Solwezi Central Member of Parliament, Benny Tetamashimba says President Levy Mwanawasa’s developmental promises have now started yielding results in Solwezi.
       
Mr Tetamashimba said in 2003 President Mwanawasa promised the people in the district that he was going to bring them what they have never seen before in the district.
       
He said construction of the only hotel in the province, Royal Solwezi Hotel, is one
of the new things that have come to the district due to the good leadership of
President Mwanawasa.
       
Mr Tetamashimba, who was speaking at the official opening of Royal Solwezi Hotel by
Vice President, Rupiah Banda in Solwezi yesterday, said the opening of Kansanshi
Mine has been a blessing to the district and the province as a whole.
        
He said all along people never wanted to be transferred to North-Western province
but today people would not want to be transferred out of the province.
        
He also commended government that for the road rehabilitation work currently going
on on all township roads in the area.
        
Mr Tetamashimba assured that the Kaonde people of Solwezi district were a peace
loving people who would carefully look after whatever investment was being put up in
the district.
        
Speaking at the same accession, North-Western Province Minister, Kenneth Chipungu
said the hotel has not only added value and beauty to the face of Solwezi but has
also brought about employment and market opportunities to people in the area.
       
He said the province has a lot of potential in tourism and other developmental
sectors and therefore, appealed to other business sectors to invest in the
hospitality and other industries.
       
Mr Chipungu paid tribute to the Vice-President for taking his time looking at
economic activities taking place in the province especially in the five districts he
has visited during his tour that commenced on Friday last week up to yesterday.

President Mwanawasa says there is too much ignorance about the constitution and its provisions on the constitutional making process.

Mr. Mwanawasa said he is concerned that his ministers are the major culprits over the ignorance about the constitution.

The President said the ignorance could be due to the fact that most of them have not taken time to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the constitution.

The president advised all cabinet and deputy ministers to fully acquaint themselves with the constitution and the Government’s position on the on-going reforms.

He said ministers who hold different views should discuss with the government and defend their positions, or resign if their position completely departs from that of government.

The President said it will not do for ministers to support the constitutional conference bill and later on change their position and denounce it.

He said them ministers should clearly come out, to avoid confusing the people.

The president said this when he swore in newly appointed Tourism Minister, Micheal Kaingu and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister, Fashion Phiri.

ZNBC

Former Inspector General of Police Francis Musonda has been elected as new chairperson of the Crime Prevention Foundation of Zambia (CPFZ).

In a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today, CPFZ vice National Chairman
Martine Mtonga said Mr. Musonda was elected after an extra ordinary national
executive council member general meeting held last week.

Mr. Mtonga said the election of Mr. Musonda follows the recent registration and
re-launch of the foundation with the registrar of societies.

He said the foundation will among other operations organise, co-ordinate, promote
activities and assist organisations for the purpose of crime prevention.

Mr. Mtonga added that the foundation will also assist activities of organisations
working for the rehabilitation of victims, offenders and former offenders in Zambia.

Mr. Mtonga said the foundation is for the benefit of Zambians irrespective of their
race, creed or religion as it aims to curb the rising crime activities in the
country.

Mwinilunga West Member of Parliament (MP), Elijah Muchima, has threatened to spill the beans if council officials at Mwinilnga District Council continue to defraud government of huge sums of money at the expense of development.

The visibly annoyed Muchima intercepted a K1.5 million cheque from the council as
inducement to a named auditor from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing
Headquarters in Lusaka.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr. Muchima called for a
complete overhaul for council personnel if there could be sanity at the local
authrity.

Mr. Muchima, who is also Community Develoment and Social services Deputy Minister,
said, due to rampant finacial scandals, Mwinilunga District Council is owing its
workers a 23-month non-payment of salary.

Mr. Muchima, who himself is a Councillor as Local Government Act stipulates, pointed
out that he should be invited and to attend any Full Council Meetings.

He aleged that the council  has a tendancy of avoiding to invite other councillors
from far flung areas.

He warned that officials at the council should strive to engage in viable income
generating ventures and desist from eyeing Constutuency Development Fund (CDF) among
other funds released by government.

“Yes, Mwinilunga council needs to be cleaned because there are serious financial
scandals. There is no transparency there. It needs to be cleaned up so soon as
possible.

“On August 21,  I incepted a K1.5 million cheque to be paid to an auditor because I
could not clearly understand the payment, therefore, as I am concerned the payment
remains blocked,” Mr. Muchima lamented.

President Levy Mwanawasa says traditional ceremonies will continue  being important events on the cultural calendar of the nation.

Mr. Mwanawasa says this is because traditional ceremonies are an integral part of the oral traditions, folklore and culture of the nation passed on from generation to generation.

President Mwanawasa said this in a speech read for him by Labour and Social Security
Minister, Ronald Mukuma, in Chief Bunda Bunda’s chiefdom during the celebrations of
the 11th Chibwela Kumushi traditional ceremony of the Soli people in Chinyuyu in
Chongwe district yesterday.

He said the cultural events provide the opportunity for children, youth and visitors
to assimilate the country’s values and beliefs.

The President said ceremonies enable Zambians to fully participate in culture and
heritage of the country instead of the Western and global influences that impact
negatively on country’s values and beliefs.

He noted that traditional ceremonies also afford government leaders an opportunity
to fraternize with chiefs in order to learn from their wisdom and counsel.

He added that government leaders utilize these opportunities to explain its
developmental programmes in areas such as agriculture, education, health, mining
among others.

The President reiterated government’s commitment to uplift the standard of life and
welfare of the people of  Bunda Bunda.

He said government has since set aside a substantial amount of money for the
construction of the proposed Bunda Bunda Hospital.

President Mwanawasa also assured the people of  Bunda Bunda that his government will
not sit idle and watch people die of hunger.

He said his government has put in place measures to mitigate  the hunger situation
existing in Bunda Bunda and other parts of the country where there was poor crop
harvest.

And President Mwanawasa has called on traditional rules to take a leading role in
the keeping their villages clean and green in line with the Keep Zambia clean and
healthy campaign recently launched.

He appealed to the Royal Highness to ensure that all headmen under their charge take
the campaign as their serious responsibility.

He said he looks forward to seeing clean and healthy environment in villages and
communities.

And speaking earlier, Chief Bunda Bunda commended government for taking development to his chiefdom.

In a speech read for him by Jim Kaliwa, Chief Bunda Bunda noted that government has
put up projects, such as building of  classroom blocks  at Mpamba Basic School, and
the construction of teachers houses.

Chief Bunda Bunda, however, appealed to government to introduce Soli and Lenje on
radio so that they become among the seven local languages currently being aired on
Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC)  and further called on all Solis in
Lusaka Province to use soli in their homes. 

She also complained of poor  network on Celtel, and called on the mobile phone
cellular phone provider to improve on its network coverage in the area.

Chibwela Kumushi traditional ceremony is celebrated by the Soli people of Chief
Bunda Bunda to celebrate the hard work of peasant farmers in the Chiefdom.

In attendance were Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Susan Sikaneta, with her
Deputy ,Josephine Kafwembe, Chongwe District Commissioner ,Conrald Tembo, his
Luangwa counterpart, Captain Stanslous Kalunga, Provincial heads and district heads
of government departments.

Others included the royal highness Chief Mpuka of Luangwa, Chief Mpasha and  Her
Royal Highness Chieftainess Shikabeta.

His Royal Highness Chief Bunda Bunda received various gifts which included a plough,
bicycle, food stuffs among others.