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More than 600 members of the UNIP revival Forum from seven Districts of Northern Province have defected to the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) citing poor leadership in their party.
UNIP revival forum provincial secretary Thompson Nyirenda confirmed the development in a statement released to ZANIS in Kasama today.
Mr. Nyirenda, who led other defectors, said the UNIP revival forum members who resigned where from Chinsali, Chilubi, Isoka, Kasama, Mpika, Mporokoso and Luwingu Districts.
He claimed that UNIP has lost support in the province due to poor mobilization.
Mr. Nyirenda, who was flanked by provincial Information and Publicity secretary Francis Mulenga, said the former UNIP members have lost confidence in their party hence their decision to defect to the PF.
He charged that the UNIP top leadership has continued to hold-on to power illegally despite the expiry of their legal mandate in 2005.
Mr. Nyirenda accused the current leadership of the former ruling party of not being sincere in its dealings because it has failed to call for a General Conference to elect new office bearers ahead of the 2011 general elections.
He also alleged the sale of UNIP assets was done illegally and out of selfishness because the sold property was still viable.
And Northern Province Patriotic Front provincial chairman Fredrick Chisanga has welcomed the UNIP defectors to his party.
Mr. Chisanga commended the defectors for joining the PF and urged them to contribute towards the strengthening of the party in the province.
He further revealed that the PF has already started mobilizing members at grass-root level in readiness for the 2011 tripartite elections.
ZANIS
Councillors in Sinazongwe district have expressed disappointment at the just ended mobile National registration Card (NRC) exercise in which two wards and several polling stations were left out.
Nangombe ward Councillor Robson Sialukowa told ZANIS that the registration officers informed him that they would come to his area but skipped his ward and went to other areas in the district.
He said all the three polling stations that include Nangombe basic School, Siazwela middle Basic and Mwalede were left out.
Mr. Sialukowa said the people in his area have been saddened with the development and were heaping all the blame on him.
And Sinazongwe ward Councilor Abraham Moonga said the whole ward was left out and the officers gave the excuse that the ward was near the registration office.
Meanwhile Mwezhya ward Councilor Bernard Sianyambwe has said two highly populated polling stations in his ward were left out of the exercise.
He said the registration officers assured him that they would go to the area after completing areas that were hard to reach during the rainy season but have not been there since then.
Mr. Sianyambwe has appealed to the officers to go back to the two areas and other wards that have been left out to ensure that all the people were catered for in the exercise.
FORMER Republican president Frederick Chiluba has said he is not shaken by threats on his life and will continue mingling with whoever he wishes.
Dr Chiluba said threats on his life will not deter him from meeting people from various communities despite the attempts to petrol bomb the Bank of Zambia guest house where he was residing and his wife’s farm at Fatima in Ndola.
Dr Chiluba was speaking through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba yesterday, following a suspected petrol bomb that caused fire to one of the sheds at the BOZ guest house and his wife’s farm where the bomb caused damage to the chicken run.
“We received a report from a Patriotic Front (PF) member who was part of the meeting that plotted to petrol bomb the Bank of Zambia guest house and Mrs Regina Chiluba’s farm in Fatima area a day before the incident happened,” Mr Mwamba explained.
Mr Mwamba said according to that individual, the meeting also planned to organise PF party cadres to barricade and start booing Dr Chiluba wherever he went during his private visit to the Copperbelt.
The bottle, which contained petrol and sand aimed at Dr Chiluba, fell near the gate, 500 metres away from where Dr Chiluba was.
Mr Mwamba said Dr Chiluba was not in any way affected by the threats from the opposition and he felt that there was no need to beef up the security personnel assigned to guard him.
Mr Mwamba said Dr Chiluba would not stop meeting people who call on him or petition him on any matter of public or national interest.
“Some people find his position as former president as good as that of the sitting president and they keep on asking him to advise or intervene on a number of issues they would like to convey to the president,” he said.
Mr Mwamba appealed to political parties to educate their members that there was no place for thuggery in Zambia.
He said Dr Chiluba felt that Zambia had a credible Ministry of Home Affairs and the security wings which would see to it that those suspected to be behind the petrol bombs thrown on the lawn at the BOZ guest house and the roof of the chicken run at his wife’s farm in Fatima area, were brought to book.
Mr Mwamba said Dr Chiluba once lived under constant threats on his life for years during the UNIP era and he was not afraid of the people who wanted to curtail his freedom of expression and movement.
“Under the UNIP rule, Dr Chiluba lived for 20 years under threat and he will continue to lead a normal life because Zambia is democracy and he will enjoy his freedom of association and movement,” he said.[quote]
When contacted for a comment, PF Ndola District chairperson Rebby Chanda denied that his party was behind the petrol bomb thrown at the BOZ guest house and at Mrs Chiluba’s farm.
“It is not true that the PF leadership in Ndola met and plotted to attack Dr Chiluba, if there are any suspects, let the police and other State security wings carry out their investigations professionally,” Mr Chanda said.
Coppertbelt Police chief Antonneil Mutentwa could not be reached for a comment but police sources said the matter was already being investigated.
Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso said although police have instituted investigations into the matter, they were still awaiting a detailed report from the Copperbelt Police command.
He said that police headquarters were by 17:30 hours still awaiting a full report.
THE Government has said the country has not violated the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights by allowing the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) to adopt a clause that requires a presidential candidate to be a holder of a university degree because it is the citizens themselves that demanded that their presidents be degree holders to articulate issues intelligently.
Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said the citizens were well represented in the NCC and that the decisions made by the conference were a reflection of what the people of Zambia wanted.
Gen Shikapwasha was reacting to Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata who yesterday said that Zambia had violated the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights by allowing the NCC to adopt a clause that requires a presidential candidate to be a holder of a university degree.
“Zambia has not violated any charter because it is the Zambian people that want the presidential candidate to be a degree holder and so whatever Mr Sata is talking about has no substance,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
He said that by the NCC recommending that a presidential candidate should be a degree holder, it was merely stating that whoever wanted to aspire for the office should be an enlightened person.
Gen Shikapwasha compared the person seeking the office of presidency to an individual looking for a job either in the private or public sector.
“There is no such a thing as violation of the charter in as far as qualifications are concerned, otherwise people would not have been getting jobs.
If you are looking for a job and the employers are saying you should have a degree there is no way you can say no.
In this case, the Zambian people who are the employers are saying they want a degree holder to aspire for presidency,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
Similarly, Gen Shikapwasha said it would be illogical for any Christian to claim that he would go to heaven if such an individual has not come to know Jesus.
Gen Shikapwasha said that for as long as anybody that claims to be a Christian does not know Jesus, such an individual would not go to heaven.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Sata said Zambia had violated the charter to which it was a signatory under the African Union (AU). He said the nation had violated Article 13 of the charter. “Zambia has violated the African charter which allows for the various forms of freedom.[quote]
In the past 45 years, we fought against the white minority to rule so that the majority can rule but now we are going back to the situation where the minority should again rule. The country has violated Article 13 of the charter,” Mr Sata said.
Article 13 of the charter states that every citizen shall have the right to participate freely in the Government of his country, either directly or through freely chosen representatives in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Mr Sata argued that by restricting the position of presidency to a degree holder, Zambia was now allowing the minority to rule.
Meanwhile, Lusaka lawyer Christopher Mundia has supported the degree requirement for a presidential candidate saying the move was not in any way discriminatory.
Reacting to the NCC’s adoption of an article that requires a presidential candidate to have a minimum qualification of a first degree, Mr Mundia said that the article was important.
He said by adopting the article, the NCC acted in line with the aspirations of the Zambian people because the world had become complicated and ill-qualified persons could not articulate development issues.
He said in the era of a global village, there was need for enlightened leaders because the days of the blind leading the blind were long gone.
Zambia had seen positive sustenance of the economy because of enlightened leadership of late president Levy Mwanawasa and the continued leadership of President Rupiah Banda who was not only a degree holder but an experienced economist.
He said the degree requirement for a president entrenched the wishes of the Zambian people and that it was interesting to hear that some aspiring candidates felt that the clause was targeted at them.
On the 50 per cent plus one clause, Mr Mundia said it was unnecessary as it would be expensive in the event that a re-run was to be conducted.
He explained that next year, 2.5 million people were expected to vote when the population was about 12 million and issues of legitimacy could not arise and therefore, the simple majority should be the best.
Zambia national soccer team head coach Herve Renard
Zambia Voluntary Soccer Fan Associations (ZAVOSOFA) Patron, Peter Makembo says reports linking Zambia National Team Head Coach Herve Renard with the Super Eagles of Nigerian for a coaching job is disturbing.
Makembo says it is immoral for Renard to be showing interest in coaching the West African football giants when he still has a contract with with the Chipolopolo Boys running up to May, 2010.
Makembo told ZANIS sports in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Renard should wait until his contract expires before he can decides on which move to take.
He said the termination of the contact with Zambia will be blow to himself because Zambia gave him enough chance to prove his capability which resulted in a fair performance of the Zambia National Soccer team at the just Africa Confederation (AFCON) Cup tournament in Angola.[quote]
He said Zambia has been tolerant and groomed him to be at the level where he has reached, for even other teams to start admiring him.
Makembo said Zambia and Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) should however not force to stay if he doesn’t want to so that he sees how other teams will treat him if he fails to deliver.
“Renard is better off staying here because we the fans have been patient with him, he has been groomed by Zambia and we have supported him and we have given him enough chance.
” It will be a big blow to him if he decides to leave this country for another because some fans will not tolerate him” Makembo said.
He said soccer fans will accept anything that Renard will decides on his future with Zambia adding that moreover that there are good coaches in Zambia who can take on the position.
Local media reports say that Renard had a meeting with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) with a view to have the French coach to guide the Super eagles to the 2010 world cup in South Africa in June.
It also quoted Renard as having been excited with the move and urged the NFF to speed up their interest saying other African teams are also interested in signing him.
Zambia’s largest mineworkers’ union said on Monday it had agreed on wage increases with some of the country’s top mining firms, averting possible strikes by workers that would have dented output.
Mining unions in Zambia, Africa’s leading copper producer, last month threatened to go on strike if mining companies did not give members pay increases above the country’s inflation rate, which slowed to 9.6 percent year-on-year in January.
Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) general secretary Oswell Munyenyembe said his union had agreed to a 22 percent pay rise with Lumwana Mining Company, a subsidiary of Equinox Minerals.
“We had very good negotiations with Lumwana,” he told Reuters.
Lumwana, which Equinox says is Africa’s largest open pit mine, produced 109,413 tonnes of copper in 2009 and plans to raise output to 135,000 tonnes this year, according to company projections.
Munyenyembe said Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), a unit of Glencore International AG of Switzerland, whose assets include the Mufulira mine, smelter and refinery, Nkana mines concentrator and cobalt plant, had agreed to award its workers a 10.5 percent pay rise.
“We hope that these pay increases will inspire our members to work hard and increase productivity so that together we can move the economy forward,” he said.
Munyenyembe said negotiations with Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), which is owned by London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc, were continuing.
“We are likely to make progress this week during another round of negotiations with KCM,” he said without giving details on how far the two parties had gone in the talks.
Other foreign mining companies operating in Zambia include Canada’s First Quantum Minerals, Equinox Minerals and Metorex of South Africa.
Blind dancing…An unidentified man spotted on the dance floor enjoying Zambian Music at Hollywood night club in Lusaka
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Christopher Katongo and Dennis Banda going to receive their new ranks after being promoted in the Army for good performance at the African cup of nations games. This was at the army headquarters in Lusaka
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Christopher Katongo receiving his new ranks in Lusaka
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Progressive Development Movement director Jackson addressing a press briefing in Lusaka
The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has procured traffic lights signal equipment worth K648 million for Kitwe City Council (KCC).
RTSA Director, Freddie Mwalusaka, said in Kitwe today during the handover ceremony of the equipment to KCC that the procurement of the traffic lights is an initiative meant to address the increased flow of traffic in the city and minimize road traffic accidents.
Mr Mwalusaka observed that there is an increase in the number of vehicles on the road in Kitwe which does not correspond to the infrastructure, adding that the situation has resulted in over burdening of scarce road resources.
He said their were 307,000 motor vehicles in the country by December last year compared to 183, 000 in 2006.
Speaking earlier, RTSA Chairperson, Winston Mwandila, said the motorization rate and road traffic accidents being experienced in urban towns have become a major concern.
Mr Mwandila said according to the road safety assessment carried out by RTSA last year in Kitwe, the traffic light signals are too inadequate to manage the growing motor traffic in the city.
He said it was this desperate situation which compelled the agency to source the traffic signal equipment.
Mr Mwandila said there is need that appropriate traffic management schemes are employed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in cities where human and vehicle population are growing at a faster rate than the road infrastructure.
Mr Mwandila also appealed to road users and the general public to ensure that the road signals were safeguarded and protected so that they could be utilized over their full design life.
Receiving the equipment, Kitwe Mayor, Stephen Chipungu, said the installation of the traffic signal lights will compliment the road rehabilitation exercise to be done by the Japanese International Development Agency (JICA).
Former Defense Minister Ben Mwila has alleged that allowing Patriotic Front President to become republican president will be allowing Zambia to experience civil war.
Mr Mwila who is also National Democratic Focus president alleges that Zambians will be making a grave mistake by voting for Mr Sata to be republican president saying he will be abrogating the constitution with impunity which is not in the best interest of the Zambian people.
He said Mr Sata is not fit to lead the country adding that he is only fit to lead Patriotic Front.
And United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema said today that the PF/UPND Pact will not be coerced into choosing its presidential candidate for 2011 elections.
Speaking this morning on JOY FM’s The Platform Programme, Mr Hichilema said the PF/UPND Pact has taken a decision not to preoccupy itself with the presidency at the moment.
He said what they are preoccupied with is ensuring that there is unity in the membership of the two political parties. He accused the MMD of trying to stir trouble in the UPND/PF Pact by suggesting that particular tribes have their preferred candidates for the Pact’s 2011 presidential candidate.
Mr Hichilema said the PF/UPND Pact has nothing to do with tribe as is being portrayed by the ruling party. He wondered why the MMD is concerned about the PACT’s presidential candidate when they have been spelling doom for the PACT.
Mr Hichilema said the MMD are irked because they know that the exit doors are widening and time is running out for them.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) says the PF/UPND pact is not shaken by the defection of more than 20 of its members to the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) in Lusaka’s Munali constituency.
PF Spokesperson Given Lubinda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the pact is not shaken because there are more people who are willing to join them.
Mr. Lubinda said members defecting from the pact to join the MMD would regret their decision in 2011 claiming that the PF/UPND pact will emerge victorious in the general elections.
He said those who are leaving the party for the MMD do not realize that the PF/UPND pact was the rightful party with a vision.
More than 20 members of the opposition PF/UPND pact on Saturday left their parties to join the ruling MMD while over 80 more are said to have indicated their intentions to leave their parties and join the MMD.
Isaac Chansa has rejoined Orlando Pirates.
The Zambia midfielder returns to Pirates three seasons after leaving the South African club to join Helsingborgs of Sweden following the expiry of his contract with the European club.
Pirates confirmed Chansa’s return in news posted on its official website on Sunday evening.
“I am so happy to be back home at Pirates. The club always had a special place in my heart; therefore it was only natural to rejoin the team after my stint in Europe,”Chansa said.
Chansa was part of the Zambia national team at the just ended Africa cup in Angola where the 25-year-old played lone match.
The ex-Power Dynamos midfielder came on as a second half substitute against Cameroon on January 17 in a match Zambia lost 3-2 in Lubango.
Henry Kyambalesa
The National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is a fraud. Among other things, it does not have any legitimacy in the eyes of the majority of Zambians, especially after having made highly controversial and contentious recommendations – such as the recommendations requiring a Republican presidential candidate to have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum academic qualification, and to have been resident in Zambia for 10 consecutive years preceding any given presidential election.
It should, therefore, be dissolved as suggested by Citizens Forum executive secretary Simon Kabanda, Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Nonde-Simukoko and other prominent members of Zambian society. It is not possible for a constitution-making process that is suspected of being highly politicized to produce a constitution that will be acceptable to the majority of citizens – a constitution that will stand the test of time!
We can hold the 2011 general elections under the 1996 Republican constitution and place an indefinite moratorium on the constitution-making process.
However, we can have a referendum requiring citizens to vote “yes” or “no” on whether the Republican constitution should be amended to include clauses stipulating that: (a) the Republican president should be elected by a minimum of 50+1% vote; (b) the Republican president should appoint government ministers from the general public rather than from elected members of Parliament; and (c) a specific date should be enshrined in the constitution during which general elections should be conducted.
These three issues need to be resolved, and amendments made to the current constitution based on the outcomes of the referendum, before the 2011 tripartite elections. There are a number of reasons why this should be done, some of which are stated briefly below.
The 50+1% Threshold: The Republican president needs to be elected by the majority of Zambians rather than by a simple majority as provided for in Article 34(8) of the current constitution. Amendment of Article 34(8) will, therefore, enhance our nascent multi-party democracy.
Appointment of Ministers: Ministerial appointments from the Zambian society at large can afford a Republican president a larger pool of competent people from which he or she can constitute a Cabinet. Secondly, it can provide for greater separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of the government.
Thirdly, it can afford presidential aspirants enough time to identify potential ministerial appointees well before tripartite elections rather than waiting for parliamentary elections to be concluded. Further, it would reduce the work overload on government officials who have to handle both ministerial and parliamentary functions.
There is, therefore, a need to amend Articles 46(2) and 47(3), which require the Republican president to appoint Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Provincial Ministers from elected members of Parliament.
Date for General Elections: There is a need for a constitutional clause which should provide for a specific day or date for holding general elections in order to forestall past suspicions that the ECZ director and the Republican president conspired to rig elections whenever they met to determine the dates for elections. The day or date to be considered should be during the dry season, and should give the new Republican president enough time to prepare for the hosting of Independence Day celebrations in October.
As an alternative to the dissolution of the NCC, Parliament should be tasked to appoint a group of at least ten prominent lawyers to examine the recommendations made by the Mung’omba Constitutional Review Commission for the purpose of correcting potential errors and inconsistencies in the recommendations. It makes no sense for a tiny fraction of Zambians who are members of the NCC to repeal or alter recommendations that were based on the submissions of citizens nationwide.
NATIONAL team striker Collins Mbesuma is still holed up in Luanda after missing his flight to Lusaka last Thursday.
A national team player who sought anonymity said in Lusaka yesterday that Mbesuma was in the company of some Zambian players based in Angola.
“It was on Wednesday when Mbesuma, in a company of some Zambian players based in Angola, left the hotel,” he narrated.
“When we were leaving for the airport on Thursday, he was nowhere to be seen. His passport was left with the deputy ambassador, Mr Elijah Chisanga,” the source said.
President Banda sent a plane to bring the team to Lusaka after a fairly-good performance at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, which ended in Luanda last night.
The source wondered why Mbesuma decided to go out when the team was still in camp despite the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final loss to Nigeria.
Zambia lost 4-5 on post-match penalties after a goalless stalemate in 120 minutes.
“We all knew that we were still in camp but for Mbesuma to go out we do not know what he was thinking. Anyway, he knows what he was doing,” the source said.
Mbesuma, who campaigns for South African side Moroka Swallows, was an unused substitute at the Africa Cup of Nations.
When contacted, Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) communications officer Erick Mwanza said he needed to consult before issuing a comprehensive statement.
“I left the team in Angola because I used a commercial flight. The team flew on a Zambia Air Force plane. I will ask the team manager (Solly Pandor,” Mwanza said.
THE Luapula Chiefs Council has warned that it will not tolerate Senior Chief Bright Nalubamba’s continued attacks on former President Frederick Chiluba.
Council chairman Chief Chisunka of the Ushi of Luapula said in an interview yesterday that Chief Nalubamba is not a judge to convict Dr Chiluba in the press.
He was reacting to Chief Nalubamba’s reported remarks that Dr Chiluba allegedly squandered public resources and mismanaged the country.
“Let Chief Nalubamba not judge Dr Chiluba. He should stop talking about him because we will react. We are not happy with his comments on Dr Chiluba.
“If he is a judge, let him go ahead and sue Dr Chiluba. He should know that Dr Chiluba comes from people…we are the fathers of Dr Chiluba and we will, therefore, not tolerate this,” he said.
Chief Chisunka said Dr Chiluba was acquitted of corruption charges and that Chief Nalubamba should respect the court’s verdict.
He warned that chiefs in Luapula will differ with Chief Nalubamba should he continue attacking the former head of state.
“We chiefs in Luapula Province respect our subjects and don’t exchange words in public,” he said.
Chief Chisunka urged traditional leaders to be non-partisan and stop threatening their subjects who do not share their political views.
He said chiefs should be there to guide and advise politicians.
“We are supposed to work with whoever is in government. We are expected to hear from them and tell them what we want,” he said.
He appealed to traditional leaders to remain neutral.
Chief Chisunka said traditional leaders should not influence their subjects to support their preferred political parties.
More than 600 members of the UNIP revival Forum from seven Districts of Northern Province have defected to the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) citing poor leadership in their party.
