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The Lusaka magistrate court has heard that three of the four documents used to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser valued at $90 000 are missing from the Zambia Air force (ZAF) file cabinet.
This is in a case where former ZAF Commander Sunday Kayumba is charged with abuse of authority of office.
This was after the matter came up Wednesday for continued defense before Chief Resident Magistrate Charles Kafunda.
Particulars of the offense are that on unknown dates but between 18th March and 24th April 2001 Lieutenant General Kayumba allegedly directed or authorized the buying of a Toyota Land Cruiser in breach of laid down procurement procedure.
ZAF Commanding Officer Central Equipment Depot, Colonel Davy Zulu, told the court that he could not find the accounts file, the Local Purchasing Order and the Certificate of Receipt after a thorough search.
Colonel Zulu said documents of such transactions are kept at both the CED and ZAF Headquarters adding that a search at both premises was in vain.
He also told the court that all transactions regarding the buying of equipment, including motor vehicles, are accompanied by the missing Local Purchasing Order.
But Lieutenant General Kayumba denied having directed or authorized the buying of the Land Cruiser Registration number AXX 1176 (ZAF 3471B).
The former ZAF Chief said it would have reflected in the correspondence with the supply department if he was to forego regulations.
The matter comes up for continued defense on February 6th, 2009.
SOME teachers in Chibombo District have not reported for work since schools opened on Monday, as a way of demanding payment for their rural hardship and fixed band allowances, SESTUZ has disclosed .
SESTUZ District Chairperson Morgan Muchindika disclosed this to ZANIS in Kabwe yesterday and added that the teachers have not been paid their allowances as agreed upon by the union and Government in 2002 onward.
Mr. Muchindika said that the government was aware that the three unions in the district, ZNUT, BETUZ and SESTUZ had given them up to 30th January to pay up the said allowances, failure to which they would continue with the withdraw of their labour.
“While we appreciate that the government agreed to cater teachers by way of giving the rural hardship allowances, they should have it done to avoid transfers and teachers migrating into town,” he said.
He further said all schools in the district were affected and appealed to the government to act quickly for it is pointless for teachers to be traveling from rural areas into town were teachers have more incentives and have privileges of conducting tuition because they have electricity in their homes.
And ZNUT District trustee Philimon Ngwadzai has appealed to the government to look into the plight of teacher’s accommodation in rural areas.
He said that currently some teachers were sleeping in huts, which was inhuman because they deserved better living conditions as government workers.
“For effective teaching and productive products to be seen from schools, government should implement all the related allowances because, without motivation, you are making the innocent pupils to suffer,” Mr Ngwadzai said.
Investrust Bank has called on government to devise an effective mechanism that would increase ownership of local banking and financial institutions and protect them from been sold to foreign banking institutions.
Bank Managing Director Friday Ndhlovu said there was need for government to put in place extra remedial measures that would encourage ownership of local banking and financial institutions with a view to protecting the sector from collapsing.
Mr. Ndhovu said this at the signing ceremony of the collective agreement between Investrust Bank and unionised workers in Lusaka today.
He observed that local banking and financial institutions were failing to thrive and compete favourably with other international institutions because of weak ownership measures existing in the country.
Mr. Ndhlovu also announced that all the outstanding items in this year’s corrective agreement have been concluded, adding that almost all of the unionised workers’ demands were met and resolved by management.
He has since called on the unionised workers to give management the maximum support needed towards the implementation of the new exercise.
And Zambia Union Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) Secretary General Joyce Nonde commended Investrust Bank management for resolving salary problems of unionised workers.
Operations at the Sinazongwe-based Chinese Collum Coal Mine (CCCM) in Southern Province have been suspended indefinitely, following two fatal accidents in which a Chinese National also lost his life.
Both Sinazongwe District Commisoner (DC) Mungoni Simulilika and the Chief Inspector for the Mine Billy Chewe confirmed the development to ZANIS on yesterday.
In a letter addressed to CCCM management, Mr. Chewe said that it was clear that the mine was no longer safe as the mining standards had deteriorated. He said the mine would only be pumping out the underground water.
“ Operations at the CCCM have been suspended with immediate effect as it is clear that your mine is no longer safe as this can be observed From the two fatal accidents you have recorded at your mine in less than one month,” Mr Chewe said in a letter to CCCM management.
The closure affects all the four shafts at the mine. He said the mine would only be reopened when the 34 safety conditions outlined to management are met.
Some of the conditions include the recruitment of trained personnel such as the shift boss, the appointment of a qualified Mine Manager and the provision of proper support structures in the tunnels.
A check by ZANIS at the scene of the accidents in the tunnels at Shaft Three where the Chinese national died revealed that there were no proper support structures in place.
The suspension of operations at the mine would affect about 200 employees and their clients such as Chilanga Cement, Konkola Copper Mine (KCM), Amanita Zambia, Ngombe Brewaries in Livingstone and some companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
National Constitution Conference spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis, flanked by Patrick Jabani addressing journalists in Lusaka
THE draft of the new Zambian constitution will be published by July this year, the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has revealed.
And NCC spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis says no one has the power of altering the draft constitution once adopted by the NCC.
Mrs Zaloumis was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
She said once the draft constitution is published, it will be in circulation for 60 days to allow for public comments before the adoption of the final version.
“The NCC secretariat wishes to register its appreciation for the interest that a good number of people of Zambia have shown and continue to show in the constitution-making process.
“We hope that the NCC will receive useful public comments when the draft constitution is published this July and we can assure them that all their comments will be taken on board,” Mrs Zaloumis said.
She said six of the committees concluded their work last year. These are the citizenship, public service, public finance, judicial, local government and democratic governance committees.
Mrs Zaloumis said the remaining five NCC committees were currently meeting to debate and make recommendations on parts of the contents of the
Mung’omba draft constitution.
The committees are the general constitutional principles, human rights, executive, legislative and land and environment.
Mrs Zaloumis said issues discussed and debated on by the committees which concluded work last year included the 50 per cent plus one for a winning presidential candidate and the composition of board members of the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
She said these and many other recommendations were awaiting approval and ratification by the conference.
She said the process will be completed by March this year, after which the conference will be convened to approve the work of all the 11 committees that were constituted by the NCC under statutory instrument No. 25 of 2008.
Mrs Zaloumis said the NCC would endeavour to complete the constitution-making process within the stipulated time-frame of 12 months after it started deliberations last year.
“The constitution-making process was temporarily curtailed last year due to the death of Dr Mwanawasa and the presidential election that followed. However, we shall ensure we finish the process within the time-frame,” she said.
And Mrs Zaloumis said there was no provision in the NCC Act for the executive to alter the constitution to be adopted by NCC members.
She said the NCC was saddened with negative criticism being perpetuated by some opposition political
Mrs Zaloumis stresses a point during a press briefing in Lusaka
party leaders over the constitution-making efforts.
Mrs Zaloumis said Zambians should realise that the adoption of the constitution through a popular body such as the NCC was a fundamental departure from the previous mode of adopting the constitution through the government White Paper.
“Contrary to what is being speculated in some quarters of the media, I wish to emphasise for the general information that there is no provision in NCC for anyone to alter the constitution once adopted by the NCC.
“The criticism is aimed at denying the people of Zambia an opportunity to have a good constitution that will stand the test of time,” she said.
Mrs Zaloumis said the constitution to be adopted by the NCC would not be a recommendation to the Minister of Justice but rather a final submission to either the national referendum or Parliament, depending on the decision of the conference in accordance with section 25 of the NCC Act.
“The adoption of the constitution is being made by various stakeholders both in Government, non-governmental organisations, the church, civil society and the private sector and I can assure members of the public that no stakeholder will prevail over others over the constitution-making process,” she said.
And Mrs Zaloumis says it is wrong for opposition
Patriotic Front president Michael Sata to agitate for the dissolution of the NCC when the process received blessings from all political parties.
She said the agreement to have the NCC constituted arose from the summit of all political party presidents who are members of the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue.
“Therefore, it is unpatriotic for the same people who supported this idea from the onset to raise dissent.
Such people should know that propagating for the discontinuation of the NCC will only deny Zambians a chance to have a constitution that can enhance our current multi-party democratic environment,” Mrs Zaloumis said.
Faz disclosed on Wednesday that the final ruling on Nchanga Rangers boardroom victory to maintain their Premier League status awarded by the association’s appeals committee was mare media speculation.
This is despite Rangers confirming they had won their appeal case against Chambishi in the case of the latter alleged use of two unregistered players in a Week 16 match home match that ended 1-1 on August 2 at Chambishi grounds.
The decision made last Friday, saw relegated Rangers, who finished level on 35 points with Lusaka Dynamos, who survived the drop, after finishing in 13th and 12th places respectively exchange positions following the ruling to see the former finish on 37 points.
However, Faz spokesperson Emmanuel Munaile said there was nothing official over the running saga.
“We would like to reaffirm that the final league of the 2008 KCM/FAZ Premier League will be released after the meeting of the FAZ Premier League Committee,” Munaile said at Wednesday’s weekly press briefing.
“So meaning the appeals committee’s report has not been released officially.”
Meanwhile, Chambishi nor Lusaka Dynamos have both said they have not received any official correspondence from the Faz appeals committee over the ruling.
But Chambishi have maintained that Sakala and Bwalya were free agents and duly their players after Rangers fired them before the July mid-season local transfer window.
Rangers on the other hand, disregarding labor laws and the players Bosman rights, said the duo were still on the Chingola sides player retention list meaning the club was entitled to a transfer fee for the Sakala and Bwalya despite firing them.
Dynamos on the other hand have vowed to fight up to the highest courts in the land to keep their top-flight status.
DEFENCE minister George Mpombo (with bottle) with north western province permanent secretary Jeston Mulando when he inspect infrastructure at Kipushi border in Solwezi
Defence Minister George Mpombo has called for the improvement of infrastructure at Kipushi border post in Solwezi.
Mr. Mpombo said it was embarrassing to have ram shackled infrastructure on the Zambian side, while the Congolese side has very modern infrastructure.
He urged departments operating at the border to work hand in hand with the Provincial Administration in improving the existing infrastructure.
Mr. Mpombo said this when he toured Kipushi border post in Solwezi today. He was accompanied by the Deputy Army Commander, Major General Mutwale, Commissioner of Police, Willies Manjimela, North-Western Province Permanent Secretary, Jeston Mulando and other senior security officers both from the
Defence minister George Mpombo (l) with Jeston Mulando at Kipushi border
Ministry of Defence Headquarters and the province.
He also called for the beefing-up of the manpower at the border post to curb smuggling, especially now that Solwezi has become a hive of activities due to the economic boom in the district.
Mr. Mpombo said smuggling at Kipushi border post is rampant because of lax control due to inadequate manpower and the porousness of the border area.
The Minister also cautioned the government departments operating at the border post to avoid being compromised by their Congolese counterparts just because the water and electricity they use comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He urged the North-Western Province Permanent Secretary to find a lasting solution to the problems of the officers not being supplied with water and electricity from the Zambian side at the border. In response, Mr. Mulando said there are plans to tap water from the Kafue River about 15 kilometres away because sinking a borehole has yielded nothing as underground water has been drained by mining activities going in nearby Kipushi town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr. Mulando further said government was planning to renovate the structures at the border post next year, adding that the focus for this year is to improve the infrastructure at Jimbe and Kamapanda border posts and the opening of a new one at Kambimba in Mwinilunga.
He appealed to the Minister and the Ministry of Home affairs to support the 2010 provincial budget in order to achieve some of the planned programmes for that year.
On water, Mr. Mulando said, as an interim measure, government introduced water harvesters at the border post but those were only reliable during the rain season when heavy rains are received.
On staffing levels, Mr. Mulando said the workforce was small as a result of suspension and charge cases affecting some officers and the transfer of others.
He said the Provincial Administration was making arrangements with the Ministry of Home Affairs to have some more officers sent to the border post to fill the gap.
Speaking earlier, Regional Immigration Officer, Hachibamba Munamonga told the Minister that Kipushi border was the busiest border post in the province recording the highest revenue collection, seconded by Kamapanda in Mwinilunga.
He said the problems they were facing were inadequate staffing resulting in a number of illegal entries, lack of water, inadequate transport and the place has seen no rehabilitation of the infrastructures for a long time now.
Ministry of Information and broadcasting deputy minister David (r) Phiri presents a gift to minister Ronnie Shikapwasha during a farewell party for former minister Mike Mlongoti in Lusaka.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Ronnie Shikapwasha has pledged to work hard to address the challenges facing the media industry in Zambia.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said he would provide political leadership while his ministry staff would provide professional guidance to address challenges in the media industry.
General Shikapwasha, who is also Chief Government Spokesperson, was speaking when his predecessor Mike Mulongoti bade farewell to Ministry of Information workers at Mass Media Cinema Hall today.
He said he would build on the successes initiated by Mr. Mulongoti and his team in the ministry such endeavoring to achieve laws seeking to improve operations of media personnel in the country.
And Mr. Mulongoti, who now Minister of Works and Supply, urged workers in the media to be innovative and use their expertise to advance government and their personal level.
The farewell party was also attended by former Information Deputy Minister, David Phiri and the current Deputy Minister in the same ministry Elijah Muchima.
Mr. Phiri is now deputy minister of Home Affairs.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Information staffer, Julius Chanda said in a vote of thanks that the two ministers had worked hard to improve the welfare of workers in the ministry and Zambia News and Information Services.
The Presidential Affairs Minister has cautioned members of the National Constitution Conference (NCC) against including the fifty percent plus one in the constitution on Presidential elections.
Gabriel Namulambe said the current system of a Presidential candidate winning with a simple majority is good for Zambia.
Mr. Namulambe said Zambia has no resources for holding Presidential election re-runs as demanded by the fifty percent plus one alternative.
He said its inclusion will be a burden as the government will be forced to use funds for development for re-runs in case the winning President does not secure the required percentage.
Meanwhile United Party for National Development vice president Richard Kapita has urged NCC members to support the inclusion of the fifty plus one percent.
Mr. Kapita said Zambia can only have a majority President using the fifty plus one percent.
ZNBC
The demand for condom use in Mazabuka has increased tremendously among the sexually active group.
Total Control of the Epidemic (TCE) Mazabuka District Deputy Commandant, Jabez Kanyanda said today that his organisation has doubled its allocation of condoms in Itebe- Kafue gorge area to 4 million from the previous two million.
Mr. Kanyanda said the increase in the condom use meant people are now responding well to the HIV/AIDs prevention measures.
He said TCE will continue supplementing government’s efforts in sensitising people on the dangers of contracting HIV/AIDS by providing rural communities with information that would prevent the wide spread of HIV/AIDs such as the Prevention of the Mother to Children transmission of the pandemic, bad traditional practices such as sexual cleansing and conducting HIV/AIDs mobile tests.
Mr. Kanyanda further said his organisation has embarked on a sensitisation programme targeting Commercial sex workers in the district.
He said the increase in Commercial sex in the district is worrying his organisation and should somehow be stopped. Mr. Kanyanda said high poverty levels and high unemployment are attracting most women to engage in commercial sex business.
He urged the Immigration Department to investigate the high influx of Zimbabwean women reportedly tactifully availing themselves to clients in Guest houses and bars.
Mr. Kanyanda said unconfirmed reports suggest that some Zimbabwean women are allegedly engaging in commercial sex business.
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
Explorations for copper in Mwinilunga district by a Chinese company will start in April this year despite resistance from one chief to surrender land.
North-Western Province Permanent Secretary Jeston Mulando says the ministry of mines has already given the exploration license to Zhonghui mining industry Zambian Limited to start work.
Mr. Mulando said the company has been given a license covering 8 thousand square kilometres of the land which once belonged to Equinox and First Quantum Minerals FQM.
He said the land in question was already given to Equinox and FQM who have failed to develop it in the last seven years.
Mr. Mulando said Zhonghui mining industry has shown seriousness in developing the land.
He said the mining firm will start construction of the mine soon after explorations.
ZNBC
Lusaka province minister Lameck Mangani (in a suit) is flanked by local government officials and marketeers inspecting the new Soweto market in Lusaka
Government has observed that street vending and unsanitary conditions at public places were some of the major contributing factors to the out break of cholera in the country.
Lusaka Province Minister, Lameck Mangani, said the general public should be mindful of the manner they dispose off refuse in order to avoid and control diarrheal diseases.
Mr. Mangani said this yesterday when a 33 member committee of the Soweto Market Development committee paid a courtesy call on him to urge government to open the market soon.
He has meanwhile, pledged government’s commitment to improving the social sector aimed at uplifting the welfare of Zambians by encouraging them to participate in income generating activities.
He said government would soon work on the access road leading to the new market and establish a bus station in line with Bus Station and Market Act.
Lusaka province minister Lameck Mangani is mobbed by marketeers at the newly erected Soweto market when he went to inspect the facility
Mr. Mangani said government was ready to open the market to the public.
He reiterated that government would ensure that transparency prevails in the allocation of trading spaces especially to those who had their stalls razed down to pave way for the construction of the market.
Earlier, Soweto Market Development Committee Chairperson, Albert Phiri appealed to the government to expedite the commissioning of the market to curb street vending in town.
Mr. Phiri told the minister that his committee had also identified two sites in Lusaka which have about 5,000 trading spaces, adding that one of them has all the necessary social amenities for use by the marketeers.
Yesterday, Mr. Mangani toured the new Soweto market to ensure that everything was in place before President Rupiah Banda commissions it.
The Zambia National Federation of the Blind (ZANFOB) has called upon government to increase budgetary allocation to the disabled people in the country this year.
Federation Secretary General, George Mizinga has since asked President Rupiah Banda to consider appointing more disabled persons in his government.
Mr. Mizinga said there was need for persons with disability to be fully represented in the government in order to have their voices heard.
He said with the economic crisis the country was experiencing, there was need for the government to look into the plight of the disabled in the country.
Mr. Mizinga told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today, that disabled persons were also capable of performing different activities, just like their able bodied colleagues anywhere in the world.
He urged government to put in place measures that would help address the economic hardships the country was experiencing.
He has also called upon the government to quickly ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on the blind.
Mr. Mizinga said there was need for the government to also consider looking into the conditions of Citizens Economic Empowerment Funds (CEEF).
And Federation Information and Publicity Secretary, Chalwe Mapulanga has called on the disabled people in Zambia to rise to the challenge and participate in national development.
Mr. Mapulanga said the disabled people should not just sit back and wait for assistance but should actively contribute to national issues.
He said the disabled people should not feel intimidated by their able bodied colleagues because they could help develop the nation.
Luapula Province Minister, Boniface Kawimbe has said today Zambia is among the 50 least developed countries out of the 350 nations worldwide. Dr Kawimbe further said that during the early 1970s Zambia had a lot of foreign reserves, second only to those of South Africa, in the Sub-Sahara region. He said to reverse the situation, leaders and all the people in the nation should reflect on why the country lost its riches to wallow in rags.
“This country was one of the richest in the world, with the second most largest foreign reserves only second to South Africa in the Sub-Saharan region. Now we are among the 50 least developed out of the 350 countries in the world,” Dr Kawimbe said.
He further said that to speed-up development in Zambia, people should be asking themselves about what must have gone wrong for the country to lose its wealth many years after attaining its political independence.
He said the education system in the country should be re-designed to churn out graduates capable of contributing to wealth creation.
Dr. Kawimbe further said that the conditions set to access the Citizen Economic Empowerment Fund are too rigid. Dr.Kawimbe has proposed a formulation of conditions suiting applicants according to their economic status.
The Minister said conditions for accessing the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund were too rigid for poor people, adding that only the elite in Lusaka and and other big towns would benefit from it.
He said that people of all walks of life including ordinary civil servants should be able to access it.
He was speaking after a conducted tour of the newly constructed Hillside Lodge owned by a local businessman in Samfya, Dr.Kawimbe said the existing Development Agency in Zambia takes care of the welfare of foreign investors only.
He said a similar institution should be set up to support the welfare of local investors. The minister was impressed by the high standards set by the new lodge which has 12 self-contained rooms, constructed at a total cost of K1.3 billion.
Dr. Kawimbe urged the owner of the lodge, Bernard Musangulule, to construct a presidential suite for President Rupiah Banda to use when he goes to officially commission the K4.8 billion district hospital due for completion in April this year.
The Provincial Minister said he would approach relevant authorities to extend incentives to the lodge.
He urged the people of Samfya to emulate Mr. Musangulule by investing in the tourism industry and not to wait for foreign investors to establish lodges in the area.
