Catholic Apostolic Church of Zambia president Archbishop Anzanga Mbewe has charged that Roman Catholic Priests have been involved in homosexual scandals because the Church has been encouraging ‘homosexuality’.

Speaking to Qfm in an interview, Archbishop Mbewe said homosexuality has allegedly been adopted in the Roman Catholic Church because having sexual relations among men leaves no mark to show a sexual act happened.

He says it is for this reason that catholic priests in Europe go for small boys and other men to satisfy their sexual desires.

Archbishop Mbewe however says the situation is different in Africa and some parts of Asia where Catholic priests go for heterosexuality.

And Archbishop Mbewe who was once a catholic priest says it is a mistake for the Roman Catholic Church to put a compulsory rule that priests in the church must not marry.

He says the rule was contrary to God’s purpose when he created a man and a woman to complement each other.

He adds that it is for this reason that sex scandals involving priests in the Catholic Church have never stopped occurring because the rule not to allow priests to marry was against God’s wisdom

QFM

The MMD has accused the PF/UPND pact of buying votes with meat at the on-going Mufumbwe and Milanzi parliamentary by-election campaigns.

MMD National Chairman Michael Mabenga told Q fm in an interview that the MMD are aware that the UPND has been buying cattle for the residents in the two respective areas since the campaigns started.

And Mr. Mabenga has refuted assertions by Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata that the MMD cadres’ attempt to run over Mr. Sata with a vehicle in Milanzi was an attempt by President Rupiah Banda and his government to kill Mr. Sata and Mr. Hichilema.

Mr. Mabenga said the vehicle that hit Mr. Sata’s vehicle belonged to the Patriotic Front and not the MMD.

Mabenga also said there was no damage caused on Mr. Sata’s vehicle.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mabenga accused the Post Newspaper of writing false stories.

He said the Post newspaper misinformed the nation that the vehicle that hit into Mr. Sata’s vehicle belonged to the MMD when in fact not.

QFM

Suspended Kafulafuyta Member of Parliament, George Mpombo has described as a blunder of major proportion ,President Rupiah Banda’s claims of being the MMD party presidency.

Mr. Mpombo told QFM radio in an interview that it is an error of the highest capacity for president Banda to want to think that he is more than just an acting president in the MMD.

He said that Mr. Banda should follow the footsteps of his predecessor and observe the laid down party constitution procedures in attaining party presidency.

Mr.Mpombosaid that someone is lying and misinforming the republican president that he is also capable of taking party leadership just because he is a national leader.

Mr. Mpombo also bemoaned what he termed as lack of dialogue between key players and poor party organization in the ruling party.

He also noted that there has been very little attention given to addressing concerns that have been raised over the tactics that certain political leaders within MMD are using to evade the national convention which is expected to clear the air on who is to take presidency.

He says that questions on who is taking presidency in the MMD before the next tripartite elections are signaled, is an issue that needs to be cleared because the situation is very blur at the moment.

[QFM]

Late Home Affairs deputy minister Misheck Bonshe’s widow, Regina has said she is deeply hurt by people who are alleging that the government neglected her husband at the time he was ill, in order to gain political mileage.

Mrs Bonshe said her family received support from the government and the MMD during her husband’s illness. She said her late husband should be left to rest in peace. She dismissed assertions that the government condemned and neglected her husband at the time he was hospitalised at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka.
“Politicians using the name of my late husband should stop because he had no problems with the government. If anything the government representatives were always there to support us. They were always there both emotionally and spiritually. So it is unfair for some politicians to use his name for their selfish gains without considering our feelings,” she said.

She said in an interview in Lusaka that she was hurt and saddened by some people who were using the name of her late husband to gain political support. Mrs Bonshe said she was still mourning her husband and expected people to respect her and the children’s feelings during the trying period. She said it was unfair to her and the children for politicians to use Mr Bonshe’s death to scandalise the government.

Mrs Bonshe said although she had tried to ignore the media comments from some politicians about the death of her husband, the persistence forced her to speak out and tell the nation the truth.
“When he was sick the MMD leadership and ministers, especially Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani and his deputy, Mr David Phiri were always at hand visiting my husband and this cannot be ignored,” she said.
She explained that from the time her husband was buried in Mufumbwe, only ministers’ spouses and MMD party women had continued to visit her at her home.

“I want to take this opportunity to inform the nation that my husband was a Christian and a peaceful man. His vision was to see a peaceful and united Zambia and I don’t think if he was alive he would like his name to be drawn in the mud,” she said. She said Mr Bonshe had so much confidence in the MMD leadership and President Rupiah Banda and did not have any problem with the government, contrary to media reports.

In the last edition of the Sunday Post, the brother of Mr Bonshe was reported to have said he only saw leaders of opposition parties at the time Mr Bonshe was hospitalised in UTH and that there was no Cabinet minister who visited the late deputy minister in hospital.
He was also quoted as having said the government had condemned Mr Bonshe to death.

Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao has also expressed shock and disappointment over the allegations, describing the reports as a political gimmick aimed at tarnishing the image of the government.
Mr Simbao said having visited Mr Bonshe five times at UTH, he was surprised that some people were claiming that Cabinet ministers never visited him.
He advised politicians not to politicise Mr Bonshe’s death.
[Times of Zambia]

PRESIDENT Banda is today expected to leave for Eastern Province where he is expected to hold meetings in Milanzi Constituency ahead of the parliamentary by-election slated for this month-end.

Mr. Banda is expected to leave for Katete this morning to drum up support for MMD candidate Whiteson Banda.
This is according to a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday by Special Assistant to the President, press and public relations Dickson Jere.

Mr. Banda’s delegation will include Minister of Home Affairs Lameck Mangani, Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives Peter Daka and Minister of Education Dora Siliya.

Others are Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao and Deputy Minister of Home Affairs David Phiri.
The President and his delegation are scheduled to return to Lusaka this Friday.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

MMD national chairperson Michael Mabenga says no party member is interested in eliminating Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata because he is neither a threat nor a factor.

And Mr Mabenga has challenged the PF to provide evidence to show that MMD cadres are trying to eliminate Mr Sata.

Mr Mabenga said Mr Sata and his party are merely panicking as they are slowly losing popularity among the electorate.

He said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday in reaction to the insistence by the PF that some MMD members attempted to eliminate the PF leader in Milanzi last week.

But Mr Mabenga said the PF leaders are politicising the matter because they know that they will suffer defeat in the forthcoming parliamentary by-elections in Milanzi and Mufumbwe.

“I am just from Milanzi and I can tell you that there is nothing for the PF, hence the allegations. This is just one of their schemes to gain sympathy from the electorate,” Mr Mabenga said.

He said the scheme by the opposition to discredit the ruling party will not work as Zambians have faith in the leadership of President Banda.

Mr Mabenga said the MMD is a party which respects human life despite the differences it encounters with other parties in the political arena.
He wondered what benefit the MMD will derive from killing Mr Sata, saying he has nothing to offer the Zambian people.

Mr Mabenga said the MMD is the champion of democracy and multi-partism and that it has no reason to eliminate political opponents.
He said no-one is trying to intimidate or eliminate Mr Sata but that his fear of being defeated is causing him to hallucinate.

“There is no way any of our members can engage in an activity such as trying to eliminate our opponents because we believe in democracy, so those assertions are just signs of fear on the part of the PF because they know they are losing popularity. But I can assure you that the schemes will not work,” he said.

Mr Mabenga said it was in fact the PF cadres who tried to intimidate members from other political parties, alleging that one of the PF members drew a pistol during the Milanzi incident.
He said none of the MMD members were in the vehicle that almost bashed Mr Sata.

“When the whole incident happened, it was actually the PF who tried to intimidate their opponents and one of them drew a pistol.

“None of our members was involved in the said incident in Milanzi…Mr Sata and his party are not a factor to us,” he said.

PF spokesperson Given Lubinda yesterday alleged that the attempt by an MMD cadre to run over Mr Sata with a vehicle was proof that his life is in danger.

Meanwhile, MMD women in Ndola have advised former Minister of Defence George Mpombo against dragging the Lamba tribe into his personal fights with the MMD.
MMD Ndola district women’s vice chairperson Lillian Katenga, said this in a statement issued in Ndola yesterday.

“Mr Mpombo is now embarrassing us as a tribe because his incessant utterances are causing concern. Mr Mpombo should realise that not every Lamba is against President Banda,” Mrs Katenga said.

She said the Lamba believe in the motto ‘One Zambia One Nation’ adding that this is why they have allowed other tribes to settle on their land.

“We do not want to be divided from the rest of the tribes in Zambia,” Mrs Katenga said.
She said it is unfortunate that Mr Mpombo wants the Lamba to fight his battles when he resigned on his own as Minister of Defence.
Mrs Katenga said the Lamba are not happy with the manner in which Mr Mpombo has been attacking President Banda.

“The Lamba in the ruling party are respectful of Mr Rupiah Banda’s leadership because he has maintained peace in the country and we appreciate unity as a basis of development and progress,” Mrs Katenga said.

She challenged Mr Mpombo to resign from the MMD and contest the Kafulafuta seat as an independent candidate so that he can gauge his
popularity among the Lamba whom he claims don’t want Mr Banda.

Mrs Katenga reminded Mr Mpombo that he is allegedly not Lamba but that his family merely settled in Lambaland.
He advised Mr Mpombo to refrain from attacking Mr Banda but to instead wait for the 2011 tripartite elections.

“I urge all peace loving Lambas not to be swayed by Mr Mpombo’s insinuations that are bent on alienating us from the rest of the tribes in Zambia,” Mrs Katenga said.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

Government has refuted assertions by Kasama central Patriotic Front Member of Parliament Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba commonly known as GBM that the seizure of his building by Food Reserve Agency is political.

The Food Reserve Agency has seized Mr Mwamba’s building which also house the Patriotic Front secretariat on Luanshya road after a court order for his failure to settle the date he owes the Agency.

Chief Government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha told Q fm in an interview that government has nothing to do with FRA’s decision to seize Mr. Mwamba’s property.

He since called on Mr Mwamba to simply pay his debts his property to be returned back to him.

LT Gen Shikapwasha expressed shock that Mr. Mwamba has decided to blame government over his failure to pay the debts he owes the FRA.

He said it is the market demand that allows every citizen to pay what is due to Food Reserve Agency.

QFM