MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya has challenged Kafulafuta Member of Parliament, George Mpombo and his Chilanga Constituency counterpart, Ng’andu Magande to resign from the ruling party and avoid unjustified attacks against the Government.

Ms Siliya also said former vice-president Enoch Kavindele is bitter after Government rejected his application for a mobile telecommunication licence.

She reminded Mr Kavindele that he was awarded a licence to operate North-Western Railway Systems without tender procedure and had not been cleared by any competent court of law.

Mr Kavindele accused Ms Siliya in a tabloid at the weekend of wrongdoing while she served as minister of Communications and Transport, an allegation for which she was cleared by a tribunal.

Mr Kavindele also alleged that Ms Siliya flew directly from Petauke to Johannesburg in South Africa but the minister said she had travel schedules about her flight connections.

Ms Siliya said Mr Kavindele’s licence to open North-Western Railway Systems was done outside the tender processes and had been fighting for the deal which he knew was irregular.

She explained that the Government withdrew Mr Kavindele’s licence due to non-performance in line with terms of his licence.

She said late president Levy Mwanawasa held a meeting with Mr Kavindele and Chief Mumena to explain the matter and wondered why he had continued fighting her in the Press.

Ms Siliya, who is minister of Education, said she was in Johannesburg for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministerial conference on education and never flew directly from Petauke in breach of the law.

She explained that she arrived from Petauke on June 6, 2010 and left for the conference the following day.

She said Mr Kavindele should avoid cheap politics as a man who occupied the second highest political office in the land.

She said Mr Kavindele was bitter over Government’s decision to reject Vodacom on whose platform he had applied to operate a fourth mobile phone service.

On Mr Magande and Mr Mpombo, Ms Siliya said the two would do well to leave the MMD because they had been campaigning that their own party should lose the elections next year.

She said there was lack of seriousness in the two politicians and was certain Zambians were getting fed up with them.

But Mr Kavindele said there was a tender by the Communications Authority for a fourth mobile telephone operator, which he won.

He, however, said the issue of North-Western Railway Systems was his idea and admitted that there was no tender on that account.

Meanwhile, MMD Deputy National Secretary Chembe Nyangu has said the ruling party is confident of scooping the forthcoming Chifubu and Luena parliamentary by-elections and advised all parties participating in the polls to desist from acts of violence.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) Copperbelt Province chairperson, Elisha Matambo has said the UPND-Patriotic Front (PF) Pact will not ferry any cadres from other constituencies to Chifubu during campaigns to avoid violence.

Mr Nyangu said in interview yesterday that the ruling party had found a winning formula, which would see it capture the Chifubu seat from the PF.

“We are doing our best as we prepare for the by-elections. As at now what I can say is that we are set to win the election because the MMD will field the best candidate capable of delivering the much-needed development to the people,” he said.

The Luena seat fell vacant after the resignation of Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Milupi while in Chifubu area MP Benson Bwalya died.

Meanwhile, Mr Matambo said in Ndola yesterday that it was important that all parties fielding candidates in future by-elections did not import cadres from other areas because they were the main cause of violence.

“As UPND and other partners in the electoral pact, the Patriotic Front, we have pledged to see to it that the forthcoming by-elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.
[Times of Zambia ]

PF National Youth Secretary General Eric Chanda said President Banda is not only a failure but also a weak Head of State.

Mr. Chanda said as Head of State, people expected him to take an appropriate action against Dr. Musonda.

He pointed out that it was unfortunate that the President has been promoting violence and anarchy in the country.

He called on Zambians to bear with government’s harsh response to issues affecting people’s security, adding that soon a caring government would be ushered into office.

President Banda was quoted in one of the daily newspapers that he felt sorry for health deputy minister Dr. Solomon Musonda, who recently shot and wounded a PF cadre Jackson Musaka.

The President declined to discipline Dr Musonda, saying there could be a reason why he shot Musaka.
[ QFM ]

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]