State House has denied media reports suggesting that the ten people who have been arrested for staying at a lodge in the Zambian capital, Lusaka without paying, were offered jobs by President Rupiah Banda.

Chief Analyst for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere has described a story in Tuesday’s edition of the Post Newspaper alleging that President Banda offered the impostors jobs, as a total fabrication meant to bring the name of the President into disrepute and ridicule.

Mr. Jere told ZNBC in a statement that State House does not have any member of staff by the name of David Banda who allegedly made bookings for 26 passengers to travel to New York.

He said State House does not make travel arrangements for persons appointed to the foreign service.

Meanwhile President Banda has sent a message of condolences to the Bemba people of Kasama District on the death of Chikwanda Changu Ng’andu, son of the late Paramount Chief Chitimukulu.

President Banda said he learnt of the untimely death of Chikwanda with a deep sense of loss and sorrow.

This is contained in the President’s message addressed to Northern Province minister Charles Shawa.
ZNBC

Eleven suspects have been arrested and formally charged with obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences and impersonating public officers.

This follows investigations into the matter involving seven people from the copperbelt province who were staying at a named lodge in Chilenje township in Lusaka purporting that President Rupiah Banda will appoint them into the foreign service.

Acting Inspector General of Police, Francis Kabonde that a named Ndola based magistrate, his wife who is a senior police officer and a civilian were the master minders of the scam.

He explained that the three duped four police officers into believing that they would provide security to those appointed in diplomatic services, forcing the officers to proceed on leave.

Mr. Kabonde said further investigations have proved that the accused persons have been staying at the named lodge from 18th December last year to 8th January this year.

He said all the accused persons will appear in court Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Kabonde said investigations have also established that none of the accused persons are related to the first family as alleged.

The acting Inspector General of Police has strongly warned that his office will not allow anyone to bring the President’s name into ridicule.

[ZNBC]

The minibus driver who caused the accident in which 13 people died at Kabangwe in Lusaka last week has surrendered himself to the police.

The driver who ran away immediately after the accident on Thursday surrendered himself to officers at Kabangwe police post at the weekend.

Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso said the driver has been arrested and charged with thirteen counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr. Kapeso said the driver will appear in court soon.

Eleven people died on the spot while two others died at UTH after the minibus they were in collided head-on with an oncoming international truck at the junction of Ngwerere cemetery turn off on Thursday last week.

Meanwhile eleven suspects have been arrested and formally charged with obtaining pecuniary advantage by false presences and impersonating public officers.

This follows investigations into the matter involving seven people from the copperbelt province who were staying at a named lodge in Chilenje township in Lusaka purporting that President Rupiah Banda will appoint them into the foreign service.

Acting Inspector General of Police, Francis Kabonde that a named Ndola based magistrate, his wife who is a senior police officer and a civilian were the master minds of the scam.

He explained that the three duped four police officers into believing that they would provide security to those appointed in diplomatic services, forcing the officers to proceed on leave.

Mr. Kabonde said further investigations have proved that the accused persons have been staying at the named lodge from 18th December last year to 8th January this year.

He said all the accused persons will appear in court Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Kabonde said investigations have also established that none of the accused persons are related to the first family as alleged.

The acting Inspector General of Police has strongly warned that his office will not allow anyone to bring the President’s name into ridicule.
ZNBC

The Zambia National Union of Teacher (ZNUT) has challenged government to consider the plight of teachers before making certain decisions that concern them.

ZNUT General Secretary, Roy Mwaba says government’s decision to extended learning hours for pupils at primary school was unfair on the part of teachers.

Mr. Mwaba said government should first look at the working conditions of teachers in the country before rushing into extending learning hours in schools.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that extending learning hours was however good for the pupils as they would acquire more knowledge.

He explained that in rural areas, teachers have more than one class to attend to and therefore, government should also consider increasing such workers’ salaries.

Mr. Mwaba said teachers were key stakeholders in education matters hence the need for government to consult them when making such decisions.

Recently, Minister of Education, Geoffrey Lungwangwa announced that government had with immediate effect increased the minimum hours of learning from two to five hours a day for primary school pupils.

And Mr. Mwaba has welcomed government’s decision not to allow schools in cholera affected areas to open until the problem was addressed.

He said it was good that government considered the health of teachers and pupils by not allowing certain schools to open.

He said the cholera situation was serious in the country hence the need for all Zambians to work together in fighting the disease.

Mr. Mwaba noted that it was sad that 44 years after independence, the sanitation system in the country was still bad and causing water borne diseases.

Mr. Mwaba added that there was need for the local authority to work on the blocked drainage system due to the floods which he said was the major contributor to the cholera outbreak.

He has since called on the public to maintain a clean environment to prevent contracting diarrheal diseases such as cholera.

ZANIS/AJN/KSH/ENDS

Government has reaffirmed its commitment of economically empowering Zambians through the allocation of market stalls to the local people.

Lusaka Province Minister, Lameck Mangani, made the assurance when he toured the New Soweto Market in Lusaka today.

Mr. Mangani said government will not allow Zambians to sublet their market stalls to foreigners because the market was meant to empower them.

He warned that government would sternly deal with Zambians that were in the habit of selling the stands to foreigners.

He has since asked the marketers to form a committee from which government would select a board that would be in charge of market administration.

Mr. Mangani further assured the marketers that government will ensure that there was transparency in the allocation of stands owing to the large number of applicants.

The new market, whose construction was funded by the European Union at a cost of 7 million Euros, has a capacity of about 2,000 stalls against over 10,000 Applicants.

He hoped that opening of the market before the end of this year would de-congest the town and assist in keeping the city clean.

Earlier, Soweto Market Development Committee Chairperson, Albert Phiri, commended government for constructing a modern market for the local people.

Mr. Phiri urged the government to ensure that only Zambians who were displaced to pave way for the construction of the market should be allocated stalls.

ZANIS/JT/GP/ENDS