Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Two Zambian women have been arrested in Pakistan and South Africa for drug trafficking, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has said.
DEC spokesperson, John Nyawali said in a Press statement yesterday that, Christine Musonda Banda, 35, was arrested at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad after she was found carrying 860 grammes of heroine concealed in her pedicure brushes.
He said Banda, a resident of Libala Stage one in Lusaka, was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force during a routine check-in process as she was about to go to Mozambique on an Emirates Airline flight.
She was detained at a prison in Rawalpindi waiting for her case to be concluded.
Mr Nyawali said Banda was believed to have sourced the drugs from Afghanistan.
And a 24-year-old woman has been arrested in South Africa for trafficking in 332 grammes of heroin.
Mr Nyawali said Catherine Mukala was arrested at Oliver Tambo International Airport on her arrival from Pakistan.
He said Mukala had swallowed the heroin as a mode of concealment.
Mr Nyawali said this brings the number of Zambian women arrested abroad for drug trafficking in the last two years to 47 out of which, four have since died in different Asian prisons.
He appealed to Zambians to take advantage of this year’s commemoration of the International Women’s Day to denounce the increasing cases of women drug traffickers and reflect on finding solutions to the growing problem.
Mr Nyawali also said 59 people were arrested countrywide in the last seven days for trafficking in different quantities of cannabis with a total weight of 1.5 tonnes.
[ Times of Zambia ]
FAZ interim Committee secretary General Simataa Simataa
AMAKUMBI Stars proprietor, Simataa Simataa has charged that the Kalusha Bwalya led FAZ has defied Republican President Rupiah Banda, FIFA and CAF by excluding the no-confidence vote motion on the agenda for the crucial March 26 annual general meeting (AGM).
Simataa said President Banda, who is FAZ patron, went out of his way to organise a meeting with FIFA at a great cost to help resolve the squabbles that beset the local football administration.
He said the FIFA meeting held in Switzerland on December 20 last year resolved that a no-confidence vote could be tabled at the next FAZ AGM as long as some members requested for its inclusion on the agenda.
Simataa, who is acting general secretary for the Andrew Kamanga-led FAZ faction, said despite FIFA giving guidelines, FAZ opted to go against the Zurich meeting decisions by throwing out the motion.
He said it was shocking that FAZ were being defiant to President Banda, FIFA and CAF as the decisions made at the home of FIFA last year were meant to help end the local leadership wrangles.
On FIFA, Simataa said the world football governing authority was the only body that recognised Kalusha as the legitimate FAZ president but it was surprising that the association could still go against decisions made in Zurich.
During the meeting chaired by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Simataa said FIFA overruled the FAZ constitution by suggesting that a vote of no-confidence motion could be tabled at the next council meeting.
[pullquote]During the meeting chaired by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Simataa said FIFA overruled the FAZ constitution by suggesting that a vote of no-confidence motion could be tabled at the next council meeting.[/pullquote]
“FAZ’s decision to exclude the no-confidence vote motion means they have defied the FAZ patron, who is the Republican President Rupiah Banda. They have also defied FIFA, the only body that recognised them (FAZ executive) as legitimate. FAZ has also defied
CAF who were witnesses to the Zurich meeting,” he said.
Simataa said according to the Zambian law and the Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ), the current FAZ executive was dissolved after four officials resigned last year but for the sake of peace, the interim committee subordinated to FIFA’s decision.
The former FAZ president accused the association of also breaching its constitution by throwing out a request from its member, saying it was the right of FAZ members to raise a motion for the agenda.
He said when a FAZ member requested for an item for the agenda, the motion became constitutional as per association’s statutes.
Simataa said as an interim team, they had since notified FIFA and CAF about the development.
He said SCZ and FAZ members had also been informed of a proposed emergency council meeting (ECM) on the eve of the AGM to get the feelings of the councillors.
Last Friday, FAZ general secretary George Kasengele threw out the vote of no-confidence motion requested by Mazabuka United and seconded by Pemba United, saying it was not provided for in the constitution.
At the Zurich meeting attended by Kalusha, Kasengele, FAZ disciplinary committee chairperson Anthony Kasolo, Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister Kenneth Chipungu, SCZ chairperson Chifumu Banda, Kamanga and Simataa, FIFA advised aggrieved members to submit the motion of no-confidence at the council meeting.
[pullquote]Last Friday, FAZ general secretary George Kasengele threw out the vote of no-confidence motion requested by Mazabuka United and seconded by Pemba United, saying it was not provided for in the constitution.[/pullquote]
The FIFA statement reads in part: “During the meeting, it was confirmed that Kalusha Bwalya is the legitimate FAZ president. In the event that some FAZ members want to table a motion of non-confidence against him and his executive committee, such a motion would have to be presented at the next general council scheduled for March 2011, following the proper procedures established in the FAZ statutes.
“As such, if FAZ members would like to lodge such a request for inclusion on the agenda of a council meeting, it shall notify the FAZ general secretary at least 21 days before the date of the meeting. This notification can be copied to FIFA and CAF, which in turn will make sure that it is properly-addressed by the FAZ general secretariat.”
South African ambassador to Zambia Moses Chikane has wished Zambians peaceful campaigns as the country prepares for the forthcoming general elections.
Ambassador Chikane says Zambia being a pace setter in African politics, has worked so hard to liberate most countries in the region.
In an interview with Qfm, Ambassador Chikane says tolerance among politicians should excel during and after elections for the maintenance of peace in the country.
The South African envoy has since appealed to electorates and politicians to peacefully conduct themselves during elections.
Flashback: Former Mayor of Lusaka, Robert Chikwelete with Rotary International President, Ray Klinginsmith
Lusaka City Council last year awarded a tender worth K4.7 billion for the construction of Kulima Tower bus station to the younger brother of immediate past Lusaka Mayor Robert Chikwelete.
Mr Chikwelete is a councilor for John Howard ward 2 in Lusaka’s Chawama constituency and when he was the mayor, Chimwenda investments limited, which is owned by his younger brother Charles Chikwelete, was awarded a tender after the company apparently lost to its competitor, China Jiangsu International.
China Jiangsu bid for K4,792,070,200 and Chimwenda lost because of the high bid of K5,177,493,029 but was later awarded the tender and is almost finishing the construction of the bus station.
This is according to the comprehensive set of minutes containing the whole bidding process dated September 16, 2010. The minutes have further revealed that Chimwenda investment also lost at the engineers’ estimate stage when it scored 10 percentage deviation from the set standards while China Jiangsu International only scored 2 per cent.
The lower figure represents the company closeness from winning the tender because it shows that the firm had less deviations from the engineers parameters.
The Lusaka City Council last year invited sealed bids for the construction of the Kulima Tower Bus station following concerns that the place was too open and subjected commuters to heat, rains and the cold depending on the weather.
The bids were advertised in the Times of Zambia and the Post Newspaper and 15 firms responded but 13 were short-listed.
After the opening of the tender box, the acting town clerk established a seven-man tender committee and started sittings on June 4, 2010. The committee adopted a three-phased evaluation process which included preliminary evaluation where bids that were close to qualifying were carried forward and the rest dropped.
The other stages were the technical evaluation which involved issues related to engineering capacity and finally, the financial stage where firms that asked for lower but reasonable figures were considered.
In all the three stages, China Jiangsu International, which is currently constructing the new Lusaka General Hospital in Chainama, scored the highest.
The documents also state that at the evaluation stage, the committee recommended that the contract should be awarded to China Jiangsu International and the report was submitted to the Head of Procurement who was also a member of the committee.
However, in an interview from Kitwe where Chimwenda Investments Limited is based, Mr Chikwelete (Charles) said the firm was big and was awarded the tender because it won the bid on technical reasons.
Mr Chikwelete said his firm was big and had done works with big mining firms in the country and that all the firms that competed for the Kulima Tower works lost.
He explained that the term Chimwenda is formed from the first three letters of his second name, Chikwelete while Mwenda is the second name for his wife.
Mr Chikwelete confirmed that the immediate past mayor of Lusaka was his elder brother but that he never influenced the tender process.
However, the former mayor’s mobile number went un-answered from Saturday afternoon.
Lusaka City Council has been serving a 90-day suspension following massive land scandals that included the distribution and sharing of 102 plots at Lusaka’s Lilayi Housing project without advertising to members of the public in line with the law.
The council does not have jurisdiction over state land, according to the Land Act. The country’s biggest council is now being run by Copperbelt provincial administrator Solomon Sakala who has also occupied the Mayor’s office.
Recently, the Times exposed another scandal in which the current mayor Daniel Chisenga has sold one of the 10 Lilayi plots allocated to him at a cost of K30 million.
The Mayor has allegedly sold stand number 38, to a Lusaka resident Ernest Mutale who holds National Registration Card (NRC) number 240305/43/1 of Chitanda road in Chunga township and box number 30252.
PARLIAMENTARY Chief Whip Vernon Mwaanga has said Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata’s popularity in Mporokoso has gone down by 21 per cent while that of President Rupiah Banda is up by 14 per cent.
Mr Mwaanga, in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, said President Banda received 26 per cent of the total votes cast in 2008 while Mr Sata got 72 per cent.
He said in the parliamentary by-election held last week, MMD got 40 per cent while PF had a reduced figure of 51 per cent, showing loss of 21 per cent of its popularity.
“Assuming voting is aligned to parties, we are in a better position today than we were in 2008,” Mr Mwaanga said.
He said it was clear that Mr Sata was losing ground in the rural areas of the country and that would reflect in the 2011 presidential polls.
Meanwhile, MMD national chairperson Michael Mabenga has said the ruling party has often performed badly during the parliamentary and ward by-elections but reclaimed the seats during the presidential and general elections.
He said PF candidate Maynard Misapa’s victory would be short-lived because the party was aware that its leader Mr Sata spent almost a month holding more than three public rallies everyday, which gave him an edge over the ruling party.
Mr Mabenga, who is Deputy Minister of Lands, said the opposition party was involved in corrupting voters in Mporokoso, but that the ruling party would not waste time petitioning the poll results.
He said there were irregularities committed by PF in Mporokoso but the known critical election monitors were tactically transferring that blame to the ruling party to camouflage the election frauds committed by the opposition party.
Mr Mabenga said the MMD would defeat Mr Sata’s party in most parts of Northern Province because people did not like him.
He said Mporokoso did not represent Zambia but was only one constituency in Northern Province where the MMD remained popular.
He said the case was similar with the Chilanga by-election scooped by the United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Cosmas Moono, where UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema held about 20 public rallies while the MMD only had two, which was the reason the UPND won.
Mr Mabenga said the MMD had realised the mistake and would ensure that it matched the presence of the opposition each time there was a by-election.
He said almost all the seats that had been scooped by the opposition during by-elections had been reversed during the general elections and the same was being anticipated in this year’s elections.
According to Mr Mabenga, the margins by which the ruling party lost were very comforting and would easily be overturned when the general elections are held.
The Mporokoso parliamentary by-election followed the defection of Mr Misapa to the PF, after he was dismissed as deputy Sports minister.
Mr Misapa, who contested on the PF ticket, polled 2,844 votes against MMD’s Dominic Musonda, who got 2,217.
Other contestants were National Restoration Party candidate Joyce Mukando who got 435 votes while UNIP’s Anthony Nkonde only managed 71 votes.
We have in the past asked people to stop using Internet Explorer 6 because this browser is almost 10 years old and a lot has happened on the internet and there are so many bad issues affecting it that are well documented on the internet.Using Internet Explorer leaves you very vulnerable as a net user in terms of security. We pray you don’t use it for Internet payments or banking!!
Understandably, most people in Zambia are using IE6 because they are still using a copy of Windows XP and it works great on their old hardware and IE6 is bundled with Windows XP, a decision Microsoft now realises has created a monster hard to get rid off.
Last week, Microsoft announced that it is ready to move beyond Internet Explorer 6. The software giant has launched a new website, The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown, that bears the slogan: “Moving the world off Internet Explorer 6.”
On its new website, IE6Countdown.com, Microsoft is making its most concentrated effort yet to get users to move away from the decade-old browser. As the site says in its preamble, “10 years ago a browser was born. …It’s time to say goodbye.” The goal of the website is to get Internet Explorer 6 usage to drop to less than 1% worldwide.
As Lusakatimes.com, we want to join Micrposoft in this effort. 20 % of people visiting Lusakatimes.com are still using Internet Explorer 6. This is really a huge number for us to just ignore. In fact, our site upgrades and redesign tend to take longer than required because we have to meet the needs of this 20% group.
If you are still using IE6, we want to beg you to get off it please. All the best modern and secure browsers are now free. You have a whole variety to choose from: Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7-9, Mozzila, Safari, Opera and many more. All these are free as in Free Beer. NI VA MAHALA!!!. Upgrade Today.
GOVERNMENT has released a total of over K2.2 trillion for infrastructure development in all 17 constituencies of Western Province.
The biggest projects are in the road, education and health sectors.
According to a summary of Government infrastructure development programme obtained by the Zambia Daily Mail in Mongu at the weekend, Kalabo Central Constituency has received the biggest allocation of K1.3 trillion, which is the total amount Government committed to the construction of the Mongu-Kalabo road.
President Banda last October commissioned the construction of the road, whose trial section has already been done.
Senanga Central Constituency has received K715 billion, out of which K705 billion is for the construction of the Senanga-Sesheke road.
Third on the queue is Mwandi Central Constituency, which has received K37.5 billion, out of which K33 billion is for the full construction of Mwandi Boarding High School.
Lukulu East Constituency has received K33.4 billion, out of which K26.6 billion is for the construction of Lukulu Boarding High School.
Sinjembela has received K33.3 billion, from which K28.6 billion will go towards the construction of Nangweshi Boarding High School, while Nalikwanda Constituency has received K29.9 billion, out of which K25.7 billion is for the construction of Nakanyaa Boarding High School.
A total of K29.1 has been allocated to Mangango Constituency, from which K27.6 billion is for the construction of Mayukwayukwa Boarding High School.
Other allocations are Liuwa Constituency (K11.8 billion), Mulobezi (K9.7 billion) and Nalolo (K8.3 billion).
The rest are Mongu Central (K6.9 billion), Sikongo (K4.8 billion), Kaoma Central (K4.6 billion) and Lukulu West (K1.4 billion).
The constituencies that have received least allocations are Luampa (K950 million), Sesheke Central (K934.2 million) and Luena (K540 million).
UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has announced his party’s withdrawal from its ill-fated pact with the Patriotic Front (PF) and declared that he will stand as presidential candidate in this year’s elections under the UPND.
Mr Hichilema said the UPND will also field candidates in all parliamentary constituencies and wards during this year’s general elections.
Featuring on Joy FM Radio’s Tikambilane live programme in Lusaka on yesterday, Mr Hichilema wondered what he should be doing in the PF-UPND pact when “somebody” has already killed it.
“The issue of the pact does not arise any more. I mean, if somebody has decided to kill the pact, what should I be doing?” he asked.
In an apparent reference to PF president Michael Sata, Mr Hichilema said it is unacceptable and inhumane in the modern world for someone to bully and intimidate his colleagues, and that political leaders with such behaviour should not be allowed into public office.
He condemned the PF’s unilateralism, and described as disgusting accusations by Mr Sata that he is a tribalist during the recent Mporokoso parliamentary by-election campaigns.
“I read an article in the press where my pact partner was saying Hakainde is a tribalist. That was disgusting; that is propaganda meant to discredit,” Mr Hichilema said.
He said the pact was formed with the main aim of uniting the people of Zambia, winning this year’s elections and the provision of better services to the people.
Mr Hichilema said Zambia belongs to all its citizens, regardless of where they live and it is important for people to understand one another because it is the only way to maintain peace in the country.
Responding to callers who wanted to know why a pact presidential candidate has not yet been chosen, and why this was not done from the alliance’s inception, Mr Hichilema said people should understand that there is always need to work with one another by learning to tolerate one another, and not to dominate or bully others.
[pullquote]“Instead of sitting to talk about how the pact government is going to run the country, somebody only agrees to meet on condition that he is going to be made pact president. I think that is talking upside down,” he said.[/pullquote]
The UPND president said there is a lot of propaganda going on against his party, orchestrated by the PF, which has made it difficult for the pact to make progress.
“Instead of sitting to talk about how the pact government is going to run the country, somebody only agrees to meet on condition that he is going to be made pact president. I think that is talking upside down,” he said.
Mr Hichilema said there has never been commitment from the side of Mr Sata and his party to talk about serious national issues for the good of the country.
He said it is unfortunate that the people who are now expressing disappointment on the problems brewing in the pact want to also pile the blame on UPND when they know well that such problems are coming from the PF.
Mr Hichlema said there is no way UPND can go into government with PF without first discussing and agreeing on how the two parties are going to run the country because the two parties will be quarrelling everyday and will become a nuisance to Zambians once in power.
He said UPND recently received a letter from the PF saying it was not going to deal with its pact partner if the former did not discipline its national youth chairman Joe Kalusa.
“Now, should I write a letter back that we won’t deal with PF until you discipline Wynter Kabimba? Should I write a letter like that? I haven’t written because that is degenerating matters,” he said.
[pullquote]“Now, should I write a letter back that we won’t deal with PF until you discipline Wynter Kabimba? Should I write a letter like that? I haven’t written because that is degenerating matters,” he said.[/pullquote]
Mr Hichilema said there is need to get to the table and talk things through instead of writing letters of that kind.
“There are a lot of undisciplined people in PF. They are known, and if I respond in that manner, we are destroying the pact,” he said.
“We have now come to conclude that our colleagues did not want us to discuss how we are going to run the country. By 2010, we should have had a common manisfesto on how we would run the country,” he said.
Mr Hichilema said even if the issue of presidential candidate was to be tabled at the very beginning of the pact, it would not have been possible to make progress because PF has never shown commitment to dialogue on the matter.
“So, even if the people want us to choose the candidate, how can we do it? You stand up, if you’re talkative, if you’re a bully in a meeting and say I am the president from now own, is that what you wanted?” he said.
He said Zambians must understand that whatever politicians do should be done with seriousness, mutual respect and with a mind to serve the people rather than serving themselves as leaders.
“And for me, as Hakainde, I won’t be part of the team that wants to be in government if they are not willing to agree on how they will run to serve the people of Zambia. What do they want to do in government? They want to do what they are doing now?” he asked.
[pullquote]“And for me, as Hakainde, I won’t be part of the team that wants to be in government if they are not willing to agree on how they will run to serve the people of Zambia. What do they want to do in government? They want to do what they are doing now?” he asked.[/pullquote]
When contacted for a comment over the matter, both Mr Sata and Mr Kabimba said they will react to the UPND’s withdrawal from the pact when it writes their party an official notification.
On the issue of the PF demanding to have Mr Kalusa disciplined as a condition for working with UPND, Mr Sata said all his party asked for in its letter was an apology and nothing else.
“There was nothing for them to dramatise the Kalusa issue. We shall react when they are brave enough to write to us,” Mr Sata said.
[pullquote]On the issue of the PF demanding to have Mr Kalusa disciplined as a condition for working with UPND, Mr Sata said all his party asked for in its letter was an apology and nothing else.[/pullquote]
Mr Hichilema’s remarks have literally dealt the final blow to the tottering PF-UPND pact, which has for months been on life support.
The two partners have been embroiled in endless wrangles over a number of issues, including the choice of a common candidate and how to harmonise their manifestos.
Recently, Mr Sata wrote the UPND saying his party had stopped dealing with it until Mr Kalusa apologises to him for allegedly insulting him in the media but the former has refused to force its official to meet the PF leader’s demand.
Before that, the PF dramatically revealed contents of a letter written by UPND chairman for international affairs Clive Chirwa in which he made a number of proposals, including that on the pact presidency, at a press briefing.
Mr Hichilema refuted the proposals the same day, and accused Mr Kabimba, who had addressed the briefing, of being mischievous.
The PF hit back by backing Mr Kabimba, saying his press briefing had had the full backing of the party.
The UPND has also written the PF, asking for a national council meeting to iron out contentious issues, but the latter has rebuffed the overture, saying it will respond to the letter at its own pace.
The two parties have been openly campaigning for their respective presidents separately for this year’s presidential elections, while Mr Sata has also announced that the PF will field its own candidates in all the constituencies.
There is no doubt that on paper; Zambia has made significant progress in macro-economics. The Jesuit Centre has acknowledged that. We have grown our economy consistently over the years and we have more ‘development’ going on all around us. What many Zambians keep pointing out is how this development and the high copper prices do not seem to be having any effect on the great majority of the Zambian people. I think this is an important point and the government of the day ignores it at its own peril.
Much of the infrastructure that was in very good condition in mining towns has fallen to the force of entropy. This disastrous situation is a consequence of both local government and individual failure. In every town and city, one finds numerous unfinished building projects; due to squandered redundancy cash and now cardboard plays for windows and every piece of metallic junk for roofing, kept down by stones and bricks. Others died before they could see their projects to the end. No sooner had they been buried than the asset striping, widow robbing relatives pounced and took everything that the deceased had, leaving the widow destitute with 6 hungry mouths to feed, clothe and educate from nothing!
Children leave home to etch a living on the streets. Some have no home to leave but streets are home. The so called ‘street kids’ are innumerable. I just wonder whether the census included them. The once so called ‘site and service’ townships are hurtful to sight and there is no service. One wonders where the town planners are. Illegal structures are everywhere and just pray that there is no worse natural disaster than floods. Trenches take away the sewer but only as far as inclination and gravity can allow, if not blocked by the supermarket plastic bags that will only decay after the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are hundreds of Zambians who are truly ‘hard’ working. They smash rocks from sun rise to sunset, inhaling silica so that the very trade that is bringing them so little money is slowly killing them by weakening their resistance to tuberculosis in the short term and eventually killing them with the incurable silicosis in the long run. At traffic lights, you are accosted by tens of touts; selling anything from ‘bling’ to plastic, from fruits to vegetables, from Newspapers to toilet paper (no, just made that up)! But newspapers do the same job, because in many latrines, public or private, you are better off carrying a newspaper for a ‘poo.’ Where is the money for so many people to sell so many goods? There is consumption everywhere and hardly any production.
Come to a 10-foot-walled property, pass the threshold and as the gate close behind you, you are transported to Beverley Hills in California! Exquisite manicured gardens, numerous ‘house servants’ attending at every beck and call. Well nourished, nay, over nourished children play with the latest gadgets and mobile phones that I have not yet had the money to buy in the United Kingdom. It is a different world! Three top marques parked in the driveway, one for the wifey! While thousands of Zambians just across, have no water to drink, these have enough not only to swim in, but also to quench the thirst of their Magnolias and Aloe vera, and the Simba lawns. Who are these people? This is a new breed of Zambians that never existed in the 80s and before. They have made it amidst the difficulties their fellow citizens are going through. They are not ‘hard’ but ‘smart’ working. They have done well and they deserve every ngwee of their labours. They are responsible for increasing the import bill because they have made Dubai and Johannesburg their shopping centres. They have so much that must be secured behind the Fort Knox type of security!
Others however, live a life of luxury because of ‘filthy lucre.’ They came to this way of life by the highway of robbery or the dark and narrow lanes of corruption. Our government may have much to say against corruption, but corruption is immeasurable. What is measured is perception.
Where then should we be?
Governance. Transparency and probity are of utmost importance. It is a known fact for example, and by his own admission, that Dr F Chiluba had in the ZAMTROP account more money than could be accounted for from his earnings. Grant that that money WAS given by well wishers, what is wrong with being open about who those well wishers were? The country must enact a law that prohibits people in public office from receiving personal gifts above a certain amount from whichever source. Whatever the gift, it must be declared. Anything above the limit must be forfeited to the State. Why are our Police so brutal when dealing with demonstrations or any public unrest? They need training in crowd control. The State must provide us with a Police service that protects property, ye, but lives too.
Welfare and social security. The terrible inequalities I have depicted are a sure threat to the security of our country. Those who have fallen on hard times, not by fault of their own need the help of the State. This does not have to be in cash terms, but we have so much land that can be given to people when they fall on hard times. Those who are skilled, but unemployed could be given grants to re-train so that there is a re-balance of employment opportunities. We are dishing out land to foreigners but we cannot give to our own people! The State must offer an allowance for those who by reason of infirmity cannot earn a living. Those who are physically un-abled should be supported with disability payments. This means that a certain tax must be collected and ring fenced for such.
Education is a universal right of every child. It should be illegal in Zambia to fail to send a child to school for basic education. Obviously, the government is at fault because the education system in Zambia is contrary to the rights of the child. I will gladly support any political party that will promise to abolish segregating examinations at grade 7 from 2012 onwards and grade 9 from 2014. We can train our young people to earn a living through restructuring of the education curriculum so that no one leaves school without a trade. Education however, must go beyond the classroom. The society needs to be educated about the environment and waste management, civic responsibilities and rights. When I was a child, there were ‘Welfare centres’ in every town where the public were educated.
Housing and clean water. I am amazed that civic authorities are selling vast amounts of land to the same few individuals when the greater majority of the people that voted them into power have no descent housing. Why can’t councils build houses to let and thus earn more income from that. Indeed, the housing stock was sold off by the Chiluba administration, but that was a one off and it has probably helped many people who could have been homeless by now. However, the implementation of that policy was marred by corruption left, right and centre! How could people buy more than two properties if they were ‘sitting tenants?’ In ZCCM, many senior people bought ‘villages’ as sitting tenants! There must be a day of reckoning. It is no use building South African style shopping malls all over the cities when people have nowhere to lay their heads. That is not development. Look at Kamwala village in Lusaka. At one time that was government housing, but those rondavels are neater and more orderly than thousands of shacks in city squatters! By the year 2015, no Zambian should live in a shack.
Politics. We have not made much progress since 1991. It could be fairly argued that we have turned back the clock here. What happened to the open and democratic processes that we sought in 1991? Political positions were fought for fairly and squarely. Every human being has the right to prefer certain candidates, but it is wrong for that preference to prevent others from having a fair go at positions. It is the electorate that must decide whether one is qualified or not, for whatever position in a Party. We are also in a dilemma concerning the political parties and what they stand for. One cannot lead a party that simply wants to rule for the sake of it. There must be a clear and well thought out plan on the table to state exactly what is wrong and how one is going to correct it. The trouble with our politicians in Zambia today, is that they are not ideological but opportunistic. This explains why they jump from one camp to the other without shame. There is no clear blue water between the parties. This explains why our electoral arguments centre on personalities rather than policies. What this means is that, whoever we vote for may just carry on with the status quo. A majority of our Parliamentarians have no idea why they are in that august house. Many are so much in debt that they cannot bring government to account for fear of being deselected. This is why The Post newspaper dictates the agenda. The NAPSA deal could have been discussed in Parliament. Inept MPs contribute to voter apathy.
Health and population. Thank God for donor funded drug programme that has spared many lives in Zambia. I have written about HIV/AIDS before but this will not be the subject on this occasion. I am concerned about infant and childhood and maternal mortality, and growth rate of our population. We must try to understand the reasons for this exponential growth in population but stagnation of resources. Could it be that because people fear to lose their children that they produce more? Could it be that the general lower literacy rate among women does not empower them to make decisions about their fecundity? Could it be that the large number of young children born so overwhelms our health services leading to more deaths? These are questions that must be answered with facts, and I hope that the 2011 census addressed them.
Let me say at this point that this is not a partisan paper. Indeed, I acknowledge the many good things that Zambians from all Parties have achieved so far. Development of any community is like a relay race. One cannot run it alone, no matter how fast they run, but at some point, the baton must be passed on to another generation. What I am concerned about, is that we do not lose sight of where we are going. We must build on our successes, learn from our mistakes and advance with courage and resolution into the future.
I humbly submit that this is where we should be in 2011.
United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema has charged that there is lack of commitment in the UPND/PF pact to deliver a common agenda for the people of Zambia.
Mr. Hichilema described the recent statement by the Patriotic Front president Michael Sata that he runs a tribal party as disgusting.
Mr. Hichilema said that it is important that political leaders in the country remove the dent of tribalism in Zambian politics.
He said that it is wrong for the Patriotic front leader Michael Sata to say things that only benefit him.
He has further described the statement as propaganda meant to divert Zambians freedom of choice of leadership that will bring economic and social development.
Mr. Hichilema also said it is unfortunate that the Patriotic Front has failed to meet the UPND to discuss the progress of the Pact.
The UPND leader was speaking this morning on Tikambilane program on Joy FM radio.
United Party for National Development (UPND) in Luapula province has told their party leader Hakainde Hichilema to accept the proposals made by Professor Clive Chirwa on the future of the UPND-PF pact.
Luapula province UPND Coordinator Jones Mutimushi told QFM news that the fact the PF party is stronger than the UPND could not be ruled out.
Mr. Mutimushi says Mr. Hichilema should compromise on the Pact by accepting the proposal that Pro. Chirwa made concerning the political alliance of the UPND and PF if the two parties are to have sufficient ground to defeat the ruling MMD party.
He added that there is need for the UPND to listen to the will of the people on the need to have a united opposition.
Mr. Mutimushi advised the UPND leader not to listen to people who may have selfish motives and misguide him on the issues relating to the pact.
And UPND in Luapula has called on the UPND’s Charles Kakoma and PF’s Wynter Kabimba to resign from their party positions.
Mr. Mutimushi says Mr. Kakoma and his counterpart Mr. Kabimba have been issuing conflicting statements on the Pact a situation he said has led to the current problems being faced in the UPND/3PF pact.
Professor Chirwa who is the UPND chairman for international relations made the proposal on the UPND-PF pact which among them included that Michael should be the pact presidential candidate in this year’s elections.
However, UPND later announced that the proposal did not come from party but that they were made by an individual and therefore should not be seen to be the party’s decision.
[ QFM ]
President Banda on March 4 commissioned the US$25 million modern Kasumbalesa border facility.
The Kasumbalesa border post becomes the first project to be commissioned under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.
Mr Banda said during the commissioning ceremony on March 4 that government recognises the role of the private sector as a partner in infrastructure development.
“The private sector in partnership with Government can achieve a lot in terms of the development of infrastructure and hence national development,” Mr Banda said.
He said the participation of the private sector in infrastructure development releases Government resources for other priority areas like health and education.
“I want us Zambians to adopt and assimilate public private partnerships as critical in the future development of our country. This new business approach will increase efficiency in construction and maintenance of infrastructure services in Zambia,” Mr Banda said.
He said Government expects that the local community will benefit from new jobs and improved social amenities like roads, a market and schools at Kasumbalesa.
Mr Banda said Government is working to upgrade all major border posts like Kazungula, Nakonde, including Mwami, Kipushi and Jimbe through the PPP approach.
He was confident that Kasumbalesa border and others to be modernised will increase the volume of trade in the SADC and COMESA regions and beyond.
“The challenge is for all local authorities to be involved in the planning and implementation of the various PPP projects being implemented in their jurisdictions. Councils must ensure that their communities are fully involved and benefit from the projects,” Mr Banda said.
He said it is necessary for Zambia to improve its border post management to enhance passage and transparency
Mr Banda also congratulated the Zambia Border Crossing Company for the project and for employing local people at Kasumbalesa.
Mr Banda said Government recognises the necessity to mordernise all border posts because having only one modern border at Chirundu is not sufficient for the rapid clearance of cargo carriers.
He is concerned that the trucks which may be quickly cleared at Chirundu border post get marooned at other unimproved border posts such as Kasumbalesa.
“My Government understands that in order to successfully implement the operations of the ultra modern Chirundu border post, it is important to modernise other posts as well,” Mr Banda said.
He said this is the reason why the Kasumbalesa border post has been built and Government wishes to see the facility evolve into a one-stop border post in line with the set Southern African Development Community (SADC) standards.
File: Democratic Republic of Congo Katanga governor Moses Katumbi in Mansa interacts with ZambiansDEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo (DRC) Katanga Province governor Moses Katumbi described some Zambian opposition leaders as empty drums who just make noise instead of appreciating the development that the country has recorded under President Banda’s rule.
Mr Katumbi said during the commissioning of the new Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe on March 4 that there are some politicians in Zambia who make noise like empty drums.
“When you roll an empty drum, it makes a lot of noise. There are some politicians in Zambia who are like empty drums,” Mr Katumbi said.
He said Zambia has recorded remarkable development in the two years President Banda has been in office, and urged Zambians to appreciate that.
“We should commend Government for what is happening. Some people are liars …ask them if they have even built a toilet in their lifetime,” he said.
He commended President Banda for the massive road construction works taking place in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.
Mr Katumbi also commended Mr Banda for the maize bumper harvest the country recorded in the last farming season.
“We are thankful that this year, Zambia recorded a bumper harvest and we are not suffering in Congo because business is going on well. God will bless the country and he will bless you (President Banda),” he said.
Mr Katumbi, who used a combination of Swahili, Bemba and English, said it is sad that he was accused of stealing and hounded out of Zambia when he sued Government.
He advised the people of Zambia to thank God for giving them a good leader in President Banda.
“Business between Zambia and Congo is good. Both countries are trading well because you have a wise President. President Banda has the support of the DRC,” Mr Katumbi said.
He said there are no Zambians detained in the DRC, and asked the Zambian government not to detain Congolese nationals in Zambia.
“All we want is business and development for our two countries. The Congolese people are happy with what you (Mr Banda) are doing in Zambia, and the Zambian people are also happy.
“Close your ears to negative comments because there is development in Zambia,” Mr Katumbi said.
He called for more co-operation between the DRC and Zambia.
One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone has wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator, and it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”
I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “…for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way! God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace, mercy and everlasting favor. I open my heart and mind to You and receive everything You have for me. Thank You for restoring and healing every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
