COMMENT - Actually, it is Hillary Clinton who should be blamed for pushing Zimbabwe to ruin, when she co-sponsored the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, which put the country on a credit freeze, which destroyed the currency, as intended, to punish the country for effective landreform, redistributing the land held by 4,500 individuals to over 314,000 Zimbabweans. .
Clinton pressures SA on Zimbabwe
by Sue Pleming
07/08/2009 00:00:00
UNITED States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will push South Africa to use its influence with neighbour Zimbabwe, while also seeking closer ties with Pretoria after
strained relations with the Bush administration.
Clinton, set to meet South Africa's foreign minister and vice president on Friday, said she would urge the new government to get Zimbabwe to raise the pace of political reform which has been too slow for donors to release substantial amounts of aid.
South Africa must, she said, "try to use its influence to mitigate against the negative effects of the continuing presidency of President (Robert) Mugabe."
New South African President Jacob Zuma, due to meet Clinton in the coastal city of Durban on Saturday, has taken a harder line on Zimbabwe than his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, but the United States wants more.
The United States, troubled by what it sees as an absence of reform in Zimbabwe, has no plans either to offer major aid or to lift sanctions against Mugabe and some of his supporters.
Before any of that can happen, Washington wants more evidence of political, social and economic reforms by Mugabe and the government he shares uneasily with opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, is blamed for plunging Zimbabwe into economic ruin. He argues that his country's economic woes, which include hyperinflation and a collapsed infrastructure, are caused by sanctions.
Clinton hopes there will be a burst of goodwill due to the change of government in both South Africa and the United States and that she will be able to kick off better relations with Pretoria that the Bush administration had.
"Under Thabo Mbeki, U.S.-South African relations were not as warm and friendly in reality as many people thought," said a senior official, who spoke on condition he not be named.
The United States had disagreed, for example, with Mbeki's views on how to handle the HIV/AIDS crisis, which the former South African president had been slow to grasp.
Walter Kansteiner, a top Africa diplomat for the Bush administration, said Clinton should work Zuma "very hard" on Zimbabwe and follow up with him after their meetings.
"I think we left Pretoria off the hook too many times on Zimbabwe ... but in our defence there were a lot of other issues on our agenda and the feeling was why jeopardise all these many other things that we were trying to get done," he said.
While in Nairobi -- the first stop of Clinton's seven-nation African tour before she came to South Africa -- the top U.S. diplomat publicly lambasted Kenya's government for corruption and poor governance.
U.S. officials said Clinton would not beat the same drum with Pretoria and the focus would be on boosting economic and diplomatic ties.
"The South African government does not have the serious issues of corruption that plagued the Kenyan government," said the U.S. official.
Clinton visited South Africa several times when her husband, Bill Clinton, was U.S. President and she plans to visit Cape Town on Saturday to check in on progress at a housing project named after slain anti-apartheid activist Victoria Mxenge, which she went to saw on two previous trips.
On Friday she will also meet international icon and former South African president Nelson Mandela. - Reuters
Labels: HILLARY CLINTON, JACOB ZUMA, LAND REFORM, MUGABE, NEOCOLONIALISM, ZDERA, ZIMBABWE
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Audit exposes corrupt practices in Bingu govt, civil society call for action
By Nyasa Times
Published: August 6, 2009
Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), a coalition of civil society organisations concerned with economic governance has called on anti corruption enforcers to act on public officers accused of wrongful-self enrichment in a damning report by Auditor General.
The Auditor General has revealed the sordid details of high corruption, fraud and theft in the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika from 2005 to 2007.
The report which Nyasa Times has since obtained, in graphic detail describes how government officials in the Mutharika government used state resources for self-enrichment.
It also revealed how public funds were being used for political campaigns with expenses billed to government and public institutions which have made government to lose billions of Kwacha.
“There have been several reports indicating that corruption is still rampant in the country,” Andrew Kumbatira, executive director of MEJN told Capital FM radio.
He called for the long arm of the law to take its course on suspects.
“At the end of the day it is the poor people in the villages that are suffering because of this poor performance,” said the head of the economic governance group.
The audit has exposed bogus contracts and failure to collect revenue, by some ministries, such as the ministry of transport and public works.
“Government money has been lost. Progress of development will slow down,” pointed out Kumbatira.
The law enforcers, Malawi Police Service have also been exposed practices of fraud and abuse of public funds.
MEJN strongly called for action and bring suspects to book.
“What is important is government action, taking to book those that have flouted government regulation financial procedures,” said Kumbatira.
He also urged civil society and the public at large to be vigilant in checking abuse in government.
“What can be learnt for this it is important to make sure that there is strong oversight in terms of government operation. The fight against corruption is for all of us,” he said.
However, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which is responsible for tackling graft, has been viewed a witch hunting body which aims at victimising people especially political opponents.
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Opposition UDF parliamentary chief whip, Clement Chiwaya told National Assembly recently told that the Bureau , in its investigations, victimizes innocent people especially politicians.
Chiwaya also said the allocation of K904, 219, 732 in the 2009/10 national budget to the Anti-Corruption Bureau is too much considering that the bureau rush through cases without investigating fully.
But Minister of Justice and constitutional affairs, Professor Peter Mutharika said it was not true that the Bureau victimize politicians but rather it is an independent body which targets people and politicians who engage in corruption.
The minister also said the body acquired new four by four vehicles which would enable the body carry out its investigations effectively.
Labels: ANDREW KUMBATIRA, BINGU WA MUTHARIKA, CORRUPTION, MALAWI ECONOMIC JUSTICE NETWORK
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Resist job cuts RB urges private sector
By NKOLE CHITALA
PRESIDENT Banda says the private sector should resist the temptation of job cuts but rather focus on other measures that can make their operations vibrant. And Zain Zambia Plc and Farmers House yesterday commissioned their newly-opened headquarters in Lusaka which was constructed at a cost of US$8 million.
Mr Banda said yesterday that he is concerned that while the economy is on the path of recovery, there is a tendency in the private sector to implement cost-cutting measures which sometimes affect employees.
Mr Banda was speaking in a speech read for him by Minister of Transport and Communications Geoffrey Lungwangwa at the commissioning of the new Zain offices in Lusaka yesterday.
He said the information communication technology (ICT) sector has remained resilient to the financial shocks such that the sector should maintain the service and employment levels.
Mr Banda commended Zain shareholders’ vision of bringing people together as partners in running the affairs of the company. He said the spirit of sharing benefits and risks encourages Government to do even more in the ICT sector.
President Banda said his Government is discussing the Information and Communication Technologies Bill, Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill and the Postal Services Bill.
He assured the nation that the bills are designed to move the ICT sector in line with regional, continental and global best practices.
Mr Banda said this is also designed to streamline the licensing regime to allow operators to determine the best technologies to deploy.
“On the other hand, Zambians, like other consumers around the globe, are eager to have technologies such as television on mobile phones in the nearest future,” he said.
Mr Banda said the bills have also made provisions for a technology neutral licensing framework while the number of licences will be minimised.
He said this is in line with Government’s policy of reducing the cost of doing business as envisaged in the business licensing reform programme.
Mr Banda said Government will continue to engage the private sector to achieve the promise expressed in the Vision 2030.
He said the national ICT policy launched in 2007 recognised the active participation of the private sector in national development especially in the delivery of services to the people.
Mr Banda said the ICT policy outlines the vision of Zambia being transformed into an information and knowledge-based society, supported by consistent development of and pervasive access to ICTs by all citizens by 2030.
And Zain Zambia Managing Director David Holliday said the company was committed to bringing innovative products and services that would help create a healthy business environment to make Zambia a more attractive investment destination.
Mr Holliday thanked Government for granting the company a 3G test licence.
“We have invested heavily in our 3G preparedness, complying with all legal requirements to ensure Zambia is not left out on the great technological advancements that are a key to national development.
“This will allow us to deliver high speed broadband internet with myriad applications from healthcare through 3G handsets, to incubating content entrepreneurs for youth and business alike,” he said.
Mr Holliday said Zain has grown considerably over the years, resulting in fragmented work space to accommodate everyone in Lusaka.
He said this has caused inefficiency with staff spread over Woodlands, Farmers House and Arcades.
Labels: ICT, JOBLOSSES, RUPIAH BANDA
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The betrayal of chiefs
Written by Editor
Senior chief Bright Nalubamba and his fellow chiefs in Southern Province have no reason to regret having supported Rupiah Banda in last year’s elections. They knew very well what type of a person Rupiah was and that’s why they supported him. All the chiefs in Southern Province were adults when Rupiah was chief executive at Namboard, when he was a Zambian diplomat, a minister in the UNIP government and indeed the governor of Lusaka.
Nobody from that age group can claim to have been misled on who Rupiah is and what he has stood for all his life. Rupiah’s record is well known. Rupiah is not a man capable of hiding his true colours.
The truth is senior chief Nalubamba and his friends supported Rupiah out of opportunism and not out of principle. We say out of opportunism because they thought being what he was, he would also play an opportunist game and give them what they wanted. When one wants serious things to be delivered to the people, to the community or the nation, they look for principled people. Crooks can promise anything; they can even lie, but they seldom deliver on their promises.
What senior chief Nalubamba and his friends were looking for was not something for the people but for themselves. Again, we say this because senior chief Nalubamba and his friends know Rupiah very well and they had no reason to think that all of a sudden, the man has acquired some capacity to deliver anything meaningful to the people.
So there is nothing for them to regret. If there is anything to regret, it’s their own opportunism and lack of principles. There is no way any honest person who has known Rupiah all these years can ever think and believe that Rupiah can honestly champion any fight against corruption.
There is no one who knows Rupiah’s background who can sincerely believe that the man can depart from tribal or regional politics and sincerely become a champion of national unity. Political honesty has never been a hallmark of Rupiah’s political career. So the chiefs should not blame Rupiah for the way things have turned out. They should blame themselves because Rupiah has remained true to his character that these chiefs tried to ignore.
It is also difficult to understand how our chiefs could be so easily duped by Rupiah. Anyway they say that those who stand for nothing fall for anything. And if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
We hope these chiefs of ours will now realise that leadership is not something to play opportunism with because it is very vital to the future of our nation. And good leadership can only be achieved by our chiefs’ willingness to work with their people and be inspired by a larger vision and not what a particular individual will do for them when he becomes president.
And we hope that our chiefs have learnt that of all the properties which belong to honourable men and women, not one is so highly prized as that of character. We say this because you can’t lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself.
We hope these chiefs have learnt something. We hope they will now realise that only people who are known for their honesty, ability, dedication and concern for the welfare of all deserve to be supported for leadership positions. And the support of our chiefs for those seeking political office should be guided by strong principles or values and not by what a candidate has given them or has promised to give them. What our people are seeking is genuine democracy in which the leaders are servants of the electorate and not its masters, or robbers.
And good governance only occurs when we have intelligent, honest and humble leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people. No one deserves to be elected unless they are honest, humble and incorruptible. We say this because politics is an area of great importance for promoting justice, peace, development and community among all. And senior chief Nalubamba and his friends should from now onwards avoid what they did last year by going against the wishes of the people to support Rupiah.
They had no support from their people for the stand they took because the people of Southern Province didn’t vote for Rupiah despite their chiefs’ openly declared support for him. How was this possible? How can senior chief Nalubamba and his friends explain this defiance of their own people? What reward was there to induce them to totally disregard the political feelings of their own subjects? This is corruption. This is not good leadership on their part. And for this reason, they should feel ashamed to even criticise Rupiah because they betrayed their own people by ignoring their political wishes.
Anyway, if there is genuine and honest regret and they can fully explain it, then they will win back the respect and trust of the people. If not, no one will ever listen to them again when it comes to whom they should vote for. It is important that senior chief Nalubamba and his friends start to regard politics as a vocation, a way of building up society for the common good.
They should realise that the government is the instrument by which people co-operate together in order to achieve the common good and those who are put in government should match up to that responsibility. It’s time our chiefs became conscious of their specific and proper role in the political community. Politics need people with high credibility. If our country is to move forward, honest and hardworking leaders are needed.
There is need to realise that the mark of great leaders is the ability to understand the context in which they are operating and act accordingly. A leader should have largeness of mind and should be staunch and active, looking upon the interests of the people as his very life and subordinating his personal interests to those of the people; always and everywhere, he should adhere to principle and wage a tireless struggle against all incorrect ideas and actions, so as to consolidate the collective life of the nation.
A leader should be more concerned about the people than about any individual, and more concerned about others than about himself. Only thus can he be considered a good leader. At no time and in no circumstances should a leader place his personal interests first; he should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses. Hence, selfishness, corruption, dishonesty and so forth and so on are most contemptible, while wholehearted devotion to the people and their interests will always command respect. What we are saying applies to all our leaders, including our chiefs themselves.
There is no doubt senior chief Nalubamba and his friends had behaved in the most treacherous manner in their support for Rupiah. There is nothing but selfishness that drove them to support Rupiah. They abandoned their people; they betrayed their people for Rupiah. They were actually very shortsighted and had lost their bearings. Chiefs, of all people, should be the most farsighted and the most honest in sizing up situations and should rely on the majority of the masses for whatever positions they take.
Chiefs should set an example in whatever they do; at all times, they should be pupils of the masses as well as their teachers.
We can only hope senior chief Nalubamba and his friends have truly learnt their lesson and will never politically betray their people again.
Labels: CHIEFS, RUPIAH BANDA
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Rupiah loses support of S/Province chiefs
Written by George Zulu in Monze
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:59:52 PM
SENIOR chief Bright Nalubamba has said the Royal Foundation of Zambia Southern Province chapter regrets having supported President Rupiah Banda in last October's presidential election.And chief Nalubamba has charged that the recent remarks made by President Banda that second Republican president Frederick Chiluba was a good president was undermining the intelligence of the Zambian people.
In an interview, chief Nalubamba of Namwala district said chiefs in the province were saddened and disgusted at the wrong route President Banda had taken in the fight against corruption and governance of the country.
Chief Nalubamba said traditional leaders in the province were not happy with the way the head of state was handling issues of corruption, development, sincerity and unity of the people of Zambia.
He added that this had become a source of concern considering the rate of disintegration among the people.
"We regret having supported President Banda in the last Presidential by-election of 2008, our aspirations as traditional leaders have not been fulfilled. We supported him [President Banda] because he told us and we believed him that he was going to forge ahead with the late [president Levy] Mwanawasa's legacy but what he is doing is contrary to the things he promised us. Corruption has become rampant in his administration, violence against people with divergent views has been introduced and it has increased to alarming levels, harassment of journalists has been recorded under his leadership and failure to deliver development and to show leadership has been at the height of his leadership," chief Nalubamba said.
He said President Banda should rise from his current political and personal destruction by paying attention and listening to the demands of people who voted for him.
"A lot of things have gone wrong in our country and we challenge President Banda to rise to the accession and see things the way other people are seeing them than to hide in a collective agreement position which will leave a poor and bad precedence on the Office of the President," he said.
Chief Nalubamba said the current governance record for Zambia in the fight against corruption was worrying at both local and international levels, while that of abuse of human rights, infringement of press freedom was under threat by President Banda and the MMD.
And chief Nalubamba said a country where a head of state publicly embraced and commended a former president who has been found wanting of having stolen public resources by the courts was worrying.
Commenting on the recent remarks by President Banda in Mansa that Chiluba was a damn good president, chief Nalubamba said corruption had deeply eaten the fabric of the nation.
He said the country was headed for an economic disaster which would be difficult to recover from.
Chief Nalubamba said the open remarks by President Banda to the people of Zambia in support of Chiluba told a sad story of the governance of the country, adding that the judiciary was under serious self-scrutiny to do the right thing.
He said he had no respect for a thieving and corrupt president and that it was totally and morally unacceptable to shower praises and commendations to such people in society.
Chief Nalubamba further appealed to members of parliament to exercise their powers by making laws which would correct the country’s current political situation.
Labels: BRIGHT NAMULAMBA, CHIEFS, RUPIAH BANDA, SOUTHERN PROVINCE
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ZICA calls for strengthening of Accountant General’s office
Written by Kabanda Chulu
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:57:14 PM
FINANCE Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane yesterday advised some politicians from opposition parties to desist from making comments that attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will result in job losses and collapse of local industries.And Zambia Institute of Certified Accountants (ZICA) president Chintu Mulendema has urged Dr Musokotwane to strengthen the Accountant General’s office to ensure transparency in financial management of public resources.
During the 8th ZICA, ACCA and CIMA annual business conference in Livingstone yesterday, whose theme is ‘Development challenges facing Zambia towards Vision 2030’, Dr Musokotwane said there was need to continuously develop policies that created rapid economic growth of about seven to 10 per cent every year.
He said the Zambian economy would not grow to expected levels that could reduce poverty if FDI was not attracted in the country.
“There is no country that has fought poverty without attracting FDI, so those people, some opposition politicians saying too many Chinese, Ghanaians, Nigerians and others will kill local industries are wrong because FDI is good and those fears are unfounded that local people will become jobless. So let us not resist and discourage FDI since it is good for us as capital for job creation and technology transfer,” Dr Musokotwane said.
He challenged ZICA to emphasize on good corporate principles and practices from accountants when managing the country’s scarce resources.
“There is need as a country to enhance transparency and accountability in order to deliver quality services that meet expectations of the public,” said Dr Musokotwane.
And Mulendema said the realisation of the national vision required that the accountancy profession consistently acted in the public interest.
He said no amount of discussion on the Vision 2030 would turn around the country without accountants delivering high quality financial reporting and management accounting decision making in the public interest.
“We urge you to strengthen the Accountant General’s office to ensure transparency in the financial management to protect public resources and allow heads of accounting units in government to say no when not satisfied with expenditure patterns,” said Mulendema in a speech read on his behalf by ZICA vice president Fredrick Banda.
Mulendema said ZICA was concerned about the alleged continued misuse of public funds in the form of unretired imprest, misapplication and misappropriation of funds and sometimes loss of supporting documents for disbursed funds.
Labels: CORRUPTION, FDI, NEOLIBERALISM, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, ZICA
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DRC, Rwanda presidents hold rare meeting on border
Written by Sophie Tholstrup
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:55:04 PM
GISENYI, Rwanda (Reuters) - The leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) held a rare meeting on the border on Thursday in the latest sign of thawing relations between the neighbouring states after years of tension.Rwandan and Congolese military forces launched a joint operation this year against a Hutu rebel group operating in the forests of lawless eastern Congo, and both governments appointed envoys to the other's capital.
Plans are also underway to build a jointly operated methane gas plant that will generate electricity for both countries.
"It is the first giant step forward," Congo's President Joseph Kabila told reporters of the talks with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame. "It was overdue. It should have taken place a long time back, but better late than never."
Rivalries between the two states, which back different militias in mineral-rich eastern Congo, have long frustrated efforts to bring peace following a 1998-2003 war thought to have led to the death of more than five million people.
But policy changes led them to collaborate this year against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group, which is linked to the militants who carried out Rwanda's 1994 genocide that killed some 800,000 people.
Kabila said the FDLR's days were numbered: "They are now in a much weaker position than before."
Both presidents agreed to plan further joint economic activities and to revive the Rwanda-DRC Joint Permanent Commission, which has not been in operation for 21 years. The pair are due to meet again in Kinshasa in October or November.
"To run you begin with one step. I think we have now taken this step and can begin to run," Kagame said.
"It is a sign of the friendship, stability and very good relations that have developed between Rwanda and DRC."
One contentious topic remains the fate of rebel general Laurent Nkunda, the former leader of the ethnic Tutsi-dominated National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), who was arrested in January in Rwanda and is wanted in Congo.
Rwanda says it has hesitated to extradite him because he could face the death penalty in Congo, and that legal experts from both countries were studying the problem.
Kagame sought to allay Congolese fears on Thursday.
"I can give a very firm assurance that neither Laurent Nkunda nor the CNDP can base in Rwanda to cause any discomfort ... or affect the stability created in DRC or between DRC and Rwanda," he said.
Labels: DRC, JOSEPH KABILA, PAUL KAGAME, RWANDA
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Shikapwasha accuses The Post of fabricating stories, insulting President
Written by Joseph Mwenda
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:53:41 PM
CHIEF Government Spokesperson Ronny Shikapwasha this morning lashed-out at The Post accusing the newspaper of fabricating stories and inciting violence in the country.Delivering a speech in Parliament this morning, Shikapwasha who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting also charged that the Churches in Zambia were siding with men instead of God.
“Mr. Speaker this is the newspaper which has continued insulting the president on a daily basis… Just recently the Post carried the story with a headline “Zambia’s envoy to South Africa, Zuma’s office have no knowledge of Banda’s trip. Zuma not aware of RB’s Visit.”
“Mr. Speaker before that article was published, the president was already having a president to president talk with Jacob Zuma.”
Mr. Speaker I don’t know why The Post did not call me, I am the minister of Information. I have given my phone number to The Post, not only that I have given my private number to The Post, not only that, the minister of foreign affairs has given the number to The Post. But they went ahead and fabricated a story without even calling the high commissioner to South Africa Mr. (Leslie) Mbula.”
“Mr. Speaker it is the radio stations that started the genocide in Rwanda where 25 journalists were arrested… The media is causing agitation in the country,” he said.
Shikapwasha also said the Church had failed to remain neutral on such matter but had instead taken sides with men.
“Mr. Speaker I will be failing in my duties if I end without mentioning that the Church in Zambia has taken sides with the media.., the Church has taken sides with men other than with God.”
“Mr. Speaker where is the Church when a newspaper is insulting the President. The Church must learn from the genocide in Rwanda.”
My appeal to the Church is, seek thee first the kingdom of God and Zambia shall be saved.”
But Post Reporter Chibaula Silwamba, has produced a recording of his interviews with the Zambia’s High Commisioner Leslie Mbula and Zuma’s spokesperson.
“Maybe the Minister (Shikapwasha) did not read the full story, but we have a recording of those interviews which we will give to Mr. Shikapwasha if asked to. I do not understand what he means by ‘fabricating’ stories,” said Chibaula.
“And Vice President George Kunda commended the Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily mail for what he described as upholding media ethics.
“The Times and Daily are doing very well, their ethical standards are very high. When you go to them to respond to these insults, they will not allow it. That is why we will maintain them as a parastatal because they are doing very well,” he said.
Journalists will this afternoon be protesting against the continued beatings and harassment of reporters by MMD supporters.
Full story coming up…
Labels: RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, THE POST
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MMD cadres continue their violence at court
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:52:08 PM
THERE was confusion at the Lusaka Magistrates Court Complex after MMD cadres beat up PF and UPND female cadres who went to give solidarity to Post news editor Chansa Kabwela.But Lusaka Province MMD chairman Cleopas Chimembe instructed police officers on the scene to arrest three UPND cadres that were allegedly heard insulting President Rupiah Banda.
During the hearing of the case where Kabwela is facing one count of circulating obscene materials with a view of corrupting public morals, chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda was compelled to suspend the proceedings because of the noise by the singing and chanting MMD cadres.
The cadres were at the court to show their solidarity with Lusaka Province youth chairman Chris Chalwe, who was due to take plea in another court after he was arrested for assaulting journalists at the Lusaka International Airport.
Magistrate Kafunda briefly suspended Kabwela's trial and demanded to see counsels for both parties in his chambers.
Outside the courtroom, some MMD cadres were found singing and chanting party slogans within the perimeters of the court complex.
Some police officers that had been in magistrate Kafunda's courtroom joined their fellow officers and asked the MMD cadres to move away from the court complex.
Following a slight resistance the cadres moved away towards the main entrance, where a sizeable number of PF women and UPND cadres had converged while holding banners expressing their solidarity with The Post and Kabwela.
"Wamene a nyanta boma, ni wamene asokoneza [the one who steps on the government is the one who has brought confusion]," the MMD cadres sang as they headed for the main entrance.
As the MMD cadres, who were mostly a youthful lot, passed where the PF and UPND cadres were peacefully converged, some of them descended on the opposition political cadres.
A few number of police officers tried to contain the situation but the MMD cadres proceeded to grab the solidarity banners and chitenge materials for the UPND and PF cadres and tore them to shreds.
"Moto wa yaka [fire has been started]," some of the MMD cadres chanted as they burnt other banners and chitenges.
Others chased away the PF and UPND cadres from the main entrance and they scampered into the court perimeter in a bid to seek protection from the police.
The MMD cadres relentlessly followed the opposition cadres and beat up a few women, who were only rescued by the police.
One of the female UPND cadres was heard complaining to the police that such behaviour could cause more violence.
"Why did they go to their side? They do not know that those vitenges and banners they have torn and burnt were bought using money," she lamented. "Ba tipeza apa tiimba ba bwelo leta musokonezo [they found us singing peacefully and they brought confusion]."
Some of the UPND and PF cadres were heard asking the police what they were doing at the court if they could not contain the unruly MMD cadres.
An MMD cadre was heard telling one of the opposition cadres to get-off, because she was a nothing.
Another MMD cadre clad in a black balaclava pointed at this reporter, warning him not to write lies.
Lusaka division prosecution officer, Frank Mumbuna, and other senior police officers were heard pleading with a senior MMD member to ask his people to leave the court premises because they were disturbing court proceedings.
"Help us because if we go there we will just aggravate the situation," Mumbuna said. "Help us...it is better we find a focal point person."
However, the MMD cadre insisted that it was not the MMD cadres that had sparked-off the confusion but the UPND and PF cadres that were insulting President Banda.
The cadre said they had not come for Kabwela's case but for Chalwe's matter.
Mumbuna then went to the scene of the confusion with the MMD cadre and he liaised with other senior police officers on the situation.
"We can't proceed with the proceedings," Mumbuna told the other officers. "The court says we cannot sit now when there is noise."
Mumbuna was then given a briefing on the situation by another senior police officer.
But Chimembe, who had just been addressing the slogan-chanting MMD cadres outside the court premises, was heard telling two police officers that there were cadres who could identify the two UPND and PF cadres that insulted President Banda.
"What has caused the problem were these same insults," Chimembe said before moving away from earshot.
He ordered the police to identify the three opposition cadres and arrest them on the spot.
"Because when it was happening I hear there were police officers helplessly watching," Chimembe said.
He said it was not right that the police officers had just watched people insult President Banda.
But the two police officers said they could not pounce on the people there and then and that the due process of the law be adhered to.
"It will be done," one of the police officers was heard saying.
Chimembe was later seen going to the cadres to urge them to move away from the place and a few minutes later Kabwela's trial resumed.
Labels: CADRES, CHANSA KABWELA, COURTS, MMD, THE POST
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Sikaneta bemoans rising number of OVCs
Written by Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:50:34 PM
SPORT, youth and child development permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta has observed that unfavourable social conditions, coupled with HIV and AIDS and high poverty levels, have continued to negatively impact on the well-being of children and youths.
And Zambia National Service (ZNS) skills training commanding officer Major Innocent Chileshe said the camp was facing challenges in terms of providing certain infrastructure needed in the training of youths.
Launching the third intake of the 2009 ZNS youth skills training programme in Kitwe yesterday, Ambassador Sikaneta noted that it was saddening that the number of orphans and vulnerable children had kept rising.
“Unfortunately, this is the category of children with little or no access to basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care and affection. They are also more likely to be sidelined, exploited and abused,” Ambassador Sikaneta said.
She said there was therefore need for society to ensure that it invested in education, health, and food and nutrition for children and youths for their survival and development because theirs was a segment of the population that would shoulder the countryís responsibility for years to come.
And Ambassador Sikaneta urged the new trainees to ensure that they focused on their empowerment for self sustainability.
“You should consider yourselves lucky that you were picked for this programme because there are so many vulnerable youths out there who would have loved to be here today. We had more than one million people who wanted to be considered but we only took 150 here and 315 at Chiwoko,” said Ambassador Sikaneta.
And Major Chileshe said the training camp needed facilities such as a library, computer laboratory, resource centre as well as sports and recreation facilities.
He said the camp was also facing a challenge in accommodating instructors and officers.
Major Chileshe called for the absorption of graduates from ZNS skills camps into proper programmes to avert the possibility of them falling back into their previous lifestyles.
Labels: INNOCENT CHILESHE, SUSAN SIKANETA, ZNS
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Kitwe police release 9 MMD cadres arrested over illegal land allocation
Written by Mutuna Chanda in Kitwe
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:49:24 PM
POLICE have released the nine MMD cadres that were apprehended by Kitwe City Council police last Saturday for illegally allocating over 1,000 plots in Kawama area.
And MMD Kitwe district vice chairman George Lungu has denied that the nine were MMD cadres, saying those who belonged to the ruling party were only three and were mistakenly picked up.
The cadres had been handed over to state police and were detained at Mindolo police station.
However, Kitwe City Council public relations officer Dorothy Sampa said that the MMD cadres were released on Monday after police could not find charges to slap on them.
“The information that I got from our chief security officer was that they were released on Monday,” Sampa said. “Police released them because they couldn’t find charges to slap on them…the law states that you can’t keep someone for more than 48 hours without charge.”
She also maintained that the nine people arrested last Saturday were MMD cadres going by their confessions to council police officers.
“It is not the first time that we are apprehending cadres from the ruling party. We have on record a Mr Mwewa, MMD chairman for Kawama who has been arrested twice and there’s a docket at the police to show that this had happened,” said Sampa.
When contacted for comment, Copperbelt police chief Antoneil Mutentwa said he was not aware of the matter and that he had asked Kitwe commanding officer Nelson Phiri to follow it up.
And Lungu said the three MMD cadres who were mistakenly picked up in the Kawama operation were released Saturday night, hours after being apprehended.
He charged that of those that were detained, five were PF officials.
Lungu however said he could neither blame PF nor MMD cadres and that the Kitwe City Council was at fault in the illegal allocation of land in Kawama.
And PF Copperbelt chairman Mwenya Musenge refuted Lungu’s assertions that five of the people who were picked up were PF officials.
Musenge also blamed acts of illegal land allocation on Kitwe City Council.
He said the council had tracts of land which it did not want to allocate to members of the public who were looking for plots.
Musenge said this created an artificial shortage of land leading to members of the public being duped by illegal land vendors.
Labels: CADRES, ILLEGAL LAND ALLOCATION, KITWE, MMD
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Muntanga speaks against regulating NGOs
Written by George Chellah
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:48:02 PM
KALOMO UPND member of parliament Request Muntanga on Wednesday told the House that the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) bill appears to be targeting certain NGOs.
Debating the NGO bill on Wednesday, Muntanga said he did not accept the idea of regulating NGOs.
“This bill appears to be a bill that is targeting certain NGOs. A proper NGO does not need regulation. Yes, the majority of NGOs that are mushrooming are not NGOs,” Muntanga said. “We the same leaders must desist from forming NGOs. That's why you see NGOs come before and after elections. We in government must check ourselves first.”
He urged the government leaders to regulate themselves before embarking on the regulation of others.
“This bill is intended for those organisations that do not want to register and show what they are doing,” said Muntanga.
But works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti said there were NGOs comprising of family members only.
“If NGOs want to keep an eye on us we are also to keep an eye on them. That's the only way we can trust each other. We want NGOs to come forward and tell us how they are going to regulate “It’s also evident that some of our colleagues in these NGOs are quite wealthy. Where is that wealth coming from? Let us all be accountable.”
He said there were also NGOs that emerged seasonally.
“For instance, when we are going for elections Those that are NGOs we want to see them from January to December. In 2008, there was an NGO that came on the scene very malicious NGO, we will not allow that.”
He urged community development minister Michael Kaingu not to be distracted.
“If the law says enforce, it’s the law, you are just a servant of the people. Minister, I would like to encourage you. You are not targeting anybody,” he said.
Mulongoti said members of parliament and government leaders wanted their colleagues in the NGO world to be declaring assets just like they did.
And Matero PF member of parliament Faustina Sinyangwe said NGOs had always preached accountability.
“Now we must see them to be accountable and we must see it that we know the source of their income and we would like to know how much they get because our salaries are in the papers every day,” she said.
She said NGOs should conform to the local norms and culture.
“Since when has parading women naked been a culture in this country? I have seen NGOs parading women at court,” she said.
Sinyangwe said NGOs should be more active in areas where they were going to reduce poverty.
She said NGOs should help in governance and democratic issues.
“These NGOs have turned political. If they want let them go and form political parties. They must have constructive criticism,” she said.
Sinyangwe urged the NGOs to abide by their objectives.
And Luapula PF member of parliament Dr Peter Machungwa said he was glad that the bill had received support.
“They also must accept that they are human and can make mistakes. There are those like in the media for example who think that they are alpha and omega what they say if final,” said Machungwa. “There is nothing to fear and I’m glad that the bill is receiving full support.”
Labels: NGOs, REQUEST MUNTANGA
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Copper prices to remain flat, says Vedanta chairman
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:46:46 PM
KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM)’s majority shareholder, Vedanta Resources Plc founder chairman Anil Agarwal has said it will take another year for copper, zinc and aluminum to get better prices.
And Agarwal, an Indian national whose Vedanta Resources Plc owns 79.4 per cent in KCM, said developing countries such as India and China would have a bigger say in deciding the commodity prices in future.
According to excerpts from his interview with Pawan Bali concerning his conglomerate’s influence on the world economy, Agarwal said the prices of aluminium would remain flat.
On the future prospects of prices of aluminium, copper and Zinc, Agarwal said: “In India, we have a double digit growth. As far as the world market is concerned, definitely there is not too much demand. The prices are going to remain flat. Our cost of production of aluminium is US $ 1, 000 per tonne, which is definitely on the lower side as far as international prices are concerned. It will take another year for the market to get a better price. The same is applicable for both these metals [copper and zinc].”
He said Vedanta Resources Plc was increasing its capacity to produce zinc.
“We will be producing 25 lakh tonne aluminium, 10 lakh tonne zinc, 25 million tonne iron ore and 1,000,000 tonne copper,” Agarwal said. “We have 60ñ70 per cent of our business in India and are creating international capacity at international costs. We are very cost conscious in building the projects and are going to the low cost producer of these metals. We take large projects, execute and deliver them. We do it within the cost and within the time frame.”
He said Vedanta Resources Plc focused on being development-oriented.
“Wherever we are, we run our business very passionately,” said Agarwal. In April 2008, Vedanta Resources Plc acquired Zambia Copper Investments (ZCI)’s 28.4 per cent stake in KCM for US$217.2 million, making it the largest shareholder in KCM.
At the moment, Vedanta Resources Plc ñ a London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed conglomerate ñ has a total 79.4 per cent shareholding in KCM, one of the largest mining firms in Zambia.
Vendata Resources Plc is a leading diversified metal and mining group with operations in India, Australia and Zambia.
Labels: ANIL AGARWAL, COPPER, KCM, VEDANTA
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Govt to limit licenses required for ICT sector
Written by Florence Bupe
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:45:04 PM
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the governmentwill minimise the number of licences required for the communications sector in a bid to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
In a speech read on his behalf by communications minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa at the official opening of the Zain Zambia head office at Zain House yesterday, President Banda said the Information and Communications Technology Bills under discussion by Parliament would provide for the streamlining of a licensing regime.
“Already, Parliament is discussing the Information and Communication Technologies Bill, Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill as well as the Postal Services Bill...Further, the number of licenses will be minimised in line with government’s policy of reducing the cost of doing business as envisaged in the Business Licensing Reform Programme,” he said.
President Banda observed that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector had withstood the impact of the prevailing global economic crisis.
He said this was as a result of measures instituted, but cautioned Zain Zambia management against undertaking cost saving measures that would work against employees.
“In this time of the global crisis, I am comforted by the fact that the ICT sector has remained resilient to the financial shocks such that the sector has maintained the service of employment levels,” President Banda said. “However, I am concerned that while we are still on the recovery path, there is a tendency to take cost cutting measures that may affect employees in the sector.”
President Banda further observed that private sector participation was vital in the growth of the sector in particular, and the country’s economy as a whole.
“Let me also recognise the investment made by the private sector in contributing to the treasury through tax and non tax contributions. These are some of the benefits that government can realise from increased investment in the country,” said President Banda.
Zain Zambia managing director David Holliday said the company would continue to invest in Zambia for as long as the investment policies remained conducive.
And Farmers House chairperson Timothy Mushibwe said his organisation would uphold infrastructure development as a means of enhanced economic growth.
The Zain House is a Farmers House venture undertaken at a cost of US $8 million and has been leased to Zain Zambia.
Labels: GEOFFREY LUNGWANGWA, ICT, RUPIAH BANDA
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DRC cancels First Quantum contract
Written by Reuters
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:42:58 PM
Democratic Republic of Congo has cancelled a copper and cobalt mining contract with a unit of First Quantum following a review of major contracts launched two years ago, Deputy Mines Minister Victor Kasongo has said.
The contract review was launched in early 2007 in an effort to boost the government's stake in 61 agreements, most of which were signed during the chaos of a 1998-2003 war and a corruption-plagued post-war transitional government.
"KMT's contract was cancelled in accordance with its own provisions," Kasongo told Reuters, referring to First Quantum's Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings (KMT) unit.
He said the unit had failed to begin commercial exploitation within the agreed timeframe.
Mining is the mainstay of the Congolese economy, which benefited from the commodities boom earlier in the decade, but recently has been hit hard by falls in metals prices and companies scaling back production.
The DRC government has also cleared four major mining deals after completing its long-delayed mining contract review, but the massive Tenke project has yet to be fully approved.
Congo approved contracts with AngloGold Ashanti, Banro, Mwana Africa, and Gold Fields, provided it completes a feasibility study at its Kisenge project, a statement on the government website said on Thursday.
Separately, Kasongo said the government has given two months to Tenke Fungurume Mining, the giant copper and cobalt project backed by Freeport McMoran and Lundin Mining, to complete the review of its mining contract in the country.
Tenke has yet to agree to the rewriting of the contract in accordance with new legislation, extra royalties on additional production, and the integration of the state company into management structures, Kasongo said.
Labels: DRC, FIRST QUANTUM MINING, KINGAMYAMBO MUSONOI TAILINGS (KTM), VICTOR KASONGO
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DBZ launches fund for IFAD pilot project
Written by Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:41:30 PM
DEVELOPMENT Bank of Zambia (DBZ) has launched a US $4 millionInternational Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) sponsored pilot project to provide affordable financing to
out-grower contractors of small-scale agricultural producers.
The purpose of the fund is to increase the use of sustainable financial services in rural areas and improve the livelihood of rural households as well as the viability of rural enterprises.
Through the credit facility for contracted small-scale production, the rural finance programme would promote the supply of sustainable financial services to contract farming companies and other bankable organizations that bonded small-scale producers.
During the launch on Wednesday evening, DBZ managing director Dr Abraham Mwenda announced that two banks had signed the lending contract with DBZ while more banks had expressed interest to sign up for the facility.
“Our role as the apex development finance institution is to disburse and manage funds available under the facility to participating financial institutions,” Dr Mwenda said. “The participating financial institutions include commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions, which will or have already signed up for the facility for onward lending to qualifying private contractor agricultural marketing, processing and out-grower companies. The loans will be specifically used to finance seasonal inputs, purchase farm produce and other products from contracted small-scale farm produce and other products from contracted small-scale producers, and small capital investment needs such as ploughs and other farming implements.”
Dr Mwenda said according to the features of the facility, the maximum exposure to a single borrower is US $500,000 or its kwacha equivalent while the maximum amount of funds a participating financial institutions was able to access was US $2 million which would be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“DBZ will lend to participating financial institutions on a clean basis as these institutions will not be required to provide collateral to access the funds,” said Dr Mwenda. “In setting their lending rates, participating financial institutions will be allowed to factor in the profile of prospective clients. Risk premiums are, however, expected not to make the loans beyond the reach of the ultimate borrowers.”
And agriculture and cooperatives minister Dr Brian Chituwo observed that lack of finance on reliable basis had been identified as one of the key constraints for most Zambian marketing and processing companies to expand their smallholder based contracted production operations.
“So far in Zambia, the availability of such financial services on a continuous basis has been very limited, as commercial banks with their urban orientation have shown marginal interest in rural production-related investment of this type,” said Dr Chituwo when he officiated at the launch of the fund.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, DBZ, IFAD, OUTGROWER SCHEMES
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How long will SA Inc hold on to Reaganomics?
by Tom Robbins
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) may have a measure of unlikely sympathy from Investec, one of the country’s champions of private capital, after the trade union federation called for Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni to be replaced.
While Investec has not gone so far as to call for a new governor to replace the economically conservative Mboweni, whose contract expires in August, this wealth manager has along with the left-leaning Cosatu again called for more relaxed monetary policy.
Investec Private Client Securities chief strategist Brian Kantor repeated these views in Business Day (June 4), saying concerns that lower interest rates would be unduly inflationary were misplaced. Moreover, Kantor argued that the Reserve Bank should go further than simply dropping interest rates: it should pump cash into the banking system in a bid to get banks lending again. He also called for action to reverse recent rand strength, which has made exports uncompetitive.
Of course Investec does not acquire its views on interest rates and the currency from a socialist cell in one of its underground parking lots: just look at the luxury staff cars parked there every day.
It comes more from the Far Eastern growth model, where low borrowing costs and weak currencies have successfully been used to spur investment in export industries. According to Investec’s argument the ability for economic growth to accelerate beyond the speed limit imposed by the current model outweighs the downside of resultant higher inflation, a view Cosatu shares. However, Investec and Cosatu no doubt disagree vehemently on labour flexibility. Cheap labour also helped build the
Far East.
In his consensus-seeking State of the Nation address President Jacob Zuma said absolutely nothing about abandoning government’s inflation-fighting policy. Indeed Zuma said nothing contentious in his speech. Any statement by president on interest rate policy would have drawn criticism so he played it safe.
The UK and US have long abandoned conservative monetary and fiscal policy to fight the recession.
This ironically leaves the South African government as one of the most prominent administrations in the world to hang on to remnants of Thatcherism or Reaganomics over the recession. There is fairly broad agreement that the West acted correctly to keep the banking system intact but the jury is still out on the merit of all the extra cash pumped into the economies (we will know the answer in about five years). Back in
Pretoria, with Mboweni’s contract up and a confusing potpourri of cabinet ministers responsible for the economy, there is a perception that the contestation for economic policy is yet to be totally settled.
To date Zuma has continued to back the economic policies of former president Thabo Mbeki and indeed the ruling African National Congress criticised the trade union movement for protesting outside the Reserve Bank. But with Zuma in a powerful position now with high approval ratings among a diverse array of interest groups, he may now have the political space to reveal his intentions for economic policy. A scenario where the businesses continue to shed jobs will make it easier for him to be less conservative with monetary policy and the state coffers.
Labels: ANC, NEOLIBERALISM
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Is Mugabe preparing for war?
by Michael Trapido
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Pursuant to a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe the Democratic Alliance gave a media briefing at Parliament confirming that they were of the view that there is no doubt about it but that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is preparing for war.
In the briefing they set out the facts upon which they rely for coming to this conclusion. None of it, to my mind, is compelling or suggests that there is any merit in making this dangerous assumption right now.
If they are wrong, and the efforts being made currently to remove sanctions are severely retarded hereby, then this will not be the Democratic Alliance’s finest hour.
If you read through the article which I took from the Sentinel (because the M&G’s wasn’t up when I typed this) you will note that there is nothing more than a reference to purchasing of arms — which any military does from time to time — as well as the views of certain individuals and entities. They may be right or way off the mark. The point is that the purchase of military hardware can be attributed to anything if you really want to.
What is fact is the following:
President Zuma met with Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a few days ago where it was agreed that the president would intercede with Mugabe regarding certain problems affecting the government of national unity (GNU). The problems were said to be few but serious.
Accordingly I would first wait to hear whether ambitions to regain power by war were even raised. The fact that Tsvangirai and Zuma got together on short notice suggests the opposite of what this report-back suggests.
A week or so ago Tsvangirai had a meeting with the generals of the Zimbabwean army and by all accounts it was extremely cordial.
The activists, the subject matter of much debate prior to the GNU, are now released and even threatening to sue.
Newspapers that were banned are getting licences and the BBC and CNN are now welcome back after an absence of eight years.
The charges against the two MDC MPs have now fallen away.
Of course I accept that Finance Minister Tendai Biti got a bullet through the post and Roy Bennett is receiving death threats but these may well be the work of the kind of fanatics you find anywhere. Ask us about the morons who murdered Chris Hani when all was done and dusted.
While I have the utmost respect for Helen Zille and the DA this report-back does not lend itself to the conclusion drawn or the events happening in Zimbabwe right now. Of course Mugabe has been a capitalist dictator for years now but that does not equate to tooling up for a war before the next election.
I would highly suggest that the press and foreign press pay careful attention to the views of Zuma, Tsvangirai and former president Mbeki before going off half-cocked.
Zimbabweans deserve that at the very least.
Labels: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (SOUTH AFRICA), JACOB ZUMA, MDC, MICHAEL TRAPIDO, MUGABE, PROPAGANDA
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COMMENT - I wonder how much of the annual $6 million from the US State Department these NGO's receive. This is a blatant attempt not only to delegitimize Zimbabwe's elections, but possibly to prepare public opinion for an illegal invasion, in case the MDC loses. Their South African friends are doing nothing for the credibility of the MDC, as low as that already is, of course. And the ZANU-PF is 'mobilizing for war against it's own citizens' with mortars? That doesn't even make sense. The so-called 'Democratic Alliance' are calling for an illegal invasion of Zimbabwe by South Africa. Which would make South Africa a stooge for western interests. Which would also be illegal, unless Zimbabwe would attack South Africa (perhaps like Poland attacked nazi Germany).
Mugabe 'preparing for war', warns DA
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Aug 06 2009 15:28
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is stockpiling arms and ammunition and preparing for war, the Democratic Alliance (DA) warned on Thursday. Briefing the media at Parliament, following a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe last week, DA MPs Wilmot James and Kenneth Mubu said
"credible sources" within the country reported
Mugabe was talking to Venezuela, Cuba and Korea to fund a war chest ahead of the next election. The ageing leader was also trying to procure 7,62mm and 9mm ammunition from South Africa.
"I think there is no doubt Mugabe is preparing for war. We spoke to very, very reliable sources," Mubu told journalists.
These included the Human Rights NGO Forum, comprising 16 local NGOs; and the Harare-based organisations Justice for Agriculture, the Legal Resources Foundation and the Research and Advocacy Unit.
Mubu said they had also spoken to Zimbabwe's Regional Integration and International Cooperation Minister, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Moses Ndlovu.
"These people are on the ground, they are in touch with the communities, in rural areas particularly, and we have no doubt what they tell us is true," he said.
Citing a Belgian research group, International Peace Information Service, James said some arms shipments had already arrived in Zimbabwe.
"On August 21 2008 the first of many arms shipments, containing 32 tons of [ammunition] was flown from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Harare.
"On August 30, a second shipment of 20 tons of AK-47 [ammunition] arrived. This was flown in via Angola, [and also] included mortar bombs and rockets."
James said he regretted to report South Africa was planning a shipment of ammunition to Zimbabwe.
"Our own country ... is planning to export 7,62mm and 9mm ammunition to Zimbabwe. Parliament's National Conventional Arms Control Committee is considering authorising more than a million rounds of both types of bullets for export there.
"Mugabe is [also] talking to Venezuela, Cuba and Korea to fund a war-chest in preparation for the referendum and election, following the implementation of the global political agreement [GPA] brokered by former president Thabo Mbeki on behalf of [the Southern African Development Community]."
James said Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party appeared to be "mobilising for war against their own citizens".
James and Mubu called on President Jacob Zuma to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe.
Further, Zuma -- in his capacity as Southern African Development Community chairperson -- should "actively restrain" Mugabe's regime from mobilising what they called its "well-organised paramilitary terror apparatus". -- Sapa
Labels: DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (SOUTH AFRICA), MUGABE
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Where are the black economics ministers, asks Malema
FIENIE GROBLER | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -
Aug 06 2009 14:31
African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema wants to know why all the security cluster ministers are black while the economics cluster ministers are appointed from minority groups.
"We [black people] cannot just be reduced to security and the very important issue of economy is given to minorities," he told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday.
"Minister of police, minister of intelligence, minister of justice -- [they are] all Africans. But in the economics cluster, it's minorities."
Malema was responding to a question on whether the ANCYL welcomed the appointment of Gill Marcus as South African Reserve Bank governor.
"We welcome that ... but we would have expected once again an African child to occupy that strategic position ...
"We need to build confidence in the markets that Africans are also capable of handling strategic positions in the economic sector," said Malema.
Otherwise, black youths will not believe that they could one day work in strategic economic positions.
"[The youth will think], because she [Marcus] is white, they [whites] are born like that, there's no way I can be like that."
Malema said even former finance minister Trevor Manuel first had to prove himself.
"Once, a British guy was even saying Trevor Manuel is white. They never believe a black person can do what he [Manuel] is doing."
Nathi Mthethwa, Jeff Radebe and Siyabonga Cwele are the ministers of police, justice and state security, while Pravin Gordhan and Ebrahim Patel are the ministers of finance and economic development.
Malema said he was planning to take this up within the ruling party. -- Sapa
Labels: ANC, ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, NEOLIBERALISM, SOUTH AFRICA
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Sale of Zamtel
Written by Benson F. Chipungu, Lusaka.
In my opinion one of the very few good things that Frederick Chiluba did when he was Republican president was to call back Mr R Mwansa from South Africa to come and save Zesco.
At the time, the monstrous parastatal was on the verge of total collapse due to mismanagement and government interference in the operations of the company. The results of Mwansa's call-up were amazing! We all saw a vibrant company whose presence was felt almost everywhere around the clock every day.
The state of Zamtel today cannot be compared to that of Zesco then. Zesco was practically limping.
Surely, are there no Zambian professionals who can manage Zamtel in a profitable manner and ensure its presence is maintained in today's competitive world of telecommunication?
Has Rupiah Banda got no confidence at all in his compatriots for him to start looking up to foreigners for the resuscitation of the company?
Rupiah's vision for our country is either badly impaired or there is something sinister behind his intended sale of Zamtel.
I have a very strong premonition that we are about to witness a state-sponsored scam that will only benefit Rupiah and his cronies whilst leaving a huge number of Zambians suffering.
We need to find a way of stopping this wanton raping of our economy.
Zamtel privatisation: employee’s concern
Written by Concerned employee, PK
Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:39:22 AM
I write to support my fellow Zamtel employee who wrote in a recent edition of The Post that the company is not valueless as our learned economist Rupiah Banda puts it.
First and foremost, I want to say even a grade 2 pupil can tell that a company like Zamtel with assets in all 72 districts in Zambia, with a fleet of over 500 vehicles, qualified technical manpower on which Zain and MTN have been founded, prime land, switches in all locations, not to mention the Mwembeshi Satellite Station, cannot be valueless.
Yes, every business owes someone. The little we owe the Chinese should not be a national anthem to sing at all press conferences. We dealt with the corrupt-free Swedish, Japanese and British in terms of technical support and no one sung a song. Now that we are dealing with Chinese, Zamtel is not viable.
Fellow Zambians, the problem we have here is corruption, unpatriotism, selfishness and being myopic.
None of our past managing directors has raised a finger to lambast the greedy politicians and tell the nation how these companies are milked. The current managing director presented a budget for the year 2009-2010 which was to see Zamtel make a profit, but the powers that be [Dora Siliya] dissolved the board the following day upon seeing that budget because it was going to derail their plans of selling the company for thirty pieces of silver.
I am schocked that the presenter of the budget - the managing director - has joined politicians after ascending to the throne on the basis that Zamtel is viable.
The reasons why Zamtel is ailing are: -
(1) it’s too centralised in its operations;
(2) the managing director makes decisions that are not implemented, they accumulate dust at the ministry before implementation and are usually overtaken by events;
(3) resources such as fuel, vehicles, hotel accommodation are abused by the government;
(4) lack of support from shareholders such as ministers, and the permanent secretary. Senior government officials are all on MTN or Zain, only when it’s free do they use Cell Z, that includes internet. [5] Former president Kenneth Kaunda’s policy for government to do business with Zamtel has been thrown out because there are no kickbacks when you do business with Zamtel. Services that Zamtel used to provide even at State House are now in private hands.
This company belongs to our children. Let’s not s**t in the well after drinking from it. Let the Chinese work in China, we don’t want Chinese cleaners here. Our children have the right to work, and Zambia will only be developed by Zambians.
Labels: MANAGEMENT, PARASTATALS, PRIVATISATION, ZAMTEL
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Solidarity with Chansa
Written by Editor
Support from friends, from one’s people is something which is a source of tremendous inspiration always and to everyone. We were greatly moved by the support of friends, the many Zambian people who turned up to give support to our news editor, Chansa Kabwela, at the court hearing yesterday. We never expected so many people, so many friends to come to court and spend the whole morning with us.
This is not a small thing in a country where it is so difficult to earn a living; it costs a lot of money to come to court in terms of transport and opportunity cost. We have no right to be ungrateful to our friends and our fellow citizens who showed up at court yesterday and those who may come to court today for the same reason.
Solidarity is a basic fact of human existence. No person is an island, cut off from others and self-sufficient. This reminds us of that African proverb: “I am because we are, and we are because I am.” It is also a reminder to us that it is not hatred alone which is contrary to the laws of charity but also indifference to the welfare, the plight of our neighbour.
Therefore, after yesterday’s incredible demonstration of support for our work, for Chansa’s efforts – incredible for its magnitude, discipline and spirit of devotion – which demonstrates that our people are a sensitive, grateful people who know how to honour and support the brave who get victimised in their service, that our people recognise those who serve them; which demonstrates their solidarity with Chansa and our newspaper – today, in these difficult times, we lift our spirits and, with optimism in the future and pledge never to let our people down.
Recalling the past 18 years, we believe we have worked with sufficient integrity and dedication to try and advance our democracy and ensure that our country is governed in a manner that improves our people’s living conditions.
This is why yesterday many people from all walks of life came to court to give Chansa support. Many of our people, from different persuasions or walks of life, recognised Chansa’s virtues in what she did, in bringing to the attention of the authorities the plight of that woman and that baby who died in birth. Only in an exceptional case, among many viewpoints expressed, does the vulgar opinion of some scoundrel crop up.
We sincerely believe and hold the opinion that the duty of telling the truth stands above all considerations of convenience – and that has been our attitude. And Chansa will walk in that court over the whole trying period to make good that faith, to demonstrate the justice in that faith in the absolute honesty of our newspaper. No matter how bitter, how painful the circumstances, we cannot waiver in fulfilling this duty. We are prepared for whatever comes about, for all vicissitudes, including setbacks without becoming discouraged. We say this with great conviction because we believe in the value of moral principles, the value of example. To us, the conduct of a human being is very important. Basing ourselves on the truth and recognition of the truth, and turning this into invisible strength, we are determined to go forward, firmer than ever.
Chansa is in that court defending no other interest, no other cause than the cause of the suffering women, children of our country. Chansa was arrested for defending no other cause than the cause of the poor and the humble of this country. And the courageous, intelligent, exemplary and selfless manner with which she advanced that cause cannot be disputed even by the most bitter enemies of our newspaper.
Before history, people who acted as she did, people who do and give everything for the cause of the poor, grow in stature with each passing day and find a deeper place in the heart of the peoples with each passing day. Chansa’s enemies, our enemies are beginning to see this, and it will not be long before it will be proved that her arrest and prosecution will, in the long run, be like a seed that will give rise to many citizens determined to imitate her, many people determined to follow her example.
With warmth, we thank all our friends, all our people for their support. Those who are not afraid to be seen openly supporting The Post and Chansa, those who are not afraid to go to court, those who do not need Rupiah Banda’s permission to come near us, to be seen with us, those not ignorant of the unchallengeable right every human collectivity has to build a just future, those who – whether or not they share our viewpoints – know there is no possible alternative to mutual respect, friendship, support, solidarity, collaboration, enjoy all our consideration and our respect.
The highest level of political thought was reached when some people became aware that no people and no human being had the right to abuse others, and that the fruits of all the efforts and intelligence of each human being should reach all others; that a human being really had no need to be a wolf, but could be a brother or sister to another human being. That is the main essence of the premises of the solidarity we are today welcoming and thanking our friends and our people for. We greet all those who have arrived at these stimulating convictions and we also greet those who, although they do not share these ideas, are honest human beings in whatever they do, because consistently practised, honesty is a road that leads a human being’s mind and will to more just, fair and humane ideals; for if someone once said that all roads led to Rome, today it can be stated that all roads of honest thinking lead to justice, fairness and humaneness.
If there is something left to say today, it’s that despite our problems; despite the intensification of Rupiah’s hatred, malice, lies and persecutions against us – as we see our friends, our people respond, as we see more and more possibilities open up, we feel confident, we feel optimistic, and we are absolutely convinced that we will do everything we set our minds to!
We will do it with our friends, with the people, with the masses; we will do it with principles, pride, and honour of each and every one of our reporters, journalists, editors, staff. And we can confidently say that whereas there are people without dignity, there are many people in our country who carry inside them the dignity of many people! We might add that there are people who carry inside them the dignity of our country, and one of those is Chansa! And the support and solidarity that she is getting from all of you is well placed and will never be betrayed.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, COURTS, THE POST
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Journalists vow to march to State House tomorrow
Written by George Chellah
Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:31:50 AM
THE media bodies have vowed to proceed with the planned peaceful march to State House despite President Rupiah Banda's absence. The media bodies that intend to march to State House tomorrow include the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, Zambian Union of Journalists (ZUJ) PANOS Institute Southern Africa, Press Freedom Committee of The Post (PfC) and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC).
In a joint statement issued by MISA-Zambia chairperson Henry Kabwe yesterday, the media bodies insisted that they would proceed with their march to State House.
"PAZA, MISA-Zambia, ZUJ, PANOS, PfC, UNIC and all other media associations and various stakeholders will proceed with the peaceful march to State House to express their concerns on the state of the media environment in Zambia despite the absence of His Excellency President Rupiah Banda," Kabwe stated.
"The media associations will present the petition to any person the President will choose to represent him to receive the petition from the media associations on his behalf. The media have deliberately chosen to seek the intervention of the father of the nation over the continued beating of journalists by cadres and other media issues because these issues have this far not been adequately addressed."
He stated that the media had been calling for action from relevant authorities concerning the beating of journalists by cadres.
"But not much effort has been made to address this situation. The perpetrators of these criminal acts against journalists have not faced justice for their behaviour as they have not been apprehended and prosecuted. This has set a bad precedence which we fear may become worse as the 2011 elections approach," said Kabwe.
"We do not wish to have journalists' lives threatened by elements who appear to have acquired licence to harm media practitioners at will. We will therefore proceed with our march as intended to express our concerns and request the highest authority in Zambia to address this problem. We call upon all those who would like to join the media to undertake the march to do so. The attire for the march is black and red headbands."
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, MISA, PAZ, the pose, ZUJ
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Pictures didn’t arouse Kunda, says his aide
Written by Mwala Kalaluka and George Chellah
Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:30:24 AM
VICE-President George Kunda's senior private secretary Kenneth Ngosa yesterday told the court that though the pictures of a woman giving birth outside the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) depicted a desperate situation, they did not arouse both himself and the Vice-President.
Testifying in the matter where Post news editor Chansa Kabwela is charged with the offence of circulating obscene matters or things, contrary to section 177 1(b) of the Penal Code of the laws of Zambia, Ngosa, 40, said when Vice-President Kunda was shown the photos, he expressed annoyance.
Particulars of the offence were that Kabwela, between June 1 and 10, 2009 in Lusaka did circulate two obscene photographs tending to corrupt public morals.
Ngosa, who told the court that he had been Vice-President Kunda's senior private secretary for seven months, said his duty was to open and read letters addressed to the Vice-President.
Testifying before Lusaka chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda, Ngosa said when he received the letter from The Post addressed to Vice-President Kunda on June 11, 2009, he signed for it.
Ngosa said he read the letter, which was on a Post headed paper and found that it contained three pictures.
"It was a complaint letter about the strike situation in government hospitals. The author wanted the Vice-President to influence the decision so that the strike come to an end," Ngosa told the packed courtroom during evidence-in-chief led by Lusaka division prosecutions officer Frank Mumbuna. "The photos were three and there was one photo that moved me. I was surprised to see that kind of a photo because I have never seen it before. It was showing a woman delivering a child. She was lying down with legs open and the child was out from the birth canal of the woman."
He said in the other picture, the woman was being assisted out of the vehicle while the third picture, though not very clear, showed the woman who was somehow naked.
Ngosa said after seeing the letter and the photos, he was hesitant to take them to Vice-President Kunda because he was not someone he usually joked with.
"I was at pain to present them to him looking at the way the other photo was. I thought I should just go and explain to him about the letter and the photos. I gave him other letters afterwards, I informed him about the letter and the photos from The Post," Ngosa said.
However, Ngosa testified that Vice-President Kunda demanded to be given the letter and the photos.
"I gave him and left the office. Afterwards he called me into the office... he said he was annoyed to see the other photo. He said that at his age he has never seen such kind of a photo. He was referring to the one where the woman was delivering the child. He kept the document and I do not know what happened," Ngosa said.
He explained that on June 12, 2009, he received another letter from the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC), which was copied to Vice-President Kunda.
Ngosa said the letter was sent to Kabwela by the NGOCC, complaining about the letter and photos that she sent to them.
Ngosa also confirmed receipt of a third letter authored by Kabwela to NGOCC chairperson Marian Munyinda in which she apologised for sending them the said photos.
Ngosa said he did not personally know Kabwela.
During cross-examination by defence lawyer, Remmy Mainza, Ngosa was at pains to explain why the letter that he allegedly said was sent by Kabwela to Vice-President Kunda was bearing a Ministry of Health date stamp and not that of the Office of the Vice-President.
Ngosa disagreed with the assertion that the letter in question was sent to the Ministry of Health before he received it.
"Who put Ministry of Health on the letter?" Mainza asked Ngosa, who responded: "When I received it I had taken it to him [Vice-President Kunda]. I do not know how he kept that letter. Maybe he took it somewhere else."
Mainza then asked Ngosa if he was suggesting that Vice-President Kunda had put the Ministry of Health stamp on the letter in contention but Ngosa replied in the negative.
Ngosa said the letter in question was never filed in the Office of the Vice-President.
Asked if the letter produced before the court was the one he received, Ngosa said the letter was similar to the one before the court but it did not have a Ministry of Health stamp and some writings at the bottom.
Ngosa said Kabwela wrote to Vice-President Kunda to bring to his attention the desperate situation in the hospitals at the time.
Ngosa shortly disagreed with Mainza when he asked him if Kabwela was wrong or in order to bring the desperate situation to the attention of the Vice-President, who was the acting President at the time.
"If the situation was not desperate would that lady have given birth on the floor?" Mainza asked Ngosa who answered: "I do not think his honour the Vice-President was going to sort out the issue because there are other ways of sorting out problems other than circulating pictures."
But Mainza said that was not his question.
Ngosa then admitted that the situation in the picture appeared desperate.
Ngosa said he understood the term obscene as pictures that showed the nakedness of a woman or a man.
"In simple terms that should be a picture that will arouse the interest of someone in doing something that is not right. Such as, when you are looking at the picture it shows the nakedness of a woman in full. It arouses me. What happens when someone sees the nakedness of a woman? We are all Africans; when you see the nakedness of a woman, what do you conclude?" he asked.
Further asked by Mainza if he was aroused when he saw the pictures on the material date, he responded in the negative.
Ngosa told the court during further cross-examination by defence lawyer George Chisanga that he became Vice-President Kunda's senior private secretary after attending a seminar.
"After attending a seminar you are competent to handle that office?" Chisanga asked Ngosa and he replied: "Yes."
Chisanga further asked him if the pictures aroused Vice-President Kunda when he sighted them.
"The Vice-President was very annoyed; in your vocabulary, is the word annoyed synonymous to the word arouse?" Chisanga asked Ngosa, who responded: "No."
Chisanga again asked Ngosa if Vice-President Kunda was aroused when he saw the photos and he said: "No. He did not say that."
Testifying in the same matter, another officer from the Office of the Vice-President inspector Chiwale Solochi said he received a letter from The Post addressed to the Vice-President from a Post driver by the name of Phiri.
Solochi said he screened the letter, entered it into the mail book and took it to Ngosa.
When asked by Mainza if he had seen the contents of the letter, Solochi said he did not.
The prosecution then asked for an adjournment to the next hearing date on grounds that the third witness was unwell.
Mumbuna said the witness had promised to avail herself before the court today.
Mumbuna said the state had lined up six witnesses and that they would wind up their case within the time specified by the court since they had dealt with two witnesses so far.
Magistrate Kafunda adjourned the matter to today.
Prominent among the people that attended yesterday's trial were veteran politician Simon Zukas, late UPND president Anderson Mazoka's wife Mutinta, women rights activist Sarah Longwe, Post columnist Roy Clarke, Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Stephen Lungu, SACCORD executive director Lee Habasonda, Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) executive director Judith Mulenga, Zambia Women in Agriculture chairperson Cecilia Makota, representatives from the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA), MISA-Zambia, Press Freedom Committee of The Post (PfC) and the Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ).
Others were PF members of parliament who included Given Lubinda [Kabwata], Davis Mwila [Chipili], Guy Scott [Lusaka Central], Jean Kapata [Mandevu], Willie Nsanda [Chimwemwe] and UPND's Douglas Syakalima [Siavonga].
Local artistes such as press freedom activist Maiko Zulu, Ruff Kid, Owas Mwape and Wisborn also attended the trial. Some of the artists were clad in T-shirts bearing the words: "Zambian artists behind you Chansa Kabwela, labour is labour not pornography. Go on The Post, speak the truth."
And a large number of opposition PF and UPND cadres thronged the new magistrate complex grounds to show solidarity with Kabwela.
The cadres who came in the morning sang solidarity songs in praise of Kabwela and The Post.
When the matter was adjourned, Kabwela and her team had a tough time to get to their vehicles because almost everyone wanted to have a glimpse of her and shake her hand.
Kabwela, who was accompanied by Post managing editor Amos Malupenga, was later whisked away in Post legal counsel Sam Mujuda's vehicle before leaving the new magistrate complex premises amidst songs and dances from the cadres that camped outside during trial.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, GEORGE KUNDA, THE POST
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Prosecution in Kabwela’s case complain against The Post
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:29:09 AM
THE Post has been accused of engaging in 'shadowboxing' over the manner in which they are reporting on Post news editor Chansa Kabwela's case.
When the matter came up for commencement of trial before Lusaka chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda yesterday, the prosecution through Lusaka division prosecution officer Frank Mumbuna raised a complaint against some sections of the media, particularly The Post, over the comments that had been made over Kabwela's case.
"We make our complaint in the interest of justice following the comments that have been perpetrated by the section of the media after plea had been taken by the accused person before this court," Mumbuna said. "There have been some comments in the section of the media, particularly The Post newspaper, which comments have been viewed by the state as being sensational, prejudicial to these proceedings."
Mumbuna said the state was in possession of a copy of The Post newspaper dated July 17, 2009.
"At the front page there is an editorial comment from people that call themselves Reporters Without Borders. In the comment, your worship, there are calls that the accused person has been charged on bogus charges," Mumbuna said before reading excerpts of the article in question. "They went further to indicate that Reporters Without Borders have expressed shock at Kabwela's charges."
Mumbuna said the state viewed such comments as being capable of influencing the final outcome of the case.
"It is clear that no evidence has been laid so far for anyone to indicate that the charges that have been slapped against the accused person are bogus or to assume the authority of this court," Mumbuna said. "Here we submit that the separation of powers must be discharged. While the Legislature makes laws, it is the duty of the Executive to enforce such laws."
He said it was the duty of the Judiciary to interpret that law.
Mumbuna said the state was alive to the provisions of section 116 of the Penal Code regarding matters of contempt but that the state did not want to move the court in that path.
Mumbuna, who sought the court's protection, also referred to a letter entitled "Kabwela's persecution" that appeared in The Post on July 27, 2009.
"The state views that as shadowboxing," Mumbuna said before appealing to magistrate Kafunda to make an order on the matter.
But defence lawyer George Chisanga said he was thankful to the state for not having moved any contempt proceedings over the published matter, because none amounted to that.
"The court is prayed to take judicial notice of the manner in which the matter before you was brought and it was common ground, your honour, that the Executive while responsible, as rightly argued by the PP, for enforcing the law received a direct instruction from the Republican President during a press conference to make sure that the accused person who stands trial before this court today is arrested, charged and tried before this honourable court," Chisanga said. "It is submitted that such a directive has a deep potential to cause the kind of excitement that surrounds the matter that is being tried before you."
Chisanga said equally the defence had been itching to make a similar complaint before the court regarding some comments from some MMD party members over the case published in some sections of the government-run media.
He said the MMD officials called for a speedy arrest and prosecution of Kabwela.
However, Chisanga said they did not raise the complaint because they were confident that people expressing opinion could not sway the court.
Chisanga said the state which possessed the character of a Goliath could not come to court and seek protection against Kabwela, who personifies a David in the trial.
He said the case was a matter of public interest as seen from the number of people that had filled the public gallery to follow the proceedings.
"What is going on in this case supercedes the right of the state for protection before this court," he said. "At the centre of the trial is a component of freedom of the press."
He said any gagging order on the court proceedings would injure the constitutional right of the citizenry.
In response, Mumbuna said Chisanga had lamentably failed to substantiate any legal arguments and that freedom of expression was not absolute.
Mumbuna said President Rupiah Banda commented on the said photos before Kabwela was arrested.
Magistrate Kafunda reserved ruling on the complaint to today because the issues he had to address were detailed.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, THE POST
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Kabwela’s pornography trial kicks off
Written by Joseph Mwenda
Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:27:47 AM
THE TRIAL of Post news editor Chansa Kabwela, charged with one count of circulating obscene material, has commenced with the state prosecutor complaining about comments by Reporters sans Frontiers carried by the newspaper describing the charges as bogus.
And defence lawyer George Chisanga has also asked the Lusaka magistrate’s court to take judicial notice of the fact that President Rupiah Banda’s directive to arrest and prosecute Kabwela was a development which would influence the course of justice.
Meanwhile the state called his their first witness, Kenneth Ngosa, a senior private secretary to the Vice President who told the court he received a letter signed by Kabwela which has three disturbing pictures of a woman giving birth.
Making the submission as a preliminary matter before the commencement of trial this morning Lusaka Division Public Prosecutor, Frank Mumbuna said The Post had committed contempt by publishing an opinion from Reporters without borders on the matter which was already in court.
Mumbuna submitted before chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda that the story published on the front page of The Post dated July 14, 2009 was tantamount to contempt of court.
He said the article was also capable of swaying the opinion of the court and judgment on the accused, thereafter.
However, Mumbuna told the court that the state would not move to press for contempt charges against The Post but sought the court’s protection against any further comment on court proceedings.
And Chansa’s defence which is led by Lusaka lawyers George Chisanga, Sam Mujuda and Chileshe Kaoma, observed that the article in question bordered on freedom of expression and that the court’s decision on the matter could not be influenced otherwise.
Chisanga further stated that while his team had been ambushed by the submission they had also observed that the state owned and government controlled Times of Zambia of today (August 5, 2009) had published a letter written by Kabwela to the Non Governmental Organisations Coordinating Conference.
He felt the publication of the letter could have an adverse bearing on the court proceedings.
Chisanga further called on the state to take cognizance of the fact that President Banda’s personal directive to arrest and prosecute Kabwela had raised the same excitement and interest in the matter as seen by the many people in the court gallery.
He said the interest in the matter had even gone beyond Zambia’s borders.
Magistrate Kafunda has reserved ruling over the matter to tomorrow when the trial continues.
Meanwhile, Ngosa, who named as one of his duties receiving of the Vice-President’s mail said he received a Kabwela’s letter and was immediately disturbed by the pictures he found inside the letter.
He said he had difficulties handing over the letter and pictures to the Vice-President George Kunda but after alerting him about the contents, he asked to be given the pictures.
He said the Vice-President Kunda later called him to his office and expressed his annoyance over the kind of pictures he said he had never seen in his life.
And a large number of people from all works of life including musicians and opposition political party members gathered at the Lusaka Magistrates court complex to give solidarity to Kabwela and The Post.
The courtroom was packed to capacity with a large number of people standing with no where to sit.
Others who could not get into the court grounds were filled with a huge crowd of members of the public with placards.
Some of the placards read: “Leave The Post, Chansa alone,” “ We are returning to the stone age” while some artistes’ wore tee shirts with the message “Zambian artistes are with you Chansa Kabwela, labour is labour not pornography,” “Go on The Post Speak the Truth.”
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, COURTS, THE POST
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