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MMD members appeal to RB to intervene in Zambia Sugar contracts

Guest Editor
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Zambia Sugar PLC minority shareholders looking at infrastructure at the sugar making plant in Mazabuka

The MMD in Mazabuka has called on President Rupiah Banda to intervene in a matter in which senior managers at the Zambia Sugar Plc are allegedly opposing the awarding of contracts to the Mazabuka District Business Association.

District Vice chairperson, Takawira Mahere told ZANIS in Mazabuka yesterday that the negative behaviour of some managers contradicts the directives by President Banda in which he instructed management to ensure that local contractors equally benefit from contracts.

He said only President Banda can help in reducing the tension that has been mounting as a result of selfish motives by some individuals who have been benefiting from the business tycoons.

Mr. Mahere said it is sad that the managers are in favour of an individual instead of assisting small scale entrepreneurs who contribute greatly to the growth of the economy.

He said President Banda should ensure management does not fall prey to the schemes of a cartel of managers who have been benefiting from the awarding of contracts to some ‘powerful’business tycoons.

Mr Mahere expressed worry at the threats of violence on Company Corporate Affairs manager, Lovemore Sievu whom they have accused of having proposed the blacklisting of business tycoons from being awarded contracts.
He added that the ruling party strongly supports the stance taken by the district business association over the threats on Mr. Sievu by some managers at the company and some business houses.

On Monday, Mazabuka District Business Association chairperson told ZANIS that his association will take advantage of President Banda’s visit to help stop attempts by some senior managers at Zambia Sugar Company to deny the local people contracts.

ZANIS

We’ve never known Prof. Chirwa – Chibombo MMD

Entertainment Editor
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The MMD in Chibombo district has challenged professor Clive Chirwa who claims to be former MMD member to state the branch in Katuba constituency from which he joined the party.

Chibombo MMD chairperson Lloyd Kayeka said at rally in Chisamba yesterday that it was not true that Prof. Chirwa was a member of the party in Katuba constituency in the district.

Speaking before vice president George Kunda addressed the rally at Chisamba grounds, Mr. Kayeka charged that Prof. Chirwa was a liar who could not prove his claims because no party register in Katuba constituency carried his name.

He called upon Mr. Chirwa to be honest and tell the nation which party he belonged to instead of insinuating that he was an MMD member.

‘Your honour that man (Prof. Chirwa) is a liar. We do not know him at all. These are the people who enter through a window and we did not see him,’ he charged.

Mr. Kayeka challenged Prof. Chirwa to also name the person who entered him into the party register so that the person could also prove to the party that he (Chirwa) was once an MMD member.

ZANIS

ZNBC shortwave transmitters for radios 1 and 2 Breakdown

Entertainment Editor
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The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) shortwave transmitters that carry the Radio 1 and 2 signals in the short wave band have developed a technical fault.

ZNBC Public Relations Manager Miriam Mtonga disclosed the development in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday.

Ms. Mtonga said the situation means that listeners in remote areas will not be able to access the service.
Ms. Mtonga said the technical fault requires importation of spare parts which has since been instituted by the national broadcaster.

She has, however, said ZNBC is doing everything possible to normalize the situation.

ZANIS

Police summon PF MP for counselling over marital matters

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CHIMWEMWE Member of Parliament (MP) Willie Nsanda was yesterday summoned to Woodlands Police station for insulting his wife’s friend, Dorothy Kachusha whom he accused of keeping his household goods allegedly stolen by an unnamed woman he once lived with.

Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso and Mr Nsanda, who was found at the police station where he reported at 09:00 hours in the company of his nephew Dauzeni Tembo, confirmed the summoning.

Mr Nsanda said a woman he once lived with had entered his house near the Lusaka International Airport turn-off on January 24 this year and stole some household goods.

He said the woman picked his possessions in a private van and kept them at Mrs Kachusha’s house.

He said the matter was reported to Chelston Police Station and the police instituted investigations.

“This woman wanted to pull a fast one on me by coming to complain against me after I reported them to Chelston Police Station.

“I reported the matter because I was so scared. There are so many cases where people have planted drugs in people’s houses and my main fear was that somebody might plant drugs to implicate me and it is the main reason I went to the police,” he said.

But Mrs Kachusha refused to comment on the matter, saying Mr Nsanda was “a clever man who would jeopardise all the complaints targeted at him”.

Mr Kapeso said Mr Nsanda was summoned to Woodlands Police Station for purposes of counselling over marital matters.

“Mr Nsanda was summoned for counselling arising from disputes with a lady, who is a friend of his wife. This woman felt offended by Mr Nsanda’s talk and the matter has since been reconciled after the counselling,” Mr Kapeso said.

But Mr Nsanda in an interview soon after being interviewed by the police said Mrs Kachusha got offended when he uttered words suggesting that she was a former nun who should exhibit good behaviour in society.

“She was very angry with me, this woman came to complain. She said she was told very bad words, but I only told her to behave like a nun, since she was a nun before she resigned and decided to get married.”

Mr Nsanda said he was not issued with criminal summons and no statement was recorded from him by the police.

“We have resolved the matter because she is my friend. She is someone we know because we all come from Ndola and it was a family thing at the victim support unit,” he said.

He looked calm during the interview, although he tried to elude being photographed when he emerged from the police station.

[Times of Zambia]

Stone-throwing UNZA students condemned

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GOVERNMENT has condemned the tendency by students at the University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road campus in Lusaka to stone motor vehicles every time they are aggrieved.

On Monday night, the students rioted and damaged three motor vehicles in protest against delayed payments of meal allowances of K450,000 each from the Government.

Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Lillian Kapulu, who assured the students of receiving their meal allowances by today, said she was saddened that they had continued to cause damage to property.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Kapulu emphasised the need for the students to refrain from resorting to violence and damaging other people’s property whenever they had grievances.

She said the Government had not refused to pay the students and that it was wrong for them to rush to the road and destroy property of the taxpayers and challenged them to reflect on their actions.

Lusaka Province police chief, Greenwell Ng’uni also condemned the students’ behaviour.

According to a Times reporter who rushed to the university, police temporarily closed the Great East Road at Arcades and Munali roundabouts to prevent the angry students from stoning more motorists.

The students had gathered at the ‘Monk Square’ at 19:30 hours chanting slogans. Others carried stones demanding an explanation from University of Zambia Student Union (UNZASU) officials on why they were not paid on time.

They said since December last year when they opened school, they had not received their allowances.

UNZASU vice-president Simataa Simataa, who tried to address the unruly students, was almost beaten up.

The students said the union officials had been inconsistent on matters of improving their welfare and demanded for their resignation.

A reporter from UNZA Radio who they suspected to be an officer from the office of the president was almost harassed and was only saved by some fellow students who recognised him.

Mr Simataa explained that the money delayed due to some transactions at Zanaco, the bank he said the Government had engaged to pay the students by Saturday last week.

[Times of Zambia]

HH is ignorant on awards of road contracts-Mulongotii

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WORKS and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti has said United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema is ignorant on the awarding of road contracts, hence his allegations that there is corruption involved.

Mr Mulongoti said in Lusaka that Mr Hichilema did not know the operations of the Government and the procedure of awarding contracts.

The UPND leader at the weekend toured some townships where he accused the Government of being corrupt and that it was for that reason that the roads were in a poor state.[quote]

But Mr Mulongoti said it was unfortunate that Mr Hichilema discussed matters over which he lacked understanding.

“It is very clear that Mr Hichilema is ignorant and he does not know how the contracts are awarded, but we will remain focused on various programmes to move our agenda forward,” he said.

He said Mr Hichilema was desperate to get to State House and was ready to mislead the public to win political support.

“Councillors are elected to resolve issues of roads, among others, and in this case nearly all the councillors in Lusaka are from Patriotic Front (PF), so is he implying that they are all corrupt,” he said.

[Times of Zambia]

RB expected in Luapula tomorrow

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President Rupiah Banda is tomorrow expected to leave for Luapula and Copperbelt provinces on a 4 day working visit.

President Banda is during the visit scheduled to commission some developmental projects.

Special Assistant to the Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere disclosed this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Mr. Jere said whilst in Luapula Province, the President is scheduled to commission the refurbished Post boat in Samfya before holding talks with traditional leaders, Heads of Government Departments and some Members of Parliament.

The President will also officially open the newly constructed office of the Auditor General for Luapula Province before leaving for the Copperbelt.

Mr. Jere said whilst on the Copperbelt, the President will commission the newly constructed housing units for police officers in Ndola and later attend the installation of the right Reverend Bishop Alick Banda of the Roman Catholic Church as the new Bishop of Ndola.

The President returns back to Lusaka after soon after his scheduled business.

ZANIS

Explore Leather Industry, Farmers told

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Western Province Permanent Secretary Ikanuke Noyoo says the leather industry has great potential to contribute to the growth of the economy.

In an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Noyoo urged cattle farmers to explore possibilities of entering the leather industry other than concentrating on beef industry alone.

He said leather and leather products had maintained high prices internationally and once properly harnessed, the industry could contribute positively to economic development.

Mr. Noyoo said there was need to come up with a legislation to force abattoirs and other cattle traders pay a premium of the hides and skins in addition to just buying the beef.

He called upon cattle farmers to strengthen the leather sub sector by taking care of the hides and skins.

ZANIS

I was not voted out, I just resigned-Chief Nalubamba

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Chief Bright Nalubamba

Senior Chief Bright Nalubamba of Namwala District in Southern Province has refuted the impression created that he has been removed from the Royal Foundation of Zambia.

Media reports said Senior Chief Nalubamba was removed from the foundation and replaced by Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta of Seeheke.

But Chief Nalubamba said he resigned from his position in the Foundation during a meeting which was held over the weekend.

The chief also denied media reports that he franked Chief Chikanta at Mazabuka radio station where the latter issued a statement that former president Frederick Chiluba had every right to back any presidential candidate of his choice.

Mr Nalubamba revealed this to ZANIS in Lusaka today and described the reports as total fabrication.

He accused Chief Chikanta of being desperate and appealed to him to desist involving him in partisan politics because he was not a politician but a traditional reader.

Chief Nalubamba said he would not stop criticizing the government when things went wrong because he had a right to do so as a Zambian citizen.

The chief also accused former president Frederick Chiluba of slowly drifting back into active politics which he described as unfortunate for the former head of state.

He said former president Chiluba made laws during his tenure of office which made sure that former president Kaunda was fixed for being accused of involving himself in active politics.

Chief Nalubamba wondered why Chiluba was giving statements which were political in nature when he barred Dr Kaunda from during that during his tenure of office.

ZANIS

Clean up town before Kuomboka, Mumbuwa tells Mongu council

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Mongu District Commissioner Jethro Mumbuwa has appealed to the Mongu Municipal Council to ensure that the town is clean before the Kuomboka ceremony.

Mr. Mumbuwa said there is need for the local authority to conduct regular inspections on facilities such as markets to ensure that they are in a good state ahead of the ceremony.

He was speaking when he inspected works on Tungi, Helen and Yeta township roads in Mongu.

Mr. Mumbuwa charged that the town was in a filthy condition and needed the attention of the council.

He said this is the only way the local authority can prove that it is responsive to the needs and demands of the people.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mumbuwa has commended Mongu Municipal Council for working on township roads in the district.

Mr. Mumbuwa said he was happy that the council has taken action by gravelling Tungi, Helen and Yeta township roads.

The DC said the council should take keen interest in dealing with community works so that they can reduce the tension they have with the community in the district.

He also called on the local authority to ensure that the township roads are completed by 14th February this year so that they can be handed over to the community.

Mongu Municipal Council is currently working on a number of township roads in some parts on the district with funding from the Constituency Development Funds ( CDF).

ZANIS

African journalists lack media ethics

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A leading media expert in Africa has said that there is lack of professionalism in the media in Africa although the continent has some good journalism institutions and best journalists on the continent.

African Media Initiative Executive Director Professor Amahdou Mahtar Ba says media ethics were critical in the media profession but was lacking in Africa.

Prof Ba said African governments wanted the media to report the state’s view while the media was also trying to state its own views to the exclusion of the people’s views.

He disclosed that that was why the African Media initiative was set up to focus on newsroom management and address issues of ethics in a holistic manner.

Prof Ba was said this yesterday during a luncheon hosted for the delegates to the African Regional Conference on Access to Information at the La Palm Beach Hotel in Accra.

And speaking earlier, Executive Director of the Media Foundation In West Africa Kwame Karikari said there was no political will in Africa to pass legislation for the access to Information laws.[quote]

Prof Karikari said African governments were invariably not being proactive in passing access to information laws except when the World Bank blew the whistle.

He said this attitude would reflect on the poor implementation of the laws even if they were passed.

When challenged by Zambian Information minister Lt Gen Ronie Shikapwasha about the unethical conduct of the media during the genocide in Rwanda and the post election violence in Kenya , Prof Karikari blamed the media in Rwanda and Kenya for failing to hold their nations together.

He said what happened in Rwanda, Kenya, Nazi Germany and Serbia exposed the worst levels of recklessness which the media could reach when there was no genuine media pluralism.

He said the Kenyan situation was saved from degeneration into genocide because there were other media outlets reporting the other side of the story.

Prof karikari said when there was no genuine media pluralism, the state monopolizes information by blacking out alternative media sources and turns the remaining media into tools of propaganda.

He, however,expressed satisfaction that following the liberalization of the media on the entire African continent, no one media house could monopolize the access to information and its dissemination as the case was in the post election wave of violence that swept over Kenya.

The African Regional Conference on Access to Information which was sponsored by the Jimmy Carter Center For Democracy Program winds up business today after signing the ACCRA Declaration on the Right of Access to Information which should persuade African governments to accelerate the pace of legislation for Freedom of Information laws in their respective countries .

Zambia has been represented by Information and Broadcasting Services minister who is also Chief Government Spokesperson Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha among other members of civil society and the media.

ZANIS

Flood situation in Lusaka is complex – Veep

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Vice president George Kunda

Vice President George Kunda says the flood situation in Lusaka is complex and requires concerted efforts from all well meaning Zambians.

Mr. Kunda has since appealed to all Zambians across the country to help find ways to mitigate the impact of the disaster on the affected people.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today shortly after conducting an Ariel view of the flood situation in the city, that the flood situation in Lusaka was not a new phenomenon and that it has been there since time immemorial.

The Vice President advised opposition political party leaders to desist from engaging in cheap politicking and finger pointing over the situation but to work with government and other key stakeholders in addressing the problem.

He said government alone cannot manage to address all the challenges facing the nation hence the need for political party leaders, Members of Parliament, the relevant government institutions among other stakeholders to partner with government to address the challenge posed by friends in the country.

Since the onset of the rains floods are said to have claimed 6 lives in Lusaka while some schools and houses are submerged in water.

Three of the deaths were recorded in Ng’ombe compound while the other three occurred in Mandevu compound.
Government, though the Lusaka District Disaster Management Team has since mobilized equipment to pump out the water in affected areas.

ZANIS

Media self-regulatory body to be launched in May

Guest Editor
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Henry Kabwe (r)

The Media Liaison Committee (MLC ) has announced May 3 this year as  the date for  the  launch of the self-regulatory Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC).

Committee Chairperson Henry Kabwe disclosed that ZAMEC was a product of best practices adopted from three countries and other commonwealth jurisdictions which were visited last year by the MLC.
The information from the countries visited by MLC has helped the committee to develop a viable self regulatory mechanism.

Mr. Kabwe  was speaking at a Media Liaison Committee press briefing in Lusaka today at which he also announced the composition of the ZAMEC .

He said ZAMEC would comprise an eleven member governing council which would provide guidance to the executive in the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Mr. Kabwe said that it would be a member driven organization based on the collective will of all members as guided by the constitution and code of conduct.

He said the council shall have a balance of six media representatives and five members of the public to achieve the desired public confidence in the self regulatory mechanism.

Mr Kabwe has since appealed to all media institutions to publicize the process of media self regulation as widely as possible in order to create the desired awareness it needed.

He said the committee will this week send executive briefings to all media owners and editors to ensure they are on board at every stage.

ZANIS

Chiefs are important in fostering peace – Shawa

Guest Editor
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Chieftainess Nkomeshya prays for rain

Government says traditional leaders play an important role in fostering peace,which is a prerequisite of national development.

Lusaka Province Minister, Charles Shawa said it was for this reason that government considers traditional leaders as partners in the monitoring and implementation of developmental programmes in their areas.

Mr. Shawa was speaking when he and Community Development and Social Services Minister Michael Kaingu paid a courtesy call on Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of Chongwe district today.

He informed Senior Chieftainess Mukamambo II that government has released K5 billion towards the re-gravelling of feeder roads in Lusaka province.

Mr. Shawa added that government has released another K2 billion for phase two of the construction of Chongwe District Hospital.

And Community Development and Social Services Minister Michael Kaingu reiterated government’s commitment to respecting traditional leaders who are custodians of customs and traditions in the country.

Mr Kaingu said government is working out modalities of promoting culture tourism and establishing cultural villages.

And Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II reaffirmed her commitment to working closely with the government of the day in a bid to accelerate development in the district.

The Two Ministers were accompanied by Lusaka province Permanent Secretary, Stephen Bwalya, Chongwe D.C, Japhen Mwakalombe and other senior government officials to inspect government’s Poverty Reduction Programmes (PRPs) in the district.

ZANIS

Zambia Red Cross ready to respond to flood disasters

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The Zambia Red Cross Society (ZRCS) says it has the capacity to offer temporal accommodation and food to people who have lost their houses due to heavy rainfall experienced in some parts of the country.

ZRCS Public Relations Manager James Zulu told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the society is ready to assist the displaced people with tents, food and cooking utensils as they resettle.

Mr. Zulu said the society has put materials in place in readiness to respond to emergencies that may require its intervention.
He said ZRCS only acts when they receive reports from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).

Mr. Zulu noted that currently the society has not received any report on people alleged to have been left homeless due to torrential rains.

He said the only report they have received is from Lusaka district where some compounds have been flooded saying the Red Cross society will only intervene in the area of health.

He disclosed that the society is also considering giving tents to people who have affected by the rains in Lusaka district to supplement the efforts of the Lusaka District Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (LDDMMU).

He said ZRCS will soon embark on a door to door sensitization programme to educate people in Lusaka on how to prevent themselves against cholera during this rainy season.

Mr. Zulu stressed that the programme will include distribution of chlorine.

ZANIS

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