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.
Caleb Fundanga talking to journalists during the quarterly media briefing in Lusaka
The Bank of Zambia, BOZ has projected an end of year annual inflation of below 8%. BOZ Governor Dr. Caleb Fundanga told a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday that this favourable outlook is on account of expected stability in maize prices in view of the bumper harvest in 2010.
Dr. Fundanga explained that the bumper harvest will soon compel prices of stock feeds and other maize products to significantly drop in prices. He said with the bumper harvest, stock feed prices which will translate into reduced prices of chicken, meat and cornflakes.
He further explains that favorable supply of vegetables and fresh fish during the period and relative stability of the Kwacha against the US Dollar for much of the fourth quarter will help keep the inflation rate relatively low.
Dr. Fundanga added that the central bank will continue to monitor developments and undertake appropriate monetary policy actions to ensure that monetary targets are achieved.
He explained that to contain growth of money supply within the operations of the programmed path, BOZ will continue to employ open market operations and auctioning of government securities.
And Dr. Fundanga has expressed satisfaction at the overall financial performance of the banking sector in the third quarter of 2010. Speaking at the quarterly media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Fundanga revealed that on aggregate, the banking sector was adequately capitalized and that the liquidity levels have remained high.
He further disclosed that the overall balance of payments recorded a surplus of US$357.6 million during the third quarter compared to a deficit of US$94.3 million in the previous quarter.
He said the current account surplus increased to US$453.6 million from a surplus of US$92.8 million recorded in the last quarter. The BOZ governor also revealed that the slow pace of economic recovery in the United States has in the third quarter drove the US Dollar weaker thereby enabling the Kwacha to post a 5.0% gain against the American currency.
He further said a sustained rise in the copper prices at the London Metal exchange to an average of US7, 281 per tonne gave further support to the Kwacha with the Interbank rate ending the period at an average of K4, 869 per US Dollar.
The learning process was on Friday temporally disrupted at Mubalashi Basic School in Kapiri Mposhi district after unexpected rains soaked both staff and pupils, alike. The unexpected rains soaked pupils and teachers during lessons held in a roofless classroom at the school.
The classroom blocks of the school had its roof blown off by strong winds early this year and has not been replaced causing lessons to be conducted in un-roofed classrooms.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) chairman, Emmanuel Sinyangwe told ZANIS in Kapiri Mponshi that the pupils and teachers were soaked during class lessons.
Mr. Sinyangwe has appealed to the office of the District Commissioner (DC) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to find a permanent solution to put up a roof at the school before the rains intensify.
He said the school should be roofed in order to safeguard both pupils and teachers lives and improve the learning environment. The PTA chairman said his association has failed to raise funds to work on the roofing of the school.
He also said there is need to provide a roof over the school building before the commencement of the grade nine examinations to protect the pupils from the rains. Mr. Sinyangwe feared the examinations will be disturbed unless the classrooms are not roofed on time.
The PTA Chairman advised the government and other well wishers to organize tents to cover the classrooms as a temporal measure to allow the grade nine pupils write their examinations which commence on 15th November.
Government says it attaches great importance to the role church continues to play in the provision of social services to the country..
Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Angela Cifire said government looks upon the church as a partner in most developmental projects and tackling of social problems affecting the people.
Ms Cifire, who is also Luangeni area MP, said the church has often made tangible efforts in offsetting the many challenges affecting people especially in sectors such as health and education.
She said government requires supplementary efforts from entities like the church, as it cannot on its own manage to provide social services to all its people due to demands from other equally important sectors.
Ms Cifire said there is need therefore for the church to continue working together with President Rupiah Banda’s administration to foster social and economic development for the country.
The Deputy Minister was speaking when she graced the induction ceremony of Rev Benny Mvula as the new Katawa Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) congregation pastor in Luangeni constituency of Chipata district yesterday.
Rev Mvula becomes the first permanent pastor to be ordained as pastor for Katawa RCZ congregation for over a decade.
Ms Chifire said government was proud of the RCZ and commended the church for supplementing government’s efforts in the provision of social services especially in the health and education sectors.
And Rev. Mvula said the RCZ church was ready and willing to work with the ruling government in uplifting the living conditions of people across the country.
Rev Mvula said it was the mandate of the church to support the government of the day in fostering social and economic development in communities across the country.
He pledged to support the ruling MMD in the 2011 elections because they were delivering on their promises as seen by the number of developmental projects the government has achieved.
A new political party called “Africa’s Democratic and Economic Development Organization (ADEDO)-Zambia Must Change Now (ZAMUCANO)” has been formed and set to be launched this Sunday.
ADEDO-ZAMUCANO leader Brown Kapika announced the formation of the new party to ZANIS in Lusaka today. Mr. Kapika said he has come back to Zambia from the Netherlands where he is based to save the country from what he termed recycled leadership that has characterized the political scenario in Zambia. He added that the country needs a leader with wisdom.
He expressed confidence of scooping next year’s Tripartite elections bragging that there is no political party in the country with the vision to transform the country into a developed nation other than his party .
He said his party has formulated a 17 point manifesto which he said will develop the country and better the lives of its citizens. In the manifesto, the new political party has among other things pledged to offer free and quality healthcare, education up to University level and nationalize the mining sector .
The new party leader said his party has already been spread to Coppe belt and Eastern province saying the party has adopted the red card as its symbol.
Mr. Kapika said his party has come to form government and implement the good policies to make the country a better country for all Zambians.
ADEDO-ZAMUCANO political party has joined several other political parties that are vying to form government come 2011.
Zambia is one of the African countries with over 20 political parties most of which only come on the scene during election.
Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha has charged that God has finally exposed Father Frank Bwalya’s true character following revelations that he received US$100,000 from Patriotic Front president Michael Sata, for anti-Government campaigns.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha has promised that the law will not be lenient on anyone found wanting following the allegations made by former PF secretary general Edward Mumbi.
General Shikapwasha stated that government is very disappointed with the Fr Bwalya who he said pretended to be championing change on behalf of the people when in fact he was doing it for his own benefit through his alleged money laundering deals with Mr. Sata.
He reiterated that the law will take its course and that everyone found to have engaged in illegal acts will face the law. He said government has appropriate laws in place to deal with such cases.
General Shikapwasha added that government will use this particular case to show how serious the MMD government is in fighting corruption and money laundering. He was speaking in an interview with QFM.
Over the weekend, former PF secretary general, Edward Mumbi told a media briefing that that the PF leader, Michael Sata paid Change Life Zambia CLZ executive director, Father Frank Bwalya $100,000 to de-campaign the current government.
And The Forum for Progressive Politics (FPP) has joined in calls for the prosecution of Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata for sponsoring an organization with the view of destabilizing the country. FPP Secretary General Charles Kafumbo said what Mr. Sata did is treacherous and amount to treason.
[pullquote]General Shikapwasha added that government will use this particular case to show how serious the MMD government is in fighting corruption and money laundering.[/pullquote]
He has charged that it was unreasonable for a person of Mr. Sata’s caliber who is aspiring for the highest position in the country to involve himself in such an act. Mr. Kafumbo said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
He accused Mr. Sata of trying to destabilize the country by sponsoring Change Life Zambia Executive Director Father Frank Bwalya through the red card campaign.
Former PF Secretary General Edward Mumbi last week disclosed at press briefing that Mr. Sata gave US$ 100,000 to Fr. Bwalya to campaign against the government through the red card campaign.
Mr. Sata has since refuted the allegation leveled against him. Government has ,yesterday,asked security wings to investigate reports that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata gave former Catholic priest Frank Bwalya US$100,000 for anti-Government campaigns.
Mr Sata on the other hand has denied the allegations and described former secretaries general Edward Mumbi and Charles Chimumbwa as mercenaries who should be ignored by Zambians.
A court in Malawi convicted a gay couple (Steven Monjeza-left and Tiwonge Chimbalanga-right)
By Gerald Nkisu Katayi
Human rights campaigners want their voices heard and homosexuality legalized around the world. A few years ago, it was a distant Western ideology that had no room in Zambian culture and it was regarded as taboo to even talk about. Now everything has changed, homosexuality is being debated upon in Parliament. Should homosexuality be legalized in Zambia? To those in “the rights movements” speaking against homosexuality is as bad as hate crime. Why is it coming with so much force?
Zambians are tribal people who are informed by their traditions and religion. Which tribe in Zambia espouses homosexuality? And which religion supports these tendencies? If none of the traditions or religions is into homosexuality; is homosexuality then a foreign phenomenon?[pullquote]who are these minority Zambians behind the homosexual talk? If they are the minority, how come they have the money and the publicity? Is this donor money? If yes, homosexuality is foreign and Zambian are selling their souls because of poverty.[/pullquote]
If it is foreign, then it should be disregarded and forgotten. But, may be not! The vice president is on record, confirming that a prominent journalist/ lawyer who is Zambian is gay. Is this an isolated case? Some voices are quietly in support of homosexuality while one politician is being accused of promising gay right once voted into office. Are some Zambians truly homosexuals?
Some reports prove that Africans speaking in favor of homosexuality are in fact doing it just for monetary gain; they are not genuinely seeking change in their life style. As Zambians continue to debate on this matter here is a biblical view to help Christians make an informed decision.
First, homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one’s own sex (The Greek word homos mean the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term “gay” which meant “happy” few years ago has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
This understanding is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. Homosexuality is sinful. That is the bottom line. Apostle Paul, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared that homosexuals “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9; 10).
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). “If a man also lies with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel” (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was neither an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known.
The Bible rules out homosexuality. With this theory of understanding in mind, other religions and traditions have their own cause against legalizing homosexuality in Zambia. The majority of Zambians are religious and traditionalist; that can be seen in their worship and the thousands that attend traditional ceremonies across the country. They are anti gay! If this is a true reflection and description of many Zambians; a question that remains is, who are these minority Zambians behind the homosexual talk? If they are the minority, how come they have the money and the publicity? Is this donor money? If yes, homosexuality is foreign and Zambian are selling their souls because of poverty.
Finance Situmbeko Musokotawne inspects government construction projects.
FINANCE and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata is afraid of facing President Rupiah Banda in next year’s presidential elections following landmark achievements recorded in the last two years by the current Zambian leader.
Dr Musokotwane said Zambia’s ranking in the global economies as the 10th most improved in the process of doing business in the past year was among factors sending the opposition leader into panic.
In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Musokotwane said the Government had “swept Mr Sata off the carpet” with an easy entry into the 2011 presidential election campaign on the back of a record bumper harvest, single-digit inflation and growing international recognition.
He said the Government was delivering development at a pace that had never been reached before and that the opposition parties were finding it hard to accept.
“We are addressing all the social challenges decisively and they are obviously panicking because of the elections. They are stunned with the record pace at which we are constructing schools, health centres and roads,” Dr Musokotwane said.
He said during the period of the global financial crisis, the opposition and analysts aligned to the opposition had condemned the Government for alleged failure to address the challenges posed by the economic downturn, but facts now suggested that Zambia was among the few countries that were successful.
Dr Musokotwane said with the 7.3 per cent annual rate of inflation for the month of October, the Government was optimistic of better performance before the close of the year.
Dr Musokotwane also said the Government remained optimistic that the projected copper output of 720,000 tonnes would be reached this year.
“So they will continue to do politics but we will continue providing development to the people of Zambia,” he said.
[pullquote]“We are addressing all the social challenges decisively and they are obviously panicking because of the elections. They are stunned with the record pace at which we are constructing schools, health centres and roads,” Dr Musokotwane said.[/pullquote]
The minister said the high ranking by the World Bank resulted from the Government’s well-focused policies that included the opening of the one-stop-border post at Chirundu.
He said the Government had drastically reduced bureaucracy in the processing of business licences and importation, and that was responsible for the growing economic activity in the country.
Last week, World Bank acting director in charge of global indicators and analysis, Neil Gregory said Zambia and Cape Verde had risen 10 and eight spots, respectively, with Zambia grading 76th in the doing business 2011 index.
Mr Gregory said at the launch of the 2011 Doing Business Report that Zambia had performed well in easing the business start-up by eliminating the minimum capital requirements.
THE Government has asked security wings to investigate reports that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata gave former Catholic priest Frank Bwalya US$100,000 for anti-Government campaigns.
Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said in Lusaka yesterday that the law required that procedure should be followed where huge amounts of money were deposited into any commercial bank.
He said the Zambia police frauds department, Drug Enforcement Commission and other security wings should investigate the matter to establish how the money was raised and whether it was declared before being deposited in Finance Bank.
Gen Shikapwasha said the security wings should investigate issues around money laundering and tax-related ones.
“The law will visit all those involved in this matter. The police, the DEC anti-money laundering unit will investigate this matter together with the Bank of Zambia which has laws about money laundering,” he said.
Mr Mumbi told a media briefing in Lusaka on Saturday that Mr Sata paid Fr Bwalya $100,000 and urged the PF leader to clarify the matter.
When contacted for comment, Fr Bwalya said he was aware that he had been mentioned by the media as having received some money from Mr Sata but did not have any comment to make.
Mr Sata during a live programme on Joy FM said Mr Chimumbwa and Mr Mumbi were “mercenaries’ who should be ignored by Zambians.
DEC spokesperson, John Nyawali declined to comment on the matter, describing it as sensitive.
Finance Bank executive director for corporate banking, Noel Nkhoma said he could not discuss the matter at this stage because of bank-client confidentiality.
Mr Nkhoma said the bank would issue a statement after carrying out investigations.
Faz faces the prospect of a second war front opening in their standoff with Super Division clubs.
Super Division teams are now pondering on whether or not to release players for international duty as they turn the screw on Kalusha Bwalya’s beleaguered administration to call for an emergency council meeting.
Zesco United secretary Justin Mumba told Radio Phoenix sports on Sunday that it was time common sense reined before Faz found itself in an embarrassing situation with no key players for their planned November 17 friendly and CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup outing in Tanzania at the monthend.
The bulk of Dario Bonetti’s team for the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup is expected to come from home-based players while foreign-based players are notoriously unreliable for duty when it comes to international friendlies forcing Faz to fall on the local pool.
“Before the national team assembles for CECAFA, there is need for the Faz and the Super Division clubs to be in harmony,” Mumba told radio Phoenix.
“I don’t see how they can get players from Zanaco, Power (Dynamos), Green Buffaloes and Zesco (United). They are not in harmony, I think dialogue is the way forward. Showing our muscles will not take us any anywhere. The only way forward is dialogue. Dialogue is the only way out. If I was them (Faz) I would call a meeting on Monday.”
Meanwhile, Faz has said it will dock points for all teams that defied their league obligations to play Saturdays Super Division Week 29 games.
No Week 29 matches were played on Saturday after teams either did not travel or those that traveled were snubbed by their hosts.
Buffaloes and Zanaco have so far been docked three points from them after they both refused to play their delayed Week 20 game last Wednesday at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka.
FLASHBACK: Football association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya arrives late for a press briefing at Football House in Lusaka
Patriotic Front President Michael Sata has charged that the dispute surrounding the legality of the Football Association of Zambia FAZ executive will only be resolved if President Kalusha Bwalya accepts that he is not an expert in football administration.
Sata said with the current situation surrounding the country’s football governing body, it will be hard for the country to produce a strong national football team ahead of the 2012 Africa cup of nations.
He charged that the wrangles at Football house shows that Kalusha is not capable of leading FAZ.
Sata has also accused Second Republican President Frederick Chiluba of interfering in FAZ administration by always pushing his alleged relatives into the FAZ leadership.
Sata told QFM that former President Chiluba pushed current FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya into the top job at Football house adding that the country’s football legend is not fit to lead FAZ.
[pullquote]Sata has also accused Second Republican President Frederick Chiluba of interfering in FAZ administration by always pushing his alleged relatives into the FAZ leadership.[/pullquote]
He has called on the Minister of Sport, Youth and Child Development, Kenneth Chipungu to intervene in the matter before it gets out of hand.
The PF leader said Zambia risks being suspended from international competitions if FAZ does not put its house in order.
FLASHBACK: RB and Nkandu waving at the crowd gathered at the City Square during the ZANAMA 10th anniversary
By Lusaka Times Reporter
Zambia National Marketeers Association(ZANAMA) has dismissed claims that it is a hub of cadres and shrives on political inclination. ZANAMA has for sometime been criticized and labeled an unprofessional.
ZANAMA Livingstone Chairperson Joseph Musole said his association will not condone anyone trying to destroy the image of the traders’ union. He said ZANAMA deserves respect from the public especially that it is the biggest employer in the country.
“We are the biggest employer and in our midst are professionals for example I am a chartered accountant myself I have worked for many companies so if I’m in the market it is not a green light for someone to defame me,”he said.
Mr.Musole said ZANAMA is a non-partisan organisation that seeks to support the government of the day.
“Of course we all belong to different political parties and I can tell you that parties are simply groupings but when we come here, this is work and we abide by that,” he said in an agitated voice.
[pullquote]”We are the biggest employer and in our midst are professionals for example I am a chartered accountant myself I have worked for many companies so if I’m in the market it is not a green light for someone to defame me,”he said.[/pullquote]
The chairperson was speaking in an interview with a Lusaka Times reporter at Livingstone weigh bridge on Friday.
And ZANAMA Vice Chairperson Steven Mukandawire warned some of the members of his association, who are fond of causing political confusions , of stern action.
Mr.Mukandawire said ZANAMA is a duly registered and professional body that is governed by rules of incorporation.
And during his visit to Southern Province on Friday, President Banda noted that ZANAMA was always there for him. He said he could count on their support and thanked them for the commitment.
According to the 2010 edition of the Human Development Index, the quality of life in three countries—that is, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—has slid backward, while many people around the world have experienced dramatic improvements in education, health, economic well-being, and other key aspects of their lives.
The decline in the socio-economic well-being of Zambians has, by and large, been a culmination of several factors described in a nutshell below.
Dependency on Copper:
Zambia’s initial failure to diversify economic activities away from the mining industry has subjected the national economy to the vagaries of steep decreases in copper prices and production levels, which, together with low mining taxes, has resulted in dwindling government revenues to cater for essential public services and infrastructure.
Petroleum Prices:
Unprecedented hikes in petroleum prices by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1973/74 and 1979/80 resulted in a steep rise in the price of imported oil from US$2.50 to US$35 per barrel, thereby draining the public treasury and making it difficult for the government to meet the basic needs and expectations of citizens.
Mismanagement:
Rampant economic and public-sector mismanagement resulted in diversion of human, financial and other national resources to unproductive projects and programs. For example, the creation of the Central Committee (a somewhat parallel structure to the National Assembly) and the position of Prime Minister that followed the introduction of a one-party State in 1972 contributed greatly to the misappropriation of public resources.
Other examples of the mismanagement of national resources in the country include the following: the creation of sinecures like the position of District Commissioner, unnecessary expansion of ministerial and deputy ministerial positions, excessive number and staffing of the country’s foreign missions, the recommendation by the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) to increase the size of the National Assembly from 158 to 280 members, procurement of the over-priced hearses and the controversial mobile hospitals, and the excessive and costly foreign trips by the Republican president.
National Service Program:
The compulsory recruitment of Grade 12 students to undergo military training and engage in agricultural production activities between 1975 and 1980 at Zambia National Service (ZNS) camps (as mandated by ZNS Act No. 121 of 1972) contributed to the draining of public coffers. A lot of money was wasted on ZNS personnel, the construction of facilities to accommodate Grade 12 graduates, payments of stipends to the graduates, and on procurements of food, uniforms, semi-automatic rifles (SARs), and live ammunition and blanks for training purposes.
Postponement of Adjustment:
The postponement of macro-economic adjustment by the United National Independence Party (UNIP) government on May 1, 1987—which would have enabled us to create a competitive and more productive socio-economic system—exacerbated the socio-economic problems facing the country.
Cost-Sharing Schemes:
The introduction of cost-sharing arrangements in the dispensation of educational and healthcare services during the late 1980s has continued to make education and healthcare less accessible to a lot of citizens. The unprecedented numbers of street children and the lower life expectancy obtaining in the country today bear witness to this fact.
Socialist Policies:
UNIP’s socialist policies barred both local and foreign private investors from certain commercial and industrial sectors of the country’s economy and recommended the creation of state companies to operate in such sectors of the economy from the late 1960s to 1991. The policies—which former president, Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda, promulgated through his April 1968, August 1969 and November 1970 speeches to the UNIP National Council—ushered in an era of state enterprises.
Naturally, the monopolistic position enjoyed by state companies in the country’s economy culminated in complacence and gross inefficiency because, in the absence of competition, they apparently found it unnecessary to seek innovative ways and means of improving the quality and quantity of their product offerings. The rampant commodity shortages which the country experienced during the late 1970s and the 1980s were largely a direct result of the socialist policies of the government of the day.
I leave the solutions to our beloved country’s predicament for another day. More than ever before, we need to pursue radical and comprehensive policies, projects and programs that will make it possible for us to remove the “s” from what seems to be the “curse” against our beloved country.
In passing, heightened and sustained socio-economic development will not come to Zambia like manna from heaven; it will need to be adequately planned for and diligently pursued. And this will need to start with our acknowledgment of the problems facing us rather than refuting the conclusions of the Human Development Index published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) about our country as “highly misleading.” The Index has become one of the world’s most trusted indicators of the socio-economic well-being of citizens in the 135 or so countries it currently covers.
There is no doubt that access to healthcare services, basic material necessities of life and education and training has become almost impossible to well over 65% of Zambians. In fact, socio-economic conditions during the first 10 years of our country’s independence were at least good enough for a country that could be said to have been born with a copper spoon in its mouth!
Patriotic Front leader (PF) Michael Sata has refuted claims by his former Secretary General Edward Mumbi that he received money amounting to US $ 100 000 from Finance Bank to fund Change Life Zambia Executive Director Frank Bwalya’s Anti-government campaigns.
Speaking on Joy FM radio in Lusaka today, Mr. Sata said the allegation is a desperate move by a few individuals within Finance Bank who want to destroy their former chairman Rajah Matani.
The PF leader said he does not get money from Finance Bank and has charged that those who want to accuse him are wasting their time.
Mr Sata said it was unfortunate that Bank officials are engaging in breaching the confidentiality of its customers.
Mr. Sata was reacting to the allegation leveled against him by former PF Secretary General Edward Mumbi on the 9th of October that the PF leader received 100,000 US dollars through a Mr. Miles Sampa at Finance Bank in Lusaka who deposited the money into the dollar account number 0011016930015.
[pullquote]Mr Sata said it was unfortunate that Bank officials are engaging in breaching the confidentiality of its customers.[/pullquote]
It is further alleged that the money was meant for the purposes of buying Father Bwalya’s vehicles and to intensify his campaigns against government.
And Mr. Sata has observed that the MMD government has respected foreign investors at the expense of indigenous people adding that the removal of removal of the abuse of office clause will encourage stealing in public offices.
Meanwhile, Committee of Citizen’s executive director Gregory Chifire has observed the revelation that Change Life Zambia executive director Fr. Frank Bwalya received 100,000 United States dollars from Patriotic front leader Michael Sata to de-campaign government raises a lot of concern.
Mr. Chifire said that it is a pity that Father Bwalya had to reduce himself to that level. He said that what is more surprising is that Fr. Bwalya is a church leader who should not engage himself in dubious activities.
He said that Father Bwalya holds a position of high esteem in the society and it’s a pity that he had to use unexplained circumstances. Mr. Chifire has since called on the church to clear state their position on the matter. He was speaking to QFM News this morning.
The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) President Stephen Lungu has described Republican President Rupiah Banda’s two year in office as impressive.
Mr. Lungu said that although the president has received quite a number of criticisms from different stakeholders, they are number of achievements that have been recorded.
In an interview with QFM, Mr. Lungu said that the current administration has achieved a lot in a lot of economic sectors.
He cited the balancing of the dollar and the Kwacha as some of the achievements that have been made.
He also said that one of the achievements that the current administration has made is the bumper harvest that has been recorded in the 2009/2010 farming season.
