THE board of the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has appointed Patrick Mutimushi as the organisation’s new director general.

Mr Mutimushi, who is a telecommunications and electronics engineer, takes over from Margaret Mudenda, whose contract ended in June this year.

In a statement yesterday, ZICTA board chairperson Emmanuel Musonda hoped that Mr Mutimushi’s appointment, coupled with his vast experience in the ICT sector, will take the authority to greater heights.

“We have no doubt that his exceptional regulatory expertise, proficiently built over the years through practice and learning, developing unique regulatory skill sets of international standard, will be a critical ingredient in the ICT regulatory agency,’’ he said.

Mr Mutimushi has served ZICTA for over 16 years of which 10 years have been at senior management level in charge of technology and engineering.

ZAMBIA’S school curriculum has been ranked third in Africa attracting St. Jeff College Primary School of South Africa to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) to offer it examinations.

Minister of General Education Dennis Wanchinga is confident St. Jeff College Primary School will not be disappointed with the quality of service and assessments its learners will receive from ECZ.

Dr Wanchinga said this in a speech read for him by Ministry of General Education acting permanent secretary Lewis Mwape during the signing ceremony.

“The ECZ certificates, which will be offered to the successful candidates, have strong currency or value as it has been demonstrated by our people who have excelled wherever they have gone to study abroad. This is a good reflection of the standard of education which has been provided in this country,” he said.

Dr Wanchinga said ECZ is also in communication with private colleges of education in Botswana who also would like to sit for the ECZ teacher education examinations.

St. Jeff College Primary School chief proprietor Jeffrey Chikandi said the school has a capacity of 1,500 learners.

“After revision of the curriculum, Zambia is one of the best in terms of offering high standards of education even in the world,” he said.

Mr Chikandi said the Zambian curriculum does not only give a child academic credentials but also moulds their character.

“Since the introduction of the Zambian curriculum at the school, parents are very happy and some have already enrolled their children for grade one for the 2019 academic year.

“I can assure you that a child who is in Grade Six under the Zambian curriculum is able to challenge a Grade 12 pupil using the South African curriculum,” he said.

And ECZ director Michael Chilala said preliminary results under the new curriculum have shown reasonable improvement in terms of the performance of learners.

THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has embarked on an ambitious rebranding exercise to motivate employees and enhance service delivery as part of its strategic plan and fulfilment of its mandate by 2021.

Lusaka mayor Wilson Kalumba said the rebranding of the local authority will include face-lifting of the civic centre and branding of its utility motor vehicles, among others.

Mr Kalumba said the rebranding process is necessary for the city council to earn trust and credibility from clients and residents in the capital city.

This came to light yesterday during the official opening of a four day strategic meeting, which has attracted councillors from various wards in Lusaka.

Mr Kalumba said the exercise is one of the steps LCC is undertaking to effectively address the challenges it is facing.

“We need a new strategy and it requires change, we need a new identity and change of the Civic Centre by face-lifting it. The people we are serving are exposed to the outside world and expect proper service. We are dealing with very enlightened residents,” he said.

Mr Kalumba said the LCC strategic plan which will be formulated during the meeting, will also aim at devising effective means of resource mobilisation, addressing the challenges of rural-urban migration, and limited infrastructure.

He said the local authority further intends to streamline its operations in tune with the Smart Zambia campaign which aims at improving performance and accountability of public office holders.

Mr Kalumba said some LCC workers are not honest as they pursue personal interests, and that the trend should be addressed urgently.

“We should also do away with manual procedures and introduce information technology. This will also address the challenge of a bloated workforce, and improve our resource base,” he said.

He said the local authority further needs to work towards effectively addressing road traffic congestion, illegal bars, and noise from the drinking spots, and help resolve crime.

And Lusaka town clerk Alex Mwansa said the meeting will set direction for the city to meet the desires and expectations of residents.

“We are faced with challenges of underdevelopment and poverty in Lusaka, let us all highlight issues affecting the wards, we do not want development without a well formulated strategic plan. Let us therefore speak candidly and rationally about the challenges facing our wards,” Mr Mwansa said.

GOVERNMENT has warned of stern action against some agricultural officers at Chirundu and Nakonde borders who are illegally issuing import permits on finished oil products despite the ban.

And Government says there is need to curb the importation of crude oil in smaller quantities for purposes of proper monitoring of illegally-imported oil products.

Speaking when she met Edible Oil Association of Zambia officials at her office yesterday, Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya said Government is committed to protecting the local oil market from unscrupulous dealers.

“In the last three months, we have not issued any import permits on finished oil products. The position of the ministry is that we are not allowing finished oil products in the country,” she said.

She said Government will only issue import permits to the right people for purposes of meeting the local demand.

Ms Siliya said the ministry will engage the Ministry of Finance to table the issue of the 16 percent value added tax (VAT) on oil products.

Earlier, Edible Oil Association of Zambia representative Dharmesh Patel said the local oil market is still facing challenges despite the increase in the processing capacity of soya beans.

He said over the last five years, the production of soya beans has grown from 70,000 to 300,000 tonnes.

“The imported oil products that have flooded our local market are greatly affecting the pricing of locally produced oil despite the positive growth we have continued to record over the years. Imported oil products are putting a strain on our market,” Mr Patel said.

He urged Government to remove VAT on oil to promote competitiveness in the southern region.

MMD National Secretary Raphael Nakacinda has advised members across the country to remain calm and disciplined in view of what transpired on Friday when the PF petitioned their Secretary General against Finance Minister Felix Mutati.

Mr Nakacinda said those who have sponsored the group from Eastern Province who petitioned Davies Mwila to force Mr Mutati to resign were oblivious to the current political dynamics in the country.

“I want to assure the members across the country in view of the propaganda and some petty politics today they need not panic. Let them remain calm. What ever issues have been raised as MMD we are a disciplined party and we believe in resolving issues using superior logic. We will not engage in the internal politics of the PF and whatever may have motivated them to behave the way they have behaved today.”

He called on members of his party to lead by example by ignoring what happened and demonstrate that they are a mature and disciplined party and show the nation that as a party they are more concerned with the development of the country as opposed to fighting one another.

“MMD is a disciplined party and let discipline rein and let’s show maturity and wisdom in dealing with the situation that has been raised.

“Your President Hon Felix Mutati was chosen on merit to be minister of finance and it was understood that he was President of a political party and it was appreciated that as MMD we in good faith supported the candidature of Edgar Lungu and moving forward ours is to continue working towards reorganizing the ourselves so that even when it comes to our value in this relationship it is enhanced.

“I think we will not be drawn or distracted by any attempt by people who seem not to appreciate the dynamics of the country political scenario in this country in view of the amended constitution,” he said.

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema is a deception to himself and exists in a cocoon of deception. He is not true to the UPND membership. Indeed, if the levels of deception from his South African press briefing is what the Thanksgiving Prayers have produced in the man, then its high time his High Priests thought of going beyond laying on of hands to include baptism by fire – they have a mountain to climb!

It is no wonder to this date, there still exists grey areas surrounding is entry onto the political stage; grey areas around his faith; grey areas around his role in Zambia’s infamous privatization of among other things, mines; grey areas around his style of leadership within UPND; and grey areas around what he really stands for.

Speaking before white capital in South Africa, Hichilema proved right what many Zambians had always suspected – he’s a political project and a puppet of capitalists who has chosen to align himself with beneficiaries of South Africa’s apartheid regime. Hichilema has gone to bed with Democratic Alliance (DA), a Party Nelson Mandela described as follows: “You must not be misled by a Party that only cares for blacks on the eve of the elections…No matter how they cover up by getting a few black stooges, they (the whites) remain the bosses.”

Instead of thanking the people of Zambia for his release, he chose to go to a foreign country to speak ill of a country he claims to love. His motive is greed and self-serving. “The Patriotic Front is not allergic to prayer. Those with the gift of knowledge in the UPND must get worried with their leader’s style of leadership. Hichilema does not care about his “voters”, all he wants is self-anointing. He is even going to go to great lengths to associate with the likes of expelled PF Member Chishimba Kambwili, (another political desperado who confuses Hichilema for the Micheal Sata legacy) thinking that will get him into State House.

With yesterday’s hallucinations from South Africa, even the little “public sympathy” he might have gained fizzled out. Right thinking Zambians can now see that he is a “political fluke” ready to tell lies about his own Country and cannot therefore be taken seriously. Zambians cannot trust his word.

Issued by: Sunday Chanda
PF Media Director, Party Headquarters

President Edgar Lungu revealed in Mufulira yesterday morning that his Government plans to set up a special committee to reform the mining sector. The President says the committee will recommend what must happen if an investor does not make a profit within three years??whether Government should allow the mining company to continue with operations or not. He says the Committee will also examine how much is extracted from the ore that is exported to ensure a win-win situation.

As the Green Party, we do not think that appointment of another special committee to review the mining sector is really necessary anymore. Last year on the 27th of January, 2016, President Lungu received a report of findings from the Mining Technical Audit Committee at State House. Up to now, the findings of the Technical Committee have not been made public. Therefore, it is imprudent to appoint another committee when there is unfinished business from previous committee.

As the Green Party, what we think is required to be done to end the Mopani impunity is enforcement of existing laws and recourse mechanisms. The biggest problem with Mopani is lack of transparency. This issue has always been identified as the core problem by various successive committees appointed to review the mining sector. It is for this reason that Sections 108, 109 and 110 of the Mines and Mineral Development Act of 2015 introduced stringent measures in the mining sector on record keeping and record supply to relevant Government officials.

If any mining operation fails to keep any plan, report, return, notice, record, register or other document required by or under the Act or supplies a false or misleading record, report, plan or information required for purposes of the Act commits a offence attracting serious punitive measures including imprisonment of directors and staff. The offence can also lead to revocation of the licence. If these provisions of the mining law were enforced, the impunity of Mopani on transfer pricing, VAT refunds, dividend declaration, and other outstanding pertinent issues would have been long gone.

We believe there is nothing new that the proposed special committee will recommend which is better than recommendations of prior committees, which recommendations have already been prescribed as policy and law, including the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2015.

Peter Sinkamba
President

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) says it is concerned reports of increased illegal fuel vending activities in Mufumbwe and Mwinilunga districts respectively , Western province.

Acting Director for Consumer and Public Affairs Fred Hang’andu says reports reaching the Board are that illegal fuel vendors are taking advantage of desperate motorists in Mufumbwe and Mwinilunga by selling the commodity at excessive prices.

Mr. Hang’andu has noted that the only licensed facility in Mwinilunga and surrounding areas is operated by Petrolink Limited which currently has no fuel.

He said despite the scarcity of fuel stocks at its filling station, Petrolink management has assured motorists in the area that all efforts are being made to deliver fuel as soon as possible.

“We wish to caution motorists against buying from illegal vendors as the product quality cannot be guaranteed because illegal vendors are not amendable to stringent product quality requirements applicable to licensed filling stations,” he added.

Mr. Hang’andu has however warned illegal fuel vendors of risking to be arrested as operating an energy enterprise without a duly issued license is an offence punishable by law.

He also stressed that storing fuel at facilities and homes that do not offer sufficient protection to human life poses a risk to families and communities in the event of a fire.

He further called upon investors to take advantage of the ready market for fuel by setting up service stations in areas like Mufumbwe which currently has no filling station.

He has however, mentioned that a number of initiatives have been put in place to enable the set-up of filling stations in deficit areas.

The Acting Director for Consumer and Public Affairs said this in a statement obtained by ZANIS , today.