The Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has commended government for increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from K60 million to K200 million per constituency.

AVAP Executive Director Bonnie Tembo says the move will enable Members of Parliament
and stakeholders in development to initiate meaningful developmental projects in the
respective constituencies.

Mr Tembo however told ZANIS that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing should
advertise the guidelines for accessing and utilising the funds.

He said this is because many people in the various constituencies have no
information regarding the CDF.

Mr. Tembo proposed the formation of committees to spearhead the utilisation of the
funds.

” However in the spirit of transparency and making sure that the funds are used for
eligible developmental projects, the CDF committees should de-politicised,” said Mr
Tembo

He pointed out that this is because in the past the CDF committees comprised of
party cadres belonging to the Area Member of Parliament.

Mr. Tembo said CDF committees should be balanced with a number of stakeholder
organisations sitting on such committees.

He further called upon the electorate in all the constituencies to monitor the
disbursement of the funds.

Mr Tembo also called on MPs to visit their constituencies to explain the CDF in
terms of accessing, utilising and accountability.

He said MPs should take a lead in ensuring that the electorate identify viable
projects.

Government has joined scores of people that have condemned the behaviour of a police officer, who assaulted two nurses after his child died at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka over the weekend.

Chief Government Spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti said the behaviour of sub-inspector Peter Mwale was uncalled for even under such circumstances.

Mr. Mwale is alleged to have assaulted two nurses at UTH, whom he accused of
negligence resulting into the death of his child.

Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said
in a statement to ZANIS today that as an officer charged with a duty to enforce the
law and keep order, Mr. Mwale should have exercised restraint even after losing his
child.

He said government would not condone the behaviour displayed by Mr. Mwale, noting
that nurses were overwhelmed with work hence the seemingly slackening behaviour
towards attending to patients.

“While it is appreciated and understandable that a person who loses a close relation
may lose composure, Government will not allow anyone to take the law into their own
hands or disrupt services at any public institution due to failure to exercise
self-control,” he said.

Mr. Mulongoti said Mr. Mwale should have exercised some level of restraint as a law
enforcement officer and should not have allowed himself to be overtaken by personal
emotions.

The minister said even nurses themselves did not enjoy seeing people dying and
therefore they try their best to preserve lives even when they were working under
very difficult conditions.

He also explained that following a serious brain drain in the health sector in
Zambia, medical personnel were overstretched and stressed as they attended to many
patients.

He added that members of the public should understand the way nurses operate.

“I would also like to appeal to all individuals and organisations that have made
comments on the same, including those aggrieved by the act to exercise forgiveness
so that the healing process can start,” he said.

Mr. Mulongoti explained that government delayed in making its stance on the matter
known for fear of prejudicing investigations that were going on

FORMER President, Frederick Chiluba’s wife, Regina, was yesterday re-arrested and later released on a K300 million police bond.

This is barely two weeks after the State withdrew nine charges against her in the Ndola Magistrate Court.

Mrs Chiluba has now been charged with six counts out of the nine charges she initially faced.

She will appear in court on September 7, 2007, in Lusaka.

Mrs Chiluba is facing five counts which involve failure to account for properties believed to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained, contrary to section 319 (a) CAP 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

The other count is of allegedly receiving property knowing or having reason to believe that the same had been stolen, contrary to section 318 sub-section one CAP 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Mrs Chiluba was released on police bond at 14:15 hours with two sureties who are Kasama member of Parliament, Saviour Chishimba, and Dr Chiluba’s spokesperson, Emmanuel Mwamba.

Officers from the Task Force on Corruption went to Dr Chiluba’s residence in Kabulonga to fetch his wife after she declined to report to their offices.

According to Mr Mwamba, the officers went to Dr Chiluba’s residence at 11:30 hours with a search warrant, to look for Mrs Chiluba.

The officers were allowed in and informed that Mrs Chiluba would only go to the station upon the arrival of her lawyer, Robert Simeza.

“After the lawyer arrived, we all drove to Woodlands Police Station,” he said.

Mrs Chiluba who was accompanied by her husband and several relatives, was arrested and taken to the police cells at Woodlands Police Station, where she was detained for about 10 minutes.

Dr Chiluba went into the cells with his wife.

Mrs Chiluba was released after the bond was signed by the officer in charge.

The six counts Mrs Chiluba has been charged with include allegations related to properties in Kitwe and Ndola, K417 million held in her Standard Chartered Bank account in Ndola, and two motor vehicles, an Isuzu and a Toyota Rav 4.

The frequent premature closures of the University of Zambia, has compromised the quality of education at the country’s highest institution of learning.

President Mwanawasa also ssaid the violent protests by students have destroyed property worth millions of kwacha.

Mr. Mwanawasa who was concerned at the frequent closures, said the university calendar has now lagged behind.

He was speaking in Mbabane, Swaziland, when he addressed Zambians resident in that country.

This was in response to a concern raised by some Zambians living in Swaziland, over the situation at the university.

He said as a result of the delayed academic calendar, students graduating from high school have to wait for one year in order to be enrolled into university.

Mr. Mwanawasa said government wants to see students use peaceful ways of airing grievances as opposed to violence in order to curb the frequent premature closures.

Meanwhile, president Mwanawasa has called on Zambians living abroad to consider investing back home to help boost the economy.

Mr. Mwanawasa said Zambians living abroad should help improve the country’s foreign exchange earnings by sending financial capital resources into the national economy.

The President challenged the Zambians to emulate other foreign nationals living in Zambia who are
externalising resources, to their countries of origin for investment.

There are currently over 200 Zambian families living in Swaziland, most of whom are working in the medical, education and engineering sectors.

Mr. Mwanawasa said his administration has created an enabling environment which should be exploited by all Zambians, including those working abroad.

The President said government is implementing measures to attract investment that would help create employment and enhance the economy.

And Mr Mwanawasa says the economy has in the past six years grown by an average of 5 per cent per year.

He said unemployment which stood at 87 per cent when he took over as head of state, has reduced to about 75 per cent

President Levy Mwanawasa today celebrated his 59 birthday in style in Swaziland.

The president, flanked by the First Lady, cut his birth day cake in a celebratory
mood during a luncheon with Swazi business executives in Mbabane.

The Swazi Minister of Labour, Lutfo Dlamini,  Swazi tourism Minister, Thandi
Shongwe, and business executives, took Mr Mwanawasa by surprise when they suddenly
broke into the “happy birth day song”.

Mr Mwanawasa was presented with birthday gifts together with the first lady.

Mr Dlamini told the president the government and the people of Swaziland were
extremely happy to be part of his birthday celebration in that country.

Later in the afternoon, Mr Mwanawasa proceeded to Ludzidzini, the venue for the
Umhlanga or reed dance ceremony, where over 90, 000 girls continued to perform the
reed dance.

The President was chief guest at the ceremony that has attracted thousands of locals
and foreign tourists.

Mr Mwanawasa entered the VIP platform at the ceremony in style, well decorated and
dressed in similar attire to King Mswati III’s and his other guest, Jacob Zuma,
vice president of the African National Congress of South Africa. All the three
leaders were wielding clubs.

Later Mr Mwanawasa joined by the first lady, king Mswati III and Mr Zuma posed for
photos before shortly departing for Matsapha International Airport at 16.00 for his
departure to Lusaka.

Meanwhile, Mr Mwanawasa has urged the people of Swaziland to continue defending the
rich culture and avoid the white man’s influence that it is retrogressive.

He said in Mbabane today that the Swazi culture is an African one, which must be
preserved.

Mr Mwanawasa said the only difficult he had was that he could not take the Siswati
culture back home because the people were not used to it.

He said he had found it difficult to take the offer made by King Mswati that one of
the president’s daughters who travelled with him to Swaziland participates in the
read dance.

He said in Zambia it would not augur well to see his daughter in the similar attire
with the Swazi girls participating in the reed dance.

President Levy Mwanawasa yesterday avoided visiting the Taiwanese pavilion at the ongoing Swaziland International Trade fair in Manzini.

This happened when the president, who was accompanied by his host King Mswati III, were taken on a conducted tour of local and international pavilions after he officially opened the international trade fair at Mavuso trade centre grounds.

Mr Mwanawasa and his delegation opted to visit the Swaziland national housing
authority pavilion while King Mswati III proceeded to visit the Taiwanese pavilion.

However, the president was later joined by the King to continue touring the rest of
the pavilions.

Swaziland is among some five countries in Africa that have developed bilateral ties
with Taiwan.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Mpande, told Zambian journalists here, that
President Mwanawasa’s move is consistent with Zambia’s principle on the ‘One China’
policy that does not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign independent state.

Over 6, 000 people yesterday attended the official opening of the 2007 international
trade fair which was officially opened by President Mwanawasa.

Earlier in his address, King Mswati said issues of trade competitiveness posed a
challenge to both Zambia and Swaziland, as the two countries are land locked.

He said both countries face many challenges in international trade given the fact
that they are geographically far from major international markets such as those in
Asia, Europe and America.

Mr Mwanawasa is on a five day state visit to the mountainous kingdom of Swaziland.