KONKOLA Copper Mines contract miners yesterday downed tools and staged a protest in Chingola in view of mines minister Christopher Yaluma’s visit to the town.
Meanwhile, Yaluma has vowed before Chingola residents that he will not leave the town until Konkola Copper Mines pays suppliers and contractors that are owed millions of dollars.
And Yaluma says KCM must leave if they are no longer interested in running the mines and the government will immediately enter into negotiations with someone else to take over.
He has also apologised to Chingola residents on behalf of the PF government over the pain KCM has caused in their lives through pollution of water bodies, rampant job losses, the closure of Nchanga Underground Mine and the failure to pay contractors and suppliers that employ hundreds of people.
The miners blocked Nchanga South’s first street that leads to KCM general offices’ main entrance.
They were chanting slogans denouncing KCM management and the government.
Riot police moved in and removed the logs and tyres from the blocked road as motorists were forced to use alternative routes.
“We want to know why it has taken government so long to move in and save us from this suffering at the hands of KCM. We have been crying for many years and telling them that this company is taking us nowhere, they never listened. Now the waters are in our necks, that’s when we have seen a ministerial vehicle with a flag entering the mine! We are told it’s the mines minister and the labour minister will be here as well. We want to tell them that they have failed us. It’s now over four months, we have never seen salaries because this KCM is not paying our companies where we work,” a contractor worker, Jonathan Chilekwa, said on behalf of other protesting miners.
Chilekwa said the government was expected to take serious action against KCM for causing misery in many families that had been hit by poverty.
“We have children to feed, we have rentals to pay but these investors running the mines don’t care at all. If they are making losses as they claim, why have they stayed? Let them leave and other serious investors that will even open Nchanga Underground Mine that has been closed by KCM can take over. We have suffered under KCM please,” said Chilekwa.

Many contractors at KCM recently downed tools, paralysing major operations due to the company’s failure to pay them.
Reliable sources disclosed that KCM owes suppliers and contractors about US$250 million.
By press time, Yaluma was reportedly in a meeting with KCM management, the mayor of Chingola and other senior officials as the miners were waiting to be addressed.
And residents of Chingola and Chlilabombwe have demanded that KCM leaves because it had caused more harm than good since it took over the mines more than 16 years now.
Chingola and Chililabombwe residents have generally been going through hardships following the closure of many small and major companies that used to do business with KCM.
“Our people are going through hardships because of KCM…people are suffering. I want to tell you today that I will not leave Chingola until KCM pays the suppliers and contractors. If it means it will take the whole Christmas holiday, I will stay. I will only leave when everyone is paid,” Yaluma said amid applause from selected members of the community that attended a meeting at Protea Hotel.
He said KCM might as well leave the mines if it was no longer interested in running them and the government would immediately enter into negotiations for someone else to take over.
“As government, we will make sure we collect all the monies KCM owes the people and if KCM does not want to honour its obligations, the mine will be leased and I can tell you that within hours, negotiations on who can take over will start,” Yaluma said.
“KCM has money to pay all the invoices on time and I wonder why they don’t want to pay contractors and suppliers for more than eight months now.”
He said he was disheartened that Chingola, which was once the cleanest town in Zambia, had dilapidated roads and the standards had deteriorated.
“On corporate social responsibility, projects such as roads in town or even those that lead to the mine’s general offices can be done by KCM. They are operating here and they should not always wait for government,” Yaluma said.
And Yaluma, on behalf of the government, apologised to Chingola residents over the pain suffered due to KCM’s negligence.
“I would like to apologise to the miners, the people of Chingola for this pain KCM has caused. KCM must be held accountable for many things ranging from honouring its obligations to not being a responsible investor. They have kept on polluting water bodies and this is unacceptable,” said Yaluma.
And Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors president Augustine Mubanga said it was clear that KCM had failed to run the mines.
“Due to KCM failure to run the mining firm, businesses in Chingola are at risk and the economy of Chingola has hit rock bottom. Chingola is now like a ghost town. Most contractors have had their businesses in the mine terminated. We can’t survive like this,” said Mubanga.

LUSAKA police assistant commissioner Bothwell Namuswa who a week ago shot UPND cadre Peter Masani in the bottom at the Lusaka High Court has sued another opposition party cadre for alleged assault.
There has been mounting pressure on the police command to take disciplinary action against Namuswa for shooting an unarmed citizen during the fracas at the High Court when UPND cadres went to offer solidarity to their leaders Hakainde Hichilema and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, which led to the arrest of several UPND cadres.
But in a turn of events, Namuswa now has sued Maurice Mulenga, 32, a bricklayer of Garden House, who is in the first count charged with malicious damage to property while count two is assault contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that Mulenga on December 15 damaged a Toyota Corolla registration number GRZ 268CJ, the property of the government.
In count two, Mulenga is alleged to have assaulted Namuswa, a police officer in the execution of his duties.
Mulenga is expected to take plea before Lusaka magistrate Greenwell Malumani on December 30.

Chipolopolo teenage striker Patson Daka may have just got himself a Christmas present with a big money move to Austria starring for Division One outfit FC Liefering.
The Kafue Celtic product on loan to Power Dynamos was named the Young Player of the Year in the Zambian Super League for the second time.
He was part of the all conquering Cosafa Under-20 team that lifted the trophy for a record 11th time.
Daka has turned a corner in the 2016 season, duly exercising the demons of 2015 that saw him take some flak when some critics took issue with his being given a starting berth in senior Chipolopolo colours.

Nigeria’s most senior Muslim cleric has rejected a new gender equality bill, which proposes that women and men inherit an equal share.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohamed Sa’ad Abubakar, said Muslims would not accept the violation of Islamic law guaranteeing men a greater share.
Nigeria’s main Christian body has welcomed the bill, saying its religion permitted equal inheritance.
Activists have pushed for the bill to end discrimination against women.

Nigeria is a deeply religious society with roughly the same number of Christians and Muslims.
Speaking at a Koranic recitation ceremony in northern Zamfara state, the sultan said: “Our religion is our total way of life. Therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do.”
He added: “Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively.”

In October, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said it did not find anything wrong with the bill because in “Christianity inheritance is shared equally between male and female”.
Lawmakers say they will consider public opinion before a decision is taken on which aspects of the bill to approve and which aspects to reject.
In March, Nigeria’s senate rejected an earlier version of the bill, saying it was incompatible with Nigerian culture and religious beliefs.
Human rights activist Bukky Shonibare called the rejection of the bill in March a sad day for Nigerian women and said it showed “how backward we are”.
BBC

SINDA independent member of parliament Masauso Tembo says PF secretary general Davies Mwila has personal hatred for independents because he was beaten by one.
Addressing PF officials in Sinda last week, Mwila said the residents would suffer for the next five years for voting for an independent member of parliament who had nowhere to report to.
But Tembo said Mwila was not the government but just a party cadre and that he could not be shaken by his statement that Sinda voters would suffer for the next five years for rejecting a ruling party candidate in the August 11 general elections.
Mwila lost the Chipili parliamentary seat to an independent candidate Jewis Chabi.
“The SG for PF, Davies Mwila, is an aggrieved person who doesn’t want us the independents because it’s an independent that did him harm in his own land, hence he is so frustrated. But what he should know is that Sinda has been in opposition hands for 15 years but did you hear that someone has died with hunger? Or has it lacked development? Davies is just a mere person. As government is concerned, he doesn’t have a bag of money, it’s government that has money to distribute for development,” Tembo said.
He wondered if, by Mwila’s reasoning, even areas that fully voted for UPND would not receive development.
“Mwila must realise that people have eyes and brains to see which candidate they can vote for to represent them better. It’s the people that made a decision to vote for me and not the party and people were not blind to vote for me as every person is entitled to choose a candidate of their choice and they did it. There is nothing Mwila can do to reverse that. If development is distributed per political party, does it mean those that fully voted for UPND in Southern will be disadvantaged? It’s not like that, let Mwila not confuse the people with his failure,” said Tembo who boasted that he was getting along very well with President Edgar Lungu who quietly supported several independent candidates in the August 11 elections.
Meanwhile, dropped Sinda district PF vice chairperson Leonard Mbewe said the ruling was being funded by Tembo using his own resources.
“Who is Mwila to curse our area when the person we voted for has already shown developmental results? The party has never funded us here; all along it’s him (Tembo) who kept the party alive using his resources and it’s him who has the power to strengthen it again,” said Mbewe.
“Mwila is a failure and he has no power to correct another family when he failed his own! For him to say we shall suffer, how? We are not scared of him because he has never helped us at any time in history.”
And dropped PF Sinda Constituency publicity secretary Noah Banda wondered how President Lungu chose Mwila to look after 158 constituencies when he failed in a single constituency.
He said Mwila would destroy the PF if not checked.
“We are not afraid of Mwila; we shall remain followers of Tembo. Davies Mwila wants to destroy the party to ensure his loss in his area affects the entire party and if he is not well checked, believe you me, Mwila will kill the party completely and he will ensure the party dies. People of Sinda are proud of the decision they made,” said Banda.
Mwila had said the Patriotic Front government would lose in 2021 if independent members of parliament were allowed to take interest in the affairs of the party as they could not be trusted.

POLICE in Lusaka have arrested a couple of Chilanga for swindling a Chinese national out of K1,250,000.00.

It is alleged that the couple identified as Janet Chansa aged 39 and Meckie Shisholeka aged 42 years, of Chilanga whilst working with other unknown persons swindled Zhang Rongliua.

Can you identify a problem in this photo?

Former Zambia captain Christopher Katongo has begun studying for his coaching badges as he considers a future career in coaching.

The 34-year-old, who led his country to 2012 Africa Cup of Nations title, is still playing for Zambian top-flight side Green Buffaloes.

“Now I’m still thinking about playing. But after retiring, I’ll know what I want to do next,” he told BBC Sport.

“Coaching is just one of the options hence me getting the basic training.”

Katongo has already acquired some coaching qualifications with Zambian Football Association as well as the Confederation of African Football.

“It’s important for me to get these badges because anything can happen in life,” added the 2012 BBC African Footballer of the Year.

“I am approaching the end of my career though I feel my legs can take me up to another four years or so before I start thinking about retiring.”

Meanwhile, Katongo has criticised Zambia for what he sees as an ability to plan for the future – in stark contrast to his own forethought.

After being crowned African champions almost five years ago, Chipolopolo have suffered two first-round exits since and have not made it to next year’s tournament in Gabon.

“I think we failed to qualify for the tournament because the transition after winning the cup in 2012 was not handled properly,” Katongo said.

“A lot of players that won the tournament have been discarded for new ones who lack the necessary experience.

“We need to be patient in order for us to build a strong team for the future and avoid rushing young players.”

BBC

ZAMBIA Revenue Authority commissioner general Kingsley Chanda says over 70, 000 vehicles were smuggled into the country this year.
And Chanda says 2016 has been a very tough year for the ZRA because most of the country’s economic fundamentals went off the rails.
Chanda said as at December 9, about 381,723 vehicles were registered with the Road Transport and Safety Agency but that only 308,881 had their records matching with those at the ZRA.
“I would like to specifically address you on the issue of the amnesty that we gave on motor vehicles. After realising that there were a number of vehicles on our roads that were not properly cleared with customs, we decided to give an amnesty [and] this amnesty, as you are fully aware, was specific to penalties and interest. We did encourage, as you are aware, motorists and organisations with suspicious vehicles to step forward,” Chanda said.
“As a matter of public interest, there have been preliminary reconciliations of RTSA and ZRA databases and identification of wanted vehicles as end of 9th December, 2016. This reconciliation has indicated that there are 381,723 vehicles that were registered with RTSA. Out of which 308,881, representing 80 per cent, had matching records with ZRA, meaning that these vehicles were properly cleared with ZRA. Unfortunately, about 20 per cent of these vehicles, specifically 72,842, have not been cleared with customs, meaning they have been smuggled.”
And Chanda noted that 2016 has been a very challenging year for the authority for various reasons, including changes in the macro-economic environment.
“We had certain projections in terms of how our exchange rate will be, we had projections on how the GDP will be, we had projections regarding the price of copper and all these economic parameters went off the rails to an extent where the sudden increase in the exchange rate made imports expensive for the locals and we had lower than projects imports,” Chanda explained.
He further said the mid-year revision of mineral royalty tax from 20 per cent to six per cent had a serious knock on the authority’s capacity to deliver revenues.
On how far the ZRA had gone in VAT refunds to mines, Chanda said: “We have been liquidating it [and] our strategy has been to pay VAT refunds while liquidating the arrears for all mining companies [but] for cash flow purposes, we can’t pay everything at once. By the way, this is money that has been withheld since 2014 and so, to come and pay it out at once in 2016, is a bit of a challenge.”

MINES minister Christopher Yaluma has warned that Konkola Copper Mines will lose its operating license if it fails to honour its obligations of paying the over US$200 million debt to contractors and suppliers.
The visibly annoyed Yaluma who returned to Chingola on Tuesday was shocked that no contractor had been paid by midday despite assurances from KCM management last week that it would begin to pay them as agreed.
After protests by hundreds of miners and withdrawal of labour by major contractors and suppliers, KCM succumbed to pressure last week and announced that it would start settling its huge debt on Tuesday.
Yaluma travelled to Chingola last Thursday following the protests and vowed that he would not leave the town until KCM pays suppliers and contractors that were owed millions of dollars.
And hundreds of miners working for contractors and suppliers have not been paid their salaries for over four months because the mining giant has not been paying their companies that are contracted to work at Nchanga and Konkola Business Units in Chingola and Chililabombwe respectively.
Yaluma and labour minister Joyce Nonde Simukoko, Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo and other senior government officials held a protracted closed door meeting with KCM management led by chief executive officer Steven Din.
Yaluma announced later that KCM would begin to pay contractors and suppliers, with the first payment to be made on Tuesday, December 27.
But Yaluma who returned to Chingola on Tuesday afternoon was shocked to learn that no supplier or contractor had been paid.
This was after one of the contractors, Blackwell Siwale, disclosed during a meeting that none of them had been paid.
“This is disappointing and I will not allow KCM to behave like this. I want to warn management that it will face serious consequences if it fails to pay suppliers and contractors,” Yaluma said during a meeting with contractors and suppliers.
“Management last week pledged to pay the US$200 million dollars debt in full by today.”
He said it was wrong for the mining giant to think of issuing partial payments when contractors had been waiting for their money for months and they had salaries to pay the workers in their respective companies.�
He said he was back in Chingola as promised on Friday last week to ensure that all contractors and suppliers were paid by Tuesday.�
“If KCM does not serve the interests of the nation, it will lose its operating licence,” warned Yaluma.

RAINFORD Kalaba says he wants to win the CAF African-based player award and return to play professional football in Europe.
The influential Chipolopolo captain is on the final CAF shortlist, which also includes Uganda’s shot stopper Dennis Onyango and Zimbabwe’s Kharma Billiat, both of South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The TP Mazembe star-man put in sterling performances this season, helping the Lubumbashi-based club to CAF Confederation Cup triumph and winning the competition’s golden boot after scoring eight goals.
The winner will be announced next week at the GLO-CAF awards gala in Abuja, Nigeria.
“I am very happy to have been nominated and I believe this is my time to win it,” Kalaba, who has been the nucleus of Zambia’s midfield in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, said.
“It will be very important for me to win it because it will give me more motivation to do even better in my career. My aim is to go back to Europe. I have been there already, and I have learnt how life is over there. So if I win this award, it would make me more marketable and help me go back to Europe because that is my dream.”
He said he hoped to continue doing his best as national team captain and that winning the CAF award would also be good for Zambia.
“I also hope to continue doing well as national team captain and it will not only help me as a player, but it will be good for the country to win this award,” said Kalaba.

At least 50 people have died and thousands have been left homeless after severe flooding in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Torrential rain caused the Kalamu river, which flows through the city of Boma, to burst its banks on Tuesday.
The bodies of some of the victims had ended up in neighbouring Angola, after being carried away by the surge, a local governor said.
Locals said that some areas of the city were buried in up to a metre of mud.

“This is a cyclical phenomenon which happens every 10 years. It last happened in January 2015, but with climate change it’s now happened again in December 2016,” Jacques Mbadu, governor of Kongo Central province, told AFP news agency.
Waters hit a peak of 2m (six ft) above their usual level, he added.
Severe floods, droughts and storms are expected to increase as a result of climate change in Africa.
BBC

The state has entered a Nolle Prosequi in a case in which five Radio Mano journalists were accused of using insulting language against two Patriotic Front-PF officials.

Appearing before Kasama Resident Magistrate, Barthromel Kaongo today was Tobias Mangani, Patrick Kabwe, Henry Kangwa, Nzala Hangubo and Abigail Musonda who were alleged of using insulting language, Contrary to Section 179 Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

A deal has been signed to end Joseph Kabila’s 15-year rule in the Democratic Republic of Congo – but the president himself has yet to add his signature.
Senior ministers backed the deal, which would see Mr Kabila stay on until elections are held by the end of 2017.
The country has faced a crisis since Mr Kabila failed to step down earlier in December, when his mandate expired.
Elections should have been held in November, and dozens of people have died in protests since then.
After the electoral commission cancelled the scheduled vote, citing logistical and financial difficulties in organising them, Mr Kabila formed a 74-member transitional government and said elections would be held in 2018.

Representatives of Mr Kabila and his long standing rival Etienne Tshisekedi have been locked in negotiations brokered by Catholic Church leaders since 8 December.
Neither man has yet signed the final deal, but representatives of both sides said the two men would put their names to the transition agreement later.
In the meantime, members of the government and the opposition signed it in the final minutes of 2016.
“Today, we are happy to head up a political compromise,” said Archbishop Marcel Utembi, who heads the church body which mediated the talks.
Under the deal, Mr Kabila is to lead a transitional government until elections which must be held by the end of 2017.
During that period, an opposition politician will serve as prime minister.
The document states that Mr Kabila will not seek a third term. The constitution bars him from doing this, but the opposition had feared he might try to amend it to enable him to do.
Archbishop Marcel Utembi sees further challenges ahead.
“It’s one thing to have a political compromise but putting it into place is another,” he said, after the signing ceremony on Saturday.
DR Congo has not had a smooth transfer of power between any leaders since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila took over in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila.

COPPERBELT Province minister Bowman Lusambo was ON Friday caught up in in police teargas as cops tried to protect him from stone-throwing mourners incensed by the shooting of truck driver.
The police fought with the angry mourners soon after the burial of Obed Nkhoma who was shot by a Lubuto police officer.
On Wednesday night, Lubuto residents threatened to burn the local police post following the shooting of Nkhoma, 38 by an officer who had gone to apprehend him for allegedly causing damage to property.
The officer, only identified as Banda, shot Nkhoma in the hip and thigh and he bled to death.
Banda allegedly gained entry into Nkhoma’s house through the toilet window and broke his bedroom door before firing three shots at him.
According to police sources, Banda was acting on a report of malicious damage to property lodged by a bar lady, who reported that Nkhoma had broken a glass at her bar as he was demanding change.
And yesterday, the residents opted to walk to Kantolomba Cemetery to bury Nkhoma but were constantly blocked by armed police.�
After burial around 12:30 hours, the officers followed the residents, who were walking back to the house of mourning and fired tear gas.
“What is wrong with these police officers of Edgar Lungu? It seems they have been trained in shooting us. We are now in Congo. Is this what ba Lungu is training these police? Maybe it’s an exercise to train them for war,” a resident shouted at the Copperbelt police crack squad.
By 13:00 hours, the residents regrouped and destroyed the bar where the lady who reported Nkhoma to the police was working.
Other shops were also affected by looting, while police officers were also seen getting some goods.
Lusambo then rushed to the area and found residents chanting “we want change” slogans.
“Akuna kulala [no sleeping] minister! Tell your police we are not animals. We are just poor people. Protect us from these police thugs. Zambia is no longer a Christian nation. Why are you killing us? Arrest Banda,” the residents told Lusambo.
As Lusambo was trying to assure the residents that he would personally take up the matter, police threw teargas on the residents in trying to keep those with stones away from the minister.
But Lusambo got caught up in the fracas, causing panic among his entourage.

A CHIMWEMWE PF member says the ruling party needs cleansing and those that mean well must support Chishimba Kambwili’s view that it should not be surrendered to hijackers.
Kambwili last month charged that hijackers had bought a few stupid people in PF but that he would not allow them to take over the party.
Kambwili, a founder member of the PF and Roan member of parliament who was recently fired by President Edgar Lungu as information minister, said he would do everything possible to protect the party which he founded with president Michael Sata because he was there to stay.
“If PF is going to be slammed on the wall, I will be slammed together with it. I am here to stay and I am not going anywhere…some hijackers have bought a few stupid people and we won’t allow them to take over the party. All the stones that are being thrown at me today, I will use them on my way up,” said Kambwili who has maintained his view despite him being called a rebel by party chairperson for elections Jean Kapata.
Other junior members of the PF joined in to disparage Kambwili’s statement.
But Stephen Chewe, a former information and publicity secretary for Chimwemwe Constituency, said party members should show some respect for Kambwili, a founder member of the PF, and respect his views because it was a fact that there were leadership problems in the party.
“How can a junior member of the party call honourable Kambwili a rebel? This is uncalled for! The fact is that we have problems in the party. Kambwili is a member of the central committee, a founder member of the party and his views on what is going on represents many of us. A youth calling a founder member as a rebel! They are rushing to those media houses and making statements and make it look like all the youths countrywide are against Kambwili’s statements. Which youths? Lusaka is not Zambia, it’s not even part of the Copperbelt,” Chewe said.
He said what was happening in the party was extremely disappointing and that the behaviour of some leaders who could not accommodate dissenting views needed to be checked.
“This behaviour will be disastrous if we allow it to continue. There was too much indiscipline in the PF. We have many ministers today who came from the MMD and have already caused problems,” Chewe said.
“Take for instance, it’s like at home, you get your wallet and give it to your neighbour to manage your coffers! And that’s what we have done as PF.”
He said the PF should have left the running of the Ministry of Finance in the hands of a party member.
“Today we have a president of a political party (finance minister Felix Mutati) managing the coffers when he is not PF, he doesn’t even understand the party ideologies to the core,” said Chewe.
“Problems are real in the PF and we should not pretend. The party needs cleansing in terms of leadership…it is true that some people were bought and some hijackers are in the system today.”

MOTOR vehicle third party insurance premiums have been hiked by more than 100 per cent to K900 effective January 1, 2017, according to the Insurance Association of Zambia.
Following a meeting of the General Insurance Council, the IAZ resolved to hike motor vehicle third party insurance minimum premiums from K463.50 to K900 for one year for private vehicles, while commercial vehicles will see their fees leap to K1,100.
According to the IAZ advisory notice, minimum excesses for property damage have also been adjusted to a minimum of 10 per cent of K1,000 for private vehicles, while commercial vehicles’ limit is at K2,000.
A comment from the Pensions and Insurance Authority (PIA), the regulatory body which supervises the industry in the country, was not immediately available by press time.

CHISHIMBA Kambwili says the Patriotic Front is his baby and he believes in calling a spade, a spade and not a pick for the sake of creating an impression.
And Kambwili, the Roan PF member of parliament, says party chairperson for elections Jean Kapata is afraid of speaking out because “she has got so many skeletons in her cupboard”.
Kapata, the Mandevu PF member of parliament and lands minister, has accused Kambwili and recently fired party deputy chairperson for elections Kelvin Bwalya Fube of being rebels.
This was after Kambwili supported KBF’s call for elections from top to bottom in the ruling party, saying the method of handpicking leaders could no longer work.
Kambwili also suggested a change in the PF constitution to make all positions electable.
But Kapata moved and dismissed KBF for issuing the statement and later branded him and Kambwili as rebels while President Edgar Lungu said those calling for elections in the PF had presidential ambitions and were after his position.
However, KBF warned Kapata against calling him a rebel and demanded an immediate apology from her because he had done a lot for the party.
KBF, in response to President Lungu’s accusations, said there was nothing wrong with any member of the party having presidential ambitions.
And Kambwili, who was recently dismissed as information and broadcasting minister by President Lungu, said he believed in telling the truth on matters that were going wrong in the PF and that calling him a rebel was demeaning.
He said he could never be a rebel for merely pointing out wrongs in the party whose formation he was part of.
“I know and understand the PF constitution better that Jean Kapata because I was one of the people that crafted that constitution. So Jean cannot accuse me of destabilizing my own baby. I have said and I want to say it again, that PF is my baby and I cannot attack PF and cannot be a rebel in my own house,” Kambwili said.
“I feel so disappointed that a person like Jean Kapata can today come and call me a rebel. Jean Kapata joined PF when we had already formed it and if we were not welcoming people in the party, Jean Kapata would not have been a member of PF…And for Jean to accuse me that I don’t want new comers in the party is an insult of the worst kind. I have never been against new comers in the party because politics is about numbers but when you speak out against one wrong, that does not make you a rebel.”
He said he understood the PF constitution better because he was part of the people that crafted it.
“I know that all the elected officials in the party have got a mandate, the President has got a mandate for five years, he will be going for elections in 2020, the central committee has got a five year mandate and the lower organs have got one year, five months to go before their mandate expires,” Kambwili explained “All I agreed with KBF was the fact that all positions in the party must be elective, that we don’t want people to be appointed in positions and I was asking that we should change the constitution of the PF so that all positions, from the section up to the President must be elected by the general membership.”
He explained that he therefore did not understand why Kapata accused him of destabilizing the partyer.
“And if that means destabilizing the party, then I don’t know what politics Jean Kapata espouses. For me, I believe in calling a spade a spade and not a pick for the sake of impression and I will never say something for the sake on making an impression,” Kambwili said.
He accused Kapata harboring skeletons in her closet.
“Jean is saying all that for the sake of impression; I will forgive Jean because she has got so many skeletons in her cupboard so she has a lot to protect because she has got skeletons in her cupboard,” Kambwili charged.
“I want to warn jean that I am equal, she is a member of the central committee and I am also a member of the central committee and she cannot warn me. When she was saying, ‘I want to warn Kambwili’ and calling me a disgruntled politician…Who is a better politician between me and Jean? I will leave it to the Zambian people to judge who is a disgruntled politician between Jean and me. The people of Zambia are able to see so Jean must not take me for granted because I know she is speaking like that because today she is in government and she has got too many skeletons in her cupboard.”
He said Kapata must have respect for other members of the PF central committee.
“Jean is not the best person to warn me, she may be chairman of elections but I think I am more senior to her…I am a founder member, I was appointed member of the central committee earlier than her and she should have respect for other people,” Kambwili said.
He questioned who Kapata was in the ruling party and accused her of sowing division and that she against the idea of holding elections because she knew that she would not win.
“Who is Jean Kapata anyway? Who is Jean Kapata by the way in PF? It is such people like Jean Kapata, if there were elections, they can’t even win. They can only be in a position if they are appointed. If we go to the general conference and all positions are elective, she can’t win,” Kambwili said.
He further wondered if Kapata was a genuine member of the PF and called for unity in the party.
“We need unity in the party but its people like Jean Kapata who are bringing division in the party because you can’t own a party where if someone tells the truth, you want to say they are rebels, you want to fire them; that is not correct,” Kambwili charged.
“People have got divergent views and people have got to accept other people’s views. This party needs unity; I want to plead with genuine members of the party that we should be united. I doubt if Jean is a genuine member of the party. We need unity in this party, witchhunting must come to an end.”
He also said he has never had any meetings with KBF as alleged by Kapata.
“First and foremost, I have never had any meetings with KBF. And as a matter of fact, I don’t even have KBF’s number,” Kambwili said.
“People can go to MTN and check the calls to KBF, they will not find anything. I just know KBF as a brother in the party. We are not close of allies. For me, all I supported was just that issue of having positions elective from the sections to the president. I was not advocating for any elections because I know people have got the mandate. I can never ever attack my own party. I can never do anything that can put the party into disrepute. I love this party. All my life, I have said, ‘loyalty defines a man’. I am loyal to President Edgar Lungu. Even at my lowest ebb like this, I still remain loyal to him because he is the President of the country and the party. He is the President and there is nothing anybody can do about it and he deserves to be respected.”

THE PF is full of cowards and should not drag Southern Province traditional leaders into its agricultural failures, says chief Mukuni.
Chief Mukuni said it was sad that PF could drag traditional leaders into its inefficiencies.
On Tuesday, PF deputy spokesperson Frank Bwalya accused traditional leaders in Southern Province of tampering with food security.
He alleged that some chiefs, headmen and women in the province were telling peasant farmers not to collect farming inputs, which the government was distributing, because they were late.
“We believe that food security is national security because hunger is a receipt for instability. Hungry people can pose a danger on society. Therefore, we strongly believe that traditional leaders who are discouraging peasant farmers in Southern Province from planting on grounds that it is late are not only compromising food security but also endangering national security as well,” said Bwalya.
“We are investigating the real motive by traditional leaders who are clearly trying to create a crisis regarding food security.”
But chief Mukuni said traditional leaders took care of thousands of lives and would not want to see anyone suffer.
“Frank Bwalya is a coward. If there is any group of people that has a large number of cowards, it is the PF. Why did he not mention the chiefs or headmen and women by name instead of just leaving the country to speculate? If I have a problem with President Edgar Lungu or any political leader, I should say so by mentioning names. We are and will always encourage our subjects to aim at returning this province back to its lost glory of being the nation’s food basket, so how can we stop them from collecting farming inputs? Let him concentrate on the PF and leave us out of the PF’s agricultural failures,” chief Mukuni said.
He said he was shocked that a group of farmers was made to spend nights outside the old district commissioner’s office in Livingstone near Anglican Church from Tuesday to Thursday just to try and collect farming inputs.
“These farmers were supposed to be in their fields and yet they are made to spend nights in the cold just trying to get inputs. Can Bwalya say he will refund them for any costs they have incurred? Let him shut up if he has nothing to say,” said chief Mukuni.

THE Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has given the public 14 days within which to acquire motor vehicle and trailer licences and road service licences for 2017.
RTSA head of public relations Fredrick Mubanga stated that the grace period had been given to accommodate all motorists’ licencing needs.
“All motorists and Public Service Vehicle Operators have been give an extension of up to 14th January 2017 to pay for the required licenses. Therefore, there will be no enforcement on the validity of the said documents until the stated grace period has expired,” Mubanga stated.
He, however, stated that the extention only related to road tax and not certificate of fitness and test certificate as the two related to road worthiness and vehicle safety.
“The RTSA hopes that the public will utilise the extension to comply with the law. The Agency further wishes to urge motorists to renew and pay for motor vehicle and trailer licences for the year 2017 in accordance with the provisions of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002,” stated Mubanga.