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Surgeons performing an operation on baby Faith Mwape, who had a parasitic growth on the back
A UNIVERSITY Teaching Hospital (UTH) medical team this week successfully carried out a surgical operation to remove the underdeveloped part of a Siamese twin.
This is the 18th Siamese twin operation by the UTH and eighth successful one performed at the institution since the 1970s.
The operation was conducted on a seven-month-old Siamese twin baby girl, Faith Mwape to remove the parasite on the buttocks.
Faith was born to Mercy Lenganji, 18, who got pregnant when she was in Grade 11 in Mufulira and was transferred to UTH on April 25, 2008.
Faith’s operation took the doctors one hour and 57 minutes and was led by chief operator, Tackson Lambart.
The operation, which began at 10:03 hours, was done by Lupando Munkonge of the paediatric surgery department and Dr Lambart, a neurosurgeon. Others were Mwanza Banda, a psychiatrist, Azizov Abdukarim, an anaesthetist, and Maundo Chowa of orthopaedics.
PATROTIC Front Kanyama Member of Parliament Gerry Chanda receives a water tank donated by Kazuma Plastics. Here Chanda congratulates Kazuma managing director Peter Frangeskides in LusakaConstruction of a new shoprite in SolweziPresident Rupiah Banda confers with his Zimbabwean Robert Mugabe at Intercontinental Hotel in Sandton South Africa during the emergency SADC summitSports minister Kenneth Chipungu (right) and African Boxing Union vice president Nelson Sapi congrtulating ABU bantam weight champion Mable Mulenga in Lusaka yesterdaySports minister Kenneth Chipungu and African Boxing Union vice president Nelson Sapi fasting the African Boxing Union bantam weight championship belt on Mable Mulenga in Lusaka yesterdayINFORMATION and Broadcasting Services minister Ronnie Shikapwasha (r) poses for a photograph with Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hideto Mitamura after receiving video tapes for Project X in LusakaVICE president George Kunda arrives for the consumer regulatory alliance conference at Mulungushi international conference centre in Lusaka
Government today unveiled a K 15.3 trillion national budget for 2009 under the theme ‘ Enhancing growth through competitiveness and diversification,’ whose larger portion would be financed locally.
This year’s budget represents an 11 percent increase from the 2008 national budget of K 13.7 trillion.
The total budget represents a drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from last years of 26.7 percent to 25.4 percent.
Of the total budget, K 10, 645.9 billion ( representing about 69.7 percent ) will be financed locally while K2, 768.7 billion ( 18.1 percent ) would be sourced externally through grants from cooperating partners.
The balance of K1,864.5 billion or 12. 2 percent will be financed through domestic borrowing of K1,069.0 of 1.8 percent of GDP and External borrowing of K795.5 billion or 1.3 percent of GDP.
K2,768.7 billion , K810.1 will be through Direct Budget Zone (DBZ) while K409.6 billion is expected to be funded through sector budget support.
Presenting the 2009 budget to Parliament today, Finance and National Planning Minister, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane said government has proposed to spend K 4.865.5 billion on government general services.
He said government has provided K50 billion for the National Constitution conference (NCC) , K248.5 billion for dismantling areas, domestic debt interest K978.8 billion and external debt K372.0 billion and K173.1 for compensation and wards.
Dr. Simukotwane said government has also provided K610.7 billion for public and safety , representing 4 percent of the total.
Government has also allocated 3,021 .2 billion for economic affairs , K117.3 billion for environmental protection , K587.3 billion for Housing and Community amenities and 1,823.4 billion representing 11.9 percent of the budget to the health sector while the education sector has 2,628.0 billion , which is 17.2 percent of the budget.
On Infrastructure government has allocated K1,356.8 billion for roads of which K 250.3 billion will go towards rehabilitation of feeder roads and for provincial rural units that will be used to operate road maintenance equipment procured last year.
And government has this year increased allocation to the Ferliser Support programme (FSP) from K185 billion for last year to K435 billion in this years budget.
Dr. Musokotwane said the measure is meant to empower small scale farmers with inputs in efforts of improve national security .
He has further allocated K 100 billion for the strategic food reserve and K 70.7 billion for livestock development and a further K56.5 billion for irrigation development.
On Transport and Communication, government has allocated K 21.2 billion towards the rehabilitation of Kasama , Solwezi, Mfuwe and Mansa airports and a further K 10.0 billion for the completion of the Chipata Muchiji railway.
Dr. Musokotwane said government has provided K 214.4 billion to the national Rural and urban water supply programme and a further K10 billion towards the improvement of drainage system in Lusaka city.
On the allocated for Public order nada safety, government will send K475.8 on policing services and K35 billion for the construction of houses for defense personnel.
Public service pension fund has been allocated K174.3 billion while a further K128.1 has been allocated as government employer contribution to the fund.
K40 billion has been proposed for the Citizen Empowerment Fund (CEF) while K67.5 billion has been allocated towards the Constituency development Fund (CDF) .
Dr. Musokotwane has revealed that key ministries will publish booklets showing resources allocated for each projects in order to facilitate effective monitoring by stakeholders.
He said the measure is meant is meant to enhance transparency and accountability on the part of government .
President, Rupiah Banda, is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa tomorrow to attend the twelfth Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union Heads of State and Government.
Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande who confirmed to ZANIS here said the President will be accompanied by First Lady Thandiwe and other government officials.
Mr. Pande said a busy schedule awaits Mr. Banda with the first call of duty prior to the commencement of the summit being a meeting of the Great Lakes Region which will focus at the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.
He said on the first day of the Heads of State and Government summit of the African Union, President Banda and his counterparts will dedicate the whole day to discussing the possibility of forming a United States of Africa government.
Mr. Pande said the issue of the budget of the AU will also rank highly on the agenda of the AU summit where Zambia has expressed concern on the utilization of the AU budget.
He said First Lady Thandiwe has been invited by the African Union to participate in programmes for the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS, OAFLA.
Mr. Pande said the summit to be held under the theme “Infrastructure Development in Africa”, is of particular importance to Zambia because Zambia is in a hurry to develop.
He said infrastructure such as roads and bridges are key to the development efforts of government.
On the issue of Mauritania of which Zambia is the current Chair of the Peace and Security Committee of the African Union, Mr. Pande said the AU has facilitated that the political situation in that country be discussed.
Mr. Pande said the African Union strongly feels that coups should not be entertained as such acts are things of the past which are denting Africa’s growing democratic dispensation.
And Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Patrick Sinyinza said Ambassadors of the AU members states had prior to the on-going Council of Ministers meeting held a meeting at ambassadorial level where a number of key issues and recommendations were made to the meeting of ministers.
Mr. Sinyinza said borders concerns, issues of integration, peace and stability and the issue of international displacements were highlighted.
The 17th ordinary session of the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) of the African Union (AU) began here on Monday, ahead of the 12th heads of state and government summit, with the theme: “Infrastructure development in Africa.”
Financial issues that dominated the debate of the committee, which comprises African Ambassadors accredited to the AU.
The meeting’s agenda focused on budgetary constraints of the AU Commission as well as on specialised institutions (African Parliament, African Court of Human and People’s Rights, the Commission of Human and People’s Rights).
Besides, the African financial and monetary integration is on the agenda of the committee.
In this regard, the relations between the AU Commission on alternative funding sources for the Union as well as the African Stock Exchange and the African Monetary Fund were discussed thoroughly about 10 days after the meeting in Addis Ababa of the extraordinary conference of the African finance ministers on these issues.
Desertification control was also addressed during this two-day meeting, with Ambassadors being urged to examine the 2008-2010 draft Action Plan under the Great Green Wall Initiative for the Sahara and the Sahel initiated in Senegal by President Abdoulaye Wade.
African women and the issue of gender equality were high on the agenda of the meeting of the committee, alongside the review of the summary of national reports on the implementation of the African Union’s Solemn Declaration on gender equality in Africa.
Kawambwa Tea Company (KTC) owes some Zambian companies and parastatals over K4.219 billion.
District Commissioner, Wilbroad Mumba confirmed the KTC’s huge debts in an interview with ZANIS in Kawambwa.
He said K580 million is for income tax, with National Pensions Authority owed K240 million, while retirees are yet to be paid K660 million by the tea company.
KTC also owes workers compensation board K75 million and bank over drafts of over K660 million.
Others firms owed by KTC are Zesco, K104 million, ZANACO bank K1.9 billion loan, salary arrears for workers in Kawambwa and Ndola K600 million.
Mr. Mumba wondered why management was failing to pay bills, wages and salaries for casual and permanent workers respectively when it was making a lot of profit.
He also lamented management’s failure to provide protective clothing for its workers.
Mr. Mumba observed that there were a lot of Tuberculosis (TB) cases at the factory due to lack of protective clothings.
However, he expressed happiness to note that management has started to do something for the workers plight.
Workers at Kawambwa Tea Company (KTC) are appealing to government to repossess the company in order to ease their sufferings.
The workers have alleged that the current investor has failed to run the company.
Speaking to ZANIS in Kawambwa, the workers’ representative, Peter Mutale, said government should urgently take over the company, accusing the investor of having failed them.
Mr Mutale, who was flanked by casual and permanent workers, charged that there was urgent need for the government to come in.
He said it was clear that the current investor has failed to run the company which he said is profitable because nothing has changed in terms of looking into workers plight.
He suggested that the government should get some shares if it fails to take over the entire company.
And Mr Mutale said there is need for management to consider increasing workers’ wages and salaries in order for them to catch up with the current economic crisis.
Mr. Mutale noted that prices of most essential commodities have increased but workers are still getting old salaries, which he called peanuts, which cannot sustain their families.
He added that the daily operation of the company is entirely dependent on the local people who have failed to run it, a move he said should also be checked.
And Mr Mutale has bemoaned lack of workers’ safety clothings and appealed to the company management to urgently purchase them.
Mr Mutale said workers had for a long time been using their own safety clothes and tools for them to operate in the factory and in tea fields.
He added that tea fields are infested with snakes and workers are working in fear as they are not protected with gum boots and pairs of overalls.
But speaking in a separate interview with ZANIS, acting factory manager, John Bunda, said he is happy that that the company has started improving.
Mr Bunda said at the moment, production of green leaf is 25 tonnes per day.
Mr Bunda said all the casual workers’ four months outstanding arrears have been paid but admitted that permanent workers have not yet been cleared their eight months’ salaries.
He said there is much improvement at the plantation as inputs were now in place since 200 metric tonnes of fertilizer have been received.
And a check by ZANIS at the tea estate found that almost all the fields were in tall grass because weeding came to halt for about six months after workers went on strike demanding to be paid their salaries and wages.
Mongu Subordinate Court yesterday sentenced a 22 year old man to 12 months imprisonment with hard labor after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft contrary to section 272 cap 87 of the laws of Zambia.
Appearing before Magistrate Humphrey Chitalu was Muyunda Siyanga of Mbikusita Compound in Mongu. Particulars of the offence are that on 21st January 2009 around 09 hours at Shoprite checkers Mongu, Siyanga was spotted by Derrick Nyambu, hiding two packets of energizer batteries valued at K47000 under his pants.
He was later apprehended and taken to police station after he paid for a loaf of bread he picked from the bakery. In mitigation, Siyanga asked the court to have leniency on him saying he was a school going pupil.
Government has commended the Czech Republic for donating Ultra Modern Surgical Equipment valued at K2.4 billion to Lewanika General Hospital.
Western Province Permanent Secretary Ikanuke Nooyo said with the Ultra Modern Surgical Equipment, the hospital will have the capacity to operate three patients at a time and save many lives.
Mr. Noyoo urged workers at the institution to be dedicated and hard working despite the hardship faced when executing their duties.
Mr. Nooyo said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Permanent Secretary Phanuel Chibala during the official handing of Ultra Modern Surgical Equipment at Lewanika General Hospital today.
And Czech Republic ministry of health representative Cenek Merta commended the Zambia government for a good relationship that exists between Czech Republic and Zambia.
Mr. Merta said the donated ultra modern set of equipment is the one currently being used in most surgical theaters in European countries. He said the equipment will be of benefit and improve service delivery to the people of Western Province.
Kralovske Virohrady University Hospital of Czech Republic through a non governmental organization, Hand for Help, donated different assorted surgical equipments comprising of; theatre operator lighting-ceiling model, mobile theatre operating light and ventilators.
More than 70 houses have collapsed in seven compounds in Kitwe following heavy rains experienced in the past one month.
Kitwe council public relations manager Francis Wasamunu who has confirmed the development ZANIS in Kitwe today said many people have been left homeless and were sharing accommodation with their relatives within the compounds.
The six affected compounds include Chipata where 26 houses collapsed , Kamatipa 8, Ipusukilo 8, st. Anothony 6, Nkadambwe 7.
He explained that the council has not yet recorded any collapsed houses in Kawama, Mulenga, Zambia compound and kakolo.
And Mr. Wasamunu said the council this morning moved and demolished several illegal structures in Ndeke village, Mukuba-natwange and Wusakile townships.
He warned that the council will raze down any structure build on illegally acquired land.
And In Kasama, heavy rains have damaged a school in Chief Katuta’s area in Luwingu District, leaving scores of pupils stranded as they do not have classes to use for lessons.
Mushinga ward Councillor Ken Mulenga confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Kasama yesterday.
Mr. Mulenga said a 1 by 3 classroom block collapsed last week at Chambo Middle Basic School following a heavy downpour.
He said as a result the Grade seven pupils, who were using the classroom block, are now crowded in limited classes at the school.
Mr. Mulenga added that some pupils in the lower grades have been asked to stay away from school when it is raining in order to avoid unforeseen calamites.
The Ward Councillor further revealed some grass-thatched community schools have also been damaged by rains in Chief’s Katuta’s area.
Mr. Mulenga has since appealed to Ministry of Education to assist authorities at Chambo Middle Basic School in re-constructing the collapsed classroom block so that pupils could continue with education.
Meanwhile, a road from Musele in Chief Katuta’s area leading to Kaputa has been badly damaged by heavy rains.
The development has resulted in education authorities in Luwingu District failing to access the damaged schools due to the poor state of the road.
Fire has destroyed goods worth K100 million in the inferno that gutted Chisokone Market early this morning.
Zambia National Marketeers Association(ZANAMA) Vice Chairman General Sidney Kayombo has disclosed that fire which occurred around 01.00hrs this morning destroyed goods in four containers.
In an interview with ZANIS , Mr Kayombo has attributed the cause of the fire to a suspected electrical fault .
He said it was difficult to intervene in the matter concerning the goods because the area affected by the fire is not part of the market .
HE however said a soft loan will be given to the affected people to enable them start afresh.
He urged suppliers dealing in electrical appliances to ensure that the goods are switched off at the end of each working day.
Mr Kayombo has thanked the fire brigade for coming on time and for salvaging some of the goods which were caught up in the fire.
Goods which were completely destroyed include clothes, television sets and fridges and other electrical appliances.
Government has maintained that Zambia has never hosted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secret prisons as reported by the international media
Clarifying reports in some sections of the international media, Defense minister George Mpombo told parliament in a ministerial statement that Zambia was not one of the countries with the secret US states.
He stated that Late Republican President Dr. Levy Mwanawasa had opposed the US plans to set up a base, the position which has never changed.
He said the article from the United Kingdom Guardian weekly issue of Friday , January 23 2009 was not true.
The Minister’s response follows a point of order that Patriotic Front (PF) Vice President Guy Scott which he raised over UK’s paper revelations of the CIA secret prisons existence in Zambia.
But US Ambassador to Zambia Donald Booth also denied the existence of the CIA prison facility or any similar entities in Zambia .
In a press release, Ambassador Booth said there had never been any such prison facilities in Zambia
A Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) has urged the National Constitution Conference (NCC) to seriously review and adopt Article 149 in the Willa Mung’omba Draft Constitution that has the provisions of the Presidential running mate proposal with a view to avoiding the costly running of the Presidential by-elections.
Chikondi Foundation President Bishop John Mambo says there is need for NCC to adopt Article 149 that provides the adoption of the Vice President as a running mate of a Presidential candidate in case a calamity befalls the President.
Bishop Mambo, who is also Nyamphande Orphanage President, told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that NCC plenary should adopt Article 149 as it will play a crucial role in bringing political stability as well as help to foster economic development in the country.
The Lusaka-based Clergyman said there is need for the NCC not to dilute the provisions contained under Article 149 in the Willa Mung’omba Draft Constitution as this would help to prevent political divisions and fighting’s in the country’s political parties.
Bishop Mambo, who is a former CRC Commissioner, said that the NCC should work-out special modalities that would answer to the needs and aspirations of the Zambian citizenry in the final constitution.
He observed that if the new constitution is to stand a taste of time, NCC members should ensure that the views of the majority Zambian were reflected in the final constitution.
Bishop Mambo was reacting to the NCC which yesterday deferred to the full NCC plenary the Article 149 in the Willa Mung’omba’s draft report on whether a Republican Vice President should be a running mate to a Presidential Candidate or be appointed by the President.
And Bishop Mambo has thrown-out calls by some opposition political parties to institute an independent body to audit the National Constitution Conference (NCC).
Bishop Mambo said there was no need for some opposition political parties to start calling for an independent audit body because the NCC had not misapplied funds and that its mandate was costly for it to misapply funds allocated to the exercise.
The clergy has since called on the opposition to fully support NCC to enable it execute its duties with the stipulated time.
The Swedish government has promised to assist the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) in quickening the constitution making process in Zambia.
This follows the earlier information given to the Swedish Ambassador to Zambia by the NCC chairperson, Chifumu Banda, that the NCC was facing financial problems to publish the report and draft constitution to the public for 60 consecutive days as required by law.
Swedish Ambassador to Zambia, Lars Ronnas said this when he paid a courtesy call on Mr. Banda at Mulungushi International Conference Center (MICC) today.
Mr. Ronnas said his government would mobilize more funds for assisting the NCC through the European Union (EU), which his country currently head in Zambia.
He said he had taken keen interest in Zambia’s constitution making process but expressed concern over the budgetary constraints the NCC was going to face at the stage disseminating its report and draft constitution to the people of Zambia.
Mr. Banda said the report and draft constitution needed to be translated into Zambia’s local languages and brail for the blind people.
Mr. Banda said this would increase legitimacy of the new constitution documents.
He has since appealed to the donor community to come to the rescue of the NCC to enable it reach its mandate.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has called on government to ensure that the 2009 budget was designed in a manner that would address the country’s challenges which have come as a result of global economic recession.
PF vice president, Guy Scott, said the opposition party is concerned with the negative impact of the global financial crisis.
Speaking during a media briefing at the party headquarters in Lusaka today, Dr. Scott said there was need for government to heed to calls from his party to cut on its expenditure.
He said cutting government expenditure would help address some of the challenges the country is facing due to the prevailing global financial meltdown.
And the PF vice president has urged government to expeditiously issue a report on the alleged secret Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prisons in the country as reported in the international media.
Dr. Scott said his party was waiting for a report from government because the American government through its embassy in the country has since denied operating secret CIA prisons in Zambia.
The call for the report follows an order from US President Barrack Obama to close secretly operated CIA prisons in various countries, including Zambia as reported in some sections of the international media.
Meanwhile, PF spokesperson Given Lubinda alleged that most of the Permanent Secretaries which were recently appointed to government were not competent to run the civil service because they did not have the technical knowledge and experience.
Mr. Lubinda charged that the appointments amounted to abuse of office and a campaign strategy by the ruling party for the 2011 elections.
He further alleged that most of those appointed to the position of permanent secretaries are people that campaigned for President Banda during for the October 30th 2008 presidential elections.
Meanwhile two former senior MMD official and ministers in the second republic have defected to the opposition PF.
The duo, who held various portfolios in the Fredrick Chiluba led government are Kuyoto Kunyanda and William Harrington.
They announced their resignation from the ruling MMD to join opposition PF at the same media briefing, citing weaknesses in the MMD leadership.
Sports Minister, Kenneth Chipungu has told Parliament that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) erred in procedure by issuing the International Transfer Certificate of Emmanuel Mayuka without the consent of Kabwe Warriors.
The Minister further said FAZ contradicted its own regulation of not interfering in contracts negotiations by issuing the transfer certificate before Kabwe warriors and Maccabi Tel Aviv could reach a consensus.
He added that FAZ did not verify all the documents required for them to issue the certificate but relied on telephone reports that Mayuka had signed the contract.
Mr. Chipungu made the remarks in a Ministerial statement in Parliament today, on Emmanuel Mayuka’s transfer report from Kabwe Warriors to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Minister maintained that there were a lot of irregularities in the way FAZ handled the football transfer of Mayuka to an Israeli club.
He said that an Ad hoc committee set up by National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ) to investigate the issue recommended in their report to him that there were irregularities in the transfer especially that the player was a minor.
He also said no money has been received by Kabwe Warriors concerning the transfer of the player adding that the signature have indicated that someone forged the signature of the player.
The Minister said he has directed the National Sport Council of Zambia (NSCZ) to institute some disciplinary measures against those who were involved in the transfer of the player.
He said the disciplinary measures are in line with the NSCZ Act 15 which spells suspension as punishment to erring associations or clubs.
He has urged the sports council to take necessary measures and ensure that appropriate measures are followed in regularizing transfers.
A 64 year old man of Libubu village in Lukulu district, who is suspected of practicing witchcraft, has escaped lynching when angry villagers attacked him.
Raymond Kamukuye and his family escaped death after two men armed with traditional guns stormed his home after rumours went round in village that he was practicing witchcraft. After realizing that he had escaped, the duo burnt his house.
Kashizhi ward councilor, Kakaba Kapalu, expressed disappointment at the action the villagers took saying mob justice was against the laws of Zambia.
He has since called on well wishers to assist the family with food and shelter since their entire property was destroyed in the fire.
And Lukulu District Commissioner Edward Kasempa has directed that all activities of witch finding should be stopped.
He said people were wrongfully accused of witchcraft and suffered at the hands of villagers.
Mr. Kasempa said accusing people of witchcraft was primitive and it caused divisions and death in the community.
He pointed out that such accusations have also undermined development in the country.
He has since instructed police officers to arrest the two men and anyone who was found practicing witch finding in his district.
