Vice President George Kunda has congratulated the United Party for National Development (UPND) for the scooping the Solwezi Central parliamentary by-elections.

Mr. Kunda said he has deliberately congratulated only the UPND as it was the party that had chosen a candidate and was recognised in parliament.

The UPND candidate Watson Lumba won the tightly contested polls after pouring 5669 against MMD‘s candidate Albert Chifita who got 4457 ,FDA’s Muhammad Kalela got 189, and Thomas Kafula an independent managed to get 51 votes

However, Mr. Kunda has condemned the recent violence that characterized the recent by-elections in the country.

He said government is concerned with the level of violence during by-elections but will leave everything to the law enforcers.

He said political parties who encourage their cadres to be violent should be ready to face the wrath of the law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Kunda said this in Parliament today during the Vice President question time.

This was after Luena MP Charles Milupi who asked the Vice President what government was doing to curb violence during elections.

Mr. Kunda said violence in any election should not be entertained and called on political parties to encourage their members to exercise peaceful campaigns.

He said political parties should condemn all its members who are practising violence during campaigns and election.

“It is the duty of political parties to encourage its members to be peaceful during election this is more important that the country has enjoyed peace since independence” he said.

ZANIS

SPECIAL assistant to the President for political affairs, Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika has said that he is not fighting the Litunga of the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) or blaming him for the alleged weakening of the MMD in Western Province.

Mr Mbikusita-Lewanika said in response to a Press query yesterday that he did not as alleged in the Post newspapers of November 18, 2009 speak against the Litunga and his leadership and that no one mentioned the name of the Litunga in the MMD meeting that was held on November 15 this year at Andrews Motel in Lusaka.

He said he did not, during the meeting, bring any person, name, title or authority of the Head of Barotse into disputable or contentious issues or any other traditional leadership during the meeting.

“To do otherwise is a taboo. I would not do it, even to save my life. Only an ill socialised and traditionally uncultured person can do that,” the statement reads in part.

Mr Mbikusita-Lewanika also said the meeting was not dominated by issues pertaining to one person or one part of the country and that the issues that were raised that related to the former Western Province chairperson Simasiku Namakando were the most marginal and least consequential.

He said the views that he expressed on the matter were not the ones that were ascribed to him in the Post newspaper.

He said of late, accusations bent on alienating him from the Barotse and Zambian leadership even those to divide his family had been based on inaccuracies and falsehoods.

“In decent times of fair and just media and decent honest politics, this statement would not be necessary, even in self defence. In the past, I have often not responded to outrageous accusations. I had hoped that the knowledge of, and respect for our customs and traditions would prevent such falsehoods being taken seriously. But these are not decent times,” Mr Mbikusita-Lewanika said.

He said people that fear him would continue attempting to assassinate him politically or otherwise.

He said the meeting referred to in the article was convened as a private party conversation facility by the MMD through the treasurer, Suresh Desai.

Mr Mbikusita-Lewanika said he did not officiate the meeting as alleged because he was not an office holder in the party.
He said there was no opinion or decision of the meeting that was made through him.

The Post newspapers of November 18 this year carried a story that said that Mr Lewanika officiated an MMD meeting that blamed the Litunga and Mr Namakando for the party’s recent fall out in Western Province.

[Times of Zambia]

By Lusakatimes staffer
The UPND/PF pact has scooped the highly contested parliamentary by-election in Solwezi in Noth-Western Province.

Official results from the Electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) indicate that the PF/UPND Pact has beaten the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) in its strong hold giving another upper hand to the pact that scooped the Kasama central seat last month.

PF/UPND Pact Candidate Watson Lumba got 5669 MMD ‘s candidate Albert Chifita got 4457 FDA’s Muhammad Kalela 189, and Thomas Kafula who stood as independent managed to get 51 votes.

On Thursday Vice President George Kunda said the MMD was confident of retaining the Solwezi central constituency parliamentary seat.

Mr Kunda said the MMD has done its best and accomplished its mission of convincing the electorates in Solwezi central constituency to vote for Albert Chifita as he was the only credible candidate who had a heart to save them.

The Solwezi central seat fell vacant following the death of the Member of Parliament Ben Tetamashimba who was also the Local Government and Housing Minister.

Political analyast says the Solwezi Central by-election was being used to determine the strength of the UPND/PF Pact in its readiness for the presidential and parliamentraly elections in 2011.

Government says it has recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of about 6.1 percent out of the targeted 7 percent per annum.

Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said the development is one of the highest the country has ever recorded since independence.

Dr Musokotwane said the increased GDP has since contributed to the country’s social, economic and infrastructure development.

He however noted that the reduction in maternal mortality rate is likely going to make it possible for the nation to attain the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) five of reducing MMR to 162 per 100,000 live births by 2015.

The minister disclosed the developments in Lusaka today during the Mid Term Review of the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) 2006-2010.

Mr. Musokotwane also disclosed that the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey indicates a reduction in HIV and AIDS prevalence rate of 14 percent for adults aged between 15-49 years, from 16 percent in 2001 and 2002.

He also observed that malaria prevalence levels have slightly reduced from 373 per 1000 population in 2002 to 358 per 1000 population in 2007 and are expected to drop further due to governments programs in the fight against malaria.

Meanwhile the Minister has expressed sadness on the continued poverty levels in the country.

He said a recorded reduction of 80 percent to 64 percent is not good for the nation adding that government is working towards creating an enabling environment for investments to help create more jobs and increase revenues in an effort to reducing poverty.

ZANIS

Kalulushi MMD District Vice Chairman Andrew Nawa says the continued attacks of the Chief Justice Ernest Sakala by Patriotic Front ( PF ) leader Michael Sata is uncalled for.

Mr Nawa told ZANIS in Kalulushi, today, that the attacks on the Chief Justice were meant to turnish the image of the judiciary and that of the chief justice.

He said the Chief Justice is simply applying his wisdom and the the trust vested in him by the Zambian people.

Mr. Nawa said Zambian would not stand by watching greed and selfish people harass the Constitutional office bearers to their advantage either individually or severally.

“However, Mr. Sata has got better ideas of how the office of the Chief justice should be run, then he must wait until he is appointed to the same office, as for now it’s Chief Justice Ernest Sakala,” said Mr. Nawa.

Mr. Nawa disclosed that if Sata was being informed by his Defence and security agents that there was something sinister about the way the Chief Justice Sakala was handling the Regina Chiluba’s appeal, then he should have addressed his concerns using other arms of the law.

PF President Michael Sata last week said that Chief Justice Ernest Sakala was protecting plunderers through his directive that all high profile criminal appeal cases involving people accused of plunder and corruption be heard by a panel of three judges and that he was being selective in his work.
ZANIS