Friday, June 12, 2009

Return to work, teachers unions tell members

All Teachers’ unions in Zambia have now appealed to their members to return to work after they signed a 15% increment agreement with the Government.

The Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) and the Zambia Union of Teachers (ZNUT) separately said they have accepted the 15 per cent salary increment and now urge their members to immediately return to work.

BETUZ general secretary Cosmas Mukuka said the union would go round the country to explain circumstances leading to the 15% settlement. He said the union leadership had discovered that the strike was instigated by people who were not members of the union who had organised meetings to incite teachers to down tools. He said the agreement signed with the Government clearly stated that negotiations for housing allowance would continue and that there was a proposal to set up a technical committee to look at housing.

“We agreed with our members that we deal with salaries first and then the housing allowance because if the salary is increased the housing allowance has to be increased as well,” Mukuka said.

ZNUT general secretary Newman Bubala said since the union and the Government had signed the 15 per cent salary increment, teachers should return to work. He explained that although teachers may think that the 15 per cent increment was not enough, the union could not go any further considering the economic situation. He said the union had not been compromised but accepted the offer in a give and take spirit because of the current economic woes.

“We are not saying that this is the best but that is how far we could go under the circumstances,” he said.

Education Permanent Secretary Lillian Kapulu said the Government and the three teachers’ unions signed the 15 per cent salary increment. She also appealed to teachers to resume work because the Government had signed the 15 per cent salary increment with BETUZ, ZNUT and the Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ).

Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) board secretary Clementine Mumba urged nurses and other health workers to resume work for the sake of patients. Ms Mumba said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the strike had created a negative effect, especially on the health of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Acting Health Minister Mike Mulongoti called for patriotism from striking health workers in their demands for pay rise and urged them to start work immediately.

Mr Mulongoti said that the on going strike had been politicised as evidenced by the display of placards with political messages.

The minister said although negotiations would continue between the Government and striking workers, there was no immediate intention to increase the payrise to more than 15 per cent.

Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) president Crispin Moyo said at a media briefing June 11 that the junior doctors had decided to down tools following numerous problems they faced. Dr Moyo said the Government had on several occasions made verbal promises that it did not implement.

Resident doctors at the Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) and Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital (ADH) joined the strike yesterday and maintained that they would only resume work when nurses and other health workers resumed duties.

RDA Ndola president Bright Nsokolo said in a statement that the doctors at the two hospitals had decided to suspend their duties.

A check in schools and hospitals in Livingstone showed that student nurses were still attending to patients at hospitals and only head of departments and teachers on attachment were teaching in schools.

Civil servants in Solwezi remained adamant despite an announcement of their unions agreeing on a 15 per cent salary increment with the Government.

MPS at NCC question PF's double standards

Patriotic Front (PF) Members of Parliament (MPs) and councillors attending the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) have questioned the party leadership's double standards for embracing MPs from the United Party for National Development (UPND) who are also attending the conference while rejecting them.

Spokesperson for the MPs and councillors, Peter Machungwa says it is surprising that the PF has entered into a pact with the UPND when that party's MPs are attending the NCC which the PF leadership has opposed to. Addressing a media briefing in Lusaka June 11 Machungwa said his group sees a contradiction in the move by the PF leadership to denounce its own MPs for attending the conference when on the other hand it embraces the UPND MPs.

And Machungwa said his group had distanced themselves from the brutal attack on two members of the party who were expressing their views at Court Yard Hotel in Lusaka by some PF cadres. He said the MPs had taken this position because they had waited silently and patiently for the party leadership to distance the party from the violent attacks on Samson Zulu and Mubanga Chileshe.

“We are convinced that in our democratic dispensation, the right to freely express ourselves and air our opinions no matter how divergent is absolute. The culture of violence must be condemned by all progressive party members. Dr Machungwa said it was unacceptable to beat up people because they held different views.

Now Dr Simon Miti is warned and cautioned

Simon Miti, the former Health permanent secretary, was June 11 warned and cautioned in connection with the financial scam involving more than K27 billion belonging to the Government. Dr Miti’s lawyer Rabson Malipenga told Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) that his client was interrogated for more than five hours at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) offices in Lusaka. Dr Miti is the first senior Government official to have been warned and cautioned in connection with the investigations currently underway at the Ministry of Health.

Corruption - whose corruption?

Because of recent revelations from the Auditor General and the Anti-corruption Commission's expose of ZMK10 billion (US$2,000,000)at ministry of health Zambia has been inundated by various papers purporting to investigate or reveal or even analyse the current situation in the country. Here presented is one of the papers making its rounds.

WHO PERPETRATED THE CORRUPTION IN THE NEW SCAMS AND REVELATIONS
Rupiah Banda’s government is only six months in power, yet it is blamed for the corruption revealed in the 2007 Auditor General’s Reports, the USD53m purchase of mobile hospitals, the purchase of USD2.9m 100 Hearses, the K27billion scam at Ministry of Health and others. But is he to blame? What is this campaign attempting to achieve?

Corruption - whose corruption?
While many people are genuinely shocked at the extent and blatant acts of corruption at the Ministry of Health, it is however, not surprising to the critics who opposed the major policy shift that President Levy Mwanawasa undertook at the Ministry.
The rot at the Ministry of Health is rooted in one single decision made by the government of Mwanawasa.

On 25th July 2004, President Mwanawasa announced that he would abolish the Central Board of Health (CBoH) arguing that it employed the bulk of health professionals leaving hospitals and clinics unmanned. He also accused CBoH of carrying similar functions as that of the Ministry of Health.

This position was supported by his Minister of Health, Dr. Brain Chituwo and his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Simon Miti.

Chituwo informed the nation that to carry out the dissolution, government needed K400 billion to cover the cost of the structural changes and also required statutory amendments to the National Health Services act of 1992.

He said that since cooperating partners had pledged to meet some costs of this transformation, he hoped that they supported the dissolution idea.
When Dr. Simon Miti pushed hard for the abolition of Central Board of Health (CBoH), many didn’t see the sense or fathom the logic behind it.

This is because CBoH was a successful and efficient health delivery system that had ensured that healthcare country wide was delivered while the Ministry of Health remained preoccupied with policy issues and only played supervisory and regulatory roles.

The formation of CBoH was central in the reforms and changes that came with Democracy in 1991. The changes were designed to improve health service delivery. Like other services weaned off government such as collection of taxes (Zambia revenue Authority (ZRA) transformed from Customs Department) and delivery of road, traffic and infrastructure services (Road Development Agency (RDA) and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA)), it was critical that Ministry of Health was left with policy and supervisory issues while providing health care was done through an streamlined agency.

CBOH was an autonomous body delivering health to Zambians in a more efficient and professional manner. To achieve government goal of delivering equitable access to cost-effective and quality health care to the family, government in 1992 embarked on ambitious health sector reforms that saw the creation of CBoH through an act of Parliament, the National Health Services Act of 1992.

The Act created an autonomous health service body that left the Ministry of Health to rightly deal with policies and care for hospital and clinics infrastructure. The management and delivery of health care was left to CBoH.

There was a trouble in this arrangement for the corrupt few. Donors and government disbursed funds directly to CBoH. Accountability was high and authority over the expenditure of this money was diverse.

The Ministry of Health is key to the development of the country and receives 15% of the National Budget as funding and 42% of project monies from multilateral and cooperating partners to Zambia goes to it.

They needed to centralise all funds received from donors and government and place it under one single authority. For until the ministry was a monolithic structure laden with layers of bureaucratic structure, their plan could not work. Crime thrives in chaos not in transparent and accountable systems. CBoH was a clear danger to them!
They pushed for the immediate abolition of CBoH claiming that the board tied too many skilled and, senior and technical health workers to administrative roles.
They succeeded.

In 2005, Parliament passed amendments to the National Health Services Act which saw the immediate abolition of CBoH. The Board’s roles quickly reverted to the Ministry of Health and consequently to Chituwo and Miti. So began the crime. It was dastard in nature and bold in its impunity.

Most of the money from western donors is designed to cater for costs of awareness and education of health workers. In Zambian parlance, it’s called Workshops!
Regular funds from cooperating partners were targeted. Also funds that came from the President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and funds from the Global Funds against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria. And funds from the National Budget.
A nursing school was quickly set up and friendly lodges were recruited or built to cater for the workshops. And a friendly banker in Suresh Gupta was available.

The Ministry of Health receives a fifth of Zambia’s national Budget. It receives corresponding and similar funding from western and cooperating partners and donors.
Yet all this money is kept at a small bank with only one branch in Zambia. - First Alliance Bank.

The bank is run by Astro Holdings Chief, Suresh Gupta, like Rajahn Mahtani, is no stranger to financial controversies and dealings, and has a way of using money to skirt out of troublesome issues.

What started as small and minor role of banking transactions by Ministry of Health at First Alliance Bank under Dr. Kashiba Bulaya has over the years grown under Dr. Simon Miti, to house Ministry of Health main kwacha and forex accounts.
This is an extremely expensive way to deliver Health care in Zambia as the bank only has one single branch based at Bata House (Now Alliance House after Astro Holdings bought the building from Zambia Bata Shoe Company at a cost of USD1.6m) in Cairo Road.

It means that bank transaction attract costly fees and charges as the small bank has to use bigger banks such as ZANACO, Barclays, Standard Chartered and Finance Bank to channel funding for the ministry to its outlying hospitals and clinics and salary payments to health workers country-wide.

Dr. Bulaya after many years away from the ministry and currently in prison still receives a monthly stipend from First Alliance Bank! One wonders what benefits Dr. Simon Miti receives after ‘enhancing’ the financial relation of Ministry of Health with the Bank.

Investigators are also looking at Gupta’s other banking transactions. The bank is said to keep record and transaction of its valued and personal customers in the strictest of confidence. A separate ledger is kept and managed by Gupta himself away from the prying eyes of the bank staff and regulators. It is this ledger that has attracted attention from investigators. Dr. Simon Miti and others are said to appear on this ledger. So is Mrs. (Dr.) Maureen Mwanawasa who is said to have USD10million (K47bln) in her account! Could be the reason Maureen demanded to be Banda’s Vice, or his Minister of Health?


WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE THEFT AT MoH
The extent of the theft of public monies for the period currently under review 2008 and partly 2009 is over K27billion. But the theft is said to be as high as K64billion since 2006.

In these recent revelations, most of the monies have been paid to a newly established nursing school housed at a private house in Chudleigh, Lusaka.
The school, ESU Nursing School has received over K7billion (USD1.2m) just in 2008, on the pretext that it is training government nurses, mid-wives and clinical officers and the continuous training of health workers through workshops.
This is more money given to a single and private institution than government and legitimate nursing training institutions ever receive from the Ministry. These government nursing schools are lying in a state of disrepair and are run under deplorable conditions. Yet ESU Nursing School was paid over K7billion in one year!
One of the Directors to ESU Nursing School is Joshua Ushibantu Simpaya, a Ministry of Health employee! However it is known that such persons as Simpaya and Henry Kapoko are mere fronts holding such assets in trust for the big fishes in loftier positions.

The now infamous civil servant Henry Kapoko received over K10 billion for his lodge Best Home Lodge based in Roma, and for his other companies Hesaka Enterprise, Kahekam ltd. Other notable recipient was Royal College of Business and Management (Royal Secretarial and Management College) received K4.3billion in 2008.

HOW KAPOKO ‘MESSED’ UP EVERYONE
Thanks to a jilted lover, the lid has been blown that exposes the worst corruption cases in Zambia. Rudo Tukuza Chitengu, a planner at the Ministry of Health who has a child with Henry Kapoko vowed to bring Kapoko down after a ‘marital’ dispute in February 2009.

When Kapoko broke her arm in an ensuing fight, she reported him to the Police for assault and occasioning serious bodily harm. She lamented at the Police that she had been in a longstanding relationship with Kapoko and would not allow him to leave her for his other numerous girlfriends. She cried that she was only expected to fight with Kapoko’s wife and not fight about his girlfriends!

She promised to bring his arrogant ‘ass’ down and bring his financial empire and that of his ‘bosses’ to the drain. She took matters in her own hands and made frequent visits to Kulima House (where the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is housed).

Kapoko accuses her of demanding K75million for the assault case and that he since paid her K25 million. He also accuses her of having a relationship with Simon Miti.
This resulted in a sensational case where Kapoko has been exposed. ACC picked Kapoko and restricted and seized his newly acquired assets. Among the assets seized is an executive lodge, Best Home Lodge built in Roma.

Other vehicles impounded were two 4X4s, a BMW X5, and a GM Hammer. The ACC also seized two Mercedes Benz cars, two Lexus cars, a 30 tonne Nissan Truck, two pick-ups, a Mazda and Ford Ranger. To seek ‘protection’ Kapoko quickly offered his new but ill-gotten wealth to political parties and attempted to ingratiate himself to its leaders. Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata was among the beneficiary. He was given undisclosed amount of money and he held several meeting at the lodge.
Also, Rupiah Banda’s consultants during elections, from Bell Portinger a UK, PR and publicist specialist are said to have stayed at Best Home lodge. Benny Tetamashimba speaking on behalf of the MMD has refuted that the consultants stayed at the lodge stating that they lodged at Bennie Lodge in Kabulonga, (Former Nkhoma’s property).
Although acting as a whistle blower, Rudo Tukuza Chitengu has not been spared! She used her own ill gotten wealth received from Kapoko, to illustrate how Kapoko, Miti and others stole public monies.

The ACC has however acted prudently seeing through Rudo’s anger and intention. The ACC has consequently seized or restricted Rudo’s flat no 27 ZNBS Complex in Musonda Ngosa Road in Villa Elizabetha. Her account at Intermarket Banking Corporation with a K200million deposit has been frozen. Her mother’s (Ann Ngoma) assets have also been frozen. Rudo’s assets in shares at ZANACO and ZAIN have also been restricted.
Further her government bonds valued at K350million has been restricted including cash amounts seized while conducting a search at her house. Rudo is also among the 32 workers suspended and being investigated at the Ministry of Health.

OLD CORRUPTION, HOW OLD?
It is clear that recent revelations of suspected corruption cases were actually committed during the reign of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. Ministers defending Rupiah Banda are always at pains stating that the corruption being exposed occurred before Banda took office. They continue to remind Zambians that Banda has only held for six months. Yet they can’t call a spade a spade - that this corruption actually occurred under Mwanawasa’s reign and by him or his officials. There is a lot of trouble with that line. And Fred Mmembe and The Post are sensitive to how corruption cases are exposed. So are the western donors! There is an attempt to depict Mwanawasa’s corruption as civil servants' corruption enjoying no political support or involvement from State House.
T
he empire portrays the cases in a manner that does not touch ‘Mr Integrity’ for they had washed him so white that they are guarding the ‘legacy’ with jealous.
But the legacy was painted so falsely white, that every new revelation is making a stain, a conspicuous blot! One wonders how long the lie will hold that Mr. Integrity was not so clean after all and he was soiled by his corrupt acts and that of his wife.

And that the charade and mirage created while ‘fighting’ corruption faces collapse, as their own theft and corruption is catching up. The so called Fight against Corruption will stand as exposed as the acts of corruption they hid.
The day of reckoning is making dreadful calling and coming. How will the donors explain the millions of dollars spent in the so called Fight against Corruption? What happened to ‘Zero Tolerance against Corruption Policy’? How could the game rangers turn on the Game? The Game the nation trusted them to keep? And chose to become the worst poachers?

It is no wonder that the cases of corruption are reported in a strange and skewed manner. It is either reported as Frederick Chiluba’s corruption the man that left office 9 years ago or Rupiah Banda’s corruption, the man who only ascended to this office six months ago!

The Mwanawasa period is skipped with such skill that it is difficult to recognise that the worst corruption in Zambia in fact, occurred under Mwanawasa, under his watch, mostly by his family, his friends and his officials! Many are joking that what occurred under Mwanawasa’s reign was in fact not corruption. It was just THEFT! Grand THEFT!

Take for example press reports emanating from the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament that is discussing the Auditor General’s report. The misappropriation and irregularities are cast in bold exposure that you might not notice that the report under discussion and on the table is a 2007 Auditor General’s Report! And no mention is made to who was in power in 2007!

And the opposition have not helped matters. United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema issued a statement stating that ‘I miss Levy (Mwanawasa); Corruption under Rupiah’s government has worsened!’
Reuben Lifuka, Head of Transparency International also issued a statement claiming that the political will to fight corruption is NOT as strong as it used to be under Levy Mwanawasa.

Mwanawasa could have shouted loudest against corruption. It is another matter if he really fought COORUPTION! Although he fought his political adversaries with a whip of corruption, this does not mean that he was fighting corruption. It is clear that they do not recognise that Banda is in a dilemma. If he chooses to fight corruption, the immediate victims and culprits will be Maureen Mwanawasa, her family empire and the so called ‘legacy’. For he might find himself in the same position as Mwanawasa, where he will be accused of ‘fighting’ those that brought him and favoured him with the privileges of power.

Transparency International, western donors and The Post have perpetuated a myth that fighting corruption is jailing Chiluba and his officials! Unfortunately, fighting corruption is a much higher principle and would require and mean that WHOEVER has dipped their hands in the public purse and kitty should be brought to book without exception.

If this was followed, it will without doubt, bring in sharp focus the strong allegations of corruption against Levy and Maureen Mwanawasa, Mutembo Nchito, Mark Chona, Fred Mmembe and others who have helped themselves to public monies. They should be exposed and be brought to book.

But how could the ‘angels’ of the Fight against Corruption be involved in stealing public funds and with such impunity? The very fight against corruption was their shield as focus and attention was deliberately cast elsewhere! It is for this reason that Mmembe has busied Rupiah Banda with corruption allegations so that the nation can skip scrutiny of Mwanawasa’s serious allegations of corruption and observe only Chiluba’s allegations and jump to Rupiah Banda’s rule. History repeats itself. Earlier The Post helped the nation skip allegations of corruption against Kenneth Kaunda’s rule.

A Taskforce was even instituted with official and express limits to probe only Chiluba’s rule! They foolishly portrayed Corruption in Zambia as starting and ending with only Frederick Chiluba. Not Kaunda and not Mwanawasa!

And similar attempts are being made to make the nation jump to corruption allegations against Rupiah Banda and avoid Mwanawasa’s? And The Post is a veteran institution at providing the nation with such ‘skilful guidance’.
T
he allegations of corruption against Banda’s government have also helped Mmembe as the Zambian Airways issue is now shelved on the list of priorities. Mmembe and his friends in the donor community have piled pressure on Banda that the focus has now shifted away from them to the ‘new’ scandals! But it is now clear that attempt by Rupiah Banda’s enemies to depict him as corrupt and selfish has back fired. It has now emerged that the corruption being exposed as Banda’s corruption is in fact occurred or was sown under Mwanawasa.

USD53M FOR MOBILE HOSPITALS
When Department For International Development (DFID), head Joy Hutcheon ‘leaked’ documents to The Post about the mobile hospital purchases many were quick to call the deal as corrupt and placed President Rupiah Banda at the centre of the deal.
Yet the deal is old.

In order to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health, government planned two years ago and under Dr. Simon Miti/ Dr. Brian Chituwo that government should construct 15 more hospitals in 19 districts. The Ministry of Health 5 year national strategic plan covering the period 2006-2011 also envisioned these expansions in infrastructure and health service delivery.

Further those mobile hospitals should be procured to compliment the long-term investments in construction of hospitals and clinics. The investment is required so that Zambia can attempt to attain the UN MDGs by 2015.

The mobile hospitals were to be procured from China with a USD53m loan from that country’s Export and Import Bank (EX-IM Bank). The equipment would be procured from China’s industrial giant China National Aero Technology Import and Export (CATIC).
DFID and other donors seem too object to this deal because the procurement is being done outside Crown Agents (managers of Medical Stores), outside their plans and their preferred suppliers.

The donors even threatened to with-hold aid to the health sector if government went ahead with this Chinese deal. Many should remember that in 2003, DFID offered Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe a loan of USD42 million to buy Anti Retrovirals (ARVs)! Only when international charity organisation raised alarm that Africa was being laden with ‘stupid’ and unsustainable debts such as the DFID ARVs debt that they offered to convert it to a grant! How could they give a loan of USD42 million for a purpose that would last few months and was not sustainable but allow these country a long-term loan?

The threats against Banda’s administration have nothing to do with either the mobile hospital deal. Some donors have even now used the recent scam at the Ministry of Health to freeze aid to the health sector. Sweden and Denmark have announced that this year’s funding to the sector will be withheld until investigations are completed in the fraud at Ministry of Health. The threats lie in politics and in a grander plan.

THE 100 HEARSES –COST USD29M
The deal was mooted under Silvia Masebo and has seen the procurement of 100 Hearses by the Ministry of local Government. The vehicles are meant to be used by districts to help people burry the departed with dignity. Although the cause is noble, it is said that the true costs of the 100 Vehicles is USD900, 000.00 and not the inflated USD2.9miilion as each vehicle is said to cost USD9000 and not the USD29, 000.00.
Masebo budgeted for K8billion (USD2.9m) but owing to exchange rate fluctuations, the cost is now K14billion.

CONCLUSION
The Post and its seasonal allies have ratcheted up the political pressure against Rupiah Banda’s government. They are succeeding in portraying Banda’s administration as corrupt and inept. Their list of acts of ‘corruption’ is growing. There are counting: The award of a contract worth USD2.0million to R. P. Capitals of Cayman Islands to value ZAMTEL assets. The cancelled deal to supply, install and commission of air traffic management surveillance radar systems at Lusaka and Livingstone Airports.

They now include the USD53million for mobile hospitals and USD2.9million for Hearses. They are also citing the amendments and transformation of the law relating to the Zambia National Tender Board now changed to Zambia Public Procurement Authority. The amendments although mooted by the Mwanawasa administration are now a source of accusation that Banda wishes to facilitate corruption through this change of the law which gives more latitude to controlling officers.

And the ‘cream’ of it is the theft of billions of Kwacha by ‘civil servants’ at Ministry of Health. Some cooperating partners are freezing aid and PF leader Michael Sata is attempting to create an election fever. He has embarked on a country-wide tour drawing crowds in his campaigns. Clearly one could admire the skills, though evil of The Post in managing to bring ‘crises’ to Banda’s doorstep.
The aim is to make Banda succumb to public pressure and befriend The Post and drop all investigations against Mmembe, Mutembo Nchito, Maureen Mwanawasa and others.

This will restore them to a position where they dictate the pace and direction of their brand of the Fight against Corruption. They also wish to ‘restore’ national hatred and interest, and strong feelings of antipathy against Frederick Chiluba as days hurtle towards July 20th 2009! They also hope to slow down tremendously, the perception of corruption fast emerging against the administration of Levy Mwanawasa. The blemishes and dark spots against ‘Mr. Integrity’ are sprouting everywhere on his white washed image. The marks appear indelible and might hurt the grandiose memorial plans currently underway!

The war is becoming desperate and it is clear that this empire is determined to collapse a legitimate and elected government. Will Rupiah Banda succumb? Will he drop the strong stance he has taken against the empire? Or will he go for the Jugular?

Minister of Local Government Benny Tetamashimba at a recent press conference promised the nation that the country will be shocked with the new corruption revelations coming! He called it the Mother of all Corruption in Zambia. He also urged Zambians to note the gender of his terminology! The Mother of All Corruption! Teta, Zambia is watching, Zambia is waiting!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

RB has a knee operation

President Rupiah Banda on June 11 underwent a successful minor orthopaedic procedure for a knee problem that has been troubling him in recent days. Medical Doctors who conducted the procedure called arthroscopy said the minor operation was very successful and the President is expected to make a complete recovery within a short period of time. He is expected to be discharged from hospital late June 11.

President Banda is in South Africa with other regional leaders attending the ongoing World Economic Forum in Cape Town. The president on June 10 held closed-door bilateral talks with his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma and Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga on the sidelines of the Forum.

Sata, PF MPs attack Chizyuka over Hakainde should be leader of Pact proposal

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata says it is too early to pick a presidential candidate for his party and the United Party for National Development (UPND) pact. Commenting on Robby Chizyuka's proposal that Hakainde as leader of the pact Sata said there is still time before picking a presidential candidate.

“Between now and 2011, anything can happen to both the young and the old,” Sata said and added that Chizyuka was not speaking on behalf of the UPND.

“Who is Chizyuka? He is just an MP. He is not speaking on behalf of UPND,” he said.

And Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili alleges that Chizyuka is being used to declare Hichilema as the right candidate for the PF-UPND pact. He says Chizyuka could be used by people who do not want the pact to work because it is premature for people to start commenting on a candidate for the 2011 elections. He said the pact has appointed a National Governing Council (NGC) which will choose the presidential candidate. But he added that Chizyuka is entitled to his own opinion.

And Mazabuka MP Garry Nkombo says both Hichilema and Sata are good enough for the job. He says as members of the pact, they will support either of the two candidates to be picked by the NGC. He, however said it is too early to start discussing issues of a presidential candidate for the pact.

“For the moment, we are faithful followers of the pact. Who becomes the candidate is not an issue at the moment. It may become an issue in future when the NGC meets to decide. So, there is no need for controversy and there is no reason for people to be anxious,” he said.

Mandevu MP Jean Kapata said it is not yet time to discuss who the candidate for the pact should be.

“We have just started this process, so, the UPND member of Parliament (Major Chizyuka) can’t say that. We have not reached that stage yet,” he said.

And Moomba MP Vitalis Mooya said it is better to leave the presidential candidate issue in the hands of the NGC.

“It is too early for that. What is important is for us to consolidate the pact,” he said.

Bweengwa MP Highvie Hamududu said the pact will choose a presidential candidate when the time is right.

Workers Strike: Government media claims agreement has been reached but other reports dispute this

Government media June 9 and 10 has carried stories claiming the state and public service workers union representatives had agreed on a 15 percent salary and wage increment for civil servants. the reports appear to be disputed in private media reports which suggest the 15 percent offer has been rejected by the workers.

Chief Government spokesperson and information minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha, announced the agreement on the award of the salary increase in a statement issued in Lusaka June 9. Shikapwasha said the agreement was announced in Lusaka June 9 by public service workers’ union representatives and the Government negotiating team when they briefed Secretary to the Cabinet, Joshua Kanganja about the progress made so far.

“Government wishes to inform the public that considerable progress has been made towards finalising an agreement on the ongoing salary/wage negotiations for public service workers,” he said.

The minister said during the meeting, the bargaining unit also agreed to constitute a joint technical committee to deal with the outstanding issues of housing allowances. He said it was further agreed that the signing of all the collective agreements will be concluded by tomorrow.

“In view of this positive development, the Government is urging all public service workers to continue working normally,” he said. Public service workers in various parts of the country have gone on strike citing delayed negotiations for salary increases and payment of housing allowances.


And usaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani has appealed to striking civil servants to resume work. He made the appeal at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.

“I visited the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and the situation on the ground is very bad because people are being turned away. Pupils at Munali secondary school also decided to demonstrate, which is very risky,’’ Mangani said.

Mangani accused some opposition political parties of inciting the striking civil servants. He charged that a group of people has been paid by some opposition political parties to go round the country and incite civil servants with the aim of tarnishing the image of President Banda. He was however quick to point out that there were some genuine concerns raised by the civil servants and that Government will address them.

“Political parties are expected to help resolve the problem and not to fuel it. They are undermining the authority of an elected Government,’’ Mangani said. He alleged that people who are being investigated for corrupt practices were inciting workers so that the attention can be diverted.

And Ministry of Health has clarified media reports that the health workers’ union has bargained for a 100 percent salary increase. Health spokesperson Reuben Mbewe said the report quoting Ministry of Health permanent secretary Velepi Mtonga is incorrect and misleading.

RB Consoles People of Gabon

President Rupiah Banda on June 20 sent a message of condolences to the Government and People of Gabon following the death of that country’s leader Al-Haji Omar Bongo Ondimba who died in Spain following a heart attack. Bongo was in Spain on treatment for cancer since May 2009.

The president said he knew too well how grieved and traumatized the people of Gabon feel at the loss of their Head of State because Zambia went through the same experience when President Levy Mwanawasa died in August 2008. He wished the first family his sincere condolences and deep sympathies during the period of mourning and he prayed to God to provide strength and solace to the people of Gabon as they forge national unity and development. The statement was issued from Cape Town, South Africa where the president is attending the international business forum.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Health workers reject 15% as strike spreads across ministries and countrywide

Ministry of health workers on the Copperbelt have rejected an offer for a 15 per cent salary increase and resolved to continue with the strike. Health workers from Ndola and Kitwe resolved this during a meeting held at the Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) June 9.

Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) Ndola district chairperson, Joy Beene told the workers that Government has offered them a 15 percent pay rise. He alleged that Government has indicated that it is not willing to negotiate beyond the 15 percent salary increase and that it is ready to declare a dispute.

“This means that they can’t negotiate because the negotiations have stalled. They will call a conciliator and if they fail to agree, the matter will be taken to court,” Beene said.

He also said the Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) has also resolved to go on strike if Government does not meet the demands of health workers. Beene accused some national union leaders of allegedly being comfortable with the proposed 15 percent salary increase.

“But our members have refused the 15 percent salary increment, they have resolved to continue with the strike,” he said. Beene said the national union leaders should address the workers in order to clarify the allegations of accepting a 15 percent pay rise.

UPND on the Copperbelt threatens to rock Pact with PF

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) on the Copperbelt has threatened to disassociate itself from the pact with the Patriotic Front if Roan member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili continues to insult the people of North-Western province. In a statement issued June 9 Copperbelt UPND provincial trustee Setty Chitukutuku says Kambwili's alleged insults against the people of North Western province must stop as the practice was having a negative effect on the people from the region.

Chitukutuku who is also Lunda Cultural Association of Zambia (LCAZ) national trustee appealed to PF president Michael Sata to counsel Kambwili against practising divisive politics.

“If Kambwili will not be stopped within five days, the Lunda Cultural Association of Zambia will not hesitate to call upon all the people of the province to disassociate themselves and refuse to support the present negotiation between Sata and Hakainde Hichilema,” he said.

He said Kambwili was a senior PF member who should not continue denouncing other tribes.

“As people of the province with a stake in UPND, we cannot get involved or associate with a group of people who continue to insult us. If the leadership of PF and UPND do not correct the situation urgently, we will come up with measures that may affect both parties. We need peace as Zambia equally needs peace,” Chitukutuku said.

But Kambwili reiterated that he has never insulted the people of North Western province and warned that he would take legal action against Chitukutuku whom he accused of being an MMD sympathiser.
“I think enough is enough. I will take Chitukutuku to court so that he can state where I insulted the people of North Western province. The MMD knows that the PF-UPND pact will kick them out of office come 2011. If Chitukutuku himself does not support the pact, then so be it, but I want the people of North Western province to know that I did not insult them,” Kambwili said.

Parties set up council to run Pact, says Kakoma

The Patriotic Front )PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) have set up an 18-man national governing council (NGC) to run the pact and identify a presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections.

UPND information and publicity chairperson Charles Kakoma announced June 9 saying that the council has equal representation from the two political parties.
“The national governing council will decide how the process involving the pact will move,” Kakoma said but added that it was too early for the council to pick a presidential candidate.
“We can’t pick a presidential candidate before we work on our strategies. We want to take a step at a time. We are still discussing on how to perfect the pact so that we remove the MMD, come 2011,” he said.

He said the pact will concentrate on strategising on how the two political parties can defeat the ruling MMD in the 2011 general elections. He explained that the working relationship by the two political parties is meant to improve the standard of living of the Zambian people.

“We want to ensure that we improve people’s lives through eradication of poverty, corruption and other vices. We want issues of strikes by nurses and doctors to be a thing of the past. We will take the MMD on and we will not disclose how this will be done. We want to keep the MMD itching. We can’t tell our enemies all our plans, we want to surprise them in 2011,” he said.

And commenting on concerns on whether the grassroot members in both political parties were consulted before coming up with a pact, Kakoma said the call for the alliance came from the people.

“It is actually the people at the grassroot level who have been calling for us to come together and defeat the MMD government. What the leaders in our parties did was to respond to their calls,” he said.

Now MP wants UPND's Hakainde as leader of Pact with PF

Robby Chizyuka, the United Party for National Development (UPND) Namwala MP has urged the newly created electoral pact between the UPND and the Patriotic Front (PF) to adopt UPND's Hakainde Hichilema as presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections.

Major Chizyuka says the PF and UPND electoral pact will only succeed if the national governing council formed to look at the selection of a presidential candidate listens to the voices of the majority in the pact. He claims Hichilema will not be allowed to sacrifice his presidential candidature to any other political leader in 2011.

Speaking June 8 in Livingstone Chizyuka says the world political atmosphere is changing with many voters looking for younger political leaders to lead them. He also claims he was giving personal views and not of the UPND party.

"For all I know, Hichilema would be better placed to win the 2011 general elections if he was adopted. I will continue marketing Hichilema because I feel he has the heart for this country. Some people have been in politics long enough and they should consider trying young brains,” he said.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

PF, UPND is desperate move says Shikapwasha

CHIEF Government spokesperson and information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha says the Patriotic Front-United Party for National Development (PF-UPND) pact is a desperate move that does not threaten the ruling MMD.

Shikapwasha said the coming together of political parties without identifying principles of operation is worthless.

“For example, who is their presidential candidate? They have not told us all that. Or, are they going to field the two presidents?” he asked. “Let them work together, but as a party in government, we are very strong. The development programmes and work we have done speak for us. The way we have handled the economy, the mines and corruption cases speaks for us. We have done a lot of work in hospitals, schools and we have also done well in as far as food security is concerned,” he said.

But Mr Kakoma said the MMD has allegedly outlived its usefulness. He accused MMD leaders of panicking over the PF-UPND pact.

“If you take a good look at the MMD leaders, you will see those worried faces,” Mr Kakoma said.

Lusaka Nursing School linked to Health Money Scam

A Lusaka registered nursing school is believed to be linked to the ministry of health K27 billion scam. Four people appear as owners of ESU Nursing School.

And the shareholders of the school specialising in midwifery in Lusaka’s Kalundu area include Barbara Ushibantu, Dorcas Siafwa of Kaunda Square, Miriam Phiri of Longacres and Edwin Ushibantu as secretary.

The search at the patents and companies registration office revealed that the school started in 2003 with a nominal capital of K400,000,000 and 50,000,000 shares.

ACC summons Kapoko's lodge manager

THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) June 8 summoned Best Home Lodge operations manager Fred Chileshe for interrogation and a statement was recorded from him in connection with the K27 billion scam at the Ministry of Health.

Chileshe was summoned to ACC offices where he arrived in the company of his lawyer, Kelvin Bwalya. He was questioned for two and half hours.

The lawyer revealed that ACC had recorded a statement from his client in a friendly atmosphere based on mutual trust regarding the operations of Best Home Lodge. He said Chileshe gave ACC officers information on the history of Best Home Lodge and its directors.

And 27 employees at Best Home Lodge have been asked to stay away from work by management without any payment almost five weeks after the ACC first raided the premises.

Although the lodge remains open, no single client has been there since the ACC’s visit, resulting in the workers seeking legal guidance and an explanation from the management.

The workers had been reporting for work until a few days ago when management advised them to stay away. Some employees said since all the bank accounts for the lodge had been frozen, it became difficult to even get their salaries.

Former Ministry of Health senior human resource officer, Henry Kapoko owns Best Home Lodge located in Lusaka’s Roma Township.

UNIP will not waste time in Alliances

United National Independence Party (UNIP) vice-president Njekwa Anamela says his party would spend its energies on reorganising itself than rushing into alliances that may not produce desirable results.
He was commenting on PF and UPND alliance saying previous ones had proved unsuccessful.

Anamela said his party was now working on finalising the preparations of the provincial conferences before it could hold its national conference to set the stage for a strong and united UNIP.

And UNIP Copperbelt provincial chairperson Jemima Banda has said the party provincial conference was set for next week and would be officially opened by party president Tilyenji Kaunda at a venue to be announced later.

PF, UNDP Pact will fail says Mwaanga

Veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga says the pact between Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) will not hold because it is not defined in terms of issues but the desire to remove President Rupiah Banda and the MMD from power.

In a statement released in Lusaka June 8 Mwaanga describes the pact as one of convenience and opportunism. He says alliances were not new in Zambia as could be seen from those that existed in 2006 between the PF and the United Liberal Party (ULP) and the other comprising UPND, UNIP and FDD.

“They have every reason to exist in a democratic dispensation like ours, but it is important to bear in mind that this pact represents two very different and distinct political parties with different ideologies and different development and social manifestos,” he said.

Mwanga said in his political life, he had witnessed many political pacts formed out of greed by the owners and that the followers of the parties were usually not consulted.

“The PF-UPND pact has not defined the real issues of coming together. If it happens to materialise then as the MMD, we shall find effective ways to bring it down so as to scoop the 2011 elections,” he said.

Mwaanga called on all stakeholders to support President Banda saying it was not his fault that the country had not been spared of the effects of the global economic recession.

New Customs union Grows

The COMESA tripartite summit of Heads of State and Government has decided to form an enlarged Free Trade Area to include the Southern African Development Community, the East African Economic Community and COMESA.

In his speech, Zambian President Rupiah Banda has re-affirmed this decision and has encouraged the COMESA Secretariat to ensure that all future programmes and policies of the new Customs Union take the summit's decision into consideration.

And the launch of the Customs Union comes after Heads of State and Government from SADC, East Africa Economic Community (EAC), and COMESA first met in October 2008 in Uganda to address the challenges of the overlapping membership by some member countries.

Don't allow unconstitutional change says RB

President Rupiah Banda says the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) should not to condone any unconstitutional removal of democratically elected governments. He says COMESA should condemn unlawful ouster of an elected government in Madagascar.

"Regional integration will be difficult if member countries continue to face political instability. As COMESA, we should not condone unconstitutional change of governments," Banda said.

Addressing COMESA delegates at Victoria Falls Town, Zimbabwe Banda said countries in the sub region should work through the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with the support of the international community to find a lasting solution to the Malagasy problem.

And in a resolution the COMESA summit rejected and condemned in strongest terms the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar calling instead for the return to constitutional rule. The summit expressed deep concern for the suffering of the people of Madagascar and urged for an urgent solution to prevent the adverse social and economic implications, particularly for the ordinary people. The COMESA resolution also recognised ousted Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana who also was among the nine Heads of State and Government that attended the summit.

And Banda further urged COMESA not to lose sight of the negotiations with the European Union on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which have growth implications for the East and Southern African region. He said the COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit came at a time when the world is in recession and the region is experiencing the negative impact of the global food, fuel, financial and economic crisis. He said the crisis makes developing countries more vulnerable to external shocks as they lack resources to respond adequately.

He said COMESA's export trade is still dominated by raw materials and primary goods. He said the situation is challenging in terms of creating the levels of employment and growth required to uplift people's living standards and meet the Millennium Development Goals on poverty.

The President said there is need to ensure programmes and policies that promote value addition and enhance competitive capacities continue to be a priority.
Banda said the launch of the COMESA Customs Union (CU) is an important step in deepening regional integration. He said the COMESA region stands to benefit from increased volume and variety of goods and services produced and traded in the union, leading to improvement of people's living standards.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Some PF MPs and Councillors join calls for party convention

Patriotic Front Members of Parliament and councillors attending the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) are supporting calls by party members for a national convention to be held. They have also described the pact between the PF and the United Party for National Development (UPND) as a ‘marriage of convenience.’

Spokesperson for the group, Peter Machungwa in Lusaka on June 7 further condemned the act of violence by some party cadres who on June 5 beat up two founder members.
Dr Machungwa said it was unacceptable and undemocratic for some party leaders to hire thugs to beat up party members who wanted to air their views.

“That is an unacceptable level of intolerance by the party leadership,” he said, adding in a democratic party, people should be allowed to express their views without fear or hindrance.

Police arrest PF cadres for violence and abduction

POLICE in Lusaka have arrested two Patriotic Front (PF) cadres and also launched a manhunt for five others for allegedly assaulting and abducting two founder members on June 5.

Police spokesperson, Bonny Kapeso, wconfirmed the arrest and said June 7 the suspects were still detained in police custody pending further investigations. He appealed to the five on the run to present themselves to Lusaka Central police station or any nearest police station.

The seven on June 7 allegedly beat up Samson Zulu and Mubanga Chileshe who had called a media briefing at Court Yard Hotel to demand a convention and changes to the PF constitution. Kapeso named the five as Afhel Kampengele, Francis Bwembya, a Mr Mubanga, Mr Kapasa and the last one only identified as Clement. He said Mr Zulu and Mr Chileshe were holding a peaceful meeting which did not warrant their harassment.

Soldier seeks divorce from wife who beats him

Peter Chisala, a soldier has sued his wife, Kolina Chisala, 47, for divorce, because she beats him. Chisala is worried she could kill him because she targets his genitals when beating him.

Chisala, of Arrackan Barracks, told the Chilenje local court that problems started in January 2008 when he got a loan and opened a tavern on rent for Kolina who then got in a habit of insulting him in the presence of customers. He said that Kolina would insult him even when they were on a public bus on their way home from the tavern because she didn’t want any woman to sit near him.

“I stopped paying rent for the tavern and she continued insulting me every time I asked for my things at the tavern. When I got paid in January 2009 I got K45,000 and went to drink. When I returned I found that she had left with all the household property,” Chisala said.

He said that later he and Kolina reconciled and she returned the property but that she still beats him a lot.

“Kolina followed me at work with a plank on four occasions to beat me in the presence of my juniors while I was in uniform but I ran away to avoid her. She even breaks property in the house like a mad person,” Chisala said. He said that he eats with his children who cook for themselves and Kolina cooks for herself.

Asked by the court if he has sought the counsel of elders, Chisala said that he has but that their efforts have been in vain.

In defence, Kolina told the court that Chisala was the cause of the fights in their marriage. She said that on three occasions, contrary to tradition, Chisala had someone else shave him. She said on another occasion she found used condoms in the house and yet they have not used the protective devices since they got married. Kolina said that Chisala’s relatives detest her.
“His nephew who insults me even told me that I don’t have any child in the house,” she said.

In submission, Chisala said that he just wanted to divorce Kolina because she beats him. The two got married in 2002 and they don’t have children together, but Chisala has two from his previous marriage.

Senior court magistrate Kalunga Chansa, sitting with presiding magistrate Irene Mundi, granted divorce. Magistrate Chansa ordered Chisala to pay Kolina K3 million in monthly installments of K250,000.

Court dismisses adultery case

Annie Tembo, 36, a married woman told the Lusaka Boma local court that she continued an affair with her former boyfriend even after getting married. Her husband, Tiyese Habeene, 37, only learnt of the illicit affair only after he discovered underwear that her boyfriend bought. She told the court that it was then that she revealed to Habeene the whole truth of her relationship with Chilunda.

Tembo was testifying in a case in which Habeene sued Ken Chilunda, 39, for having an affair with his wife (Tembo). She told senior presiding magistrate Henry Mwananshiku that she knew Chilunda before she got married to Habeene. She said that she even had a child with him but the child died.
She said Habeene did not know that she had a child who died with another man and was shocked when he received the information.

Habeene, of John Laing Township, told the court he did not know his wife was having an affair with Chilunda whom he thought was his wife’s business associate. He said the truth came out when he found some new women’s underpants in their bedroom. He said he confronted his wife over the underwear and even threatened to kill her before she confessed she was having an illicit affair.

“I was speechless when she told me that she even had a child with Chilunda before meeting me. I was very disappointed with her secrecy. I therefore decided to sue him for adultery,” he said.

In defence, Chilunda of Sikanze Police Camp, said it was true that he once had an affair with Tembo but that they have long since gone their separate ways.
“She is the one I wanted to marry but could not because of circumstances beyond my control,” Chilunda said.

Magistrate Mwananshiku dismissed the case and urged Habeene to deal with his wife appropriately. The court said Tembo had weak morals not befitting her status as a married woman.

Fired minister now supports RB's 2011 election bid

Fired former Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Development Lameck Chibombamilimo backs President Rupiah Banda as MMD presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.
Chibombamilimo says it is logical and easy to sell a candidate who is already in office. He was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka June 7 adding that although he may have differences with some individuals in the MMD, the interest of the party overrides anything else. Chibombamilimo is Mpulungu member of Parliament.

“Let me hasten to add that this opinion is informed by the fact that while I may have differences with some individual members of the party, the interest of the MMD overrides anything else,” he said. He said it will be risky and costly for the party to begin looking for a new candidate even when the opposition seems set to field the same candidates they have had in the past two or three elections.