Vice President George Kunda has urged United Party for National Development UPND President Hakainde Hichiliema to consider abandoning the PF/UPND Pact because of PF leaders’ incessant attacks on UPND Members of Parliament.

The vice president has also urged other PF/UPND members who were not happy with the happenings in the opposition pact to join the rulling MMD.

Mr. Kunda was speaking in Livingstone yesterday when he addressed people who welcomed him at Livingstone International Airport. He wondered why Mr Hichilema had remained in the pact following the attacks on his MPs by the PF leader recently.

Mr. Michael Sata was recently quoted as saying that UPND MPs attending the National Constitutional Conference were part of plunderers of public funds.

Mr. Kunda described Mr Sata as a sadist, senseless person who has lost direction on the country’s political arena.

He said that the opposition political parties had nothing to attack government for and had in turn resorted to attacking each other.

Mr. Kunda said that Mr. Sata is very scared of UPND MPs because they are more intellectually advanced than he is.

“Sata cannot match with the UPND MPs that are part of the NCC participants because of their intellectual capacity, that is why he and some of his PF MPs have stayed away,” he said.

He said there was decency in the NCC because if this was not so, the conference was not going to entice Mr Hichilema to go there and witness part of the voting sessions at the NCC.

“Mr.Sata has lost direction. He is senseless. We even wonder why HH is still in the pact and why he is not defending his MPs that Sata is busy attacking,” Mr. Kunda said.

He said Sata was a sadist who did deserve any vote from the electorates and urged those in the PF/UPND Pact to consider joining the MMD party holds the future of the country’s development.

The vice president was in Livingstone to officially open the Mining Congress at the Sun Hotels.

He was accompanied by Gender Minister, Sara Sayifwanda, Mines Minister, Maxwell Mwale, Deputy Energy Minister Lubinda Imasiku, Deputy Labour Minister, Kachimba, and MMD Deputy National Secretary Chembe Nyangu.

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First Lady Thandiwe Banda has called upon traditional ceremonies committees to expands their membership by having members who do not reside or hail from one Province.

Mrs. Banda observed that if the Committee succeeds in having members who hail from other provinces, the Committee would also have succeeded in making the ceremony more popular

Mrs. Banda made the call in Lusaka last evening at the fund raising dinner dance for the Kuomboka-Kufuluhela Lusaka Committee. This was in a speech read on her behalf by wife of the Vice President George Kunda, Irene.

She said the Kuomboka-Kufuluhela Lusaka Committee should consider having members who do not come or hail from Western Province because a number of non-Lozis have increasingly taken pride in wearing the Msisi, a traditional attire for the Lozi speaking people even during other national events.

The First Lady said having a balanced membership is vital to accerating national development thereby marketing Zambia’s rich cultural gheritage home and abroad.

Mrs. Banda said this would also assist in uniting the country through the popularization of the common heritages irrespective of the origin of the traditional attire as well as other cultural deeds; cultural music and expressions.

Meanwhile, the First Lady also called upon Zambians from other regions to become members of the Kuomboka-Kufuluhela Lusaka Committee.

Mrs. Banda added that this would assist the ceremony acclaim its elevated status not only at its organizational level.

And Kuomboka-Kufuluhela Lusaka Committee Chairperson Oliver Saasa urged government and other stakeholders to continue rendering support to the Kuomboka ceremony.

Professor Saasa said this year’s Kuomboka would be different from last year’s in that the Organizing Committee is doing everything possible to make it more colourful.

The Kuomboka traditional Ceremony is an annual event held in April by the Lozi people of Western Province. It symbolizes coming out the waters by the Lozi Chief Litunga.

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The opposition United Party for National Development and Patriotic Front (UPND/PF) pact, which was created in June last year, will be officially launched between March and April this year.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said nine committees have been formed to come up with guidelines and policies for the pact, which will be presented in two weeks time before it is launch.

Mr. Kakoma was speaking at a joint press briefing at the UPND secretariat in Lusaka today.

Mr. Kakoma said the committees that the pact has formed include mobilization, publicity and elections committees among others.

He stated that the formation of the pact between the two parties will make Zambian people to be focused as they will continue upholding the peace that the country has enjoyed since Independence.

Mr. Kakoma said the pact will field a presidential candidate which the Zambian people want, adding that their wishes will be respected at the right time.

And speaking at the same occasion, UPND Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament (MP) Gary Nkombo dismissed allegations that UPND has lost popularity in Southern Province saying the party recently scooped all the local government by-elections including those which were previously held by the ruling party.[quote]

He was reacting to chief Mwanachingwala’s remarks that the UPND was misled by another chief in Southern Province into forming a political pact with PF.

Meanwhile, PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba said the pact was not worried about the issue of which candidate between Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema should contest the presidency in the general elections next year.

Mr. Kabimba accused the MMD of being jittery by involving themselves in the affairs of the Pact.

He disclosed that when the Pact was formed the MMD predicted that it would be a failure adding that it is now stronger than they expected.

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Vice President George Kunda has said no amount of bickering from the opposition political parties will detract government form pursuing its development agenda for the country.

Mr. Kunda alleged that the opposition political parties have nothing to offer for the people of Zambia.

He said it was strange that the opposition political parties cannot acknowledge the positive indicators of economic growth such as the single digit inflation rate and the general stability of the economy the government has made so far.

He was speaking on arrival at Livingstone International Airport this morning.

Mr. Kunda said Zambia has the potential to develop all her economic sectors especially if her citizens fully devote themselves to hard work.

And Mr. Kunda has said it was wrong for the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata to refer to the National Constitutional Commission (NCC) delegates as plunders.

The Vice President said there was a lot of decency at the NCC, adding that all the operations of the commission were guided by the law.

He explained that all the money being used at the NCC was budgeted for by parliament.

Mr. Kunda described Mr. Sata as a sadist who will never appreciate any positive stride the MMD government has making.

He said it would be dangerous for the people of Zambia to vote for Mr. Sata in the 2011 tripate elections because his characteristics have proved that he cannot be trusted.

He told hundreds of people that welcomed him at the airport that Mr. Sata should know that the NCC is comprised of men and women of integrity who are determined to give Zambia a constitution the country deserves.

Mr. Kunda has meanwhile advised opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilima to forego his association with Mr. Sata because he has no respect even for the UPND-PF pact members of parliament that are attending the NCC.

He said it is strange that Mr. Hichilima has kept quite over the unwarranted attacks by Mr. Sata instead of defending his MPs.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kunda has said the ruling MMD is the party for Zambia’s future because of its sound economic policies for the country.

He said the MMD government is now working on the 6th national development plan.

He has since appealed to the people of Southern province to vote for President Rupiah Banda in the 2011 tripate elections.

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The Ndola Magistrate Court has charged former Defence Minister George Mpombo with one count of issuing a dishonoured cheque amounting to K 10 million.

Appearing before Ndola Chief Resident Magistrate Kelvin Limbani, and facing one count of issuing a dishonoured cheque contrary to section 33 sub-section 01 of the National Payment Act of the Penal Code of the Laws of Zambia was George Mpombo 55, a farmer of 05 Katonte farms in Masaiti.

Magistrate Limbani said the facts of the offence were that on 18th December 2009, Mpombo with intent to defraud, issued a cheque to Colwyn Limited of K10million on an insufficient funded account at Standard Chartered bank which rendered it defraud.

When asked to take his plea Mr Mpombo pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Limbani adjourned the case to March 17, 2010 for the commencement of Trial and March 5, 2010 for Mention.

The former Defence minister had initially preferred to have the deliberations of the Court proceedings translated in Lamba but failed due to non availability of a Lamba interpreter in Court,

The Magistrate further granted an application by Defence Counsel Bonaventure Mutale to dispense the personal attendance of the accused during Mention on March 5, 2010 .
He explained that the accused would be involved in Parliamentary duties since Parliament would be in session at that particular time, adding that the accused was an Area Member of Parliament for Kafulafuta constituency.

Magistrate Limbani further extended Mr Mpombo’s police bond.

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