Cultivation of Cannabis in Rural Areas on the Increase
Posted on April 16th, 2008
There is an increased cultivation of canabis in rural areas on a commercial basis. A Senior government official in Mazabuka has attributed the increase in the number of villagers cultivating Cannabis on commercial basis to lack of Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officer in the district..
Acting Mazabuka District Commissioner, Wilson Siadunka said in Mazabuka today some villagers are now cultivating cannabis especially in Chikakankata area of Chieftainess Mwenda on commercial basis due to the absence of DEC officers.
Mr. Siadunka told ZANIS in an interview that Chiefs have now resorted to arresting suspected drug traffickers that are surrendered to Police. He said inspite of his office securing accommodation space for DEC, two years ago, the Commission has failed to send officers .
”DEC asked for office accommodation two years ago and we secured but our surprise they have gone for good. This is despite the alarming cases of cultivation and trafficking of cannabis in my district,” complained Siadunka
Mr Siadunka said the reluctance by DEC to open an office in the district is frustrating traditional rulers who have pledged to join hands in the fight against drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, Mr Siadunka has commended Chieftainess Mwenda for declaring war against drug trafficking in her Chiefdom. He said the arrest of dangerous drug traffickers in her Chiefdom deserves commendation because it is in line with government policy of drug free country.
And Chieftainess Mwenda in a separate interview told ZANIS, warned that she will suspend all village headmen linked to the cultivation of cannabis on commercial basis. She complained the cultivation of cannibis in her chiefdom has reached alarming proportions as some villagers had stopped growing maize in preference for Dagga.
” I think people are reaping heavily in Dagga business, but am not going allow this to happen because some youths who smoke Dagga end up running Mad,” said the Chieftainess.
Labels: CHIEFS, DRUGS, HEMP, MAZABUKA DISTRICT, REEFER MADNESS, RURAL AREAS
Read more...
Food riots and the IMF
By Gabriel Banda
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
MEN, women and children have been killed and wounded in disturbances following reaction to hunger and lack of access to food. Societies have been disturbed. In Zambia, the food riot waves of December 1986 and June 1990 arose from the harsh IMF and World Bank imposed economic policies. The 1990 food riots led to a military coup attempt against President Kenneth Kaunda's UNIP government.
Around twenty years later, this month, protests and riots in Haiti, including storming of the presidential palace, have led to government and the private sector announcing emergency plans to bring down the price of rice by 15 per cent.
Like we note from Zambia's experience, Christian Aid has linked the Haiti riots to “economic policies that have been required by donor countries.” In May 1987, Zambia's government cut off the IMF programme due to the social insecurity the economic measures had brought but the IMF and World Bank machinery imposed sanctions. Zambia went back to the programme, and to more poverty and social unrest.
In many parts of the world, high food prices have led to protests, riots, destruction and death. In Latin America, in May 1989, early 1990, and in December 2001, Argentina had food riots. The 1989 food riots contributed to the resignation of president Alfonsin. Latin America's Mexico and Bolivia have also experienced disturbances. Even areas in the Middle East have been disturbed by problems in food access.
In Asia, protests and violence related to food prices have happened in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines. Besides Zambia, Africa's nations include Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, and Senegal. Just now, in Zimbabwe, the Robert Mugabe administration has been under pressure linked to, amongst other factors, increase in prices of food and basic needs.
The lesson is the same: when prices of food and basic needs get out of reach and violently put people under pressure, there is a threat to peace and stability. Social upheaval may result. Sometimes there is no organised or spontaneous mass reaction to food problems but still starvation is a widespread factor amongst populations.
Recently, a concerned brother, a trader of basic foodstuffs and groceries, asked me to observe and write about the increasing prices of food. Some increase has been regular, in small amounts, and crawling gradually while others have been large and more rapid. Prices of maize meal, bread, rice, cooking oil, sugar, beef, and poultry have risen by high margins.
And this year, it has been noted that food prices are rising worldwide. Recently, due to rising local prices, the governments of India, China, and others have restricted the export of some rice. Netherlands ambassador to Zambia Eduard Middeldorp recently warned about the impact of high food prices. JCTR shows increasing prices. The Post editorial of Sunday April 13, 2008 shows concern.
Many factors are involved. Those who have been following incidents of riots and social instability caused by problems of access to food and other basics are surprised that the World Bank and United Nations have only now made statements of issues which have been evident over a long period.
the World Bank President Robert Zoellick, in warning that high food prices could remove gains against poverty and malnutrition, ignores the fact that some economic and social imbalances have been created by policies and seeds of his organisation, twinned with IMF.
And while, in some argument the petroleum industry can be pleased with, biofuel crop farming has been blamed for problems of food, in some areas it has not caused the high food prices.
And food price is just one part of the increase in the cost of living. High food prices and the resulting hunger are generally a reflection of not being able to meet other basic needs. Others include water, health, shelter, transportation, energy, and other basics. All needs interact and affect all the others. They act as a whole.
World Bank and IMF have been leading water utilities to commercialisation and eventual privatisation. Through loans, grants, and advisory roles, they have entered the water utilities, to control their visions and operations from within. For many people now, water charges are very high. World Bank has, using some dubious logic and linkages, been pushing Southern Africa's electricity firms towards higher consumer tariffs.
Clearly, many governments are being bullied into destructive economic programmes of the IMF and World Bank. Governments are set against their people. Governments dictate against the common good just as the IMF and World Bank dictate and bully governments to impose violent programmes.
The World Bank and IMF’s negative machine has been pro-business and anti-consumer. Yet economies only thrive well if businesses and consumers are in harmony and balance. Current high food and feeding prices are results of failure of IMF and World Bank promoted and dictated economic policies. Those seeds and fruits are unstable.
World Bank and IMF have caused some problems of food access and must not, as per their tactics, hide from their responsibility and contribution to the difficulties.
In Zambia and other places, removal of more secure and socially balanced input and produce marketing systems led to exploitation of rural food producers and poverty for them.
Many persons producing food have not recovered from impact of harsh economic policy experimentation by IMF and World Bank. Many food producers even starve. Both producers and consumers have suffered even where food is plenty.
But food production and access must be improved. Western Zambia and Chama district rice yields, can be highly increased and help rural and national economies. Africa produces much food, organically grown, and can do more but is impeded by economic policies and environment. GMO technologies are not the answer but further burden.
IMF policies act against humanity. They act against the integrity of life itself.
Except for UNICEF in earlier times, other UN agencies, perhaps bullied, have been quiet on the role of the IMF and World Bank machinery in the creation of poverty, corruption, environmental pressures, and social violence. IMF and World Bank programmes have acted against peace, harmony, and integrity of life. Food prices are one part of a whole problem. Human caused, high food prices and hunger can be solved.
Now, on other issues, lessons from Zimbabwe's 2008 election results stalemate: When results are announced late, there are fears of tampering and rigging. When announced early, before complete accuracy checks, it is possible to install as MP or president, persons not actually carrying the most votes. It may be difficult to undo things and win petitions to remove a sworn-in person from office. So, announcing results too early or too late creates difficulties. We urge that constitutions officially include enough time for vote recounting and verification before announcing results and declaring winners.
Secondly, we learn that it is important to allow various media some freedom to cover elections. Otherwise, it is difficult for government to call banned persons to record the government side of events. Thus Zimbabwe’s opposition voices have been dominant on international waves and print. Without open media, balanced coverage will not be reached as media houses cover only limited parts of events.
Labels: FOOD, IMF, NEOCOLONIALISM, NEOLIBERALISM
Read more...
Levy refuses to mediate in Zim political crisis
By Mwala Kalaluka
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa has turned down calls by Zimbabwe's MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to take over mediation in Zimbabwe's political crisis. And the Zambian government has described Zimbabwean justice minister Patrick Chinamasa's assertions that President Mwanawasa is collaborating with the West to bring about regime change in that country as a mark of unfairness. Chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the idea of taking over South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediatory role in Zimbabwe was not within President Mwanawasa's contemplation.
"While the call from Mr Tsvangirai would have some moral persuasion, this is a matter which Mr Tsvangirai had discussed with President Mwanawasa and he advised Mr Tsvangirai that it was not possible for him to undertake that," he said.
Mulongoti, who commended President Mbeki for the well-coordinated manner in which he had so far handled the Zimbabwean political situation, said the decision to appoint the South African President as a go-between in Zimbabwe was collective because it was arrived at during the summits of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) heads of state in Tanzania and Zambia respectively.
"Any decision to depart from that mandate can only be arrived by the same," he said. "President Mwanawasa State Counsel has been in contact with President Mbeki over the matter because President Mbeki had called to just hear President Mwanawasa over the matter. President Mwanawasa advised that the issue is not in his contemplation."
Mulongoti said President Mwanawasa was not willing to take over the mediatory in Zimbabwe because he already had so many things on his hands.
"As SADC chairman, he is already deeply involved in the matter related to Zimbabwe and that the leadership which he is providing for now is adequate," he said.
Mulongoti said for now any fresh developments taking place on the Zimbabwean political landscape would be handled through the regional body's collective effort.
Mulongoti said the last extra-ordinary summit of SADC heads of state in Lusaka was not able to conclusively deal with the Zimbabwean post-election question because of issues that were before the court in Harare.
He said people would be notified of SADC's next step over Zimbabwe once the courts decide on the matter. And Mulongoti said the Zambian government was not working with Western nations to bring about 'regime change' in Zimbabwe, as claimed by Chinamasa in a story that appeared in Zimbabwe's Herald Newspaper on Thursday.
"It is a mark of unfairness and more so we take strong exception," said Mulongoti.
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, MWANAWASA, THABO MBEKI
Read more...
Zimbabwe needs compromise, tolerance and consensus
By Editor
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
The responsibility for Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis lies primarily on the shoulders of the Zimbabwean people and all their leaders. And the responsibility for changing things, for a reversal of fortunes in that country also lies primarily on the shoulders of the Zimbabwean people and their leaders.
We say this because the undesirable conditions under which the Zimbabwean people are living today were primarily created by themselves and their leaders. It is a product of the policies and practices they adopted, supported or tolerated over the last 28 years.
Yes, their enemies can take secondary responsibility for what is happening in their country. Imperialism can be blamed for what is happening in Zimbabwe today but not in a primary way. The role of imperialism in Zimbabwe is secondary.
If imperialism has gained ground in Zimbabwe, who should be blamed? For many years the Zimbabwean people and their leaders allowed imperialism to take control of their country’s economy and to interfere in their politics.
They didn’t see much wrong with this probably because at that time it might have suited them; it might have given them some temporary benefits or advantages; the nature of interference was tolerable.
But nothing remains static in life. And imperialism, whatever its form and even when it appears to be benevolent, it will still and will always remain nothing but imperialism.
For 28 years, the Zimbabwean people and their leaders thought they had an economy of their own and prided themselves in it.
And those who are stupid even started to look down upon their neighbours in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and even in Congo. But what they didn’t realise is that their country’s economy was not truly theirs, it belonged to other people.
And when political differences started to emerge over the land issue, the owners of the economy prevailed over the economy and in no time the ‘economy’ that the Zimbabwean people were so proud of disappeared.
Where it went we don’t know. All what we can see is that it has disappeared, it’s not there in the form we used to know it. But this was not the end of the story. Those who controlled the Zimbabwean economy were not just going to walk away like that. They started to defend their economic interests in that country the way they had done before.
Let us not forget that during the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe, those who controlled the economy of that territory defended it with everything they had when they felt it was threatened by the freedom fighters. They put in everything to back the white racist dictatorship in that country. Now again, when their economic interests have come increasingly under threat from those who govern that country today, they have defended their interests by putting in everything at their disposal in support of those who are opposed to the current regime in that country.
And they have gone back to seek the support of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, albeit in a better way than the white racist regime of Ian Smith did. They have a very strong lobby in these countries that cannot be ignored.
And these countries form the backbone of the Commonwealth. For this reason, it’s not difficult to understand why the current Zimbabwean regime had serious difficulties in the Commonwealth and had to leave. And this explains why British prime ministers and other British politicians can’t keep quiet on the question of Zimbabwe, why they are more vocal on Zimbabwe now than they were during the liberation struggle.
Robert Mugabe is not the longest serving African president, even in Southern Africa. Zimbabwe is not less democratic than Egypt, Libya, Angola, Congo and so on and so forth.
They are not making much noise about these other countries. Why? The reasons are not difficult to discern; they lie in the reasons we have already stated. This is not to say that because there is no democracy in country A, then the same situation should be tolerated in country B or C.
But since the problem is primarily that of the Zimbabwean people, they have the primary responsibility in finding solutions to it. However, to do so, it will require a lot of tolerance, humility and moderation on their part. And all of them should be seen to be acting on their own behalf and not as proxies of other interests.
But like medical doctors, they may not be in a very good position to treat themselves – they may need the help of others.
Here, it will be important to recognise that not every country that is speaking on Zimbabwe is in a good position to help the people of that country resolve their differences and face the future as a united country. For instance, there is no way the British or American governments can today play a meaningful role in resolving the problems of that country.
They have disqualified themselves by the single position they have taken – that of being interested in nothing but a regime change in that country. However, there are some European countries like Portugal, the Scandinavian countries and others that have taken a much more sober and reasonable approach to the challenges facing that country.
These can play a much more important role in trying to help that country get over its problems.
The African countries, as demonstrated by the Kenyan crisis, will always have a better role to play in resolving African political problems. And for this reason, African leaders should not allow themselves to be pulled into the polarised positions taken by the United
Kingdom and America. And the parties to the Zimbabwean crisis should also not try to fragment this unity for the interests of their own particular groups. It will be disastrous to have a divided Southern Africa Development Community and African Union over Zimbabwe.
It was relatively easier for Africa and the international community to assist Kenya find a solution to its political crisis because there appeared to be reasonable levels of neutrality. Even those who had initially voiced support for President Mwai Kibaki, quickly withdrew into some neutral position when they realised the magnitude of the problem.
This helped in a very big way to put effective pressure on the Kenyan political players to resolve their differences. In Zimbabwe, the situation is different. Big players in the international community, led by the United Kingdom and America, have taken a polarised and uncompromising position to see Mugabe out. They are not interested in reconciling that country.
This has created a series of problems for that country which are being compounded everyday. This approach is even undermining the good efforts of SADC leaders. And if they are not careful, SADC leaders may soon find themselves very divided over this issue by the machinations of Britain and America and of the Zimbabwean political players themselves.
We sincerely believe a negotiated settlement can be found to the Zimbabwean crisis. As we have stated before, negotiated solutions can be found even to conflicts that have come to seem intractable and such solutions emerge when those that have been divided reach out to find common ground.
Conflicts will always be there but there has to be compromise and consensus. We say this because human beings possess a variety of sometimes contradictory desires. People want safety yet relish adventure; they aspire to individual freedom yet demand social equality.
Democracy is no different, and it is important to recognise that many of these tensions, even paradoxes, are present in every democratic society.
A central paradox exists between conflict and consensus. Democracy is in many ways nothing more than a set of rules for managing conflict. At the same time, this conflict must be managed within certain limits and should result in compromises, consensus or other agreements that all sides accept as legitimate.
An overemphasis on one side of the equation can threaten the entire undertaking. If those in power, those who control the state machinery exert excessive pressure to achieve consensus, stifling the voices of the people, the society can be crushed from above.
The answer is that there is no single or easy answer. Democracy is not a machine that runs by itself once the proper principles and procedures are inserted.
A democratic society needs the commitment of citizens who accept the inevitability of conflict as well as the necessity for tolerance. It is for this reason that the culture of democracy is so important to develop.
Individuals and groups must be willing, at a minimum, to tolerate each other’s differences, recognising that the other side has valid rights and a legitimate point of view. The various sides to a dispute can then meet in a spirit of compromise and seek a specific solution.
Coalition building is the essence of democratic action. It teaches interest groups to negotiate with others, to compromise and to work within the constitutional system. By working to establish coalition, groups with differences learn how to argue peaceably, how to pursue their goals in a democratic manner and ultimately how to live in a world of diversity.
Democracy is not a set of revealed, unchanging truths, but the mechanism by which, through the clash and compromise of ideas, individuals and institutions, the people can, however imperfectly, reach for truth. Democracy is pragmatic.
Ideas and solutions to problems are not tested against a rigid ideology but tried in the real world where they can be argued over and changed, accepted or discarded.
Until the spirit of tolerance and compromise is brought back to Zimbabwe, it will be very difficult to solve the political and other problems facing that country today . We therefore urge the international community, including Britain and America, to avoid measures that further divide the Zimbabwean people and deepen their differences and suspicions towards each other. Let us encourage them to compromise and reach consensus on the many issues that today divide them.
Labels: ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Levy refuses to mediate in Zim political crisis
By Mwala Kalaluka
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa has turned down calls by Zimbabwe's MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to take over mediation in Zimbabwe's political crisis. And the Zambian government has described Zimbabwean justice minister Patrick Chinamasa's assertions that President Mwanawasa is collaborating with the West to bring about regime change in that country as a mark of unfairness.
Chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the idea of taking over South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediatory role in Zimbabwe was not within President Mwanawasa's contemplation.
"While the call from Mr Tsvangirai would have some moral persuasion, this is a matter which Mr Tsvangirai had discussed with President Mwanawasa and he advised Mr Tsvangirai that it was not possible for him to undertake that," he said.
Mulongoti, who commended President Mbeki for the well-coordinated manner in which he had so far handled the Zimbabwean political situation, said the decision to appoint the South African President as a go-between in Zimbabwe was collective because it was arrived at during the summits of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) heads of state in Tanzania and Zambia respectively.
"Any decision to depart from that mandate can only be arrived by the same," he said. "President Mwanawasa State Counsel has been in contact with President Mbeki over the matter because President Mbeki had called to just hear President Mwanawasa over the matter.
President Mwanawasa advised that the issue is not in his contemplation."
Mulongoti said President Mwanawasa was not willing to take over the mediatory in Zimbabwe because he already had so many things on his hands.
"As SADC chairman, he is already deeply involved in the matter related to Zimbabwe and that the leadership which he is providing for now is adequate," he said.
Mulongoti said for now any fresh developments taking place on the Zimbabwean political landscape would be handled through the regional body's collective effort.
Mulongoti said the last extra-ordinary summit of SADC heads of state in Lusaka was not able to conclusively deal with the Zimbabwean post-election question because of issues that were before the court in Harare.
He said people would be notified of SADC's next step over Zimbabwe once the courts decide on the matter.
And Mulongoti said the Zambian government was not working with Western nations to bring about 'regime change' in Zimbabwe, as claimed by Chinamasa in a story that appeared in Zimbabwe's Herald Newspaper on Thursday.
"It is a mark of unfairness and more so we take strong exception," said Mulongoti.
Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, MWANAWASA
Read more...
African nations have capacity to resolve own disputes, says Amayo
By Mutuna Chanda
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
KENYA'S example in resolving its dispute shows that African nations have the capacity to solve problems internally, Kenyan High Commissioner to Zambia Lazarus Amayo has said. And High Commissioner Amayo has said the 42-member Cabinet, which also includes 52 assistant ministers, is justified considering Kenya's circumstances.
In an interview in Lusaka on Thursday just after Kenya's grand coalition Cabinet was sworn in by President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi, High Commissioner Amayo said Africans had to take pride that if there was a problem they could resolve it on their own.
Raila Odinga, leader of Kenya's main opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), was sworn in as Prime Minister with Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta as deputy prime ministers.
"President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga reached agreement on the grand coalition overall with facilitation from the African Union (AU) and this shows that each African country has the capacity to resolve its problems as long as there is goodwill and determination," High Commissioner Amayo said. "Kenyans are happy that the President and Prime Minister have demonstrated concern for unity through their agreement on the grand coalition."
He said Kenya was now focusing on nation-building.
"Now it's back to work. It's time for service delivery, nation building and one of our top priorities will be the resettlement of internally displaced persons who were at 300,000 but the number has now reduced," he said. "We believe we will be able to
make it and despite all that we have experienced, the Kenyan economy has shown resilience and we hope we will manage to get five to six per cent economic growth.
Our quest is the vision to transform our economy into middle-income status by 2030."
And High Commissioner Amayo admitted that the Kenyan Cabinet was large but that it was justified to have such a huge number.
"It has happened because we were dealing with an extraordinary situation which required extraordinary measures to resolve the situation that we were facing," High Commissioner Amayo said.
"The most important thing is for peace to prevail. If that large number is the cost of peace then Kenyans have accepted. I believe that after the 10th Parliament in 2012, we will not have such a large Cabinet but for the current circumstances, it is justified."
Kenya's disputed presidential polls on December 27 last year in which President Kibaki emerged winner, sparked violence, which saw 1,500 people killed and 300,000 displaced.
After intense negotiations, agreement for a coalition government was reached on February 28 and a new Cabinet was announced on April 13 by President Kibaki.
Labels: KENYA, LAZARUS AMAYO
Read more...
Africa faces challenge in providing quality health services, says Bus
By Bivan Saluseki in Tianjin, China
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
CHRONIC diseases and increasing medical costs have become an unbearable burden for most countries especially in Africa, Tasly Global Marketing Holdings president Dr Yan Xijun has said. And a senator from Ghana, Amma Busia, has said Africa faces a major challenge in the provision of quality health services to its people.
Speaking to journalists after addressing medical professors and media personnel from China and Africa on Chinese medicine in Tianjin on Thursday, Dr Yan said health did not consist only of the absence of disease or infirmity.
“Although unprecedented and great achievements have been made in contemporary medicine and numerous lives have been saved, there is still unmet medical and health needs,” he said.
Dr Yan whose company is in the healthcare industry, said currently the world could not even control HIV/AIDS through medication especially for developing countries.
“What we need are drugs suitable for developing countries, new drugs with low cost and suitable for developing countries’ economic situations,” he said.
Dr Yan said several countries with ancient civilisation had formed their own traditional medical systems such as the Greek, Indians and Chinese.
He said there was need to introduce disease prevention measures in the healthcare industry that could not be fulfilled by one industry or enterprise.
Dr Yan said health should be a priority for governments.
China has a life expectancy of 72 years.
And senator Busia said Africa needed to improve its healthcare system.
She said Ghana for instance had serious health challenges it needed to address.
Busia said by 2006, Ghana had 3,240 physicians, 19,707 nurses, 393 dentists, 1,388 pharmacists, and 899 laboratory technicians for a population of over 20 million people.
She said there was need for Africa to explore the entire range of possibilities including a universal national health insurance scheme.
Busia said one of the challenges Africa faced in the provision of healthcare services was lack of funding and inadequate human resource.
“We need development of human resources through expanding and improving professional health training,” said Busia.
Tianjin is an economic and trade centre in North China and an important traffic hinge connecting China and the world.
Labels: HEALTHCARE
Read more...
Chaka Chaka supports campaigns against malaria
By Masuzyo Chakwe in Cape Town, South Africa
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka has appealed to African governments to support the campaign to roll out malaria off the continent. During the Countdown to 2015 - maternal, Newborn and Child Survival conference on Thursday, Chaka Chaka said she believed there was so much that could be done to ensure that no child died from health complications.
She said she would not stop to be a voice for the voiceless until Africa was a continent free of malaria. Chaka Chaka said many lives could be saved through the distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs).
“Let us do it for the sake of the children and women. This campaign begins with you. You can rely on me because this war, we can win,” she said.
Chaka Chaka said child survival was not for the government alone but all partnerships.
“We can do something by supporting mothers. We can encourage mothers to breastfeed their children in the first year because poor infant feeding compromises the health of the child. Good health begins with mothers,” she said.
Chaka Chaka also bemoaned the fact that women in rural areas had to travel long distances to a health centre, saying this should not be the case.
Labels: MALARIA
Read more...
Zesco shuts down Kafue generators
By Chibaula Silwamba and Mulimbi Mulaliki
Saturday April 19, 2008 [04:00]
ZESCO Limited is today shutting down two generators at Kafue Gorge Power Station, leading to further load shedding. Company marketing and public relations manager Monica Chisela announced yesterday that the generators would be shut down from 06:00 hours today for three days to facilitate repairs of the 330 kilo volts cable.
"During the period of the shutdown, 300 mega watts of generation capacity will not be available. This therefore will result in increased load shedding," Chisela said. "Customers are requested to switch off as many electrical appliances as possible in order to assist Zesco to maintain system stability."
She said the repair works would be done by contractors that were hired from Europe.
Chisela expressed Zesco's regrets on the inconvenience that the shutdown would cause to its customers.
"This is, however, necessary due to the safety requirements in order to carry out repairs on the 330 kilo volt cable safely," said Chisela.
And Zesco Ltd project manager Aaron Nyirenda said government policy changes had contributed to the current power deficit in the country.
Addressing stakeholders and customers over load shedding in Solwezi, Nyirenda said Zesco had projected the energy deficit due to economic development and wanted to expand the supply by embarking on new projects, which were identified.
However, Nyirenda said the government advised the power utility to the contrary.
"... During the privatisation era, 1990s all public companies were earmarked for privatisation, including Zesco.
Government told us that the private sector would take up the projects, so we knew very well that there will be power outages in the country and we wanted to develop the new projects among them Itezhi-tezhi, Kariba North Bank extension, Kalungwishi, and Kabompo Gorge," he said.
Nyirenda explained that the private sector failed to develop the new power projects, which Zesco could have developed had it been allowed to do so.
He said instead the company focused on rehabilitating the existing power supply stations, which cannot meet the demand.
He explained that Zesco's power generation capacity could have been over 2,000 mega watts had the projects been carried out.
Nyirenda said the company was now developing the same projects.
Director for customer service Teddie Mwale urged customers to buy energy saving appliances to save power that was vital to economic growth.
Earlier, Zesco customers in Solwezi complained of wrong billing and illegal disconnections despite having settled their electricity bills.
Labels: ENERGY, ZESCO
Read more...
Cops assault, detain Times reporter
By Times reporter
TIMES of Zambia senior reporter, Kaiko Namusa, was on Tuesday assaulted and detained for over an hour at Chipata Central police station for taking pictures of police officers who were manhandling a cyclist for allegedly breaking traffic rules. Mr Namusa, who is in Eastern Province accompanying Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM), said he was caught up in the fracas after being noticed to have taken photos of them beating a cyclist.
Mr Namusa said the officers, after beating him, grabbed his camera and demanded that the pictures be deleted, saying that if published they would tarnish their public image. They ordered him to accompany them to the police station alongside the cyclist who was also beaten up. While at the police station, he was told to sit on the floor along with other suspects amidst officers saying it was wrong for him to take photos in their town. He said when he demanded for the camera, the officers got annoyed and sought permission from the superiors to have him locked up.
One of their supervisors agreed that he be locked up for conduct likely to cause a breach of peace and only be released once his supervisors from Lusaka travelled to Chipata. At this point, PAM officials, who included Food Security Pack (FSP) national coordinator, Edward Zulu, and Bernadette Ngulube explained that the photos were taken in public interest but the officers dismissed them, warning that they should stay out of the issue. Mr Namusa was only released when one of the officers managed to delete the pictures from the camera.
Later, Eastern Province police commanding officer, Emlyn Mushondwa, apologised for his officers’ violent conduct. The matter has since been reported to the office of the Inspector General of Police for further action.
When contacted for a comment, police spokesperson, Bonny Kapeso, condemned the beating of the reporter, saying police officers should respect the work the media carried out. Mr Kapeso wondered how a journalist with just a notebook and a pen could pose a danger to the peace of the police officers. He said time and again Police Inspector General Ephraim Mateyo, had called on the police officers to respect the rights of the media but that it was sad that a few were still ignoring this call. “I will ask for a report from Eastern Province to establish exactly what happened and then take appropriate action,” he said. Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) condemned the beating and detention of Mr Namusa and demanded for disciplinary action against the officers.
“This is another example of police brutality against journalists and we demand that the Police Command take appropriate action against the culprits,” said PAZA president, Andrew Sakala.
Labels: EASTERN PROVINCE, JOURNALISM, POLICE BRUTALITY, PRESS
Read more...
EU-supported entrepreneurs have raised K137bn, says Fee
By Chibaula Silwamba
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
EUROPEAN Commission head of delegation in Zambia Dr Derek Fee has said Zambian entrepreneurs supported by the EU-funded Export Development Programme (EDP II) have generated 25 million Euros (about K137.5 billion) in export earnings. Speaking at the hand over of EU funded Export Development Programme (EDP II) assets to the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) in Lusaka on Wednesday, Dr Fee said the EDP II, in its five-year existence, had created employment for over 3,000 persons.
“During its five years, EDP II provided assistance in form of loans, grants and technical assistance to a total of 28 producer associations who have expanded market knowledge and contacts, expanded exports, increased employment, created income and improved access to capital and finance,” Dr Fee noted.
He said the European Commission support to non-traditional exports started in 1993, with the first Export Development Programme (EDP I) that assisted producer associations in some few sectors.
“EDP II activities were based on three pillars: the first one was the export financing facility that provided credit and grants to exporters through their respective producer associations. In January 2008, the fund was handed over to ZDA, which is managing it now under the name of Zambia Export Development Fund (ZEDEF),” he said.
Dr Fee said the EDP II’s support was meant to make the Export Board of Zambia (EBZ) a "world class" exports promotion agency. EBZ merged with the Zambia Investment Centre to form the current ZDA. He said the European Commission was proud to have contributed to the birth of the ZDA and to be associated with its operations.
“Indeed, we think that a fully operational ZDA in line with the international best practices is a key element in creating an enabling environment for private sector development. Obviously, government's commitment will be crucial to achieve this,” he said. However, Dr Fee said the hand over of assets was not the end of European Commission's involvement with ZDA, nor with the export industry.
Labels: DEREK FEE, EDP II, EU, ZDA
Read more...
VJ urges creation of fund over oil prices
By Speedwell Mupuchi
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
FORMER information minister Vernon Mwaanga has called on industrialised nations and the OPEC to create a fund to cushion the impact of global oil prices on the world’s poor. And Mwaanga said there seems to be an election integrity deficit in Zimbabwe that needed to be addressed. Commenting on the global oil prices that hit US $115 a barrel on Wednesday, Mwaanga yesterday said the increase would slowdown anticipated economic growth in developing countries.
Mwaanga said global financial crisis coupled with global credit crunch and the energy crisis would have devastating effects on economies of poorer countries.
“We are moving towards a situation where there will be food deficits everywhere and the fight against hunger cannot be sustained under these harsh global conditions,” Mwaanga said. “The cost of transport will go up, the cost of running government will go up, the cost of running factories will go up, the cost of farming will go up making basic food stuffs, rice and maize, beyond the poorer citizens of the world.”
Mwaanga, a fellow of the London Institute of Directors, called for a global response in form of setting up a fund to be financed primarily by the western countries and Oil Producing Countries (OPEC) to cushion the impact of the oil prices on the poor.
“Globalisation does not mean we must crush the poor; it means that we should all make efforts to overcome the adverse conditions that have arisen,” Mwaanga said. “The G-8 and OPEC have a duty to help poor countries overcome energy price shocks.”
Mwaanga said market forces should be tamed to protect the global economy because it was clear the current oil prices were no longer sustainable, especially for the poor.
And Mwaanga said what was happening in Zimbabwe did not increase confidence among citizens of that country and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) that there was democracy and electoral infrastructure to satisfy their needs.
Mwaanga said the holding of free and fair elections was not a panacea for all problems but was an essential ingredient for goof governance. He said it was an indictment on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that presidential election results in Zimbabwe have not been announced almost three weeks after voting.
Mwaanga said it was pointless to call for a re-run of the elections when Zimbabweans did not know the outcome. He said the situation in Zimbabwe showed that not withstanding the various protocols on holding of free and fair elections in the SADC region, there were countries that were less committed to the processes.
He said Zimbabwe has not met the clear guidelines adopted by SADC member states in Mauritius in 2004.
“We must care about our image, an election is not an event, it’s a process and it should be seen to be free and fair,” said Mwaanga.
Labels: OIL, OPEC, VERNON MWAANGA, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Mugabe to preside at commemoration of Zim's independence anniversary
By Kingsley Kaswende and George Chellah in Harare
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is today expected to preside at the commemoration of Zimbabwe's 28th independence anniversary. But US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee has said many Zimbabweans were unable to celebrate because what should be a proud and joyful day for them was overshadowed by uncertainty and fear. President Mugabe is expected to lead the commemorations at Harare's Gwanzura Stadium in Highfield suburb, well-known for the liberation struggles of the country in the 1970s.
Local government, public works and urban development minister, Ignatius Chombo said all arrangements were in place for the event.
"We were happy with the solidity of the security arrangements, cleanliness of the venue and thoroughfares leading to the venue," he said.
This will be President Mugabe's first public appearance since the harmonised elections of March 29, whose presidential poll results are still withheld by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The Harare High Court judge Antonia Guvava on Wednesday postponed a hearing on the MDC's new application to block a recount of votes cast in 23 constituencies. The counting is due tomorrow but the MDC is seeking to block the process, citing manipulation of ballots by the ruling ZANU-PF.
Judge Guvava is expected to rule on whether the MDC's legal team will be permitted to file supplementary evidence, or whether the case should be dismissed.
The MDC, represented by lawyer Selby Hwacha, is insisting that the country's amended electoral law Act states that any aggrieved party could contest the outcome within a period of 48 hours, but ZANU-PF lodged their request four days after the final results were made public.
On Monday, the court dismissed with costs an earlier application by MDC to compel ZEC to release the presidential election results.
High Court judge, Tendai Uchena said ZEC was not operating outside the law in delaying the release of the results.
Meanwhile, Ambassador McGee yesterday said it was sad that many Zimbabweans would not celebrate their 28th independence anniversary.
"Independence day provides a chance to reflect on proud achievements, a united sense of purpose and the future. Sadly, as Zimbabwe celebrates its 28th birthday, many Zimbabweans are unable to celebrate. What should be a proud and joyful day for Zimbabweans is overshadowed by uncertainty and fear," Ambassador McGee stated. "Nearly three weeks after elections, the results are still not known, the economic tailspin continues and for many, hope is fading. Even more disturbing are the many reports of violent retribution being carried out in rural communities."
Ambassador McGee stated that since April 8, 2008 there was growing evidence that rural communities were being punished for their support for opposition candidates.
"We have disturbing and confirmed reports of threats, beatings, abductions, burning of homes and even murder, from many parts of the country.
I call on the government to protect human rights of all Zimbabweans, on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release the results of the March 29 elections immediately, and for all parties to respect the outcome," stated Ambassador McGee. "In the meantime, I hope that Zimbabwe can find inspiration in the anniversary of its independence to move forward.
Zimbabweans have expressed their desire for change and that will must be respected. I look forward to the day when the United States is able to fully support the government of Zimbabwe's efforts to serve the interests of all Zimbabweans.
Labels: INDEPENDENCE, MUGABE, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Sata fails to stop defamation of the President prosecution
By Noel Sichalwe
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
LUSAKA principal resident magistrate Charles Kafunda yesterday sanctioned the prosecution of Patriotic Front president Michael Sata and two others for defamation of President Mwanawasa. And Sata, 71, his vice-president Guy Scott, 63 and a police officer Clement Andeleki, 34 have pleaded not guilty to the charge of defaming President Mwanawasa.ation of the President prosecution
This is a matter in which Sata, Scott who is also Lusaka Central member of parliament and Andeleki have been charged with defamation of the President following the forged letter dated January 14, 2006, which Andeleki allegedly gave to Sata who in turn passed it to The Post for publication.
Sata sent the letter to The Post, purporting that President Mwanawasa ordered the arrest of PF cadres who waved at him on his way to the official opening of Parliament on January 20th, 2006.
On Wednesday, defence lawyers comprising Robert Simeza, Bonaventure Mutale, Mathew Pikiti, Edgar Lungu, Professor Patrick Mvunga, Mumba Kapumpa and Wynter Kabimba applied to stay the proceedings while awaiting the outcome of the appeal in the Supreme Court arising from the same case.
The appeal related to the refusal by then trial magistrate Edward Musona to refer the matter to the High Court to determine constitutional issues.
The defence argued that if the matter went ahead in the magistrates’ court, the Supreme Court appeal would be rendered academic.
However, the state comprising Frank Mumbuna, Anderson Simbulyani and Brian Lubinda argued that the defence should provide sufficient documents to indicate that the appeal was pending before the Supreme Court.
The state argued that what was in the Supreme Court was merely a notice of appeal that was filed on July 6, 2007 without any grounds of argument.
Passing the ruling yesterday, magistrate Kafunda said he had looked at the High Court appeal judgment by judge Charles Kajimanga and the Supreme Court appeal judgment by judge Dennis Chirwa when considering the application.
He said defence lawyers did not make reference to the cardinal point that judge Kajimanga threw away the application and ordered an express hearing of the matter before the magistrate court.
Magistrate Kafunda also noted that the court had ordered that trial could proceed in the magistrates’ court since defence lawyers did not appeal against the order for express trial.
"It is clear from the judgment that there was an express direction upon this court to proceed with the matter. I also perused through the judgment of judge Chirwa and the court has not been informed of the appeal against the express order to proceed with this case and no stay of execution was obtained that remains binding to this court. Therefore, the current criminal trial has to go ahead. Therefore, I can't grant the application because I am under express direction of the High Court to proceed," he said.
Magistrate Kafunda further said the defence's application was misleading because they failed to make full disclosure of the facts surrounding the case. He was unhappy with senior lawyers that made submissions that were against the order for express trial of the matter. He said it was regrettable that senior lawyers at the level of state counsel could make misleading submissions.
The matter was adjourned to May 23 and 27 for trial.
Labels: COURTS, DEFAMATION, SATA
Read more...
Katumbi forfeits K1.3bn
By Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
DRC Katanga governor Moses Katumbi has forfeited about K1.3 billion to the Zambian government. Task Force on Corruption chairman Max Nkole told journalists in Kitwe yesterday that Katumbi had signed a deed of surrender regarding his property worth K5.5 billion that was seized by the state and his bank accounts had since been opened.
However, Nkole said the bank credits had been forfeited to the state in respect of the two accounts held at Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZNCB), while other accounts remain frozen until the Task Force settles the matter with Katumbi's lawyers.
Nkole said there was US $80,000 in the dollar account and K950 million in the kwacha account. The money and property were siezed from Katumbi in 2002 when the Task Force instituted investigations in his alleged plunder of national resources.
"I would like to commend the Copperbelt provincial officials who met officials from the Zambia National Commercial Bank Kitwe branch to finalise the agreement, which is in existence between governor Katumbi and the Republic of Zambia signed on 28 June last year aimed at pacifying the disputes that were in the courts of law," he said. "These were signed in the spirit of give and take. We welcome the gesture. With regard to the trunk of emeralds, the Zambia National Commercial Bank gave conditions which should be attended to by Katumbi and his lawyers."
Nkole explained that the Task Force had lifted the restrictions regarding the trunks of emeralds. "It is our desire that when these trunks of emeralds would be opened, we have to be present to confirm the contents." he said. However, Nkole could not state the value of the emeralds saying that could be done by experts.
Nkole also said Katumbi was at liberty to either assist the state in investigations of some corruption cases or not. He said the Task Force could approach Katumbi to help in their investigations but that it was up to him to accept or not. Nkole said Katumbi was not a suspect and that he would be approached like any other person to assist in the investigations of some corruption cases. And Katumbi thanked and commended the Zambian government for giving him back his property.
Katumbi said Zambians were his brothers and sisters and that the move taken would allow him to start doing business with the Zambian people again. Asked if he would assist the Task Force in its investigations once called upon, Katumbi declined to comment. Earlier, Katumbi had a private meeting at his lawyers' office at Kitwe's Anchris House with officials from the Task Force which lasted for about an hour.
After the meeting, Katumbi walked to ZNCB Business Centre on Obote Avenue as some callboys sang songs of praise for him. Katumbi who arrived yesterday morning in a private jet at Ndola Airport at about 08:00 hours was accompanied by some government officials from the DRC.
Labels: DRC, KATUMBI, MAX NKOLE, TASK FORCE
Read more...
Social protection is needed
By Editor
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
We cannot continue, as a nation, to turn our backs on the weak and vulnerable members of our society. They need help. And help must be given to them. The provision for the aged and deserving poor – it’s time it was done. It is rather a shame that we should allow those who have toiled all their days to end in penury and possibly starvation.
It is rather hard that an old workman should have to find his way to the gates of the tomb, bleeding and footsore, through the brambles and thorns of poverty. We should provide social protection against the evils and the sufferings that follow from unemployment.
And as the International Labour Organisation has correctly concluded, no country is too poor to help its citizens. The government should intervene by providing basic needs for the vulnerable. And as Professor Evans Kalula has observed, “if that is done, it will mean that even the vulnerable will somehow participate in economic development and they will have a sense of dignity that comes with taking care of oneself”.
Social protection can have a positive impact on our economic growth in a number of ways. It can finance investment in health and education, protect assets that help people earn an income, encourage risk-taking, promote participation in the labour market and so on and so forth.
There are inevitably trade-offs. For example, if taxes are raised to pay for spending on social protection, taxpayers may have less incentives to work and save. However, social protection, in reducing poverty and inequality, can also lead to greater social unity and a more stable environment for individuals to work, save and invest.
However, care must be taken to strike an appropriate balance between economic incentives and greater provision of social protection. Nevertheless, social protection is a potentially important part of a strategy to increase sustainable, poverty-reducing growth.
However, there is need to be very clear about what social protection is or means. It refers to policies and programmes that aim to help address risk vulnerability and chronic poverty.
And there are a wide range of instruments used for social protection including income support, child grants, disability benefits, and pensions, as well as education-focused tools such as scholarships, school-based feeding programmes. And social protection aims to address the problems of poverty and inequality that act as barriers to a lot of things that are needed for one to lead a dignified life.
Negative perceptions of social protection transfers continue to influence anti-poverty agendas. Most of the concerns raised are based on misconceptions. Social protection can be affordable, even in a poor country like ours, and can be financed sustainably in the medium-term. In the short-term, predictable donor resources may be needed.
Social protection can both alleviate and enable people to escape poverty as transfers are invested in productive activities, human development and improving nutrition. And there is very little evidence that they promote dependency in poor countries.
Whether and how social protection should be targeted depends on the nature of poverty and specific social and political circumstances. And potential misuse of social protection transfers can be avoided by delivering benefits through trusted institutions, ensuring recipients are informed of their entitlements, creating strong oversight mechanisms and minimising opportunities for corruption.
Social protection policies and programmes can make a major contribution to reducing poverty among chronically and severely poor people and securing their rights.
At best, they can stop shocks and stresses pushing people further into poverty; help build assets, in particular, the physical and human capital needed to move out of poverty, cope better with shocks and stresses, or benefit from policies aimed at people living close to the poverty line, protect and promote the well-being and capacities of people who are currently poor; support poor and vulnerable people’s access to essential services; help challenge inequitable social relationships and contribute to individual and group empowerment; contribute to increasing growth by enabling poor people to be more productive; contribute to reducing inequality.
There is need also for us to try and develop new policies and be more inclusive and create a society where people with disabilities are taken into consideration like all other citizens.
It is the accepted belief that disabled people cannot engage in gainful or meaningful employment as they are believed to be sick. Sick people belong in hospital! For this reason, disabled people are placed in sheltered employment to keep them busy. This position needs to be challenged.
In our opinion, the major reason for the non-participation of the disabled people in society, particularly in the workplace, is that we live in a barrier-infested society!
The prime culprit among barriers is people’s negative attitude. If we lived in utopia, everyone would have a non-stereotype attitude, but we don’t. This reflects in the legal practice of our society.
Many artificial barriers are also placed in disabled people’s way. This is evident in the way in which disabled people have difficulties in accessing many services as they are seen as liabilities.
If non-disabled people had a positive attitude towards the disabled, the other barriers would be non-existent. These barriers manifest themselves in the inaccessibility of the built environment that denies disabled people freedom of movement.
The denial of access to equal opportunity in employment, education, sports and recreation as well as culture and religion are barriers that are more difficult to correct than the built environment. The denial of these opportunities is complicated through the lack of appropriate resources, which is the result of uninformed development planning.
This in turn, is due to the denial of self-representation in matters concerning disabled people. Poor planning is also a result of non-communication. This denial is evident in the way in which no effort is made by development agents to communicate with disabled people who cannot access traditional forms of communication.
All these barriers deny disabled people access to employment. Contrary to the general belief that disability is the individual’s problem, it is our view that it affects the whole society. Society has therefore an obligation to remove barriers and become an agent of change. We believe that these barriers exist in the first place due to lack of awareness – it therefore follows that a precondition to the removal of barriers in society is awareness raising.
We therefore need a constitution that strongly outlaws discrimination on the basis of disability, among others.
Persons with disabilities are fully human subjects, with rights and duties. They should participate in every dimension of family and social life. Their dignity is sacred, inalienable and must be respected.
The rights of disabled people must be promoted with effective and appropriate measures. We should accept disabled people as full members of our communities. People with disabilities need to love and to be loved.
Labels: POVERTY
Read more...
Respect disabled people's right to employment, says Kalula
By Mutale Kapekele in Livingstone
Friday April 18, 2008 [04:00]
AFRICAN governments should come up with systems that will ensure social protection for workers in the informal sector, South African Employment Condition Commission chairman Professor Evans Kalula has said. And Prof Kalula has said the right to employment for the disabled must be respected by all African countries.
Presenting a paper on social security laws in Africa at the ongoing conference for the Association of Law Reform Agencies of Eastern and Southern Africa (ALRAESA) in Livingstone on Wednesday, Prof Kalula said with the formal sector declining and the informal sector growing, it was important to have social protection for workers in this sector.
"People in informal work contribute to the economies of our nations and it is only fair that measures are put in place for these workers to have social protection especially in terms of health schemes," Prof Kalula said. "There is a growing trend in Africa of putting emphasis on the formal sector and the exclusion of the informal sector. Even where there are social security systems, these focus on the formal employees."
He said 50 per cent of populations in eastern and southern Africa were of working age with the majority in agriculture and the urban informal sector.
Prof Kalula said one way of providing social protection of the informal sector employees was by governments paying them for the tax revenues.
"The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has concluded that no country is too poor to help its citizens, so governments can intervene by providing basic needs for the vulnerable who are the majority in the informal sector," he said.
"If that is done, it will mean that even the vulnerable will somehow participate in economic development and they will have a sense of dignity that comes with taking care of oneself."
He said social protection was very important in countries like Zambia where, according to the human poverty index, 72.9 per cent of the population lived below the national poverty line.
Prof Kalula said despite the danger of creating an entitlement mentality, measures could be put in place to ensure that people did not exclusively live off the state.
"Yes there is a danger of creating an entitlement mentality but this is exaggerated in most cases and studies have shown in places like Botswana where the old are on government payroll that this helps to alleviate poverty," he said. "The problem is not the mentality but that people don't have the means to survive, that is the area in which they can be helped through social security."
And Prof Kalula, who is a Zambian professor in labour law and social security, said the right to employment for disabled people should be respected, as they were able to contribute to economic growth.
Prof Kalula said as long as one was able to work, they should be given a chance unless they proved that they were not productive.
Labels: ALRAESA, EVANS KALULA
Read more...
How come Zimbabwe and Tibet get all the attention?
If a government wants to abuse human rights and rig elections, it needs to have the support of - or be - the western powers
Seumas Milne The Guardian, Thursday April 17 2008
There is no question that the struggle over land and power in Zimbabwe has brought the country to a grim pass. Nearly a decade after the takeover of white-owned farms and the rupture with the west, economic breakdown, hyperinflation,
sanctions and Aids have taken a heavy toll. With the expectation now that a second round of elections, mired in claims of fraud, may after all keep President Mugabe in power, the prospect must be of continued economic punishment and crisis.
On a different scale, there's also no doubt that in Tibet - the other central international focus of western concern in the past month - deep-seated popular discontent fuelled last month's anti-government protests and attacks on Han Chinese, which were met with a violent crackdown by the Chinese authorities. Certainly, given the intensity of the US and European response, from chancellors and foreign ministers to Hollywood stars and blanket media coverage, you'd be left in little doubt that these two confrontations were the most serious facing their continents, if not the world.
The US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said as much this week when he declared Zimbabwe the "most important and urgent issue" in Africa. Gordon Brown and George Bush both denounced the delay in releasing election results, the prime minister declaring that the "international community's patience with the regime is wearing thin". The British media have long since largely abandoned any attempt at impartiality in its reporting of Zimbabwe, the common assumption being that Mugabe is a murderous dictator at the head of a uniquely wicked regime.
China's growing economic muscle means western leaders prefer to tread more carefully around its human rights record, but Angela Merkel and the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, were not shy about steaming in, along with the US presidential candidates and the House of Representatives, which demanded unconditional talks with the exiled Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, any official restraint was more than made up for by a string of Dalai Lama-dazzled celebs from Richard Gere to Ab Fab's Joanna Lumley, who proudly recalled that her father had once helped Tibet against China on behalf of the British Raj.
But, on the basis of the scale of violence, repression and election rigging alone, you would be hard put to explain why these conflicts have been singled out for such special attention. In the violence surrounding Zimbabwe's elections, two people are currently reported to have died; in Tibet, numbers estimated to have been killed by protesters and Chinese forces range from 22 to 140. By contrast, in Somalia, where US-backed Ethiopian and Somali troops are fighting forces loyal to the ousted government, several thousand have been killed since the beginning of the year and half the population of the capital, Mogadishu, has been forced to flee the city in what UN officials describe as Africa's worst humanitarian crisis.
When it comes to rigging elections, countries like Jordan and Egypt have been happy to oblige in recent months - in the Egyptian case, jailing hundreds of opposition activists into the bargain - and almost nobody in the west has batted an eyelid. In Saudi Arabia there are no national elections at all, let alone the opposition MPs and newspapers that exist in Zimbabwe. In Africa, Togo has been a more flagrant rigger, while in Cameroon last week the president was given the job for life. And when it comes to separatist and independence movements, the Turkish Kurds have faced far more violence and a tighter cultural clampdown than the Tibetans.
The crucial difference, of course, and the reason why these conflicts and violations don't get the deluxe media and political treatment offered to the Zimbabwean opposition or Tibetan separatists is that the governments involved are all backed by the west, compounded in the Zimbabwean case by a transparently racist agenda. But it's not just an issue of hypocrisy and double standards, egregious though they are. It's also that British and US involvement and interference have been crucial to both the Zimbabwean and Tibetan conflicts.
That's most obviously true in Zimbabwe, which was not just a British colony, but where Britain refused to act against a white racist coup, triggering a bloody 15-year liberation war, and then imposed racial parliamentary quotas and a 10-year moratorium on land reform at independence. The subsequent failure by Britain and the US to finance land buyouts as expected, along with the impact of IMF programmes, laid the ground for the current impasse.
As for Tibet, Britain's role in the former serf-based system (helpfully recalled by Lumley) was assumed after the communist takeover by the CIA, which bankrolled the Dalai Lama's operations for many years. Such arrangements have in recent years passed to other US agencies and western NGOs, as with the Zimbabwean opposition. And even if there is no prospect of Tibetan independence, for a US administration that has designated China as the main threat to its global dominance, its minorities are still a stick that can be used to poke the dragon.
What has made human rights edicts by the US and Britain since the launch of the "war on terror" even more preposterous is that not only are they themselves supporting governments with similar or worse records, but they are directly responsible for these outrages themselves: from illegal invasions and occupations to large-scale killing and torture - along with phoney elections - in Iraq and Afghanistan. The UN estimates that more than 700 people were killed in the recent US and British-backed attacks on the Mahdi army in Iraq - a central motive for which was to stop them taking part in elections.
The current focus on China is of course linked to the Olympics, and Britain must face the likelihood of large-scale protests over its own record in 2012. Meanwhile, the best chance both of settling the Zimbabwean crisis and of meeting Tibetan aspirations is without the interference of western powers, which would do better improving the human rights records of their allies and themselves.
The days of colonial dictat are over and where attempts are made to revive them, they will be resisted. China is now an emerging global power - and, as the Zimbabwean ambassador to the UN said yesterday, Zimbabwe "is no longer a British colony".
Labels: HYPOCRISY, NEOCOLONIALISM, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
‘Resolve Petauke wrangles’
Mwanawasa intervenes, orders House of Chiefs...
By TIMES REPORTER
PRESIDENT Mwanawasa has directed the House of Chiefs to help resolve the chieftainship wrangles in Petauke. Chairperson, Chief Mumena, informed the house yesterday that the President had directed that a committee to look into the wrangles in Petauke should be constituted. He said the committee would also study the conflicts surrounding Paramount Chief Gawa Undi’s chiefdom of the Chewa in Katete district.
Chief Mumena said a committee was formed and would start operating as soon as logistics and terms of reference had been discussed.
He said he was confident that the committee would succeed in its mission because the house had in the past managed to resolve such differences.
The seven-member committee comprises Chiefs Ntambu, Shaibila, Simaamba, Nsamba,Chinakila, Kashiba, and Chieftainess Chiawa.
And Local Government and Housing Minister Sylvia Masebo has advised chiefs to be mindful of their traditions and culture when demanding for anything from the Government.
Ms Masebo, who yesterday witnessed the debate of two motions in the house, said this after the chiefs demanded that the Government should build modern palaces besides renovating dilapidated ones.
She said some traditional rulers shunned the same palaces after the death of a chief.
The minister said the Government needed to know how many of the 286 chiefs were
“modernised” because some records at the ministry showed that some of them could not live in brick houses according to their traditions.
She said the Government at times experienced problems in handling matters of some chiefs who died at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka in view of claims that their bodies could not be taken to the mortuary.
Ms Masebo said as could be demonstrated by the motor vehicles that had been bought for them, the Government cared for and respected chiefs and in situations where it failed to provide for them it was because of financial constraints.
She said as the Government had embarked on a programme to build houses, the traditional rulers should surrender land for the project as some of them were refusing to offer land for development.
About the call for Government to provide clean and safe drinking water in rural areas, Ms Masebo said the Government had formulated a strategic plan to reduce distances to water points.
The exercise was expected to take about 10 years and would cost K923 billion.
She said traditional rulers should encourage their subjects to have fixed villages to make it easier for the Government to provide water especially that communities would be involved in the exercise.
Labels: CHIEF UNDI, CHIEFS, MWANAWASA, PETAUKE, SYLVIA MASEBO
Read more...
GOVT urges ZRA to expand its revenue base
By NKOLE CHITALA
GOVERNMNET has urged the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to expand its revenue base to increase domestic resources. Acting Minister of Finance and National Planning, Felix Mutati, said that there was need for the agency to work out a mechanism on how to capture the informal sector into the tax net.
Mr Mutati said the country could still reach the 30 per cent mark in revenue collection if the tax base was broadened as compared to the 18 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) achieved last year.
“We can still reach the 30 per cent mark in revenue collection if ZRA can work out a mechanism on how to enjoy the 30 per cent as it was in the 70,’s,” he said.
Mr Mutati was speaking at the launch of a policy handbook on enhancing the role of domestic resources mobilisation in development meeting at Cresta Golfview Hotel.
The launch was organised by the ZRA, BOZ, Ministry of Finance and National Planning and UNCTAD.
The last time that the country achieved a 30 per cent mark of revenue collection was in 1970 at 30 per cent of GDP out of which 10.8 per cent was revenue from the mining sector.
But, Commissioner-General Christicles Mwansa said issues of broadening the tax base further through capturing the players in the growing informal sector still remained a major challenge faced by the agency.
“We have a taxpayer charter in place which is a service commitment to out taxpayer that will receive excellent service every time they are in contact with us,” Mr Mwansa said.
Labels: FELIX MUTATI, ZRA
Read more...
Mabel Mung’omba is CEE director general
By KASUBA MULENGA
THE Citizens Economic Empowerment (CEE) Commission has appointed Chartered Institute of Marketing president, Mabel Mung’omba, as its director general. Former International Chemicals (Z) Limited general manager and current Commission chairperson, Jacob Sikazwe, announced Mrs Mung’omba’s appointment at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday. Mr Sikazwe said Mrs Mung’omba had 18 years of experience in the private sector at senior executive management level and was highly qualified in business management.
“I wish to congratulate her on this appointment and charge her with the responsibility of providing strategic leadership and vision to the commission in ensuring that its objectives are met,” he said.
Mr Sikazwe said the CEEC had the vision of promoting the broad based economic empowerment of targeted citizens and companies which Mrs Mung’omba should work towards accomplishing.
And accepting the appointment, Mrs Mung’omba said she received the news with humility and great honour.
She said her understanding of the new role was that the CEEC was supposed to promote the second wave of Zambia’s independence.
“The first was political independence and the second wave is economic which translates into access to good education, water, food and various means of livelihood,” Mrs Mung’omba said.
She felt privileged to serve the CEE as it would support Government and help Zambians to achieve the economic independence of their families.
“I am also aware of the challenges that will come with the job because it is the desire of every Zambian to see it work so that the economic landscape of the country is changed,” she said.
And Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry permanent secretary, Davison Chilipamushi, who is also a CEEC commissioner, said Mrs Mung’omba should work towards ensuring that any possible existence of bureaucracy in the commission benefited the people.
Mrs Mung’omba holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the Copperbelt University and three postgraduate qualifications.
She has among other qualifications a Masters in Business Administration with a major in Multinational Finance and International Business, diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom (CIM) and a Cross Sector Partnership qualification from Cambridge University.
She also worked as chief executive for the Africa Health Services, an Anglo American Corporation subsidiary, before joining the start-up team that led to the vision and development of Celtel.
Mrs Mungomba is currently serving as an in-country, African and global consultant on a British Council led Interaction Leadership programme running in 19 African countries.
Government has allocated K120 billion to the CEE, which is supposed to be accessed by successful Zambian applicants for economic empowerment projects.
Labels: CEE, JACOB SIKAZWE, MABEL MUNG'OMBA
Read more...
Mabel Mung’omba is CEE director general
By KASUBA MULENGA
THE Citizens Economic Empowerment (CEE) Commission has appointed Chartered Institute of Marketing president, Mabel Mung’omba, as its director general. Former International Chemicals (Z) Limited general manager and current Commission chairperson, Jacob Sikazwe, announced Mrs Mung’omba’s appointment at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday. Mr Sikazwe said Mrs Mung’omba had 18 years of experience in the private sector at senior executive management level and was highly qualified in business management.
“I wish to congratulate her on this appointment and charge her with the responsibility of providing strategic leadership and vision to the commission in ensuring that its objectives are met,” he said.
Mr Sikazwe said the CEEC had the vision of promoting the broad based economic empowerment of targeted citizens and companies which Mrs Mung’omba should work towards accomplishing.
And accepting the appointment, Mrs Mung’omba said she received the news with humility and great honour.
She said her understanding of the new role was that the CEEC was supposed to promote the second wave of Zambia’s independence.
“The first was political independence and the second wave is economic which translates into access to good education, water, food and various means of livelihood,” Mrs Mung’omba said.
She felt privileged to serve the CEE as it would support Government and help Zambians to achieve the economic independence of their families.
“I am also aware of the challenges that will come with the job because it is the desire of every Zambian to see it work so that the economic landscape of the country is changed,” she said.
And Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry permanent secretary, Davison Chilipamushi, who is also a CEEC commissioner, said Mrs Mung’omba should work towards ensuring that any possible existence of bureaucracy in the commission benefited the people.
Mrs Mung’omba holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the Copperbelt University and three postgraduate qualifications.
She has among other qualifications a Masters in Business Administration with a major in Multinational Finance and International Business, diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom (CIM) and a Cross Sector Partnership qualification from Cambridge University.
She also worked as chief executive for the Africa Health Services, an Anglo American Corporation subsidiary, before joining the start-up team that led to the vision and development of Celtel.
Mrs Mungomba is currently serving as an in-country, African and global consultant on a British Council led Interaction Leadership programme running in 19 African countries.
Government has allocated K120 billion to the CEE, which is supposed to be accessed by successful Zambian applicants for economic empowerment projects.
Labels: CEE, JACOB SIKAZWE, MABEL MUNG'OMBA
Read more...
‘Zim summit needed no consent’
By ANGELA CHISHIMBA
PRESIDENT Mwanawasa did not need permission from Zimbabwe to call for an extraordinary Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) summit to discuss the deepening political crisis there, Chief Government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti has said. Mr Mulongoti, the minister of Information and Broadcasting Services was responding to the Zimbabwean delegation leader at the summit, housing minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who told the state Herald newspaper and the Pan-African News Agency that President Mwanawasa erred to call the extra-ordinary summit “without consulting SADC members as required by SADC protocol.”
Mr Mnangagwa said the lack of prior consultation took member states by surprise. But in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mulongoti asked the Zimbabwean officials not to find fault in the summit because it was called in good faith to deal with a crisis that exists.
“It will be irresponsible for anyone to say that there are no difficulties in Zimbabwe. Zambia has already been affected by the influx of Zimbabwean refugees who are crossing over,” he said.
He said the summit was called to resolve issues affecting the people of Zimbabwe. He said the concern of SADC was not about the question of leadership in Zimbabwe but its people. He said it was important that all parties to the current problems in Zimbabwe were given a chance to be heard.
“It is not like the summit wanted the Zimbabwean government to be given more chance than the opposition… after all, they were all competitors in the elections,” he said.
He called on Africans to recognise that in any competition there was need to respect the rules of engagement.
“When competitors complain, the other party should not be selfish, because this is what is causing problems on the continent,” he said.
The minister said the meeting called by President Mwanawasa was a success because all the parties to the problem were given an opportunity to be heard.
“We are happy that Zambia had provided leadership in this matter,” he said.
SADC leaders held a summit in Lusaka to discuss the electoral crisis created by the failure by authorities to release presidential results of the March 29 polls.
Election officials in Zimbabwe have said they are still counting and verifying ballots. They have also ordered a recount in 23 constituencies.
On Monday, the High Court threw out an opposition petition to force the elections body to release the results.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says it won the elections outright and now fears the Zimbabwe Elections Commission will manipulate the results.
Labels: SADC
Read more...
ERB releases January power blackout report
By Times Reporter
THE Energy Regulations Board (ERB) has recommended that Zesco should review its operations and ensure that a reasonable reserve capacity is always maintained for a stable power system even in emergencies. ERB chairperson, Sikota Wina, said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that Zesco should also immediately undertake an analysis of the system to determine the re-inforcement needed to improve stability.
Releasing the findings of an ERB inquiry committee yesterday, Mr Wina said Zesco, in collaboration with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), should accelerate the enforcement of minimum power factor operations by large industrial users and the mines.
“Such a system would enable Zesco to respond to the loss of generation by automatically switching off appropriate loads, thereby, balancing demand with the available generation,” he said
On the protection system, Mr Wina said Zesco should be able to maintain supplies to areas that could be isolated from the affected areas as that reduced the time restoration of the rest of the system.
He further said that Zesco and CEC should take immediate steps to acquire any equipment needed to synchronise all events on recorders.
Mr Wina said there should be a minimal period of restoration and that the committee recommended that all stand-by equipment should be available while efforts to create more power stations should be doubled.
The committee was unable to fully assess the economic impact of the blackouts and the current load-shedding, and suggested that the Government and the ERB should commission a separate study.
Mr Wina said regulating Zesco posed a challenge because it was publicly owned.
The committee suggested a review of some institutional and legal frameworks to enhance ERB’s effectiveness.
Zambia was in total darkness on January 19, 21 and 22 this year, forcing the ERB to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the blackouts.
Jorry Mwenechanya chaired the committee while other members were George Samiselo, Raphael Salasini, and Clement Sasa. Others were Chiteta Ching’ambu, John Muleya, Ireen Musonda, Mathew Lindunda, and Nelly Mutti.
Labels: ERB, ZESCO
Read more...
Misguided departure from ARVs can be costly, warns minister
By Times Reporter
IT is sad that some AIDS patients are dying after abandoning anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for tetrasil and selenium, Health Deputy Minister Lwipa Puma has said. Dr Puma said some patients tended to shift to other treatment options that some people promise could cure them.
He said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday after officiating at the launch of a Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+) research-based policy dialogue access to medical services report.
Dr Puma said he wondered why some patients were spending huge sums of money on drugs that could never cure them when the Government was offering free ARVs in all health institutions.
“This option medication which people are cheated about is contributing to unnecessary deaths among those living with the virus,” he said.
He also advised that anti-retroviral treatment should be sought early enough, before one’s CD4 count declines.
Dr Puma said a survey in 12 districts showed that general infrastructural problems constituted a major obstacle to both clients and healthcare providers.
He said this year, the ministry had allocated some money to construction of hospitals in Chiengi, Kaputa, Lufwanyama, and Mpulungu districts.
The projects would cost between K1.7 billion to K2 billion.
Staff houses would also be built in an effort to bring health service delivery closer to people.
Dr Puma said the ministry was working to ensure that it this year placed 52,000 adults and 8,000 children on HIV/AIDS treatment.
Earlier, NZP+ chairperson Miriam Banda reiterated the organisation’s position on encouraging people to stick to ARVs.
Ms Banda urged those on ARVs not to stop the treatment but to continue until a cure was found.
Labels: AIDS, MEDICINE
Read more...
Zim crisis is an eye-opener - Sata
By Amos Malupenga
Thursday April 17, 2008 [04:00]
The Zimbabwe crisis should be an eye-opener to all African leaders, opposition Patriotic Front president Michael Sata has said. Commenting on the situation in Zimbabwe after the March 29 harmonised elections, Sata said the Zimbabwean crisis was not only for Zimbabwe but the entire Africa. He said what was happening in Zimbabwe and Kenya should help Africa to reflect on what the problem is.
“All African governments, including Zambia, make laws and decisions that become tools of oppression when they are in power,” Sata said. “And when these tools of oppression have become legal instruments, they create patronage and patronage becomes very dangerous because it creates poverty, unemployment, corruption and general crime.
Are we as Africans not ashamed that 48 hours ago, there was an election in Italy and as we are speaking now, the whole world knows the results of those elections and yet Italy has more people than Zimbabwe and Zambia combined and more parties participated? ”
Sata said another election on a party level was going on in the US and despite the candidates’ differences, it was clear that there was no rigging because there was no patronage.
“Africa has become a laughing stock,” he said. “Our President in 2006 was embroiled in a controversy where elections were influenced by patronage, poverty and unemployment.
Today, our President is embroiled in another controversy of the NCC. When NCC is complete, elections will be held under the new constitution. What will SADC talk about because in that NCC, the Church, my party and women are not there?”
Sata said African leaders should concentrate on making laws that reduce patronage.
And Sata urged the international community not to look at the issue of Zimbabwe with bias.
“Because we are poor as Africa, we can’t influence elections in Italy and US,” Sata said. “The so-called international community are looking at Zimbabwe with bias.
Their western media are portraying some problems like they are only in Zimbabwe when these are common problems even in Zambia.
They are talking about the rising cost of living in Zimbabwe but they are not talking about the rampant fuel increases and the Zesco in Zambia. Fuel prices hikes have a spiral effect.”
Labels: SATA, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
BOZ urges law reforms for economic development
By Mutale Kapekele in Livingstone
Thursday April 17, 2008 [04:00]
ZAMBIA’S laws do not respond well to changes in the social-economic environment, Bank of Zambia deputy governor Dr Tukiya Mabula has said. In a keynote address at the Association of Law Reform Agencies of Eastern and Southern Africa (ALRAESA) conference in Livingstone on Tuesday, Mabula said the country’s legal framework was archaic.
“Zambian laws have tended to stagnate and do not respond to changes whereas many changes have taken place in the original English legislation on which our legal system is based,” Mabula said.
“It has become apparent that there is not only need for law reform, even of the relatively new laws, but law development as well to meet the challenge of developing the financial sector in the present economic environment.”
Mabula, who was discussing. “The role of law reform in economic development: lessons from the Zambian financial sector development plan” said there was need for regular law reviews to ensure the relevance and adequacy of the legislation governing the financial sector.
“This could be achieved through developing, strengthening, modernising and harmonising the legal infrastructure relating to the financial sector,” Mabula said. “The need for law reform in the financial sector is one of the key sector development issues.”
She said a properly regulated financial system was an important component for economic growth.
“The financial sector plays a key role in the smooth and efficient functioning of the economy,” said Mabula. “It is also common ground that financial development contributes to overall economic growth and development.”
Labels: BOZ, DEVELOPMENT
Read more...
My involvement in Carlington maize deal was professional, says Mutale
By Inonge Noyoo
Thursday April 17, 2008 [04:00]
FORMER Attorney General Bonaventure Mutale has said there was nothing strange about his involvement in the US $ 7.8 million Carlington maize saga. Commenting on revelations by the Task Force on Corruption chairman Maxwell Nkole that he was one of the people yet to be called and interrogated on the maize deal, Mutale said his involvement in the Carlington deal was merely in his official capacity as attorney general at the time.
Mutale said he was very amused at revelations that he would be interrogated on the Carlington maize scandal.
“The context in which that statement was made is very regrettable because my involvement in the matter was as Attorney General and I prosecuted the claim against Carlington in the London Court of Arbitration. What the Task Force is doing is exactly what I did then,” he said.
Mutale said acting on instructions from then president Frederick Chiluba, he conducted investigations in the Carlington maize saga as to why there was a failure by the company to supply the maize or pay the money it owed the Zambian government.
He said he prosecuted the case and the judgment was in favour of Zambia and Carlington was ordered to pay back the money.
“What is remaining now is the award to be enforced and for the money to be paid back. I find it regrettable for someone to say I will be interrogated over the Carlington maize scandal because the files are there to speak for themselves.
You can go to the ministry of justice now and you will find all the files you need on the Carlington deal, everything is documented. I was only involved in my official capacity as Attorney General and after the event,” he said.
Mutale said he would, however, assist with any information that the Task Force may need from him.
“I am still under oath to assist them. They can consult me and I will be able to assist them. Otherwise my involvement was simply professional like a lawyer is instructed to prosecute a case by a client.
I was instructed as Attorney General to conduct the case on behalf of Zambia. I was simply chasing a debt,” he said. “There is nothing strange about my involvement since I was legal advisor and I was instructed to recover debt. Actually, the Task Force is simply duplicating what I did at the time.”
The Task Force on Corruption has been investigating the case of Carlington Sales Company, a Canadian commodity supplier, following an agreement with the Zambian government in 1997/98 to supply maize to Zambia amounting to US $24 million. The government paid US $7.8 million towards the contract but no maize was ever delivered to Zambia.
Labels: BONAVENTURE MUTALE, COURTS, MAIZE
Read more...
Magistrate Kafunda refuses to recuse himself in President Mwanawasa's
By Noel Sichalwe
Thursday April 17, 2008 [04:00]
LUSAKA principal resident magistrate Charles Kafunda yesterday refused to recuse himself in the case where Patriotic Front president Michael Sata and two others are charged with defamation of President Levy Mwanawasa. This is a matter in which Sata, his vice-president Guy Scott and a police officer Clement Andeleki have been charged with defamation of the President following the forged letter dated January 14, 2006, which Andeleki allegedly gave to Sata who in return passed it to The Post for publication.
Sata sent the letter to The Post, purporting that President Mwanawasa ordered the arrest of PF cadres who waved at him on his way to the official opening of Parliament in January 2006.
When the matter came up for plea yesterday, defence lawyers comprising Robert Simeza, Bonaventure Mutale, Mathew Pikiti, Edgar Lungu and Wynter Kabimba applied to hear the preliminary application in chambers.
While in chambers, the defence raised two preliminary issues with the first one being that the court should suspend hearing of the matter while awaiting the determination of the appeal in the Supreme Court arising from the same case.
The appeal related to the refusal by then trial magistrate Edward Musona to refer the matter to the High Court to determine constitutional issues.
The second issue was that magistrate Kafunda should recuse himself from handling the matter because he had earlier convicted Andeleki for contempt of court and further testified against him at a tribunal convened by the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE).
Pikiti argued that magistrate Kafunda should recuse himself in respect of proceedings against Andeleki because he had earlier convicted Andeleki for contempt of court in another matter.
He contended that magistrate Kafunda facilitated the proceedings against Andeleki by testifying against him at a tribunal thereby destroying his life.
Pikiti urged magistrate Kafunda to recuse himself so that justice could prevail in the matter. The state, however did not reply to the application.
The application was also supported by Mutale and Professor Mvunga.
In his ruling, magistrate Kafunda said he had thought about the issues and that Pikiti was fully aware of the matter with regard to Andeleki's contempt case.
Magistrate Kafunda said the record was clear that Andeleki was a learner student at ZIALE when he placed himself on record as defence counsel in a criminal matter.
He said it was clear that Andeleki had committed contempt of court by pretending to be a lawyer when he was not. He said Andeleki even failed to justify his conduct and instead apologized for what he had done.
"Accused number three (Andeleki) was cautioned and was ordered to leave the court but he had made for about three times where he was defending a criminal matter," magistrate Kafunda said.
He took great exception at what he regarded as the misrepresentation of facts by Pikiti. He said the tribunal at ZIALE was merely meant to learn what had happened with regard to Andeleki's conduct where he gave an objective position.
He said it was regrettable that Pikiti could paddle such falsehood against the court and that as an officer of the court, he was supposed to maintain and protect the integrity of the court.
Magistrate Kafunda said Pikiti had just misled Prof Mvunga when he supported the argument.
"Should he (Pikiti) depart from that duty and embark on an acrimonious and disrespectful route, this court will be compelled to exercise its full jurisdiction to discipline every officer of the court especially when it is clear that they intentionally want to bring this court into ridicule and contempt," said magistrate Kafunda.
"The court will therefore, have the said application dismissed."
Labels: CHARLES KAFUNDA, COURTS, DEFAMATION, MWANAWASA, SATA
Read more...
