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Government has said that it is happy with compliance levels of contractors regarding the 20 percent sub-contracting law of local contractors.
Speaking during a tour of construction works at Lusaka’s Specialized hospital and Maina Soko military hospital in Lusaka, Ministry of housing and Infrastructure development permanent secretary Charles Mushota said that government was happy that contractors are buying into the concept.
Mr. Mushota said that government is also happy that contractors are also sourcing materials like steel and cement locally.
And Mr. Mushota said the multi-million health facilities will go a long way in the provision of specialized health services to Zambians.
And Lusaka specialized hospital resident clerk of works Harkins Chama said the works are at 18 percent and that the project is expected to be completed ahead of schedule.
Mr. Chama said the hospital will have enough bed space to accommodate even those from outside town
Government says the 20 million US dollars worth of fuel consignment from Saudi Arabia is now being transported from Tanzania to Zambia.
Minister of Energy, Mathews Nkhuwa told ZANIS in an interview that the off-loading of fuel which docked on August 10th was concluded.
Mr. Nkhuwa disclosed that the exercise of transporting fuel from Tanzania into Zambia will be done within 2 to 3 weeks and another consignment will be ordered from Saud Arabia.
And the Minister explained that the country has enough fuel reserves and the fuel being imported from Saudi Arabia will be an addition to the existing stocks.
He further disclosed that the country uses 1 billion US dollars worth of fuel per annum adding that 500 million US dollars is imported and 500 million US dollars worth of fuel is produced by Indeni oil refinery.
HH addressing a media briefing at his residenceThe Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) has called on Director of Public Prosecution, Lillian Siyuni, to consider instituting criminal proceedings against United Party For national Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema for his allegations of corruption against constitutional court judges.
Mr Musoma said his party, the ZRP, is greatly concerned that alleged failure to cite Mr. Hichilema for contempt may be sending a wrong public signal.
Mr. Musona said that the response by Constitutional court president Hilda Chibomba confirmed what the then Acting Chief Justice Marvin Mwanamwamba stated that the Constitutional Court is aware of contemptuous remarks by Mr. Hichilema but wondered why the Court did not cite him for contempt.
ZRP President Wright Musona said that the court will afford Mr. Hichilema a free and fair trial to prove allegations of corruption among constitutional court judges.
Mr Musona has welcomed the response from Constitutional Court Judge Hilda Chibomba where the court noted the complaint against Mr. Hichilema over alleged contemptuous remarks against three judges of the Constitutional Court.
Lufwanyama resident Henry Chilombo has written to the constitutional court, the Chief Justice and the DPP to complain against Mr Hichilema’s alleged contemptuous remarks against judges of the Constitutional Court, namely, Palan Mulonda, Mulenga Mungeni and Annie Sitali.
Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale has challenged Information Communication Technologies (ICT) experts to propose workable solutions that should readily support economic growth.
Dr. Hamukale said that government continues to prioritise the development of the ICT sector in and has taken steps to transform Zambia into a modern society.
Dr. Hamukale said that ICTs should be used to attain social progress through harnessing of various resources including tourism.
Dr. Hamukale has also appealed to corporate entities to donate computers to rural schools to enhance computer literacy.
The Minister said this when he officially closed the 2018 Login Summit at the Avani Hotel in Livingstone.
The Login Summit which seeks to foster a network of professionals, business and technology solutions for development opened on Monday attracting several ICT experts from around the world.
Zesco United are toasting their return to winning ways following a four-match league drought.
The FAZ Super Division defending champions and current league leaders beat last placed Monze Swallows 2-0 on Wednesday in Ndola to collect their first league win since a 3-0 home victory over Zanaco on August 4 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Zesco them went on to collect three draws and a defeat that saw their lead dwindle to just one point.
But Wednesday’s win in their rescheduled Week 29 game at the Trade Fair Grounds saw Zesco open a four-point lead ahead of Green Buffaloes on 67 and 63 points respectively from 31 matches played with four to go before the 2018 title is decided.
“We had gone four games without a win so we are very excited, it is a turning point. The last win was against Zanaco,” Zesco assistant coach Alfred Lupiya said.
“We will go that extra -mile to defend the title. As a champion, one needs to double their efforts to hold onto their belt.”
A brace from midfielder Enock Sabumukama in the 34th and 90th minutes ensured Zesco maintained their modest lead and three month long reign at the summit of the log.
Nkana this afternoon lost in a friendly match against DR Congo giants TP Mazembe.
The international club friendly was played at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe as part of Mazembe’s two- week long training camp in Ndola that began on September 2.
And it was Nkana who took the lead in the 32nd minute through Simon Bwalya.
But Mazembe ensured they went into the break 1-1 when Ibrahim Mingolo equalized ten minutes later before Michel Mika gave Mazembe the win on the hour mark.
Mazembe were using the friendly to prepare for their 2018 CAF Champions League quarterfinal two-legged dates against Primeiro de Agosto of Angola on September 14 away in Luanda and 21 at home in Lubumbashi.
Agosto are familiar to Zambia after they drew away in Ndola and beat Zesco United at home in Luanda in the group stages.
Nkana on the other hand used the friendly to warm- up for their Sunday Kitwe derby clash against Kitwe United away at Garden Park.
VICE-President Inonge WinaActing President Inonge Wina says there should be no sacred cows in the administration of the tax system.
Mrs Wina says there is need to make taxes fair for every tax payer if the country is to reduce poverty levels.
She was speaking when she officially opened the Zambia Revenue Authority – ZRA- service centre in Lusaka today.
Mrs Wina has urged the ZRA Commissioner General to proactively engage ALL stakeholders to help the country cultivate and sustain a positive culture of paying taxes among Zambians.
The Acting President said ZRA should create effective partnerships with other enforcement agencies and undertake joint enforcement to make tax administration more efficient and responsive to economic growth.
And Mrs Wina has also urged the Minister of Finance to ensure that in the 2019 national budget the tax burden does not stifle Zambians.
Earlier, Acting Minister of Finance Emerine Kabanshi said the opening of the service centre will increase revenue collection and reduce the cost of compliance for the tax paying public.
And ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda said the authority will open more centres in the country to make it easy for tax payers to meet their obligations.
Mr. Chanda also said ZRA is confident of meeting its annual target.
Government has repealed the Companies Act of 2011, making the registration of churches as business houses illegal.
Patents and Companies Registration (PACRA) Assistant Registrar Christopher Mapani says the new law will see churches who want to register with the agency to run businesses being turned away.
Speaking at a stakeholders workshop on the Companies Act in Kitwe this morning, Mr Mapani said the new law was signed by the Minister in June and it is now being enforced.
Mr Mapani revealed that all religious organisations who intend to run businesses must register with the Registrar of Societies but PACRA is now registering businesses and not religious groups.
Meanwhile, Mr Mapani has disclosed that it is illegal for Pastors or other religious leaders to share profits in churches.
He says churches have no shareholding and therefore it is an offence for the leadership to share profits like shareholders.
And officially opening the workshop which has attracted the business and legal fraternity, Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu said the repeal of the Companies Act has brought relief to workers.
Mr Mpundu said in the past, liquidators used to run away with a lot of money, leaving former workers destitute.
He added that the new law has also given guidelines on the role and qualifications of liquidators, a move that will bring about professionalism in the handling of liquidated companies.
Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili cutting the ribbon whilst Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Katongo Chifwepa looking on during the Launch of it’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan at Mulungushi International Conference Centre yesterday 25-04-2018. Picture by ROYD SIBAJENE/ZANIS Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili says her ministry is putting in place measures that will ensure that international artists who come into the country do not compromise morals and values of the country.
Reverend Sumaili says this is because artists have a great influence on society and have the ability to impart good or bad values.
She further urged local artists to help in upholding good morals, values and principles in the citizenry by depicting human dignity, patriotism, and national unity.
Reverend Sumaili was speaking when National Arts Council of Zambia Chairman Patrick Samwimbila and vice chairperson Agness Nyendwa paid a courtesy call on her at her office today.
Meanwhile Mr. Samwimbila said they will strengthen the code of ethics for artists with support from the ministry.
He further called on all artists to support government’s efforts in inculcating good values and morals in society.
In an unprecedent move, The Zambia Police Service have opened a Criminal docket against Airtel Networks Zambia one of the country’s biggest mobile phone service provider.
This follows the successful lodging of a complaint by Lusaka based Journalist Thomas Allan Zgambo.
Mr. Zgambo alleges that former Special Assistant to Late President Michael Sata ,George Chella and other private citizens including Airtel employees did divert his telephone data to fictitious numbers in the name of Evaristo Phiri.
According to a Press Statement made available to the Lusaka Times, Mr. Zgambo says it has taken him close to four years to investigate this case.
He says the docket was opened after Attorney General Likando Kalaluka assured him that government had nothing to do with the interception of messages.
Further, Mr. Zgambo says in the statement that it has not been easy to open the docket because the Police were adamant to do so as they also believed it was a government assignment until the letter from the Attorney General was made available to them.
Meanwhile, the Lusaka based Journalist has warned Airtel to stay away from moves to bribe any member of the executive or the Judiciary as he is aware of what the board meeting last Friday decided.
Early this year Director of Public Prosecutions Lilian Shawa Siyuni allowed Mr. Zgambo to Co Prosecute the matter under Private Prosecution.
Aerosoul Limited presents: the Official HD Music Video for the “I Am” Global Collaboration — shot on location in 8 countries; connecting us through rap music and Hip Hop culture across Africa and the Diaspora
The video which was in the making the past 2 years stars, Maka (Nigeria), Modenine(Nigeria), Five Steez (Jamaica), Holstar (Zambia), Third Eye (Malawi), Wakazi (Tanzania), The Assembly (South Africa) and AWKWORD (USA) plus the Coolest Youth in the Hudson Valley, NY.
The National Food and Nutrition Commission -NFNC- has embarked on a Food and Nutrition survey to collect national data that will help in the design of appropriate nutrition programmes.
Commission Senior Nutritionist, Belinda Tembo says the food consumption survey will help government collect information that will help promote consumption of healthier foods.
Mrs. Tembo says with rising cases of diseases in the country due to obesity, there is need for the country to have data that is trustworthy and nationally representative.
She said presently, the country has no conclusive data on the number of obesity cases though, the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey indicates that incidences of obesity have risen from 19 to 23 per cent among women of child bearing age.
Mrs. Tembo said the survey will seek to look at food and dietary patterns in the country that will be used to design programmes that will promote better food and nutrition practices.
She has urged Zambians to desist from junk foods and eat lots of greens and traditional foods as well as change food preparation methods.
Mrs. Tembo said the commission expects the survey results to be ready by the end of the year and results disseminated next year.
She further affirmed that the commission will embark on a campaign to promote the good food logo on locally produced foods to guide the public on which foods to buy on the local market.
She said the World Food Programme has since come on board to support the roll out of the good food logo campaign.
File:ZESCO Limited officials inspect the Kariba North Bank Power Station extension programme, which is expected to increase the power generation capacity for Zambia
Government has refuted reports that it is in talks with a Chinese firm to surrender state run power utility ZESCO.
In its latest edition, respected London based Africa Confidential reports that Zambia has started talks with a Chinese firm to take over the running of ZESCO in a similar manner Chinese firm Star Times has taken over ZNBC.
But Energy Minister Mathew Nkhuwa said there are no intentions of disposing off ZESCO.
In an interview in Lusaka, Mr Nkhuwa said ZESCO is a strategic institution that cannot be given away “just like that.”
He said any decision regarding the running of ZESCO would have to be made by Cabinet adding that so far there has not been any Cabinet decision on the matter.
Mr Nkhuwa said the reports in Africa Confidential should therefore be dismissed as false.
“There is no such decision by Cabinet. As you know ZESCO is such a huge company and anything to do with it will have to be decided by Cabinet and I can confirm to you that there has not been anything decided on the future of ZESCO,” Mr Nkhuwa said.
Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Roland Msiska on Tuesday welcomed an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) duo who paid a courtesy call on him at Cabinet Office.
Mr Christophe Xerri, the Director Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology Department of Nuclear Energy and Mr Abdellah Chahid who is in charge of training in nuclear met Dr Msiska and a team of Permanent Secretaries to discuss Zambia’s nuclear programme.
Zambia is in the process of building a Centre for Nuclear Science Technology after recently signing the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Russian State Company Rosatom.
Dr Msiska said Zambia’s nuclear programme is for peaceful means and that the IAEA officials have come at the right time because most of the things are yet to be done.
The Centre will have a Nuclear Medicine Centre, Research Reactor Simulator, and a multipurpose irradiation, among other things.
With these facilities, the centre will produce isotopes used in the treatment of cancer and will also irradiate food products for long shelf life.
About nuclear programme fears, Dr Msiska used an analogy that; “… people die of drinking water, yet they do not stop drinking water. The Centre will have a huge capability for research for the development of our country.”
Dr Msiska told the visiting officials that the officers seconded to the Interim Secretariat for Nuclear Science Technology (ISNST) will be transferred to the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation (NEPIO) and later to Zamatom, the company that will run the nuclear project in Zambia.
Mr Xerri told Dr Msiska that Zambia needs to build capacity in the nuclear area to be independent and that the IAEA was motivated to help the country.
“We can render support in safety aspects but you need to establish your own model. You need to be a knowledgeable customer. You also need to do a feasibility study and a peer review,” he said.
