Government says there are possibilities that the price of fuel could be reduced by about one thousand kwacha.

Finance Minister, Ngandu Magande, also says there will be a further price cut on fuel following a reduction of oil prices by oil producers and exporting countries.

Mr. Magande however told ZNBC news in Livingstone, Monday, that this will depend on information gathered by a technical committee mandated to study possibilities of reducing the price of fuel.

The committee was formed after Acting president, Rupiah Banda, directed Mr. Magande and his Energy counterpart, Kenneth Konga, to find ways of reducing the cost of fuel.

Mr. Magande said government has not immediately reduced the prices of fuel because the country is still consuming old stocks.

Petrol costs about K9,700.00 per liter, while diesel sells about K8,400.00.

And Several Lusaka residents have welcomed the proposal by acting President, Rupiah Banda,aimed to reduce the price for fuel.

Residents talked to by ZNBC, Monday, said Zambia has the highest pump price for fuel in the region and any form of intervention is welcome.

One of the motorists, Victor Silungwe, said the reduction in fuel prices should not be politicised.

Mr. Silungwe said low fuel prices will reduce production and transport costs.

Another motorist, Edgar Ngoma, said reducing fuel prices will boost production in the country.

Government has appointed a team of experts to study how best to keep fuel prices low.

[ZNBC]

MMD chairman for elections, Mike Mulongoti, has cautioned the electorate against voting for an opposition party in October 30 polls because it will be difficult for an opposition party to govern because of their numbers in Parliament.

Mr Mulongoti told a campaign rally in Chief Kopa’s area in Mpika that the number of MMD members in parliament would render it difficult for any other government to operate.

Mr Mulongoti, who accompanied acting President, Rupiah Banda, to Northern Province where he attended Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena traditional ceremony, was also in the area to drum up support for the MMD parliamentary candidate, Judith Kapijimpanga, for the Kanchibiya by- election slated for October 14.

He said if such a government introduced bills that were at variance with MMD policies, the bills would not be supported and might lead to dissolution of Parliament.

Mr Mulongoti told the gathering that opposition leaders should not cheat them that once voted into Government, they would automatically assume control of power as their numbers together still fell short of the MMD majority.

He said even if the Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development put their members of Parliament together, it would still be difficult for them to pass laws.

Mr Mulongoti called on the people of Kanchibiya to vote for Ms Kapijimpanga because she had experience in the House and in Government and most importantly because she hailed from the same area and understood their problems.

Speaking earlier, MMD spokesman, Bennie Tetamashimba, reminded the people that most development work being done in the area was initiated before the 2006 election when Ms Kapijimpanga was MP, which showed that she was a hard-working MP.

MMD national chairman, Michael Mabenga, also urged the people to vote for Ms Kapijimpanga by giving an analogy of one child from a household and another from the neighbourhood.

[Times of Zambia]

Government says parents marrying off their school-going children should be prosecuted and charged.

Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande said parents should understand that marrying off their school girl children is not a blessing but a case.

Responding to lunga High School Head Teacher Roderick Mwansapa who expressed concern at the high rate of girl-child drop out due to early marriages, Mr. pande advised school teachers in his constituency to bring to his attention any case where a parent marries off a school going girl child.

Speaking Lunga High school which is under construction in kasempa  yesterday ,Mr. pande said there is need to protect the girl child so that they too could complete their education without disturbances.

The kasempa MP noted that parents marrying off their girl child at a tender age should be punished so that the trend is put to a halt.

Lunga high school head teacher Rodrick Mwanaspa and science teacher Euphrasia Mwila told mr pande that parents in the area claim that marrying off girl child was a blessing.

The two teachers said the trend was rampant two years ago before the only science teacher ,Ms mwila came to the school and introduced the safe club for the protection of the girl child.

At shependa basic school, head teacher Henry Kayombo also complained of the high drop out rate for girls due to early marriages.

Mr Kayombo  said the girl child in the area  still think getting married is then spending time learning in school .

He complained that parents were not doing much to help their girl child get educated.

The story was the same at Kantenba basic school where the Deputy Head teacher Brighton Mutoya going children expressed concern at the high drop out rate of the girl child.

Mr pande is in kasempa district to check on developmental projects embarked on by government and its cooperating partners.

He was acompained on tour of the projects by the district commissioner Henry Shantolo and other Heads of Departments.

ENDS CBM/AH/PK/ZANIS/KASEMPA

United party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has urged voters not to base their choices of electing a president on tribal or party lines in the October 30 presidential election.

The UPND leader said all Zambians were created by one God and this makes every one equal.

Mr. Hichilema said voters should elect a leader to lead and unite the country as a best way of remembering the late president Levy Mwanawasa.

He urged people not to vote for leaders who are campaigning on tribal lines, saying such leaders are not capable of uniting the Country.

He was speaking yesterday at a public rally in Mufulira held at Chawama grounds in Kantanshi township.

He retaliated that his party will run independently in the forthcoming election and has no intention of going in a pact with Patriotic Front Party.

He said UPND is ready to look after all Zambians well when it forms the next government.

He appealed to the voters in the district to vigorously campaign for UPND so that he can win the presidential elections set October 30.

The UPND leader has also pledged to build more hydro power stations as a way of reducing the power supply shortages that the Country is facing.

Mr Hichikema said once elected into power, government will embark on investing in the hydro power generation so that the load shedding is stopped and also be able to export to neighboring Countries.

Mr. Hichilema stated that the load shedding programme that government has resorted to was more to do with poor management of the energy sector by government.

He said his government will take advantage of the abundance water resources that the country is endowed with and produce more electricity.

On education he said government will introduce policies that will promote free education from grade one to university so as to enable more people access education.

He said a country can  not run without knowledge and he is ready to pay back to the Zambian for the free education that he benefited from once elected as president.

Mr Hichilema also stated that his government will repair the run down road infrastructure in the district and provide clean and adequate drinking water supply to the residents.

He said he intends to restore the life style of the people in the boarder town to better levels by allowing them to own more shares in foreign companies.

Mr Hichilema was addressing a rally in Mufulira yesterday at Chawama grounds in Kantanshi Township.

Earlier Mr Hichilema visited markets in Kansuswa, Kawama East and Buteko.
ENDS/PS/PK/ZANIS.

By Rev. Dr. Justine Likuka

Continued from part 2 Not too long ago I watched part of a documentary which traced the history of the Royal Family -the House of Windsor. In that program they recounted the passing away of King George VI. In 1952 the sad word went forth from London . . .

THE KING IS DEAD ! King George VI had died in his sleep at the age of 56. He was somewhat of a private man, in comparison with others who have held the throne, but he was greatly respected and admired. His reign had carried him through the rigors of World War 2, the election of a socialist government and the dissolution of much of the British Empire. His tired heart gave way. All across Britain, people flocked to churches to worship, to pray, and to seek comfort and hope. The people of Britain ran to the church in time of need and comfort.
Our own states man and brother – H.E Levy Patrick Mwanawasa [SC]’s death  brought a similar feeling among all Zambians and the international community alike.

In 1963, another shocking word was sent out across the world:

THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD

It was unbelievable. JOHN F. KENNEDY, young, vibrant and dynamic, was cut down by an assassin’s bullet – a nation was plunged into grief. People flocked into churches in the greatest numbers since the announcement of the end of World War 2. Pastors/Ministers changed their sermon texts and preached messages of healing and hope to the people of America.
I guess you can see from the above that from time in memorial – when there was a calamity or tragedy in a nation, people “flocked to the Church”! This is the reason why I mentioned above that the Church, and the Clergy in particular must give direction and counsel to the nation in a time like this.
In the same way we saw people gathering to pray for Levy Patrick Mwanawasa’s healing while in France – people are still looking for answers and healing.We soon have to vote in a new President  and it is the Church to provide the answers, direction and healing of heart.

About 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, the sad announcement was made,
That THE KING IS DEAD. King Uzziah, the eleventh King of Judah, had died. Crowned at the age of 16, he had reigned 52 years. Despite his failings, he was the greatest king since David.

The heart of Isaiah, the prophet, was broken. Uzziah was not only his king, he was also his friend. In his heartbreak, Isaiah made his way to the Temple to worship and to seek comfort and renewed faith.

Friends, when sorrow comes, when life presses you in, the best place to be found is in the House of the Lord. Death is viewed in different ways – but we all need to know that it is a “Door way” to being with the Lord! When Isaiah went up to the House of the Lord, he learned that the king was dead . . .BUT THAT GOD WAS NOT DEAD!

He was still upon His throne. Isaiah had lost his earthly king, whom he loved, but he caught a fresh glimpse of the King of Kings. He met with God in an encounter that radically changed his life. This is the HOPE that we have as Zambians today. In the midst of all this confusion and disarray, let Zambia be in the house of the Lord. I have been impressed with the way Zambians have conducted themselves from the time our President was announced sick in Egypt, taken to Paris and rumored dead……… Zambia has in all this while been on the knees Praying and trusting God. We had “Watchmen on the wall.”

I urge the church, civil society and the clergy to continue in the sprit of the dream that Mwanawasa has left the country with. Mwanawasa had a dream for this nation – he had a heart for the people. In succeeding him, we ask those in authority to be cautious and careful; and try in all ways possible to honor the “will” of our late leader.
He definitely had somebody in mind to take over from him as he clearly indicated. To those of you who know this Joshua – serve us the pain and disclose who he is; because the nation knows that you know that there is a Joshua whom he mentioned over and over again.
God bless Zambia – a Nation under God.

First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda has called on Zambians to elect a leader who will have a heart for the people and carry on the vision of free education for all Zambians, to take the country to greater heights.

Dr Kaunda  also urged the top leaders in Zimbabwe to use their peace deal and government of unity to help the poor people in that country access adequate food and water unlike the current situation.

He said education was an important aspect of economic development and his government was prompted to introduce free education for all Zambians from primary to university level because after British rule, the country only had 100 university graduates.

Dr Kaunda commended the late president Dr Levy Mwanawasa for re-introducing free education at primary level to enable even vulnerable Zambians gain entry into primary schools and hoped that the next president would carry on with the free education policy.

The former President said this during a media briefing at David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spar today, organized by the SOS Children’s Village of Zambia Trust.

Dr Kaunda said helping the poor was not a job-seeking strategy but a service to people in need.

Meanwhile, Dr Kaunda has urged the top leadership in Zimbabwe to use the recently formed government of unity to uplift the living standards of poor people and enable them access adequate food and water unlike the current situation.

He implored them to emulate Kenya as it was also a government of national unity and had succeeded in restoring peace after disputed elections.

And SOS Children’s Village of Zambia Trust National Director, Florence Phiri challenged Zambians not to be dependent on donor support but be actively involved in resolving the problem of street kids.

Mrs. Phiri said no one would come from abroad to look after vulnerable children in Zambia because the will and passion to help them had to come from within the country.

She praised the late president Dr Mwanawasa for having a strong passion for vulnerable children countrywide.

Dr Kaunda is in Livingstone to play golf on Sunday September 21st as part of the fundraising activities for the SOS Children’s Village of Zambia Trust.

ENDS/AMM/PK/ZANIS

By Dr. Emmanuel Makasa

Zambia’s lack of progress as a country in the last 43 years of independence has been mostly because of having a faulty constitution at every stage of the three republics. The government of a country is based on a set of laws in the constitution and if these are outdated, out of place or favoring some, then it is a matter of garbage in, garbage out.

The sitting presidents of Zambia starting with Kenneth Kaunda, Frederick Chuluba and the late Levi Mwanawasa, were in the peoples way of giving themselves as set of laws stipulating how they want to be governed at every time of constitutional review. A constitution by the people of Zambia and for the people of Zambia. The last constitutional review hit a snag over the method of adopting it. The people wanted the whole constitution to be adopted, as we have wished to be ruled (as is…) and didn’t want anything removed to suit the ones in power for this is our country and we are the people. Zambia is not the trees being cut down for charcoal in the forest or the wild animals being watched by tourists therein. Zambia is the people (like they say on the streets of Lusaka that “Icalo bantu”). Therefore, the government in power is but only contracted to run the affairs of our land on our behalf for so long only according to the way we have said and agreed to be ruled.

The only sure way we felt we could have such a constitution is if we adopted it through a referendum to avoid the ruling party and government of the time from adding or subtracting anything from it to suit themselves. Levi Mwanawasa said it would be too expensive to hold a referendum and bulldozed his way to setting up the expensive NCC that has indefinitely suspended its work, and I wonder why… This setting up of the NCC caused such political instability and a constitutional crisis splitting the nation into two with the church, civil society and opposition on one side. As if that was not enough, the allowances paid to persons sitting on the NCC were ridiculously high such that it was disgusting and would prove to be more expensive having the NCC compared to a referendum.

Levi died and may his soul rest in peace. We are grateful for what he did for his fellow Zambians. Here we are at the verge of a national election to choose a president. The ballot papers have not been printed as we haven’t had the nominations by ECZ yet. A referendum would have been conducted nationwide in a similar manner as the coming election except the voter votes “Yes” for adopting the new constitution or “No” for not adopting the new constitution. In the coming election therefore, we have a cost effective and sure way of having a people driven constitution adopted without opposition or manipulation from a sitting president. We should vote for a new president and for whether we agree to be ruled according to the new constitution that we have written. It is a golden opportunity to have our lives secured, security and freedom guaranteed, voices heard and a go at dignity and self respect as a people. It is that easy and that simple yet a courageous and a big step forward. Let us have a referendum together with the coming presidential election.