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Government realease K500m to Kasama Council for Civic Center Construction

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Plans by Kasama Municipal Council to construct a Civic Centre have received a major boast following the release of K500m by the government. Acting Kasama Municipal Council Town Clerk Gift Kakoma confirmed the release of the funds to ZANIS today.

Mr. Kakoma also revealed that Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Housing has given his Council a grant of K900 million for the payment of retirees and outstanding salary arrears. The Acting TC has since commended the Government for the financial support saying it will go a long way in enhancing the local authority’s operations.

He said the long awaited construction of a Civic Centre estimated to cost about K2.3 billion, will now become a reality following the release of K500m which will be used to construct the sub structure.

Mr. Kakoma revealed that his council has since started the process of verification of ownership of the plot where the Civic Centre will be constructed. He said the Civic Centre project was a priority as it will resolve the current office accommodation the council was facing.

Mr. Kakoma also revealed that the council was in the process of reviving its carpentry workshop as a way of increasing its revenue base. He said plans were under way to procure equipment for the carpentry workshop.
Currently, Kasama Municipal Council is using offices for the District administration.

Government has also released K47 million towards the rehabilitation of Chitimukulu police post and a staff house in Mungwi district.

Mungwi District Commissioner Fanwell Bwembya disclosed the development when he inspected the police post.

Mr. Bwembya said as soon as the construction company finishes the works, police officers will be sent to the area to curb crime which he said was rampant in the area.

Pamoja Construction Company has been awarded the construct to carry out the rehabilitation works.

And Pamoja Construction Director, Misheck Mulenga, assured government that the rehabilitation works will be completed in the shortest possible time, since money was readily available.

ZANIS

Police Officer dies after falling off a moving police vehicle

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A Police Officer in Lundazi district in Eastern Province died after falling off a moving police vehicle at Kuwowo village near Kanyanga Hospital in chief Magodi’s area.

Inspector Wilford Mwila died on Sunday when a Police Vehicle he was in careered off the road and hit into a pillar.

It is alleged that on Sunday morning, Mwila, 35, in the company of Acting Officer-In- Charge Chief Inspector Elias Zulu, District Prosecutions Officer Inspector Hosea Kabwe, Sub Inspector Kelly Manda and Gerald Mwenya a Procurement Officer from Ministry of Health, had gone to Magodi at a place called Directors bar where they were drinking beer.

An eye witness told ZANIS that as the group was driving back to the BOMA, Chief Inspector Elias Zulu lost control of the Tata Van registration number ZP 506B and hit into a pillar.[quote]

In the process, the vehicle hit an 80 year old woman, Tamalanji Kumwenda, of Chitembo village in Chief Magodi’s area causing her injuries on the right leg. She was, however, rushed to Kanyanga Hospital where she was treated. Mwila later died at home.

However, a ZANIS check at Lundazi Police traffic section yesterday revealed that there was no report of an accident involving the Police vehicle. The Officers did not also book out of the station as they went to Magodi.

And when contacted for a comment yesterday, Eastern Province Commanding Officer Mary Chikwanda expressed ignorance over the matter saying she was only told about the sudden death of a Police Officer and not the accident.

She expressed surprise that no one informed her of the accident until she got it from the press. Ms Chikwanda has since dispatched Traffic Officers from the Division Headquarters to Lundazi for investigations into the alleged accident.

She promised to issue a comprehensive statement once investigations are completed.

ZANIS

Albidon Mine yet to surrendered 1,000 hectares of land – Mwiinga

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Albidon Munali Nickel mine in Mazabuka has not yet surrendered back the 1,000 hectares of land to the community despite a commitment made by the management last year. This is because modalities of sub dividing the 2,100 hectares have not yet been completed by the Ministry of Lands.

Mazabuka Mayor, Shadreck Mwiinga, however, told ZANIS in Mazabuka that the local authority is closely monitoring the developments to ensure that the affected families are given back their land. He said the new Chinese management has committed itself to implementing the decision made by the previous Albidon management to surrender the land which the mine does not intend to use.

Mr. Mwiinga also revealed that the construction of a school, clinic and rehabilitation of the road network for villagers who were resettled at the inception of the mine will continue under the mine resettlement plan.
He said the new management has assured both his office and government through the Ministry of Mines that the commitments made by the previous management will be implemented.

Meanwhile, Mayor Mwiinga has disclosed that the re-opening of the Albidon mine has cheered the community especially that the Chinese investor has also promised to create job opportunities for the local people.

He said the local leadership are particularly happy with the Rupiah Banda administration for working round the clock to ensure a genuine investor to run the mine was found.

He said the closure of the mine at the height of the global financial crisis that resulted in the mine being put under care and maintenance had severely affected the economic status of the district. Production at the only nickel mine is expected to start this month.

ZANIS.

Mazabuka farm worker killed by an angry Cow

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A farm worker in Mazabuka has allegedly been killed by an angry cow as he was dipping animals at a named white commercial farm.

Police sources in Mazabuka who confirmed the development to ZANIS in Mazabuka today, said the cow, a Brahman, allegedly descended on the deceased who was alone dipping the animals between 14:00hrs and 16:00 hrs.

Police sources further said the body of the deceased which had severe body injuries was only recovered the following day by fellow farm workers who conducted a search for the man.

According to Police, Brahman cows become violent when they are being driven to a dipping facility and can descend on anybody seen on sight.

The body of the deceased is lying in Mazabuka hospital awaiting a postmortem.

ZANIS

President Banda witnesses Guebuza’s inauguration

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President Rupiah Banda talks to Vice President George Kunda and Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja before he left for Angola at Lusaka International Airport
President Rupiah Banda talks to Vice President George Kunda and Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja at Lusaka International Airport

President Rupiah Banda today attended the Inauguration ceremony of Mozambican President Armando Guebuza who was sworn in for a second and final five year term of office in Maputo.

President Banda who arrived at Maputo international airport at 09:00 hours this morning joined several other SADC Heads of State and government in witnessing President Guebuza’ s inauguration.

Mr. Banda joined President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Hefekapunya Pohamba of Namibia, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, SADC Chairperson Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi.

The ceremony which was held at Maputo civic centre which is also the Independence square was characterized by performances from the military and traditional dancers.

In his speech President Guebuza called on the people of Mozambique to put aside their political differences and together concentrate of fighting poverty and other challenges facing the country.

Mr. Guebuza said although his country made tremendous economic, social and political developments during the first five years in office, there was need for the citizenry to continue working hard in order to register more development.

President Banda is accompanied to Maputo by Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande and former president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.

Later in the day President Banda and other heads of state attended a luncheon at State House in Maputo.

This evening the President attended a closed door double troika SADC summit at Joachim Chisano International conference centre.

And Dr. Kaunda is among some former heads of state and government in the SADC region who have been invited by the Mozambican government to attend the ceremony.

Among the former heads of state that attended the ceremony are former South African president Thabo Mbeki and his counterpart from Botswana Festus Mugea.

President Guebuza won at least two-thirds (77 percent) of valid votes in Mozambique’s October 28, 2009 general elections after garnering 2.3 million votes.

He beat Alfonso Dhlakama of the opposition Mozambique National Resistance party (Renamo) and Daviz Simango of the newly formed Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), who polled 420,000 votes and 280,000 votes respectively.

Out of a total of 250 parliamentary seats, Frelimo got 192, Renamo fell in the second position with 48 constituencies while MDM trailed behind with eight seats.

In his election for the first term of office in 2004, President Guebuza’s Frelimo party had 160 seats while Renamo had 90 seats in the National Assembly. The recent election means that Frelimo increased its representation in parliament while Renamo reduced from 90 seats to 48.

In their pre-October 2009 campaign messages, President Guebuza pledged to continue addressing many issues among them poverty and unemployment while Mr. Dhlakama promised among other things, to abolish party branches in state institutions and to promote peace and stability in the country.

MDM’s Simango campaigned on the promise of modernizing agriculture, promoting rural trade and reducing unemployment.

Mozambique uses an electoral system of Proportional Representation.

ZANIS

Livingstone Council incompetent – Mayor

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Livingstone
Livingstone Mayor Joram Mwinda says incompetence and negligence of duty were major factors that contributed to the city council’s failure to submit its 2010 budget to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

Mr. Mwinda said he was particularly disappointed with management at the Livingstone City Council (LCC) for failing to submit its 2010 budget by October last year, as the development had resulted in the public and Local Government Ministry losing confidence in the institution.

The mayor said this in an interview with ZANIS in Livingstone on Wednesday January 13.

He said failure by LCC to submit the budget was a draw back to the tourist capital and had impacted negatively on the esteem with which people regarded it.

Mr. Mwinda however, said the Local Government and Housing ministry was kind enough to give the local authority an extension period in which they were required to submit their budget by January 14, 2010.

To that effect he revealed that, a delegation comprising of the Chairman for Finance and Deputy Director of Finance among others had been sent to the Ministry Headquarters to make certain that the budget was submitted.

And Mr. Mwinda said measures had since been put in place to ensure similar occurrences did not repeat themselves in future.

Recently Local Government and Housing minister Eustacio Kazonga announced that while other councils and municipalities in the country had submitted their budgets to his ministry, Livingstone had not handed over its budget to his ministry.

In the same position as Livingstone City Council are Sinazongwe District Council, Mungwi District Council, Mansa Municipal Council and Mwense District Council.

ZANIS

Zambia’s Copper production to reach 720 000 tonnes in 2010

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STANDARD Chartered Bank says Zambia’s copper output this year is set to exceed the peak of 720,000 tonnes recorded in the 1960s when the country was the fourth largest world copper producer.

The production estimate is against 644,000 metric tonnes projected for last year.

Speaking during an economic forum in Lusaka, Standard Chartered Bank Africa regional head of research Razia Khan said Zambia has continued to register good growth in the last couple of years with mining in 2009 accounting for 21.4 percent, construction 15.5 percent and agriculture 7.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product.

Ms Khan said the commodity price boom on the international market has led to greater investment in Zambia’s mines.

She said the metal recovery on the international market will help generate wealth and create confidence.

“The price of copper is being supported by the Chinese economy and their demand for copper in auto production, property market, power equipment products and home appliances output,” she said.

Ms Khan said there are concerns about copper inventory levels in China and whether the price of copper would finish at around US$ 7,500 per tonne in 2010.

She said although Zambia is headed for a boom in the mining sector, there are structural bottlenecks that could affect growth, citing poor infrastructure like roads, railway and availability of power.

She said it is important to know whether the state of roads and railway system will sustain growth in copper.[quote]

“2010 outlook is good and mining sector need to think long term. There is need to take into account the fluctuation, productivity and look at contribution of mines into a more holistic manner,” she said.

Ms Khan said there is a strong view from the civil society to ensure that there is some payback from the mines.

“Zambia’s biggest problem is the large informal sector. There is need to widen the tax reform,” she said.

She noted that if Zambia could grow its economy at 6.3 percent during the global crisis period, there is potential for double digit growth, which needs holistic contribution from all sectors.

“Its not just what is happening to copper that matters but what is happening to the exchange rates which have an impact on trade. Zambia has had trade surplus since June and our analysis is that trade balancing will remain in surplus,” she said.

Ms Khan said the Bank of Zambia now has a healthy reserve position and its activity in the market will help in smoothing Kwacha volatility.

She also noted that maintaining single digit inflation would require hard work on the part of Government.

“If the labour unions continue to demand double digit figures, a wage growth of 20 percent will have inflationary pressure,” she said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

State to probe PAZA

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HOME Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani has directed the registrar of societies to come up with details about the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) executive committee to ascertain the leadership’s legality. But former PAZA president Hicks Sikazwe cautioned against losing focus on the current debate on media regulation by politicising the collaboration between PAZA and the Press Freedom Committee of The Post.

The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) also defended the association saying there was nothing sinister about signing a memorandum of understanding with another professional association. Mr Mangani said in an interview yesterday that as far as the Government was concerned the association’s executive committee could have been operating illegally.

“As far as we are concerned the operation of PAZA is illegal and it is for this reason that I have asked the Registrar of Societies to establish when the association held the last meeting,” he said.

He said he wanted the law enforcement agencies to establish if receiving money from another institution was not tantamount to corruption and if there was no motive in giving the association money.

Mr Sikazwe, who is immediate past president of PAZA, said politicising the PAZA-PFC relationship would shift attention from the important issue and derail the establishment of the much needed self regulatory media body.

“Since the Government has provided leadership by embracing dialogue over the matter (media regulation), calls to impeach the PAZA executive are against the very spirit of dialogue fostered by Government early this month,” he said. He said only PAZA members can remove the executive and not external political interests.

He said the current executive must be given a chance to put its house in order but implored them to call for an annual general meeting earlier than November this year.

Mr Sikazwe said there was nothing wrong with a media organisation collaborating with another on a common issue adding that when he was PAZA president, the association worked with the Media Institute of Southern Africa to lobby for media reforms. “It was that collaboration between MISA and PAZA that we formed the MECOZ which appears to have taken a back seat,” he said.

And ZUJ said the attacks on PAZA executive were uncalled for and an infringement on the rights of media bodies. ZUJ president Morgan Chonya said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday the association was concerned at the present debates.

[Times of Zambia]

Kansanshi Mine pays K1.8 billion to Solwezi council for property rates

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KANSANSHI Mine has paid out K1.8 billion to Solwezi Municipal Council (SMC) for property rates for the first quarter of 2010, public relations manager Chris Mulaliki has said. Mr Mulaliki said in Solwezi yesterday that although the K1.8 billion was a drop in the ocean, considering the council’s budget, it would go a long way in meeting various expenditures.

He said it was good that Kansanshi Mine had fulfilled its obligation to the council of paying property rates. Mr Mulaliki said that the local authority had this year budgeted to spend K25.4 billion and the major source of revenue to finance that would come from fees and charges such as service, licenses, surveys fees, building permits and others.

He said revenue from fees and charges like licenses, service charges, trading licenses, survey fees and building permits would amount to K15.4 billion, while revenue from rates of properties would come to K4.2 billion. “Our 2010 budget is K25.4 billion and our major source of revenue would be fees and charges. We expect to raise K15.4 billion from licenses, trading licenses, building permits and others.

“We also expect to raise K4.2 billion from property rates and I must inform you that Kansanshi Mine PLC has paid K1.8billion for property rates for the first quarter of 2010,” Mr Mulaliki said. Mr Mulaliki said the council would continue to strive to improve service delivery in the area and urged the people to support the council in its various operations.

He said the people in the area should not only criticise the council, but support it in its various operations so that they knew and appreciated the various problems the local authority was going through. Mr Mulaliki said the sending of auditors to various wards in the city does not mean that some councillors had squandered Ward Development Funds, but that auditors were merely sent to the councils wards to audit the work that had been done on various projects.

“Yes, it is true that auditors have been sent to wards, but this does not mean that some councillors had squandered Ward Development Funds. No councillor has squandered funds and auditors have been sent to audit the projects,” he said.

[Times of Zambia]

Luangwa Council Chief impeached over land

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THE Luangwa District Council has impeached its chairperson, Austin Bota and instituted disciplinary action against council secretary, Tryson Chunga for allegedly allocating land without the full council meeting’s approval. The councillors resolved to impeach Mr Bota and institute disciplinary action against Mr Chunga during an extra- ordinary full council meeting held in the council chambers in Luangwa on Tuesday.

The councillors took the action against the duo when it was discovered that they had issued land to a named investor without the consent of the local authority.

Proposing the motion, Phazi Ward councillor Felix Kazangalale said he was concerned with the way the two had allocated land to the investor when the council had said they should wait until investigations on the said land were concluded.
Mr Kazangalale said councils should be seen to be working with the Government in ensuring that land was allocated to people following the right procedures.

Mandombe Ward councillor Joachim Maozeka who seconded Mr Kazangalale’s motion said the issue of land should be taken seriously because Government attached great importance to it. Mr Maozeka said Mr Bota and Mr Chunga should be following council resolutions whenever they were implementing something and not to do things outside the law.

The council was informed that the named investor was told to stop constructing a lodge along the Luangwa River until he had sorted out some issues with Chief Mphuka who had earlier offered him land but later changed his mind and told him not to go ahead with developing the land.

The councillors who had to adjourn their meeting to go to the site where the investor wanted to construct a lodge, found that he had started construction works despite the council’s resolution that he should not be given land.

The visibly annoyed councilors said the attitude of the council chairperson and his secretary in deciding to give land without approval was gross indiscipline, which should not be condoned because it could bring problems to the council and the people in the district.
The entire council passed a vote of no confidence in their chairperson and instituted disciplinary action against his secretary.

[Times of Zambia]

UPND scouts for female Veep …As HH guns for UPND presidency

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THE executive committee of the United Party for National Development (UPND) is scouting for a female vice-president, preferably from the Northern Province to enhance its chances of winning the 2011 presidential polls now that it is clear that the pact with the Patriotic Front (PF) is crumbling, sources have revealed.

At its extra-ordinary executive meeting held on January 6, 2010 chaired by President Hakainde Hichilema, serious concerns were raised about the manner the PF was conducting its campaigns in the private media and it was resolved that Nkandu Luo be courted for the position of third vice-president.

This, in the view of the UPND, would attempt to give the party a more national outlook and possibly lure some Northern Province votes and the women’s vote in the light of the impending split with the PF.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma confirmed that the meeting took place and that among other issues discussed was the issue of the third vice-president.

He, however, said the choice of the candidate for the position was still under intense debate and consideration. When asked if she had received overtures for the position, Professor Luo could neither confirm nor deny. “Kindly allow me to remain silent over this matter, I would not like to begin to discuss politics, please leave me out of it for now,” she said.

Mr Kakoma said the ideals of the pact were still alive but that the individual parties had agreed to go on an intensive membership drive to build capacity and strengthen their bases. He warned party members not to bank on riding on the backs of other pact members in apparent reference to the PF adding that they as UPND members must concentrate on building their own strengths.[quote]

The sources revealed that some executive members who attended the meeting complained that the private media was giving undue coverage to Mr Sata as opposed to Mr Hichilema, who was being systematically relegated to second position. It was however agreed that the “divorce” be kept under wraps while the party heightened its campaigns and new membership drives until the very end, to forestall any counter moves that the PF or MMD would engage in.

According to the sources, the UPND leader had come under increasing pressure from traditional leaders in the province to dissolve the party’s marriage of convenience with the PF because it was apparently clear that Mr Hichilema had already been relegated to the position of vice-president of the pact.

This has settled very badly with die-hard UPND members and traditionalists who felt that their president was giving in too much.
Mr Hichilema was, in the light of the impending cracks in the pact, advised to review all the disciplinary cases and instead speak the language of reconciliation to woo influential members who had left, to rebuild confidence.

Mr Hichilema is reportedly in the Western and North- Western provinces where he had travelled to garner support in readiness for the polls. “Hakainde is ready for the 2011 elections not as vice-president under the pact with the PF but as president of the UPND, it looks like the man has finally started seeing sense over this pact and realises that he is only being used by Mr Sata, even leaders like Chief Nalubamba has held meetings with him to advise him,” the source said.

PF spokesperson Given Lubinda said he took the UPND to be equal partners as prescribed in the memorandum of understanding and as far as he was concerned, everything was running smoothly. He said the UPND and the PF were alive to the fact that at no point did they agree to dissolve their respective parties to form one and as such both were at liberty to campaign in the manner they wanted.
“We are in the pact out of sincerity and good faith, we therefore would not like a third hand to dampen our resolve not on any propaganda allegations,” he said.

He added that the pact had learnt to take such insinuations in their stride and would treat such information as statements coming from detractors.

[Times of Zambia]

RB expected in Maputo tomorrow

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President Rupiah Banda is among some several Heads of State and government in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region who have been invited to Mozambique to witness the inauguration of President-elect, Armando Guebuza of the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo) party.

President Banda is expected to arrive in Maputo at Maputo International Airport at 09:00 hours tomorrow for Mr. Guebuza’s swearing in ceremony scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2010.

Zambia’s High Commissioner to Mozambique, Agness Ngoma confirmed this to ZANIS in Maputo today.

Ms. Ngoma said President Banda will also attend a SADC troika meeting that will take place after the inauguration ceremony here on the same day.

She said the President might also have separate meetings with other heads of state from the region.

She said President Banda will be accompanied to Mozambique by Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande and some other senior government officials.

The Mozambican government has also invited some former heads of state and government in the region to join in the inauguration celebrations.

From former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda will be among the former heads of state also invited to witness the ceremony.

President Banda and his delegation are expected to return home on Friday, January 15th 2010.

President Banda’s attendance at the inauguration was important to the enhancement of the already existing relations between Zambia and Mozambique.

President Guebuza won at least two-thirds (77 percent) of valid votes in Mozambique’s October 28, 2009 general elections after garnering 2.3 million votes.

He beat Afonso Dhlakama of the opposition Mozambique National Resistance party (Renamo) and Daviz Simango of the newly formed Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), who polled 420,000 votes and 280,000 votes respectively.

Out of a total of 250 parliamentary seats, Frelimo got 192, Renamo fell in the second position with 48 constituencies while MDM trailed behind with eight seats.

In his election for the first term of office in 2004, President Guebuza’s Frelimo party had 160 seats while Renamo had 90 seats in the National Assembly. The recent election means that Frelimo increased its representation in parliament while Renamo reduced from 90 seats to 48.

In their pre-October 2009 campaign messages, President Guebuza pledged to continue addressing many issues among them poverty and unemployment while Mr. Dhlakama promised among other things, to abolish party branches in state institutions and to promote peace and stability in the country.

MDM’s Simango campaigned on the promise of modernizing agriculture, promoting rural trade and reducing unemployment.

Mozambique uses an electoral system of Proportional Representation.

ZANIS

Discipline Commercial banks delaying salaries for civil servants, ZNUT urges Government

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THE ZAMBIA National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) in Northern Province is calling upon the government to discipline some commercial banks which are in the habit of delaying to pay salaries for government workers especially teachers.

ZNUT Provincial Chairperson Nondo Kasanda made the call in a telephone interview with the Zambia News and Information Services [ZANIS] in Nakonde today.

Mr. Kasanda said the Government should urgently sort out the problem of delayed salaries for its workers with the commercial banks.

He added that many people have ended up condemning Government when it is actually the banks which are delaying to pay the government workers.

“Government releases money on time but some commercial banks delays in paying out the same money to the Government workers,” said Mr. Kasanda.

He said that delayed salaries have promoted unnecessary debts for teachers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kasanda has commended the teachers for their patience despite being paid their salaries late.

Teachers in Northern Province received their December salaries last week.

ZANIS

No MMD member defected to PF in Petauke – Mulenga

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The Movement for Muti-party Democracy (MMD) in Petauke District in the Eastern province has refuted claims by the opposition PF cadres that MMD marketers in Petauke have defected to the opposition.

MMD Provincial Women’s Chairperson Martha Mulenga told ZANIS in an interview that the claims by the opposition cadres were unfounded because the MMD was still intact and that no member had defected to any party.

Mrs. Mulenga said the MMD in the area had already done its home work and was ready for any thing at any time adding that no member could defect to the opposition with what was obtaining on the ground in the area.

She said there was no way that area Member of Parliament Dora Siliya could encourage cadres to defect to the opposition PF.

On Monday the MMD marketeers had a meeting with the area Member of Parliament Dora Siliya who later gave them money to buy some chitenge materials as a group and the marketers opted to buy the Kuomboka design material for their uniform.

When PF cadres saw the Nalikwanda boat on the chitenge material that the marketers had bought they started chanting the pabwato slogan and started telling people that Dora Siliya had distribute PF chitenge to the marketers.

ZANIS

MISA advises against attacks on PAZA

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MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry KabweThe Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter has called on Zambians not to attack the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) based on assertions.

MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe said people should prove that PAZA had been compromised when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspaper instead of speaking on assumptions.

Mr. Kabwe has challenged people to come forward and prove with substantial evidence that the MoU PAZA signed with the Press Freedom Committee of the Post had strings attached.

He charged that the attacks on PAZA were only meant to scandalize and destabilize the media liaison committee and divert attention away from discussing media self regulation.

Mr. Kabwe wondered why people are bringing up the issue of the MoU now when the friendship between the Post and PAZA has been in the public domain for some time now.

The MISA Zambia Chairperson said media institutions need to support each other, adding that the MoU between PAZA and The Post Newspaper was not strange.[quote]

He accused some sectors of society of orchestrating the campaign to scandalize the media liaison committee because they believe that the MoU between PAZA and the Post was meant for the two organisations to gang up against government on statutory media regulation.

Mr. Kabwe reminded the public that the fight against statutory regulation of the media was started long before the Post joined the fight, and appealed to the public not to see the Post Newspaper as engineering the resistance against statutory media regulation.

He urged the nation not to start bringing in others issues to derail the issue at hand but focus on addressing the impasse on the media self-regulation mechanism.

Mr. Kabwe told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that people should wait for PAZA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which had been delayed due to financial difficulties if they wanted a new executive in place.

ZANIS

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