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File:SACCORD Executive director Boniface Chembe captured in the audience during the presidential debate
SACCORD says the reported near punch-up between opposition UPND MPs is an indication of how deep rooted political violence has become in the country.
SACCORD Executive Director Boniface Cheembe said the near punch-up is an extension of political violence to Parliament which has been happening in the country try.
“The reported near punch-up between opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Members of Parliament (MPs) is an indication of how just deep rooted political violence has become in our country.
“The near punch-up is an extension of political violence to Parliament which has been happening in our country on our streets, at international airports, churches, hotels, bus markets, bus stations and international day celebrations. As SACCORD, we have constantly consistently appealed to our political leaders to practice non violent communication as much as possible as violent communication leads to disrespect to the extent that people may end up killing as studies have shown.
“It is expected that our MPs should exhibit exemplary behavior as much as possible so that political cadres who look up to them can have good role models. If political leaders who are Honourable are in the forefront of using violent communication and almost end up fighting in Parliament, what message does that send to their followers? We hope that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Patrick Matibini, will act boldly on violent communication in Parliament and ensure that civility prevails in terms of language and conduct.We cannot afford to allow political violence to be extended to Parliament in Zambia as it is already in most sectors of our society and is a clear and immediate present danger to our peace and stability,” he said.
On Wednesday two UPND MPs Cornelius Mweetwa of Choma central and Jonas Shakafuswa Katuba almost fought in the house when the later seemed to be incensed by the actions of his colleague from Katuba who raised a PF symbol.
KITWE Mayor Kelvin Sinyangwe takes a look a careful look at a cob of maize during the Kitwe District Agriculture Show
Suspended Kitwe Mayor Kelvin Sinyangwe has been arrested and detained at Kitwe Central Police on two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses amounting to K116, 000.
And police said they have again arrested Ndeke ward Councilor Evans Nsokolo aged 37, of house number 512 Ndeke Changa-changa on the same charges of obtaining money by false pretenses amounting to K17, 000.
Mayor Sinyangwe age 51, of house number 21 Ndola Kitwe dual Carriage way, in Zamtan, was arrested today around 11:30 hours and will appear in court tomorrow for plea and application for bail.
Mr. Nsokolo will appear in court on Friday.
He becomes the third PF councilor to be arrested after his Ndeke ward counterpart Evans Nsokolo and Bupe Ward councilor John Chilupula were arrested on similar charges.
Early in January, Local government Minister Steven Kampyongo suspended Kitwe, Ndola, and Livingstone Councils to pave way for investigations into illegal land allocations for three months.
Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the development.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) arrested a total of 1,339 people countrywide for various drug offences in the first quarter of 2016.
The Commission stated that as at the end of March 2016, it arrested 1,339 people who include 1,224 males and 115 females for various drug related offences.
Of the total number of people arrested, 54 were juveniles and 25 were foreign nationals.
In a statement issued to ZANIS by the Commission’s Public Relations Unit, Lusaka Province registered the highest number of arrests with 308 people followed by the Copperbelt Province with 184.
Luapula Province had 167 arrests, Southern Province 141, Central Province 125, and Eastern Province recorded 118. Muchinga Province recorded the least arrests with 44 people.
“Out of the 1,339 people arrested, 501 people have been convicted for drug offences. 836 cases of drug offences are pending before the courts of law, “read the statement in part.
The Commission also seized 20.04 tonnes of cannabis, 129.4kg of miraa, 24.24kg of cocaine, 30g of lignocaine and 24.82g of diazepam.
In addition,the DEC also recorded the largest single seizure of cocaine weighing 24.19 Kg beating the previous record of 13.12Kg seized from two Bolivians in 2012.
And the Commission’s Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit arrested a total of ten (10) and convicted seven (07) people for money laundering offences.
The total amount involved from the arrests made amounts to K 855, 846.62 and US$44,204.46.
“The Commission also seized counterfeit bank notes amounting to ZMW35, 298.00 and US$52,001.00 in the first quarter of 2016, ‘ said the statement.
And the Commission through its Education and Counselling Department sensitised a total number of 80,714 people through the workplace, community and institutions of learning programmes.
Under the Counselling and Rehabilitation programme, the Commission attended to 126 clients of which six 6 were female and the remaining 120 male.
The age range of the clients was from 13 to 53 years with common drugs abused being cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and heroin.
Davies Chama
The ruling PF has rubbished predictions from the Economic Intelligence Unit that the opposition UPND will win the August 2016 elections.
The EIU in its April forecast report predicted that the UPND will emerge victorious in the August elections especially that former Vice President Miles Sampa and Democratic Front leader Miles Sampa have partnered to support the UPND.
But in an interview, PF Secretary General Davies Chama said the EIU April forecast is mere speculations and that the PF is not bothered by such reports.
Mr Chama said it is impossible for the UPND to win this year’s poll alleging that the party is not popular.
He said the PF is guaranteed of victory because of the many developmental projects it has implemented.
Mr Chama said the EIU is an organised that depends on biased analysis from people that are aligned to the UPND.
He said the PF broke off from a pact with the UPND after it realised that the UPND was not as popular as it claims.
Mr Chama said the PF has delivered unprecedented development in the four and half years it has been in government to warrant its staying in power.
He said the PF interacts with the real voters on the ground unlike the UPND that relies on fictitious predications for its campaigns.
“The real people on the ground know that the PF is the only party for Zambia, these EIU people can write whatever they want to write but they don’t even vote. The PF has delivered and Zambians know this and this is why come August 11, they will vote for the PF,” Mr Chama said.
Mr Chama said the EIU does not have any credibility and authority to predict who will win the next general election in Zambia.
“The problem with the UPND is that they live in their own world, they think they are very popular and yet they are not. This is their undoing in most elections,” he said.
The PF Secretary General said the ruling party has even started entering the traditional strongholds of the UPND.
“We are now very strong in Southern Province, Western, North Western and Eastern Province. We have a national wide appeal and that makes us even more strong,” he said.
FILE: INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Chishimba Kambwili (r) and Choma Central Member of Parliament Conelius Mweetwa laugh and applause the dance by St. Mark’s Secondary School culture group (not in picture). This was during the Youth Day celebration at Choma stadium
There was a near punch up in parliament Wednesday when UPND Choma member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa aimed at His Katuba Counterpart Jonas Shakafuswa after he was heard shouting Yaaaaaaaaa” and raising a PF symbol while seating third from Choma law maker.
Mr Mweetwa got upset after because the “UPND suffered to bring Mr Shakafuswa to parliament.”
Mr Mweetwa who later rose on a point of order seeking the Speaker’s ruling on Mr Shakafuswas’ raising of a PF symbol.
“Mr Speaker I raise on a point of order seeing your serious ruling, going by the rules of the house is it in order for Hon Shakafuswa to raise a PF symbol in this house after we suffered for him as a party to win a by election, Mr Speaker this is political stupidity,” said the visibly upset law maker.
When Mr Shakafuswa tried to hold calm Mr Mweetwa down he yanked his hand away from the reach of his colleague as the Choma parliamentarian would not have none of it and threatened to beat up his counterpart.
Mr Mweetwa later walked out the house as he refused an order from the speaker who had ordered him to sit down and end the confrontation.
THE dangers of under-age drinking were highlighted last week when award-winning artiste Macky 2 teamed up with Zambian Breweries to advance the company’s underage drinking campaign in secondary schools.
Macky 2 spent monday afternoon at SOS Children’s Village in Lusaka speaking to secondary school pupils about the problem alongside representatives from Zambian Breweries and the National Road Safety Foundation, who have partnered to promote awareness on the dangers of under-age drinking amongst the youths.
“Underage drinking is a problem we are facing as a country and as someone who is passionate about seeing the youths prosper and do something with their lives, I feel it’s a great initiative and I, personally as an artist, believe that with the influence that I have comes great responsibility and it is my responsibility to take part in activities like this,” said the Lolo-lolo hit singer.
The move was to push forward with the brewery’s campaign to increase awareness of the problem of underage drinking, and is in line with the company’s Sustainable development strategy (Prosper) through which it seeks to achieve, among other things, moderate and responsible drinking.
“As Zambian Breweries and National Breweries, we are committed to this campaign to encourage responsible drinking among those of legal age and to discourage underage consumption of alcohol,” said Director of Corporate Affairs Ezekiel Sekele.
The company has embarked on a vigorous campaign against irresponsible drinking, particularly among the youth, and the negative vices associated with it.
In promoting responsible alcohol consumption among consumers, Zambian Breweries has also partnered with the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA) and the National Road Safety Foundation, in the enforcement of existing legislation on drinking and driving
Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.
PROS
Excellent performance by the whole cast ,especially Jesse Eisenbergwho played the role of lex luther.
The action sequences were exquisite and realistically done . Visual effects were amazing .
Very interesting story-line that leaves you wanting more.
CONS
The pacing of the movie in the beginning is quite slow .
If , for some reason, you have never heard of Superman or Batman . The you may not fully understand the characters and their motives , because the heroes were not properly introduced to first time viewers . The movies goes with the assumption that you already know who they are .
FAVORITE QUOTES
Batman:“Tell me , Do you bleed? …….. you will !”
Lex Luther:“if God is all-powerful, He cannot be all good. And if He is all good, then He cannot be all-powerful. And neither can you be.”
Batman:“I bet your parents taught you that you mean something, that you’re here for a reason. My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in the gutter for no reason at all… They taught me the world only makes sense if you force it to.”
CONCLUSION
It is something many of us thought about as kids growing up reading comic and watching cartoons of the biggest,most popular, superheros . Who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman ? Well , we finally get that question answered !!
Batman V Superman is an incredible movie , i enjoyed every bit of it . Admittedly i was skeptical about Ben Affleck playing the role of Batman , but he did an excellent job. The movie was well balanced , in a sense that, both Batman and Superman were given time to develop their characters and build their stories before they collided .
Jesse Eisenberg stole the show , his performance of Lex Luthur was simply phenomenal. He was the perfect villain that you will love to hate . Gal Gabot also put up a tremendous performance as the mysterious Dianna Prince/Wonder Woman.
The movie highlights the tendency humans , in general , have to fear what they do not understand and what they cannot control. Even if somebody appears to be very sincere in his actions, one would always think there may be an ulterior motive . It also touches on topics such as hero-worshiping of our role models and people in the spotlight .
A lot of room was left for a sequel or two , or three . This is a must-watch movie for all fans of super-hero movies .
FILE: Kasama central member of Parliament Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and Kabwata member of parliament Given Lubinda and Sports minister Chishimba Kambwili dancing during a rally to drum up support for Solwezi PF parliamentary candidate Newton Malwa on September 10 ,2014 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
Chief Government Spokesman Chishimba Kambwili says he is not interested in lining up for a beauty contest with UPND Vice President Geoffrey Mwamba because he is a model.
On Tuesday, Mr Mwamba challenged Mr Kambwili to go for a beauty contest with me and allow women to choose who was better looking as he issued disparaging remarks directed at Mr Kambwili’ s physical appearance.
But Mr Kambwili said he will not take up the challenge because he is not a model but a politician and a servant of the people.
“I am not a model or a beautician. I am a politician and a servant of the people, I will not bring myself down to GBM’s level because the whole country can see that he is a low quality leader,” he said.
He said a man that indulges in insults proudly and calls for a beauty contest when he is aspiring to be the Vice President of a great nation cannot be taken seriously.
“If GBM is man enough I challenge him to a live television debate on national issues, such as the social economic and political situation in our country. I challenge him to address real issues that are affecting the nation, not his recent comic outbursts,” he said.
“I am not interested in modelling I am interested in improving the livelihood of the Zambian citizens. Since GBM feels like a challenge, let him come live on TV with me so that the nation can judge just how far his thinking goes.”
Mr Kambwili said he hopes and trusts that the UPND Vice President is not an ardent coward and is capable of articulating himself against me in front of the nation.
Hon. Mles Sampa
Opposition Democratic Front leader Miles Sampa says the recent appreciation of the Kwacha has nothing to do with an improvement in the state of the Zambian economy.
Mr Sampa said the Bank of Zambia is selling Dollars from the country’s foreign exchange reserves to shore up the Kwacha.
The Former Commerce Deputy Minister has since challenged the Government to deny that they have not used foreign exchange reserves to temporarily support the Kwacha.
He said Government must state what the reserves were at the beginning of the year which he said was around $3.4 billion and what the current figure is now.
“When those figures are availed, you will find that about $1billion may have been pumped into the market directly or indirectly. One wonders what will happen to the rate when they run out of reserves to spend,” Mr Sampa said.
He said while the recent Kwacha appreciation may be deemed as good for the Country, it is the means to the end that are neither ideal nor sustainable.
Mr Sampa added, “It’s like pushing a sponge downwards in a bucket full of water. Once the human hand is withdrawn, the sponge will spring back up with massive force within no time.”
“To put it differently, it’s like a poultry farmer slaughtering pullets to please children or guests. Sooner than later, the farmer will have no chickens or eggs for sustained existence of the homestead and in this case, our economy,” he said.
Mr Sampa who also worked as Director-Foreign Exchange Markets at Finance Bank Zambia said the other reason for the sudden gain of the local currency is that Government has opted to siphon Kwacha liquidity out of the banking system and financial market to support the exchange rate.
“As a result, the Kwacha lending rate has surged to over 20 percent and instantly put some companies and SMEs out of business. When companies have no access to affordable Kwacha loans, the next thing they do is scale down operations and lay off workers,” he said.
“Simplified, any current gain in the value of Kwacha using the ‘liquidity squeezing’ method, has equivalent huge job losses due to the ‘cash squeeze’ inside balance sheets of SMEs and various companies.”
Mr Sampa observed that Government’s approach of solely focusing on exhibiting a strong Kwacha for political expedience is therefore not worth the troubles it is causing in the economy.
“In business and corporate world, it said that ‘cash is king’ and if squeezed dry, no one survives. Their approach is a panacea meant to provide relief but not solutions to our monetary problems. It’s like taking Panadol to cure malaria. One feels better for a few hours but the potentially fatal disease is still there.”
Mr Sampa said the Kwacha appreciation of approximately 12 percent is more of a political gimmick than an economic gain in overall gross domestic product (GDP) of the Country.
He warned that mixing political and economic variables into the financial markets normally tends to backfire in no time saying he stands to be proven wrong in the next 4 months.
“The recent Kwacha appreciation against the US dollar and other major currencies is in my view is not sustainable. This is because it is not backed by any significant improvements in economic fundamentals. Exchange rates appreciate or depreciate based on an increase or decrease in the value of exports or imports.”
He added, “For the last year or so, Government has told us that the huge Kwacha slump was due to reduced global demand and reduced world market price of our main export commodity, Copper. The question is; has the price and demand of copper now improved significantly on the global market? I think the answer is no.”
“As of the end of 2015, London Metal Exchange (LME) Copper price $4800 per tonne and now fetching around $4600 per tonne representing a 5 percent copper price reduction in the 3 months period.”
“If Copper volumes and prices are still not favourable and if anything getting worse, the question is whether there is any other commodity that Zambia has suddenly exported worth influencing the Kwacha parity? The answer is no.”
He said, “Is there something Zambia was importing in huge volumes and now stopped doing so? The answer is no, as we are still importing fuel and other retail consumption goods. My take is that the appreciation of the Kwacha is simply due to interventions by the BoZ.”
Mr Sampa he could not help but laugh when he saw Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili on TV stating that the current appreciation of the Kwacha, is due to massive confidence in the Edgar Lungu administration.
“I guess conversely he is also agreeing that the massive depreciation (60 percent) in the last one year was due to a massive lack of confidence in the same administration. By implication, Kambwili is also telling us that any consequent depreciation between now and election time, will be a sign of lack of confidence in the PF government.”
He added, “In a nutshell, this appreciation is not genuine and will backfire sooner rather than later as it is not backed by an actual improvement in the country’s terms of trade. It is simply a charade process by authorities that is not sustainable and cannot be relied upon for the wellbeing of the national economy.”
POLITICAL Parties in Zambia have been urged to adopt candidates who have a clean record to inspire confidence in the electorates.
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) Kariba Ward Councillor in the suspended Livingstone City Council, Friday Nkonde, said there was need for political parties to adopt candidates with clean records to inspire confidence in voters.
Mr Nkonde challenged aspiring candidates to declare their past records so that the electorates vote from an informed perspective.
He was speaking in Livingstone during a Public Forum for aspiring parliamentary candidates hosted by the Livingstone Press Club.
“Political parties should adopt candidates who are clean both as individuals and in the public domain.
“We need candidates that the electorates will be appreciating and not candidates who will be inconvenienced by law enforcers or courts after they are elected,” Mr Nkonde said.
United Party for National Development (UPND) aspiring parliamentary candidate for Livingstone, Matthew Jere, said he had a clean record.
Mr Jere said he had never been arrested by police offices or Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over the last 10 years that he served as a councillor and deputy mayor in the Livingstone City Council.
“As UPND, we will ensure all wards will have good roads because this is a tourist capital.
“As an MP, my job is to explain the policies of central Government. Recently, MPs did not know that one of the contents in the Amended Constitution was grade 12 certificate. Are we going to continue sending people who pass laws that they don’t understand,” he said.
He said he would use his experience in the Livingstone City Council to improve the Constituency.
Mr Jere said he would address the poor state of roads especially in Townships to attract tourists to those areas.
“We want tourists to visit Songwe, Jack Mwanampapa, Sinde and Kasiya in the outskirts of Livingstone instead of just visiting the central business district.
“I will also not allow a situation where political party cadres’ take over construction jobs that are meant for experts like the case was during the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly,” he said.
Patriotic Front (PF) aspiring parliamentary candidate for Livingstone Edward Ntinta said he was a clean person going by his past record as provincial engineer for Southern Province.
Mr Ntinta said he would integrate youths into political parties positions once he was adopted and elected as area MP.
“I want PF to adopt me because the way we voted in 2015 so that we continue with various developmental projects in the city,” he said.
Mr Ntinda, who is graduate from Copperbelt University, said he was an action oriented person.
“I don’t shy away from many challenges and PF has done a lot so we need to continue with the projects,” he said.
Mr Ntinda said he would create job opportunities for street kids as well as elderly women and men in Livingstone once he was adopted and elected.
He said the PF Government already had a youth empowerment policy which he would use to create jobs for the young people.
“We have poor roads in townships and we need to improve on them. PF has a lot of programmes which need to continue until they are logically concluded.
“The modern market and bus station will be completed and you will need a forceful person like myself,” he said.
Government has commended the European Union (EU) for the financial support it has continued to render to Zambia to successfully hold elections.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba said government cherishes the excellent long standing and cordial relations with the EU of ensuring that good democratic principles and governance are adhered to.
Mr. Kabala reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relationship with the EU based on mutuality, trust and respect.
The Minister said this when he met an advance delegation from the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) Team to Zambia.
The advance team of the EU Election Observation Mission is in the country to carry out feasibility assessment for deployment of its election observers ahead of the 2016 presidential and general elections.
The team is also scheduled to meet various stakeholders including the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and political parties among others.
And Mr. Kalaba thanked the EU for taking part in the election observation missions in Zambia over the years.
Mr. Kalaba reaffirmed government’s desire to abide by the electoral regulations to ensure free and fair elections.
And EU Ambassador to Zambia Alessandro Mariani said the EU stands ready to engage in productive meetings with government ahead of the August 2016 general elections.
Mr. Mariani reaffirmed the EU’s continued support to Zambia in all areas of cooperation for mutual benefit.
FILE: LUAPULA Province Permanent Secretary Boniface Chimbwali dancing with a member of Chilikuli iwe drama group at Mansa General Hospital during the open day celebrations
The Permanent Secretary for Luapula Province has disclosed that the region is food-secure because it has enough stocks of maize and other energy foods.
In a press statement released in Mansa today, Boniface Chimbwali said the province currently has 168,209 by 50 kg bags of maize in its reserves in Kawambwa, Mansa, Samfya, Nchelenge and Kaputa which will last until mid- June, this year.
Mr Chimbwali said the maize stocks are sufficient to feed the province until the next crop is ready for harvest if the current stocks are not smuggled out of the country or transported to other provinces.
He added that the province has enough other energy foods like cassava, sorghum, millet and sweet potatoes which should provide the required confidence among the people in the province not to panic.
The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that this year’s crop is ready for harvest for home consumption but harvesting for marketing purposes is expected towards the end April and mid-June.
Mr Chimbwali said the two millers in the province – Jimbara and APG Milling -consume approximately 60,000 by 50 kg bags of maize per month and the current stocks would last until mid-June without problems.
The Lusaka City Council has warned vendors against illegal sale of liquor in public places or face arrest.
LCC Public Relations officer Habeenzu Mulunda disclosed to ZANIS that the local authority together with the police has put up measures to monitor and curb the illegal sale of alcohol in make-shift-stalls.
Mr. Mulunda said that the council together with police will undertake routine inspections to catch traders that do not abide to the Liquor licensing Act.
Mr. Mulunda stressed that all those selling alcohol in make –shift stalls and without any proper documentation, are doing it illegally and should discontinue the trend.
He disclosed that a number of people have been taken to court, after failing to comply with the liquor licensing Act.
Mr. Mulunda said that the council has a liquor licensing committee which is responsible for giving liquor licenses to people who have met the required standards.
He stated that all those wanting to sale alcohol should apply to the liquor licensing committee.
A check in some parts of Lusaka such as Chawama, Kamwala South and Kabwata areas revealed scores of traders vending in alcohol in make-shift stalls without licenses.
Some residents in Lusaka have condemned the vending of liquor in open places and urged the local authority to clamp down on the trend.
Last year on the 18th of October 2016, a joint operation team by the Lusaka city council and Zambia police demolished some make-shift-stalls in Kamwala, the demolition exercise was targeted at the traders that were found in the illicit sale of drugs and alcohol in make-shift stalls.
Zambia has called for strategic focus on improving the reliability, timeliness and accessibility of demographic data to strengthen national statistical systems for monitoring the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ministry of National Development Planning Permanent Secretary Dr Simon Miti delivered Zambia’s statement at the 49th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD49).
“The Zambian Government acknowledges the distinct needs and importance of different types of data, including census, birth and death registration, and other health data which are all vital for the implementation of the Programme of Action for the International Conference on Population and Development and the achievement of sustainable development,” Dr Miti said.
The Permanent Secretary said civil registrations, especially birth and death registration, deserve special attention given the implications they have for the citizenship, identity, and schooling.
He said it was important to have accurate information for analysing critical demographic trends such as fertility and mortality.
Dr Miti said these data could help inform decision makers about the factors that were contributing to changes in mortality and fertility rates, and help Government make the right interventions.
He said in the 2020 national census Zambia plans to electronically collect data through the use of technologies such as tablets and Personal Data Assistants (PDA) to replace the paper questionnaire based method.
He noted that Zambia’s Civil Registration System (CRS) remained underdeveloped, rendering the usage of this data for merely administrative purposes with limited statistical manipulation due to incompleteness of registration as well as accuracy of information.
“Notwithstanding these limitations, Zambia sees CRS bedrock for future and stronger national statistical systems,” he said.
“Zambia has initiated a number of steps aimed at strengthening CRS within the framework of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics whose objective is to provide a holistic, coherent and comprehensive framework for improving the National Statistical System and developing official statistics in the country in a suitable manner.”
He said CRS would help ensure availability of data for tracking progress during the implementation of the forth coming Seventh National Development Plan and indeed the 2030 Agenda.
He said Zambia has been successful in conducting the Living Condition Monitoring Surveys and the Labour Force Survey that provided a number of socio-economic indicators.
“Zambia, with support from UNFPA, conducted a national study on the Demographic Dividend whose findings will provide valuable input in the formulation of the seventh National Development Plan which is the main document for the domestication of the SDGs,” Dr Miti said.
The Permanent Secretary said Zambia has been part of the 2012 African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration group, which recommended strengthening planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.
Dr Miti said, to this effect, a National Action Plan to reform and improve civil registration and vital statistics in Zambia was produced and was currently being implemented.
Zambia is the chair of the 49th Session of the CPD.
UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and Democratic Front leader Miles Sampa gesture to their supporters who came to witness the signing of an election pact between UPND and DF.
The respected Economic Intelligence Unit has predicted that Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND will win the August 2016 general elections.
In its April 2016 Forecast Report just published on its website (www.eiu.com), the EIU states that although the UPND will win, there will be little change in national economic policies as well as the social conditions of the people.
The EIU argues that the defection from the PF by its former Vice President Guy Scott “probably motivated more by his personal animosity towards President Edgar Lungu than by his disappointment with the party and that of Michael Sata’s nephew Miles Sampa, will help UPND win the elections.
The report states that the PF “is likely to be unseated without backing from more than Mr [Nevers] Mumba’s faction within the MMD. It is clear that the allegiances of the various MMD factions are fluid, a situation which in the coming months will see a lot of “horse-trading to secure electoral pacts.”
“The authorities’ official policy agenda, which is unlikely to change drastically in the event of a UPND election win, will be to reduce inflation, bring down the fiscal deficit, boost mining production, develop infrastructure (particularly power and transport) to encourage the diversification of the economy, and support local business and employment.”
The report further says that both the PF and the UPND have inconsistent economic policies where “pro-business rhetoric” is mixed with “promises of more populist policies.”
This will cause the investors to continue to be wary about economic “policy uncertainty” irrespective of the party that wins the August 11 elections. “Uncertainty and confusion created by inconsistent government policy towards mining firms will weigh on investment, “the EIU says.
The Report states that the elections will be tightly fought leading to some stalemate because neither Mr Lungu nor Mr Hichilema enjoys the backing of a clear majority of voters.
“Because of the constitutional requirement that a candidate would secure the presidency only after the 50 per cent plus one vote, the MMD “could emerge as the kingmaker despite its internal rifts” although the MMD support among the voters is unclear.”
The EIU fears that there could be sporadic violence before and after the elections whose outcome would be determined by a weakening economy that is undermining the PF’s support among the voters.
It says the weak economy is manifested by job losses in the mines, deterioration of living standards of the majority of the people, high inflation, power shortages and below average economic activity.
However, after August, political stability will improve even though “no party is likely to secure an outright legislative majority,” a prospect that would substantially “slow down policy-making” up to 2020.
The EIU says, “We expect Mr Hichilema to be victorious in August. Nevertheless, although we expect the UPND to win the most seats, no party is likely to win an outright legislative majority.
