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President Banda leaves for Nigeria

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President Banda, his grand son footballer Anthony (l) and vice president George Kunda before he left for Nigeria at Lusaka international airport

President Rupiah Banda has left for Nigeria where he has been invited as a special guest of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonanthan at that country’s 50th Independence anniversary.

President Banda was seen off at Lusaka International Airport at about 09 .28 hours by Vice President George Kunda, Works and Supply Minister Michael Mulongoti, Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja, Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao, Deputy Minister in the office of the Vice President Daniel Munkombwe, Defence Chiefs and other Senior government officials.

ZANIS reports that President Banda is accompanied by Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati and other senior Government officials.

Shortly before departure, President Banda told Journalists that the changes he made to his Government were meant to bring efficiency in the ministries.

Yesterday, President Banda reshuffled three Cabinet Ministers and made a new appointment at Permanent Secretary level.

Among those transferred is Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Peter Daka to Ministry of Science , Technology and Vocational Training in the same capacity taking over from Dr Brian Chituwo who has been moved to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing .

The President also transferred Local Government Minister Dr Eustarckio Kazonga to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as Minister while Zambia Revenue Authority Commissioner General Chriticles Mwansa was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training Ms Shery Thole is new Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s republican president, Rupiah Banda has appointed Mr. Wisdom Nhekairo as new Commissioner-General of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).

Mr. Nhekairo, who was until his appointment as ZRA Commissioner for Domestic Taxes, will take over from Mr. Chriticles Mwansa who has been moved to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training as Permanent Secretary.

President Banda appointed Mr. Nhekairo in exercise of powers vested in him under Section 19(1) of the ZRA Act, Chapter 321 of the Laws of Zambia.

The appointment of Mr. Nhekairo is with immediate effect.

[pullquote]He said the resident doctors will Wednesday hold a meeting with Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja. The President emphasised that a permanent solution to the issues affecting the doctors will be found through dialogue.[/pullquote]

Further, President Banda, in exercise of powers vested in him under the University Act Number 10 of 1999 and its Regulations, has appointed Lusaka-based Academician and Consultant Professor Oliver Saasa as Chancellor for Mulungushi University.

The appointment of Professor Saasa is with immediate effect.

And President Rupiah Banda says the stand off between government and the striking resident doctors will soon be resolved. President Banda says the resident doctors Tuesday held a meeting with Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao in a bid to address the matter.

He said the resident doctors will Wednesday hold a meeting with Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja. The President emphasised that a permanent solution to the issues affecting the doctors will be found through dialogue.

President Banda however, said he could not prejudice what the resident doctors and the Secretary to the Cabinet will discuss.

Meanwhile, the President said government remains committed to the constitution making process. He said the National Constitution Conference -NCC- has handed over its draft constitution to government and that the Ministry of Justice is taking necessary measures to move to the next step in the process.

ZANIS

It’s How We End That Matters: A Review of Kalungu-Banda’s Book on President Mwanawasa

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Late President Levy Mwanawasa

By Elias Munshya wa Munshya

The author of the book, It’s How We End That Matters: Leadership Lessons from an African President, Martin Kalungu-Banda is not new to Zambia. He has been a lecturer at UNZA, worked for BP Zambia, OXFAM and famously had a stint at State House from 2005 to 2008. At State House he served in an ambiguous role as President Mwanawasa’s leadership consultant or unpaid Chief of Staff as the case may be. The greater nation of Zambia got introduced to Martin Kalungu-Banda by President Mwanawasa himself who praised his effort of making personal sacrifices to try and help the top Zambian government workers improve their leadership. He is currently a leadership consultant and this book is his second. A third book is still in the works.

It’s How We End That Matters: Leadership Lessons from an African President is a book on both President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa and Leadership. It is about 170 pages long with a whopping 17 chapters. Of course this sounds a little bit too much for a book with that much pages. But once you engage yourself with this book, it is difficult to put down and you would understand why it would have so many chapters. Chapters range from the one that talk about Mwanawasa’s ascension to presidency, to his position on HIV/AIDS to elections.[pullquote]Mwanawasa is humanised in this book. He is presented to have been a very candid and honest person. He is presented as one who would freely discuss about beautiful Rwandan women and punctuate that thought with the reality of HIV/AIDS. He is presented to have been one who was rigid in his opinions but also quite flexible to say sorry when confronted with the need to do so. Martin Kalungu-Banda’s role in this unfolding story of Mwanawasa is also quite fascinating in this narrative.
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The book combines humorous personal stories of Mr. Kalungu-Banda’s interaction with President Mwanawasa punctuated with leadership lessons. Kalungu-Banda is quite honest and frank about his time at State House and offers a thoroughly optimistic and pragmatic view of President Mwanawasa’s personal qualities and leadership. He himself admits that he meant the book to be a positive one and not necessarily a critical one. While acknowledging that President Mwanawasa was indeed a man of profound weakness, such as a hot temper, Kalungu-Banda quickly assures the reader that he concentrates on Dr. Mwanawasa’s strengths since focussing on people’s strengths is more inspiring than focussing on their weaknesses.

Reading the book gives you the sense that it is indeed two books in one: one on the personal story of President Mwanawasa and another on leadership principles. As such, it is this rare quality that makes the book unique and a must read. You can actually remove the story of Mwanawasa and you would still have a great book on leadership, and conversely you can subtract the leadership principles punctuated through the “food for thought” sections of each chapter and still have a great book on the life of President Mwanawasa. Additionally, in this book, Kalungu-Banda takes routine issues that happened while he served at State House, such as Mwanawasa’s interactions with his visitors, Mwanawasa’s interface with his personal staff, and indeed his interaction with his wife and children and derives great principles for all kinds of leadership political or otherwise. Mwanawasa is humanised in this book. He is presented to have been a very candid and honest person. He is presented as one who would freely discuss about beautiful Rwandan women and punctuate that thought with the reality of HIV/AIDS. He is presented to have been one who was rigid in his opinions but also quite flexible to say sorry when confronted with the need to do so. Martin Kalungu-Banda’s role in this unfolding story of Mwanawasa is also quite fascinating in this narrative. Beginning from the time Kalungu-Banda marshalled enough courage to make his first call to State House to the time the Zambian government disowned him and to the subsequent reunion he had with President Mwanawasa, the book is as much about Mwanawasa as it is about the author himself.

Kalungu-Banda’s book is a second book, and definitely not the last one, on the expanding Mwanawasan biographies. The first one, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa: an incentive for posterity, was authored by journalist Amos Malupenga. For his part, in being so optimistic about Mwanawasa, Kalungu-Banda misses to give the fascinatingly political side of the Mwanawasa phenomena—which unsurprisingly brought the negative as well as positive sides of Mwanawasa. It would have been good to have at least a section in the book address the Mwanawasa political strategy. This could include issues like his choice of cabinet in general and his intriguing choices of Vice-Presidents. Mwanawasa had four vice-presidents in seven years. Kalungu-Banda’s book while mentioning the cabinet in general terms it does not address any of Mwanawasa’s vice-presidents at all. While Kalungu-Banda’s omission of the political aspect of Mwanawasa’s leadership is quite obvious I think there are several lessons we could have learnt about Mwanawasa’s leadership from that end as well.

From the title itself, it is certain that Kalungu-Banda intended an international audience for this book. The title itself does not mention Mwanawasa by name. This is understandable since very few people in Europe and America could identify or even know who Mwanawasa was. But the fact that the title does not contain the name of Mwanawasa is equally an anomaly, especially for a book that is supposed to be a biography of sorts. At about US$10 from www.amazon.com, this book is quite reasonably priced and should be a must read for all that want to hear an optimistic view of an African president. Except in this case, this African president is not an eccentric kleptomaniac but a man of integrity and sober manners—Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. He was according to Kalungu-Banda, a courageous, kind, family-loving, and hospitable African gentleman who indeed as the title suggests, “Ended well”. I highly recommend this book for those seeking to understand Mwanawasa and those needing original insights into how they can maximise their leadership.

Sata’s Interview with VOA’s Clottey

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Patriotic Front (PF) President Micael Sata had an Interview with Voice of America (VOA) presenter Clottey where he answered questions ranging from young people, the PACT and calls for him to quit politics. Click on the play button to listen.

HH should retreat, refocus…

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http://www.lusakatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/hh_hakainde
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema

By Daimone Siulapwa

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) has it all to make a good President. Just like Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, Anderson Mazoka and Dean Mung’omba, three Presidents that Zambia never had.

Owing to various circumstances, they never made it to Plot One. Without discussing what those circumstances are, one hopes HH does not fall into one of those situations.

Hearing HH speak, one can tell that he has it all. He clearly has a vision of where this country should go, he knows the mistakes that have been made and how to correct them. He may not get fair coverage in certain media houses, public and private, but he is certainly a person who is liked even by those who may not necessarily vote for him. If you bring the three presidential front-runners, HH, Michael Sata and Rupiah Banda, to a debate, he will definitely outshine both of them.

From one, you may get generalizations on how to solve the economic situation of our country, from the other, you will probably get comedy, but from HH, you will get the real deal.

Clearly, HH is the envy of most people, and rightly so. He has had a successful career with a short period of time. Others try to link him to the privatization of the mines to dent his image, but he was just doing what all of us would have done in his position.

Still, in politics, there is what is called timing. And the entry of HH on the political front may have been wrong timing. The way he succeeded Mazoka will always haunt him. But that he can sort out. It’s a mistake he made, and his name was dented.

However, his current mistiming in politics is his joining the Pact. He risks his image being dented again. They will pollute his name to an extent were people will start believing all the lies his enemies will be preaching, all the signs are there to see right now. It has always been said that birds of the same feathers fly together, what do we have here….I personal don’t know.

HH should leave the Pact and start preparing for 2016. Like it or not, the UPND-PF Pact died the day it was born. Here is a case where two parties, deeply polarized, decide to go to bed together. The purpose is to solely remove the MMD from government. The justification for them is that people want change. Maybe!

Still, it has now emerged that their respective members are not entirely in agreement going by the recent statements that we have been witnessing in the media. The desperation for power made Hakainde Hichilema and Michael Sata to forgo all the fundamentals that go with such an arrangement.

For a long time, Sata had campaigned on tribal lines. He thought he could win a national election using tribal blocks. Well, he nearly did when he made former President Frederick Chiluba and Levy’s corruption fight as issues in 2006. He campaigned that the corruption fight was targeted at Bemba’s.

But after he lost to Rupiah Banda in the Presidential by-election in 2008, he realized that there was no way he was going to win an election if he does not court the support of other tribes, which in the past, he had disparaged, hence his decision to go into a Pact with the UPND. It is all for selfish reasons and narrow interests. If it was not, they would have revised their policies to meet each other half-way. But upto now, we do not know what the Pact stands for other than avoiding dividing the opposition vote in an election.

Unfortunately, HH did not see this.

Now that it has emerged that there is little sincerity on the part of their partner, it is time he changed tact. Although they refuse to accept, it is a fact that the UPND is the junior partner in the Pact. So naturally, if the so-called Pact was to win an election, the UPND is likely to be given the Vice Presidency and a few Ministerial positions. Whether they can influence policy in this scenario is doubtful

The thinking though would be that Sata will only rule for a term and then give it to HH on a platter. But knowing Sata, and how sweet power is, that is unlikely to happen. In case you have forgotten, it would not hurt to refresh the memory.

The Sata we are talking about is the same who presided over the expulsion of more than 22 Cabinet Ministers and senior members of the MMD at the height of the third term debate. Reason, he wanted to clear his own path for the presidency in the MMD. Unfortunately, he did not know that he was dealing with a political engineer in Chiluba who dribbled him at his own game by bringing in an outsider, Levy Mwanawasa.

Well, and from the time he formed the PF, he has had four secretary-generals, all of whom he has differed with the exception of Guy Scot, whom he promoted to the position of party vice president. Well, and in the PF, there is no democracy, everything starts and ends with Sata. He appoints and disappoints any time he feels like it. Well, GBM discovered this recently when he was relieved of his party duties by Sata without affording him an opportunity to be heard. No matter how ghastly GBM efforts on his wife were, he should still have been afforded an opportunity to be heard by a disciplinary committee before he could be suspended. That is what is called justice. But it seems Sata is yet to come across that term in his 73 years on earth. He was the prosecutor, jury and judge in the GBM case.

And this is the person HH wants to go to bed with. Hell no, the King Cobra is too dangerous.

HH has to pull-out and start building for the 2016 elections. After all, he is young, educated, articulate, rich, handsome, and has time on his side.

The UPND as a party has a lot of quality in its rank and file in comparative terms with the PF. Sata on the other hand, has differed with all fairly intelligent and independent members of his party such as Dr Peter Machungwa, Joseph Kasongo, Faustine Sinyangwe, Elizabeth Chitika and Rev Sampa Bredt among others.

HH may be thinking that it will be difficult to undo the party’s tribal tag and thus spread its support beyond the Southern province. But if there is one thing late party president Anderson Mazoka proved, it is the fact that it is possible to give the party a national character. Sata as the MMD national secretary then tried to label the UPND tribal, but Mazoka proved him otherwise, balancing his national management committee with persons like Patrick Chisanga, Bob Sichinga, Love Mtesa, Sakwiba Sikota and Ben Tetamashimba among others.

HH should seriously start building the party nationally now with an eye on the 2016 general elections. Otherwise, if he is depending on the Pact to take him to plot one, he will be very disappointed. You cannot certainly trust Sata on this one. Before he realizes it, the UPND would have been obliterated from local politics by the King Cobra’s machinations. He will never be treated as an equal in the pact by the PF.

No fuel shortage, Konga

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Energy and Water Development Minster Kenneth Konga

Energy Minister Kenneth Konga says government has made adequate arrangements to avoid fuel shortages during the routine shut down of Indeni petroleum refinery.

Mr Konga said the country has enough fuel to last the period of the shut down.

He was speaking after a tour of storage facilities on the Copperbelt, ahead of the shut down of Indeni on October 1.

Mr Konga also called on Zambians not to panic during the shut down.

As of yesterday the country had 43.4 million litres of petrol and 7.1 million litres of Kerosene.

He said said this amount of petrol would last 55 days, while Kerosene would last 59 days.

Mr Konga also said the country has 75 million litres of diesel which will last 47 days.

The Minister said there is another consignment of 17 million litres of petrol and 19 million litres of diesel in transit from Dar es Salaam.

Indeni is scheduled for a 45 day shut down which will start this Friday
[ZNBC ]

Pact woes MMD’s gain — Mulongoti

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Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti

MMD chairperson for elections Mike Mulongoti says the crumbling of the UPND/ PF Pact has led to the ruling party gaining ground in Lusaka and other urban areas which were the strongholds for the opposition in the past.

And Patriotic Front (PF) Matero Member of Parliament (MP) Faustina Sinyangwe has said Zambians should not waste their time to vote for the UPND-PF Pact because it was like a divided house that could not stand firm and deliver the desired fruits to its children.

Mr Mulongoti said most people had lost confidence in the two opposition parties and have pledged to rally behind MMD in the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections and the forthcoming by-election in Chilanga.

“Lusaka is no longer a stronghold of the opposition as they have managed to de-campaign themselves through the Pact which just exists in name.

“The MMD has managed to reform and that people have seen the works that the ruling party is doing while the opposition are just offering lips service,” Mr Mulongoti said.

He said the party would win the two vacant seats during the forth coming parliamentary by-elections in Chilanga and Mpulungu.

[pullquote]“Lusaka is no longer a stronghold of the opposition as they have managed to de-campaign themselves through the Pact which just exists in name.

“The MMD has managed to reform and that people have seen the works that the ruling party is doing while the opposition are just offering lips service,” Mr Mulongoti said.[/pullquote]

He said the MMD was currently searching for candidates for the two vacant seats and that silent campaigns were going on.

Mrs Sinyangwe said the quarrelling over positions that had rocked the pact would worsen, if they formed Government.

“So Zambians should not waste their time to elect a Government that would spend most of the time fighting for positions, instead of improving people’s lives,” Mrs Sinyangwe said.

Mrs Sinyangwe was commenting on the deepening wrangles in the UPND-PF Pact, said the wrangles that had rocked the pact was a clear indication that some individuals were only interested in positions and not service delivery.

She said the calibre of some MPs left much to be desired and the challenge was on the Zambians to raise the standards of politics in the country by electing into public office individuals with good calibre.

“If we became serious and start looking at the calibre of people we elect into public offices, we can raise the standards of politics in our country, but the problem is that we want to vote to fix certain individuals or just for the sake of change like some people are saying now that they want change.
Even if it is change, we should not change
for the worst,” she said.
And former PF chairperson for mobilisation of the Committee of Founders pressure group Mubanga Chileshe, who was last year beaten and assaulted for opposing the formation of the pact, said he had been vindicated going by what is happening to the pact now.
Times of Zambia

Speaker not aware of ZP uniform change

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Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa

National Assembly Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa has said he is not aware that the uniforms for the Zambia Police Service have changed.

Mr. Mwanamwambwa said if this was so, Government through the Ministry of Home Affairs would have to table it in Parliament to have the uniform gazzetted as well as other defence forces like the Zambia Army, Zambia National Services (ZNS), Zambia Airforce (ZAF), Prisons and Zambia Wildlife Aauthority (ZAWA).

Mr. Mwanamwambwa also said the uniforms for the rest of the defence forces should change.

ZANIS reports that the Speaker said this in Parliament in response to a point of order raised by one of the opposition Member of Parliament who asked if it was in order for the Minister of Home affairs to keep quiet and not inform the House that Uniforms for the Zambia Police Service have changed to blue from the current green and khaki colours.

“There is no obligation on that but if the line Ministry wants to sort out the uniform then the public should be informed. But if a Police Officer is in blue uniform manning a check point it requires gazetting in this House. Let Zambia Army, ZNS, ZAF, Prisons, and ZAWA also try to catch up….,” the Speaker said.

And the Speaker cautioned MPs against using ‘unnecessary titles’ and using unpalatable language during parliamentary debates.

In cautioning Mazabuka Central UPND MP, Garry Nkombo who addressed himself as ‘Professor’, Mr. Mwanamwambwa said Mr. Nkombo is not known as a Professor.

“There is no professor Nkombo in this House and secondly cynicism is not allowed in Parliament,” warned Mr. Mwanamwambwa.

Mr. Nkombo later withdrew the ‘Professor title’ but told the House that he was known by that title in his home village where he comes from.

“Mr. Speaker, Sir I withdraw my Professor title from this Parliament and replace it with Mister (Mr.),” Mr. Nkombo said.

ZANIS

MMD NEC to name Mpulungu candidate

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The MMD says National Executive Committee (NEC) Interviewing Team will this weekend sit in Mpulungu district in the Northern Province where its preferred candidate will be named.

MMD Elections Chairman Mike Mulongoti says it has received applicants from its members with intentions to contest the Mpulungu Parliamentary seat.

Mr. Mulongoti told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the party was satisfied with the favourable response it was receiving from both the people and those wishing to contest on ruling party ticket.

“As a party, we are naming our candidate to contest the Mpulungu parliamentary seat this coming weekend. Our NEC Team will be travelling to Mpulungu to name our preferred candidate and we are happy with the response the MMD is receiving from the applicants,” he said.

And Mr. Mulongoti has disclosed that the ruling party will soon name its candidate to contest the Chilanga Parliamentary seat.

He explained that the MMD started the naming process very late and attributed the delay to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declaring the seat as vacant very late.

And Mr. Mulongoti has dispelled media reports that MMD Northern Province Chairman Grievous Sikasote has been requested by the party to step down to enable him contest the Mpulungu seat.

He however said the MMD is a democratic party that allowed divergent views from the people.

The ECZ has set October 28, this year as the date for 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 died in India after an illness was Deputy Minister of Energy and water Development.

ZANIS

FAZ Super Division Week 25 Fixtures

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Here are the midweek fixtures of the Faz Super Division Week 25 game and standings ahead of matches to be played 29/09/2010.

Faz Super Division

Week 25

29/09/2010

Konkola Blades-Green Buffaloes

Nkwazi-City of Lusaka

National Assembly-Lusaka Dynamos

Kabwe Warriors-Red Arrows

Choma Eagles-Forest Rangers

Zesco United-Nchanga Rangers

Power Dynamos-Nkana

Postponed:

Zanaco-Roan United

[standings league_id=15 template=extend logo=false]

FUS Ambush Zanaco With Early Arrival

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FUS Rabat of Morocco caught Zanaco officials an aware with their early arrival on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s penultimate CAF Confederation Cup Group B match.

Zanaco officials were expecting FUS at midday on Wednesday but the Moroccans decided to travel to Lusaka 24 hours earlier than scheduled.

The Moroccan side landed just before 13:00 on a South African Airways flight on Tuesday.

Zanaco officials rushed to the airport after being alerted of the surprise arrival of their opponents this weekend whose Tuesday landing according to sources was known by FAZ.

FUS later undertook their first training session late on Tuesday afternoon at Barclays Sports Complex where they trained for an hour.

Third placed Zanaco are on four points from as many games played, host FUS at Nkoloma Stadium in a match Wedson Nyirenda’s side need to win to stay in the hunt for a semifinal place in this year’s Confederation Cup.

FUS currently lead Group B on 9 points and need just a draw away against Zanaco to book one of the top two places in their group to qualify for the semifinals to be played at the end of October.

Zambia happy with sanitary conditions in New Delhi

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The Zambian High Commission in New Delhi, India is now satisfied with sanitary conditions in lodging facilities at the Commonwealth village where Zambia has been allocated Tower 28.

The third inspection of the facilities conducted Tuesday afternoon revealed that the living quarters given to Zambia were now in a habitable state.

Acting High Commissioner to India Brigadier General Allan Kalebuka expressed happiness that the mission’s demands for adequate and quality accommodation for the Zambian contingent have finally been met.

This is contained in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka by first Secretary for Press to the Zambian High Commission in India Bwalya Nondo.

Mr. Nondo has since confirmed that Zambia’s contingent to the 19th Commonwealth games is expected in New Delhi tomorrow.

ZANIS

Veep Solwezi bound

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Vice president George Kunda

Vice President George Kunda is tomorrow expected to travel to Solwezi in North-Western Province where he would meet visiting King Mwata Yamvwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who is in the country for a visit with four other chiefs.

While in Solwezi, the Vice President is also expected to meet senior Government officials.

This is according to a media statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by Senior Private Secretary to the Vice President, Kenneth Ngosa.

Mr. Kunda will be accompanied to the province by Presidential Affairs Minister Ronald Mukuma, Energy Minister, Kenneth Konga, Local Government and Housing Minister Eustarkio Kazonga, Gender Minister Sarah Sayifwanda and Southern Province Minister Elijah Muchima and some senior Government officials.

“The Vice President is tomorrow expected to travel to Solwezi in the North-Western province. Mr. Kunda will meet His Majesty Mwanta Yanvwa, other Royal highness and senior government officials in the province. He will be accompanied by some cabinet ministers including senior government officials,” Mr. Ngosa said.

The Vice President is expected back to Lusaka the same day.

ZANIS

Zambia’s envoy to Belgium presents credentials

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Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika

Zambia’s Ambassador to Belgium Inonge Mbikutsita Lewanika has called on King Albert II of Belgium to use his royal influence to encourage Belgian investors to invest in Zambia.

Speaking shortly after presenting her credentials to the King at the royal palace just outside Brussels, Dr. Mbikutsita Lewanika also told the monarch that Zambia would further appreciate Belgian support for the education of women and children.

Dr Mbikusita Lewanika’s day with the monarch was characterised by equal pomp, an elaborate ceremony where she was escorted from her residence by a royal motorcade.

The Ambassador who was clad in an authentic Lozi royal ‘’Musisi’’ was received at the palace by trumpet sounds with 30 horsemen around the motorcade.

And King Albert thanked Zambia for her hospitality to refugees and its role in the Congo peace process.

The King called on the Ambassador to explain to the Belgians Zambia’s potential.

He said she should share the African experience on women involvement in development and peace process.

He has further called on Zambia not to relent in its pursuit of peace in the Great Lakes Region.

And at her residence in Brussels, the Zambian embassy expressed delight at the ambassador.

Embassy Minister Counsellor, Henry Mbushi said the presentation of credentials would enable Dr. Mbikutsita Lewanika work tirelessly for the Zambian embassy.

ZANIS

Govt implores Striking doctors to resume work

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Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has implored striking resident doctors at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) to leave politics out of the health sector and immediately resume work.

And Lieutenant General Shikapwasha has expressed sadness saying the doctors have breached the Industrial Act.

Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, challenged the doctors to immediately resume work as Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao was addressing their matter.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha accused the doctors of having been sponsored by the opposition to discredit Government’s achievements scored in the Ministry of Health.

He reminded the health personnel to adhere to their calling of saving lives as opposed to being used as ‘conduits for political minions.

“My plea to the Doctors at UTH is that they should remove politics out of the health sector. The strike action is illegal and as Government we are saddened by the development,” he said.

Resident doctors at the largest health institution in the country, UTH have downed tool pressing for better conditions of service.

And Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha has lashed out at National Revolution Party leader Dr. Cosmo Mumba who is reportedly to have said that President Rupiah Banda and the entire Cabinet should resign on moral grounds because of what he said Government failure to run the country.

The Chief Government Spokesperson reminded Dr. Mumba to visit some of the developments Government had embarked on across the country in the health, education, tourism, mining and agriculture key sectors unlike speaking from what he termed as a ‘frustrated’ point of view.

“It is not true that Government has failed to address some of the contentious issues of political governance, economical and social issues but as Government, we are on track. It is surprising that Dr. Mumba has got no ears and eyes to see what government is delivering to the Zambian people.

ZANIS

MISA releases 2010 report on Most Open, Secretive Government institution

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Information Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha : MISA report is inaccurate and biased.

MISA Zambia 2010 report has revealed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services is the most secretive government institution for having an outdated website and failure to respond to written requests.

The 2010 report on the Most Open and Secretive government institutions in Zambia revealed that none of the government and public institutions qualified to be awarded the most open.

It also pointed out that out of the government line ministries; which include Ministry of Education, Transport and Communication, Finance and National Planning, Information and Broadcasting Services (MIBS) and Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ as a public institution) surveyed non of them qualifies to be the most open.

Launching the Report in Lusaka today, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Interim Chairperson Fanwell Tembo said the research conducted indicates that the Ministry of Education could have been the most open institution for 2010 if it had not failed to provide functional website which he described was the major criteria for the research.

Mr Tembo disclosed that Ministry of Education was closer to openness and responded to the citizen’s request for information despite not having a functional website.

He named the Ministry of Communications and Transport, Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and ECZ for the well resourced websites which he said were bent on providing the public with necessary and useful information.

He noted that had the three institutions provided information to those who may not have access to ICTs through proactive disclosure and responded to written requests, they would have been among the most open.

[pullquote]He accused MISA personnel of diverting public attention from the problems, the organisation was facing.[/pullquote]

ECZ scooped this year’s newly added award called e-Governance Award, which was for institutions utilising Information Communication Technology (ICTs) for the better provision of information to the public.

But Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has described the MISA report as inaccurate and biased. Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha challenged MISA-Zambia to sort out its internal wrangles first than ‘witch’ hunting. Commenting on the Report released to the media today, Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha dismissed the report saying it lacked accuracy and was unfounded.

He accused MISA personnel of diverting public attention from the problems, the organisation was facing.

Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha said MISA was being insincere by choosing to overlook positive developments, policies, and legislatives that Government had continued to undertake and to enhance public access to information.

Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha said in a statement released today that: “it was clear from the tone of the report that MISA’s primary aim was malice and ill will against government.”

[pullquote]Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha said in a statement released today that: “it was clear from the tone of the report that MISA’s primary aim was malice and ill will against government.”[/pullquote]

Lt-Gen. Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister noted that information was the primary product of any media organisation adding that the multiplicity of media houses was an indication that information was not only available but also accessible with Government being a principal source.

He said efforts and measures taken by Government in information provision confirm its unwavering commitment to facilitating the growth of the media and information sector in the country for a well informed populace.

He said Government appreciated the important role information played in national development and that it would continue working and investing in the media industry to ensure an informed and enlightened society.

[ZANIS]

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