Confusion reigned in Shangombo district today when residents protested against Zesco’s attempt to move a power generator from there to Chavuma district in North-western province.

The residents foiled the move by Zesco management to transport one of the power generators to another province.
Sinjembela Member of Parliament (MP) Mubika Mubika confirmed the development to ZANIS in a telephone interview today.

Mr. Mubika said a Zesco vehicle which was carrying the equipment, has since been detained at Shangombo police station.

He expressed disappointment with Zesco management for attempting to take away one of the two generators from his district to another especially that the area has had no electricity for many decades now.

Mr. Mubika lamented that he was not informed about the move by Zesco to take away the generator from his area to Chavuma district.
He wondered how his area would develop without electricity, which he said was a driving force to attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Mr. Mubika said power was vital to Shangombo district because of the ongoing developmental projects in the health, education, agriculture, tourism and local government in the area.

He said it would be irrational for Zesco to take one generator away especially that the two pieces of electricity generating equipment were not yet operating well.

Mr. Mubika, who is also Communications and Transport Deputy Minister, castigated Zesco saying he would lose his political stability if electricity supply was interrupted.

“ZESCO should know that Shangombo district is growing at a faster rate because of the developmental projects embarked on by government in my area and it is for this reason that government is pumping in a lot of funds to Shangombo district to spearhead development,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zesco has since instructed its engineers to stop the decision to remove the generator from Shangombo.

Zesco Public Relations Manager Lucy Zimba told ZANIS in an interview that in the interim, the company would look for an alternative way to provide Chavuma district with a generator.

Ms. Zimba said even though one generator was removed from Shangombo to another district, it could have been on short term basis because the other generator in the district was capable of supplying the entire area with electricity.

“Shangombo has got two generators and getting one of the generators was done in the short term basis because we realise that Shangombo has got a few customers. We have rescinded the decision to remove one of the generators from there to Chavuma district,” she said.

Chavuma and Shangombo districts are among the districts in the country that are run by thermal power generator.

Government, realising the cost of fuel has embarked on the rural electrification programme to connect Chavuma and Shangombo districts to the national grid.

ZANIS

Teachers in Northern Province have ended their two-week long strike action and have since resumed work.
Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Provincial chairperson, Nondo Kasanda confirmed the development in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Nakonde yesterday.

Mr. Kasanda, who is also Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Nakonde branch, said teachers in all the 12 districts in Northern Province have ended their strike action and gone back to work.

He said the union in the province was happy that the teachers have decided to resume work despite being unhappy with the 15 per cent salary increment which it signed with government recently.
He commended teachers for their resolve to resume work in the interest of the children and the nation at large.

Mr. Kasanda said the union was aware that its membership was disappointed and frustrated with the outcome of the protracted negotiations for increased salaries and improved conditions of service for the year 2009.
He has also supported calls for the formation of one teacher union so as to increase the bargaining power.

And Mr. Kasanda has said teachers in Northern Province have welcomed the appointment of Dora Siliya as Minister of Education, replacing Geoffrey Lungwangwa, who has gone to the ministry of Communications.

Mr. Kasanda appealed to Ms. Siliya to quickly settle down and ensure that a technical committee is appointed to look into the issues of housing allowances for the teachers and ensure that they are concluded soon.

The ZNUT provincial chairperson has also invited Ms. Siliya to visit Northern Province schools in Chiluba and Kaputa districts for her to appreciate the problems being faced by the teachers there.
He also appealed to the minister to ensure that teachers were paid their outstanding fixed housing allowances in good time.

ZANIS

The Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church Dorcas mothers in Nakonde district in Northern Province yesterday cleaned up Nakonde police cells.

The Dorcas mothers also prepared food for the remandees and later donated food stuffs worth thousands of Kwacha.

Speaking to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) at Nakonde police station shortly after the cleaning exercise, Nakonde Main Church Dorcas Leader, Catherine Sinyangwe said the church had a duty of looking after the needy people in society.
Ms. Sinyangwe said the church will not relent in carrying out community services in the quest to improve the living standards of the vulnerable people in society.
She also appealed to those in prison to always remember to pray to God to intervene in their situations.

Earlier, SDA pioneer Elias Chileshe, in his special sermon to the remandees said God does not forsake his children no matter what they do.
Reading from Luke 15:11, Chileshe said God was always willing to receive his children as long as they confessed their sins.
He also appealed to the members of the public to stay away from going against the law saying God is not pleased seeing his children in prison.

ZANIS

Authorities at Saint Mark’s boarding high school in Choma, Southern Province have been given a two-week ultimatum to resolve the problem of poor sanitation which is threatening the lives of pupils at the learning institution.

The ultimatum has been issued by the district Joint Monitoring Team on Sanitation chaired by chief Macha.[quote]

ZANIS reports that according to a report submitted in Choma to a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)sponsored workshop on legal enforcement under the Community Led Total Sanitation programme, the action follows an inspection by a team of health experts conducted at the school Friday.

The report states that pupils at the institution answer the call of nature in the surrounding bush as the ablution block is in a pathetic state due to erratic supply of water.

The extent of open defaecation which is evident around the school premises has the potential to spread disease to both the institution and surrounding communities, the workshop heard.

The report has also revealed that raw effluent discharged from the school sewer system is flowing into the adjacent Munyeke stream thereby posing a serious danger to unsuspecting villagers consuming water from the stream.

The workshop heard that the school surroundings are in a pathetic state due to the accumulation of heaps of garbage and general neglect by the school administration.

“At the time of inspection, the school management was very uncooperative and could not take any advice to improve the school sanitation, “the report states. “The school has been given two weeks to resolve its sanitation challenges failure to which closure will be recommended in line with the provision of the law to protect human life.”

The report also raised concern at the poor state of the school dining hall which has no chairs but only old and dirty tables, forcing pupils to take their meals while standing.

And chief Macha who described the situation at Saint Marks boarding high school as unfortunate said he would next week personally visit the institution in his capacity as chairperson of the district Joint Monitoring Team on Sanitation to discuss the matter with the school administration.

He said the school may be recommended for closure if the administration fails to abide by recommendation of the health inspectors.

“I am extremely embarrassed by what is happening at the school which has a good record of academic excellence. Something has gone wrong at management level. I will go there next week to discuss with the headmaster so that we find a lasting solution,” he said.

ZANIS

The just ended workshop on legal enforcement sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)in Choma, Southern Province has recommended that councillors at the Choma Municipal council should pass a by-law on illegal street vending that will provide for the arrest and prosecution of both the seller and buyer.

The workshop participants who included all the chiefs, councillors and health inspectors noted that illegal vending was being perpetuated by people who are buying from the streets instead of established outlets.

ZANIS reports that they noted that passing a by-law that will provide for the arrest and prosecution of both the seller and buyer will deter people from buying on the street as they would be scared to face the consequences of their action.

The workshop that was also attended by chief Macha who is the chairperson for the district joint monitoring team on sanitation also resolved to step up legal enforcement on public health in order to achieve behavioral change towards areas of sanitation concern.[quote]

Another resolution was that council police should mount regular patrols and arrest all street vendors.

Chief Macha said the patrols must be well timed as street vendors have devised another way of eluding police by conducting their business in the evenings when council police have knocked off.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) says practicing legal enforcement in the country is not easy because health inspectors face many challenges.

ZACA Director Michael Musenga told the UNICEF sponsored workshop in Choma on legal enforcement that environmental health technicians find difficulties to execute their duties and have to rely on personal initiatives.

Mr Musenga said lack of transport and support from the ministry of health is making it difficult for environment health technicians to carry out health inspections resulting in compromised public health.

He however called upon health inspectors to continue sacrificing in order to help strengthen public health.

Mr Musenga also noted that most food laws that health inspectors needed to enforce were not known to the people, making it necessary to carry out a sensitisation campaign.

“It is difficult to enforce law when the public are ignorant about it. We must educate the community first on the food laws and other public health laws,” he said.

ZANIS