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!

Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) in Livingstone says it is saddened by Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe’s recent attacks at one of its senior officials over the cholera epidemic in the province.

Mr Munkombwe made scathing attacks on UPND Councilor for Doctor Mubitana ward, Mr Joseph Jam, during in a meeting yesterday for expressing a different view on the cholera situation in the area.

This was after the UPND official, Joseph Jambo was forced out of the meeting which the minister convened to discuss the cholera situation in the province yesterday.

Mr. Jambo said that the only reason Mr.Munkombwe chased him from the meeting was because he did not support the minister’s views on the epidemic.

Yesterday, Mr. Jambo was asked to leave the meeting for disagreeing with the minister over the source of the cholera pandemic in Livingstone.

However sources present in the meeting revealed that the UPND councilor was chased out of the meeting on grounds of politicking during the meeting which had nothing to do with politics.

And UPND constituency chairman, Bowas Maseka said in the press statement made available to ZANIS today that Mr. Munkombwe chased him from the meeting where he was supposed to represent the views of the people.

“It was dishonourable for the minister to call the councilor immature. He showed no respect for the councilor by chasing him from the meeting like a dog,” the statement read.

The statement further read that the minister should be reminded that it is important to respect people that were elected by the people.

“The person he chased represents people in the same way the minister represents the people,” said Mr.Maseka.

Mr. Maseka said the minister’s action of not respecting divergent views indicates how undemocratic he is.

ZANIS/AS/ENDS/MM

Bus drivers in Kitwe today packed their buses in protest against incessant patrols by Road Trafic and Safety Agency (RTSA) officers and state police.

The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has condemned the action by bus drivers to paralyse transport routes in Kitwe in order to avoid policing by state police.

ZACA Executive Secretary, Muyunda Illilonga, said it was important that the drivers adhere to the laws of the land.

He said traffic police officers were not doing anything wrong by enforcing the law.

Mr Illilonga told ZANIS in Kitwe today that the drivers have the mandate to report to authorities any traffic police officer who solicited money from them, and this should not be substituted to road safety rules.

The Executive Secretary said since there was an increase in the number of cars, the Road Safety and Transport Agency and the police should remain vigilant to ensure that there was sanity on the roads.

He called on Government to seriously reflect on the future management of the transport sector because the private sector should not be depended upon to provide transport.

He added that the move taken by drivers had clearly shown that the private sector has the capacity to black mail government when its interests were not being served.

Mr Illilonga suggested that government should have a policy shift where all local authorities would be compelled to operate buses within the areas of its jurisdiction.

Mr Illilonga further said there should be stiff competition between government and the private sector so that government could keep the private sector in check.

And some mini-bus drivers in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, Monday abandoned their vehicles in protest against alleged harrassment by officers from the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA).

This affected routes to Lilanda, Chunga, Chipata, Mandevu and Chilenje townships.

Some Commutters who could not afford to hire taxis were forced to walk, while others opted to stay home.

A check by a ZNBC news in some selected parts of the City also revealed that a number of marketeers were also affected.

Commutters also called on authorities to quickly resolve the stand off between bus drivers and RTSA personnel.

RTSA Frederick Mwalusaka is expected to issue a comprehensive statement on the stand-off with drivers.

ZANIS/ENDS/PK/EB.

Col. Gaddafi was elected by delegates at the AU summit in Ethiopia.

A BBC correspondent at the summit says Col Gaddafi was seen to be the obvious choice, but some delegates are uneasy about his nomination.

AU spokeswoman Habiba Mejri-Sheikh said Col. Gaddafi was elected “by the heads of state in a closed-door session, for a one-year period”.

“He is currently addressing the assembly as president, to outline his programme and his intentions,” she said.

Col. Gaddafi replaces the Tanzanian president, Jakaya Kikwete.

In its earlier sessions, AU delegates called for a lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe.

The call followed the announcement on Friday that the opposition would be joining a unity government.

On Sunday, the summit debated a Libyan-backed proposal to set up a single government – the United States of Africa.

In a compromise, the summit agreed to transform the African Union Commission, which oversees the body, into an AU Authority that would have a broader mandate, Mr. Kikwete said.

“In principle, we said the ultimate is the United States of Africa. How we proceed to that ultimate – there are building blocks,” Mr. Kikwete said.

The 12th summit of the African Union on the union government has resolved to transform the African Commission of the African Union into the Africa Union Authority.

Briefing the press after the heads of state and government meeting on the Union Government, African Union Commission chairperson, Jakaya Kikwete said the new entity has been given a bigger mandate and the definition of duties and responsibilities to guide the AU members states on the process of ultimately forming a Union Government, which is known as United States of Africa.

Mr. Kikwete, who is also Tanzania President, said the ongoing summit will discuss the structure and fill in the portfolios of the authority which will be launched by July this year.

He said the new organ, to which all leaders were supportive, will have a President, a Vice President and the commissioners, who would be secretaries.

Mr. Kikwete however, explained that all the other organs of the AU such as the Assembly of the union, the Executive Council, Permanent Representative Committee and others have remained unaltered.

He also clarified that AU member countries will remain sovereign states as they have not relinquished any authority.

Mr. Kikwete however said the continent was closer to the formation of the United States of Africa.

He said the seat of the Africa Union Authority would still be Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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 fully 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.

A year later, a committee of seven African heads of state submitted a report to the AU summit. The report, known as “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 should 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, the 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/AM/KSH/ENDS

By Wesley Ngwenya

I was in the passenger seat of a friend’s car as we waited for the lights on the intersection of Independence Road and Burma Road when my attention was drawn to a green Toyota Land Cruiser which pulled over next to us. The driver was a middle-aged white man with a white dog on his passenger seat. That is not an unusual sight in Lusaka nowadays. It was not even unusual that behind in the open van were two of my fellow black Zambians. What was unusual though was that it was raining. The guys behind were being soaked in rain while the White man and his dog were having a cozy ride in first class.

As the lights turned green and the vehicles sped towards town, I rolled my windows down and asked the man in the Land Cruiser why he would opt for the guys behind to get soaked while he had an animal ride shot-gun. His response was, “this is an expensive dog and it is none of your business. This is my business,” as he negotiated the turn on Kafue Roundabout to head south. Both my friend and I were speechless for a moment.

Later that day I recounted to the same friend what had happened to me a few weeks earlier. I went to purchase a tape for my video camera in one of the Indian owned shops on Cairo Road. As soon as I bought the tape, I decided to window shop next door. Fortunately, this shop carried similar products as the previous one where I bought the tape. I found the tape in this shop for about K6,000 cheaper. I hastily bought the cheaper tape and went back in the first shop to return the more expensive one. I asked for my money back because I found a cheaper one next door. He of course said they did not take returns but I insisted. He then said, “Why don’t you think before you buy? Fuseki.” In Zambia, “Fuseki” is an insult. Saying I was angry after hearing these words is an understatement. I cannot repeat the words I used to this man.

He quickly realized that he was dealing with a different person. His employees and the customers in the shop couldn’t believe their ears and eyes. I pointed my index finger and placed it right on his forehead and told him to never ever speak to me or anyone in that shop using such language. His body was shaking and you could hear the fear in his voice. He asked one of his employees to give me my money and go. I got my money and left but not before I shared a few more words of wisdom with him.

A few hours later in a restaurant a man walked to me and thanked me for speaking out for them in that store. He agreed with me that foreigners were disrespecting Zambians and abusing them in their own country. These foreigners are quick to change sides and claim the Zambian citizenship when it advantages them like the Indian man earlier.

As a Zambian living in my own country I deserve some respect and not to be treated like an animal. If I were in some little town in Sweden or some village in Nepal I would probably take it in and just shut up. However, in my country I will show you that I belong here and this is my territory and you may be invading my space.

I am in no way against foreigners. There are many foreigners who come to Zambia and make significant contributions in our communities. Many are respectful, cordial and considerate. Unfortunately, some are arrogant and disrespectful. These are the kinds we need to watch out. Whether or not they are our employers we should not reduce ourselves to sub-humans to be accepted by them. It is our country and let us stand up for our rights.

President Rupiah Banda was today among Heads of State and Government that attended a special session on the union government held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The closed-door session was among others, discussing the establishment of a unified Africa to give African people a stronger bargaining power at international forums.

The process towards the formation of the union government has followed decisive steps.

In January 2005, the fourth AU summit in Abuja, Nigeria, 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.

This was after reviewing the proposal of creating certain ministerial portfolios for the union.

In July the same year, the fifth AU summit held in Sirte, Libya, affirmed that the ultimate goal of the union was full political and economic integration that would lead to the United States of Africa after reviewing the report submitted by the committee.

The committee had recommended that there was need to work towards the formation of a union government for the continent.

A year later, in 2006, a committee of seven African heads of state submitted a report to the AU summit. The report, known as the “Study on an African Union Government towards the United States of Africa”, outlined 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 should accept the United States of Africa as a common and desirable goal, but differences existed over the modalities and time frame for achieving this goal and the appropriate pace of integration.

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

Meanwhile, President Banda held private talks with British Minister for Africa, Asia and the United Nations at the UN building in Addis Ababa today.

Mr. Banda also held one-on-one closed-door talks with Vice President of the World Bank at his presidential suite at Sheraton Hotel.

And, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati told ZANIS here that African countries should act regionally to address infrastructure and energy deficits on the continent.

Mr. Mutati said African countries should move collectively forward to face some of the pressing challenges facing the continent.

He announced that Zambia would in April this year, host a financing conference for the development of the North to South corridor.

Mr. Mutati said the conference will aim at identifying bottlenecks in sourcing and accessing funds for development.

ZANIS/AM/KSH/ENDS

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the film industry and encouraging its growth in the country.

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services (MIBS), Ronnie Shikapwasha, said it was government’s desire to make the Zambian film industry reach the levels which other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have attained.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha explained that if the film sector was properly supported, it would supplement government’s efforts of creating job opportunities for the local people.

In a speech ready on his behalf by Director for Press and Planning at the ministry, Juliana Mwila, Gen. Shikapwasha said in this years budget, government has allocate some funds for the growth of the film industry in a bid to attract more players to the sector.

He was speaking at the closure of the National Association of Media Arts (NAMA) workshop and launch of the NAMA website in Lusaka last evening.

He pointed out that his ministry would support all programmes that were aimed at capacity building towards the development of the local film producers.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha, who is also Chief Government Spokesperson, has meanwhile disclosed that his ministry has licensed eight privately owned television station, which aimed at promoting the local film productions.

He explained that the television and film industries in any country play an important role in economic development through remitting tax to government.

He added that his ministry was in the process of repealing the theatres and cinematography Act and that it will amend the copyrights and performance Act.

The minister said these pieces of legislation will protect the film industry and artists from piracy.

General Shikapwasha has since thanked the Finnish government for supporting local film producers and has appealed to the corporate world to help government develop the sector.

And speaking earlier, Finnish Ambassador to Zambia Sinikka Antila, said culture should be regarded as one of the resources for national development.

Mrs. Antila explained that it was for this reason that her government was committed to promoting and supporting the global strategy for world heritage.

She disclosed that the Finnish government has a local cooperating fund policy through which civil society development and projects dealing with culture were funded.

She further said the Ministry for Foreigner Affairs of Finland was also sponsoring the cultural exchange productions between Finland and Zambia in order to encourage film producers in the two countries.

The Finnish envoy said this in a speech ready on her behalf by the Programmes Officer at the Finnish Embassy, Melissa Saila.

And National Arts Council Chairperson, Mulenga Kapwepwe thanked the two governments for supporting the development of the film industry, adding that this would go along way in improving local film production in Zambia

ZANIS/MM/KSH/ENDS.