THE burial ceremony for the late Chifubu Constituency Patriotic Front (PF) member of Parliament Benson Bwalya was yesterday disrupted after some youths threatened to beat and block ‘rebel’ opposition parliamentarians’ spokesperson Peter Machungwa from addressing the mourners.

Mr Bwalya, 50, who died on Sunday after an illness was buried yesterday at Ndola’s Kansenshi Cemetery.

Confusion started after a group of PF youths led by Copperbelt Province youth chairperson Menyani Zulu threatened to beat Dr Machungwa, after he said that some PF leaders who were persecuting the late MP were now creating a picture that they loved him.

Dr Machungwa continued with his speech after a combined team of State and council police blocked Mr Zulu and PF cadres from attacking him as PF vice-president Guy Scott and a group of his party members decided to leave the tent.

He said Mr Bwalya was a fearless MP, who would be missed not only by the people of Chifubu but his colleagues in Parliament.

[pullquote]Dr Scott, who was representing the PF leadership said Mr Bwalya was one of the opposition party’s ‘naughty sons’ and advised other MPs who stood on the party’s ticket to desist from disobeying the party leadership.[/pullquote]

“As PF MPs attending the National Constitutional Conference we have been living under constant threats and I am not surprised with what is happening here,” Dr Machungwa said.

Labour Deputy Minister Simon Kachimba described the late MP as a bridge-builder who stood for unity and deserved to be emulated by all.

Dr Scott, who was representing the PF leadership said Mr Bwalya was one of the opposition party’s ‘naughty sons’ and advised other MPs who stood on the party’s ticket to desist from disobeying the party leadership.

And parliamentary delegation leader, Mwembeshi MP Edward Kasoko said Mr Bwalya, who was a member of the select committee on agriculture and lands since 2006, served the people of Chifubu in Parliament with honour and diligence.

“He would be missed for his focused and well researched contributions in Parliament,” Mr Kasoko said.

At the Ndola City Council chamber, council chaplain Augustine Mwewa called on members of the public and the extended family members to ensure that no property was grabbed from the widow and the surviving child.

Chifubu Catholic Church priest Anthony Salangeta said during church service that politicians should see to it that the violence which characterised the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election recently did not repeat itself during the forthcoming Chifubu by-election.

Mr Bwalya, a retired soldier, was elected Chufubu MP in 2006.

He is survived by a wife and one child.

[Times of Zambia]

The opposition Patriotic Front PF Party spokesperson, Given Lubinda has challenged the Zambia police to tell the nation why a senior political official, Health Deputy Minister Solomon Musonda was allowed to move around with a gun when it is not acceptable by the law.

Dr. Musonda who is also Chitambo Member of Parliament on Tuesday shot and wounded a suspected PF cadre who is currently admitted to the University Teaching Hospital.

Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso yesterday confirmed the incident. “Yes, I can confirm that we have received a report of a shooting incident in which Dr Solomon Musonda, Health Deputy Minister shot and wounded Jackson Musaka, 25, on the left side of the forehead,” Kapeso said. Mr kapeso also confimed that the police had retrieved the pistol, which was allegedly used.

The incident happened around 17:50 hours in an area called Lubembe within Serenje district. According to eye witness, Dr Musonda open fired at a group of youths that blocked the road he was using. According to the youths, Dr Musonda was not supposed to be using the road that was repaired by youths as he had failed to repair it in his capacity as area MP.

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 ]