Home Affairs minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha has warned that he would not hesitate to dismiss from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) any officers found divulging information pertaining to the operations of the commission to the suspended DEC Commissioner Rayan Chitoba.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha says he is aware of officers in the commission that are undermining the authority of the acting commissioner Peter Chingaipe and have continued leaking vital information to the suspended DEC commissioner, Mr. Chitoba, on a daily basis.

The minister said this at the official opening of the DEC 11th senior officers conference in Siavonga today.

Lt. Gen. Sikapwasha said it is wrong for any officer to leak information to Mr. Chitoba who has been suspended by the president to pave way for investigations into his alleged corrupt practices at the time he saved as DEC commissioner.

He said divulging information was an act of undermining the authority that the president has vested into the acting DEC commissioner whom he described as an effective officer capable of driving DEC to greater heights.

Mr. Sikapwasha called on officers to exhibit the highest levels of integrity and discipline and ensure that they work hand in hand with Mr. Chingaipe in advancing the operations of the commission.

And Acting DEC Commissioner Peter ChiNgaipe bemoaned lack of transport saying the commission needs to acquire a new fleet of motor vehicles to enable it execute its duties effectively to expectations of the public.

Mr. Chingaipe further said that inadequate and sporadic flow of operational funds has negatively affected the operations of the commission.

Members of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) today reached a deadlock on regulation five of the disciplinary committee proceedings.

Regulation five talks about complaints against members of the NCC and members of staff of the NCC secretariate.

Regulation 5(I) states in part, “A person may complain to the committee that disciplinary action be taken against a member or member of staff or that the member of member of staff be removed from office where the person alleges that the member or member of staff has………….”

The NCC members failed to strike a consensus on whether to allow members of public other than themselves to lodge a complaint against the NCC members or not.

Some members observed that allowing the public to lodge complaints against NCC members or staff would disturb their deliberations as some public members might not mean well.

Other NCC members felt it was in order to allow members of the public to lodge complaints against NCC members because they were also stakeholders in the constitutional making process.

A heated debate was sparked when a member Crispin Shumina asked for a clarification on whether members of the public would be allowed to complain against NCC members.

In response, Patrick Matibini, who is the chairperson of the NCC interim committee that was set up to come up with rules and regulations to govern the NCC deliberations, said the proposed meaning was to allow members of the public to make complaints, that arose, against NCC members.

Dr. Matibini explained however that the disciplinary committee would reserve the right to dismiss a complaint made against NCC members from any other person if it was established that it was frivolous, vexatious and hopeless.

He said the committee would be careful in its consideration of complaints to establish a prima facie case against a member or not.

In her contribution, Chieftainess Nkomesha observed that NCC members would be prone to unnecessary attacks from members of the public if the regulation was left open to the public.

She noted that involvement of outsiders in proceedings of the disciplinary committee would influence the operations of the NCC.

Another member, Chrispine Musosha, who is also Mansa Central Member of Parliament (MP), wondered why disciplinary complaints should come from outside instead of being confined only to the NCC members and secretariat staff.

Mbala MP Gustone Sichilima argued that members of the NCC enjoyed immunity, according to clause eight of the principal NCC Act and therefore, they should not be put under scrutiny by the public.

Mr. Sichilima even raised a point of order on whether the conference was in order to continue debating the matter when the principal act was clear about immunity of the members.

Chongwe MP, Sylvia Masebo suggested that complaints against NCC members should be restricted to members only and not be opened to the public.

She said allowing the public to make complaints and call for disciplinary action against members of the NCC would cause them to be lumbered with many unnecessary complaints, which will divert the attention of the conference.

And Dr. Swebby Macha, from the medical fraternity, warned that there would be acrimony between NCC members and the public if the regulation on disciplining NCC members was opened to the public.

Another NCC member, Chrispine Bwali, proposed that the issue be restricted to NCC members only, giving an example of football rules which only dealt with team members and not spectators.

Mr. Bwali said NCC members were representatives of the public hence there was no need to involve them.

However, Kalomo Member of Parliament, Request Muntanga contended that the public should be allowed to raise complaints against NCC members because they were stakeholders to the process.

Mr. Muntanga said the NCC members were not hiding anything from the public hence the need to allow them complain against NCC members.

Mazabuka MP, Garry Nkombo supported the proposal to allow the public raise complaints against NCC members if they felt dissatisfied about the conduct of any member on the conference.

Chifunabuli MP, Ernest Mwansa observed that closing the public out of contributing to the disciplinary committee of NCC would raise more suspicion, especially that the whole constitutional process had been marred with suspicions from various sections of society.

“If we close out from the public, we may be suspected of doing something that undermines the integrity of this conference. I think we should leave it open to the public,” he said.

At some point, NCC Chairperson, Chifumu Banda sought an explanation from Minister of Justice George Kunda on the issue.

Mr. Kunda told the conference that section 16 (ii) on the jurisdiction of the standing committee empowered the committee to consider and determine disciplinary action relating to members of the committee.

He however said the section was silent on whether members of the public should raise complaints against NCC members or not.

He said the drafting department in his ministry would, without departing from the principal Act, redraft the section depending on the resolution of the NCC members.

NCC chairperson, Mr. Banda noted that he had strove to make members reach a consensus on whether members of the public should be allowed to raise complaints against NCC members or not.

Mr. Banda has since said a draft amendment would be made to the regulation and be circulated to NCC members tomorrow morning in readiness for further debates and contributions in the afternoon.

He said a consensus was one of the ways spelt out in coming up with conclusions in the NCC but a vote would be used to determine a final resolution if consensus failed.

And Mr. Banda warned NCC members to use sober language even when they differ over debates on what should be accepted and what should not.

Tomorrow Investments Limited has clarified that delays in the completion of some projects awarded to the company has been because of the delays and non-payment of funds to the company.

Company Director Augustine Katotobwe says government should not shoulder the blame on his company for delays in the completion of projects or the halting of projects but that it should carry-out investigations to establish the root cause of the problems.

Addressing Journalists at the Company Headquarters in Lusaka today, Mr Katotobwe said his firm should not be blamed for poor workmanship as the company had fulfilled the gazetted National Construction Council contractor requirements and that there had been no documented adverse performance reports from clients and supervising consultants.

Mr Katotobwe also said his company should not be blamed for bad performance because of mis-information by the public.

He cited Nyakaseya Bridge across the Zambezi River and the Lufubu Bridge across Lufubu River as some of the projects that his firm has successfully executed and handed-over to government without receiving any complaints.

He also refuted reports that his company was being awarded tenders using dubious means stating further that all contracts awarded to his company were done following the laid down procedures.

Mr Katotobwe said his company values transparency and open business undertakings and that it will continue performing to the expectations of its clients.

And Mr Katotobwe has announced that his company will go ahead and renew the company’s 2008 contractor registration certificate despite government’s directive to the National Council for Construction (NCC) that it should not be allowed to renew the certificate this year.

Mr Katotobwe said that even if the firm has not yet submitted the papers of registration to NCC it will go ahead and submit the papers of registration.

He said his company is not shaken with the statements made by Works and Supply Minister Kapembwa Simbao that the firm’s directors and partners would be held liable for prosecution individually and serve for any payments they received without any corresponding delivery of products and services.

Mr Katotobwe said his company is saddened by the remarks made by Mr. Simbao as he is incompetent to understand the challenges that the construction industry was going through.

He advised the minister not to be issuing statements that are beyond his comprehension in order to protect the construction industry.

Mr Katotobwe has since disclosed that his company will issue a comprehensive report to government after the findings by the Auditor General’s Office.

Patriotic Front (PF) Chilubi Island Member of Parliament Obby Chisala has called on party leader Michael Sata to announce when the party will hold its convention.

Mr. Chisala says the convention would help iron out some of the problems that have besieged the party.

He told ZANIS in an interview that the convention would further help to re-organise the party.

Mr. Chisala, who has just returned from his constituency, said this is the message from party cadres at the grassroots.

He said party cadres and other stakeholders are concerned about the alleged internal wrangles in the party.

Mr. Chisala has appealed to lower organs of the party not to breach the channels of communication of the party.

In reference to the recent alleged expulsions of Chifubu Member of Parliament Benson Bwalya and Bwanamukumbwa lawmaker Joseph Zulu by the district organs, Mr. Chisala said the district party authorities have no authority to expel a Member of Parliament.

He said a Member of Parliament is more senior than constituency or district leadership therefore the constituency officials should have consulted the party secretariat on how to proceed.

Last week, the two lawmakers were allegedly expelled from party by the district officials for what they termed as ‘failure to represent them adequately’.

Meanwhile, the Patriotic Front (PF) in Chifubu constituency has warned its top leadership of mass exodus of party members if the issue of their member of parliament was not handled properly.

Scores of PF members and leaders who stormed ZANIS offices in Ndola today and expressed shock that their member of parliament Benson Mwamba has been expelled from the Party because he was attending the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) currently sitting in Lusaka.

Group spokesman Mr. Humphrey Mwaba said expelling Mr. Mwamba from the party would be the worst mistake the constituency leadership could make because the MP was elected by the people.

He said people who were alleging that Mr. Mwamba has been expelled from the party because of participating the NCC were part of the group that were allegedly demanding K150 million from the MP for unknown reasons.

Mr. Mwaba said the constituency leadership has no powers to expel an elected member of parliament unless the party’s National Executive Committee confirm’s the decision.

He said party members in the area have disassociated themselves from the anti- Mwamba supporters who have no reasons as to why they expelled the MP.

Mr. Mwaba said the PF was not a one person party and should be seen to be democratic by exercising democratic rights through holding conventions so that genuine leaders could be elected to lead the party.

He said the party and its members were fed up with mere appointments and wanted a clear procedure of electing leaders at every level so that the party could become a people driven party whose leaders were supported by the people.

Police in Mazabuka in Southern Province have arrested a 60- year United Church of Zambia (UCZ) head of Men’s Christrian Fellowship in connection with the repeated defilement of a 15- year old girl of Nakambala township.

Mazabuka District Police Officer Commanding, Robison Moonga who confirmed the arrest of Webster Mulenga of the same township to ZANIS in Mazabuka today said Police will not rest in protecting under aged children from defilers and rapists.

Mr Moonga said Mulenga allegedly defiled the girl and gave her K 5,000 to prevent her from informing her parents.

According to Mr Moonga, the victim’s parents had requested Mulenga to allow their child sleep in the same room with the suspect’s daughters because their house was too small to even accomodate the visitors.

He said preliminary investigations have established that Mulenga abandoned his wife in the bedroom and lured the girl into another room where he repeatedly defiled her.

Mr Moonga also revealed that Police have detained a 26- year oldman of Ndeke township in connection with the raping of a 20- year embecile of stage II.

He said the embecile sustained serious injuries on her private parts.

Mr Moonga said the suspect has been detained at Mazabuka police station cells.

Meanwhile, Father to the defiled girl, David Musonda has urged Police to ensure the law takes its course.

” My daughter was first defiled around 21 hours on Sunday night and Monday around 06 hours by my neighbour, he also gave her a K 5,000 to conceal what had happened but she later informed her friend who also informed my Wife on what had happened, am so disappointed with Mulenga,” complained Mr Musonda.

Mr Musonda told ZANIS that he is disappointed with his neighbour particularly for taking advantage of shortage of room accomodation to defile his daughter.

He has since urged the UCZ leadership to take necessary disciplinary action on Mulenga.