FORMER north-western province minister Dawson Kafwaya has demanded that PF must immediately release its findings from investigations conducted into the Mwinilunga gold scam in which its North-Western Province chairman Jackson Kungo was implicated.

And Kafwaya has questioned PF’s special interest in gold mining, which is supposed to be a national strategic asset meant to benefit the masses.

In an interview, Kafwaya demanded that the ruling party released the outcome of its investigations into the Mwinilunga gold scam involving Kungo, dismissed North-Western Police Commissioner Hudson Namachila, among others.

“They said some team had been sent to Mwinilunga to go and investigate what happened at the mine in Mwinilunga. But up to now, the outcome of that investigation hasn’t been availed to the people. So, people are anxious! They want to know what the outcome was from those investigations because it’s like some people are sacred cows. When you look at the provincial chairman, Jackson Kungo, he looks like a sacrificial lamb. There are a lot of people, who are involved in that scam and they should be exposed so that they are known that they were also part of the same syndicate. So, for me, I think Mr Kungo has been sacrificed because we saw a lot of people going there and truly if it was a fact-finding mission about the illegal mining in Mwinilunga, a lot of names, even big names, should have been exposed,” Kafwaya said.

And Kafwaya questioned PF’s particular interest in gold mining.

“That mine is a public thing; it’s not for the party. It is a natural resource for the people of Zambia. So, if there is any investigation, which is done, it should be done publicly so that the people know. And when you compare, there is gold in Petauke, there is gold in Mumbwa and other places, and we have seen small-scale mining going on up to now, but there hasn’t been any serious thing done like the way it has happened in Mwinilunga. So, now, people are wondering that what is it which is in that mine? So, there are just lots of questions about that mine because the locals feel they are being deprived of their birth-right, they should also benefit! So, people are complaining that there is unfairness because if you look at the people, who have been mining gold from the time the local people were displaced, it has been people coming from other areas, not local people,” he observed.

Meanwhile, Kafwaya noted that Zambians could only benefit from the burgeoning gold mining industry if government and its officials did not involve themselves in conducting mining activities.

“The gold mines in Solwezi, Kalumbila, Mwinilunga and surrounding areas should be privately owned if real and meaningful development is to go to the local people. What happens in other parts of the world is that, if you have oil at your family land, you will not be displaced by any other investors and receive little to no compensation at all. Instead, the government will help you find people, who can help establish your plant and start extracting oil. It will be a family mine and the role of government is to ensure you get the best investment so that they can do what governments do best – collect tax! The role of government is not to run mines, it is to collect tax. Mines should be run by families on whose land there is gold, or, indeed, whatever mineral is there,” advised Kafwaya.

“But in this country, we have very colonial laws and policies that are aimed at disadvantaging the locals at the expense of foreign investors so that those in government can get kickbacks! When the British were developing the colonial Constitution, what they had in mind was to ensure that native Africans did not benefit anything from the minerals on their ancestral land, hence the archaic law on land and mineral resources. And today, colonialism is in form of government operatives, who come to beat people, lock them up and displace them out of their ancestral land in the name of government assets. The idea is to enrich themselves! What is happening in North-Western and the surrounding areas is terrible to say the least. No natives are benefiting or will benefit from the gold mines in Mwinilunga. Instead, people from outside the province, in the name of government, are looting North-Western Province of its resources leaving nothing but polluted land, air, water, noise pollution and disease.”

The Zambian government said on Tuesday that the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was on right track.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said there was a need to demystify the disease by freely talking about it and undergoing tests.

He said, based on the statistics announced on Monday, the government was confident that it was on the right track in the fight against the pandemic.

“Figures announced show that we are on the right track. So we are thankful to you the front line staff for the great work you are doing in this fight. There is a lot that you are doing to save lives,” he said when health officials visited the ministry to conduct tests.

Zambia has a cumulative total of 1,089 cases and seven deaths

The National Assembly is in the process of amending the standing orders to enable the House resume sitting on Tuesday, June 9, in line with the country’s constitution in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Standing orders Committee being chaired by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini is expected to conclude its sittings soon.

And Members of Parliament have been given an opportunity to make contributions and observations to how the business of the house will be conducted.

And, speaking in an interview with ZNBC News, Deputy Chief Whip Tutwa Ngulube said there may be new guidelines introduced for parliamentarians after the committee on standing orders concludes sitting.

Mr. Ngulube urged MPs and the public to cooperate and comply with prescribed health guidelines and measures that will be announced to prevent COVID -19.

The Fourth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly, which adjourned sine die on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, will resume on Tuesday, June 9, at 1430 Hours.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Cecilia Mbewe has further said, in view of the public health crisis caused by the Coronavirus, the suspension of admittance of visitors to the National Assembly of Zambia Public Galleries will remain in force until further notice.

LUSAKA clergyman Bishop Simon Chihana says Zambia Revenue Authority’s declaration that it will be auditing churches in Zambia cannot go without comment.

Bishop Chihana, the International Fellowship for Christian Churches (IFCC) president, noted that the declaration had come at such a time when poverty was high in the nation and with a very high level of unemployment.

“The current position taken by the Zambia Revenue Authority, ZRA, cannot go without comment and taking serious analysis because it borders on a body that all of us as Zambians have great attachment to and this is the Church. The Zambia Revenue Authority has declared that they shall be auditing the churches in Zambia for whatever reasons, and it has come at such a time that poverty is high in the nation and with a very high level of unemployment among our people,” Bishop Chihana said.

He said wisdom is paramount in running national issues and consideration for the plight of the poor is a mark of great leadership.

The clergyman noted that the Church in Zambia had been a great partner in the alleviation of poverty of all the governments that have ruled the country.

“The Church has from time immemorial helped governments in bringing quality education to every one of us, quality medical care through mission hospitals and clinics. The Church is not a social club, but an organism through which God works to minister to the needs of humanity both spiritually, physically, and socially,” he said. “The Church is the salt to us all, through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God society is sustained in many ways, we are encouraged to love each other, forgive one another, help one another in time of need. The Church is always there to play as the mediator in times of conflict, to broker peace and unity.”

Bishop Chihana reminded ZRA that a lot of the social ills in society cannot be handled by the government of the day alone.

“But the Church is working day and night doing the job of reconciling families, helping the rejected, run away husbands and wives to resolve, run away children and parents to come together,” he said.

He said there were so many social ills out there that the Church is ever attending to such as drug abuse, drunkards, illicit sex and other crimes.

Bishop Chihana said it was unwise to punish a horse “that you ride on when all it requires is a little support from the rider to have food and to wash when it is dirt and a little water when it is thirsty”.

He added that all the services that the Church offered to humanity were free and supported by the generosity of the congregation and well-wishers.

“With all sanity of the mind, how do you as government under Zambia Revenue Authority audit a body that totally depends on free will offerings from the generous people. The next government must work in partnership with the Church and support them in all their efforts in making sure that they give our children quality education and provide quality health care to our people in the communities, strengthen their evangelistic thrust in the communities,” Bishop Chihana said.

He however, admitted that there were crooked church leaders.

“Thus it is the work of the investigators and the police to arrest such culprits that have taken advantage of the holy sacred work and messed it up with their dirty hands emanating from their evil hearts,” he said.

Bishop Chihana advised that such delinquency minded people must also be removed from the pulpit work.

Water levels at Victoria falls had increased by 200% as of 27th May 2020 compared to last year’s flow on the same date, says the Zambezi River Authority.

The recorded flow is 57% higher than the long-term average river flow for Victoria Falls, the Authority has said in a statement.

ZRA Chief Executive Officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa said the last time such high flows were attained at Victoria Falls was a decade ago.

Mr Munyaradzi said the water levels at Lake Kariba receded for the most part of the first quarter of 2020 with the obtaining lake levels being the lowest on record.

He said the receding lake levels were mainly caused by the delayed onset of the 2019/2020 rainfall season which only commenced in January 2020 instead of October 2019 as projected by both local and regional weather experts.

On water utilisation, Mr. Munyaradzi said during the period 1st January, 2020 to 27th May 2020, a total of 11.45 Billion Cubic Meters was utilized for power generation, representing 34% of the gross inflows over the same period.

He said balancing between the increase in lake inflows with the need to ensure a steady buildup of the reservoir storage for purposes of power generation, and the uncertainty regards the rainfall performance under the upcoming 2020/2021 rainfall season, the Authority has predominantly maintained the water allocation made to for the year 2020 (23 BCM of water shared equally between Zesco Limited and Zimbabwe Power Company) to ensure continued availability of water for power generation at Kariba for the remaining months of the year 2020 and beyond.

Mr. Munyaradzi said the Authority will continue to monitor the hydrological situation in the Kariba Catchment and water levels at Kariba Dam and keep the public accordingly informed.