Lands Deputy Minster, Nasim-ul-Gani Hamir, is dead.
Mr. Hamir died this afternoon at University Teaching Hospital, UTH, after a short illness.
Secretary to the Cabinet, Joshua Kanganja, confirmed the death of Mr. Hamir in a statement in Lusaka this evening.
Dr. Kanganja said Mr. Hamir was admitted to the hospital this morning and passed away around 16:00 hours.
Mr. Hamir was until the time of his death MMD Chitambo Member of Parliament.
ZANIS
A 26-year-old man in Kawambwa district has been sentenced to Nine months imprisonment with hard labour for falsely claiming possession of a human heart for sell.
Kawambwa Magistrates, Felix Kaoma, yesterday sentenced, Peter Mpundu, of Matelo area in Munkanta’s chiefdom after finding him guilty of fabricating false information with intent to cause fear to the public.
This is contrary to section 67 subsection 1 of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
Facts before the court were that on April 18, 2009, Mpundu approached a local business man, Bernard Chungu, 42 and told him that he deals in the selling of human hearts business.
Mpundu told the businessman that if he was interested, he could sell a human heart to him but Mr. Chungu got disturbed because he never dealt in such business.
Mr Chungu then decided to take Mpundu to the Police for interrogation.
In mitigation, Mpundu asked the court for leniency saying he is the first offender and that his wife is expecting a child.
He also said he is looking after an orphan hence if he is imprisoned, his family will suffer.
I passing judgment, Magistrate Kaoma said Mpundu deserved some leniency because he is a first offender.
The court, however, regretted the rise in fabrication of false information in the area especially during harvesting period.
The magistrate slapped the sentence on Mpundu as a deterrent to would be offenders.
ZANIS
Government urged health workers at the University Teaching Hospital, UTH, to develop a positive attitude towards patients despite the many challenges they face in carrying out their duties.
Minister of Health, Kapembwa Simbao, says the Ministry has acknowledged the problems the workers face but that it has financial constraints to address all the problems at once.
Mr. Simbao was speaking when he officiated at the Labour Day prize giving ceremony at UTH today.
And UTH Managing Director, Peter Mwaba, said management at the institution is trying to address the plight of workers so as to improve service delivery at the institution.
ZANIS
Lusaka will host three big fixtures this weekend as the Faz Premier Division enters week 9.
Two of them will take place on Saturday while the other will be on Sunday.
The biggest match of the day will be at Woodlands Stadium where Green Buffaloes hosts Zesco United.
Zesco will be under the spotlight especially after their historic qualification to the lucrative group stage of this years Caf African Champions League.
Moreover, Zesco are the only unbeaten side in the league so far and they will be feeling the pressure
As they try to enhance their recently acquired status after joining the elite league in Caf club competition.
The other big game will be across the Capital city in Chelstone where Red Arrows host leaders Zanaco at Nkoloma Stadium.
Arrows were last week ejected from the Caf Confederations Cup despite a dramatic 3-0 home win over ENPPI of Egypt at the same venue that saw the latter advance the pre-group stage 4-3 on aggregate.
Zanaco on the other hand are smarting from a shock 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Roan United on May 1.
Pride will be at stake for both sides with Arrows winless from two league games played with another seven in hand while Zanaco are looking to recover and stay in the driving seat for one month.
In the rest of the weekends fixtures, Forest Rangers host Chambishi at Dola Hill in Ndola, Nakambala Leopards travel to Roan United and City of Lusaka visit Chililabombwe to play Konkola Blades.
Young Arrows are in Ndola where they face Zamtel at the Trade Fair Grounds and Kabwe Warriors travel to Maamba to play Choma Eagles.
Meanwhile, the third big game in the Capital will be between Lusaka Dynamos hosts Power Dynamos on Sunday at Queensmead Stadium.
President Rupiah Banda has left the country for South Africa to attend the inauguration ceremony of that country’s President-elect, Jacob Zuma tomorrow.
President Banda is accompanied by First Lady, Thandiwe Banda and Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande.
He was seen off at the Lusaka International Airport by Vice President George Kunda, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha, Minister of Lands, Peter Daka, Presidential Affairs Minister, Ronald Mukuma, and other senior government officials.
President Banda was invited by the South African government to be among several other African Heads of State and Government at the inauguration ceremony of Mr. Zuma, which will be held in Pretoria tomorrow.
The President is expected to return home on Sunday.
Mr. Zuma was officially elected as South African President on Wednesday by that country’s Members of Parliament.
Security measures have been tightened in Pretoria, South Africa, ahead of the inauguration of that country’s President-elect, Jacob Zuma, tomorrow.
There is a heavy presence of security personnel in all streets around Union Building and hotels to be occupied by dignatories from various parts of the world.
Streets in many parts of the political capital, Pretoria, will be closed while the grand occasion is underway and people wishing to attend the inaugurations would be taken to the Union Buildings by special shuttle bus services.
From about 01 am tomorrow, dozens of roads around the union buildings will be closed to traffic and motorists are being advised to take the necessary detours.
According to information released by the local security, 865 metro police officers will report for duty on the inauguration day to be complemented by a further 360 peace development projects(PDP) officers.
At least 92 countries, including Zambia, will be represented at Mr Zuma’s inauguration.
And the stage is set for tomorrow’s inauguration of the South African President elect, Jacob Zuma.
The atmosphere in Pretoria has been characterized by sounds of heavy guns as the military police rehearse the 21-gun salute which reverated over the southern lawns of the union buildings.
Millitary helicopters and Astra aircraft were seen yesterday fine tuning the fly past which will colour the skies immediately after the President elect takes the oath of office and the 21-gun salute.
Workers are also making final touches on a series of special marquees erected for a special luncheon after the inauguration ceremony.
The inauguration ceremony is expected to start at 11 00hrs and end around around 1300hrs.
A strong message has been sent to journalists to be at the union buildings not later that 5 am tomorrow.
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The Zambian government has spent about K80.4 million (US$14,888) to secure exhibition stands for Zambia’s exhibitors at the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
Commerce, Trade and Industry deputy minister Richard Taima said in Lusaka today that the event was successful but could not disclose how much money was realized from the fair.
Mr. Taima said this today during an evaluation meeting on the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
He said about 30 Zambian companies from different sectors of the economy exhibited at the fair, while the total number of participants from Zambia was 60.
He said among the industries that were represented are the textile and clothing, mining, pharmaceuticals, engineering and information communication technology industries.
Others were food production services and the manufacturing industries.
Mr. Taima explained that government was making efforts to enable the country exhibit in other fairs in countries such as Japan and China, including other COMESA and SADC member countries.
He noted that this would help strengthen trade ties between Zambia and other countries because it would accord Zambians an opportunity to market their products.
The postmortem meeting, which included participants in the just ended Zimbabwe Trade Fair, was meant to assess the effectiveness of the event on the Zambian participants and identify areas that needed to be improved.
ZANIS/MP/KSH/ENDS.
m
Savenda Management Services has donated K8 million cash and an oil jacked industrial cooking pot worth K45 million to the Red Cross Society towards its relief work in Zambia.
Savenda Group Managing Director for Africa, Carol White, said the pot will help in preparing meals in large quantities for flood victims.
Ms. White said her company made the donation in line with its cooperate responsibility of ploughing back to the community.
Receiving the donation, Red Cross Secretary General Charles Mushitu expressed gratitude at the donation, saying it could not have come at a better time than this.
Mr. Mushitu said he was gratified that Red Cross has new partners who were willing to help alleviate human suffering in the country.
He said SAVENDA’s quick response to the Vice President’s message to help the flood victims was very inspiring.
Red Cross Society is today, celebrating its 150th anniversary.
University of Zambia (UNZA) Vice Chancellor Stephen Simukanga has observed that a good health system in any nation was a major indicator of development.
Professor Simukanga said for Zambia as a country, has been facing a lot of challenges in improving the delivery of health services.
He said this at the 39th graduation ceremony and induction of about 219 students, who graduated in different fields in the UNZA School of Medicine in Lusaka today.
Professor Simukanga said another major contributing factor to the poor health care delivery was inadequate human resource in the health sector.
He said the Zambian health care system has also been characterized by lack of trained health personnel, particularly medical Doctors.
He said the ratio of physicians was currently 0.09 per 1, 000 people, which he said was substantially, lower than other countries such as South Africa and Egypt where the ratio is 0.31 and 0.92 respectively.
The Vice Chancellor also urged the graduates to be prepared to meet challenges and obstacles that they might not have imagined in their careers.
He said reactions to the different challenges and obstacles would determine what sort of medical practitioners they would become.
Professor Simukanga told the graduates that patience, endurance, dedication and a great measure of perseverance was all they needed for them to succeed in their professions.
He said society expected the graduates to take an immense responsibility of being medical practitioners with all the passion and enthusiasm.
Professor Simukanga has however bemoaned the lack of educational infrastructure and poor maintenance of the UNZA Great East Road Campus.
He said the highest learning institution in the country has been affected by inadequate funding, noting that this has posed as a great challenge on the operations of the university.
He was however quick to point out that even with these challenges, UNZA has continued to make progress in a number of areas.
“There has been number of notable progresses in the development of infrastructure at the institution following a long period of virtual stagnation,’’ he said.
He also said UNZA understands that Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) play an important role.
Professor Simukanga said there was need to generate more knowledge that would contribute to the fight against poverty as most people were still wallowing in poverty in the country.
ZANIS/AJN/KSH/ENDS.
operations of the closed Luanshya Copper Mines-LCM.
President Rupiah Banda announced in Luanshya on Friday that the firm has taken over 85 percent of the shares, held by the former owners of LCM.
“It is now with great pleasure that I announce the sale of the 85 percent shares to China Nonferrous Metals Mining, commonly known as NFCA,” Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda told former Luanshya Copper Mines workers at a public meeting.
He disclosed that a government technical committee will enter into negotiations with NFC to work out issues related to the take over of the mine and the talks will be concluded by May 22.
The President said the new mine owners will start operations at Baluba Shaft on May 30 and will take over the development of the Mulyashi project.
Mr. Banda is happy that the new investors will also take over the running of Roan General Hospital and Luanshya Trust school.
He paid tribute to the people of Luanshya for their patience, which enabled government to come up with a credible investor for LCM.
The President said Luanshya residents resisted all calls to take to the streets and demonstrate over the closure of LCM.
Luanshya Copper Mines closed early this year after investors running the mine at the time pulled out, citing falling copper prices.
The LCM shut down the Baluba copper mine and abandoned the development of the 60,000 tonnes per year last December saying it had been making losses because of low global metals prices and other effects of the global economic crisis.
The LCM, which was a joint venture of the Bein Stein Resources Group (BSRG) and International Mineral Resources (IMR), also shut down the Chambishi Metals Plc, Zambia’s largest cobalt producer, and retrenched 1,700 miners.
[ZNBC/Reuters]
Dear Bloggers,
I had met a girl when I was 18 whilst we were both traveling to South Africa.It was love at first sight and we developed strong feelings for each other. I was living in Lusaka and she was staying with her mother in Ndola. Despite our long distance relationship our love grew.
We only met when she came so see her father who was working in my hometown Lusaka, so we rarely met. She was 16 at that time. A year after we started dating she decided to break up with me. This then became a pattern.She would always break up with me for no apparent reason but later she would always reconcile herself to me. When I finished school in 2006 I went to study in Germany.
Even when I went to study abroad she said we had to break up for some family reasons and we did that, but not long after staying in Germany she said that she still loved me and that she wanted to continue with me. I said OK. What I didn’t know was that she would go further than I expected and without consulting me, she told her family that I wanted to marry her.She did this without asking me if I was willing to and then she started calling my sisters and brothers and telling them that she loved me very much and that we planned to marry-all this without my knowledge.
Of course we’ve never had sex but just a simple kiss once.The thing is I feel am not ready to make a decision on my life partner. I mean I feel I just need to be alone, I don’t what to be committed.
I know she loves me but I don’t feel the same now.The thing
is, I don’t want to disappoint her before its too late, what can I do
dear friends?
Confused
By Chrispin Ntungo
The editorial on Dual Citizenship by The Post makes a lot of sense and it is right on. One thing that worries this contributor about Zambia is that when it comes to important decisions history does not show that Zambians make decisions that are for the good of the country. Look at the following examples:
1. Late 1960s Zambia chose to support Palestinians over Israel and the University of Zambia was left uncompleted. The Chiluba government tried to correct this later, but it came too late.
2. Early 1970s Zambia adopted the Eastern model of government vi-sa-vi one party rule and socialism, the result over the years was disastrous.
3. Most recently, when revising the constitution Zambia chose to say that someone born to Zambian parents, regardless of where they are born in the world, can be president of Zambia . If you are born in Zambia to non-Zambian parents you are not regarded as Zambian enough and therefore you cannot become president. But if you are born to Zambian parents anywhere in the world you are a Zambian and you can be president. Most countries have it that you are a primary citizen of the country in which you are born.
This contributor hopes that the NCC will be level-headed and objective enough, and appreciative of every Zambian out there and support dual citizenship. Zambia cannot afford to be a loser all the time. It’s time that Zambians made quality decisions that make Zambia a winning country. Dual citizenship is a win-win situation. When you have the opportunity to allow it, don’t even blink, go for it. When you have the opportunity to have it, don’t even blink, go for it. It will bring Zambia benefits that Zambians can’t even envision in the process of making the decision.
To those on the NCC don’t let jealousy or witch-hunting get the best of you. Think of your large extended family of 12, 15, or 21 siblings. What if five of those had dual citizenship; some American, others Canadian, or British, or Australian or South African? Have you thought of what they would do for you and your country? They would give you support that you might not ever imagine. For example, they can give you seed money to begin a business in Zambia . They can accommodate your niece or nephew to attend school in USA , Canada , UK or Australia , etc. It would be good for your family; it would be good for your country too. They can even represent you in business or government negotiations, all to your success and prosperity.
Lastly, God loves our country, but somehow we mess it up ourselves when we fail to make decisions in its favor. Nevertheless, this contributor has to remind you that it is wonderful to be in the company of Zambians whether they have dual citizenship or not. Be of good cheer, everyone.
The Government has demanded that United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema withdraws his remarks suggesting that President Rupiah Banda had criminal motives in considering the purchase of mobile hospitals from China.
Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha, said in Lusaka yesterday that the remarks that border on libel could not go unchallenged because Mr Hichilema had not produced any evidence to prove criminal intentions by the president.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said the proposal was mooted by Chinese industrialists who felt that mobile hospitals could help alleviate the suffering of the majority of Zambians in the rural areas.
“In accepting to consider the proposal, President Rupiah Banda had the Zambian people at heart most of whom have no access to medical facilities due to long distances or their non-availability.
“Cabinet has not yet sat to consider the proposal and when it does, serious consideration will be given to its feasibility as well as benefits in relation to establishing additional hospitals,” Gen Shikapwasha said in a statement.
Gen Shikapwasha, who is Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said Mr Banda had a vision for the country that he could fulfill by looking at various proposals and options.
The proposals could be local or foreign and could help the Government achieve its goals of alleviating the suffering of the people.
He said what mattered most about the mobile hospitals the value the project could add to the health service delivery in Zambia.
Gen Shikapwasha said the Government found Mr Hichilema’s allegations totally unfounded and malicious and demanded that he substantiates or withdraws them.
[Times of Zambia]
Zesco United will host Kano Pillars of Nigeria in their opening Group A match of their debut outing in the African Champions League.
Fighton Simukonda’s side will host Pillars at the Trade Fair Grounds in Ndola on July 18 on match day one.
This will be Pillars first-ever visit to Zambia and like Zesco will be making their African Champions League group stage debut.
The match, however, is set to be overshadowed by Al Hilal and El Merreikh’s historic African Champions League derby to be played during match day one in Khartoum.
Zesco later make two successive trips to Sudan during the mini-league to play Al Hilal and El Merreikh in July and August respectively.
The Ndola side will travel to Khartoum to play Al Hilal during the weekend of July 31-August 2.
It will be the second consecutive season the two sides will meet in the African champions League after the Al Hilal eliminated them from the first round of the same tournament last year.
Al Hilal beat Zesco 2-0 away in the first leg in Khartoum before drawing 1-1 at the Trade Fair Grounds in to qualify to the second round 3-1 on aggregate.
However, their meeting against El Merreikh will be the first between the two sides.
El Merreikh will host Zesco on match day three during the weekend of August 14-16.
Zesco will wrap-up their first ever trip to Nigeria to face Pillars in the country’s third largest city during the weekend of September 11-13 before wrapping up at home a week later when they host Al Hilal on the 19th.
The top two group winners will qualify to the semifinals of the African Champions League to be played over two legs in October.
Groups:
Group A: E Merreikh (Sudan), Al Hilal (Sudan), Kano Pillars (Nigeria), Zesco United (Zambia)
Group B:Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia),TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Heartland (Nigeria), Monomotapa (Zimbabwe)
The European Union- EU- has given Zambia a 420 billion Kwacha grant to improve access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas.
The money to be disbursed by the World Bank is part of the EU’s contribution to a joint project aimed at providing electricity to more people in Zambia.
The funds will go towards the extension of the electricity grid and the development of infrastructure, which includes isolated mini-hydro power stations and solar power projects.
European Commission Head of Delegation in Zambia, Derek Fee, and World Bank Country Manager, Kapil Kapoor signed an agreement in Lusaka on Thursday to finance the project.
The project dubbed ‘increased access to electricity services’,
involves the World Bank, ZESCO Limited and the EU.
Dr Fee said the electricity project will help to improve the living standards of people in rural and peri urban areas.
And Dr. Kapoor lamented that only 20 percent of the population in Zambia has access to electricity with only three percent in rural areas.
He said there is need to increase accessibility as this will help to reduce poverty levels in the country.
[ZNBC]
© Lusaka Times
