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NAKONDE district in Northern Province has been hit by a critical shortage of fuel.
The fuel shortage that has entered the fourth day today has paralyzed business in the border town.
A snap survey carried out by the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) revealed that some motorists have even packed their vehicles after the only two filling stations ran out of the commodity.
Some motorists talked to said they cannot get fuel from alternative sources in Tanzania because the commodity is expensive in that country.
A resident, Christine Malama who regretted the shortage of the service, said the short supply of the commodity has made business to come to a standstill.
A fuel attendant at Chaula filling station said they were expecting to receive the commodity any time.
Collins Mbeusma is one of three high-profile foreign-based players dropped on the revised list for Zambia’s 2010 World/Africa Cup Group C away qualifier against Egypt in Cairo on March 29.
The Mamelodi Sundowns striker was part of the earlier 29-member list unveiled on March 3 by Faz.
Others from that original list but omitted from the new 23-member team announced during Wednesday’s Faz press briefing in Lusaka include striker James Chamanga of Dalian Hai Chang in China.
Also dropped is livewire winger Clifford Mulenga who is currently on-loan from South African side Bidvest Wit to fellow PSL club Thanda Royal Zulu.
Renard has also dropped four key players from his Bronze-medal winning CHAN team.
The quartet is Green Buffaloes goalkeeper Davy Kaumbwa, Power Dynamos defensive midfielder Francis Kasonde including the Zanaco midfield duo of Henry Banda and Ignatius Lwipa.
Back in the team is Zesco United defender Nyambe Mulenga who was orginally left out of the list released earlier this month despite a good outing at CHAN.
Leading the local contingent of call-ups is Zanaco striker Given Singuluma who scored a record setting 5 goals at the CHAN tournament.
However, Power midfielder Kennedy Mudenda who had an eye-catching outing at the CHAN despite playing as a substitute in the group stage matches and semifinal has been ignored.
The team will go into camp in Johannesburg this weekend with part of the list of eight home-based players flying out to South Africa on Sunday.
The team will be trimmed from 23 to 20 prior to departure for Cairo.
Goalkeepers: Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, South Africa), Kalililo Kakonje (Amazulu, South Africa).
Defenders: Davies Nkausu (SuperSport United, South Africa), Kampamba Chintu (Amazulu, South Africa), Joseph Musonda (Golden Arrows, South Africa), Elijah Tana(Nchanga Rangers) Emmanuel Mbola (Mining Rangers), Hichani Himoonde, Nyambe Mulenga (Both Zesco United), Misheck Lungu (FC Kecskemeti, Hungary), Dennis Banda (Green Buffaloes)
Midfielders: William Njobvu (Lusaka Dynamos), Isaac Chansa (IFK Helsingborg, Sweden), Stopilla Sunzu, Felix Katongo (Both Chateauroux, France), Noah Chivuta (SuperSport United, South Africa), Rainford Kalaba(Gil Vicente, Portugal), Fwayo Tembo (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Jonas Sakuwaha (Zesco United)
Strikers: Jacob Mulenga(Chateauroux, France), Chris Katongo (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Emmanuel Mayuka( Macabbi Tel Aviv, Israel), Given Singuluma ( Zanaco).
The Action National Group for Emerging Leaders (ANGEL) has called on the Zambian Government to be cautious with the way it handled the proposed 66 percent electricity tariff increase by the Zambia Electricity and Supply Corporation (ZESCO).
Mr.Kawana said the tariff increase proposed by ZESCO and endorsed by the Government is a decision taken at a wrong time bearing in mind the effects of the global economic crisis and the reduction in copper prices which has seen a number of mines retrenching hundreds of workers.
Mr. Kawana said the tariff would also be unaffordable by poor Zambians and urged Government to consider maintaining the current tariff or adjust it by a minimal rate.
Mr. Kawana also has challenged the media in Zambia to desist from printing materials aimed at insulting and destroying the character of Republican President Rupiah Banda.
Speaking when he addressed members of the Press at Edinburgh Hotel in Kitwe today Mr. Kawama advised a named media house to respect the President as he was the duly elected leader of the country.
He said the President Banda should be criticised with respect and regarded as the republican President.
He added that it is wrong for the media to be showering praise on those insulting and speaking ill of the President and considering them to be heroes, a situation he described as shameful.
He further said Zambians must adopt the culture of respecting national leaders when they were still alive and not when they die.
Mr. Kawama said there can only be one President at any given time in any country hence the need for the opposition Political Party’s and the aggrieved media to rally behind the leadership of President Banda to help him contribute to the development of the country.
He called upon the opposition, the media and all stakeholders to work with the Government of the day and the republican President Rupiah Banda in view of the current global economic crisis.
Information and broadcasting minister Ronnie Shikapwasha Government has adopted the first ever comprehensive
national anti corruption policy which will provide a frame work for developing ways of preventing and combating corruption in a sustainable manner in the country.
Chief government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said the policy will provide for the development and implementation of mechanisms that will enhance transparency and accountability in the execution of public activities.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said the policy is also aimed at realizing the vision of government and the people of Zambia to have a corruption free society, which will enhance accessibility to cost effective public services, thereby promoting “zero tolerance to corruption” vision.
Gen. Shikapwasha further stated that the policy will be implemented over a period of five years, which will require concerted efforts and commitment of every Zambian at every level.
He said that under the policy, corruption prevention will also be mainstreamed in the routine business of government agencies and the private sector.
The minister noted that government will ensure that the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are put in place and are committed to finding the implementation of the policy from both internal and external sources.
Gen. Shikapwasha stressed that every government agency is expected to institute an integrity committee, which will be responsible for the internal corruption prevention which will ensure that individual organizations are responsible for corruption prevention.
He noted that the guiding principles for the anti corruption policy, will be constitutionalism and rule of law, leadership to fight against corruption.
He said the policy has since put in place appropriate legal and institutional frame works, among which should be legislation and measures to protect whistle blowers from victimization for exposing corrupt practices.
Local government minister Ben Tetamashimba (l), Finance deputy minister Chileshe Kapwepwe (c) and Germany envoy to Zambia Irene Hinrichsen (r) at the launch of the German support to decentralization policyGovernment, in collaboration with the Germany
government, has launched the Decentralization and
Implementation Programme (DIP).
Local Government and Housing Minister, Benny Tetamashimba said the launch was in line with government’s vision to achieve a fully decentralized system of government.
Mr. Tetamashimba said the overall goal of the DIP was to implement and operationalise the National Decentralisation Policy (NDP), which government adopted in 2002 in order to improve service delivery.
He said government, through the NDP, is working to help local authorities to increase their levels of accountability and transparency in the use of local resources.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure that decentralisation implementation is approved this year because it would expedite the process of decentralisation.
Mr. Tetamashimba said decentralization was very beneficial to the community, adding that his ministry has been carrying out sensitization workshops on the same programme.
He said there was need to engage Permanent Secretaries (PS) of all sector ministries in sensitization meetings for them to support their ministers in the decentralization implementation.
Mr. Tetamashimba said his ministry was also in the process of developing capacity building programmes to prepare the councils for the full devolution of the functions from the local government.
He also said the Ministry of Local Government was working out a strategy in order to achieve fiscal decentralization and revenue mobilisation.
Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane said the long term vision of government is to achieve a fully decentralized and democratically elected system of governance.
Dr. Musokotwane said in a speech read on his behalf by his Deputy, Chileshe Kapwepwe, that for government to have a fully fledged decentralisation system, there must be an open, predictable and transparent decision making and implementation processes at all levels of the public service.
He said there was need to empower the local communities by devolving decision making authority, functions and resources from the central government to lower levels.
He said this would improve efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of services.
Mr. Tetamashimba said this was a key prerequisite for initiating the devolution process aimed at enhancing financial management and accountability in the local authority.
The minister said devolution could only succeed when the local authorities have been empowered with human, financial and technical resources to enable them provide responsible public service.
He added that government’s ability to deliver essential public services to citizens across the country can be increased by fully utilising the local implementation capacities.
Meanwhile, Germany Technical Zambia (GTZ) Country Director, Robert Kressirer said the aim of the programme is to improve service delivery at sub-national levels.
Mr. Kressirer said the launch of the programme was very timely adding that it would go very long way in moving the decentralization agenda forward.
He said the focus of the programme would be to work with the councils in several thematic areas.
He said the Germany government would work closely with the two ministries in assisting the central government to develop and implement a comprehensive capacity building programme for local authorities.
The Immigration Department says the country has recorded an increase in the number of foreign immigrants.
Immigration Department Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mulako Mbangweta, attributed the influx of what she described as economic migrants to the prevailing global economic recession.
Ms. Mbangweta told ZANIS in Lusaka today that more foreign nationals have continued to express interest to settle and work in Zambia following job cuts in various countries due to the world economic recession.
She however said the department is not keen to allow foreign nationals to seek jobs in the country because Zambia has enough human resource that flooded the job market.
Ms. Mbangweta further disclosed that the country has also recorded a reduction in business visitors and added that the department is still studying trends on the influx of other categories of visitors into the country.
Ms Mbangweta also said her department has scaled up patrols to ensure that foreign nationals do not cross the country illegally.
She said this is despite the manpower shortage that the department is currently facing adding that most border areas in the country are porous.
Ms. Mbangweta has also commended Zambians for being vigilant and reporting suspected illegal immigrants to the department.
She said members of the public should continue being patriotic and vigilant against illegal immigrants to enhance national security.
Ms. Mbangweta has however cautioned Zambians against assisting foreign nationals obtain national documents such as green National Registration Cards and passports.
She warned that those involved in the practice will be dealt with sternly if found wanting as the illegal practice is a danger to national security.
MTN Zambia Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Freddie Mokoena, says his Company has no intention of laying off any workers following the global economic meltdown.
Mr. Mokoena said the company was doing its best to ensure that it maintains its credibility and retains all its workers who have contributed greatly to the development of the Country.
He said despite the company being affected by the economic meltdown, normal operations would continue and that the Company is developing new ideas to maintain its workers.
Mr. Mokoena told ZANIS in an interview during the Launch of the Talk-4-Mahala tarriff at Sherbourne Guest House in Kitwe yesterday. He mentioned that MTN is grateful to its customers who continue to use the network despite the economic hardships that Zambia is currently facing.
He said over 1 million MTN customers have continued to use the network from the initial 48,000 recorded when the company was launched in 2004. Mr. Mokoena said that the MTN network is affordable and caters for each and every person despite their status in society.
Mr. Mokoena also said that the newly launched Talk-4-Mahala tariff will run up to the end of June to enable customers talk freely for 15 minutes after being charged for the first 90 seconds.
He further said that this will not only attract more customers to use the MTN network but will also help them save on costs by paying less for talktime that could last a life time.
Senior Chief Shakumbila of the Sala people of Mumbwa district in Central province has expressed happiness at the increased number of people going for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and accessing antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in his chiefdom.
The chief said this at Myooye after watching the mobile video shows mounted by ZANIS last evening.
“Each time I go to Nangoma Mission Hospital, I see long queues of people seeking VCT and ART, the situation which I am impressed with,” he said.
He disclosed that people were now well informed about how the HIV was contracted, adding that this knowledge has led to the reduction in certain traditional practices, such as sexual cleansing, that exacerbated the spread of the virus.
The chief has since commended the District AIDS Task Force (DATF) for introducing Community AIDS Task Forces (CATFs) at community level, saying that smaller sub committees must be introduced at the village level as well.
He added that as a traditional leader in the district, he was ready to partner with any organization that works towards mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS and brings development in the area.
Government has expressed shock at opposition Patriotic Front leader
Michael Sata’s allegations that President Rupiah Banda lied over former Finance Minister, Ng’andu Magande’s proposal for government to defer payment fees which Zambian Airways owes National Airports Corporation Limited.
Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said it was very appalling that Mr. Sata’s failed to realize that government correspondence between Mr. Magande and Ms Dora Siliya, which he released to the Post Newspaper, confirms the attempt to treat the Zambia Airways in a preferential manner.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said what Mr. Sata claims to have disclosed is public knowledge as the same information was part of the news story published by the Times of Zambia on September 5, 2008.
“It is Mr. Sata who is telling lies by pretending that there is nothing wrong with the Minister of Finance proposing that government should use its powers indiscriminately to bail out one private company claiming to have been affected by the economic crisis more than others in an industry in which several other firms must be going through the same challenges,” he said.
He charged that Mr. Sata is only playing politics and taking advantage of the fact that the President was critical of the role the former minister attempted to play in the matter, adding that the PF leader hoped to set the public against the President.
In a press release made available to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday, Gen. Shikapwasha said if Mr. Magande was still in government, Mr. Sata would have called the proposal irregular and discriminatory.
He further said Mr. Sata would have been asking what interest the minister would have had in championing the cause of one company at the expense of others in the industry.
General Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister, said the public should be aware that by proposing deferment of money owed to NACL by Zambian Airways alone, Mr. Magande was discriminately championing the cause of one company against others.
The Minister said the letter that Mr. Sata claimed to have disclosed confirms what the President referred to when he said he had documentary evidence that the former minister wanted to bail out Zambian Airways in which the Post Newspaper hold considerable shareholding.
He said it was good that Mr. Sata released the correspondence between Mr. Magande and Ms Siliya to the Post Newspaper so that the general public would judge why the newspaper was critical of President Banda.
Some Lusaka residents waiting to hike a ride at Kabwata St. Patrick bus stop in LusakaSome Lusaka residents have expressed happiness at the
significant reduction in load shedding in the capital city.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka, one of the Lusaka residents, Stanley Nyimbiri, said the reduction in load shedding in Lusaka was a very good development to the country.
Mr. Nyimbiri said the reduction of load shedding meant that a lot of people who use electricity would be less inconvenienced.
He has since urged the government to ensure that reduction of load shedding continues even in other parts of the country.
Another Lusaka resident, who sought anonymity, said he was very happy that load shedding had stabilized in the capital city.
He also called upon government to ensure that load shedding continued to stabilize adding that this would even increase production in the manufacturing industry
He however advised that there was need to find a lasting solution to the problem of load shedding in the country.
He hoped that load shedding would not recur.
Yet another resident, Julius Sakala expressed happiness at the drastic change in the reduction of load shedding in some parts of Lusaka.
Mr. Sakala urged the government to ensure that the reduction of load shedding was sustained.
He said most of the parts of the country were affected by load shedding because the government exported a lot of electricity to other countries.
He said government should not export a lot of electricity to other countries so that local people were not affected.
Zambia and many other Southern African countries are facing a serious electricity deficit, which has forced government to load shed.
Office of the Vice President has deployed a team of engineers from the Zambia Army to Western province to urgently repair the washed away Senanga-Shang’ombo road, which has been cut off in three segments after heavy rains.
This has caused Shang’ombo and Senanga districts to be completely cut off from the rest of the Western province after heavy rains, which also washed away 60 houses in Shang’ombo district.
The team, which has been deployed through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), is expected to put up mobile bridges and back-fill them on the three stretches that have been completely cut off.
Zambia Army Commanding Officer and Chief Engineer from the Army Engineering Unit in Mufurila, Lieutenant Colonel Benson Musonda, said his officers are expected to complete works on the washed away bridges next week.
Colonel Musonda, who led a delegation of Army personnel, said the Zambia Army Engineering Unit was currently mobilizing the equipment, adding that his officers will work tirelessly to finish works as scheduled.
“All the areas that we have inspected are affected and the Senanga-Shang’ombo road has been cut off in three segments ranging from 45 to 50 metres respectively,” Colonel Musonda said.
He said his officers were geared to finish the works next week because the Senanga-Shang’ombo road was very important to the movement of people between the two districts and beyond.
He further said the two districts have been cut off from the provincial centre forcing people not to go in or come out of the two districts.
He said the situation was also posing a danger to the surrounding communities which could not buy food from other districts.
Colonel Musonda, who could however not disclose how many households have been affected by the floods, said the extent of damage on the Senanga-Shang’ombo road required an immediate intervention from the (DMMU), the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the Zambia Army.
“Floods are still rising and therefore we need both temporary and long-term measures to rectify the situation. Some people from Shang’ombo and Senanga districts have been left homeless or without food and the problem needs an urgent attention,” he said.
He further called on the people living in the flood prone areas to move to the upper land in order to avoid further trouble and possible loss of life.
He said many other alternative routes leading to and from the two districts have also been flooded.
Colonel Musonda added that his team will carry out a thorough inspection on roads in the area to ensure that all the roads that might be washed away received urgent attention.
Colonel Musonda has since appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance in form of tents, blankets and medical supplies from relevant organization in order to ease the suffering of people and save their lives.
He feared that if the problem was not attended to urgently, there might be an outbreak of water borne diseases.
The Post Newspaper has apologised to two MMD senior officials for misrepresentation of facts in a story attributed to them in a Saturday edition of the paper.
This is according to a letter by Post Newspapers Managing Editor, Amos Malupenga to MMD Chairman for Trade and Commerce Sebastian Kopulande and Lusaka Central Constituency Chairman Elias Mpondela.
In the letter obtained by ZNBC, Mr. Malupenga says there was no malice intended on the part of the newspaper.
He said the report was purely out of sheer negligence on the part of the Journalist who was tasked to monitor the programme.
Mr Malupenga also said the newspaper has taken action against the Journalist who wrote the story.
And both Mr. Kopulande and Mr. Mpondela have confirmed receiving the apology letters.
Mr. Kopulande said he is satisfied with the apology in which the tabloid admits a wrong and has taken action to avoid a repeat of the same.
Mr. Mpondela described the apology as genuine because the paper corrected the mix-up in its Sunday edition.
/ZNBC/NEWS
The Immigrations Department has appealed to members of the public to desist from assisting foreign nationals acquire national documents such as National Registration Cards, NRCs, and passports.
Immigrations Department Public Relations Officer, Mulako Mbangweta, said the act is a threat to national security.
Ms Mbangweta said the immigrations department, would soon begin arresting those allegedly assisting the illegal immigrants and advised people signing as commissioner of oaths for people intending to obtain the passport to be cautious.
She said it was important that the commissioner of oath thoroughly screened the people that they signed for on the documents adding the immigrations department would soon start taking action against the erring commissioner of oaths.
So far about two Zimbabweans have been arrested for being in possession of the Zambian NRCs and the new digitalized passports.
Another woman identified as Old Bikoni Arlene, aged 30, was arrested for allegedly entered the country through the Lusaka International Airport from the United Kingdom on the March 2009 and was issued with a passport on the 6th of March 2009.
The woman was also found with an NRC bearing different details from those that appeared on the passport.
Meanwhile, Ms Mbangweta said the Immigrations Department in Mpulungu has arrested Four Eritrea nationals for illegally staying in the country.
She said the Four Eritrea nationals had been detained and would soon be deported to their country of origin.
And over 23 Congolese were over the weekend released and had since been deported to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ms. Mbangweta said the exercise was aimed at decongesting the Police cells.
The Private Sector Development Association says positive action through infrastructure development programmes is necessary to achieve national economic growth.
Association Chairman, Yusuf Dodia, said government and stakeholders should focus at infrastructure development to improve the performance of mining and other key economic sectors in the country.
Mr Dodia was speaking at a consultation on Chinese Aid and Investment in Zambia workshop in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Dodia commended Chinese investment, which he said has significantly contributed to infrastructure development.
He pointed out that Aid has not been the best way of sorting out matters in most African countries because it lives no room for negotiations but rather the recipient country only receives, with no much in-put on the yield regarding who benefits between the two.
Mr. Dodia said it is dangerous to be a recipient without being involved because on the negotiations because when one is a partner they have room to be in control and have chance to ask questions about the deal they are entering into weather they are a government or private individual.
He called for enhanced partnership with Chinese investors and its government in efforts of cushioning the effects of the global economic crisis.
Earlier, Zambia Law Development Commission Senior Research Officer, Sharon Williams, welcomed China’s commitment to help African countries deal with the effects of the current global economic recession.
Ms Williams said China has pledged to sustain its aid and investment in Africa and ensure that its aid is increased by 200 per cent in 2009 compared to 2006.
Opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Gwendolyn Konie, who died last Saturday, has been buried at her Kalabi farm in Lusaka’s State Lodge area.
First republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, senior government officials, some opposition political party officials, members of the civil society, the church and members of the general public were among the mourners that gathered at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Kalabi Farm to pay their last respect to the late Mrs. Konie.
Community Development and Social Services Minister Michael Kaingu, who represented government at the funeral, said the late Mrs. Konie’s death was a big blow to the nation.
Mr. Kaingu said Zambia has yet again robbed of a visionary and selfless leader who toiled tirelessly for the betterment of the Zambian people.
He said the late Mrs. Konie’s death was not only a blow to the nation but also to the women and girl rights movement as she was an active woman rights activist.
Mr. Kaingu said the late Mrs. Konie contributed positively to the social and economic development of the nation at the time she served in the UNIP administration under former President Kenneth Kaunda.
He said the late Mrs. Konie continued to serve the nation even after she formed her own party and was instrumental in uplifting the status of women and the girl child in society.
Mr. Kaingu said women and younger girls are very unfortunate to lose a gallant and special woman like the late Mrs. Konie who worked hard to ensure that the women folk claimed their place in the men dominated society.
And speaking during the church service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda said the late Mrs. Konie served Zambia in the most effective way possible.
Dr. Kaunda said he was greatly honoured to have worked with the former ambassador to the United Nations, who he described as a pillar in most of the developmental projects that his administration embarked on.
He said the late Mrs. Konie was a great women activist, who toiled tirelessly to see that women had their rightful place in society, adding that her contribution in the fight against HIV/AIDS will greatly be missed.
And in a vote of thanks, family representative Clement Mambwe thanked government for the support rendered to the family in according the late Mrs. Konie a befitting funeral and burial.
Mr. Mambwe also thanked government for recognizing the efforts which the late Mrs. Konie made in the social and economic development of the nation and for according her a state funeral.
