The New Hope Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has appointed Dr. Kafula Mubanga as it’s new Deputy Media Director.

In a statement, MMD Spokesperson Dr Cephas Mukuka said that Dr. Mubanga appointment is with immediate effect.

“On behalf of the New Hope Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), we would like to announce and confirm the appointment of Dr. Kafula Mubanga as our Party’s New Deputy Media Director”, Dr. Mukuka said.

Dr. Mubanga who holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science, is also the Special envoy and President for the International Human Rights Commission in Zambia.

In accepting the appointment, Dr. Mubanga said that it was a great honor to serve a party that introduced Media Freedom rights.

“I would like to thank the MMD Leadership through the Party President Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba for considering and appointing me as the Party’s new Deputy Media Director. The MMD is a special party in Zambia that not only did it reintroductuce Democracy but it also introduced Media Freedom rights and liberalized the Media Sector. I would like to assure the party that I will hit the road running and to our Media Friends, my office is open to them”, Dr. Mubanga said.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals last week threw out the Appeal for Stay of Judgement by Embattled Nominated Member of Parliament Mr. Raphael Nakachinda against the MMD Leadership Case Judgement that recognized Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba as MMD President, with Costs.

Mr. Raphael Nakachinda had appealed to the Courts of Appeal after Judge Sharon Newa threw out their stay of Judgement with Costs.

This morning Court of Appeals Judge Hon. Mwiinde Siyavwapa threw out the Appeal with Costs because among others the application for stay was filed In on the 11th of November, 2019 when the Register of Societies had already changed the office bearers on the 8th of November, 2019.

Judge Siyavwapa further disagreed with the applicant that if they stay is not granted his Political Career will end.

“There is an argument in paragraph 12 of the 1. the Applicant’s affidavit in support of the application that if a stay is not granted, the Applicants’ political career will be ruined. I wonder how, but even assuming that that would be the case, I would not be drawn into sympathising with a litigant’s prospective loss at the expense of applying the law as sympathetic judgments are to be frowned upon as guided by the Supreme Court of Zambia, Revenue Authority versus Post Newspapers”, Judge Siyavwapa said.

Judge Siyavwapa then proceeded to throw out the Appeal with costs.

“I therefore, find no merit in the application before me and I dismiss it with costs to be taxed in default of agreement”, Judge Siyavwapa said.

Today’s Scripture

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus…”
(Philippians 4:19, NIV)

He Gives You What You Need

In 2 Samuel 12 is the story of how King David got off course with his life. The prophet Nathan was correcting him. In doing so, he reminded David of what God had brought him through. David had seen God’s goodness, favor, protection and provision down through the years. And in verse 8, God made an interesting statement through Nathan: “David, if it had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.” In other words, “David, looking back over your life, if you were ever lacking, if you ever needed more wisdom, more favor, more protection, more finances, I would have given it to you.”

That tells us that we have what we need right now in order to fulfill our destiny. The moment it become insufficient is the moment that God will give you more. The moment it begins to stop God’s plan for your life is the moment God will intervene on your behalf. Today, be encouraged that you have what you need, and what you need tomorrow is on its way! God is closely watching your life. He is faithful and saying to you what He said to David: “If it’s ever not enough, you can count on Me. I will always be there to give you more.”

A Prayer for Today

“Father, thank You for being my Source and Supply. I declare that my trust and hope is in You. I choose to rest in You knowing that You have provided everything I need for today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has said that it is vexed that import permits for processed meats and meat products have continued to be issued, ultimately disregarding the protection our livestock sub-sector has against these cheaply imported products.

In a statement released to the media, ZNFU said that they have taken time to survey the market and it is saddening that a wide array of processed meats; such as polonies, bacon, smoked sausages, and even fish, from as far as Portugal, Mexico and Brazil are finding their way in some of our multinational shopping outlets.

ZNUFU said that allowing the importation of processed meat and other meat products goes against Zambia’s resolve to protect the country’s domestic value chains against cheaply imported products which is a signal that something is very wrong.

ZNUFU appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, led by Prof Nkandu Luo,  to quickly arrest this situation before Zambia lose the livestock sector to unfair foreign competition.

Below is the full statement

Press Release
15 th December 2019

IMPORTATION OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS CONTINUES UNABATED

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) is vexed that import permits for processed
meats and meat products have continued to be issued, ultimately disregarding the protection our livestock sub-sector has against these cheaply imported products.

As ZNFU, we have taken time to survey the market and it is saddening that a wide array of
processed meats; such as polonies, bacon, smoked sausages and even fish, from as far as
Portugal, Mexico and Brazil are finding their way in some of our multinational shopping
outlets.

Allowing the importation of processed meat and other meat products goes against our
resolve to protect our domestic value chains against cheaply imported products which is a
signal that something is very wrong. It is inconceivable to land these products cheaper in
Zambia than our very own locally produced products. The subsidies extended to primary
producers at source is the main cause of this uneven playing field, thereby hindering growth of the domestic livestock industry.

We cannot emphasise more on how important the livestock industry is to many of our
farmers as a source of livelihood and the country’s diversification agenda. For as long as we
continue approaching extremely important national agricultural issues such as putting a lid
on needless imports in a nonchalant manner, we should forget about diversification; and
about being the regional agriculture hub.

The ZNFU is worried that the country continues to have individuals that are averse to the
growth of our local agriculture industry. For it is clear from the way issuance of import
permits have been conducted that such offices have their hearts elsewhere.

It is not rocket science that with continued imports of processed meats and meat products,
we are creating jobs in countries where these products are coming from. And, the much-
needed foreign exchange will continue being flighted to countries whose products we keep
promoting thus aggravating further currency depreciation.At the rate of issuance of these import permits, loss of investments in our livestock sector, which we have painstakingly grown over the years is eminent.

ZNFU is not promoting protectionism, but how can we allow processed meats and meat
products that we can ably produce, to land on our markets and disadvantage our own
products and sector? This requires through investigations. We humbly appeal to the Ministry
of Fisheries and Livestock to quickly arrest this situation before we lose our livestock sector
to unfair foreign competition.
We are ready to share a platform with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock by conducting
a tour of these multinational outlets selling cheaply imported processed meats and meat
products at low prices.
Jervis Zimba
PRESIDENT
Zambia National Farmers’Union

The Centre for Trade and Policy Development (CTPD) hereby provides its reflections on
the events that have unfolded in relation to the repayment of emoluments enjoyed by
Ministers in the run up to the 2016 General Elections. The Constitution of Zambia
stipulates through Article 81 that Parliament be dissolved ninety (90) days before the
next General Election. Upon dissolution of Parliament every Member of Parliament
except for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker is required to vacate his or her seat in the
National Assembly.

The Constitutional Court ruled on August 10, 2019 that the salaries drawn by the
ministers during the material time were in fact illegally drawn and ordered that the
monies be paid back.

To date (3 years) since the Constitutional Court ruling, the monies have not been paid
back, with the Minister of Justice, Given Lubinda stating on record that he would not
pay back the money as he had not worked for free.

The concerns that CTPD has are several in this regard:  CTPD Executive Director Isaac Mwaipopo noted that the rule of law is undermined if court orders are disregarded, especially by those in the highest echelons of Public Service the Judiciary is a vital branch of government in order to ensure checks and balances.

‘’The refusal by the Ministers to pay back the monies undermines the role of the
Judiciary, its effectiveness and ultimately renders our courts and legal processes as
academic,’’ Mr. Mwaipopo said.

Mr. Mwaipopo stressed that there is no appeal process in respect of constitutional
matters once the Constitutional provisions has made a ruling.

He said CTPD therefore seeks clarity from Government as to the basis of the refusal by
the ministers to pay back the salaries they drew while Parliament was dissolved.
Mr. Mwaipopo added that the payment of salaries to Ministers whilst they illegally
remained in office draws on the larger issue of the manner in which public funds are
managed at a time when there are increasing calls for transparency and accountability
by government.

‘’a more pressing issue is that there appears to be no end in sight in as far as the
constitutional crisis that the country has had since the end of the One-party State. There
have to date been no less than five (5) constitutional building processes which is
indicative of the fact the Constitution in its current form does not entirely represent or
address the needs and will of the people’’ , He said.

Mr. Mwaipopo said the lack of a durable Constitution means that the supreme law of the
land is subject to the policies and desires of the government of the day.
He lamented that this has a ripple effect on all sectors and has an impact on the socio-
economic development of the country.

‘’ It is, in particular, a deterrent for investors who rely heavily on a sound and
predictable legal system in order to protect their assets and investments’’, Mr.
Mwaipopo noted.

He said CTPD urges: Government and stakeholders to resume much needed dialogue on
the Constitution and map a way forward particularly.

Lusaka 1996, What arrival: not knowing which direction I will take after dropping from the bus, even if I had an idea of where I was heading to in which language I could have expressed myself if this was not enough I had no single coin in my pocket. That is how the noisy bus became quite as we were approaching Lusaka after a 3 days media tour of the Zambia Northern province courtesy of a certain parastatal entity. All eyes were rather on me and it spared our chauffeur who was almost torn by my colleagues since everybody was asking to be dropped first. The late Kanyanja (may his soul rest in peace) jumped out his somnolence and gave me a look which made me melting and to tell me: “Rubbish, we do always struggle finding uncommon and untold stories and you are here sitting on them”. I had to apologise did I have another choice?

That midday of a Sunday, with a shyly sunny sky of that raining season of Zambia. One could predict a soon rain downpour whereas on the side it could be taken as at last there is some sun to enjoy in the aftermath of heavy downpours. Approaching Lusaka using the Great north road, the town was looking marvellous any white paint was coming out if the town was hosting a white wedding. The iron sheets were scintillating so the town appeared to be swimming in a silver sea.

The conductor whom I befriend from the border, came to my seat and in a broken Swahili he whispered to me: “Mjini wa Lusaka” to mean the town of Lusaka. I did not know if I have to smile since we were about to arrive safely after more than 30 hours in an extra packed bus when deep my heart I was struggling to contain myself in order not to shed tears if not loudly crying that when I have to remember that I am in a foreign land surrounded by strange people even if I dared to cry, could anyone had dared to come and console me? At times, there was no difference between a boiler and my brain. The bus which I thought was moving on a snail pace started moving if it is likely to beat the Concorde Plane by breaking the sound barrier speed. Why did I have to undertake this journey? Did I have means to do so? What next since now I have “arrived”? Do I have anyone to welcome me? Where am I going to spend a night? This is when some noise in my stomach awake me up since my last meal was last night courtesy of the driving crew since I had helped them to offload some luggage of passengers who dropped to a town along the road to Lusaka the previous night.

Any move by the bus, Lusaka which was being seen as a small dot was growing faster than expected and we were about to pass a triumph arch wishing us a “Welcome to Lusaka. After negotiating a right angle with traffic lights, I saw a building with mention “post” announcing that we are in the heart of town and few minutes later the bus stopped and I saw everybody standing and pulling his hand luggage in readiness of moving out. I knew that we have arrived safely to the last bus stop hence our destination; I tried to browse the faces of my fellow travellers and they were happy to have arrived and were in hurry to continue reaching their homes, what about me?

I folded my jean jacket as it was my travel bag and I moved out the bus. I am in Lusaka.
I recalled Lusaka being mentioned in one of catholic biweekly newspaper when it hosted by then Rhodesia freedom fighters meeting with Ian Smith another name which was mentioned was Abel Mudzorewa. Later on, I had to sneak out of my home and walked more than 20kms to see the departure of a celebrated man with a white handkerchief as he was visiting our country I wanted to add him on my list since I had seen: Siad Barre, Moukhatar Oul Dada, Mobuto Se Sekou, Idi Amin Dada, Commandant Jalloud, Belgian princess Marie Astrida, Michel Micombero and so on; this would come some other rich knowledge like a new flag what about the admiration of DC10 on our tiny airport if not being part of the crowd which was chanting responding to the very famous man when he started his celebrate slogan of “One Zambia, One national” and being spiced by adding: “One Africa, One revolution”. This was the story to narrate when, the following Monday, the two weeks East break will be over and resume our classes by starting the last term on our academic year. I watched on international TV channels, Lusaka plunged into a national mourning in the aftermath of the tragic death of its national team players. That was the only data I had over Lusaka and Zambia.

I have made it to be not only to be in Zambia but I was in the capital city. I recalled, back home, people leaving town since the authorities have chased people who have “nothing to do” in Kigali capital city; was I about to face the similar fate? I had managed to pass without any challenge the immigration formalities since the time I decided to turn my back to the once my home country I learned to befriend whoever will draw near me that is how this lady, Mufulira born, who was heading to her home from Burundi taught me some Bemba basics. For sure it worked in my favour, when I greeted the immigration officer by: “Bali shani mukwai? Shinga ubwali visa? “He laughed and stamped my “paper” and I was allowed to Zambian soil. I almost hugged him but I had to remember that “aluta continua”.

I scratched my brain if I could be inspired by any tricks out of several stripe comic cartoon books of the likes of Tintin, Spirou, Lieutenant Blueberry, Buck Danny, Michel Vaillant and so on but in vain. What I could recall was my target of reaching the “Cape of Hope” like Christopher Colombo. Mom and Dad used to tease me that I do carry myself like I am targeting to reach out the moon like Americans each time I was sharing with them whatever I came across in our home small library which I was the only interested in digging into it.

I am down from the bus and the place is called Intercity. I started to get familiarised with the surroundings and I saw a tall building never seen before in my life and the stomach started itching: hunger.

“We do learn as long as we live”, the only English quote which I had memorised since I used to write it on my first pages of my note books came to my mind meaning a new learning process has started but in which circumstances: no single coin in my pocket, no single vocabulary which can even allow me to ask for a glass of water, only new faces surrounding me several miles away from home and no idea for looking back.

I am in Lusaka…

To be continued …………….

AS I CELEBRATE 23 YEARS IN ZAMBIA

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

Alexander von Bismarc, Executive Director of the Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA) has been busy since he issued and published internationally, his earlier Report; “Mukula Cartel- How Timber Trafficking Networks Plunder Zambian Forest”

It is clear that he wishes that his poorly documented and discredited report on Mukula trade in Zambia should gain international traction against the Zambian government for his own malicious purposes, objective and intent.

He is now constantly tweeting numbers and figures on the alleged loss to Zambia of what he calls Illegal Mukula trade by the “Mukula Cartel”.

I have never believed that foreigners can resolve Zambia’s problems other than Zambians themselves.

But foreigners like Alexander and others will not stop attempting to influence and determine the course, fate and future direction of our country.

Take for example Alexander’s recent tweet;

He tweeted;

BREAKING!: #China reported 180 million USD MORE worth of timber imported from #Zambia than Zambia reported exporting to China.

But #mukula is banned in Zambia; how could this happen? Read #MukulaCartel #WhereDidTheMukulaMoneyGo https://t.co/qokroC8G5T

So let us attend to this alarming tweet and claim.

First of all, and since 2017, the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) Limited were allowed to trade in Mukula by exporting confiscated, seized or court processed Mukula.

A few license holders (who pay license fees of $15,000) also were given permission to export.

So yes Mukula is banned, but only to an extent. The correct perspective is that Mukula timber trade and exports have been restricted since 2017.

Secondly, according to the EIA, China reportedly imported 141,217 cubic meters of logs from Zambia between 2017-2018 hence the attached value of $193million.

SO WHAT DOES THIS VOLUME LOOK LIKE

I did some estimate and calculations.

Timber is calculated using cubic meters.

Let us start with how many logs form a cubic meter.

It is 250 logs(hardwoods) that form a cubic metre, (1 tonne Eco Mixed Hardwood = 2.1 cubic metres (approx.) 1 tonne Vintage Hardwood = 2 cubic metres (approx.)

If this were true, it means that Zambia exported over 35 million logs!

Since Zambia doesn’t use rivers and trains for log exports, but uses trucks.

This would require over 880,000 trucks(40ft containers) to the nearest port of Beira, Nakala, Durban or Dar-es -Salaam.

Bane! 880,000 trucks, 40 ft containers!

Guys!

This is clearly ridiculous!

Bela tubepa!

This is like dealing with an export volume that would take 15 years to complete!

SO WHATS THE CORRECT STATUS

All reputable records on Mukula trade(legal and illegal) estimate the trade to be worth $3.5million and $5million per year between China and Zambia and not the $193million.

We should remember that China imports timber and especially rosewood from Africa and Brazil.

The country that possesses the greatest area of forest is Russia.

Our Mukula and other hardwoods from Africa go to China.

China is the second largest timber consumer in the world after the USA.

On January 1, 2017, the Chinese government announced the prohibition on the commercial cutting of their natural forests.

Therefore domestic supply of merchantable timber has been contracting, and China’s reliance on timber imports has exceeded 50% since the Chinese government announced the prohibition on the commercial cutting of natural forests in 2017(by the way, Mukula exists in China too and was popular with furniture for imperial dynasties palaces).

The majority of African hardwood log imports by China come from Central African countries—Gabon, Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Mozambique—although Eastern and Southern African countries also export very small volumes to China.

Liberia is now one of Africa’s largest timber producers and, according to Global Witness, has seen more than 60 percent of its rainforest licensed to logging companies.

CONCLUSION

Mukula is a rare specie of Rosewood.

We will require to be more prudent, more careful, more responsible with Mukula and other hardwoods.

China has just banned all logging from natural forests. We will probably have to do the same and encourage logging and trade on artificial commercial forests like what ZAFFICCO has invested in the past.

This will help preserve our natural forests for ecological and other purposes.

Mukula trees and other hardwoods take upto 100 years to mature and cannot be dealt with in a wanton or careless manner as these rare trees form part of our valued national inheritance and heritage.

But the current legal and illegal trade cannot be allowed to be a basis to trade and prosecute a malicious propaganda and political war against President Edgar Lungu in the manner that Alexander and his outfit the EIA are doing.

ZAFFICCO were directed to invest the proceeds of Mukula exports in the Kawambwa Tea Plantation (which is now thriving) and in the replanting, replenishing and restocking exercise in their legacy forest plantations scattered across the country.

The IDC should therefore help with this information of what has been done with the export proceeds so that transparency is established and facts are made public.

It is an established tenet that in the absence of information, rumours and lies thrive.

The encouraging matter, however, is that both IDC and ZAFFICCO are public entities and the Auditor General is constitutionally obliged to audit all public entities and give the public their Report.

So this is coming anyway.

Should Zambia ban the cutting, transportation and exports of all rosewood timber (hardwoods like Mukula, rosewood, Mukwa, Mubanga, Zambezi Teak etc) as restricted by the CITES?

What’s your view?

The project is being executed under the Lusaka Sanitation Master Plan which aims to provide citywide sanitation services by 2035

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, December 12, 2019/ — “Sometimes, it looks to me like surgery in the belly of an ancient beast,” says Herbert Chinokoro, senior water and sanitation engineer at the African Development Bank’s Country Office in Lusaka, Zambia.

He is describing the scene along the streets of the capital, Lusaka, where earthmovers and excavators were digging out disused water pipelines from a major trench and replacing them with new and more durable tubes.

The works form part of the $243 million Lusaka Sanitation Program (LSP), funded jointly by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), the European Investment Bank, German Development Bank and the World Bank. The project is being executed under the Lusaka Sanitation Master Plan, which aims to provide citywide sanitation services by 2035 and transform the lives of more than a million Lusaka residents by 2021.

The Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC), which is implementing the program, says about 7,000 households in the George, Kanyama and Chawama suburbs of the capital will benefit from improved sanitation. The objective is to increase access to sustainable sanitation services to the city’s two million residents, especially low-income households, and strengthen LWSC’s capacity to manage sanitation services.

“Lusaka is a relatively flat city and suffers from a recurrent sanitation crisis that continues to claim lives through annual outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and dysentery. There is also persistent environmental pollution,” says Chinokoro.

An estimated 70% of Lusaka’s residents live in peri-urban areas, which are relatively high density, unplanned neighborhoods, largely comprising lower-income residents. About 90% of these townships rely on substandard pit latrines which pose health hazards to the communities. Others use sewers, septic tanks or defecate in the open.

Chinokoro says 57% of Lusaka’s water supply comes from shallow wells, which is prone to contamination from the pit toilets and through fissures in the underlying rocks. “The most vulnerable areas are the low-income neighborhoods, making sewerage an attractive sanitation option. Poor management of solid waste and storm water drainage further compound these problems,” he says.

LWSC sanitation engineer Mwansa Nachula says the sanitation program will improve sanitation facilities and prevent water-borne diseases. “Pit latrines in Lusaka are actually occupying more space than water points and there are a lot of shallow wells and dugouts sited very close to the pit latrines, which makes for easy contamination of the water,” she says.

The sewerage work is only the more visible part of an intense and person-to-person sanitation campaign in the townships. The aim is to protect the groundwater from contamination by building improved toilets with fully lined substructures that prevent leakage of waste. “These structures include seat or squat toilets, super structure with customers’ choice of brick or block; render and paint, door and door latch, among other options,” says Nachula.

In a sprawling township called George Compound, which has the new toilet structures dotted across it, Clara Malumba shows off her new facility, erected steps away from her door and a water standpipe. “There is no whiff here. The pit is lined with cement and plastic, so it does not leech into the groundwater. My kids love it,” says Malumba.

Another resident, Ruth Phiri, is also proud of her new toilet, which she shares with a neighboring household, which is yet to build its own. Both toilets are beautifully painted. A Bank-funded program trains men and women from this community to design and build these structures as a full-time business, thereby providing jobs to the local people.

“It is in these compounds that the battle for improved sanitation in Lusaka will be won or lost, and we seem to be winning,” says Chinokoro. “The first hurdle is getting the ordinary people to see their interest in what you are proposing, and we seem to have achieved that goal. Now they will respond more to pressure from neighbors,” he says.

Source:African Development Bank Group (AfDB)