[Daily Nation]

THE process of appointing diplomats is ongoing and it will be concluded soon, State House spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya has said.

Mr. Bwalya said President Hakainde Hichilema was aware that the appointment of diplomats was critical because they play an important role in driving the country’s economic development agenda in the international cycles.

He said during a media briefing yesterday that Mr. Hichilema was equally concerned that the country had no representation in a number of countries.

Mr. Bwalya said the President was working round the clock to ensure that diplomats were appointed as soon as possible so that they could bring the gains from the foreign mission back to the country.

Meanwhile, Mr Bwalya maintained that the foreign trips taken by the President were aimed at promoting and enhancing opportunities in trade and investment.

He however said Mr Hichilema has ensured that only a reasonable amount of public funds are spent on trips compared to what was used by the previous government.

“The President was moving money from areas of wastage, plunder and theft to areas of productivity such as health, education and paying pensioners so less is being spent on trips than what it used to cost before,” he said.

And Mr. Bwalya said civil society organisations (CSOs) are not enemies of the government but are partners in development.

He said President Hichilema is committed to enhancing democracy by expanding the CSOs and political parties’ space without political interference.

A senior opposition Patriotic Front (PF) official was today 15 December 2021 detained in police custody following his claims that President Hakainde Hichilema has been Nicodemously meeting judges at his residence.
Raphael Nakachinda (43), who is PF’s member of the central committee in charge of information and publicity, recently claimed that President Hichilema has been summoning judges to his Community House at night.
The allegations landed Nakachinda on the wrong side of the law as police are charging him for defaming the President contrary to section 69 of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
Police deputy spokesperson Danny Mwale said in a statement that Mr Nakachinda been warned and cautioned for the offence.
Mwale indicated that the basis of the charges against Nakachinda was “the statement he issued at High Court grounds on December 13, 2021 and the interview he had on one of the radio stations in Lusaka.”

The Drug Enforcement Commission -DEC- has jointly charged and arrested Former Foreign Affairs Minister JOSEPH MALANJI and Former Secretary to the Treasury FREDSON YAMBA.

The duo have been charged and arrested for failure to comply with the law whilst they served in their respective positions in Government.

DEC Public Relations Officer, MATHIAS KAMANGA has confirmed to ZNBC News in LUSAKA today.

Mr KAMANGA said that particulars of the offence are that Mr. MALANJI jointly and whilst acting together with Mr. YAMBA allegedly influenced the transfer of One Hundred 54 Million Two Hundred One Hundred 97 Kwacha to the Zambian Mission in Turkey without following the law on supplementary expenditure as provided by law.

In the second count, Mr. MALANJI has been charged and arrested for possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime contrary to section 71 of the forfeiture of proceeds of crime act Number 19 of 2010.

Mr. KAMANGA said that particulars of the offence are that Mr. MALANJI, jointly and whilst acting together with Gibson Power System Limited and other persons unknown did possess a Helicopter Bell 430 valued at about One point Four Million Dollars.

He said that in the third, fourth and fifth counts, the Former Foreign Affairs Minister has been charged and arrested for possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime contrary to the laws of Zambia.

Mr. MALANJI has since been detained in police custody whilst the commission is waiting for him to meet the bond conditions, while Mr. YAMBA has been released on police bond.

[ZNBC]

Government says the 2022 national budget has no provision for subsidies on fuel and electricity.
And Finance Minister SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE has disclosed that government spends over 67-million dollars monthly to subsidise the cost of fuel.
He adds that Zambia currently owes about 480-million dollars for unpaid fuel supplied which has been inherited by the UPND administration.

Speaking during a joint Press briefing between Zambia and the International Monetary Fund -IMF- in Lusaka today, Dr. MUSOKOTWANE said the money saved will go toward improving the welfare of people in rural areas through construction of schools among others.
He says that it is justifiable for government to channel monies that will saved from fuel subsidies towards provision of quality education and job creation as well as payment of retirees.

[ZNBC]