Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) president, Hakainde Hichilema has called upon government to address the sky rocketing prices of fertilizer because it was beyond the reach of peasant farmers in the province.

And Southern province Minister, Daniel Munkombwe, Daniel Munkombwe said government was equally concerned at the rising cost of fertilizer and would do everything possible to help.

Speaking during this year’s Gonde Lwiindi ceremony in Monze today, Mr. Hichilema said the price of fertilizer pegged at over K 210, 000 per 50 kilogram bag this year was too high for the ordinary peasant farmers to afford.

He said for farmers to grow food, they need fertilizer, adding that government must look into this issue if farmers were to have sufficient harvests.

Mr. Hichilema, who is also patron of the Tonga Traditional Association, said his association decided to postpone this year’s Lwiindi ceremony which should have been held in July because of the illness pf President Mwanawasa.

Mr. Hichilema has however called for the harmonization of traditional ceremonies so that they were not held on the same dates as this was causing difficulties for people to attend the ceremonies.

He noted that apart from the Lwiindi Gonde ceremony being held in Monze, there wee similar ceremonies taking place today at chiefs Sinazongwe and Mukuni of Sinazongwe and Kazungula districts respectively.

And speaking during the same ceremony, Southern province Minister Daniel Munkombwe said Mr. Hakainde’s concern over the price of fertilizer was genuine.

He said government was similarly worried about the rising cost of fertilizer.

He said everything possible was being done to either revisit the pricing mechanism or other means that would cushion the farmers.

“I am grateful that you have been able to raise this matter”, Mr. Munkombwe told Mr. Hichilema.

He said this year has been a bad one because of the floods that wreaked havoc, destroying crop and infrastructure during the last rain season.

Mr. Munkombwe however said government is doing everything possible to repair the roads that were damaged.

He said contractors were already on site working on the Monze-Niko, Batoka-Maamba, Choma-Niko, and Livingstone-Zimba roads.

The minister also disclosed that government has released K 2.2 billion through the ministry of Education for the repair of blown off roofs of schools in Monze district.

And chief Monze apologised for holding this year’s ceremony together with that of chiefs Sinazongwe and Mukuni.

Chief Monze said the postponement of the ceremony was due to President Mwanawasa’s illness.

Several Southern province chiefs, who included Bright Nalubamba of Namwala, Chikanta and Nyawa of Kalomo district, attended this year’s Gonde Lwiindi ceremony.

ZANIS/CM/KSH/ENDS

Vice President Rupiah Banda says he will not listen to detractors that aim at diverting his attention from the proper running of government.

Mr. Banda said some people’s comments did not mean well but aimed at diverting his attention from important issues and instead focus on issues that did not matter.

“I will not listen to detractors, I will keep my eyes on the ball,” he said.

In the recent past, the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy, (MMD) has been embroiled in wrangles based on succession issues.

He was speaking this morning when he addressed scores of MMD cadres and government officials who welcomed him at Livingstone International Airport.

Mr. Banda is in Livingstone to officiate at this year’s Lwiindi ceremony of the Toka Leya people in Chief Mukuni in Kazungula.

Meanwhile, Southern Province MMD Secretary, Emmanuel Siamweela has appealed to government to provide relief food to some parts of the province which were hit by food shortages due to floods and other adverse weather conditions that prevailed in the last rain season.

The unfriendly weather condition affected the crop yield in many parts of the country.

Mr. Siamweela appealed to Mr. Banda to act with a sense of urgency and distribute relief food to avert hunger induced deaths in the affected areas.

He further lamented about the soaring prices of mealie meal in the province.

Vice President’s entourage comprises Community Development Minister, Catherine Namugala, State House Minister Cecil Holmes, Finance Deputy Minister Jonas Shakafuswa and President’s Special Assistance for Press and Public Relations, John Musukuma.

ZANIS/ENDS/AM/KSH

Son of the late United party for National Development (UPND) President Anderson Mazoka, Lunda, has sued his sister Macenje to disclose the full extent of their father’s estate.

In a suit filed in the Lusaka high court, Lunda, has sued Macenje, who was appointed administrator of the father’s estate after he died on May 16, 2006.

Lunda says his father died interstate and he wants a court order to make Macenje distribute all the property to the beneficiaries, including him.

He also wants another court order to make the administratrix render an account of the estate from the time she was appointed administratrix on May 30, 2006.

Alternatively, Lunda wants a court order to have Macenje replaced by the Administrator-General as the administrator of the estate.

In his statement of claim, Lunda alleged that the administratrix has not disclosed the full extent of the father’s estate from the time she was appointed.

He further said she has not given an account of the estate despite repeated reminders by the plaintiff.

Lunda said he was now extremely apprehensive of the defendant’s unwarranted delay in disclosing the full extent of the estate and in giving an account of the same.
[ZNBC]

NCC urged weigh odds of executive mayor

Ndola, July 31, ZANIS — A Senior Ndola resident has called on the National Constitution Conference ( NCC )to consider the merits and demerits of having an executive mayor elected by the electorate in the District.

Mr. Evans Chibwe told ZANIS in Ndola, on Thursday, that the provision in the next republican constitution needed wider debate because an executive mayor who would be a fulltime employee of a given council could de-erail development as he will have too much power over the district.

He said in cases were some districts whose mayoral leadership could go to either the opposition or the ruling party, might want to run the council affairs unfavourably in accordance to the particular parties’s vision.

Mr Chibwe cited Kabwe and Kapiri-Mposhi districts as areas that suffered for embracing the opposition as members of parliament.

He said a non performing executive mayor could be a thorn to the council’s development program as the institute would be mandated to respect the mayor’s five year term in office.

He added that the decentralization policy was good except it was a process which should take time to be understood for effective implementation.

He said Zambia needed serious minded people sitting at the NCC to navigate all the pros and cons of having an elected executive mayor.

” Sometimes when a politician enjoys too much political supprot at election time, he or she does do not perform in accordance to the electorate’s mandate,” he said.

Mr. Chibwe added that some politicians have been able to perform to the satisfaction of the people because of having gained minority votes through the ‘ first pass the post system’ which has worked well in the country, so far.

He said even the 51+1 percent for presidency needed caution because of people wanted to change the presidency, the could do it with or without a cosntitutional clause as was in 1991.

He said minority presidents were also seen from experience to perform in order to justify their candidature.

He said it was also an advantage to the people to have a minority president sot hat he could through his good governance record prove his suitability to all.
ZANIS/CN/SC/ENDS/MM

Defence Minister, George Mpombo has condemned calls by some individuals to publish pictures of President Levy Mwanawasa in his hospital bed.

Mr. Mpombo says such calls are irresponsible and unjustified.

He observed that the publication of such pictures require the consent of a sick person.

The minister said this in Lusaka during commemorations to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

Mr. Mpombo also praised China for it’s continued support to the Zambian Defence Forces.

Chinese defence attache, Colonel Wang Zhiyong paid tribute to President Mwanawasa and Zambia for offering help to Chinese earthquake victims in June.

Colonel Wang said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army appreciates help from friendly countries like Zambia.

China last June experienced a major earthquake which killed more than ten thousand people and left hundreds of thousands more homeless.

Lawyers representing more than 400 traders of the Tandabale Marketeers Co-operative Society Limited in Livingstone have commenced contempt proceedings against Local Government and Housing Minister, Sylvia Masebo in the Livingstone High Court.This is in a case in which the traders have asked the Livingstone High Court to start contempt proceedings for issuing an eviction order for them to relocate to Libuyu market, when the injunction they had filed to restrain the council from evicting them from their trading places was still in force.

Ms. Masebo issued a 24 hour ultimatum last Tuesday to the traders for them to relocate to a designated area.

The traders through their lawyers from Mak Partners firm had obtained an injunction in the Livingstone High Court restraining the Livingstone City Council from evicting them from the area.

Ms Masebo has denied disregarding and disrespecting the court when she ordered Tandabale marketeers in Livingstone to vacate the site while an injunction was in force.

In her affidavit filed in opposition before Livingstone High Court Judge, Elizabeth Muyovwe yesterday, Ms Masebo argued that the application made by Mak Partners for the traders to have her cited for contempt was misconceived and misguided.

Ms Masebo asked the court to dismiss the application for leave for an order of committal with costs, arguing that it was an abuse of the court process and an attempt by the applicants to sustain illegalities under the court’s shield.

In opposing Ms Masebo’s affidavit in opposition, the traders submitted that Ms Masebo was a total stranger who became aware of the injunction but went ahead to disobey it under the guise of being a minister, which amounted to contempt of court.

And solicitor general, Dominic Sichinga also applied to the court for the State to be part of the case.

In his submission, Mr Sichinga said local authorities generally acted as agents of Government and were superintended in the functions by a public officer, namely the minister responsible for Local Government and Housing.

Justice Muyovwe set August 12 for ruling on the applications.