Outspoken clergyman Bishop John Mambo has urged Zambians to maintain the momentum in denouncing the proposed increase of salaries and allowances for the President, ministers and constitutional office-holders.

Bishop Mambo told ZANIS in an interview today that the proposed increase of salaries and allowances for the President, ministers and constitutional office-holders is immoral and unjustified.

Bishop Mambo, who is Chikondi Foundation founder, said the proposed hike of salaries and allowances should not be entertained as they are many areas of priority that desperately need such resources.

He cited the health and education sectors as some of the sectors that urgently need resources.

Bishop Mambo pointed out that some health centers lack life-saving medicines and are deficient of skilled labour while some schools are dilapidated and the teachers are de-motivated because they are poorly enumerated.

He said doctors at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and lecturers at the University of Zambia (UNZA) are demanding for better perks, but government has been slow to respond.

Bishop Mambo further warned that if the proposed salary hike is implemented, donors and cooperating partners could loose confidence in Zambia.

He said such a hike of salaries and allowances portrays a picture that Zambia has sufficient recourses but that such resources are being misapplied.

Bishop Mambo also pointed out that the crusade against corruption would not yield the desired results because the national cake is not being fairly shared.

He said it would not do for some individuals to award themselves hefty salaries and allowances when other workers such as public service employees are poorly paid.

The three bills whose objectives are to increase salaries and allowances for the President, ministers and constitutional officer-holders have since passed the committee stage.

And MMD officials in Kasama this morning protested over the proposed new emoluments constitutional office holders and senior government officials.

The MMD officials led by District Chairperson, David Chanda, stormed the ZANIS offices in Kasama today in protest against he proposed hefty salaries for the senior government officials and constitutional office holders.

The officials described the move by Government to adjust the emoluments as selfish, saying the party in the district will not support proposal because it comes at a time when the country was facing economic problems.

The officials accused Government leaders of taking advantaged of President Levy Mwanawasa’s absence due to sickness to impose their will on the people.

They charged that there was no justification for the increase because Members of Parliament were already getting hefty allowances for sitting on the National Constitutional Conference, NCC.

The officials warned that they will not support any leaders who exhibit selfishness in the way they handle issues of national interest.

They charged that the recent developments were a testimony that leaders did not have national interest at heart but existed to fulfill selfish desires.

They regretted that project of national importance such as the rehabilitation of the Kasama-Luwingu Road, have stalled due to alleged lack of resources but at the same time leaders were insisting on paying themselves hefty salaries and allowances at the expense of national development.

The bills that sought to increase salaries and allowances for constitutional office holders and senior government officials have since passed through the stages of Parliament and now await presidential ascent.

ZANIS/ENDS/HM/SJK

Dear friends,

I have been married for over 7 years and we have two children but my husband is in the habit of beating me for no reason at all. I want to end this madness but I don’t know how.We are both
graduates and honestly I did not expect such from him. As a result I have been carrying this anger in me for a long time at times at night I feel like getting anything to hit him hard.
Please advise,I would like to know how others have handled such brutality from their
spouses.

yours Lara(not real name)

FORMER Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) chairman and Chief Executive Francis Kaunda and Access Financial Services (AFS) Director Faustin Kabwe have been jailed for two years each with hard labour for abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud.

In the first count, Kaunda, 70, was charged with abuse of authority after he allegedly offered Ndola Primary School to Ndola Trust School for sale.

In the second count, Kaunda was charged with Kabwe with conspiracy to defraud ZCCM by arbitrarily offering Ndola Primary School to Ndola Trust School, an act that was prejudicial to the interests of the Government.

High Court deputy registrar, Edward Musona sitting in the magistrate’s court sentenced Kaunda to two years imprisonment in the first count and another two years in the second count of conspiracy to defraud.

The sentences will however run concurrently. Kabwe was also jailed two years for conspiracy to defraud.

In passing sentence, Mr Musona said he appreciated that the crime committed was a misdemeanor but that he had observed some seriousness in the circumstances of the offense.

He said that the school was not sold to the right buyer as per privatisation guidelines and that the two were senior citizens who were supposed to lead by example.

The court was satisfied that Kaunda was contracted to assist in the sale of ZCCM assets and was therefore described as a public officer.

Mr Musona noted that Ndola Primary School PTA had offered K520 million while Nsansa School offered a total of US$300,000. He also noted that the valuation for the school was K400 million.

He said the offer was not given to Nsansa Primary School, which was the preferred bidder but instead a firm called Cave Malik made a bid after the closing date and offered K200 million which was less than what other bidders had offered.

Mr Musona also observed that at the time, Ndola Trust School was not yet registered and Bimo Thaker, the lawyer who represented Cave Malik and was also a consultant for ZCCM at the time of privatisation was still on the run.

He said Ndola Trust School communicated their offer after the closing date for bids and that what happened was unusual because the school was sold to a fictitious and non-existent entity represented by Kabwe.

The court stated that Kaunda knew that Kabwe who had signed for the bidder was his friend and that he never declared interest.

Mr Musona said the school could have been sold to anyone provided that the procedure was followed and that Ndola Trust School could not have had the experience because it was not yet registered.

He said the State had proved that there was dishonesty in the manner the school was offered and that the Government and ZCCM lost out on the higher bids and Nsansa School, which had the past experience of running schools.

In defence, Kaunda had stated that it was not true that he conspired with Kabwe to sell the school without the approval of the owners who were ZCCM.

He said he did not arbitrarily offer the school because it was not possible as ZCCM assets had to be sold by ZCCM themselves through the negotiating team.

In mitigation, Kaunda and Kabwe through their lawyers, Vincent Malambo and John Sangwa urged the court to be lenient in sentencing them because the offense was a misdemeanor and therefore a custodial sentence was not necessary.

The lawyers said the fact that their clients had been found guilty was enough punishment and that the court should consider that it had not been proved that Kaunda and Kabwe benefited from the transaction and therefore did not deserve the jail term.

After judgement, Mr Sangwa indicated that his client was going to appeal to the high court.

Speaker of the National Assembly Amuusa Mwanamwambwa has warned of stern action against Members of Parliament uttering unprintables against a fellow member during the parliamentary deliberations.

Mr Mwanamwambwa who guided the house against the using of unparliamentary language while in the house said he would not be hesitating to eject MPs uttering unprintables against their fellow Members.

He said it has become too common for Members of Parliament to be making noise and uttering unparliamentary language which he said were disrupting parliamentary deliberations.

Mr Mwanamwambwa warned Members of the House against making noise while a Member of the House was on the floor debating.

He further cautioned Members of Parliament not to be debating rumors in the House saying that the House was a highly respective institution where all MPs should debate on pertinent and factual issues.

Meanwhile, government has instituted a Technical Committee to address the educational impasses at the country’s higher learning institutions.

Education Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa told Parliament in Lusaka today that government has been prompted to institute a Technical Committee to deal with problems facing the higher learning institutions such as the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University with a view to creating educational stability at the institutions.

Professor Lungwangwa said the Technical Committee has been tasked to device various mechanisms that will help the higher learning institutions to become stable from unnecessary closures.

The Education Minister was responding to a oral and answer question raised by Nchanga area Member of Parliament Charles Chimumbwa (PF) who wanted to know if government had intentions of coming up with deliberate measures to address educational impasses at the country’s higher learning institutions.

Professor Lungwangwa further disclosed that government had completed auditing the University of Zambia (UNZA) which he said would also help in resolving some of the problems facing the institutions.

He however said that government through his ministry was concerned with the behaviour some students were exhibiting which he said was contributing to educational instability at the high learning institutions.

Professor Lungwangwa further called on the opposition political parties to come onboard and complement government efforts in addressing problems facing the higher learning institutions instead of using Universities as political battlefields.

ZANIS/TK/AM/ENDS

Vice President Rupiah Banda says President Levy Mwanawasa has continued to respond positively to treatment.

Mr. Banda has since urged the nation to remain peaceful and continue praying for his quick recovery.

He also advised government and the civil service to continue working hard so that President Mwanawasa finds the country in order when he returns home.

Mr. Banda was speaking when out going British High Commissioner to Zambia, Alistair Harrison paid a courtesy call on him at government house.

He commended Mr. Harrison for his exemplary work during his tenure office adding that government and the country as a whole will greatly miss him.

And out going British High Commissioner to Zambia, Alistair Harrison paid tribute to Zambians for remaining calm and united during the absence of President Mwanawasa.

Mr. Harrison said the international community is impressed with the spirit of unity across the political spectrum adding that Zambians should continue praying for the quick recovery of President Mwanawasa.

He further thanked government for the support rendered to him during his tenure of office.

Mr. Harrison noted that Zambia and Britain have continued to enjoy good bilateral relations adding that his government will continue to offer financial assistance to Zambia.

The British government has welcomed the sentencing to jail of former Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine (ZCCM) Chairman Francis Kaunda and Former Access Financial Services Director Faustin Kabwe.

Out going British High Commissioner to Zambia, Alistair Harrison said the sentencing to jail of Mr. Kabwe and Mr. Kaunda to two years imprisonment will serve s a deterrent to would be offenders.

Mr. Harrison said this in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today.

He said the imprisonment of the two should send a strong signal to those fond of engaging themselves in corrupt practices that the law will one day visit them.

Acting Lusaka deputy high court registrar Edward Musona on Wednesday sentenced Mr. Kaunda and Kabwe to two year in jail after finding them guilty of conspiring to defraud ZCCM.

Meanwhile Mr. Harrison has appealed to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of states who will be meeting in South Africa this weekend to be optimistic and put on their agenda the Zimbabwe political crisis.

Mr. Harrison said SADC leaders should endeavor to resolve the political situation in Zimbabwe amicably for the betterment of people and the region as a whole.

He noted that Zambia as the current chair of SADC has done a commendable job towards resolving the political situation in Zimbabwe but that more effort is needed from other countries in the region.

Mr. Harrison has since thanked President Mwanawasa for his good leadership during his tenure of office as SADC chairperson.

Zambia will be handing over the SADC chairmanship to South Africa this weekend.

ZANIS/YK/AM/ENDS

Government has embarked on a programme to increase the housing stock for health workers in order to address the housing shortage.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson, Canicious Banda, told ZANIS in an interview today that government is seeking a long term measure of empowering health workers with decent housing.

Dr. Banda said the solution to the housing problem would enable health workers in the country rent decent housing as well as build their own housing units.

He said the programme, which is already underway in rural areas, will soon be extended to urban areas with a focus on newly qualified doctors who may need to stay within hospital premises.

On the strike at the University Teaching Hospital, UTH, in Lusaka, Dr. Banda said the demands for increased housing allowances for workers, should be effectively addressed through the engagement of unions and governments for negotiations.

Dr. Banda explained the ministry of health would wait for the bargaining process on workers wages, including housing allowances, between the unions and government later this year.

He said government and unions engage in negotiations every year, during which consideration for possible increment to the housing allowances for workers is made.

ZANIS/BK/ENDS/SJK.

The Immigration Department has arrested five Chinese nationals for illegally trading in Lusaka’s Kamwala area.

Immigration Department Acting Public Relations Officer Kennedy Simenda said the department is concerned about the increasing number of foreign nationals defying immigration rules.

Mr. Simenda told ZANIS in Lusaka today that all the five are currently detained in police custody pending investigations.

He said four of the culprits had initially obtained working permits upon entry into the country while one come in as a spouse to a permit holder but were found trading without appropriate documents.

Mr. Simenda who could not however disclose the names of the culprits, said the department is currently considering revoking their permits and consequently deport them back to their country of origin.

He said the move should serve as a deterrent measure to would-be offenders as the department has continued to observe a rise in similar cases among some foreign nationals.

Mr. Simenda has since cautioned foreign nationals to adhere to the Zambian immigration regulations to avoid conflict with the law.

And the Immigration Department in Kitwe has arrested a 30 year-old man for masquerading as an immigration officer and intending to obtain money by false pretences.

The department’s acting public relations officer identified the man as Burton Muzumara of Mikomfwa Township in Luanshya adding that he is currently in police custody awaiting court appearance.

Mr. Simenda said the man is alleged to have gone to an unnamed fuel filling station and identified himself as an officer from the immigration department and thereafter requested for fuel and money.

He said the department is now on the look out people that have allegedly purporting to be immigration officers with intentions for pecuniary gain.

Mr. Simenda said the department will not relent in tracing such people as they can dent the image of the department.

He has since commended members of the public for their consistency in alerting the department and providing information on suspicious persons and activities.

ZANIS/CM/AM/ENDS