Government says it will remove taxes on senior citizens’ organisations initiatives aimed at reducing government burden.

Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Davied Phiri, says senior citizens were special interest groups that the government wants to support and assist.

Mr Phiri noted that without senior citizens the country would not have freedom and the independence that Zambians boast about, adding that they are not only the memory of the nation but also reserves of knowledge and wisdom.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the commemorations of the United Nations Internation Day of the Older Persons when he launched the senior citizens welfare foundations in Petauke yesterday.

He further said senior citizens were facing challenges, some of which were compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and at brea downs of communities and societies in which we live that needs governmanet intervention.

The Deputy Minister who is also Mkaika Member of Parliament in Katete district, said govenment will ensure that senor citizens come up with guiding policy which will protect them from being violated.

He urged Citizens of Welfare Foundations to make submittions on issues affecting them to the National Constitution Conference (NCC) so that they are included in the constitution.

ZANIS/ENDS/HM/CMM/EB.

Acting President Rupiah Banda says there is need for the traditional leaders and their subjects in Western Province to move in unison with government towards developing the area.

Mr. Banda said unity between government and the traditional leadership of each province was important for attracting investors to a particular area.

He said a province would lag behind in terms of development if government and traditional readers held divergent views on investment issues.

Mr. Banda, who earlier paid a courtesy call on the Litunga , hoped that the traditional leadership would be eager to receive both local and foreign investment.

“In Mongu, we respect the Litunga’s style of governance. But we need to move in unison with the Litunga and other chiefs” he said in response to a question on why Western Province has seemingly lagging behind in development compared to other provinces.

The Acting President was speaking on a live programme on Radio Liseli last evening.

“After speaking to him today, obviously he and other chiefs are eager to receive investment here just like in other rural areas,” he said.

Mr. Banda said government remains ambitious to achieve much more economic social and political growth than what the country has recorded in the last seven years of the late president Mwanawasa’s reign.

Meanwhile, Mr. Banda has disclosed that over US$ 1 billion has been invested in the Konkola Copper Mines in the last few years for its expansion programme.

He reiterated that the mining industry has recorded a lot of development ever since the late Dr. Mwanawasa became president of Zambia.

The Acting President attributed this achievement to the ruling MMD’s good economic policies and the decision to privatize the mines in the 1990s.

Mr. Banda further said his government would work hard to support ZESCO so as to encourage electricity generation in the country.

He explained that the current electricity deficit was caused by an increase in the production industry in the country in the recent part.

The Southern African region is facing a serious electricity deficit prompting governments to employ rationing measures among them load shedding.

And Mr. Banda said he fully supported press freedom because the media was an important tool for the democratic and economic development of the country.

“I am 100 per cent for the freedom of the media in Zambia,” he said.

The Acting President also reiterated his commitment to continue the fight against corrupting in the public and private sectors.

He said government would maintain and support the existing anti corruption and anti-money laundering efforts.

He said sentiments that the anti-corruption crusade would be compromised because he was allegedly surrounded by corrupt people were not correct.

He argued that if those people that are alleged to be corrupt were suspected to have committed the crime, they would have been taken to court by now.

Mr. Banda charged that those accusing his colleagues of being corrupt wished they were the ones receiving the support.

And the Acting President has appealed to his opponents in the October 30, 2008 presidential election not to ridicule anybody because of the age.

Mr. Banda is in Western Province to hold campaign rallies and meet chiefs in various district’s until Friday, October 3rd when he will retain to Lusaka in the evening.

He is accompanied by his election agent Ben Tetimashimba, campaign manager Mike Mulongoti, apposition United Liberal Party (ULP) president Sakwiba Sikota, Education Minister, Geoffrey Lungwangwa and many others.

ZANIS/KH/CMM/AM/ENDS

Presidential hopeful Hakainde Hichilema says the United Party for National Development has a vision to stump out livestock diseases.

Mr. Hichilema says his party also wants to carry out a cattle restocking exercise.

Addressing a campaign rally in Mongu on Monday, Mr. Hichilema assured the people of Western Province that the UPND will revamp the livestock industry in the area.

He also promised the people in the province that his government would setup a power generation plant at Sioma Falls in Shangombo district to reduce on the power deficit that the country is experiencing.

Mr. Hichilema is one of the candidates contesting the forthcoming presidential election.

Others are MMD’s Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front and Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda of the Heritage Party.

Acting President, Rupiah Banda says he has not held talks with former President Frederick Chiluba seeking support for his Presidential candidature.

Mr. Banda said he has not met Dr. Chiluba since the cathedral of the Holy cross meeting held to pray for Dr. Levy Mwanawasa’s recovery.

He said this in Lusaka, Wednesday shortly before leaving for Mongu in Western province where he is to hold public rallies and inspect development projects.

There have been allegations suggesting that Mr. Banda’s campaign team is working with Dr. Chiluba who previously and openly supported Opposition Patriotic Front Leader, Michael Sata.

Mr. Banda was accompanied by United Liberal Party leader, Sakwiba Sikota and several ministers.

Mr. Banda kicked off his Three day campaign trail of Western Province with a pledge to unite the people of Zambia.

Speaking when he addressed a mammoth rally at Blue Game grounds in Mongu this evening, Mr Banda said his government would focus on taking development to all parts of the country without discrimination.

Mr Banda reaffirmed his determination to use the experience acquired from late President Levy Mwanawasa’s leadership to fulfil the economic development agenda for the people of Zambia.

Speaking earlier, United Liberal Party, ULP, President Sakwiba Sikota said his party resolved to support the MMD and Mr Banda in the next Presidential elections in the interest of sustaining development and stability in the country.

Mr Sikota said the MMD, is the only party, with enough Members of Parliament to formulate Laws in parliament.

He said even when the opposition PF and UPND MPs were added together, they would not out-number the ruling MMD in parliament.

Mr Sikota also likened the PF and UPND parties to property grabbers, who would reach the extent of grabbing electrical appliances from widows and orphans, despite them not having electricity an essential requirement for utilising such appliances in their respective homes.

ZANIS/KSH/TS/ENDS/SJK

Tourism and Natural Resources Minister, Michael Kaingu, has advised the electorate in Southern province not to be swayed by continued negative reports by a named daily tabloid newspaper against Acting republican President, Rupiah Banda.

Mr Kaingu said the negative reports on Mr Banda have not come by surprise because the privately owned tabloid newspaper mounted a similar negative campaign against late President Levy Mwanawasa in 2001.

He recalled that the malicious campaign by the named newspaper was then intended to give a wrong impression that late Dr Mwanawasa was not liked by Zambians when in fact not.

Speaking in Choma today when he addressed provincial and district heads of government departments in the council chambers, Mr Kaingu said the newspaper has unfortunately launched a similar malicious campaign against Mr Banda.

“The Post Newspaper drove the late president to his grave,” he said.

He advised civil servants in the province to remain focused on implementing government policies and programmes as they were the engine of national development.

Mr Kaingu said government accords a lot respect to civil servants because they were the implementers of policies and programmes.

He, however, advised civil servants to vote wisely in the October 30, presidential elections so that there is continuity in the current policies being pursued by the MMD government.

Mr Kaingu reminded the public workers that the darkest hour for Zambia would be when people would elect opposition leaders, who lack the capacity to manage the affairs of the nation.

Ends/CM/ZANIS/SJK

United Liberal Party President Sakwiba Sikota says he is ready to commence campaigns for the MMD in Southern Province using his party’s funds.

Mr. Sikota who is also area Member of Parliament for Livingstone said the campaigns for the forth-coming presidential election will start by October 5 and will be fully sponsored by his party which will use the money it initially mobilized for its own campaign.

Mr. Sikota said this in a telephone interview with ZANIS in Livingstone today.

He pledged to give his party’s full support to the MMD because ULP will not participate in the presidential by-election set for 30 October 2008.

Meanwhile, the FDD in Livingstone has called on the National Constitution Conference (NCC) to ensure political parties that fail to hold conventions to democratically elect their leaders are barred from contesting in presidential elections.

FDD Publicity Secretary for Livingstone Allan Shawa said it was imperative for the NCC to ensure the new constitution once enacted banned political parties that displayed undemocratic behavior from participating in a presidential election.

Mr. Shawa said this in a statement released to ZANIS in Livingstone today.

He said it was imperative for all political parties especially the opposition to practice democracy at party level before they could aspire to higher officers at national level.

ENDS/AMM/PK/ZANIS