Ndola PF youths donate to vulnerable

PATRIOTIC Front youths in Ndola have donated a number of assorted items to St Antony Children’s Village and St Theresa’s Home of the aged in Masala Township.

St Antony’s Children Village and St Theresa’s Home of the Aged are Non- governmental organisations that take care of the orphaned, disabled and abandoned children as well as the aged.

The goods were donated to the two institutions during the Youth Day celebrations in Ndola.

PF Ndola District Chairman Oscar Imanga said the donated items were sourced from well-wishers such as Foam King, the Copperbelt Police division and others.

Mr Imanga said the youths wanted to give back to the community by donating to the aged and the orphaned in the district.

He said the youths were happy to celebrate Youth Day with children and the aged adding that they would continue to celebrate future events with them.

“We are so grateful and excited that the children and aged are happy to receive these goods and we promise to continue doing so in the future,” he said.

The donated items included four cases of bathing soap, four buckets of washing powder, five bales of sugar, five containers of 5-litre cooking oil, 13 mattresses, 30 pillows, 40 chitenge material, diapers, snacks and 10 bags of 25 kilogrammes of mealie meal among other things.

Meanwhile, St Antony’s Home mother Morin Kauta said she was humbled by the donation as it came as a surprise.

Ms Kauta said the donation had made the children very happy and that it had given so much hope to the care-givers at the facility.

She noted that the items would go a very long way in promoting the welfare of the children and aged at the facility.

She later thanked the PF youths for being thoughtful and that their spirit of kindness should continue.

THE state has closed its case against Kitwe businessman Daniel Chinyama Makina and his co-accused Chipili Chilufya, who are alleged to have stolen copper cathode worth K1.8 million.

Makina, 35, and Chipili a Chililabombwe taxi driver are jointly with aggravated robbery, which they are alleged to have committed on August 28, last year.

The state informed Kitwe High Court Judge-in-charge Timothy Katenekwa that it had closed the case and would make written submission on March 22 this year.

Makina and Chipili while armed with pistols are alleged to have stolen copper cathodes valued at K1.8 million from a truck which was being driven by a Tanzanian from Kasumbalesa border post.

Meanwhile, Makina's lawyer Gavin Nyirongo submitted that his client was not connected to the aggravated robbery and should therefore be acquitted.

Mr Nyirongo told the court that no evidence on record directly or indirectly connected his client to the case.

He said only two witnesses indicated that he was present during the alleged sale of the copper cathode but they failed to provide documented evidence to show that the sale actually took place. Mr Nyirongo also said only two witnesses the driver Rajab and his helper were present on the day of the robbery and none of them identified or knew his client. And Chipili's defence lawyer, Paul Chavula, told the court