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South African President Jacob Zuma First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda has called
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.
Gender in Development Division (GIDD) Permanent Secretary Matando Yeta , says there is need for all Zambians to get involved in reducing cases of gender based violence (GBV) in the country.
Ms Yeta says GBV cases in the country have been on an increase in the recent past and needs a broad based community participation to end the vice.
Speaking ahead of the 16 days of Activism against Gender violence in Zambia, Ms Yeta says preparations to commemorations would start on 25 November to 5 December, 2009.
Ms Yeta was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka today.
The 2009’s 16 days of Activism against Gender violence is being celebrated under the theme dubbed “Commit–Act–Demand: We End Violence against women.“
The PS called on all stakeholders to actively take part in the 16 days of activism and the need for all to speak-out against all forms of Violence against women.
She disclosed that her ministry has lined up a lot of activities before the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women being organised by the Centre for Women‘s Global Leadership that has been mandated co-ordinates the 16 days-Activism.
Ms Yeta noted the need for every Zambian to demand protection against perpetrators of gender adding that it is a Right for every one.
She implored people in districts and provinces up to national level that they should actively participate in this year’s commemorations of the 16 days of Activism against Gender violence .
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.
A 12 year old boy of Kalomo has been arrested by Police following the death of a fellow minor.
Police sources in Kalomo who confirmed the incident to ZANIS said the minor hit his friend with a stick on the head after a quarrel over a broken fishing rod. The boy that was hit later died in the district hospital .
The sources named the deceased as Busiku Hikuhuna, 13 of Chibwe farm who died yesterday. The named accused is currently in police custody.
The duo are reported to have picked a quarrel around 17:00 hours on Sunday when the accused broke the deceased’s fishing rod. The deceased is reported to have punched the accused on the cheek who then in anger got a stick and hit his friend on the head. Hikuhuna sustained injuries and later died in the Kalomo district hospital.
And in another development, a combined team of state and council police yesterday swung into action around midnight and pounced on underage people patronising night clubs and beer houses in the township.
Kalomo District Council Secretary, Alfred Mungalu said over 15 juveniles were nabbed in the raid. He said their parents would be called in to be given first warning to keep their children from patronising beer premises.
He warned that the civic authority would from now onwards not hesitate to nab under age patrons in beer premises to bring sanity as stipulated by the law.
Luanshya Copper MinesPresident Rupiah Banda’s performance in the mining sector
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.
Kafue District Commissioner Winford Ngoma has ordered head teachers in the district not to allow grade nine and twelve pupils to hold end of year parties.
Mr. Ngoma has also warned bars and night clubs in the district not host such parties as those found doing so will be made not to renew their liquor licenses.
He said his office has already received reports that both grade nine and twelve pupils were already organizing end of year parties in some night clubs which is illegal.
He said government some three years ago banned such activities as they encouraged mischievous behavior and caused unnecessary problems.
Mr. Ngoma said pupils should not conduct themselves in such behaviors as writing junior and high school examinations was not the end of life. He said young people should prepare themselves for the future and by behaving responsibly.
Mr. Ngoma said there was nothing wrong with pupils to end their examinations by just going home and stay with families instead of going drinking and misbehaving in night clubs.
He said his office has already engaged state and council police to watch out for bars and places that want to host such functions.
Mr. Ngoma also took a swipe at owners of bars and nightclubs for allowing such function as it was encouraging underage patronage. He said government will not be happy with such owners and will not hesitate to revoke their licenses.
A TANKER in the fleet of several others that are ferrying fuel from the port of Dar-es-Salaam yesterday collided with a bus on the Great North Road, killing 18 people on the spot and leaving 47 others with serious injuries.
Police spokesperson, Bonnie Kapeso said the fatal accident happened yesterday morning in Matumbo area in Chinsali District.
Mr Kapeso said the Scania Marcopolo bus, registration number ABL 2284, was coming from Kitwe when it collided with the on-coming tanker, registration number T362 and trailer registration number T742 that was traveling from Nakonde.
The Government hired Dalbit Petroleum of Kenya to import 25 million litres of diesel and 15 million litres of petrol for Zambia via the Tanzanian port of Dar-es-Salaam to avert a fuel crisis following last month’s shutdown of Indeni Petroleum Refinery for maintenance.
Kuwait’s Independent Petroleum Group (IPG) was also asked to import the finished petroleum products in the same quantities and oil marketing companies were requested to import more fuel leading to a marked increase of fuel tankers on the roads.
Indeni Petroleum Refinery, which was shut down for maintenance, has resumed production but Energy Minister, Kenneth Konga said output was only expected to return to normal by the coming weekend.
Mr Kapeso said of the 18 people who died, 11 were male and the rest were females.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to Chinsali District Hospital Mortuary while 47 passengers who were injured were admitted to the same hospital.
Mr Kapeso said it had not yet been established whether the drivers of the two motor vehicles were among the dead.
Chinsali District Commissioner, Frank Bowa said the health facilities in the district were overwhelmed and failing to cope with the demand for mortuary and medical services from the accident victims.
“The morgue at the Chinsali District Hospital is full such that we are making arrangements to transport some of the dead to Kasama General Hospital mortuary and some of the most critical patients will also be transported to Kasama,” he said.
Mr Bowa said it was difficult to identify some of the dead because the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. Some bodies in the mortuary were dismembered during the accident in which the bus overturned and trapped passengers.
By press time, police and Road Traffic and Safety Agency personnel were trying to remove the mangled bus and truck from the accident scene.
[Times of Zambia]
Manchinchi Bay LodgeA Manchichi bay lodge bar man in Siavonga district has
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.
President Rupiah Banda has advised media organizations against using the media as a tool of destruction.
Speaking live on Radio Chikaya in Lundazi, today, Mr Banda urged the media to refrain from being used by sections of society to stir up confusion in the country by publishing political insults which he said can cause anarchy in the country.
The President, who was speaking on the Radio station’s Good governance and the community programme, stated the media plays an important role of informing the people on various developmental programs.
Mr Banda stressed that as Republican President he has the power to shut down any media organization but said he would not do so because he believes in freedom of the press.
He further stated that the media houses that have been criticizing him, have done the same to his predecessors noting that criticism was not a new thing.
Sections of the media has in the recent past under taken consistent attacks and criticism on President Banda and his administration, a situation that has attracted concerns from peace loving Zambians.
The President, who is in Eastern Province on a working visit, is scheduled to end his visit to the province today after which he is expected to connect to Northwestern Province to drum up support for for Solwezi Central MMD candidate Albert Chifita.
And President Banda has assured the people of Lundazi District that government will complete the construction of the Chipata -Lundazi road.[quote]
He said government realizes that the road is an important road that connects the country to the rest of the country and international markets.
Mr Banda said government would soon complete the 80 plus kilometers construction works to ensure that farmers in the province can access markets for their produce.
He also said that in a meeting with traditional leaders of Lundazi, they had informed him that they were pleased with the feeder roads that are being maintained by the Chinese contractors.
He further assured the nation that all roads in the country would be worked on and maintained.
Meanwhile, president Banda said government reduced the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) pack because government had realized that peasant farmers only require one or two of top and basal dressing fertliser.
He also stressed that government has engaged traditional leaders and churches on the distribution panel to ensure there is no corruption in the distribution of farming inputs.
Police cordoned off Football House this morning after football fans attempted to storm the Faz headquarters.
Faz were protesting the dropping of German-based midfielder Andrew Sinkala and protested over the poor management at Faz.
The protest also forced the cancellation of Herve Renard’s much anticipated press briefing this morning.
However, Renard said he will still brief the press in a one-off media briefing tomorrow or the the day after before heading to Rwanda on Thursday with Zambia.
There has been an air of discontent swirling over the last 24 as Zambia prepares to face Rwanda in a must-win 2010 Group C qualifier in Kigali this Saturday.
Meanwhile, there was tranquillity on a grey and overcast morning on the other side of Lusaka at Independence Stadium as Renard and his men went about the paces.
15 out of the 16 foreign based players all trained Tuesday morning with the exception of Rainford Kalaba from Portugal who arrived around mid-morning to complete the 20-member team called up for the Rwanda clash.
The Zambia Centre for Inter-party dialogue (ZCID)spokesperson Langton Sichone has condemned the violence occurring in the ongoing Solwezi By-election campaigns in Northwestern province.
Mr Sichone said ZCID is concerned with the way political violence has rocked the political landscape during recent by election campaigns and the current one in Solwezi.
He said it was disheartening to note that the perpetrators in the on going violence were members of the ZCID who were all witnesses during the formation of the electoral code of conduct.
He said ZCID expects all political parties to display high levels of political maturity and tolerance in relating with one another in the country.
Mr Sichone said this at a press briefing in Lusaka today.
He said there was need to adhere to democratic ideals and not to judge any member on a party’s position on any issue, but rather to seek deeper and better understanding of what happens in the political arena.
Mr Sichone urged ZCID members to desist from abrogating their own trust deed which requires them to conduct political activities within the democratic framework.
He said ZCID encourages various political parties to open debates where each party would have a chance to make suggestions on the best way of bringing development in the country. He further encouraged political parties to have a culture of consensus and to have mechanisms for consensus –building.
Meanwhile Mr. Sichone has said the violence that rocked the Solwezi by elections could have been prevented had the police acted expeditiously.
He has since urged the Zambia Police to deal with matters professionally because their conduct has always been a source of concern.
He further appealed to cooperating partners who consolidate democracy in the country to come on board and assist ZCID with resources to form the inter party liaison committees as a permanent feature of every election.
Lack of deposit slips at National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE) in Chama is reported to have delayed the distribution of farming inputs to farmers in the district.
District Agricultural Coordinator, James Ngalamila, disclosed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Chipata.
Mr Ngalamila said the district received inputs in good time but his office could not distribute to farmers because they had not yet deposited the moneys in the bank.
“As far as we are concerned, we are ready with the distribution exercise as everything is in place. The only problem is that there are no deposit slips at NATSAVE for cooperatives to deposit their money,’’ he said.
Mr Ngalamila noted that the delay in distributing the inputs would result in serious challenges in transportation because most roads would be impassable during the rainy season.
He said most transporters would refuse to use longer routes that pass through Isoka and Chinsali in the Northern Province to deliver fertilizers and seed to chiefs Lundu, Chibale ,and in Chilubanama area.
“If we started the exercise this time, we could have used shorter routes but I am afraid, the delay will mean that we are going to use longer routes,’’ Mr Ngalamila noted.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngalamila has bemoaned the indiscriminate cutting of trees in chief Chibale’s area.
He said fertile soils were being affected by the careless cutting of trees, alleging that, people with traditional authority were allowing foreigners from a neighbouring country to be cutting Mukwa trees which they transported outside the country.
Mr Ngalamila said the district only had one forestry officer who did not have transport, adding that, at times, he was just helped by state police to make patrols.
A Combined team of Police Officers and council officials in Nchelenge district over the weekend picked up 31 teenagers, among them a Grade six pupil at a named school, who were found patronizing bars and night clubs.
The officers picked up 20 girls and eleven boys from drinking places in Kashikishi and Nchelenge BOMA in a clean up operation which lasted from around 21:00 hours to about 03:00 hours.
Among those apprehended from Kashgets Night Club, Mushima Nights, Kafindondo Night Club and Kabwe Bar were teenage prostitutes and alcohol abusers aged between 10 and 17 years old.
A ZANIS reporter, who witnessed the incident, found the officers bundling the teenagers, some of whom were very drunk, into council and police vehicles, which later took them to Nchelenge Police Station where they have been detained.
Meanwhile, Nchelenge District Council Secretary, Mwilu Lukwesa, has warned owners of drinking places allowing underage youths to patronize their premises that they risk being shut down by the local authority.
Mr Lukwesa said the local authority has started compiling a list of drinking places patronized by youths and may not renew their licenses at the end of the year.
He said the local authority, in collaboration with the police, will prosecute all the owners of the bars and night clubs where the children were caught.
Mr Lukwesa called on parents and all stakeholders to ensure that they look after their children and ensure that they do not enter drinking places.
He lamented that Nchelenge has continued to record high incidences of HIV and AIDS infections, teenage pregnancies and early marriages because of vices such as beer drinking and prostitution among youths.
Mr Lukwesa said the operations are on going and will soon spread to villages around the district.
President Rupiah Banda says he has delivered some of the promises he made during his campaigns for republican president last year.
President Banda said he has worked hard to ensure that his promises were delivered.
He was speaking late Monday afternoon, shortly after he arrived at Lundazi airstrip from Chama district.
He also thanked the people of Lundazi for voting for him in last year’s presidential election, saying Lundazi produced the highest votes in Eastern province.
Meanwhile, President Banda is this morning expected to meet traditional leaders and MMD party officials after which he will hold a rally at Kaunda Square grounds in the afternoon. He will fly back to Chipata later in the afternoon. Mr. Banda will complete his visit to Eastern province and proceed to Solwezi in North-Western province on Thursday.
Earlier, Lundazi District MMD chairman, Frackson Banda assured the
President that the people in the district were in support of his presidency.
Mr. Banda appealed to the President to contest the presidency in 2011 so that he could start his own term in office.
“This term is not yours, you are merely completing the term of the
late President Levy Mwanawasa. You need to start your own,” he said.
A main road in Chitokoloki North-western ProvinceBy Henry Kyambalesa
There is never a dull moment in Zambia nowadays, particularly during Parliamentary sittings, and during campaigns for Parliamentary by-elections.
In campaigns leading to the Solwezi Central Parliamentary by-election, for example, Solwezi district has become another battleground for political hooligans after violent incidents during the recent Chitambo and Kasama Parliamentary by-elections. And Vice-President George Kunda has not ceased to embarrass himself by making meaningless statements.[quote]
It is surprising that Kunda would go Solwezi to campaign for the MMD candidate and make irrelevant statements that:
(a) MMD is committed to retain the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation in the new Republican constitution currently being crafted by the National Constitutional Conference (NCC);
(b) Hakainde Hichilema was in Solwezi to campaign for Michael Sata because he was unlikely to stand in 2011;
(c) the MMD has maintained peace and stability in the country from 1991 and that is what the party wants to continue doing; and (d) that MMD has never been violent.
Many of these statements do not address the issues which are haunting the people in Solwezi District or North-Western Province.
Besides, there was peace and stability during the UNIP era before the MMD assumed power. Also, violence perpetrated by MMD cadres recently has been condemned by all peace-loving Zambians nationwide, and are still fresh in people’s minds. Even in campaigns leading to the Solwezi Central by-election, MMD hooligans have already gone on record as having engaged in violent activities.
And by asking residents to “vote for a candidate that will have an easy access to government resources in order for development to flourish in the area … [and] so that development can continue”, Kunda is sowing seeds of secession. Such language is likely to make people in North-Western Province to start seeking secession due to potential neglect for not voting for an MMD candidate.
President Rupiah Banda needs to remove Kunda from one of the two portfolios he currently holds. He seems to be suffering from stress caused by work overload, or has he become senile at such a young age?
By the way, there are a lot of important projects and programs which the government needs to pursue in the North-Western Province in order to improve the socio-economic well-being of residents, such as the following:
(a) Construction of a nursing school in Mwinilunga, and upgrading the Solwezi School of Nursing so that it can offer Registered Nursing services.
(b) Construction of a bridge on the Zambezi river to connect the east bank to the west bank where discoveries of oil and gas deposits have apparently been made in Chavuma and Zambezi districts in order to facilitate the exploitation of, and further exploration for, oil and gas and other minerals.
(c) Completion of the tarring and maintenance of major roads in the entire province, including the Mutanda-Chavuma (M8) road, Solwezi-Lumwana road, and the Solwezi-Kipushi road.
(d) Tarring and maintenance of local streets throughout the province, such as the Kimasala, Kyafukuma, Mbonge, Messengers, Kyalalankuba, and Kansanshi Mine streets in Solwezi district in collaboration with the Kansanshi Foundation.
(e) Construction of the planned railway line from Chingola to Benguela in Angola through Solwezi and Mwinilunga districts, maintenance of the Mwinilunga-Jimbe road which links Zambia to Angola, and active participation in the construction of a dual carriage way from Chingola to the Lumwana Mine being developed by Australian Equinox Minerals.
(f) Improvement of infrastructure at Solwezi airport, rehabilitation of all airstrips in the province, and expansion of Kifubwa, Solwezi, Mutanda, Mundanya, and other major bridges in the province.
(g) Development and maintenance of roads leading to tourist centres—that is: the Kifubwa National Monument, Mutanda Falls in Solwezi, Nyambwezu National Monument, Zambezi Source National Monument, Zambezi Rapids in Mwinilunga East and West, Lunga National Parks in Mufumbwe and Kasempa, Chinyingi Foot Bridge, Chavuma Rapids, and the Zambezi beach.
(h) Improvement of accommodation standards in tourist centers by providing incentives for the construction of motels and 5-star hotels (similar to the new Royal Solwezi Hotel and Villas in Solwezi) throughout the province.
(i) Speeding up the connection of areas of districts in the province that do not have electrical power to the national electricity grid, and provision of incentives for private investment in revamping the Mwinilunga Cannery factory.
(j) Construction of barracks in Chavuma, Mwinilunga and Solwezi for army officers at border towns, revival of the Kafumfula Zambia National Service (ZNS) camp in Kasempa district, as well as construction of houses for ZNS, police, military, and immigration officers in the province. An additional immigration border post would also need to be built in the province at Ndunga in Kabompo district on Zambia’s border with Angola to control illegal traffic and trade across the border.
(k) Improvement of the availability of safe and clean water throughout the province through boreholes, dams, water pipes, and protected shallow wells, and also provide for modern sewage facilities and both public and private rest rooms.
(l) Upgrading of resettlement schemes in the province by providing financial and material resources for constructing and/or rehabilitating boreholes, water wells, irrigation dams and canals, feeder roads, culverts, low-cost houses, clinics, basic schools, police posts, and other essential public services and facilities. The schemes include the Kazhiba scheme in Solwezi district, and the Litoya and Luwe schemes in Kabompo district. The planned Chikenge scheme in Chief Kalunga’s area, the Kayombo scheme in Chief Chiyengele’s area and Mumbeji scheme in Senior Chief Sikufele’s area should also need to be provided for in terms of essential public services and facilities.
Funding for these kinds of projects and programs nationwide can come from savings which can be realized from reducing the number of Cabinet portfolios by merging and/or abolishing some government ministries and agencies, abolishing the positions of Deputy Minister and District Commissioner, reducing the number of foreign missions by having single embassies to cover clusters of countries, and initiating many other cost-cutting measures.
