The National Democratic Congress (NDC) President Mr. Chishimba Kambwili has said that his recent incarceration had no effect on him, but gave him an opportunity, as someone aspiring for the highest office in the land, to get to know how people in jail are kept.

Speaking to the media at his woodlands Residence in Lusaka, Mr. Kambwili said even when he was in the Patriotic Front, under the leadership of the late Michael Chilufya Sata, he was jailed for 30 days, and for him, that amounts to nothing as it is simply political imprisonment.

Mr. Kambwili maintained that he went to prison without committing a crime, adding that he is as clean as Mr. Kenneth Kaunda’s handkerchief and wondered, while in prison, why he was sent there but had to adapt and adjust.

Mr. Kambwili accused magistrate David Simusamba of being personally unfair and malicious to him and called the behaviour of magistrate Simusamba as unbecoming.

‘I have evidence to show how malicious the magistrate was. There is a recording which will be presented to the court for proof in the other matter,’ Mr. Kambwili said.

Mr. Kambwili wondered why the magistrate issued a bench warrant on a person who had COVID-19.

‘At one time, I had COVID-19 which almost claimed my life. But the magistrate accused me of having faked COVID-19. COVID-19 is a government ‘program’ and records are kept by the government,’ he said.

Mr. Kambwili further accused the magistrate of making his office a money-making adventure, saying that he had refused to give the give him K360 000, adding that the Judicial Complaints Commission recommended that magistrate Simusamba be removed but the Commission refused to act.

Mr. Kambwili denied ever committing any crime and said that if reporting the magistrate to the authorities was a crime, then he was guilty as charged.

He said that at no time did he do whatever the magistrate said during the judgment. He maintained that Simusamba lied in his judgment to create an impression in the minds of the high court that he was a bad person.

He denied ever including a fictitious person in the company he formed and said there no crime he committed in involving his son in the company.

‘Simusamba is a danger to the Judiciary and must be removed from the judiciary for the good of the country,’ Mr. Kambwili stated.

‘Coincidentally, the K360,000 he demanded from me is the same amount (K300,000) he charged for bail application. And when I got the money to pay the bail, the magistrate was no were to be seen,’ he said.

He wondered why the magistrate wanted to punish him with the high amount which was difficult to find this time. ‘In the past, there was no one who was asked to pay cash bail pending appeal. So the unfairness with all this, especially the harsh bail conditions are all there for all to see,’ he said.

President Edgar Lungu says he is not ashamed of Zambia’s indebtedness because the money has been used to finance the massive Infrastructure development taking place around the country.

President Lungu said he is pleased that money from Zambia’s debt has not been misappropriated but has been used to build infrastructure which people are now benefiting from.

The Head of State dispelled assertions that his administration has been reckless in borrowing money for infrastructure projects and maintained that it is from borrowing that Lusaka and the rest of the country are being transformed.

“What Is Better, borrowing to transform the country; or not borrowing and doing nothing at all? It is from borrowing that we have managed to rebuild Lusaka,” said President Lungu.

The President made the remarks when he commissioned the Arcades Fly Over Bridge along the Great East Road as part of the 289 million united states dollars financed Lusaka Decongestion Project.

The Arcades Fly Over Bridge is intended to decongest traffic at the Intersection of Great East, Thabo Mbeki and Katima Mulilo roads.

Two more Bridges at Munali and Longacres are expected to be completed with some selected roads expanded to improve flow of traffic while at the same time beautifying the city.

President Lungu said the construction and commissioning of the Arcades Fly Over Bridge and the improved road network among other infrastructure development has been his dream, to see Lusaka and the entire country change for the better.

“Two days ago, we were remembering President Michael Chilufya Sata, whose vision, amongst many other things, was to see the transformation of Zambia through infrastructure development. President Sata would not have been disappointed to see what we have done in fulfilling his dream. Lusaka has been transformed. Zambia has been transformed”, stated President Lungu.

The President said he will not be deterred by detractors from pursuing the PF collective vision of rebuilding Zambia through infrastructure projects.

President Lungu said infrastructure development is necessary to attract investment to the country because investors want good and proper road networks.

The President thanked India for financing 85 per cent of the Lusaka Decongestion project while government will continue to honour its 15 per cent financing stake.

The Head of State has since urged cooperating partners to continue supporting Zambia’s development agenda because his administration has the will and zeal to rebuild Zambia.

Local Government Minister Charles Banda whose ministry is overseeing the Lusaka Decongestion Project, disclosed that the project has reached 80 per cent.

Dr Banda said the commissioning of the Makeni and Arcades Fly Over Bridges demonstrate government’s commitment to putting up infrastructure that will help drive economic and social development in the country.

And Indian High Commissioner to Zambia Ngulkham Gangte said his country remains committed to supporting Zambia’s economic and social development agenda.

High Commissioner Gangte said India’s development cooperation has no conditions and is based on the needs of the country it is assisting.

He explained that the new infrastructure being built under the Lusaka Decongestion Project is disaster resilient and of superior quality and durability.

The Indian envoy described the Lusaka Decongestion Project as a tangible achievement that has changed the landscape of Lusaka City and deepened development cooperation between the two countries.

High Commissioner Gangte said Constructors of the project, AFCONS remain on course to complete the decongestion project despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the socio-economic activities in the country and the world.

And Local Government Permanent Secretary Ed Chomba thanked President Lungu for the project that has changed the face of Lusaka and shamed critics of the PF Administration.

The commissioning of the Arcades Fly Over Bridge was witnessed by PF Secretary General Davies Mwila, Minister of Infrastructure Vincent Mwale , Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo, Senior Party and Government Officials and members of the diplomatic corp.

A sea of Patriotic Front cadres joined Lusaka residents to witness the commissioning of the second fly over bridge under the Lusaka decongestion projects.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Joyce Simukoko has dismissed claims alleging that government is abusing the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) by getting from it colossal sums of money.

Ms. Simukoko said she was not aware of government abusing NAPSA funds and appealed to anyone with evidence to bring it forward for further consideration.

The Minister was speaking in Parliament this morning when responding to Katombola Member of Parliament, Derrick Livune who alleged that government was abusing NAPSA funds and called on her to intervene.

“The issue of government abusing lump sum funds from NAPSA, I’m not aware of government abusing NAPSA funds but if the person speaking has evidence I would rather have it so that we see the way forward. I mean I’m in government as well. We will look at it but otherwise I’m not aware of it,” she said.

And Ms. Simukoko added that Napsa is well protected by clauses and of which one of them is clause 4 that it makes it almost impossible for anyone to abuse its funds.

“So unless the person who is saying it has proof they can come to my office and we can look at it,” The Minister echoed.

Meanwhile, Ms Simukoko has urged all Zambian workers to be proactive and report all injustices from their work places.

Ms. Simukoko stated that the Ministry conducts surprise visits to institutions to check on compliance levels by the employers but emphasised that workers themselves must also be reporting any injustices.

The Minister made these remarks in response to Kafue Member of Parliament Mirriam Chonya who appealed to her to look into the wellbeing of workers by addressing the many challenges they are faced with.

“The issue of visiting institutions, we do make surprise visits just to see compliance and know what is going on but I would like to appeal to the workers in this that they have an obligation to report any injustice where there are no unions but where they are trade unions that’s their responsibility because that is why unions where formed, to protect workers interests,” Ms. Simukoko noted.

“We even have a tool line now where people can call in and tell us what institution or whatever injustices are there. We normally go there and bring employers together and counsel them. So the obligation to report, lies in the workers as well,”

The Minister further stated that despite not having adequate officers, government has made efforts to ensure that there is an inspector in almost each district.

“I’m number one inspector. Definitely we don’t have enough officers in that category but government has done a lot in that area. I think in almost every district we now have an inspector,” she said.

“And as a Ministry we have also gone ahead to bring on board NAPSA and Workers Compensation. We have made a group of people not only from the Ministry of Labour to go round and make abrupt inspections,”

Ms. Simukoko further indicated that the Ministry of Labour does not make laws for workers alone but that it is a collective responsibility with trade unions and employers.

“All the laws that are made for workers are not done by the Ministry of Labour alone, but it is a tripartite arrangement, a composition of trade unions, employers and government come together to make laws for the workers so it is highly participatory,” the Minister said.