THE Government has challenged opposition United Party for National Development leader, Hakainde Hichilema to provide evidence that President Rupiah Banda wanted a cut from the US$53 million mobile hospital deal with Chinese investors.

Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said Mr Hichilema should provide evidence, as it was not proper for a political leader of his standing to issue unsubstantiated claims.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that apart from the Government demanding that Mr Hichilema should provide evidence, it would not arrest the opposition leader as doing so would be making him unnecessarily popular.

“Mr Hichilema should provide evidence that the president wanted a cut as failure to do so would prove him to be a liar. As a leader, he should not speak on things that he does not have evidence and he should know that this country is not going to thrive on lies,” Gen Shikapwasha said.

Mr Hichilema was quoted in The Post’s Saturday edition as having insisted that the president had a cut in the deal to provide mobile medical facilities from China and dared the Government to arrest him.

Gen Shikapwasha said the Government would not be arresting politicians and wondered why Mr Hichilema challenged it to do so.

Gen Shikapwasha, who is Information and Broadcasting Services minister, also said the Government was taken aback by sentiments from Roan member of Parliament, Chishimba Kambwili that Chinese investors were not appropriate to run the Luanshya Copper Mines.

He said he was not sure of what really Mr Kambwili was looking for as at some point he was asking the Government to quickly find investors for the mine and now that had been done, he is against the idea.
He said the world over, governments were pleading for Chinese investment.

“The US government is borrowing from Chinese investors because even in the wake of the economic crisis, their economy is picking up and why should Zambia not pick on the Chinese when the whole world is doing so?” Gen Shikapwasha asked.

[Times of Zambia]

The National Initiative for Citizens Awareness (NICA) president, Kelvin Sampa, has challenged PF Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili to substantiate claims that President Rupiah Banda and his government were corrupt over the awarding of Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) to a Chinese firm, Non Ferous Metal Mining Company Limited (NFCA).

Mr Sampa said when the people of Luanshya voted for Mr Kambwili they expected him to work hard and to speak facts on the ground.

He said the MP has been cheating the people of Luanshya because of fears that his political career will be exterminated by the progressive development and intervention by the government over LCM.

Mr Sampa charged that the minister does not realize that most Zambians are enlightened with what is going on globally and most of them are very much aware of the capacity of the Chinese.

He said China right now is the most feared emerging power and it has the capacity to help Africa and even America.

Mr Sampa has advised Hon Kambwili to tell the nation if he had provided tangible solutions for the people of Luanshya when the mine went under care and maintenance.

He added that the MP must be ashamed of himself for trying to deny the people of Luanshya development and better living conditions when he is able to earn a living through parliament.

Mr Sampa advised the civil society to provide checks and balances between the government and the opposition leaders and not to criticize every matter.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has assured Zambians living abroad that his government would work tirelessly to develop the country.

President Banda said the MMD government was in a hurry to expedite development in the country in order to meet the aspirations of people living home and abroad.

Mr Banda was speaking in Pretoria when he addressed Zambians living in South Africa today at the Zambian High Commission.

He said allegations that his administration has failed to deliver were unfounded as development takes a long time to achieve.

The President called on Zambians living abroad to contribute to the country’s development by investing their money back home.

“It is not late for you to start investing in your home country now because you may end up regretting if you delay,” said Mr Banda.

He reminded the Zambians that the task of developing the country needed concerted efforts of all Zambians.

He said Zambia has not been spared by the global economic crisis which is likely to impart negatively on the country’s economic efforts.

He said as part of measures to enhance the country’s economic development, government was seriously diversifying the economy which has been dependent on copper since independence.

Mr Banda added that although he is working on implementing development plans left by his predecessor, the late President Levy Mwanawasas, he needed support from those working with him in order to succeed.[quote]

“I expect the leaders I inherited from my Predecessor and those I have appointed to be loyal to me for the system to work effectively,” he said.

Meanwhile President Banda today commissioned the chancery at the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria.

The Chancery was bought by the government at the cost of 4. 5 million Rands in 1998. The Chancery was formerly a college.

The President commended the previous administration for its foresight to purchase the property.

He said this has served government a lot of money in rentals which now can be used for other purposes.

And speaking at the same function, Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande, urged Zambians in diaspora to desist from engaging themselves in unlawful acts which can tarnish the image of government.

Mr Pande said 90 per cent of Zambians imprisoned outside the country were women who were used by drug barons as couriers.

He said Zambians must abide by the laws of the host country to avoid unnecessary problems for themselves.

And in his welcoming remarks, High Commissioner, Leslie Mbula, urged the government to help quicken the process of issuing passports to Zambian nationals living in diaspora.

Mr Mbula said the mission has been receiving a lot of complaints from Zambians in South Africa by the slow pace at which passport applications were being processed in Lusaka.

He said because of the delays, people have been blaming the mission for the problem.

ZANIS/

Kunda said when joined other mourners at the funeral house to pay his last respect to the late deputy minister that President Rupiah Banda had also learnt the death of Mr. Hamir with deep sorrow.

Mr. Kunda said Mr. Hamir, who was also area Member of Parliament for Chitambo Constituency in Serenje, would be missed for his commitment to both party and national duties.

Mr Kunda described the late Hamir as an articulate leader, who held the concerns of the people he represented to heart.

Mr. Kunda, however, apologized to the nation for not according the late Deputy Minister an official funeral saying religious dictates that Mr. Hamir was entitled to needed to be followed.

Notables among the mourners that went to pay their last respect to the late Hamir were Lands Minister, Peter Daka, Agriculture Minister, Brian Chituwo, Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister, Crispin Musosha and Patriotic Front Malole Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Munaile.

Mr. Hamir, 44, who died of a heart attack in the University Teaching Hospital, UTH, yesterday, is survived by two wives, one child.

Mr. Hamir was born in Chitambo, in Serenje District were he was elected as MP in 2006 before being appointed as Deputy Lands Minister by the late President Levy Mwanawasa in 2007.

He was later reappointed by President Banda in 2008 to serve in the same capacity.

Meanwhile, Lands Minister Peter Daka said the ministry had lost a hard working leader who contributed greatly to administrative matters aimed at improving its operations.

And Malole MP Emmanuel Munaile said Mr. Hamir would be missed for his willingness to work with anyone when it came to solving issues of national interest.

The remains of the late Hamir, were scheduled to be buried at the Leopards Hill Cemetry this afternoon.

ZANIS

Health workers in Mazabuka want government to send independent auditors to investigate the alleged financial scandal that has rocked the Mazabuka District Health Office.

The health staff, who sought anonymity for fear of possible intimidation and harassment, said in Mazabuka today that government as a matter of urgency should send auditors to look into the books of accounts for the district office.

They alleged that some named senior health managers and programme officers paid themselves hefty subsistence allowances during the Cholera outbreak, despite having not spent nights at Chivuna, Lubombo and Kaleya Cholera centres.

They warned that failure to intervene would compel them to shun any recruitment of officers to handle any disease outbreak especially the ‘Swine flu’ which is now posing a threat to African countries, Zambia inclusive.

“Some of us who worked throughout the outbreak period and spending nights were only paid K 45,000 as night allowance while those that worked in the day were paid K 35,000 and the senior managers paid themselves K 285,000 per night when they did not work,” they charged.

The workers said they are ready to cooperate with the auditors by providing incriminating evidence against the culprits because of the high levels of theft of public funds.

They also disclosed that funds that were released by the Centre for Infectious Disease and Research in Zambia, an American Non Governmental Organisation to motivate staff at the Anti retro-viral therapy clinic working for long hours had been grossly abused.

According to impeccable sources, a named medical doctor was only spotted at the clinic each time funds were released and would immediately return after receiving payment.

“Why is the ministry of health failing to deal with people stealing public funds. Does it mean the managers are being used by some big fish within the ministry,” asked a clinical officer who sought anonymity.

The sources added that no medical doctor has visited the ART clinic in the last three months and people enrolled for ART treatment were being attended to by clinical officers, who are now over loaded with work.

ZANIS