Attackers hack, shoot Masaiti PF candidate's father
By Darious Kapembwa in Masaiti
Fri 09 Sep. 2011, 14:01 CAT
PATRIOTIC Front Masaiti parliamentary candidate Stardy Mwale's father is battling for his life in Ibenga Mission Hospital after unknown people that include a known prison escapee hacked him and shot him in the leg at his farm. Police sources in the area confirmed the incident that happened on Sunday around 19:00 hours at his farm along the Lamba-Lima road.
"What is happening here is very bad. The father to the PF aspiring candidate Mr Mwale was brutally hacked, his right arm almost cut off and they used the rifle that he owns to shoot him in his right leg," the source explained.
"By the time he was brought to the police, he had a bullet in the leg and we quickly rushed him to the hospital, where he is receiving treatment right now."
Other sources said the attacks were politically motivated as Mwale's popularity had shocked the MMD who had easily claimed the seat in the past but now looked a distant runner-up.
"It is like they never expected Stardy to give them this headache and they are doing this to derail his soaring support," said the source.
The source said Mwale's attackers were demanding money from him which he got from the Food Reserve Agency for the maize he supplied.
"When he resisted, they used some pangas to hack him, they grabbed his rifle and shot him in the leg and got away with undisclosed amounts of money, an inventor and several other valuables. They again returned the following day and looted all his clothes and we have identified one prison escapee from Luanshya prison who even left his clothes in the house," the source added.
But police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana said she had not yet received a report by press time.
Labels: MASAITI DISTRICT, PF, POLITICAL VIOLENCE
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Indian firm displaces 400 Masaiti families
By Darious Kapembwa in Kafulafuta
Thu 09 June 2011, 03:59 CAT
OVER 400 families at Alitoni village in Kafulafuta Cons-tituency in Masaiti district of Copperbelt rural have been displaced from their land without compensation by an Indian firm to pave way for the construction of a Lime plant. Nikant Mining Limited has already graded a huge chunk of villagers’ fields destroying the farming area claiming that they have authority of senior chief Chiwala.
According to representatives from the village committee constituted to speak on behalf of the affected villagers, the chief forcibly notified them about the need to relocate to the rocky lake Chilengwa area.
“They have evicted us from our ancestral land to Chilengwa area, where there is no farming land, no water for our gardening and we have animals…we need compensation for our land so that we can find alternative land of our own not the chief’s choice,” said Goodson Chepeshi, a committee member.
Another committee member Livius Langeni said the villagers were being threatened so that they don’t raise any questions over their land.
“We have sent emissaries to the palace so that we can meet the chief to discuss the matter but nothing has come out and people have been threatened in all means possible so that they don’t raise questions about the behavior of the chief.
The chief has refused to talk to us apart from commanding us to obey his orders but we are ready to die for our land,” said Langeni, who is also the eldest son to the village head woman at the same village.
The villagers said they were not opposed to development but contended that development should take on board concerns of the local people.
“We can’t be living like refugees in our own land and this government is quiet, let them pay us money before we vacate so that we can find land maybe in Kasama because here our own chief with whoever he is working with has sold us for three pieces of silver,” they said.
Two site supervisors, Tharon and Mohan, who were in the company of the chief’s retainer Fidelis Kasongo, said they had nothing to do with the villagers because as far as they were concerned, they were dealing directly with the chief.
“We will create employment here for the villagers what more do you want?” asked Tharon.
But Kasongo sided with the people saying their concerns were genuine as nobody had been compensated, which ignited more anger from the two Indians.
“What I can say is that the chief is in the fore-front of this project, people’s complaints are genuine because I have also heard just a rumour that they will relocate to another area but no compensation,” said Kasongo.
There was no comment from chief Chiwala as he has returned back to Nairobi, Kenya where he is first secretary at the Zambian embassy.
A similar situation is obtaining at Majaliwa village a Kilometre apart in the same locality where a cement firm, Dangote of Nigeria, is developing a factory.
Labels: CHIEFS, FDI, INDIA, KAFULAFUTA, LAND RIGHTS, MASAITI DISTRICT, NEOLIBERALISM
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Zambia: Masaiti wants Patrick Mwanawasa for MP
Friday, June 25, 2010, 9:21
THE MMD in Masaiti District has resolved to float late president Levy Mwanawasa’s son Patrick as parliamentary candidate for Kafulufuta constituency in the 2011 general elections.
Area MMD chairperson Michael Katambo said since current MP George Mpombo had lost popularity, the party decided to float Patrick as parliamentary candidate for the 2011 elections.
He said in an interview yesterday that the decision was arrived at after several meetings at grass root level where the proposal to float Patrick was supported by the majority.
“We want to uphold the legacy of late president Mwanawasa by floating his son as Kafulafuta MP and because he is a committed member of the party,” Mr Katambo said.
When contacted Mr Mpombo said he did not care, as it was too early for the party to endorse anyone for next year’s elections.
And Patrick said he was interested in Kafulafuta constituency but would only comment if the MMD national executive committee (NEC) or ordinary residents of the area raised the matter.
“I won’t say much until higher authorities say so. I hold the people of Kafulafuta closely and dearly to my heart,” he said.
Mr Katambo said Mr Mpombo had lost favour in the constituency hence the need to replace him with somebody people would accept.
He urged Mr Mpombo to stop telling the people that he single handedly influenced the construction of schools and health institution in the area because the projects were part of government’s nation wide plans to deliver services to the people.
Mr Mpombo held a meeting in Kafulafuta constituency last weekend where he alleged that he had single handedly initiated the development in the area.
And Patrick said he was interested in Kafulafuta constituency but would only comment if the MMD national executive committee (NEC) or ordinary residents of the area raised the matter.
“How can he claim to have single handedly influenced the development, it is not true, those are part of government projects being taken countrywide,” Mr Katambo said.
The Government was constructing a high school at Masangano area and upgrading Sankute clinic into a district hospital.
Mr Katambo said the district had also resolved not to vote for Mr Mpombo for any position at the next convention.
But Mr Mpombo said he was the one who initiated the projects by lobbying the Government.
He said he had a meeting in the constituency to explain to the electorate the reason why he resigned as Defence minister and that he was still MMD.
“I had a meeting to explain certain things to the electorate, I told them that l am still MMD and nobody is going to push me. And believe me I did not speak anything ill against president Banda during the meeting,” Mr Mpombo said.
He said he was still popular in the area and he was sure of retaining the seat if he contested.
And the MMD has started holding elections at various party structures as a build up to the national convention that takes place soon after the provincial executive committees.
MMD chairperson for elections Mike Mulongoti said he had directed that all elections for executive committees should take place by 15 July 2010 in all the constituencies that have not held them.
These would be followed by district after which provincial elections that would be addressed by President Rupiah Banda would be held.
He said in a media release in Lusaka yesterday that the elections must be held by next month in a memorandum addressed to all provincial and district chairpersons.
“This serves to inform you that party elections for all the executive committees should be held by 15 July 2010 in all the constituencies that have not held them to date,” Mr Mulongoti said.
The provincial executives have already declared President Banda the sole presidential candidate while other interested members are still allowed to contest the position.
[Times of Zambia]
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, MASAITI DISTRICT, MICHAEL KATAMBO, MPs, PATRICK MWANAWASA
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