Post Editor-in-Chief Fred Mmembe has been found guilty of contempt of court together with the Post Newspapers by a Lusaka magistrate court.

This is in the case in which Mr Mmembe and the Post newspapers are charged with contempt of court arising from an article authored by US-based Zambian Professor Muna Ndulo titled “The Chansa Kabwela case:A Comedy of Errors”.

In the allegedly contemptuous opinion piece, Cornell University Professor Muna B. Ndulo described the process against Kabwela as a “comedy of errors” and wrote that the obscenity case, which was widely decried as a politically motivated attack on the newspaper, was detrimental to Zambia’s image abroad.

Section 116 of the Zambian penal code criminalizes speech or writing that could prejudice opinion regarding an ongoing judicial proceeding.

The matter came up for judgment this morning before magistrate David Simusamba. In delivering judgment Magistrate Simusamba said the defence by Mr Mmembe that he was on leave at the time the article was published could not be considered by the court because he was the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper.

In November last year, Mr Mmembe described his case as a tactic used by tyrannical regime against press freedom.  “Contempt of court is a charge that has been used by tyrannical regimes the world over against press freedom,” M’membe told the International Press Institute at the time. “We hope the judicial process will handle the case in a manner that preserves and promotes press freedom.”

Magistrate Simusamba has since reserved sentencing to Friday June 4,2010 at 09:00 hours.

United Party for National Development (UPND) Secretary General Winstone Chibwe says Vice President George Kunda’s thinking capacity is letting him down.

Mr. Chibwe alleged that the medical examinations that were carried on Mr. Kunda in South Africa were not complete.

Reacting to the vice President’s statement that the MMD will continue to hammer on the UPND, and that the UPND has lost most of its members to the newly formed ADD party, Mr. Chibwe questioned Mr. Kunda’s sanity.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chibwe says the Vice President should stop concentrating on the progress of the UPND because he is not the party’s Secretary General. He added that the Vice President is not even a UPND cadre hence he must concentrate on how the country can be developed.

He said the fact that Mr. Kunda and the entire MMD have been talking about the UPND all the time is a sign that they are losing ground.

[Q FM]

Speaking through his spokesperson, Emmanuel Mwamba, Dr Chiluba said apart from the cases being politically instigated, they were also targeted at certain individuals.
“[pullquote]The foundation of these cases were political because they were selected and targeted at certain people.

“They were targeted at the former president so that they can diminish his political standing but all the allegations against have been proved otherwise,” Dr Chiluba said.[/pullquote]
The former president was commenting on sentiments by some stakeholders that following the conviction of MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba, Dr Chiluba was equally liable to a conviction.

A Zambian law academician, Michelo Hansungule was yesterday quoted in the media as saying the conviction of Dr Kalumba should bring back Dr Chiluba to the dock.

Dr Chiluba maintained the investigations by the Taskforce were a political witch-hunt targeted at certain leaders in his administration to silence them politically.

He, however, said he had respect for the Judiciary.

“The foundation of these cases were political because they were selected and targeted at certain people.

“They were targeted at the former president so that they can diminish his political standing but all the allegations against have been proved otherwise,” Dr Chiluba said.

An impression was created among the citizenry that Dr Chiluba had abused public resources but the court proved that the former head of State was innocent.

The lesson to be learnt from his acquittal was that the law enforcement agencies should be allowed to operate without any interference from the Executive.

With regard to the Taskforce, he said to begin with, it was an illegal entity that reported directly to the president.

It would have made sense if legal investigative wings investigated the alleged plunder as opposed to the Taskforce.

Dr Chiluba said he respected the Judiciary but emphasised that the judicial process should not be tainted with illegalities and political interference.

“We respect the Judiciary but this process was tainted with illegalities and underhand methods from the beginning.

“It is important that the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) condemns any activities that undermine justice,” Dr Chiluba said.

LAZ had a duty to protect the integrity of the entire process and not to only urge the citizens to respect the outcome of the court process.

“Justice begins from investigations, arrests and the court process,” Dr Chiluba said.
[ Times of Zambia ]

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.

[ Times of Zambia ]

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.

QFM

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.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

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.

[ Times of Zambia ]