About 224 headmen from Katuba constituency have appealed to President Rupiah Banda and the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) to expel Katuba area member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa from the party.

Speaking when presenting the appeal to MMD National Treasurer Jeff Kaande, the headmen’s representative Headman Chilwana charged that Katuba constituency has continued to lag behind in development because the area MP has failed to deliver on his election promises.

Headman Chilwana said there is nothing the area MP has done in Katuba constituency in terms of development.

Headman Chilwana said apart from not to bring development to the area, the MP had shown that he had no respect for elders as he was always in the habit of insulting the headmen.

“We the Headmen have discovered that the young man has no respect for elders. We don’t want him. We have rejected him. We don’t understand up to now why NEC decided to adopt him as the MMD candidate”, he said.

Headman Chilwana further charged that the people only voted for Shakafuswa because they did not want to disgrace late President Levy Mwanawasa who had asked the people of Katuba to vote for him.

He called on President Banda to visit Katuba constituency so he could hear for himself that the people no longer wanted Mr Shakafuswa as their area member of parliament.

Headman Chilwana said the headmen are calling for a by-election in Katuba by August so that their preferred candidate can be elected to lead them.

Speaking earlier, Headman Kapilamilanga said the headmen in Katuba constituency were ashamed of the conduct of Mr Shakafuswa.

He said the 224 headmen shall march to the MMD secretariant and state house with all their subjects if the MMD does not heed their call to expel Mr Shakafuswa from the party.

He said the people of Katuba greatly need help from the party leadership as they have greatly suffered under the leadership of Mr Shakafuswa.

And responding to the petition, MMD Jeff Kaande said he had heard the appeal and will deliver it to the President to respond.

Mr Kaande urged the headmen to be patient and remain calm as the party would deal with the matter at an opportune time.

“When we seem not to take action on certain matters, it is not that we are weak or the President is weak but the MMD Government is a government of laws”, he said.

He explained that when the National Executive Committee (NAC) expelled Mr Shakafuswa from the party, he ran to the courts and filed an injunction restraining the party from expelling him.

Mr Kaande called on the headmen to wait until the court process takes place so that no one is held in contempt of court for disregarding the court process.

ZANIS

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), has described the recent impeachment statements from opposition political parties as alarming and disturbing to the nation.

Centre Executive Director Neo Simutanyi has advised political leaders in the country to better means of solving their current political differences.

Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Dr. Simutanyi said there are better ways that the parties could use and ensure that the political field is made stable rather than making sentiments that are likely to create confusion.

Dr. Simutanyi explained that despite the country’s constitution providing for presidential impeachment, there must be convincing reasons why such an action should be applied and that it should also be supported by the majority Members of Parliament (MPs).

He noted that the current debates are having a negative impact on the socio-economic development of the country as they are likely to divert the attention of politicians from more crucial developmental issues.

Dr. Simutanyi said, during parliamentary debates Members of Parliament should concentrate on debating on how best Zambians should speed-up the development of their country.

Dr. Simutanyi however said the re-appointment of Dora Siliya as Education Minster and Michael Mabenga as Lands Deputy Minister are some of the decisions that President Rupiah Banda should have made with caution.

And the Committee of Citizens (CC) has condemned the move to impeach the President, saying it is disturbing and shows lack of seriousness on the part of politicians.

Committee Executive Director Gregory Chifire said there is need for politicians to put the national interest first than their personal agenda.

Mr. Chifire charged that it is a waste of time and money on the part of politicians to start debating the impeachment of the President who has not committed any constitutional breach.

He expressed sadness that the constitution in its current form does not have provisions that should punish MPs who are abusing their parliamentary privileges to bring about anarchy and unrest in the country.

He advised the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) pact to concentrate on solving their intra-party squabbles and divisions than creating confusion in the country.

The opposition PF is reported to have been calling for the impeachment of President Banda adding that he is a danger to the nation if allowed to continue with his tenure of office the move which has been condemned by Civil Society Groups in the country.

And The Movement for Multi party Democracy (MMD) has distanced itself from media reports quoting Patriotic Front leader ,Michael Sata, as having said that some parliamentarians from the party intends to impeach President Rupiah Banda.

MMD Chairperson for Security, Ronnie Shikapwasha, says no single parliamentarians have been in talks with Mr. Sata with the intentions of moving a motion in parliament to impeach the President.[quote]

Lt Gen, Shikapwasha who is also chief government spokesperson, said this after touring Joy Fm radio, Times of Zambia and the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) premises today.

He described PF/UPND pact leaders as unpatriotic Zambians whose political manoeuvers are aimed at swaying some MMD parliamentarians into their scheme.

Lt Gen, Shikapwasha further said the motion is baseless and bound to fail as Zambians need credible leaders to take the country to greater economic heights.

He has reiterated that President Banda has led the country in an exemplary manner, despite the economic crisis brought about the global economic depression.
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He stressed that the opposition has no developmental agenda needed to stir the country out of the current problems hence hoping to gain political capital out of the ensued political instability.

Lt Gen, Shikapwasha observed that the opposition has no clear agenda and hope to the people on how they intend to govern the country.

ZANIS

Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) National Secretary Katele Kalumba has directed all party leaders to desist from debating the 2011 Presidential and Convention elections for the sake of the party.

In a letter addressed to all National Executive Committee (NAC) and provincial leaders yesterday and copied to the party President and the party’s National Chairman, Dr Kalumba said the continuous debate within the ranks of the MMD leadership on the subject posed a great danger to the integrity and survival of the party.

The MMD National Secretary said it is unfortunate that the party leadership has continued debating the 2011 elections when it was barely nine months of President Banda’s mandate given to him through the MMD.

He has since advised all MMD party leaders curtail debating the 2011 elections and channel their energies toward helping Government to deliver on the challenges facing many people in the country.

“President Banda’s mandate given to him through the MMD is barely nine months. It is imperative that MMD’s energy be focused in helping Government deliver on the challenges facing our fellow citizens”, he said.

He said the party will have greater opportunity at some opportune time next year to allow NEC to signal debates regarding the 2011 elections.

He said it is wrong for the party leadership to continue debating the issue when the President expressed his disquiet regarding the 2011 election debate during his last Press Conference.

Dr. Kalumba warned party leaders that shall fail to abide by his directive that they shall attract the sanctions of his office.

ZANIS

Local Government Minster Ben Tetamashimba has said President Rupiah Banda is not a danger to the nation and refuted the statement made by Patriotic Front [PF] President Michael Sata that some MMD members of parliament want to impeach the Republican President.

Mr. Tetamashimba said nobody in the MMD party wants to impeach President Banda, adding that there is no division in party. He was speaking in Lusaka today.

The minister challenged the PF leader to mention the names of the people who he claims want to impeach President Banda and also to table the motion to parliament and give reasons for the impeachment of the President.

Mr. Tentamashimba said Mr. Sata is not credible enough to think that President Banda has committed an offence and needs to be impeached.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tentmashimba has said Government will continue to purse all those who stole in president Chiluba‘s government, the late president Mwanawasa’s and president Banda’s government.

He said anybody who does not agree with these investigations should be thought to be a thief with no morals, adding that all the malpractices in the previous governments will be pursed.

Mr. Sata was quoted in the local media as having said that some members of parliament from the MMD want President Rupiah Banda to be impeached because he is a danger to the nation if allowed to continue in office for three years.

ZANIS

Top Motors, the Chinese company contracted to supply hearses to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, today officially handed 100 hearses to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Local Government and Housing Minister Ben Tetamashimba said of the 100 hearses 64 would be distributed to 47 district councils.

Mr. Tetamashimba said government decided to distribute the hearses despite the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the vehicles as it is alive to challenges faced by the poor in the country to bury their departed.

He, however, said although government accepted the hearses, the move does not in any way mean that government is convinced that the hearses were bought at US$29, 000 each.

Mr. Tetamashimba maintained that the cost of the hearses was below the US$ 29, 000 per vehicle contrary to assertions by others.

The minister says he is convinced that the hearses were bought at less than $10,000 dollars each.

He urged the local authorities to prudently use the hearses to enable residents bury their departed in a dignified and humane manner.[quote]

The minister said the councils shall be the custodian of the vehicles for the purpose of control and maintenance.

He said the vehicles would only be released to councils that would pay comprehensive insurance cover for the vehicles.

And Top Motors manager Lee Yang said his company had fulfilled its contractual obligation.

Mr. Yang said the hearses are suitable for rural areas and would withstand any terrain
ZANIS

The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has expressed disappointment at reports that some ZESCO employees were charging consumers to install pre-paid meters at their residence.

ZESCO Public Relations Officer Lucy Zimba told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that it is unacceptable and criminal to charge residents for a service that does not attract a fee.

Mrs. Zimba explained that installation of pre-paid electricity meters was a free exercise hence employees asking to be paid for the service were liable to prosecution.

She said ZESCO management was saddened that some corrupt elements were bent on tarnishing the image of the firm through such criminal acts.

Mrs. Zimba appealed to members of the public to report any ZESCO employee demanding to be paid for installation of pre-paid meters.

She was commenting on complaints from some Lusaka residents that some unscrupulous ZESCO employees were demanding to be paid for installing pre-paid meters.

ENDS/WM/AM/ZANIS

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday failed to state the reasons for the impeachment of President Rupiah Banda.

Mr Hichilema, when asked about the statements by the UPND-Patriotic Front (PF) pact, failed to give the grounds for the impeachment of President Banda but instead said the Government should concentrate on addressing problems affecting the nation.

The UPND leader said in an interview that the Government should not breach the Constitution but govern in the interest of the people by attending to issues that citizens raised.

Pressed to state the reasons for the planned action announced recently by PF Nchanga MP, Wilbur Simusa and whether his party was part of the scheme, Mr Hichilema said he could not state.

“I cannot categorically state that but all I can say is that the Government should address the issues that people are raising,” he said.

Mr Hichilema condemned President Banda’s appointment of Lands Deputy Minister Michael Mabenga and Education Minister Dora Siliya despite them being cleared by the courts.

Mr Mabenga was acquitted by the magistrate’s court after the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Tribunal found him guilty and recommended that he should be prosecuted.

Ms Siliya was found to have breached the Constitution by the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct tribunal but was found innocent on appeal in the High Court.

Mr Hichilema urged the Government to intervene in the go-slow at the University of Zambia (Unza) and resolve outstanding issues in the Health sector.

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Authentic Advocates for Justice and Democracy (AAJD) has said the plan to impeach President Banda was ill conceived because he had not contravened any law.

AAJD president Emmanuel Sikanyika said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that President Banda had not contravened any provision of the Republican Constitution to justify his impeachment.

Mr Sikanyika said the president did not contravene the provisions of the Constitution as he only reappointed Ms Siliya after she was cleared by the High Court.

He said it was wishful thinking for the PF-UPND pact to start instigating initiation of impeachment proceedings against President Banda.

He said it was common knowledge that the UPND and PF pact was mooted with the sole purpose of causing confusion in the nation and thereafter reap from the unrest that may follow.

Mr Sikanyika said the UPND and PF pact was flat out inciting people to rise against the Government without any justifiable cause.

[Times of Zambia]