Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Governor Caleb Fundanga has challenged banks in the country to give mortgages to the people on long term basis as a way of cushioning the inadequate housing units in the country.

Dr. Fundanga says financial institutions are better placed if only they play a significant role in providing mortgages to the people.

He noted that home ownership is vital in one’s wellbeing saying this can be achieved through the provision of soft loans from the commercial banks.

The BoZ Chief said this during the official launch of re-furbished Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) Kitwe branch.

This was in a speech read for him by Copperbelt BoZ Regional Director Moses Mulomba.

He said a lot of houses were being funded from people’s personal savings which described as not an efficient and effective way of financing housing
projects.

Dr. Fundanga said ZNBS management should take this situation as an opportunity to fully utilize housing mortgages provision thereby answering
to its liquidity problems.

He stated that ZNBS has a mandate to develop and interact with its customers through the provision of mortgages and making them available to
the people.

And ZNBS Board Chairperson Mwando Mondoloka said ZNBS was in the 1990s not spared from the post liberalization of the economy where it lost tax
incentives which resulted in serious revenue loss.

Mr. Mondoloka said the institution has since managed to scale up its operations in the last two years following a successful implementation of
the strategic plan that has seen the bank expand.

He however, pointed out that the bank has mapped out a strategic plan to improve its liquidity and reputation in a bid to attract and service its
clientele base.

ZANIS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”
(James 5:16, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

All throughout Scripture, we see that God’s system operates on the principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow blessing and mercy into the lives of others, that’s what you’ll reap in your life in return. The same thing happens when you pray for one another. There’s a spiritual dynamic at play when you get your mind off yourself and onto others. You’re sowing a seed so that God can do something in your own life.

Is there someone in your life you can pray for? Maybe it’s a friend or a family member in need. They don’t have to be present, you can pray for them as you go about your day or even driving in your car on the way to work. Remember, when you pray for others, God will make sure someone is praying for you. It’s that connection of faith that opens the door for God to move mightily on your behalf.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to be used by You. I choose to pray for the people in my life as You have commanded. Direct my thoughts and prayers today so that I can be a blessing to others and honor You in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata has charged that the failure by the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) leadership to apprehend health Deputy Minister, Dr. Solomon Musonda after he shot a PF cadre in Serenje is enough testimony to prove that the party has no capacity to fight corruption.

Mr Sata who have persistently called for the police force and government to account for the shooting, tells Q fm in an interview that the police force is incapable of laying a figure on Dr. musonda despite what he did because he is in the MMD government.

The out-spoken PF leader said that republican President, Rupiah Banda and his government are incompetent to match up to the fight against corruption because they are too compromised.

He said it would have been easy for the MMD led government to apprehend the official, if he was from an opposition party but they could not touch him right now because he is still needed by the party.

Mr Sata also indicates that Zambians should know that the MMD government has no credibility in their words and are incapable of delivering according to it’s promise.

He has reiterated his call on the Zambia police service to arrest Dr. Musonda because he is not a free man.

The PF leader pointed out that it was unfair for other suspected criminals to be rotting in jail when some self confessed government official who almost murdered someone, is left to live in freedom.
[ QFM ]

MMD Kitwe District chairperson, George Lungu has said the booing of second Republican president Frederick Chiluba during his visit to Kitwe last weekend was stage-managed by the opposition.

And ex-miners in Kitwe’s Wusakile Township have said in no circumstances were they in a position to boo and insult Dr Chiluba who had offered to help address their plight.

In an interview in Kitwe yesterday, Mr Lungu said the picture portrayed by some individuals that Dr Chiluba received a hostile reception in Kitwe and that residents booed him was a total fabrication of what really transpired on the ground.

Mr Lungu charged that in fact it was the opposition that organised some callboys to boo Dr Chiluba to give an impression that the former president in was not welcome in Wusakile.

He said it was the view of the party and a cross section of people in the district that the former head of State had done so much for ex-miners, and for the opposition to organise callboys to boo him was most unfortunate.

Mr Lungu said in fact, ex-miners were eager to meet Dr Chiluba because of the many outstanding issues they wanted the former head of State who is their patron to address on their behalf.

And Wusakile-Chamboli Ex-Miners Association secretary, William Chola expressed disappointment with people insinuating that Wusakile residents who were mostly ex-miners booed Dr Chiluba when he visited the area.

Mr Chola said it was unfortunate that people were now trying to dent the name and image of ex-miners to Dr Chiluba when the two parties enjoyed a good relationship.

“In fact the residents and in particular ex-miners in Wuskile welcomed Dr Chiluba in the area and even demanded to have a meeting with him but unfortunately he had a tight schedule,” Mr Chola said.

As far as he was concerned, the people who booed Dr Chiluba were hired thugs and mostly the so called ‘Copper-Copper’ who upon seeing Dr Chiluba demanded money but when he refused to give them, decided to cause confusion.

Mr Chola said it was the same Copper-Copper thugs and not the residents or ex-miners who booed Dr Chiluba during his visit in Kitwe last weekend.

Last Sunday, former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general, Charles Chimumbwa revealed that he had the previous day received a phone call from a person only identified as Mulenga who told him that they had managed to disrupt Dr Chiluba’s visit to Kitwe.

[Times of Zambia]

THE Patriotic Front (PF) women in Ndola have said that they want a woman to contest the Chifubu by-election on the PF ticket.

PF Ndola women’s chairperson Alice Kafula said yesterday during a press
briefing that the women in the party in Ndola would prefer a woman candidate if a credible woman could be found to contest the seat.

“If a credible woman can be found, we prefer a woman to stand on the PF
ticket. It is about time there was a female parliamentarian to represent the Chifubu constituency,” Ms Kafula said.

She said it was the view of the PF women in Ndola that since the city had four constituencies, the seats should be shared equally between men and women.

Ms Kafula however said that if a woman had to be selected, it should be one of high caliber and not a puppet.

She said her leadership was therefore currently sensitizing women at the
grass root level to encourage them to seek leadership roles in the party and the country.

At the same press briefing, Ms Kafula welcomed back a former PF chairperson for Ndola PF Agness Chomba to the party. Ms Chomba had left the PF in 2006 to join the MMD.

And PF Ndola chairperson Rebby Chanda said the district leadership was in support of the women’s decision to field a female candidate in the forth coming by election.

Mr Chanda said it was only fair that a woman was selected this time around as a parliamentarian.

He said women were capable leaders just like men were.

Mr Chanda however warned all women vying for the Chifubu seat in the PF to be credible and not turn into rebels after winning the election

[Times of Zambia]

SEVEN headmen and some residents of Mbeza in Namwala say they are disgusted with UPND president Hakainde Hichilema for his alleged verbal attacks and violence directed at Namwala Member of Parliament Robbie Chizhyuka.

The headmen have charged that Mr Hichilema has allegedly been sending youths to harm Major Chizhyuka
Headman Nakamboma said Mr Hichilema is pushing Major Chizhyuka to respond to his continued attacks, saying time has come for the people of Mbeza and Namwala to defend their son.

He sounded the warning in Mbeza when a team of headmen and residents summoned Major Chizhyuka to brief the people on his relationship with the UPND President.

The visibly annoyed traditional leader warned that it is time Mr Hichilema stopped hiring youths to allegedly harm Major Chizhyuka, saying the family and people of Mbeza have been observing Mr Hichilema’s provocations.

He pointed out that the people of Namwala and Mbeza in particular do no want the pact and should not be forced to accept it through violence.

Headman Nakamboma warned that any youth sent to hurt Major Chizhyuka by Mr Hichilema should expect brutal reteliation.

“Some people are not grateful. It is Major Chizhyuka who introduced Hichilema to the people of Namwala. Major Chizhyuka talked well about Hichilema so much that we liked him,” he said.

He said if Mr Hichilema really wants to get some votes in Namwala, he should not rubbish Major Chizhyuka.

The traditional leader noted that in most cases, nothing tangible comes out of pact arrangements, especially those entered into with wrong people.
Headman Nakamboma cited the Choma declaration and the UDA as such pact arrangements which never yielded any fruits.

Meanwhile, a senior representative for headman Shalupumbu, Charles Chiboola, said it is sad that some educated people fail to understand politics and are putting their people in problems.

Mr Chiboola warned that he will deal with anyone who will visit his house to talk about the pact.

“We already have a good MP who has fought for improved lives for his people even way back before politics. What else would we want? We shall go wherever he goes, but not into this pact,” he vowed.

He said it will be difficult for Mr Hichilema to get back to the people in Namwala to ask for a vote when he has forsaken the person who introduced him to the people of Namwala.

“We have already benefitted from Major Chizhyuka’s good works. He has worked well with government to bring us the Choma-Namwala road, a girls’ high school and a basic school in Namwala boma. He worked hard to improve the Monze Nieko-Road,” he said.

Namwala District Indigenous People Rights Association chairman Dominic Shingalwe said Mr Hichilema should understand that Major Chizhyuka has relatives and friends who will not sit back and watch while other people hurt him.

“What wrong has Robbie done? Let Hichilema not start a war he will fail to stop,” he said.

Mr Shingalwe, who was the first district chairman for the African National Congress party, said Major Chizhyuka is an innocent man who is merely expressing his democratic right to oppose the pact.

Mr Shingalwe said Mr Hichilema will regret his move to partner with the PF, saying as a senior citizen who worked close with the late Mungoni Liso and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, he has a clear understanding of how the Tonga people have been cheated into forming pacts

ZANIS

THE Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has urged stakeholders to ignore criticism of the Zamtel sale by the PF/UPND Pact because the two parties poured similar scorn on the privatisation of the now viable Zanaco.

ZCTU secretary general Roy Mwaba said in an interview that meetings had been held in which all the 2,431 workers had been assured of both full separation packages and retention of their jobs.

Mr Mwaba said the pact leaders had continued attacking very promising deals like they did when Zanaco was sold to Rabo Bank but the bank had now proved to be among the most viable financial institutions in Zambia.

ZCTU was reacting to sentiments by UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and PF president Michael Sata who have threatened to revoke the transaction should they assume power.

[pullquote]“They must stop politicising everything. That is exactly what they said about Zanaco and now the bank is doing very well they have kept quiet,” Mr Mwaba said.[/pullquote]

“They must stop politicising everything. That is exactly what they said about Zanaco and now the bank is doing very well they have kept quiet,” Mr Mwaba said.

He said ZCTU had undertaken to research on the viability of the Libyan firm, LAP GreenN that has its headquarters in Uganda and had discovered that the company was well grounded through diversification into ICTs and agriculture.

It had been agreed that all workers who would lose their jobs would be paid in line with the prevailing conditions of service signed between Zamtel management and the National Union of Communication Workers (NUCW).

Mr Mwaba said the people condemning the sale of Zamtel should keep a distance when Zamtel starts making profits and becomes more competitive like Zanaco, which was now operating at its best.

The congress also called on the political stakeholders to accept that contentious issues regarding the sale of Zamtel had been resolved including the tribunal that heard the involvement of RP Capital Partners which cleared former Communications and Transport minister Dora Siliya.

And the NUCW has called on all unionised Zamtel employees to remain calm as they await their separation packages because their packages will be paid in full.

NUCW General Secretary Clement Kasonde said in a circular dated June 8, 2010, that the payment of separation packages for Zamtel unionised employees would be paid in full as agreed upon by the union and Zamtel management.

“In view of the above assurance, you are all directed to remain calm to ensure that the remaining legal issues are finalised as quickly as possible,” the circular read in part.

Mr Kasonde thanked the workers for their patience.

[Times of Zambia]