Opposition Patriotic Front vice President Guy Scot has said disposing of election related cases within 120 says is a constitutional requirement that needs to be upheld by the judiciary.
Mr. Scot who is also Lusaka Central Member of Parliament told Qfm that dealing with election cases within a short period of time will add credibility to the country's judicial system.

He says currently people have lost confidence in the judiciary because of the long time taken to dispose of cases pertaining to elections.

Mr. Scot says it is therefore important for the legal system in the country to build confidence in the public eye by ensuring election cases are dealt with expeditiously.

The PF vice president has also charged that his party is anxiously waiting for the contents of the new electoral code of conduct that is due to be released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

He says the old code of conduct has been not effective adding that there is need for increases compliance levels.

PRESIDENT Banda has said that he had failed to trust Chongwe member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Masebo because he knew that she was a mole in the MMD.

And President Banda has wished former deputy minister of Works and Supply Lameck Mangani good luck with his newfound love in the Patriotic Front (PF).

President Banda said Ms Masebo, who recently resigned from the MMD and joined the PF, had remained in the ruling party after the death of President Mwanawasa as an agent of the opposition political party.

The President said in an interview at Lusaka International Airport yesterday shortly before departure for South Sudan that he had always doubted Ms Masebo’s loyalty to the MMD.

He said he had always been aware of Ms Masebo’s political mischievousness and that is why he could not trust her.

President Banda said he had reminded Ms Masebo about her schemes but being what she is, she continued maligning him and smuggling information from the MMD to the PF.

President Banda said when President Mwanawasa died in 2008, Ms Masebo waged a vicious hate campaign against him because she wanted former Minister of Finance and National Planning Ng’andu Magande to succeed the late Head of State.

President Banda said Ms Masebo launched a malicious and smear campaign against him just because he was the favourite to succeed the late President Mwanawasa.

The President stated that while he has never said anything against Ms Masebo, the Chongwe MP has always abused the Head of State without justifiable reasons.

President Banda said Ms Masebo continued abusing him even after the 2008 Presidential elections.

“It is an open secret that Masebo was a mole in the MMD and I did not think I could trust her. When President Mwanawasa died, she launched a hate and malicious campaign against me because she thought Magande would be president. She verbally abused me but I have never said anything against her. So let the people judge between me and her who has hatred against the other,” President Banda said.

Mr Banda said since Ms Masebo is claiming to be the most popular in Chongwe, the MMD is ready to meet her on the campaign battle field.

The President said he is waiting to see how popular Ms Masebo is in Chongwe adding that the elections will dictate who is going to have the last laugh.

And President Banda has said Mr Mangani has exercised his democratic right by resigning from the MMD and joining the PF.

Mr Banda said while he is sorry that Mr Mangani decided to resign when the MMD was considering adopting him to re-contest the Chipata central seat, he wished him good luck in his new party.

“He has chosen to go and when the MMD was formed way back in 1991, it was on the basis of giving people the right to freely associate themselves with their preferred parties. He has made his choice and has chosen to go. I am sorry that he has left at a time the party was considering adopting him as a candidate,” President Banda said.

And WALLEN SIMWAKA reports that the MMD in Eastern Province has described Mr Mangani as an egotistical, greedy and ungrateful person who has always wanted everything to himself.

MMD Eastern Province chairman Kennedy Zulu said Mr Mangani has been fighting President Banda for a long time now and that the party is happy that he has finally left the party

Mr Zulu said in an interview yesterday that the MMD in Eastern Province will always consider the resignation of Mr Mangani as good riddance.

“For the first time, the ruling party will breathe fresh air. Mr Mangani has been fighting the President and he has always wanted everything good for himself. He is a selfish, greedy and ungrateful man. The MMD in Eastern Province had sacrificed so much just for him but he has never appreciated. Time has come for us now to show him that he has never been a factor in Eastern Province and Chipata in particular,” Mr Zulu said.

Mr Zulu said when President Mwanawasa appointed President Banda as Vice-President, Mr Mangani was not happy because he (Mr Mangani) had wanted the position.

He said that Mr Mangani has always thought that he is better than President Banda and that is why he has always exhibited traits of insolence.

Meanwhile, YANDE SYAMPEYO reports that Southern Province MMD chairperson Edgar Keembe has said that Mr Mangani’s resignation from the party will have no impact on the MMD.

Mr Keembe said this is so because the party has gained ground and popularity in most parts of the country, describing Mr Mangani’s resignation as a “drop in the ocean”.

He said the MMD is bigger than any individual member adding that the party will remain intact.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

 

The Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) has commended the Patriotic Front for what it has described as the timely and democratic general conference it held in Kabwe over the weekend.
FFTUZ president Joyce Simukoko in a statement released to QFM today says the Union congratulates PF leader Michael Sata for going through unopposed as party president and others who were elected by the conference.
Mrs Simukoko says it is the wish of the labour movement that other remaining political parties aspiring to contest in this year's election will as well follow suit and ensure they too hold similar democratic conventions in order to allow their followers exercise their rights to choose their party leaders in the same vein the rest of the country's voters will exercise their rights in the forthcoming election.
She says this is a good stride for democracy.
Mrs Simukoko has also hailed the peaceful manner in which the PF held its general conference.

Wynter kabimba Refutes the story that was published in Dailymail, Times Of Zambia and the online Zambian  Watchdog dated 05/07/11 about an alleged email that was  sent by Given Lubinda to Wynter kabimbi. Full edited version coming!