. Masebo

By DELPHINE ZULU and PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
CHONGWE Member of Parliament (MP) Japhen Mwakalombe has denied allegations of insulting losing United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Sylvia Masebo, saying he respected her and considered her as his role model.
Testifying in his petition case yesterday before High Court Judge Gertrude Chawatama, Mr Mwakalombe, who is Lusaka Province Minister, said his morals would never allow him to insult elderly people no matter the situation.
He further denied calling UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema a satanist at any of his meetings, saying all he was doing was to concentrate on telling people what he would do for them if elected into office as MP.
Mr Mwakalombe in his defence led by his lawyer William Mubanga said charges that he accused Ms Masebo of having killed Paul Longwani, a Patriotic Front (PF) cadre, came as a shock as he had no time to accuse anyone.
Ms Justice Chawatama has allowed an application by the office of the Attorney General to subpoena Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska and a detective Ngoma to appear before her and give evidence in the same petition.
Meanwhile, police have continued to search for ex-convict and musician Clifford Dimba so that he can be arrested and be taken to court to answer to a charge of assaulting the mother of his children.
Dimba, commonly known as General Kanene, has eluded police as he has failed to appear in court five times.
He is charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.
Dimba is alleged to have, on June ‎18, 2016 in Lusaka, assaulted Sharon Ngandula, the mother of his children, thereby occasioning her actual bodily harm.
When the matter was taken to court, Dimba failed to present himself on two occasions, prompting Lusaka magistrate Faides Hamaundu to issue a bench warrant against him so that he could be arrested and be forced to appear in court.
But police have failed to trace and arrest Dimba as he is reported to have shifted from his residence in Misisi Township in Lusaka.
When the matter came up for mention before Lusaka magistrate Brian Simwatachela yesterday, State prosecutor Richard Nyeleti informed the court that the matter was scheduled for return of the bench warrant before Ms Hamaundu, but she was not available.
Mr Nyeleti informed Mr Simwatachela that Dimba was still at large and, as such, the police had not yet executed the bench warrant issued by the court.
He said the police would continue searching for Dimba in order to execute the bench warrant and have him arrested and brought to court to answer to the charge.