Tunisia has assured the Zambian government of its support for Zambia’s candidate for the position of African Union (AU) chairperson.

Receiving Dr Levy Mwanawasa’s message from his special envoy Mbita Chitala, Tunisia’s Foreign Affairs Abelouahab Abdalla said his government supports Zambia’s candidate Dr Inonge Mbikushia-Lewanika for the AU top post.

Mr. Adalla also assured the Zambian envoy that President Mwanawasa’s special message will be duly conveyed to the Tunisian President, Zine Abidine Ben Ali.

Ambassador Chitala has since proceeded to Mauritania on a similar mission.

Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika is currently Zambia’s Ambassador to the United States of America.

Before this appointment, she was Ambassador and Special Envoy for the Second Republican President during his term as Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity.

Dr. Mbikusita-Lewanika was a Member of Parliament from 1991 to 2001 and served on the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee.

The SADC region is also behind the Zambian candidate with Swaziland having withdrawn its candidate for the same post and declaring its support for Dr. Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika.

Others contesting the AU top post include, Antoinette Batumubwira of Burundi,
Abdulai Osman Conteh of Sierra Leone, Jean Ping of Gabon and Cassam Uteem of Mauritius.

The Patriotic Front (PF) has announced that it will on January 18, 2008 hold an inter-Party hearing in a bid to resolve the wrangles that have rocked the party.

And the PF has still maintained that there some PF Members of Parliaments, among those participating in the National Constitution Conference (NCC), who are bent on forming a break-away party dubbed the Reformist Party.

PF Spokesperson Given Lubinda says the Party has decided to hold an inter-party hearing in order to devise a mechanism that would help resolve the wrangles that have rocked the party.

Mr. Lubinda, who was reacting to the calls by the PF members of Parliament attending the NCC that there is need for the PF top leadership to dialogue with them in a manner that would preserve party unity, Mr. Lubinda said the party is ready to meet and dialogue with MPs attending the NCC in a manner that will preserve the party unity.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the PF top leadership is not planning to expel the MPs attending the NCC as they have obtained a court injunction restraining the party from expelling them from the party for attending the NCC.

Mr. Lubinda said the MPs attending the NCC are bonifide members of the PF party adding that the party will respond to some of their grievances in the courts of Law.

He however maintained that there some PF Members of Parliaments who are participating in the National Constitution Conference who want to form a Reformist Party.

Mr. Lubinda said the party has received information that there some MPs participating in the NCC and other people who want to form a Reformist Party.

He said it was unfortunate for the MPs attending the NCC to be accusing him of being the cause of the problems because of his personal ambitions to take over as party president.

Mr. Lubinda warned that the PF party will not tolerate squabbles in the party as it was focusing its efforts on organization the party for the 2011 general elections.

He cautioned the people calling themselves reformists to refrain from making unnecessary statements aimed at destabilizing the party.

Mr. Lubinda has since urged PF members intending to form another party to go ahead and stop attacking the PF top leadership.

The PF members attending the NCC have accused the PF top leadership of inciting revolts, destabilizing, intimidating and organizing attacks on its MPs participating in the NCC deliberations thereby weakening the party.

The MPs have also accused Patriotic Front Spokesperson Given Lubinda of being the cause of the internal wrangles because of his personal ambitions to take over as PF party president.

Some party members on the Copperbelt have threatened to resign from the party if a national convention is not called immediately.

Meanwhile, the Patriotic Front (PF) in Mufulira district on the Copperbelt has suspended two of its Members of Parliament (MPs) for amongst other things failing to deliver their campaign promises to the electorates in the border town.

The two MPs that have been suspended forthwith are: Marjory Masiye for Mufulira Central and Percy Chanda for Kankoyo.

PF Mufulira District Chairman John Katati announced the suspension of the duo in an interview with ZANIS in Mufulira today.

Mr. Katati said the district PF leadership has since written to the party secretariat informing the PF National Executive Committee (NEC) about the development.

He added that the two MPs made a lot of promises to their constituents in Mufulira prior to the September 28th 2006 tripartite polls but that they had allegedly failed to honour their pledges which included amongst other things finding jobs for their supporters.

Mr. Katati was however quick to point out that the latest suspensions had nothing to do with the duo’s decision to sit on the National Constitution Conference (N.C.C)

He added that the electorate in Mufulira were allegedly apprehensive about the conduct of the two MPs who had not brought any thing tangible to Mufulira following their election to the National Assembly.

But when reached for a comment, the two MPs said in separate interviews that they were not aware about their suspension from the party.

Ms. Masiye noted that apart from not receiving a letter of suspension from the district officials in question, she was fully aware that they were planning to get rid of her because of her decision to sit on the NCC

In another interview, Mr. Chanda told ZANIS that he shall not be moved by his suspension from the party as it was not only baseless but also lacked merit.

The $400 million the government seeks to earn via a new windfall tax from copper exports this year will not benefit miners unless the government slashes the 35 percent personal income tax, unions said on Monday.

The Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MuZ) and National Union of Mining and Allied Workers (Numaw) said the proposed tax would not directly benefit the workers because the funds would be spent on national projects.

President Levy Mwanawasa said on Friday that Zambia would introduce a mining tax in 2008 that should earn $400 million in revenue and effectively increase mining taxes to 47 percent from 31.7 percent.

Head of the MuZ Rayford Mbulu said his union would propose a cut in the 35 percent personal income tax miners in the copper and cobalt mines pay because the funds to be raised from windfall mining tax would cover loss of revenue by the Treasury.

“We now want the government to reduce personal income tax which is 35 percent of gross pay, including allowances so that the workers can benefit directly from the money the government will raise. The government should cushion the impact of high tax,” Mbulu told Reuters.

Numaw general secretary Albert Mando said miners were going to benefit only if the bulk of the revenue the government would collect was spent on improving facilities in mining areas.

“We pay too much tax as people who produce the copper and we require some kind of cushion on tax, we want the government to address this in the budget this year. We would be glad if most of the money was spent on improving mine townships,” Mando added.

Mbulu said the workers were “paying too much” in personal income tax while the owners of the Zambia’s vast copper and cobalt mines paid less tax to the Treasury.

Government data shows that Zambia in 2007 collected $142 million in mineral royalty and company tax from earnings of $4.7 billion in copper and cobalt exports by foreign owners of the copper and cobalt mines, which employ over 50,000 workers.

The government has been pressured by unions over the past few years to spread the gains of its copper wealth to workers in the vital industry, the backbone of Zambia’s economy.

Mwanawasa said the hike in taxes sought to address those concerns as the government planned to spend the additional resources on sectors such as education and health.

A Catholic priest in Luapula Province has been implicated in a case of deflowering a 15-year-old school girl while he served at Samfya’s Twingi Parish.

And the uncle to the girl has vowed to take the involved priest to court for failing to settle K3
million outside court settlement for the deflowering case.

Mr Eric Sinyangwe, a teacher at Twingi High school, told ZANIS in interview today that he intends to take Father Bwalya Kanakwenda to court over the K3 million he agreed to pay for deflowering the virginity of his niece.

Mr Sinyangwe said last year in October Fr Kanakwenda allegedly detained his in niece at Twingi parish and repeatedly had sex with her.

He said he discovered that her niece aged 15 years was not in school but allegedly staying with Fr Kanakwenda at the parish house after pupils at Twingi high school protested over the behaviour of the priest.

Mr Sinyangwe said he had wanted to report the matter to police for defilement but the Parish Council at Twingi pleaded with him to settle the matter outside court.

He said the matter was then reported to the Mansa Diocese Vicar General a Father Mpansa who arranged for a settlement outside court.

He said at a meeting held at his home in the presence of the Vicar, the Parish Council Chairman for Twingi and then Twingi High school deputy headmaster, Fr Kanakwenda allegedly accepted the case and agreed to pay K3 million as settlement.

According to Mr Sinyangwe the priest even paid K100,000 as payment accepting the case and was
supposed to make the initial instalment on the K3 million in November.

However, he said the priest who has since been transferred has allegedly failed to make any payment towards the K3 million.

He complained that efforts for the Bishop’s office in Mansa to establish the whereabouts of Fr Kanakwenda has proved futile.

Mr Sinyangwe said he is now very bitter and he has no option but to sue Fr Kanakwenda so that
the priest can be fished from his hiding and made to pay the K3 million settlement for deflowering a
15-year-old girl’s virginity.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has advised Zambians to vote for a credible leader in 2011 who will stir the country’s development forward.

UPND National Chairperson for Women Affairs Masela Sekeseke-Chinyama said at a card renewal exercise in Livingstone yesterday that Zambians had to pay through the nose for health and education facilities because of the mismanagement of the Zambian economy under the Chiluba regime.

”We have now learnt a lesson that come 2011, we want to put an honest person who is not going to put money into their pockets,” she said.

And Ms Chinyama said the UPND will strive to stand for unity and will not allow any discrimination because it wants to attract other provinces to the party.

She said so far, the party had managed to capture Eastern province and was currently working towards attracting Northern and Luapula provinces.

Ms Chinyama also noted that whilst other political parties were busy fighting for positions and money, UPND wants to remain united adding that without unity, it would be difficult to develop the country.

She said there was need for people to rally behind UPND president Hakainde Hichilema as he was not only educated but honest and loving as well.

Ms Chinyama noted that once UPND came into power, no resident would be able to rent houses as all people will be able to live in their own houses. She also observed that the UPND once in power would build all people above eighteen years their own homes so that they do not keep their children within their parent’s homes.

Speaking earlier, UPND Provincial Chairman for Southern Province Gideon Shakalima said there was need to maintain the popularity of the party so that more votes could be amassed in 2011.

At the same function, former MMD Member Fred Chunga who has since defected to the UPND thanked the UPND district committee for co-opting him into the committee and pledged to work hard in the party.

Among those who defected to UPND were former United Liberal Party constituency chairperson Gloria Shamate and Mr Bowas Maseka.

Government has said it has put in place specific measures that will ensure that over enrolment in government schools is reduced.

Education Minster Geoffrey Lungwagwa said this yesterday when he carried out an inspection tour of the Ndola Girls Technical High School in Ndola yesterday.

Professor Lungwangwa explained that government had plans of building similar Technical Girls high schools in all the provincial towns in the country.

He explained that the gesture was aimed at decongesting government schools as well as empowering the girl child to enable her to contribute to the development of the country.

“It is one of the steps that government has put in place to reduce congestion and also to meet part of the gender balancing requirements for the country,” he said.

He further said that it was the wish of the government to ensure that it had a knowledge driven economy to which the female folk would play a major role.

And Copperbelt Provincial Education Officer (PEO) Muyambo Kamutumwa said most works at the Ndola Girls Technical High School were completed and that only finishing touches were remaining.

Mr Kamutumwa said teachers for earmarked subjects at the school had already been identified but that the head teacher had not yet been identified as the Provincial Permanent Secretary Mrs Jennifer Musonda had advised that a Catholic nun be identified because most nuns made very good administrators.

The PEO however said the school had not yet been electrified despite paying ZESCO in September last year.

The School, the first of its kind in the country, is set to open later this year and will house about 650 boarders.

Science Technology and Vocational Training Permanent Secretary, Buleti Nsemukila has denied the report in today’s Post Newspaper alleging that he harassed a male nurse at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) over admission fees.

Dr Nsemukila said he is shocked at the nurse (Yandikani Miti) malicious report to the management of UTH which he leaked to the post newspaper in order to distort his image.

He noted that although he expressed anger at the conduct of the male nurse who refused to treat his daughter, Wezi until payment was made, he denies verbally or physically harassing the nurse.

In a statement made available to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today, Dr Nsemukila noted that as a medical demographer, he has spent half of his career working with nurses and other medical staff adding that he could not have exhibited himself in the manner he was described by the nurse.

“I have written books together with medical personnel on various medical conditions affecting Zambians and I can not believe that a clinical personnel could describe my character the way he did” Dr Nsemukila said.

Dr Nsemukila explained that on the day of the incident, he personally requested to speak to Mr. Miti in his office accompanied by his fellow nurses in order to avoid the misrepresentation that Mr. Miti has given his management adding that his fellow nurses can testify to the fact that he was never harassed.

He observed that Mr. Miti fabricated the story in his defence after he learnt that UTH management was investigating him for the misconduct.

Dr Nsemukila further denies reports that he used abusive language towards the UTH Managing Director, Peter Mwaba.

He said Dr Mwaba is an old friend of his and has been their family doctor for a long time adding that he would never use abusive language against him.

“Just last evening (13th January, 2008), I was the guest of honor to a wedding of Dr Mwaba’s nephew, Fred Nghandwe, so how could I have done that,” Dr Nsemulika said.

A story in today’s post newspapers states that Dr Nsemukila last Tuesday verbally and physically harassed a UTH male nurse over a dispute on admission fees.

The incident occurred at the UTH’s paramedic section when Dr Nsemukila’s wife took their daughter, Wezi, to the hospital for treatment on January 8th. 2008.

President Levy Mwanawasa has called for the disciplining of police officers who are allegedly inciting the public to rebel against public order so as to disadvantage his administration and instead, advance the cause of some opposition political parties.

And Dr. Mwanawasa has implored the Zambia Police Service to work towards ensuring that there was peace and security in the country all the time if the country was to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Dr. Mwanawasa said he was aware that some police officers were campaigning for some political parties when they were supposed to be loyal to the government of the day.

He said some people, including some police officers, have been tempted to think that they would be better off under a different administration other than the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).

The President was speaking last night at the delayed 2007 Zambia Police Superior Officers’ Annual Ball held at Lilayi Superior Officers’ Mess. The theme of the annual ball was “Policing toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in Zambia”.

“I have heard and seen officers who deliberately incite the people to rebel against public order so as to disadvantage this administration. I do hope, Mr. Inspector General, that a few of our officers who are turning the name of the police service in this way will either reform for better or be kicked out of the service,” he said.

Dr. Mwanawasa further said his government’s efforts and achievements in improving Zambia’s economy have not been appreciated by some people because the problems were numerous at the time his administration took over power in 2002.

“In fact, I can say that when we came into power more than six years ago, the country was at its knees and poverty was choking the majority of our people. What we have done is merely to scratch the problem, and there is great temptation for our people in whatever status they occupy, to think that their lives will be better under a different administration,” he said.

He added, “…and so some of our unfortunate compatriots easily get swayed in fighting the government of the day in the hope that they will be receiving manna from heaven when this administration is removed from power”.

Dr. Mwanawasa pointed out that it was unfortunate that the police service was not spared from “this fantasy”.

He said government deploys police officers during elections to ensure smooth, free and fair elections but some officers have taken advantage of such an opportunity to decampaign the government in power.

“Unfortunately, the few bad eggs use this occasion as an ideal opportunity for them to campaign for one opposition party or another,” he said.

He said his administration was working hard to improve the living standards of people despite several challenges.

“The truth is that campaigning against the ruling administration in this fashion can throw the police service from a room of white ants to one of red ants,” he said.

And Dr. Mwanawasa has said his government’s efforts towards achieving the MDGs by 2015 would prove futile if the country was not enjoying peace and security.

He said being a government wing that should guarantee security, the police service should step up their role of keeping law and order in the country for it to have a conducive developmental environment.

“Therefore, the police service has a unique but vital role to ensure that the nation continues to be in a state of peace and security. For it is only in such an environment that a truly healthy and prosperous nation could emerge,” he said.

The superior police officers are those from the rank of Assistant Superintendent through to the Inspector General of Police.

Dr. Mwanawasa said for Zambia to attain the MDGs by 2015, it was important to revisit the MDGs in order to examine the role of the police service in assisting government to reach the goals for the betterment of the country.

The President has since directed the police service to establish a unit within the police service which would deal with vices of child defilement and rape in the country.

He said he was deeply concerned about the safety of children in the country, especially that there were a lot of rapists in communities these days.

He observed that the vice was rampant because there was no department or unit that dealt with matters of crimes against children.

“I therefore direct that a special unit within the police service be created to undertake such duties. The unit should be user-friendly to the child by providing an environment where the child will feel safe and protected,” he said.

Dr. Mwanawasa hoped the unit would be operational before the end of this year.

He said defilers and rapists were derailing government’s fight against HIV/AIDS.

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa said he would like to see all police officers accommodated before he leaves office in 2011.

He said it was for this reason that government would this year, construct 1,500 housing units for the police service.

Earlier, Inspector General of Police, Ephraim Mateyo said the police service would this year employ 1,500 police officers, 300 of whom would have trade and professional certificates.

Mr. Mateyo said the police is targeting to employ, among other professions, brick layers, nurses, and medical doctors.

He said the brick layers would help construct hundreds of housing units for police officers in the country while nurses and doctors would work in the police hospital which would be opened soon in Sikanze camp.

And Mr. Mateyo said police was an important wing in driving the country towards achieving MDGs by 2015.

He said the police would put in place effective and efficient policing methods that would create an enabling environment for economic development.

“Otherwise, the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals will be a pipe dream. In a nutshell, economic growth and effective community policing are interrelated for it is impossible to record success in a crime-prone country or region,” he said.

He thanked government for the support the service received last year, saying without such support, the police would not have achieved the goals it had set for itself.

The Auditor General, Anna Chifungula, has released her interim report on Tomorrow Investment to President Levy Mwanawasa according to the presidential directive.

Public Relations Officer in the office of the Auditor Genral, Ellen Chikale, told ZANIS in Lusaka today that the report was submitted last Friday to the President for his scrutiniy and further action. Copies of the report were also released to other investigative wings of government for their perusal.

As a result of findings on Tomorrow Investment, the Auditor General has also extended investigations to other firms that have been awarded government contracts in the country.

A sample of other contracts awarded to other firms by government also revealed poor performance and other anomalies.

“In my view, I feel the investigations have to be on all firms that have been receiving government contracts. For instance, one wonders why in one place a contract is terminated due to poor performance in one province, and in another, a contract is awarded to the same firm to carry out works in a different province.

“These involve billionsof Kwacha that are being awarded to firms despite them being cited as having performed poorly,” the Auditor Genral observed.

In her report, Ms Chifungula adds, “These and many more issues are what we feel we should dwell into and exhaust all investigations of other firms being awarded contracts by government in the country.”

The office of the Auditor General will keep the public informed of its findings once the reports are tabled in parliament.

Last week, President Levy Mwanawasa directed the office of the Auditor General to institute investigations on Tomorrow Investment, a local construction firm, for allegedly performing poor work in several parts of the country while continuouly being awarded government contracts.

Meanwhile,