 NEWS | OPEN A WINDOW ON THE WORLD |
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Mongu Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy—The
Post
Mongu Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy has said most
people in Western Province feel that now is the appropriate time to change the
government.And Bishop Duffy has asked the government to take the London
High Court judgment registration matter back into the courts because judge Evans
Hamaundu’s judgment was poor.In an interview from Mongu yesterday,
Bishop Duffy reiterated that the people of Western Province thought it was time
to change from the current government.“You know I have said here in
Western Province it seems that people think it is time for change,” Bishop Duffy
said.“We have had the MMD since 1991 and I think it is time for
change.”Bishop Duffy said this was the ... Article Continues
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The Queen
Mother of Swaziland, who is commonly known as Her Majesty Indlovukazi of the
Swatini Kingdom of Swaziland, leads President Banda into the royal palace
grounds at Eludzidzini when the president paid a courtesy call on her in
Swaziland. He was accompanied by Zambia’s High Commissioner to Mozambique Agness
Ngoma (not in picture), who also paid a courtesy call on Her
Majesty.
President Banda says it is important
for Zambia to maintain and improve trade links with other countries in the
region and beyond as this will encourage foreign investment in the country,
develop new markets for local products and create employment.This is
contained in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday by special ... Article Continues
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Former president Frederick Chiluba's wife Regina arriving at the
Supreme Court in Lusaka on August 30, 2010—The
Post
The Lusaka High Court has deferred to
October 1, 2010 judgment in a case involving former president Fredrick Chiluba's
wife Regina.And judgment in a case where convicted former lands minister
Reverend Gladys Nyirongo is challenging the four-year sentence slapped on her by
the magistrates' court after she was found guilty of abuse of authority of
office has been adjourned to September 10, 2010.High Court judge Evans
Hamaundu sitting with justice Eddie Sikazwe adjourned the matter on ground that
it was not yet ready.When the matter came up for judgment, the two
judges told a packed court room ... Article Continues
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President Rupiah Banda with Southern Province Minister Daniel
Munkombwe at Choma airstrip on Monday 23.08.2010—The
Post
President Rupiah Banda has argued
that his government is committed towards the fight against corruption, contrary
to perceptions
from the public that the vice had become rampant since he assumed the
presidency.And President Banda revealed that he was almost beginning to
believe people that are going around saying that his government is doing
nothing.Speaking to journalists at Lusaka City airport shortly before
departure for Southern Province, President Banda said those who were saying
government was not serious over the fight against corruption were just
politicking."We are against ... Article Continues
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LUSAKA Aug 21
(Reuters)—The United States questioned Zambia's
commitment to fighting corruption on Saturday after authorities said they would
not appeal a court's refusal to allow recover funds from former President
Frederick Chiluba.In 2007, a British judge ordered Chiluba to repay $58
million to compensate for money he was accused of stealing during his 1991-2001 stint in
office.A Lusaka high court ruled last week that Zambian laws did not
allow the enforcement of rulings made in London, causing an outcry from the main
opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and anti-corruption groups.Information
Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha said the government had accepted the Lusaka court
ruling and would not appeal.A U.S. embassy official ... Article Continues
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FILE: Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) executive director
Goodwell Lungu (l) — The
Post
Transparency
International Zambia (TIZ) has contended that the conditions to register the
London
High Court judgment that found second republican president Fredrick Chiluba
and seven others liable to theft of about $46 million funds in the Zambian
courts were fully satisfied.Commenting on High Court judge Evans
Hamaundu's decision to throw out an
application by the state to register the London High court, TIZ executive
director Goodwell Lungu said in a statement made available to the Post Online
that his organization had taken time to study and reflect on the
judgment.Lungu observed that the findings against ... Article Continues
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FILE: President Rupiah Banda in Namibia—The
Post
Southern
African Center of the Constructive Resolutions Disputes (SACCORD) has
charged that President Rupiah Banda's frequent
international trips are as a result of lack of interest in solving national
issues.President Banda's frequent and predictable international travels
have continued despite criticisms from some sections of society that forced a
press briefing by foreign affairs minister Kabinga Pande justifying the
presidential trips a fortnight ago.This week, President Banda was in
Congo Brazzaville, days after he returned from commissioning a health training
center in Botswana where he made a stopover before proceeding to Namibia for the
Southern ... Article Continues
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FILE: President Rupiah Banda in Namibia—The
Post
President Rupiah Banda is today
expected in Maputo, Mozambique, for a three-day state visit.According to
Zambia’s Ambassador to Mozambique Agnes Ngoma, President Banda will hold private
presidential talks with his host counterpart Armando Guebuza.“Zambia
will sign at least four bilateral agreements with Mozambique in various areas
aimed at strengthening existing bilateral and economic relations,” she told
journalists in Maputo yesterday.Ngoma said among the agreements to be
signed are the bilateral air service, disaster management, tourism and
agriculture.And President Banda’s assistant for press and public
relations, Dickson Jere, in a statement said the ... Article Continues
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Former State House senior private secretary Benson Katongo
has called for respect for the Judiciary and decisions made in various cases
before courts.Mr Katongo said attacking the judiciary every time
judgment was passed in a case would not help the country but would just work to
dilute people’s confidence in the judiciary system.He was reacting to
attacks on the courts by several individuals and organisations after High Court
Judge Evans Hamaundu dismissed an
application by the state to register the London judgment concerning former
president Frederick Chiluba’s corruption case.Mr Katongo said the courts
were independent and made rulings based on law and not on influence from the
Executive.It was difficult to ... Article Continues
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Our judiciary is becoming increasingly associated with
unnecessary controversy.Some of these may be said to be unjustified, but
since it is what people feel about our judiciary—what people think—it must be
appreciated as a deeply felt dislike about the conduct of our judiciary, rather
than a momentary irritation with one or two decisions
it has made.We cannot dismiss these feelings and thoughts as mere false
perception about the doings of our judiciary. People strongly feel this is the
worst our judiciary has been since independence in terms of impartiality when it
comes to dealing with matters in which the president and his allies have an
interest.We continue to reflect on the role that the judiciary is today
playing ... Article Continues
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Former solicitor-general Sunday Nkonde has said the decision by
Lusaka High Court Judge Evans Hamaundu to dismiss the registration of the London
judgement was in line with the law.Mr Nkonde said differences of
opinion expressed by lawyers in the verdict passed by the Lusaka High Court are
normal.And chiefs in Luapula Province have said the verdict by the
Lusaka High Court in favour of second Republican president Frederick Chiluba is
a statement that Zambia is a sovereign State and urged stakeholders to respect
the office of former presidents.Mr Nkonde said in Lusaka yesterday that
legal matters were vested in the High Courts as has happened in the case
involving Dr Chiluba who was found guilty alongside seven co-accused ... Article Continues
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Global
Organisation of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC) vice-president
Given Lubinda has described the decision to throw out the application to
register the London High Court judgment which found Frederick Chiluba and others
liable for theft of about US $46 million public funds as extremely
disturbing.And Lusaka High Court judge Evans Hamaundu has said some of
former president Chiluba's arguments against the enforcement of the London High
Court judgment in Zambia were irrelevant to the issues under his
consideration.Meanwhile, PF leader Michael Sata yesterday said the
Lusaka High Court's decision is not strange given Chiluba's recent
acquittal.This is in a matter where Chiluba and others challenged an ... Article Continues
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The National Constitution Conference (NCC) has unanimously agreed to
drop from the draft constitution the clause, which demands that a presidential
candidate should possess a first degree from a recognised university.The
conference resolved to reverse its earlier decision after debating submissions
from members of the public.Some 239 members of the public made
submissions on the first-degree clause out of which 182 rejected the
requirement.The conference resolved that the current status quo in the
current constitution be maintained.The current requirement for a
presidential candidate is any person who can read and write.The
Mung’omba draft constitution proposed that a presidential candidate should
posses a grade 12 ... Article Continues
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PF secretary general Wynter
Kabimba yesterday called for the arrest and prosecution of gender deputy
minister Lucy Changwe for bouncing a cheque amounting to K10 million.And
Kabimba said President Banda has a double-stream sense of justice to fix his political
opponents like George Mpombo and protect his
accolades like Changwe.Commenting on the conviction of former
defence minister George Mpombo on one count of issuing a cheque on an
insufficiently funded account, Kabimba challenged President Banda to dismiss
Changwe as minister because she is facing the same offence.“The
conviction of Mpombo over the K10 million cheque and the non-arrest of Lucy
Changwe over the same offence is eroding the principle of equality before ... Article Continues
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A magistrate's court in the
Copperbelt city of Ndola has sentenced former defence minister, George Mpombo,
to 60 days in jail in addition to fining him K4 million (or $800) for issuing a K10
million (or $2,000) cheque on an insufficiently funded account.The
member of parliament was convicted last Friday. Article Continues
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MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya
has urged Zambians to develop political careers by joining the ruling
party.Ms Siliya said the leadership in the party is friendly and
embracing, adding that those who join the party are assured of being given an
opportunity to aspire for various positions.She said Zambians,
especially the youth, should associate themselves with the MMD because President
Banda has their interest at heart.Ms Siliya said the victory which the
party recorded in the recent local government elections is evidence that the
party has support from people at the grassroots. She said most Zambians are
happy with the policies of Government as witnessed by the voting pattern in
the local government elections.Ms Siliya ... Article Continues
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Jackie
Selebi: Given 15 years in jail
Citizens' Forum executive secretary
Simon Kabanda has observed that South African courts are able to perform well
because the constitution in that country provides a strong separation between
the Executive and the Judiciary.Commenting on the 15-year jail term
slapped on former police chief Jackie Selebi for corruption on Tuesday, Kabanda
called for a strong constitution to give independence to the Zambian
Judiciary.He said if the President in Zambia did not appoint judges they
would perform independently.“I think we should learn something from the
South Africa scenario that if a former police chief can be prosecuted and jailed
for corruption, we can also do it. If ... Article Continues
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Former
Finance Bank chairperson Rajan Mahtani
Former Finance
Bank chairperson Rajan Mahtani has been arrested in connection with money
laundering activities involving more than K80 billion.He was arrested by
a joint investigations team from the Drug Enforcement Commission and the
Anti-Corruption Commission.DEC public relations manager John Nyawali who
confirmed the arrest of Dr Mahtani, 62 in a statement yesterday said Dr Mahtani
had also been arrested for flouting banking and finance services
rules.He said Dr Mahtani was on police bond and would appear in court
this week.“Dr Mahtani is on dates unknown but between January 1, 2003
and December 31, 2009 jointly and whilst working together with other ... Article Continues
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Former police chief Jackie Selebi
has been sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for corruption by Judge Meyer Joffe
in the South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday, who called him an "embarrassment to
South Africa and the police".ANC
distances itself from SelebiJoffe compared corruption to a cancer, saying it destroys
the moral fibre of a nation. "The damage has already been done. Just as a
malignancy may be removed, society is not what it was prior to the corrupt act.
The moral fibre of society has to be rebuilt."Selebi was released on
bail of R20 000 pending his application for leave to appeal his conviction and
sentence.His advocate, Jaap Cilliers, indicated he would apply for leave
to appeal within the next 14 ... Article Continues
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Zambia’s
High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Royson Mukwena (3rd from
right)
Zambia’s High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom, Royson Mukwena has urged the Zambian community in Northern
Ireland to invest in the various sectors home. And Professor Mukwena has
disclosed that money sent back home by the Zambian diaspora has slightly risen
to K73.8 billion in the first quarter of this year from K71.5 billion during the
same period last year.Speaking at the weekend in Belfast where he met Zambians
living in Northern Ireland, Prof Mukwena said there were huge trade and
investment opportunities in the energy, health, tourism, mining and agriculture
sectors which Zambians living abroad may invest in.According ... Article Continues
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The PF and UPND
Pact on Wednesday failed for the second time to resolve the Kaoma Central and
Chadiza local government by-election crisis.And former Zambia Congress
of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Fackson Shamenda said the pact presidency
should be tied to political parties and not individuals.The working
group comprising members from both political parties met again in an attempt to
resolve the matter but they failed.There are suggestions within the
working group to have the matter referred to the Joint National Council (JNC)
because it is highly unlikely that the working group would break the
standoff.The JNC is a superior organ to the working group and pact
leaders Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema are ... Article Continues
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Tourism
minister Catherine Namugala says her statement that politics were dirty,
especially for women has been misunderstood by the people raising questions
about her conduct.But MMD national executive committee (NEC) member
Judith Kapijimpanga said she had not misunderstood Namugala’s statement, and
demanded that Namugala should remove the illicit vice of scheming against other
women.In an interview, Namugala who was in Livingstone to attend the
Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Ministerial
meeting, Namugala said what she said was to try and help make politics easy for
the women.“It is unfortunate that this is being misunderstood. What was
meant to be a genuine statement has been ... Article Continues
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A Dallas church elder on trial for
having unprotected sex with women and not telling them he had AIDS has pleaded
guilty.Under an agreement with prosecutors, Nathaniel Tumbwe, 47, will
be sentenced to 15 years in prison.He faced up to 20 years in prison on
the charge he went to trial for, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. And he
could have gotten life, had prosecutors decided to pursue a second aggravated
assault case against him.His plea deal also calls for his deportation to
Zambia once he completes his prison sentence.Tumbwe was accused of
sexually assaulting Carolyn Hudson in October 2008 at her Cedar Hill home. Both
were elders at the Potter's House, the southeast Dallas
megachurch.Hudson testified that she ... Article Continues
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A Zambian national is on trial in Dallas, USA, for having unprotected
sex with a woman without disclosing that he is infected with
AIDS.According to US news channel, Fox4NEWS, the accused has been
identified as Nathaniel Tumbwe.The prosecution alleges that Tumbwe who
had been presenting himself as a doctor, a church minister and a prince from
Zambia, had unprotected sex with a woman without telling her that he had
AIDS.And according to the Dallas Morning News, prosecutors said Tumbwe
raped a woman who invited him to her Cedar Hill home for dinner in 2008. He did
not use a condom, they said, or tell her about his deadly disease. At the time,
prosecutors said, Tumbwe's HIV had already progressed into AIDS.He is
charged ... Article Continues
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The United States government has said donors have no intention of
interfering with Zambia’s sovereignty but are only interested in
accountability and transparency in the management of donor
funds.Acting US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Koplovsky said donors
represented the aspirations of their respective countries, which required them
to be strict on the issue of accountability.Mr Koplovsky said the
Zambian Government was answerable to the people of Zambia while foreign
diplomats were also under the directive of their governments.He said the
US government would never withdraw its financial support to Zambia and remains
optimistic the $330 million it had given Zambia this year was well accounted
for.He said in an ... Article Continues
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Chairwoman of
Denmark’s foreign affairs committee, Marion Pedersen, has challenged Rupiah
Banda to state categorically if his government doesn’t need donor funds because
there are other countries in need of help.And Magande observed that the
country was going nowhere under President Banda’s leadership.Reacting to
President Banda’s assertions that nobody asked the donors to help Zambia in a
telephone interview from Denmark, Pedersen, who serves as a Danish member of
parliament on the Liberal Party, said money should not be given to those who did
not want it.“I have always had that expression that we don’t give money
to anybody who don’t want it. And actually when we were talking with some of the
ministers, we asked them ... Article Continues
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UPND
president Hakainde Hichilema.— The
Post
Vice-President George Kunda on Sunday
charged that UPND
president Hakainde Hichilema is a greedy person who loves dollars very
much.But Hichilema yesterday said Vice-President Kunda is an
embarrassment to the nation and to the legal profession and should not be
jealousy of his business enterprise.Addressing MMD members at Mufulira
Municipal Council on Sunday, Vice-President Kunda charged that PF-UPND pact
leaders Michael Sata and Hichilema were desperate politicians who would plunder
the country's economy if given chance to hold government
power.Vice-President Kunda said Zambians had refused to vote for the two
opposition leaders over the past years because ... Article Continues
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The
Palace of Justice
(Malaysia)
GEORGE TOWN: A Zambian tourist
was sentenced to death by the High Court yesterday for drug
trafficking.Emmanuel Kasanda, a 31-year-old wiring contractor, was found
guilty of trafficking in 133g of heroin and 26g of monoacetylmorphine at the
Balik Pulau police station narcotics unit toilet between 1.30pm and 7.30pm on
Oct 14, 2006.Judicial commissioner Nurmala Salim said Emmanuel's defence
which was a bare denial had failed to raise a reasonable doubt against the
prosecution's case.She said the defence had also failed to prove its
contention that Emmanuel was set up by the police.Emmanuel, who entered
Malaysia as a tourist, was arrested on Oct 13, 2006, at the Penang ... Article Continues
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UPND
president Hakainde Hichilema has asked MMD Lusaka Province chairman William
Banda to stop trying war in Zambia but instead go and do it in Malawi where he
comes from.And Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia has condemned Banda’s threats of
violence against The
Post.Reacting to Banda’s attacks on him and others, Hichilema said
Zambia needed peace and development and not war.He said Banda had more
than one country and that he should reserve Zambia for Zambians.“He is
crossing too many lines by disrupting Zambians, he has more than one country so
tell him to go to Malawi and try war there,” he said.Hichilema urged
Banda to go and make noise and stories in Malawi, saying the focus of Zambians
was ... Article Continues
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Finally Rupiah Banda
has run out of ideas or schemes on how to continue protecting Dr Solomon Musonda
from prosecution.They have tried very hard to ensure that Dr Musonda is
not arrested and prosecuted over this matter despite increasing public pressure.Rupiah’s reluctance to have Dr Musonda prosecuted is understandable. If
Dr Musonda is arrested and prosecuted, he may be denied bail and be forced to
stay away from parliament long enough to force a parliamentary by-election. And
a successful prosecution of Dr Musonda will certainly result in a parliamentary
by-election. We don’t think Rupiah and the MMD are ready for that. Although they
won the last by-election in this constituency, they know very well that it will
not be ... Article Continues
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Former Health deputy minister Dr Solomon Musonda has
appeared before Lusaka chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda in a case where
he stands charged with
causing grievous harm for shooting at a PF cadre in Serenje.And
magistrate Kafunda has granted an application by the state to have Dr Musonda’s
case transferred to Serenje where the shooting incident took place.Dr
Musonda, who is also Chitambo MMD parliamentarian, entered the dock dressed in a
gray safari suit after Lusaka Divisional Prosecutions Officer (DPO) Frank
Mumbuna called the matter.Mumbuna said Dr Musonda was in court for
mention.“We would like to make an application for the transfer of this
case to its area of jurisdiction,” Mumbuna said. “This ... Article Continues
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Dr
Musonda shot and wounded a Serenje resident Jackson Musaka for allegedly trying
to "block" him. — Time
of Zambia
President Rupiah Banda has with
immediate effect relieved Health
Deputy Minister Solomon Musonda of his duties.And President Banda has
appointed Mpongwe Member of Parliament Gabriel Namulambe as the new deputy
minister for Mines and Mineral Development.Special assistant to the
president for Press and public relations Dickson Jere said in a statement
yesterday that the president had decided to relieve Dr Musonda of his duties
after receiving a report indicating that the Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP) has recommended for his prosecution following a shooting incident in his ... Article Continues
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Zambia's efforts in
fighting against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria may be under threat following
the decision by the Global Fund to suspend funding to the health ministry citing
strong evidence of fraudulent activities.The decision was made at its
21st Board Meeting in Geneva held between April 28 and 30, 2010.The
Global Fund has stated that it will not proceed with signing any new grants with
the Ministry
of Health until it is satisfied that the situation is under control and that
adequate measures are in place to allow for a return to normal
arrangements.Furthermore, any activity and spending linked to the grants
under the management of the Ministry of Health – such as funds for the
continuation of treatment – have ... Article Continues
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"…
And he shouldn't go and kill himself in a car because that is the last thing I
will do."— The
Post
President Rupiah Banda has said Post
editor Fred M'membe should not go and kill himself in a car and accuse him that
he has killed him.And President Banda said he felt sorry for health
deputy minister Dr Solomon Musonda, who recently shot and wounded a PF cadre
Jackson Musaka.Reacting to M'membe's complaint to former President Dr
Kenneth Kaunda that his life is in great danger because he President Banda,
former president Frederick Chiluba and the latter's friends were hunting him,
President Banda said he could not do that to M'membe."Do I look like a
man hunter? I think that, I can understand, they say in ... Article Continues
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PAZA
vice-president Amos Chanda shaking hands with M'membe after he was released from
Lusaka Central Prison in Lusaka on 07.06.2010.— The
Post
POST editor-in-chief Fred M'membe
yesterday wondered what President Rupiah Banda and his corrupt system had
achieved from his incarceration.M'membe, who walked out of Lusaka
Central Prison accompanied by his lawyers George Chisanga and Remmy Mainza at
15:40 hours was lifted shoulder high by a jubilant crowd most of which was made
up of UPND cadres who had gathered outside the prison as early as 08:00
hours."I would like to thank everybody for the support that I have been
given since Friday and before that. I am very grateful to my fellow journalists.
I have received ... Article Continues
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Post editor
Fred M'membe being escorted to Lusaka Central remand prison under heavy guard.
This was shortly after being sentenced to serve four months with hard labour by
Lusaka magistrate David Simusamba.— The
Post
Post editor Fred M'membe yesterday
said The Post fully knows, understands what is going on and is ready for
it.And M'membe calmly entered Lusaka Central Prison (Chimbokaila) at
exactly 13.40 hours yesterday after attempts by his lawyers to secure bail
pending appeal for him failed.Speaking in a very brief interview shortly
before he was sentenced to four months imprisonment with hard labour for
publication of contemptuous material, M'membe said The Post was ready for
anything.This is in a ... Article Continues
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Former finance minister Katele Kalumba, former finance permanent
secretary Stella Chibanda & defunct Access Financial Services director
Faustin Kabwe being led to a police van after they were jailed, 26.05.2010 —
The
Post
Former Finance Minister Katele
Kalumba and three others have been granted a K500 million bail in their own
recognisance while pending appeal in the High Court.High Court deputy
director of court operations, Edward Musona, sitting as magistrate granted
Katele and former Ministry of Finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda,
Access Financial Service (AFS) directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu the bail
when the matter came for bail hearing in chambers yesterday.Kalumba,
Chibanda, ... Article Continues
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Former
finance minister Katele Kalumba, former finance permanent secretary Stella
Chibanda, defunct Access Financial Services director Faustin Kabwe being led to
a police van after they were jailed. Top left, Kalumba with Kabwe being driven
to jail. Left, Chibanda, Kabwe (r) and Aaron Chungu (2nd from left) after they
were jailed in Lusaka yesterday 26.05.2010 — The
Post
Lusaka High Court Deputy Director of
Operations Edward Musona yesterday sentenced MMD national secretary Katele
Kalumba and three others to five years imprisonment for
corruption.Musona, sitting as a magistrate, handed Kalumba a five-year
sentence with hard labour after being found guilty on one count of corrupt
practices by a public ... Article Continues
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Army
officers during the Africa Freedom Day celebration at Freedom Statue —
The
Post
The cause of our great forefathers
has been terribly betrayed, UPND
chairperson for education, science and technology Luxon Kazabu has
observed.And General Malimba Masheke has appealed to the leadership in
the country to work and maintain the cause of those who fought for independence
to get Zambia free from poverty and create employment for the
people.Commenting on the Africa Freedom Day, which fell yesterday,
Kazabu said freedom fighters engaged in the struggle to ensure that after
attaining independence, the country’s resources were properly harnessed to
benefit everyone.Kazabu observed that currently, no one could ... Article Continues
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Former
first lady Maureen Mwanawasa
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa
yesterday apologised unreservedly to the people of Zambia and the Government for
the misunderstanding caused by her interview
aired on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) last week. Mrs Mwanawasa
also said she would always treat the benefits under the former President’s Act
as a privilege and not a right.“First and foremost, I apologise unreservedly to
the people of Zambia and the Government for the misunderstanding that has been
caused through the BBC interview,” Mrs Mwanawasa said.“I wish to state
that I am not a selfish person as some sections of society would like to portray
and that I take the Government statutory ... Article Continues
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Chiefs from
Luapula at the closure of Chiluba's 'developmental' meeting at Mansa Hotel last
Sunday—The Post
Chiefs in Luapula Province have
protested against former president Frederick Chiluba's 'developmental' meeting
and the endorsement of President Rupiah Banda.Highly-placed sources who
attended the closed-door meeting revealed that most of the chiefs were unhappy
with the meeting and Chiluba's involvement."You know, when some people
read what the state newspapers are saying and what was said on television, they
might think we are in support of what Chiluba is doing. But I can confirm that
if there are chiefs that were happy with whatever was going on in that meeting,
it's just about four," the source ... Article Continues
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Former
president Frederick Chiluba with wife Regina on arrival at Mansa Hotel on Friday
night—The Post
No matter what Frederick Chiluba
thinks of himself, he will not manage to convince anyone that he is not a thief,
a plunderer.Our people are not dull and gullible as Chiluba thinks they
are.On Saturday as he addressed some of our traditional leaders in
Mansa, Chiluba declared that these traditional leaders should be proud of him
because he is not a thief. He said these traditional leaders gave birth to a
king and not a thief.Chiluba also claimed that in 2006 he turned down
Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata’s offer to drop, by way of interfering with
the judicial process, all his corruption cases against ... Article Continues
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Frederick Chiluba is our consultant on politics, Vice-President
George Kunda confirmed yesterday.And Vice-President Kunda said people
involved in political violence should know that they can be extradited to The
Hague to answer for their crimes at the International Criminal Court
(ICC).Meanwhile, former president Chiluba yesterday told chiefs and
parliamentarians here that he will tell President Rupiah Banda “where to press”
to win next year’s elections.Speaking on arrival at Mansa airport,
Vice-President Kunda said the opposition were jittery with Chiluba’s support for
the MMD.“Dr Chiluba is a consultant on politics, on development. He
possesses wisdom and we shall continue to consult him as a son of the soil,
former ... Article Continues
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Former
first lady Maureen Mwanawasa
Former first lady Maureen
Mwanawasa has said her aspiration is to one day lead Zambia.And
Maureen has said life hasn’t been easy living on a US $1,000.00 monthly
allowance which she receives from government.Maureen was speaking in an
interview with the BBC Network Africa.Asked whether she missed being the
first lady, Maureen said she didn’t because she had her chance and was looking
forward to becoming a president one day.“I don’t, I had my chance. My
next aspiration is not to become a first lady of course because if I aspire to
become a first lady I must find a president to get married to. I’m not
interested in that. My next aspiration is one day to lead this ... Article Continues
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“Fast money landed me in
prison”
Mulenga Banda (l) and
Maureen Mukunta in the waiting lounge at Lusaka International
Airport
The desire to make fast money landed
me in prison, a Zambian woman convicted of drug trafficking in Mauritius has
lamented.Maureen Mukunta, 36, was convicted of drug trafficking in 2005
together with another Zambian Mulenga Banda, 28.While Mukunta is serving
an eight-year jail term for trafficking in heroine, Banda is serving a 15-year
sentence for trafficking in cocaine.The duo was extradited by the
Zambian government from Mauritius and arrived at the Lusaka International
Airport aboard a South African Airways flight at about 20:45 hours on
Tuesday.Speaking to journalists, Mukunta ... Article Continues
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Mutembo Nchito was a Task
Force on Corruption prosecutor
Transparency
International Zambia (TIZ) executive director Goodwell Lungu has said the
termination of Mutembo Nchito’s contract as Task Force on Corruption prosecutor
did not come as a surprise because the government has been on record trying to
frustrate everyone that wants a progressive fight against corruption.In
an interview yesterday, Lungu said Nchito was proactive in instituting an appeal
against the acquittal of former president Fredrick Chiluba, which he said the
government had frustrated.“This The termination of Nchito’s contract has
not come as a surprise. We saw it coming as TIZ because government has been on
record trying to frustrate all ... Article Continues
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Government has revoked the
appointment of Mutembo Nchito as public prosecutor and terminated the
prosecution contract with MNB and Partners.The Nchito brothers, Mutembo
and Nchima, were appointed by Government in 2002 to prosecute corruption
allegations against former President Chiluba's regime.The cases were
under the disbanded Task Force on Corruption, which has been fused into the
Anti- Corruption Commission.Justice Deputy Minister Todd Chilembo
confirmed the development to Zambia
National Broadcasting Corporation news in an interview.Mr Chilembo
said the cases Mr Nchito was handling have come to an end.He said the
arrangement was that as a retainer, Mr Nchito was entitled to monthly payment
regardless of whether ... Article Continues
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Kazungula pontoon
ferry
There has been panic today in
Kazungula, where Engineering Services Corporation (ESCO), immigration, police
and customs officers noticed that one of the three ferry pontoons went missing
early in the morning.According to a police officer, who spoke on
conditions of anonymity, Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe was forced
to rush to Kazungula to check on the situation and by 16:00 hours the pontoon
had not yet been located.“There is confusion amongst the ESCO workers as
there is counter-accusations of negligence among the officers who should have
made sure that the pontoon was safely and firmly secured after the workers
knocked off and the border post closed on Tuesday at 18:00 ... Article Continues
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President Jacob
Zuma
There will be no Zimbabwe-style land
invasions in South Africa, because "we do things within the law", President
Jacob Zuma said."There will be no similar kinds of land invasions in
this country, because we do things within the law," Zuma said at a
constitutional symposium in Johannesburg.Zuma did not mention Zimbabwe
specifically, but fears that South Africa would go the Zimbabwe route in terms
of land invasions had been raised by civil society groups and opposition
political parties."Significant
changes will need to be made to the 'willing buyer, willing seller'
model."Zuma said the
current land redistribution method must however be
revisited."Significant changes will need to be ... Article Continues
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The heavy presence of police and
traffic officers in Mufumbwe scared most villagers from attending political
rallies.Picture by Abel Mambwe
Violent clashes yesterday erupted in
Mufumbwe between MMD and UPND
cadres, leaving six people seriously injured.One of the victims had his
right eye damaged after being beaten by police officers who responded to the
violence.The violence was sparked by MMD cadres who earlier broke
windows and deflated tyres of a minibus belonging to a UPND member.The
UPND cadres who were infuriated by the attack on their member challenged the
police as to why they had not taken action against the MMD cadres who are camped
right in town. They wanted to retaliate.Police in riot gear ... Article Continues
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President Banda (3rd from left)
waves at MMD supporters who welcomed him at Kashima Basic School grounds before
he addressed a rally.
POLICE are pursuing suspected
Patriotic Front (PF)/United Party for National Development (UPND) pact cadres
for allegedly brandishing unknown types of firearms and firing in the air during
the on-going Milanzi parliamentary by-election campaigns.Home Affairs
Minister Lameck Mangani and police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso confirmed in
separate interviews the incident which happened on Monday
night.According to Mr Mangani, the cadres fired in the air several times
before they took off in an unregistered motor vehicle.In the ensuing
confusion, one of them dropped a cap with a PF ... Article Continues
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MEDIA
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) regional director Kaitira Kandjii has
said the Zambian government's insistence on a statutory media self-regulation
mechanism is a strategy to curtail media independence and freedom in
Zambia.Kandjii stated yesterday that MISA was deeply concerned at the
Zambian government's attempt to impose a statutory media council and calls upon
the Zambian media to form a united front in rejecting this move.She
stated that government's insistence on a statutory media self-regulation
mechanism was inappropriate, unnecessary and aimed at nothing but controlling
the media."This stunt by government is in bad faith and a strategy to
curtail media independence and freedom in Zambia. It is ... Article Continues
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President Banda (r) with
the Litunga yesterday. — The
Post
President Rupiah Banda yesterday
surprised most people at Mongu Airstrip when he emerged from the Zambia Air
Force (ZAF) plane clad in a traditional Lozi attire of a kilt and a waistcoat
but with a white, instead of the normal red beret on his head.And the
red card campaign became an issue at the 2010 Kuomboka ceremony when some MMD
cadres in Mongu launched an operation to sort out some PF-UPND members that were
allegedly strategising to flash red cards at President Banda on his arrival at
Mongu Airstrip.President Banda departed from the traditional Lozi
etiquette of adorning a red beret while in the presence of the Litunga after he
arrived in Mongu ... Article Continues
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African National
Congress's Youth League (ANCYL) president, Julius
Malema
FOR all practical purposes, Julius
Malema, the President of the ANC Youth League is now a force to reckon
with.No amount of vilification or factual truth can stop him. He is now
a machine, akin to an avalanche, which wipes out everything in its path, or a
ravaging inferno sweeping across Southern Africa.Malema has mastered the
art of persuasion and his extremist demagoguery appeals to the youth, the poor
and the downtrodden.In South Africa, the ANC slogan Amandhla Ngawethu
(Power is Ours) means nothing because of the reality on the ground where abject
poverty and joblessness are the order of the day.Malema’s radicalism is
music in the ... Article Continues
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In Tshing, a decaying township outside Ventersdorp, a Soweto football
derby encounter generates more excitement than the news of Eugene
Terre'Blanche's demise.On the morning of Easter Monday,
Thobile's Tavern was abuzz with drunken patrons seated on beer crates and a
group of raggedy youths huddled outside at a small window, vying for a better
view of the TV."If Pirates lose today, I bet Terre'Blanche will rise
from the dead," said a patron, to a burst of mocking but uneasy laughter. While
some residents fear racial attacks following Terre'Blanche's death, the dominant
sentiment is that "the
chickens have finally come home to roost"."Ventersdorp will be a different place without him, but
that does not mean that the ... Article Continues
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... or (even better) ... "Malema Vs. BBC" ...Posted Monday, April 12 2010 at 00:00When in Rome,
do as Romans do. But when in Africa, you better do as Julius Malema
wishes.So BBC journalist, Jonah Fisher, found out this week when he
attended a press conference called by the racist president of the youth wing of
South Africa's ruling African National Congress.Malema, who had just
returned from Zimbabwe, was in the middle of an ode to Robert Mugabe when Fisher
interrupted him."Here you behave or else you jump," growled a visibly
upset Malema.When Fisher found that comment particularly funny, Malema
exploded.Ordering a security guard to throw Fisher out, he shouted:
"Don't come here with that white tendency… You are a small ... Article Continues
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Right-wing AWB leader Eugene
Terreblanche was a fervent opposer of black
rule
Right-wing leader Eugene Terreblanche
may have been murdered after sexually assaulting one of his workers, South
African police said yesterday.
One of the two men accused of beating
the 69-year-old Afrikaner to death told his lawyer the attack was in response to
homosexual advances by his employer, who was buried last Friday.
Clothes belonging to 28-year-old
Chris Mahlangu and a 15-year-old co-accused, who cannot be named, will now be
re-examined.
Mr Terreblanche's trousers were
around his knees when his body was found at a cottage on his farm near
Ventersdorp, 60 miles from Johannesburg, on April 3.
Mahlangu's lawyer Puna ... Article Continues
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Around 3,000 people commemorated
Eugene Terreblanche's life
The road to Ventersdorp, home of the
late Eugene Terreblanche, is fringed with fertile fields. It is a breath of
fresh air driving through the countryside. But then you see the road signs, they
are daubed with racist graffiti.You think it is a throwback to the
1980s, but then you realise the spray paint is still fresh and these racist
slogans come from the mouths of a post-apartheid generation.You can
almost taste the racism in Ventersdorp.I was trying to get a sense of
how people were reacting to the killing of the town's most infamous resident and
whether the extreme right-wing views he represented had become less evident
since the fall of ... Article Continues
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Delegates to the NCC
during deliberations on Friday - Picture by Thomas
Nsama
THE National
Constitutional Conference (NCC) Secretariat has procured microphones at a
cost of about K1.8 billion when the conference is almost winding up.But
NCC secretary Russell Mulele said the procurement of the microphones could not
be cancelled for fear of attracting contractual liabilities.Meanwhile,
MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said by discussing and debating the
compilation of a list of delegates that were fond of loitering outside during
NCC business, the conference will be attracting negative media coverage on
itself.Well-placed sources disclosed that the microphones were brought
about two weeks ago but that ... Article Continues
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THE Bishops Council has commended President Banda for providing good
and stable leadership and for steering the country’s economy to prosperity
despite the negative effects of last year’s global economic crisis.Six
bishops and a reverend from different denominations commended Mr Banda at State
House yesterday during a closed-door meeting with the President during which
they also prayed for him and assured him of their support as he continues to
rule the nation.This is contained in a statement issued in Lusaka
yesterday by special assistant to the President for press and public relations
Dickson Jere.“The President met representatives of the Bishops Council
where they discussed a number of issues affecting the nation. The ... Article Continues
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THE rule of law is the
foundation upon which every civilised nation is supposed to be
built.There can be no peaceful co-existence amongst the various interest
groups that are represented in a nation without clear rules and regulations upon
which that co-existence is based.The rules that govern our belonging to
a nation must be clear, unambiguous and capable of equal application to every
citizen.Anarchy is the likely result of a situation where the rule of
law is undermined and laws and regulations meant to govern our relations are
applied inequitably.Democracy by its very definition requires that the
players in it are subject to the same laws, enjoying similar rights and
responsibilities. In other words, equality before ... Article Continues
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PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda yesterday led several Christians
including opposition leaders at a church service held at St Ignatius Catholic
Church to commemorate Good Friday.St Ignatius Church assistant parish
priest, Anicet Setako in his message called for unity among Christians as they
commemorated the death of Jesus Christ.Father Setako said it was
important for Christians to reconcile and love one another as Christ loved the
Church.“If you condone injustice you are crucifying Jesus Christ. I,
therefore, call for unity among Christians to make our country a better place to
live in,“ he said.After the service, President Banda, who was
accompanied by several Cabinet ministers and senior Government officials,
briefly chatted ... Article Continues
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Ghanaians have a saying that
"If one is unhappy,
the cause for one's unhappiness is within oneself."They use this proverb to encourage the
acceptance of responsibility for one's challenging circumstances instead of
blaming others for it. Terrence Findlay should learn something from this proverb
and accept responsibility for his challenging circumstances.After revealing his
hatred for the late president Levy Mwanawasa and the Lamba people to Lusaka
lawyer Wynter Kabimba, and following the condemnation and disapproval the
revelation attracted, Findlay now wants to accuse George Mpombo of twisting his
statement for political reasons. He is also saying that people who do not want
him to bounce back as Copperbelt Province ... Article Continues
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Rescue Shoulders Estate
Agency Limited executive director Victor Chilekwa (c) with his wife and brother
Emmanuel when he and his lawyer Nsuka Sambo were sent to prison for contempt of
Court at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court yesterday jailed a
human rights activist Victor Chilekwa and his lawyer Nsuka Sambo for three years
after finding them guilty of grave contempt of court.Chilekwa, who is
executive director of Rescue Shoulders Estate Agency Limited, was jailed three
years suspended for one year on all counts of contempt of court while his lawyer
was jailed on one count of contempt, with a year also suspended.This
means Chilekwa and his lawyer will only serve two years in prison.This
is in a matter ... Article Continues
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THREE members of the Mwandi Royal
Establishment of Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta of the Lozi people in Mwandi, Sesheke
District, died on the spot on Sunday afternoon after the car they were
travelling in lost control and rolled several times.And six other
passengers were seriously injured and are admitted to Mwandi Mission
Hospital.Monde Yeta, aged 35, Matauka Yeta, 16, both daughters of Chief
Inyambo Yeta, and his nephew Mufuna Yeta, 24, died on the spot when the Toyota
Gravia car registration number AJB 8379 overturned along Nakatindi Road five
kilometres before Mwandi junction.Western Province police Chief Vael
Muzwenga and provincial Permanent Secretary Ikenuke Noyoo confirmed the accident
in separate interviews in ... Article Continues
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Peter Mumba yesterday
described Terence Findlay as a foolish boy who has been brought up very
badly.Reacting to Ndola businessman Findlay's open
revelation of his hatred for late president Levy Mwanawasa and the
Lamba-speaking people in general to Lusaka lawyer Wynter Kabimba, Mumba who is
former energy permanent secretary said the Lamba were very offended by Findlay's
outbursts.“Actually I won't hesitate to say that he is an …… and a
foolish boy who has been brought up very badly. How does he bring in the Lambas
and the late president in his
defilement case?” Mumba asked. “Because the right people who brought up this
issue were the police and not the president and for that matter why should he
start talking about the ... Article Continues
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Terence Findlay with his family
Terence Findlay on Wednesday
openly revealed his hatred for the late president Levy Mwanawasa and the
Lamba-speaking people in general to Lusaka lawyer Wynter Kabimba.This
was after the
trial of former defence minister George Mpombo at Ndola magistrate's court.
Mpombo is alleged to have issued a cheque of K10 million to Findlay on an
insufficiently funded account.Mpombo yesterday narrated that he learned
of Findlay's outbursts through Kabimba who is part of his defence team,
immediately after the court adjourned about midday.“I am extremely
flabbergasted and shocked by the scum of the politics Mr Findlay is trying to
exhibit just to get at me for no apparent reason,” ... Article Continues
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UNIVERSITY of Zambia (UNZA) history lecturer Dr Choolwe
Beyani has said Zambia lacks skills to develop the nation because education
progression rate is too low.In an interview, Dr Beyani said Zambia would
not have the skills to develop the nation in time with the vision 2030 because
the standards of education were low.“Over 300,000 pupils enter Grade 1,
by Grade 5, half of the pupils drop out. This is due to lack of motivation, long
distances to schools and space,” Dr Beyani said. “And the progression rates from
Grade 9 to 10, over 20 per cent of pupils are lost due to finance and lack of
space in secondary schools and those who graduate at Grade 12 are just a little
over 50,000.”And Dr Beyani said the situation was the ... Article Continues
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ZESCO
has finally been forced to cede its optical fibre cable to Zamtel
but still has to settle the US $13 million loan for laying it, highly placed
sources have revealed.Since the advent of the Zamtel privatisation
process last year, the government had been exerting pressure on Zesco management
to have the power utility company's over 1,700 kilometre optical fibre network
sold as part of Zamtel assets.The move by the government to forcibly
transfer the optical fibre was aimed at raising the profile of Zamtel by getting
the Zesco network, which would automatically translate in an increase in RP
Capital Partners of Cayman Islands’ fees or commission when Zamtel is sold at a
higher value.Sources close to the transaction ... Article Continues
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Chiluba at his press conference
yesterday
FREDERICK Chiluba is going mad,
Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata declared yesterday.And
Chiluba yesterday launched scathing personal attacks on Sata and UPND leader
Hakainde Hichilema.Commenting on former president Chiluba's attacks on
him, Sata, during the press briefing yesterday, questioned Chiluba's sanity over
the several hallucinations about him at the press briefing.He said
Chiluba was failing to reason properly because he was extremely under pressure
as he did not command any respect from reasonable Zambians.Sata said
Chiluba should be ashamed for calling for a press conference to discuss
individuals.“He is already mad, because if you call ... Article Continues
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REGGAE artiste Maiko
Zulu, formerly St. Michael, has been elected Zambia
Association of Musicians (ZAM) chairman with gospel
singer-cum-pastor Boyd Ngosa as deputy.During the ZAM extraordinary conference on Tuesday
at Lusaka's Fairview Hotel, Callen Chisha popularly known as 2wice was
voted secretary general with Petersen of the Bobojani fame as
deputy.Chisenga Katongo popularly known as C.R.I.$.I.$.
was elected publicity secretary after overcoming competition from Njoya
T.Chembe Mkonsha a.k.a MC Wabwino was voted treasurer general
while Moses Sakala of the Sakala Brothers is the projects
secretary.The position of research and documentation secretary went to
Mainza Ndiili otherwise known as Jonto, with Towera ... Article Continues
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INSTANT star! That best
describes Zambia’s latest modelling high-flier – Lukundo Nalungwe – declared
M-Net Face of Africa at the finale in Nigeria last Saturday night.Little
known to an ordinary modelling follower, Lukundo made three previous attempts at
the coveted crown.Since its launch in 1998, Zambia’s envoys have only
come close but Lukundo finally made the cut to pick the most sought-after
modelling prize on the continent.She joins the ranks of Cherise Makubale
(Big Brother Africa) and Lindiwe Allamu (Project Fame winner), among other young
Zambian women that swept continental glory in the entertainment
industry.Born on June 10, 1988 in Kabwe, Lukundo’s aspiration for the
prestigious Face of Africa started at the ... Article Continues
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Auditor General (AG) Anna Chifungula has disclosed over K12 billion
was misapplied at the Ministry
of Works and Supply on the completion of Chirundu Border Facilities and the
rehabilitation of the Independence Stadium.According to her report for
the financial year ended 2008, the Ministry received a total of K15,000,000,000
and only K2,927,701,781 was spent on redesigning of the stadium while
K12,072,298,219 was used for the border facilities.The report has
revealed that as at June 2009, works on the rehabilitation of the stadium had
stalled.The report has also exposed that out of a total K7 billion
budgeted and released for a project, an amount of K440,828,830 was incurred
leaving a balance of over 2 billion which was ... Article Continues
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The Zambian
Embassy in Washington in the United States of America has misused funds
through delayed banking of revenue, irregular payment of Foreign Service
allowances, unretired imprest, unaccounted for stores and unaccounted for fuel
funds among others.This has been revealed in the Auditor General’s (AG)
report for the financial year ended 2008, which also revealed massive
misappropriation of public funds by other Zambian foreign missions.The
delays in banking revenue amounted to about to K1.15 billion for the period
ranging from two to 88 days.In unretired imprest, the mission paid
advances totaling to K149.1 million involving 44 transactions, which were issued
to 12 officers during the period from January 2007 to ... Article Continues
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Chanting "Viva, Nelson Mandela, Viva!!" thousands of South Africans marked 20 years on Thursday since the
anti-apartheid icon walked to freedom after 27 years as a political
prisoner. Now a frail 91-year-old, Mandela did not attend the celebrations at
the Drakenstein Prison near Cape Town, although a huge bronze statue of him
marching from jail, fist pumping the air, towered over the crowd much as
Mandela's image towers over South African politics and society to this
day.Among the predominantly black crowd of well-wishers waving the
black, green and gold flags of Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) were
fellow "struggle" heroes present on that momentous Sunday two decades ago. "It
was all a bit chaotic and I ... Article Continues
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The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by second
republican president Fredrick Chiluba on preliminary issues raised against an
application to register a London judgment, which found the former president
liable in a civil case three years ago.Dr Chiluba and his co-defendants
former Access Financial Services Directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu were
held liable by UK High Court Judge Peter Smith for causing the Zambian
Government the loss US$46 Million in public funds.Delivering judgment in
the matter Deputy Chief Justice Irene Mambilima sitting with other Supreme Court
Judges ruled that there was no merit in the application by Dr
Chiluba.Justice Mambilima ruled that the lower court exercised its
discretion to ... Article Continues
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NCC Delegates
COUNCIL of Churches in Zambia (CCZ)
yesterday appealed to Vice-President George Kunda to rescind his “bad proposal”
to pay about K5 billion—(or
the equivalent of more than US$1 million)—to ministers and other
Lusaka-based parliamentarians attending the NCC.And All People’s
Congress (APC) president Ken Ngondo observed that the National
Constitutional Conference (NCC) is a money-spinner for Vice-President Kunda,
ministers and other delegates.Commenting on The Post's exposé
that Vice-President & Justice minister Kunda last month recommended to
Cabinet to pay about K5 billion to ministers, deputy ministers and four ordinary
parliamentarians attending the NCC as facilitation allowance, CCZ ... Article Continues
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PF leader Michael
Sata has charged that Vice-President George Kunda will be answerable for paying
K5 billion to ministers and other Lusaka-based parliamentarians attending the National
Constitutional Conference (NCC).Commenting on The Post’s
exposé that Vice-President and justice minister Kunda last month recommended to
Cabinet to pay about K5 billion to ministers, deputy ministers and four ordinary
parliamentarians attending the NCC as facilitation allowance, Sata said he had
been vindicated that the NCC was a money-making venture for the
delegates.“George Kunda is not sincere; all he wants is maximum
enjoyment and minimum responsibility because it's George Kunda who advised Levy
Mwanawasa that ministers and deputy ... Article Continues
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Lukundo Nalungwe has become the first Zambian ever to win the M-Net
Face of Africa crown, after beating nine other contestants at a grand finale
held in Lagos, Nigeria last night.As soon as her name was announced as
the winner of US$50,000 and a modeling contract with O Model Africa, The slender
Kabwe raised model who now resides in Lusaka, could not hold her tears of joy…
and stress perhaps."This experience has taught me that it's not only
about beauty or the catwalk, but also about building character, being
business-minded, knowing about other cultures and representing your country,"
Lukundo who has attempted the same competition four times, told the Weekend Post
earlier before the final.Lukundo was in fact the last ... Article Continues
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The
Ndola Magistrate Court has charged former Defence Minister George Mpombo with
one count of issuing a dishonoured cheque amounting to K10
million.Appearing before Ndola Chief Resident Magistrate Kelvin Limbani,
and facing one count of issuing a dishonoured cheque contrary to section 33
sub-section 01 of the National Payment Act of the Penal Code of the Laws of
Zambia was George Mpombo, 55, a farmer of 05 Katonte Farms in
Masaiti.Magistrate Limbani said the facts of the offence were that on
18th December 2009, Mpombo with intent to defraud issued a cheque to Colwyn
Limited of K10 million on an insufficiently funded account at Standard Chartered
Bank, which rendered it defraud.When asked to take his plea, Mr Mpombo ... Article Continues
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CIVIC leaders in Lusaka must squarely face the blame for
the perennial problem of floods in the city every rain season.We are
wondering where elected councilors and the area Members of Parliament are
exerting their energies if it is not for the betterment of the city in which
they preside.It is shameful that the councilors and the Members of
Parliament who are vested with the duty to ensure Lusaka lives up to the
standard of a capital city are not heard nor seen to be doing anything to
address this problem.Where are the area councilors in Mandevu and Chaisa
or indeed the area members of parliament in the affected townships? Their
silence is too loud.Theories have been propounded on why Lusaka always
floods every rain ... Article Continues
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Member of Parliament Charles Milupi addressing Zambians in
London
Outspoken Independent Luena Member of
Parliament Charles Milupi has disclosed that he has registered a political
party. Speaking during a whistle stop visit at the Africa Centre in London on
Saturday evening, Milupi who was en-route from Brussels where he had gone to
preside over the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Parliamentary Assembly,
disclosed that he has registered the Alliance for Democratic Development (ADD)
and it will soon be launched.“It is not a secret; we have registered a
viable vehicle which will usher the country into a new era. Do not read into
what you are being told that it is a regional party, we have done our ... Article Continues
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The Forum for Progressive Politics (FPP) has advised
Zambians to learn a lesson from the arrest of former Defence Minister George
Mpombo, by police in Ndola, for allegedly issuing a K10 million cheque on an
insufficiently funded account.FPP Secretary General Charles Kafumbo says
Mr. Mpombo’s arrest should be an eye opener to many Zambians who are in the
habit of issuing cheques on insufficiently funded accounts.Mr. Kafumbo
told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the arrest of Mr. Mpombo will
serve as a deterrent to other would be offenders.He said it is
unfortunate that the former Defence Minister issued a cheque on an
insufficiently funded account to Colwyn Limited owned by Ndola businessman
Terence Findlay.In ... Article Continues
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Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda has urged the Youth, Sport
and Child Development minister Kenneth Chipungu to facilitate payment of the US
$6,000 (K20,443,500) as winning bonus to the National Soccer team despite losing
5-4 on post match penalties to Nigeria during the on-going 2010 AFCON Cup
tournament in Angola.President Banda urged Mr Chipungu to pay the amount
promised to the players if they had won the quarterfinal game against
Nigeria.Mr. Banda said despite the team having lost the game on
post-match penalties, the team played very well in the 120 minutes game which
included the extra time and therefore deserves the bonus.The ministry
assured the national soccer team players to be paid US $6000 each if they win ... Article Continues
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TRIAL in a case where Inktec managing director Mathew
Mohan and two brothers are charged with the murder of Cyclone Hardware director
Sajid Itowala has been set for February 18 and 19 in the Lusaka High
Court.The last time the matter came up for continued trial, Lusaka High
Court judge Gregory Phiri advised journalists to be factual in their reporting
on court proceedings.Judge Phiri, who said he did not bother much about
media reports, urged journalists to consult court records whenever in
doubt.He said his policy was to leave the media alone and concentrate on
what happens in court.His comments followed a complaint by one of the
defence lawyers Bonaventure Mutale that a news item on Zambia
National Broadcasting ... Article Continues
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EDUCATION is a vital component of any society, but especially of a democracy
EDUCATION
is a vital component of any society, but especially of a democracy. As Thomas
Jefferson wrote: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of
civilisation, it expects what never was and never shall be."But the
object of democratic education is to produce citizens who are independent,
questioning and analytical in their outlook, yet deeply familiar with the
precepts and practice of democracy. People may be born with an appetite for
personal freedom, but they are not born with knowledge about the social and
political arrangements that make freedom possible over time for themselves and
their children. Such things must be ... Article Continues
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ACC, DEC and OP probe Kabonde A COMBINED team of Anti
Corruption Commission (ACC), Drug
Enforcement Commission (DEC), Zambia Police and Intelligence officers has
recorded a warn and caution statement from Inspector General of Police Francis
Kabonde in connection with unaccounted for K1 billion overpaid to a South
African traffic equipment and car dealer.And former inspector general of
police Ephraim Mateyo broke down during interrogation at the ACC offices in
Lusaka when he appeared before a combined team of investigators probing the
irregular purchase of escort vehicles and traffic equipment, which have not been
delivered, from South Africa's Instrumentation for Traffic Law
Enforcement.Meanwhile, Instrumentation for ... Article Continues
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RENOWNED Zambian reggae artiste and activist Maiko
Zulu wishes to take his sixth album "Justice for Hire" ("Kanitundila") to
prisons where he plans to launch the project this year if authorities
allow.He says his project, designed to highlight issues in the Zambian
judicial system and specially dedicated to the prisoners, is not meant for
entertainment but to educate the masses on the current social and political
situation.Zulu's eight-track album whose Kanitudila concept he derived
after a monkey memorably urinated on President Rupiah Banda as he addressed a
State House press conference last June, has other politically inclined titles
such as Who is Running this Circus, Afghanistan and Just a Little Herb among ... Article Continues
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GOVERNMENT’S decision to close most of its accounts with
commercial banks this year will level the playing field among banks in the
country, Barclays
Bank Southern Africa region managing director Zafar Masud has
observed.The government this year plans to cut borrowing from the
banking sector and introduce a single treasury account to help bring down
interest rates and encourage banks to mobilise savings.Commenting on the
development, Masud said huge government money made some commercial banks get
unfair advantage over others in terms of mobilising savings.Masud said
Barclays Bank welcomed the government’s decision.“…Eventually,
government is the one that uses that fund as well. So, it’s okay if the
government needs ... Article Continues
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From right to left: First
wife Sizakele Khumalo - married, 1973; President Zuma; Thobeka Mabhija -
married, January 2010: Nompumelelo Ntuli - married, January
2008.
Confused about exactly how many wives
[our] President Zuma has? We round up the facts on the women in President Jacob
Zuma's life.On Monday, Zuma married his fifth wife, Thobeka Stacey
Madiba, formerly called Mabhija in the press, at a traditional ceremony at his
KwaZulu-Natal homestead of Nkandla. She is his third current wife. Zuma is said
to have about 18 children with various women.Zuma once told a television
interviewer: “There are plenty of politicians who have mistresses and children
that they hide so as to pretend they’re monogamous. I ... Article Continues
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It
looks like christmas eve was a fateful day for the New Apostolic Church as the
Drug
Enforcement Commission (DEC) on the same day arrested its priest in Sesheke
district for drug cultivation. William Pumulo Siomboka, aged 37, was
arrested for cultivating 2.1 tones of cannabis. Pastor Siomboka of Siomboka New
Apostolic Church congregation in chief Imalenda's area had cultivated his
cannabis fields about 150 meters away from the church premises. DEC
Public Relations Manager, John Nyawali says the New Apostolic Church priest was
arrested on Christmas day together with six other females from the same area who
had cultivated a total of 7.1 tones of cannabis. Preliminary investigations
indicate that the group ... Article Continues
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MMD national chairman Micheal Mabenga has said Hakainde
Hichilema’s trip to the Western Province was a complete flop.And
Mabenga said the women in the MMD countrywide were happy following Patricia
Mulasikwanda’s resignation from the party.Briefing the press at the MMD
offices yesterday, Mabenga said the trip by UPND leader Hichilema, Mulasikwanda
and Sibote Sibote among others to Western Province was a complete flop as the
people rejected them in different parts of the province.“In Mwandi,
Mulobezi, Sesheke they were all rejected,” he said. “One induna came to a
Christmas party where I was and told me that HH gave her a chitenge and a
K50,000 to say bad stuff about the MMD.”Mabenga said the induna
complained that she ... Article Continues
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Newly-crowned Zambia Supermodel
Akamandisa Inambao (centre) with organiser Cynthia Kanema (right) and ZNBC
presenter Faith Musonda (left) after the contest last
week.
19-year-old ZCAS
student Akamandisa Inambao's walk on heels last Saturday paid off as she scooped
the second edition of Cynthia Kanema's Zambia Supermodel contest, beating 11
other finalists in a spectacular finale held at Hotel
InterContinental.Fondly referred to as Aka by her friends, the
Lusaka-based model who stands at 1.82 cm and only has less than a year of
experience in modelling says she is very excited to be named this year's winner
of the competition."I think I deserve the prize though the competition
was very stiff because the other ... Article Continues
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VICE-President George Kunda
may one day face treason charges, former secretary to the Cabinet Sketchley
Sacika stated yesterday.In a media statement issued in Lusaka, Dr Sacika
stated that government’s talk about media regulation was a smokescreen designed
to hide a more sinister motive, which is the desire by the MMD government to
re-establish a totalitarian one-party state where they would rule Zambia
unchallenged with a token of opposition political parties in Parliament to fool
gullible Zambians and the donor community.“Bringing all local news
output under government control is the final stage in this programme. The first
stage was to bring all state institutions under the control of the MMD and this
has been ... Article Continues
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FLASHBACK: Professor Mvunga (4th from right) in President
Banda’s entourage in Swaziland when the President visited King
Mswati
PF and UPND members of parliament on
Wednesday opposed the Presidential appointments of Lusaka High Court judge Essau
Elliot Chulu and Professor Patrick Mvunga to the Electoral
Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the Judicial Complaints Authority, describing
the duo as friends of the President.Debating the report of the
Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to scrutinise the Presidential
appointments of judge Chulu, who is President Rupiah Banda's close relative and
Prof Mvunga to serve as ECZ commissioner and member of Judicial Complaints
Authority respectively, Kantanshi PF member of ... Article Continues
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Several students at Lusaka's Evelyn
Hone College on Sunday night staged a demonstration against married men who
were allegedly frequenting the learning institution to pick up female students
for sexual favours.The students were protesting the death of their
female colleague, a computer studies student identified as Zodie Dube, who
drowned together with her married lover, Elijah Zulu at Manchinchi Bay Lodge in
Siavonga last Thursday evening.The riled students threw missiles and
stones at cars that tried to enter the learning institution’s campus accusing
drivers of soliciting sexual favours from innocent female students
there.They accused married men, infamously referred to as investors, of
frequenting the college to ... Article Continues
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MMD parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga yesterday said
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must ensure that the culture of
certain diplomats attacking government decisions in the press is brought to
an end. And Mwaanga said media institutions that are against self-regulation
will be sorry.Meanwhile, Mbabala UPND member of parliament Emmanuel
Hachipuka has charged that the MMD government has entered into a worrisome pact
with former president Frederick Chiluba.Contributing to the debate on
the motion of thanks on President Rupiah Banda's address to the House, Mwaanga
referred to what he described as tutorials that were being given to the
government by certain representatives of countries accredited to Zambia in some ... Article Continues
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FORMER president Frederick
Chiluba has said the Bible allows him to fight back those people that fight him
and that those denouncing him are poking God’s eye. And Chiluba denounced the
Dutch, Danish and Americans for embracing homosexuality and warned Zambians
against allowing donors to pollute Zambia with their dirty
money.Officiating at the launch of Save Rural Africa Foundation (SARAF)
founded and headed by chief Chipepo of Siavonga district in Southern Province in
Lusaka on Friday, Chiluba quoted biblical examples justifying that Christians
must fight back using the same means that their enemies were
using.“Somebody was telling [me] the other day, ‘no even if you are
insulted don’t speak back, keep quiet’. I said, ... Article Continues
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Frederick Chiluba's acquittal
surprised me, British
High Commissioner to Zambia Tom Carter has said. And Danish
Ambassador to Zambia Thomas Schjerbeck has said the world is watching with
enormous interest to see how the conviction of Chiluba in the United Kingdom
court is going to be transformed into a follow-up in Zambia. In an interview,
High Commissioner Carter said the acquittal of Chiluba came as a surprise to the
donor community, considering that the London High Court established that Chiluba
was guilty."I was personally surprised at the decision to acquit
Chiluba. There are two things in Chiluba's case. Firstly, I do acknowledge that
it was a matter for the Zambian judiciary to decide on Chiluba's cases, but we ... Article Continues
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The Law
Association of Zambia (LAZ) yesterday said Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP) Chalwe Mchenga should have appealed against former president Frederick
Chiluba's acquittal because there are enough grounds for the appeal. In an
interview following Chiluba's acquittal on all corruption charges by the
magistrate's court and the subsequent withdrawal of the appeal by Mchenga, LAZ
president Stephen Lungu said Mchenga should have allowed the appeal to
proceed."That was a matter that the DPP should have appealed. The DPP
should have appealed that matter. We are very much aware that the Constitution
gives the DPP the right to determine the path of the matter, but this matter is
one matter of public interest. And going ... Article Continues
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INKTECK managing director Matthew Mohan has been recaptured, Police
spokesperson Bonny Kapeso has confirmed. In an interview earlier today, Kapeso
said Mohan was recaptured on Sunday morning within Lusaka and that he was
currently in police custody.“Yes I can confirm that Mohan has been
recaptured here in Lusaka by the Zambia Police officers,” he said. “He is now in
custody and in cuffs.”Mohan escaped from police custody about two weeks
ago after appearing in court.On the day he escaped, Mohan had appeared
before Lusaka Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile on another charge.After the
court appearance, Mohan who was in the company of a prosecutor was left alone at
Ridgeway Police post from where he escaped.Police in Lusaka last month ... Article Continues
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Former president Frederick Chiluba has said leaders should
not pursue their predecessors but should thank them even if they discover some
weaknesses in their leadershipAddressing mourners at Chingola Road
Cemetery on Thursday during the burial of Lemmy Chipili, a former Consul General
to Lubumbashi during his reign, Chiluba said development took place without the
leaders targeting those who ruled before them."Mailo twaleshika kanabesa
intungulushi imbi ba Tetamashimba, ababombele muli cino calo bwino bwino
ukuchinkula abantu ukwisula imitwe ifya kutila tuleya kuntanshi. Lelo twashika
Consul General Chipili uwabombele mubuteko bwandi. Pafuma aba paisa aba, tekweba
lilya waisapo ati 'abalipo bonse, ni driver nshi ... Article Continues
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SIMEZA Sangwa and Associates have submitted that an appointment of
either the Supreme Court or High Court judge under Article 98 (1) requires
ratification by the National Assembly. This is in a matter where Simeza Sangwa
and Associates have petitioned the
High Court to order Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and justice Peter Chitengi
to vacate their offices.According to a petition filed on behalf of their
clients Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu in the Lusaka High Court, Simeza Sangwa
and Associates are praying to the court to grant them an order restraining
justice Sakala and justice Chitengi from occupying and performing their
functions until after the hearing and determination of the
petition.Kabwe and Chungu are the first ... Article Continues
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THE government has extended the issuance of passports for
Zambians in the Diaspora from August, 31 2009 to December, 31, 2009.Home
affairs minister Lameck Mangani announced in a statement yesterday that the
ministry had taken note of the challenges in the issuance of the passports
particularly among Zambians in the diaspora.Mangani stated that this
problem had also been brought to the attention of President Rupiah Banda in the
course of his international duties.He stated that the main problem had
been the long process from the time an application was filled in at the Zambian
mission abroad to the time it actually reached passport office."Despite
the long process, however, most forms are submitted with major errors making ... Article Continues
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The entire Copperbelt
University Union COBUSU leadership has been expelled while the university
which was closed following riots last month is to reopen on
Sunday.University management has also suspended all students union
activities until further notice.CBU registrar, Allan Ilunga, says all
other students suspected to have actively participated in the disturbances will
be suspended pending their appearance before the Dean of students disciplinary
committee.He says both expelled and suspended students will not be
allowed on campus except for purposes of returning university property in their
custody.The stern measures were reached during a special university
senate meeting on Monday.Mr. Ilunga said the senate decided to ... Article Continues
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The Lusaka High Court has set September 15th 2009 as hearing date of
the judicial review being sought by Post
Newspapers' editor-in-chief Fred M'membe. This is in a case in Which
M'membe applied for judicial review following the issuance of a bench warrant
for his arrest. High court Judge Albert Wood granted the
application and has also stayed contempt proceedings against M'membe, United
States based columnist Muna Ndulo and Post Newspapers' deputy editor-in-chief
Sam Mujuda. M'membe and his co accused persons sought judicial review to
have chief resident Magistrate Charles Kafunda's ruling quashed. On
Wednesday September 2nd 2009 Magistrate Kafunda issued a bench
warrant of arrest against M'membe ... Article Continues
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CHIEF Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha has said it is
puzzling that former Finance minister, Ng’andu Magande’s can call on Government
to state its position on whether it will appeal against former president
Frederick Chiluba when he knows the law.Lieutenant General Shikapwasha
said in Lusaka yesterday that as a former Cabinet minister, Mr Magande was aware
that the Government was committed to upholding the independence of the office of
the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and would not interfere with its
decisions.He said in an interview that the Government did not want to
comment on former President Frederick Chiluba’s acquittal because it did not
want to influence the DPP’s decision.Gen Shikapwasha was ... Article Continues
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SCORES of MMD cadres in Mansa yesterday marched around the
town centre to celebrate former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal on
corruption charges. During the march which attracted people's attention, MMD
cadres carried banners predominantly in support of Chiluba's acquittal and
walked from CR bus station on Mansa-Kashikishi Road through Mulenshi Road into
Independence Road and back into Mansa Kashikishi Road to the provincial
headquarters at the boma offices.Some of the messages on the banners
read: "Chiluba is a humble person of God please respect the court judgment;
Respect the independence of the judiciary's power on Chiluba's
acquittal."Others who carried messages in solidarity with Chiluba
purported to have ... Article Continues
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First Republican president DR Kenneth Kaunda on Sunday emphasised the
need to fight poverty through the field of agriculture. In an interview after
visiting his family in Sindamisale area of Chadiza district, Dr Kaunda praised
the people's efforts in agriculture."I went to visit a family of mine,
Colonel Panji Kaunda and naturally I took that opportunity to meet so many other
people there who had gathered. I praised their efforts in the field of
agriculture. They are doing something which will help us as a nation," Dr Kaunda
said.He urged people to combine efforts in fighting HIV and
AIDS."I also talked about fighting AIDS and how we must make it a point
for each one of us to see that we join this great fight. I am happy ... Article Continues
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LUENA Independent member of parliament Charles Milupi (right) has
observed that currently there is a trend of muzzling the private media in the
country using state institutions. In an interview, Milupi who is also
parliamentary public accounts committee chairperson said the trend was
synonymous with the one party state, which ended in 1991."It is not
right to use state institutions to control the press. We need to go back to our
recent history as a country. In the one party state no dissenting view was
accommodated, until people got fed up and fought that. People fought for a
democratic dispensation, which also implied a free press. You know we have three
arms of government: the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. ... Article Continues
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Government has advised My TV, registered for broadcasting
license purpose as Strong Technologies, and any other satellite broadcasting
licenses based in Zambia, that it is illegal to provide a platform for
broadcasting for radio and television stations whose frequencies are restricted
to specific areas. This according to a press statement issued in Lusaka today by
the Minister of Information
and Broadcasting Services and Chief Government Spokesperson Lt. General
Ronnie Shikapwasha.General Shikapwasha further said it has come to the
attention of Government that My TV has entered into contract with MUVI
TV to broadcast nationally through My TV’s satellite broadcasting system,
programmes by MUVI TV which has its own ... Article Continues
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POLICE on
Friday stormed Post Newspapers offices to arrest Post
editor-in-chief Fred M'membe despite High Court judge Albert Wood’s
directive and order that proceedings relating to the alleged contempt case
be stayed. Judge Wood directed that the proceedings relating to the alleged
contempt of court case involving M'membe, his deputy Sam Mujuda and Professor
Muna Ndulo be stayed until after the hearing of a motion for judicial
review.A team of six plain-clothe police officers from Lusaka Central
Police led by the Criminal Investigations Officer (CIO) - a Mr Shula - stormed
The Post premises at about 17:20 hours and demanded to see M'membe.The
officers were then led to where M'membe was in the company of
Mujuda.They ... Article Continues
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LOCAL
Government and Housing minister Benny Tetamashimba has died. He was admitted
at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). Government spokesman
Lieutenant-General Ronnie Shikapwasha confirmed the death of Tetamashimba last
night.Tetamashimba was MMD chairman for publicity and member of
parliament for Solwezi Central in North Western Province, was on Sunday August
9, 2009, evacuated and admitted to Morningside Clinic in Johannesburg, South
Africa for specialised medical treatment.Funeral arrangements are to be
announced at a later date. Article Continues
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MUVI
Television Chief Executive Officer, Steve Nyirenda expressed sadness that
the Minister of Information
and Broadcasting Services and his permanent secretary decided to issue a
statement without seeking clarification from the Television station.The
Zambian Government has warned that it will revoke broadcasting licenses for
Television and Radio stations broadcasting outside the provisions of their
licenses. In a statement issued in Lusaka today, Information and Broadcasting
Services Minister, Lt. General RonnieShikapwasha says government will
investigate reports that Muvi Television and some radio stations are
transmitting outside their jurisdiction. He says MUVI Television and some radio
stations are circumventing ... Article Continues
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WILLIAM Harrington yesterday stated that it is sad that the NCC
is proposing to introduce an obnoxious and draconian clause that requires one to
be a degree holder to qualify for President of the Republic of Zambia.
Harrington, a former Mung'omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC)
commissioner, stated that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) should be
cautioned against entrenching discriminatory clauses in the proposed new
constitution if it had to be acceptable to the people through the
Referendum."The proposal that for one to qualify as a candidate for the
office of President, one must be a degree holder is discriminatory against the
majority of Zambians. There is therefore need for the NCC to recognise and ... Article Continues
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A POLICE officer accused of helping murder suspect Matthew Mohan
escape from custody yesterday denied the charge before a Lusaka magistrate
court.George Sitwala, 36, of Lusaka’s Sikanze camp, pleaded not guilty
before Magistrate Mbambi Chilembo to one count of aiding a prisoner to escape
from lawful custody contrary to section 121 of the Laws of
Zambia.Particulars of the offence are that Sitwala, on September 1,
2009, assisted Mohan, the managing director for Inktech, who was in lawful
custody at Lusaka Central Prison, to escape.Magistrate Chilembo asked
Sitwala if he had understood the charge read to him and the accused answered in
the affirmative.Sitwala, who had been in custody since Tuesday, decided
to apply for ... Article Continues
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THE Lusaka High Court has set September 14 as the date for
ruling in the matter where Chief Justice
Ernest Sakala and Supreme Court Judge Peter Chitengi are being petitioned to
vacate their offices for alleged illegal stay.High Court Judge
Munalula Lisimba set the date yesterday when the matter in which Lusaka lawyer
John Sangwa petitioned the High Court for the duo’s alleged illegal stay came up
for continued hearing.Mr Justice Lisimba has also asked the two parties
in the matter, Attorney General Mumba Malila and Mr Sangwa, to submit written
submissions by Tuesday, September 8, 2009.Earlier, Lusaka lawyer,
Bonaventure Mutale who submitted on behalf of the Attorney General and Mr Sangwa
said both parties had consented ... Article Continues
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HIGH Court judge Albert Wood has today directed and ordered
that proceedings relating to the alleged contempt of court case involving Post
editor-in-chief Fred M'membe, his deputy Sam Mujuda and Professor Muna Ndulo be
stayed until after the hearing of the motion for judicial
review.According to an order granting leave to apply for judicial review
filed in the Lusaka High Court at the principal registry, justice Wood directed
that further proceedings relating to the case be stayed. "Upon reading
the statement lodged pursuant to Rule 3 (2) of Order 53 of the Rules of the
Supreme Court and upon reading the affidavit of Sam Mujuda filed herewith and
upon hearing counsel on behalf of the applicants for leave to apply for ... Article Continues
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Blue Moon: A nearly full moon colored by smoke from the Los Angeles
area Station Fire rises over buildings at Forest Lawn Memorial Park while the
private funeral of Michael Jackson took place. A statement from the Jackson
family said the pop star's casket was interred at 2143 local time (0243 ET).
"The Jackson family wishes to once again thank all of Michael's fans around the
world for their generous outpouring of support during this terribly difficult
time," the statement read.
Reclusive screen star Elizabeth
Taylor might have been speaking on behalf of all of Michael Jackson's fans when
she emotionally lamented the loss of her longtime friend. "We shouldn't have to
be here," Taylor told fellow mourners at ... Article Continues
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FORMER foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana yesterday
charged that statements coming from the state over Frederick Chiluba's acquittal
are unprecedented in the history of the country. In an interview, Sikatana, who
is also a lawyer, said when one hears the statements coming from President
Rupiah Banda, Vice-President George Kunda and Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP) Chalwe Mchenga, it was as if there should never be any appeals over such
matters involving Chiluba.He wondered what President Banda and his
government were trying to protect in Chiluba."The interest by the state
is unprecedented. The manner in which the state is reacting against the
acquittal, let us see the views of the Supreme Court," Sikatana said. ... Article Continues
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President
Rupiah Banda says he cannot fire Vice President, George Kunda and Director of
Public Prosecutions, Chalwe Mchenga, over the acquittal of former President
Frederick Chiluba.President Banda told Journalists at the Lusaka
International airport on arrival from Libya on Wednesday that the two had
nothing to do with the acquittal.President Banda was reacting to a story
in Tuesday's edition of the Post
Newspaper.The Newspaper quoted PF
leader Michael Sata as saying the Vice President and the DPP should be fired
because they played a role in Dr.Chiluba's acquittal.President Banda
said Mr. Sata should realize that he is not the President of Zambia and that he
cannot instruct government to ddismiss officials on ... Article Continues
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Non-Governmental Organizations have written to President Rupiah Banda
requesting to meet him over the NGO law.The NGOs are not comfortable
with some parts of the newly enacted law.Zambia Council for Social
Development -ZCSD- Executive Secretary Matyola Malawo says the Ngos are
concerned with the part that compels them to seek re-registration after five
years.Reverend Malawo told ZNBC
that the five years of existence for an NGO is not enough because some receive
funding for programmes running for more than five years.He said the law
will create insecurity to some donors as they would not want to fund an Ngo
whose life span is questionable.President Rupiah Banda recently assented
to the bill, which was passed by ... Article Continues
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THERE has been so much controversy surrounding Nigerian prophet TB
Joshua, a man renowned world over yet most vilified over for his miracle healing
services and predictions.The controversies have been raging ever since
TB Joshua’s ministry stormed into the public domain bringing into question the
legitimacy of his works.In talking about legitimacy, I am referring to
the standards as set forth in the scriptures, which would help us, identify a
genuine prophet. Who then is TB Joshua?TB Joshua, whose full
names are Temitope Balogun Joshua ,was born on June 12, 1963, in a village
called Arigidi, in Ikare Akoko, Ondo State of Nigeria. He is married to Evelyn
and has four children.TB Joshua, the founder and pastor of the ... Article Continues
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LUSAKA chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda yesterday
issued a bench warrant for arrest against Post
editor-in-chief Fred M'membe. And defence lawyers in the case where U.S-based
Zambian Professor of law, Muna Ndulo, and the Post editor-in-chief have been
cited for contempt argued that the matter was improperly taken before
court.This follows a complaint by the prosecutors in the matter in which
Post news editor Chansa Kabwela is facing one count of circulating obscene
matters or things contrary to the law that an article authored by Prof Ndulo and
published in the Post newspaper edition of August 27, 2009 was
contemptuous.Delivering ruling in the matter, magistrate Kafunda said
the summons to The Post ... Article Continues
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POLICE
have arrested a public prosecutor while four officers assigned to guard Inktech
managing director, Mathew Mohan, who escaped from lawful custody, will be
charged and tried under a tribunal.The public prosecutor has been
arrested for his failure to secure Mohan, who escaped from lawful custody on
Monday.The four officers who were assigned to guard Mohan will be
charged and tried under the police tribunal.Mohan, who is facing a
charge of murder and obtaining money by false pretences, escaped at 13:30 hours
from police custody after appearing for mention in the Lusaka magistrates
court.Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso said the prosecutor has been
arrested and charged with aiding Mohan to escape.Mr Kapeso said in an ... Article Continues
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An extensive man-hunt has been launched by police following
the escape yesterday of Inktek managing director Mohan Matthews, who is facing
charges of murder. And police service spokesperson Bonny Kapeso has confirmed
the arrest of two police officers and the prosecutor for criminal negligence
following the Mohan’s escape.Mohan is reported to have escaped from
police custody after appearing for mention at the magistrate’s court complex in
Lusaka.He, and two others, are charged with the recent murder of a
Zambian businessman of Asian origin, who was tortured before being killed. The
deaceased’s body was found dumped in his vehicle in Lusaka’s industrial
area.And Kapeso said Commissioner of Police Graphael Musamba had ... Article Continues
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An Economist at the Norwegian
Embassy has urged the Zambian Government to finance its own development in
order to fully benefit from the revenues collected from the extractive
industries.Norwegian Embassy Country Economist, Olav Lundstol says
Zambia will not benefit fully from the revenues collected from the extracted
industries if it continues to depend on donor support.Lundstol noted
that foreign support would always attach conditions when investing in the
country and hence the government would only take a small percentage from the
revenues realized from the extractive industries.“It is important for
government to utilize its own resources within the country because this I linked
to good governance,” he said.He also ... Article Continues
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There is need for the nation to continue to reflect and meditate over
Frederick Chiluba’s acquittal by magistrate Jones Chinyama. There is also need
to deeply reflect over the manner in which the government of Rupiah Banda has
handled the Chiluba case. And here, it is important to analyse the reasons they
have given for refusing the matter to be appealed and decided upon by the High
Court. This should be looked at in light of how they were quick to accept and
celebrate Chiluba’s acquittal even before the reading of the judgment was
completed.Last week, Chalwe Mchenga, the so-called Director of Public
Prosecutions, out of desperation, gave some reasons why he collaborated in the
decision to ensure that Chiluba goes ... Article Continues
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WILLIAM Harrington has appealed to the Supreme Court against the High
Court's decision to clear former communications minister Dora Siliya of
breaching the Constitution as found by the judge Dennis Chirwa-chaired
tribunal.This is in a matter where High Court judge Phillip Musonda said
the tribunal acted excessively in its findings that Siliya breached the
Constitution when she ignored the Attorney General's advice over RP Capital
Partners.In a memorandum of appeal filed in the Supreme Court,
Harrington, the first petitioner in the tribunal, stated that the learned High
Court judge erred in law and fact when he used judicial review proceedings as an
appeal process by delving into the merits of the tribunal's findings by ... Article Continues
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TRANSPARENCY
International Zambia (TIZ) executive director Goodwell Lungu yesterday said
former president Frederick Chiluba failed to prove, through witnesses, during
his just-ended trial that the US $8 million in the Zamtrop account was his.
Commenting on Chiluba's intentions to reclaim the US $8 million that he placed
in the intelligence account following his recent acquittal by magistrate Jones
Chinyama, Lungu said even the judgment that led to Chiluba's acquittal of
embezzling US $500,000 was somehow controversial."Our position is that
the judgment was somehow controversial in that the Auditor General, Anna
Chifungula, who was the defence witness, in short defending the accused, did
adduce evidence in court to the ... Article Continues
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MUNALI Patriotic Front (PF) member of parliament Mumbi Phiri has filed a notice for judicial review over the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to withdraw an appeal against former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal.In a notice filed in the Lusaka High Court principal registry yesterday, Phiri cited DPP Chalwe Mchenga and Attorney General Mumba Malila as first and second respondents respectively.Phiri stated in her affidavits of support that Chiluba's prosecution was conducted by the public prosecutor duly appointed by Mchenga for or on behalf of the Task Force on Corruption."Following the acquittal in question the public prosecutor on 24th August 2009 lodged a notice of intention to appeal to ... Article Continues
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The complicity, the manipulation, the deceit that has taken place
over the acquittal of Frederick Chiluba by magistrate Jones Chinyama and the
consequent withdrawal of the state's appeal in this matter by Director of Public
Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga is clear for all to see. If anyone was in doubt
where the country is, this episode tells it all. We are in trouble as a nation.
Corrupt elements and outright criminals have taken over the country and are
today instituting their own form of 'rule of law' and 'justice'. It is justice
the Chinyama way; justice the Mchenga way; and it's justice the Rupiah Banda
way. But what type of justice is this? We ask this question in light of what is
said in the Bible, in Proverbs 18:5: ... Article Continues
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RULING MMD and opposition PF
cadres clashed this morning outside Lusaka's magistrate court complex during the
trial of Post
news editor Chansa Kabwela and a separate case of Post reporter Chibaula
Silwamba. During the clash, MMD cadres stabbed a PF supporter, Joseph Chama,
with a screwdriver in the chieek and it pierced right through his mouth, while another
one was also severely beaten by MMD cadres in full view of
police.Opposition PF and UPND cadres had gone to give support to Kabwela
who is charged with circulating obscene matters or things tending to corrupt
public morals.Ruling MMD cadres had also gone to give support to the
state and MMD Lusaka Province youth chairperson Chris Chalwe who was appearing
in court ... Article Continues
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DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP, Chalwe Mchenga has said the
State will not challenge the acquittal of former President Frederick Chiluba
because the appeal is unlikely to be successful.Mr Mchenga said in
Lusaka yesterday that evidence before court shows that the Zamtrop account from
which Dr Chiluba was alleged to have stolen about $500,000 received money from
sources other than the Government."An appeal should only be made when
there is a likelihood of it succeeding. Appealing because of concerns of members
of the public without regard to the likelihood of success is actually an abuse
of the judicial process," Mr Mchenga said.Mr Mchenga said there was
evidence before court that money in excess of US$8.5 million was ... Article Continues
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LUSAKA lawyer Wynter Kabimba has notified Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga of his intention to commence judicial
review proceedings to have the decision to withdraw the state's appeal against
Frederick Chiluba's acquittal reviewed by the High Court. And the Council of
Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has demanded that the state should let the judiciary,
up to the Supreme Court, if necessary, determine and confirm Chiluba's
innocence, if indeed he is innocent. In a letter to Mchenga dated August
27, 2009, Kabimba stated that he had instructions from interested citizens to
commence judicial review proceedings against Mchenga's unreasonable decision on
the matter."Re: The People Vs. Frederick T.J Chiluba and ... Article Continues
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PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda's government yesterday withdrew the
state's appeal
against former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga in a Notice of Withdrawal
of Notice on Intention to Appeal stated "to the clerk of court whereas, Dr
Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba, Faustin Mwenya Kabwe and Aaron Chungu were on the
17th day of August 2009 acquitted by the Subordinate Court of the First Class of
the following offences: 1. Dr Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba, 6 counts on the
offence of theft by public servant contrary to Sections 272 and 277 of the Penal
Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia and 2. Faustin Mwenya Kabwe and Aaron
Chungu, three counts of theft contrary to Section ... Article Continues
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THE State yesterday withdrew the notice of appeal filed by
prosecutors from the Taskforce on Corruption regarding the planned challenge of the
acquittal of former president, Frederick Chiluba.Dr Chiluba's
lawyer, Robert Simeza confirmed the development in an interview in
Lusaka."What I know is that they have withdrawn the notice of appeal
against Dr Chiluba's acquittal, though no reasons have been given as to why they
have decided to withdraw. One can only speculate that it is because there were
no instructions from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP)," he
said.Dr Chiluba had said he was not scared of the legal challenge
against his acquittal by the Taskforce on Corruption but wanted the institution
to be ... Article Continues
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FORMER Task Force on Corruption chairman Max Nkole
yesterday said he was a casualty because of his stance on former president
Frederick Chiluba's acquittal but has no regrets. In an interview, Nkole, who
described his dismissal as a temporary setback, said he was not bitter at
all."It's a temporary setback. I am a casualty because of my stance. I
don't regret my stance to appeal, I was totally right. My stance on us
appealing, I was totally right," he said.Nkole said he accepts that they
terminated his job for reasons best known to themselves."My job as a
corruption fighter is not the most envied job. It has casualties. It's from the
perspective to terminate my appointment rather than the contract," he
said.He said his ... Article Continues
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Unless second republican President, Frederick Titus Chiluba
repents for stealing money from this country, God will never forgive him of the
sin, a Catholic Priest has prophesied.Father Joseph Besa of Mpika urged
Christians to love one another and work collectively in bringing people to
salvation.Father Besa observed that although President Chiluba was
acquitted of having stolen US $500,000 by Magistrate Jones Chinyama, he needed
to repent if he was to enter the kingdom of God ."Even if President
Frederick Chiluba was last week acquitted of stealing money, he needs to be
penitent because God will never forgive him," said the Priest.He argued
that being acquitted from Courts of law was not a guarantee that a person was ... Article Continues
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KATUBA MMD member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa yesterday
charged that former president Frederick Chiluba was definitely happy when
president Levy Mwanawasa died.And former finance minister Ng'andu
Magande said Chiluba has no humanity.Reacting to Chiluba's statement
that God allowed Rupiah Banda to be President to create an environment in which
the Judiciary would freely decide on his corruption cases as well as assertions
of tribalism [family tree] during president Mwanawasa's reign, Shakafuswa asked
Chiluba to shut up.He said the statements coming from Chiluba showed
that he was happy over president Mwanawasa's death.Shakafuswa said God
did not take away president Mwanawasa so that a crook could be allowed to get
off ... Article Continues
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President Rupiah Banda's government has fired Task Force on
Corruption chairman Max Nkole following his appeal against the acquittal of
Frederick Chiluba and the lengthy interview he gave to MUVI
TV on Monday night. Announcing the termination of Nkole's services in a
short statement last evening, Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja stated
that "following the expiration of the contract of employment of Mr Maxwell Nkole
as executive chairman of the Task Force on Corruption, Mr Godfrey Kayukwa,
director general of the Anti-Corruption
Commission, will with immediate effect, serve as executive chairman of the
Task Force for administrative convenience until further notice".On
Monday night during MUVI-TV's Matter at ... Article Continues
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Secretary to cabinet Joshua Kanganja has terminated the contract of
Task Force Executive Chairman Maxwell Nkole.Announcing the expiration of
employment in a statement to ZANIS
this evening, Dr Kanganja says the new Task Force chief is Drug
Enforcement Commission Director General, Godfrey Kayukwa.The new
appointment of Mr Kayukwa as Task Force Executive Chairman is with immediate
effect but for administrative convenience until further notice.And
earlier today, the Committee for Citizens (CC) had appealed to President Rupiah
Banda to fire Task Force Executive Director, Maxwell Nkole and to disband the
grouping for alleged abuse of resources.Mr Chifire charged that the Task
Force should be disbanded owing to the manner ... Article Continues
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PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Michael Sata yesterday said President
Rupiah Banda gave former president Frederick Chiluba temporal happiness. And
veteran politician Simon Zukas said Zambians welcome the state's appeal against
Ndola High Court Registrar Jones Chinyama's decision to acquit Chiluba on
embezzlement charges.Commenting on the state's filing of a notice of
appeal in the Lusaka High Court against Chinyama's decision to acquit Chiluba on
all counts of embezzling public funds amounting to US $500,000, Sata said
Chiluba went out of his way to preach hatred at Bible Gospel Church in Africa
(BIGOCA) on Sunday.He said the temporal
happiness was washed away by the state's notice of
appeal against Chiluba's acquittal by ... Article Continues
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THE Taskforce on Corruption has ignored the advice of the Director of
Public Prosecutions (DPP) to wait until he studies the judgment on the acquittal
of former president, Frederick Chiluba before challenging the verdict in a
higher court.In a letter dated August 21, 2009, Task Force executive
chairman Maxwell Nkole asked private prosecutors, MNB Legal Practitioners to
prepare and file the grounds of appeal to a higher court when the DPP had
written that the process awaits a study of the judgment, which had not yet been
finalised."Although we have not yet obtained a copy of the judgment to
study the reasons given for the acquittal, we however, believe that there are
good grounds of appeal, and you are in a position to ... Article Continues
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The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised the Task Force
on Corruption not to proceed with the appeal against Dr. Frederick Chiluba's
acquittal until the ruling is scrutinised by his office.Chalwe Mchenga
says he will be in a position to indicate whether an appeal should be lodged or
not after reading the judgment.He has advised the Task Force to submit a
copy of the ruling to his office for scrutiny.This is contained in a
letter to Task Force executive chairman, Max Nkole, obtained by ZNBC
in Lusaka on Monday.Mr. Mchenga was responding to a letter by Mr. Nkole
instructing MNB legal practitioners to prepare and file grounds of appeal
against the the acquittal of Dr. Chiluba.In his letter dated August 21,
Mr ... Article Continues
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CHILUBA has never had any respect for the judiciary, Task Force on
Corruption chairperson Maxwell Nkole has said. Commenting on the contradictions
by former president Frederick Chiluba, where on one hand he has asked the nation
to accept his acquittal while at the same time attacking the judiciary for
convicting his wife Regina, Nkole said Chiluba could not praise his own
acquittal while at the same time condemning his wife's conviction.He
said Chiluba should not even pretend to respect the judiciary."You can't
praise your own acquittal and condemn your wife's conviction if you have any
respect for the judiciary. He should accept his wife's conviction, and his wife
equally has a right to appeal, and has appealed. As ... Article Continues
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FORMER president Frederick Chiluba (left) yesterday said
God allowed President Rupiah Banda to be President to create an environment in
which the judiciary would freely decide on his corruption cases. And Chiluba
said it does not make legal sense that he has been acquitted, while his wife
Regina, who is charged with receiving stolen property from him was found guilty
by the courts.Addressing congregants at the Bible Gospel Church in
Africa (BIGOCA) in Lusaka's Matero compound yesterday, Chiluba said God had
proved himself strong again through his acquittal by the magistrates'
court.He said God, in His own mercy, made the acquittal possible and
that if God were with him, no one could be against him."He is in charge
of ... Article Continues
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PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda yesterday said he would have to fight hard to
avoid prison if Patriotic
Front (PF) president Michael Sata became president of Zambia. And President
Banda revealed that he could have died in prison when former president Frederick
Chiluba jailed him over the zero option but he has no grudge against the former
president.During his discussion with over thirty members of the Pastors
Fellowship of Northern Province, President Banda said he knew Sata very well and
that they were together in UNIP."But as I have said always, he is a
leader of his political party. I used to deal with him, also in UNIP we were
together, I know him very well, he knows me very well. He speaks like that from
a distance, one day ... Article Continues
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Transparency
International Zambia (TIZ) says the acquittal of former president Chiluba is
a blow to the ordinary Zambians and the fight against corruption.And PF
leader Michael Sata has said president Banda does not believe in what his
predecessor was doing.He said Levy Mwanawasa's widow Maureen has ably
reminded the people of Zambia that Mwanawasa never condoned
corruption.Mrs. Mwanawasa said during the day that late Mwanawasa never
associated with corrupt people even members of his family.She said
Zambians should remember Mwanawasa by abhorring corruption.Transparency
international Zambia president Reuben Lifuka said in a statement that the former
president's acquittal is a severe blow to several people and ... Article Continues
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During Frederick Chiluba's rise from lowly bus conductor to president
of Zambia, good fortune only deserted him once. That was when he ejected his
wife, Vera, from State House after finding her engaged in conversation – nothing
more – with a local businessman. Vera then took her revenge by joining a
vociferous and ultimately successful campaign demanding her husband's
resignation.Mr Chiluba can rejoice this week that his fortunes have
turned: the former president has been acquitted on six charges of theft. As a
devout Christian, he gave God the credit for his exoneration and hailed the
return of "the Almighty's" favour.The ruling of the Lusaka magistrates'
court is unequivocal and the former president is entitled to be ... Article Continues
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CATHOLIC
Diocese of Ndola Treasurer-General Fr. Augustine Mwewa has observed that
President Rupiah Banda had a big influence in the outcome of former
president Frederick Chiluba's corruption case.Commenting on
Chiluba's acquittal and President Banda's statement on the matter, Fr. Mwewa
charged that President Banda was insulting Zambians by thanking them for
having accepted Chiluba's acquittal.Fr. Mwewa, who spoke in his
individual capacity, said President Banda had a big influence in the outcome of
the case."Personally, I saw it coming," Fr. Mwewa said. "The moment
Chiluba entered into that relationship with Rupiah Banda and the way Rupiah
Banda related to Chiluba. Rupiah Banda is insulting us by saying that Zambians ... Article Continues
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There is a lot that is happening since Frederick Chiluba's
acquittal on Monday that raises a number of questions.Chiluba's own
acquittal raises many questions. Without attempting to delve into the merits or
demerits of Chiluba's acquittal, many people are asking how such an intelligent
magistrate, lawyer like Jones Chinyama can acquit Chiluba and at the same time
convict Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu. Faustin and Aaron were convicted for
failing to explain the K70 million that was used to buy shares for Aaron in
Access Financial Services Limited. This is interesting because Chiluba told
Chinyama that he had US $8 million in a government account whose sources he
could not explain and yet he was acquitted. We could raise ... Article Continues
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PATRIOTIC
Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has called on Zambians to remember late
president Levy Mwanawasa for his decency and desire to rid the country of
corruption, adding that currently the country is in the hands of crooks and
criminals. And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said attempts by President Rupiah
Banda to emulate late president Mwanawasa's governance have been a total
failure.Speaking ahead of tomorrow's memorial service for the late
president, Sata said there was a lot that people could learn from president
Mwanawasa."Time has run out so quickly that so soon a year has passed
since the death of that gallant man, Mwanawasa. And it's sad that people forget
easily what my late brother stood for. He stood for ... Article Continues
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NDOLA High Court registrar Jones Chinyama has acquitted
former president Frederick Chiluba on all counts of embezzling public funds
amounting to US$500,000. And Chiluba said during a post-acquittal press briefing
held at his Kabulonga residence that the devil that had tried to put a thief tag
on him for the last eight years had been dealt with.The Lusaka
magistrate's court sparked into a celebratory mood and disbelief, as Chiluba and
his plethora of jubilant supporters left the parked courtroom to the complex
main entrance.Some women erupted into song and ululations as they
shouted Hallelujah and others were flashing the MMD symbol while shouting "chwe,
chwe."Magistrate Chinyama started reading the judgment after 9.00 ... Article Continues
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Former Republican president Federick Chiluba has been acquitted by
the Lusaka magistrates' court over corruption charges he was facing involving
the theft of US $500,000.The marathon judgment delivered by Ndola High
Court Registrar Johns Chinyama, sitting as a magistrate that took about six
hours to deliver however found his co-accused Access Financial Services Limited
former directors Aaron Chungu and Faustin Kabwe guilty and have since been
jailed for three years with hard labour.According to the judgment, the
acquittal was based on the fact that the prosecution team failed to prove their
case beyond reasonable doubt on all counts against the former
president.There was wild jubilation as sympathisers chanted pro-Chiluba ... Article Continues
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Veteran politician Simon Zukas has said the sale of Zamtel
is likely to be fraudulent because the process preceding the transaction has not
been transparent.Meanwhile, most participants to the Economics
Association of Zambia (EAZ) public discussion under the theme 'Privatisation
of Zamtel - What are the Economic Benefits?' called for a peaceful demonstration
to halt the sale of three quarters of the country's biggest telecommunication
company, stating that the government has failed to heed to
dialogue.Contributing to the debate, Zukas said the hiring of RP Capital
to evaluate the net asset value of Zamtel was done without
transparency.Zukas however said it was more prudent to sell Zamtel than
to have the company ... Article Continues
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Another American university has stripped President Robert
Mugabe of his honorary law degree it had conferred on him 22 years ago, accusing
him of 'human rights violations.'The University of Massachusetts on
Wednesday said the move was the first of its kind in its 145-year
history."Rescinding an honorary degree is a step to be taken in only the
rarest and most grievous of circumstances," chairman of the schoolís board of
trustees, Robert Manning, said in a statement. "(President) Robert Mugabe's
performance and policies in Zimbabwe are so egregious as to warrant this
ultimate expression of disapproval."The university had awarded President
Mugabe with the honorary doctorate of laws degree in October 1986 for his ... Article Continues
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THE Copperbelt
University (CBU) senate has prematurely closed the institution for two
weeks.The decision was made after a special senate meeting yesterday
morning as a measure to restore a conducive learning
environment.Students rioted on Wednesday night, beating up a Kitwe
businessman Mamadi Conde, set his vehicle on fire and allegedly stole cell
phones and K200 million cash.According to a statement released by acting
registrar Mwala Sheba, the senate resolved to bring forward the end of term two
with immediate effect.A check at the campus found students leaving the
campus while others were still packing their belongings.CBU was
scheduled for closure on September 4 but the early closure entails that term
three has ... Article Continues
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SOME Copperbelt
University students on Wednesday evening attacked a businessman and stole
K200 million from him, sparking widespread condemnation by the
public.The students pounced on the businessman after he lost control of
his vehicle and plunged into a ditch when he attempted to evade the rampaging
mob, which was stoning motorists on Jambo Drive near the campus.The mob
clobbered him, set his Toyota Hilux Surf ablaze and made off with the money,
cell phones and business documents.The businessman, Mamadi Conde, 76, of
Guinean descent, is currently admitted to Hillview Medical Centre with a
fractured skull and a lacerated tongue.Copperbelt Police Chief Antoneil
Mutentwa confirmed the incident and condemned the riotous ... Article Continues
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JUDGMENT in the case where former president Frederick
Chiluba is charged with corruption has been adjourned again to Monday August 17,
2009. Chiluba's spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba announced the adjournment around
09:15 hours this morning at the Lusaka magistrate's court complex."The
court will not be sitting today, it will be sitting on Monday. The judgment has
been adjourned to Monday 09:00 hours, so we should come on Monday 09:00 hours,"
he saidAnd in an interview outside the court building, Mwamba said Ndola
High Court deputy registrar Johns Chinyama, who is sitting as magistrate in the
Chiluba case, had indicated that he was not ready to pass the judgment
yet."He called all the lawyers to his chambers and announced ... Article Continues
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UNIVERSITY of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt
University (CBU) students yesterday demanded that President Rupiah Banda
revokes the "immoral appointment" of Dora Siliya as Education
minister. In Lusaka during the class boycott, the students said they had given
President Banda, Siliya and Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde a red
card.The students who had gathered at the famous monk square were led by
University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) president Duncan
Nyirongo.During his address to the students, Nyirongo said it was
demeaning to the integrity of the nation and that of the students to have a
person who had failed to follow the laid-down procedures on national issues such
as Zamtel to serve as education ... Article Continues
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THE fate of former Republican president Federick Chiluba
over corruption charges he is facing will be known this Friday when judgment
comes up in the Lusaka Magistrates Court. The judgment to be delivered
by Ndola High Court Registrar Johns Chinyama, sitting as a magistrate, was last
month deferred to this Friday in light of the consent judgment passed to allow
Chiluba file his submissions out of the court's time.Chiluba's
corruption case closed in March this year and judgment was set for July
20.In an interview recently, Chiluba's spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba said
the parties in the matter sat in chambers after Chinyama called for a meeting in
light of the consent judgment passed to allow Chiluba file his ... Article Continues
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CATHOLIC
Diocese of Ndola treasurer general Father Augustine Mwewa has said
information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha does not deserve to be chief government
spokesman because he is shallow. And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday
said Shikapwasha's attack on the Catholic Church is close to
foolishness.Commentingon Shikapwasha's ministerial statement to Parliament
last Friday where he attacked the Catholic Church and The
Post, Fr Mwewa described Shikapwasha as being shallow and put him in the
category of pigs if it was in the situation of Animal Farm
because he was enjoying."General Shikapwasha belongs to the category of
pigs if it was in the situation of Animal Farm because he is enjoying and the
people who are ... Article Continues
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CHIEF Government Spokesperson Ronny Shikapwasha this
morning lashed out at The
Post, accusing the newspaper
of fabricating stories and inciting violence in the country. Delivering a speech
in Parliament this morning, Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information
and Broadcasting also charged that the Churches in Zambia were siding with
men instead of God."Mr. Speaker, this is the newspaper which has
continued insulting the president on a daily basis … Just recently The
Post carried the story with a headline "Zambia's envoy to South Africa,
Zuma's office have no knowledge of Banda's trip. Zuma not aware of RB's
Visit.""Mr. Speaker, before that article was published, the president
was already having a ... Article Continues
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POLICE Spokesperson Bonnie Kapeso has sympathized with journalists
who were on Wednesday beaten by MMD carders who went to cover President Banda's
return from Kampala, Uganda. Kapeso who was not in a position to comment further
on the incident said it was sad and dangerous that Post reporter Chibaula Silwamba and Anthony Mulowa
from Times
of Zambia were beaten in full view of security."I am not making any
statements on that matter because (Lusaka Division) Commanding Officer Mr.
Greenwell Ng'uni was present when that was happening and he will answer the
questions.'"But I will inform the Inspector general of Police that
journalists are very emotional. I have been to Times of Zambia, and Daily
Mail, and journalists are ... Article Continues
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THE International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed shock at what they termed
"misleading charges" slammed on Post news editor Chansa Kabwela. Director
of IFJ Africa Office Gabriel Baglo called on the government to drop the
prosecution of Kabwela."We are shocked by the misleading charges slammed
on our colleague," Baglo said. "She only made a perfectly ethical and
considerate judgment to alert the authorities to the public health crisis. She
has no case to answer and charges against her must be dropped."Baglo
said the charges against Kabwela were the more baffling because she deliberately
chose not to publish the alleged material and, instead, sent it to the
authorities."The government is seeking to ... Article Continues
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Judgement in former president Fredrick Chiluba' s cases has been
deferred to August 14, 2009.This is to allow the court to study the late
written submissions by the former president's lawyers.Judgement was
supposed to be delivered next Monday, July 20, 2009.This is in the case
where Dr. Chiluba is jointly charged with two directors of the defunct Access
Financial Service (AFS), Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu in a case involving 500
thousand US dollars (US$$$500,000).The case is heard by Ndola High Court
Deputy Registrar, Jones Chinyama, sitting as magistrate in Lusaka.The
court had set April 24 as the date by which the defence should present to court
their written submissions. But Dr. Chiluba's team had failed to present ... Article Continues
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LUSAKA lawyer Dr
Rodger Chongwe yesterday said Simeza Sangwa and Associates' demand that Chief
Justice Ernest Sakala and justice Peter Chitengi must vacate office because they
have already passed their retirement age is a very important issue and not
frivolous.In an interview, Dr Chongwe said the issue raised by Simeza
Sangwa and Associates needed to be given some attention."On the face of
it Mr Sangwa has raised a very important issue. It's not a frivolous letter,
it's a letter that deals with our Constitution. The constitutionality of the
functioning of the courts and the appointment of judges in those court," Dr
Chongwe said. "These are important concerns and we should not dismiss them, they
are not frivolous. They ... Article Continues
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President Rupiah Banda this morning teased the State House monkey
which he jokingly identified as the one that urinated on him during the press
conference last month. This was during a photo session after he swore-in the new
community development deputy minister Moses Muteteka and Principal Private
Secretary to the President, Eddie Mwanza.As President Banda walked
outside the State House building to join the new appointees for a photo session,
he looked up and said while pointing into the trees: "That monkey is still
there, it wants me to stand near the tree, I will not do that," he said before
laughing off with journalists who were covering the event.Earlier
President Banda urged his new principal private secretary ... Article Continues
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New York, July 15,
2009 --The Committee
to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrest of Zambian journalist Chansa
Kabwela on bogus charges of circulating obscene materials. Kabwela, news
editor for The
Post, was arrested on Monday for circulating two photographs of a woman
giving birth without medical aid outside the University Teaching Hospital, which
was involved in a health care worker strike at the time, the newspaper reported.
On June 10, Kabwela sent the photos with a letter to the vice-president, the
minister of health, the cabinet secretary, the archbishop of Lusaka, and two
civil society groups, urging that the strike be settled.The photos were
taken by the woman's husband, who gave them to The Post ... Article Continues
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THE Drug
Enforcement Commission (DEC) in Lusaka has arrested a Senegalese businessman
together with his Zambian wife for being in possession of US$21,000 counterfeit
notes.DEC public relations officer, John Nyawali identified the suspect
as Paul Wakazika, 38, a businessman and his Zambian wife, Trinidad Njovu of
Mandevu Township who were arrested after a tip from the public.Mr
Nyawali said yesterday that DEC had also confiscated a printing machine and
chemicals suspected to have been used in producing the notes."I can
confirm that we have arrested Mr Wakazika who is a businessman and preliminary
investigations reveal that he was assisted by his wife in the dubious activity
as he was also found in possession of a Zambian ... Article Continues
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Exclusive interview: Montreal-born author Ian Halperin says the
singer was not a child molester and that he was done in by prescription drugs
and people who took advantage of him
Michael Jackson waves to fans as he arrives for his child-molestation
trial at courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., in 2005. Montreal-born author Ian
Halperin, whose unauthorized bio on Jackson hits stores on Tuesday, says the
King of Pop "is 100 per cent not a child molester."Photograph by: Carlo
Allegri, Getty Image
MONTREAL - When Montreal-born author Ian Halperin
first set out to write the definitive Michael Jackson biography, his intention
was to nail the pop icon to the wall.It was 2005 and Jackson had just
been acquitted of ... Article Continues
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Reggae icon Bob Marley was more popular than Michael Jackson in most of
the non-white world based on web searches up to the time of Jackson's
death.Blacks, Latin-Americans and many Asians were searching for Marley
over pop icon Jackson with China and India as notable exceptions, due to limited
reggae exposure. Splash utilised Google Trends which compared as a ratio the
search activity for each artiste over time. Both artistes are said to be 'kings'
in their respective fields, and trend data tells just how important each was in
specific territories.Jackson beat Marley in all major white countries
except Portugal and Italy, with the US in a statistical tie at a ratio of 1.02
to 1.0 in favour of Jackson. It meant that for ... Article Continues
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TWO teenagers on Tuesday told the Chifubu Local Court in Ndola that
they killed over 300 people after they were allegedly initiated into satanism by
Kamba Ward PF councillor, Oscar Himanga, eight years ago.The teenagers
were testifying in their defence, in a case in which they have been sued for
defamation by the councillor.According to a writ of claim, Mr Himanga
alleged that the two boys, aged 13 and 14 years old, defamed his character while
acting together.He was claiming compensation for defamation.The
second defendant, who is 13 years old, told the Local Court magistrates Amos
Banda and Rose Muke that when he was five years old, his neighbour, Mr Himanga,
asked him and his friend, the co-defendant, to help him carry ... Article Continues
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THE 48-hour ultimatum given by the Communications
Authority of Zambia (CAZ) to Zain
Zambia to resolve cellular phone network problems is welcome.The
two-day time frame in which the cellular phone company is required to put its
house in order should be a wake-up call to all other utilities and services
providers.Every service that is provided to the end user,as is the case
withphysical goods, comes at a price which the end user is obliged to pay for.
In other words, it is a commercia ltransaction in which money is exchanged for
the services rendered.This implicitly infers contractual obligations on
both parties.Wheresuch a service is of such poor quality that the end
use rhas partial or no access at all,it becomes an ... Article Continues
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FORMER LOCAL
Government and Housing minister,
Sylvia Masebo has said her successor, Benny Tetamashimba was part of a
management decision that agreed to buy the 100 hearses.She said Mr
Tetamashimba, who was her deputy then, should, therefore, desist from claiming
to be ignorant of the procurement process.Speaking at a Press briefing
in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Masebo, however, said the payments were done after she
had left the ministry but were signed for by officials at the time that Mr
Tetamashimba was in charge.Ms Masebo called the briefing to explain the
purchase of the hearses, the issue of office construction on Plot 4648, Los
Angeles Boulevard at Lusaka Girls and the 'Make Zambia Clean and Healthy' ... Article Continues
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LOCAL
Government and Housing Minister Benny Tetamashimba has reported his
predecessor Sylvia Masebo to the Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) and the auditor general concerning the purchase of hearses
from China.Mr Temashimba said in an interview yesterday that he had
directed his permanent secretary, Coillard Chibbonta, to report the matter to
the ACC and the auditor general's office for investigations.He said that
as minister, he had his own suspicions because a single hearse could not cost
US$29,000 and that was the reason he directed the permanent secretary to report
anybody who was suspected to have benefitted from the transaction."I
believe that there were irregularities in the transaction and if it is proved
that ... Article Continues
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PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has advised Zambians to be wary of
people whose sole aim is creating conflicts among citizens.Mr Banda said
it was sad that there were people who were bent on making Zambians fight among
themselves.The president said this at State House after he swore in Dora
Siliya as Minister of Education,
chief of staff at State
House Austin Sichinga, Drug
Enforcement Commissioner (DEC) Aaron Zulu and several other permanent
secretaries."I am asking the country not to join those whose business is
to make Zambians fight one another," he said.Mr Banda said he was happy
that Ms Siliya had cleared herself of allegations, which were leveled against
her while she served as Communications
and Transport minister ... Article Continues
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The tragedy of Michael Jackson's death at age 50, reportedly
from cardiac arrest, pales in comparison to the tragedy of his life. To
understand all that Jackson had and lost requires wiping away three decades of
plastic surgeries that deformed him, erratic behavior that made his name
synonymous with the warping powers of fame, and a 2005 trial for sexually
abusing a child that, even though he was spared of any finding of wrongdoing,
made him a pariah to all but the most brainwashed of fans.But if you can
forgive or forget all that, underneath was one of the most talented entertainers
of the 20th century. Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson's quintessential solo
albums, was devastated by the news of his passing. ... Article Continues
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(CNN) -- Entertainer Michael
Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac
arrest, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said. He was 50.A Los
Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home
after a 911 call.Paramedics took Jackson from his west Los Angeles home
Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted
to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said his brother Jermaine Jackson. He
said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT.An autopsy is
scheduled Friday, Jermaine Jackson said. Results are expected Friday afternoon,
according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles coroner's office, who added that ... Article Continues
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MOST people in the west, in their
blogs, have often attacked Dambisa Moyo personally and not professionally. But
clearly, she is not interested in personal attacks. This, she revealed on her recent visit to Zambia,
where she held two public talks at the Ridgeway Sun and the Pamodzi
Hotel.A member of the audience questioned her thoughts on aid when she
does not live in Africa.Her response? "Next question." And that is
typical of Dambisa. Indeed colouring criticism with personal attacks is a tried
and tested way of side-stepping the issues and providing a smoke screen when
faced with a valid argument.Jeffrey Sachs used this tactic recently in
one of his postings. In responding to her former lecturer at Harvard, she ... Article Continues
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THE Law
Association of Zambia (LAZ) has summoned former Finance and National
Planning permanent secretary, Stella Chibanda's lawyers over their conduct in
relation to a court case.High Court deputy director of court operations
Edward Musona referred lawyers Nicholas Chanda and Edgar Lungu to the LAZ to
examine their conduct after they failed to appear in court to defend their
client without any convincing excuse.Mr Musona previously warned the
lawyers in the same case for failing to appear in court.LAZ executive
secretary, Edward Sakala said in a letter to Mr Musona and copied to Mr Chanda
and Lungu that the court proceedings in the matter should proceed pending its
report.The letter said the legal practitioners ... Article Continues
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THE State has submitted that the court should convict former Second
Republican president, Frederick Chiluba and his two co-accused persons, former
directors of Access Financial Services (AFS), Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu on
all the 12 counts they are each charged with.The State submitted that
the evidence before the court proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the
accused persons committed the offences under each count in respect of which they
stand charged.This is in the case in which Chiluba, Chungu and Kabwe are
charged with theft of public funds amounting to over US$500,000.The
State submitted that the monies were paid out in favour of beneficiaries other
than the Government, or deposited in private accounts a ... Article Continues
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Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been forced to cut
short an event where he was addressing Zimbabwean exiles due to
jeering.Mr Tsvangirai was addressing more than 1,000 exiles, whom he
urged to return home to rebuild the country, during an event at London's
Southwark Cathedral.But his appeal was poorly received as questions were
raised over assurances he made about the country's stability.Mr
Tsvangirai's UK visit is the final stage of a tour of Europe and the
US.He has been seeking funding for the unity government he formed with
President Robert Mugabe in February.Mr Tsvangirai, the leader of the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change who became prime minister in the
power-sharing deal, said the ... Article Continues
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