President Muammar Gaddafi last night hosted an official dinner for President Rupiah Banda and his Chadian counterpart Idris Debie in the capital Tripoli.

Before the dinner was served in a tent in the outskirts of Tripoli, the two leaders met on a one-on-one basis.

Also in attendance at the dinner was agriculture minister Dr Brian Chituwo, Zambia’s ambassador to Libya Mulondwe Muzungu, President Banda’s special assistant for economy Dr Richard Chembe and his counterpart for press and public relations Dickson Jere.

President Banda who is also chairman of the Great Lakes Region Peace Initiative, arrived in Libya yesterday and held joint talks with current African Union chairman president Gaddafi and Idris Debie of Chad.

The Zambian head of state, whose delegation includes First Lady Thandiwe, leaves Tripoli for Rome, Italy, today, to attend the World summit on Food Security which opens tomorrow.

Mrs Banda is later today expected to be among other First Ladies scheduled to attend the Second Non Aligned Movement First Ladies Summit which will discuss Food Security and women’s Access to Resources.

ZANIS

Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Leslie Mbula has appealed to local authorities in the country to reserve pieces of land for officers serving in foreign missions to build houses once recalled back home.

Mr. Mbula said it had become a trend for councils to forget about diplomats, a situation which had led to many recalled officers becoming destitute once they were recalled from Foreign Service.

Mr. Mbula said this in statement signed by Second Secretary for press at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa Philip Chirwa and made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

“I appeal to our councils in Zambia to reserve some pieces of land for which our men and women serving in Foreign Service can apply so that when they return home, they will have a roof over their heads,” he said.

Mr. Mbula made the appeal when Ndola mayor Charles Chiwalu paid a courtesy call on him at the Pretoria Chancery on Friday.

The Ndola Mayor together with his Town Clerk, Charity Mpande-Nanda, Director of Finance Victor Mazimba and three Councilors are attending a workshop on local government in Johannesburg.

Mr. Mbula however noted that there is no point in someone having money in their pockets when they have no shelter over their head.

“I appeal to my officers to prepare for their recall by ensuring that they take advantage of their presence here to build a house or two back home. The problem some of them have been facing is acquiring land. If the land was available, they would build these houses.” Mr. Mbula added.

And in reply the Ndola Mayor Charles Chiwalu said his council was reserving land for Foreign Service men and women.

“Before the late President Levy Mwanawasa, died, he directed the Council to set aside some land for diplomats. We did that and I am happy today that a number of diplomats have benefited from this arrangement,” Mr. Chiwalu added.

ZANIS

The MMD in Northern Province has formally recommend to the National Executive Committee (NEC) the expulsion of its provincial youth chairman Danny Chisanga from the ruling party for alleged gross indiscipline.

MMD Provincial Vice Secretary Jairus Simunyola confirmed the development in a statement made availed to ZANIS in Kasama today.

Mr. Simunyola charged that Chisanga disobeyed the party’s instruction for him to exculpate himself over his derogatory statements he made against some senior party officials in the media recently.

He stated that Chisanga has exhibited total insolence and arrogance by continuing to issue unsubstantiated statements to the media despite being advised not to do so.

Mr. Simunyola said it was clear that the provincial youth chairman has ganged with some disgruntled individuals to discredit the ruling party in the province to make it unpopular in the area.

He urged Chisanga to leave the MMD honorably by desisting from engaging in antagonistic politics in a bid to win public sympathy for his predicament.

Mr. Simunyola explained that as a senior party official, Chisanga has allegedly failed to be exemplary in his leadership.

But when reached for a comment, Chisanga said he does not recognize his expulsion from the ruling party by the provincial executive committee (PEC) on allegation of gross indiscipline.

Chisanga stated that he failed to appear before a disciplinary committee because the PEC members were biased in their dealings as evidenced from their decision to discipline him even before he could exculpate himself.

He however maintained that MMD provincial chairman Griever Sikasote should resign for allegedly failing to re-organize the party in the province.

Meanwhile, MMD Kasama Central constituency chairman Nathan Ilunga has welcomed the PEC’s decision to expel Chisanga from the ruling party for gross indiscipline.

Mr. Ilunga said the decision was long over due, considering that Chisanga has shown no remorse for his disparaging remarks against Mr. Sikasote.

He charged that Chisanga has totally failed to rejuvenate youth activism in the activities of the ruling party since he assumed office in 2006.

Mr. Ilunga further said the MMD needs dedicated leaders who would steer the party forward ahead of the 2011 general elections.

ZANIS

The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) says it will soon embark on verifying tariff plans to strengthen its data base to ensure customer adherence to the company’s regulations.

Through the verifying of the data base the company will be able to know those that have illegal connections and those that have outstanding arrears.

ZESCO Customer Services Manager Bassie Banda said the aim of the exercise is to ensure that ZESCO recovers the money that customers owe the company through non settlement of bills and illegal connections among others.

Ms Banda said this yesterday when the company led customers on a familiarization tour of the Kafue Gorge Hydro Power Station.
She added that the updating of customers and verification exercise of their data base would be an on going exercise lasting for six months.

Meanwhile Kafue Gorge power station Manager Masiye Mwale assured the customers that visited the power station that Kafue gorge power station was running at full capacity.

Mr Mwale noted that the company valued its customers and that the idea of inviting them was to ensure that they know and appreciate how ZESCO generates and distributes power.

He said this will help customers value the role the company plays in generating power and finally distributing it.

ZANIS

SECRETARY to the Cabinet, Joshua Kanganja has said Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Simon Miti remains suspended contrary to recent media reports that the suspension has been lifted.

Dr Kanganja said it was not true that he had written to the Judiciary instructing officials to drop the charges that were leveled against Dr Miti, and investigations into the matter were still on.

He told journalists in Lusaka that investigations into the Ministry of Health saga were progressing well and the Government would be on hand to inform the people on any new developments.

“I am the one who wrote to Dr Miti notifying him about his suspension and I am the one who will have to write to him notifying him about the lifting of his suspension in case it turns out that he is innocent,” Dr Kanganja said.

“Let me confirm to you that so far I have not done so because the investigations are still in progress,” he added.

He said there were a number of people who were suspended together with Dr Miti over the alleged corrupt acts and there was no way he could have written to the courts to drop the charges against Dr Miti or any other person.

He said the Government was still investigating the alleged corrupt practices that occurred during Dr Miti’s tenure in office to establish whether he had been involved in corruption or not.

Meanwhile, Dr Kanganja also denied reports that one more officer from the Ministry of Health has been arrested at for corrupt practices.

Dr Kanganja said the officer was from the Ministry of Education and was arrested for separate charges that were not connected to those at the Ministry of Health.

[Times of Zambia]