Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has sworn in two vice-presidents ahead of talks on forming a cabinet, a government official said on Monday, a move that could further endanger power-sharing negotiations.

It follows Mugabe’s allocation of important ministries to his ZANU-PF party at the weekend, angering the opposition. The MDC said it doubted mediation by former South African President Thabo Mbeki on Monday would be able to get ZANU-PF to compromise.

A senior government official told Reuters “The two vice-presidents were sworn in this morning because their positions are not in dispute.”

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Sunday his party could walk away from a power-sharing deal he signed with Mugabe if Mbeki’s latest mediation effort failed to end a deadlock on how to divide key ministries.

“The visit provides a platform and opportunity for ZANU-PF to reverse its unilateral action,” MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. “The ZANU-PF mindset is not consistent with power-sharing. It cannot be power-sharing when one party controls all key ministries.”

Mbeki, who scored his biggest diplomatic coup last month when he nudged Zimbabwe’s bitter political rivals to sign a power-sharing deal, is expected in Harare later on Monday.

A government notice on Saturday showed Mugabe had allocated three key ministries to his ZANU-PF party, drawing fire from the opposition and threatening the fragile pact.

Zimbabwe’s economy has continued to implode, with the number of people in need of food aid rising by the day, adding to the woes of a country suffering staggering inflation of 230 million percent, the highest in the world.

Tsvangirai said on Sunday he would continue negotiating to try to reach an agreement but added that the country’s 10 posts of provincial governors should be shared between ZANU-PF, a splinter MDC group and his party.

While the parties have been at loggerheads since the signing of the September 15 pact on how to divide up 31 cabinet posts, this has angered Zimbabweans who had hoped the deal would bring an end to years of economic misery.

Under the deal, Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain in 1980, retains the presidency and chairs the cabinet. Tsvangirai, as prime minister, will head a council of ministers supervising the cabinet.

ZANU-PF will have 15 seats in the cabinet, Tsvangirai’s MDC 13 and a splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara three posts, giving the opposition a combined majority.
Reuters

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has justified the printing of an extra 600,000 presidential ballot papers that they are meant for unseen eventualities, and that this is an electoral trend practiced throughout the world in democratic elections.

The ECZ has also dismissed claims that 400,000 voters have been removed from the voters’ register.

ECZ chairperson Justice Florence Mumba said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday that the printing of ballot papers was done in such a manner that caters for unforeseen eventualities like spoilt ballot papers.

“The printing of ballot papers has been such that it caters for unforeseen eventualities such as spoilt ballot papers and this is an electoral trend which is practiced throughout the world where there are democratic elections and Zambia is not an exception,” Justice Mumba says.

In apparent reference to concerns by some political parties over the printing of the extra ballot papers, she said: “Thus the Commission will go ahead as per programme.”

She said, however, that the Commission and stakeholders would ensure that there was optimum accountability for the ballot papers at each polling station in accordance with the regulations.

In the spirit of transparency, ECZ invited stakeholders to witness the printing of ballot papers in Durban, South Africa by Universal Printing Company.
The ballot papers arrive today aboard a South African Airways cargo charter and the Commission has called on political party representatives, civil society and the media to witness the arrival.

Justice Mumba said that to ensure a level playing field, it has been the practice of ECZ to give a full set of voters’ register to presidential candidates at no cost.

“To date, copies of the voters’ register for the 2008 presidential election have been printed and so far the UPND (United Party for National Development), Heritage Party and MMD have collected their copies of the voters’ register with the 3.9 million registered voters that were certified in 2006,” the statement reads in part.

She said it was not true that ECZ has removed 400,000 voters from the voters’ register that was certified in 2006.

The UPND, Patriotic Front (PF) and Heritage Party (HP) are opposed to the printing of extra ballot papers, alleging that they were meant to rig elections.
PF president Michael Sata also charged that the Commission had removed 400,000 people from the 2006 voters’ roll.

Meanwhile, Justice Mumba has said that over 50,000 people made submissions for replacement of their respective voters’ cards, but that these would collect their cards on October 30, the polling day.

She said the replaced voters’ cards were currently being printed upon verification of the submitted particulars and would be dispatched to the respective districts.

“It is not logically possible for the Commission to distribute the replaced voters’ cards to all polling stations before poll day. As such there will be a table at each polling station from which voters will be able to collect their voters’ cards upon positive identification with their green national registration cards,” Justice Mumba said.

Daily Mail

The Levy Mwanawasa bridge across the Luapula River in Chembe has been officially commissioned.

Acting President, Rupiah Banda, commissioned the bridge which was constructed by a Chinese firm at a cost of forty Six billion Kwacha.

The project was funded by the Zambian government.

And speaking when he commissioned the bridge on Saturday, Mr. Banda said the project will play an important role in the development of the region.

Mr. Banda said the bridge provides a vital link between the Coppebelt and Luapula provinces.

He said the project opens an avenue for people in these areas to engage in profitable business activities.

Mr. Banda thanked the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for its support towards the construction of the bridge.

He said the cooperation demonstrates the desire of the two countries to provide quality infrastructure to their people.

[ZNBC]

Part 2

Todays scripture

” The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT)

Todays word with Pastor Tupelo

You must know why you are here.  Jesus knew why he came. In John 10:10 He said he came that we might have life and have it to the full. He also came that he might destroy the works of the devil 1John 3:8. He also said in Luke 4:18 that he came to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering sight to blind to set at liberty them that are bound and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus understood his purpose for being here and hence everything he did was in line to fulfill this purpose.
Your purpose is defined in the purpose of Jesus Christ. You don’t have a purpose outside Christ because the Bible says in Acts 17:28 that ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ So our very existence is in Jesus, therefore his purpose for living becomes our purpose.

Jesus is now in heaven. He cannot preach the gospel to the lost except through you. He is depending on you to make manifest the savor of his Glory to this corrupt generation. He has made you a light to the world… so shine for Jesus with the gospel of salvation to the lost.

You are the hope for the world; you are the answer to the people’s problems. You are deliverer of the oppressed.

Zambia’s presidential candidates held a joint meeting Friday with ECZ officials to discuss issues affecting the October 30 presidential poll.

The candidates present at the briefing were Heritage Party president Brigadier-General Godfrey Miyanda, United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema and Patriotic Front president Michael Sata. Mr Rupiah Banda could not attend the meeting as he is in Luapula Province to commission the Levy Mwanawasa bridge. Rupiah Banda was represented by his agent, Benny Tetamashimba.

The candidates agreed to post election results outside each polling centre to avoid suspicion of vote-rigging in this month’s election, an official said.

“We have agreed that the results should be posted outside the polling centres immediately after the count,” said Michael Sata.

The opposition raised issues concerning biased media coverage, especially by the state-run Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), which runs both a television and national radio.

The candidates rejected the decision by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to print 600,000 extra ballot papers.

“In every election, you will never see a 100 per cent turn out…why print a lot extra ballot papers,” Mr Hichilema said.

Gen Miyanda said he was of the view that the issue on extra ballots should be discussed when the actual ballots were in the country so that they could debate on facts.

Brig-Gen Miyanda said he had raised the issue of opposition parties being stopped from addressing rallies in places where Mr Banda was doing the same.

Brig-Gen. Miyanda said he wished Mr Banda had been at the meeting to hear it for himself.

Mr Tetamashimba said it was not true that the opposition was being barred from holding rallies. When asked on his campaigns, Gen Miyanda said there were many ways of killing a rat.

“ There are many ways of killing a rat. Why did you not cover me in Kabwe or Kapiri Mposhi,” he said in response to a question as to why was he is not going out in rural areas to campaign.
Mr Tetamshimba described the meeting as successful though another one would be held on Wednesday next week to conclude the matter on the extra ballot papers.

Mr Sata said the discussions were cordial and commended ECZ chairperson, Justice Florence Mumba, for operating in a transparent manner.

“The meeting was very fruitful. Justice Florence Mumba is going in the right direction and needs our support and protection,” Mr Sata said. He however, called on ECZ director, Dan Kalele, to be more transparent in the manner he was running the institution.

Mr Hichilema felt the meeting as reasonable and said that political parties had raised a lot of issues that needed to be addressed to have a free and fair election.

He said others issues he raised were the use of public resources during campaigns.

Mr Tetamashimba said Mr. Rupiah Banda could not be at the meeting because he was waiting for Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, who was expected in the country to commission the Levy Mwanawasa Bridge in Chembe.

Printing of Presidential ballot papers which started on Friday last week at South Africa’s Universal Printing Company has been concluded and the consignment was expected to be dispatched to Zambia from Durban via Johannesburg last night.

ZANIS reports from Durban that a check at the plant last evening by stakeholders who are here to witness the exercise found stitching of the electoral materials being done and some of the ballot papers had already been packaged. Universal Printing Company Special Projects Consultant Vik Vaid said printing finished  Thursday afternoon and 4, 523, 150 presidential ballot papers had been printed. Mr Vaid also said work on about 2 000 ballot papers for Parliamentary and 13 local Government by elections had also been completed.

‘Work is on course. We have printed as ordered by ECZ and the truck which will carry the ballot papers will depart Durban for Johannesburg on Friday evening’. On the presidential ballots which had some error, Mr Vaid said this was a minor issue and it had been rectified.

“We have since reprinted the ballot papers whose polling station name and I.D was missed by the machine on the covers”.  This is a non issue and the covers have since been reprinted’. He said.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Senior Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Sylvia Bwalya expressed happiness at progress so far recorded.
‘We are satisfied that the job has been done on time, looking at what has been covered so far’. She said.
All the electoral materials are expected to depart Johannesburgh at 11 hours aboard a chartered South African Airways and would arrive in Lusaka at 13 hours on Sunday.

The presidential election will be held on October 30 with parliamentary and local government by elections for Ndola Central, Mwansabombwe and 13 wards across the country respectively.Political party (MMD, PF, HP and UPND) and Civil Society representatives (FODEP, Zambia National Women’s Lobby and Transparency International Zambia have been here (Durban) since Thursday last week to monitor the exercise.

Others present are representatives from Christian Council of Churches in Zambia, Drug Enforcement Commission, Anti Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police.Meanwhile, ECZ Commissioner Joseph Jalasi has said electoral officials comprising Town Clerks and District Secretaries from all the 72 districts in the country would receive their electoral materials. Commissioner Jalasi said the electoral officials would verify the consignment at the airport before taking them to respective districts.
‘Packaging will be done district by District’, He said. He implored various political parties to witness the arrival of the ballot papers on Sunday and ensure that right materials have been received.

The ECZ Commissioner also advised respective political parties to randomly go to polling stations and establish whether the documents had correct information against the document the Commission would give them.

‘I implore political parties to go randomly to polling stations to establish whether serial numbers will be the same against the document they will be given by ECZ’, He said.