Katete police release PF cadres
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Tue 01 Oct. 2013, 14:00 CAT
POLICE in Katete on Sunday released four PF officials who were detained on Saturday after the beat and stripped naked some District Executive Committee members that were holding a meeting at a named lodge.
According to PF sources, the cadres were released on Sunday. When asked to confirm reports on the release of the cadres, district chairperson Joseph Duma Makukula referred all queries to provincial chairperson Lameck Mangani.
"I am not allowed to issue any statement at the moment so you can contact the provincial chairperson," Makukula said.
By press time Mangani's mobile phones were off.
Mangani is expected to hold a meeting with PF officials in Katete to iron out their differences.
Some district executive committee members were allegedly whipped by PF cadres after they attempted to hold a meeting to look at various issues affecting the party in the district.
Sources say Makukula refused to attend the meeting and reported to Mangani that his colleagues wanted to remove him from his position.
Mangani then advised that the meeting should not go ahead and promisedto have an audience with the party officials.
Before the party officials dispersed, some party cadres emerged and started whipping them.
Some officials like district secretary Moses Phiri were stripped naked and allegedly robbed of their monies by the cadres.
Katete police later detained the culprits.
On Sunday, Makukula told The Post that he was having an audience with the officer in-charge at Katete police station over the matter.
Some PF members attributed the party's embarrassing defeat during the previous Mkaika by-election to the confusions that have rocked the ruling party.
Labels: CADRES, KATETE
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MoH commissions cancer-screening centres in Chipata, Katete
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sun 05 Feb. 2012, 13:01 CAT
HEALTH minister Dr Joseph Kasonde says there is need to strengthen laws that prohibit tobacco use, especially in public places. And the Ministry of Health has commissioned two cancer screening equipment at Chipata General Hospital and St Francis Mission Hospital in Katete.
Meanwhile, a person living with cancer Amy Sikazwe says there are a lot of myths surrounding cancer diseases in society. Officiating at the World Cancer Day commemoration in Chipata yesterday, Dr Kasonde said there was special effort that was being made to stop those that smoke in public.
"By smoking in public, make it necessary for those that are innocently present in that public to seek medical attention...Control of alcohol consumption is something again that belongs to us as individuals. The government shall endevour to promote healthy lifestyles and regular exercises," Dr Kasonde said.
He said the role of government, particularly his ministry, was to create an enabling environment for public awareness on cancer through public health programmes and community sensitisation.
Dr Kasonde said his ministry would promote a focused and integrated approach to disease prevention so that it does not only focus on infections but also remember the increasing rise of cancer.
He urged the general public to take interest in cancer by promoting healthy lifestyles for prevention of the disease and regular screening.
"In this case I am pleased to say that we have had a team here and in the last few days there has been a screening exercise provided by a team of cancer experts. They saw 883 people...Those checked for breast cancer were 459, those for cervix were 387 and those for prostate were 27. Those that have been diagnosed and assisted in getting treatment were 38 out of the 883 which is about four per cent," said Dr Kasonde.
And Sikazwe, who gave a background on how she was diagnosed with cancer, said they were a lot of myths about the disease in society today.
She said one of the myths was that those that are diagnosed with cancer would die from the disease.
Sikazwe said some people think that cancer was contagious.
"They are a lot of stories about cancer. People end up going to witchdoctors, people end up going to wrong places to look for medicines when they are actually delaying. What is critical is if cancer is discovered early, if it is diagnosed early it can be treated like you see me here and you can get well so we should not delay by going kumang'anga (witchdoctors)…," said Sikazwe.
And briefing the press on Thursday ahead of the World Cancer Day commemorations that fell yesterday, acting Eastern Province medical officer Dr Francis Bwalya said the two centres would be used to screen people for various cancers.
"The minister Dr Kasonde is going to commission this equipment that has been procured by the ministry with assistance or in partnership with Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia and this equipment is going to be installed at Chipata General and St Francis Mission Hospital," he said.
Labels: CHIPATA, EASTERN PROVINCE, HEALTHCARE, KATETE, MINISTRY OF HEALTH
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Chiluba, Rupiah pact will be crushed warns Sata
By George Chellah in Lusaka and Chibaula Silwamba in Milanzi
Sat 24 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT
PF leader Michael Sata during his meeting with Indunas shortly before he addressed a rally to drum up support for Milanzi Constituency PF parliamentary candidate Albert Banda (in glasses) in Katete on Thursday.
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday vowed to crush President Rupiah Banda and Frederick Chiluba ahead of next year’s general elections. Reacting to Chiluba’s statement that he was losing grip on the politics and now wanted to disturb the government, Sata, who is currently campaigning in Katete, said it was now clear that Chiluba and President Banda were birds of the same feather.
“Chiluba is accusing me of soar grapes. What soar grapes is he talking about? Tell them that I will keep bombarding them terribly wherever I go in this country so much that by the time we reach next year they will just be in shreds and unrecognisable,” he said.
Sata reminded Chiluba to learn from the past defeats he suffered.
“Chiluba has a short memory and he never learns about who Michael Chilufya Sata really is when it comes to politics. In 1995 when I contested as MMD national secretary, he didn’t want me and he tried to frustrate me by sponsoring the candidature of people like Newstead Zimba and others but I crushed him.
In 2001 at Mulungushi, Chiluba again didn’t want me to be MMD national secretary. He wanted Vernon Mwaanga but I defeated him again,” Sata said.
“When I resigned from MMD in August 2001 because of Chiluba’s dishonesty and formed PF, Chiluba used Peter Machungwa and others to form PUDD with the hope of destabilising PF and he went to launch PUDD on the Copperbelt. But what happened? We crushed him and PF became the most popular party on the Copperbelt.
“When we crushed him he came begging to me asking that we should accept Machungwa, Joseph Kasongo, Elizabeth Chitika-Mulobeka and Ernest Mwansa to stand on the PF ticket. Chiluba doesn’t learn, so even the manoeuvres he is making, I will crush him together with his friend Rupiah. Tell them that I will crush them both…the Chiluba and Rupiah pact will be crushed and the consequences will be too ghastly for them to contemplate.”
Sata challenged Chiluba to advise President Banda to call for an early election if he was still questioning the opposition’s popularity.
“If Chiluba thinks I am losing grip, let him incite his friend Rupiah to call for an early election so that he tests my grip. He can also incite those rebel members of parliament to resign so that we go to Luapula for by-elections and see who will come out of Luapula smiling or who has truly lost grip,” Sata said. “Tell Chiluba that contrary to his claims, my grip is firmer than ever before. And we are working and bombarding them with Rupiah everywhere.”
Sata dismissed Chiluba’s claims that he was panicking.
“It’s Chiluba who is panicking because he knows that he has got temporary shelter in Rupiah Banda. He knows that the shelter he is currently enjoying in Rupiah Banda is built on sand and will definitely not withstand the huge political hurricane that is coming next year. So it’s him who is panicking and is so desperate,” Sata said. “He has a skin to save.
No wonder he now wants to go to Luapula to meet their royal highnesses and also to try and make those selfish rebel MPs look useful to the very people they have betrayed. So it’s him who is panicking because he knows that he is standing on sand as far as protection from Rupiah is concerned. Anyway, let’s wait and see…just tell them that.”
On Friday, Chiluba, who spoke through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba to the Times of Zambia, told Sata to stop disorienting President Banda’s pursuit for a forward-looking empowerment policy by suggesting that he was still ruling. He said Sata’s assertions were unjustified and taking the face of sour grapes in view of the strong relations he enjoyed with the President and the bearing they may have on PF.
Chiluba said President Banda had demonstrated his love for the people and urged him to continue, regardless of detractors like Sata who were losing grip on the politics and now wanted to disturb the government.
And Sata told the people of Milanzi on Thursday that President Banda, their own son, had neglected them.
A sizeable crowd of some Milanzi constituents braved heavy rains to listen to Sata’s campaign speech, which he started and ended delivering amid a heavy down pour at Katiula Basic School. Sata refused to shelter himself under an umbrella preferring to be soaked, just like the people attending his rally.
As Sata was about to start his campaign to woo votes for PF candidate Albert Banda ahead of next Thursday’s by-elections, the rains started but people remained steadfast while those that had run away to seek shelter under nearby trees and sheds returned to the rally site after realising that their colleagues, including women with babies strapped on their backs, had remained unmoved by the heavy down pour.
Sata decided to proceed with his address despite the rains intensifying. His aides brought him an umbrella but he refused insisting to be uniform with the crowd.
Without umbrella, Sata and everybody present, including journalists and several elderly men and women aged about 80, were soaked to the bone while some children sought refuge under the vehicles and some elders put chairs on their heads as they listened to the opposition leader, and punctuating his speech with spontaneous ovations.
Sata told the people that President Banda, a native of Eastern Province, had turned his back on them especially on agriculture – the mainstay of the locals.
“The late president Levy Mwanawasa gave you fertiliser. Your own son Rupiah Bwezani Banda amulandani fetelaiza. Mwanawasa, who was not your son gave you eight packs of fertiliser but your own son Rupiah Banda has reduced the packs to four,” Sata said.
“When Rupiah Banda came here in 2008 for Kulamba traditional ceremony of the Chewa people he told people at Chipata airport that ‘don’t vote for foreigners, vote for me your own son. I am your own son’. Now it’s your own son who has neglected you.”
He said President Banda had hijacked the MMD presidency.
“Rupiah Banda did not only dupe you his own people in Eastern Province, he has also duped people who worked hard for the MMD for 19 years. When MMD started, Rupiah Banda was in UNIP and he was telling you that MMD is a party for thieves but in the night he was meeting MMD and when all of you woke up in the morning you found that he is the Vice-President in MMD government.
Today the same person is the President and has hijacked the leadership of MMD. He is a political hijacker, he by passed everybody in MMD,” Sata said. “It’s very sad that people like MMD national chairperson Michael Mabenga are trying to use the Third Term tactics.”
Sata said God favoured the people of Milanzi with abundant rains hence they were annoyed that government did not give them sufficient fertiliser to grow enough food.
Sata bemoaned the lack of a clinic in Katiula ward.
“Mr Rupiah Banda the other day said there are plenty drugs in hospitals but I have not seen a hospital here. Now, if there are plenty drugs in hospitals, why did he go to Cape Town in South Africa with his knee problem for treatment?” Sata asked.
“There are rains but there are no clinics here, when people are sick where do they go? Jesus said, ‘cry for yourself and your children.’ Even here cry for yourselves, don’t blame me if there will be problems in future if you elected MMD. You have to liberate yourselves the way you liberated yourselves from colonialism.”
Sata advised the people to be wary of the alliance between President Banda and Chiluba.
“I built MMD, I was national secretary of MMD but Rupiah Banda had no position in MMD. He was at the farm when we were forming MMD. I left MMD because I saw the crookedness of Frederick Chiluba,” Sata said.
“When you are a small minister or deputy minister, you praise your President but because my brother President Banda doesn’t know what he is doing, he is hiding in Chiluba. Chiluba is not President. He President Banda is not even hiding in his own brother-in-law Kenneth Kaunda. Why is he hiding in Chiluba? Muzibe! You should know!.”
Sata said opposition parliamentarians were better placed to speak for their people and foster development because they had no one to fear when they frankly spoke about things affecting their constituents.
Sata cited former parliamentarians for Chipangali and Kapoche constituencies Lucas Phiri and Charles Banda respectively, who are now PF members, as backbenchers that compelled the government to implement development projects in their constituencies because they were courageous and feared nobody when they were demanding for development of their constituencies in Parliament.
He, therefore, urged Albert Banda to diligently represent the people if elected parliamentarian. Sata warned him against abandoning his constituents.
Earlier, Sata met 18 village headmen from Katiula ward.
Sata, who sat on the dry-grassy football pitch with the village headmen, was told that the area had no clinic, poor road infrastructure, no safe water supply and other social amenities.
Representative of the 18 village headmen, village headman Musamwachale said the local school had just been upgraded to grade eight but did not have desks and teachers’ houses. He said some teachers had to rent houses in the nearby villages.
“Please, when we elect your candidate, he must know that we have these problems here and he must address these problems,” headman Musamwachale said.
He said they had heard a lot from their colleagues about PF and they were glad to meet Sata in person.
“We are very happy to see you,” said headman Musamwachale as his colleagues unanimously agreed with him.
Katiula is situated about 16 kilometres off Mozambique road.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CHILUBA, KATETE, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA
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Milanzi voters ask candidates to fulfil promises
By Christopher Miti in Milanzi
Mon 19 Apr. 2010, 04:40 CAT
President Banda being welcomed by Katete residents during his visit to Milanzi
VOTERS in Milanzi Constituency have asked candidates vying for the seat in the forthcoming by-elections to fulfill their promises in the event that they are elected.
And Caritas Zambia has urged the electorate in Milanzi to make their own independent decisions when voting.
During the Meet your Candidate Forum organised by Caritas Zambia in collaboration with the Press Freedom Committee of The Post at Chimbundire Basic School in Katete last Saturday, the voters demanded that the candidates fulfill their election promises after being voted into office.
One of the voters, Jackson Makukula said there had been a lot of unfulfilled promises from politicians.
“What guarantee is there that these people will implement what they are saying?” Makukula asked.
Another resident, Damazio Sakala said Milanzi had a lot of problems, which required a dedicated member of Parliament.
Sakala asked the candidates to tell the voters what they should do in the event that the elected parliamentarian did not deliver on his promises.
PF candidate Albert Banda urged the people of Milanzi not to be cheated by the MMD, which he said had failed to deliver to the Zambian people.
“This ruling party has been ruling for almost 20 years but there is nothing happening on the ground. They should not cheat us because even today people in urban areas have seen that they MMD are liars because even State House is in a constituency which is under PF,” Albert said.
He said MMD would have done a lot for the people in 20 years if they were committed.
“Vote for PF-UPND pact so that we can provide checks and balances in parliament,” Albert said.
He said it was unfortunate that Milanzi continued to lag behind in development.
“Milanzi has no enough clinics, the roads are bad. Areas like Kagoro are supposed to be electrified. Many pupils have qualified to grade ten but have been told that there are no grade places and they have been told to look for ten places somewhere, a situation which can ruin the future of the children,” Albert said.
UNIP candidate Musa Banda urged the electorate to pass a vote of no confidence in him in the event that he did not perform to people’s expectation once elected.
Musa said he was determined to continue implementing developmental programmes after being voted into office.
“I have already started working on development projects in Milanzi. I have built teachers’ houses here in Milanzi and I will continue with such programmes after being voted into office. I will not just wait for government to release money for developmental programmes,” Musa said.
He said the people of Milanzi were facing many challenges.
“Farmers are facing a lot of problems. Government can promise five bags but it ends up giving people one bag of fertiliser, which is not good. This area has a serious water problem because people are sharing water sources with animals,” Musa said.
Musa pledged to build a hospital once voted into office.
MMD candidate Whiteson Banda, who first called for a moment of silence in memory of late parliamentarian Reuben Chisanga-Banda, said he would first work on the crop marketing system once voted into power.
He said he would request the government to put markets in all the ten wards of the constituency.
“I will make sure I conclude the projects that were started by the late MP. I will ask government to provide dams in this constituency. Former MPs neglected one thing, they never consulted chiefs but I will make sure I consult these people,” Whiteson said.
He said he would ensure that schools that were near the Zesco power lines like Chumbundire Basic School were electrified.
Whiteson said he would request the government to construct dams and provide medicine in hospitals.
MMD campaign manager Dr Eustarckio Kazonga said the government would build four more health centres to add to the existing seven centres in Milanzi.
When asked by David Miti whether it was possible for the government to build four health centres within the remaining months before next year’s elections, Dr Kazonga said it would be possible because the funds would come from the central government and Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
And a representative from Caritas Zambia David Mwanza urged the people of Milanzi to vote based on the information they had.
Mwanza said Caritas would continue promoting good governance in the country.
Education minister Dora Siliya, agriculture minister Peter Daka and MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba were among the many people that attended the forum.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CARITAS, KATETE
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Rupiah campaigns for his 2011 re-election in Milanzi
By Chibaula Silwamba and Christopher Miti in Milanzi
Fri 16 Apr. 2010, 04:10 CAT
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has declared himself physically and psychologically ready to defeat his opponents in next year’s presidential election.
And President Banda announced that the government will open the crop marketing season next month instead of the usual June to avoid briefcase businesspersons from buying farm produce at low prices.
Drumming up support for the MMD’s Milanzi parliamentary candidate Whiteson Banda on Wednesday, President Banda, who ironically spent most of the time campaigning for his re-election in next year’s polls, hoped that his character and behaviour had been exemplary to Zambians during his Presidency for them to vote for him again.
As cadres sang a song with lyrics: “White ku ma final Whiteson Banda in the electoral finals“, President Banda said his turn was coming in 2011.
“I want to say that my turn is coming; in 2011 the Constitution says that we have to go through an election in order to choose a President for our country. I have said it before and I am saying it now in front of all of you that if elected by my party, I am going to stand in 2011 and I am ready psychologically and physically to defeat all those others,” President Banda said.
“You will not hear me insulting anyone because it’s everybody’s right to stand and when it comes to the Constitution, the Constitution of Zambia allows every Zambian to stand,” President Banda said.
“Therefore, I hope that the Zambian people will judge each one of us who will stand for the elections on the basis of their work to their experience of what they can do, of their character, what kind of people they are. I hope that you will also as I offer myself hoping that my character and my behaviour has been exemplary to the Zambian people when I have been your President to all the Zambian people.”
President Banda urged the people of Milanzi to elect a leader that would listen to them.
“When you elect a President, you elect a leader like our leaders here; our chiefs; our headmen, they are our leaders and when you choose a leader you want a leader who will listen to you carefully and with respect to what you are saying to them,” he said.
“You don’t want a leader who is going to tell you what he wants you to do and not what you want him to do as your servant.” President Banda said he was not satisfied with what he had done in the last one year he had been President.
“I have been President for only one year; I wish I could do more than what I have done. I am not satisfied with what I have done. Naturally, I would like to have done more. I want to do more; I want to build more roads for this country. I want to build more schools. I want to build more health centres. I want to send more children to school to various levels of schools, I want to create jobs for the people of Zambia. I cannot do that in one year. I require time like any other person would require that time in order to succeed to fulfill his promises to the people,” President Banda said.
As cadres sang a song with lyrics: “RB boma RB is government”, President Banda remarked that he was the government.
“Nizo ona, ndine boma. Yes! I am the government! You know, sometimes you read in the newspapers, sometimes you hear on the radios, TV sometimes you can believe that those that are talking are the boma. The boma is me who is standing in front of you, not them,” said President Banda prompting the cadres to sing another song with lyrics: “Rupiah limba mtima. Rupiah be strong.”
In response, President Banda said: “I can assure the people here at Milanzi that ndine olimba mtima. Achepa, amene afuna mpando umeneu ndidzagwetsa I am strong hearted. Those who want this Presidency are small, I will trounce them. I was not nominated president, I went for an election, a full election and defeated them all,” President Banda said.
In an apparent reference to the PF-UPND Pact leaders Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema, President Banda described them as “zero plus zero equals zero”.
“Some of them who are making so much noise were defeated three times in the history of our politics. Some of them were defeated two times and they believe that if they come together, if they gang up that perhaps they can defeat me. They are liars. 0+0=0,” President Banda said.
He expressed gratitude to the village headmen that met him prior to the rally because they had raised concern about the need for roads, clean water, crop marketing and other issues affecting their people.
“They raised a number of issues that I would like to respond to as follows; your government is very concerned about these issues and everything is being done in order to try and meet your needs halfway within the limit of our funds of our money limit of our economy. We realise that our people need clean water and will try to see that boreholes are provided to our people in rural areas all over Zambia,” President Banda said.
And President Banda expressed concern at briefcase maize buyers that were duping farmers.
“We are going to open the market sooner than normal. Normally the markets are opened in June, the market to sell our maize but because we know that briefcase business persons are going round and buying maize from our people are paying them peanuts.
We are going to open the markets in the coming month in May so that you can sale your maize at a proper price and we will soon announce the floor price of maize and other crops which the government is going to set before the markets are open,” President Banda announced.
On Whiteson Banda’s candidature, President Banda told the electorate that if they elected the MMD candidate, he would have express access to him unlike if they elected an opposition candidate.
President Banda said he would give Whiteson Banda his cell phone number so that he could be phoning him directly whenever he had a problem in Milanzi as parliamentarian.
“Azakala ndi cell phone number ya a Presidenti. Zikabvuta kuno sapitila mwina iyai, ango tenga cell phone, ‘ndinu a presidenti uko?’ Ndi kati, ‘eeeh’. Azakamba ati, ‘pepani zabvuta ku Milanzi zakuti zakuti’. Mukasankha wina adzikalandila ndalama zachaje. When there are problems here, Whiteson Banda will just get his cell phone and call me to tell me about the problems you are facing here but if you elected other candidates they will be getting paid for doing nothing,” said President Banda.
“I would like to assure you that if you give me Whiteson Banda to become a member of parliament for Milanzi that we will work together with him as we worked with the late Reuben Banda, we’ll work with him in order to meet some of your problems. I don’t want to tell you lies and say that when you vote for Whiteson Banda or when you vote for me all the problems will solved. I will be lying to you people of God.
I want to tell you that we are committed to serve you to work for you.”
President Banda said the MMD wanted Whiteson Banda to continue from where the late area parliamentarian Reuben Chisanga-Banda left.
President Banda apparently forgot to bring Whiteson Banda onto the stage to formally introduce him to the gathering until the candidate personally walked up to the podium.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, KATETE, RUPIAH BANDA
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Kaingu’s visit to Katete raises concerns
By George Chellah and Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 31 Mar. 2010, 04:01 CAT
COMMUNITY development minister Michael Kaingu’s recent tour to Katete district where he is alleged to have been meeting women’s clubs has raised some concerns ahead of the Milanzi parliamentary by-election.
But Kaingu, who confirmed having been to Katete said his visit to the area, cannot affect the voting pattern in the Milanzi by-election. In an interview, Anti-Voter Apathy (AVAP) executive director Bonny Tembo, who is in Milanzi in Katete district predicted heavy electoral corruption in the by-election.
He called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to amend the electoral code of conduct to make it enforceable and compliable.
“AVAP is worried with electoral corruption that takes place before the official campaign period. For Mufumbwe and Milanzi campaign period runs from 8 to 28 April. It means that malpractices taking place outside cannot be contested like the sugar saga in 2008. As AVAP, we are also questioning by-election driven tours of community development minister Michael Kaingu to Milanzi and Eastern Province in general,” Tembo said. “We maintain that by-elections are tied to cosmetic development and sugar-coated promises. We want to warn politicians against taking advantage of poverty in villages. Laws governing clean and corrupt-free campaigns are in place but politicians disregard them with impunity. Campaigns in Mufumbwe and Milanzi will set a precedence for next year’s elections.”
He said a number of women clubs in Milanzi were busy renewing membership and opening bank accounts in readiness for Kaingu’s tour.
“I can tell you that some excited women club leaders who withheld their names for fear of losing the promised K5 million per club by government have described this unusual gesture as a campaign gimmick. We advised women to be objective and focused and not to be bribed by short-term gains. We can predict heavy corruption when campaigns officially kick off after nomination on 8th April,” he said.
He appealed to political parties to observe best practices during campaigns.
“During field trips covering Kapoche and Chidwale wards AVAP observed that electorate in these wards complained that they were tired of voting in by-elections and have not seen development,” he said.
Tembo commended Paramount chief Gawa Undi of the Chewa people in Katete for staying away from partisan politics ahead of the Milanzi by-elections.
He said AVAP has recruited a number of voter educators and monitors in the remotest wards of Milanzi.
“We will undertake voter education to supplement the ECZ and we would like to advise ECZ not to use uncollected replaced voters cards in both Milanzi and Mufumbwe to ensure consistence, such voters cards were rejected in Kasama Central and Solwezi Central by-elections. We also call upon political parties to be transparent and democratic in the manner candidates are adopted in Milanzi,” Tembo said. “A quick survey conducted by AVAP in Milanzi showed that some candidates are reportedly involved in bringing key local leaders with TV sets, bicycles and money. MMD members asked AVAP to urge MMD to adopt a candidate who resides in Milanzi.”
When contacted, Kaingu confirmed that he was in Katete district as part of his tour of the Eastern Province.
Asked about the assertions that he was in Milanzi giving bicycles and money to women’s clubs, Kaingu responded: “laughs. People are on me, aren’t they? I am travelling back because I am heading to Sesheke for the funeral. I was touring Eastern Province.”
When pressed over concern that his distribution of bicycles and money might affect the voting pattern, Kaingu responded: “Aah! We haven’t even done nominations. How does that affect the voting pattern? It can’t affect. How?”
Further asked if indeed he was distributing bicycles and money to women’s clubs, Kaingu responded: “No! We are on a programme. I don’t think what is important is what we are giving; what is important is that we are sensitising women to form clubs.”
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, KATETE, MICHAEL KAINGU
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Police intensify search for bodies in Chithawe dam
Written by Christopher Miti in Chipata
Friday, July 03, 2009 3:14:13 PM
POLICE and the water affairs department in Katete district on Wednesday intensified the search for two fishermen who drowned in Chithawe dam on Tuesday morning.
And most of the pupils from Kafumbwe Boarding School in Katete that were involved in a road traffic accident last Saturday have been discharged from St Francis Mission hospital.
In an interview, Katete district commissioner Eleman Mwanza said by 16:00 hours on Wednesday, police and an officer from the water affairs department had not yet retrieved the bodies of the two men.
“I got information today (Wednesday) that the two, Raphael Banda and Aliyoti Phiri, drowned when their wooden boat capsized in the early hours yesterday (Tuesday),” Mwanza said.
He said Banda was from Chirika village while Phiri was from Manthowa village in Chief Kawaza’s area.
“We have sent an officer from water affairs to work with the police in trying to retrieve the bodies of the deceased but up to now as I’m talking to you the bodies have not yet been recovered,” Mwanza said.
A source from Sinda said the accident occurred around 06:30 hours on Tuesday and but police failed to retrieve the bodies the same day.
By yesterday morning, the two bodies had still not been retrieved.
And Mwanza said only two pupils from the Kafumbwe school truck accident were still admitted at St Francis by Wednesday afternoon.
He said most of the pupils who were admitted at the hospital were attended to and discharged.
“There were 32 boys, 28 girls and 4 members of staff on this truck which was coming from Katete Boarding School for NATAAZ festivals. I’m told around 20:00 hours when they were just about to reach their school, the truck failed to negotiate a corner and overturned, so a number of the people on the truck were admitted,” he said.
Mwanza said it was sad that the district recorded two accidents within a short period of time.
Labels: DAMS, KATETE
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Teta’s remarks on Easterners annoy Katete residents
Written by Kelvin Tembo
Some villagers in Katete have said the degrading statements from the MMD campaign team will deny Vice-President Rupiah Banda their vote.
Commenting on MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba’s statement that Easterners would be beaten if they did not vote for Vice-President Banda, Katete resident Chanza Weluzani said it was unacceptable for Tetamashimba to insult the integrity of Easterners.
“How can they insult the integrity, interest and values of us Easterners? They will see the rejection in the results of the presidential elections next week,” Weluzani said.
He said the MMD campaign team should have respect for ordinary people as they were not for hire or for sale and they should not be taken for granted.
“Teta, don’t insult us or threaten us with beating, because we will instead beat you by the way we will vote your presidential candidate and the MMD out, mind you, you are not our tribal cousin,” he said.
Weluzani said Easterners were sick and tired of politicians who existed for political expedience and selfish ambitions.
He said the MMD government had caused a lot of anguish by their unreliable corruption administration. Weluzani said the people of Eastern Province would vote for the opposition because the MMD had failed to provide for the poor people.
He said they would not vote for people who were not issue based and were only interested in insulting the people’s intelligence.
Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, EASTERN PROVINCE, KATETE, MMD
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Rupiah's campaign speech in Katete
By Christopher Miti in Katete
Thursday September 18, 2008 [04:00]
VICE-President Rupiah Banda last week campaigned when he donated sugar and mealie-meal to Vulamukoko residents in Katete, contrary to what community development minister Catherine Namugala said. Vice-President Banda, who is also acting President, said he would improve the life of people in rural areas once elected Republican President.
Vice-President Banda said he, together with his colleagues in Cabinet, would work to improve the country's social sector, continuing from where late president Levy Mwanawasa left.
But Namugala on Tuesday said the handover of food by Vice-President Banda was not a campaign gimmick but an on-going arrangement to assist the vulnerable under the Social Cash Transfer Scheme.
Namugala said government's programmes could not be stopped simply because of an election as people needed to eat and to take their children to school.
Namugala also accused the media of giving negative publicity to a well-intended programme.
Below is a verbatim of Vice-President Banda's speech at Vulamukoko Village on September 12, 2008:
Zikomo kwambiri azimai na azibambo, azimbuye bathu, azimai, azibambo, bana, azukulu tonse amene tilipano niwonga zikomo kuti mwabwela kuzationa. Munilole kuti nikambe muchizungu koma alipo ena omwe sadziwa koma alipo azanga omwe azatithandiza kufotokoza.
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen, our grandparents, women, men, children, grandchildren and everyone who is here, I thank you all for coming to see us. Allow me to speak in English but there are others who don't understand English, but there are my colleagues who will help me to explain.
Honourable Cabinet and deputy ministers present, permanent secretary, senior government officials, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
It is indeed a great pleasure to have you all here today at this very important occasion of meeting the beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Scheme as well as making a small donation to them.
Ladies and gentlemen government is concerned about the poverty levels amongst its citizens currently at currently at 54 per cent amongst whom 51 per cent are extremely poor. That is why government is committed to showcase protection for the means of reaching out to the most vulnerable in our society who because of our economic situation are unable to contribute to and benefit from national development.
Under the social protection strategy, government is putting in place programmes and activities to prevent protect and promote livelihood and welfare of people suffering from extreme poverty.
In this regard the Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Katete is one of the programmes that provide regular known contributory payment of money provided to individuals or households.
This scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. The Social Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme is a social protection intervention which was started in 2003 with the support of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) is currently being piloted in five districts. Government has since received additional support from the Irish, GTZ, Irish Aid, UNICEF and Care International. For this we are truly grateful.
The scheme here started with individuals of 60 years and above who received monthly cash transfers of K60,000. These direct transfers help beneficiaries to access education, health and other social services.
Ladies and gentleman, given the positive impact of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme the government is therefore strongly considering up-scaling the scheme to the national programme in a series roll out. It is being envisaged that by 2013 the scheme would cover all the 72 districts reaching 252,000 beneficiary households. I am sure there are many people in country who are not aware of this programme because it is still at a pilot stage. This time and when we expand the programme, all the 72 districts of our country would be involved in receiving this assistance from the government.
These were the ideas of the president who left us a few weeks ago, Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, whom I know you are still mourning up to now.
I was privileged to work with him as his Vice-President and I can repeat this now that he is not with us anymore but I have yet to meet a leader so committed to the needs of the people, his people, the people that he is president of.
You know that the population of Zambia particularly in the rural areas are willing to work for themselves and to feed themselves.
That is why the government which I am the acting President is continuing with the policy of supplying the rural farmers with subsidised fertiliser. Before up to this year the 120,000 families were entitled to Fertiliser Support Programme. This year we have agreed to expand the programme to over 220,000 families. Up to now the years past the government supplied fertiliser to the extent of 60 per cent subsidised fertiliser. Now we have increased the subsidy to 75 per cent.
There are many programmes that this government intend to carry out to make sure that Zambian people are given the opportunity or the encouragement to develop the country so that come ten years from now our children will be living better lives than the one that they are living now.
We know also that the rural people and indeed the urban people are paying high prices for fuel for their vehicles, for fuel for their grinding mills, for fuel for their factories and this government has decided that we are going to reduce tax on fuel so that we can reduce the price of fuel
I think that we all know that as a result of the passing of our president we have to go to elections and select another leader. You know that the Zambian people chose democracy as a way of ruling ourselves, democracy as a way of selecting our leaders at all levels of our activities. That is why our political party which is Movement for Multiparty Democracy decided that they would select in a democratic manner and open manner the person that is going to stand in the forthcoming elections against other political parties.
I think you know very well that in the other political parties in Zambia, you just hear overnight that so-and-so is going to be the presidential candidate, so-and-so is going to be presidential candidate and with regards to the MMD you know the amount of political lobbying and democratic processes we went through to select the candidate.
You know that out of the 15 that aspired to become the presidential candidates for the Movement for Multiparty Democracy that I was fortunate to emerge as a winner.
Before concluding, I just want to assure you and through you all the people of this country of Zambia that I learnt a lot working with President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa the late. The most important message I learnt out of working with him was to dedicate my presidency once you elect me to the service of the people of Zambia particularly, particularly the rural people of Zambia who are the vast majority of the population of Zambia.
Together with my colleagues in the Cabinet, by the way the cabinet is already the MMD Cabinet, the government is already an MMD government, this election is only about the presidency so I’m able to say to you that once you elect me together with my colleagues we shall ensure that the programmes to improve the facilities, the infrastructure, the schools, the hospitals, the health centres, the life of the people in the rural areas. We shall continue from where the late president left us.
And today I’m so happy to see in real life the people that have benefited from these policies particularly the cash programme given to the old mothers and old fathers who are unable to fend for themselves. I think today we have seen an example of the need to educate our girl-child, the need to educate our children the girl-child in addition to the boy-child and look at our minister of community development.
Look how suitable she is to care for the old people. With all her heart you can tell that she believes in what she is doing. She is not only doing it because it's a job to be done but because she loves to do it as a mother herself. Thank you very much, I can count on you the people of Katete, the people of Vulamukoko here where we are. I can count on you to ensure that in the forthcoming elections we are going to choose a leader whose programme, whose political party's programme are well known to be centred on the improvement of the welfare of the people.
Zikomo kwambiri azimai na azibambo tsono nikalibe kusiliza nikukumbutseni slogan yochita pa 30th October, ai. Nikati 30th of October mwebenebake muyankhe munene kuti pankholoko, sitelo. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. Now before I conclude, I want to remind you about the slogan for 30th October, okay. When I say 30th October, you should answer pankholoko (on the clock), isn't that so.
Vice-President Banda: 30 October
The people: Pankholoko,
Vice-President Banda: Konse konse
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Chipata
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Kuno Katete
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Lusaka
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Mongu
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Livingstone
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Kabwe
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Solwezi
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President Banda: Ku Mansa
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President: Ku Kasama
The people: Pankholoko
Vice-President: Aliyense
The people: Pankholoko.
Labels: CAMPAIGNING, KATETE, RUPIAH BANDA
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No politics at Kulamba ceremony, says Chief Gawa Undi
September 8, 2008
The Chewa Royal Establishment in Katete district of Eastern province has banned wearing of political attires at this year’s Kulamba ceremony which takes place on Saturday this week.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Katete today, Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi’s senior Induna, Joseph Chikuta, said the Chewa Royal Establishment has banned the wearing of political attires at the ceremony to avoid adulterating the purpose of the ceremony.
Mr. Chikuta said the establishment has learnt in the past that mixing culture with politics especially during campaign periods could trigger differences among political rivals.
He said once political differences occur at ceremonies, the purpose of the cultural event is defeated.
He said the establishment wanted to strongly uphold the purpose of the ceremony and not to create a campaign stage for politicians.
Kulamba ceremony of the Chewa people in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, which is cerebrated annually, takes place this Saturday in Katete district at paramount chief Kalonga Gawa Undi’s Mkaika palace.
Acting President Rupiah Banda, in the company of several senior government officials, is expected to grace the ceremony.
Senior government officials from Mozambique and Malawi are also expected to be in attendance.
Last year, the ceremony was graced by late Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, Malawian President Mbingu Wa Mtarika and Mozambique’s Armando Guebuza.
Meanwhile, preparations for the ceremony at the arena are almost complete and preliminary activities will start on Wednesday.
ZANIS/LNN/KSH/ENDS
Labels: CHEWA ROYAL ESTABLISHMENT, CHIEF UNDI, KATETE
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Govt. projects should be monitored, says Chief
Posted on July 16th, 2008
Chief Mbang’ombe of the Chewa people in Katete district in Eastern province has bemoaned lack of supervision on government developmental projects done in his chiefdom. Chief Mbang’ombe complained that shoddy works have been identified on Munyamanzi bridge. The chief has since called for the monitoring of Constituency Development Funds (CDF), saying government resources sometime go to waste when there is no provision for appraisal and monitoring of projects.
“The projects are not taken seriously and shoddy works are done, there is need for close supervision if government funds are to be utilized for the intended purpose,” he added.
He was speaking when Mkaika Member of Parliament, David Phiri, who is also Information Deputy Minister, paid a courtesy call on him yesterday.
Mr. Phiri is in a one week visit to his constituency to inspect developmental projects.
The traditional leader expressed sadness that civic leaders, who are supposed to monitor the projects, were reluctant to do their work mostly because of belonging to various political parties.
Chief Mbang’ombe also raised concern that some contractors considered him as an enemy whenever he requested for their explanation and reports concerning projected they were undertaking.
“Munyamanzi bridge is one of the projects on which government spent a lot of money but due to lack of supervision, the work is not satisfying as damages have already started showing such that the structure needs to be redone,” he noted.
Chief Mbang’ombe said time of politicking was over, saying all that was needed now was to work together for the betterment of the constituency.
“All civic leaders are supposed to work together regardless of their political affiliations if the area was to improve structures such as schools, roads and health centres,” he added.
Meanwhile, the chief has complained that his subjects still had to walk long distances to access medical services from Vulamukoko and Chimutende Rural Health Centres.
He stated that there was need to put up a health post at Nthambo village to ease his subjects’ suffering through walking long distances to access the medical services.
And in response, Mr. Phiri said funds for the rehabilitation of Munyamanzi bridge were released under Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in the Vice President’s office thereby making it difficult for councillors to take the responsibility of inspecting the project.
He disclosed that such projects were difficult to monitor as it was the responsibility of the Road Development Agency (RDA) Engineers and Provincial Roads Engineers to do so.
Mr. Phiri said he was also not happy with the works done on the bridge and he had since sought audience with the regional engineer.
Munyamanzi bridge was badly damage during 2006/07 rainy season.
Meanwhile, Chief Mbang’ombe said the illness of President Levy Mwanawasa will slow down many development projects which needed his attention.
Chief Mbang’ombe said people in the area have continued praying for him to get better so that he could come back and foster development.
“When a parent is sick in a home, things do not move at the pace they are supposed to. We shall continue to pray for him so that he quickly comes back to foster development.
He said people still needed boreholes, health facilities and good roads which need his attention to materialise.
ZANIS/DM/KSH/ENDS
Labels: CHIEF MBANG'OMBE, DEVELOPMENT, GOVERNANCE, KATETE, PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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Katete's chief Kawaza gives land to council
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Thursday April 10, 2008 [04:00]
CHIEF Kawaza of the Chewa people in Katete district has agreed to give part of his land to the district council for developmental purposes. And Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa has said the government will not condone inhuman and barbaric activities by traditional Nyau dancers.
Speaking when Shawa paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday, chief Kawaza said he was ready to release part of his land to the local authority. He complained that previously he was reluctant to give land to the local authority because he was not benefiting from its investment.
Surveyors from Katete were expected to survey the land in chief Kawaza’s area.
And Shawa urged the traditional Nyau dancers to stop harassing people.
“We don’t expect these people to be attacking people because if they do so then they are tarnishing the Nyau dance which is very good and that’s why it was recognised by UNESCO as a master showpiece,” Shawa said.
He said it was sad that some people were bringing into disrepute the rich cultural dance of the Chewa people.
Shawa said this after getting reports that some traditional Nyau dancers were attacking people in senior chief Nzamane’s area.
Shawa also urged Zesco to put a three phased power line at Chiwoko Zambia National Service camp(ZNS).
“The Youth Skills Training Centre is doing very fine at Chiwoko but there is a problem of water as a result of power problems,” said Shawa.
Labels: CHIEF KAWAZA, COUNCILS, KATETE, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, ZNS
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Easterners stare in the face of starvation
By Lizzy Ngobeka
AS the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) closed its maize buying exercise two months ago, records showed that Eastern Province had sold the largest amount of maize compared to any other province in the country this year. And Mkaika member of Parliament, David Phiri, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services deputy minister, confirmed that Government allocated the largest portion of money for maize buying to Eastern Province because of the huge maize production recorded in the province. The expectation is that the province will have sufficient food to see the people through to the next harvest season.
But contrary to this belief, Eastern Province faces an imminent serious hunger situation which, if not urgently addressed, would lead to starvation as some people are already surviving on wild fruits.
Recently, the Katete district disaster management committee went in the villages to assess the hunger situation on the ground and found that the situation was serious.
In an interview with ZANIS, committee chairman, Garry Siatwiinda, said people in the area did not have food and were depending on raw mangoes and wild fruits for survival.
Mr Siatwiinda added that locals were also selling the few ripe mangoes in the villages to raise money to buy small packs of mealie meal commonly known as ‘pamela’, which are sold at K3,000 each.
He said a good number of hunger-stricken people in Katete district were entering neighbouring Mozambique illegally to look for food, while others are engaged in piece work both in Zambia and in Mozambique. Mr Siatwiinda, who is also an agricultural officer, said the situation would affect the harvest for the current farming season because people were spending more time looking for food than farming.
The seriousness of the hunger situation in the province also came to the fore early in October when Mr Phiri toured Katete district and found that people in some parts of the district had already started feeding on wild fruits commonly known as Mpundu and roots known as Mpama.
At the public meetings the deputy minister conducted in various places in the district, several village head persons pleaded with Government to send relief food to the area before the onset of the rainy season. Songwe village headman told the minister that lives would be lost if relief food was not delivered to the area immediately.
Traditional rulers in the province, the likes of Chief Mbang’ombe, Katumba and Kawaza of Katete, Paramount Chief Mpezeni, Chief Msolo of Mambwe district, and many others, have also expressed worry at the looming hunger situation in the province.
And Katete district commissioner, Elemani Mwanza, says it has proved difficult for his office to solicit for relief food for Katete due to the notion that the province produced the largest amount of maize this year, beating eight other provinces in the country.
He said authorities from the Vice-President’s office found it difficult to believe that Katete, in particular, was hunger-stricken and yet this is the truth on the ground.
But where does the problem lie, that the highest maize-producing province should itself be on the brink of starvation.
While it is true that the province sold the largest quantity of maize to the FRA, it is also true that floods in the province during the previous rainy season destroyed most crops and the expected overall maize yield was adversely affected.
The question then is where did the large quantities of maize recorded to have been sold in the province come from.
This imbalance in the actual maize that was harvested in the province and the quantity of maize FRA bought needs to be rectified before it costs the country.
The contradiction could seriously mislead national planning authorities to think that the province has sufficient maize for consumption when in fact the local people were actually starving.
One may ask where all that maize came from when the farmers themselves were starving as early as October.
Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) agriculture marketing officer for Katete district, Godwin Mumba, attributes the contradiction in the quantity of maize purchased by FRA in the district and the actual maize that was produced to the massive inflow of the grain from Mozambique and Malawi in search of the perceived good FRA maize price.
Mr Mumba said that some unscrupulous businesspersons went on rampage buying large quantities of maize from Mozambique and selling it to the FRA, who in turn thought the province had produced a lot of maize.
He also noted that some Mozambican and Malawian farmers were also selling their maize direct to the FRA in Katete and other parts of the province.
The ZNFU marketing officer further notes that the massive inflow of the crop from outside the country disadvantaged the local farmers as foreigners overloaded the FRA sheds before the locals could sell their crop.
He said the situation also posed a high risk of another invasion of the larger grain borer in the province like the previous year.
Chief Mbang’ombe agrees with Mr Mumba and has asked the Government not to be misled by the large quantities of maize bought by the FRA in Eastern Province and deny people relief food because the crop was coming from neighbouring countries.
The chief observed that some local business people were buying the crop from Mozambique and Malawi where it was cheaper and later sold the commodity to FRA in the province.
He urged the Government to halt all maize sales to neighbouring countries and ensure that people are fed first.
The chief suggested that Government should not take to Lusaka the maize in the FRA sheds in Eastern Province so that the same is given to the people as relief food.
An agriculture research officer for Lutheran World Federation in Katete, O’Brien Mashinkila, also admitted that the hunger cry by chiefs in the province was genuine.
He said due to poor maize yield in the province, the NGO failed to recover the seed and fertiliser loans it offered to farmers because of poor harvest.
And Katete District Commissioner, Elemani Mwanza, in part laid the blame on farmers themselves for lack of planning and their propensity to depend on relief food hand-outs.
He observed that farmers sold all the little they had harvested to FRA without reserving enough for their domestic consumption.
Mr Phiri (the MP) echoed the district commissioner’s concerns, urging people to be responsible and store enough maize for consumption before selling to the FRA.
He said it was a bad culture to always want to rely on relief food because one day there would be no relief food and people would starve to death.
The MP observed that there was no justification for people to rely on relief food when the Government was offering highly subsidised farming inputs to improve the agricultural sector.
He, however, assured the affected people that the MMD Government would send relief food to the province because of the seriousness of the situation.
The hunger situation in Eastern Province cannot be over-emphasised. The situation calls for quick action by the Government and other collaborating partners to save life in virtually all parts of the province.
The situation also comes as a reminder to the Government to strictly monitor the border points so that maize and other crops produced in neighbouring countries do not find their way on the Zambia crop market and distort the realities on the ground. —
ZANIS/Feature service.
Labels: FRA, KATETE, MAIZE
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