The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)says the Copperbelt University (CBU) Students should have found a proper channel of airing their grievances than resorting to riotous behavior.

The entire COBUSU leadership has been expelled for allegedly being in breach of students’ rules and regulations that led to disturbances that rocked the institution between April 18 and August 12, 2009.

ZCTU President Leonard Hikaumba said in an interview in Lusaka today that the riotous behaviour by the CBU students led to a lot of property getting damaged.

Mr Hikaumba said if the students had followed the proper channel of airing their grievances than resorting to riotous behaviour, no property would have been damaged and that the entire COBUSU leadership could not have been expelled.

He also pointed out that riotous behaviour also leads to innocent people getting injured in the process.

The ZCTU President said the CBU students should have directed all their grievances to the appropriate authorities so that a solution to their problems was found.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hikaunba has noted that it was very unfortunate that the entire Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) has been expelled.

He however, said expelling the entire COBUSU was not the best solution in trying to address the problems that the students were facing at the institution.

ZANIS

VICE- President George Kunda has said part of the 10-month extension of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC)’s sitting period approved by President Rupiah Banda in April has already been covered.

Mr Kunda said this in reaction to an NCC delegate who wanted to know why NCC chairperson Chifumu Banda had said the extension was for 10 months while the president said it was for four months.

He said President Banda was merely interpreting the statutory instrument that was issued for the extension.

The vice-president said the NCC chairperson had explained that the NCC had already covered part of the period and the president was just interpreting the statutory instrument because there were other issues that came into play.

The NCC chairperson said that when Parliament started sitting from September 17, time for the NCC would not be assumed to be sitting.

He said time only ticked for the NCC when it was sitting adding that the same statutory instrument was only published in August.

When some members asked about the remaining days, Mr Banda said the NCC secretariat would handle the issue and explain to the members what the position was.

And most NCC delegates agreed that the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) should be increased to improve representation because some constituencies were too big.

The Willa Mung’omba draft Constitution under Article 159 proposed the number of elected MPs to be increased to 200 but Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao suggested that it should be increased to 300 so that each constituency could be divided into two.

Chongwe MP Sylvia Masebo said the increase to 200 seats was enough and Bweengwa MP Highvie Hamududu agreed saying some constituencies were too big resulting in MPs failing to cover all the areas.

Rev Fauston Sakala said the increment should not exceed 200.
Earlier the delegates adopted Article 158, which said Parliament should have power to summon and dissolve itself and that it should also have power to impeach the president.

But the vice president asked why the conference pick only the role of impeaching the president as opposed to other functions of Parliament.

He said that the article should be deleted to which Professor Patrick Mvunga agreed but after a heated debate the article was adopted.

And the article that sought Parliament to declare and ratify war was postponed so that it could be discussed together with the report from the executive committee.

[Times of Zambia]

Patriotic Front President, Michael Sata, says his party will soon start holding provincial elections to choose delegates to the party’s general conference.

Mr. Sata says the PF will also hold ward and constituency elections countrywide to choose leaders for various party organs.

Mr. Sata also disclosed that Luapula province will be the first province to conduct provincial elections scheduled for next month.

He however did not disclose when the party will hold it’s general conference

And PF Spokesperson Given Lubinda has said that Kasama is a PF-UPND pact stronghold and they will certainly carry the day in the by election slated for October 15.

Mr Lubinda said in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today that the pact was very strong in Kasama and had majority following.

The Kasama Central seat fell vacant after the resignation of Savior Chishimba about two months ago.

Meanwhile Mr Lubinda has said that the PF-UPND pact will this Sunday select a candidate for next month’s Kasama Central by elections.

He expressed confidence that the candidate to be picked would lead the PF-UPND to victory.

Mr Lubinda also noted that the PF-UPND pact would ensure that no election malpractices take place in the Kasama Central by-elections.

He said to the effect, the PF-UPND pact would put as many of its anti-rigging officers to monitor the by-elections.

He said some of the PF-UPND anti rigging officers have since started training on how best to monitor next month’s elections adding that he was confident that the pact anti-rigging officers would do a commendable job.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has directed the Ministry of Education to come up with legislation that will enforce adherence to required standards of the education sector.

President Banda also urged Zambians home and abroad to consider investing in the country using their gained professional skills if Zambia is to become a middle income nation by the year 2030.

President Banda issued the directive in Lusaka when he officiated at the first ever graduation ceremony of 201 students at the Zambia Open University (ZOU).

President Banda says such legislation framework enforced by the MoE should strive to see higher learning institutions become excellent.

Mr Banda says the piece of legislation would provide a platform for Zambians to be proud of as they excel in education.

During the same function, President Banda installed Professor Francis Yamba as the First Chancellor for the ZOU.

ZOU becomes the First private and indigenous university in the country. It has a total enrollment of 5064 students.

Mr Banda congratulated Prof. Yamba on his immense contribution towards uplifting the education standards in the country.

He said government welcomes initiatives coming from people adding that government stands ready to come in when citizens have shown willingness to contribute to their country.

Mr Banda expressed optimism that Zambian universities and colleges would now be able to produce large numbers of grandaunts provided the education policy directions are instituted by university and college authorities.

And speaking earlier, ZOU Vice Chancellor Professor Dickson Mwansa said the institution is faced with financial problems such as students failing to pay their education fees in full among other problems.

Prof. Mwansa further said the infrastructure was a problem as the institution is renting a building.

He appealed to government to assist scout for land for the construction of a new university.

First republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Senior Chief Mumena and Lusaka Province Minister Charles Shawa were some the people who witnessed the 2009 ZOU 1st graduation ceremony.

ZANIS