QFM Radio in Lusaka has said MMD Kafulafuta Member of Parliament George Mpombo should apologise to President Rupiah Banda for claiming that the head of State went to South Africa to watch the World Cup final or risk becoming an enemy of the station.

Speaking in Lusaka yesterday, QFM Radio managing director, Asan Nyama said since it was clear that Mr Banda did not travel to South Africa, Mr Mpombo should apologise to the president and the entire nation.

“Since it has come out that President Banda did not go to South Africa, we expect Mr Mpombo to go a step further and show remorse that what he did was wrong.

‘‘As a station, we want to be professional and everybody should be factual,” Mr Nyama said.

As a medium of communication, he said QFM was saddened by the turn of events and, therefore, asked Mr Mpombo to apologise.

If Mr Mpombo does not say sorry, the station would consider him as an unreliable source, and the former Defence minister should be shunned by all media institutions.

“We are saddened by the events and urge him to come and apologise. We regret that he came and said those things. If Mr Mpombo does not give us accurate information, then he becomes an enemy of QFM and will not be regarded as a reliable source,” Mr Nyama said.

[pullquote]If Mr Mpombo does not say sorry, the station would consider him as an unreliable source, and the former Defence minister should be shunned by all media institutions.[/pullquote]

Mr Nyama said QFM Radio was ready to give Mr Mpombo airspace to apologise to the president and the people of Zambia for the wrong impression he created by claiming that Mr Banda had travelled to South Africa to watch the World Cup final match between Spain and the Netherlands.

Mr Nyama said politicians should not engage in peddling lies about one another.

But Mr Mpombo said when he addressed a Press briefing in Ndola yesterday he would not retract his statement.

He said he had no intention of withdrawing the statement because it was a QFM reporter who called him and solicited for his comment on the basis that President Banda had stopped over in South Africa on his way to Turkey.

“The reporter asked if I did not think that President Banda had gone to watch the World Cup final since he had stopped over in South Africa on his way to Turkey.

“Considering that the president is an ardent soccer fan and one who likes to travel, I concluded he had gone to watch the soccer match,” Mr Mpombo said.

He said QFM Radio was making it look as though he had featured on their programme when he was in fact at his farm in Kafulafuta.

Mr Mpombo challenged the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Zambia chapter) and the Press Association of Zambia to retrieve the conversation he had with the reporter so that they could guide the radio station adequately.

He accused Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia executive director Pukuta Mwanza, Independent Churches of Zambia president David Masupa and House of Chiefs chairperson Chief Mazimawe of speaking on issues they did not understand.

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has uncovered a scam in which some district registration officers are making false claims on activities not related to the on-going voter registration exercise and warned that it will not entertain such officials.

ECZ director Dan Kalale said he had received reports of abuse of resources by district registration officers, some of whom were making claims for business unrelated to the voter registration exercise.

Mr Kalale said, in a letter of July 12, 2010 addressed to all town clerks, council secretaries, city, municipal and district councils, that the commission would only process claims from officers travelling to Lusaka specifically on ECZ business.

The ECZ would also impound any motor vehicle found on non-ECZ assignments.

The warning follows reports of claims ECZ received for subsistence and fuel expenses from some district registration officers travelling to Lusaka on assignments not related to ECZ.

“Please be advised that only claims from officers who have specifically travelled to Lusaka on Electoral Commission of Zambia business will be processed and the ECZ Land Cruisers allocated to the districts will only be used for ECZ assignments.

“Any vehicle that will be found in Lusaka on non-ECZ business will be impounded,” Mr Kalale said.

He said officers should be aware of the budget constraints for the continuous voter registration exercise, and that it was incumbent upon all officers to ensure they were as prudent as possible in expenditure.

The voter registration would initially be for a period of 90 days and each district has a registration deployment plan and timetable for its respective constituencies.

The registration officers are stationed at each registration centre in every constituency for a period of 12 days and voters would be able to register at any centre in the constituencies as long as they indicate their preferred polling stations.

Meanwhile, the commission has expressed disappointment at the continued low turnout of people to register as voters in Livingstone under the on-going voter registration exercise.

More than 1,800 people have so far been registered in Livingstone District since the exercise started on June 21 this year.

Livingstone ECZ assistant registration officer, Nelson Sakala said the commission was also disappointed by some Livingstone residents who had continued to tear down voter registration campaign posters, adding that such behaviour was affecting public sensitisation on the programme.

Mr Sakala was speaking on a live-phone in programme on Zambezi FM.

[Times of Zambia]

The Ministry of Local and Housing has disclosed that this year’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has not yet been released by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.

Local Government Deputy Minister Moses Muteteka said his ministry was waiting for the release of the funds from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning for developmental projects in all the constituencies in the country.

Mr. Muteteka told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that Ministry of Finance was making every effort to release the funds to local authorities countrywide.

“Parliament approved the CDF for various constituencies when the budget for this year was passed in October last year. So now it is only a matter of time before the funds are released,” Mr. Muteteka said.

And on the opening of the new Soweto market, Mr. Muteteka disclosed that his ministry has received an evaluation report on the status of the market from the Lusaka City Council (LCC).

The deputy minister said what remained was the official opening of the market by President Rupiah Banda.

He noted that the official opening of the new market would enable government show its appreciation to its cooperating partners like the EU for their continued support.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has ended his three-day official visit to Turkey where he held meetings with Government officials and wooed some key investors, including Turkish Airlines, which will soon launch a flight into Lusaka.

President Banda who was in Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, said the visit was successful and hoped that Turkish businessmen that have shown interest in Zambia would soon start investing in the country.

Mr. Banda said Turkey was a strategic country as one of the emerging market economies, which was rated among the top 15 in the world and the sixth largest in Europe .

This according to a media statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today, by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere.

During the three-day visit, President Banda held official talks with Mr. Gul in Ankara before flying to Istanbul where meetings with the Turkish Business forum were held.

The focus of the visit was to capitalise on the warm relations between Zambia and Turkey in order to establish conditions for development of economic ties through bilateral cooperation and the promotion of trade and investment in the two countries.
President Banda said he was happy that during his visit to Turkey , the two governments signed key agreements which will be followed up by others in areas of mutual interest in the near future.

A bilateral agreement on Air Services was signed, followed by two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Foreign Service Training and on Political Consultation between the two governments.

Mr. Banda said “The Air Services Agreement” would among other things; provide for Turkish Airline flights into Zambia and similarly Zambian airline companies will fly to Turkey . The MoU on Political Consultation provided for consultation between the Governments (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on bilateral and international issues.

And the one on Diplomatic Training provided for cooperation between Zambia and Turkey in the field of diplomatic training as well as for cooperation between the respective diplomatic training institutions.

President Banda said he was also happy to have officiated at the first-ever Turkey-Zambia Trade and Investment Forum, which was held in Istanbul on 14th July 14, 2010 at which 11 Zambian business executives were present. The Forum resulted in the establishment of business contacts for future collaboration and was also attended by several Turkish businessmen and women who showed interest in investing in Zambia .

Mr. Banda assured the investors that their investment would be protected in Zambia and announced immigration measures, which would allow Turkish investors and tourists to obtain visas at the point of entry in Zambia as opposed to applying through Zambian embassies which he said was cumbersome.

The President said he would like to see more Turkish tourists coming to Zambia following the soon-to–be launched direct flight from Istanbul to Lusaka .

Turkey has the World’s 15th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP)- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and 17th largest Nominal GDP.The World Bank classifies Turkey as an upper-middle-income country in terms of the country’s per capital GDP in 2007 and is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20 major economies.

President Banda said his focus was to attract investors from country’s like Turkey and Brazil as leading emerging market economies in the World.

The President was accompanied to Turkey by Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande, Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Peter Daka and Deputy Minister in the office of the Vice-President Guston Sichilima.

President Banda who left Turkey this morning is expected back in the country today.

ZANIS

LUSAKA High Court Judge-in-Charge Philip Musonda has ordered the arrest of businessman Aristogerasimos Vangelatos for disregarding a court order that required him to attend contempt proceedings.

Mr Justice Musonda issued the bench warrant after Vangelatos failed to attend contempt proceedings on two occasions.

The judge cited Vangelatos for summary contempt after he scandalised the court by alleging that Mr Justice Musonda, Judge Nigel Mutuna and lawyer Eric Silwamba have conspired to inflict injustice on him.

He made the allegations when he went to see Mr Justice Musonda in chambers, after which the court ordered him to go and collect his lawyer Rodger Chongwe whom he alleged had sent him to make the allegations.

[pullquote]“You are therefore commanded in the President’s name to arrest the said Aristogerasimos Vangelatos forthwith and lodge him in prison.”-Warrant Except to Greenwell Ng’uni [/pullquote]

Vangelatos went to Mr Justice Musonda’s chambers on June 14, 2010 and after making the allegations around 12:30 hours, the judge ordered him to go and collect Dr Chongwe.

He promised to go back to Mr Justice Musonda with Dr Chongwe around 14:00 hours the same day but the duo never turned up for summary trial until the court summoned him.

Later Mr Justice Musonda set July 2, 2010 as date of hearing summons for contempt of court but Vangelatos again failed to show up.

“This continuous disregard of court orders can’t be condoned. A bench warrant for his arrest is hereby issued,” Mr Justice Musonda said.

His warrant addressed to Lusaka Division Commanding Officer Greenwell Ng’uni reads: “By an order of this court dated 2nd July 2010 it was ordered that Aristogerasimos Vangelatos of flat number 5 Acropolis Flats Chila Road Kabulonga, be committed to prison for contempt of this court.

“You are therefore commanded in the President’s name to arrest the said Aristogerasimos Vangelatos forthwith and lodge him in prison.”

When contacted, Lusaka Division commanding officer Greenwell Ng’uni said he does not know anything about the bench warrant against Vangelatos.

“I was out in Solwezi when it was issued. Maybe other officers attended to it,” Mr Ng’uni said.

Particulars of the summary contempt are that Vangelatos accused Mr Justice Musonda, Mr Justice Mutuna and Mr Silwamba of having conspired to decide cases against him.

He went on to state that Mr Justice Mutuna had decided his case against a Supreme Court judgment.
Vangelatos added that he had been to State House and to Chief Justice Ernest Sakala to report the alleged conspiracy.

When asked as to who advised him to make the allegations, he said it was Dr Chongwe.

Mr Justice Musonda said Vangelatos’ allegations were false, malicious and intended to undermine the court’s integrity.

He said by unleashing the malicious and twisted smear, Vangelatos intended to intimidate the court before hearing of his case

Vangelatos has over the years been embroiled in incessant legal battles with his brother Demetre over management and ownership of Dar Farms International Transport Company, King Quality Meat Products, and Metro Investments.

The Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) and Media Institute of Zambia (MISA) Zambia advised QFM Radio to make amends over its report that President Banda stopped over in South Africa to watch the World Cup finals on his way to Turkey.

PAZA vice-president Amos Chanda said in Lusaka yesterday that it was clear that the president was not at the World Cup, and that the radio station should correct the story that quoted Mr Mpombo.

“Clearly, President Banda was not at the World Cup. Their source of information was incorrect, they needed to verify before they published the story,” he said.

MISA Zambia chairperson Henry Kabwe said currently, there was no body to regulate the conduct of the media in Zambia.

And The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has advised journalists to always verify facts before publishing stories.

ZUJ president Melody Mwala said in a statement that it was always advisable for journalists to be ethical by verifying stories before publishing or airing them to the public to avoid conflicts, especially at this time when the country is headed for elections next year.

Meanwhile, Independent Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) president David Masupa has advised Kafulafuta Member of Parliament George Mpombo to reflect on issues before making public statements.

And Rev Masupa has asked Mr Mpombo to apologise for trying to mislead the nation that President Rupiah Banda made a stop-over in South Africa to watch the just-ended World Cup final match on his way to Turkey.

He said it was wrong for the MP to base his statements on assumptions because that was dangerous.

[pullquote]Mr Chitwa said in Kitwe that it was regrettable to have leaders of Mr Mpombo’s calibre to represent people in Parliament.[/pullquote]

State House yesterday advised the media in Zambia to be cautious with stories they sourced from disgruntled politicians, which are totally wrong and bent on tarnishing the name of President Banda.

Rev Masupa said Mr Mpombo’s negative comments were bound to scare aware investors and it was unfortunate he had become so desperate that he had joined in misleading the nation on many important issues.

He challenged Zambians to scrutinise some leaders they were voting into office. It was disappointing for Mr Mpombo to resort to telling lies in order to gain cheap popularity.

Copperbelt Ba Ushi Cultural Traditional and Development Association chairperson, Stephen Chitwa said Mr Mpombo was a danger to the Zambian society because of his careless statements.

Mr Chitwa said in Kitwe that it was regrettable to have leaders of Mr Mpombo’s calibre to represent people in Parliament.

[Times of Zambia]