President Rupia Banda says he is sadned to note that after 50 years of existence, Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF) still depends on donors and other corporating partners for support.

And Mindolo Ecumincal Foundation has disclosed that it owes the Kitwe City Council over K430 million in land rates.

President Banda said organisations like MEF required massive injection of funds for programmes, infrastructural development and maintaince in order to depend less on donors.

He said there was urgent need for management at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe to move with the times and embrace the changes that are happening politcally, socially and economically if the institution was to remain viable.

The President said this in Kitwe today in a speech read on his behalf by Education Ministrer, Dora Siliya, at the joint 51st Pan African graduation ceremony and golden jubilee celebrations.

He added that while it was good for the institution to look back at the past accomplishment, MEF could not afford to remain stuck in history and fail to utilise the historical achievements for the betterment of the future.

He said government was in a hurry to develop the country and would continue creating an enabling environment for players in the tertially education sector like MEF to smoothly implement there programmes.

Mr Banda said Mindolo, in the spirit of ecumenicalism, should bring together various stakeholders to a table and determine the future for this country, including addressing the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment through its programmes.

He added that government was proud to be associated with MEF because the organisation has made significant contribution to the development of Africa for the last 50 by managing to bring together people of difference races, nationalities and religions through the courses it offers.

The President further said the currently 50 per cent of the Zambian population were women and that the programme of gender and good governance being implemented by the institution was critical to national development.

He observed that there was need for MEF not to confine such programmes but to spread them to the entire country, especially rural areas.

The President urged the the graduants to take the first step in developing Africa using the necessary skills acquired from MEF.

He added that they were the greatest human resource that Africa had produced and that no one would develop Africa except for them.

And MEF Board Chairperson, Reverand Susanna Matale, said the organisation, which had trained several African leaders, was going through enormous administrative and operational problems.

Rev Matale said the institution was chocked by land rates of over K430 million that were being asked for by the Kitwe City Council.

She said the institution had failed to clear this bill, a situation which had forced the local authority to grab property from the institution.

She appealed to the President to squash the current debt and abolish all land rates being imposed on the MEF by the council.

Rev Matale also called on church leaders to slow down on divisions and concentrate on issues that would build the nation.

He urged management at MEF to soldier on to ensure that the institution pulled through its problems.

Earlier MEF Director, Rev Peter Daka, said the student intake at the institution had dropped from the previous 150 to 31 due to a decline in donor support.

Rev Daka appealed to government to give the institution necessary support by sending civil servants to undertake refresher courses at the institution.

ZANIS

Expelled United Party for National Development (UPND) Namwala Member of Parliament Robbie Chizyuka says he does not recognise his expulsion from his party for alleged gross indiscipline.

Major Chizyuka said in a statement to ZANIS last evening that the action by UPND national executive committee to expel him is in defiance of the court injunction in the Lusaka High court.

” Mr Hakainde Hichilema is aware that on 21st November, 2009 Lusaka high court judge Musonda will hear my application for an
injunction to restrain the UPND and Mr. Hichilema from suspending me, ” said Major Chizyuka.

He explained that Mr Hichilema’s defiant action against the injunction, it was time Zambians looked closely and wisely into the
mirror image of Mr. Hichilema whom he labeled as a ” new dictator.”[quote]

With reference to UPND’s allegation that he failed to exculpate himself, within the seven days period, Major Chizyuka said to-date he has not received the suspension letter which stipulated the charges requiring his response.

The embattled MP urged UPND to be honest to the public to show when he received that the expulsion letter, who gave him the letter and where he signed for receipt.

He said as far he was concerned, he was just learning it in the media on Sunday 4th October, 2009.

” I was in my constituency attending the Shimunenga ceremony when this entire saga was unfolding as news.
Upon reading my suspension in the Post Newspaper, and realizing that I was not given a hearing let alone a warning on the alleged misconduct, I realized that the party was up to some hidden, malicious and already predetermined actions against me,” he said.

Furthermore, Major Chizyuka has challenged the expulsion saying he cannot exculpate himself before the injunction is cleared in court.

ZANIS

Four aspiring candidates for the Solwezi central constituency seat have successfully filed in their nominations for the parliamentary by-election set for November 19 this year.

Forum for Democratic Alternative (FDA) candidate Muhammed Kalela was the first one to file in his nomination at about 10:25 hours accompanied by his party president Dr Ludwig Sondashi and 10 of his supporters.

He was followed by the United Party for National Development (UPND)/Patriotic Front (PF) PACT candidate Watson Lumba who was accompanied by the UPND president Hakahinde Hichilema,and 10 of his supporters filed in at about 11:07 hours.

Others were an independent candidate Tomas Kafula and Movement for Multi-Party democracy (MMD) Albert Chifita at about 11:33 and 13; 30 hours respectively.

Solwezi central constituency by-lection returning officer Elizabeth Kanoka announced the four valid nominations filed in by MMD, UPND/PF Pact, FDA and independent candidates saying no nomination was rejected.

Ms Kanoka announced the results some few minutes after 15 hours.

In another development UPND/PF pact and MMD supporters crushed at Chawama after police allegedly relocated UPND/PF pact from the show grounds to Chawama.

UPND party spokes person Charles Kakoma has accused the police of causing and the violence that happened between MMD and the pact after their candidate filed -in his nomination by relocating them from the place they had earlier been given a permit for.[quote]

“There was bad violence which was supported by both the police and MMD supporters and I am very disappointed that the police exhibited total unprofessionalism,” Mr Kakoma alleged

He said his party was allocated Solwezi show grounds by the police as their gathering point to address party issues which was later alleged given to MMD by the police.

Mr Kakoma said number of an disclosed people were caught up in the fracas and suffered injuries, lost property, cars bashed and windscreens shattered.

Northwestern province police chief Fabian katiba refused to comment over the matter and referred all queries to police spokes person Bonnie Kapeso in Lusaka who by press time said he had not yet received any report on the matter.

ZANIS