POLICE have arrested former State House chief policy analyst, Jack Kalala after the court issued a bench warrant against him for not attending court sessions.

Kalala of Ibex Hill was arrested at his business premises in Lusaka West on Thursday afternoon.

He is expected to be in detention until April 18, 2016 when his bench warrant is returnable before Magistrate Nchimunya Simaubi.

Kalala is charged with two offences of obtaining money by false pretences and issuing a cheque on an insufficient funded account.

He is alleged to have between February 2015 and May 2015 in Lusaka with intent to defraud or deceive obtained explosives and explosive accessories altogether valued at K143,025.99 from Patriotic Front (PF) Munali aspiring candidate Mike Mposha by pretending that he was going to pay for them.

Kalala is in the second count, alleged to have on March 11, 2015 in Lusaka willfully and dishonestly with intent to defraud or deceive issued a First National Bank cheque number 000082 in the sum of K40,000.00 to Mr Mposha on an insufficient funded account.

After hearing the prosecution evidence from Mr Mposha’s witnesses, the prosecution closed its case and set March 31, 2016 as a date for ruling on whether or not Kalala had a case to answer.

Kalala who is being represented by Maureen Mwanawasa and Company, however, did not turn up to listen to the verdict and the court gave him the benefit of doubt.

Mr Simaubi adjourned the ruling to April 7, 2016 but Kalala still did not appear.

The prosecution applied for the bench warrant to be issued against Kalala, saying it was the second time he was absent without giving any reasons.

Mr Simaubi granted the application and ordered that Kalala be arrested through a bench warrant to enable him attend court on April 18, 2016 when the bench warrant is returnable.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has said the Patriotic Front (PF) is on course to ending political violence and implementing the resolutions of the recent indaba organised by the Church.

Meanwhile, the Head of State yesterday pardoned 525 prisoners in the exercise of his prerogative of mercy.

Mr Lungu assured of peaceful elections, adding that PF was on course in implementing resolutions from the indaba which he and other political leaders agreed upon.

He has since challenged other opposition political leaders to denounce violence and ensure that the resolutions were implemented.
“For us, we are very committed to seeing peaceful elections and we are already on course to ending political violence,” he said.
He was speaking at State House yesterday when visiting Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of Central Africa Albert Chama called on him.

Mr Lungu said the need to end violence should not only be his duty as he has been talking to PF members who were adhering to his advice and challenged other political leaders to lead by example.

He reiterated his call to the Church to use its influence to help denounce political violence and pray for national peace and unity.
Mr Lungu commended the Anglican Church for its support to Government citing key areas such as health and education aimed at uplifting the lives of the people of Zambia.

Dr Welby praised President Lungu for working hard to change the livelihood of Zambians and the efforts to ensure peace and unity continue to prevail ahead of the elections.

He was happy that Mr Lungu was among political party leaders who attended the indaba to explore more ways of ending violence.
“Zambia is a good country, we are happy to see the rains, but we are aware of low water levels in Kariba Dam,” he said.

The Church, he said, would pray for Zambia to overcome current economic and global challenges emanating from high oil prices and low copper prices on the international market.

And President Lungu has pardoned 525 prisoners under his prerogative of mercy provisions of Article 59 (d) of the Constitution of Zambia.

His Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda told journalists at State House yesterday that President Lungu had signed a presidential warrant to pardon the prisoners.

“So he (Mr Lungu) has signed the warrant to release 525 prisoners with immediate effect and some of these prisoners are facing sentences while others are serving long sentences,” he said.

The pardon followed an exhibition of good behaviour by selected prisoners and the move would help to decongest the prisons.
He said Mr Lungu was of the view that the Prison Service should move swiftly to becoming more of a correctional service than being a punitive institution.

In February this year, Mr Lungu signed another warrant and pardoned 500 prisoners serving life imprisonment, on death row and other sentences and a large number of them were female convicts.

Mr Chanda said the President was also concerned about congestion in the prisons and was encouraging construction of modern facilities through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.

GOVERNMENT has assured the people of George, Lilanda and Zingalume townships in Lusaka that security personnel are working round the clock to ensure the areas are safe and secure.

On Thursday a man was murdered in Zingalume Township by unknown people. The ears, heart and private parts that were removed from the body were later discovered dumped at a named church.

Three weeks ago, four people were found dead in George Township with missing ears and private parts.

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili has warned that criminals will not be allowed to commit cruel acts with impunity.

Mr Kambwili warned people behind the recent spate of killings in Lusaka that the law would catch up with them so that they answer for their barbaric and heartless acts.

He has called on members of the public to support the police in their crackdown on the criminals behind the spate of suspected ritual murders in which seven people have been killed in less than a month.

“The people behind this lawlessness live in the community and Government, therefore, urges residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious elements to the police”, Mr Kambwili said.

Meanwhile, Youth in Action for Sustainable Development (YASD) has condemned the brutal killing of youths in suspected ritual killings.

YASD programme manager Zebedy Lukwesa said his organisation was saddened by the continued killings on the youths in Lusaka.

Mr Lukwesa said it was unacceptable for the nation to be experiencing barbaric behaviours as it Zambia is a Christian nation.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu will win the 11th August general elections if the opposition political parties will remain fragmented and fail to form alliances, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba has predicted.

And Mr Mwamba has subtly said he possesses a Grade 12 certificate and is ready to display it if President Lungu is going to exhibit his and end the debate about whether he had such a qualification.

Mr Mwamba, who is United Party for National Development (UPND) vice president for administration, said President Lungu was likely to bounce back into State House without a strong alliance of opposition political parties that would be able to defeat the Patriotic Front (PF).

Speaking when he featured on 5FM Radio Burning Issues special programme at his residence in Kabulonga yesterday, Mr Mwamba said alliances were a critical force in championing for regime change and that without them the chances of the opposition unseating the PF would be unattainable.

The 5FM Burning Issue special programme was also linked to Radio Mano in Kasama, Breeze FM in Chipata, Icengelo in Kitwe and Tuta Radio in Mansa.

Asked to comment on assertions that PF founder members had abandoned the ruling party and were regrouping in the UPND, Mr Mwamba said:

“Alliances have always been there. If we do not form alliances, we are going to allow President Lungu to win the general elections. Without alliances, President Lungu will bounce back but Zambians are resolved to remove the PF from Government and that is why Dr Guy Scott, Miles Sampa, Obvious Mwaliteta, including myself who were among the founder members have left the party and are supporting UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema.”

Mr Mwamba claimed there were no real politicians in the PF and that the ruling party was at its weakest because its senior members did not know how to play politics.

Mr Mwamba claimed that the people of Northern Province were angry with the PF Government for allegedly harassing him and the traditional leadership in the region.

He said the summoning of Chief Munkonge of the Bemba people by the police had exacerbated the anger of the people of Northern Province, alleging that the act was political meant to intimidate the traditional leader for visiting him (Mwamba) while he was detained at Lusaka Central police several weeks ago. “Chief Munkonge is my father and when I was arrested and detained by police in Lusaka, he came to visit me.

Now the police have summoned him and this is nothing but harassment…and you think the people in Northern Province are happy?” Mr Mwamba said.
And Mr Mwamba has hinted that he has a Grade 12 certificate and was ready to display the document only if President Lungu was going to exhibit his certificate to Zambians.

Mr Mwamba claimed that the popularity of the UPND had exponentially grown and that Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and Copperbelt provinces were no longer the strongholds of the PF.

On the shortage of mealie meal, Mr Mwamba advised Government to offload maize to all the milling companies in Zambia and that within six days, the shortage would be dealt with and the price of the commodity would naturally fall to affordable levels.

General Education Minister, John Phiri says grade ones will be given competence tests before graduating to grade two.

Dr Phiri says the measure has been introduced to prevent the practice where children were being pushed to higher grades even without knowing how to read and write.

He said this in Solwezi where he he holding several meetings.

Dr Phiri says this is why the government has introduced the use of local languages from Grade 1 to 4.

And Dr Phiri has bemoaned the low passing rate of children in the North-Western province.

Meanwhile,government has stepped up the printing and distribution of education materials to schools.

The materials are in conformity with the revised curriculum.

And General Education Minister, John Phiri, has challenged technical secondary schools in the country to take advantage of the revised curriculum and produce technical staff that the country needs.

Dr Phiri says the country lacks technical expertise because of the way the education system has been run hence technical secondary schools have a critical role to play in producing the technical staff that the country needs.

He was speaking in Solwezi yesterday at Solwezi Technical Secondary School (SOLTECH).

Dr Phiri said school administrators should not use the lack of materials as an excuse for failure to implement the revised curriculum.

He said teachers should do their best in ensuring that the revised curriculum is implemented.

And SOLTECH head teacher, Given Mugwagwa, said the lack of workshops and adequate tools are hindering the effective learning and teaching of subjects under the vocational career pathway.

President Edgar Lungu has pardoned 525 convicted prisoners including those on the death roll in a bid to decongest prisons in the country.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda has told Journalists in Lusaka today that some of the prisoners are facing life imprisonment while others are serving long sentences.

Mr. Chanda says the President has since signed a warrant for the release of the 525 prisoners using his special amnesty provided for under the prerogative of mercy provisions in Article 59 (d) of the Constitution of Zambia.

He says the Head of State has released the inmates upon being convinced that they are indeed reformed.

Mr. Chanda adds that President Lungu has from February 2016 to date released over one thousand prisoners in a bid to decongest prisons across the country.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chanda has also disclosed that President Lungu has authorized the Minister of Finance to amend and issue a Statutory Instrument number 103.

He says the SI relates to the acquisition of goods such as motor vehicles for public benefit and to liberty refunds of tax for NGOs and Churches in the country.