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.
Defending Barclays Cup champions Power Dynamos coach Fordson Kabole was very brief about his side’s victory at Woodlands Stadium today over Nkwazi and expectations in retaining their title.
The Super Divsions longest serving coach who is never an easy man to catch for an interview discribed the win as a way forward.
“The result is a step into the semifinals football is about attitude on that particular day we are planning to succeed,” Kabole said.
Power beat Nkwazi 1-0 through a 10th minute goal from Luka Lungu in the second match of the Woodlands doubleheader.
And in the lunchtime kickoff, record two-time Barclays Cup champions Zesco United also reach the last four after a 1-0 win over division 1 south leaders Nakambala Leopards courtesy of a first half goal from promising winger Kangwa Chileshe in the 15th minute.
And in the doubleheader at Arthur Davies stadium in Kitwe, Zanaco beat Green Buffaloes 2-0 thanks to goals from Venecious Mapande and Lottie Nyambili.
Lime Hotspurs were the only lower division team to advance after Nakambala were eliminated by Zesco when they beat Nchanga Rangers 4-2 on post-match penalties following a scoreless draw in the later kicoff at Arthur Davies.
Meanwhile, Faz communications officer Erick Mwanza said semifinal draws will be made this coming week.
FLASHBACK: Science Minister Brian Chituwo (r) and UNZA vice chancellor professor Staven Simukanga after a graduation ceremony at Evelyn Hone college
Government says it will continue to provide guidance and support to training institutions in order for them to operate effectively and render quality service to the community.
Minster of Science Technology and vocational Training Brig General Brain Chituwo said his Ministry will ensure success in training the youth is attained to positively contribute to the labour demands of the nation.
Brig Gen Chituwo said this in a speech ready for him by Copperbelt University Vice Chancellor professor Mutale Musonda at the 6th Graduation of 197 students at Kitwe Vocational Training Centre Management Board (KVTCMB) in Kitwe yesterday.
He said the institution initiative for working towards self-sustainability by running a profitable production unit in order to strengthen their revenue base was commendable.
Dr Chituwo urged other higher learning institutions to emulate KVTCMB’s initiative to help students to become self reliant.
He added that his Ministry shall endeavor to continually lobby for capital funding to address the challenges faced by the institutions.
And principal of the institution William Mutale said the institution is faced with a lot of challenges one of them being lack of adequate boarding facilities for students.
Mr. Mutale said despite the difficulties the centre continues to demonstrate to the Zambian people that technical colleges are important in the development of the nation.
He added that institutional bursaries are provided for vulnerable children as a way of empowering them with necessary skills to be self reliant.
Meanwhile KVTCMB acting Board chairperson Joackin Mumba said the management is proud that the centre has not experienced any class boycotts by students or strike buy staff which shows how disciplined the institution.
Republican President Rupiah Banda has directed the Ministry of Education to work closely with the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) in keeping drugs out schools.
In a speech read for him by Education Minister Dora Siliya during the re-launch campaign of Education for all by 2015 in Lusaka today, Mr. Banda says he is saddened by the increasing cases of under age consumption of alcohol, drug abuse and teenage pregnancies and marriages.
Mr. Banda who has also instructed the local authority in the country to firmly deal with any Bar found entertaining under aged patrons says that alcohol producers to be sensitive when advertising their products.
The President says his government recognizes children with special education needs and that it will soon construct a school for the deaf in Lusaka at a cost 30 billion Kwacha and a center of excellence for children with various special education needs.
He has urged parents to ensure that their children do not deviate from the path of education adding that positive communication in families will influence and inspire children to refrain from vices distract them from school.
Mr. Banda has also called on the youths in the country to be responsible and concentrate on education if they are to be better adults in future.
Meanwhile, Kenya Airways has sponsored 9 children from different schools in the country to undertake an educational tour to Kenya.
The pupils ranging from grades 8 to 12 have been selected by their provincial education officers based on their commitment.
Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni says the gesture is in line with the company’s corporate social responsibility in areas where it operates.
Mr. Naikuni says the Airline has chosen to support education because the poverty that most African countries experience cannot be eradicated without Education.
He says his company will build linkages between African universities where students will exchange information aimed at creating sustainable development.
Matero Member of Parliament (MP) Faustina Sinyangwe says the opposition PF/UPND pact is collapsing.
Mrs Sinyangwe who is among the PF rebel MPs said that the differences in the pact were foreseen and anticipated.
“This is because the two leaders have very different ideologies and their intention was misplaced, ” Mrs Sinyangwe said.
She said that there is no way the pact expected itself to survive when their main aim of removing the party in power was to remove government from power, was publicly announced.
She also highlighted the fact that the change was not enshrined from the grassroots level but only took place from the top of the political pact’s structure.
Mrs Sinyangwa noted that it is evident that the pact between the two parties would not last.
She said that both Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema should have focused towards building a stronger base for the pact to grow from.
[ QFM ]
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has officially handed over the Mourners’ Shelter at Mporokoso District Council Cemetery, which was constructed with funding from the UN refugee agency under the “assistance to refugee host community initiative” amounting to K 60 million.
Construction of the Mourners’ Shelter commenced in December 2009 and was completed in August 2010.
Implementation of the project was undertaken by the Mporokoso District Council on behalf of the government of the Republic of Zambia.
According to a statement signed by UNHCR Communications officer Kelvin Shimo, the Mourners’ Shelter was handed over today by the UN Refugee Agency Head of Sub Office in Charge of Northern and Luapula Provinces Mr. Phillipe Creppy to Northern Province Minister, who officiated at the ceremony on behalf of the Government.
During the hand-over ceremony, Mr Creppy, underlined the fact that UNHCR is not a development agency, but within its limited resources tries to assist the local communities in refugee impacted areas.
The request to UNHCR to assist with the construction of the Mourners’ Shelter was first made by the residents of Mporokoso, who used to complain of lack of a Mourners’ Shelter at the District cemetery. Mporokoso, in Northern Province, hosts refugees at Mwange refugee camp.
Northern Province Minister, John Chinyanta thanked UNHCR for assisting the government by funding the construction of the Mourners’ Shelter which will improve services for mourners during burial at the district cemetery.
In January 2010, UNHCR also completed emergency rehabilitation of one by three classroom block and a teacher’s house at a cost of K60 million at Munkanta Basic School in Kawambwa District, Luapula Province, which had been destroyed by heavy rains in 2009.
Mr Creppy expressed his gratitude to the people of Mporokoso and the Government of the Republic of Zambia for the active support and commitment they showed all through the implementation of this project.
He also said the gesture was UNHCR’s appreciation to the people of Mporokoso and the Government of Zambia for the warm welcome which was and continues to be accorded refugees.
PF cadres
Partriotic Front (PF) youths have said the United Party for National Development (UPND) should leave the pact instead of insulting and antagonising their president Michael Sata and secretary general Wynter Kabimba.
PF national youth secretary Eric Chanda said the UPND leaders had shown that they entered into the pact in bad faith.
Mr Chanda was reacting to a statement by UPND national youth chairperson, Joe Kalusa who claimed that Mr Sata had lost wisdom despite having served in Government for a long time.
Mr Kalusa said as an old man, the UPND had expected Mr Sata to provide wisdom in the pact, but that he had failed to do so.
But Mr Chanda wondered what Mr Kalusa had done for the country to attack Mr Sata who he said was liked by many Zambians. “Who is Joe Kalusa to tell the man who has suffered for the people that he has lost wisdom? Can he tell the Zambian people what he has done compared to Mr Sata?” he asked.
Mr Chanda said even UPND Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo and his Siavonga counterpart Douglas Syakalima could not be compared with Mr Sata.
He said Mr Syakalima and Nkombo should have sought dialogue with their pact partners instead of rushing to the media to air their grievances.
“To us as PF youths, it is clear that they are not interested in the pact and let them go. PF is the largest political party in Zambia and therefore we can stand alone without the help of any political party,” Mr Chanda said.
He instructed all the PF youths in Zambia to launch a vigorous campaign and mobilisation as a single party and not as a pact with the UPND.
Meanwhile, the PF in Eastern Province said yesterday it was in support of Mr Kabimba’s statement that UPND did not join the pact in good faith.
In a statement released in Chipata, PF Eastern Province publicity secretary Mung’omba Ngoma accused the UPND of de-campaigning the PF in the Milanzi Constituency by-election in Katete this year.
He said UPND provincial officials “camped” in Mufumbwe instead of assisting the PF in the polls.
Mr Ngoma said the PF was better off without the UPND and warned that UPND risked being further weakened with the formation of a party by former Finance minister Ng’andu Magande.
He charged that the UPND was a provincial party which was only strong in Southern Province.
Mr Ngoma said if UPND party was serious with the pact, it should not have allowed its members to castigate Mr Sata and other senior party officials in the manner they did.
But UPND chairperson for youth and child development, Micheal Chuuzu refuted the claim by PF that the UPND leaders did not support their pact partners in Milanzi.
“PF has no party structures on the ground in Milanzi, they used our party structures during the Milanzi by-election” Mr Chuuzu, who is one of the national management committee members from Eastern Province, said.
On assertions that the formation of a party by Mr Magande would weaken UPND, Mr Chuuzu said Mr Magande’s party would instead weaken the PF because Mr Magande was targeting to woo all the PF rebel MPs to his side.
[ Times of Zambia ]
SECOND Republican president Frederick Chiluba rejected attempts by Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata to take over the presidency in 2001 after realising that the opposition leader’s conduct did not match that of a head of State.
Dr Chiluba, alongside the national executive committee, supported the candidature of late president Levy Mwanawasa when his second five-year tenure of office expired in 2001 which was the reason Mr Sata does not like the former President.
MMD chairperson for information and publicity Dora Siliya said this when she addressed a public rally at Kasakalabwe Middle School in Mpulungu Constituency to drum up support for the October 28, 2010 parliamentary by-election.
The Mpulungu parliamentary by-election follows the death of Lameck Chibombamilimo.
Apart from working as a popularity gauge for the main political parties the contest will be about numerical advantages in the 150-member National Assembly, currently dominated by the ruling party.
Ms Siliya said Mr Sata started showing lust for power when he served under Dr Chiluba but it was clear that Zambia deserved a better candidate to promote national economic development and unity.
She told the residents to reject the candidate the PF would adopt for the by-election and encouraged them to judge Government on the basis of its performance and not the lies being told by Mr Sata against President Rupiah Banda and the Government.
Dr Chiluba, alongside the national executive committee supported the candidature of late president Levy Mwanawasa when his second five-year tenure of office expired in 2001 which was the reason Mr Sata does not like the former president.
Ms Siliya, who is Education minister, said Dr Chiluba was a good president who promoted unity while Mr Sata did not like people from many parts of the country and had continued to demonstrate this by promoting politics of ethnicity.
She warned that the disunity being promoted by the opposition could lead to civil war as the leader continues to divide the nation on tribal lines.
She said the MMD Government would continue to work for the people despite the criticism by the opposition and the allied civil society organisations.
Ms Siliya said the people of Mpulungu had demanded that Mpulungu Harbour should be repossessed and the Government had done just that.
The harbour had the capacity to employ many people and feed the whole district if well managed and that Government would ensure that the people benefit from the investment.
Meanwhile, residents of Mpulungu have demanded that the MMD should adopt prominent Mpulungu business executive Given Mung’omba as the candidate for the ruling party.
Ms Siliya said part of her mission was to involve the residents in selecting the candidate to assess whether the constituency officials had picked the candidate the voters want.
Another applicant for the position is former MP Griever Sikasote who is Northern Province MMD chairperson.
[ Times of Zambia ]
In an earlier article, I had given the so called UPND/PF Pact until November 2010 to survive. After November, I predicted that it was going to disintegrate into stark factions and rancour. November is two months away and all the signs are all here. The Pact has
collapsed. The winner in this break-up is unfortunately, Michael Sata and the loser of course is his counterpart Hakainde Hichilema. In this article, I wish to examine how HH lost the battle for the Pact because of his political naiveté.
Hakainde Hichilema failed to control his message going into the pact. He was undoubtedly motivated by a modest desire to see that the MMD does not retain power in 2011. But that is where the problem lay. HH did not care about the disparate manifestos that his party had with PF. Instead, his actions were characteristically opportunistic. He was ready to compromise his pro-business principles, pro-constitution values and the democratic character of his UPND. He was willing to sacrifice all these ideals at the altar of the PF’s anti-business and dictatorial trends. I do wonder why it never occurred to HH that the PF he wanted to go to bed with had never conducted intra-party elections at any level, from its branches to its Central Committee, in the 9 years of its existence.
Hakainde Hichilema lamentably failed to keep and enforce political discipline within his UPND ranks. As a party under Anderson Mazoka, the UPND was very well rallied around its party president. Mazoka was undoubtedly a respected leader within the UPND. But as HH took over, it was clear that he was no match for Mazoka. HH found it difficult to escape Anderson’s shadows. An incessant comparison between him and Kambela yielded miserable outcomes. When problems started to develop within the UPND/PF Pact, HH tried and failed to articulate to his people to give the pact a chance. It looks like more junior UPND structures had no hope in PF’s sincerity about the Pact. And as such, they just saw no reason why their leader wanted to insist on it.
The greatest show of indiscipline came when the UPND national Youth Chairman Joe Kalusa expressed doubt about the leadership abilities of the UPND and PF leaders in pact. HH had all but failed to whip and rally his troops.
Hakainde Hichilema’s public insistence that he cannot win the 2011 elections if the UPND went it alone shows his political naïveté. Politics is a game of posturing. It never is a game of veracity and actuality. It is a game of cards, opportunity and courage. But HH just recently told his followers not to cheat him into thinking that he can win the 2011 elections singlehandedly. This defeatist mentality is contrary to the spirit of Zambian politics. HH’s insistence that he needs a Pact to dislodge the MMD from power is perhaps one single statement that seals his fate as a political neophyte.
Even leaders of smaller parties in Zambia, without parliamentary presence, never display such defeatism. They go on fighting. Parties such as Heritage Party, or even Reform Party or indeed UNIP do go into elections with a courage and belief that they are in it to win. None of party presidents ever say that they cannot win an election. Michael Sata himself as leader of the PF never says that he cannot win the presidency unaided. In fact, what HH said made him appear politically immature compared to his counterpart. That it is the UPND that needed the Pact more than the PF needed it can be comfortably inferred from HH’s statements. In politics, many would rather vote for a ten-man party whose leader believes that he can win, than vote for a millions’ party whose leader displays spineless attitudes. HH has lost the battle for the Pact because he as evidenced by his recent statements cannot win the 2011 election unless he stood on the Pact’s ticket.
The UPND and Hakainde Hichilema do still have a huge role to play in the political arena in Zambia, however. As a party that is rising in its popularity, HH should not have discouraged his supporters that the UPND cannot triumph. He instead needed to encourage them if they are to continue with their resurgence in Northwestern Province and beyond. As HH is telling us about his inabilities, a new National Movement for Progress (NMP) under Ng’andu Magande is reverberating in Monze and beyond.
Magande does believe that he is the right man for Zambia and is coming to the year 2011 with the audacity to win. If HH continues with his naivety, the people of Southern Province may switch their allegiance from his UPND to NMP or worse still the MMD.
All Ng’andu needs to tell the South, the North, the East and the West is that he has become the heir of their desire to see a developed Zambia. If it is time for a southerner to lead their beloved country, Magande may be the man. At least, unlike one Hakainde Hichilema, he believes it.
The Christian Council of Zambia (CCZ) General Secretary Susan Matale has advised political parties to educate their cadres against engaging in violence.
And Reverend Matale has observed that ferrying party cadres from one place to another creates an enabling environment for political violence.
Rev Matale said peace is an ingredient for development advised party presidents to strongly condemn the violent acts ahead of the forth-coming Chilanga and Mpulungu parliamentary elections set for next month.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka on Friday, Rev.Matale said Zambia needs peace and it should not be deliberately spoiled for the sake of an election.
Rev Matale said political leaders should strongly come out in open in condemning violence perpetrated by their members.
She hoped that the parliamentary elections in the two constituencies in Chilanga and Mpulungu would be held in a free and fair environment adding that the violence that rocked Mufumbwe to the run-up parliamentary elections were unfortunate.
[pullquote]
“ There is no reason for hating or causing harm to each other for a sake of campaigns because this country needs peace. It is our sincere hope that the elections in Chilanga and Mpulungu will be conducted in a free and smooth atmosphere,” Rev Matale said.[/pullquote]
“As a Church, we are asking the party presidents to restrain their cadres from engaging themselves in violent acts. Party leaders should come out in open and denounce violence because this country needs peace
“ There is no reason for hating or causing harm to each other for a sake of campaigns because this country needs peace. It is our sincere hope that the elections in Chilanga and Mpulungu will be conducted in a free and smooth atmosphere,” Rev Matale said.
The CCZ-GS advised political leaders to talk about development as opposed to advancing petty issues based on individualism.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has set October 28, 2010 as the date for holding the parliamentary by-elections for both Chilanga and Mpulungu seats respectively.
The Mpulungu seat fell vacant following the death of area MP Mr Chibombamilimo while the Chilanga seat fell vacant after the expulsion of area MP and former Finance and National Planning Minister Ng’andu Magande from the ruling MMD party for gross indiscipline.
Mr Chibombamilimo who passed away in India after an illness was Deputy Minister of Energy and water Development.
Meanwhile, the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) Executive Director Lee Habasonda has bemoaned the lack of implementation to translate the election materials into Braille to be used for people with disabilities.
Mr Habasonda told ZANIS in an interview that ECZ should consider meeting the demands of disadvantaged people in society.
He urged government through the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the plight of people with disabilities noting that such people are denied secrecy during election periods because their ‘tools’ for reading and writing is usually not available at Polling Stations.
“It is common knowledge that people with disabilities here in Zambia do not vote because of lack of Braille materials. As SACCORD, our concern is the lack of the Electoral Body to translate the election materials into Braille to benefit the people with disabilities,” Mr Habasonda lamented.
According to Mr Habasonda, people with disabilities use other people to vote during elections which he described that the vote is ‘no longer a secret’ because it has been exposed to the second party.
[pullquote]”It is common knowledge that people with disabilities here in Zambia do not vote because of lack of Braille materials. As SACCORD, our concern is the lack of the Electoral Body to translate the election materials into Braille to benefit the people with disabilities,” Mr. Habasonda lamented.[/pullquote]
He further said some of the people with disabilities do not go to vote because they are frustrated in the first instance.
Government has revealed that the health and agricultural sector remains highly constrained with human resource.
This is despite the fact that the sectors are vital in economic and national development.
Speaking on Friday when he graced the swearing in of 52 Peace Corps volunteers at the American ambassador’s residence, Health Minister, Kapembwa Simbao observed that the nation’s aqua agricultural sector and that of the health greatly lack expertise.
Mr Simbao who’s speech was read by director of technical support services, Dr.Elizabeth Chimeza, acknowledged the extensive support that the American government has been giving to Zambia in these areas through their peace corps project.
He said that over 34 thousand beneficiaries have been impacted through the Peace Corps project.
The newly sworn in American ambassador to Zambia, Mark Storella challenged the volunteers to respect the Zambian culture and not interfere in their politics.
Faz has named a 27-man Zambia national team provisional list ahead of the sides 2012 Africa Cup Group C qualifier against Libya away in a fortnights time.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Jacob Banda (Zesco United), Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, South Africa), Kalililo Kakonje (Clubless)
Defenders:Dennis Banda (Green Buffaloes), Jimmy Chisenga (Red Arrows),Kampamba Chintu (Amazulu, South Africa), Hichani Homoonde, Emmanuel Mbola (Both TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Billy Mwanza, Nyambe Mulenga (Both Zesco United), Davies Nkausu (SuperSport United, South Africa), Thomas Nyirenda (Zanaco)
Midfielders:Simon Bwalya, Kennedy Mudenda (Both Power Dynamos), Isaac Chansa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Noah Chivuta (Free State Stars, South Africa), Rainford Kalaba (Clubless),Felix Katongo (Al Ittihad, Libya), Jonas Sakuwaha (Le Harve, France), Stophira Sunzu (TP Mazembe, DR Congo)
Forwards: James Chamanga (Dalian Haichang,China), Christopher Katongo (Xanthi, Greece), Roger Kola (AS Ashdod, Israel), Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys, Switzerland), Jacob Mulenga (FC Utretch, Netherlands), Given Singuluma (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Fwayo Tembo (FC Basel, Switzerland)
Provincial local government officer for central province Alfred Nyambozi says lack of publicity and adequate issuance of National Registration cards had contributed to the low voter turnout in the first phase of voter registration.
Mr. Nyambozi said that most voter registration points in Kapiri Mposhi had been deserted by registration officers after Electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) delayed to announce the extended exercise.
And conflict management committee member Miss Victoria Mwanaumo who stood in for Kabwe town clerk Ms Vivian Chikoti said, a lot of people in the districts have not registered because of lack of registration cards and wide publicity.
Ms Chikoti commended (ECZ) for incorporating the National Registration department ,who will be issuing registration cards to people who had not managed to register as voters.
On publicity Ms Chikoti said despite her office and (ECZ) using radio stations to publicize the voter registration, many people in the outlined areas had not known about the exercise.
Mr Nyambozi told the voter registration briefing that the electoral officer in Kapiri Mposhi had not informed those registering voters not to demobilize from the voter registration focal points they were engaged to conduct voter registrations.
He said that during, his visit to Kapiri Mposhi many places had been left without officers manning the registration focal points.
Mr Nyambozi said the number of people who registered before the extension of the voter exercise was, Mumbwa recorded 15 888, Mkushi 8974 , Serenje 10 652 , Chibombo 17 000 and Kapiri Mposhi 14 049 respectively.
And district registration officer Norah Shanene reported during the voter registration briefing that Luapula , Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces were the most hit by fake national registration cards.
Miss Shanene said her office was eager to issue (NRC’s) to as many people to ensure that they were not disfranchised from participating in the 2011 elections.
She said a lot of the people who have not been issued with (NRC’s) are those who are an able to give collect information.
A civic leader in Gwembe District has dragged 12 headmen to court for failing to spearhead the construction of a health post in his ward.
Bbondo Ward councilor, Patrick Hanjeme yesterday told ZANIS in Munyumbwe that he had decided to sue the 12 headmen in his ward so that they could explain in court why construction works at Bbondo have not started despite that all building material had long been delivered in the area.
[pullquote]“About K30m CDF money had been released and already, K24m has been used to purchase building material and delivered on site,” he said.[/pullquote]
Mr Hanjeme explained that construction material worth K24m bought from Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for the construction of a clinic is still marooned in Bbondo.
“About K30m CDF money had been released and already, K24m has been used to purchase building material and delivered on site,” he said.
He said about 100 pockets of cement, planks, iron sheets, window frames and other building materials were delivered in June this year and construction works were scheduled to complete this month.
Mr Hanjeme added that he was forced to drag the headmen to court because they had failed to mobilize their subjects to mould and burn bricks as part of the 25% contribution by the community, leading to staled construction works of the health post.
He told ZANIS in Gwembe that he hoped that the court would issue a court order to ensure headmen work in the stipulated time to complete the clinic project that he said would greatly reduce the distance that people in his ward have to cover to access health care services.
And Malambo Village headman, Mailoni Simonga told ZANIS that he was shocked when he received a court summon over the matter.
Headman Malambo who sat outside court to await court to open said headmen were doing their best towards the construction of a clinic in question.
In addition, Pathius Cheelo of Kantundwa Village said works on the clinic were moving, though at a slow pace.
FLASHBACK:MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga dances with party cadres during card renewal exercise in Chibombo
The Movement for Multi -Party Democracy (MMD) says it is not scared with its expelled Chilanga Member of Parliament Ngandu Magande forming a political party.
MMD National chairman, Michael Mabenga said the party will not be affected but remain intact.
Mr. Mabenga who welcomed the decision of its former MP forming a political party said he has a democratic right to do so adding that the ruling MMD is unmoved by the development.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the party is not concerned adding that it was the party that chucked him out in the first place.
“We welcome the formation of his party it is his democratic right. If we were scared of him impact we would have not chucked him out of the party but the reason that he was expelled shows that we are unmoved.” He said.
Meanwhile Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) Information Officer, McDonald Chipenzi said the proliferation of opposition political party is only adding misery to the opposition.
He said the formation of more opposition political parties are giving an upper advantage to the ruling MMD.
He doubted whether the new party formed by the former Finance Minister will have an impact on the Zambian political scene saying all other parties formed in the past have failed to produce expected results.
Mr. Chipenzi added that the formation of more opposition political parties only shows the desperation of people to go to state house.
“It is sad that Zambian politicians think that going to plot one is the only way to serve the people, but there are many other ways you can serve the people. This development of every person who is disgruntled form a party is retrogressive to our politics” he said.
He has since called on people who want to form political parties to first reflect on whether they will add value to the Zambian democracy.
Former Chilanga MP is reported in the media to have launched campaigns for his presidential bid for 2011 and distributing fliers in Southern Province under his party the National Movement for Progress (NMP).
Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti has warned members of Parliament (MPs) against ‘conniving with the donor community’ to stop aid to the Zambian Government in road infrastructure development.
Mr. Mulongoti says utterances by some disgruntled MPs are capable of souring the good relations government has with the donors.
He observed that the donors have high esteem for Zambian parliamentarians but warned that they should be careful as they interact with the donors.
“You MPs, you should not complain if there is no development in your respective areas. Stop telling the people who give us moneys negative stories because…” the Minister said.
Mr. Mulongoti said this in parliament today shortly before responding to Chipili Patriotic Front MP Mr. Davies Mwila who wanted to ask when the Government will rehabilitate the Mwenda-Kashiba, Mukabi-Kawambwa; and Mansa-Kashikishi roads in Luapula Province.
He further wanted to find out from government what has caused the delay in starting the works on the roads; and how much money will be spent on the rehabilitation works.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the President on Monitoring and Implementation of government projects Ben Kapita has expressed displeasure at the poor workmanship by wayimbala awana contracting company at Chitundu middle basic school in Chinsali.
Mr Kapita was speaking when he inspected the construction of a 1 by 3 class room block at the school by the named company.
He said that he was not impressed with the work the company had done at the site. He noted that the company could have done a better job than what was obtaining at the site.
Mr Kapita said government has done so much in terms of implementing projects and programs a move that ought to be embraced and supported.
He stressed that there were so many schools, clinics and hospitals in the country which the government had constructed and is still constructing for the benefit of its citizenry.
Mr Kapita further said that it was unfortunate that some people were bent on saying that Government was doing nothing in terms of development despite seeing a lot of programs and projects being implemented.
