THE MMD says it will not adopt Kafulafuta member of Parliament (MP) George Mpombo and his Chilanga counterpart Ng’andu Magande to stand on the party ticket in the 2011 general elections.

MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said the two have been a disgrace to the party.

“Whatever the two MPs have been issuing in the media to discredit the MMD is uncalled for and senseless,” Mr Mabenga said.

He said in an interview yesterday that the MMD is in the process of finding ideal candidates to field in the Kafulafuta and Chilanga constituencies because the current MPs have their own agenda.

“We are looking for candidates who will replace Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande,” Mr Mabenga said.

He said the two do not deserve to stand on the MMD ticket because they are not loyal to the party.

“Because of their retrogressive remarks against the ruling party, they have lost popularity in their constituencies…people in their constituencies are fed up of them,” he said.
[pullquote]
“Mr Mabenga cannot stop me from standing in Chilanga Constituency…he cannot compete with me even if he was to stand in my constituency,” he said.[/pullquote]

And Mr Mabenga said the MMD leadership will soon deal with erring members of the party, including Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande.

“We are not scared of anyone. It is just that we are following the laid down procedures before disciplining erring members,” Mr Mabenga said.

He said the MMD is a party that believes in its constitution and that it cannot rush things.

“Very soon, all erring members will be dealt with,” Mr Mabenga said.

When contacted for comment, Mr Magande said Mr Mabenga is not the person who adopts members to stand on the party ticket.

“Mr Mabenga cannot stop me from standing in Chilanga Constituency…he cannot compete with me even if he was to stand in my constituency,” he said.

Meanwhile, Copperbelt MMD chairman Joseph Chilambwe has threatened to block Chilanga MMD member of Parliament Ng’andu Magande from attending the party’s next national executive committee (NEC) meeting.

“I will personally block Mr Magande from attending the next NEC meeting. We cannot allow him and Mr George Mpombo to continue attacking the MMD, the party that they represent in Parliament. We are tired of their insults,” Mr Chilambwe said.

He said in an interview in Luanshya yesterday that the MMD on the Copperbelt will demand that Mr Magande be suspended from the party for his continued outbursts.

[pullquote]“I will personally block Mr Magande from attending the next NEC meeting. We cannot allow him and Mr George Mpombo to continue attacking the MMD, the party that they represent in Parliament. We are tired of their insults,” Mr Chilambwe said.[/pullquote]

“We are wondering why Mr Magande should say Zambians will change Government in 2011 when he is part of the ruling party. If he is not careful, he will be forced out of the party…he is a member of NEC who should protect the party instead of insulting it,” he said.

Mr Chilambwe said there is need to discipline party members who disrespect the top leadership.

He said the MMD on the Copperbelt is united and warned that the party will take action against undisciplined members.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya has challenged Kafulafuta Member of Parliament, George Mpombo and his Chilanga Constituency counterpart, Ng’andu Magande to resign from the ruling party and avoid unjustified attacks against the Government.

Ms Siliya also said former vice-president Enoch Kavindele is bitter after Government rejected his application for a mobile telecommunication licence.

She reminded Mr Kavindele that he was awarded a licence to operate North-Western Railway Systems without tender procedure and had not been cleared by any competent court of law.

Mr Kavindele accused Ms Siliya in a tabloid at the weekend of wrongdoing while she served as minister of Communications and Transport, an allegation for which she was cleared by a tribunal.

Mr Kavindele also alleged that Ms Siliya flew directly from Petauke to Johannesburg in South Africa but the minister said she had travel schedules about her flight connections.

Ms Siliya said Mr Kavindele’s licence to open North-Western Railway Systems was done outside the tender processes and had been fighting for the deal which he knew was irregular.

She explained that the Government withdrew Mr Kavindele’s licence due to non-performance in line with terms of his licence.

She said late president Levy Mwanawasa held a meeting with Mr Kavindele and Chief Mumena to explain the matter and wondered why he had continued fighting her in the Press.

Ms Siliya, who is minister of Education, said she was in Johannesburg for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministerial conference on education and never flew directly from Petauke in breach of the law.

She explained that she arrived from Petauke on June 6, 2010 and left for the conference the following day.

She said Mr Kavindele should avoid cheap politics as a man who occupied the second highest political office in the land.

She said Mr Kavindele was bitter over Government’s decision to reject Vodacom on whose platform he had applied to operate a fourth mobile phone service.

On Mr Magande and Mr Mpombo, Ms Siliya said the two would do well to leave the MMD because they had been campaigning that their own party should lose the elections next year.

She said there was lack of seriousness in the two politicians and was certain Zambians were getting fed up with them.

But Mr Kavindele said there was a tender by the Communications Authority for a fourth mobile telephone operator, which he won.

He, however, said the issue of North-Western Railway Systems was his idea and admitted that there was no tender on that account.

Meanwhile, MMD Deputy National Secretary Chembe Nyangu has said the ruling party is confident of scooping the forthcoming Chifubu and Luena parliamentary by-elections and advised all parties participating in the polls to desist from acts of violence.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) Copperbelt Province chairperson, Elisha Matambo has said the UPND-Patriotic Front (PF) Pact will not ferry any cadres from other constituencies to Chifubu during campaigns to avoid violence.

Mr Nyangu said in interview yesterday that the ruling party had found a winning formula, which would see it capture the Chifubu seat from the PF.

“We are doing our best as we prepare for the by-elections. As at now what I can say is that we are set to win the election because the MMD will field the best candidate capable of delivering the much-needed development to the people,” he said.

The Luena seat fell vacant after the resignation of Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Milupi while in Chifubu area MP Benson Bwalya died.

Meanwhile, Mr Matambo said in Ndola yesterday that it was important that all parties fielding candidates in future by-elections did not import cadres from other areas because they were the main cause of violence.

“As UPND and other partners in the electoral pact, the Patriotic Front, we have pledged to see to it that the forthcoming by-elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.
[Times of Zambia ]

PF National Youth Secretary General Eric Chanda said President Banda is not only a failure but also a weak Head of State.

Mr. Chanda said as Head of State, people expected him to take an appropriate action against Dr. Musonda.

He pointed out that it was unfortunate that the President has been promoting violence and anarchy in the country.

He called on Zambians to bear with government’s harsh response to issues affecting people’s security, adding that soon a caring government would be ushered into office.

President Banda was quoted in one of the daily newspapers that he felt sorry for health deputy minister Dr. Solomon Musonda, who recently shot and wounded a PF cadre Jackson Musaka.

The President declined to discipline Dr Musonda, saying there could be a reason why he shot Musaka.
[ QFM ]

Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Governor Caleb Fundanga has challenged banks in the country to give mortgages to the people on long term basis as a way of cushioning the inadequate housing units in the country.

Dr. Fundanga says financial institutions are better placed if only they play a significant role in providing mortgages to the people.

He noted that home ownership is vital in one’s wellbeing saying this can be achieved through the provision of soft loans from the commercial banks.

The BoZ Chief said this during the official launch of re-furbished Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) Kitwe branch.

This was in a speech read for him by Copperbelt BoZ Regional Director Moses Mulomba.

He said a lot of houses were being funded from people’s personal savings which described as not an efficient and effective way of financing housing
projects.

Dr. Fundanga said ZNBS management should take this situation as an opportunity to fully utilize housing mortgages provision thereby answering
to its liquidity problems.

He stated that ZNBS has a mandate to develop and interact with its customers through the provision of mortgages and making them available to
the people.

And ZNBS Board Chairperson Mwando Mondoloka said ZNBS was in the 1990s not spared from the post liberalization of the economy where it lost tax
incentives which resulted in serious revenue loss.

Mr. Mondoloka said the institution has since managed to scale up its operations in the last two years following a successful implementation of
the strategic plan that has seen the bank expand.

He however, pointed out that the bank has mapped out a strategic plan to improve its liquidity and reputation in a bid to attract and service its
clientele base.

ZANIS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”
(James 5:16, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

All throughout Scripture, we see that God’s system operates on the principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow blessing and mercy into the lives of others, that’s what you’ll reap in your life in return. The same thing happens when you pray for one another. There’s a spiritual dynamic at play when you get your mind off yourself and onto others. You’re sowing a seed so that God can do something in your own life.

Is there someone in your life you can pray for? Maybe it’s a friend or a family member in need. They don’t have to be present, you can pray for them as you go about your day or even driving in your car on the way to work. Remember, when you pray for others, God will make sure someone is praying for you. It’s that connection of faith that opens the door for God to move mightily on your behalf.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to be used by You. I choose to pray for the people in my life as You have commanded. Direct my thoughts and prayers today so that I can be a blessing to others and honor You in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata has charged that the failure by the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) leadership to apprehend health Deputy Minister, Dr. Solomon Musonda after he shot a PF cadre in Serenje is enough testimony to prove that the party has no capacity to fight corruption.

Mr Sata who have persistently called for the police force and government to account for the shooting, tells Q fm in an interview that the police force is incapable of laying a figure on Dr. musonda despite what he did because he is in the MMD government.

The out-spoken PF leader said that republican President, Rupiah Banda and his government are incompetent to match up to the fight against corruption because they are too compromised.

He said it would have been easy for the MMD led government to apprehend the official, if he was from an opposition party but they could not touch him right now because he is still needed by the party.

Mr Sata also indicates that Zambians should know that the MMD government has no credibility in their words and are incapable of delivering according to it’s promise.

He has reiterated his call on the Zambia police service to arrest Dr. Musonda because he is not a free man.

The PF leader pointed out that it was unfair for other suspected criminals to be rotting in jail when some self confessed government official who almost murdered someone, is left to live in freedom.
[ QFM ]