Zamtel says it has settled part of its tax commitment with the Zambia Revenue Authority totalling K10.7 million.

Announcing the development, Zamtel Acting Chief Executive Officer Sydney Mupeta, said: “Zamtel remains committed to settling all its outstanding statutory and other obligations within the shortest possible time.”

“We therefore wish to take this opportunity to recognise the wonderful and unwavering support we have continued to receive from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) our shareholder, the Government through the line Ministry, the Ministry of Transport and Communications as well as the Ministry of Finance,” Mr Mupeta said in a statement.

“It is because of this support we have found the positive energy that is fuelling this growth phenomenon that is driving us to the wanted position,” he said.

Mr Mupeta added, “Thank you once again and let us move together as we aggressively pursue the 2 Millionth Customer before end of 2017.”

“To further appreciate our customers and heed their clarion call for an end to prohibitive calling rates across networks, we have turned the popular All Network Promotion into a Permanent Tariff. This promotion, in addition to the great effort and dedication from our employees led to the unprecedented growth in the number of customers and traffic volume-over 1.8 million customers achieved over a very short space of time.”

Mr Mupeta said, “For us, the All Networks tariff is a launch pad which will take us to the envisioned position of being the leading telecommunications provider of choice.”

The opposition UPND has charged that the decision to move its leader Hakainde Hichilema and his five co-accused to Mukobeko Maximum Prison is unconstitutional.

UPND Legal Affairs Chairman Jack Mwiimbu said the transfer of Mr Hichilema and his co-accused to Mukobeko is also contrary to the specific court order as to the accused persons right to visitation and access to legal representation as this right is severely hindered as the lawyers are all based in Lusaka.

Mr Mwiimbu said Mr Hichilema and his co-accused are merely accused persons and not prisoners.

Below is Mr Mwiimbu’s full statement

And the UPND leader has posted the following messages

Don’t sympathise with us-HH

Incarcerated UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has advised Zambians not to sympathise with him and his co-accused but for those children who are not in school.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page after he was forcibly moved to Mukobeko Maximum Prison, Mr Hichilema said Zambians should not sympathise with and the five co-accused but those relatives who are HIV positive but have relapsed because the Government cannot provide ARVs.

He said he does not know when they will be released or if at all they will be released, but that is not bothering them adding that all they know is that what they are fighting for is worth for them to die if that is what it means.

“Our spirits are intact, we might look weary from the physical point of view but be assured that our spirits are intact,” Mr Hichilema said.

THOUGHTS FROM MUKOBEKO Prison.. HH

Fellow citizens, we can confirm that we have been moved to Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe. We arrived a few minutes ago. We don’t know what is happening but we are not bothered by processes. We are only concerned about one thing; the freedom of this country.

Our spirits are intact, we might look weary from the physical point of view but be assured that our spirits are intact. Let not you who are out there sympathise with us, sympathise with those children who are not in school, the over six million Zambians who are poor and cannot afford a meal a day.

Sympathise with those relatives who are HIV positive but have relapsed because the Government cannot provide ARVs, those girls who are abandoning class because they cannot afford sanitary towels due to financial constraints while Government spends money on worthless pursuits, essentially chasing the wind. Those and many others are the people with whom we should sympathise.

We do not know when we are going to be released or if at all we will be released, but that is not bothering us, all we know is that what we are fighting for is worth for us to die if that is what it means. And we are not worried about death either, because there are a million others who will carry on with the fight for a proper democracy to work in Zambia.

No one, even the greatest oppressor has survived the wrath of God, where is Idi Amin, where is Mobutu Sese Seko, where is Pieter Botha, Kamuzu Banda, Augusto Pinochet, Hassne Habre, all these are examples of dictators and oppressors that thought they would never have an appointment with either death or the law. But as we say about education, death is an equaliser. The persecuting champions of today will be the people needing help from the paupers of today.

Colleagues, we habour no hatred for anyone, we habour no ill wishes, we are Christians, we pray for those that transgress us; that way we live in peace with ourselves and not carry hate which is itself a live coal that burns the one carrying it. This is our country and as long as we live we shall do what is right for the country and create a country that will serve its citizens and not a few despotic individuals.

In Luke 23:28 it is recorded that our lord Jesus Christ said this ‘But Jesus turned and said to them “daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children.”’ This is what I leave with you today colleagues.

God Bless Zambia.

Rahim Pauwels is a 19-year-old Origami artist. He was born in Zambia, but grew up in Belgium. He moved back to Zambia in 2011 and has been living in Lusaka ever since.

Origami (from ori meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper”) is the art of paper folding, which is often associated with Japanese culture. In modern usage, the word “origami” is used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat sheet square of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques.

KAPA187: How did you become passionate about the art of origami?

RAHIM PAUWELS: I became passionate about it at a young age, 11 to be precise. While I still lived in Belgium, my parents went out for a dinner and hired a nanny to take care of us. She made an origami bird for my little brother. The following day I saw it and was absolutely fascinated by it so I searched for it on YouTube and learnt how to make it. I realised that I learnt it really quick and I enjoyed learning it and creating art from a simple piece of paper. That bird inspired me to learn more things and I loved it so much. I taught myself a lot of things through the Internet and books.

KAPA187: Do you consider yourself an origami “purist” (No taping, gluing, ripping or multiple sheets of paper) or have you established a flexible approach to getting figures done? 

RAHIM PAUWELS: Origami is the Japanese art of making sculptures by folding a square sheet of paper. The rules of Origami are ;

• Start with a square sheet of paper
• Do not use glue, tape or scissors
• Do not decorate the model after it is complete

Most of my work is pure origami (respecting all the rules) though sometimes I do 3D origami, which is when I make a larger model with multiple pieces of paper.

KAPA187: What is the most challenging project you have worked on? 

RAHIM PAUWELS: I would say the most challenging things I have made are the 3D origami models. I chose this answer not based on the difficulty level but on the duration, some of these models may take up to a month to be completed. When I say a month, I mean literally working on it every day for at least 2 hours a day.

KAPA187: You recently exhibited some of your origami art at the Lusaka Comic Con. Where else have you exhibited and how has been the response?

RAHIM PAUWELS: I haven’t exhibited my work a lot; the largest place I have exhibited so far is at the Lusaka Comic Con. Everyone that came to my table was amazed by it. A lot of people asked me how I started and how long it took to make the models.

KAPA187: What future plans do you have for your work? Are there any particular projects that you are looking forward to?

RAHIM PAUWELS: One thing I have always wanted is the opportunity to make something that will be displayed in the Lusaka National Museum. Once I get this opportunity, I will make something larger and more beautiful than anything I have ever made before.

KAPA187: How popular is the art of origami in Zambia? 

RAHIM PAUWELS: So far I have not met anyone else that does Origami in Zambia. I will not say that I am the only one but I will say that we are in small numbers. Origami is not very popular in Zambia though I have hope that one day more people will be doing this beautiful and fun art.

KAPA187: How long would it take a novice to learn how to create origami art?

RAHIM PAUWELS: Origami is not a difficult thing to learn; it all depends on your passion and patience. A beginner would have to make the simplest things first but eventually will become better and be capable of making more complex things. I actually have taught Origami before at two schools (Rhodes Park School and Pinewood Preparatory School) as well as at an orphanage (Home Of David And Faith). Making your first Origami sculpture will take less than an hour, from there it will all depend on your interest in it. I like to say a journey of a thousand kilometers begins with one step.

KAPA187: Besides origami what other interests do you have? 

RAHIM PAUWELS: Well, I used to draw but I never really had the passion for it, I also taught myself guitar but the same thing happened, my soul wasn’t in it. Right now I am teaching myself Kirigmi and Quilling, which are both forms of art involving paper. I am not yet prepared to show my kirigmi or quilling to the public but I will upload them to my Facebook page (Simple Intricacies) when I feel it is the right time.

KAPA187: Any last words… 

RAHIM PAUWELS: Art isn’t only Painting, Drawing and Music. There are so many different types and forms of art. I believe that everyone is an artist and everyone should be willing to step out of the box and search for what type of art is best for them. For me, it’s Origami.

Here are some of Rahim’s Origami ark works:

View more Rahim’s Origamic ark work on his Facebook page Simple Intricacies

BY KAPA187

“For World Bank supported programmes to have an impact, the job creation agenda should be prioritised,” said Dr. Um during a High-Level Meeting between the Government of the Republic of Zambia and the World Bank Group held Lusaka yesterday.

He also congratulated Zambia for making substantial progress in improving the annual funds absorption capacity for the current World Bank portfolio totaling over US$1.2 billion.

“In our recent assessment, we determined that your absorption capacity had improved to an average of 18% per annum,” said Dr. Um.

The recommended annual level is 20% for five year programmes.

Meanwhile FINANCE MINISTER FELIX MUTATI has said “it is important that the development programmes supported by the World Bank are consultative, jointly formulated, and willfully owned by the beneficiaries, implementing agencies, and the relevant arm of the World Bank Group in order to produce the expected impact on the livelihoods of the people in the targeted communities or sectors of interest.”

Mr. Mutati appealed to the World Bank to streamline the process of approving funds for disbursement in order to accelerate further the absorption of the US$1.2 billion of the current portfolio of projects being supported by the bank in Zambia.

“We are critically committed and have the political will to boost our technical competence in order to further increase our absorption capacity and ensure that the delivery of development to our people is not delayed unnecessarily,” said Mr. Mutati.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia was represented at the High-Level Meeting by General Education Minister Dr. DENIS WANCHINGA, Health Minister Dr. CHITALU CHILUFYA, Community Development Minister EMELINE KABANSHI, Agriculture Minister DORA SILIYA, and Finance Minister FELIX MUTATI. The Ministries of National Development Planning, Energy, Water Development, and Housing and Infrastructure were represented at permanent secretary and technical level.

The meeting was organized to explore the prospects of strengthening the implementation of World Bank supported projects in Zambia. During the meeting, the high-level delegates ventured into examining how portfolio transformation impact could be achieved through measures such as consultative selection of project sites and improvement in coordination of spatial decision making in the governmental system.

Among the thematic areas of interest for the meeting were health services improvement, education enhancement, girls’ education, women empowerment, agri-business, trade, livestock development, and animal health. Others were water resources development, improvement in rural connectivity, and access to electricity.

Both Dr. Um and Mr. Mutati described the meeting as a success.