The church has advised opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) to rescind their decisions to shun the National Indaba this weekend.

The Christian Faith Mission Centre (CFMC) said the two political parties and any other opposition party contemplating to boycott should rescind their decision since the national indaba was crucial in resolving problems afflicting the country.

CFMC Pastor-In-Charge Peter Chanda says there is need for all stakeholders with diverse views to attend the national indaba in order to help government address the various problems facing the country.

Pastor Chanda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that it was not a right thing by the opposition political leaders to think of shunning this weekend’s national indaba as the dialogue was critical to fostering economic development in the country.

He said political leaders should stop politicking and instead concentrate in helping government to address problems associated with the global economic crunch.

Pastor Chanda further advised the opposition political leaders to show political maturity by attending the national indaba which he said was aimed at discussing pertinent issues that will add value to the development of the nation.

Government has called for a national indaba with various stakeholders to discuss various proposals and submissions aimed at resolving the economic impact on the global financial melt-down.

But yesterday the PF and UPND announced their boycott of the indaba set for this weekend.

PF president Michael Sata and UPND president Hakainde Hichilemena confirmed their parties will not be part of the national indaba to be held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre

And the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Dispute (SACCORD) says it is regrettable that the two main opposition political parties, Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) have pulled out from the national indaba.

SACCORD Executive Director Lee Habasonda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the PF and UPND have been eluded of an opportunity to offer solution to the problems in the country.

Mr. Habasonda said the two political parties are key players in the country who would have helped the country find solutions the country is going through relating to the global economic crisis and others.

He said the decision by the two political parties to pull out from the indaba is regrettable adding that SACCORD would have hoped that the two parties participate.

Mr. Habasonda however advised government to be careful with the selection of the people to attend such indaba’s saying there is need for diversity.

He said the criteria used for choosing the people to be attending the indaba need to be transparent and inclusive to allow different people offer their solutions.

Meanwhile Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCIPD) said it is justified for the PF and UPND to pull out of the indaba because they did not have enough time to prepare and get views from their members.

ZCIPD Spokesperson Langton Sichone said he will not blame the two parties for shunning the indaba saying they where caught unaware and it was going to be difficulty for them to effectively contribute at the indaba.

Mr. Sichone said the participants to the indaba would have been given a month or two before the indaba to allow them do some research and decide on what to say.

He however said the indaba is a good course by the government as it meant to find solutions to the problems the country is facing urging all citizens to support the idea.

ZANIS/GP/ENDS/MM

Some Patriotic Front (PF) youths have called on the party president to step down.

Mandevu Constituency Chairperson Frank Lombe said the PF youths in the area are demanding that Mr Sata should step down within 30 days.

Mr Lombe said the PF youths are calling for a new president because Mr. Sata is undemocratic and will never lead the party to power.

The youth chairperson said Mr. Sata is an enemy of transparency adding that the ways he uses to bring money from donors are questionable.

He henceforth called on auditors to audit party account for PF.

And the PF youths said they were in support of ‘the rebel’ PF MPs who recently won an injunction to be expelled from the opposition party.

Mr. Lombe said case of the 30 rebel Member of Parliament who were expelled from the party should not be dropped as they were doing the right thing by attending the NCC.

They have also advised President Rupiah Banda not to exchange words in the media directly but through State House Secretary for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere who he said has vast experience with the media.

Mr. Lombe said this when he addressed the media in Lusaka today.

ZANIS/AC/IS/ENDS/MM.

Acting Secretary to Cabinet Robert Mataka has called on political parties and other invited stakeholders not to boycott this weekend’s National Indaba which will focus on mitigating the impact of the global economic meltdown.

Mr. Mataka says there is need for all invited stakeholders to attend the National Indaba as it will focus on the key sector of the economy with the aim to generating solutions to the problems affecting the country.

He said in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today that government was ready to listen seriously to various submissions and proposals aimed at resolving the economic impact arising from the global economic crunch.

Mr. Mataka cited agriculture, tourism, mining, energy, financial, infrastructure development and manufacturing and entrepreneurship as among the key sectors that the Indaba will effectively focus on.

He said the National Indaba will also focus on the economic challenges that the country was facing arising from the global financial and economic meltdown, the response to the crisis as well as recommendations on short, medium and long term solutions that the country can use to mitigate the effects of the crisis.

Mr. Mataka further said that registration for participants will take place from 2nd to 3rd April, 2009 respectively from 09:00hrs to 22:00hrs at Long Acres Lodge.

He said government will only meet expenses for lunch and refreshments during the Indaba.

ZANIS/TK/ENDS/MM

Dear bloggers,

My handbag was stolen in Johannesburg in January of this year.In it was my passport among other things.I applied for a new passport on 30 January 2009 at the Zambian Embassy offices in Pretoria South Africa. Up to now every time I call the embassy, I am told it is not ready and that they are expecting passports at the month end. This has been going on for the last two months.

Now I am living in fear of authorities in South Africa declaring me as an illegal immigrant and yet I had a valid work permit in my stolen passport. The embassy knows about this but they act as if they can’t be bothered.

I am not sure if this is just a problem with me or others are facing the same problem with the embassy.Please help to bring this to attention of the relevant people.

Isn’t their job to help citizens out in such situations? Is it acceptable that a passport they said would take a month is now
taking indefinitely because they are not sure when it will actually happen, if it does?

Could someone please advise me what to do.I am so frustrated and fearful at the same time.

Yours,
Zambian lady in South Africa

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Kitwe has arrested a Labour Inspector of Chingola Labour office for Corruption involving K 1 million.

According to ACC spokesperson Timothy Moono , the named Labour inspector Benson Mwiinga, 32, of house no. 801 Riverside, Chingola has been charged with one count of Corrupt Practices by Public Officer contrary to section 29(1) and 41 of the ACC Act No. 42 of 1996.

Details are that Benson Mwiinga solicited for and actually received K1,000,000 cash gratification from a named driver of Mitchell Drilling Company, as an inducement or reward for himself.

This was on the pretext that he (Mwiinga) was going to drop charges of deportation on a South African national, Petrous Mostat.

The South African was recently employed by the Drilling Company as a Drilling Supervisor.

This was after Mr. Mostat was on Thursday 26th March 2009 summoned by Mwiinga to the Labour Office in Chingola for allegedly insulting workers at Mitchell Drilling Company.

Following the meeting, Mwiinga allegedly called the named driver aside and solicited for the said money from Mostat, so that he does not recommend to the Immigration Department for the South African’s deportation.

A surveillance operation was thereafter mounted in Chingola by the ACC at Pie City and Mwiinga was subsequently apprehended after receiving the K1,000,000 bait money, which was retrieved from him.

Mwiinga appeared in court yesterday for mention and he is expected to appear again for mention on 16th April 2009.

He has been released on a K2.5 million bail in his own recognizance.

ZANIS/MM/ENDS/MM

A Ndola clergyman has expressed concern over the silence of the church mother bodies on the issue of South African based exorcists who came to Lusaka to perform ritual cleansing.

Pastor Bupe Mutale told ZANIS in Ndola that it was shocking that the church leaders in Zambians cast a blind eye on a serious spiritual trespass that was done to the country where they were in full spiritual control.

He said allowing the spiritualists to come and perform their rituals without a bother or consideration from the chief mother bodies was a serious omission which must be addressed.

He said the church leaders’ silence on the matter could be misconstrued for consent and support when it is clear that there were questions which must be answered by the church leaders regarding the matter.

Pastor Mutale said since Zambia was a Christian nation, it was important to critically examine the motives and implications for certain actions that were allowed into the country, especially that they were being performed by outsiders.

Pastor Mutale cautioned the church mother bodies to justify their relevance in the country if they were not giving spiritual guidance to the nation.

He said it was little wonder that even their boycott of the NCC was an ill concieved position because a Constitution was coming which would not only affect those who participated in its making process, but includes them despite not being part of the process.

The pastor said that Church should learn lessons from national bodies and associations in the political arena which went the boycotting route in the past and to-date have failed to recover from the repercussions of such ill conceived actions.

He called for a stronger prophetic voice from the church mother bodies on topical national issues for them to remain relevant because they had a responsibility to give spiritual guidance to the nation on matters of religion.

ZANIS/ENDS/CN/EML/EB