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.

ENDS/CK/PK/ZANIS.

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.

ZANIS/AJN/KSH/ENDS

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.

ENDS/MP/ZANIS/SJK

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.

ZANIS/PM/KSH/ENDS

The Rotary Club of Chilanga has commended government for efforts being made in the advancement of science and technology in the country.

Rotary Club Chilanga chapter President, Henry Kando, said science and technology plays an important role to economic growth of developing countries like Zambia.

Mr. Kando was speaking when his club handed over a donation of more than 500 Science and Mathematics text books to Parklands High School in Chilanga today.

The club President has since challenged stakeholders to supplement government’s efforts in advancing science and technology for the country to record positive growth in the investment sector.

Mr. Kando further urged the school authority to ensure that the books are used to meet the intended purpose of equipping pupils with the necessary knowledge on the importance of science and technology.

Receiving the donation, Parklands School Head teacher, Loveness Sakufiwa thanked the club for the donation and said the books are an important resource to the development of young people.

ZANIS/MM/ENDS/SJK.

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), has called for community partnership in the fight against drug and substance abuse in the country.

DEC Public Relations Officer, John Nyawali, said the Commission alone cannot manage to identify cases of drug abuse in communities hence requires the active involvement of the community in reporting such cases to the help bring culprits to book.

Mr. Nyawali told ZANIS in Lusaka that the Commission was ready to partner with stakeholders in safeguarding the young generation against the negative effects of drug and substance abuse.

He said the Commission has introduced programmes in schools to sensitize pupils on the dangers of drug abuse.

Mr. Nyawali said that the Commission will soon introduce debates on drug abuse in four schools, among them St Francis of Assisi Basic School, Makeni Ecumenical School, Chongwe and Kafue Boys High Schools.

He further said that the Commission offers counseling services to people, who have been finding difficulties in refraining from drugs.

END/AC/ZANIS/SJK.

Two pupils of Mwavi High School in Luangwa District died, while 22 others were seriously injured when the vehicle they were in overturned along the Great East Road.

The accident happened on Sunday around 15 hours near Malilapondolo Basic School on Great East Road, as the pupils were traveling for ball games from Nyimba High School.

The driver of the Mazda vehicle, which was carrying the pupils, is alleged to have lost control as he tried to avoid a pothole a few kilometres to the Luangwa Bridge.

Mwavi High School Manager, Rodgers Mwansa, confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Chongwe yesterday.

Mr Mwansa said one Grade 10 pupil died on the spot while another Grade 11 boy died as he was being rushed to Nyimba hospital.

The injured victims are being treated at Katondwe Mission Hospital.

A check by ZANIS and the Parent Teachers Association, PTA, Chairperson, Solomon Chidunuka, at Katondwe Mission Hospital found Eight girls and Seven boys nursing head injuries and some minor injuries while five others have since been discharged.

One of the victims, Mercy Nyirenda, a Grade 12 pupil, narrated from her hospital bed that the vehicle overturned when the driver attempted to avoid a pothole.

Hospital authorities at Katondwe comfirmed having discharged five pupils and that others were still being observed for head injuries.

Meanwhile, Luangwa District Commissioner, Stanislaus Kalunga, and District Education Board Secretary, Liberatus Longwa, who rushed to Nyimba hospital confirmed to ZANIS that the two other injured boys, who were admitted at Nyimba hospital, have been transferred to Katondwe Hospital while the bodies of the deceased boys have been taken to Lusaka for postmortem.

Capt. Kalunga described the accident as unfortunate and warned school authorities against engaging unreliable vehicles to transport pupils for school activities.

ZANIS/MN/CMM/ENDS/SJK