Government says floods that have hit the country will affect the country’s economic growth.

Ministry of Finance and National Planning Permanent Secretary in charge of Planning and Economic
Development Division James Mulungushi said the agricultural sector will particularly suffer as a
result of floods.

ZANIS reports that Dr Mulungushi who was accompanied by Southern Province Permanent Secretary Darius Hakayobe was speaking in Kazungula yesterday when he made an on the spot check on the more than 600 displaced Kasaya families.

He said help from Government to the affected families would continue until they find their
own feet.

Dr Mulungushi commended the provincial leadership in Southern Province for acting swiftly to save the affected families.

He further cautioned officers involved in the distribution of relief food to the affected families
to guard against corruption and ensure that relief food reached the intended families.

Dr Mulungushi also donated K250,000 to Kazungula District Commissioner Fred Siansuntwe on behalf of affected families to buy books for 146 displaced school going children.

And Kazungula District Commissioner Fred Siansuntwe appealed to Government to supply more relief food to the area.

Meanwhile, Government has started airlifting relief food to flood victims of Namwala and Itezhi Tezhi districts in Southern Province.

The operation is being undertaken by the Zambia Air Force jointly with officials from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) who have set temporal base at the Choma airstrip for the relief exercise.

Choma District Commissioner Mungoni Simulilika who yesterday flagged off the exercise said about 700 by 25 kilogramme bags of mealie, food supplements and other relief items will be airlifted from Choma to Namwala and Tezhi Tezhi districts in an exercise that is expected to last about three days.

The Zambia Air Force is using a fixed wing cargo plane to transport the relief food to Namwala where it was again being offloaded and dispatched by helicopters to earmarked areas.

Mr Simulilika told ZANIS at the Choma air strip that the humanitarian assistance was testimony of Government’s commitment to alleviating the suffering of flood victims.

The DC said the relief items from the office of the Vice President intended for flood victims in the two districts which have been severely hit by floods are currently stored at the Food Reserve Agency sheds in Choma.

The Choma-Namwala road has become almost impassable still getting stuck in the mud.

The 190- kilometre journey which used to take three hours is now lasting about seven hours of driving due to the bad road.

This has triggered skyrocketing of prices of mealie meal and other basic commodities sourced from Choma.

Former Republican President, Frederick Chiluba has this afternoon been found with a case to answer. This is in a case in which he is accused of stealing public funds amounting to $488,000.He faces a minimum of five years in jail if found guilty.

The Lusaka Magistrate Court has consequently asked Dr. Chiluba and his co accused, to defend themselves. Magistrate Jones Chinyama set the trial date for May 5. Chiluba denies any wrongdoing.

The former president is accused along with former Access Financial Services Chief Executive Officer, Faustine Kabwe and Managing Director, Aaron Chungu.

They all face 12 counts of theft.

Dr. Chiluba and his co-accused are expected to start their defence at the next court hearing scheduled for May.

Principle Resident Magistrate, Jones Chinyama was satisfied that the prosecution has proved its case against Dr. Chiluba and his co accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Mr. Chinyama further said ledgers and other accounting documents admitted as evidence by the prosecution are conclusive and can not be easily dismissed.

The entire case revolves around funds paid to Dr. Chiluba’s children, which were trasmitted from the Zambia Security Intelligence Service account at the ZANACO Bank London branch called the Zambia Transregional Operations Account (ZAMTROP).

According to evidence produced by the prosecution team, funds were diverted from the $9.6 million meant to pay two United States firms Wilban Incorporated and Systems Innovations for upgrading security installations at several strategic government departments.

Mr. Chinyama said in his ruling delivered that Part of the funds were also used to buy houses in Lusaka’s Roma and Kabulonga residential areas for two Lusaka Lawyers, Eric Silwamba and Vincent as renumeration for defending Dr. Chiluba in the 1996 presidential petition.

Mr. Chinyama said his findings are not withstanding Dr. Chiluba’s assertions that funds paid to his children from the ZAMTROOP account were from private sources and had co mingled with the government funds in the ZAMTROP account.

But Chiluba has said some of the funds were his own money, given to him by his friends, while the rest was for national duties taken by the intelligence agency.

He is also fighting in court to block authorities from recovering $58 million that last year a London high court ruled he had to repay, with interest, for allegedly stealing while in office.

Zambia lodged the civil case in British courts in the hope of recovering properties allegedly purchased with stolen funds and owned by Chiluba and 19 other defendants in Britain and other European countries.

Chiluba has not been convicted on criminal charges of stealing the funds and he does not recognise the authority of the London court

President Mwanawasa has said time for the African Union government or the
United States of Africa being advocated by some African leaders has not come.

Dr . Mwanawasa, who is also Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chairperson, noted that countries in the region are not against the idea of the Union government
but that the time has not come for such a government on the African continent.

Dr. Mwanawasa said there is need to strenghthen regional community organisations like SADC before thinking of the United States of Africa concept, which is a version of the possible future unification of Africa as a national and sovereign federal of states similar to that of the United States of America.

“When these organisations have been strengthened and our people sensitised and willingly accept the concept and only when we feel we are ready can we have that idea, but for now we are afraid we are not going to accept it.” he emphasised.

Dr. Mwanawasa said this in Antananarivo when he held a joint press briefing with his Madagascar counter part President Marc Ravalomanana today.

The idea of the United States Africa concept was recently advanced by Libyan President Muammar al-Qaddafi at a 2000 AU summit in Lome, Togo and in June 2007. It was further advanced by outgoing Africa Union Commisson chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare on the occassion of the commemoration of the Africa Day in May 2006.

President Mwanawasa pointed out that some of the countries like Zambia would require the amendment of the constitution as the issue of Africa Union Government is not enshrined in the country’s constitution saying if one was going to introduce such an item with such
an idea they will need to seek views from the people in Zambia or Madagascar.

” Let us not be rational, there is no need to confuse the people on something that needs serious consideration and consultation. We are doing everything possible to protect the interests of Africa and our individual countries,” said President Mwanawasa.

He explained that Zambia has nine provinces and that in most cases the country is unable to agree on which province to produce a President and wondered which nation out of the 53
countries in Africa would produce a President for the United States of Africa concept.
“I also wonder from which countries out of the 53 nations on the continent will produce the
15 ministers outlined in the concept,” he said.

Dr. Mwanawasa noted that the issue of United States of Africa has received a lot of public debate, positive and negative.

Western Province United Liberal Party (ULP) Secretary, Nambula Tebuho, has resigned and joined the United Party for National Development (UPND).

According to a press release made available to ZANIS in Mongu today and signed by ULP Provincial Publicity and Information Secretary, Saxson Kashumba, Mr. Tebuho cited irregularities in the ULP administration as the reason for his resignation.

Mr. Tebuho said the removal of Mr Sikwindi Situla and Mr Edwin Simusamba from the National Constitution Conference by Party President, Sakwiba Sikota without blessings from the National Executive Committee (NEC), was a clear exhibition that ULP was not a listening party.

He further accused Mr. Sikota of having appointed Crispin Shumina as both Party Secretary General and a commissioner on the NCC, removing Mr Sikwindi Situla and Mr Edwin Simusamba without consulting the NEC.

Mr. Tebuho said he has decided to join UPND because the party had credible and receptive leaders likely to form the next government.

President Levy Mwanawasa has said Zambians who do not look after public resources properly did not deserve to be entrusted with carrying out public jobs.

Speaking to journalists at the Lusaka International Airport today shortly on arrival from Madagascar, President Mwanawasa said it was sad that people that were suppose to take care of Zambia’s public resources and use them diligently were engaging into corrupt and crooked activities.

He said the report, which was submitted to him by the Auditor General on Tomorrow Investments was very bad, adding that he has since instructed his Legal Assistant Darlington Mwape to deal with the case carefully.

“If that is how some of our nationals are going to look after our national resources, then they do not deserve to be given public jobs,” he said.

He was answering a question from journalists on his comments about the Auditor General’s report on Tomorrow Investments that was submitted to him recently.

“But I have asked my Assistant for Legal affairs to separate the case and identify the counts. It is not only Tomorrow Investments but various other contractors. These will be handed over to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC),” he said.

Dr. Mwanawasa hoped that the case would commence soon in court.

He said it was sad that lack of integrity could be exhibited by officers who should help government to look after national resources prudently.

And Dr. Mwanawasa has asked mining companies criticizing government for increasing the tax regimes on mines to dialogue with government instead of complaining publicly.

He said it was only fair that government should raise tax on mines so that Zambians could benefit from their resources.

The President noted that despite the increase in the mine tax regime, Zambia still had the lowest in the world.

President Mwanawasa also cautioned Zambians against being used by investors to oppose the new tax regime on mines.