President Mwanawasa has pledged to secure K44 billion from the national treasury to help resolve the stand-off between University of Zambia management and unionised staff over insufficient funding to the institution.

UNZA Public Relations Officer, Stanslous Chewe said President Mwanawasa held a meeting with management at State House where he promised to provide additional resources to the institution.

Mr. Chewe told ZNBC news that Dr. Mwanawasa met UNZA management early this week over the matter.

He disclosed that the President made an undertaking to ensure an initial K20 billion is quickly given to the University.

Government had allocated K74 Billion to UNZA in this year’s national budget.

And Mr. Chewe has appealed to the three unions to call off their indefinite go-slow in order to pave the way for negotiations for improved conditions of service.

But the three unions at the Great East Road Main campus have vowed to continue with the go-slow.

The University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU), the University of Zambia Allied Workers Union (UNZAAWU) and the University of Zambia Professional Senior Staff Association (UNZA PRO-SA) have withdrawn their services to press for increased funding.

The Ndola Magistrate Court has convicted suspended ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Copperbelt province chairman, Terence Findlay after finding him guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Findlay 43, has since been sentenced to nine months simple imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of K5 million.

Meanwhile, the same court has acquitted Findlay of two of the three charges which he was facing.

Findlay was facing charges of rape, unlawful possession and distribution of obscene matter and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Delivering judgement Thursday, Ndola Principal Resident Magistrate, Chilombo Phiri said the evidence adduced in court on the charge of assault was sufficient enough and collaborative to warrant the accused a conviction.

Ms. Phiri therefore found the accused guilty as charged and convicted him.

In relation to the charges of rape and unlawful possession and distribution of obscene material
the court acquitted Findlay saying there was no collaborative evidence to prove the charges.

Magistrate Phiri explained that the rule regarding sexual offences was that there must be collaboration in the evidence before the court for it to convict.

She said however that it could still convict in the absence of collaboration if there was something special.

She explained that in the case of Findlay, the court could not act on the uncollaborated evidence because even the medical report, which was critical in the
case, could not confirm the case of rape.

Ms. Phiri has since acquitted Findlay of the two charges of rape and unlawful possession and distribution of obscene matter.

In mitigation, Findlay, through his lawyer Paulman Chungu, asked the court to exercise leniency on him as he was a first offender.

He said both him and the complainant knew each other very well, adding that the incident which led to the assault was unfortunate.

He further pleaded to the court to consider that the assault for which he was charged was not fatal as the complainant did not even seek medical attention.

Facts before the court were that, Findlay was on unknown dates but between May 1, 2007 and June 2, 2007, allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old girl of Ndola.

He was further alleged to have, between May 28th and June 3rd 2007, unlawfully distributed obscene matter in form of a disc labelled Bwaski , to the same named girl.

He was further alleged to have on June 2nd, 2007, assaulted her by burning her on the left buttock with a cigarette lighter.

The Immigration Department has deported a 27 year old American national after serving his jail sentence for trafficking in psychotropic substances.

Immigration Public Relations Officer Mulako Mbagweta told ZANIS in Lusaka today that Kimmel Daron Vincent who served as a peace corps was deported via the Lusaka international airport on an Ethiopian airline to his country of origin.

She added that earlier Mr. Vincent had been convicted by the Mpika Magistrate Court for trafficking in psychotropic substances contrary to section 6 of Cap 96 of the laws of Zambia.

Ms. Mbagweta explained that after serving the sentence for an undisclosed period of time Mr. Vincent was them handed over to the immigration department for deportation.

She has since urged security wings to continue submitting details of arrested foreign nationals to the department to enable it facilitate their deportation upon serving their sentence or any other punitive actions against.

Meanwhile the immigration department public relations officer has disclosed that the 26 Onshore construction workers who are Indian nationals who protested against their employers for poor working conditions are this afternoon expected to be sent back to their country of origin.

She said the 26 will be deported via the international airport on an Ethiopian airline adding that they only had temporal permits to work and stay in the country before they protested against poor working and living conditions from their employers.

On Monday over 360 Onshore construction workers protested and opted for an industrial strike to force management to succumb to their demands for better conditions of service.

However management has refused to succumb to their demands adding that the company had signed agreements with each employee on the conditions of service before coming into the country.

One of the employees Subhas Mallick is reported in one of the daily newspapers as having said 70 percent of the workers have opted to be dispatched back to India their country of origin.

A group of car dealers today stormed the Lusaka City Council (LCC) offices at civics center to complain about the council’s announcement to remove them from the central business district.

LCC Public Relations Manager Chanda Makanta confirmed the move by the automobile dealers to ZANIS in Lusaka adding that the dealers also demanded further clarification on the matter.

Mrs. Makanta said the LCC is concerned with the congestion being caused by the car dealers who usually park their vehicles meant for sale for a long time inconveniencing other motorists wanting to conduct business in the central district.

She said LCC through its city planning department is currently considering finding an open place where the car dealers can park their vehicles for sale to the public.

Mrs. Makanta however explained that the council can only allow the dealers in the central business district for a limited time to maintain consistent traffic flow and parking space for other motorists.

She commended the car dealers for seeking clarification on the matter in a peaceful and mature manner without resorting to violence.

But Katunjila Car Dealers Association committee member Martin Mpundu accused foreign investors dealing in car sales as having incited the council to remove them from town adding that their business has been competitive.

Mr. Mpundu said association members had been paying the council levy for selling cars in the central business district but were surprised at the council’s decision to stop collecting the levy and later giving them an ultimatum to vacate the central business district.

He said the automobile traders should not be looked down upon in preference to bigger and organized dealers as they also contribute to the country’s revenue through the payment of taxes at the border when importing the vehicles into the country.

He said his association is however willing to relocate to any appropriate area where the LCC would want to relocate the automobile dealers and pay the necessary levys and taxes.

Meanwhile, the LCC public relations manager has described as unfortunate the gradual return of street vendors on the city’s main streets.

Mrs. Makanta attributed the trend to lack of man power among the council police who have been deployed in the city center.

She however appealed to the Zambia Police Service to compliment LCC police efforts to ensure that street vendors are brought to book.

Mrs. Makanta has also urged members of the public to desist from buying merchandise from street vendors adding that the practice encourages the vendors to continue trading in undesignated places.

Government says it will swiftly respond towards addressing escalating criminal activities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Home Affairs deputy minister Misheck Bonshe says there was urgent need for police in the region to take action and stop the crime.

Mr. Bonshe said police officers must formulate strategies that would help governments in the SADC region to fight crime in a better and coordinated manner.

He was speaking today when he officially opened the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) meeting at Chrismar hotel in Livingstone.

He said police must devise strategies of combating regional criminal syndicates, noting that this would reduce crime in the region.

He said members of the public needed to feel secure hence the need for the police to double their efforts in the fighting crime.

And speaking earlier, Inspector General of Police, Ephraim Mateyo, said his command would ensure that thieves in Zambia were not allowed to move freely.

Mr. Mateyo said the police have a duty to ensure that criminals were not going about conducting business.

He said the meeting was timely as it was important for the police in the region to plan together and map up strategies on how to fight crime.

He said it was only peaceful environments that would attract investor confidence in the region, thereby boosting economies of SADC countries.

”Let us not allow criminals to take over us. Let us try and suppress them. Our duty is to ensure that the rule of law prevails in our countries,” he said.

Head of Interpol at the SARPCCO secretariat, Villio Hifindaka, said it was important for the police to let criminals know that there would be no comfort for them in the SADC region.

ZANIS/FM/KSH/ENDS.