THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed shock that all the ministries have unretired imprest amounting to K445 billion.

PAC chairperson, Emmanuel Hachipuka observed yesterday when Works and Supply Permanent Secretary Bizwayo Nkunika appeared before his committee that no ministries had come out clean on retiring imprest.

He said public servants had resorted to getting public money through imprest because they knew that they would not be queried.

Mr Hachipuka said controlling officers should take audits seriously because in other countries, they could be suspended for having anomalies in their accounts.

He said controlling officers in Zambia were not using their power to discipline their subordinates who did not retire imprest. He said it was frustrating for the committee to handle the same anomalies every year when controlling officers could correct the situation.

And Mr Hachipuka directed Lieutenant Colonel Nkunika to furnish the office of the auditor general with receipts on K1.4 billion worth of fuel.

This was after some members of the committee wondered how K1.4 billion worth of fuel receipts could go missing when the ministry had a transport officer who was supposed to be keeping the documents.

Col Nkunika said the receipts for the fuel were missing when auditors went to his ministry but they had since been found and would be shown to the office of the auditor general.

He said the ministry was forced to divert K12 billion meant for the rehabilitation of Independence Stadium to Chirundu One-Stop Border Post to avoid further costs on the border posts.

Col Nkunika said the money meant for the rehabilitation of the presidential guest house in Ndola was used to buy furniture for State House.

He said the ministry faced problems in collecting money from people who bought personal-to-holder motor vehicles because some of them opted to pay from their terminal benefits.

Col Nkunika said two former permanent secretaries owed Government huge amounts of money and after reminders, only former Sports minister, George Chulumanda paid K8 million towards the car he got.

And office of the vice-president Permanent Secretary, Davies Sampa said his office would adhere to all the directives from the auditor general after it was discovered that it had no record for the purchase of K40 million worth of fuel.

[Times of Zambia]

Luapula Province MMD secretary Davis Chitwaka has differed with the party’s provincial chairman Crispin Mushosha over his claims that MMD in the province is embroiled in a leadership struggle.

Mr Musosha was quoted in the Post Newspaper of March 17, 2010 that there is leadership struggle in the province, between those from the northern part of the province, who include MMD national Secretary Katele
Kalumba, and those from the southern part of the province.

The Provincial MMD secretary was also quoted complaining that nomads, who are non-Ushi people of Mansa, were trying to take up leadership by contesting parliamentary seats and receiving government appointments in the province, especially in Mansa District.

Mr Chitwaka said in a statement obtained by ZANIS today that the MMD in Luapula is intact and that the rest of the MMD provincial leadership is not aware of the leadership struggle Mr Mushosha is talking about.

He added that it is unfortunate that Mr Mushosha was also taking a tribal
position over the issue of the Ushi and non-Ushi people taking up government and political positions in Mansa.

He said MMD will not condone such tribal remarks and will therefore condemn them in the strongest possible terms. He said MMD is built on the one Zambia one nation motto and that it will not be dragged into promoting tribalism.

Mr. Chitwaka further described the statement by Mr. Musosha as retrogressive to national development. He said there are many people coming from different provinces and different tribal backgrounds who are working in the provinces which are not of their origin.

He said people from Luapula Province were also taking up positions in other provinces, like Mwansa Mbulakulima who is Copperbelt minister.

Mr. Chitwaka has also advised Mr. Musosha to avoid using the press when he had problems in his constituency. He paid tribute to Provincial Permanent Secretary Jazzman Chikwakwa and Minister Dr Boniface Kawimbe, who do not hail from Luapula.

He said Mr Chikwakwa and Dr Kawimbe are doing a commendable job for the people of Luapula despite not being from the province.

He advised Mr. Musosha to settle his concerns on certain sensitive issues through party structures in the province rather than rushing to the press.

“Hon. Mushosha should have found a better way of dealing with the issues he raised rather than taking them to the press,” he said.

Meanwhile, Provincial Youth Chairman David Chanda has advised Hon. Musosha to desist from issuing tribal remarks bent on dividing the province.

Mr Chanda said the appointments made by the President Rupiah Banda should be respected explaining that the President has powers to appoint anyone qualified for the job regardless of his tribal origin.

Mr. Chanda described Dr. Katele Kalumba as a visionary leader who follows President Rupiah Banda’s aspirations of uniting the nation by embracing everyone.
ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda says he is happy with the current crop of civil servants working in the public service. President Banda says an effective civil service requires hard working workforce that are committed to duty.

Mr. Banda said this when he sworn in Bobby Samakayi as Chief of State protocol at State House, State House Comptroller Eliazer Kawila and Medson Lisati as permanent Secretary at Public management Development Division at cabinet Office.

President Banda congratulated the three civil servants for their dedication and commitment to duty since is assumed presidency and wished them that they will take the civil service to greater heights.

“I have worked with all of you even when I was republican vice President and I’m pleased to promote you. Congratulations on your new appointments and I have no doubt that you will continue to be humble, royal and committed to duty,” The President said.

On March 16, President Banda promoted Ambassador Samakayi , Mr. Kawila and Mr. Lisati where he congratulated them for accepting their new portfolios.

Mr. Banda also appointed State House Chief Analyst for Political Affairs Francis Chigunta as his Acting Special Assistant for Political Affairs for administrative convenience.

Ambassador Samakayi was Chief of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Kawila was Director Human Resource and Administration while Mr. Lisati was Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria.

State House Minister Ronald Mukuma, Lusaka province Minister Charles Shawa, Chief Government Spokesperson and Information and Broadcasting services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha and senior government officials witnessed the swearing-in ceremony.

ZANIS

THE Ndola magistrate court yesterday sentenced a 35-year-old man to 18 months in prison with hard labour for defaming President Rupiah Banda.

Ndola Chief Resident Magistrate Kelvin Limbani jailed Darius Mukuka, a driver of Chifubu Township in Ndola, for uttering defamatory words against the president.

This is a matter in which Mukuka was charged with defamation of the president.
Facts of the case are that Mukuka, on March 22 last year, with intent to bring the name of the president in ridicule, said: “Uyu….finshi alelanda, alebepa abantu nafilwa ukuteka icalo.” (Bemba for ‘what is this fool saying, he has failed to govern the country and should not be lying to the people.’)

Mukuka uttered these words at Chifubu Recreation Club. He pleaded not guilty to the offence.

Mr Limbani said from the evidence adduced in court, it was not in dispute that Mukuka was at Chifubu Recreation Club on the said evening.

It was similarly not in dispute that Mukuka got into an argument with some people while at the club as the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) main news was being broadcast after the name of the president was mentioned.

Mr Limbani said from the evidence given by the State witnesses, Mukuka had uttered words that brought the name of the president into disrepute.

He said Mukuka got into an argument with some people in the bar because of the same words he had uttered, which made them unhappy that he had insulted the president.

Mr Limbani said Mukuka’s evidence and that of his single witness that he argued with other people because he did not want to watch the ZNBC main news as they could watch it from their homes, and that he only argued with the bar maid, was an afterthought.

“Citizens have a duty to defend and uphold the office of the president and not to defame the office regardless of what the differences are,” he said.

He said Mukuka deserved punishment as a deterrent to him and others, and in order to prevent disorder and anarchy in the country.

Mr Limbani, however, said he would exercise leniency because the convict was a first offender, and sentenced him to 18 months in prison with hard labour.

In mitigation, Mukuka said he was married with four children, and that the first child was in grade nine while the last was in grade two.
He said he was also taking care of his parents and was in employment.

At that point, when Lusaka-based lawyer Bonaventure Mutale, who was in court for other matters, noticed that Mukuka was struggling with his mitigation, he asked Mr Limbani if, as a friend of the court, he could offer some direction to the convict.

Mr Mutale said Mukuka was remorseful and urged the court to consider the circumstances under which he committed the offence.

He said Mukuka was consuming alcohol at the time and therefore had no criminal intent to defame the president.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba has submitted that the case of corruption against him has not been made in terms of the law and appealed to the magistrate court to acquit him.

Katele and his co-accused persons have also urged the court to set them free because the prosecution teams had failed to prove the cases beyond any reasonable doubt.

This is in the case in which Kalumba and six others are charged with corruption involving overpayments to Systems Innovation and Wilbain Incorporated.

Others charged are former Ministry of Finance and National Planning permanent secretary Stella Chibanda, former Ministry of Finance director of budget, Boniface Nonde, former secretary to the treasury Benjamin Mweene, former chief economist Bede Mphande and defunct Access Financial Services Limited directors, Aaron Chungu and Faustin Kabwe.

Kalumba, who made the submissions through his lawyer Vincent Malambo stated that the case against him in terms of the law had not been proved and urged the court to set him free and that payments that were made to the two companies did not suggest that he was the one who facilitated them.

And former Access Finance Services (AFS) directors, Chungu and Kabwe also submitted through their lawyers John Sangwa before High Court deputy registrar, Edward Musona, who is sitting as magistrate that there was nothing to indicate that the prosecution was done in the interest of justice, law and order.

The duo said the court ought to dismiss the charges against them and that it would be gross miscarriage of justice if they were not acquitted.
Mr Sangwa submitted that there was no evidence from the proceedings to suggest that Chungu and Kabwe erected cottage for Mweene or corruptly gave a farm to Chibanda.

And Chibanda, in her submissions, also indicated that it was not up to a prisoner or an accused person to establish his or her innocence but that it was for the prosecution to establish whether she was guilty or not.

Through her lawyer Nicholas Chanda, Chibanda argued that there was no proof beyond all reasonable doubt that she committed the offences, which the prosecutions team were alleging and prayed that she be set free.

And Mweene submitted that there was no evidence to suggest that he was aware that the erection of his cottage was intended to do a favour to Chungu and Kabwe and that he did not see how the erection of the house was connected to the alleged corrupt practices of signing of contracts and authorisation of payments into the Zamtrop account.

Judgment has been set for May 26, this year.

[Times of Zambia]

The Zambia Disability HIV/AIDS Human Rights Programme for the Blind (ZDHHPB) has strongly condemned the man of Namwala District who has ditched his twenty nine year old fiancée for giving birth to a limbless child.

Melody Miyoba of Sigwidi village in Chief Bright Nalubamba’s area was betrothed to Trust Michelo who has however changed his mind following the birth of his limbless son, Blessings two years ago fearing that people would laugh at him for having a disabled child.

ZDHHPB Programmes Director Elijah Ngwale told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the decision by Mr. Michelo to ditch his fiancée and abandon his biological disabled child was inhuman.

Mr. Ngwale said ditching the fiancée and abandoning the disabled child would negatively affect the child’s future.

He said there was no need for Mr. Michelo to ditch the fiancée and abandon the disabled child as the child was innocent.

He said the disabled child was young adding that he needs all the support from his biological father who is still alive.

Mr. Ngwale said the child did not wish or choose to be born disabled adding that Mr. Michelo should consider rescinding his decision of abandoning his disabled child.

He said Michelo’s child can contribute significantly to the development of the country despite his condition adding that disability is no long inability.

Mr. Ngwale has since called on all Zambians to condemn Mr. Michelo for abandoning his disabled child.

Mr. Ngwale said what Mr. Michelo did was total discrimination not only on the part of his child but all disabled persons.

He said it is very unfortunate that some people in the country were still discriminating persons with disability.

ZANIS