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The Women for Change (WFC) has welcomed the honouring of First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda’s wife Betty.
Mrs. Kaunda was on Saturday honoured with the 2010 “Virtuous Woman” award by the Generation Impact Foundation (GIF). The award was in appreciation of her contribution to the liberation of Zambia from colonial rule.
WFC Acting Executive Director Lumba Siyanga told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Mama Betty deserves to be honoured because she played a pivotal role in the liberation of Zambia from colonial rule.
Ms. Siyanga said the gesture by GIF should be embraced by all adding that Mama Betty has also been a role model to many people. She said it was good that the former first Lady has been honoured while she is still alive.
Meanwhile, Ms. Siyanga said her organization will continue to encourage initiatives aimed at recognizing women who have contributed significantly to the welfare of the country.
Police in Kitwe have arrested 24 sympathizers of Fr Bwalya including Copperbelt Patriotic Front (PF) Provincial chairperson Elias Kamanga for riotous behavior.
The 24 were rounded up this morning by police after the mob run amok shortly after the court session at the Kitwe Magistrate court of Fr Bwalya.
Copperbelt Police Chief Antonneil Mutentwa confirmed the arrest of the sympathizers who assembled at the magistrate court in solidarity for Fr Bwalya when he appeared for the charged of conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Heavy presence of police was deployed along President Avenue where the magistrate court is located while police in riot gear kept vigil along the main roads within town centre as early as 07:30 hours in anticipation of any disturbances.
Fr Bwalya who is also the executive director for Change life or die Zambia has since denied the charge.
The sympathizers started throwing stones and sticks after the police tried to refrain then from form advancing towards the magistrate court building.
The sympathizers forced the police to fire blank shots in the air and tear gasses to disperse them.
And business temporarily came to a halt due to the fracas. Most shops and restaurants within town were found closed by 13:00 hours.
Meanwhile calm has returned to the city after Fr Bwalya was released on bail by a magistrate court.
Meanwhile, The Independent Churches Organizations in Zambia (ICOZ) has strongly condemned the agitation of riotous behaviour by some political cadres in Kitwe yesterday morning in sympathy of Change Life Zambia Executive Director Father Frank Bwalya who appeared in the Kitwe Magistrate court for plea.
ICOZ Board Chairperson David Masupa says Zambians must be mature enough by not engaging in unconstructive activities that rob them of their time to attend to meaningful ventures.
In a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday Rev. Masupa appealed to Zambians not to be used as tools of violence by some politicians without a vision of moving the country forward.
He said people inciting members of the public to rebel against the government are prophets of doom.
Reverend Masupa said with the country showing positive indicators of economic growth, there was need for massive participation and hard work from all.
“The environment of exploring new business avenue is so much enabling that the sky is the limit in Zambia, this is the reason why currently there is an influx of foreign investors rushing to convert our natural resources into meaningful wealth,” he said.
He said it was therefore wrong for some leaders in the Catholic Church to advocate civil strife and disobedience when the economy and social environment is calling for full participation of citizens in order for them to become equal partners in wealth creation and sharing.
Executive Director for Change or Die Zambia, Father Frank Bwalya has pleaded not guilty to the charge of conduct likely to cause breach of peace and has since been granted bail.
Father Bwalya, 41, of 4843 Alma lick street, Riverside in Kitwe appeared today before Chief Principal Resident magistrate Mercy Makubelo.
The Priest who was clad in a red t-shirt and red bottom truck suite was represented by three defense councils, Richard Mandona, Leonard Kasuba and Terence Mwape Chabu while the state was represented by Martin Shula.
In granting bail Magistrate Mukubelo told the accused not to interfere with witnesses in the case and also told the defense to tell Fr Bwalya’s sympathisers to reduce noise during court proceedings.
She warned that the court may sign an order to re-arrest the accused if the supporters continued making noise at the court.
The court granted Fr Bwalya bail of K100, 000 on his own reconnaissance and with two working sureties.
The State earlier made no objection in Fr Bwalya being given bail but urged the court to caution him against interfering with witnesses and that he should not move out of Kitwe.
The State also feared that the accused may continue with his activities while on bail if the bail was granted without caution.
Facts of the offence are that Fr Bwalya on March 12, publicly conducted himself in a manner that was likely to cause breach of peace at city square in Kitwe contrary to section 1789 (f) of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
But defense lawyers asked the court to squash the charge against Fr Bwalya urging that it lacked sufficient particulars of where the offence took place and was not specific with what manner constituted the conduct of a person likely to cause breach of peace.
The State however said the particulars were adequate and there was no need to amend the charge before the court.
Magistrate Makubelo said she agreed with the defense to have the charge amended and include at ‘city square’ as the particular place where the offence occurred.
Earlier the charge read that Fr Bwalya was charged with conduct likely to cause breach of peace in Kitwe on March 12 contrary to section 178 of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
Magistrate Makubelo set March 31 as trial date.
Among the sympathizers’ who attended the court session were former Minister of defense George Mpombo, Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili and his Nkana constituency counterparty Mwenya Musenge.
Fr Bwalya was arrested last Friday by police in Kitwe for allegedly distributing red cards during the youth day celebrations at city square in Kitwe.
President Rupiah Banda has arrived back from Malawi were he went this morning for urgent consultative talks with his Malawian counterpart Bingu Wa Mutharika.
The President arrived at the Lusaka International AirPort at about 17:23 hours and on hand to receive him was Home Affairs Minister, Lameck Mangani, Information and Broadcasting Minister Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha and other government officials.
The President who is the chairman of the International Conference on the Great Lakes region said on arrival at the airport that he had a very successful meeting with his Malawian counterpart, Dr Wa Mutharika who is chairperson for the African Union (AU).
Mr Banda said he had bilateral talks with Dr Wa Mutharika as regards projects in Malawi being undertaken by the Chinese adding that the projects would be of benefit to Zambia.
The President Left for Malawi this morning for the urgent consultative talks with that country’s president Dr Wa Mutharika accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kabinga Pande, and his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, Dickson Jere and other government officials.
Senior Chief Bright Nalubamba of the ILA people in Southern Province has described as unfortunate calls by the Mwanachingwala Royal Family Establishment for current chief Mwanachingwala to step down.
Speaking in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services in Lusaka today, Chief Nalubamba said, although he has just learnt the development in the press, it was regrettable that Chief Mwanachingwala has been accused of dragging the name of the Chiefdom into disrepute and shame.
He said he will soon meet Chief Mwanachingwala to get first hand information on what really transpired for the Mwanachingwala Royal Family Establishment to ask him to immediate step-down from the throne.
Chief Mwanachingwala of the Tonga speaking people in Mazabuka District of Southern Province, is accused of crowning himself as chief Mwanachingwala, a thing which has annoyed some family members thereby calling for him to step down.
Efforts to get a comment from Chief Mwanachingwala failed by press time.
The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has advised members of the community to work closely with their Ward Councilors by ensuring that roads and streets in their respective residential areas are named.
Council Assistant Public Relations Manager Mulunda Habeenzu says members of the community have not be been proactive in assisting their ward Councilors to propose names, identify, roads and streets which require to be named.
Mr. Habeenzu told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that Councilors alone cannot manage adding that the task requires the participation of members of the community.
Mr. Habbeenzu said this would also assist many people to easily locate places in various residential areas.
He said this was why the Council had decentralized the identification and naming of roads to Councilors so that the process could be spearheaded by Councilors who would be assisted by members of the community.
Mr. Habeenzu said the exercise would also instill a sense of ownership in the Community adding that the council does not want to impose any name on the community.
He said the local authority only comes in to approve the name of the road when Councilors make submissions on the name they have agreed to give a certain road in their areas.
The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has given K22 million to organizing committees of three forthcoming local government and one parliamentary by elections in Northwestern Province.
Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Maxwell Mwale disclosed this during the launch of MMD provincial card renewal exercise in Solwezi over the weekend.
Mr. Mwale said three wards where there will be local government by-elections in Mufumbwe, Kasempa and Solwezi west will receive K3 million each.
He said out of the K3 million each ward will receive, K2 million is for organizing election activities while K1million for buying bicycles.
He said the party has provided K13 million towards the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election of which, K10 million will go towards organizing activities while K3 million will be used to buy bicycles.
Mr. Mwale said there was need for all the party members in the province to uphold peace and unity in order to work towards achieving one purpose of strengthening the party and win the elections.
And speaking earlier, MMD acting Northwestern Province chairperson, Peter Patel said the party attaches great importance to the card renewal exercise as it determines its strength.
Mr. Patel said for the party to enhance its strength, there was need for the members to take the exercise seriously by renewing their membership.
“This exercise posses a huge challenge to you all because after renewing your membership, you should go flat out and recruit new members into the party,” he said.
Mr. Patel said the party in the province was intact, adding that it has already started reorganizing itself and strategizing on how to win back the Mufumbwe parliament seat.
The Mufumbwe parliamentary seat was left vacant after its Member of Parliament, Misheck Bonshe died last month.
jubilant MMD Lusaka province youth chairman Chris Chalwe during youth day in Lusaka
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Young soldiers marching during the Youth Day in Lusaka
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Police escort PF and UPND youths during the youth day match past.
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Paramedics carry a youth who collapsed during Youth day celebrations
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MMD youths singing songs during youth day in Lusaka
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flooded houses in Chawama township
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Kalusha Bwalya about to settle down for a meal during the FAZ-KCM football awards in Lusaka
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Drink your beer when you retire...Former footballer Boniface Simutowe seem to be saying during the FAZ-KCM awards in Lusaka
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Defence Chief going to lay wreaths on the Freedom Statue
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Youths lay a wreath on the Freedom Statue
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President Banda going to lay a wreath at the Freedom Statue
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A child plays in dirty rain water in Misisi township
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A police officer doing acrobatics on a motor bike during youth day in Lusaka
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Children try t catch a glimpse of officials from the local authority who were assessing the flood situation in Misisi township
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Czech Republic rime Minister Jan Kohout presents a gift to President Banda at State House
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PF UPND pact youths greeting, in style, the President Rupiah Banda during the march past marking the 2010 Youth Day along the Independence Avenue. by J.MANDELA
Former Zambia coach on Sunday guided Simba to a record equaling 17th Tanzanian league title.
This was Phiri’s second league title with Simba after winning the 2004 crown in his first and debut stint with the Tanzanian club before leaving at the end of the season to coach Nkana and later Zambia.
Unbeaten Simba secured league championship after defeating Azam 2-0 in Dar-es-Salaam.
Simba sealed their title victory with two matches to spare on an unassailable 56 points from 20 games played and are 12 points ahead of archrivals and outgoing champions Young Africans.
Phiri said he was delighted to have won the title in his second season after finishing runner-up last year.
“Each Game was tough. After finishing second last year, our target was to finish first,” Phiri said. “It is good to manage to fulfill the aspirations of Simba.
Phiri signed a 2-year deal with Simba that comes to an end this year.
The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on government to come up with mandatory laws that promote and protect persons living with disabilities at work places.
ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba noted that most disabled people have over the years been subjected to segregation and unfair treatment by their employers. He said despite their physical challenges, disabled persons have the potential to positively contribute to the growth of the country through various skills.
Mr. Hikaumba said this in Lusaka today when he officially opened a one day workshop organized by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in conjunction with various worker representatives aimed at equipping worker representatives with knowledge and information needed to become committed advocates for disabled persons.
Meanwhile Mr. Hikaumba has called on organizations intending to construct buildings to have the disabled persons in mind. He said it is sad that most work places in the country are not user friendly to disabled persons.
Mr. Hikaumba said it is important for organizations to ensure that their buildings have staircase and access ramps for persons with disabilities to avail them easy access to their buildings.
Speaking earlier ILO Skills and Employability Senior Specialist, Barbara Murray, said there is need for employers to change their attitude towards disabled people.
Ms Murray observed that disabled people are equal partners in development hence the need for them to be given equal employment opportunities just like any other person. She has since appealed to employers to give fair working conditions to persons living with disabilities just like their able-bodied counterparts.
A mock operation by doctors from the University Teaching Hospital
I wish to comment on the statement made in Parliament recently by Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao about the extension of a Medical Retention Scheme to nurses and paramedics—a scheme which currently provides medical doctors with such incentives as further training outside the country, new vehicles and school fees for their children.
This is a progressive idea for a country that has been losing significant numbers of locally trained health personnel through the brain drain.
However, the Medical Retention Scheme may not be adequate to curb the exodus of health personnel. The provision for new vehicles, for example, is really not an incentive to individuals who are keen on securing jobs in developed countries where their services would fetch adequate salaries and allowances which would make it possible for them to buy vehicles on their own. And formal education (from Grade 1 through Grade 12) in such countries is generally free!
The Scheme, however, is likely to give incentive to those who wish to emigrate to other developing countries in search of higher incomes, a better standard of living and/or a less-hostile environment, among a host of other reasons.
It is essential for the authorities to discern the causes of the brain drain in order to devise viable ways and means of curbing the phenomenon. There are currently many factors obtaining in Zambia which have contributed to the exodus of skilled talent. One of such factors relates to poor conditions of service, including inadequate wages, salaries and fringe benefits. The second factor pertains to human rights abuses and violations, including the violation of individuals’ freedom of speech, and the repudiation of freedom of the press.[quote]
Third, many technical and professional personnel have decided to “vote with their feet” upon finding that the rewards of their labor in Zambia are generally measured on the basis of political patronage rather than excellence, and that corruption, nepotism, tribalism, and other similar forms of behavior have permeated every level of work life, particularly in the civil service.
Fourthly, the common tendency among local and national leaders to scout for expatriate scientists, technologists and consultants from industrialized nations has made indigenous experts to feel disregarded, and has made many of them to migrate to countries where their qualifications are appreciated.
Fifth, the high interest rates, income taxes and value-added taxes in the country have, among other factors, adversely affected investment in new enterprises, and have consequently hampered the creation of jobs for streams of graduates from local schools, colleges and universities. And the government cannot absorb many locally trained citizens due to the lack of financial resources. In 2004, for example, about 9,000 trained teachers were roaming the streets as they anxiously awaited their postings to schools. In 2005, around 1,000 out of 7,000 needed teachers were employed through financial assistance rendered by the Netherlands.
Sixth, access to life-saving healthcare in Zambia today is seriously hampered by inadequate, dilapidated and antiquated healthcare facilities, among other things. In November 2005, for example, Ms. Inonge Wina secured “ox-cart ambulances” for the country’s Nalolo constituency during her tenure of office as MP for the constituency in order to curb maternity-related deaths occasioned by delays in the transportation of expecting mothers to healthcare centers. And, of course, we still remember First Lady Thandiwe Banda’s call in November 2009 for developing innovative transportation schemes like “bicycle ambulances” to help women reach health facilities from distant places!
And seventh, unprecedented and widespread poverty and unemployment in the country have made burglars, thieves and robbers more daring, thereby contributing to the emigration of skilled to safer countries. Besides, Zambian migrants who are resident in affluent countries, where there is generally greater safety and security, are fearful of becoming obvious targets of perpetrators of such crimes upon returning to their countries of origin.
Clearly, there is a need for policy initiatives designed to address the brain-drain problem because, without large pools of skilled professionals to facilitate and expedite the process of socio-economic development, Zambia will not likely attain meaningful levels of growth, development and competitiveness. Such initiatives could include the following:
(a) Tax proposals requiring native professionals trained through the public treasury to pay a certain percentage of their incomes earned abroad to the Zambian government;
(b) Generation of restrictive policies aimed at delaying emigration – such as by adding extra years to medical students’ training, requiring doctors and other professionals to stay on for a number of years to ‘pay back’ what they ‘owe’ to society, or to incorporate the delay within the training period, thus ensuring that certification follows rather than precedes a spell of public service;
(c) Taxation of the earnings of emigrants by the Zambian government, although this would depend largely on emigrants’ continued citizenship in their native country, Zambia;
(e) Initiation of international agreements requiring employers in foreign countries who may hire professionals trained through public resources to reimburse the Zambian government for financial and material resources committed to the training of the professionals; and
(f) Provision for attractive retention allowances, research grants for academic staff, car-ownership and home-ownership schemes, and adequate upward salary adjustments.
In this regard, Zambia will need new leaders with a desire to pursue radical, practical and comprehensive change designed to uplift our beloved country from the current socio-economic decay and backwardness. Superficial schemes like the Medical Retention Scheme are not likely to help the country in its quest to stem the exodus of technical and professional personnel. Only the creation of socio-economic conditions that will lead to a higher quality of life for all citizens will, by and large, mitigate the exodus of the country’s skilled personnel.
A murder suspect who has been on the Police wanted list in Kitwe, has been arrested in Lusaka. Kitwe East Police station Officer in charge Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Getrude Divayi confirmed the arrest of Patrick Lungu Mwaba to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Mrs. Divayi, who could not give more details about the suspect, referred all queries to Police service spokesperson. Efforts to get the Police spokesperson proved futile as his mobile phone was unreachable by press time.
But some police officers at Kitwe East Police Station said the suspect who has been on police wanted list for some time now, was nabbed by officers in Lusaka while his accomplice whom they declined to name due to investigation purposes is still at large.
They disclosed that the suspect has since been taken to Kitwe East Police Station for further investigations and appealed to members of the public who know the suspect to be on the look-out.
They said the suspects are accused of having murdered Mwape Bupe of Chipata compound in Kitwe in 2006 and later dumped the body of the deceased near Mushisho Pre- School near Kitwe East Police station before they fled.
“According to the information at hand, the two suspects murdered the deceased before they dumped his body near Mushisho Pre-School near Kitwe East police station in Kitwe and fled to an unknown place,” confirmed the officers.
The officers thanked the members of the public who assisted the Police by facilitating the arrest of the suspect.
Riot breaks out in Kitwe today following the release of Change Life Zambia executive director Father Frank Bwalya from custody on bail.
Confusion erupted when a Kitwe magistrate released Fr Bwalya on bail and his supporters who had turned up at the court to give him solidarity resorted to stoning vehicles parked near the court premises.
Rioters looted Kobil filling station which is located near the court as employees fled for their safety.
Police only managed to bring the situation under control after reinforcements were brought in.
A PF Councilor Elias Kamanga who is also PF Copperbelt youth vice chairman and 24 others have since been arrested in connection with the riot.
Meanwhile Fr Bwalya has been released on a K100, 000 bails after pleading not guilty to the charge of conduct likely to cause the breach of peace.
Kitwe senior magistrate Mercy Makubale has since set March 31st, 2010 as the date for the commencement of trial.
Copperbelt police commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa said Fr Bwalya was arrested while distributing red cards for the red card campaign at the venue of Youth Day celebrations.
But Fr Bwalya said he was doing nothing wrong but merely trying to get a lift from someone when police officers pounced on him.
QFM
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Peter Daka has said government has good reasons for revising the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) by giving farmers four packs of fertilizer instead of eight as was the case in the previous programme.
Mr Daka said the decision to reduce the packs of inputs given to individual farmers was meant to increase the number of beneficiaries under the FISP. He said it was also realised that most farmers did not have the potential to utilise all the eight packs and as a result were abusing the extra fertiliser by reselling the inputs.
He was speaking when he visited Power-Line Cooperative farm in Bahati constituency in Mansa on Saturday where 24 farmers pooled their four packs of inputs together to cultivate a 12 hectare farm of maize jointly owned by the cooperative members. The four pack inputs are only enough for a half-hectare.
The agriculture minister praised the Power-Line Cooperative members for the initiative taken to work on one farm, saying he was impressed with their work and that the crop promised good yield. He was visiting the farm as an envoy for President Rupiah Banda who failed to do so during his last tour to Luapula Province.
Mr Daka said it is the intention of government to see members of a cooperative work together by putting their efforts and ideas to expand their crop production as well as seek financial support from lending institutions.
“This is a typical example of how working together can make farmers achieve great things because the word cooperative means putting effort and ideas together. It is also a confirmation that FISP is working,” Mr Daka said.
He promised the farming group that government would help to link them to institutions like the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) and other financing agents so that they could access capital to mechanise the farm.
He said while it was not possible for government to give oxen or tractors to farmers, it was going to facilitate the process to ensure farmers like Power-Line Cooperative had guaranteed market for their crop and access farming implements through cheaper capital from CEEC and other lending institutions.
Earlier the cooperative chairman Benson Kabwe said the farmers under the cooperative were cultivating using hoes and appealed to President Banda to source a tractor of cattle for them.
