The Emerald and Semi Precious Stones Mining Association of Zambia has thanked President Edgar Lungu for dropping Lusaka Central PF Member of Parliament Margaret Mwanakatwe as Finance Minister replacing her with Bank of Zambia Deputy Governor Dr. Bwalya Ngandu.
The dropping of Mrs. Mwanakatwe is a clear show that President Lungu means well for this country because he makes decisions in the best interest of the nation.
Association President Victor Kalesha said Mrs. Mwanakatwe had failed in some areas in diligently performing effectively in her position at the Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Kalesha has since congratulated Dr. Ngandu for his appointment as the new Finance Minister and describing it as a well deserved appointment.
He has advised Dr. Ngandu to immediately address the issue raised by key stakeholders on the issue of taxes by meeting stakeholders and listen to their grievances.
Mr. Kalesha said there is need to take keen interest immediately on the cry from gemstone miners of the new introduced taxes especially the export tax which is an industry killer.
“It’s important that we get to terms on a dialogue table to discuss a win win situation with government in regard to taxes stakeholders are complaining about which we feel Comrade Margaret Mwanakatwe failed to address”, he said.
He has since called for an immediate meeting with the new Minister of Finance to iron out concerns that may cripple the gemstones industry.
Mr. Kalesha reiterated that some of these taxes can make the industry un-investable and has called for the abolishment of the 15 percent export tax which seems a thorn to the mining and marketing of emeralds.
Today’s scapegoat for the group of criminals, wow!!!
You mean the emeralds dealers are criminals? Yes they are.
Bwalya Ngundu should be smart, stay away from those meetings with emeralds cartels, they just want to buy you off.
I suspect she was against further debt acquisition. Or maybe she was pushing for transparency in this government?
We all know Lungu works in darkness. Anyone that attempts to shine any light on his activities is swiftly pruned. Mutati was dealt with the same way.
The problem in government is Lungu. A totally clueless and tasteless insecure corrupt man.
And to think Lungu will be president for a third, and possibly fourth, term!!!
Can the Gods intervene please?
Or can GBM go for his throat for real this time?
Poor Mwanakatwe has taken a fall on behalf of Lungu the drunkard.
Even this new gut won’t do anything to change the economy until the stup1d and his cartel of thieves stop stealing.
I know he has accepted the job to eat and steal with them with impunity. If anything what will he do that MutatI failed?
I have made imy mission to recoup every penny these PF thugs have stolen with 75% interest. I know HH s policy is not to prosecute these guys once out of power but forgive them. NOT ME.
I will follow up and get every penny stolen or acquired through corrupt means and use it to settle Zambia ‘s debt.
CHAGWA Lungu ni chimbwi chabe.
Women in Zambia should start standing up and fight the PF men to stop victimising them.
Mwanakatwe is the second woman to used as a scapegoat for Lungu and his cartel of thieves. The other poor woman Kabanshi the minister of community and social Dev was scapegoated in the same way when Sunday Chanda ‘brother was the one stealing the donor funds and sharing it with Lungu.
The reason why these women were victimised by Lungu is because they failed to be corrupt enough to pay huge protection fees to Lungu.
Look at Chitotela he us still minister despite massive corruption charges against him. He is still a member of the inner circle because he has stolen enough to keep bribing Lungu with protection fees.
I hear chitotela has paid Lungu $5 million and he should find another $7…
Mwanakatwe turned into a drunk after realising the huge mistake she made leaving her job to join Lungu ‘s den of PF thieves.
She is fired for not stealing enough to share with Lungu.
Firing Mwanakatwe is not a solution to the challenges Zambia is facing because she found the system already rotten. The system of governace needs to be reconstructed and reviewed is PF is to win the hearts of some people like me. What measures are we going to initiate to curb the current challenges millions are facing? it s a matter of going to the drawing board analysing the strategies
FLASHBACK : President Edgar Lungu has sprung to the defence of newly appointed Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe that her detractors will thank him for that decision later.
He said that even his ascendancy to the Presidency had people bent on scandalizing him as a drunkard but has since proved his critics wrong.
But why is Ba Edgar firing only women MPs and Ministers, and worse only replacing them with men?
It could have been better to reshuffle cabinet, Margaret to as Minister of Foreign Affairs replacing domicile Malaji.
Sad that it is impossible to even “imagine” who could be Minister of Finance from those 40 ministers and 300 PF MPs, sad indeed.
To be completely honest, it is Lungu that makes all the important decisions in this government.
Cabinet ministers are just conduits, messengers if you like.
And Lungu keeps shooting his own messengers.
Even though this lady is a drunk, she does have a track record of delivery in the private sector.
As to why she got fired, no one knows. She did interfere with the 500 million USD loan Lungu wanted to procure secretly on behalf of Zesco. What else did she interfere with???
Emerald association should be crying for equipment so that all processing ,cutting etc is done in Zambia.Stop talking about reducing tax,where else do you expect govt to get money from?. Slave mentality has to end!
Imagine wanting to earn less on precious minerals, the fact that they are precious will call investors you want sell our resources for pennies. Let the new minister be smart enough to put value on our resources
It took too long to drop the ‘beer – -loving’ minister. In any case, she may be given another ministerial position…watch the space!
Imwe ba UPND, do you even know Margaret Mwanakatwe or are you there just to be seen as being around? Sometimes its better to remain quiet than comment on things you least understand. Ms. Its you chaps in UPND who have been crying loud to have her replaced and when its actualized, you still find faults in the appointing authority, shame.
Mwanakatwe never took her job seriously and was half the time drunk and usually reported to work very late, how do you keep such a person in charge of the treasury? HE President Lungu is very decisive and on this one he has scored big. The next to Minister to be replaced is Nkandu Luo, she has messed up the Ministry of Higher Education and the sooner its one the better. Students are young people who just need engaging, guidance and counselling, and…
contd
Students are young people who just need engaging, guidance and counselling, and reminded of what the real world expect of them once they graduate and not destroying properties.
Ministry of Higher education needs a person who understands where the world is going, formulate sound policies, improve college, University infrastructure and engage the scholars on the challenges they expect to find solutions to NOT piece meal solutions like CCTV installation, do we lack people who can oversee these institutions? Luo is a bad choice.
How much money does Zambia earn from its precious stones (not just emeralds) annually and who gives us this information? Whats the contribution of precious minerals to the treasury and can the Ministry of Finance and Mines keep us in the know? We know something about Copper, what about the rest of the Minerals mined all over the place like COBALT, GOLD, DIAMONDS, where is the money from these minerals?
it is a weicome move because mwanakatwe failed to perform her duties period
Its a small step in the right direction but am sure like many I feel the President is trying to fatten the cow on the market day I just hope its not too let