President Rupiah Banda is tomorrow beginning a one week long working retreat, which he will take at Hippo Lodge in Kafue National Park.

While on his retreat, President Banda will hold meetings with various government and non governmental institutions, including the Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) and some members of the church.

President Banda will also hold strategic planning sessions with his key aides and other senior government officials on various issues concerning the running of government.

The President is expected to conclude his retreat and return to Lusaka on Monday next week.

This contained in a statement released by Special Assistant to the President for press and public relations, Dickson Jere this evening.

Meanwhile, President Rupiah Banda and Beatitudt Theodoros II , the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa of the Orthodox  Church  this afternoon held private talks at State House.

Beatitude Theodoros II, who arrived in the country last week, was accompanied by Bishops from Zambia, Malawi among other countries and Egyptian Ambassador to Zambia Tamer Mansoul.

Pope Beatitude Theodoros II, presented the Cross and Star of St. Mark the Apostle and evangelist to President Banda.

The Cross and the Star are the highest decorations that are given to Heads of States only.

Speaking through his interpreter, the Pope said he was happy to see the economic progress that the country has recorded over the years.

The Church leader, who last visited Zambia some 15 years ago, is in the country for pastoral   and the inauguration of charity work.

He said the church is supporting Charity work in Kanyama adding that it would extend the work to Kitwe and Ndola.

He has since invited President Banda to visit the Church based in Alexandria City in Egypt when he visits that country.

And President Banda said he was honoured to receive the cross on behalf of the Zambians.

[ZANIS]

Police in Luanshya have recorded a warn and caution statement from Patriotic Front Roan Member of Parliament, Chishimba Kambwili for allegedly defaming President Rupiah Banda.

The police have also recorded another warn and caution statement from the two Post newspaper journalists, Mutuna Chanda and Zumani Katasefa, the authors of the story in which Kambwili said that President Banda was foolish.

Kambwili who arrived at Luanshya Central Police Station around 10 hours accompanied by his supporters in four hired mini-buses, was interrogated for close to two hours in the presence of his lawyer.

Addressing his supporters outside the police station after the interrogation, Kambwili denied having insulted the President, adding that he had respect for him.

Kambwili is cited to have accused the republican President of having incited MMD party cadres to harass him when he went to greet him shortly before his rally at Kafubu stadium.

ZANIS

Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata, has said that he would contest the republican presidency in the 2011 presidential elections despite people’s suggestions that he was old and needed to groom a younger person.

Mr Sata has called on people in Luapula to register in numbers during the voter registration exercise in preparation for the 2011 presidential and general elections.

Speaking during a rally at Senama grounds in Mansa yesterday, Mr Sata said that electorates should choose leaders who have the interest of the people at heart and not leaders whose main interest was money.

Mr Sata said that the former republican president, Dr Fredrick Chiluba, groomed the late president Levy Mwanawasa, who, when he assumed office, pressed charges against the former president.

Mr Sata, who was accompanied by Chimwemwe MP, Willie Nsanda, Chililabombwe MP Ester Banda and other senior officials from the Copperbelt, was also endorsed by the Luapula PF leadership to contest as president during the PF national convention.

Mr Sata noted that some of the young people whom he was looking forward to groom had disappointed him because they were more interested in money and not what the PF stood for.

He charged that the rebel MPs from Luapula were interested in putting money in their pockets and alleged that they did not care about the non availability of medicine in hospitals, low salaries of public service workers and the suffering of people in rural areas.

Mr Sata referred to the PF rebel Members of Parliament as greedy and selfish leaders who allegedly did not represent the people who voted them into power.

The PF leader said that the rebel MPs were not rebels to him (Sata) but the people who voted for them as their representatives.

He alleged that the rebel MPs were asked to campaign for President Rupiah Banda who promised them jobs in government but that they were later disappointed because President Banda had his own people he has employed.

He further said that in the forth coming 2011 presidential and general elections, the PF would give chance to its members to nominate MPs that would represent the party’s manifesto.

Mr Sata said that the reason for visiting Luapula was to thank the people in the province for having voted for PF in the 2008 presidential by-elections.

ZANIS

THE Government has challenged opposition United Party for National Development leader, Hakainde Hichilema to provide evidence that President Rupiah Banda wanted a cut from the US$53 million mobile hospital deal with Chinese investors.

Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said Mr Hichilema should provide evidence, as it was not proper for a political leader of his standing to issue unsubstantiated claims.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that apart from the Government demanding that Mr Hichilema should provide evidence, it would not arrest the opposition leader as doing so would be making him unnecessarily popular.

“Mr Hichilema should provide evidence that the president wanted a cut as failure to do so would prove him to be a liar. As a leader, he should not speak on things that he does not have evidence and he should know that this country is not going to thrive on lies,” Gen Shikapwasha said.

Mr Hichilema was quoted in The Post’s Saturday edition as having insisted that the president had a cut in the deal to provide mobile medical facilities from China and dared the Government to arrest him.

Gen Shikapwasha said the Government would not be arresting politicians and wondered why Mr Hichilema challenged it to do so.

Gen Shikapwasha, who is Information and Broadcasting Services minister, also said the Government was taken aback by sentiments from Roan member of Parliament, Chishimba Kambwili that Chinese investors were not appropriate to run the Luanshya Copper Mines.

He said he was not sure of what really Mr Kambwili was looking for as at some point he was asking the Government to quickly find investors for the mine and now that had been done, he is against the idea.
He said the world over, governments were pleading for Chinese investment.

“The US government is borrowing from Chinese investors because even in the wake of the economic crisis, their economy is picking up and why should Zambia not pick on the Chinese when the whole world is doing so?” Gen Shikapwasha asked.

[Times of Zambia]

The National Initiative for Citizens Awareness (NICA) president, Kelvin Sampa, has challenged PF Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili to substantiate claims that President Rupiah Banda and his government were corrupt over the awarding of Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) to a Chinese firm, Non Ferous Metal Mining Company Limited (NFCA).

Mr Sampa said when the people of Luanshya voted for Mr Kambwili they expected him to work hard and to speak facts on the ground.

He said the MP has been cheating the people of Luanshya because of fears that his political career will be exterminated by the progressive development and intervention by the government over LCM.

Mr Sampa charged that the minister does not realize that most Zambians are enlightened with what is going on globally and most of them are very much aware of the capacity of the Chinese.

He said China right now is the most feared emerging power and it has the capacity to help Africa and even America.

Mr Sampa has advised Hon Kambwili to tell the nation if he had provided tangible solutions for the people of Luanshya when the mine went under care and maintenance.

He added that the MP must be ashamed of himself for trying to deny the people of Luanshya development and better living conditions when he is able to earn a living through parliament.

Mr Sampa advised the civil society to provide checks and balances between the government and the opposition leaders and not to criticize every matter.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has assured Zambians living abroad that his government would work tirelessly to develop the country.

President Banda said the MMD government was in a hurry to expedite development in the country in order to meet the aspirations of people living home and abroad.

Mr Banda was speaking in Pretoria when he addressed Zambians living in South Africa today at the Zambian High Commission.

He said allegations that his administration has failed to deliver were unfounded as development takes a long time to achieve.

The President called on Zambians living abroad to contribute to the country’s development by investing their money back home.

“It is not late for you to start investing in your home country now because you may end up regretting if you delay,” said Mr Banda.

He reminded the Zambians that the task of developing the country needed concerted efforts of all Zambians.

He said Zambia has not been spared by the global economic crisis which is likely to impart negatively on the country’s economic efforts.

He said as part of measures to enhance the country’s economic development, government was seriously diversifying the economy which has been dependent on copper since independence.

Mr Banda added that although he is working on implementing development plans left by his predecessor, the late President Levy Mwanawasas, he needed support from those working with him in order to succeed.[quote]

“I expect the leaders I inherited from my Predecessor and those I have appointed to be loyal to me for the system to work effectively,” he said.

Meanwhile President Banda today commissioned the chancery at the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria.

The Chancery was bought by the government at the cost of 4. 5 million Rands in 1998. The Chancery was formerly a college.

The President commended the previous administration for its foresight to purchase the property.

He said this has served government a lot of money in rentals which now can be used for other purposes.

And speaking at the same function, Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande, urged Zambians in diaspora to desist from engaging themselves in unlawful acts which can tarnish the image of government.

Mr Pande said 90 per cent of Zambians imprisoned outside the country were women who were used by drug barons as couriers.

He said Zambians must abide by the laws of the host country to avoid unnecessary problems for themselves.

And in his welcoming remarks, High Commissioner, Leslie Mbula, urged the government to help quicken the process of issuing passports to Zambian nationals living in diaspora.

Mr Mbula said the mission has been receiving a lot of complaints from Zambians in South Africa by the slow pace at which passport applications were being processed in Lusaka.

He said because of the delays, people have been blaming the mission for the problem.

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