United Party for National Development (UPND) members in 11 districts in Southern Province want an alliance between their party and the MMD, veteran politician and parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga has said.

Mr Mwaanga said the people of Southern Province have called for a pact between the MMD and the UPND as opposed to the one that was currently in existence between the Patriotic Front (PF) and the UPND.

Mr Mwaanga who has just returned from a visit to the districts said the general view of the people was that they wanted to see an alliance between the MMD and the UPND as the two parties’ manifestos were similar.

In an interview, in Livingstone Mr Mwaanga said only an alliance between the MMD and the United Party for National Development (UPND) would produce a Republican president from Southern Province in 2016.

He observed that coalitions and pacts had a great capacity for failure especially in Africa because their ideologies were usually different.

He cited the pact between the PF and the UPND as one which would not work because the two opposition parties had manifestos that were diametrically opposed.

He said while the PF believed in socialisation and nationalisation, the UPND believed in liberalisation and a free market.

Mr Mwaanga said the people of Southern Province had observed that the MMD and UPND manifestos were similar and this was why they were calling for a pact between the two parties.

He would personally support a pact between the MMD and the UPND, as it would be for the benefit of the Zambian people.

“If UPND shows interest, I would encourage the MMD to enter into an alliance with UPND as it would be mutually beneficial to the Zambian people. It is not about personalities but the interests of the Zambian people,” he said.

Mr Mwaanga condemned the violence during recent by-elections in Mufumbwe saying violent acts did not add anything to development.

As the 2011 elections drew closer, it was important for Zambians to scrutinise speeches and see how some politicians were merely attacking others and engaging in name calling as those vices are bad.

“I believe that Zambians want politics of substance. Zambians want tangible service delivery,” he said.

On the appointment of opposition UNIP Member of Parliament Mkhondo Lungu as minister of home affairs, Mr Mwaanga said that the move was constitutional as the president was at liberty to appoint any MP regardless of which party they were coming from.

He congratulated Mr Lungu on his appointment.
[ Times of Zambia ]

Senior Private Secretary to the President Rapson Chilufya has advised former Defence Minister George Mpombo to take a break from attacking innocent people and make peace with people he has offended.

Mr. Chilufya who spoke in his personal capacity said Mr. Mpombo’s continued attack on the president, State house workers and other innocent people should not be allowed to go on without comments.

Mr Chilufya was reacting to Mr Mpombo’s statement issued in the Post newspaper of 16 May 2010.

He wondered why Mr. Mpombo has chosen to continue attacking him and the president when he voluntarily resigned from his position without giving any one reasons and advised him to reflect on his life.

Mr. Chilufya explained that the former defence minister referred to him as a mere male clerk and not a senior member of staff dismissing this as a statement meant to mislead the public.

He said Mr Mpombo’s statement is meant to demean the late president who appointed him to the position and the incumbent president for returning him as a senior member of staff at State House.

He said he should understand that he was appointed by the President to work with him as the Head of State can not work without the senior private secretary who is regarded as a bridge between the president and people including Mr. Mpombo.

And Mr Chilufya dismissed claims that the President only appointed people from Chipata adding that the former defence minister had deprived the Lamba people of a Cabinet Minister by resigning without giving reasons.

Mr. Mpombo’s remarks against the Senior Private Secretary were published in the Sunday Post newspaper dated 16 May 2010.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has called on African countries to adopt and use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to create wealth and improve their citizens’ lives.

President Banda said the exchange of and access to information and knowledge through the use of ICTs has contributed to development of many countries in Africa .

He said ICTs have the potential to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich nations in the world, adding that it would be to the advantage of the African countries to embrace the ICTs in their quest to develop further.

He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Vice President George Kunda, at the official opening of the e-learning Africa Conference at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.

This is the fifth international conference on ICT for development, education and training in Africa and is being attended by over 1,700 delegates, out of which 700 are Zambians.

President Banda said Zambia now has a better opportunity to develop because of many ICT strategies which she is employing.

He pointed out that Zambia has already adopted the e-government, e-commerce and now the e-learning among other.

He added that the laying of the optic fibre was one measure that is aimed at easing the use of ICTs in Zambia .

The President further said ICTs can help to significantly grow the economy, which is a precondition to national development.

President Banda also said the national ICT policy which government launched would help the country achieve its vision 2030 and will contribute towards attaining the Millennium Development gals by 2015.

He has since urged player in the development of ICTs to provide cheaper by reliable services that would be afforded by many citizens in developing countries.

The President also urged multilateral organizations and others participating in the conference to consider promoting e-learning further after attending the conference in Lusaka .

Earlier, Minister of Education, Dora Siliya said Zambia has scored a lot of successes in the ICT sector, citing the laying of the optic fibre as one of the main successes the country has achieved.

Ms. Siliya said the launching of the video conferencing equipment by President Banda yesterday was another milestone in the development of ICTs in Zambia .

The video conferencing equipment links he University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University .

Meanwhile, a clergyman from Gambia in West Africa , Tilewa Johnson, warned African societies that ICTs can be both a blessing and a curse depending on how it is handled.

ZANIS

The Council of Churches has observed that wrangles that have characterised the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) in the recent past are an affront to the body of Christ.

Council of Churches Secretary General Suzanne Matale says the church is the beacon of peace, unity and reconciliation and should therefore not be a place for riots and confusion.

Rev Matale told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that one of the pillars of resolving conflict is dialogue hence the church must be an example of how conflicts should be resolved.

She stressed that the church should not copy the model of politicians and other individuals who believed in personal confrontations to resolve issues.

Rev Matale pointed out that the church should lead by example and practise whatever they preached which is promotion of peace, unity and reconciliation.

“The Council of Churches in Zambia therefore is calling upon all its members to seek amicable ways of dealing with issues of misunderstanding”, she said.

The Council of Churches Secretary General said the church has always had procedures and processes of dealing with issues according to the scriptures.

She expressed hope that there would be no further incidents of such nature in the future.

Wrangles recently erupted in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the UCZ over allegations of misapplication of Church money and issues of immorality.

Yesterday, some irate church members threatened to burn the Matero UCZ church, accusing their pastor of immorality and alleged squander of church resources.

ZANIS

Government is studying the letter sent to President Rupiah Banda by his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame requesting the extraditing of Rwandan suspects of the 1994 genocide who fled to Zambia.

Chief Government Spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha says the Zambian government has always been called upon by the International Criminal Court Tribunal in Arusha,Tanzania to help the Rwandan government to expedite the cases pertaining to the 1994 Genocide.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has written to the Zambian government through counterpart President Banda seeking the arrest of those suspected of involvement in the 1994 Rwanda genocide which claimed the lives of 800,000 Tutsis and Moderate Hutus.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha says the government will not hesitate to hand in the suspects once investigations are instituted to track those involved.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha disclosed this to QFM in an interview.
[Q FM]

The Zambia Youth Association in the Fight Against Corruption (ZYAFAC) has welcomed the conviction of MMD National Secretary and Former Finance Minister Katele Kalumba on corruption charges.

Dr Kalumba was yesterday sentenced to 5-years imprisonment with hard labour together with three other co-accused former finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda, former Acess Financial Services directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu.

ZYAFAC Executive Director Rickson Kanema said the conviction of Dr Kalumba sends a strong signal to would be perpetrators of corruption that it does not pay to be corrupt.

Mr Kanema has since called on public officers to use resources entrusted in their care for the public intended purposes.

He said government leaders should desist from engaging in corrupt activities.

Mr Kanema said Dr Kalumba is a senior member of the MMD and held a senior position in government his corrupt practices has caused him to be found guilty.

Mr Kanema has since commended the judiciary for taking a bold stance to convict Dr Kalumba and his co-accused despite the case taking long.

He has also urged young people to learn something from the MMD national secretary’s conviction that it does not pay to be corrupt.
[QFM ]