PARLIAMENT yesterday unanimously passed three legal bills with acting leader of Government business Kalombo Mwansa saying the amendments were progressive for the country.

The three bills which came up for second reading and passed without much debate were the Legal Practitioners Bill, Zambia Law Development Commission and the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education Bill.

Dr Mwansa, who said the MPs should support amendments to the bills because they were progressive and not controversial, presented all the three bills.

On the Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill, Dr Mwansa said the Bill sought to give guidelines on people who sought to practice law and how they should be removed from office.

He said under the current law, only University Zambia (UNZA) law graduates were eligible to be admitted for a practicing certificate at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE).

He said the Bill sought to allow students from other local universities to be admitted at the institute and at the same time allow the president to appoint the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as a State counsel.

He said while the Legal Practitioners Act allowed ZIALE to admit students from foreign universities, it did not provide for the admission of law graduates from local private universities.

Chairperson of the legal committee Sakwiba Sikota said all witnesses to the committee supported the amendments to the Bill because the current law was contrary to the Constitution because it did not cater for all law graduates in Zambia.

Kalomo Central MP Request Muntanga (UPND) supported the amendment and said there was need for lawyers to be accredited and properly monitored to avoid unscrupulous people from stealing from people.

Presenting the Zambia Law Development Commission Bill, Dr Mwansa said it sought to make it more inclusive and reduce the two-thirds majority to form a quorum for a meeting.

He said the ZIALE Bill also sought to expand the ZIALE council and avoid leakages at the institution.

[Times of Zambia]

The Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) has urged people championing the impeachment of President Rupiah Banda to find other things to do, like addressing the underdevelopment, poverty and disease problems that the country is facing.

ZDDM National Coordinator, Edwin Sakala, says the country is today rocked with a lot of problems such as high employment levels, poverty and hunger among others that also need the attention of opposition political leaders.

Mr Sakala said the recent impeachment statements by the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) pact will not work adding that many Zambians are well informed about the two leaders who have failed to become presidents of the country through elections.

He noted in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today, that it is disappointing to see most senior political leaders take up on a destructive path as aiming for impeachment of the President when they should be addressing the root causes of the country’s problems.

He added that this is why Mr Michael Sata and Mr Hakainde Hichilema should know that the presidential impeachment and antagonistic politics which they have been propagating will not work to their advantage as many Zambians already know who they are.

Mr Sakala charged that Zambians are likely not to vote for them to become presidents of this country should their impeachment agenda be a success.[quote]

He said his organization believes that even if the impeachment agenda goes through and early election is held, the PF/UPND pact can still not rule the country as evidenced in the past elections.

Mr Sakala further advised the two leaders to cool down and reflect on what is necessary for the country, saying removing President Banda from the Presidency just for the sake power is not a solution to many problems the country is faced with.

He stated that there is need for opposition political leaders in Zambia to embark on issues which will benefit the poor masses.

He further warned that ZDDM will ensure that it challenges the pioneers of the impeachment agenda to make sure that a presidential candidate is filed for a common national purpose through broad based understanding.

ZANIS

ammunition by police in quelling disturbances that occurred at the Copperbelt University of Zambia yesterday.

Speaking in Kampala today when he addressed Zambians residents in that country on the sidelines of the ongoing Smart Partnership Movement conference at Munyonyo Commonwealth resort, President Banda said he is extremely disappointed that police had to use live ammunition instead of teargas.

He said he did not understand why police had to resort to shooting
when there were other options of containing the riotous behavior of
the students.

President Banda has demanded for a comprehensive report on
circumstances leading to the use of live ammunition by police.

I am glad that the commissioner of police is here with me. I want to know why police used live ammunition. I am not happy at all. This report has disturbed me and spoiled my stay here in Uganda,” said
President Banda.

He said he was particularly disappointed to learn that the riotous behaviour emanated from a trivial matter involving the theft of a laptop from one of the students.

President Banda has advised University students and other youths not to resort to violent means in resolving personal differences.

He said there are other amicable ways of resolving problems emanating from the highest learning institutions citing the use of dialogue as the most preferred means of settling disputes.

President Banda said Zambians should emulate the way Uganda has scored tremendous strides in the provision of tertiary education to its people resulting in socio-economic development.

He said education is key for any country develop that this explained why Uganda has recorded significant growth in economic growth because of a large number of its citizens who attained university education.

“Education has a lot to with the development of Uganda. Imagine that every year they are churning out 30, 000 graduates,” he said.

President Banda regretted that Zambia’s education base had not been wide enough because of the limited number of people going through tertiary education.

ZANIS

Solwezi District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), Fredrick Munkinyi, says 42 per cent of girls in the district drop out of school due to pregnancies.

Mr Munkinyi said 42 per cent of school girls in between grades five to nine drop out of school before they complete basic school while 21 per cent leave school for early marriages, and attributing this to cultural practices, negative attitude towards education and poor sanitation in most schools.

He said this in a report presented to the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) held in Boma Conference Hall.

Mr Munkinyi said there was need to improve water and sanitation, sensitization of the value of education, and increase bursaries in primary and secondary education sectors.

Mr Munkinyi said the increase in pollution in the district has exerted pressure on education facilities resulting in crowded classrooms and inadequate staff accommodation, toilets, learning materials and teachers.

He said the enrollment rate has been constant on average for the past four years, saying the goal of 80 per cent rate of seven year olds who enter school for the first time was not achieved.

Mr Munkinyi attributed this to the increasing number of underage children in urban schools and over age children in rural schools.

He said there was need to ensure that children are enrolled at the right age in urban and rural schools and sensitize parents on enrolling their children at the right age both in urban and rural schools.

Mr Munkinyi observed that the teacher-pupil ratio has been increasing gradually since 2005, saying more pupils are coming to the district than the teachers the district was receiving, hence the need to construct additional classrooms and staff houses for the teachers.

ZANIS

a K48 billion budget to the Treasury for the continuous voter registration exercise scheduled to start in October this year.

Government allocated K5 billion in this year’s budget for the commencement of the continuous voter registration exercise.

Opening a symposium for members of Parliament on the continuous voter registration and delimitation exercise, ECZ chairperson Judge Florence Mumba said K48 billion will enable the Commission to open an average of 10 mobile registration centres in every district for a limited period

She said the amount does not include the acquisition of equipment, which will be purchased through the help of cooperating partners coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme.

Judge Mumba appealed to MPs to ensure that the ECZ is funded adequately for the successful implementation of the continuous voter registration exercise..

She said in 2007, a budget of K119 billion was submitted to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning but that only K84 million was approved, while in 2008, the same budget was submitted but was not approved.

Judge Mumba said the ECZ can not start the exercise on the funds approved in 2007 because they could not meet the basic minimum for starting the exercise.

“This demonstrates that Government has a lot to do in terms of making continuous voter registration a reality,” she said.

She also called on MPs to lend more support to the department of national registration so that its register is digitized like that of ECZ, saying this will facilitate the efficient update of the voters’ register on a regular basis.

The symposium was, however, badly attended as most MPs shunned it.

During official opening, only eight MPs out of the 158 were present and after that, only two remained.

Earlier, Ms Mumba, who insisted that the meeting should proceed despite the small number of MPs, said her office was assured by the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly that MPs would be available.

Judge Mumba said the ECZ has started preparing for the 2011 tripartite elections. She said the Commission views MPs as cardinal stakeholders in the electoral process, hence the on-going consultations.

Ms Mumba said ECZ’s plans for the 2011 elections will be impacted by the outcomes of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) deliberations.

She said critical among these is the number of constituencies the country will have, which is one of the terms of reference being addressed by the NCC.

Ms Mumba said the ECZ’s concern is that if the number of constituencies is increased, it will entail delimitation which requires a lot of time since the commission staff will have to visit all the 72 districts.

She said this matter must be addressed as soon as possible so that ECZ has enough time to conduct delimitation for effective election administration.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

A Serenje magistrate has appealed to prosecutors to ensure witnesses were ready and available for the cases to avoid unnecessary adjournments.

Magistrate Happy Chongo made the appeal today when he adjourned two separate cases, one involving a Patriotic Front (PF) cadre, Nevers Muchemwe, 25, facing an assault charge and Danny Chipasha, 19, facing a defilement charge.

Magistrate Chongo said it was important to have the witnesses ready and available whenever they were needed to speed up justice and warned that he would dismiss the cases if the witnesses fail to show up next time.

“Justice delayed is justice denied and we need to move quickly in these cases especially the case involving alleged political violence as you know the campaigns are coming to an end by August 13. So ensure that you bring the witnesses or else I will dismiss the cases,” he warned.

Mucehemwe’s case today adjourned to July 31, 2009, while the case of Chipasha of Tazara compound in Serenje was adjourned to August 10, 2009.

Muchemwe is alleged to have assaulted Loyd Kabango, an MMD carder on July 19, 2009 at Chalilo in Chitambo constituency by-elections scheduled for August 13.

And Chipasha is alleged to have defiled a 13-year old girl near National African Church in Serenje on July 4, 2009 and he is remanded in custody.

Public Prosecutor, Israel Chikubayi, told the court that it was unfortunate that witnesses in both cases were not available despite summons having been served on them well in time.

ZANIS