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The three Zambians diagnosed with the Swine Flu in Belgrade have arrived in the country and have been quarantined.
One of the patients is in Lusaka while, two others are on the Copperbelt.
Acting Spokesperson in the Ministry of Health, Elizabeth Chizema, confirmed this to ZNBC news in an interview in Lusaka.
Dr. Chizema said the patient in Lusaka has been treated while those on the Copperbelt are receiving medication.
The patients were part of Zambian students who participated in sporting games in Belgrade,Serbia.
Symptoms of the Pandemic influenza are similar to those of seasonal ordinary flu which manifest in fever, running nose, sore throat, headache and fatigue.
Over 700 people around the world have died since the outbreak four months ago.
There are now over 125,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide but the WHO acknowledges the number of actual cases far exceeds that.
The Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources has expressed grave concern over the continued encroachment in Forestry Reserves.
Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Deputy Minister, in charge of Environment, Vera Tembo says if the practice is not checked, water catchment areas would be devastated.
Ms. Tembo was speaking yesterday after a tour of Forest Reserve N0.69 in Kafue where it was discovered that there is unauthorized construction of residential houses in the Forest Reserve and charcoal burning is going on unabated.
The Deputy Minister and Forestry officials confiscated charcoal from those producing it without licenses.
Ms. Tembo warned against illegal charcoal production and called upon local authorities to work with the Forestry department in ensuring that no one settled in the forest reserve.
She said the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources will soon be devising measures to make communities play a role in policing forest reserves in the country in order to control illegal charcoal burning and encroachment.
ZANIS
The National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) has taken eight employers in Kabwe to task for failure to remit contributions as stipulated by the law.
Head of Prosecutions James Sinyangwe revealed this to ZANIS in an interview in Kabwe today and named the eight business houses as Baines Motors Limited, Kabwe Medical Consultants, That Place, Pite Bar and Restaurant, Chrisima Midi Bar, Slice Technology and Nochi’s Lodge.
Mr. Sinyangwe said the culprits would appear in court on 20th and 21st August, 2009 for trial.
He appealed to all defaulting employers throughout the country to avoid being taken to court by paying statutory contributions for their employees.
“As National Pension Scheme Authority, we consider all the employers as stakeholders in protecting employees’ benefits,” he said.
He further appealed to employers facing financial difficulties to arrange the best contribution remission method with the manager in their respective trading areas.
Mr. Sinyangwe warned that those who would continue defaulting would be taken to court, for the law to take its course.
ZANIS
CHIEF Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has castigated Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President Edith Nawakwi for alleging that President Banda is leading the country on a path of economic disaster.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said Ms Nawakwi should stop issuing statements on President Banda’s leadership as she is not offering any support to the country’s economic development.
General Shikapwasha was reacting to a comment made by the FDD President Edith Nawakwi that President Banda was leading Zambia on a path of economic disaster.
He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Ms Nawakwi should check herself before making statements pertaining to the country’s economic development.
“Ms Nawakwi must stop issuing negative statements about Mr Banda because the President has done a lot of things that have since helped to improve the economy of the country.
“People like Ms Nawakwi are just job seekers; that is the reason why they are speaking ill of President Banda and his administration. Ms Nawakwi is a failure who has failed to give moral support to President Banda and his administration,” he said.
“President Banda is doing very well and people like Ms Nawakwi should know that President Banda became President for this nation when there was the global economic meltdown. So let us not just be criticising for the sake of winning cheap political mileage,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha said Zambia’s economy is improving and that a lot of investment in the key sectors of the economy is being recorded.
Residents in Kabompo district conducted a peaceful demonstration against the continued erratic electricity power supply in the area.
The residents are disappointed that the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation, ZESCO, has failed to improve supply in the district.[quote]
The residents, who marched from Musamba market to the ZESCO plant, demanded for the immediate shutdown of the generator and later matched to the District Commissioner’s office to air their grievances.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Kabompo District Business Committee and Electricity Consumer Chairperson, Kennedy Samba, said the erratic electricity supply being experienced in the district has resulted in loss of lives because operations of key sections at the district hospital have negatively been affected.
Mr Samba also attributed the poor grades for pupils in schools in the district to frequent power outages.
The residents have asked ZESCO to immediately replace the generator with a new one within 14 days.
They also asked government to intervene in the matter and implement permanent measures to address the problem.
District Commissioner, Rebecca Mukuka, told the residents that concerns raised will be availed to relevant authorities for possible action.
LUSAKA lawyer Kelvin Hang’andu has joined the petition by Simeza, Sangwa and Associates asking the High Court to order Chief Justice, Ernest Sakala and Supreme Court judge, Peter Chitengi to vacate their offices.
Mr Hang’andu said in a letter to Mr Sangwa and copied to the attorney general and Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) that he was interested in the matter because of what he called the grave constitutional question involved in it.
Mr Sangwa on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the Lusaka High Court asking Mr Justice Sakala and Mr Justice Chitengi to vacate their offices which they allegedly occupied illegally because they had reached retirement age.
“We formally express our interest and desire to appear as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the punitive legal action against the Attorney General concerning this matter,” reads part of Mr Hang’andu’s letter.
He stated that his chambers wished to seek an extraordinary general meeting of LAZ to press for an in-depth investigation into the matter and determination whether the matter alleged stood as facts.
Mr Hang’andu stated that his chambers felt that every advocate of the High Court and in particular practitioners enjoying audience rights in the Supreme Court was affected by the status quo.
MMD parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga has said that the impeachment plan by the opposition is baseless because they have failed to tabulate the breaches they allege President Rupiah Banda has committed.
Patriotic Front (PF) chairperson for local government and housing, Wynter Kabimba has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, stating that he has been instructed in his capacity as a lawyer to give a notice of motion for impeachment of the president.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mwaanga said if the PF and United Party for National Development (UPND) were serious about impeaching Mr Banda, they could have tabulated all the alleged constitutional breaches.
He said to the surprise of the MMD, the said letter was only on one page and without substantiating the claims against the president.
“They should also know that Mr Wynter Kabimba has no standing to write about the impeachment because he is not an MP. According to Article 37 of the Constitution, impeachment proceedings can only be started by an MP and Mr Kabimba is not an MP,” Mr Mwaanga said.
He said according to the Constitution, the impeachment proceedings could be started when the letter handed over to the Speaker had been signed by one third of the MPs but that had not been done.
He said that the impeachment of a head of state could only be commenced if the office holder had violated the Constitution and in this case the opposition parties had failed to state what violation had been committed.
And Chief Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said that the Government was ready to defend itself as President Banda said on Tuesday.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said the opposition were merely playing to the gallery and advised them to desist from entertaining the public through cheap politics.
MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said the opposition has failed to offer justifiable reasons for their calls to impeach President Banda.
In a letter dated July 21, 2009 to the speaker, Mr Kabimba of WM Kabimba & C
ompany said his law firm had been instructed to advise its clients the various breaches of the articles of the Republican Constitution by President Banda for presentation of the motion for impeachment.
“These breaches cover the period from August 2008 when Mr Banda was acting as president of the Republic of Zambia following the demise of president Levy Mwanawasa in Paris, France todate,” reads the letter in part.
In his letter copied to PF leader Michael Sata, his UPND counterpart Hakainde Hichilema and what he termed MMD client members, Mr Kabimba stated that he was acting for the PF, UPND and ruling MMD MPs.
“We shall forward the motion to your office for presentation by our clients within 14 days from the date hereof,” reads the letter to the speaker.
UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma in a separate interview said members of the pact were still looking for evidence of the alleged violation of the Constitution by the president
Mr Kakoma said the grounds included the alleged violation of the Constitution, m
ismanagement of the country’s affairs and gross misconduct, among the said charges.
Inspector General of Police, Francis Kabonde, has ordered the arrest of a police officer, who detained a pregnant woman in Kasama last week.
Mr. Kabonde says the officer should be arrested and prosecuted as her action negatively affects the police image.
The IG has condemned, what he termed as unprofessional conduct, of the police officer who detained a pregnant woman a situation that resulted in the detainee giving birth whilst in detention.
He explained that the desire of the police high command is to preside over a disciplined, alert and professional police service that respects the rights of all citizens, including suspects or accused persons, who are deemed innocent until proven guilty by courts of law.[quote]
Police Service spokesperson Bonnie Kapeso said in Lusaka yesterday that Mr. Kabonde expressed regret that the pregnant woman could not be released on bond despite facing a bailable offence.
The woman, who gave birth in police cells, was detained for the offence of child abuse by the Victim Support Unit (VSU) officers.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kabonde has refuted allegations that the woman gave birth in police cells saying the woman gave birth in a private room at the police station whilst in custody and was even attended to by a nurse who was at the police station at the time of delivery.
The IG has, further, said the arrest and subsequent prosecution of the officer involved in the incident will act as a deterrent measure to would be offenders in the service.
Failure to host this years beleaguered Zambia Open Championship would have been a sporting low point, Zambia Golf Union boss Joe Malanji has said.
Malanji was delighted on Wednesday after Sunshine Tour director Gary Todd gave the Zambia Open, to be hosted by Ndola Golf Club next month, the thumbs-up.
The Zambia Open had already been postponed twice this year so far after Chainama and Lusaka Golf Club’s both withdrew as hosts due to the economic downturn.
Malanji said should Ndola have failed to host the Zambia Open, it would have been a national tragedy, clearly in reference and the wake of Zambia’s failed bid to host the 2011 All-African Games.
“When you go out there, it was not going to be a case of which club failed to host the event,” Malanji said.
Meanwhile, Todd has given the Ndola course a pass for the Championship adding that it was in perfect condition despite the challenges the club faced of maintaining it in the dry season.
Todd said a field of 144 golfers were expected to take part in this years Zambia Open.
This will be the second time this decade that the Zambia Open will be held at Ndola after previously hosting the Championship in 2007.
Ndola will host this years Zambia Open to the tune of US$220,000.00.
The Zambia Open is one of six Sunshine Tour events outside South Africa.
Swaziland hosts four Sunshine Tour tournaments while the other is the Namibia PGA Championship.
Eleven people are feared dead after their boats capsized on Lake Bangweulu.The incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday when two boats carrying a team of fishermen was allegedly hit by a strong wave on the lake.
Samfya Acting District Commissioner, Godfrey Zimba, confirmed to ZANIS that initial reports reaching his office indicate that the accident occurred between Mbabala and Chishi Islands.
“It appears the group consisted of fishermen trying to catch ‘Chisense’ when they were overwhelmed by the waves that led their boats to capsize and subsequently drown them,” he said.
Mr. Zimba regretted that some fishermen have continued to disregard the advice by authorities, urging them to avoid getting on the waters to fish when the weather is not conducive.
He said his office is awaiting a comprehensive brief over the incident in which more people are feared dead.
Mr Zimba said a report is being awaited on the number of bodies retrieved so far.
ZANIS
George KundaVice President George Kunda, who is also Minister of
Justice, has today told Parliament that the National Constitution Conference (NCC) will continue sitting up to 2010 in order for it to come up with a constitution that will stand the test of time.
Mr. Kunda was responding to a question raised by Chipili Member of parliament Davis Mwila who wanted to know how much money will be spent on NCC and how the disbursement of funds to the conference has been.
Mr Kunda told the house that about K52 billion has since been disbursed to the NCC for 2008.
He explained that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning gives the money to the Ministry of Justice, which is later taken to Bank of Zambia and then to NCC.
Mr. Kunda said government will ensure that the NCC does a commendable job and comes up with a constitution that will stand the test of time in order to benefit and serve the nation.
He further said about K50 billion was allocated to NCC for the 2009 budget, noting that this would be the last allocation to the conference.
He noted that government was committed to providing Zambians with good governance of the country and improving the electoral process to serve the nation.
Livingstone international airportSenior Chief Munankolya Mukuni of the Toka Leya People of
Kazungula District says Livingstone International Airport is far from what it is expected to be despite being rehabilitated to accommodate increased traffic.
Chief Mukuni who bemoaned the unnecessarily long queues that passengers are subjected to called for further expansion of the Airport to match the city’s status as the tourist capital of the nation.
He said this during the Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) workshop for the Greater Livingstone Tourism Development Project organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources held in Livingstone recently.
Chief Mukuni also stressed the need to establish a ‘bigger’ international airport in Kazungula District due to its proximity to neighboring Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
He said the district was lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development which needs to be addressed if the tourism industry was expected to develop positively.
However, Livingstone Airport Manager Joseph Mumbi said plans were underway to expand the departure lounge while rehabilitation works on the main concourse would commence in four months time.
Mr. Mumbi said once the works were completed, the airport would among other things, have additional retail space and an outdoor restaurant with the view of the runway.
Meanwhile, the proposed establishments of artificial beaches in the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park were rejected by participants at the Strategic Environmental Assessments workshop.
The participants argued that setting up artificial beaches in a natural environment like the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park would result in loss of wilderness value, silting of the Zambezi River, introduction of foreign materials and restriction of animal movement in the park.
The participants instead suggested the development and improvement of existing beaches along Lake Kariba and Tanganyika respectively and alternative locations for the artificial beaches outside the National Park.
Sizable pieces of land in Livingstone and Kazungula, have been set aside for tourism development.
Zambia could face a West African opponent in a friendly next month in Europe.Or will they?
Ghana and Gabon are the two teams being considered according to Faz today.
The game set for August 12 at a venue to be announced in Europe and will be played prior to Zambia’s training camp in Holland that begins on august 17.
However, it seems Gabon nor Ghana will not be available on August 12.
Gabon have a confirmed away date against Benin in another friendly match.
Ghana on the other hand are looking set to face Morocco in Rabat on the Fifa match date.
According to north Africa news service website Magharebia, Morocco has opted to host Ghana rather than DR Congo after negotiations for the friendly fell through with the inaugural CHAN winners.
Rainford Kalaba is hoping to making an impact in his first season back at Portuguese top club Sporting Braga after returning from a loan spell.
Kalaba, who joined Braga last season from Afrisports, was loaned to division 2 side Gil Vincente for the entire 2008/2009 campaign to get some playing time and experience of Portuguese football.
“I want to show my soccer and I will do everything in my powers to grasp this chance to make an impact,” Kalaba told Braga’s official website.
“I am going to work and to prove that I want to make a valuable contribution to the team and have learned always something new every day – and this is very important for me.”
He scored nine goals for Vicente six in the league including another three for the division 2 club in the Portuguese Cup where they reached the 4th round.
This is the midfielders second stint in Europe after an unsuccessful and brief spell at French Ligue 1 club Nice in 2006.
