President Mwanawasa has with immediate effect appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Peter Chingaipe as Acting Commissioner of the Drug Enforcement Commssion (DEC).

Mr. Chingaipe’s appointment follows the suspension of incumbent DEC commissioner Ryan Chitoba, who was arrested by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday on charges of theft of public funds.

Dr. Mwanawasa urged Mr. Chingaipe to polish up the commission, which, he said, has been in a state of confusion over the period since the issues which led to the suspension of Mr. Chitoba.

Meanwhile, President Levy Mwanawasa has said provision of good education to children saves them from poverty and equips them for national tasks.

Dr Mwanawasa said this when he officiated at a live play performance dubbed the home coming by Nkhwazi primary school pupils in Lusaka tonight.

The President, whose daughter Ntembe is a pupil at the school, said acting and other extra curricula activities are important in a school programme as they provides a platform for children to enjoy themselves.

He added that happiness is good for the learning environment.

Dr. Mwanawasa said Nkhwazi primary school is a good example of the public-private sector partnership because it relieves government of the duty to support every child with education as the children whose parents can afford to pay are enabled access to education.

He commended Nkhwazi school management for the various extra curricula activities it has initiated for the children.

And speaking at the same occasion Education Minister Professor Geofrey Lungwagwa said the performance by the pupils is an indication of the changing landscape of Zambia’s education system.

Prof Lungwangwa reiterated that the collaboration between the private sector and government in the education sector has recorded positive results.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested Commissioner for the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Mr. Ryan Chitoba for one count of theft of public funds totaling over K344.8 million.

Mr. Chitoba, 53, of house no. 6857, Olympia Extension in Lusaka, has been jointly charged with Commissioner for Administration and Training Mr. John Jacob Koyi and Assistant Commissioner for Administration and Training Mr. Charles Ndulumina.

ACC public relations officer Timothy Moono comfirmed the development in a statement made available to ZANIS today.

Mr. Koyi 53, of Plot 483/40A, Linda Road in Makeni, and Mr. Ndulumina, 37, of plot 220, Chainama, Lusaka were earlier arrested by the ACC for the same offence.

It is alleged that between 17th May 2006 and 30th April 2007 in Lusaka, Chitoba, Koyi, and Ndulumina, stole a total of K344, 878,420 cash by way of bank withdrawals from a Drug Enforcement Commission Asset Forfeiture Account held at Barclays Bank, Mutaba Branch.

Mr. Moono said the transactions were done without the required authority and knowledge of the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

He said the money came into their possession by virtue of their employment.

Mr. Chitoba has been released on a K50 million in his own recognizance and will appear in court on 7TH December 2007.

Kasama District Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Steven Chanda has ordered some public workers who illegally got allowances for monitoring the Chisanga Clinic project to immediately pay back the money or risk being prosecuted for theft.

Lt. Col. Chanda issued the order in Kasama during a District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) meeting after he learnt that some members of the Planning Sub-committee had allegedly received allowances while monitoring progress on the construction of Chisanga Clinic.

He noted that it was wrong for the civil servants, who receive salaries, to demand for allowances from funds meant for a community project.

The DC also expressed sadness that the public officers decided to deprive vulnerable people of Chisanga Village money meant to construct a Clinic and a road by claiming for unnecessary allowances.

Lt. Col. Chanda, who withheld names of the affected officers, however urged them to quickly return the money before the matter is reported to the police for action.

The departments that form the Planning Sub-Committee under the DDCC include Health, Chambeshi Water and Sewerage Company, and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Others are Kasama Municipal Council, Young Women Christian Association (YWCA), Water Affairs, District HIV/AIDS Taskforce, and Buildings respectively

Meanwhile, some members of DDCC have called for the immediate arrest of the officers implicated in the financial scandal in order to save as a deterrent to others with intentions to abuse public resources.

They said it would be unfair to allow the culprits to escape prosecution by only refunding the money they got illegally when they knew that their action was tantamount to theft.

The members have since urged the District Commissioner to urgently report the affected officers to the police for investigations and if found with a case to answer they be prosecuted.

The Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL) has embarked on an ambititious programme to lay an optic fibre cable network with neighbouring countries.

This is in a bid to enhance communication in the region and the rest of the world.

Copperbelt Province Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima disclosed this in Lubumbashi today.

Mr. Mbulakulima has also called on the Congolese government to consider joining the inter connectivity offered by ZAMTEL.

And the Copperbelt Minister has since appealed to the Congolese government to link ZAMTEL to VODACOM telecommunication network in that country.

This initiative he said will provide affordable and cheaper telecommunication for the Zambian public.

The Copperbelt Provincial Minister is leading a high profile delegation to the 7 th session of the Zambia/ Congo Regional Joint Permanent Commission J.P.C under way in the mineral rich country.

Visiting Norwegian Auditor General, Jorgen Kosmo has called for the total independence of the office of the Auditor General in Zambia.

Mr Kosmo says the Auditor General’s office should be independent and free from any political or economic interference in order to carry out public account audits effectively.

He was speaking when his delegation paid a courtesy call on the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) in Lusaka today;

Mr Kosmo further said that the role of parliamentarians is key in ensuring that the Auditor General’s is free from interference.

He also said the Auditor General’s office in Zambia which is one of the most developed in the sub-Saharan region should be given enough budgetary support by government.

Mr Kosmo however stated that although government should sufficiently support the Auditor General’s office, it should be allowed to operate independently in order to come up with transparent Public Accounts reports.

He said investment in the Auditor General’s office is cardinal for the creation of good governance, accountability and eradication of corruption in the public service.

Mr Kosmo however expressed happiness with capacity building and infrastructure development at the office of the auditor general office.

Mr Kosmo said that the development is a testimony that the financial and material assistance it receives from Norway and other cooperating partners is being utilised for the intended purposes.

Speaking earlier, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson, Charles Milupi commended Norway for assisting the Auditor General’s office to restructure and better the execution of its set mandate.

Mr Milupi, who is an independent Member of Parliament for Luena Constituency, noted that the support enabled the Auditor General’s office to train its staff adding that public accounts reports produced have been factual and fearless.

He also disclosed that his committee has submitted draft proposals to the National Constitution Conference (NCC) to seek enhancement of the independence of the Auditor General’s office.

The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has expressed concern at the increasing reports of counterfeit bank notes circulating in the country.

BoZ acting Manager for Currency at the Ndola regional office Kamuti Chama-Shichilenge said the Central Bank has continued to receive reports of fake Kwacha notes and other foreign currencies being circulated on the local market.

Mrs. Shichilenge said this when she led a team of officials’ from the BoZ regional office in paying a courtesy call on Kasama District Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Steven Chanda at his office yesterday.

She noted that the high value denominations of K20,000 and K50,000 where the most common counterfeit notes in circulation.

Mrs. Shichilenge noted that recently some farmers in the country complained of being cheated during the last crop marketing season after some bogus businessmen bought their produce using counterfeit Kwacha notes.

She has since urged members of the public to be vigilant when handling money especially during the coming festive season because most unscrupulous individuals usually take advantage of the period to circulate fake currencies in the country.

Mrs. Shichilenge also revealed that the Bank of Zambia has embarked on a sensitization programme in Northern Province to raise awareness among members of the public on the need for them to be alert and distinguish original bank notes from fake ones.

The BoZ Official further said the sensitization meetings would be held in Kasama, Mpika, Isoka, Chinsali and Nakonde Districts respectively.

And BoZ Regional Investigations Officer Charles Hamalala said people who were involved in circulating of counterfeit notes were sophisticated because they targeted unsuspecting members of public when releasing their fake currencies on the market.

Mr. Hamalala has since advised Zambians to always report to the police anybody found circulating counterfeit bank notes so that the law could take its course.

He however, warned people that the law was clear on anyone found in possession of fake banks notes adding that expressing ignorance in the court of the law was no defence because merely possession any fake currency was enough proof for one to be convicted.

Former Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation,(ZESCO) workers in Mongu in Western Province have appealed to President Levy Mwanawasa to intervene in the case in which they are owed about K400 million terminal benefits.

One of the retired employees Katwala Kakulekelo told ZANIS that an organisation called Local Separation Fund (LASAF) that is funded by ZESCO has not paid them their dues since 2005.

He claimed that LASAF receives about K20 billion every month from ZESCO to pay retired workers their termianl benefits saying LASAF has always been giving excuses that ZESCO did not funded them.

Mr. Kakulekelo named the other affected retirees as Peter Fumbelo, Benny Makula and Bargrey Mwanamwalye addig that the other two have not been paid since 2004.

He explained that the matter was reported to Energy Minister Kenneth Konga in August, 2007 who promised to look into the matter.

The retiree also said that Local Government Minister Silvia Masebo was also aware of the matter.

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa has returned home from Mozambique where he went to witness the official hand over of the Caborabassa hydro electric dam from the Portuguese Government to the Mozambican government

The President who touched down at Lusaka International Airport at 18:00 hours in the evening was received by senior government officials, MMD party officials and service chiefs.

Dr. Mwanawasa, who however could not talk to the press, was accompanied by Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Kalombo Mwansa, Energy and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga, and Deputy Statehouse Minister Richard Taima.

President Mwanawasa joined six other SADC Heads of State to witness the occasion.

President Mwanawasa described the handover of the Cahorabassa Hydro Electric Power Dam from the Portuguese Government to the Mozambican Government as the major economic achievement not only for the people of Mozambique but the entire region.

Dr Mwanawasa said that Mozambique like many other African countries that gained political independence long time ago, it is only now that they are getting true economic emancipation.

This is contained in a statement issued tonight by State House Chief Analyst for Press and Public Relations David Kombe and made available to ZANIS.

The Handover Ceremony follows the payment of US$700 million by the Mozambican Government to the Portuguese Government for the acquisition of 85 precent shares.

The remaining 15 percent shares will remain with the Portuguese Government.

The Cahorabassa Hydro Electric Dam was constructed by the Portuguese Government in 1970 who until 26th November 2007 owned 82 percent of the shares while the Government of Mozambique owned only 18 percent.