Lusaka MMD Lusaka Provincial Chairman Cleophas Chimembe has said the nation is in safe hands under the leadership of his Excellency President Rupiah Banda.

Speaking in an interview after addressing MMD District, Constituency and ward Officials in Kafue at the weekend Mr. Chimembe stated that it will be dangerous to entrust this nation in wrong hands because some people have no agenda for this nation.

Mr. Chimembe said that those who were advocating for the impeachment of the president were just wasting their time because they have no agenda for this nation. He said the president has done nothing wrong for him to be impeached.

He said he was happy that the party is still strong in Kafue despite facing some challenges due to lack of communication. He said that he was happy by the high turn out of members at the meeting and the party in the district has resolved to bury their differences and forge ahead.

Mr. Chimembe said that the purpose of the meeting was to meet and work out a program to start reorganizing the party from the wards to the district level. He said the Area Member of Parliament Hon. Bradford Machila together with other councilors will start visiting all the wards in Kafue to implement programs which the MMD government has initiated.

He said elections at lower organs will start in July and the provincial leadership is just waiting for guidelines from Chairman for Elections Mr. Mike Mulongoti. He said the program of elections had to be suspended due to the death of the late President Dr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa last year.

And Kafue Area Member Of Parliament Hon. Bradford Machila said that he was happy that the party in Kafue has resolved to work together and deliver development to the people. He said he will be going round to all the wards in his area to monitor all the projects which received constituency development funds (CDF).

Mr. Machila who is also Minister of Agriculture in-charge of Fisheries and Livestock said that the ruling party is still active in Kafue and it is foolish for somebody to think that the party does not exist. He said the party will scoop 2011 elections because it is the only party with the grass root.

And Kafue MMD District Chairman Mr. Goodson Sansakuwa has said that the party will discipline any one found campaigning now to be adopted for the 2011 elections.He said there is no time for campaigning because the incumbent is still in office.

ZANIS

NATIONAL Constitution Conference (NCC) Chairperson Chifumu Banda says he is hopeful the plenary of the conference will work with caution and great speed in adopting the recommendations of its 11 committees into the country’s new draft constitution.

Mr Banda urged members of the NCC to ensure they work hard in adopting the recommendations to come up with a good constitution for the country.

“We should, therefore, be prepared to work extra-hard to ensure that we fulfil our mandate to deliver to our people a good constitution,” he said.

Mr Banda said this during the opening of the NCC plenary at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday.

He said this is because the nation is focussing on what the conference will put into the new constitution.

“Let me state from the outset that we are convening at a time when the entire nation is focussing on what we are going to factor into the new constitution. It, therefore, goes without saying that there is indeed a lot of hard work ahead of us for the time we will be here during this session of the plenary,” Mr Banda said.

He said the beginning of the plenary session has triggered the commencement of the drafting of the new constitution despite what he called heavy criticism from various stakeholders who have been anxious to have a new constitution before the next general elections.

Mr Banda lamented that the NCC has lost its pioneer, late President Levy Mwanawasa, through death since it adjourned on May 9, last year.

He commended President Mwanawasa for having been the first President in the country to allow a popular body to adopt the republican constitution.

“As we recall, Dr Mwanawasa, SC, was the first President in Zambia to authorise a popular body to adopt the republican constitution. I believe that this paradigm shift constituted one of his most important legacies, thereby enabling the people of Zambia to participate fully in the constitution-making process from the beginning to the end,” Mr Banda said.

He also bemoaned that the conference has been robbed of a number of its members by death since it last adjourned.

“ It is also unfortunate that since we last adjourned, death has robbed us of our distinguished members such as Mr Charles Saviye, who died on the 11th July, 2008; Mr Bob Litana, who died on the 12th February, 2009; and his royal highness, Senior Chief Chiwala who died on 11th April 2009,”Mr Banda said.

He also welcomed the new members of the NCC, among them Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane (Minister of Finance and National Planning), Ms Chileshe Kapwepwe (Deputy Minister of Finance) and Mr Vernon Mwaanga (Parliamentary Chief Whip).

“We welcome you all to the National Constitution Conference and we look forward to your active participation,” Mr Banda said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

A COMBINED team of officers from the police and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) in Lusaka has uncovered a concealed studio in a house in Chunga township where pirated and pornographic materials are suspected to be produced.

The owner of the house, a former Copperbelt University student who was found in the house during the raid, was yesterday picked up to help with investigations.

The studio is fitted with a fully-computerised ultra-modern surveillance system comprising six miniature video cameras connected to a CCTV (closed-circuit television) system, an intercom system on all doors and a touch-sensitive alarm system, which is wired to all windows.

CCTV is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.

It is often used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations and convenience stores.

Using the surveillance system around the house, the occupants managed to disconnect and dismantle one of the computer hard discs when they noticed the police approaching, but the equipment was later re-assembled and pornographic material was discovered on it.

Acting DEC Commissioner Solomon Jere said the commission was concerned about the pornographic materials, and the discovery would be followed by a seizure of the house, the equipment and all the items discovered inside.

He said some people had already been arrested and more were likely to be picked up as investigations progressed.

Intellectual property specialist Kingsley Nkonde estimated the value of equipment found in the hidden studio to be about US$ 50,000.

Among the items found were multi-media computers with a capacity of duplicating 48 DVDs or CDs per minute, colour printers for printing the covers of the pirated materials, and laptops.

Hundreds of movies on DVDs, blank CDs, copied items, cover printouts and cuttings were also found in three of the rooms in the house.

The house was fully equipped with monitors for the CCTV system as well as different types of uninstalled surveillance cameras.

Mr Nkonde said it took police four days to investigate the goings-on at the house before the raid was effected around 03:00 hours yesterday.

He said although the team disturbed the surveillance cameras by pointing them upwards to avoid detection, the law enforcement officers experienced difficulties in entering the house because of the alarm system on the window panes.

He said the house was conveniently built without a wall fence in order for surveillance cameras to detect all approaching objects and persons.

Mr Nkonde said that because of the suspected illegal activities discovered in the house, the officers believed that the surveillance system was meant for detecting approaching law enforcement officers rather than criminal elements.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Nyirenda, who rushed to the scene, commended the law enforcement officers who made the raid, saying the discovery was a major bust.

Mr Nyirenda said the Government had for a long time thought that the pirated materials were being imported into the country.
He said the discovery showed that the offensive materials were locally manufactured.

The ministry would now be more alert in detecting the local sources of the pirated materials and ensure that the producers were dealt with.

He urged the public to report whoever was suspected of being involved in the scam, saying the owner of the house and the studio in Chunga would have to help the police with investigations.

The owner of the house denied that he operated an illegal studio and explained that he and his partners were in the process of forming a company related to studio work.

[Times of Zambia]

Ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) national chairman, Michael Mabenga has urged former Catholic priest, Frank Bwalya to stop using the language that could perpetrate anarchy in the country.

Mr. Mabenga said father Bwalya is a man of God who should administer his duties as a true servant instead of him changing from priesthood to politician.

He said father Bwalya should speak for the voiceless instead of resigning from priesthood.

Mr. Mabenga, who reiterated that he has been a catholic all his life, bragged that he understands the social teachings of the Catholic Church which include teaching members self reliance.

Mr. Mabenga said that people presenting their opinions in the letters to the editor in newspapers should also beware of what they write about, adding that they should get their facts right.

Mr. Mabenga said the social teachings of the church have nothing to do with politics, noting that people supporting father Bwalya might also be among those perpetrating anarchy in the country.

He said the Catholic Church is orderly in the manner it administers duties and if there are pertinent issues in church, parish leaders are informed and matters are resolved amicably.[quote]

He said there is no need to bring trouble in the nation because people should exercise their freedom of expression.

He was reacting to a letter to the editor in one of the daily papers which alleged that he had been hiding in the name of Catholic Church to perpetrate injustice.

ZANIS