Mr. Kunda said there was need to lift the suspension of the land agency in order to allow the enterprising people of Solwezi to go ahead with their massive construction activities in the area.

He said people of Solwezi had an enterprising spirit, noting that this was manifested by the number of buildings that are being constructed in the district.

He said this when he addressed a public rally in Kamijiji ward in Solwezi to drum up support for the MMD candidate for Solwezi central constituency Albert Chifita yesterday.

Mr. Kunda said the land agency has been suspended for a long time now, a situation he described as unacceptable by the people of Solwezi who should access land all the time.

He said if the council had engaged itself into corrupt practices in the allocation of land, the matter should be reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while the land agency continued to work.

Mr. Kunda said the district was transforming at a fast rate, a situation that gave government a challenge to provide more social services, including the development of infrastructure.

He said government was in the process of upgrading Solwezi airport into an international standard in order to develop the area more.

“Tenders have been floated for this project, designs already made and monies budgeted for in the 2010 national budget. We are just waiting for approval,” he said.

Mr. Kunda assured the people of Solwezi central that the MMD government would ensure that it addressed issues that can promote development to the area in their campaigns unlike the opposition PF/UPND pact who are inciting violence.

The Solwezi central parliamentary seat fell vacant over a month ago after the area Member of Parliament, Ben Tetamashimba died.

Other candidates in the November 19th, 2009 are Watson Lumba of the PF/UPND pact, Muhammad Kalela of the forum for Democratic Alternatives (FDA) and Thomas Kafula, who is an independent.

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African leaders to emulate political icons such as the late Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela by waging a relentless fight against poverty, diseases and political violence that has rocked most African countries.

Dr Kaunda said he was confident that just as Africa worked hard and won its war against slavery, colonialism and apartheid, the continent had the capacity to overcome its present challenges.

The Zambian first President was speaking at Johannesburg’s Sandton International Convention Centre on Tuesday night when he bestowed the African President of the Year 2009 award on the current South African President Jacob Zuma,

This is according to a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka by Second Secretary for press at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa.

The awards founded by the African awareness Media and the Kenneth Kaunda Children of Africa Foundation which Dr Kaunda is Chairman, recognizes achievements made by the selected recipients in various fields and also serve to honor African leaders.

And in accepting the award, President Zuma praised Dr Kaunda for his good spirit which he said had been a guiding moral compass in Zambia.

Mr Zuma said the awards help remind African leaders of their responsibility to the people they serve.

He said it is a privilege to receive the award from President Kaunda and said Zambia being the former headquarters of ANC was his home away from home due to Dr Kaunda’s unity and hospitality adding that African leaders needed to emulate him.

The South African President noted that what was most special about the award was that it was African recognizing what they consider as achievement and appreciating their own.

He said African leaders have pledged to strive to eradicate poverty, diseases and conflicts and that they would also promote trade, investment, economic growth, skills development and stability on the continent.

“To promote good governance, we established the African Peer Review mechanism to foster economic integration and development we established the New Partnership for Africa development (NEPAD). These must the instrument we use to advance the cause of our continent,” Mr. Zuma said.

Also honored at the same function were Nigeria’s First Lady, Dr Hajiya Yar’ Adua as the best African First Lady of the year, the late South African singer Miriam Makeba as great Daughter of Africa and Nigerian academic Alhaji Dr Maintama Sule as great son of Africa.

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Patriotic Front (PF) Youths have condemned political parties parading traditional leaders during rallies.

PF National Youth Secretary Eric Chanda said his party is also against forcing the traditional rulers into partisan politics.
Mr Chanda said it is culturally unacceptable and disrespectful to take chiefs who are supposed to be non partisan and parade them at political rallies.

He observed that the development is a sad one and can lead to divisions in the respective chiefdoms and the country as a whole.

He said chiefs should be left out of the political ring in order to enable them operate in a non partisan manner to efficiently and without discrimination serve the people in their chiefdoms.

The PF National Youth Secretary said this in a press release made available to ZANIS yesterday.

He disclosed that the PF leader Michael Sata has maximum respect for the chiefs in the country hence the policy to pay a courtesy call on the chief whenever he enters a chiefdom.

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has been outstanding in the last one year where he managed to secure tens of thousands of jobs amidst the global economic crisis.

State House Special Assistant to the President Dickson Jere says the remarks attributed to Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) General Secretary, Oswell Munyenyembe, claiming President Banda had failed to inspire and impress miners in the one-year he has been in office, is regrettable.[quote]

Mr Jere pointed out that one of the key achievements of President Banda has been the manner he (Mr Banda) handled the crisis in the mining sector at a time when most investors had planned to put the mines under care and maintenance, which could have led to job losses.

This is according to a statement received by ZANIS by Mr Jere.

” President Banda personally intervened and persuaded mine owners not to pull out of the country. If they had done so, tens of thousands of mining jobs would have been lost,” he said.

The Special Assistant to the President explained that statement by Mr. Munyenyembe, in The Post November 7, 2009 edition shows that he has deliberately chosen to ignore the facts on the ground.

” Under the leadership of President Banda, Zambia has done remarkably well in mitigating the adverse impact of the global economic crisis,” he said.

He explained that Luanshya Copper Mine is out of care and maintenance and thousands of jobs have been saved and created. Munali Nickel Mine is about to re-open and jobs will be created adding that recently, Chambeshi launched its copper smelter, creating more jobs.

Overall, growth in the mining sector is robust and the sector is expected to grow by 15.2 percent this year despite the global economic crisis.

He reminded Mr. Munyenyembe, that the measures taken by President Banda have helped to stabilise the membership of his union.

” While Zambia lost an estimated 8,500 jobs in the mining sector, the comparable figure for the Democratic Republic of Congo is 200,000 and South Africa 30,000. Most of those who lost jobs in Zambia have been reemployed in case of Luanshya Copper Mines,” Mr Jere said.

revealed that the couple that drowned in the swimming pool last Friday was taking alcohol while conducting swimming lessons.

The bar man who was on duty on the fateful night disclosed to ZANIS this morning that late Mr Elijah Zulu a Zambia Revenue Authority customs officer and Zodie Dube a student of computer science at Evelyn Hone College were both drinking Savanna, an alcohol beverage.

The bar man who asked not to be named disclosed that the couple was ordering waiters to serve them with Savanna beer from the bar as they taught each other how to swim.

“ I was one of those people who were on duty on that day (Friday) and I remember getting orders of Savanna beer from waiters meant for a couple that was having a nice time in the swimming pool,” revealed the named bar man.

The bar man further alleged that the alcohol that the couple took could have had an effect on them and could have forced both of them to drown.

And commenting on the matter, Lusaka province police commanding officer Greenwell said the matter involving the death of the couple is subject to investigations by police.

“Police will carry out their investigations if the family suspects foul play but as am talking now the officer in charge for Siavonga has not given me a feedback apart from the earlier report of the death,” stated Ng’uni in a telephone interview.

Meanwhile, Siavonga district Council has given lodge and guest house owners in Siavonga District a seven days ultimatum in which to provide twenty four hours qualified swimming pool supervisors to avoid deaths occurring in swimming pools.

Council Secretary Ackson Habanji said the premise owners should also provide safety water floaters for their swimming pools for the use of those that are learning how to swim.

Mr. Habanji issued the ultimatum following the death of the Customs officer and his girlfriend who drowned in a swimming pool in Siavonga’s Manchichi bay lodge on Friday last week.

He said all lodge owners with swimming pools in their premises should register with the council in order to ascertain compliance and warned that failure to do so will call for legal action against them.

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