Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
SOUTHERN Province Police Commissioner Godwin Phiri has urged media houses to stick to their mission statements as they do their works.
Speaking during Choma’s Byta FM Radio Station employee of the month awards yesterday Mr Phiri said media houses should be objective because they communicate to society.
Mr Phiri said media institutions should work in line with their mission statements as what they communicate to society could either build a nation or destroy.
“The works of journalists should not be taken lightly because society is what you build with the way you communicate and the way you communicate the nation can be torn apart,” he said.
He said some incidents that have occurred in different parts of the world have been due to misrepresentation of facts by media houses hence the call for them to stick to their mission statements.
He said some careers that a number of people had found themselves doing were predestined by God and needed to work diligently.
“These careers that we find ourselves are predestined by God.
Therefore, we need to be consistent focused and need loyalty not only to the institution that has employed us but we should remember that we have a lot at stake to protect the future of our children and the nation,” he said.
He urged media houses to emulate Byta FM Radio Station for coming up with the employee of the month awards which was a motivation factor to employees.
Byta FM Station Manager Albert Mwiinga said this was the fourth time that the station was awarding the employee of the month.
Mr Mwiinga said the institution recognises hard work initiative done by a particular employee and they are rewarded during the monthly award.
I have spent a few days thinking about what will happen to my country in the next five years and beyond. It is obviously benign for one to argue that no one apart from God knows our tomorrow. But as human beings we have the free will and the right to anticipate and imagine things. After all everything starts from imaginations.
I have also been thinking and imagining what name Zambia could be given if this country was a movie. I did come up with something that suite my imaginations, ‘HUNGER MANAGEMENT’. Fortunately this movie according to my imaginations wouldn’t be a horror or science fiction but just a stimulating thriller full of qualms. This can be a movie that once produced everyone would be looking forward to see. Anyways these are just my wired thoughts over my country ‘Hunger Management’.
Let me address something a little serious and important to us. When I look around and observe the happenings in our country, it appears so evident that things are not as they used to be years ago. We now have more ‘beautiful’ roads, huge shopping malls and some ‘few’ other things such as new hospitals, schools and clinics to mention but a few. Most of this construction was started by the man of action late president Michael Sata (MHSRIP) and completed by our ‘Humble’ man president elect Edger Chagwa Lungu’s government. I imagine where we could have been by now had the MMD started with the infrastructure development and accelerated it in the manner the PF has done in a short time.
Yes some good things done! I now compare Zambia to a home where the husband gets a collateral loan from a bank and spends it on things like putting tiles in the house, getting new sofas and TV sets and ensures the children are always given great meals. This money is borrowed remember, and has to be paid back with interest. This home will one day reach a time when everyone in the house starting from the father, mother and children must face reality. When the money you borrowed is finished you will even fail to afford the black tea you used to have before the loan appeared and served full English breakfast. A debt is a debt meant to be paid back.
Most of this construction was started by the man of action late president Michael Sata (MHSRIP) and completed by our ‘Humble’ man president elect Edger Chagwa Lungu’s government
The scenario above is not so different with where our country is at moment. The Zambian Economy is now in ICU and the chief surgeon, the IMF is here to ‘save’ us. The prescriptions we are yet to be given may not be sweet, and as such, Zambians have to brace themselves for a harder five (5) year ahead of us. Some more jobs may be lost. The prices of commodities will rise, and this is especially so when subsidies such as those on fuel, fertilizer, maize and electricity are removed. Yes, these subsidies have to be removed, why? Because the government is BROKE and can’t afford them anymore. I take you back to the time in 1990 when late president Chiluba scrapped off the idea of giving mealie meal on coupons because the government could not sustain them. And I hope that we shall not have a debate whether government is broke or not because the signs are they for everyone to see.
So we have to deal with the billions of dollars we borrowed. By the way it is now estimated that every Zambian including children and old people is owing at least 800 USD. So if you are one of those who boast that you are debt free, just stop it.
Now is time to be honest with ourselves and accept that the government is broke hence the salary delays, the delays in paying contractors and the abandoning of some projects. This is what happens when there is no discipline in economic governance. Not even the much celebrated Saudi Oil deal signed earlier this year is expected to cause any positive impact in the economy. But we have to be careful with who we blame. We can’t just put the blame on president Lungu. He does not work alone but with a team of men and women who surround him. The way ordinary citizens react to some economical decisions government makes contributes to a somewhat unstable economy. We are in the habit of celebrating every move the president and his cabinet makes, good or bad. Many times we behave as if we have been advised not to think and have taken such counsel.
Zambia has reached a point where the next government will really be about ‘Hunger Management’. We will be very wrong to expect much infrastructure development in the next five years. Money will just not be there for that. What we will see instead is government striving to deal with issues that affect the people directly. There will be very little to ‘Sonta’ in the next five years but much will be felt.
There is too much Anger and bitterness in the country at present time. We shall therefore need the kind of headship that will help deal with this anger, bitterness and tribalism that we are amenably preaching without shame.
Now let me get even much more serious with this as I conclude. While all this will be happening in the next five years and beyond if not careful, we will still have the ruling party and the opposition. Mostly the ruling party in Zambia and Africa is about mocking the opposition and causing defections to paint a certain picture. The opposition on the other hand is about opposing almost everything the government does. I hope and pray this time around that we can try and change our attitudes towards one another. We have to be very careful with the way we handle matters. There is too much Anger and bitterness in the country at present time. We shall therefore need the kind of headship that will help deal with this anger, bitterness and tribalism that we are amenably preaching without shame.
We need to show love and be united as a nation. We need to be more tolerant than ever before. We need to behave in a way that will bring about investor confidence. And let me mention that even as we wait for the constitutional court ruling on the presidential election petition, let us not focus our energy on those countries that are experiencing riots and civil unrest and compare them to ourselves. We are Zambia and Zambia is a ‘Christian’ nation. Let us remain calm and continue preaching love, peace, unity and reconciliation.
Police officers seal off Komboni Radio premises last night
The European Union says it is closely following the post-election developments in Zambia.
Spokesperson at European Commission Nabila Massrali said in a statement that the EU is closely following post-election developments and notes rising tension and incidents of violence.
“All stakeholders, in particular the two main political parties, should engage in dialogue and reconciliation and await calmly the outcome of the complaints and appeals process,” Ms Massrali said.
She said independent media is a key element of one any democratic and pluralistic society.
“The recent suspension of several media organisations – Muvi TV, Komboni Radio and Itezhi Tezhi Radio- by the Independent Broadcasting Authority runs counter to this. The lifting of the suspension for Itezhi Tezhi Radio should lead to further positive developments in this regard,” she said.
“The EU remains committed to Zambia’s democratic, economic and social development. The upcoming recommendations of the EU Electoral Observation Mission, which will stay in Zambia until the completion of the electoral process, are part of this engagement.”
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S MIXED MESSAGES OF RECONCILIATION, PEACE AND UNITY – TRANSITION versus POWER VACUUM
[By Brig. Gen. Godfrey Miyanda – 31st august 2016]
INTRODUCTION
I am prompted to respond to Mr Amos Chanda’s recent “Vacuum Speech” because his Boss has left a trail of illegal pronouncements and actions. Mr Chanda’s Press Briefing seemingly endorsed the President-Elect’s creation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced at St Paul’s church in Lusaka. It is misleading to give a blanket declaration that the President-Elect has a mandate to do as he pleases regardless of the time and season through which the nation is passing; it is also misleading to suggest that he can create ministries, districts and constituencies at will as alleged by his Assistant Mr Amos Chanda.
OF GOEBBELS
In Hitler’s Nazi Germany there was a man called Joseph Goebbels who, though long gone, was the master propagandist of all time. But in today’s Zambia there seems to be a Goebbels at work, manipulating information, shutting down media outlets and ensuring that there is no response in the public media to deliberate lies and half-truths.
Today in Zambia the problem is to identify who this modern Goebbels is in the PF political machinery; unless we understand what is happening in the PF’s media strategy we shall never liberate the people of Zambia as promised by the late President Sata when he revealed that he was leading the country to the Second Liberation! The search to identify the Zambian Goebbels must begin in earnest but must take place concurrently with countering the lies without waiting for Z Goebbels to be exposed. I begin my search and contribution by responding to Mr Amos Chanda’s assertions during his “Power Vacuum” speech.
CREATION OF THE MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
Barely 24 hours after the President-Elect announced the creation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs at a well-attended church function of the United Church of Zambia his assistant, Mr Amos Chanda, held a press briefing whereby he declared that there is no vacuum in Zambia because of the so-called new Constitution. He also mumbled something about violence, unity and tribalism. Like Goebbels he did not contextualise the real issue at hand. I say to him and his boss “You cannot have your cake and eat it”!
As a Christian myself I should be rejoicing about the purported creation of the Ministry of Religious affairs but the issue is NOT the creation of the ministry but why now in the middle of an election petition! I contend that the Chanda “Vacuum Speech” has ignored the context of the intention of Parliament to provide an orderly transition from the just ended regime to the new one for the next five years. Since there is not yet a confirmed winner of the August 2016 election it is mischievous for the President-Elect to be posturing daily in churches, prisons and countrywide tours as if nothing has happened in the nation. His status has been challenged so it is not only in bad faith but is provocative, especially to those who have not accepted the outcome of the last election, to be creating ministries. In God’s name how can his actions create peace, unity and reconciliation in the nation? Let him just seat back patiently and await the outcome of the challenge to his election.
Mr Amos Chanda, or accurately President-Elect Lungu, is wrong to consciously mislead the public that the President is working. The churches that are supporting, hosting and congratulating him are naïve and are ignorant that there is formally “no government” at the moment since the tenure of the former PF government ended on 13th May 2016 when the Parliament was dissolved; but the State continues to exist without a formal “government” for only a period of 90 days!
CHANGE VERSUS THE SPIRIT OF THE TRANSITION
The President-Elect’s Team is in denial but must accept that following the dissolution of Parliament on 13th May 2016 a major change took place that triggered the transition mode. This change cannot be stopped by anyone, not even by the Constitutional Court. The sooner Mr Chanda, alias Lungu, wakes up and stops denying what has taken place the better for us all. The Constitutional Court is not there to stop the change but to affirm that indeed a new regime is upon us, and that new regime will either be a new PF one consisting of a new Cabinet or a new regime of a different political party. Even a re-run, if ever it became necessary, will not change the scenario because only the two top contenders will take part in the run off, unless by some miracle recounted votes disclose that in fact votes were stolen from the other candidates!
The change is that following the dissolution of Parliament on 13th May 2016, there is a government-in-waiting; the Constitutional Court will merely put a stamp of confirmation and endorsement of what that change is after considering the case presented to it by the parties in contention. So lets us bide our time and allow the process to take its course. Thus the President-Elect must not keep sending mixed messages himself or through surrogates to the nation at large, cunningly and subtly communicating that the PF regime is still in place by creating ministries, districts and constituencies; imagine even sending a so-called PF Disaster Management Committee to Namwala with food for the survivors of the “Namwala holocaust”!
I contend that the five-year tenure of the PF regime run from September 2011 and expired on 13th May 2016, when Parliament was dissolved. So, what is the reason for the Goebbels strategy? It is to keep the natives believing that there has been no change in spite of the petition by showing the President-Elect humbly carrying on his normal duties and officiating at functions and creating new ministries. But I call on the President-Elect to be patient and savour the new constitution that he operationalized publicly by his signature at the Independence stadium on 5th January 2016.
LOOKING BACK
The spirit of the Constitution has been relegated to the rubbish pit, vis a vis the transition. Let us wind back to the historic coming on the scene of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MDD) to rescue Zambians from the claws and jaws of the One Party Dictatorship. Team MMD had won a landslide victory in November 1991, following the first multiparty general election that ended the One Party regime. I was standing by Dr Frederick Chiluba’s side at Hon Newstead Zimba’s Rhodes Park house on Lagos Road, when outgoing President Dr Kenneth David Kaunda telephoned FTJ to concede defeat.
It was a joyous occasion but it also produced a vindictive reaction within our circles. “Kaunda must get out and go immediately” urged some members of Team MMD; the purveyors of this diatribe will remain unnamed for now. I was isolated because I advised FTJ to give KK time to clear out, in spite of the Constitution which provided for a 24 hours swearing in schedule. I argued that the perception will be that we were vindictive. The voices for immediate eviction of KK were rather strong.
But in those early days FTJ paid attention whenever I spoke. He agreed with my suggestion; but later a new angle was introduced by the same cabal, that FTJ must enter State House immediately as a symbol to the whole nation that he was now the President. After much private persuasion it fell on me to find an alternative transit camp instead of a hotel, hence the birth of the so-called Government House – this little battle was won without much fanfare and KK remained in State house for some days; I was the only Minister with FTJ when KK handed over to him. The purpose of this brief expose’ is to illustrate what happens when there are gaps in the law and how some people routinely choose to take advantage of those gaps for selfish motives.
There is always a period of a momentary vacuum, to borrow Mr Chanda’s word. But it is NOT a real vacuum because the government system remains intact. I contend that the tenure of the outgoing PF regime ended on 13th May 2016 when the five years term of Team PF (President, cabinet and MPs) ended. We have always had a transition, except during the One Party period. There is an unwritten rule or practice that no new government programmes are initiated as has been done by the President-Elect. The President-Elect and his Team must stand still and patiently await the outcome of the Petition!
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TOO SLOW
The complaint that the Constitutional Court is taking too long and delaying development is not supported but is mischievous, unfair and intended to pressurise the Constitutional Court and to make people believe that the Court is not equal to the task. The Petition of Mazoka and Others, arising from the 2001 Presidential election (Anderson Mazoka, Christon Tembo and Godfrey Miyanda versus Attorney General and ECZ), is instructive.
That Petition took four years to conclude while the declared winner was carrying out the functions of Republican President, making the whole exercise of the petition an academic exercise and a mockery of justice. The Amended Constitution has provided for a shorter transitional arrangement of 14 days to manage the ascension to the Presidency and make the change over smooth. In short the spirit of the Constitution is that there is never a vacuum; but such interpretation must not be to serve a private agenda of the so-called incumbent as stated by Mr Amos Chanda, alias Edgar Lungu.
I totally disagree with those persons, including some NGOs and some churches, alleging that the Constitutional Court is delaying the Petition. They are definitely ignorant of the new system of managing cases. It is an effective system; it is efficient but puts pressure on the parties to the case to be clear in the claims and demands presented to the Court.
Is it rational for anyone today to say that 14 DAYS IS TOO LONG? 14 days versus 4 years? There must be another hidden agenda behind such statements. It is for parties to ensure that they have credible evidence and stick to the case they have put before the Court and confirmed in the preliminary phase of the Petition. I am certain that this UPND Petition will not and cannot take four years as before, not even one month if the Petition rules are followed. Let us leave the Constitutional Court to do its job without conducting running commentaries. Please no more hocus pocus from Team Amos Chanda and his extended family.
GODFREY MIYANDA, BRIGADIER GENERAL, A CONCERNED CITIZEN [31ST AUGUST 2016]
IT WOULD have been a tragedy had the UPND won the last general elections because the kind of vengeance and retribution its leadership had planned would have completely dismembered the country, Edwin Lifwekelo has revealed.
And Mr Lifwekelo said the clique of Guy Scott, Miles Sampa, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, Mulenga Sata and Nevers Mumba largely contributed to the defeat that Hakainde Hichilema suffered at the hands of President Edgar Lungu.
Mr Lifwekelo who is former UPND deputy spokesperson said Zambia was safer in the hands of President Lungu and that had the UPND won, the country could have gone through the worst forms of political victimisation and economic tribulations.
Breaking his silence in an exclusive interview after resigning from the UPND to re-join the Patriotic Front (PF), Mr Lifwekelo said Zambians had made the best decision to re-elect President Edgar Lungu and that he was happy to have come back to the party he helped found.
He said the UPND leadership was ‘‘gravely bitter’’ that they had yet again been rejected by Zambians and that he was aware more than two years ago that the UPND was never going to win the general elections.
He said time had come for him to rejoin the party he belonged to and that on more than two occasions, former president Michael Sata had invited him but had refused because he was waiting for the right time.
Mr Lifwekelo said most of the senior and ordinary members were not happy with the manner the UPND was being administered.
He said it was not a secret that the general membership had strongly resisted the nomination of Mr Mwamba as Mr Hichilema’s running mate because of the uncouth behaviour of the UPND vice-president and his vulgar and vile language against citizens.
Mr Lifwekelo explained that while he greatly appreciated that Mr Hichilema had given him an opportunity to serve the UPND as deputy spokesperson, he did not agree with his style of governing the party.
Mr Lifwekelo said Mr Hichilema and Mr Mwamba had invested a lot in politics and that their desire to be in government was to recover their money and continue building their financial empires at the expense of the country and its citizens.
“I have just gone back home where I belong as a prodigal son. Late President Sata invited me more than twice to work with him but I told him let me be the other side. I have been interacting with President Lungu who had also called me and wondered why I did not want to be in the party I helped to form.
‘‘Records are there that the PF was registered in my name and I just want to work with President Lungu. Zambia is safer in the hands of President Lungu and had the UPND won the last general elections, we would have seen the real Armageddon but thank God Zambians voted for President Lungu and the PF,” Mr Lifwekelo said.
Mr Lifwekelo revealed that many people in the UPND were only waiting for the outcome of the petition by Mr Hichilema and Mr Mwamba who have rejected the re-election of President Lungu and have asked the Constitutional Court to nullify the presidential results.
He reiterated his earlier statement that there shall be mass defections from the UPND after the Concourt petition as many members were tired of being perpetually in the opposition.
Mr Lifwekelo appealed to the people of Southern, Western and North-Western provinces to reflect deeply because Zambia was much bigger than the three regions.
He said he was disappointed with UPND general secretary Stephen Katuka who claimed he (Lifwekelo) had resigned because of poverty.
Mr Lifwekelo said he had been in the UPND since 2011 and had endured the hardships associated with citizens who belong to the opposition and only moved on principle.
“The UPND has received many members from the PF such as Guy Scott, Miles Sampa, GBM and Mulenga Sata and no one condemned them. Why should the UPND condemn me and call me names for my personal decision. They did not invite me as I joined the UPND at my own volition and I have left on my own volition,” Mr Lifwekelo said.
Amos Chanda
International Trade Consultant Trevor Simumba has condemned the statement issued by State House Spokesman Amos Chanda regarding the impending IMF bailout deal for Zambia.
Mr Chanda told Journalists this week that the Zambian government will not agree to any IMF programme that will hurt the majority of poor Zambians.
Zambia is before the end of this year expected to sign up to an IMF bailout package believed to be in the region of US$ 1.2 billion but the assistance is expected to come with stringent austerity measures.
Mr Chanda however said the Zambian government is not ready to accept tough austerity measures from the IMF that could hurt the poor.
But Mr Simumba said the statement from Mr Chanda should not have been made as it exposes the government and weakens their negotiation power.
“In fact, these issues must be dealt with by Secretary to Treasury or BOZ Governor not the spokesperson who has no clue about the dynamics of negotiating an IMF programme,” Mr Simumba said.
He said, “Remember the reason we need the IMF is that the PF Government in particular the former Minister of Finance have completely mismanaged the economy and have put Zambia in a debt and fiscal deficit crisis that requires the IMF. Zambia is in a very weak position to begin to dictate terms.”
Mr Simumba said the focus for the Zambian government should be on designing a recovery programme that shows that Government expenditure especially on salaries and Recurrent Departmental Charges will be controlled and reduced.
He said government should also focus on ensuring that the country collects more revenue domestically and attract significant new investment.
“Posturing with no plan is a recipe for disaster,” he warned.
@@@@@
Although the Constitutional Court had earlier directed that trial in the election petition would start on Friday, 2nd September 2016, the Court has now directed that trial should begin today.
Lawyers representing President Edgar Lungu had argued that the Constitutional Court should not allow hearing to go beyond the stipulated 14 constitutional days and all hearing should be concluded by 2nd September 2016.
UPND was contending that it should be 14 working days excluding Saturday and Sundays and that the hearing should proceed up-to 8th September 2016.
But the Court has directed both the Petitioners and Respondents lawyers that the petition can only be heard today and up till 23:59 hours tomorrow, Friday, 2nd September 2016.
The Court guided that this matter is one where time cannot be negotiated as all parties and the Court is bound by the Constitutional provisions.
Details about ruling on the deadline of 14 days will be advised later.
With support from tastemakers such as Nigeria’s Beat FM, Naija FM, Ghana’s YFM and Zambia’s Power FM, Hot 87 FM and Flava FM, as well as the UK’s BBC 1Xtra for her previous singles ‘JOY’ and ‘BABA’, fast-rising Afropop princess Katongo returns with her brand new single ‘All Over Me (Like This) featuring Congolese rising star BM (Ebebi, Makolongulu, Baloba).
Zambian born Katongo and Congolese born BM, though both raised in the UK, show that they are still very connected to their African roots. The collaboration between these two rising stars is an effortless one that blends Afro-pop with the Congolese mainstream sound. ‘All Over Me’ was produced by Ghanaian beatmaker Heavenboy and written by Katongo and BM. Fun and flirty in essence, ‘All Over Me (Like This)’ is an exciting record, an uptempo dancefloor soukous flavoured masterpiece. Already being described as an Afro dance hit, ‘All Over Me (Like This)’ is sure to get you moving your waist, singing along to the catchy hook and dancing till the early hours of the morning – from its catchy chorus to Katongo’s sultry vocals mixed with BM’s exciting bilingual delivery, it is a welcome return for Katongo who is set to take African music by storm.
FILE: President Lungu greets UPND president Hakainde Hichilema during the memorial service of the Late President Michael Chilufya Sata at St Ignatius Catholic Church in Lusaka
The tug of war between Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and President Lungu reminds one of primary school days. At Matanda Primary School, we used hands instead of a rope – the two kids in front held each other’s hands, while we pulled in opposite directions. If the kids in front let go, both sides went tumbling down—adding to the excitement.
Some people have condemned HH for petitioning the results, but I believe he must be applauded—it is the first time in African politics when a defeated candidate has halted the inauguration of the declared winner. HH may call Lungu “a dictator,” but President Lungu’s has shown respect for the law by giving the Constitutional Court time to hear the petition. If Lungu losses or wins, he will go in history as the first democratically re-elected sitting President in Africa to halt his inauguration due to a legal challenge—making Zambia the light of democracy in Africa.
Those who have lived long enough know how Zambian courts have ruled on presidential election matters. In 1996, Chiluba barred Kaunda from contesting the elections on the premise that his parents were not “Zambian by birth and descent.” Whereas Chiluba’s parentage was challenged in court, it is Kaunda who was declared stateless by our courts. In 2011, the Patriotic Front used the parentage clause against then President Rupiah Banda. Banda was born in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) from a Zimbabwean mother. However, the court ruled that it “will be against natural justice” to stop him from contesting the 2011 Elections. That ruling was not based on the constitution, but on the judge’s definition of justice. If the selective interpretation of the national constitution is something to follow, HH may not win this case – something that would present him as a ‘cry baby’ beaten three times; twice on the ballot, and then in the Constitutional Court! HH’s party has promised to accept the ruling, but Lungu’s victory will give PF political capital to demean HH and the UPND. Sadly, PF and UPND cadres will fight, and some will die regardless of who wins.
That said, HH has given us an opportunity to see many loopholes in our Constitution. For the PF, the UPND and the Law Association of Zambia to start arguing on the interpretation of the Constitution which was passed a few months ago is utterly imprudent.
HH’s tug of war with President Lungu on handing over power to the Speaker of the National Assembly is due to the confusing nature of our Constitution. The fact that nobody knows when the Speaker should take over; under which article is the petition to be filed; what is meant by filling and hearing the petition within 14 days; when to start counting the days; and what happens after the expiry of 14 days, simply shows the limitations of our Constitution. Besides, resolving constitutional matters can take months and even years – especially in cases where many stakeholders are involved. HH, Lungu, the PF, the UPND, and the Election Commission are parties to this suit. If the petition against a Member of Parliament takes months—how can the presidential petition conclude within 14 days? It is one thing to say ECZ, the PF and Lungu conspired to rig the elections—but it is another to show beyond reasonable doubt how and when that was done. To do justice to all players involved, some people have to testify—something that can prolong the process.
Consequentially, the Constitution identifies the Speaker of the National Assembly as the right person to perform executive duties in the case of the petition. But this provision is highly illogical. The Speakership is an elected office – Article 82.1 reads, “The Members of Parliament shall elect, by secret ballot, a Speaker of the National Assembly ….” But after the dissolution of Parliament and by extension the National Assembly, Article 72(1) awkwardly retains “the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker;” thus we have the Speaker without the National Assembly. Depending on how one reads the Constitution, this is the person who should act as President but without power to “(a) make an appointment; or (b) dissolve the National Assembly.” How can the Speaker dissolve that which does not exist—is this another constitutional oxymoron? This clause would have made sense if Zambia scheduled parliamentary elections a year or months before the Presidential elections—which can be rectified by either cutting or extending the life of Parliament. In is case, the Speaker of the active National Assembly can perform executive duties in case of electoral disputes. As it stands, however, this clause seems tailored to when the president dies in office, and a by-election is held. Today, however, it does not make sense since we have running mates.
Another oxymoron is that the Constitution is not even clear when the term of the Speaker of the National Assembly ends. One assumes that it ends after the election of a new Speaker at the first sitting of Parliament. Unless the Speaker is not interested in regaining his or her position, to hold an election over which the sitting Speaker presides is like asking the sitting President to chair her or his election. In short, our Constitution is problematic—unless these problems are resolved, we will end up with a constitutional tug of war each election circle.
Finally, Zambian politics is unpredictable; so who will win remains a puzzle. A very slight chance of HH winning exists, but it is on him and his party to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Lungu conspired with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to rig the elections. Regardless, only one person will win this case. I pray that the PF and UPND leadership will put mother Zambia first before their egos by controlling their victorious or disappointed cadres after the ruling.
The best time to measure the overall contribution of a mine to society is when it is about to close, and Chibuluma Mine on the Copperbelt is an ideal case-study.
Chibuluma was one of the first Zambian mines privatised in 1997, and after more than 18 years of operation, it is nearing the end of its working life.
“Unless our ongoing exploration finds a new copper deposit worth exploiting soon, Chibuluma will probably close sometime between 2020 and 2022,” says Eustus Munsaka, Head of Finance. “All mines have a natural lifespan, and we are about to reach the end of ours.”
Has Chibuluma benefited Zambia? Was it right to privatise the mine? Or would it have been better to leave it as a nationalised entity, under the control of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM)?
When Chibuluma was being considered for privatisation, the nationalised mining industry was struggling. Production had plummeted, employment was down and the technological base of the industry was depleted from lack of investment. ZCCM was losing money and government was not getting any mining tax revenue. So the decision to privatise Chibuluma, and other ZCCM Mines, is perhaps easier to understand within the social and economic context of that era.
Immediately upon privatisation, Chibuluma’ s new shareholders, Metorex of South Africa, poured money into developing the mine and renewing its technology base. This capital expenditure programme has continued unabated ever since, and has been running at more than $15 million a year since 2008.
The next element of Chibuluma’ s contribution is the money that has flowed directly to government, starting with the $17.5 million purchase price of the mine. Then adding the various taxes paid over the years (corporation tax, Mineral Royalty Tax, windfall tax, Value-Added Tax and Pay-As-You-Earn tax by employees), the total comes to $252 million – or about K2.4 billion at current exchange rates.
“Significant as these payments to government are, they overlook the larger social and economic benefit the mine has had on the community and the local economy,” says Munsaka.
Employee spending power is significant. Then there is the multiplier effect – every direct job at a Zambian mine such as Chibuluma creates up to 5 jobs indirectly in the local community and the broader economy. This is easy to understand when one considers the millions of kwacha released into the local economy every month through employees’ wages and salaries.
The community has benefited too, thanks to the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Since 1998, Chibuluma has spent in excess of $3.7 million building schools, roads and houses; donating computers and laboratory equipment; awarding scholarships; teaching farmers how to grow crops more efficiently based on conservation farming skills; and providing medical care. In 2013, the mine handed an entire 100-bed hospital to government.
So when all the various contributions – both direct and indirect – are taken into consideration, the answer to the question “Has Zambia benefited from a privatised Chibuluma?” has to be an emphatic “yes”.
The only downside is that this substantial social and economic contribution has almost certainly created a culture of dependency, which will be sorely tested in the years ahead. All stakeholders will feel the economic effect of the loss of spending power and tax revenue from the mine.
STRAY lions are terrorising villagers and livestock in Mulobezi district of Western Province.
On Monday night, a lone lion killed four goats and a cow in Situmpa village of senior Chief Inyambo Yeta’s chiefdom in Mulobezi district.
Shadrick Mweemba, a farmer and owner of the slain goats and cow, said the wild animals have been frequenting his village and that his family and many villagers were now leaving in fear of being attacked by the lions.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Mweemba said he managed to notify the Department of Wildlife and National Parks offices in Mulobezi but was deeply disappointed with their slow response.
“Imagine I had to walk so many kilometers from my village to Mulobezi boma just to inform them of what had happened to my animals. But the response I got is not pleasing because they kept promising me that they will send officers to my village to monitor the situation but up to now nothing has happened.
“As you see me right now am from the same office and am still being given fake promises by the officer and am told that officers will be sent this evening, so we don’t really know how we are going to survive because people in my village are living in fear and one can hear the lions roaring in the night, ”Mr Mweemba said.
When contacted for a comment acting park ranger for Department of Wildlife and National Parks Mulobezi field office Roy Seemani said his officers had already been deployed to the affected villages and the situation was being contained.
Mr Seemani said the wild cats terrorising the villages were believed to be from Sichifulo Game Management Area (GMA).
“What we normally do is that when a report comes to the office, we go for a follow up to make assessments and depending on the assessment on the ground, then officers are deployed to the affected area so that they can chase away the animals and make sure that they are back in the game management area,” he said.
A SCAM has been unearthed in Kalulushi where some Chinese nationals are grabbing farm and residential plots from the local people to establish their companies.
The scourge is said to be rife in the area along the Kalulushi/Sabiana road where a number of Chinese companies have since been established their companies on local people’s plots with impunity.
The move has strongly displeased Kalulushi District Commissioner Ken Siachisumo who has since issued an order to the local authority to halt any further constructions by the Chinese companies until the matter was resolved.
This came to light during the weekend when Mr Siachisumo visited the area, after receiving numerous complaints from the local people that some Chinese companies were grabbing pieces of land to establish their companies.
Mr Siachisumo who was in accompany of staff from the Kalulushi Municipal Council (KMC), Chibuluma Mines and district Government officials proved the complaints when he visited a named Chinese Company and found that a wall fence had already been erected on a piece of land that was occupied by some one certain family which has since been displaced.
He said he was not going to allow any investor grab a piece of land from locals just because the area needed investors.
He said although there was need to have investors in the area, rights of the local people also needed to be preserved by putting them into much consideration.
“I know that we need some investors in our district, but our people should not be displaced from their pieces of land which they have possessed for a long time without being compensated.
“I am there urging the Kalulushi Municipal Council to always be serious whenever they are dealing with land issues. No one should be allowed to start contracting any building at piece of land that is illegally obtained,”he said.
The DC stressed that in fact the land in question was authentically offered to the local people by the court since at one point it had some legal matters.
Electoral officers, agents and monitors inspecting the Ballot Boxes at Rainbow Africa polling station in Livingstone yesterday shortly before the opening of the Polls yesterday. Picture by BRIAN HATYOKALOSING independent candidate for the Livingstone Constituency, Edwin Simwimba, has petition the election of United Party for National Development (UPND)’s Mathews Jere in the Livingstone High Court.
During the recent General Elections, Mr Jere got 27,737 votes beating his closest rival Omar Munsanje of the Patriotic Front (PF) who got 9,990 while Mr Simwimba got 8,204 votes and the remaining votes shared by other seven other candidates.
According to the petition filed in the Livingstone High Court, Mr Jere is the First Respondent to petition while the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) as the Second Respondent.
Mr Simwimba submitted that the election campaigns were characterised with undue influence and violence by UPND members contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Process Act Number 35of 2006.
He said members of the public were intimated by UPND political cadres to vote for the First Respondent (Mr Jere) on the day of elections.
“Members of the public were not free to campaign for candidates of their choice because UPND members constantly threatened to beat or cause harm to them.
“The First Respondent and his agents were seen giving money and food and asking voters to vote for him on August 11, 2016,” the petition reads.
Mr Simwimba said the presiding officer was under duress when he announced the First Respondent as dully elected Member of Parliament after UPND cadres locked them in a room with the Second Respondent, agents, journalists and threatened to burn the building if the results were not announced and not in their favour.
He said UPND members acted violently towards other political parties and that some UPND supporters were seen and heard chanting their slogans on the Election Day but the Second Respondent did not stop them.
Mr Simwimba said on the Elections Day, the First Respondent Political party member marked X on the posters stuck at the polling stations on names only for UPND candidates which was in direct contradiction of the Electoral Code of Conduct of the Electoral Process Act Number 35 of 2006.
“Having stated the above, I respectfully seek the indulgence of the Court to allow my petition and nullify the election of the First Respondent,” Mr Simwimba stated.
World Bank, Washington DCWORLD Bank has given the Zambian government a loan of US$ 65 million dollars about K624 million to support the Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) project which will be implemented in selected districts in the country.
Ministry of Community Mother and Child Development Principal Information Communications Officer Weka Banda said the money would go towards the implementation of the five year project.
Ms Banda said in Choma during the GEWEL inception meeting that the project which had already started would alleviate poverty among the women in the country.
“The World Bank has given Zambia a loan to support women through grants and to also pay schools fees for secondary school for vulnerable girls,” she said.
She said the GEWEL project would be implemented in 51 districts in all the 10 provinces that had not benefited from the village banking facility.
The Ministry of Community Development was working with two other Ministries which are Ministry of General Education and the Ministry of Gender in the implementation of the project.
She said the government decided to target the women because they were the most affected with poverty hence the GEWEL project.
“Women are more hit by poverty and to help to the vulnerable girls to who most of the time remains at home while the boy child is taken to school,” she said.
The aim of the project was to reduce poverty and vulnerability and it was expected to benefit about 75,000 women in 51 districts in the country and 14, 000 female pupils who were at Secondary schools.
The GEWEL project has three components which are Supporting Women Livelihood (SWL), Keeping Girls in School (KGS), Institutional Strengthening and Systems Building (ISSB).
SOUTHERN Province Police Commissioner Godwin Phiri has urged media houses to stick to their mission statements as they do their works.
