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Five Chipolopolo players will miss today’s friendly against Gabon in Libreville.
The five include the TP Mazembe trio of defender Kabaso Chongo, midfielder’s Rainford Kalaba and Nathan Sinkala who all started in Saturday’s 1-1 away draw against Namibia in a 2019 AFCON Group K qualifier in Windhoek.
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene and Orlando Pirates midfielder Augustine Mulenga have also been released for varying reasons.
“I made an agreement with Mazembe that I would have the three boys earlier in camp and would release them earlier because they have an away CAF Champions League first leg game,” Vandenbroeck said.
Mazembe travel to Luanda this week to face Primeiro de Agosto of Angola on Saturday evening in a 2018 CAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg match.
“Then we have one injury that is Mweene, with a finger injury, it was better to release him to his club to begin his rehab there,” Vandenbroeck said.
“The last one is a private one, Mulenga has become a father so he has traveled to see wife and kid. It is always good to see a smile a on a players face when they become fathers again.”
Meanwhile, Vandenbroeck said everyone will get a run in today’s friendly with at least each player getting 30 minutes to play following a grueling trip after leaving Namibia on Sunday and arriving in Gabon on Monday following a night-stop in Ethiopia.
“We have had a long trip to Gabon, we traveled first for 11 hours after the game and later seven hours on the last leg to Gabon so that is not the best preparations,” Vandenbroeck said.
“We don’t have a lot of time to make tactical training before the Gabon game.”
This is Chipolopolo’s first meeting against Gabon since June 4, 2017 when they drew 0-0 in Libreville under Wedson Nyirenda.
Reuters reports that the Trump administration on Monday threatened tough action against the International Criminal Court should it try to prosecute Americans for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, made the announcement in a speech to the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in Washington, DC, on Monday.
“Today, on the eve of September 11th, I want to deliver a clear and unambiguous message on behalf of the president. The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” Bolton said.
“The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” national security adviser John Bolton told the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in his first major address since joining President Donald Trump’s White House in April.
The U.S. response could include sanctions against ICC judges should such prosecutions proceed, Bolton warned.
“We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us,” he said.
Bolton said the Trump administration “will fight back” if the ICC proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan.
“The ICC prosecutor has requested to investigate these Americans for alleged detainee abuse, and perhaps more – an utterly unfounded, unjustifiable investigation,” he said.
If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in American courts, Bolton said.
“We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us,” he said.
In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to The Hague-based court, Bolton said.
In 2016, the The Hague-based court said members of the US armed forces and the CIA might have committed war crimes by torturing detainees in Afghanistan.
Established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, the ICC is the world’s first permanent court set up to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
More than 120 countries around the world are members, but superpowers – including the US, Russia and China – have not signed up.
“This president will not allow American citizens to be prosecuted by foreign bureaucrats, and he will not allow other nations to dictate our means of self defence.”
On the ICC, Bolton said if any investigations go ahead on alleged US war crimes, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the country, put sanctions on any funds they have in the US financial system, and prosecute them in US courts.
Bolton said the main objection is the idea the ICC could have higher authority than the US constitution and US sovereignty.
“In secular terms we don’t recognise any higher authority than the US constitution,” he said. “This president will not allow American citizens to be prosecuted by foreign bureaucrats, and he will not allow other nations to dictate our means of self defence.”
Why are you reporting at this time? Mr Lusambo seems to asking a named IT Director at ZESCO on Thursday.
Management at state run power utility ZESCO has admitted that late coming late for work is costing the company.
In a memo to staff following an impromptu visit by Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo to ZESCO Headquarters last Thursday, company Human Resources Director Rhoda Mwale said workers who report late and leave early will be disciplined.
Ms Mwale said the habit of reporting late for work and leaving early is costing ZESCO due to low productivity and poor service delivery.
She wrote, “desperate several reminders, some employees are still reporting late for work and leaving their places of work as they please.”
“This has resulted in low productivity and poor service delivery to our customers. To ensure all employees will be held accountable for adhering to their workplace timetables.
She has since implored supervisors to ensure that they remain vigilant and that late coming and early departures are not tolerated.
On Thursday, Mr Lusambo stormed ZESCO Headquarters in Lusaka to check on reports that majority of ZESCO employees report late for work.
Mr Lusambo warned that government will not tolerate a culture of late coming from workers in the public service including those in quasi-government institutions.
The Government’s newly built Robert Kapasa Makasa University in Chinsali
By Isaac Mwanza
Introduction
In many WhatsApp and social media platforms, Zambian students have been discussing the demand by Government for beneficiaries of government bursaries to pay back their bursaries as loans, through the Higher Education and Scholarships Board. The demand affects students who benefitted from students’ loans dating back to 2004. There is a mixed feeling but these discussion among students lean favourably in support of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who have given a campaign promise to write off the loans and offer free education. The question is, what is the problem and how can students get a win-win situation with government?
Can Zambia sustain free education?
Zambia’s main opposition party the UPND have a right to campaign and get support using the promise of students’ loan write-off, just as the PF campaigned for lower taxes and more money in our pockets before 2011. History should teach Zambians, especially the youth, that it is easier for political parties to make these promises while in opposition in order to win votes, but the truth becomes the reality when a party forms government, when it is expected to make good on those promises and deliver the goods.
With regard to the issue at hand, namely the student loans and taking into consideration where the country is coming from and where we want to see ourselves 50 years from now, I wish to offer my perspective on the matter.
Some Zambians, for political expediency, suggest that Zambia is capable of reverting to provision of free education if we can dedicate a good portion of our taxes, coupled with borrowed money, towards financing the student bursaries scheme that provide free education. This reasoning is not only economically defective but also absurd.
By now, Zambians must know better; that free things are not sustainable as can be seen from the mealie-meal coupon system Kaunda had introduced to prevent food riots at a time Zambia witnessed queues for commodities such as sugar, mealie meal, cooking oil and detergents.
By any standards, the students’ loan scheme introduced by the PF administration to replace the bursaries scheme has been long overdue and, if well-managed, it would be sustainable because it is not only meant to benefit students from the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University but the entire spectrum of tertiary education.
The derision by both former and current students over the student loan payback announcement is coming from a general lack in the state to being genuine custodian of the national coin. Strangely, people reject the idea of paying back a student loan then get pissed off when you get loans. Zambia ought to borrow money or uses taxes to finance investments that have a potential to create an enabling environment for job creation to flourish, now or in future, than spend money on consumption.
On a lighter note, if I may ask former students like Hakainde Hichilema, Steven Katuka, Edgar Lungu and Nkandu Luo et al, all of whom graduated from UNZA, how many have even looked back and given back even a ngwee to sustain the repealed Bursaries Scheme generally? Those who demonise the progressive system of students loans because they had the privilege of getting free education must demonstrate by giving back to the universities and the country that gave them free education.
Where is the problem?
From where I stand, the Students’ Loan Scheme has been poorly administered and not meeting the spirit for which it was created, which is, to benefit all students of higher learning irrespective of which institution they belonged to. In disbursing these loans, merit rather than one’s institution should have been the focus by the Loans Board.
The decision by the loans board to initially provide these loans only to UNZA and CBU students hasn’t helped in breaking down the notion of “entitlement” by former students from UNZA and CBU who do not seem to appreciate that these loans should be given to any student of higher learning, on the basis of need and willingness to pay back.
Secondly, the outcry among former students against repayment of loans by everyone, so long one got the loan, has some merits which ought to be heard by government. The demand does not take into account the financial standing of beneficiaries at a time when youth unemployment is still a time-bomb with most graduates still roaming the Zambian streets. Sadly, even the much talked about higher education system in Zambia is one that has been tailored to make graduates see themselves as employees and not employers.
Again, I fully support government’s students’ loan system and the need for beneficiaries to pay back but that must be done at a time when government is sure it has created an enabling environment which allow graduates to sustain themselves – with or without any formal employment – and their families. For example, how many of us have asked why Chinese private companies – both overseas and in China – are successful and contribute a huge income to China’s national purse?
The lending interest rates in China are very low, lower than even the interest being demanded by the Loans Board from former students whom they have not empowered after university life. China and many other countries also inject money into private companies that get huge contracts in various sectors in Africa, not based on anything, but based on the contract itself. China, with its deficiencies in the human rights record (no country world-over has a perfect human rights record, after all), is still a good example for Africa to emulate.
In Zambia, instead of continuing with the policy of giving incentives, in form of tax breaks to foreign investors, we must begin to give these incentives to our own people. It’s sad that we are at the stage where, immediately a Zambian opens up a company, ZRA, NAPSA etc., will be knocking at their door without giving them relief by allowing the enterprise to grow until the stage where they can pay taxes. Is it also not strange that most companies run by Zambians are easily shut down as happened to the Post Newspaper while many multinational companies that are taking away Africa’s wealth to the Western world and China continue to operate with huge debts hanging on their shoulders?
What must government do with these students’ loans?
Firstly, government must also come up with a deliberate funding policy to graduates who wish to run companies and support these companies to grow. For example graduating medical students from UNZA, Cavendish, APEX University, could come together and be assisted to set-up private clinics and hospitals by way of provisions of land or getting financial investment partners. This will not only create employment but also help government to recover loans from people who are capable of paying back.
Secondly, government needs constructive dialogue with both former and current students over the many challenges that students face, including repayment modalities of these loans. The creation of the Ministry of Higher Education was done in good faith to address the needs of students of higher learning but this is the Ministry that is usually only heard when responding to students during times of students’ riots.
To a large extent, the Ministry of Higher Education is not in sync and not carrying along students in finding solutions to the problems facing students of higher education, even as she relentlessly continues to push her guild leadership system of governance among students’ bodies. The day Professor Luo leaves the Ministry of Higher Education, which I notice is the prayer of many students, will be the day when the so-called guild leadership system she is proposing will kiss goodbye because it is being developed without the support of existing students themselves and never understood by the students’ movement.
Finally, President Lungu ought to take interest in the cries of many former and current students and begin to address these concerns unless he does not care about the role students may play in the future of our country, especially on the political side. Since the Ministry of Higher Education has closed its doors to engagement with students’ bodies, through their umbrella body, it may be suicidal for the Head of State to also close his doors to engaging students.
If the President can meet “jerabos” over the black mountain, it must be his resolve to give direction to the issue of loan recoveries which is one of his duties as President – to give direction critical matters of national interest, and there in none more critical than the students who are mainly the youth, the very future of this country.
The president cannot afford to just pay lip service or palm it off to his Minister who, so far, appears to have no interest in meeting the students movement so that she can hear, first hand, what the student’s concerns are. She appears to prefer to keep her door firmly shut to the student movement or anyone who may have ideas different from her own, which is unfortunate.
Conclusion
It is my contention that the Students’ loan scheme is a better replacement of the bursaries scheme that was not sustainable but the decision to recover the funds should, for now, be suspended until constructive engagement takes place with all stakeholders associated with this loan system. There are a number of key issues to be addressed such as the high interest rate for this student loan, the modality of paying the loans which should take into account the financial standing of the beneficiaries.
The loan system ought to be extended to all universities and offered to students, not based on target university but based on the needs of any student of higher learning, whether the student is from Eden University or Evelyn Hone College. The failure to fully open the loan system but to limit it only to public universities, selected at the choice of those who make decisions, will not help to achieve the spirit in which the loan system was created.
(Disclaimer: The views in this article do not necessary represent or reflect the views of any institution or association the author may be affiliated to but represent that of the author)
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Christopher Yaluma
Government has called on the packaging manufacturers to invest and create jobs in the growing manufacturing sector in the country.
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Christopher Yaluma said the country is in urgent need of packaging facilities with new packaging designs.
The Minister placed emphasis on the need for small medium agro-enterprise to access better packaging to protect and reinforce the value of products at an affordable price.
This was in a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, Lillian Bwalya during the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) side event on defining the future of agri- food packaging at the ongoing 18th edition of the World Export Development Forum being held at the Mulungushi International Conference Center.
ZANIS reports that Mr. yaluma said there is need to attract investors to develop scalable and recyclable packaging manufacturing facilities close to agri- food SMEs.
The Minster further stated that he is looking forward to see realistic recommendations for a sustainable and better future for packaging in sub-Saharan Africa.
And speaking at the same event, Director of Industry and Agriculture at COMESA, Thierry kalonji said the food industry packaging is among important factors that trigger customers to purchase a product hence, the need for suitable packaging.
He said that packaging of consumer goods is contiguously changing hence, the need for packaging technologies to be flexible to accommodate influencing factors.
He said it is therefore, important to assist SMEs to access affordable and quality packaging knowledge due to the environmental and health awareness among consumers especially in the food sector.
And Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative, George okech said the workshop will accord participants to share their experience and challenges they encounter and best approaches for food packaging.
Mr. Okech said packaging plays a big role in reducing food losses by preserving food quality and safety and also facilitating distribution and market penetration of food products.
He said the importance of packaging is further emphasized by the loss of one third of food produced for human consumption worldwide noting that enhanced packaging has the potential to reverse this bad trend.
President Edgar Lungu shake hands with Vice Chair of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Democratic Republic of Congo Bishop Fridolin Ambongo whilst Secretary General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Democratic Republic of Congo Bishop Donatien Nshole shortly meeting the President at State HouseThe Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolutions of Disputes (SACCORD) has commended the Catholic Bishops from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo for showing humility by seeking guidance from their Zambian counterparts.
Commenting on the gesture by DRC Catholic Bishops to visit their Christian counterparts from Zambia for guidance, SACCORD Executive Director Boniface Cheembe noted that the gesture by the DRC Catholic Bishops demostrated an earnest call and desire for their country to have peaceful elections and asher into office a legitimate government.
“SACCORD welcomes and commends the Catholic Bishops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for being humble to come and get guidance from their fellow Christians in Zambia.
“Their being humble is an earnest call and desire for the DRC to have peaceful elections and ensure that the DRC puts in a place a legitimate government that will govern the country for the next five years,” he said.
And Cheembe said his organisation welcomes the position taken by Republican President Edgar Lungu who is the chairperson for the SADC organ on Peace, Defense and Security, to appeal to the DRC to have all candidates wishing to participate in the elections to be allowed to do so.
He explained that a strong demicracy lies in ensuring that people wishing to participate are allowed to do so without any hinderance.
“Democracy that is inclusive and allows for the free participation of everyone is durable and forms a solid foundation for peace. We want to encourage the DRC Bishops to ensure that they include other Christian and non-christian faiths in that country to participate in the dialogue and peace process of that country. This spirit of inclusivity is in line with the appeal that all eligible candidates in the DRC should be allowed to contest.
“Although Zambia has largely been peaceful we believe that one of the biggest lesson to be learned by stakeholders is to ensure that consultations must be broad and that at times need may arise to cross borders and consult with the DRC or indeed any other country. What the DRC Bishops have done is to show high levels of commitment and boldness to peace which is something that we as a nation must continue to nurture and appreciate,” he said.
Itezhi Tezhi Magistrates Mugala Chalwe has found a 16 –year-old Boy of Itezhi Tezhi guilty and thereby convicted him of defiling a 13-year-old minor.
Magistrates Chalwe convicted the juvenile after finding him guilty of one count of defilement.
“ From the evidence provided, it is not in dispute that the you met the girls when they were selling brooms, that the victim identified you and that you were apprehended with help from members of the public, ” Magistrate Chalwe said.
She said that she found no reason why the girl could falsely implicate him in the case and that it happened during the day and the accused talked to the victim as he led her to the bush.
“There was sufficient time for the girl to observe the juvenile offender, ” Magistrate Chalwe said.
She stated that the medical report confirmed the hymen was broken on that day.
“I find you guilty and convict you accordingly” she said.
The court has since adjourned the matter to October 17 for social welfare report and sentencing.
Facts are that the named juvenile offender, a resident of Masemu Compound in Itezhi Tezhi district in Central Province, stood charged with defilement contrary to section 138(1) of the Penal Code cap 87 as amended by Act number 15 of 2005.
Particulars of the offence alleged that the named juvenile on 29 April this year, in Itezhi Tezhi, the teenager allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl aged 13.
When the juvenile first appeared in court, he denied the charge and trial commenced.
During trial the court heard a testimony from Bridget Mbunda, the mother of the victim how she learnt about her daughter’s defilement.
Ms Mbunda , who positively identified the juvenile offender, testified before magistrates Mugala Chalwe that on the material day she sent her two daughters to sell brooms in Kataba but around 11:00 hours, only for one of girls to return crying while holding her torn underwear.
She said that she noticed that the girl had a swollen neck and some blood in her eyes.
“I then decided to inspect her private parts and discovered that there was semen in her private parts, ” she said.
She told the court that after reporting the matter to police on their way home, they met three boys which among them the victim identified.
She said that she then members of the public helped in apprehending him
The victim on her part testified that she was accompanied by her friend when they were selling blooms in Kataba.
She said that she met the now accused juvenile who wanted a broom but being given more than the amount that required change , the accused juvenile advised her to go round and come later in the hope that the needed change could be found to enable him to buy the said broom.
She told court that on her return without the change , the accused offered to accompany her as she sought the change.
She said that she however insisted that her friend only accompanies her to look for change but the accused juvenile refused and assured her she was in safe hands.
She told the court that soon after , the accused forcefully he took her in the bushy and rocky hill where he later started slapping her and then pushed her on the ground and ripped her under and forced himself on her without her consent.
In his defence , the accused juvenile said that on the material day, he was making a wooden carrier with a Joe Chisala from 07 hours to 17:00 hours when he was sent by her grandmother to buy tickets.
The juvenile’s grandmother was allowed to defend him and corroborated his story that he was making a ducks carrier on the material day.
But when asked if she was around when her grandson committed the offence, she responded that she was not around when her grandson committed the offence.
Today the High Commissioner for Zambia in the UK will make history by announcing a new system for anonymously reporting online child sexual abuse images and videos in Zambia, in partnership with the international charity, the IWF (Internet Watch Foundation) and Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA).
To mark this momentous occasion, the Zambia High Commission in London is hosting an event, to celebrate with foreign Ambassadors, international organisations working in child protection and members of the internet industry, the benefits of working in partnership to effectively fight against this borderless crime. Zambia’s Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) will join the celebration by hosting a special parallel event in Lusaka.
According to a press statement released to the media by Mrs Abigail Chaponda, the First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the
Zambia High Commission in the United Kingdom, Zambia’s government has taken this important step to ensure the removal of child sexual abuse images from the country’s internet, by launching this new system for the public to report illegal online images and videos of child sexual abuse anonymously with the IWF, and ZICTA.
The IWF Reporting Portal is a web-based mechanism that will allow citizens to report child sexual abuse imagery they may stumble across online anonymously.
The system will help protect Zambia’s online community and prevent child victims of this disturbing crime from the mental torture of knowing images of their abuse could be shared online.
Top internet providers from Zambia have backed the move, following a meeting in November 2017, where the biggest players in the industry – MTN, AirTel, and ZAMTEL, committed their full support to cracking down on illegal images of children.
The IWF, a world leader in identifying and removing online child sexual abuse imagery from the internet, runs the network of reporting mechanisms, known as IWF Reporting Portals, from its headquarters in Cambridge. Portals offer countries around the world a place to safely report disturbing material to IWF’s expert Analysts, who then assess each report individually and have any illegal imagery removed from the internet.
Zambia becomes the 24th IWF international Portal and the sixth country to benefit from a prestigious international grant awarded by the Global Fund to End Violence Against Children, which is dedicated to funding the implementation of Portals in 30 countries across the world. By the end of 2020, the total number of IWF Reporting Portals will be 48. Because of this programme of activity, the IWF’s work in sub-Sahara Africa has been stepped up, with more countries adopting IWF Reporting Portals than ever before. Nations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have taken the lead, with Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Namibia all having launched their own IWF Portals since 2017.
From today, if a Zambian internet user stumbles across child sexual abuse images or videos, they can report them through the Zambian IWF Reporting Portal at https://report.iwf.org.uk/zm. Any reports made will feed back through to the IWF’s Hotline operation in the UK, where Analysts will assess whether the content meets the legal threshold for child sexual abuse imagery.
His Excellency Mr Muyeba Chikonde, High Commissioner for the Republic of Zambia to the United Kingdom, said “Online child exploitation is an abhorrent vice that has to be fought by all stakeholders and the Zambian Government led by His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is committed to ensuring that every child is protected. No single government or organisation can wrestle the problem alone, we need to work together and this portal is an example of what can be achieved with a network of partnership”.
Patrick M. Mutimushi, ZICTA Director General, said: “ZICTA will remain committed to ensuring that we build a secured and safe environment for our children and young people to access the cyber world. We are thankful to our partner, the IWF, for the Reporting Portal which is cardinal in the fight against child sexual abuse on the internet and will reinforce the nation’s ability to mitigate online risks against children. This launch is an achievement of both the Authority and all stakeholders in the country that have joined the global fight against child online sexual abuse. This symbolises our commitment to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 which aims to end all forms of violence by 2030.”
Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO, said: “It’s a great privilege to be able to announce the IWF Reporting Portal in Zambia. Child sexual abuse is a global problem. It does not respect countries borders or laws. The only effective way to fight this horrific abuse is through strong, committed partnerships and a truly global approach. So, I’m thrilled to see Zambia joining us on our mission to end online child sexual abuse.
“This is an historic event. With over 20 percent of individuals in Zambia now using the Internet, there is no better time to make sure citizens are protected. As well as all the organisations in Zambia who helped make this possible, I’d also like to thank his Excellency Mr Muyeba Chikonde and the Zambia High Commission in London. I am also grateful to ZICTA in Zambia, for helping organise the dual launch events and showing their commitment to help put an end on child sexual abuse material online. We hope citizens of Zambia will feel confident, so if they do stumble across child sexual abuse on the internet, they will know they have somewhere safe and secure to report it.
“Just one report to our Analysts can help us remove anywhere from one to a thousand disturbing, illegal images of children. Every single report we receive is vital to us. It could even lead to the identification and rescue of a child from the most horrific sexual abuse.”
Jenny Thornton, IWF International Development Manager, said: “It is wonderful to be working in Zambia with local law enforcement agencies, children’s rights organisations, internet service providers and the government, all of which are dedicated to tackling the global problem of child sexual abuse imagery online. “We hope that the IWF Reporting Portal in Zambia will help to protect internet users in the country, as well as victims worldwide. “To access the new portal and report child sexual abuse imagery online, go to https://report.iwf.org.uk/zm. The process can be completely anonymous and takes only seconds.
KCM Nchanga Open PitKonkola Copper Mines (KCM) has finally agreed to resettle 86 families of Nyanji area in Chingola whose houses have been cracking for over 20 years due to mining activities at Nchanga Mine.
Nchanga Member of Parliament Chali Chilombo has disclosed that his office has received correspondence from KCM that the firm is now in the process of resettling the residents once it gets land from the Chingola Municipal Council.
Speaking at a Patriotic Front Interactive Forum in Chingola yesterday, Mr. Chilombo said a full Council meeting of the Chingola Municipal Council is expected to be held this week to allocate land to KCM where the Nyanji residents will be resettled.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chilombo has disclosed that in the Private Member’s Motion he is expected to move in Parliament soon, he will ask the house to compel KCM to explain why it has put the Konkola Deep Mine and the Nchanga Open Pit on hold.
Mr. Chilombo said he will also ask parliament to compel the mining giant to explain what corporate social responsibility programs the company has apart from building a one by three classroom block.
Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe with President Lungu
Ministry of Finance Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe has denied being the author of a letter circulating on social media blaming the late President Michael Sata as the cause of the economic disaster the country is allegedly in.
In a statement released to the media, Mrs Mwanakatwe said that she holds the late President Michael Sata and her predecessors in the office of Minister of Finance, in high esteem for the work they did in laying the foundation for speedy and widespread development of our nation and that she cannot engage or participate in the slander, ridicule, or badmouthing the late President for whatever reason.
The Finance Minister has since requested her ministry to engage the Office of the Attorney General and ZICTA to establish the original source of the article and to take appropriate sanctions provided under our Statutes and International Law.
Below is the Minister’s full statement
IT IS NOT MY ARTICLE NOR THAT OF MY MINISTRY
Fellow citizens,
I, MARGARET MWANAKATWE, Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Lusaka Central Constituency, to this day, holds President Michael Chilufya Sata (late) and my predecessors in the office of Minister of Finance, in high esteem for the work they did in laying the foundation for speedy and widespread development of our nation.
Therefore, I CANNOT ENGAGE or participate in the slander, ridicule, or badmouthing the late President for whatever reason.
President Sata (late) did a lot for this country and deserves all our respect. Those bringing his name into public scorn should examine their conscience.
Let me emphasise that the leadership paradigm and the positive development trajectory of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s administration is an enhancement of the foundation laid by the PF Government under late President Sata.
As a member of the ruling party, that is what gives me and my colleagues in the administration the energy to ensure that the country continues to record positive results in all spheres of socio-economic development.
Further, the programmes outlined in the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP) combined with the reforms under the Economic Stabilisation and Growth Programme are meant to carry the PF Government’s vision for sustained development; without leaving anyone behind.
The FAKE ARTICLE will neither detract nor derail me from doing my best to ensure that the vision of late President Sata, carried on by President Lungu, is achieved through job creation, empowerment of youth and women entrepreneurs, and full exploration and operationalisation of the prospects for enhanced development that are in abundance in all regions of the country.
To set the record straight, I have asked my Ministry Officials to engage the Office of the Attorney General and ZICTA to establish the original source of the article and to take appropriate sanctions provided under our Statutes and International Law.
I also take this opportunity to state that, today, I just arrived from China where I led a Ministerial delegation for an asset/liability management programme on some of the loans that Zambia owes China.
Suffice to say, we had very fruitful engagements with Chinese authorities and the nation will be informed once the entire framework of asset/liability management is finalised.
On my arrival at the KKIA this afternoon, I met the Catholic Bishops delegation from The Democratic Republic of Congo who were in the country for a meeting with President Lungu. They expressed optimism about the role that our leader will play in addressing the matters laid before him.
2019 BUDGET
I take this opportunity to outline the focus for my Ministry for the next few weeks.
Following the issuance of the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) last week, the Treasury is this week conducting final budget consultations with Ministries Provinces and Other Spending Agencies.
In the days that follow, we will be conducting integrity checks and verification of revenue and expenditure estimates for 2019 to ensure we are ready for presentation in the next few weeks.
UPND suffers another setback in Northwestern Province as popular Solwezi Councillor quits
The opposition UPND has continued to suffer setbacks with a number of Councillors and other grassroots officials abandoning the party.
Today, the party’s popular Councillor for Tumvwanganai Ward in Solwezi Central Constituency Kwapalushi Kapatamoyo has resigned her position
Mrs Kapatamoyo who was elected in the 2016 general elections with a landslide vote said she has resigned on personal reasons.
She further said she will no longer actively participate in politics and has ceased to be a member of any political party.
She has since thanked the UPND leadership for giving her a “rare and great privilege” to serve the people of Tumvwanganai Ward and she wished the UPND the best in future endeavors.
Mrs Kapatamoyo was seen by many as a rising start in women politics and was tipped to be the UPND’s next candidate for the Solwezi Central seat in the 2021 general elections.
She is a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow with a strong civil society background having served as North Western Coordinator for the Civil l Society for Poverty Reduction before venture into politics.
Economist Oliver Saasa has called on Government to set up comprehensive policies that will help address the widening fiscal deficit. Professor Saasa however noted that the country is not in a debt crisis.
He has since called on Government to constitute a team of professionals to find a lasting solution to the debt problem. Professor Saasa was speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka today.
And Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) Centre Coordinator Chenai Mukumba said the debt has had a negative impact on the ordinary people.
And Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Director Emmanuel Mumba said social sector spending is being compromised by the debt.
Meanwhile, Government has projected to roll out a K84.6 billion national budget for the year 2019. According to the government’s Green Paper released last week ahead of the 2019 national budget presentation, Zambia’s GDP has been projected to grow to over K300 billion next year, up from K277 billion last year.
Government has also projected a total revenue generation of K55.8 billion, representing 18.6 per cent of GDP.
President Edgar Lungu will this Friday officially open Parliament. The head of state is expected to explain government policies and intentions.
And on 28th September Minister of Finance Margaret Mwanakatwe will present the 2019 budget in the house.
Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa(r) being welcomed by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development Structural Engineer Francis Mundanya(l) at Heroes Stadium
Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa has disclosed that all legal procedures to establish an oil pipeline from Angola into Zambia have been concluded.
Mr. Nkhuwa said that the Memorandum of Understanding between Zambia and Angola will be signed on October 12, 2018.
The Minister said that Government is ready for the project and that feasibility studies will start before the end of the year.
Mr. Nkhuwa told ZNBC News in an interview that the oil line will bring many economics benefits to the country because oil will be cheaper as the importation cost will be reduced.
Mr. Nkhuwa said that the pipe line will also bring in petrol, diesel and gas used for cooking.
Mr. Nkhuwa further said that the development will also mean reduced pressure and congestion on the roads which will mean less refinancing on the road sector.
Amos Mwila Musonda Chair Person Local Government Service Commission
Local Government Commission Chairperson Amos Musonda has called for confidentiality and hard work among civic servants.
Mr. Musonda says together with integrity and professionalism, civil servants must abide to these guidelines and any departure to this etiquettes amounts to indiscipline and misconduct.
Mr. Musonda noted that some civil servants ‘feel’ they are highly educated therefore opt to frustrate efforts of government and the civil service contrary to their calling.
ZANIS reports that the Local Government Commission Chairperson said this in Chongwe district today during a five-day orientation workshop for 116 newly recruited District AIDS Coordination advisors (DACA).
The Chairperson said as the country has not been spared by the HIV/AIDS pandemic which he said has continued to rob the nation of productive people, government has resolved to fight HIV/AIDS in a coordinated manner starting with people at the grassroots.
And UNAIDS Representative Kenneth Mwansa stated that the UN system has pledged to assisting Zambia combat the HIV/AIDS challenges.
Dr. Mwansa said the local authorities are pivotal to coordinating and devolving activities in people at grassroots.
He urged the DACAs to consider making budgets in their 2019 budgets to assist Zambia meet the 90 – 90 global target on addressing HIV/ AIDS.
Vice-President Inonge Wina bids farewell to First Lady Esther Lungu after she officially Launched of She Trades Zambia Chapter at Mulungushi International Conference Cemtre in Lusaka on Monday, Sept 10,2018-Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
First Lady Esther Lungu says she will continue championing women and girl-child rights for them to fully participate in the economy by ensuring that they venture into viable businesses.
The First Lady says there is need therefore for women and girls in the country to ensure that they do not to allow anyone to discourage them, but aim higher.
Speaking during the launch of the She -Trades Zambia Chapter in Lusaka today, Mrs Lungu said there is need to accelerate awareness on the She -Trades Zambia Chapter as a platform that will bring women together from different sectors and share experiences.
She also encouraged the continuation of the organizing sector to specific buyer-seller meetings within regional and international markets in order to create more platforms for women to enhance their business skills.
Mrs. Lungu also urged women entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities and take full advantage of the benefits that the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry is offering to provide avenues for open dialogue and experience sharing.
She further advised women entrepreneurs in the country to change their mindset by aiming high saying they should realise that they have to play a much bigger role on international trade and development .
The First Lady noted that nothing is more satisfying than seeing women pulling each other up than pulling each other down.
As women their vision is to find solutions that support all women without leaving anyone behind because this is in line with the commitments to the sustainable Development Goals and Zambia Vision 2030, said the first Lady.
The She Trades Zambia Chapter’s objective is to support women entrepreneurs by identifying key policy barriers in trade experienced in the local business environment.
Vice President Inonge Wina who officially opened the Chapter said women owned enterprises can be an effective drivers for economic inclusion in trade and help them to grow their businesses.
“ This chapter will focus on agricultural, textile and clothing value chains and developing a conducive policy framework for women, “ said the Vice President.
Speaking earlier International Trade Centre Executive Director Arancha Gonzalez said the goal of the Chapter to t ensure no women are left behind.
Ms. Gonzalez said there is urgent need to support women entrepreneurs in Zambia because they are key to sustainable development
