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]

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

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

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

A ROMAN Catholic Church priest in Kitwe on Sunday advised former Radio Icengelo station manager Frank Bwalya to stop using the Church for his political messages but was jeered by supporters of the outspoken priest.

St Francis Wusakile Parish priest Justin Chimba said clergymen were not supposed to be actively involved in politics because they were destroying their calling of preaching salvation.

During Sunday mass. Father Chimba advised Father Bwalya to reconsider his position after he informed the Church members that he would hold a public meeting later that day at the church hall.

Fr Chimba was jeered by some supporters of the outspoken clergyman as he advised his colleague.

He called on fellow clergymen to desist from involvement in active politics because they risked losing respect from the public.

There was confusion as the congregants taunted Fr Chimba and it took some time for the jeering to stop.

Some parishioners said it was sad that such commotion took place in Church during mass.

Despite the jeering, Fr Chimba stood firm and said Christians who were encouraging clergymen to indulge in active politics were misleading them.

“As clergymen, we could be made into good leaders or bad leaders depending on what we get from our fellow Christians, so it is imperative that we are careful and remain focused. Christians who are encouraging clergymen to indulge in politics are not helping them in any way, they are merely misleading them,” he said.

When asked to react to the advice by Fr Chimba, Fr Bwalya said he had nothing to say.

“No comment, but I hope you will not highlight the negative things said about me and leave the positive response I received from some people,” he said.

Some members of the congregation expressed mixed feelings over what had happened during the service as well as the involvement of clergymen in active politics.

Faith Moyo said she did not support the humiliation Fr Chimba suffered at the hands of some congregants.

She also said the active participation of some clergymen in politics was only serving to tarnish their image.

Ms Moyo said it was sad that such an incident took place in the Catholic Church, where discipline was always upheld.

“To start with, I didn’t see any reason why some people decided to boo our priest for advising Fr Bwalya to desist from indulging in politics because that was wise advice.

“I am among those Catholics who do not support clergymen involving themselves in politics because once a clergyman engages in politics, he will lose respect from the people,” she said.

But other members said clergymen had the right to discuss and take part in national affairs, but they should have respect for people in power.

“Even though clergymen sometimes can talk about politics, they should be able to respect those in authority, instead of just saying anything which comes to their mind.

“It is because of the bad language that comes from some clergymen that makes people lose confidence in them,” he said.

Times of Zambia