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Government has disclosed that it will not be possible to start the implementation of the proposed Goods and Services Tax on April 1st as planned.
In her budget address, Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe revealed that Government will abolish Value Added Tax and replace it with the General Sales Tax which she said will be easier to administer.
During a budget review dinner on the evening of the budget presentation, Mrs Mwanakatwe revealed that the new Sales Tax will come into effect on April 1st.
But Justice Minister Given Lubinda said in an interview yesterday that it will be impossible to start implementing the new tax system on April 1st because a number of modalities are yet to be put in place.
Mr Lubinda said the General Sales Tax could not be implemented on 1st April before a law to support it is even tabled in Parliament.
He disclosed that a Legislative Cabinet meeting will soon be convened to discuss the proposed Bill.
Mr Lubinda said at no time did Mrs Mwanakatwe commit herself in the budget speech to start the implementation of the new Tax by April 1st.
“It cannot come into effect before it is passed by Parliament and it you read the Budget Speech, there is nowhere in her speech where she talks about 1st of April, she made that statement of 1st of April at a Post Budget meting at Intercontinental that I hope it can be done by the 1st of April,” Mr Lubinda said.
He added, “Its not sacrosanct that we launch on April 1st. If we manage well and good but i don’t think we will manage by 1st of April.”
Experienced striker Simon Bwalya is itching to score more goals after netting a brace when Nkana overcame promoted Circuit City 3-2 in a FAZ Super Division match played on Wednesday in Wusakile.
Bwalya came off the bench in the second half when Nkana were trailing 2-1.
He hit the target in the 77th and 88th as Nkana recorded a win in their first league game since losing 2-0 at home to Power Dynamos in the Kitwe derby on February 16.
Bwalya has dedicated the goals to his fans.
‘It feels good. Those goals are for my fans, there are always there for me,’ he said.
Bwalya has now scored three league goals so far in the season.
‘I am telling my fans that this is just the beginning I am very much ready to score more goals for the team,’ he added.
President Edgar Lungu has raised concerns over maternal mortality rates in the country.
President Lungu says maternal mortality issues in the country must be addressed with the seriousness it deserves as no woman should die while giving birth.
The Head of State has since directed the Secretary to treasury to fund the recruitment of 3,000 unemployed nurses to help address the issue.
The President made this directive during the presentation of the cluster report on enhancing human development on the implementation of the 7th National Development Plan.
The Head of State said there is need for a multi-sectorial approach in addressing issues of maternal mortalities.
He said expectant women should be sensitized on the importance of reporting for antenatal clinics much earlier in order to be advised on how to take care of the pregnancy.
President Lungu said there is also need to reduce further the distances that pregnant women cover when accessing antenatal care.
And Minister of Health, Chitalu Chilufya, noted that maternal mortality cases continue to be a source of concern despite the decrease in the numbers of women who are dying during birth.
Dr. Chilufya said before, about 35 to 40 women per week were dying during birth compared to the current records that stand at 8 to 12.
The Minister stated that once government recruits the 3,000 nurses, the cases of maternal mortality may be decreased to zero within a year.
Access to the internet has dramatically increased from 12% in 2015 to 17% in 2018 nationally, the 2018 National ICT Survey has revealed.
According to the survey results released in Lusaka today, an increased number of Zambians are now accessing the internet.
The survey also showed that Smartphone users among all mobile phone users increased from 13.5% in 2015 to 29.6% in 2018.
It also showed that ownership of mobile cellular phones has significantly increased.
The survey which was commissioned by ZICTA with the support of the Swedish government showed that 6.8% of individuals know how to use a computer nationally.
Vice President Inonge Wina receives a cheque from NAPSA Acting Director General Mr. Ronnie Kamanya
The National Pension Scheme Authority NAPSA has given K150 000 to victims of the Cyclone Idai in the affected countries.
The donation was made as the organisation joins the rest of the country and the region in remembering the victims of the cyclone Idai that has claimed over 1500 people and misplaced millions.
NAPSA Acting Director General, Mr. Ronnie Kamanya presented the cheque to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) as part of the authority’s efforts to supplement governments’ effort in rendering support to the affected areas.
Vice President Inonge Wina received the cheque on behalf of DMMU.
“ As NAPSA, we believe that this support, little as it may seem, will help ease these people’s suffering by helping them rebuild and organise their lives as soon as possible,” Mr Kamanya stated.
The acting Director General further indicated that NAPSA believes in caring and supporting one another as Africans by upholding the spirit of UBUNTU as championed by the forefathers.
And in receiving the cheque, Vice President Inonge Wina urged other cooperating partners to emulate the gesture by NAPSA. She has since called on other organisations in the country to contribute towards national response efforts for the affected neighbouring countries.
“The gesture demonstrated by NAPSA to support Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe is commendable and DMMU will ensure the donation is utilized to provide the much needed relief assistance to the affected member countries,” the Vice President said.
She has since promised unswerving commitment to ensuring high levels of accountability in the utilization of the donated resources.
President Edgar Lungu is tomorrow expected in Kabwe for three days working visit in Central Province where he is also expected to grace a combined pass out for the Zambia Army, Zambia National Service (ZNS) and the Zambia Airforce (ZAF).
According to the programme, the Head of State is also scheduled to tour Mukuyu Correctional Service Farm at Mukobeko Correctional Facility before meeting with Kabwe based clergymen later in the day on Friday.
Mr Lungu will on Saturday join scores of Kabwe residents in the cleaning exercise at the Green Market as part of the traditional Keep Zambia Clean and Health campaign which is done every last Saturday of the month.
The Saturday morning is also set to be spiced with keep fit exercise where the Head of State would be joined with jogging before commissioning students hostels and lecture theatre at Kwame Nkrumah University.
The President would also meet the business community under the umbrella of the Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
The Head of State is on Sunday expected to attend church service at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart before meeting Kabwe Diocese Bishop Clement Mulenga.
He will end the tour with an inspection of the ongoing construction Manyumbi Toll Plaza.
Zambia U23 coach Beston Chambeshi is relishing June’s final round clash against Congo-Brazzaville in the 2019 U23 AFCON qualifiers.
Congo and Zambia battle for a place in the Egypt final after successfully negotiating their way through the March’s second round qualifying phase after eliminating Burundi and Malawi respectively.
“We need good preparations, we know our team but all we need is good preparations that are our strong point,” Chambeshi said.
“We are playing at home first which is good because we’ll know them well, they don’t know us and we don’t know them because we have not played each other. It will be a good a good at least we know where to start from.”
Zambia will hosts Congo in the first leg on June 5 in Lusaka before travelling to Brazzaville on June 9 to decide who qualifiers for the November finals in Egypt.
The top three finishers in Egypt will represent Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
FILE: Zambia Railways workers in action during the commencement of the truck rehabilitation programme in Livingstone
Zambia Railways Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Musonda says Zambia is set to become a more attractive investment destination if it fully implements the decision to move 30 percent of mining and agricultural products from road to rail transport.
Mr. Musonda said the decision was already backed by a 2018 Statutory Instrument and just needed effective implementation and capacity building in the railway sector.
He said Zambia Railways, in collaboration with regional stakeholders in the railway sector, was stepping up measures to ensure rail transport dominated other forms of transport as this would enhance Zambia’s trade competitiveness, improve the economies of scale and open up new investment opportunities.
Mr. Musonda noted that Zambia Railways was strategically positioned to connect to all ports to the Indian Ocean through Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania; and to the Democratic Republic of Congo – the main mineral hub in the region.
“As railways sector we should operate and service this country through various corridors within Southern Africa. Rail transport is an important sector to any economy…there are various products that are better handled by rail than by air or road,” he said.
He said this in Livingstone today during the official opening of a Southern African Railways Association (SARA) meeting at Avani Victoria Falls Resort.
Earlier, SARA Executive Director Babe Botana said the meeting would discuss technology and safety issues to ensure risks in the railway sector were mitigated in an appropriate manner within the region.
“We will also look at the technical and engineering issues to ensure there is standardization and harmonization of the rolling stock in the region,” he said.
PF Secretary General Davies Mwila has commended party members for scooping the Kafue town council chairperson by-election.
Mr Mwila says the victory shows how the ruling party has continued to gain momentum in opposition UPND strongholds.He told journalists at a media briefing in Lusaka that the PF has shown the opposition that it is possible to win elections without resorting to evil schemes of violence and the shedding of innocent blood.
Mr Mwila however said he was dismayed by reports of violence that were recorded on the polling day.
He said it is shocking that the UNPD want to suggest that the PF was involved in the violence that led to the arrest of UPND provincial chairperson Obvious Mwaliteta.
Mr Mwila said the by election was triggered when the opposition UPND unfairly and senselessly suspended their then District Council Chairperson Mr Thomas Zulu for merely attending a monthly Keep Zambia Clean and Healthy Campaign graced by President Edgar Lungu in Kafue. Mr Zulu eventually resigned from UPND after enduring unbearable persecution for merely performing a duty in his official capacity on behalf of the people of Kafue. Mr Mwila said it was very scandalous for the UPND to cause an expensive by election by placing the ego of their party leader above the interest of the people of Kafue.
Mr. Mwila said the PF development agenda is blowing a wind of change in former opposition strongholds and people in UPND strongholds are joining this movement and progressively freeing themselves from the retrogressive clutches of tribalism and regionalism. The PF Secretary General said he hoped peace would continue to prevail over the nation.
The Catholic Diocese of Mongu has handed over a maternity annex at Nalwei Rural Health Centre in Mongu district to government constructed at a cost of US$60,000.
Western Province Public Health Specialist Dr. Jacob Sakala received the maternity annex on behalf of government.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Nalwei, Dr. Sakala thanked the Catholic Church for supplementing government efforts in reducing maternal mortality by bringing health services closer to the community.
Dr. Sakala said the facility that will serve a population of about 8, 000 people which is in line with government’s policy of ensuring that no one dies during and after giving birth.
He has since called on the people of Nalwei who are the main beneficiaries of the maternity annex to guard it jealously for its sustainability.
And handing over the facility after blessing it, Mongu Diocese Bishop Evans Chinyemba-Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) said the idea of constructing the maternity annex was arrived at after the then Parish Priest Father Pat Cashin saw the need of having the facility in Nalwei.
Bishop Chinyemba said the Church is in support of government’s initiative to have a conducive environment where women can deliver from, hence donors and well-wishers thought of putting resources together for the annex to be constructed.
The Bishop has since thanked government for always being available to give guidance whenever it is needed, saying projects become successful when people work together.
And a female local resident, Masozi Ndandula thanked Government and the Catholic Church for coming to the aid of the women of Nalwei who used to travel long distances to access maternity services, adding that other mothers used to give birth at homes and under trees.
AZWIM exhibiting Zambian minerals at the Brighton Gem ‘n’ Bead show at Brighton Racecourse, UK
Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Mr.Muyeba Chikonde and United Kingdom Department for International Trade (DIT) held a meeting to introduce the Association of Zambian Women in Mining (AZWIM) and explored opportunities for Zambia-UK mining ventures.
The meeting was facilitated by the Zambia High Commission in London and UK Department for International Trade (DIT) was represented by Mining and Infrastructure Specialist Ros Lund, DIT Head of Mining Team Mark Smith while AZWIM was represented by the Association president Mrs. Mary Lubemba, and senior executive members.
High Commissioner Chikonde commenced the meeting by reiterating President Lungu’s call to help women in small scale mining upscale and mechanize their operations in order to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country.
“As a Mission, we are here to translate the President’s call into action by facilitating meetings that will promote trade and investment for Zambia and explore potential partners for Women in Mining so that they can increase their production capacity as well as build technical capacity of their organisation to generate value addition of their products,” he said.
He added that “Artisanal small scale mining is essential for the country’s development especially in the eradication of poverty, as it has the capacity to generate employment for the many Women and Youths and contribute to the country’s economic growth.”
And Ms. Lund said DIT was able to facilitate access to its data base of companies who are involved in precious/semi-precious stones to help AZWIM access a wider value chain.
She added that DIT can explore the potential of promoting the establishment of an environmentally friendly Gold smelting facility in order to process raw gold.
Ms. Lund who introduced AZWIM to the International Women in Mining urged AZWIM to unite with other mining associations around the world and come up with best practices that will protection their mines from illegal mining which is detrimental to their growth.
And AZWIM President Mrs. Mary Lubemba thanked High Commissioner Chikonde for organising the meeting. She said AZWIM had over 300 members and majority of the members were facing challenges such as, lack of access to affordable capital, equipment and lack of necessary skills in the extractive industry.
Mrs. Lubemba said the meeting with DIT was timely as AZWIM was exploring the European market for precious/semi-precious stones as well as partners for capacity building.
She said there is huge international demand for Zambian precious/semi-precious stones such as Emerald and Amethyst but that women in the mining sector were not able to meet the demand because of lack of equipment to scale up the means of production beyond a shovel and a pike to increase production and enhance value of their raw products.
AZWIM also met Dr. Dan Hart of Tracks of Peace, a UK registered charity who is eager to work and partner with the women in mining. He is willing to facilitate AZWIM open an office in London that will service Europe.
Dr. Hart is also keen to sign an MOU with AZWIM once the discussions had advanced.
Issued by: Abigail Chaponda (Mrs.)
First Secretary | Press and Public Relations
Zambia High Commission in the United Kingdom.
A 41 year-old man of Fringilla Farm in Chisamba district in Central Province has committed suicide.
Central Province Commissioner of Police, Chola Katanga, confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Kabwe today.
Mr Katanga identified the victim as Charles Birke, adding that he committed suicide by cutting his legs at thigh level using a grinder in his workshop.
He said the incident happened yesterday between 14:30 hours and 16:30 hours.
Mr Katanga said the deceased left a suicide note for his wife, found in the house, just before the body of the deceased was discovered.
The Central Province Police Chief explained that according to the wife, the deceased was depressed over an illness he had been diagnosed with.
He added that police visited the scene and suspected no foul play and that the body has been taken to Chisamba Clinic Mortuary.
File:Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu at a media briefing
I believe we can learn something from the philosophy of science: Knowledge of Facts i.e., what happened? Knowledge of facts is available to everyone who has seen, observed or heard about something. For example: if there is political violence (as a fact) during campaigns, then we expect everyone who has seen or observed such violence (through eye witnessing, social media or television) to have knowledge of such political violence. When television news reports an event, they usually sample (from onlookers) the knowledge of facts. Anyone who witnessed an event can narrate how such an event unfolded.
Knowledge of Reason for the Fact: Why did it happen? i.e., knowledge of reasons for the fact is not available to everyone, even if they might have seen, observed or heard about something happening. For example, if there is political violence (as a fact) during campaigns, then we do not expect everyone who has seen or observed such violence (through eye witnessing, social media or television), to have the knowledge of the reasons for such political violence. A transition from knowledge of the facts to knowledge of the reasons for the fact requires skillful (technical) knowledge that employs discipline-specific explanatory principles. As such, knowledge of the reasons for political violence would require the technical knowledge of the explanatory principles into other fields like social psychology, political science, sociology or in skillful-life experiences and more especially to make a projection into the future. And of course television news would go into the streets for sampling knowledge of facts, but would have to carefully choose expert opinion on knowledge of reason for the fact.
Let me try to make a sampling analysis on the recent Sesheke violence, from which I believe our beloved Catholic Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu had made the wrong projection. It is usually said that the world is three days i.e., yesterday, today and tomorrow. And if you do not know yesterday, you won’t know what day to-day is and certainly tomorrow will take you by surprise. What had really made the Sesheke by-election so violent and somehow involved what some people concluded to be witchcraft! In the first place, each political party has its own strongholds i.e., it’s own territory and Western Province has been the opposition territory since the UNIP era. The problem arose when PF won the Mangango parliamentary seat in the constituency which was deemed to be in UPND territory. The fierce tug of war ensured since UPND could not avoid to lose another parliamentary seat in Western Province and so it had to defend the Sesheke seat at all costs. And on the other hand, since the PF had won the Mangango parliamentary seat they believed that they had penetrated and made an opening in Western Province and were equally determined to win the Sesheke seat at all costs.
We generally regard our Church ministers as the moral conscience of our society and they stand on more superior moral principles than politicians and surely we do not expect them to be emotionally carried away and make careless cadre type political pronouncements. The danger is with such unguarded statements our Church ministers can easily lose credibility.
His Grace Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu has always been at the centre of political controversy and with a leaning to the opposition UPND dating back to 2005 when he took up his position as the Archbishop of Lusaka and thus making him the most senior Catholic clergy in Zambia. We must lean on history to help us to try to peep at the route of this now emerging political clergy-turned politician and prophet in line with Reverend Dr. Nevers Mumba.
He launched his political career through the support of the Church-led Oasis Forum. An illusion is defined as an ‘’erroneous perception of reality’’ and politicians like magicians depend upon it to trick their audiences. But illusions can be fatal. If a person chases a mirage in the desert thinking its water, he would eventually die of thirsty. In the same way, the enthusiasm that was created when the Oasis Forum managed to attract a large group of intellectuals and successfully helped to campaign against President Chiluba’s third term bid. The Forum’s Chairperson was Bishop Paul Mususu and was assisted by firebrand orators, Reverend Japhet Ndhlovu and Father Joe Komakoma.
The first thing was that it triggered into the hearts of the Oasis Forum leadership the ambition for political leadership. The weekly newspaper, Monitor and Digest of 20th July 2007 came out with the headline: ‘’Oasis Forum Political Party Coming.’’ Francis Mangaila reported that some named individuals with political ambitions were secretly pushing for the transformation of the Oasis Forum into a political party that would challenge the existing political parties in 2011. ‘’The individuals with media, law and religious backgrounds are said to be unhappy with the performance of the current crop of politicians in the country, hence the argument that Zambia lacks credible leaders….. But when contacted for a comment, Oasis Forum spokesperson, Musa Mwenye brushed aside assertions that the organization would be turned into a political party.’’
The second was from the capitalist-exploiter’s interest who detected the insurmountable political potential in both the intellectuals who had supported the Oasis Forum as well the Church leadership and the combination of which, if he played his cards correctly he could exploit the situation to his greatest advantage. This development came to light when the then Minister of Justice Honourable George Kunda told Parliament that the donor community had refused to fund the constituent assembly.
However, on the other hand, the Oasis Forum chairperson, Bishop Paul Mususu retorted: ‘’Even those donors that have talked to us in confidence have put it across that if the decision of adopting the Constitution through the constituent assembly comes from Zambians, then they will have no choice but to support it’’ (Zambia Daily Mail 28th January 2006). The question is why where the donors ready to fund through the Oasis Forum rather than the government?
On 23rd November 2005, UPND Kabwata Member of Parliament Honourable Given Lubinda moved a private motion on behalf of the Church-led Oasis forum which sought to suspend Standing Orders No. 39 to enable the House to consider tabling a petition on the establishment of the constituent assembly for the adoption of the Constitution. The MMD sixty-five Members voted against while fifty-two UPND voted for and were dubbed ‘’gallant’’ by the Forum.
The church-led Oasis Forum immediately began to de-campaign against MMD MPs by publishing their names and pictures in The Post and intimidating them that the ‘’people’’ would not vote for them in 2006. And it was at this point that His Grace Archbishop came on the scene. He was Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) President as well as Lusaka Archdiocese Coadjutor and he declared: ‘’…. The involvement of the Catholic Church in the Oasis forum is to ensure that a people-driven Constitution is enacted. (Saturday Post 24th December 2005)
Eventually President Mwanawasa was so irritated by His Grace the Archbishop’s pronouncements that at one time he retorted and The Post of 23rd December 2005 came out with the headline: ‘’Catholic Bishops are just wasting their time.’’ He said they were just wasting their time in working with the opposition to remove him from power because he did not need their support to win.
The tension between the Catholic Church under the leadership of His Grace Archbishop Mpundu and the government grew so tense that the Holy See had to recall the retired Lusaka Archbishop Medardo Mazombwe, and was immediately promoted to the most senior position of a Cardinal in order to overshadow Archbishop Mpundu’s authority and thus Cardinal Mazombwe became the head of the Catholic Church in Zambia. And eventually Archbishop Mpundu made an early retirement before the normal retiring age of 75 years.
And now the question to the current Archbishop Banda which the nation eagerly wants to know is whether the now retired Archbishop Mpundu’s pronouncements still continue to reflect the views of the Catholic Church in Zambia?
And here is what a Jesuit Catholic priest, Father Gerard W. Hughes wrote in his book God of Surprises: ‘’The Roman emperors did not need psychologists and psychiatrists to help them control dissidents. Their pagan subjects were religious people who believed in gods, so the emperors declared themselves to be divine and so hoped to gain a more complete control over the minds and hearts of their subjects. Religious authorities and teachers will always be tempted to control and dominate in the name of God. Christ warned his followers against submitting to this kind of domination: ‘’You must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.’’ (Matt. 23:9-11). We need doctors, religious teachers and specialists in every branch of knowledge, and we should be fools if we did not listen to them, but we must never allow any expert to dominate our lives.
‘’The danger in the institutional element is that we never advance beyond a religious infantilism and this approach instills a childish attitude with little or no encouragement to move beyond it. Much of the present tension within the Catholic Church is tension between those who assume that the institutional is the only essential element in the Church and others who are demanding more of the critical and mystical elements. There is also danger for those in authority in the Churches that they may encourage people to remain in the infantile stage, calling this retarded state ‘being humble, loyal, faithful and observant,’ and threatening with the wrath of God anyone who dares to disagree. There is no more effective way of destroying true faith in God than by misusing words like loyalty, humility, obedience and faithfulness.
‘’The Church must encourage the critical element in its members. If it fails to do so, then the individual will not be able to integrate religious belief with everyday experience or, put in other words, God will be excluded from most of the individual’s life until religion comes to be considered a private but harmless eccentricity of a minority…..So a Church which really trusts God is not afraid, but encourages its members to search and question, guiding them in her wisdom and warning them of routes which she knows from long experience to be cul-de-sacs. Her teachings will never be delivered as the last word on any subject, but rather as signposts, encouraging her members to explore the route further for themselves. Otherwise, undue emphasis on the institutional element today is likely to produce a Church of dwindling numbers, loyal, obedient, docile, uninspired and passive members, God’s frozen people.’’
