Former Mine Suppliers and Contractors Association President, Isaac Musonda, says Mopani Copper Mine management should comply with presidential directive of finding another procurement solution as opposed to the quadroon arrangement it has introduced. Mr. Musonda also appealed to the suppliers and contractors to unite and reject the system instead of causing divisions among themselves. He told ZANIS in Ndola today that during his tenure of his office, he did not support the same system Mopani copper mines had intended to introduce where local suppliers and contractors were to receive orders and enquiries from South Africa. Mr. Musonda explained that Mopani tried to be stuborn but through the intervention of the ministry of mines, the system was stopped. He praised President Mwanawasa for his intervention by not supporting the system that the local suppliers and contractors were against. Meanwhile, Mr. Musonda, who is also Party for Unity Development and Democracy, said his party was still consulting his members over constitution making process. He added that it was too early for his party to make its stand known over the constitution without the involvement of the members at grassroot levels. He further said those advocating for demonstration should go ahead because they were exercising their democratic rights.

A veteran politician in Mufulira has urged the two former heads of state to respect each other and stop using the media to settle their old scores.

Former United National Independence Party (UNIP) Copperbelt Provincial Chairperson,
Levy Mwasa, said it is embarrassing for the former presidents, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda and Dr. Fredrick Chiluba to exchange unpalatable words in the press.

Mr. Mwansa said this in a  statement to ZANIS today, saying accusing each other as
having stolen state funds in public is being irresponsible and childish, considering that both were at one time entrusted to run the affairs of the nation.

The politician stated that the sour relationship between the two former heads  of state is a danger to the peace and stability of the country as their conduct undermines the office the president.

Mr. Mwansa said the former presidents should set very  high standards on how they
should related to each other so that future presidents will build on the same experience.

He advised Dr. Chiluba to stop playing political tactics and not to hide in Dr. Kaunda’s past record because when he was the republican president he brought in Scotland Yard to probe the first  president and his name was cleared.

He said in the best interest of the nation Dr. Chiluba should swallow his pride and apologise publicly.

He noted that it is not good for Dr. Chiluba to dwell on the past and accuse Dr. Kaunda that he stole money just because he has been accused of fraud.

Lately the two former heads of state have been exchanging words in the press following the recent judgment  by the London court in which Dr. Chiluba has been found liable.

The Ruling MMD in Northern province has uncovered a plot by some senior MMD party officials who are allegedly conspiring to destabilise the party in the province.

MMD acting provincial information and publicity secretary Chrispin Mulenga disclosed
this to ZANIS in Kaama today.

Mr. Mulenga said the named party officials were allegedly going round spreading false information that the party was facing financial problems resulting in some members soliciting for support from the provincial minister Lameck Chibombamilimo.

He also explained that the same party officials were also threatening other party
members from working together with Mr. Chibombamilimo due to their perceived
differences with the minister.

Mr. Mulenga wondered how province would be developed if leaders in  the ruling party
are engaged internal wrangling.

Mr. Mulenga said the senior party officials behind the peddling of lies against the
party were the same people who chanted Patriotic Front slogans when the opposing
party was seemingly leading in last year’s tripartite elections.

He has since advised MMD provincial chairperson Griever Sikasote not to entertain
the disgruntled party officials whose motive was entirely to bring disunity in party
activities in the province.

One sunny Saturday morning Chileshe was very discouraged. From his seat upon the low wall surrounding his property, he gazed sadly at his simple home, the one he had just finished building in Chilenje .His wife frequently appeared at the open door. Her furtive glances in his direction reminded him that the Mealie Meal bag was almost empty and he should be at work finishing of the website he was designing for a local company.

Nevertheless, his well built muscular body sat stolidly on the wall. His slow mind was struggling patiently with a problem for which he could find no answer. The hot, Zambian sun beat down upon him mercilessly. Beads of perspiration formed on his brow and trickled down unnoticed to lose themselves in the hairy jungle on his chest.

Chileshe was too engrossed in his thoughts to notice the white Toyota corolla that had pulled up into his driveway.

“Shani boyi,”the smiling face of Kabwe, his best friend, said as he approached him.

“Mwalila?” Kabwe went on to say.

“Panono,” Chileshe replied barely looking up.

“How can you say panono? You have just finished building your own house. Though the painting and the finishings leave much to be desired but at least it’s yours. You are an Unza graduate, one of the best engineers around. You have even taught yourself how to design websites. You have a beautiful wife. Boyi I think God has blessed you. Now lend me K100 000 from that bulging wallet of yours. I will return it next week. You won’t even miss it,” said Kabwe.

“If I did have K100 000,” Chileshe responded gloomily, “I would not even lend it to you, for it would be all I have.”

“What!” exclaimed Kabwe with genuine surprise. You don’t have any money, yet you sit like a statue on the wall. Why not design some websites or do some PJs?
Where is your energy my friend? Is there something bothering you?”

“Yes, there is something bothering me,” agreed Chileshe. “It began in a dream, a senseless dream in which I thought I was a man of means. I owned massive houses. The most beautiful houses I’d ever seen. I had my own private jet, parked right here in Chilenje. I dined with people like Bill Gates. The politicians here trembled in my presence. My wallet was full of $100 notes. It must have been $100 000.I was freely giving beggars $100 notes. I had enough money to buy my wife fine clothes and jewelry and whatever I desired. My wife would go shopping in Paris, New York and London. Only when she needed things like Chibwabwa would she shop in Lusaka. It was such a glorious feeling of contentment. You would not have known me as that hard working friend. Nor would you have known my wife, she was so free from stress and her face was shining with happiness. She was the smiling bride of our early married days.”

“Yes, that was a pleasant and senseless dream indeed” commented Kabwe , “but why should such pleasant feelings turn you into a miserable statue on the wall?”

“Why indeed!” lamented Chileshe. “It’s because when I woke up and remembered how empty my bank account was, a feeling of rebellion swept over me. Lets discuss this Kabwe. As youngsters we were both top students and even got ZCCM scholarships. As young men, we played hard but still graduated from Unza with distinctions. As grown men we have been satisfied to work long hours and spend our money freely. We have earned millions of kwacha in the years that have passed, yet to know the joy that comes from wealth we must dream! After half a lifetime of labor, you my close friend comes to ask me for K100 000.Why can’t we acquire wealth more than enough for food, clothes, cars and these substandard houses we are building.”

“Think of our sons,” Chileshe continued, “are they not following our footsteps? They will also go to school, get more degrees than a thermometer and still struggle with money like we do.”

“I have never heard you talk this way in all the years of our friendship Chileshe,” a puzzled Kabwe said.

“Never in all those years did I think like this before. From morning till night I work hard as an engineer, hoping some day God would recognize my deeds and reward me with great prosperity. That is just not happening. So my heart is sad. I wish to be a wealthy man, a man of means. I wish to own lots of land, lots of houses and wear the finest clothes. I’m willing to work for these things with all the strength in my back, with all the skill in my hands and with all the intellect in my mind, but I wish my labor will also be fairly rewarded,” cried Chileshe.

President Levy Mwanawasa is tomorrow expected here, in Nairobi, Kenya for the 12th Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) Head of State summit.

Zambian High Commissioner to Kenya Lieutenant General Solom Mumbi told the Zambian press here today that President Mwanawasa is schedule to arrive here at about 16:00 hours local time, which translates into 15: 00 Zambia time.

Lt. Gen. Mumbi said the Heads of State summit will run from May 22 to 23 and would
be held at the United Nations (UN) Complex in Gigiri, Kenya.

He said immediately after the closure of the summit, Mr. Mwanawasa is expected to
meet Zambians living in Kenya at the High Commissioner’s residence.

He said the summit whose theme is ” Deepening integration for diversification and
value addition” is expected to focus more on the four-band tariff agreement.

Lt. Gen. Mumbi said the tariff band agreement which include capital, raw, intermediate and finished material is likely to be crucial because it will have a lot of impact on some countries.

He said so far Commerce, Trade and Industry minister Felix Mutati, Gender and Women
minister Patricia Mulasikwanda and Transport and Communications minister Sara
Saifwanda were already in Kenya as an advance party while Foreign Affairs Minister
Mundia Sikatana was being awaited.

The meeting is also review the peace and security situation in the region, with particular emphasis on development in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Eritrea -Ethiopia border dispute, the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan, the conflict in northern Uganda and the situation in Somalia.

The meeting will also review the recently concluded DRC and Madagascar elections.

The meeting shall take into consideration, the impact of efforts by the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development and the International Conference on the Great Lakes region to address these issues.

The meeting will also consider and adopt the report and recommendations of the 8 th meeting of the COMESA Committee on Peace and Security which met in Lusaka, Zambia,
from April 18 to 20 this year.

Opposition Patriot Front (PF) has expressed confidence of scooping Kapoche seat.

PF Chairman for Information Given Lubinda told ZANIS in an interview that the party’s candidate Mike Tembo will outshine all other candidate on June 05, the polling day.

Mr. Lubinda, who is also Kabwata Member of Parliament, said the popularity of the PF
candidate can be measured by the political panic he has evoked among other competing
candidate.

He further said the adoption of Mr. Tembo by the PF has caused havoc in MMD and the
United Democratic Alliance (UDA), to a point where UDA is threatened with
disintegration.

But Eastern Province MMD Provincial Secretary Chisenga Banda told ZANIS that Eastern Province has become a stronghold for ruling MMD.

Mr. Banda said although other political parties were welcome to contest the seat in
the interest of democracy, the MMD candidate is a clear favorite to scoop the seat.

He said Zambians have seen the good works that the ruling party has done in the
province and across the country.

Mr. Banda noted that people in the province are happy with the improved road
infrastructure that has seem road works on the Great East and Mfuwe -Chipata roads.

He further said the MMD has instituted good agriculture, health, and education
policies.

The Multiparty Democracy (MMD) candidate in the Kapoche by-election is Fashion
Phiri. Other candidates in the by-election are Charles Banda of FDD, Mike Tembo for
the Patriotic Front, Sarah Zulu for the All People’s Congress and Levison Mumba
standing under UNIP.

The Kapoche seat became vacant after the High Court nullified MMD Member of
Parliament’s election, Nicholas Phiri.

And Vice President Rupiah Banda has since asked the people of Zambia to be vigilant on
individuals that were bent on retarding development in the country.

Mr. Banda said every individual citizens must exercise vigilance and jealously guard
the public
infrastructure against vandalism and also ensure that public funds were used for the
right purpose.

He said it was only vigilant people that would help accelerate developmental projects and programmes in the country, especially the rural areas.

Mr. Banda was speaking yesterday when he addressed a political rally at Kamjoma in
Chief Manjawanthu’s area in Petauke district.

He is on a campaign trail for the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) candidate,
Fashion Phiri in the Kapoche by-election. The Kapoche seat became vacant after the
High Court nullified MMD Member of Parliament’s election, Nicholas Phiri.

A conglomerate of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) has  welcomed the London High Court Judgment on Second republican President Dr Frederick
Chiluba and President Mwanawasa’s call for a national Indaba on the constitution making process.

Speaking at a joint press briefing in Lusaka today, Committee of Citizens Director Gregory Chifire said the London High Court ruling on Dr Chiluba was an indication of true justice and a milestone in the national crusade against corruption.

Mr Chifire said the London High Court judgment on the second President by Judge Peter Smith is a clear demonstration to show that the days for plunderers are numbered and that many more people will follow the path of Dr Chiluba.

He advised government to suspend paying Dr Chiluba’s terminal benefits so that part of the stolen money can be recovered.

Mr Chifire further said that investigations should be launched to know how the money realized from the Privatisation exercise was spent on development programmes.

He also said that the resources recovered from plunderers be used to set up an
Education Trust Fund with a view to educating the large number of youths and street kids who are on the streets.

Forum for Leadership Search Executive Director Edwin Lifwekelo said his organisation supports the call by president Mwanawasa to hold a national indaba on the constitution making process in order to address the acrimonies surrounding the constitution making process.

Mr Lifwekelo said public participation through which people can exchange views and influence the review and drafting of a constitution process is central to the
acceptance of the republican constitution.

He noted that the national indaba will play a crucial role as it will help guard
against anti-democratic drafting of a constitution process.

Mr Lifwekelo said his organisation has supported the enactment of  a new
constitution as it plays an ideological role by inculcating the values that the
society seeks to enshrine but that the right procedure be used in enactment a new constitution.

He further urged the civil society, trade unions, student bodies and the church to put pressure on government so that it can discontinue giving Dr Chiluba his benefits until he pays back the 85 percent of the money he defrauded the Zambian government.

Mr Lifwekelo also advised government to stop building Dr Chiluba’s house so that the exercise can be part of the recovery process of the money Dr Chiluba defrauded the Zambian government.

Meanwhile, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Vice President Sam Phiri blamed the civil society and government for being stubborn over the constitution making process.

Mr Phiri said both government and the civil society were creating unnecessary
political tension in the country by not agreeing on the constitution road map.

He noted that the civil society should discuss and agree to hold a national indaba
which he said will act as a surgeon for enacting a people driven constitution which can stand a taste of time.

And Operations Young Cheetah Movement Executive Director Mcloud Lunkoto appealed to government to involve youths in the constitution making process saying youths are a reservoir of the national human resource.

Mr Lunkoto also urged second republican president Dr Chiluba to disclose the sources of the funds that found their way into the Zamtroop coffers.