A Chinese national has died in a mine accident at the Chinese Collum Coal Mine (CCCM) in Sinazongwe district in Southern Province.

Sinazongwe District Commissioner (DC) Mungoni Simulilika confirmed the development to ZANIS that Wu Ping aged 50 died yesterday.

Mr Simulilika said Mr Ping was trapped underground at shaft three as he was coming out of the mine.

He disclosed that his body was taken to Choma Hospital Mortuary.

Nkandabwe ward Councilor Partson Mangunje who was at the scene of the accident when they were retrieving the body the underground said the incident occurred at 17 hours.

Mr Mangunje explained that the stones underground collapsed, trapping Mr Ping, who died on the spot.

He said safety measures at the mine were not being followed as the pillars put underground were not strong enough to support the weight of the stones.

The Nkandabwe ward Councilor has called on the Safety Department under the Ministry of Mines to close CCCM until proper safety measures were put in place to protect people’s lives.

On 29 December one person died in a mine accident while the other one was seriously injured at the CCCM.

Weddy Kantolo 24 died in the underground when the top layer in the tunnel collapsed on him as he was building it.

Shadrick Siandima 29 was also injured and admitted at the Maamba Hospital.

ZANIS/TN/ENDS/MM

Action Network Advisory on Small Arms, ANASA, has welcomed government’s response to calls of purchasing bullet proof vests for Police officers.

ANASA Director, Charles Mulenga, said the introduction of bullet proof vests is a milestone in efforts of securing the lives of Police officers.

Mr. Mulenga told ZANIS in Lusaka that his organisation is confident that the bullet proof vests would help improve the response from officers to criminal activities in all parts of the country.

“As an NGO that is involved in educating and disseminating the public about peoples rights on the use of small and light weapons, we are very much happy about government’s move to consider introducing bullet proof vest to the security personnel because this will help police officers to respond to and combat crime,” he said.

“In this case there will be less killing of Police officers and instead more action by officers to arrest criminals,” he observed.

Mr Mulenga also commended the Zambia Police Service for its courage in the fight against crime in all parts of the country.

Further, Mr Mulenga called on both the local and international non-governmental organisations to take keen interest in educating the public on the dangers of exposing small and light weapons to the public.

He said the use of small and light weapons should be discouraged at all levels of society as they could be used in committing criminal offenses.

ZANIS /GS/ENDS/SJK

Zain Zambia  officially handed over one of the Toyota corollas in the on going Abaleya Zain promotion to the Lusaka based winner last Saturday.

Eunice Maloni from Lusaka’s Ballastone won the car in the second draw of the three months promotion.

Officially handing over the vehicle Zain Zambia Marketing director Evans Muhanga congratulated the winner of the car and urged other Zain subscribers to continue texting into the promotion.

‘The prizes are real and the winners are real and the only secret is sending the word Zain to 4111. We have moved a step further from the studio hand over of keys to providing necessary papers in the owners name, this should serve as proof to people that have been doubting the promotion’.

He added that Zain will remain committed to fulfilling its promise to the people of Zambia that of creating a wonderful world.

And speaking when receiving the car Eunice Maloni thanked Zain Zambia for making her dreams come true and empower her and her family with transportation.

‘This should serve as a testimony that Zain means what they say, that the will create a wonderful world for their customers, I am a leaving testimony that people win in this promotion’. She said

She also urged other customers to take part in the promotion and enjoy the amazing prizes Zain is giving.

Three cars of the five on offer have been won in the promotion. Ndola’s Rabecca Nayame won the first one while Malumo Ng’uni of Livinsgtone was the third to drive off the third Toyota Corolla.

The grand prize in the promotion is a 60 seater luxury Marc ‘O polo coach. Other prizes include Samsung Home Theatre systems complete with plasma screen, DVD Player, music system and state of the art 3D surround sound speakers.

The K2 Billion worth Abaleya Zain promotion which comes to an end on 17th February, airs live on ZNBC TV every Thursdays at 20:00 hours.

Southern Province Basic Teachers Union of Zambia, BETUZ, Chairman, Chris Sinkala, has been indefinitely suspended from the union barely two months after his election.

According to the letter of suspension dated January 5, 2009 which was signed by the Union Deputy Director, Lyson Munsaka, and obtained by ZANIS in Mazabuka, Mr. Sinkala has been suspended for alleged insolence and insubordination.

Mr Munsaka charged that Mr Sinkala failed to adhere to the channels of communication by phoning the union headquarters each time there were grievances in the district.

“You are still adamant to your position of not following my orders by making secretive phone calls to the union headquarters with the sole aim of making my leadership unpopular to my superiors,” the letter read in part.

He indicated that the conduct of Mr Sinkala had the potential of destabilizing the union leadership in the province.

And when contacted, Mr Sinkala confirmed receiving the letter of suspension from the union.

He said he take up the matter with the Provincial Executive Committee, PEC, and the district union officials, who gave him the mandate to manage the affairs of the union in the province.

Mr Sinkala claimed that that his suspension has been triggered by his insinstance on the need to define the roles of Deputy Director and the Provincial Chairman, in the management of the union in the province.

But Betuz Provincial Displinary Committee Vice Secretary, Justin Wakumelo, said the suspension of Mr Sinkala is not in order and that it should be lifted immediately to safeguard the integrity of the union.

“It will give a wrong face of the union if elected officials are suspended at will and members might lose confidence in the union,” Walumelo said.

He said failure to lift the suspension could cost the union a great deal.

Mr Wakumelo appealed to the union headquarters to quickly intervene in the matter.

End/JN/ZANIS/SJK

First Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, has advised Zambians to embrace love and forgiveness in order to help achieve national unity.

Dr Kaunda said love is a cornerstone of efforts to achieve sustainable unity in the country.

He said this at the commemoration of the United Church of Zambia, UCZ, St. Andrews Congregation Golden Jubilee in Lusaka today.

He said love is the fundamental teaching that Jesus gave to people and should therefore be embraced by all Zambians regardless of tribe and color.

Dr Kaunda bemoaned the existing situation in the country where leaders were in the habit of insulting each other instead of learning to exercising love for on another.

“When you point fingers at your friend and call them names the other fingers are pointing at you meaning you are on the wrong,” he said.

He recalled that Zambia at independence used the One-Zambia One-nation motto which helped in achieving unity for all the 73 tribes in the country.

“One Zambia one nation was a good teaching that was embraced at independence in 1964, it helped us (Indians, Europeans, all whites and the 73 tribes) to be united without it we could not have been united and helped other countries gain independence,” he said.

Speaking earlier,UCZ St. Andrew’s Congregation Secretary, Benson Mucchelemba, said the church has in the last 50 years seen an increase in membership from 50 to Nine hundred members.

Meanwhile UCZ synod General Secretary, Chrispine Mbalazi, commended St. Andrews for its commitment and dedications toward the construction of the new church.

Rev. Mbalazi said the church has shown its commitments through the sacrifice shown even in the last 50 years the church has been in existence.

Other activities that characterized the commemoration of the golden jubilee where poems by children, singing and memory, music from choirs and the boy’s brigade band.

ZANIS/GP/ENDS/SJK

Two senior managers at Zambia’s largest Coffee producing company, Munali Coffee limited in Mazabuka have fled the company premises following death threats from former Mubuyu farms employees, who were evicted from the farmland by Court Bailiffs.

Company Finance Manager, Britten Gavin, confirmed the development to Mazabuka District Commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba, when he visited the company to investigate the eviction of former employees by the Bailiffs.

Mr Gavin said a human resource manager and Coffee Control marketing manager fled the premises on Thursday Night and their whereabouts are not yet known.

He said the two fled after some former employees turned violent against them.

But armed Police officers from Mazabuka and Nega Nega Police stations, who are still keeping vigil at the company premises, told ZANIS, there was no need for the managers to run away because maximum security measures had been put in place.

The Police, further, explained that the stoppage of the evictions greatly contributed to the peaceful atmosphere at the company.

On Thursday, Court Bailiffs from Lusaka swung into action and evicted former Mubuyu farms workers and dumped them across the Mazabuka- Kafue high way opposite the main entrance to Mubuyu farms.

ZANIS/ENDS/HC/SJK