Katele has now been reduced to a figurehead in MMD – Mpombo
By George Chellah
Wed 27 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT
GEORGE Mpombo yesterday said newly-appointed MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu is the de facto national secretary and Katele Kalumba will now remain a figurehead within the party.
Commenting on the appointment and subsequent inclusion of Nyangu in the MMD national executive committee (NEC), Mpombo argued that the move to replace Jeff Kaande with Nyangu depicts President Rupiah Banda's usual stubborn determination.
He said President Banda had commenced the process of setting up his campaign team.
“It is a manipulation to pave the way for President Banda's re-election at the party conference convention. He is consolidating his campaign strategy, it is a campaign strategy purely meant to enhance his chances,” he said.
He emphasised that Nyangu was the defacto MMD national secretary.
“You see by bringing in Chembe he becomes the defacto national secretary because he is going to have access to the President while Kalumba will remain just a figure-head,” Mpombo said. “Kalumba will just remain a figurehead and it is the deputy national secretary and the President that will be making decisions.
“And Nyangu has been placed in that strategic position purely for the purpose of coordinating and orchestrating the campaign effort in order to re-elect the President. So it clearly shows that the forthcoming MMD convention will not be on level ground.”
He said with the recent NEC appointments of people from Eastern Province, MMD supporters were now feeling a sense of invasion.
“You see, people will clearly see that there are certain manipulations to marginalise other people because if you look at the situation already the whole process started with putting in William Banda as MMD provincial chairman Lusaka. That was building one of the pillars for the election and now it is being cemented with the appointment of Chembe as MMD deputy national secretary,” said Mpombo. “And in any case what raises eye brows...it is strange that a man should straight land in the position of vice-national secretary. It has never happened before because in NEC there are senior members in NEC, when you have a vacancy you start looking at vacant positions in the party within NEC.
“You don't bring somebody straight in there NEC. It is abnormal and it is very de-motivating to senior members. Again this goes to show the stubborn determination of RB to get back into power at all cost.”
Last weekend, MMD national secretary Kalumba announced that the ruling party had re-organised itself by bringing into the NEC former national secretary Vernon Mwaanga, Dora Siliya as party spokesperson, former Nyimba member of parliament Nyangu as deputy national secretary, and losing Solwezi Central member of parliament Albert Chifita. Jeff Kaande was dropped as party deputy national secretary.
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, JEFF KAANDE, KATELE KALUMBA, MMD
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It seems Kaande is more powerful than Rupiah, says Namakando
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 26 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT
SIMASIKU Namakando has challenged President Rupiah Banda to state whether or not he is behind Jeff Kaande’s disparaging remarks on the dissolved Western Province MMD executive.
Reacting to MMD deputy national secretary Kaande’s statement that the chairperson for the dissolved committee Simasiku Namakando and his executive were no longer MMD members because they took the party to court, Namakando wondered why President Banda had kept quiet over the matter. He said it seemed that Kaande was more powerful than President Banda.
“The President is allowing this person to continue undermining his authority.
If the President came and told the people of Western Province that he has reconciled with his provincial chairman, who is Jeff Kaande to overrule the President? Now the question is the President is keeping quiet. What is his official authority position? Are we members of the MMD or not, like what Kaande has said?” Namakando asked.
“We thought when we reconciled with the President, the President knew that yes, we went to the courts of law, but he called me and my friends to meet him and I even went with him to Liuwa as his provincial chairman. Now who is Jeff Kaande to overrule the President? This is the problem that we are having in the MMD.”
Namakando said Kaande recently told the people of Western Province, during his recent trip to the area that he did not recognise President Banda’s reconciliation with the Namakando-led executive.
“So for Kaande to continue talking the way he is talking, we don’t know whether it is the official position coming from His Excellency or it is his Kaande’s way of running the party. I think only the President knows what the official position is, so he has to come out and tell us,” he said.
Namakando said only President Banda could show the way forward over the reconciliation.
He said he was surprised over the manner things were being run because the national secretary had no power to overrule the President.
Namakando said his committee thought that the reconciliation with President Banda was the official position of the party.
“Let me give you an example; when the late president Mwanawasa suspended the national chairman, Honourable Michael Mabenga, it was himself again who reconciled with him, and the national secretary never challenged him anywhere. But in this case, Jeff Kaande is challenging the authority of the President,” said Namakando.
“In the Western Province he said he doesn’t recognize what President Banda did because he was not part and parcel of that meeting. So we don’t know why things have changed now, we don’t know whether what Kaande is saying is the official position from the President or he is undermining him. Only the President can tell us.”
Namakando said he expected President Banda to state his position over the matter and to tell Kaande that he was undermining his authority in the party.
Recently, Kaande said Namakando and his committee were no longer MMD members because they took the party to court.
Kaande said they should reapply to rejoin the party.
Labels: JEFF KAANDE, RUPIAH BANDA, SIMASIKU NAMAKANDO
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Rupiah was elected to prove his own capabilities, says Kaande
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 19 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT
MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande yesterday said President Rupiah Banda was elected to prove his own capabilities and not those of other people.
And Kaande said chairperson of the dissolved Western Province MMD executive committee Simasiku Namakando is not a member of the MMD, pouring further scorn on the recent reconciliation between President Banda and the executive committee.
In an interview following former gender minister Patricia Mulasikwanda's remarks that President Banda should stop talking about late president Mwanawasa's legacy because he had failed to uphold it, Kaande said President Banda was elected to serve the country through the best of his ability.
“Once you are elected as President, you are elected, it is up to you to prove to people your capabilities; not another person's capabilities,” he said.
Asked if he implied that President Banda would rather come up with his own vision than following that of president Mwanawasa, Kaande responded: “I'm not saying that, I am not saying that. That is not what I am saying. Don't put words in my mouth.”
But when pressed further to clarify what he had said, Kaande responded: “You analyze it, what do I mean? Because I put a vote for President Banda, I did not put a vote for anybody else. If you voted for President Banda, you voted for President Banda on principle because you wanted him to be President. I was not voting for two people, I was voting for one person. I don't care what the other people say, whether they want him to follow other people's beliefs that is another thing. But I voted for President Banda to be President, and to lead this country through the best of his ability.”
When asked why President Banda campaigned using president Mwanawasa's legacy, Kaande responded: “You interview the President, don't interview me on that please. I am not his spokesperson.”
Kaande asked Mulasikwanda to resign from the MMD and go back to UNIP if she was not satisfied with the manner the party was handling its affairs.
On Friday, Mulasikwanda said President Banda had failed to uphold president Mwanwasa's legacy because people who the late president trusted like Sylvia Masebo and Ng'andu Magande, whom she described as icons, could not have been fired.
She asked President Banda to allow himself to be challenged fairly at the convention.
On Namakando's assertions that President Banda risked losing at the convention if he continued surrounding himself with people like Kaande, Kaande said President Banda would win whether Namakando liked it or not.
He said Namakando was not a member of MMD.
“He took us to court, and our regulations are very clear. If you take the party to court, then you are not a member of that party. You declare yourself an outsider, therefore you have to reapply to rejoin, so I have not yet seen his application,” Kaande said.
Asked if the recent reconciliation involving President Banda and the Western Province committee meant nothing going by his statement, Kaande refused to comment.
“I am not President Banda, excuse me. Don't draw me into that,” he said.
On Mulasikwanda's assertion that President Banda should allow himself to be challenged fairly at the convention rather than using underhand methods in the selection of delegates, Kaande wondered how this could be done since the party had not even held provincial conferences.
He accused The Post of being destructive, saying the newspaper's aim was to destroy the MMD.
“Why are you The Post concerned with the MMD convention when you cannot talk about the PF convention; who are you bedfellows?” Kaande asked.
He said he rated the performance of the state owned and government controlled media better than The Post.
“You never even assign special journalists to follow me wherever I go, but for PF you do,” said an angry Kaande.
Labels: JEFF KAANDE, RUPIAH BANDA, SIMASIKU NAMAKANDO
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Rupiah will be challenged at convention – Kaande
By Patson Chilemba
Sun 29 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande yesterday said President Rupiah Banda will be challenged at the MMD national convention. And former Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele said President Banda and his colleagues had been defeated over their attempts to forego the convention.
Commenting on statements from several MMD national executive committee (NEC) leaders just after President Banda was endorsed as the sole candidate that he would not be challenged at the convention, Kaande said the MMD would not stop other presidential candidates from challenging the President.
He said democracy entailed that people should be allowed to challenge anyone for any position.
“NEC has adopted him as its official candidate but we have not said he cannot be challenged, no. Those that want to challenge him can challenge him,” Kaande said. “So we are not saying because he is our candidate, we will stop other people to challenge him, no.”
Reminded that late MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba said President Banda would not be challenged because he was the sole candidate, Kaande said he would not comment on other people's opinions. He said it was not worth commenting on what Tetamashimba said because he was dead and could not be called to clarify his statements.
But reminded that works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti mentioned that it would not be right for the MMD to forget the benefits of incumbency by picking other candidates, Kaande said he was not Mulongoti's spokesperson, saying Mulongoti himself should be able to answer over the statements he issued.
“You have never heard me on record saying that President Banda should not be challenged, so I cannot comment on the other people's individual opinion,” he said.
On Mulongoti's earlier challenge for those people who were agitating for the convention to fund the undertaking, Kaande refused to comment on Mulongoti's remarks but said that money would be found once the convention was called.
He said NEC had never said that the party would not go for the convention.
“As far as we are concerned, the normal status quo remains,” said Kaande.
Just after the NEC endorsed President Banda as the MMD’s sole candidate in June 2009, Tetamashimba said other party positions would be contested for but President Banda would not be challenged because he was the sole candidate.
And Kavindele said those were against the holding of the convention had no choice but to obey the party constitution.
“I also knew that we would defeat them over the convention, and they had no choice but to follow the constitution of the party,” he said.
Kavindele said MMD had suffered as a result of the bickering that arose following attempts to postpone the convention.
However, Kavindele said he was ready to help in the reorganisation of the party because he knew MMD very well.
“If they think that they can ignore the tenets that we put into it, then their hold on to power shall be questionable. I would urge President Rupiah to call for a unity meeting,” he said.
Kavindele said the selection of delegates to the convention should be transparent because in the past there had been instances where those who challenged the presidents were harassed, beaten and frustrated.
“The idea of just bringing delegates who they think will support them, I can give Mr. Banda some advice on that because if they do it in a manner that is not satisfactory to our members, it will even cause more difficulties for him than he will be solving by holding a convention,” he said.
Kavindele asked MMD members of parliament to contribute money from their gratuities for the convention, saying this had been done in the past.
On Mulongoti's fear that wealthy people might hijack the MMD if the ruling party goes for a convention without adequate funds, Kavindele said such a thing could not work because there had been times where people received money but voted for other candidates.
Recently, Mulongoti said the MMD was now reorganising to go for the national convention, a U-turn on his earlier position.
On September 16, 2009, Mulongoti asked former finance minister Ng'andu Magande and Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament George Mpombo and those championing the holding of the convention to make resources available for the undertaking.
Mulongoti's statement was amplified by President Banda in Kasama when he asked those agitating for the holding of the convention to resign from the party and join other parties that were going to hold a convention.
Labels: JEFF KAANDE, MMD, NEC, RUPIAH BANDA
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Kasama, Solwezi defeats are signs that MMD is doing something wrong – Kaande
By Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 23 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande yesterday observed that the party’s recent electoral defeats in Kasama and Solwezi are signs that the party is doing something wrong. In an interview, Kaande said the MMD had problems but he was sure it would overcome them.
And Kaande maintained that the recent strategic planning workshop at Andrews Motel allegedly convened by MMD national treasurer Suresh Desai and opened by founder member Vernon Mwaanga, was held behind the back of the party.
“We do agree that as a party we have challenges but the workshop that they came up with was behind the back of the party because not even the secretariat was involved. I didn’t attend and I was not even aware. If it came through the party, the secretariat especially, a lot more members would have been involved,” Kaande said.
“There is a lot we need to do as a party. Talking even about the recent elections that we have lost, there must be something that we are not doing right. So all these things need to be looked into but as a party we should work in unity because if we start working in isolation we will not achieve anything; instead we will destroy ourselves.”
He urged all people with progressive ideas to involve the party by bringing them to the secretariat as opposed to holding meetings or workshops as individuals.
“That meeting which was at Andrews Motel was a group of individuals who had no mandate from the party. Of course, we will look at their recommendations, whatever they did, but then those will be subjected to another meeting where a lot other interest groups and members will be involved.” Kaande said.
“We are not rejecting the idea. I personally welcome the idea but it’s the manner in which it was done. There should have been wider consultation.”
Reminded that Mwaanga said the meeting was even serviced by staff from the national secretary’s office, Kaande said that was not true.
“I will tell you what they did; one individual whom I will decline to name went to take a copy of the constitution and when he took that copy he left. That is not servicing the workshop. It was not servicing the meeting,” Kaande said.
“It’s a pity Katele is not feeling well, you could have asked him, he was on the spot here in Lusaka, he was not involved in that workshop.”
Kaande expressed concern that MMD members were holding such a workshop without the knowledge of even the national secretary and national chairman, Michael Mabenga.
On Mwaanga’s concern that Katele should be concerned about the declining fortunes of the MMD, Kaande responded: “Honourable Mwaanga is a very senior politician, I wouldn’t like to exchange words with him. That is his opinion; I don’t want to comment on it.”
MMD deputy national chairman Kabinga Pande, who is also foreign affairs minister, said the Solwezi Central loss was a temporal setback.
“Having been there for that period, I know where the weaknesses are,” said Pande, who was MMD campaign manager for Solwezi Central.
And Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo advised the MMD not to blame his organisation over their loss.
“AVAP has advised MMD Lusaka district chairman William Banda to conduct a fact finding exercise in Solwezi district so as to establish what went wrong,” Tembo said.
“AVAP had no grain of influence on Solwezi voters who had total freedom to vote for a person of their choice.”
He said all participating political parties breached the Electoral Code of Conduct.
“AVAP ignored a number of reports of electoral corruption and malpractices committed by either the MMD or UPND-PF pact or Forum for Democratic Alliance (FDA),” said Tembo.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, JEFF KAANDE, MMD
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Patrick is welcome to stand as Kafulafuta MP, says Kaande
By Chibaula Silwamba
Thu 29 Oct. 2009, 04:01 CAT
PATRICK Mwanawasa is welcome to stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament, ruling MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande said yesterday. Commenting on late president Levy Mwanawasa’s son Patrick’s statement that it was inevitable for him to join active politics and he would stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament in future, Kaande said it would be good for Patrick to join politics at an early age.
“If the guy has decided to be a politician, let him come here at the MMD secretariat and buy a card and we make him a member. Then he can go through the mill rather than just start from an anthill,” said Kaande in an interview.
Asked if Patrick did not have an MMD membership card, Kaande said: “I am not sure if he is card-holding member but he is not any of the party officials that can say what he is saying. But he has got an opinion.”
He said Patrick like any other person was free to join the MMD.
“We will welcome anybody who wants to be a member of the party. We will not chase anybody. Politics is about numbers,” Kaande said. “And if the people of Kafulafuta feel it is Patrick they want, they will tell us and if that is what they want, we will give them.”
Contrary to MMD acting spokesperson Mike Mulongoti’s assertions that Patrick was young, Kaande said it was good to join politics when one is still young.
“In fact for me, people who start at an early stage in politics it’s a good thing. I personally started politics when I was 15 and I have grown through it. So if Patrick can do the same it’s quite good. He is welcome,” said Kaande.
“We have the George Chulumundas who are young men in their prime youth being Cabinet ministers. So we do welcome that, definitely!”
In an interview on Tuesday, 26-year-old Patrick, the eldest son of Mwanawasa, said he had a burning desire to join active politics especially that his father died while on duty.
“I do have political ambitions and as far as I am concerned there will come a time in future that I will stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament. I have got that burning desire I shared with my father of helping out the people of Zambia and much more so now that he died whilst he was on duty. I think that it is inevitable,” Patrick said.
“If people are already plotting my downfall then let them go ahead. But as far as I am concerned, God will always be with me and the future is still bright for me.”
Patrick rebuffed statements that he was too young to engage in active politics.
“I was born on 8th March, 1983 and now I am 26 years old. I don’t know, maybe you can refresh my memory. How old was Vernon Mwaanga when he became a politician? How old was our current President, President Rupiah Banda when he joined politics? So are they just expecting me to bottle up all my beliefs in a bottle of whisky or just go and stand by the corner in Northmead over there and not let my voice be heard by the people? I have a voice and it shall be heard even if it means me losing my life, so be it, so God help me!” Patrick said.
When reminded that President Banda had said he joined politics when he was 17 years old, Patrick wondered why people were now saying he was too young when the current President joined politics when he was younger than he is.
“What are they scared of? If they have any programmes to neutralise me, let them go ahead,” said Patrick. “I mean, there is a saying that ‘in politics you can get shot 100 times and still survive but in war you can get shot once and you can die’. So this is politics and this is the first shot from Chiluba’s son Miko. I am game!”
Labels: ELECTIONS, JEFF KAANDE, MMD, PATRICK MWANAWASA
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Kaande has demons in his head – Mpombo
Written by Patson Chilemba
Thursday, September 10, 2009 4:03:52 AM
KAFULAFUTA MMD member of parliament George Mpombo yesterday charged that party deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande is intoxicated with massive confusion and has demons in his head. And former finance minister Ng'andu Magande has said those who are championing the postponement of the MMD national convention want the party to lose the elections because they would end up adopting a candidate who is not popular.
Reacting to Kaande who warned Mpombo and Magande of possible expulsion if they continued 'insulting' the party, Mpombo said he would not change his position that provincial resolutions to postpone the MMD convention were being stage-managed by senior national executive committee (NEC) officials for their own selfish interests such as protecting their jobs or seeking appointments from President Banda.
He said he was very capable of defending himself.
"Just a friendly piece of advice to Kaande, that I have a bit of steel in my spine and quite ready to take on Jeff Kaande with bare knuckles; hands without gloves. Secondly he is not a kind who can intimidate me. What I'm saying is Jeff is intoxicated with massive confusion. I think there are few demons at the back of his head," Mpombo said. "So let him proceed. I am very capable of defending myself. And then the other thing is that our position has not changed. There must be a convention."
Mpombo said the conduct of leadership in the MMD was very shameful and appalling.
He said Africans were being perceived as undemocratic people because of power.
Mpombo said the days for choosing leaders by public acclamation were long gone.
"In Europe, it went with the collapse of the communists system. In Zambia, it went with the collapse of one party system," Mpombo said.
He said there were some unholy manoeuvres to have President Banda confirmed as party president, but the normal practice was for the national convention to endorse one in that position.
"We saw how president [Levy] Mwanawasa took over from [Frederick] Chiluba in 2002, he was acting president until we went to the convention in 2005 to have him confirmed as president," Mpombo said. "[He] did not want to manipulate situations. But here we have a situation where Mr Banda's name has not even been confirmed at the congress [convention], people are agitating for him to be presidential candidate. You know Nelson Mandela when he was in prison, Oliver Thambo was referred to as acting ANC president."
Mpombo said what was happening was basic immorality.
"But if you don't want to listen, I can assure them that a new faction will emerge in the party which will promote issues of good governance and democracy," he said.
On MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga's assertions that he [Mpombo] was a coward who had chosen to attack the President and MMD outside NEC, Mpombo said he was not a robot like Mabenga.
He said he had never compromised principles in his lifetime.
"You know even in the NEC meeting, you go in with people with pre-arranged, pre-ordained agendas. So I am not a coward. I think a coward is Mr Mabenga. I have actually spoken to him, I met him at NCC [National Constitutional Conference] last week, and I told him what they are trying to do was unconstitutional behaviour," said Mpombo. "You know I have never been a coward. You know the thing that I fear is fear itself, because fear is a dangerous emotion that can destroy people."
Mpombo described Mabenga's assertions as cheap political concoctions.
On President Banda's statement that MMD members were free to debate calls on whether the party convention should be deferred until after the 2011 general elections, Mpombo said the holding of the convention was non-debatable because it was constitutional to elect leaders every five years.
He said President Banda should not even refer to other political parties like Patriotic Front (PF) because MMD was a party with its own identity.
"We should not have hidden agendas," said Mpombo. “And this MMD [acting Copperbelt Province chairman] Chilambwe has no moral right to talk about anything. He is acting. He has no mandate."
And Magande, who is also Chilanga MMD member of parliament, said it was not proper to run the MMD the way it was being currently run.
He said he had travelled across the country and party members had said they were not in support of postponing the convention.
Magande said if the convention were to be cancelled, he wondered how he would campaign for the party since things like manifestos were discussed at conventions.
He said the MMD should go for the convention so that members could analyse the party's performance based on the manifesto that was formulated in 2005.
Magande said he should be given the opportunity to tell the people his vision.
"Those who don't want to go to the convention want MMD to lose elections because they will end up putting a candidate who is not popular," Magande said. "So they are just pushing MMD out of office."
On works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti's statement that Magande should show the grassroots members of MMD what he had done for the party, Magande said Mulongoti should ask people like Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika why MMD was formed.
He said MMD was not formed to look after the grassroots party members but the people of Zambia.
Magande said Mulongoti was now acting party spokesperson and should avoid opening his mouth anyhow.
Magande said Kaande and President Banda were contradicting each other in that the former had threatened to take disciplinary action against those who were speaking in favour of the convention while the latter said members should be free to debate whether there should be a convention or not.
On Monday, Kaande, who addressed the MMD cadres in Mansa that marched to celebrate former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal, warned Magande and Mpombo of possible expulsion if they continued 'insulting' the party.
Kaande said the party had ignored the utterances of the two members of parliament because they did not want by-elections.
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, JEFF KAANDE
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Mpombo refuses to campaign for MMD in Chitambo
Written by George Chellah
Sunday, July 26, 2009 4:48:54 AM
FORMER defence minister and Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament George Mpombo has refused to go and campaign for the ruling party in the Chitambo parliamentary by-election. In an interview, Mpombo said his decision to turn down the MMD's request for him to go to Chitambo and campaign for the party was purely based on principle.
"On Monday, I received a call from MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande telling me that the party had an assignment for me in Chitambo. He said they wanted me to go and campaign in the Chitambo by-election," Mpombo explained.
"But I am unable to even consider that request from Kaande for me to go to Chitambo and campaign. I have turned down that request from Jeff Kaande for me to go to Chitambo."
He said looking at the recent happenings, there was no way he could undertake the party assignment.
"With this animosity, how do you surely expect me to do that? This animosity is quite disturbing even to my family. I can't go to Chitambo and campaign when my friends don't want me," Mpombo said. "I am uncomfortable with what is unfolding. So on principle, I can't do that."
Mpombo, who is also former MMD national executive committee (NEC) chairperson for energy, said he was ready for any disciplinary action that might be instituted against him.
"I am absolutely ready to bite the bullet. Whoever wants to do anything can go ahead. I can't accept this dehumanizing behaviour, especially to my family. I can't accept that," Mpombo said. "Just look at the way they are treating me; as if I have left the party when in actual sense I am still in the party. So I have turned down the request from Kaande and let them do what they want."
Mpombo maintained his displeasure with the manner in which works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti behaved on issue of the government house he was occupying.
"I know of people who have stayed in the houses for months after leaving office. So what can Mulongoti talk about? It's just corrosive hatred," Mpombo said.
But when contacted, Mulongoti said: "What can I say because he received a letter from my permanent secretary, not me? I have nothing to say. He didn't get a letter from me. I never got a response from him if he wanted to stay in the house."
Mulongoti said if Mpombo wanted an extension to stay in the house, he knew what to do and that he would have seen him.
"I don't want to enter into a debate on issues which will add no value. I wish him well, he is my brother," Mulongoti said.
But in a letter to Mpombo dated July 21, 2009, which was also copied to Mulongoti and Secretary to Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja, works and supply permanent secretary Lieutenant Colonel Bizwayo Nkunika advised Mpombo to vacate the VIP house number 5371 Robert Kennedy Close.
"I write to draw your attention to the fact that in accordance with your terms and conditions of service, you are required to vacate a government house within fifteen (15) days from the date of your termination of office as a Cabinet minister or upon your resignation," Lt Col Nkunika stated. "In view of the foregoing, you are requested to vacate the government house and surrender your personal to holder vehicle to the undersigned by 21st July 2009 to pave way for a new occupant and user. You are also requested to clear outstanding water and electricity bills if any, on vacating your former official residence house."
But early this year, Mulongoti authorised Dora Siliya's continued stay in a government house beyond the stipulated 15 days after one ceases to be minister. Nkunika confirmed that Siliya, who resigned from her ministerial position, was still occupying a government house.
"Yes, I can confirm to you that she's still in a government house and has asked the Minister of Works and Supply [Mulongoti] to stay a little bit longer until she finds some other accommodation arrangements, and the minister has authorised," Lt Col Nkunika said. "I don't think this a constitutional matter, it's a regulation. You may recall this happened to [Zambia's envoy to China] Ambassador Lupando Mwape. When he lost his job, he was allowed to stay in the house for three months."
Lt Col Nkunika said ministers of works and supply could use their discretion to allow former leaders like Cabinet ministers to stay in a government house longer than the stipulated 15 days.
Asked on the timeframe within which former ministers were supposed to hand over their government vehicles upon leaving office, Lt Col Nkunika said the ministers could still hold on to their GRZ numbers, until they had fully paid for the vehicles if the intention was to buy them.
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, JEFF KAANDE, MIKE MULONGOTI, MMD
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Magande isn’t indispensible – Teta
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:54:12 PM
MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba yesterday charged that party deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande must not create an impression that Ng'andu Magande is untouchable and indispensible.
And Tetamashimba has told Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi and ULP president Sakwiba Sikota to shut up and not condemn the way President Rupiah Banda is running national affairs.
Commenting on Kaande’s statement that only an immoral person in the MMD would hound out party chairman for finance and economic development Ng’andu Magande, Tetamashimba said Magande was not a god.
“I don’t support that statement; people have different views in the party. His views about Magande could not be the views of other members of the party but I think what is important is for unity in the party,” Tetamashimba said. “What is important is for Magande not to be threatening those boys that they apologise, apologise! When we all know that when it comes to some of the issues, Magande can’t claim to be a god and I think that to say it’s immoral, that is not a good statement but I am sure the national executive committee will be able to deal with the issue of Magande.”
He said anybody could be removed from the party.
“There is nobody who cannot be hounded out of the party, if somebody does a wrong thing, he can be hounded out but I am not implying that Magande should be removed from the party. I am not saying that,” he said. “First and foremost, [the late president Levy] Mwanawasa lost the elections in Chilanga, the constituency of Magande, you know that. Even this time round [in the 2008 presidential election], we lost the elections there. Is that the man you can be saying it is immoral to hound out? We must just be working as a team and not to be fighting each to show that we are on this side or we are on the other side.”
He observed that in the past, Kaande had tried to hound some people out of the MMD and should therefore not pretend that everyone in the party should support his position on Magande.
“Kaande himself cannot claim that he has not been trying to hound people out of the party. Let us not be saying things that can be dividing the party and so on and I think that to say that, you annoy a certain group of people and the youths who have been our backbone in the party,” Tetamashimba said. “They should try at the secretariat to reconcile people and not say that Magande is untouchable because there is nobody who is indispensible in the party even myself if I did something that the party feels is not good, I can be removed from the party but I am not implying that Magande has done something that is wrong for which he should be removed from the party.”
He said Kaande’s position was not the position of the entire NEC.
“We have not met as the national executive committee but what Kaande is saying is as if he is speaking on behalf of the entire NEC members, I don’t succumb to that. That is his personal position and not the position of the party,” Tetamashimba said.
On Thursday, Kaande said as far as the MMD was concerned, Magande was a senior member of the party whom they would not allow any youth to harass.
And on Nawakwi’s statement last week that President Banda had not performed to her expectations, Tetamashimba advised her to just shut up.
“I personally went to see Nawakwi and Sakwiba Sikota myself even before their statements. I advised both of them that ‘you people since you were in the forefront campaigning for President Rupiah Banda, there is need for you people to sit down with President Rupiah Banda and tell him about your vision.’ Ask them if they have ever done that,” Tetamashimba said.
“None of them wants to give advice to Rupiah Banda. I personally told Edith and Sakwiba that find time so that you give President Banda your views about how the country should be run. Ask them if they have ever been to State House and if they have not been, they should shut up because they should have told him that, ‘look we campaigned for you and we feel that the country should go in this direction.’”
Nawakwi and Sikota campaigned for President Banda in the run up to the October 30, 2008 election.
However, last week, Nawakwi expressed disappointment with the performance of President Banda and his government.
She said the government had not lived up to the people's expectations.
Nawakwi said President Banda's honeymoon was over and people expected his government to work.
Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, JEFF KAANDE, JEFF KANDE, MAGANDE, MMD
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