Patriotic Front, PF, Kabwata Member of Parliament, Given Lubinda, says party leader, Michael Sata, is the only candidate in the October 30 Presidential race, capable of driving Zambia to economic prosperity.

Mr Lubinda urged Mpika residents to vote for Mr Sata in the elections because he has a proven track record of hard work and political experience necessary for national economic development.

Mr Lubinda was speaking during a campaign rally held to drum up support for the PF candidate, Mr Sata, in the Presidential elections.

He said Mr Sata was capable of turning the country’s wealth potential into reality for the benefit of the people because he understands well issues of governance and development.

He said Mr Sata, once voted into power would inculcate a spirit of hardwork in all Zambians as a measure of promoting economic growth and alleviating poverty at all levels of society.

Mr Lubinda further said the PF is determined to manage national affairs in a prudent manner that would ensure corruption is curtailed at all levels of leadership.

ZANIS/ENDS/WS/SJK

The Lusaka High Court has granted MMD presidential candidate Rupiah Banda permission to start contempt proceedings against Post Newspapers Editor-in-Chief, Fred Mmembe.

Judge Charles Kajimanga has set Friday 3rd October as hearing date for the contempt proceedings.

The Judge permitted Mr. Banda to proceed with the contempt proceedings against Mr. Mmembe Tuesday after hearing his complaints.

Mr. Banda complained that Mr. Mmembe had disobeyed a court order restraining him from publishing defamatory articles about Mr. Banda.

The injunction granted over the weekend stopped Mr. Mmembe or his agents from publishing articles deemed as defaming Mr. Banda as MMD presidential candidate until the matter is heard this Friday.

However, before the injunction could be heard Mr. Banda said Mr. Mmembe defied the court order by publishing articles which he deemed defamatory.

This was one titled “Rupiah a shameless liar” prompting the application for contempt proceedings.

He further complains against the article published last week headlined ”Rupiah is desparate old man resorting to desperate legal action” in the Sunday edition of the Post newspaper.

Mr. Banda through his lawyer Christopher Mundia claims the article was in defiance and disregard of the injunction lawfully obtained.

Mr. Mundia alleges that the defamatory remarks and opinions in the Post were meant to portray Mr. Banda as a tribalist, dishonest and corrupt person.

[ZNBC]

Government has disclosed that investors from India are interested in investing in the Mining and Energy Sector.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati disclosed that the Indian investors  are by the end of this year expected to invest a minimum of $US 100 million in the first phase.

The minister said government is soon expected to conclude discussions with the investors on the mining investment after which a final implementation agreement would be endorsed.

Mr. Mutati told ZANIS in an interview that in Phase Two, the investors want to invest in the oil exploration.

He however said the investors have been advised to wait until government advertises for oil blocks so that can apply like any other investor.

Yesterday, Mr. Mutati disclosed during a public rally in Solwezi that investors from India and China intend to invest over $ 1 US billion.

He further stated that investors within Africa are willing to invest millions of dollars in economic activities which he did not specify.

Mr. Mutati said the move would lead to job and wealth creation as many more Zambians would be afforded an opportunity to participate in national development.

He said this is in line with the launch of the Citizen Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEF) aimed at empowering Zambians.

ENDS/MK/AMZANIS

The Heritage Party in Ndola has advised the Patriot Front in the District to desist from telling people lies.

Heritage Party Ndola Central Constituency Chairman, Joseph Phiri said this in a press statement made available to ZANIS.

Mr Phiri said it was wrong for Patriotic Front Ndola District chairman to lobby for votes from electorate on grounds that the party had adopted Mr Mark Mushili because he was loyal to the party.

Mr Phiri said that people should not vote for someone just because that person is loyal to their party but because that person is capable of delivering.

Mr Phiri challenged Mr Mushili to point to any project initiated by him for the people of Ndola Central Constituency.

He said leaders like Mr Mushili should not be entertained, as they just wanted to use people as a stepping-stone to amass wealth for themselves.

Mr Phiri advised Mr Mushili to concentrate on telling people how he intends to bring development to Ndola Central as opposed to floating lies.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has set October 30, the same day that the fourth Republican President will be voted for, as the election date for the Ndola Central Member of Parliament.

ENDS/PC/PK/ZANIS.

Zambezi District Commssioner, Absalom Luwaile, says some media reports suggesting that Acting President, Rupiah Banda, was snubbed are unfounded.

Mr. Luwaile says the reports are misleading and meant to turn the people of Zambezi against government.

He says on the contrary the acting President was well received by senior chief Ndungu and his subjects who appreciated his presence at this year’s Likumbi Lya Mize traditional ceremony.

Mr. Luwaile told ZNBC news that the people welcomed Mr. Banda and remained with him for the rest of the time when he officiated at the ceremony.

He said proceedings at the ceremony went well and wondered at what point the acting president was snubbed.

Mr. Luwaile said the only opposition leaders who attended the ceremony arrived after Mr. Banda had finished his business in Mize and was heading for Chavuma where he was scheduled to hold a public rally.

He called on some private media institutions to be truthful and observe ethics in their coverage of campaigns ahead of presidential elections, scheduled for October 30th.

Meanwhile, Acting President Rupiah Banda has completed his North-Western province campaign tour in Solwezi with a vow not to confront his critics with insults.

Mr. Banda said he would be strong and serve the Zambian people diligently.

He said he was currently going through the same opposition as his predecessor the late President Levy Mwanawasa who was called all sorts of names.

Mr. Banda was speaking when he addressed a mammoth rally at Solwezi show grounds today.

He said his dream was to rejuvenate the spirit of the Zambian people so that the country could be more united and quickly move forward into development.

He said his party will base its campaigns on issues affecting the lives of people instead of telling them lies.

The Acting President said the Zambian people would want to see what government has promised to do.

Mr. Banda said the late President Mwanawasa, whom he described as the greatest, left behind a lot of developmental projects that includes mines in the province that need to be completed.

Mr. Banda, who also had rallies in Chavuma, Manyinga, Mufumbwe, Kasempa and Mwinilunga, stated that the province has a lot of mineral wealth that needs to be exploited for the benefit of the Zambian people.

Speaking at the same rally, Commerce Minister Felix Mutati disclosed that investors from India and China want to invest over US$ 1000 million in the country.

Mr. Mutati said other investors within Africa also intend to invest millions of dollars in the Zambian economy.

India investors intend to invest about US$600 million while some Chinese investors intend to invest about US$ 500 million in the economic of the country.

Mr. Mutati said the party should be given chance to continue with the mandate so that it could continue to deliver on its promises of job and wealth creation.

He said the party has delivered on its promises through the Lumwana and Kansanshi mine projects, adding that government now intends to open up oil blocks in the province.

He has since appealed to the people of Northwestern province to vote for Mr. Banda in the forthcoming presidential election.

And formers Works and Supply Minister, Ludwig Sondashi advised the people of Northwestern province not to make a mistake of voting for someone else other than Mr. Banda.

Dr. Sondashi, who also vied to be elected as presidential candidate under MMD recently, said Mr. Banda was the right candidate for the October 30th elections.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Mike Mulongoti said the acting President has vast experience because he served in various government portfolios.

He said Mr. Banda has exhibited maturity and integrity in running the country.

Meanwhile the province has assured the acting President of getting over 95 per cent vote in the October 30 presidential election.

MMD Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Chairman James Katoka assured Mr. Banda that the province will deliver the vote as it did to his predecessor.

He said the people of Northwestern province were not in the habit of changing their minds once they promised.

Earlier, MMD District Chairman, Andrew Kalangwa said the district was fast growing due to the good polices of the MMD government.

ZANIS/MK/CK/EML/KSH/ENDS

Concerned residents in Ndola have advised the Post Newspaper to desist from deliberately dwelling on the MMD Presidential candidate and Acting President Rupiah Banda’s marital issues, but concentrate on issues of economic development.

Mr Joshua Mutwalo told ZANIS in Ndola in an interview today that it was unprofessional and unfair for the Post Newspaper to discredit Mr Banda simply because he was married to a person younger than himself.

Mr Mutwalo said Mrs Thandiwe’s age had nothing to do with whether her husband was capable of further developing Zambia or not.

He said it would be wrong and unfair for a newspaper to prevent anyone from becoming Zambia’s Republican President just because he is married to someone elder or younger than himself or simply because he was divorced or widowed.

Mr Mutwalo said it would be more meaningful for the Post Newspaper to bring out matters of national development, rather than stories of unexplained personal hatred.

The Post Newspaper recently came under attack from irate MMD cadres who charged that the paper was reporting negatively their party presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, former Information Minister under the Chiluba Government, Ndola based Reverend Stan Kristafor has said, of the candidates contesting the by-election, Acting President Rupiah Banda was the best placed candidate to spearhead the legacy left by late President Dr Levy Mwanawasa. He appealed to all Zambians to vote wisely in the forth-coming October 30 elections.

In a press statement made available to ZANIS Ndola this morning, Rev Kristafor urged fellow Zambians to vote wisely with all their minds and from their hearts.

He said Mr Rupiah Banda was a career diplomat who served Zambia as a good ambassador in embassies abroad and was a qualified economist and an established businessman.

He further said Mr Banda was articulate and very familiar with Government programmes, having worked as a cabinet Minister and was a parliamentarian for 10 years.

“RB is a career diplomat who served the nation as an ambassador in our embassies abroad, as well as to the United Nations, he is a qualified economist and long established businessman, and is articulate and very familiar with Government programmes having been a cabinet Minister in the past, with 10 years experience in Parliament,” he said.

The clergyman said Mr Banda was an action-oriented man who had a strong vision of developing the nation substantially aimed at improving the lifestyle of every Zambian citizen.

ENDS/PC/PK/ZANIS.

Main opposition Patriotic Front Party leader Michael Sata says his party is getting positive responses from the voters on the campaign trail.

From Zambia’s Northern Province, Sata told VOA he could win the October 30^th elections if the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) does not rig the vote.

“If there was no element of rigging, the election would be very easy. But our problem at the moment is this MMD, they can’t win an election because they have nothing to campaign on. They have nothing to show what they have done, but they are working on rigging. And now they are using students. But what we are doing is sensitization. To answer your question, the elections are not going to be free and fair because there is lots of corruption,” he said.

Sata described reports that a smaller opposition party has endorsed Rupiah Banda as a sham. He accused the ruling MMD of buying votes.

“The so-called opposition is a one-man political party who Rupiah Banda paid for their endorsement. They have not endorsed Rupiah Banda unilaterally. He gave them money,” Sata said.

Sata said he has ample evidence to show that the ruling MMD has been bribing opposition politicians and voters.

“We have plenty evidence. The other time he (Banda) was distributing mealie meal, sugar, cooking oil. There are a number of political parties who were given between $3,000 and $15,000. We have evidence, and the people who have received the money have gone public; they have gone on private media and confessed that they received the money. And the government has confirmed through the minister of information who said that they are supporting smaller political parties,” Sata said.

He accused the state-run Zambia Broadcasting Corporation of being a month piece of the ruling MMD.

“The state media in Zambia is synonymous to MMD, but at the moment we are effectively using the community radios which are spread all over the country,” Sata said.

During the last election, Sata reportedly did well in the urban areas but poorly in the rural areas. Now he said his party has embarked on a campaign to sensitize rural voters.

“I have started now a campaign for the rural areas. You see when they are rigging they steal more votes in the rural areas than in the urban areas. But when we sensitize the people in the rural areas and people who can react when they are told to go and have lunch while some people swapping boxes. But this one we are not leaving any stone unturned,” Sata said.

He appealed to the United States to assist in ensuring that the October 30^th elections are free and fair.

“Please prevail on the American government and the American people to protest. We need free and fair elections like in the United States of America. Let the best person win the election and not inducing people, forcing leaders on the throats of the people,” Sata said.

VOA