President Edgar Lungu has appointed and sworn-in nine more Cabinet Ministers bringing the total of those so far appointed to 25.

Those sworn in as Cabinet Ministers are:

(1) Hon. Given Lubinda, MP
MINISTER OF JUSTICE;

(2) Hon. Michael Zondani,Katambo MP
MINISTER OF LIVESTOCK AND FISHERIES;

(3) Hon. Chishimba Kambwili, MP
MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES;

(4) Hon. Christopher Bwalya Yaluma, MP
MINISTER OF MINES AND MINERALS EVELOPMENT;

(5) Hon. David Mabumba, MP
MINISTER OF ENERGY;

(6) Hon. Charles Romel Banda, MP
MINISTER OF TOURISM AND ARTS;

(7) Hon. Emerine Kabanshi, MP
MINISTER OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE

(8) Hon. Ronald Kaoma Chitotela, MP
– MINISTER OF WORKS AND SUPPLY;

(9) Hon. Brian Mushimba, MP-
MINISTER OF COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT;

The President has also sworn- in Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet-Finance and Economic Development Christopher Mphanza Mvunga, Deputy Army Commander, Maj. General Jackson Miti and High Commissioner to the Republic of Tanzania Benson Keith Chali.

Speaking at the Swearing in ceremony at State House today, President Lungu says he expects total loyalty and support from the Ministers for effective service delivery.

The President says he expects the Ministers to be at their best behaviour, hard working and focused on the implementation of Government policies and delivering without fail, because that is what the Zambian people are expecting.

The President warned that he will not hesistate to fire disloyal and under-performing Ministers.

President Lungu underscored that appointment of Ministers is his preserve and prerogative and that it is wrong to think that these appointments are being made at the expense of PF members who had supported, sacrificed and campaigned for his re-election.

The President says he was not making appointments to appease anyone, but he was merely looking for the best who could deliver and this was in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The President says he was aware of misguided concerns in the party that he was ignoring those who had served long in the party and were faithful, adding that these appointments were not about appeasements and rewarding followers but selecting the best to deliver.

“Ministerial positions are not about appeasing. Appointment of Ministers is a preserve and prerogative of the President. It’s not about appeasing each other. It’s about getting the best to deliver,” The President said.

“For those of you who supported me, your time will come,” The President added.

The President also says he will rally behind Vice-President Inonge Wina to remain in office because of her handy contribution, despite some sentiments that the ruling party did not get massive votes from Western Province where she hails from.

President Lungu called for the need to encourage more women to vie for political office. The President expressed the low number of women representatives in Parliament, saying that both the PF and the opposition were affected.

2017 schedule will see passengers no longer needing to connect at Lusaka

Proflight Zambia has announced a new direct route between Mfuwe and Lower Zambezi for its 2017 timetable.
The plan was unveiled as part of Proflight Zambia’s bid to make travelling more convenient as well as strengthening and promoting freedom of movement to Zambia’s top tourist destinations. Passengers will no longer have to worry about passing through the capital ,Lusaka, as the proposals will enable them to fly directly from Mfuwe to both Royal and Jeki in the Lower Zambezi.
Proflight Zambia director of government industry affairs, Captain Philip Lemba said that the airline will begin operating the direct flights between Mfuwe and the Lower Zambezi’s Royal and Jeki airstrips from June 16 and continue throughout the peak tourism season until October 31, 2017.
“A direct service on this route has been requested for several years, and now we as a Zambian airline are delighted to be in a position to make this happen,” he said. “We have been in touch with Zambian tourism operators in both Mfuwe and Lower Zambezi about our proposals and we believe the revised schedule will be well received by all our customers.”
The introduction of the new service will mean some modifications to the Lower Zambezi timetable already in place for 2016. The morning Lusaka – Lower Zambezi flight and the evening Lower Zambezi – Lusaka return flight will be adjusted to enable direct connections to the Emirates flight from Lusaka.
Fares and taxes on the proposed direct Mfuwe to Lower Zambezi service will remain the same as the present tariff on the Mfuwe-to-Lower Zambezi route via Lusaka. This will allow for easy ticket changes should a passenger’s flight date change, or the direct flight be sold out or if a later flight via Lusaka is preferred.
“We do appreciate that the change to the schedule will inconvenience some passengers with existing bookings; however, the numbers are small, and we believe the positives of the new route far outweigh the loss of some connections through Lusaka for Lower Zambezi. We will contact agents individually for all affected bookings. We thank our customers in advance for their understanding,” said Capt. Lemba.
Special group fares are available for groups of ten passengers or more travelling together, applicable on either the direct or via-Lusaka Mfuwe-to-Lower Zambezi seats.
Flights on the Lusaka-to-Lower Zambezi and Lower Zambezi-to–Mfuwe routes will be offered throughout the whole year.
Proflight Zambia expects that the addition of these direct services will make travelling in Zambia more convenient for its valued customers.

Beverage company sponsors Chamber of Commerce forum

Zambian Breweries has praised the new government for its dialogue and willingness to engage with business in order to grow the economy and improve livelihoods.
Speaking during a landmark government and private sector consultative forum facilitated by the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI), and was sponsored by the company, Corporate Affairs Director Ezekiel Sekele said: “Zambian Breweries is delighted to partner with ZACCI. Our purpose at Zambian Breweries is to grow livelihoods. We believe this can only be done through partnership – public-private partnership. We all have one common constituency to serve and that is to positively change the lives of our people in society.”
The event was attended by Finance Minister Hon. Felix Mutati, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Hon. Margaret Mwanakatwe and Minister of National Development Planning Hon. Lucky Mulusa, along with leading business people.

Mr Sekele told the ministers that Zambian Breweries had seen a 15 percent increase in revenue since the reduction of excise tax on clear beer from 60 percent to 40 percent at the beginning of the year, resulting in additional VAT being paid to the government and further investment in the business.
“At Zambian Breweries we want to continue being in business for the foreseeable future and hence sustainability is key. We urge government to continue to create a stable tax environment,” he added as he outlined the group’s commitment to supporting Zambian agriculture through the purchase of  maize, sorghum, cassava and barley and , particularly, growing livelihoods of small scale farmers,” said Mr Sekele in his closing remarks.
He also mentioned the company’s work on water sustainability and its Manja Pamodzi clean-up campaign on packaging waste.
During the meeting Mr Mutati reiterated the government’s desire to work together with the private sector and engage with them on the national Budget and challenges faced by business.
Meanwhile Mrs Mwanakatwe pledged that the government would meet with the private sector on a regular basis in order to foster dialogue and address challenges in order to be a “listening government” that was “determined to get the economy on an even keel”.

The Zambia National Women’s Lobby has hailed President Edgar Lungu for observing gender parity in his appointment of Cabinet Ministers so far.

Lobby Executive Director Juliet Chibuta in a statement issued to the media observed that seven women have been appointed out of the 16 cabinet ministers that the President has appointed.

Ms Chibuta said the development is a step in the right direction towards the attainment of gender equality in top leadership positions in the country.

She called on President Lungu to continue on this path even as he appoints the remaining 14 cabinet Ministers as provided for in the constitution.

She said the inclusion of women in all leadership positions will have a positive impact on the setting of priorities for national development.

Mrs. Chibuta also said the appointment of many female Cabinet Ministers and the increase in the number of women elected at local government and parliament level in the just ended election will improve Zambia’s ranking with regards to representation of women in political decision making positions.

She has since congratulated all the women who have been appointed as cabinet ministers and has urged them to utilize the opportunity to advance gender equality by facilitating gender equity in their respective ministries.

Outspoken Zambian Voice Executive Director Chilufya Tayali has announced the formation of a new political party to be called Movement for Economic Development and Equity (MEDE).

Mr Tayali said he will unveil the proposed manifesto and constitution of the party before having it registered.

He said the party will aim at contesting all by-elections that may come before 2021 when the PF will hand over power to MEDE.

Mr Tayali revealed that he has been reflecting on the party’s manifesto for some time after he became frustrated by appointments that President Edgar Lungu has been making.

He said he expects to officially launch on 28th October 2016.

Government’s efforts to shore up the national budget and boost foreign reserves remain exposed to the continued loss of taxation revenue through illicit trade and smuggling. Increased law enforcement and border controls should be a priority for stakeholders including the Ministry of Home Affairs if Zambia is to address the country’s loss of revenue resulting from a drop in copper prices among other factors.

According to the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa (TISA), so profitable is the illicit trade that tobacco products are the world’s most widely smuggled legal product today. The illicit trade in tobacco products is a multi-billion-dollar business, fuelling organised crime and corruption, as well as robbing governments of much-needed tax money.

In Zambia, more than 400 million cigarettes a year enter the market illicitly smuggled, counterfeited or tax-evaded, accounting for 30% of the product on the market. Stemming the flow of illicit cigarettes on the market could help bridge the national budget deficit gap.

Estimates indicate that illegal quantities of cigarettes in Zambia account for more than 30% of the local market, translating into more than 400 million sticks per year. These non-taxed and unstamped goods are displacing the legitimate quantities on the market.

“Zambia has a 30% incident level for illicit cigarettes, costing the country upwards of K50 million in revenue last year. Cigarettes that find themselves on the market will ordinarily not have had duty paid, were concealed upon entry into the market and also through outright smuggling,” says TISA.

Recently, Finance Minister Felix Mutati noted that only Kasumbalesa border post is collecting significant revenue for the government. He noted that tolling at Kasumbalesa for imports can be replicated in Chirundu, Nakonde and Mwami. The call by the Finance Minister comes as the Zambian government moves to widen its tax base and ensure compliance for traders across various sectors.

Support for the government’s revenue collection can be through enhanced border post systems and equipping law enforcement agencies with skills and capacity to prosecute tax offenders is the practical end of commitment to boosting Zambia’s revenue.

Earlier this year, British American Tobacco (BAT) Zambia together with the Zambia Chamber of Commerce Industry (ZACCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to improve the working conditions of DEC and ultimately to ensure successful crime prevention and prosecution.

Last year alone, Zambia lost more than K50 million due to uncollected revenue resulting from smuggled products into the country. The timeline of the MoU will be three years, during the course of which DEC will receive IT equipment and support to improve the commission’s law enforcement and prosecution for various offenses including smuggling.

Local drama “Maliposa” by Mingeli Palata is one of the productions expected to premiere on Fox Life, a bold and entertaining pan-African channel that is said to offer fresh local content along with an eclectic and exciting mix of United States dramas, comedies and unscripted programming.
This has been confirmed in a statement released to the Weekend Mail in Lusaka by MultiChoice Zambia.
“Considered one of the world’s leading destinations for scripted and unscripted entertainment, Fox Life, launching on October 3, will be tailored for Africa, and will be available on DStv channel 126 and GOtv channel 20,” the statement reads.
“As part of the new channel, an additional 954 hours of fresh new programming will be added to the schedule over the coming months, focused on localised storytelling, created specifically for African viewers.”
Fox Life intends to have the best of Hollywood in the form of Pitch and Atlanta, Turkish and Brazilian Telenovelas, scripted and unscripted local content as well as dramas.
Other than “Maliposa”, another lifestyle and drama show that will be coming from across the African continent is “Wrath” from Nigeria.
Also from Nigeria is a show on young Nigerian-born DJ Cuppy (Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola), who goes on an ambitious tour of eight countries across Africa.
In a male dominated field – DJ Cuppy has made inroads and describes her sound as “Neo Afrobeats”!
“Fox Life is core to our global entertainment portfolio and its entry into this market signals FNG’S [Fox Network’s Group’s] continued investment in Africa,” says Gary Alfonso, general manager for Fox Networks Group Africa.
“From hit US programming, to 954 hours of brand new, locally developed and produced content, our new channel portfolio reflects the best in entertainment, factual and sports.”
The new channel, available to GOtv Plus and DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family and Access customers, will also sit alongside an extensive FNG portfolio of channels in Africa, which includes FOX, National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild.

Agriculture, health and education among key priorities

Communities neighbouring the US$2 billion Sentinel mine at Kalumbila have formed a ground-breaking advisory committee designed to improve relations with the mining giant on its doorstep.
Trident Foundation Advisory Committee, spearheaded by Senior Chief Musele Musokantanda III and other community leaders, aims to ensure that the voices of local people are heard and their priorities considered when matters of development are planned.
“This should not be taken as a mere formality but a committee that is above self-benefit and that will represent the people with a focus of bringing development to the Musele Chiefdom,” said Chief Musele.
The advisory committee comprises leaders from 17 villages across the Musele chiefdom in North-Western Province with the expectation of a “fresh start” to engage the mine on development in the area.
Community representatives on the advisory committee will now liaise with their counterparts at the  Trident Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organisation established by First Quantum Minerals subsidiary Kalumbila Minerals to support sustainable development through partnerships with communities, government, civil society and other stakeholders.
Local residents were supported by the Extractive Industry Transparency Alliance (EITA), which was contracted to provide additional capacity to form the advisory committee along with village-level community development sub-committees.
EITA coordinator Mwiya Mwandawande helped develop the terms of reference for the committee and facilitated the consultative process with community development committees at the village level, to determine development priorities.
Agricultural livelihoods, health infrastructure, women and youth empowerment livelihood activities, education infrastructure and water infrastructure were the top development priorities across the villages in this initial phase of consultation.
In addition to identification of education and health infrastructure as a priority, the community leaders expressed the need for more trained staff and supplies at local schools and clinics.
Community leaders identified moulding of locally baked clay bricks, as well as provision of voluntary labour towards community infrastructure projects as some of the meaningful contributions they can make towards development.
After initial consultations with the advisory committee the Trident Foundation was invited to the first District Development Coordinating Committee meeting of the newly formed Kalumbila District.
Community priorities will be screened against the Trident Foundation principles, development framework and available resources, and carefully planned activities will be undertaken to address key areas.
“The Trident Foundation welcomes the community initiative to form this advisory committee. The move will enable further dialogue between the mine, the foundation and the communities in which it works and we are hopeful that this additional channel of communication will enable more meaningful, better targeted development,” said Trident Foundation manager Garth Lappeman.
“At Sentinel mine we are mindful of the importance of ensuring that all our activities adhere to global best practice and efficiency in terms of  social, economic and environmental impact, and this has become an increasing focus in the context of currently low community prices and the harsher financial  and operational environment,” he added.

In a message posted don his Facebook page, Dr Kambwili thanked President Edgar Lungu for the appointment.

“Thank you His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for according me this opportunity to serve in your cabinet, I appreciate the faith and trust you have in my capabilities and I will serve you and the Zambians in an exemplary manner, I will work hard and deliver to your expectations in accordance the Patriotic Front manifesto,” Dr Kambwili wrote.

“I am glad to note that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services now includes Communication as well. I am equal to the additional task. Swearing in to take place tomorrow morning at 9 Hours.”