There was near confusion today when United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema was nearly stopped from donating mealie meal to the flood victims at the camp near the independence stadium.

Zambia Red Cross officials based at the camp told Mr. Hichilema that he was supposed to follow procedure when making his donation.

The official said that they were under strict directives not to allow people to donate items to the flood victims.

Sources,however, told QFM that the directives were coming from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) under the office of the vice president.

Mr. Hichilema expressed disappointment that government was trying to turn the camp into a military base.

He told journalists that it is a pity that government has been calling on the stakeholders to assist victims at the camp when on the other hand they are politicizing it.

Mr Hichilema maintained that he would not deliver the items to the DMMU but to the people at the camp site.

Zambia Red Cross Society secretary general Charles Mushitu who rushed to the camp later apologized for the confusion that occurred.
QFM

THE Government has said it is illegal for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Zambia to advocate the removal of a democractically-elected Government using potentially dangerous means such as the ‘red card’ campaigns.

Home Affairs Minister, Lameck Mangani said in Lusaka yesterday that NGOs should be sober in their criticism, and should concentrate on civic campaigns instead of agitating violence.

He said the NGOs would not be allowed to hold demonstrations against the Government because that would be a recipe for anarchy.

However, the NGOs spokesperson, Obby Chibuluma said they would go ahead with the rallies and demonstrations but ensure that everything was done in conformity with the laws.

Mr Mangani said the civil society could instead campaign for issues such as good governance and the promotion of fair play in elections which could in turn allow Zambians to make informed decisions through an electoral system allowed by the country’s Constitution.

He said this in an interview after meeting some NGOs representatives at his office.
Among those who attended the meeting were Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes executive director, Lee Habasonda, Transparency International Zambia president, Reuben Lifuka and his executive director Goodwell Lungu, and Anti-Voter Apathy director, Bonnie Tembo.

The civil society had requested for a meeting with the minister, to which he consented.

Mr Mangani said he told the NGOs representatives during the meeting that there was no individual or organisation that had the right to force any citizen to remove a government elected by the people, and appealed to them to be objective in the manner they approached national issues.

He said the Government had a responsibility to ensure the peace Zambia had enjoyed over the years was sustained, and it was for that reason that it had often called for dialogue among the citizens.

Mr Mangani said unless the NGOs justified the need for demonstrations, the Government would not allow them to do so at the expense of national security.

The minister said while the Government acknowledged citizens’ rights to air their views, it was not ready to allow anybody to cause unnecessary confusion in the country.

“As far as the Government is concerned, we cannot allow the NGOs to take to the streets to demonstrate because we are not convinced with the reasons they have given us,“ he said.

Mr Mangani, however, described the meeting, which started at 11:00 hours and ended after 13:00 hours, as fruitful and assured the NGOs that the Government would remain open to dialogue for the benefit of the Zambian people.

And Mr Chibuluma said the CSOs would go ahead with the rallies and demonstrations, adding that to ensure no law was breached, the civil society went ahead to notify the police.

He, however, paid tribute to the Government for allowing them hold a meeting with them through the minister of Home Affairs, and described it as a step in the right direction.

“As civil society, we are happy that the minister met us but we did not go to his office to ask for any permit to hold rallies or demonstrations. We wanted to express ourselves after realising that our freedom of expression was being tampered with,” he said.

Mr Chibuluma acknowledged that dialogue was important in any society and the civil society would continue engaging the Government on various issues for continued mutual understanding.

[Times of Zambia]

KCM has awarded 18 recently graduated Grade 12s from the Nchanga Trust School five-year scholarships tenable at top Indian universities to study medicine, engineering and commerce. Twelve of the recipients are girls.

The scholarships are part of an $18million scholarship programme launched in Chingola yesterday by Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Villie Lombanya who hailed the initiative as the surest way of securing Zambia’s future and helping the nation attain middle-income status by 2030.

Apart from the 18, 11 Grade 8 and 10 Grade 10 pupils from Nchanga and Konkola Trust Schools were awarded scholarships. The India-bound pupils will study Medicine, Instrumentation engineering, Commerce, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy and mechanical engineering.

One of the recipients, Bwalya Chitundu, daughter of a retired miner, is going to study instrumentation engineering and said she was delighted and grateful to KCM for the sponsorship that would ease the burden on her family.

Crycencia Musonda, has been sponsored for a BA Commerce and promised to work extra hard to repay the favour from KCM.

The programme comes just weeks after the company introduced a scholastic excellence award for government schools in Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe, the four districts where the company has assets.

Mr Lombanya said KCM’s commitment to the development of education, which includes a $17.5 million involvement in the development of Mulungushi University, was evidence of its long-term vision for Zambia and proof that it was in the country for the long haul.

He challenged the scholarship recipients to take advantage of the opportunity they had been given to fulfil their dream careers, saying they held the future of the nation in their hands and the whole country would be watching them to ensure they did not waste the opportunity.

KCM Chief Executive Officer, Kishore Kumar said KCM had more than its wealth in copper, referring to Zambia’s rich human resource potential as gold, diamonds and rubies. He challenged to pupils to learn from everyday experiences by keeping their eyes open and being curious and interrogative.

He said he would like to see more young people making use of the abundance of the sports and recreational facilities in Chingola and Chililabombwe instead of them spending too much time in front of the television set.

“Each one of you can go as far as you want in life if you are willing to work hard but you must also balance your life with play, good food and a lot of rest,” he said, adding; “that is why KCM sponsors sport and recreational activities and has all these on the curriculum of its schools.”

KCM Vice-President for Human Resource Sophie Mutemba said the occasion marked a turning point in the life history by KCM in relation to education.

“The Company policy is to offer quality education to its employees’ children and the community. KCM has heavily invested in education since its inception in 2000 and progressively expanded the school from a mere Primary school into a full range Secondary school. Now we have this programme that will benefit the nation,” she said.

KCM Trust Schools had their first Grade 9 in 2004 with Nchanga scoring 100% pass mark in the first ‘O’ level exam attempt while Konkola recorded 97%.

Mr Lombanya said KCM’s commitment to the development of education, which includes a $17.5 million involvement in the development of Mulungushi University, was evidence of its long-term vision for Zambia and proof that it was in the country for the long haul.

He challenged the scholarship recipients to take advantage of the opportunity they had been given to fulfil their dream careers, saying they held the future of the nation in their hands and the whole country would be watching them to ensure they did not waste the opportunity.

KCM Chief Executive Officer, Kishore Kumar said KCM had more than its wealth in copper, referring to Zambia’s rich human resource potential as gold, diamonds and rubies. He challenged to pupils to learn from everyday experiences by keeping their eyes and being curious.

He said he would like to see more young people making use of the abundance of the sports and recreational facilities in Chingola and Chililabombwe instead of them spending too much time in front of the television set.