THE Government has questioned the calibre of opposition leaders like Lusaka business executive Geoffrey Mwamba seeking to be in Government when he has failed to settle a K2.4 billion debt to the Food Reserve Agency that takes care of peasant farmers.

Minister of Agriculture Peter Daka wondered yesterday why Mr Mwamba had failed to settle a 1998 loan from FRA which he now was claiming was petty cash to him when the same money works as a revolving fund to pay poor peasant farmers.

Mr Mwamba at a Press briefing yesterday boasted that he would today settle the debt to enable him recover the seized building seized by the FRA last week.

He said he would today instruct his junior accountant to pay the FRA debt so that he reclaims the seized building.

The seized building in Lusaka also houses the central secretariat for the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), a party to which Mr Mwamba belongs and is a Member of Parliament.

Mr Mwamba, flanked by PF spokesperson Given Lubinda accused the Government of ‘squeezing’ him and mixing his business with politics, and that he was not a finished business person as some people were saying.

But Mr Daka said it was surprising that Mr Mwamba could drag the Government into an issue that was purely commercial between his business and the FRA.

He said the FRA was an independent institution operating through an Act of Parliament and there was no way the Government could interfere in its operations.

[pullquote]“If he is calling K2.4 billion petty cash why did it take him long to service the loan?” he asked.[/pullquote]

He said the FRA had its own mandate and through its board of directors made all its decisions and decided whom to do business with.

“The issue is between GBM and FRA and it is purely commercial without any political connotations,” he said.

Mr Daka said it was also shocking that Mr Mwamba and Mr Lubinda who were once political rivals when they battled for the Kabwata Constituency seat in 2006 were now friends who teamed up to denounce the Government based on false allegations.

He said as minister he could not understand why Mr Mwamba could boast about having a lot of money through a Press conference when he had neglected to service his indebtedness since 1998.

“If he is calling K2.4 billion petty cash why did it take him long to service the loan?” he asked.

Mr Daka said it was unfortunate that most farmers across Zambia remained poor when people like Mr Mwamba were not paying the FRA.

He said Government remained selfless and committed to the development of the agriculture sector through support to the farmers.

“That money is a lot to pay farmers across the country and he is not giving FRA,” he said.

He said the matter was decided by the courts that Mr Mwamba should pay the FRA and the Government.

And the FRA has confirmed that the Supreme Court passed a judgment in1998 against GBM Trucking and GBM Milling

FRA legal counsel, Chola Kafwabulula said in a statement yesterday that the court judgment was delivered in January.

He said the deal between the FRA and GBM was purely commercial and there where no politics involved.

He said GBM willingly offered collateral in form of a building in Villa Elizabetha and that was not done under any duress.

The Supreme Court upheld an earlier High Court decision in favour of FRA after GBM appealed to the higher court.

On April 7, the FRA seized a property belonging to GBM Trucking to recover more than K2.4 billion it was owed.

[Times of Zambia]

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has directed the minister of Finance and National Planning to immediately mobilise additional funds for the construction of main roads throughout the country this year.

The president called for the acceleration of road construction works in all the provinces following the end of the rainy season.

He said in a statement released by special assistant to the president for Press and public Relations Dickson Jere yesterday that the cost of repairing the roads had gone up because of the delays in completing the works.

Mr Banda said he wanted to specifically see the completion of the construction of the Mutanda-Chavuma Road in North-Western Province, Choma-Chitongo-Namwala Road in Southern Province, and the Kasama-Luwingu Road in Northern Province.

“A number of key roads have been under construction for many years without being completed due to inadequate funds.

“The delays in completing road construction have led to the escalation of costs over the years, compounding the problem of inadequate resources,” the president said.

He also directed the minister of Works and Supply to mobilise contractors to ensure that the specified roads are completed this year.

The president, however, said his directive to accelerate the road works should not in any way be used as an excuse to compromise the quality of works by contractors engaged by Government.

“In this regard, Road Development Agency officials and consulting engineers engaged to supervise these road works are directed to ensure that each and every road constructed meets the highest standards of quality and durability,” he said.

Mr Banda said apart from the specified roads that should be completed this year, works should commence on a number of other economically-strategic roads throughout the country.

He directed the minister of Finance and National Planning to mobilise extra funds from the bilateral and multilateral institutions specifically for the roads sector.

“My Government is committed to improving growth-enhancing infrastructure in the country. My Government is also calling upon the private sector to work closely with the Government and participate in infrastructure development through public private partnerships (PPP),” the president said.

A number of projects had been advertised under the PPP framework to enable the private sector participate in infrastructure development.

A legal and regulatory framework was already in place through the enactment of the PPP Act of 2009 which provided a conducive environment for private sector participationt.

“I, therefore, wish to appeal to the private sector to rise to the occasion and hasten to bring development and prosperity of our people as quickly as possible,” President Banda said.

He said the Government would continue prioritising the construction of schools, trades and training institutions, hospitals, clinics and health posts in every province of Zambia.

[Times of Zambia]

HOME Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani has urged Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata to play sober politics and desist from making bad jokes on alleged threats on his life.

Reacting to Mr Sata’s alleged attempt on his life in Milanzi parliamentary constituency during the filing in of nominations, Mr Mangani said the PF president was only joking, but unfortunately such jokes could mislead his followers.

He said neither he nor President Banda could plot to eliminate Mr Sata and if anything they wish him long life.

“I know that deep down his heart, Mr Sata is joking. He knows that the President cannot plan to have him killed, even I cannot do it. But these are bad jokes because his followers may take them differently,” Mr Mangani said.

He said though unfortunate, the Milanzi incident where a woman who was trying to reverse her vehicle, caused a minor scratch on Mr Sata’s parked vehicle cannot be said to be an attempt on his life.

Mr Mangani said Mr Sata should be careful with the way he plays the traditional cousinship with him, because allegations of attempts on one’s life could be dangerous.

Meanwhile, the MMD in the Eastern Province has dismissed allegations of threats on Mr Sata’s life in an incident that happened in full view of the people during the filing in of nominations for the Milanzi seat.

[pullquote]He said though unfortunate, the Milanzi incident where a woman who was trying to reverse her vehicle, caused a minor scratch on Mr Sata’s parked vehicle cannot be said to be an attempt on his life.[/pullquote]

MMD Eastern Province chairperson Kennedy Zulu has advised the PF leader to leave President Banda out of the Milanzi incident involving their vehicle that was carrying their candidate Whiteson Banda and that of Mr Sata which was being driven by his driver.

He said Mr Sata was in a tent at the venue of nominations and only came out when the two parties clashed.

Mr Zulu said as commotion built up, a PF cadre allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot at MMD cadres.

He said the MMD camp has reported the matter to the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the police for investigations.

Mr Zulu said allegations by Mr Sata that the MMD national executive committee (NEC) officials deliberately stayed away from the alleged attempt on his life were untrue.

The provincial chairman, who is a NEC member, together with deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu were there when the incident happened. Local Government and Housing Minister Eustarckio Kazonga, who is the campaign manager, was also present.

Mr Zulu said Mr Sata is just jittery because of the evident massive support for the MMD in Milanzi in particular and Eastern Province as a whole.

He said the MMD in Milanzi is certain of a landside victory.

Mr Zulu said development projects that the MMD government has initiated in the province such as construction of schools, rural health centres and grading of feeder roads are enough campaign for them.

He said Mr Sata saw for himself that the MMD is a crowd-puller in the province. Mr Zulu charged that the graphical crowds that Mr Sata is said to have attracted in Milanzi by some sections of the media was wishful thinking.

He said the PF leader did not address any rally in Milanzi and his attempt to do so at the venue of nominations was unsuccessful.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

A parliamentarian has projected that Zambia will fail to meet the objectives of the new National budget cycle because government has been reckless in handling national matters.

Independent luena Member of Parliament, Charles Milupi told Qfm in an interview that the possibility of the new budget cycle becoming a major success as earlier projected, was very small because government has not given the necessary attention to the critical issues that need to be addressed in implementing the strategy.

Mr Milupi said that government has not invested enough time and seriousness in the implementation of the budget cycle but has focused its energies on mere politicking at the expense of the poor Zambians who are yearning for a change.

Mr.Milupi said the government has failed to meet the inflation targets and very little has been invested in trying to make frantic efforts to change the economical situation in the country.

Meanwhile economist Bob Sichinga observed that no major change will be attained if government does not reconsider the reporting dates, as the new budget cycle is implemented.

Speaking in an interview, Mr. Sichinga said there is still a huge delay in release of the required information on the performance of the new cycle due to the fact that the reporting dates have remained stagnant.

He said that there is need to also look into what dates the government updates the people on the various performance reports as the new budget cycle undergoes scrutiny.

Mr. Sichinga said unless these necessary changes are made in the reporting process of the budget performance, there will be very little to attain from the new budget cycle.

He noted that it will be very useless for government if this new plan does not meet their objectives in national development.

[QFM]

A WOMAN of Lusaka’s John Laing who refused to have a fifth child has asked a local court to terminate her marriage.

Before senior presiding magistrate Regina Mumba was Josephine Mwengo, 30, who sued her husband Kamanga Tembo, 33, for divorce.

Mwengo told the court that she wanted her marriage dissolved because Tembo had married another woman after she refused to have a fifth child with him.
She said she has four children with Tembo and she sees no reason why they should have a fifth when he is unable to provide food and education for those they already have.

“I have four children with my husband. He does not take good care of them. They are not in school, and it is me who provides for their daily needs. He still wanted another child to join the others in suffering,” she said.

Mwengo said that Tembo has since married another woman with whom he has a child.

She told the court that difficulties in their marriage started when her husband left for Chipata for business and returned with another woman whom he said he had married to bear his fifth child.
Mwengo said Tembo left the matrimonial home to live with the new wife.

“I remained alone in the rented house with the children. He never brought food nor bought clothes for his own children,” she said.

Mwengo told the court that it is two years and five months since Tembo abandoned his family but he still physically attacks her when they meet.

She said Tembo beats her when he visits her at home or when he finds her selling groundnuts on the streets.
“We have been on separation for two years five months but the way my husband treats me is like we live in the same house. He restricts me on a number of things and yet he does not provide for my daily needs,” she said.

She said that he burns and throws away anything new he finds in her home and that this makes it difficult for her and the children to have an improved standard of living.

She said Tembo has been threatening to kill her and recently attempted to strangle her with his bare hands. She said this left her with a painful neck and she was for a while unable to work.

Mwengo said she no longer loves Tembo and wants to divorce him so that he may freely concentrate on his second wife.

In his statement, Tembo said that he did not want the marriage to end because the children would suffer.
He said divorce is not good for the children and his wife and wanted to correct his errors.

“The children are young. Besides I only wanted the fifth child from the second wife after my wife refused to bear one for me,” he said.

Tembo said he would not like to lose his marriage of 13 years considering what he and Mwengo have gone through together.

The court dissolved the marriage saying marriage is based on mutual understanding between two people and no one should be forced to continue.

The court also ruled that Mwengo gets all the household property and was granted custody of the children because they are all below the age of 18 years.

Tembo was ordered to maintain his children through monthly payments of K200,000 and to pay Mwengo K3 million as compensation in monthly installments of K200,000.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

Independent Luena Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Milupi has observed that the political tension currently being harbored in the country is unnecessary and a mere struggle for power.

Mr. Milupi said there are so many pertinent issues that need to be addressed in the country but surprisingly non of the political leaders are even working towards bring solutions to the various challenges.

He noted that the common enemy that all political leaders should be focusing their energies on is alleviating poverty and bringing meaningful development but it is unfortunate that attention has been diverted to insults.

He said Zambians have continued to wallow in serious poverty and issues of high unemployment levels in the country but those in leadership positions have shifted their attention to unnecessary issues.
QFM

THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has instructed all party organs to intensify campaigns for their leader Hakainde Hichilema as the Republican presidential candidate for the 2011 elections in what points to deep divisions with the Patriotic Front (PF).

The UPND is in a pact with the PF but the two parties have been giving conflicting views about who would contest the presidential elections next year, insisting that they would announce the presidential candidate “at the right time”.

However, while the pact has been playing to the gallery and showing that they are working together, they have each been campaigning for their presidents.

Last month, PF distributed campaign badges bearing the portrait of their leader Michael Sata for the 2011 polls, three months after UPND circulated similar badges with Mr Hichilema’s picture.

PF cadres in Lusaka distributed Mr Sata’s portrait with a message that he was the only one contesting the elections next year.

But according to a statement obtained by the Times in Lusaka yesterday, issued by the party’s deputy secretary general in charge of politics Sikwiindi Situla on April 1, the UPND said it was the only political party that had the right vision for Zambia.

Mr Situla instructed all the branch and ward constituency committees to ensure that they recruited more members to the party ahead of the 2011 elections and that they should go flat out and campaign for Mr Hichilema to become the next president of Zambia.

He said the UPND was popular across the country and that it was the most popular political party in Lusaka at the moment.

Mr Situla said only the UPND had the right policies to address the ills in the health and education sectors.

[pullquote]Mr Chibwe said the party would only stop campaigning for Mr Hichilema after the PF/UPND pact had chosen a candidate.
[/pullquote]
He urged Zambians to support the UPND if they wanted better schools and quality health care services.

And UPND secretary general, Winston Chibwe said there was nothing wrong with the party to campaign for Mr Hichilema.

Mr Chibwe said the party would only stop campaigning for Mr Hichilema after the PF/UPND pact had chosen a candidate.

“There is no problem with that statement. We shall continue campaigning and we shall only stop when a candidate is chosen,” Mr Chibwe said.

Speaking on a recent radio programme, Mr Sata said there was nothing wrong with the parties campaigning separately.

[Times of Zambia]