A Small Zambian Backyard innovation company has been awarded third place in the Africa Business Idea Competition held in Tanzania.

The innovation titled cash to trash involves creating value from the day to day waste we generate in our communities.

Speaking in an interview Castrol Shanobe who is the general manager and founder of Newtech recycling company said his innovation will help reduce the problem of indiscriminate disposal of waste by adding value to waste generated in communities.

“Through my innovation we will be able to manufacture high quality construction materials like paving stones. we will reduce the problem of indiscriminate disposal of waste by creating value from the waste we generate in our communities thereby reducing incidences of flooding, water borne related illnesses,” he said.

He said the competition was sponsored by DMM Africa, a Japanese firm interested in investing in Africa and had participation from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe with each country providing two representatives.

He also called on youths to be more action oriented as opposed to complaining about lack of employment when they can be employers.

He said its only Zambians who will create the desired jobs in the country and that youths should be in the forefront of innovations that will create jobs and contribute to the country’s economy.

“I believe it is only Zambians that will develop Zambia and create the employment we need. Rather than investing our energies in drinking beer and complaining. we should do something to make our lives better.

Research shows that over 95% of the people who say they need money would actually misuse the money if they are given because they have not done any background work. As the saying goes “its better to be prepared and not having an opportunity than having an opportunity and not being prepared,” he said.

He said “let us be more of doers than just talkers.”

The PF says UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema wants to continue psyching his followers to reject the elections results when he loses.

Commenting on Mr Hichilema’s statement that they will be chaos if the PF refuses to hand over power PF Deputy Spokesperson Frank Bwalya said Mr Hichilema has timed the message after realising that he has not taken over Northern Province which thought would help him win the forth coming general elections.

Mr Bwalya said the statement was uncalled for and irresponsible because the country has always had smooth transitions of power starting from the hand over of power by the country’s colonial masters.

He explained that the President has clearly stated that he will accept the will of the people hence Mr Hichilema should stop preaching the Armageddon that he has always preached to his followers.

“The statement by UPND leader monitored by hot FM this morning that there will be chaos if PF refuses to handover power after 11th August is uncalled for and totally unnecessary. In fact the statement is irresponsible given the back ground that Zambia has a proven record of smooth transition of handing over power.

“In fact even our colonial masters did hand over power smoothly when it become clear that the natives wanted to govern themselves, UNIP did the same, MMD smoothly handed over power to PF and President Lungu is on record promising the Zambian people, assuring them that he will not stay in state house a day more than the people want him to be there. In other words President Lungu has clearly indicated that he will respect the will of the people. It is therefore totally unnecessary for Hakainde Hichilema to start threatening violence and the same Armageddon that he has always been talking about .

“What we know is that Mr Hakainde Hichilema wants to continue psyching his members to cause mayhem, to cause havoc in Zambia after 11th August when he loses and he has timed this statement after our mammoth, our huge rally in Kasama. One of the things UPND has been saying is that they have taken over Northern Province and because they have taken over the Province with support of GBM they would win the election,” he said.

Eastern Province Permanent secretary, Chanda Kasolo, says smuggling of maize into neighbouring Malawi and Mozambique remains a challenge in spite of the intervention measures by the Presidential Joint Operation Committee in the province.

Mr Kasolo, however, attributes the challenge of maize smuggling to the porosity of the border points around the province and unscrupulous business individuals.

The Permanent Secretary was speaking when he inspected trucks laden with maize at Mwami border yesterday.

Mr Kasolo called on the business individuals in the maize market to conduct their businesses within the confines of the law and to show patriotism.

“Those that know the people who buy maize and take it across the border should help us by reporting to the police so that we can track and arrest them,” he said.

He also expressed displeasure on the slow rate at which farmers are selling maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), adding that unscrupulous individuals are buying the grain and holding on to the commodity until government re-opens the border points.

“The joint operation committee will not allow anyone to be exporting maize before the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has bought the one million metric tonnes of maize which the agency is tasked to buy,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking earlier when a Parliamentary Council team of Government lawyers called on him at his office on the sensitisation program of the referendum and the proposed bill of rights, Mr Kasolo said adequate information on the contents of the Bill of Rights and the referendum will assist voters in the province to make an informed decision when casting a ballot in the referendum in the August 11 polls.

Mr Kasolo commended the team for visiting the province at an opportune time, adding that the electorate will have adequate information to vote ‘YES’ in the referendum.

He called on the parliamentary council team to utilise all media outlets in the province for the sensitisation program to have a lasting impact.

And Chief Parliamentary Council, Andrew Nkunika, said the sensitisation program is ongoing with Nyimba, Petauke and Katete having been covered so far.

Mr Nkunika said the sensitisation program is addressing concerns from the electorate such as clarification on the contents of the Bill of Rights and voting in the referendum.

Former Presidential Advisor Mbita Chitala says he has decided to back President Lungu in this year’s election because the he has proved to be God fearing and a man with respect to the rule of law.

Speaking this morning when he featured on radio Pheonix special programme, Dr. Chitala said President Lungu has shown serious commitment in the fight against any form of corruption because he was not corrupt.

Dr. Chitala says President Lungu was tolerant of divergent views, adding that Zambians should not be misled into believing that the Head of State has failed.

“President Lungu has shown serious incorruptible mind in the manner he is governing because he is not corrupt himself. He has performed extremely well since taking over government even at a time when people like Guy Scott and Wynter Kabimba fought him tirelessly to stop him from taking over,” he said

He also justified PF’s borrowing saying the borrowing was well done and the IMF and the World Bank has supported that because the money has gone towards the intended purpose.

He explained that most of the funds have gone towards infrastructure development such as hydro power production, road construction and expansion of roads and schools something he said people were able to see and appreciate.

He further said that there was no economy anywhere in the world that would grow without borrowing and that those against borrowing were not being genuine.

He added President Lungu is able to point at what he has done which was good for the nation and the people of Zambia in the fight against poverty.

Asked on the high prices of commodities and if price control was the solution Dr Chitala said government had shown the willingness to improve people’s lives by ensuring that they have cheap basic commodities such as mealie meal.

He accused some millers of undermining government efforts increasing the prices of the commodity but that he foresees the prices going down due to the initiative by the government to bring solar milling plants across the country.

On price controls, he said doing so would lead to shortages of basic commodities just like in the UNIP days.

Some mourners caused commotion at Kafue District Hospital mortuary when they could not find the body of their relative in the mortuary as they were preparing for burial.

Confirming the incident to ZANIS in Kafue , Acting District Medical Officer Chiza Simpungwe said the hospital received a Brought In Dead body of a woman aged 107 years which was put among other bodies in the hospital mortuary on Friday the previous week.

Dr. Simpungwe added that the relatives could not find the body in the mortuary when they came for burial, on Monday and this annoyed them hence gave the hospital staff a tough time.

The medical officer further said it was discovered that the body was buried over the week-end by a different family who mistook the body for their male relative.

In addition, Dr. Simpungwe, said the two families later agreed to exhume the body with the help of the council, hospital environmental staff and Zambia police, which was later reburied by the rightful relatives.

He attributed the confusions to some religious beliefs which does not allow body viewing and other related myths.

Dr. Simpungwe has since appealed to the public to ensure that they correctly identify the bodies of their deceased relatives to avoid such confusions and misunderstandings.

A representative to the family that could not find the body of their relative, Mary Nkawaga expressed sadness at the state of affairs.

Ms. Nkawaga however said the family was happy that their grandmothers’ body has been put to rest in a dignified manner.

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) have called for global support to strengthen their capacities for monitoring and reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to statement released to the media by the Zambia First Secretary for Press and Public Relations
Permanent Mission at the UN Mr Chibaula Silwamba, Permanent Secretary in charge of Policy Analysis and Coordination at Cabinet Office of the Republic of Zambia, Bernard Kamphasa, made the call when he spoke on behalf of the 32 LLDCs at the on-going Ministerial segment of the High Level Political Forum sessions on Countries in Special Situations under the Theme: “Ensuring that no one is left behind” at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Permanent Secretary said the LLDCs, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) deserve special attention from the international community in their pursuit of sustainable development. He said the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the LLDCs could not be attained without enhanced global partnerships for development, in the context of SDG 17, that embrace all key facets of means of implementation, including adequate provisions of financial resources, public and private, facilitation of free trade, the development and transfer of reliable, affordable and modern technology on mutually agreed and beneficial terms, capacity-building assistance and development of enabling institutional and policy environments. “The LLDCs Group reiterates the need to assist the most vulnerable countries, including landlocked developing countries, in building and strengthening our national capacities for data collection and analysis. Our capacities for monitoring and reporting on the SDGs need to be strengthened and that the process be aligned with the monitoring and reporting of other development frameworks, including the Vienna Programme of Action,” Mr. Kamphasa said. “The LLDCs suffer unique geographical disadvantages, combined with other new and emerging challenges, which have ultimately impaired our capacities to deliver sufficient economic and social development.”

He said LLDCs face constraints in accessing Sea routes, isolation from world markets, border and transit procedures, inefficient logistics systems and inadequate infrastructure a well as disproportionately high trade and transport costs. He said these challenges were further compounded by emerging challenges such as climate change, commodity price volatility, disasters and other external shocks.

“The LLDC Group recognizes the special significance of the 2016 session of the HLPF, being the first such meeting since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015,” Mr. Kamphasa said. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda have further enhanced the efficacy of the Vienna Programme of Action in addressing the special challenges and needs of LLDCs, specifically under Sustainable Development Goals seven (7), nine (9) and 10 which make specific reference to the LLDCs.” Mr. Kamphasa emphasised the Group of LLDCs’ call for coherence in the follow up processes of the Agenda 2030 and the Vienna Programme of Action, taking advantage of their synergies and convergences with other global processes, to maximise the sustainable developmental outcomes for the Group’s members.

Issued by:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba has described the just ended 27th AU meeting in Kigali, Rwanda as enriching.
Mr Kalaba who represented President Edgar Chagwa Lungu at the Summit said that African leaders are optimistic that Africa will be transformed into a truly peaceful and prosperous continent by 2063.

Mr Kalaba said that the launch of the AU passport will enable African countries to export goods which have failed to cross borders for many years due to stiff procedures.

He said that time has come for Africa to realize its full potential by fast tracking initiatives designed to make the continent financially independent.

And the election for the African Union Commission Chairperson and the eight Commissioners was deferred to the AU Summit in January 2017.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and her Commissioners continue to be in office until January 2017 when elections to usher in new office bearers take place.

And the African Union has awarded Zambia with an Economic Rights recognition.

Zambia’s permanent representative to the AU, Ms Susan Sikaneta says the award is an appreciation for Zambia’s strides in empowering women economically.

Ms Sikaneta says Zambia is among the top 11 out of the 54 member states that have been awarded with Rwanda topping the list.
She said in Kigali, today that she was happy that the continental body has recognised the country’s efforts in empowering women.

Ms Sikaneta said the award is as a result of many initiatives government has introduced to empower women such as the distribution of tractors to women clubs, and women empowerment programmes.

She said it is for this the reason that Zambians must begin to appreciate government’s efforts to empower women.
The AU Economic Rights Award comes barely a year after President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was given a He for She award.

Council of Churches and Zambia Chairperson Rev Suzanne Matale has called on politicians to respect the church’s initiatives of gathering them together to try and iron out the challenges that they are facing in their campaigns.

In a statement Rev Matale said the Church has always and continues to pray for peace of the nation but that it was disappointing that politicians have failed to implement the communiqué which they all consented to last March.

“The church has always and continues to pray for the peace of this nation. The church has many times called upon our political leaders to implement the communiqué to which they all consented to on the 29th of March, 2016 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

“The politicians made serious commitments on how they would conduct themselves going forward vis a vis campaigns towards the 11th August, 2016 general-elections.

“They committed to end political violence, to apply the POA fairly during the campaigns. They committed to strengthening a culture of political dialogue and tolerance within and amongst themselves. They agreed to depoliticize public places such as markets, bus stations etc,” she said.

She added “They committed to refrain from hate speech. They agreed that there would be fair coverage on public media for all contesting parties in the elections. These commitments were made in the presence of church leaders, and God was a silent listener to those commitments. However, none of these commitments have been fulfilled.”

She explained that the Church would have been happy if the country was calling for prayers to thank God for using political leaders to calm the nation and not to talk about the same thing when they have not put their houses in order.

“The church would have been happy to heed the call for prayer had it been prayers to thank God for using our political leaders to calm our nation by heeding the call of the Church in the first place by putting their own houses in order and not to call upon God to stop the violence when we, ourselves are the perpetrators of this violence and we know that ourselves. It is also true that we are rational people and the power is within our hands as Zambians to stop this violence.

We are not against the call for prayers, Zambians are encouraged to respond positively after all prayer is our core business as church. However, a fair deal would have been that when the church calls our political leaders to listen to the church’s moral and ethical voice politicians should honour and respect such a call. It is not fair that the church heeds their call for prayer but politicians completely ignore the wise counsel of Church,” she said.

She further said church’s role is not to pray for empty pursuits but to pray according to the will of God and also to pray for wisdom through our faith.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has revealed that it has officially recorded five cases of suspected corruption.

ACC Spokesman Timothy Moono told a media briefing that these cases relate to suspicion in the manner some of the Grade Twelve Certificates were obtained as well as how some National Registration Cards were acquired by some candidates.

Mr Moono said the cases also include allegations of bribery during the adoption process of some candidates.

He said investigations have been instituted in two cases and the investigations are still on-going.

“Three cases have been referred for administrative action as the information fell short of the need to institute investigations. The Commission wishes to strongly advise political party players to respect the rule of law by desisting from vote buying or bribing electorates to influence them to vote in a certain pattern as well as giving gifts, loans or other material things as inducements or gratification to voters,” Mr Moono said.

He said the Commission will also continue to engage political parties on the best ways to devise transparent adoption systems for the future that minimizes opportunities for corruption.

“In this period of political campaigns, the Commission wishes to encourage members of the public to report suspected cases of electoral corruption and warns that any person found wanting with regard to such cases will be dealt with sternly.

The Commission will endeavor to monitor the campaigns with the available resources.”