OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) Nkana Member of Parliament Mwenya Musenge yesterday pleaded not guilty in the Kitwe magistrates’ court to the charge of riotous behaviour. Musenge, who was denied police bond at the weekend was, however, granted bail by the court in the sum of K15 million in his own recognisance.

Musenge, 46, of house number 18, Twalishuka Close in Parklands, Kiwe, is jointly charged with six other men who also denied the same charge. These are David Katongo, 38, of house number B6/130, Wusakili Township, Patrick Chongo, 22, of house number 8, Mangwana and Evans Witika, 38, of plot number 1531, Bulangililo Township.

Others are Chrispine Musuka, 36, of house number 1566, New Ndeke, Jonathan Manda, 23, of house number 456, Twatasha Township and Steward Mushota of house number 162, Buchi.Particulars of the offence are that on January 7, 2010, Musenge and his six co-accused unlawfully assembled and damaged the property of the Zambia National Marketeers Association (ZANAMA) neighbourhood watch.

Senior resident magistrate, Tamara Gondwe granted the seven bail after their lawyers applied for it. She granted them bail of K15 million in their own recognisance with three working sureties each in managerial positions to sign in their own recognisance.
When the three lawyers representing all seven accused persons applied for bail, they said the offence that their clients were facing was bailable and that they had cooperated with the police from the time they were summoned.

The lawyers said their clients would not jump bail, hence the need for the court to grant them bail. The State did not object to the application for bail but said the court must give conditions that were suitable to all parties. The State said the court should also warn the accused persons not to interfere with State witnesses if granted bail by the court. The matter was adjourned to January 26 for mention and trial would commence on February 11 and 12, 2010.

Meanwhile, confusion took centre stage outside the court premises as scores of overzealous PF cadres converged and started chanting slogans while displaying their party symbol. The cadres, who were clad in PF T-shirts and Chitenge material, started daring the police over the detention of Mr Musenge. After Mr Musenge was granted bail, the cadres demanded to have the MP handed over to them even before paper work for bail conditions could be finalised.

In the same court, three ZANAMA officials who were alleged to have murdered a marketeer appeared before Ms Gondwe.
The three are charged with murdering Charles Chola, a marketeer at Chisokone Market. The three are Dennis Phiri, 37, of house number 1727, Mulenga Township, George Daka, 27, and Peter Mbale of house number 345, Ndeke Township.

Particulars of the offence are that between December 27,2010 and January 3, 2010 the trio allegedly murdered Chola. The matter was adjourned to January 26, 2010 for mention as the State awaits for instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Last week, marketeers rioted destroying a ZANAMA office after Chola, who was alleged to have been beaten by the three accused persons, died.

[Times of Zambia]

ZESCO yesterday started installation works of the US$3.2 million Leopards Hill sub-station transformer that was gutted last year, company director of customer services Joe Chiyassa said.

Mr Chiyassa said in a statement in Lusaka that commissioning of the transformer would result in the reduction of load-shedding currently experienced by customers in Lusaka by 50 per cent.

“Zesco has commenced installation works. The installation works, testing and commissioning period is four weeks effective Monday January 11, 2010,” Mr Chiyassa said.

He said the transformer, that was procured to replace the one which was gutted, arrived on the site on January 8.

The transformer arrived in the country through the Chirundu One-Stop border on December 21 last year. However, its transportation to Leopards Hill suffered a setback when the truck transporting it broke down in Chirundu.

[Times of Zambia]

The Press Association of Zambia has refused to be drawn into a fight with
committee of citizen’s executive director Gregory Chifire.

Yesterday Mr. Chifire accused the PAZA executive committee members of holding
office illegally and that they have sold the media association to the post
Newspaper. Mr Chifire said it was surprising that PAZA had allowed its
leadership to continue leading the association illegally as its mandate expired
in 2006 when, according to the PAZA constitution, new membership should have
been elected.

Mr Chifire went on to say that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by
the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) and the Press Freedom of The Post where
PAZA receives a monthly grant of K10 million has compromised the independence,
integrity and morality of the association, Committee of Citizens executive
director Gregory Chifire has said.

Mr Chifire said the position PAZA had taken to agree on the terms of The Post
where it had accepted a K10 million monthly grant contradicted the very purpose
of its existence and that the existence of this servile working relationship
made it difficult for the general public to respect the views and activities of
PAZA as it had become an official appendage of The Post.

“PAZA’s recent vicious attacks on the Republican vice-president, senior
Government officials and their fellow journalists using similar, if not
identical, derogatory language with The Post is saddening. We wish to warn PAZA
membership countrywide that its leadership has rented PAZA to The Post and urge
them to restore any credibility left of PAZA by taking immediate action,” he
said.

But PAZA vice president Amos Chanda in response said people like Chifire are
bitter because the media and government have reached consensus on the regulation[quote]
of the media issue.

He says PAZA does not want to be drawn in to antagonist with people of Mr
Chifire caliber.

Mr Chanda says Zambians are aware that Mr Chifire survives on peddling lies to
government and now that the media and government have reached consensus on self
regulation, mr chifire is not happy.

Mr Chanda said it was not true that the association received a monthly grant of
K10 million, adding that PAZA received an amount which varied from time to time
depending on their requirements.

He said the MoU with the Press Freedom Committee of The Post was in mutual
cooperation for the promotion and defence of media freedom and development.
Mr Chanda said the money was meant for the procurement of materials and
acquisition of the venue for joint activities whenever need arose and challenged
Mr Chifire to prove such allegations.

“First, we have no agreement with The Post newspapers but we have a memorandum
of understanding with the Press Freedom Committee of The Post for mutual
cooperation, defence of media freedom and development. We challenge Mr Chifire
to prove his allegations on the money he is alleging that we have received,” Mr
Chanda said.

On being in office illegally, Chanda said his executive has already announced to
its members that the Annual General Meeting to elect new leaders will be held
next November.

He said Mr Chifire was judging the association by his low standards and wanted
to comment on everything that crossed his mind. Mr Chanda said while it was true
that the association’s mandate expired in 2007 and not in 2006 as claimed by Mr
Chifire, the PAZA board was mandated to discharge functions of the association
until the annual general meeting (AGM) is held.

He said because of that, PAZA was not in office illegally. PAZA needed a total
of K100 million to hold the AGM which was slated for November 2010.

[QFM news / Times of Zambia]

THIRTY-four employees at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) have been fired for their involvement in the recent riots at Nchanga Mine in Chingola where property worth millions of Kwacha was destroyed. KCM spokesperson Rahul Karkar, who confirmed the development in an interview in Kitwe said, 47 miners were charged by management and 34 of them were found wanting.

Mr Karkar said the 34 were dismissed after their case reached the last stage of the hearing process and it was proved that they were guilty of the charges slapped on them. He said the action follows the disciplinary hearing process instituted by management for the charged employees.

He said the remaining 13 employees were reinstated by management and had since resumed work. Mr Karkar said there was overwhelming evidence indicating that the dismissed employees were involved in the riot which left a trail of destruction hence the decision to fire them.

“47 employees were charged for being involved in the riot that took place at Nchanga Mine and management has since discharged 34 while 13 have been reinstated,” Mr Karkar said. National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) president Mundia Sikufele said the union has engaged KCM management with the view of having the fired members pardoned.

Mr Sikufele said the unions had included the plight of the dismissed employees as part of their agenda for the on-going negotiations for improved salaries and conditions of service. “The fate of the dismissed miners will only be determined when we conclude the collective bargaining process because we have included that as part of the on-going negotiations with management,” he said.

Late last year, KCM employees at Nchanga Mine went on rampage and destroyed property worth millions of Kwacha. The riots were sparked by protests against prolonged salary negotiations between the unions and management.

[Times of Zambia]