The MMD has adopted Whiteson Banda, a Katete business executive as its candidate for the Milanzi parliamentary by-election slated for April 29.

National secretary Katele Kalumba said in an interview yesterday the national executive committee (NEC) that sat in Lusaka on Tuesday unanimously adopted Mr Banda to contest on the MMD ticket.

Dr Kalumba said the party was optimistic that the MMD would retain the seat which fell vacant after the death of area Member of Parliament Reuben Chisanga Banda. He said Milanzi Constituency was a former UNIP stronghold but the ruling party had taken over the whole area.

“We have won the seat two times under Rose Banda and the late Reuben Banda. UNIP got it with the late Chosani Njobvu. Currently the chances of UNIP winning the seat are very limited,” he said.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has set April 8 for candidates to file in nominations and April 29 as the polling date.

UNIP has adopted a Lusaka businessperson, Musa Banda to contest on the party ticket. Other opposition political parties are yet to announce their candidates.

And Dr Kalumba yesterday unveiled the MMD candidate in the Milanzi by-election, Mr Banda to the electorate in Katete District.

Speaking shortly after introducing Mr Banda at a meeting held at Mphangwe Motel, Dr Kalumba said he was happy that all the people who had applied in order to be considered for adoption had pledged to rally behind Mr Banda.
[Times of Zambia]

Government has dismissed allegations by UPND president, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA that President RUPIAH BANDA is tribal.

Chief Government Spokesperson, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA has described Mr HICHILEMA’s remarks as baseless and should be dismissed by all.

Lieutenant General SHIKAPWASHA says President BANDA has ensured that every ZAMBIAN has an equal stake in the development of the country regardless of their tribe.

He told ZNBC news in a statement this evening that President BANDA has demonstrated that he is a leader for all Zambians by being inclusive in his cabinet.

General SHIKAPWASHA also dismissed Mr. HICHILEMA’s remarks that Southern Province has no representation in President BANDA’s cabinet.

He said Southern Province Minister, DANIEL MUNKOMBWE and Livestock Minister, BRADFORD MACHILA are from Southern Province and asked Mr. HICHILEMA NOT to display his ignorance.

General SHIKAPWASHA has asked Mr. HICHILEMA to respect the office of the President and the Head of State.

[ZNBC]

President Rupiah Banda has said he will not condone tax evasion and corruption in Zambia Revenue Authority’s (ZRA) process of revenue collection because the two vices would retard economic development of the country.

President Banda said corruption in the process of tax collection would compromise the integrity of the revenue authority.

He said tax evasion and corruption were detrimental to the development of the country hence must not be tolerated at all levels.

President Banda said this in a speech read for him by Minister of Commerce, Felix Mutati at the second ZRA Taxpayer Appreciation Day held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre today.

The theme for this year’s appreciation day is “Recognising and Encouraging Voluntary Compliance in Revenue Collection”.

The President further said the Zambia Revenue Authority has been strong, transparent and competent in the administration of taxation in the last 16 years it has been in existence.

He said the authority has grown from collecting only a small percentage of the national budget to over 70 per cent now.

He said this means that Zambia%u2019s annual budget was largely financed from domestically collected resources.

Mr. Banda further lauded the ZRA for launching a medium and small scale taxpayers’ office saying this category of taxpayers could contribute significantly to the development of the country.

He however challenged the revenue authority to continue operating in a transparent manner while minimizing wastage in the process of collecting revenue of the country.

And speaking earlier, ZRA Commissioner General, Chriticles Mwansa said the authority would continue to provide an attractive tax environment that would enable taxpayers to voluntarily meet their tax obligations.

Mr. Mwansa said ZRA would streamline its operations through among other measures, simplifying systems used in revenue collection and in compelling taxpayers to pay tax.

He also officially launched the medium and small scale taxpayers’ office which is at Revenue House in Lusaka and in selected parts of the country.

He said medium and small scale enterprises played a pivotal role in the development of any economy because this category employed more people than the large scale enterprises.

Mr. Mwansa also pledged that ZRA would continue to fight any corrupt practices that might compromise the integrity of the revenue authority.

And the ZRA has signed an agreement with Access Bank to allow taxpayers pay their tax through the bank by electronic payment (e-payment).

The ZRA has rewarded a number of tax payers for their compliance in paying tax.

Among them are BP-Zambia Limited, Kansanshi Mine PLC, Zambian Breweries, Trade Kings Limited, Lamasat International Limited and Toyota Zambia among many others.

The Taxpayers’ Appreciation Day also attracted revenue collection institutions from Rwanda , Kenya , Tanzania , Malawi , Namibia and Swaziland .

QFM

By Elias Munshya wa Munshya

The forthcoming elections in Zambia have the potential to be the most intriguing elections in many years. Several analysts are predicting that Michael Sata and his PF are very likely to form the next government. This analysis has been buoyed by the pact that the PF has formed with the UPND, Zambia’s third largest party. However, in this article, I wish to show how the MMD will simply triumph in the next year’s elections.

First, the MMD’s win will be buttressed by a global economic recovery, which would also translate into some significant growth for Zambia’s economy. This growth is likely to come as a result of increased revenues from copper exports. It is already being predicted that Zambia’s economic will grow by at least five percent in the coming year. This is likely to work to the MMD’s advantage. Economically, therefore, the climate seems to favor the MMD government.

Secondly, the MMD is likely to win the 2011 elections due to Rupiah’s deliberate and strategic international political alliances. Rupiah’s international travels have in the past few weeks been heavily criticized as excessive and a waste of national resources. In fact, Father Bwalya of the Red Card campaign is reported to have written First Lady Tandiwe to advise her husband against making these trips. Politically, however, Rupiah made some trips that are aimed at bolstering the financial capacity of the MMD. Rupiah’s China visit was not just for government business but also party business as well. It is clear that during this time of elections, China would easily extend some resources to the MMD for its forthcoming campaign. And I am very sure that Rupiah did not just return from China with Chinese assurances of investment in Zambia, but also with some investment in the MMD as a party. China would want to stop Michael Sata at all cost. China quivers at the thought of a President Michael Sata due to his anti-China stance and his partnership with Taiwan. And this is more reason why China would be more than willing to support Rupiah over Sata, and should Rupiah ask for financial help from China for the MMD, that money would surely come in millions.

To further shut Sata’s Taiwanese bond, Banda went to Malawi barely a day after landing in Zambia from China for consultative talks with President wa Mutharika. Those talks should not be taken frivolously. They had a clear political purpose to deliver a message to Malawi (which collaborates with Taiwan over China) and to perhaps ask Malawi not to allow Taiwan to channel financial resources to Sata. I would personally not be too surprised if Malawi switches support from Taiwan to China in the next coming months. And if that ever happened, Rupiah Banda’s trip to Malawi shortly after returning from China will have taken on a new meaning.

Thirdly, the MMD wins by deploying Frederick Chiluba. No leader at the moment attracts sympathy and antipathy like Chiluba. He is both liked and disliked by the people. He is both insulted and consulted by many. However, after having sunk so low in his reputation following his alleged corruption trials, Chiluba’s reputation can only rebound. And as such, by using Chiluba, the MMD is consciously using a controversial figure whose rising popularity may actually help them with some votes.

Additionally, by using Chiluba, the MMD employs a complex strategy. In this option, the opposition will be concentrating on insulting Chiluba and singing songs of how they hate him, while the MMD capitalize on that distraction to campaign and deploy resources to its advantage. The opposition should not forget that Chiluba is not a candidate in the next election. Concentrating on him therefore, plays to the advantage of the MMD. And the MMD is fully using this to its advantage. For example, at Chiluba’s last press conference, he alleged things that put both Sata and Hakainde in a defensive position and they wasted a lot of time and energy trying to answer Chiluba. Unfortunately even the Catholic Church’s senior primate in Zambia got dragged into the muck. Those antics from Chiluba are clearly favoring the MMD and I believe that more are coming in the run up to the 2011 elections. Chiluba will therefore, help the MMD.

Fourthly, the emergence of a third wave political movement within Southern Province will rob the UPND of its popularity and consequently, deprive the UPND of some votes there. This third wave movement in Southern Province is likely to arise out of some Southerners’ dissatisfaction with Hakainde’s decision to enter a pact with the PF. I have doubts, however, whether we will still be talking of the Pact by November 2010. Hakainde knows very well that he risks losing support in Southern Province if he went ahead with the Pact. In fact, when Vice-President Kunda mentioned that some UPND members of parliament were planning to take over the UPND and get rid of Hakainde, he was not speaking from without. There is a real dissatisfaction, with some southerners that the Pact is, actually, a political sell-out to the PF. This dissatisfaction will inevitably lead to the formation of a new political movement within Southern Province which will favor the MMD’s reelection bid. Simple math is that with the current electoral law, the presidential candidate who emerges with more votes than other candidates wins the presidency. And so the more opposition votes are divided and the more opposition candidates we have in an election the easier it becomes for the incumbent to win.

Fifthly, the MMD has the chance to win the next election by deploring the same tactics that have made Sata popular. These tactics include populist language, naughty grandfather image, and grassroots mobilization. Rupiah Banda is already speaking the populist language. And on the Copperbelt, Chiluba is being used by the MMD to meet the people and speak the language they understand. While this move may not be very successful, even a slight triumph, however, helps the MMD garner that extra vote.

The naughty grandfather image has been used by Sata very well. He appears with the call boys and he openly identifies with ordinary problems of the people. And his alleged multiple relationships with women nonetheless, just makes him more enviable by some Zambians unfortunately. In the same vein Rupiah is also presenting the same naughty grandfather image. When in Luapula Province, for example, he told a crowd of pupils about how popular he was among girls when he was a young man—image issues that many young men and women face today. By projecting this image, Rupiah is likely to attract many young people. Nothing galvanizes the young than a grandfather who sits with you and tells you some saucy stories about their past. And this tool is likely to be effective in the next elections.

Additionally, William Banda is at the heart of a grassroots’ resurgence of the MMD in Lusaka Province. This mobilization should not be underestimated. It could prove very potent for the MMD, and by 2011 the opposition should not be surprised if the MMD takes up significant votes in Lusaka.

Sixthly, the MMD could win the 2011 elections, by flipping Father Bwalya’s red card campaign. Father Bwalya has just said that the red card campaign is the campaign for all Zambians since it has been embraced by all Zambians. By this, Father Bwalya may mistakenly think that since the red card is played by Copperbelt and Lusaka based NGOs and PF supporters, the whole Zambia is playing them. But this is not the case, as Sata has experienced in the last three elections, Zambia is more than just Lusaka and Copperbelt. And unless people in Milenge, in Shang’ombo, and in Mambwe play the same red card, it remains an urban phenomena supported by the urban elite living in Chipulukusu, Chiwempala and Chawama.

Through these and many other reasons, the MMD is more than likely to win the 2011 elections. It may just be time for the opposition to begin planning how they can win the 2016 elections. For sure the red card, may actually work then!

Some organs under the United Nations office in Zambia have expressed worry over the poor town planning in Lusaka which has forced residents in most compounds to relocate owing to floods.

Country representative under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Macleod Nyirongo has since called on government to seriously consider redesigning the city.

And World Food programme Country representative Pablo Recalde says government should find a permanent solution for people living in flood prone compounds.

The two were speaking after presenting 25 mobile toilets to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) meant for flood victims that have been relocated to a temporal campsite at independence stadium.

And receiving the donation, Permanent secretary in the office of the vice president Davies Sampa said government was looking at modalities of permanently assisting the flood victims. Mr. Sampa commended the United Nations for the gesture.

The 25 mobile toilets were valued at $US 25, 000 dollars.

Government disclosed on Tuesday through Lusaka District Commissioner Christa Kalulu that the independence stadium campsite would be closed by July 1st 2010.
[MUVI TV]

The Human Rights Commission says the project to computerize the judiciary in Zambia once completed will speed up the process of administering justice in the country.

Speaking in an interview, Commission Director Enock Mulembe says the computerization of the judicial system will also provide a proper way of record keeping thereby ensuring a fair dispensation of justice. He says detaining suspects for over 14 days without trial has always been the concern of the Human Rights Commission.

Mr Mulembe said that a quick and fair trial is not only a human right but also a democratic right which every Zambian citizen is entitled to.

The Supreme, High and Magistrate courts have been earmarked for the computerization project.

The project is being facilitated by a grant from the Investment Facility for Africa IFCA which pumping in US$ 500,000 representing 75 percent while the remaining 25% will be covered by government.

Q FM

Minister of Home Affairs Lameck Mangani has made a revelation that the government has been quietly doing investigations on the Carrigton maize, Mr Micheal Sata’s $27 000 left in South Africa and some NGOs who were abusing public funds.

Mr Mangani has revealed that the Attorney General will advise Government on how to proceed with the Carlington Maize scandal in which Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi is implicated.

“Some of these investigations are being carried out quietly so that we are not accused of victimising some people,” he said.

On Mr Sata, Mr Mangani said the US$27,000 which was confiscated from Mr Sata by the South African authorities has been traced to some alleged irregular transactions which took place at the time.

[pullquote]Mr Mangani said the US$27,000 which was confiscated from Mr Sata by the South African authorities has been traced to some alleged irregular transactions which took place at the time.[/pullquote]

He said investigations have intensified in the matter.

Mr Sata told authorities in South Africa that he was paid the money for consultancy services.

And Mr Mangani said investigations into misuse of public funds by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have reached an advanced stage.

He said these investigations are not aimed at victimising the NGOs, but to ensure that public funds are well-accounted for.

“In fact, Government wants to work with these NGOs. There are NGOs such as the Zambia Red Cross who are consistent with their agenda and we don’t have a problem with them,” he said.

As with all great celebrations and parties, there is always an end. What goes up must always come down.We are glad to inform you that from midnight Zambia time we shall shutdown Lusakatimes, exit this market and cease to exist. It has been a wonderful ride for us and we are glad that we have achieved a lot of the objectives that we set out to accomplish and it is important that we exit while we are still at the top of the game.

We really don’t want to have the Zambia politician syndrome of not leaving the stage when you are at the top of your game. But again who can blame the Zambian politician really, after all politics in Zambia is one of the best pension schemes for those that didn’t bother about taking care of their future. Gratuity is paid out consistently. Loans for luxury cars are readily available. So very understandable why our colleagues can prolong their stay on the stage. Even when they are fired, all they do is change parties , attack their former parties and hope to ride on the wave of another dependable pension scheme with their new found home…. Anyway we are getting distracted. This update is about LT closing down and lets focus on some of the objectives we achieved.

First, our objective was to populate the web with Zambian content. Today you can search the internet for some obscure place in Zambia and some obscure politician and chances are that you will get a substantial number of references linked to lusakatimes. We have also pumped links for most Zambia posts in to social media like Tweeter, though we wished we had done more with facebook. The same can be said for images as well, we have pumped more images about Zambia and if you search for a picture on Zambia again you are bound to get a reference connected to lusakatimes.

Secondly, we feel we have managed to influence the delivery free news on the internet. Today Zambians can roam the web and read news for free everywhere they go. Even some budding entrepreneurs who thought they could set up web sites and charge Zambians for breaking news, and become millionaires in six months, got a rude awakening when they found the elephant in the internet room called lusakatimes giving free news. Thankfully they also resorted to free news. We are glad we did this for the internet citizens of Zambia.

Thirdly, we raised the standard of delivering content to a whole new level. Sites never bothered to take live feedback from their readers and the designs where of low standard and since LT entered the frail there has been a wake up call to the major online papers to raise the bar. The Post Newspaper now allows comments and you can now debate on their stories and we are glad to report that ZNBC,ZANIS, Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia, have hired the best geeks money can buy in Zambia to design their websites in such a way that they have the exact features as lusaktimes, if not more. Pause,by the way, thanks for taking time off your busy schedule to read this far without rushing to comment. We have noticed a tendency of a lot of our readers who just read the headline, first paragraph and last paragraph, and then rash to comment without reading the entire story. Since you have come this far, we guess you wont be fooled. This whole post has just been an April fools prank, happy April fools day- whatever that means. Thank you for your support to lusakatimes and for making it what it is today. We owe it to you and we are still around! Have a great and fabulous day. Oh, by the way, you can read the last paragraph if you want to, just for entertaiment.

Certainly, you can see why we feel that we don’t need to exist because all that we do will be duplicated by the sources we cut and paste from. It’s time to move on to what we are good at. But before we do that lets talk about some of the things we have failed during the course of our existence. We certainly failed to shake off the tag of shushushu in some people’s minds. Are you shushushus? This unconstitutional question kept popping up in our inbox. It is really an unconstitutional question because there is really no right answer to it. If we say yes we are, you wont believe us because a shushushu is not supposed to admit s/he is one. If we say we are not, again you wont believe us because a shushushu will never admit s/he is one. What came first, Chicken or Egg?