Republican president Rupiah BANDA has appealed for calm in Mufumbwe Constituency following the violence that rocked the election campaign period for the parliamentary by-election.

The President says it was regrettable that the campaigns in Mufumbwe were characterized by violence perpetuated by the opposition supporters. He appealed to the residents of Mufumbwe to go back to their normal lives and avoid getting involved in violence activities which continued even after the vote.

President Banda has reiterated his earlier instruction to the Zambia Police Service to make sure that all perpetrators of violence are brought to book and the law should take its course regardless of whoever is involved.

He says it was regrettable that political parties were now resorting to violence in an attempt to win elections at all cost.

President Banda, who was in Mufumbwe for three days, said it was clear that the parliamentary by-election in that area was not conducted in a free and fair manner going by the amount of voter intimidation, violence and blatant disregard to the electoral rules.

The President has thanked the people of Mufumbwe for the warm reception accorded to him and his delegation during his three-day campaign tour and pledged to continue with the development projects in the area.

He says he would return to visit Mufumbwe District in the near future.

President Banda has thanked all the people, especially the campaign team of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), for their tireless in campaigning for the MMD candidate.

He has since urged them to remain focus especially that the MMD performed well in the Parliamentary and Local Government by-elections held on April 29, 2010.

QFM

United Party for National Development (UPND) has scooped the Mufumbwe seat deemed as the heavily contested and the bloodiest parliamentary by-election in North-Western Province.

The win has proved most political analysts’ predication that the UPND/PF pact would scoop the Mufumbwe seat while MMD would also win the Milanzi seat in Eastern province.

UPND/PF pact candidate Eliot Kamondo got 5333, MMD‘s got Mulondwe Muzungu got 5009 while UNIP’s Stephen Kamwengo got 180 votes.

The defeat is heavy for the MMD party that is trying to regain its previous domination of North-Western Province after they lost Solwezi central seat in a parliamentary by-election to UPND/PFpact last year.

Mufumbwe bye-election was another test for the ruling party’s popularity in North-Western province as the country draws near to the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Jubilant supporters of UPND/ PF pact spent the whole night celebrating their early victory from results that there trickling in.

Police yesterday restricted UPND president Hakainde Hichilema’s movement to avoid running battles that erupted between UPND supporters and the MMD cadres during the campaign period.

MMD candidate Mr. Muzungu was recalled from Libya were he was the ambassador to come and contest the Mufumbwe seat.

Prior to the elections some MMD supporters in Mufumbwe rejected Mr Muzungu’s adoption as a parliamentary candidate.

THE National Constitutional Conference (NCC) yesterday finished adopting all the committee reports.

NCC Chairperson Chifumu Banda, in his closing remarks, said the conclusion of the adoption process for the committee reports was a milestone in the Constitution-making process.

“As I indicated at the opening of this session of the NCC, the next activities which remain to be accompanied are the following (i) preparation of the intial report and Draft Constitution Bill from the decision that you have taken in adopting the reports of the committees,” he said.

He said after the preparation of the initial draft report and Draft Constitution, the two documents would be adopted and published to facilitate public debate and comments.

“Thereafter there will be facilitation of public debates and receipt of comments and memoranda on the intial report and Draft Constitution Bill and then preparation and adoption of the final report and Constitution Bill and their handover to the Hon. minister of Justice,” he said.

He said members of the public would take keen interest on how their views and comments would be taken by the conference in terms of incorporation into the final report and Draft Constitution.

Mr Banda said the public would also be interested on whether the entire constitution would be submitted to a national referendum.

“The general public will take keen interest on how the conference adopts the final report and Draft Constitution Bill, whether only those parts of the Constitution which require the holding of a national referendum before they are altered should be submitted to a national referendum while the rest of the articles should be submitted to Parliament for immediate enactment,” he said.

He said the General Purpose Committee would meet to finalise the preparation of the remaining activities.

He urged the members to take keen interest in the public discussions, which would be held.

“You should endeavour to explain to the members of the public whenever opportunities arise, the rationale for the decisions that the conference has taken,” he said.

[Times of Zambia]

The Movement for Mult-party Democracy (MMD) has retained the Milanzi parliamentary by-election seat in Eastern province.
However, counting of votes in Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election in North Western province is still going on but the United Party for National Development is leading (UPND).

The MMD’s Watson Banda has scooped the seat after amassing 5,120 votes his closest rival from the Patriotic Front (PF) Albert Banda got 2,347 while United National Independence Party Musa Banda got 2,194.

The Official results in the Mufumbwe bye-elections are expected to be announced today by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) but so far UPND’s Eliot Kamondo has 4844 votes, MMD’s Mulondwe Muzungu has 4599 and UNIP’s Stephen Kamwengo has 165 more results are being expected from three polling stations.

Jubilant supporters of UPND/ PF pact spent the whole night celebrating their early lead from the results that were being counted.

Voting closed on a peaceful note in both the Milanzi and Mufumbwe parliamentary by-elections.

Voting officially closed at 18:00hrs.

AVAP executive director Bonnie Tembo told QFM from Milanzi that the voting process in the area went on peacefully with no incidents of violence.

Mr Tembo has hailed the people of Milanzi for turning up in numbers to cast their votes.

He particularly paid tribute to women who made up the large number of voters who turned up to cast their votes in Milanzi.

And AVAP National administrative officer Dominic Mumba told QFM from Mufumbwe that voting closed without any incident of violence being reported, apart from the incident this morning were a police officer was attacked by suspected UPND cadre.

Mr Mumba has however bemoaned the voter apathy that has characterized the Mufumbwe by-election.

He attributes the voter apathy in Mufumbwe to the violence that characterized the campaign period.

Results for the elections are expected to start trickling later this evening.

QFM

Zambia’s inflation slowed to 9.2 percent year-on-year in April from 10.2 percent the previous month as food prices fell, data showed on Thursday, and is seen easing further.

“The decline of one percentage point in the annual inflation rate is attributed to the decline in the cost of some food items,” the Central Statistical Office said in a statement.

Analysts said a good maize harvest could help cool inflation further.

“With the expected good maize harvest, inflation should further decline and Zambia should be able to achieve (sustained) single digit inflation by the end of 2010, if we can manage the harvest well,” Finance Bank country treasurer Miles Sampa said.

“The most serious threat to sustained single-digit inflation is the proposal by (state power utility) Zesco to increase electricity tariffs by 36 percent because that would immediately push up prices.”

The statistics office also said the trade account showed a surplus of 752.9 billion kwacha in March after a 391 billion kwacha surplus in February.

[Reuters]

Voting is underway in the Milanzi and Mufumbwe parliamentary by-elections as United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has been confined to the UPND command centre in Mufumbwe by police.

In Milanzi voters have turned out in large number to cast their votes in an atmosphere described by monitors as calm.

Anti Voter Apathy Project executive Director Bonnie Tembo said from Milanzi that the turn up of voters in the area has been encouraging, with queues of voters forming at some polling stations as early as 04:00hrs.

He cites Kagoro and Dole polling stations as some of the polling stations which has seen a large turnout of voters.

Mr. Tembo disclosed that more women have turned out to cast their votes in Milanzi as opposed to youths, pointing out that this could be because most young people do not have voter’s cards.

Meanwhile Mr Tembo has attributed the low turnout of voters in Mufumbwe to the insecurity in the area which has instilled fear in the voters to come out and cast their votes.

Mufumbwe has seen some of the worst political violence in the run up today’s parliamentary by-election involving MMD and UPND cadres.

Mr. Tembo whose monitors are on the ground in Mufumbwe said that the heavy police presence in Mufumbwe during voting is likely to scare away voters.

The UPND leader’s movements have been restricted by police for what they say is a way to avoid violence during the voting period.

UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said in Mufumbwe that the restriction on the movements of the UPND leader amounts to house arrest.

Police have since surrounded the area were Mr Hichilema is lodging.

The candidates contesting the Milanzi parliamentary seat are MMD’s Whiteson Banda, PF’s Albert Banda and UNIP’s Musa Banda.
Those contesting the Mufumbwe seat are MMD’s Mulondwe Muzungu, UPND’s Eliot Kamondo and UNIP’s Stephen Kamwengo.
[ QFM ]

United Liberal Party (ULP) president Sakwiba Sikota has advised president Rupiah Banda to show leadership to opposition political party leaders in the country.

Mr. Sikota said Mr Banda’s strong reactions to political party leaders criticizing him do not exhibit the respect associated with the republican presidency.

He said it is the duty of the Head of State to lead by example especially that he is referred to as the Father of the nation which he described as a challenge.

The ULP leader noted that President Banda’s position demands for tolerance on vast issues that have the potential to trigger frustrations.

Mr. Sikota said a head of State is a mirror of society and that his conduct must be of high character so as to show he is fit to lead others to perfect solutions during hard times.

He was reacting to a statement attributed to President Banda were he referred to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema as a “son of a dog.”

He said such kind of language does not befit the caliber of Mr Banda’s status.

Mr. Sikota stressed that the nation is yearning for a leadership that is able to show a good example to young people, and called on all political party leaders to show respect for one another.
[QFM ]

THE Patriotic Front (PF)-United Party for National Development (UPND) pact has said it is confident of scooping the Milanzi seat in today’s parliamentary by-election.

PF Eastern Province information and publicity secreatry, Mung’omba Ngoma said in an interview yesterday the pact would win the polls because people on the ground want change.

“We have done our homework and we have determined that people in this constituency are ready for change,” Mr Ngoma said.

He said If the pact candidate, Albert Banda was elected to Parliament, he would ensure that maize marketing in the area was improved.

He said village headmen would be involved in the distribution of farming inputs because they were on the ground and understood their people’s needs.

Mr Ngoma said the PF-UPND Pact would invite millers to buy maize from the farmers instead of waiting for the Food Reserve Agency and to avoid being duped by ‘briefcase’ buyers.

He also promised that feeder roads would be repaired to ease the transportation of farm produce.

ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions president Leonard Hikaumba has urged civil servants in the country to accept and appreciate the 15 per cent salary increment awarded to public service workers and described it as fair under the prevailing economic circumstances.

And the ZCTU has invited President Rupiah Banda to officiate at this years’ labour day celebrations in Livingstone.

Mr Hikaumba said there had been some level of fairness in the 15 per cent salary increment for civil servants although there were some problems that needed to be sorted out especially in terms of revenues that were not being collected.

He was speaking at a Press briefing held at New Fairmount hotel in Livingstone yesterday.

He said once collected, the revenues would go along way in contributing to the increase in salaries for civil servants.

Mr Hikaumba dismissed assertions that the labour movement had been compromised by the Government for them to accept the 15 per cent increment.

“We are going through trying moments and as unions we did the best we could. Government only wanted to give us 10 per cent.

“People should know that all together we were about eight unions negotiating for salaries together and there was no room for anyone to be bought by the Government,” he said.

He said as unionists, it was always the labour movement’s wish for workers to get more salaries and as it is 54 per cent of the domestic revenues went towards personal emoluments.

He said it was possible for unions to press for 70 per cent of the domestic revenue to go towards personal emoluments but that would lead to suffering of other sectors of the economy like roads.

Zambia was also preparing for the census this year, elections and a possible referendum next year hence the need for Zambians to consider sacrificing for the sake of the civil servants.

Meanwhile, Mr Hikaumba has said that this year the labour movement has requested the President to officiate at the Labour Day celebrations in Livingstone to give all provinces an opportunity to interact with the highest office in the country.

He urged Livingstone employees and employers to turn up in large numbers to celebrate the workers’ day.

Mr Hikaumba called for social security promotion and social dialogue to tackle labour problems and ensure economic development.

Non-Governmental Organisations and religious organizations should also participate in the celebrations.

The theme of this year’s Labour Day celebrations is “Promoting economic growth through decent work”.

[Times of Zambia]

TODAY marks the end of a grueling campaign period for the two parliamentary by elections in Mufumbwe and Milanzi.

The two seats fell vacant after the deaths of Misheck Bonse and Rueben Chisanga Banda respectively.

Three candidates, Elliot Kamondo, 45, of United Party for National Development (UPND), Stephen Kamwengo, 37, of UNIP and the ruling MMD’s Mulondwe Muzungu, 68, are vying for the seat in Mufumbwe.

In Milanzi, the MMD is fielding Whiteson Banda, UNIP has floated Musa Banda while Mr Albert Banda is standing on the Patriotic Front ticket.

Campaigns over the last three weeks for Mufumbwe have been hectic and sometimes brutal.

It could be blamed on the ‘imported’ cadres from Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces, but the reason the seat is bitterly contested is that it may just shape the political landscape of North-Western Province.

Forget the Solwezi Central seat won by Watson Lumba, of the UPND (backed by Patriotic Front) last November, Mufumbwe is the real battle for the province.

Solwezi may be the region’s metropolis, but it has become a cosmopolitan town since the opening of Kansanshi and Lumwana mines. So, Mufumbwe gives a fairer representation of North-Western Province.

Whoever wins today’s poll will have bragging rights going into next year’s general elections. The MMD wants to retain the Mufumbwe seat, the UPND wants to keep the momentum after winning Solwezi Central and ward by-elections in Solwezi, Mwinilunga and Zambezi.

With due respect to the UNIP candidate Mr Kamwengo, a Lusaka-based businessman, the real battle is between Mr Kamondo and Mr Muzungu.

No wonder the violence was between supporters of these two candidates.
While Mr Kamondo, a prominent local businessperson, narrowly lost the 2006 polls to the late Mr Bonshe, Mr Muzungu, a veteran politician just recalled from his diplomatic job in Libya to re-enter politics, is a two-time former MP.

Mr Kamwengo and Mr Kamondo both want to develop Mufumbwe if elected MP while Mr Muzungu says he would simply continue developmental programmes of the party in Government.

In Milanzi, residents are going to the polls today to elect an MP in a by-election following the death of Mr Banda after a road traffic accident.

It is probably unprecedented in the history of Zambian politics that the electorate from one constituency could go to the parliamentary polls three times in less than five years.

The late Mr Banda from the ruling MMD scooped the seat from UNIP in 2008, after late Chisani Banda, during a by-election but he too could not finish his term because he suffered the same fate as his predecessor.

Now the people would be electing a new representative who will pick up the mandate from where Mr Banda left off and represent the people of Milanzi in Parliament.

The MMD, PF-UPND pact and UNIP are contesting the by-election.
The MMD is fielding 35-year-old Whiteson Banda, who is largely considered to be a son of Milanzi.

The PF-UPND pact has Albert Banda, an engineer who has just given up his job at Zamtel in Lusaka.

The former ruling party UNIP is fielding Musa Banda, another man who is also considered as a native of Milanzi.

The Milanzi by-election has largely been peaceful and in the last two weeks. The constituency experienced increased political activities because the three political parties vying for the seat were criss-crossing the villages in a bid to woo voters.

But yesterday, all the political parties were upbeat to hold final campaign rallies and this happened simultaneously in different parts of the constituency where the politicians presented their candidates as the best.

Yesterday’s campaign activities started as early as 05:00 hours when the contesting political party supporters went round the villages with megaphones and other public address systems to capture voters.

MMD campaign manager Eustarckio Kazonga said the MMD was the most preferred to win the election because of incumbency.

He said the ruling party was taking development to Milanzi even when it was not time for elections.

“It is certain that we are winning the elections because our works are there for everyone to see,” he said.

MMD candidate Whiteson Banda pledged to work with traditional leaders, women and the youth to bring development to Milanzi.

“I have the advantage to represent the people of Milanzi effectively because I am coming from the party that is in Government and I was born and raised in this area where I know the needs of the people,” he said.

But the other candidates were not to be outclassed. UNIP’s Banda said he had been conducting developmental programmes in Milanzi and this election was a mere formality.

“I have helped to build a teacher’s house at one of the schools. I have also been conducting football tournaments for youths who are now staying away from alcohol abuse,” he said.

The pact candidate, Mr Banda said he was the most educated man among the three candidates and his education would help him represent the people of Milanzi effectively.

He said the ruling party had failed to take development to the constituency and that the PF would do so if he went to Parliament.

There are concerns the people of Milanzi may be experiencing voter fatigue but electoral officer Greyson Nkhata, who is Katete district council secretary, is optimistic the turnout would be higher than in the previous elections.

“We have been doing voter education and the three political parties contesting the elections have also done a lot of work to educate voters. This is why we expect the voter turnout to be large,” he said.

All the election materials and other logistics were delivered on time ahead of the elections.

Milanzi, which has 19,700 voters and 40 polling stations, is one of the biggest constituencies in Zambia. It borders Mozambique.

By and large, the three contenders in the by-election have been speaking one language during the campaigns.

They believe Milanzi needs development. In any case, the political campaigns were centred on promises to build and develop roads, clinics, bridges, schools, markets, dams and agriculture.

However, the decision on who becomes the next MP for the constituency rests on ballots the people of Milanzi would cast after the voting ends at 18:00 hours today.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Nearly 200 children from all of Zambia’s nine provinces are heading back to their hometowns after attending the country’s first Children’s Climate Conference in Lusaka this week.

The youth delegates learned about climate change at the conference, and now that it has ended, they hope to spread those lessons around. Each attendee has created an action plan to be implemented in his or her home district.
The delegates, aged 12 to 18, will reconvene in August to report on the progress they’ve made, continue their climate change education and receive additional training.

A forum for young activists

The Government of the Republic of Zambia partnered with UNICEF to host the conference, which built on the successes of the international Children’s Climate Forum held in November 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event here sought to create a similar forum for young environmental activists at the national level in Zambia.

Many of the main killers of children – including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition – are highly sensitive to climatic conditions and are expected to worsen as average global temperatures rise. Not surprisingly, young people have a lot to say about that.

Youth delegate Wilfred Simbule, 15, is a student at Chingola High School in Zambia’s Copperbelt region. “The fumes that are released pollute the air, the [drinking] water is polluted, the land is polluted,” he said, describing his hometown in a mining area.

Wilfred wants to educate his peers about water safety and related issues. Prior to the conference, he had already formed an environmental group at his school; the group already has more than 50 members. Now, as a ‘Climate Ambassador’, he hopes to continue to recruit and educate more of his peers.

‘Leaders of tomorrow’

Youth delegate Tendai Nyirenda, 16, from Livingstone in southern Zambia, explained that recent floods have caused widespread devastation in the country. Education was disrupted for many children in affected areas, and some children drowned in the floodwaters.

Tendai believes that young Zambians need to work together to fight climate change. “If we know about climate change and we know how to preserve our environment, then as we grow, as we become the leaders of tomorrow, it will be much easier to find lasting solutions,” she said.

Another youth delegate, Stan Lengwe, 16, from Lusaka, noted that the city’s garbage collection needs to be improved and that poor sanitation contributes to the health problems of young people. Stan has been involved in environmental education as the secretary of the environmental club at Kabulonga High School.
“We give the school ideas to help keep the school clean, and we’re planning to go to rural areas to help sensitize people on climate change and on the importance of keeping the environment clean” he said.

Climate change as a household topic

Children are important to getting the climate-change message across. But the knowledge and skills they’ll need to address the rapidly changing environment are often different from what they learn in school.

The Zambian Children’s Climate Conference aimed to teach young people that they can do their part to address climate change in their own communities. Workshops addressed surviving climate impacts, disaster risk reduction and how to flood-proof homes, schools, and hospitals, among other topics.

The goal is for the Climate Ambassadors to help make climate change a household topic in Zambia, distributing information packs about it in both rural and urban settings. The young people will try to increase their fellow Zambians’ awareness of this issue and ensure that the voices of young children are taken into consideration by environmental decision-makers at all levels.

Several of the Climate Ambassadors are also being trained to produce radio talk shows about climate change. UNICEF will support regular youth-led shows about the issue on community radio stations across Zambia to help them reach out to their peers, and beyond.

[UNICEF]