Parliament resumes its sittings Tuesday after having adjourned sine die on March 20th.Before the start of business, Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa is expected to call for a moment of silence.

This will be in honour of the late Kanchibiya Patriotic Front Member of Parliament Albert Kanyanyamina who died on July 18, after an illness.

Newly elected MilanziI Member of Parliament, Reuben Banda is expected to take up his seat, replacing UNIP’s Chosani Njovu who died on March 19, in Slovenia.

In the previous sitting, the House approved this year’s K13.7 Trillion National budget and also passed several Bills and motions.

Notable among them was the Income Tax Amendment Bill which introduced and graduated Windfall Tax on base metals and precious metals.

The Road Traffic amendment Bill Act of 2002 was considered to revise the taxes payable per annum in respect of motor vehicles and trailer licenses.

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The Minister for local government says nepotism and tribalism are vices which have contributed to the poor performance in local authorities.Sylvia Masebo says this has led to misapplication of government grants to councils.

She said this is despite a sharp rise in government grants to local authorities over the last four years.

Ms. Masebo also noted that most of the councils have employed ill qualified staff.

The Minister was speaking when she addressed Town Clerks, Mayors, Districts Administrative officers and council secretaries from 70 districts.

This was at a consultative meeting on the re-establishment of the local government service commission.

The local government service commission will oversee the employment of workers in councils to ensure qualified people are recruited.

And the National Housing Authority (NHA) may be forced to scale down the construction of houses in Lusaka due to lack of land.

Public Relations Manager, Tamika Mulenga told ZNBC news that the Authority has already exhausted the land in the capital city.

Mrs. Mulenga said the Housing Authority will now concentrate on building houses in other parts of the country.

This will also include the 300 housing units in Solwezi scheduled to take off early next year.

[ZNBC]

Chief Government Spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti, says there is need for the nation to continue praying for President Mwanawasa’s quick and full recovery so that he can return home and continue with his normal duties.

Mr. Mulongoti says the Zambian people should remain united and ask for God’s intervention to quickly heal Dr Mwanawasa whom he said has brought honesty and integrity to the nation.

Mr. Mulongoti said this in Lusaka today at a church service organized by the Living Water Global Churches to pray for President Mwanawasa’s quick and full recovery.

He said President Mwanawasa has demonstrated good political leadership qualities that are helping the country to recover from its economic doldrums and stump out corruption in the country.

Mr. Mulongoti has, however, said that President Mwanawasa’s illness has brought a lot of challenges to the nation.

He said although the national governance was running smoothly, the nation needed President Mwanawasa whom he said used to comfort the nation while in his good health.

Mr. Mulongoti urged the Zambian people to focus on the Ezekiel scripture which he quoted in the Bible which says God never fails and and called the people to have more faith in God.

Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, further appealed to the Zambian people to ignore politicians who are politicking President Mwanawasa’s illness.

And earlier, Living Waters Global Churches Pastor, Chrispin Chipampe, urged the Christian community and the Zambian people to continue praying for the President’s quick and full recovery.

Pastor Chipampe said it was incumbent upon all Christians to ensure that they always remembered President Mwanawasa in their prayers.

The clergyman further commended government for the fiscal measures that it has put in place aimed at improving the country’s national development.

Pastor Chipampe said the national economy had grown in the past ten years because of God’s intervention.

And a Lusaka-based clergyman has described as immoral and unethical for some sections of the society’s calls to publish President Mwanawasa’s pictures while admitted in a Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France.

Christian Faith Mission Centre (CFMC) Pastor-in-Charge, Peter Chanda, says his church is concerned with calls coming from some sections of the society demanding the publication of President Mwanawasa’s pictures when the nation needed to remain strong and united in prayer for the President’s quick recovery.

Pastor Chanda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that people who are calling for the publication of President Mwanawasa’s pictures while admitted in a French Hospital were just trying to gain political mileage.

He said the calls to publish President Mwanawasa’s pictures just showed the negative agenda that some people have towards Dr Mwanawasa.

Pastor Chanda called on people to stop politicizing President Mwanawasa’s sickness, saying there is need for the nation to remain united and continue praying for the President so that the he can return in good health and continue with his normal duties.

The CFMC Pastor has since advised the people of Zambia to be wary of some people who are negatively commenting on President Mwanawasa’s illness.

ZANIS/ENDS/TK/EB

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