PRESIDENT Banda has donated K10 million to University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) to be used for the students’ welfare.

The President has also promised to engage various stakeholders in trying to find solutions for various challenges that institutions of higher learning face.

President Banda said this on Friday when he held a consultative meeting with UNZASU leadership led by the union’s president, Duncan Nyirongo.

According to a statement released yesterday by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Dickson Jere, the union presented a number of issues concerning the welfare of the students.

The concerns include the lack of accommodation, a shortage of books and learning materials, bursary scheme, transport problems and the dilapidation of the sports infrastructure.

“President Banda noted that the challenges which the University of Zambia and other higher learning institutions were facing in the country and promised to engage various stakeholders in trying to find a solution to the problem,” the statement reads.

The president assured the students that the Government attaches great importance to the education sector.

He also pledged to help the UNZASU in fundraising ventures, which the students’ body has embarked on.

He said the funds should be used for the intended purpose in order to encourage more people and companies to help UNZASU in raising funds.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

THE Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) has welcomed the appointment of Dora Siliya as Minister of Education and Gladys Kristafor as permanent secretary at the ministry of community development.

ZNWL board chairperson, Tamara Kambikambi said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday that the appointment of women in to decision-making positions is the only way Zambia would fulfill the 50/50 percent of women and men in decision-making as enshrined in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and African Union Protocols.

“We feel that Mrs Kristafor is ably suited for the job after having served as Ndola District Commissioner. We also welcome Honourable Siliya as new Education Minister,” Ms Kambikambi said.

The Lobby has also welcomed that President Banda’s pronouncement that the National Constitutional Conference should wind up its business within the given timeframe.

Ms Kambikambi said the pronouncement is a good proposal which would give people opportunity to have a new constitution that meets their aspirations.

“We also back President Banda in condemning the photographer who circulated pictures of a woman giving birth.

While we are in support of press freedom and the right to information, we would like to mention that as women we are deeply disturbed that the dignity of women is being undermined in the name of press freedom,” she said.

Ms Kambikambi said circulating pictures that demean women is a transgression of women’s right to privacy.

“The pictures of a woman in that situation are very depressing not only to the victim, but to all women in the country.

We therefore call on our colleagues in the media not to allow their image to be tarnished by one single individual who did not pay attention to the negative implication the picture has on women,” she said.

Ms Kambikambi said the media is a very useful partner for channeling information and should not be used to tarnish the image of vulnerable women, adding that the media should condemn irresponsible journalism.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

President Rupiah Banda is this Monday expected to launch the National Policy on Environment at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) in Lusaka.

The National Environment Policy was developed by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources to underscore Government’s commitment to effectively manage the environment and its natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Spokesperson Bwalya Nondo, in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka, explained that the objective of the Policy is to ensure sound environmental management within the framework of sustainable development in the country.

Mr. Nondo said the Policy was developed through a comprehensive consultative process integrating principles of decentralization and broad stakeholder participation that underpin sustainable development.

He said some of the salient issues embodied in the Policy are the need to take into account natural resource conservation in the country’s efforts to address poverty and achieve sustainable development.

The Policy also stresses the need for local institutions’ participation in efforts aimed at achieving socio-economic development through good environmental management.

The Policy is expected to contribute to the harmonization of sector plans and strategies in the use of the environment and its natural resources. This will result in attainment of an integrated approach to development and contribute to the attainment of the objectives of Vision 2030 and the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) as well as the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

ZANIS

A LUSAKA lawyer representing incarcerated Ministry of Health former human resources officer, Henry Kapoko yesterday led a group of journalists to a warehouse in Olympia where his client is still keeping a consignment of 50,000-mother baby kit meant for the Ministry of Health worth K1.9 billion.

And the lawyer yesterday blocked a combined team of investigators from entering the warehouse for fear of them tampering with the consignment as it was a subject in court.

Mr Kelvin Bwalya said at a media briefing at his office that he was forced to reveal the consignment at the warehouse because the police had created an impression that his client was involved in a K27 billion scam.[quote]

Mr Bwalya has since challenged the investigative wings to release Kapoko’s younger brother Martin who was picked up yesterday from the warehouse on grounds that he refused to sign a warrant, as he was just a caretaker.

“The house, 25 Manda Hill Road belongs to Kapoko, the tenant is Fred Chileshe his co-accused person and Martin is there as a caretaker. I refused to go to the house because the owner was not there, I appeal to investigative wings to release Martin as not doing so will be interfering with his rights,” he said.

“ Let them produce evidence that Kapoko is involved in the K27 billion scam, he is only charged with K1.9 billion, what about the rest? One may even be killed over things he doesn’t know,” he said.

He said his client had not delivered the consignment because the ministry had refused to get it in bits and demanded that it be handed over in full at one time.

Mr Bwalya expressed sadness at the incarceration of his client whom he said, owned various businesses. He said, it was a pity that the public had been made to believe Kapoko was involved in a K27 billion scam.

Mr Bwalya said his client’s company KAHEKAM bid for the supply of the said consignment but lost, but the company that won failed to supply the 100,000 required mother baby kits at a cost of K2.2 billion and asked KAHEKAM to supply 50,000 since the company was second.

“It was at this point that Kapoko asked for a down payment and that was how he was given that K1.9 billion with a view to order and supply the consignment which had started arriving and the ministry was informed of the delay.

“ There was just a delay in the shipment of the consignment, part of it had already arrived, my client can not deliver because the line ministry wants it in complete form, the ministry is aware of the delay, the Ministry of Finance has also cleared it, the Government would have charged my client with liquidated damages according to the law than to incarcerate him,” he said.

He said his client was involved in a number of businesses, among others, he was running another business Hesakam Limited and supplied goods to the Ministry of Education, Konkola Copper Mines and Chibuluma with net profits ranging between K1.3 to K1.8 billion.

Mr Bwalya said it was not fair to assume that because he was a civil servant he had no businesses and attack him on unfounded grounds.
He said the rest of information would be dealt with in court.

Kapoko was facing counts of theft, money laundering and issuing a cheque on an insufficient funded account.

[Times of Zambia]

First Lady Thandiwe Banda has called for more funding to programmes aimed at reducing martenal mortality rate in Zambia.

Mrs. Banda says there is need to take care of women because the play an import role in national development.

She has called for strong partnerships between government and the private sector to effectively address the problem of martenal mortality.

The first lady was speaking in Lusaka during the opening of the white ribbon alliance for safe motherhood.

She commended the white ribbon alliance for setting up safe motherhood action groups at community level.

And Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Velepi Mtonga, said government will continue to promote safe motherhood.

[ZNBC]