MMD national secretary, Katele Kalumba has reiterated that MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga was not forced to hand over the acting party presidency to President Banda.

He has advised members to desist from issuing statements on the matter until the National Executive Committee meets.

“As national secretary, I would like to advise members to desist from making statements on the issue of acting party president until the NEC meets on February 7, 2009 as earlier announced,” Dr Kalumba said.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Kalumba said his statement that Mr Mabenga had voluntarily handed over the position of acting party presidency was made after discussions between Mr Mabenga and President Banda and that it was not based on duress.

“My statement was clear that Mr Mabenga voluntarily offered President Banda the position of acting party president and Mr Banda was humbled by the offer and willingly accepted, subject to ratification by the NEC,” Dr Kalumba said.

He said anyone suggesting that Mr Mabenga was forced to hand over the position or that Mr Banda was already acting party president was misrepresenting the statement he issued.

Dr Kalumba said procedure was that NEC would meet and the proposal for President Banda to be ratified as acting MMD presidency would be presented at the meeting for endorsement or rejection.

He said that this did not mean that Mr Banda would be MMD president but that he would be acting party president.

Dr Kalumba said this was because there was no provisions in the MMD constitution for the NEC to elect a party president.

He said an administrative precedent had been set when President Mwanawasa sought the support of former President Dr Chiluba, former MMD Vice-President Enoch Kavindele and former party national chairman, Chitalu Sampa for him to be allowed to act as party president.
He said Dr Mwanawasa was never elected as acting MMD president but was elected president at the MMD national convention.

Dr Kalumba was reacting to party spokesperson, Benny Tetamashimba’s sentiments that there had been perceptions, mostly bordering on lies and misinformation, that Mr Banda had forced Mr Mabenga out.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training Jonas Shakafuswa has advised people calling for disciplinary action against him to use other means of sorting out differences instead of alleged intimidation and threats.

Mr Shakafuswa, who is Katuba member of Parliament, said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
“Things are better sorted out through other means other than intimidation,” Mr Shakafuswa said.

He said Dr Kalumba deserved respect and that it was unfortunate that some MMD officials allegedly did not respect him.

Mr Shakafuswa maintained that Mr Banda was leader for all and not just a few individuals.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Mr Ngwenya said a single currency would help reduce the cost of doing business on the continent.

Mr Ngwenya told ZANIS in an interview, today, that a single currency could also promote cross border trade and investment necessary for economic growth on the continent.

The Comesa Secretary General said the currency would ensure that prices of commodities will be easily compared in the region.

He emphasized that if European Countries have been successful in having a single currency, the Euro,nothing will stop African countries from doing the same.

Mr Ngwenya also acknowledged plans to form United States of Africa saying it a thoughtful idea adding that the only challenge that exists is how to form the continental Union.

He said that African countries will definitely benefit from this. He later noted that if Africa speaks with one voice it will be stronger.

He stated that African countries might be moving at a different economic development pace but what is important is that they are moving toward the same direction.

He said that the time is now for those countries who want to integrate to do so and that they should not wait for other countries.

He urged the countries who are sitting on the racing chair to continue and those who are not to be compelled to sit on that chair and race with others.

ZANIS/CMC/MM/ENDS/MM

About 300 Reform Party,RP, members led by the Party’s Former Chairman for elections and strategic Planning, John Ziba, have defected to the United Party for National Development,UPND.

Mr. Ziba said the Opposition UPND was the only Party in the country that would offer meaningful leadership.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka today, Mr. Ziba said the RP members decided to join the UPND because it was the only party with a vision to develop the country.

Mr. Ziba accused the ruling MMD of failing to meet the expectations of people of Zambia.

In welcoming the defectors UPND President, Hakainde Hichilema, said the UPND was now growing its membership in readiness to form the next government after 2011.

The UPND President challenged President Rupiah Banda to implement programmes that focus at reducing poverty levels in the country.

He has since called upon Zambians to condemn tribal politics and instead promote unit in order to achieve the required development in the country.

And Mr Hichilema said he will soon hold a meeting with President Rupiah Banda over the global financial crisis.

Mr. Hichilema said the UNPD wrote to President Banda to give ideas to government on how to address the global financial crisis.

He said President Banda replied that he was willing to hold talks with the opposition leader when he returns from the African Union Summit in Ethiopia.

He said there is need for the opposition to demonstrate maturity in handling national issues by sharing ideas with the government.

ZANIS/AJN/ISS/SJK

Libyan President Colonel Muhammad Gaddafi has vowed to pursue his vision of a United States of Africa.

Addressing the 12th Session of the Assembly of the African Union last night in his inaugural address as the new chairman of the African Union, Col. Gaddafi said he would continue to push African countries work towards the achievement of the United States of Africa.

Col Gaddafi, who was elected during closed doors session at a summit in Ethiopia, however, conceded that African leaders were not near to a settlement on the issue.

The chairmanship of the African Union is a rotating position held by heads of state for one year. It is a position heads of state can use to wield influence over the continent’s politics.

Col. Gaddafi takes over from Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete.

The 12th Summit of the African Union on the Union Government resolved to transform the African Commission of the African Union into the Africa Union Authority.

The new entity has been given a mandate and definition of duties and responsibilities to guide the AU members states on the process of ultimately forming a Union Government being referred to as the United States of Africa.

African Union member countries however remain sovereign states as the have not relinquished any authority.

The process towards the formation of the Union government has followed decisive steps. On January 2005 the 4th AU summit in Abuja, Nigeria, after reviewing the proposal of creating certain ministerial portfolios for the union, the leaders decided to set up a committee of seven heads of state under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to examine the proposal in all its ramifications.

In July 2005 the 5th AU summit held in Sirte, Libya affirmed that the ultimate goal of the union is full political and economic integration leading to the United States of Africa after reviewing the report submitted by the committee, in which it recommended that there was need to work towards the formation of a union government for the continent.

In July 2006 a committee of seven African heads of state submitted a report to the AU summit. The report, named the “Study on an African Union Government towards the United States of Africa”, outlines a roadmap of forming the United States of Africa by 2015 in three phases.

In November 2006 the AU Executive Council concluded that “All member states accept the United States of Africa as a common and desirable goal, but differences exist over the modalities and time frame for achieving this goal and the appropriate pace of integration.”

In July 2007 AU summit met in Accra , Ghana to debate the plan for an African union government.

The United States of Africa is a name sometimes given to one version of the possible future unification of Africa as a national and sovereign federation of states similar in formation to the United States of America.

The idea has been spearheaded by Libyan leader Maummar al-Gaddafi who is eager for a Union Government with other African leaders calling for a gradual process towards the formation of the United States of Africa.

ZANIS/ENDS/AM/SJK/MKM

President Rupiah Banda has urged Zambians in the Diaspora to take a leaf from Ethiopian nationals who have invested massively in their country.

Mr. Banda said the Ethiopians in Diaspora have invested in their country’s infrastructure , Agriculture , Tourism and Real Estate that has translated into significant development of Ethiopian towns such as the capital, Addis Ababa.

President Banda was speaking last night when he addressed the Zambian community in Addis Ababa where he is attending the 12th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, which is under the theme ‘Infrastructure Development in Africa’ .

The Ethiopian government estimates that between 1.5 million and 2 million Ethiopians are living abroad in places as far as Sweden, Canada and the Middle East.

Mr. Banda said efforts would be made by the Zambian government to find a strategy of encouraging and facilitating for the Zambians abroad to invest their earnings back home.

“Investing back into the country by you people in the Diaspora would help you avoid becoming destitutes once you are recalled,” he added.

Mr. Banda also called on Zambians to adjust their way of life in the face of the global economic financial crisis.

President Banda urged all Zambians to seek to be self-sustaining by venturing into farming in a bid to avoid buying food for their survival.

He said at national level, the country was diversifying from the traditional dependency on mining to other sectors such as agriculture and tourism in a bid to mitigate the impact of the global economic financial crisis.

President Banda also emphasized the need for unity at family, community and national level, as unity is a prerequisite for personal and national development.

He said unity was a precious attribute, which must be guarded jealously if Zambia is to move forward.

President Banda reiterated that his administration was a listening government and would accept constructive criticism for the good of the country.

Speaking earlier, Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Patrick Sinyinza said the efforts by President Banda to spare time from his busy schedule for the Zambian Community in Ethiopia was a clear manifestation of good leadership.

Mr. Sinyinza said the Zambian Community in Ethiopia was fully behind the leadership of President Banda and government.

And Chairman of the Zambian Community in Ethiopia Washington Mukumbila congratulated President Banda for his victory in the October 30 Presidential by-election.

Mr. Mukumbila said signs were already visible that Zambia was poised for greater development under the leadership of president Banda.

ZANIS/AM/MKM/SJK/ENDS

By Mingeli Palata

Its an awfully beautiful Sunday afternoon, regular visitors to my house would he surprised to see me here and this is not only because I rarely spend my Sundays home but also because I am here in the front house trying to do up the landscape. It’s such a peaceful sight yet the same cannot be said about what is going on in my mind. Dear friends the thing is, when you watch the news and see kids that have been molested, like in my case, it doesn’t really make any sense until it happens to one of your own.

Allow me to take you back to that fateful and most recent Friday night, naturally after a long week I would link up with a couple of friends around our lovely Lusaka to hide somewhere in Rhodespark to hear the latest and to simply unwind the week. And so it was on the Friday that I linked up with ‘the usual suspects’ on what started off be to a promising evening. Little did I know that the next few minutes would paint a very grim picture.

I got a call from my little cousin and my first thought was an eminent invitation to one of those salsa dances around town, oh boy how was I wrong. Her message was simple yet thought provoking, ‘you better get home, my dear’. It wasn’t a prank; my kid sister was reported to have been raped. I obviously never really grasped the reality of that message until I got home only to see my aging mother turned into a sorry sight.

This prompted my quick arrival at woodlands Police station where the police officers on duty charged in response to my dismal temperament. Before I realized it, I had four officers at hand to withhold my anger. I looked at my twelve year old sister and couldn’t entertain the fact that some insane men had taken her advantage of her. As I peered deeper in her young eyes, a lot of thoughts came in my mind. I thought about the emotional trauma that this kid was obviously going through, I thought about the possibility of her contracting HIV, I thought about how this experience would affect her sexuality in future. Trust me; you wouldn’t want to be in my shoes.

The night earned itself some credit as the worst night ever such that as I made my way to the children’s section of the University Teaching Hospital, I didn’t know whether it was more important for me to be angry with the culprits or to sympathize with my kid sister. I could deploy all my available resources to making sure that the culprits have been brought to book but what would that change about my sister’s fate? I have too many questions with but a handful of answers. I guess you just never know, until it happens to one of your own!