President Rupiah Banda has said that Radio Icengelo Manager, Father Frank Bwalya, was a free man to hold a public rally.

Mr Banda, who was responding to a question from a Radio Phoenix Journalist on arrival from Mongu, said government will not interfere with the holding of a public rally by Radio Icengelo Manager, Father Bwalya as he was a Zambian and a free man to a hold public rally.

The President was speaking today at the City Airport shortly after arrival from Mongu, Western Province, where he went to grace  this year’s Kuomboka Ceremony.

On Friday, the MMD Ndola district executive warned of bloodshed should Radio Icengelo station manager Fr Frank Bwalya go ahead with his press conference and public meeting in Kitwe.

Meanwhile, President Rupiah Banda has described flooding in Western Province as terrible.

Mr Banda says government has since started devising mechanisms aimed at mitigating the negative impact brought about by flooding in the Western Province of the country.

Mr Banda said government was concerned with the suffering of the people in Western Province and that it was making serious plans to mitigate the impact of floods in the province.

Mr Banda assured his Royal Highness the Litunga of the Lozi people that government is assessing the damage and effects of the floods that have affected over 483,000 people in many parts in Western Province.

President Banda said government will soon start sending supplies to the affected people, 9000 of whom have already benefited.

The President named the most affected districts as Kalabo, Shangombo, Lukulu and some parts of Mongu and Kaoma, where roads, homes, crops and animals have been damaged or destroyed.

And President Banda has described the Kuomboka ceremony as a master piece of oral and intangible cultural heritage for Zambians and the world at large.

The President further thanked the people of Western province for giving him and the MMD the winning votes during the 2008 by-election.

Speaking earlier the Ngambela expressed happiness that the Government and the Barotse Royal Establishment were working well together.

The Ngambela thanked the government for responding to the effects caused by the floods and for the developmental projects being implemented in Western Province, such as the construction of the Mongu-Kalabo road.

ZANIS/ENDS/TK/EB

POLICE in Lusaka are holding a man whom they rescued from the wrath of Misisi Township residents who allegedly saw him with a small coffin.

The man, Arnold Mumba, who attracted scores of people was spotted with the small coffin at a shop under construction, behind Shoprite off the Lusaka-Kafue Road.

Lusaka Police Commanding Officer, Greenwell Ng’uni, said the police apprehended Arnold Mumba whom they wanted to charge for conduct likely to cause the breach of peace, but could not do so on suspicion that he was mentally unstable.

The people wanted to descend on the man after a false alarm that the coffin contained the body of a baby. However, it turned out that the coffin contained a doll.

Mr Ng’uni said initially Mr Mumba said he was delivering the coffin to someone who owes him money, but later changed his statement and said that it belonged to him.

The man identified himself by various names before he settled for Arnold Mumba.

“As police, we wanted to charge Mumba for conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, but it seems the man is mentally unstable. We are just holding him for his own safety,” Mr Ng’uni said.

Some Misisi residents tried to take advantage of the situation to loot a near-by shop, but quick action by police prevented the plunder.

Mr Ng’uni said the mob started throwing stones when police arrived at the scene, but there was no damage caused to property and no one was hurt.

Eyewitnesses who had earlier interrogated Mr Mumba said the man claimed that the coffin was meant for the shop owner who allegedly owed a Tanzanian national millions of Kwacha.

Others claimed Mr Mumba only ran “mad” after he allegedly opened the coffin and read the contents of the letter.

Mr Ng’uni dismissed the stories as grossly exaggerated.
“People want to exaggerate anything. Initially they said the coffin was carrying a baby’s body and yet it was a doll made of cloth,” Mr Ng’uni said.

By press time, the suspect was still in police custody.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

PRESIDENT Banda has castigated leaders of opposition political parties for criticising him when he has only ruled Zambia for five months so far.

Mr Banda said in Mongu yesterday that Parliament had just approved his first national budget, which targets to address plight of the poor people.

“Work has just started. We expect those in opposition, those who didn’t want us, to naturally assume that we are wrong people, that we haven’t done anything.

“The Minister of Finance (and National Planning Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane) has just rolled out a sound budget, which has targeted to address the plight of Zambians wherever they are, considering Zambia’s limitations and those of the world,” Mr Banda said.

He was speaking at Mongu Airport yesterday where hundreds of residents received him to a thunderous welcome for this year’s Kuomboka ceremony.

President Banda said he would not sink to the low levels of some opposition leaders who do not respect the people.

“Zambia is big and for you to be a leader you have to respect people. You don’t have to count on few people who you think come from where you come from. I will always count on you people (of Western Province) to block this kind of leadership,” he said.

Mr Banda thanked the people of Western Province for supporting him and the MMD during campaigns for last year’s presidential election.

“I would like to thank the Royal Highness Litunga and all other royal highnesses and all our party workers for the wonderful work they did to ensure that what was started by my predecessor, who concentrated on developing this province, continues,” he said.

He said people of Western Province were wonderful and described them as special people with a great culture.

He was pleased to work with many of his ministers, permanent secretaries and administrators who hail from Western Province because they know what loyalty to leadership means.

And Mr Banda said he was well, fit, and ready to lead Zambia, considering all the attacks he had been subjected to since he assumed office.

He asked Zambians to remain united and peaceful if the country was to develop.

President Banda said there were too many examples of countries where warfare was the order of the day because their people had failed to be united and peaceful.

The President said he would today take an aerial view of flooded areas in the province for the government to determine how to help the victims.

“It is our duty to look after people who face difficulties as a result of floods,” he said.

Earlier, MMD national chairperson Michael Mabenga said the opposition should not waste their time on criticising Mr Banda because the first national budget under his leadership had just been passed by Parliament.

Mr Mabenga, who is also Mulobezi member of Parliament, advised the people of Western Province to neither waiver nor be discouraged by opposition leaders’ criticism of Mr Banda, but to move forward with the President’s aspirations and programmes.

He said people in the area voted for the MMD in 2006 and 2008 because of their belief in the ruling party and its policies.

He advised party leaders at all levels to explain to the people good things that the MMD was doing.

Western Province minister, Adonis Mufalali, said people in the area were grateful for Government’s quick response to the plight of flood victims.

“I am convinced that nobody will die of starvation as long as the MMD remains in power,” he said.

Mr Banda was later in the day scheduled to pay a courtesy on the Litunga in Lealui, and receive the paramount chief at Nayuma Harbour in Limulunga.

He is today expected to inspect components of 40 bridges for the Mongu-Kalabo Road, before taking an aerial view of flooded areas from Libonda to Mongu.

Mr Banda is scheduled to depart Mongu for Lusaka at 14:00 hours after lunch at Limulunga, courtesy of the Litunga.

[Zambia Daily Mail]