Kitwe District Administration is working on modalities to construct a street kids rehabilitation centre.

The centre which is expected to be used to transform the children from the streets is expected to have education, sports, counselling and skills training facilities for kids who will be withdrawn from the streets in Kitwe.

This was agreed during a special meeting held by selected heads of Government departments chaired by Kitwe District Commissioner Lawrence Mwanza in Kitwe yesterday.

During the meeting Mr. Mwanza noted that the problem of street Kids in Kitwe was getting out of hand.

He said establishing a permanent centre for housing them will create a lasting solution to the problem.

“It is not right that we should continue ignoring the rising number of streets kids to a level where they are also having children among themselves, it’s also a dangerously situation because these same street kids tend to attack people in the night and engage in illicit activities such as prostitution and drug abuse, we need to remove them from the streets and put them in a centre where they can be transformed into responsible citizens,” he said.

Mr. Mwanza suggested that the street kids can temporarily be put in some identified children centres in Kitwe and Mufulira.

He said his office will seek material support from various stakeholders in terms of food, beddings and other necessities before an operation to remove them from the street is conducted.

Me. Mwanza has further appealed to members of parliament in Kitwe and the council to help fund the construction of the street kids’ rehabilitation centre through the Constituency Development Funds (CDF).

And Kitwe District Social Welfare officer Kombe Kamanga cited Friends of the Street Kids and Life Song centre as some of the centres willing to temporarily take up some street kids.

Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) has recently faced a spate of challenges, including the resignation of its board chairperson, Dolika Banda, and the suspension of its share listing from the London Stock Exchange. The Green Party Leader, Peter Sinkamba, has called for a thorough investigation into the happenings at ZCCM-IH and for those responsible for the corruption to be dealt with accordingly.

Sinkamba has expressed his concerns that the corruption allegations and the suspension of the share listing are likely to lead to the departure of minority investors from ZCCM-IH, which will have a negative impact on the institution’s viability. He has also noted that ZCCM-IH has lost credibility at an international level due to the recent corruption allegations, which will make it difficult for the institution to conduct serious business abroad.

The Financial Conduct Authority of the London Stock Exchange suspended the trading of ZCCM-IH shares due to the non-publication of audited financial results for the years 2021 and 2022. In addition, Dolika Banda’s abrupt resignation allegedly resulted from excessive and irregular interference from State House. Banda is a renowned business executive who has held several non-executive director positions and has over 25 years of experience in international finance.

ZCCM-IH’s board recently approved a proposal from First Quantum Minerals (FQM) to convert Kansanshi Copper and Gold Mine’s 20% shares to a royalty payment. Additionally, negotiations are ongoing regarding the potential involvement of investors such as Vedanta Resources and FQM in Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines, respectively.

Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, has announced the appointment of Kakenenwa Muyanga as Dolika Banda’s replacement. The Green Party Leader has challenged the UPND administration to interrogate the matter, particularly given the administration’s focus on addressing corruption.

Sinkamba has called for a thorough investigation into the happenings at ZCCM-IH, and for those responsible for the corruption to be dealt with accordingly. The recent suspension of the share listing and resignation of the board chairperson are likely to have negative effects on the institution’s viability and credibility, as well as its ability to conduct business abroad.

The Government through the Ministry of Education owes scores of teacher’s double class and responsibility allowances countrywide in some cases stretching from as far back as January 2023.

The delay to pay teachers double class and responsibility allowances has been blamed on the change of the system used to verify teachers entitled to the pay.

The Government last year introduced a system to thoroughly verify who is supposed to be given double class and responsibility allowance when they are introduced to the Ministry of Education payroll.

Over 4000 teachers are affected in the Copperbelt Province alone with teacher unions expressing their worry.

The Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZANUT) has since urged the Ministry of Education in the Copperbelt Province to urgently pay teachers the outstanding double class and responsibility allowances.

ZANUT Copperbelt Provincial Director Bunda Katutu said it was unacceptable that teachers in the province have not received double class and responsibility allowances since January 2023.

Mr. Katutu said teachers have given the Ministry of Education up to the month-end of May 2023 to pay them their money.

“The double class and responsibility allowance is supposed to be paid to teachers from January but this is May. The allowance runs from January to December, once it reaches December it expires. Again the year that follows will be asked to submit their requirements and they are going to be given allowances but the challenge we have is that starting from last year. It took almost six months, by June/July that’s when teachers were given allowances when they are entitled to that allowance monthly. As we speak, they started last month but very few were given because of the said challenges with the new system but we want to push the people responsible to pay teachers now,” he said.

“On the Copperbelt, this month we will not listen to any excuse from any district for not giving double class and responsibility allowances to the deserving teachers. Teachers have been teaching from January to this time around without receiving allowances, meanwhile the Government had budgeted for this money. Money is there so it is a matter of responsible officers to make sure that they give the affected teachers double class and responsibility allowances” Mr. Katutu said.

He has told Radio Icengelo News in Ndola that the Ministry of Education was de-motivating teachers by not paying them their money on time.

“It is de-motivating, you cannot be teaching while waiting to be paid. The Provincial Education Officer assured us that now those hurdles have been waived so that teachers can be given allowances. The fact is that we have teachers on the Copperbelt who are entitled to responsibility and double class allowances. Those who are teaching the higher grades they are not supposed to teach. When you are given extra work you deserve an allowance. Some teachers have been given more than one class because of inadequate human resource, teachers are not enough. These teachers have been teaching since January without being paid,” Mr. Katutu said.

Responsibility Allowance is paid at the rate of 20% of the basic pay to all eligible teachers and shall be done or paid for on an annual basis meaning it’s a 12 months cycle.

Eligible teachers should re-apply for this allowance each November to facilitate input on the payroll for January of the following year and allow eligibility facilitation to be undertaken.

Those eligible for the payment of responsibility allowance include degree holders teaching “A” level classes, advanced diploma holders teaching either senior or “A” level classes at a secondary school, Diploma holders teaching senior classes and certificate holders teaching Upper basic/secondary school classes.

Luapula Province Minister Derricky Chilundika has warned of stern action against foreigners who are coming to the Province to buy Maize fields before harvesting from farmers in the province.

Mr Chilundika revealed that Kawambwa District among others has so far recorded reports of an influx of foreign nationals coming in the district to buy maize fields the situation he said will not be tolerated.

province which has seen an influx of foreigners nationals who have camped in the district with the aim of buying off maize fields from farmers.

In an interview with ZANIS in Mansa, the provincial Minister indicated that the conduct by foreign nationals to camp and buy maize before harvest has the potential to cause hunger in the province as most of the farmers are selling all their maize.

” As a government we are not against the idea of people selling their crops but rather we do not want a situation where farmers sell their entire maize fields as this can bring hunger in the country,” he said.

The Provincial Minister disclosed that Kawambwa district is one of the districts which records high production of maize hence the move by some farmers to start selling their crops even before they harvest can affect the overall production in the district.

He added that most of the farmers who are selling their maize fields are beneficiaries of the Farmer Input Support Program and that the farmers are not being fair to the government who gives them inputs at a low price with the intention of them having enough food for their households.

” If farmers want to sell some of their maize, they should wait until they harvest their crops as opposed to them selling their entire fields even before harvesting, we need to encourage doing the right thing and selling maize before you even harvest is not right,”he noted.

The Minister said farmers can also decide to sell their maize to the food reserve agency so that the country can have enough food stocks in case of any shortages.

Mr. Chilundika has since cautioned farmers in Luapula Province against selling their maize fields to business men and women who are coming from outside the country.

Meanwhile the Minister has disclosed that the Province has enough Mealie Meal on the market and that there is no need for anyone to panic.

He explained that the prices of mealie meal will even reduce further as farmers will soon start harvesting their crops which will mean that maize will be readily available on the market.

” Most of the time during the rainy season we usually experience an increase in the prices of mealie – meal but once the rainy season ends things normalize,” he observed.

Mr. Chiliundika has urged people not to sell off all their maize but rather leave some for home consumption so as to prevent hunger at household level.