Defence Minister George Mpombo says cabinet is stable and united despite president Mwanwasa’s illness.

Mr. Mpombo said Cabinet has continued with its usual meetings under the chairmanship of Vice president, Rupiah Banda.

He assured the nation that Cabinet will not fail in its responsibilities.

Mr. Mpombo was speaking in Lusaka today, during a prayer held for president Mwanawasa by the Kanyama Union Babtist Congregation.

He commended the Union Babtist and other churches that have held prayers for the president.

Meanwhile, Mpombo said government is overwelmed by the extraodinary Love and Care Zambians have shown to president Mwanawasa during his time of sickness.

He said government does not know how to express gratitude for such a gesture.

The Defence Minister said Zambia needs Dr. Mwanawasa for him to continue with his good economic policies.

At the same function Information Minister, Mike Mulongoti urged zambians to continue to pray for President MWANAWASA .

He also described president Mwanawasa’s reconciliation with Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata as a miracle .

Kanyama Union Baptist Church Chairman, Ryan Chitoba said his church received the sickness of Dr. Mwanawasa with sadness.

And veteran politician Mama Kankassa has urged Zambians to continue uupholding unity in the nation.

Mama Kakasa said unity is key to social political and economic development.

She was speaking in an interview with ZNBC news in Lusaka.

The Veteran als said as the country celebrates the Heroes and Unity day, politicians should remember to work together to forster national development.

And Petauke United Church of Zambia Minister in charge, Rev. Felix Mulenga called for reconciliation among Zambians that may have differed, as the country celebrates the Heroes and Unity day

He hailed the reconciliation between president Mwanwasa and Patriotic Front Leader, Michael Sata.
[ZNBC]

President Mwanawasa needs a minor operation to improve on his breathing.

The Vice President said the president went for his scheduled medical review – Monday at Percy Military hospital in Paris – France.

Rupiah Banda said Dr. Mwanawasa remains in a stable condition.

Mr. Banda said the rest of the treatment remains unchanged and Dr. Mwanawasa is still admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

The Vice President said this in a statement posted on the State House website.

He also said the President had a restful weekend.

Mr. Banda said the nation will be informed regularly on the condition of the president.

He urged the nation to continue praying for the president’s speedy recovery.

The First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa, and some family members are at the President’s bed side.
[ZNBC]

President Mwanawasa is – Monday expected to under go the usual medical review at Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France.

On Friday, Dr. Mwanawasa who is currently admitted to the military Hospital was attended to by specialist when he under went the review.

Vice President Rupiah Banda said President Mwanawasa’s condition has remained stable.

Mr. Banda said in a statement posted on the State House web site that the President is still receiving treatment for hypertension.

The First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa, and some family members are at the President’s bed side.
[ZNBC]

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The opposition United National Independence Party (UNIP) in Lusaka district has challenged a faction, allegedly led by its former Secretary General (SG) Malimba Masheke, to come out in open and form a political party other than causing confusion.

And UNIP in Lusaka has charged that General Masheke was expelled from the party and he was now a Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) member.

Lusaka District Chairman UNIP, Moses Phiri, said the party was aware that Gen. Masheke was sponsoring his allies to destabilise the executive, party structures and the entire leadership of the former ruling party.

Mr. Phiri has since asked Gen. Masheke to desist from his plans to destabilise UNIP but instead who instead should concentrate on offering solutions to the FDD.

He said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

He has appealed to the youths and the entire UNIP membership to be vigilant and not allowing sponsored people to cause confusion in the oldest political party in the country.

He said UNIP president, Tilyenji Kaunda and the Central Committee members would go to the National Congress when the party deemed fit to do so.

Mr. Phiri stressed that the party would not allow any outsider to make decisions on how it should operate.

“As UNIP, I wish to state that Gen Masheke has nothing to offer. We are aware of Gen. Masheke and his sponsored aliens who are trying to destabilise our party,” Mr. Phiri said.

Gen. Masheke, who is former Prime Minister in the UNIP government and party Secretary General, is quoted in today’s newspapers as having alleged that UNIP president, Tilyenji Kaunda, was leading the party illegally.

According to Gen. Masheke, his group has launched the national revival forum to oust Mr. Kaunda and usher in new leaders that would contribute to the promotion of multi-party politics in Zambia.

ZANIS/KC/KSH/ENDS

Patriotic Front (PF) Leader Michael Sata says he will not allow anyone to use him to attack President Mwanawasa.

Mr. Sata said those who hate President Mwanawasa should come out in the open and not to speak through him.

He said he reconciled with DR. Mwanawasa when he realised that the tension between them was hurting the country.

The also said his relationship with former President, Frederick Chiluba is warm but it does not dictate the political agenda of the Patriotic Front.

Menwhile, Mr. Sata said he is ready to reconcile with the 26 rebel PF members of parliament who are delegates to the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) if they approach him.

Mr. Sata said this in Lusaka at the News Makers Forum hosted by the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspaper’s.
[ZNBC]

A ZAMBIAN suspected to have issued the false statement alleging that President Mwanawasa had died, has been traced in South Africa.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the Zambian mission traced the Zambian man named Malone Zaza and contacted him.

Mr Pande said the Zambian mission wanted to establish whether Mr Zaza was the one who issued the false statement on radio and asked him to report to the high commission but had not done so.

“There is a well known Zambian by the name of Malone Zaza in South Africa. Our mission called him by phone and requested to see him and he agreed to do that but up to now he hasn’t shown up.

“The mission is still making efforts to get hold of Mr Zaza and we hope to do that soon although he has now switched off his phone,” Mr Pande said.

South Africa’s Talk Radio 702 reported last Thursday that Dr Mwanawasa had died, quoting a Malone Zaza as a Zambian High Commission spokesman who confirmed the death.

The report was subsequently picked up by the international media and was aired worldwide on several stations including the BBC, Sky News and Cable News Network (CNN) before being withdrawn after the Government clarified the matter that the president was alive.

President Mwanawasa was rushed to an Egyptian hospital after he suffered a stroke at the African Union (AU) summit in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Following successful surgery in Egypt, the president was flown to France for further specialist treatment.

Dr Mwanawasa has been admitted to Percy Military Hospital in Paris, in the intensive care unit (ICU) where he is receiving treatment for hypertension and is expected to undergo medical review today.

Meanwhile, Government has commended Malawian president Dr. Bingu Wa-Mutharika for visiting president Mwanawasa in hospital in Egypt last week.

Chief Government spokesoperson who is also information and boradcasting services minsiter Mike Mulongoti says the visit by president Mutharika is a sign of the warm relations existing between the two leaders and the people of the two sister republics.

Mr Mulongoti was speaking during the Malawian national day at the residence of the Malawian high commissioner to Zambia in Lusaka today.

Mr Mulongoti said president Mwanawasa’s condition has remained stable at Percy military hospital where he is receiving treatment for hypertension.

The minister urged Zambians to continue praying for the president’s quick recovery.

And Malawian High Commissioner to Zambia Chrissie Mughogho wished president Mwanawasa a quick recovery.

Dr. Mughogho also sent a message of goodwill to First Lady Maureen and the First family on the illness of president Mwanawasa.
ZANIS/TK/BMK/ENDS

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe risks going down in history as a leader who refused to give up power and oppressed his people, Zambian Information Minister Mike Mulongoti said on Saturday.

In an interview with AFP TV, Mulongoti at first paid tribute to Mugabe for “standing up against colonialism” and winning independence for the former Rhodesia in 1980.

“But now you cannot transplant colonialism for oppression. If you oppress people, what’s the difference between you and the colonialists?

“So, I do not know whether — when we write history books — he shall go in the history books as our hero or we should begin to cast doubt as to whether the services he’s supposed to have rendered he took away himself by overstaying and doing certain things that were unacceptable in a civilised world.”

Zambia was one of the first countries to openly criticise Mugabe, who was sworn in on Sunday for a sixth term after elections denounced as a “farce” by the opposition and Western leaders.

[AFP]

The ongoing Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) has registered a drop in the number of foreign countries exhibiting while local companies have increased from last year’s 300 to 350 this year.

Speaking during the official opening of the 44th edition of the Zambia International Trade Fair, Trade Fair yesterday, ZITF chairman Phesto Musonda disclosed that this year, only 12 foreign countries were exhibiting compared to last year’s 18.

“This 44th edition of the ZITF has registered 130 foreign companies from 12 countries compared to 110 companies from 18 countries last year,” he said.

Mr Musonda explained that though there was a drop in the number of foreign countries, the development needed to be viewed positively in that, some foreign countries that exhibited in previous shows had now partnered with Zambian companies and had started operations in Zambia and as a result they were now exhibiting as local participants.

He further clarified that COMESA, which represents 19 member states, was also exhibiting at this year’s trade fair.

The Chairman went on to disclose that the ZITF has also registered new entrants from the United States of America and Mozambique.

He explained that the participation by the USA in the 2008 ZITF was a follow-up to the visit to Seattle, Washington, undertaken by Republican President Dr Levy Mwanawasa and the delegation from ZACCI last year.

He further revealed that the Americans were here to explore market for their products as well as to seek investment partnerships and opportunities.

And Zambia will this month alone achieve investment exceeding $2 billion.

Commerce Minister Felix Mutati said this Saturday during the official opening of this year’s International Trade Fair in the Copperbelt Province town of Ndola.

And government has signed investment promotion and protection agreements with foreign companies represented at this year’s Zambia International Trade Fair.

The government has also signed Memorandum of Understanding -MOU’s- with some local companies.

Mr. Mutati signed on behalf of the Zambian government.

ZANIS/PC/BMK/ENDS

Southern province minister Daniel Munkombwe has expressed happiness at progress being made in reviving the cooperative movement in the province which had totally collapsed.

And Mr Munkombwe has warned against politicising the management of cooperative societies if they are to serve their intended purpose.

Speaking when he officiated at the commemoration of the International Cooperative Day in Choma yesterday, Mr Munkombwe said it was gratifying to see that the cooperative movement was coming back to life.

The provincial minister told hundreds of residents gathered at the BOMA Square for the commemoration that the development was a result of favourable policies put in place by the new deal government of president Mwanawasa.

He said the new board and management at the Southern Province Cooperative Union (SPCMU) has demonstrated zeal and hard work in resuscitating the once ailing cooperative movement so that it can revert to its vibrant and original role of providing services to farmers.

Mr Munkombwe said it was painful to see the collapse of the cooperative movement in the second republic which played an important role in distributing farming inputs to farmers in the province.

He said the SPCMU had been extensively plundered and stripped of its assets by some government leaders in the second republic leading to its demise.

Mr Munkombwe noted with happiness that under the new deal administration, there has been a deliberate programme to revive the cooperative movement which is are a vital tool in meeting the needs of rural farmers.

Mr Munkombwe however noted that the current set up of most cooperatives is not good because it is slanted towards benefiting individuals at the expense of the community.

He said there should be no politics in the running of the cooperatives if their intended purpose is to be realized.

“Politics should be out when you are dealing with cooperatives,” warned Mr Munkombwe.

He challenged the new board to strive to reach greater heights so that farmers in the province can benefit from the services of the cooperative movement.

And speaking earlier, southern province agriculture coordinator Dr Adrienne Nansungwe attributed the collapse of the cooperative movement in the past to failure to adapt to the changing environment.

Dr Nansungwe said the cooperative movement which had enjoyed monopoly in maize marketing could not survive in a liberalised environment where aggressive private dealers started buying maize from farmers.

He said there is need for cooperatives to be innovative and suit the changing economic environments.
ZANIS/CM/BMK/ENDS