Members of the recently dissolved PF Masaiti District Mobilisation Committee say they are not bitter following the decision by Party Secretary General Davies Mwila to dissolve the Committee just weeks after its formation.

Last week, Mr Mwila announced that the Christine Chaande led Committee had been dissolved after it was discovered that procedure leading to its formation was not strictly followed.

Speaking on behalf of the dissolved Committee, Mr. Charles Sokoloko and Mr Eustokio Mukula accused area Member of Parliament Michael Katambo of misleading Mr. Mwila leading up to the dissolution of the Committee.

Mr Sokoloko said the team is disappointed but has accepted the decision taken by the party.

He said that is unfortunate that the Committee was dissolved even before it could put in place a work plan to help resuscitate the party in the District.

Mr. Sokoloko said the general membership of the Party is now requesting that Mr Mwila travels to Masaiti to meet with the former Committee Members and Mr Katambo himself.

“For us to move forward, let us have the S.G convene a meeting not in Lusaka, not in Ndola but in Masaiti itself so that he hears views from all the members who are very unhappy over this,” he said.

Mr. Sokoloko charged that Mr Katambo does not have the interest of the party and that he will make the PF loss in 2021.

He said it is important that the party gets down to business in the district quickly to avoid a repeat of the poor showing in the 2016 general elections.

“If you analyse the 2016 elections, Mr Katambo who was infact running for a second term almost lost that seat to the UPND, the difference was a paltry 920 and at presidential level, His Excellency President Lungu even lost that in Masaiti to H.H,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that our team was dissolved. We are not bitter over the move because we know the real reason we have been pushed out and it’s sad that the party has sacrificed hard work for friendship,” Mr Sokoloko said.

And Mr Mukula said Mr Katambo is the one who had been against the Committee which was appointed by Provincial Mobilisation Chairman Bowman Lusambo because he has personal issues with Mrs Chaande who is also Masaiti Council Chairperson.

“It’s a pity that we have allowed personal differences between the MP and the Council Chairperson to get in the way of our work. What we needed to do was embrace everyone in order to grow the votes for the party in the District because remember, at Presidential level, President Lungu lost here,” Mr Sokoloko said.

“The MP has always had issues with Madam Chaande because he feels she will challenge him for the parliamentary seat but we feel it is important for all party members to unite and forge as one as we go towards 2021. This is not the time to start discarding members, this is the time to start consolidating numbers.”
Mr. Sokoloko said the dissolved Committee is wishing the Incoming Committee success as they mobilise the party for 2021 elections.

“We would like them to do well. You know Lamba land politics are very tricky. Generally, we are very good people but we do not like to be taken for granted.”

He also stated that the dissolved Committee was looking forward to working with Mr Lusambo who is one of the best political mobilisers in the PF.

“We saw what he did during the Mayoral elections here which we won as P.F Hon. Lusambo is very strong on the ground and there is no one in the PF who can match those abilities. Hon. Lusambo means well for the parry while Hon. Katambo does not mean well.”

POLICE Spokesperson Esther Katongo says insinuations by MMD president Dr Nevers Mumba that and some members of the public that police officers in Kasama helplessly watched cadres damaging a UPND motor vehicle is not true.

Katongo said contrary to what Dr Mumba has insinuated, there were no police officers in the vicinity where the fracas happened except for an officer who was performing guard duties at a nearby Bank.

She said the officer whom some people were referring to in the video was the one who was guarding the Bank and another vehicle which was passing by with only one officer who did not know what was happening at shoprite.

“The officer at the Bank could not leave the Bank , it being a sensitive vital institution, he instead communicated the information to command in the area and officers were dispatched and managed to apprehend two suspects,” Katongo said in a statement.

Katongo said officers immediately communicated to the public through various media institutions what had transpired on the ground on the material day.

She said it is surprising that some people have decided to move on with propaganda.

“It is disappointing that Dr. Mumba has also decided to throw his weight behind people peddling unverified information through social media without him seeking verification on what had transpired,” she said.

And Katongo said the Zambia Police is determined to providing quality service to members of community even in times of criticism.

MINISTRY of Finance Permanent Secretary, Mr. Mukuli Chikuba has emphasized that Zambia has not defaulted to any of its creditors on its foreign debt.

Speaking in interview Mr. Chikuba said the action taken by government to seek a six months debt repayment suspension was to promote transparency and understanding among EuroBond holders.

“We have paid the debt service repayment due to the EuroBond.” He said.

“Our debt repayment service to the $750million Eurobond was bond two days ago.” He said.

He said Zambia like many other countries, have been impacted economically negatively by the pandemic.

“We have been impacted negatively by the Covid-19 pandemic.” He said.

In April,2020, the World Bank’s Development Committee and the G20 Finance Ministers, endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in response to a call by the World Bank and the IMF to grant debt-service suspension to the poorest countries to help them manage the severe impact of the COVID-19.

Mr. Chikuba said to this effect, Zambia has applied for the Deby Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) to the Paris Club to address the challenges that has come with the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the action done by government was to encourage transparency and has taken the initiative to commercial creditors too.

He said hovernment has reached out to the banks and commercial creditors such as the EuroBond holders, to agree on the debt repayment service schedule and seeka six months suspension.

He said after the Notice was deposited on Tuesday, the process will begin on 29th October 2020 to obtain consesus from the EuroBond holders so as to achieve a collaborative agreement on the debt service schedule.