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Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde has said he will not resign from his position despite calls for him to do so.
Speaking through Deputy Police Spokesperson Moses Suwali, Mr. Kabonde said government still needs his services as Inspector General.
He said he liaised with Home Affairs Minister Mukondo Lungu who told him that government still needs him in the police service. He added that those calling for his resignation are misplacing their wishes which he described as political.
And Mr. Kabonde has said government has already given answers to people’s calls that he resigns for his alleged failure to manage the Zambia Police Service.
He wondered why people have continued demanding for his resignation on grounds that he has no capacity to handle the Police Service.
Earlier, Zambia Police Deputy Spokesperson Moses Suwali told a Q fm reporter that the Inspector General of Police refuse to give interviews to the press. He said whatever information members of the press wanted from him can be given out by the Public Relations office.
On Monday, UPND Secretary General Winstone Chibwe called for the resignation of Mr. Kabonde on grounds that he has not only disappointed Zambians, but also the international community on his failure to manage the Zambia Police Service.
And on the same day, the Zambia Youths Association in the Fight Against Corruption called for Mr. Kabonde ‘s resignation on grounds that he has lamentably failed to inspire confidence not only in his staff at the police service, but also in the Zambian citizens at large.
[Q FM]
THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the MMD will determine whether national secretary Katele Kalumba should resign from his position or not, party national chairperson Michael Mabenga has said.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mabenga said the issue of whether Dr Kalumba should resign from his position or not would only be determined by NEC and advised outsiders to desist from commenting on the matter that was purely internal.
“This is a NEC matter and I don’t know how many times I am going to talk about it. The NEC will soon meet and it will be discussed, it’s only NEC that can determine such a matter,” Mr Mabenga said.
Last week, the Lusaka magistrate court jailed Dr Kalumba to five years imprisonment for corrupt practices. Dr Kalumba has since appealed against the conviction and sentence.
Owing to the conviction, some stakeholders have been calling for Dr Kalumba’s resignation from his party position or that the MMD should force him to step down.
Mr Mabenga said that most of the people calling for the resignation of Dr Kalumba were in fact not members of the party.
He, therefore, wondered in what capacity such individuals were speaking considering that they were not even members of the MMD.
“We are not concerned with the sentiments by the people who are not even MMD.
This is a party that is governed by a constitution and these people talking do not even know what they are talking about.
An individual cannot determine this matter. NEC is composed of 58 people and they all have to sit and discuss,” Mr Mabenga said.
Many of the stakeholders talking about Dr Kalumba’s resignation, Mr Mabenga said, were not even aware of the MMD constitution.
He said that the party would not make a decision based on complaints from some individuals or non-governmental organisations but would strictly follow the constitution.
Zambia faces Angola tomorrow in a friendly international at Independence stadium in Lusaka.
The match is part of the two team’s build-up to their respective CHAN qualifying games this Saturday.
Zambia hosts South Africa while Angola, now coached by Herve Renard, are away to Malawi on the same date.
Renard and his Angola team have been in Zambia since Sunday where they have set up a training camp in Lusaka en route to Malawi to face The Flames this weekend whom they are tied at 1-1 from the first leg played in Luanda a fortnight ago.
Zambia on the other hand trail South Africa 1-0 from their first leg match.
Renard has said the result of the warm-up match will not be important but that the objective of the friendly was to help gel the players ahead of both teams’ crucial must-win games this weekend.
“It is not a competition tomorrow, the result is not important but only for the training and we will use a lot of our players and to help get Zambia and Angola to get the qualification (To CHAN) on Saturday,” Renard said.
Renard said he was looking forward to facing his old assistant George Lwandamina who is in charge of the CHAN team with whom he won bronze with at the inaugural tournament in Cote d’Ivoire last year.
“He (Lwandamina) was a very good assistant for me and I think we did a good job and I am happy to see him in charge of the team and am sure he will get qualification (Against South Africa) at Nkoloma stadium,” the Frenchman said.
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo with his wifeAt 80, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo may be running out of steam. His walk is a bit laboured and his breath is somewhat raspy. Some puff also seems to have gone from his cheeks, but his conviction, he says, has never been stronger.
The controversial priest and self-proclaimed healer on Sunday presided over the consecration of two deacons within his Married Priests Now church.
The archbishop, who shot into international fame in 2006, when he publicly challenged the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church believes he has fought a good fight and that his years of struggle will soon bear fruit.
“Everywhere I go, I am received with love by people of all faiths. They love and understand what I stand for,” he told the Nation yesterday during the ordination of Victor Kimemia as a deacon.
Mr Kimemia’s faith lies within the African Orthodox Church of Kenya, which does not allow the ordination of married priests.
“God’s word is for all of us. We should not discriminate the married from the unmarried,” argues Archbishop Milingo. “In His eyes, we are all the same,” he said.
Despite his excommunication five years ago, he says there’s no love lost between him and the Roman Catholic Church.
“They said I came from a family of witchdoctors and that I falsely proclaimed to be a healer. They did not know I talk to God directly,” he told the Nation.
Despite his self-professed love for the Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop’s public call for an end to mandatory celibacy in 2001, punctuated by his very public marriage to a doctor of acupuncture from Korea, was rejected as an embarrassment.
Healing ministry
Upon the insistence of the Vatican, he set aside his marriage and returned to his healing ministry in Italy. His disappearance and return, seclusion and subsequent restriction left many questions unanswered.
Following his marriage, Archbishop Milingo says Pope John Paul II summoned him to the Vatican, where he had to promise not to see his wife anymore, and to move to a different monastery.
“Of course I protested. For 43 years as a celibate priest, I only knew God as a male. Now, through my union with my wife, I have come to see the other side of God’s heart, which is female,” he says.
After the separation, his wife, Sung went on a hunger strike in protest. They reunited in 2002. After courting controversy in his twilight years, the archbishop says he does not regret the choices he has made in life.
About himself, Archbishop Milingo says: “I don’t want to be put on a pedestal. I lead a simple life.”
Does he believe that priests should be allowed to marry?
“When I ordained my first married priests, I went on my knees and asked God to tell me whether ordaining married priests was wrong. He said ‘nonsense.’ I knew I had made the right decision.”
National Milling Corporation NMC has announced price reductions in its mealie meal products. NMC has reduced the price of roller meal by K5,500 price and breakfast mealie meal by K2,500 in Lusaka.
The price of National Milling mealie meal is however expected to remain slightly higher for consumers in far flung areas due to the transportation costs. The price of mealie meal for the Copperbelt has been pegged at K32, 000 and K59,500 roller and breakfast mealie meal respectively.
The price reductions are with effect from tomorrow, 2nd June 2010. NMC managing director, Peter Cottan told journalist during a press briefing in Lusaka today that his company has not been able to reduce mealie meal as per government directive because they still had 15, 000 tonnes of old maize stocks and will only commerce buying the new maize today, 1st June.
Mr Cottan explains that NMC always stocks up maize to last the company up to June the following year. Meanwhile, Mr Cottan has disclosed that he has already sent a team of NMC experts to source which markets they could easily offload its stock following the bumper harvest that the country has recorded in this year.
He however says Zambia will have to be very competitive in all its trade exports of maize because the South African maize traders Also fighting for the same market.
And Mr Cottan has recommended the k65,000 per 50kg bag of maize set by the Food Reserve Agency FRA and has challenges farmers to take advantage of this opportunity.
PARLIAMENTARY Chief Whip Vernon Mwaanga says the MMD is strong and will win the 2011 general elections without entering into a pact with any party.
Mr Mwaanga said the MMD does not need to be in alliance with the United Party for National Development (UPND) or any other party to scoop next year’s general elections.
He said the MMD is not panicking like other parties because it has massive support across the country.
Mr Mwaanga said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that whether or not the MMD forms an alliance with another party, it is confident of winning next year’s elections.
Mr Mwaanga said the party is disappointed with the statement by Chilanga member of Parliament Ng’andu Magande, who accused him of implying that the party cannot win next year’s elections as it wants to be in an alliance with the UPND.
Mr Mwaanga said the MMD is not lobbying to be in an alliance with the UPND, but that it is the latter that wants a partnership.
He said the fact that he delivered a message from some UPND members in Southern Province who prefer their party to form an alliance with the MMD does not mean he is championing the idea.
“I was merely delivering a message from some UPND members from Southern Province who said they prefer an alliance with the MMD.
“I don’t understand what Mr Magande is talking about when he says President Banda and his leadership cannot win the elections without an alliance. We are still a strong party and we do not need to be in an alliance with another party to win next year’s general elections,” he said.
Mr Mwaanga said the statement by Mr Magande is malicious, adding that he should desist from wrongly interpreting statements.
He said Mr Magande, whom he described as an amateur in the political arena, should be mindful of the statements he makes.
Mr Mwaanga said he was taken aback by the statement Mr Magande made, adding that he is behaving like an opposition MP.
He said it is saddening that some MMD members with personal agendas have developed the habit of attacking the top leadership.
“I am extremely disappointed with Mr Magande’s remarks…I expected that to come from the opposition and not a member of my party,” he said.
Mr Mwaanga said the party is not short of people with leadership skills, adding that members who no longer agree with the constitution and policies of the party should resign.
Mr Magande was quoted as having said Mr Mwaanga has admitted that the current MMD leadership of President Banda has failed to run the country and cannot win the 2011 general elections.
He said Mr Mwaanga’s comments that the people of Southern Province prefer an MMD-UPND alliance as opposed to UPND-PF pact revealed lack of confidence in the MMD.
Meanwhile, Government has described as unnecessary the decision by Zambia Sugar Plc to report Chief Mwanachigwala of the Tonga to the police over his alleged threats to burn the company’s cane fields.
Chief Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday that government’s findings revealed that the reported threats by the chief were stretched beyond context because the matter was conclusively resolved.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha, who is Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, was reacting to a story in The Post in which the company has reported the chief to police over his alleged threats to torch the company’s cane fields if it continued conducting business with the Mazabuka District Business Association.
“As Government, we are happy that this issue was conclusively resolved and we see no need for further concerns by Zambia Sugar Plc,” he said.
Lt-Gen Shikapwasha said contrary to allegations, Chief Mwanachingwala’s guidance during the meeting called by concerned contractors and suppliers in Mazabuka recently was one of progress.
“The chief meant no harm in his guidance during the meeting,” he said.
Lt-Gen Shikapwasha said the chief merely sought to amplify the need for the company to ensure that there was equity and fairness in its business dealings with all the contractors and suppliers of goods and services.
He said the meeting was about advancing the interests of both Zambia Sugar and the residents of Mazabuka in deriving maximum benefits from the important investment.
“The chief’s remarks were about Zambia Sugar spreading business opportunities to all contractors and suppliers in the district as part of its social responsibility,” he said.
He said Government was informed that a meeting was held last week involving the district commissioner, members of the Mazabuka District Business Association, concerned contractors and suppliers and Zambia Sugar at which the issue of contracts was discussed.
Illovo Sugar was set to focus on capitalising on large-scale expansion projects in Zambia and Swaziland, MD Graham Clark said yesterday, after scaling back its South African production due to declining profitability.
“Just over two years ago we decided to expand outside SA because the returns and margins in other parts of Africa are more attractive. We’re now seeing it start to flow through to the business, with strong increases in both cane and sugar production.”
A major expansion programme in Zambia resulted in factory capacity enabling sugar production of 450000 tons per year, and Illovo acquired a large cane-growing company that produces 325000 tons of cane a year with the potential for more.
Zambia contributed 18% of group operating profit in the year to March — well behind the 42% contributed by the Malawian operation, but ahead of SA’s 17%. “Eventually we see our top three operations being Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland, with each putting in about 25% of our profits,” Mr Clark said.
Swaziland contributed only 8% of operating profit in the period , but Illovo had begun a project there that would increase sugar production from 220000 tons to more than 300000 tons a year, together with a biomass-fuelled power plant that would enable the factory and estates to become self- sufficient while supplying power to Swaziland’s national grid.
“Power tends to be costly and unreliable in Africa, so generating our own means we’ll be able to control a big input cost,” Mr Clark said. “The other leg is to open up a new revenue stream, although it’s too early to say what the contribution would be there.”
A greenfields project in Mali was expected to contribute 200000 tons to Illovo’s annual production when it came into full operation in “three to five years”.
The domestic operation contributed revenue of R3,45bn in the year to March — more than double the company turnover in any other single country. But it brought in an operating profit of just R255,3m, justifying Illovo’s decision to cut back its investment in the division. Illovo has sold its operations on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the South African business became a stand- alone subsidiary in April.
Total group cane output in the 2009-10 season was 6,1-million tons — an annual increase of 1- million tons despite the negative effect of heavy rainfall in Zambia and SA. Sugar output was 1,69- million tons, more than 100000 tons up on the previous year.
Illovo benefited during the year from high international sugar prices, which reached a 28-year high thanks to poor harvests in Brazil and India. It also saw increased profits from exports to the European Union, which in October ended tariffs on sugar imports from developing countries.
[Business Day]
Law Association of Zambia president, Stephen Lungu has described as unfair and unfortunate, second republican President, Fredrick Chiluba’s reaction following the conviction of his former minister of finance Dr. Katele Kalumba.
Dr. Chiluba is quoted as having said that all the corruption allegations against him and his former officials were a political witch-hunt in which the courts were simply being used to achieve political mileage by his enemies.
Mr. Lungu said it is highly regrettable that Dr.Chiluba could go ahead and make such comments over a case whose result was of so much importance to the development of the nation.
He explains that while the case had taken a lot of time to conclude, there was no witch hunt that would have been engaged in.
Mr. Lungu said there is need for every Zambian to show respect to the judiciary because it is mandated to make such decisions.
He noted that it was unfair for the former President to have uttered such remarks especially that he was also part to the formulations of such judicial procedures and systems.
Mr. Lungu has since cautioned Dr. Chiluba to be careful with the statements he issues because they have the potential to erode public confidence in the judiciary.
[ QFM ]
Vice president George Kunda yesterday said the United Party for National Development (UPND) is disintegrating and the MMD will continue hammering on the weakened structures of the opposition party to gain more members.
And former Patriotic Front (PF) Southern Province co-cordinator Opper Hamiyanze has said UPND president Hakainde Hichilema’s desperation for power has killed his party.
Mr Kunda said the UPND had started losing grip of its structures in Southern Province.
Mr Kunda, who was speaking on arrival at Livingstone International Airport said the UPND was rapidly losing its members to the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD), which was recently formed by former Luena Member of Parliament Charles Milupi.
“The UPND is losing grip in Southern Province. We shall continue pounding on the structures of the UPND in the province. They are now losing their members to the new political party for Mr Charles Milupi.
“But the MMD is growing even stronger and are gaining more members on the Copperbelt going by the recent resignation of senior members of the Patriotic Front,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kunda has said the Government will not lift the suspension slapped on Livingstone City Council (LCC) until all matters that led to the suspension are resolved.
Mr Kunda said the city of Livingstone was cherished by the MMD Government and it would ensure the local authority in the tourist capital was well run.
[pullquote]“The UPND is losing grip in Southern Province. We shall continue pounding on the structures of the UPND in the province. They are now losing their members to the new political party for Mr Charles Milupi.
“But the MMD is growing even stronger and are gaining more members on the Copperbelt going by the recent resignation of senior members of the Patriotic Front,” he said.[/pullquote]
“In this vein the Livingstone City Council, which was suspended a few months ago will remain suspended until further notice,” he said.
The Government suspended LCC because of its alleged involvement in acts of indiscipline, which had put the Ministry of Local Government and Housing into disrepute.
Mr Kunda said the administrator who had been appointed to run the affairs of the council was doing a good job.
“We need Livingstone council to be a role model because of its tourism potential,” he said.
Mr Kunda was in Livingstone to grace the 27th plenary assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Southern Province MMD provincial secretary Emmanuel Siamweela commended Government’s policies aimed at improving agriculture in Zambia.
“The fertiliser support programme has yielded a lot of results and even members in MMD are increasing. We have since set goals and formed clubs to also access these inputs,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Patriotic Front (PF) Southern province co-coordinator Opper Hamiyanze has said UPND president Hakainde Hichilema’s desperation for power has killed his party.
Reacting to President Banda’s revelation that he had information that Mr Hichilema had accepted to be vice-president under the UPND-PF Pact, Mr Hamiyanze said the entire UPND was disappointed with him.
The Chamber of Mines in Zambia (CMZ) has backed Government’s stance not to reintroduce the windfall tax in the mining industry.
CMZ general manager Fred Bantubonse said in an interview yesterday that Vice-President George Kunda’s statement at the just-ended Copperbelt Mining, Agriculture and Commercial Show (CMACS) that the Government had no intentions of bringing back the tax was correct and commendable.
Mr Bantubonse said the windfall tax was not in the best interest of either Government or mine companies.
Zambia needs taxes that guarantee benefits for both Government and investors and not ones that choked the much-needed investment.
The introduction of the windfall taxes in 2008 proved problematic, as mining houses were expected to pay way beyond the 47 per cent effective tax rate as stipulated.
“Mining companies did some calculations and discovered they would be paying over 80 per cent and this was confirmed by an independent study by Price-Waterhouse Coopers,” he said.
No investors would realistically want to pay such rates however big their investment in the mines.
Mr Bantubonse said despite having the tax withdrawn soon after being put into effect, there still remained the variable tax, which was introduced at the same time.
“So in a way, we still have windfall tax in effect because the variable tax is still in place,” he said.
[pullquote]“Mining companies did some calculations and discovered they would be paying over 80 per cent and this was confirmed by an independent study by Price-Waterhouse Coopers,” he said.[/pullquote]
There was a fear that taxing mines based on the profits they made could scare away investment.
“For any tax to be acceptable, it must allow investment to grow and business to be sustained,” he said.
Mr Bantubonse said only then could companies pay taxes, provide jobs and ensure that it was a win-win situation for both country and investors.
[ Times of Zambia ]
Chief governmment Spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ronnie Shikapwasha
Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has described as a fabrication, reports the Chief Mwanachingwala of the Tonga people wants to burn sugar cane fields belonging to Zambia Sugar.
Gen Shikapwasha said there was no need for Zambia Sugar to report Chief Mwanachingwala to the police over allegations that he threatened to burn sugar cane fields for the company.
He said yesterday in a statement that the reported threats were stretched beyond the context.
Contrary to the allegations, the chief’s guidance during the meeting called by concerned contractors and suppliers in Mazabuka recently was one of progress and not retrogressive.
“It was about advancing the interests of both Zambia Sugar and the residents of Mazabuka in deriving maximum benefits from this important investment in their midst,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha said the chief’s remarks were about Zambia Sugar spreading business opportunities to all contractors and suppliers in the district as part of its social responsibility.
The Government found as unnecessary, the decision by Zambia Sugar Plc to report Chief Mwachingwala of the Tonga people of Mazabuka for his alleged threats to burn the company’s cane fields as reported in some sections of the media.
Dr Katele Kalumba walking to his prison cells after he was jailed by a Lusaka magistrate CourtFORMER President Frederick Chiluba says he cannot celebrate the conviction of MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba and three others because they are his friends.
And Dr Chiluba has questioned why former Ministry of Health permanent secretary Simon Miti chartered a faulty plane when he (Dr Chiluba) was evacuated to South Africa for treatment.
Dr Chiluba said he is saddened about the conviction of Dr Kalumba and others because they were his right-hand officials during his tenure of office.
He said it is immoral for some people, who include Kafulafuta member of Parliament George Mpombo and Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata, to mock him over the matter by asking him to celebrate the conviction of Dr Kalumba.
Dr Chiluba said this in an interview with journalists after attending a church service at the Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) in Matero yesterday.
He said contrary to the insinuations, he is not happy or celebrating over the conviction of Dr Kalumba and others because they are his comrades.
“Whether Mr Mpombo or other people commented or not over this matter, I cannot be happy, neither can I smile or dance over the conviction because those were my friends.
“They were not my key advisors but were my comrades and right-hand men and we worked together,” he said.
Dr Chiluba, however, said as a democrat, he is not in the habit of interfering with the work of the courts of law.
He said he cannot argue the case because of security reasons.
“Dr Kalumba and others are my friends and we worked together but now that they have been found in this situation, I do not want to argue the case for security reasons,” he said.
Last week, Mr Sata challenged Dr Chiluba to celebrate the conviction of Dr Kalumba just as he celebrated his acquittal.
Dr Kalumba, who is former Minister of Finance, and three others were last week jailed five years with hard labour for corrupt practices.
Those jailed are former Ministry of Finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda and former defunct Access Financial Services Limited directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu.
Dr Kalumba and the three others have, however, been released from prison after the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court granted them K500 million bail each in their own recognisance.
Meanwhile, Dr Chiluba has questioned why Dr Miti chartered a faulty plane when he was evacuated to South Africa for treatment.
Dr Chiluba asked the question during a church service when he gave a testimony of his life and heart problem.
Dr.Simon MitiHe alleged that Dr Miti hired a plane used for pest control.
He said the plane, which Dr Miti claimed was a medical airbus, had no toilet or bed.
Dr Chiluba said he does not understand the logic by Dr Miti to have hired an old plane for an emergency, adding that the flight took four hours as opposed to the usual two hours from Lusaka to South Africa.
“Thank God that my wife and I are still alive…it does not make sense to hire an old plane for a person whose heart is running at 12 percent instead of the normal 70-100 percent.
“The little old plane hired by Dr Miti was faulty because barely 30 minutes after departure, one engine blew off and everyone on the plane, including the pilots, started panicking but I was calm because I prayed to God,” Dr Chiluba said.
He said after the plane developed a fault, the nurse on board panicked and confessed that the plane was not a medical airbus.
“I wondered why the plane, which looked like a wheelbarrow was chartered for me but I think this was another attempt by the devil to weaken me. I thank God we arrived safely,” he said.
Dr Chiluba said he is not accusing anyone of attempting to take his life but was questioning the logic of hiring a ‘finished plane’ to evacuate him to South Africa.
He said he has experienced God’s love and goodness as He has seen him through his heart problem.
“It is now five years when the doctors told me I had a heart problem which is incurable and that I was going to die.
“My heart condition was deteriorating everyday and I spent sleepless nights because I had to be in a sitting position because if I had to sleep on the bed, I would have died. But my wife and I prayed even without faith sometimes because we wanted God to hear and he did. That’s why I am still alive,” he said.
Dr Chiluba thanked the church and other members of the public who prayed for his healing.
BRAZILIAN boxer Duda Yankovich wants a rematch with Esther Phiri for the Women International Boxing Association (WIBA) light-welterweight belt.
Yankovich said she is not satisfied with her performance after losing on unanimous points on Saturday night at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
She said the rematch should be held in a month’s time in Brazil because her sponsors are ready to stage the bout.
Yankovich, who was out of action for a year following a broken nose, said her performance was disappointing because she has not fully recovered.
The former WIBA light-welterweight champion lost the fight 100-99, 100-95 and 100-91 to succumb to her second consecutive defeat in her 13-fight career.
“Esther is physically fit and I think she is a good boxer. She is, however, technically poor…her trainer should work on that for Esther to fight acclaimed boxers,” Yankovich said.
Esther said the performance against Yankovich has given her confidence after a draw against Terri Blair of the United States of America in December last year.
“I am very happy to win the new world title because I heard a lot about Yankovich. This win has also proved critics wrong who doubted my future in boxing.
“Boxing is not about body make-up, but you need to be intelligent to win,” Esther said.
On the rematch, Esther said she will first consult her trainer Anthony Mwamba.
She is considering hanging up her gloves but will only do that at an appropriate time.
African Boxing Union (ABU) bantamweight champion Kennedy Kanyanta said he is ready for a rematch against Kenya’s Twalibu Mubiru.
Mubiru, who lost to Kanyanta in the third round after a technical knockout, has demanded a rematch after labelling William Sekeleti as an unprofessional referee.
Kanyanta defended Sekeleti’s decision to stop the fight insisting that if he had not done so, Mubiru would have been seriously hurt.
Patriotic front PF Chifubu Member of Parliament, Benson Bwalya has died. Mr Bwalya is reported to have died in the early hours of this morning in Chililabombwe.
PF spokesperson, Given Lubinda confirmed the death of Mr Bwalya to QFM this afternoon but could however not state what caused his death.
Mr. Lubinda who is also Kabwata Member of Parliament expressed sadness at the death of Member of Parliament who he described as humble.
He said Mr.Bwalya was a gullible and quite man who could not allow anyone to push him around. Mr Lubinda added that the late MP had never engaged in any verbal attacks on the Party leadership and that he will be missed for his credibility.
And PF leader Michael Sata said Mr. Bwalya’s death has left a very big gap in the party.
And Luapula Member of Parliament, Peter Machungwa described Mr. Bwalya as a principled man who never bowed down to pressure even if it was from the top party leadership.
He said his contribution to the works of the National Constitution Conference NCC will be highly treasured and held in high esteem.
