Relief food only for vulnerable flood victims, Levy

President Mwanawasa has said relief food would not be given for free to all flood victims but that only the vulnerable among those would benefit.

Dr Mwanawasa, however, said those who are able bodied and those with money among the flood victims will have to work for the food.

ZANIS reports that the President said this would be so because he did not want his Government to encourage laziness because among those who are affected by floods, there are some people who did not cultivate any food last season.

The President said this last night when he addressed Zambians resident in Ethiopia during a dinner hosted in his honour at the residence of Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Patrick Sinyinza.

Dr Mwanawasa added that the food could not be given free because there was need for the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to make money for it to survive, hence such a move.

And Dr Mwanawasa told Zambians resident here that despite the floods, Zambia had not collapsed adding that the calamity had not befallen all parts of the country.

He assured that the country would be able to feed its people from the previous harvests.

On mining, the President announced that from next week a Bill on the proposed mining tax regime would be introduced in parliament.

The move follows Dr Mwanawasa’s announcement during the ceremonial opening of parliament this year that Government had decided to revise the tax regime because Zambia was not getting a fair share of its mining wealth.

Dr Mwanawasa disclosed that a mining firm he could not name had written to Government asking it to reconsider its decision but that the state maintained its position.

The mining firm, Dr Mwanawasa said was told that Zambia was not getting a fair share of revenue from the mining sector despite the mines making huge profits.

The President said the mines would still remain with substantial profits.

He said the tax which was the lowest among copper producers in the country would now move from 31 percent to 47 percent and was expected to earn the country in excess of US$415 million.

He said this money would be used towards the economic development of the country.

President Mwanawasa reiterated that the scenario was unacceptable when the prices of copper on the international market had skyrocketed.

“Last year we collected US$141 million from the mine tax when the position is that mining companies had made over US$400 billion’’, he explained

On the National Constitutional Conference (NCC), he assured the gathering that the tension that surrounded this had now been addressed and it had been accepted by almost all members of Civil Society, opposition and some churches.

He added that only some senior members of the Catholic Church were still opposed to NCC.

He hoped that the 2011 elections would be held under a new republican Constitution that will stand a test of time and asked for encouragement and prayers from the Zambian community here for Zambia to be able to find a solution to this.

The President who reiterated an announcement that Government would in March this year procure earth moving equipment after securing a loan of US$ 39 million from the Chinese Government added that there was need to work on feeder roads as these were in areas where agriculture was taking place.

Turning to the Zambian Community here, the President gave a clarion call to them to invest back home and be able to assist their relatives who were in need.

He underscored that it was imperative that they invest back home because once they left Ehiopia they would not become destitute.

At the same occasion when asked by President Mwanawasa to make a presentation, Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande disclosed that Government had not received any reports from Ethiopia on Zambians being engaged in criminal activities.

Mr Pande said Zambians in other countries were languishing in prisons because of having committed various offences.

He prodded Zambians living here to follow rules and regulations of Ethiopia.

He said he was also impressed that most of them were serving in international agencies like the United Nations but advised that they should keep abreast of events back home.

On tourism, he said the sector was doing well and that Government was targeting one million tourists by 2010 adding that some countries solely depended on tourism yet they were not endowed with vast natural resources like Zambia and hoped that this would become a major money spinner for the country.

Commerce Minister Felix Mutati who was also asked to make a presentation told the gathering that Government was performing extremely well economically as evidenced by the reduced inflation to single digit, distinguished debt and reduced interest rates.

Mr Mutati said Government was determined that whatever has been budgeted for this year would be spent accordingly as this was meant to change the face of Zambia.

The Commerce Minister also added that Government was planning to take the development of industries to rural areas in order to empower the locals there.

On agriculture, he said, Zambia had food surplus in the last three years of over 200,000 tonnes of maize.

On flights in Livingstone, he said in 2002 this stood at seven per week but that today this had increased to 35 flights per day.

And Chairperson of the Zambian community here Washington Mukumbila said the community has continued to grow with 35 families amounting to 200 Zambians including children.

Mr Mukumbila who is in charge of printing at the AU attributed the increase in number to those who are serving at the Zambian mission and at the UN agencies.

He paid tribute to President Mwanawasa for the positive economic strides that Government has made so far and pledged support towards him and the Government.

Those present were Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister Ben Tetamashimba, Copperbelt Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima, Zambia’s candidate to the AU Commission Inonge Mbikutsita Lewanika, Special Assistant to the President on Politics Marvis Muyunda and other senior Government officials.