Relatives of the deceased following last Fridays’ ZNS shootings in Chongwe’s Kampasa residential area eviction exercise say the incident could have been avoided if appropriate land vacation notification measures were employed.

The relatives echoed the sentiments at the burial of Clement Muloongo, one of the victims of the Kamapasa shootings which took place in Silwindi area of chief Sipatunyana’s area of Kalomo on Wednesday afternoon.

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has also opposed the use of live ammunition against unarmed persons because of the potential risks to life or permanent disability that could result from such actions.

A government delegation, led by Kalomo District Administrative Officer, Justus Phiri,   was received peacefully but tempers flared and heightened when the body of the deceased was lowered in the grave at the nearby farm field in headman Silwindi’s village.

The relatives have called on concerned authorities to expedite what they called ‘barbaric’ conduct by men in uniform, saying the security wings were in place to protect citizens but lamented that a few individuals have instead resorted to unwarranted behaviour when
dealing with public disorder.

And there was drama at the burial of Muloongo when relatives of the deceased, most of them from the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) abandoned the procedure and started praying for officers who are alleged to have trampled down a religious building in the area when the ZNS squad conducted the eviction exercise.
“I stand here firmly, we have the law that governs us in this country, even those who are worse than my Nephew, if they have committed a seriously crime, they can be sentenced to life imprisonment, but for my nephew, he was shot without notice. Imagine even wild animals are protected by the law. I urge all authorities to see to it that justice prevails,”   uncle of the deceased, Godfrey Fwenkesha lamented.

Brother of the deceased, Boyd Chisamu Muloongo and Catherine Nalucha, both of Kampasa residential area, who were inflicted with bruises and now displaced by the ZNS brutality, said they regretted what the officers did and have also called on political parties to desist from taking funerals as platforms of championing their political mileages.

They have since prayed that their controversial land   chairperson, Lovewell Goma, would follow up the matter which they purported to have been verbally given to them by the time of their eviction through their committee secretary, Oliver Kubanji who could not be reached for a comment by press time.

The duo also condemned the fracas that occurred between the UPND and PF during the funeral of the victims in Meanwood locations in Lusaka where the two parties’ cadres clashed.

Muloongo is alleged to have been shot dead together with his colleague, Pumulo Lungwangwa, in Kampasa area last Friday, leaving one seriously injured while fighting for a cause to own a little piece of land which is reported to be belonging to the Zambia National Service (ZNS).

Civil society organisations and human rights activists have condemned the incident for security personnel to use live ammunition in eviction exercise, saying rightful procedures were available in the law to redress such situations.
Muloongo, 35, leaves behind a wife and four children, among them a girl and three boys all below the ages of 12 years.

And Police in Kalomo have nabbed a man in connection with the brutal murder of a 49 year man of chief Simwatachela’s area who is a young brother of the deceased who openly admitted killing his elder brother over suspected witchcraft practices.

The suspect is remanded in police custody and an axe believed to have been used in the incident has also been retrieved.

Fanwel Mukobocha was brutally murdered last week and left in the bush with a deep cut in his fore head a week ago.

In another development, a 35-year-old named male general worker of Magrimond compound of Kalomo, working at the Kalomo Southern Water and Sewerage Company (SWSACO) plant has committed suicide by tying both his legs and hands with his shoe laces and later throwing himself in Kalomo river.

His body was retrieved yesterday after it was found floating and is lying in the district hospital mortuary.

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Stockfeed Exporters and Importers Association of Zambia (SEIAZ) Chairman Elisha Chipeu has challenged his Zambian National farmers’ Union (ZNFU) counterpart president Jervis Zimba to produce statistics bran and livestock farmers in the country.

Mr. Chipeu refuted Mr. Zimba’s claims saying there is plenty bran cattle in the country to cater for both exports and domestic consumption.

Mr. Chipeu said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

The ZNFU president Mr. Zimba is quoted in the local media of having attacked the Association instead of addressing serious national issues such as the ZAMBEEF poisonous scam.

Mr. Chipeu advised Mr. Zimba to desist from issuing alarming and unsubstantiated statements to the nation because they mislead both the  government and the nation.

He further advised the ZNFU president to concentrate on developing the agriculture industry to grow more food and turn Zambia into a food basket in the Sub-Sahara region.

He said Mr. Zimba should join government in probing the ZAMBEEF scandal .

“The association is very disappointed with Mr. Zimba because he was supposed to have issued a statement on a serious national issue regarding ZAMBEEF poisonous substance rather than attacking us in the pres.,” Mr. Chipeu said.

 
He assured the nation that the activities of his Association were noble and contributing to poverty reduction and creating employment opportunities in the country.

He stated that the Association has got the mandate to spur the local livestock industry to greater heights by mopping up excess bran to enable the nation earn foreign exchange

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Donors and investors in London have endorsed the Zambian government’s economic plan and the bold decisions the leadership is taking to translate growth into poverty reduction and ensure equitable wealth redistribution.

Lynne Featherstone, the British Minister responsible for International Development and Violence Against Women Overseas has told the Minister of Finance  Alexander Chikwanda that the British government is confident of the bold leadership the Zambian government is providing in moving the economy forward.

“I congratulate you on the bold decision to end the fuel and maize subsidies. That was a brave decision. It was a bold and difficult decision but it had to be done for the greater good of the majority,” Minister Featherstone said.

She said this  during a meeting she held with Mr. Chikwanda at her Constittuency Office in north London.

This is contained in a statement issued by Zambia High Commission to the United Kingdom Press Secretary Amos Chanda, in London today.

Ms Featherstone also welcomed Zambia’s decision to launch the e-voucher for social cash transfers in ten districts. “We welcome this decsion very much because it will help in the quicker delivery to the poor.”

She also announced that the British government is prepared to provide technical assistance to Cabinet Office’s public service pay reform exercise. “We take note of the public sector pay structure reform exercise and we are ready to provide the assistance if needed.”

The minister announced that DFID will release the KR65 million for budget support to Zambia immediately the IMF assessment team concludes its mission in Lusaka next month.

In response, Hon. Chikwanda paid gratitude to the British government for the great assistance the country has provided to Zambia and asssured his host that their confidence and trust in Zambia was not misplaced.

“I want to underscore our deep gratitude for the support your government has rendered and we do not want you to ever think that your confidence in us was misplaced,”  Mr. Chikwanda said.

“Your support will spur us to work even more diligently to ensure that investors and donors never have cause to feel that they misplaced or misallocated their trust and confidence in us.”

He said following Zambia’ successful issue a US$750 million Eurobond in September 2012, the majority of the proceeds have been invested in growth areas particularly towards infrastructure development.

“Our efforts at fiscal discipline are greatly assisted by a President who is an ardent apostle for fiscal responsibility as is evidenced by his being in the driving seat in rolling back unsustainable subsidies. President (Michael) Sata’s stance on fiscal discipline is unambigous,” the minister said.

Earlier the minister met with representatives of Societe Generale, the world’s sixth largest bank at their central London office. Led by Parvez Iqbal, the bank’s managing director for global markets, the investors told Mr. Chikwanda that the “markets are reporting positive sentiment on Zambia.”

“That is reflected in your US$750 debut bond last year which we undestand was oversubscribed 24 times. Your growth rate is impressive and copper is doing well. We are interested to participate in the Zambian economy. We are coming to Lusaka next week,” Mr Iqbal said.

He said Societe Generale was not just a commercial bank but a large investment bank interested in long-term financing.

“This is why we are impressed by the Zambian government’s infrastruture development programme,” he said.

The minister was accompnied by Permanent Secretary Mr. Felix Nkulukusa, Zambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mr Paul Lumbi and Press Secretary Amos Chanda whilst Mr Mr Iqbal was accompanied by Razvan Frumosu (director emerging markets) and  David Mirzayoo (managing director-sales).

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class=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/22/13

By KAPALA CHISUNKA
FIFTY-TWO people sustained injuries when a Lusaka-bound Mazhandu Marcopolo bus registration number ABP 2165 they were travelling in overturned after being partially hit by a Toyota Corolla registration number ABX 1729.
The accident happened in the early hours of yesterday between 02:00hours and 02:30 hours about 100 metres from the railway in Shikoswe area in Kafue district.
In an interview with the Sunday Mail crew who rushed to the scene of the accident, driver of the bus Thomas Chungu, 42, said the accident happened when the taxi driver of the Toyota Corolla failed to keep to his side of the lane.
“In trying to avoid him, I moved a bit out of the road but he came on my side and I lost control. I tried to maintain my speed as well as remain on the road but I failed due to the impact of the bang, which forced me out of the road into the depression causing the bus to over-turn twice,” Mr Chungu said.
He said the driver of the taxi, identified as Robert Kateka, 35, who tried to escape, was quickly pounced on by alert on-lookers who had gathered at the accident scene.
And one of the victims, Annie Kaonga, a Kitwe resident who was travelling with her niece Lambi Chitundu, said the driver of the bus seemed to have lost control of the bus a few metres after crossing the railway line.
Ms Kaonga, who was visibly in pain, sustained neck injuries.
“We thought it was a tyre burst until we realised that it was actually another car that had hit into us. We all started screaming and praying hoping for a miracle because it was clear that the driver of the bus was failing to keep the bus on the road. The bus went off the road and over-turned twice. We are lucky to all be alive because there were children on the bus as well,” Ms Kaonga said between sobs.
She said good Samaritans who quickly rushed to the scene started retrieving the victims from the wreckage before they were all taken to Kafue District Hospital.
Kafue District Hospital Coverage nurse Bernadette Munene said passengers on board were taken to the hospital as procedure after an accident.
Forty-seven were treated and immediately released with minor injuries.
“Six passengers were referred to the University Teaching Hospital with serious injuries while four were admitted. Six have so far been discharged. “The four that have remained here are in a stable condition,” she said.
Zambia Police deputy spokesperson Charity Munganga said Mr Kateka, who was also treated at Kafue District Hospital but later discharged will be charged with dangerous driving.
She said investigations into the accident have since been instituted.
Meanwhile, NOMSA NKANA reports that a suspected thief of Congolese nationality Patrick Wendo, 28, has been burnt to death by an irate mob.
Wendo, of house number 16/11 John Laing was burnt yesterday morning between 05:00 hours and 06:00 hours near Metropolitan School after an irate mob pounced on him.
Ms Munganga who said Wendo has been on Police wanted list for a long time has also warned members of the public not to take the law into their own hands.

>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/22/13

CHISHALA MUSONDA and HONE SIAME report:
NKANA have continued their surge for a 12th FAZ league title with a comprehensive 4-2 win over Konkola Blades yesterday but Zesco United are hot on their heels after they, too, registered a thorough 4-0 thrashing of struggling Lime Hotspur.
Nchanga Rangers leapt into third place at the expense of Kabwe Warriors, whom they beat 1-0 to also keep alive their hopes of a top-two finish.
NKANA 4  BLADES  2
Pace-setters Nkana maintained their two-point lead at the summit of the MTN Super Division log after beating stubborn Konkola Blades in a thriller at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe.
Towering striker Festus Mbewe scored a hat-trick with Ronald Kampamba contributing the fourth goal to secure Nkana’s victory.
Mbewe fired Nkana into the lead in the 12th minute with a tap-in off a Ronald
Kampamba pass past goalkeeper Becky Bizangi.
Blades restored parity in the 40th minute when under-pressure Donashano Malama scored an own-goal in an attempt to clear a Brian Malama shot.
Blades took the lead on 58 minutes when Francis Simwanza netted a scorcher but just seven minutes later, Nkana restored parity through Kampamba after a string of passes.
Two minutes later, Mbewe was on target again, finishing Masautso Zimba’s right-wing cross.
Mbewe completed his hat-trick in stoppage time through a penalty awarded to Nkana by Chingola referee Kebby Madiabi  after Kelly Sichidya handled in the box.
Nkana, who are yet to lose at home, have moved to 29 points while Blades have 16 points.
RANGERS  1  WARRIORS 0
Nchanga Rangers kept alive their prospects of an elusive Super Division title through a Bornwell Mwape first-minute strike against hitherto third-placed Kabwe Warriors.
POLICE  2  POWER  1
Coach Tenant Chilumba started his reign at Power Dynamos in reverse gear as his team went down to Konkola Mine Police at Konkola Stadium in Chingola.
Chipulu Chileya and Kabaso Chongo contributed a goal each in the first half for Police with Power hitting the target through Maybin Chishimba.
LIME 0 ZESCO 4
Zesco United thrashed 10-man Lime in a lively Week 12 Ndola derby at Musa Kasonka Stadium yesterday.
Second-placed Zesco trail log leaders Nkana by just two points before the two clash in this weekend’s top of the bill battle.  They now move to 27 points, seven clear of the third-position held by Nchanga Rangers, who went to 20.
Maybin Mwaba bagged a brace including one when the ball crossed the line and rolled through a hole of the net.  Lottie Phiri and Winston Kalengo were also on the score sheet.
Lime failed to offer any form of resistance against the town mates and were exposed as early as the third minute when Mwaba poked home the opener before Phiri doubled the lead in the 29th minute.
The home team tried to fight back but Tapson Kaseba was too slow with the final touch in the box before they were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Bobby Chansa was sent off for lunging his boot in the face of Kalengo on 35 minutes.
Referee Hendrix Mutumba showed Chansa a straight red card and it remained 2-0 until the break.
After the breather, Lime pushed forward trying to search for a consolation before a quick counter-attack gave enough room to Mwaba, who curled the ball to the far post and into the net but found its way out through a hole.  Referee Mutumba let the goal stand in the 48th minute.
On the other end, Lameck Kafwaya forced out an agile save from Zesco goalie Brown Nyirenda, who was quick to react on 56 minutes but it was Kalengo who stabbed home the final goal on the hour.
Lime slipped to the bottom of the MTN Super Division log on a paltry six points.
FOREST 0 NAPSA 0
Across town at Dola Hill Grounds, coach Hector Chilombo on his first match in the re-union with Forest Rangers gained a point in the stalemate with Napsa Stars.
KALULUSHI 0 ROAN 0
Roan United had John Lomami’s second half goal disallowed as they fought to a draw against Kaluluhsi Modern Stars at Independence Stadium in Kalulushi.
ZANACO 3 NKWAZI 1
Zanaco put up a solid performance to trash Nkwazi in a lunch time kick-off at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka, ROBINSON KUNDA reports.
Veteran striker Davies Mwape grabbed his first brace of the season with skipper Henry Banda contributing a goal.  Nkwazi got the face-saver through consistent striker Musukuma Chipungu.
The game was balanced in the opening minutes but Zanaco were more aggressive and their efforts paid off on seven minutes when Mwape received a through-ball from Aubrey Zulu.
With Nkwazi goalkeeper Maybin Phiri advancing to close the gap, Mwape cleverly chipped the ball over and into the net.
Zanaco kept the pressure on Nkwazi and were duly rewarded just before the break, this time through Banda, who outpaced the defenders and drilled in a left footer from the edge of the box that came off the upright before rolling into the net.
Chipungu gave Nkwazi hope of a comeback a minute into the second half when he waltzed past a horde of ball-watching Zanaco defenders before stubbing home with a powerful volley.
Just when it looked like Nkwazi would restore parity, Mwape headed in the third for Zanaco on 50 minutes off a pass from Michael Bwalya.

m” class=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/22/13

By SAKABILO KALEMBWE
THERE is every reason for fans’ adrenalin to rise, especially if they are lovers of live music as Uncle Rex, a seasoned guitarist sentences his band to roast it live on the ‘Grill’on Nangwenya Road in Lusaka.
The show dubbed ‘The Big One’ is also expected to attract other big names like MC Wabwino, Mampi, B1 and Exile [Israel].
As if this is not enough, beauties running up for Miss Tourism will be ushers at the event.
“The focus of the Big One concert at Polo Grill on June 28 is live music, we want to bring back the aspect of live music.
“We have seen that a lot of young artistes are just doing playbacks, and you know that if you go on the international scene, they will not allow you to do playbacks,” he says.
With Kenneth Tsana on the base guitar, Jones on the keyboard, John on saxophone, and the three vocalists; Masi, Kune and Mark, the outfit seems a complete one.
During the interview, Uncle Rex urged artistes to engage in live music for international exposure and announced the coming of his new project titled Fellowship.
“I have been going to church for a long time and I have decided to do something gospel and that is about my new project,” he says.
Born and bred in Ndola, Rex Mukubonda, a father of two daughters, is one of the few local artistes that have stood the test of time.
He came onto the scene just after leaving Chifubu Secondary School in 1981 and was already playing with a band that performed several shows in Ndola.
“I have been doing music, because even at school, I was doing music, so from there I knew what I wanted to do in life and this is what I am doing,” he said.
“Just from school we started jamming with the big guys, you know we had the likes of The Witch, guys like Keith Mulevu…” he said.
If what Uncle Rex has recently been showcasing at Lusaka’s Raddison Blu Hotel and O’Hagans is one’s yardstick, then it is correct to refer to him as the pioneer of jazz music in Zambia.
He is rated among the most gifted guitarists that Zambia has ever produced. His reticence might be deceiving for a guitarist who earned his experience in the 70s as a child but Rex continues to mentor young upcoming artistes; a truth revealed during his performances.
There are indeed very few Zambian music artistes who can boast of a career spanning almost four decades.

lass=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/22/13

Dear editor,
WE WOULD like to correct the wrong information given to the public by Kenneth Chimese in his column Chatting Education. Mr Chimese’s column is very good and informative. However, his article on Making things right at higher institutions of learning of Sunday June 16, 2013 had wrong information on the award of bursaries to students.
He stated that the University of Zambia “…admits students and recommends for the award of bursaries to students who could pay for themselves all fees that were required of them while at secondary school.”  The fact is that the University of Zambia does not recommend students for the award of bursaries offered by the Bursaries Committee. When candidates are accepted to study at our institution, our role ends at issuing acceptance letters to all admitted candidates.
We do not play any role in the award of bursaries. Getting a bursary is the onus of an accepted candidate, who may get it from the Bursaries Committee or any other organisation. We are sure that if the author had contacted us, we would have given him the correct information. We are also positive that the Bursaries Committee would have explained to him the procedure in the award of bursaries in public universities.
UNZA Public Relations Office,
LUSAKA.

President George W. Bush and his entire family at Chikumbuso, Lusaka, Zambia

George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush will travel to Africa next week; the same time as President Obama. The Bush’s will visit Livingstone, Zambia as part of a program to combat cervical cancer. They plan to help refurbish a clinic, which will serve as a cervical cancer screening and treatment center. Then it’s off to Tanzania for the former first couple, where Laura Bush has organized a forum for African first ladies.

This is the second time they will travel to Zambia to advocate for women affected by the disease. Last year, Mr. and Mrs. Bush helped restore a clinic in Kabwe, Zambia, where nearly 30,000 women have been treated since, according to his presidential center. They will help renovate and reopen the Livingstone clinic on July 1; a team of four Southern Methodist University students left Friday to work on the reconstruction.

The plight of women and children in Africa isn’t a new cause by any means for Mr. and Mrs. Bush. During his presidency, Bush initiated the Millennium Challenge program, which brought billions of dollars in development to help countries that engaged in reform. His President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar, funneled lifesaving drugs to millions of Africans suffering from H.I.V. Launched a decade ago, Pepfar is the largest international initiative ever directed toward a single disease.

Visitors to the newly opened George W. Bush Presidential Center may view a large exhibit devoted to Pepfar.

Bush teamed up with Pepfar, the United Nations and Susan G. Komen for the Cure and pharmaceutical companies, to help form Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, which is devoted to curbing cervical cancer and breast cancer. It started in Zambia in 2011 and expanded to Botswana in 2012.

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class=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/23/13

SECRETARY to the Cabinet Roland Msiska engages in a conversation with Zambia Congress of Trade Unions secretary general Roy Mwaba during the commemoration of Africa Public Service Day in Lusaka yesterday. – Picture by MACKSON WASAMUNU.

By TEDDY KUYELA
PRESIDENT Sata has warned that Government will not tolerate lazy public service workers because his administration is in a hurry to develop the country.
The President has since called for dedication to duty among civil servants for the country to attain meaningful economic development.
Mr Sata said this in Lusaka yesterday in a speech read for him by Vice-President Guy Scott during the commemoration of the Africa Public Service Day.
The day, which falls on June 23, was this year commemorated under the theme, African Public Service in the Age of Open Government: Giving Voice to the Citizens.
President Sata urged civil servants to work hard and ensure that the measures his Government is introducing are effectively and timely implemented to deliver quality service to the people, especially the underprivileged.
“The PF government attaches great importance to the role the public service plays in the attainment of social and economic goals of our country.
“In this regard, the PF government will continue to implement various measures aimed at improving the performance of the public service,” he said.
Mr Sata said his government is also working hard to fight corruption to enhance accountability, transparency and integrity in the governance of the nation.
He said Government has strengthened institutions of governance and accountability by reviewing the legislative and institutional framework.
President Sata directed Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska and all permanent secretaries to ensure that all civil servants adhere to the public service code of ethics in discharging their duties.
And President Sata said the Access to Information Bill will today be tabled before Cabinet as part of its implementation.
He said his Government is committed to enhancing freedom of the press in the country.
Mr Sata said this is a clear testimony of his government’s commitment to media freedom in the country.
The President said Government is also expediting the process of constructing provincial television stations to empower Zambians with information.
Earlier, United Nations resident co-ordinator Kanni Wignaraja urged public service workers to effectively execute their duties to ensure that the most vulnerable are well served.
And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions secretary general Roy Mwaba called for hard work and professionalism among public service workers.
And Dr Msiska pledged hard work among public service workers.
He also said his office will continue creating an enabling environment that will enable civil servants to continue providing quality service to the people.

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s of Zambia by mitia on 6/23/13

By CHUSA SICHONE  -
ZAMBEEF Products Plc’s butcheries yesterday recorded a slump in business following revelations that the company has been importing beef products containing aromatic aldehydes.
A check by the Sunday Times at the company’s outlets on Freedom way- Mumbwa Road junction, Kanyama’s Los Angeles Road and Chawama branches in Lusaka found that the shops had been operational but the clientele base had drastically gone down.
In some cases, the outlets were forced to close earlier due to the lack of customers, although the company’s chief executive officer Francis Grogan said all Zambeef business points remained open until end-of-business at 17:00 hours.
Mr Grogan insisted that outlets were operating normally and reiterated his earlier statement that reports that the company had been importing contaminated beef were a smear campaign by a former employee.
But some of the firm’s employees and several customers talked to at the Zambeef Plc branches said allegations that imported beef products contained aromatic aldehydes had forced them to fear consuming the beef from the company.
Meanwhile, fresh information into the Zambeef aromatic aldehydes saga has revealed that the firm tried to cover up the contaminated beef products so that the scam could not be exposed.
According to the Zambia Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH), seized adulterated products in Chongwe and Kitwe were missing, while others had been tampered with.
ZIEH vice-president Chabala Chanda and the Copperbelt chapter president Kentzo Mumba disclosed this during a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
The ZIEH officials said tampering with seized products was unlawful as it bordered on a serious offence of obstruction of justice and urged relevant law-enforcement agencies to bring the culprits to book.
“We are informed that some of the huge quantity of suspected adulterated meat seized by some of our members in Chongwe and the Copperbelt were tampered with by Zambeef,” Mr Chanda said.
“We are calling upon officers in the respective districts to ensure that legal action is instituted to bring to book those who tampered with the seized meat according to the provisions of Section 24 (9) of the Food and Drugs Act Cap 303 of the Laws of Zambia.”
Mr Mumba said when items were seized, they were supposed to be detained, meaning that their owners lost ownership once that action was taken, adding that the seized items would not be released until test results were out.
“When they are seized then the particular institution, in this case Zambeef, ceased to have authority over those items. Thus the tampering. In this case, some of them were physically removed,” Mr Mumba said.
“For the case of Chongwe, they (products) are not even there, so that is obstruction of Justice, like we have indicated. In Kitwe, the officer who seized and signed for those items was pressurised to release them.”
Mr Mumba alleged that the Kitwe City Council officer in question attested to being intimidated by Zambeef officials and senior Kitwe City Council officers to the extent of threatening to dismiss him from his job if he did not succumb to their pressure.
The officer gave in to the pressure and released the items, and that the pressure to release the seized products was owing to Zambeef’s impatience as the company said it was losing business, especially that test results had taken long to be released.
“Results took a bit of time to be released, so our colleagues (Zambeef) were being impatient and they cited issues to do with losing business. They wanted these things to quickly go into circulation,” Mr Mumba said.
Mr Mumba said the discovery was made between April and May this year in both Chongwe and Kitwe and identified the seized products as kidneys, bovine or ox liver, hooves and offals, among other imported products.
The ZIEH also said the Food and Drugs Laboratory set up by the State as provided for in the Food and Drug Act was competent to conduct tests.
The institute further urged all environmental health officers countrywide to ensure that the country’s laws were followed to the letter to protect human health and that sources of all meat sold by different suppliers should be known.
The ZIEH appealed to the Government to consider establishing provincial laboratories for quick analysis of collected samples.
Efforts to get a comment from Zambeef Plc public relations manager Justo Kopulande proved futile as by Press time as his phone was unanswered.
Zambeef Plc is at the centre of controversy for selling imported beef products which allegedly contain aromatic aldehyde, a chemical used to embalm dead bodies and can cause organic cancer in humans.
The company has since withdrawn all its imported beef products from sale at all its outlets countrywide unti

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There was minimal movement of vehicles on Monday morning at the Pretoria hospital where former president Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition.

The hospital’s entrance in Celliers Street was closed and police were manning the other entrance in Park Street.

News crews converged on the hospital on Sunday night after the presidency announced that Mandela’s condition had deteriorated. Most of them had left by 03:00 on Monday.

Even so, more than 20 vehicles, including the outside broadcast vans of local and international media, occupied the parking along Celliers Street.

A few reporters braved the biting early morning cold to chat near the hospital’s Park Street entrance. Some of them held cameras.

Several police officers were stationed inside the hospital premises. A police Toyota Quantum was parked in the grounds, near the entrance on Park Street.

Two security guards manned the entrance and numerous police vehicles patrolled the area.

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Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) at Katima Mulilo border has impounded two Zambeef trucks carrying meat products imported from Ireland.
Sesheke District Commissioner Given Muleya, who confirmed this, said the meat products were imported from Ireland through the port of Walvis Bay in  Namibia into Zambia’s Western Province.
Mr Muleya said the trucks were impounded on instructions from the ministry of Health.
According to Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation news monitored last night, Mr Muleya said the two trucks were carrying kidneys and liver.
Meanwhile, Government is surprised that Zambeef Products Plc opted to import beef products from the United Kingdom (UK) when Zambia has enough livestock.
Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Rodgers Mwewa said Zambia had more than four million cattle, two million goats and more than a million sheep, but Zambeef still decided to import meat products from the UK.
Last week it emerged that some Zambeef products contained aromatic aldehydes, a chemical used to embalm dead bodies which could also cause organic cancer in humans.
At the weekend, the company announced that it was withdrawing the adulterated products from all its outlets.
Mr Mwewa said it would not only have been cheaper for Zambeef to buy beef and other meat products locally but it would also have empowered the local farmers.
“I am sure the cattle, goats, pigs and sheep from local farmers is enough for Zambeef to fill all their butcheries but we don’t understand how they took the option of importing,” he said.
He said it was unfortunate that this was happening to a company like Zambeef which Zambians had come to trust, especially that everybody thought it sold exclusively local products.
In a sharp turn of events, some of the seized products in Chongwe and Kitwe allegedly went missing, prompting the Zambia Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH) to call for a further probe.
Zambeef chief executive officer Francis Grogan has insisted that the imported beef products did not contain any harmful substances, saying the ‘falsehood’ was being spread by a former employee.

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President Michael Sata has observed that Zambia’s transport system was bad especially for the poor people.

Mr. Sata said there was therefore need to improve the transport system in the country.

He was speaking at State House in Lusaka today when he swore in Charity Kaande Ngoma as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications.

“Congratulations, I hope you will improve the transport system which is very bad in the country especially for the poor people,” Mr. Sata said.

And speaking in an interview with ZANIS shortly after being sworn in, Mrs. Ngoma pledged to revamp the transport system in Zambia.

She said she would take advantage of the Link Zambia 8,000 road project and the railway system in the country to improve the transport system in the country.

And Mrs. Ngoma bemoaned alcohol abuse among bus drivers in the country.

She said this situation was unfortunate especially that even public transport drivers are involved.

She disclosed that she would introduce more sensitization programmes for minibus drivers in order to reduce road traffic accidents.

“We need more sensitization for the minibus drivers if we are to end these road traffic accidents,” she said.

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Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula visited former president Nelson Mandela at the Pretoria hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Mapisa-Nqakula stayed for 40 minutes at the hospital.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa was also seen arriving, in a BMW X5.

Mandela’s daughter Zenani was earlier spotted arriving in a black Mercedes Benz that pulled up shortly before 10:30 at the Park Street entrance of the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital, where police officers were manning the gates.

After a brief stop, the officers let her car through without a thorough search.

The officers searched all vehicles entering the hospital premises, with more officers inside the facility.

Some passing cars slowed down so that passengers could take pictures of the large media contingent stationed outside the facility.

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