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Court Bailiffs at Mazabuka magistrate’s court yesterday swung into action and seized a school mini bus belonging to Musikili private primary school following a court order to recover K 15.9 million owed to three retrenched workers.
A ZANIS news crew that visited the school witnessed the seizure of a TOYOTA Coaster mini bus registration number ABA 8885, which has since been parked at Mazabuka Magistrate court premises.
According to the bailiffs, the school management has been given five days in which to meet all the costs involved failure to which the bus would be auctioned.
Three members of staff, who were retrenched, took the matter to the Industrial Relations court after they failed to reason with school management over payment of their terminal benefits.
The Industrial Relations Court ruled in favour of the three retrenched workers by ordering management to pay interest to their claims.
The three employees are Franscisca Chisuta, Royce Hamalambe and Judicial Halubanza.
And Ms Chisuta told ZANIS in Mazabuka that she was happy that finally justice had been offered to her and her colleagues.
Musiklili primary is owned by two white sisters and offers classes from grades One to Seven.
ShikapwashaInformation and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha has apologized to the Chona family and the nation for the pain caused by the inclusion of the late Mainza Chona’s name in a statement issued by the Ministry yesterday.
Lt. Gen Shikapwasha explained that his office yesterday issued a statement in reaction to former Defence Minister George Mpombo’s statement blaming the death of Late Home Affairs Deputy Minister and Mufumbwe Member of Parliament Misheck Bonshe on government.
In a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said in yesterday’s statement, the late Mainza Chona’s name was mentioned as one of the people the government has in the pasted helped to evacuate outside the country for specialist treatment.
“I wish to apologize to the Chona family, friends and relatives for the pain caused by the inclusion of the late Mainza Chona’s name. It is my prayer that the family accepts our sincere deep regret,” he said.
drunk and disorderly...A man showcases rare dancing skills with a beer on his groin
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USA based Heather Mwitanti in action, one day wants to play for the Zambia Women Football Team - Picture supplied by dad Elijah Mwitanti
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Old mates... Chiluba meets Steven Manjata at Lusaka international airport.
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Protocol and security officers usher vice president George kunda's motorcade
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Some actors from MUVI TV popular soap Banja in Chipata
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Raff Kid in action in Chipata
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Dandy Crazy dances with one his dancing queens in Chipata
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Cyclists wait for customers in Petauke. The cyclists charge K1000 for a one kilometre journey
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An enterprising youth peddling drinks for sale in Petauke
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The main street in Petauke and residents going about their businesses
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Father Frank Bwalya listening to proceedings during Bishop Mpundu's press briefing in Lusaka
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Kalomo UPND MP Request Muntanga about to take a seat behind Mandevu MP Jean Kapata and Munali counterpart Mumbi Phiri during Bishop Mpundu's Press briefing
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A female Impi (soldier) demonstrates a war dance
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A Ngoni warrior demonstrates his bravery by killing a bull with a lone spear.
National Restoration Party president Elias Chipimo junior and his vice Charles Maboshe during the launch of the political party in Lusaka.
The National Restoration -Party has dispelled assertions that it is being sponsored by the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).
NAREP interim president Elias Chipimo Jr. says the party is not being sponsored by any organization but it is a financially independent party.
Mr. Chipimo, a prominent Lusaka Lawyer has since challenged those claiming that his party is being sponsored by the MMD to adduce evidence to substantiate their claims.
He has also defended his close relationship with the second republican president Dr Fredrick Chiluba’s press aide Emmanuel Mwamba.
Mr. Chipimo says there is nothing wrong to engage people that have been in politics for some time as he is new on the scene.
Featuring on the Public’s Last Say, On QFM last evening, Mr. Chipimo said he has been consulting and engaging politicians to see which path he can take.
Meanwhile , Former Church of God Overseer Bishop John Mambo has advised second republican president Frederick Chiluba to desist from using God to gain political advantage.
Bishop Mambo says it is wrong for Dr. Chiluba to claim to be a Christian when he is busy attacking others in public. He says attacks by the second republican president on others are disappointing especially coming from a person who declared Zambia a Christina Nation.
Bishop Mambo has since advised Dr.Chiluba to take a leave from active politics and concentrate on the needs of the church.
He says Dr Chiluba should now relax and enjoy his retirement other than going around attacking people; something he says is shocking for a born-again Christian.
He adds that Dr Chiluba should also desist from attacking other church leaders.
Sikalmab temporal bridge which has been swept away by floods in Sinazongwe district near Sinazeze Township Heavy rain has completely swept away a temporal bridge along Maamba/Batoka road leaving a deep gully and complicating the already desperate situation in Sinazongwe district which is already cut off from the rest of the country.
The Road Development Agency (RDA) made partial repairs to the bridge at Sikalamba stream near Sinazeze township last month after it was damaged and blocked several motorists.
Sinazongwe district, which was cut off yesterday for the third time this year, has two other culverts that have been washed away and a third one which was still being worked on by RDA.
Both Sinazongwe MMD District Secretary Jeff Kayamba and Nkanddabwe ward councilor Partson Mangunje confirmed the development.
Mr Kayamba said the situation was more serious than ever before and people were talking ill of government for failing to find a permanent solution for the past two years since the temporal bridge was fixed.
Last month the MMD condemned the Road Development Agency (RDA) for negligence over the collapsing of the temporal bridge at Sikalamba stream.
Mr. Kayamba said RDA officials were allegedly contributing to the weakening popularity of the ruling party in the area because of the bad state of the roads infrastructure in the district.
He said RDA should build a permanent bridge at Sikalamba stream where a temporal bridge was mounted two years ago when the area experienced floods.
The Maamba/Batoka road was rehabilitated last year at a cost of more than K26 billion.
In another development Mweezhya ward councilor Bernard Syanyambwe has disclosed that people in Siyalwala area have run out of mealie-meal, 15 houses have collapsed and roads have become impassable.
He said the situation has become pathetic if nothing was done people would die of hunger.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mutale Nalumango has challenged women parliamentarians to rise above partisan politics to enhance the rights and status of women in their respective countries.
Mrs. Nalumango said women are subjected to more training because of the culture where they are considered less than men in management and leadership while men were just accepted and propelled to positions as decision makers.
Ms. Nalumango said this when she contributed to discussions on the role of parliamentarians in enforcing Gender Equity and Human Rights, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) 15 years after Beijing.
The Deputy speaker also informed the side event of the 5th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that Zambia was tackling gender violence which she said has continued to disadvantage women.
She said Zambia would enact a new constitution which has a lot of clauses aimed at uplifting the status of women giving them socio-economic empowerment and assures them of their rights.
This is contained in statement released to ZANIS by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Moses Walubita.
And UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Rachel Mayanja said gender stereotyping, violence against women and under representation of women in decision making processes limits participation of women.
She said the inclusion of women and other under-represented groups is a critical component in a democracy.
Ms. Mayanja has further urged parliaments to strike a balance between men and women in all parliamentary committees including leadership positions.
President Rupiah Banda and First Lady Thandiwe Banda
PRESIDENT Banda said yesterday that his trip to China was successful, especially that there was a number of projects and opportunities discussed with the Chinese Government and investors.
Mr Banda, who completed his state visit to China on Wednesday by touring ZTE and Huawei Technologies, held two separate meetings with the companies’ top executives.
He urged the two Chinese telecommunication companies to consider setting up manufacturing firms in Zambia in addition to their operation offices.
This is contained in a statement issued from Shenzhen, China, by special assistant to the President for press and public relations Dickson Jere.
“The two companies assured the President and his delegation that they will positively consider the invitation to set up manufacturing branches in Zambia,” Mr Jere said.
The President also invited various telecommunication companies to set up international call centres in Zambia as the country has adequate human resource to handle such projects.
Mr Banda said he would like to see Zambia become a centre of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and urged the telecommunication firms to consider partnering with Government in establishing an ICT training centre which will cater for the African region.
He said his trip to China was successful, especially that there was a number of projects and opportunities discussed.
While in China, the President held meetings with his counterpart Hu Jintao and other senior Government officials where they discussed bilateral issues which mainly focused on political and economic co-operation.
The two leaders pledged to continue strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
And President Hu announced additional scholarships to Zambia of up to 164 students to study in various fields in China.
The two Presidents also witnessed the signing of five key agreements in different fields which include mining and geology co-operation, financing of the construction of a new stadium and the development of an economic sub-zone in Lusaka.
President Banda and the Chinese Government also discussed Zambia’s possibility of accessing financing from the US$10 billion set aside by the Chinese Government for projects in Africa.
Zambia presented projects for possible funding which include water and sanitation in Lusaka, drilling of boreholes in rural areas, improvement of urban roads, mobile hospitals and procurement of boats for Luapula and Western provinces.
The President invited Chinese tourists to consider Zambia as one of the priority destinations for tourism when they travel out of China.
Mr Banda said Zambia has beautiful sites which Chinese tourists should consider to visit, especially that over 40 million Chinese tourists travel outside their country annually.
President Banda, First Lady Thandiwe and other senior Government officials were yesterday due to leave China via Hong Kong on their way back home.
The Zambian delegation to Shenzhen included Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane and his Foreign Affairs counterpart Kabinga Pande.
Other ministers who were in President Banda’s delegation returned to Lusaka after completing their assignments.
CHIEF Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha says it is unwarranted for former Minister of Defence George Mpombo to allege that President Banda and his administration neglected the health of Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Misheck Bonshe.
Mr Bonshe, who was Mufumbwe MMD member of Parliament, died in Nigeria last Sunday from suspected high blood pressure.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday that Mr Mpombo is merely politicking and advancing his political interests at the expense of mourning his departed colleague.
Gen. Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said he found it strange for Mr Mpombo to blame Government and President Banda over the untimely death of Mr Bonshe.
He said it is surprising that Mr Mpombo as a delegation leader of the Zambian team which travelled to Mbabane, Swaziland for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) security and politics meeting could not arrange for Mr Bonshe’s evacuation to South Africa for specialised treatment.
“This is so since Mr Mpombo says South Africa was just about 30 minutes away from where the meeting was taking place,” he said.
Gen. Shikapwasha said Mr Mpombo should have alternatively used his initiative to suggest even driving Mr Bonshe to South Africa for advanced treatment.
The minister said it appeared attending the SADC meeting was more important to Mr Mpombo than his friend’s health.
He said since Mr Mpombo said the Zambian delegation included some medical doctors, logistical arrangements could have easily been made in collaboration with the Zambian High Commission in South Africa and the Ministry of Health to have Mr Bonshe evacuated to South Africa.
Gen. Shikapwasha said Government is taken aback by Mr Mpombo’s narration that after the SADC meeting, the Zambian delegation was flown together with Mr Bonshe to Livingstone via Johannesburg for a Zambia-Namibia Joint Permanent Commission meeting.
He wondered why Mr Mpombo did not become considerate enough to suggest that Mr Bonshe be hospitalised in Johannesburg where their booked plane landed before proceeding to Livingstone to substantiate the former minister’s claims that the deceased was a very close family friend of his.
“I wish to make it clear that this Government pays meticulous attention to cases of critical sickness such as the one which afflicted the late Deputy Minister of Home Affairs,” he said.
Gen. Shikapwasha said there is no way that there would be negligence on the part of Government to let Mr Bonshe die without being subjected to good medical attention.
He said as far as evacuations of critically ill people are concerned, Government does not segregate.
The minister said Government pays undivided attention to all, including those in the opposition or the ruling party with high level examples being the cases of Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata and the late Mainza Chona.
Gen. Shikapwasha said it is Government’s view that Mr Mpombo is off the mark when he alleges that President Banda and his administration did not care for the health of Mr Bonshe.
He said Mr Mpombo’s utterances should be treated as unfounded verbiage aimed at politicising Mr Bonshe’s death to enhance his political image.
The minister accused Mr Mpombo of seemingly being desperate to mend his dented political career through his unguided and improperly researched statements.
Dr Chiluba addressing people at the Ncwala last weekFORMER President Frederick Chiluba left for South Africa yesterday for a two-week scheduled medical review.
The former President, who left aboard a South African Airways plane, was accompanied by his wife Regina, security staff and his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba.
Confirming Dr Chiluba’s trip to South Africa at the Lusaka International Airport yesterday, Mr Mwamba said doctors had given the former President a period of one month after which he should undergo another review.
“The former President is going for a scheduled medical review to South Africa and he will be there for two weeks. Dr Chiluba last underwent a medical review in December last year,” Mr Mwamba said.
IMFIMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn to Visit Africa to Deepen Dialogue on the Continent’s Economic Challenges
Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Africa March 7-11, to discuss opportunities and challenges facing African economies in the wake of the global crisis. Mr. Strauss-Kahn will visit Kenya on March 7-8, South Africa on March 9-10, and Zambia on March 10-11.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn will discuss the recent successes as well as the challenges the continent needs to address, including the impact of global climate change, a problem that disproportionately affects Africa. He will participate in a panel debate “Africa’s Economic Transformation: The Road Ahead”, which will also include Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta; Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai; rock star and activist Bob Geldof; and Transparency International’s Akere Muna.
During his visit to the three countries, Mr. Strauss-Kahn will hold a series of meetings with the authorities, trade unions, representatives of civil society, and the private sector. He will also give a speech on the global financial crisis at the University of Witswaterand during his visit to South Africa.
“I am very glad to come back to Africa and continue our engagement with African leaders and citizens in a fruitful and open policy dialogue,” Mr. Strauss-Kahn said. “It is an opportunity for us to deepen the dialogue on issues concerning the continent’s main challenge—sustaining solid growth in the post-crisis world to put Africa on the path of prosperity.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday urged Zambia, Africa’s top copper producer, to increase mine taxes to fund roads and hospitals, even after the country scrapped a contoversial windfall tax on mining earnings.
Copper is the main export for this southern African country, accounting for over 63 percent of the country’s foreign earnings, and the IMF wants Zambia to raise more revenue to improve public finances and fight poverty.
The IMF has previously said that although Zambia weathered the global downturn last year, government revenue collections have fallen short of expectations.
“Enhanced tax collections, including from the mining sector will be critical for providing space for increase capital and social spending,” said George Tsibouris, head of an IMF staff mission that visited Zambia from February 17 to March 2.
Copper prices have recovered from four-year lows recorded early last year, boosted by demand from China, the world’s largest consumer. Three-month copper futures on the London Metal Exchange are trading around $7,416 a tonne.
With the backing of the World Bank, Zambia imposed a 25 percent mining windfall tax in April 2008, along with a 15 percent profit variable tax to raise revenue, which was to be invested in infrastructure, particularly in poor rural areas.
Lusaka also raised its mineral royalty to 3.0 percent from 0.6 percent and corporate tax to 30 percent from 25 percent.
But the government lifted the windfall tax in January after some foreign investors threatened to take legal action, accusing authorities of breaching agreements they signed with the mining companies that promised lower taxes.
The government says the windfall tax was scrapped to boost foreign investment in mining, and would not be re-introduced.
Last month, Zambia said it plans to further review the Mines and Minerals Act this year to reduce the cost of doing business and make the mining sector even more attractive to investors.
Copper output in Zambia rose 14 percent to 697,860 tonnes last year, and Zambia has previously said copper production could hit 1.0 million tonnes by 2011 as new mines come on stream and expansions and upgrades take place at existing facilities.
Zambia has forecast its economy could grow as much as 7 percent this year and 8 percent in 2011 due on recovering copper exports and booms in construction and manufacturing.
This forecasts put the country of 13 million among the world’s fastest growing economies, and underscores the extent to which countries on the poorest continent — particularly mineral exporters — succeeded in weathering the global economic storm.
[Reuters ]
UNICEF Zambia Representative Lotta Sylwander, right, presents a football to Kabulonga school teacher Musonda MusoleFor Little Mukali, a seventh grader at Kabulonga Basic School in Lusaka, the visit to UNICEF was an opportunity he had long been waiting for.
I would love to help children
“I am happy that we came here to learn more about ourselves, to know what we can do for ourselves, and also appreciate what others are doing for us. I would love to work in the health section,” Little said during a class field trip to UNICEF’s offices in the Zambian capital. “I would love to help children, especially those that are born to HIV-positive parents.”
Little laments that some of his friends have not been able to attend school because their parents have died of HIV- and AIDS-related diseases, leaving them without the needed financial support. “They can’t come to school because there is no one to support them. I feel pity because I can’t see a bright future for them. I hope a cure can be found one day,” he added.
Speaking during the visit, Kondwani Joe Banda, 17, a UNICEF Zambia Unite for Climate Ambassador, encouraged other children to work hard and help control climate change in their communities. “Let’s help preserve our climate. We are global citizens, so whatever happens elsewhere affects us, too. We should be proactive… and the time to act for our environment is now,” said Kondwani.
A broader understanding
Musonda Musole, a teacher at the school, thanked UNICEF for giving the pupils a broader understanding of UNICEF’s work in Zambia: “We feel this will inspire many pupils to work extra hard, especially because they shall begin to appreciate what organizations like UNICEF do for them.”
UNICEF Representative in Zambia Lotta Sylwander led a 90-minute interactive discussion with the students, which included watching a video explaining UNICEF’s accelerated child survival and development programme in Zambia, and a talk by UNICEF Zambia’s Staff Association President James Simasiku.
Ongoing collaboration
“UNICEF Zambia takes pride in its ongoing and future collaboration with the Government of Zambia, and implementing programmes aimed at improving the welfare of children and mothers. We warmly welcome significantly better outcomes for children and their mothers, now and in the future, in every part of the country,” said Ms. Sylwander.
The ten pupils who visited UNICEF are among the 130 seventh graders at Kabulonga Basic School who are studying about the United Nations during the current school year. The UN is incorporated in the Zambian Social Studies syllabus. The field trip offered an opportunity for pupils to visit UNICEF and find out for themselves about the UN’s work in the country.
Nigeria’s United Bank of Africa (UBA) has started operating in Zambia with a capital investment of $15 million as it seeks to expand its influence on the African continent, Chief Executive Officer Abba Bello said on Thursday.
Bello told Reuters one UBA branch was already operational in Lusaka and the bank planned to open two more in the country’s mining towns on the Copperbelt and another in Solwezi, which hosts two key mines in Africa’s largest copper producer.
“Our focus is on wholesale and retail and we play in all sectors of any economy that we are in, so when you say mining, yes we will be in mining but we will be in all sectors of wholesale space in Zambia and we will support that with retail play,” Bello said.
Bello said UBA hoped its growing influence in Africa would help boost trade and spur the continent’s economic growth.
“UBA is here as a vehicle to ensure that Africans have their own bank that can assist in empowering indigenous Africans in growing intra-African trade and trade between Africa and the rest of the world,” he said.
Bello said with the start of operations in Zambia, UBA was now present in 17 countries in Africa.
In October, UBA launched its Kenyan operation to compete with pan-African group Ecobank Transnational Inc, which began working in Kenya in 2008.
Bello said the competition, brought about by the opening of more banks in Zambia, which now has 18 banks, and favourable economic indicators in recent months would help bring down interest rates.
Zambian President Rupiah Banda concluded his nine-day state visit to China and left for home Thursday evening.
When meeting with Wang Rong, acting mayor of Shenzhen city of south China’s Guangdong Province, Banda Wednesday said China’s development experience was significant to Zambia, highlighting Shenzhen’s transition from a small village to a metropolitan.
Banda said Zambia and China had conducted cooperation in medical treatment and the mining industry. He would further facilitate the cooperation back in Zambia.
Banda also hoped more Chinese people would visit Zambia, which could strengthen their friendship with the Zambian people.
During Banda’s earlier stay in Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with him. Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo, and Premier Wen Jiabao also met with him.
Banda also visited south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province.
As the guest of Hu, it was Banda’s first trip to China since being elected president in 2008.
A 25 year old farm driver of Wellington farm in Mazabuka has brutally murdered his wife and his one year old child before he hanged himself after he allegedly found her red-handed committing adultery with his work met in his matrimonial home.
According to an witness who is also the deceased man’s nephew Enoch Siabula, the incident happened yesterday around 15:00 hours when the deceased man Josias Siabula, a driver under feedlot department at Wellington farm caught his wife with his work met committing adultery in his bedroom.
The witness said his uncle who was supposed to knock off around 19:00 hours every Wednesday was released earlier than his usual time owing to the heavy rains but that he was angered to find his wife with another man.
Siabula said his uncle’s anger deteriorated when his wife wanted to run away after she realized that her man-friend had escaped forcing the angry man to take action.
He said his uncle got a hoe from the corner of his house and chased after his wife Agnetus Siabula and hacked her in the head several times crashing the skull.
He said after killing his wife, Josias got a knife and stabbed himself in the head in a bid to take his life but that he couldn’t die immediately.
Siabula said he tried to stop him from taking his life but that the deceased warned him not to go close to him forcing him to run away for his life and stood at a distance.
He added that his uncle went back to his house and got his 1 year 8 months daughter named as Shimbi Siabula and told her that he would not leave her alone to suffer before he also hacked her in the head.
He narrated that driven by uncontrolled anger; Josias went into his house and got a rope which he used to hang himself at a tree near the area were he laid the two bodies that he murdered.
He reported the matter to his boss who rushed to town to inform the police.
And a check at Mazabuka district hospital around 19:00 hours were the bodies were taken for certification revealed that the child sustained a big deep cut on the back of the head while the woman had his whole head smashed.
After the certification, there was a delay to deposit the bodies at the mortuary as it was realized that the watchman who knocked off around 18:00 hours had gone with the mortuary keys to his home.
Some police officers complained on why the entire hospital did not have a mortuary attendant.
