reason Mr Milupi resigned and was standing again was to prove that he owned the people of Luena and that he could do anything at anytime to influence them.

The President said this today at Limulunga Basic School in Mongu when he addressed a mammoth rally to drum up support for the MMD candidate, Mwangala Maopu in the Luena by election set for 5th August 2010.

Mr Banda said it was wrong for Mr Milupi to claim that he was the one who constructed a new market in the Limulunga area when it was the MMD government using Constituency Development Funds (CDF).

The President explained that each of the 150 MPs were entitled to receive K600 million CDF for the benefit of their constituents.

He further said it was false that Mr Milupi would open up a mine,timber processing factory and sugar processing plant in Luena as an MP for the second time.

President Banda wondered what development Mr Milupi would bring to the area in the remaining one year, if he failed in the past four years.

The President said Zambia could only develop faster if all Zambians could have a common purpose explaining that no one individual could develop the country no matter how rich or well educated as Mr Milupi may be.

Mr Banda said it would be wrong for Zambians to vote for a leader who ascended to power through violence as such a leader would abuse Government machinery to oppress the Zambian people.

He said what Zambians needed was a leader who guaranteed continued peace and development to attract more investors for job creation.

The President said the New Deal Government wanted to bring development in all parts of Zambia covering all the 750 000 square kilometers of the country’s land.

And speaking on the UPND-PF Pact, the President said the Pact was formed for wrong motives, propelling the two opposition leaders to leadership who at the moment did not agree as to who should lead the pact.

President Banda further said many times, Mr Hichilema had stood up urging Zambians to vote for a young president forgetting that his pact partner Mr Michael Sata was as old as the President.

He said Mr Sata at one time was recorded to have described Mr Hichilema as an under five.

Mr Banda recalled that after the death of Anderson Mazoka, Mr Sakwiba Sikota was denied an opportunity to lead UPND because he was not a Tonga.

‘’The MMD is getting stronger in Luapula Province where the PF had 100 percent predominance and the ruling party will work hard to gain ground in Southern Province’’, President Banda said.

He said the MMD which won six local government seats during the recent eight local government elections would ensure that it wins the majority of the remaining nine other ward elections.

Mr Banda noted that on many occasions some opposition political leaders had peddled lies against him that he had first watched the world cup in South Africa before going to Turkey and that at another time he was in Cape Town for his knee when in actual fact he was in Namibia for an official visit.

The President said when the late President Levy Mwanawasa appointed him as Vice President, some opposition leaders were saying he had made a wrong choice.

He said it was now surprising that the same political leaders were praising the late President as having been a good man.

Speaking later at the same rally, MMD candidate, Mr Maopu urged the people of Luena to vote for him as he would have easy access to Government resources for use in developing the constituency.

Present at the meeting was Western Province MMD Chairperson Namakando Imasiku, MMD Campaign Manager Professor Geofferey Lugwangwa, MMD National Chairperson Michael Mabenga, Community Development Minister Michael Kaingu and other senior Government and MMD officials including some representatives from the Royal establishment.

ZANIS