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Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda with wife Margaret on arrival at Parliament Building yesterday before presentation of the 2016 National Budget.
Fitch expects Zambia’s budget deficit to remain high due to a rapidly falling Kwacha, an ongoing energy crisis and falling commodity prices.
The ratings firm said in a statement that the ambitious fiscal consolidation plan in Zambia’s 2016 budget will prove challenging due to its reliance on raising revenue rather than cutting expenditure.
Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda announced in his budget address on Friday that he saw the fiscal deficit to narrowing to 3.8 percent of GDP in 2016, from a projected 6.9 percent in 2015, but Fitch said this was unlikely.
The following statement was released by the rating agency) LONDON, October 12 (Fitch
The ambitious fiscal consolidation plan in Zambia’s 2016 budget will prove challenging due to its reliance on raising revenue rather than cutting expenditure, Fitch Ratings says.
Revenue assumptions are optimistic as an energy crisis, falling commodity prices and a rapidly depreciating currency weigh on growth.
In the budget announced on Friday, the Ministry of Finance expects the fiscal deficit to narrow to 3.8% of GDP in 2016, from a projected 6.9% in 2015. This is likely to prove challenging, particularly in an election year.
The authorities expect revenue to rise by 3.1% of GDP in 2016, but this is unlikely due to the lack of significant revenue-raising measures and weak growth.
They also forecast expenditure to remain flat at 25.1% of GDP. We expect the deficit to remain above 6% of GDP in 2016.
The deficit will be financed largely from external sources, including proceeds from July’s USD1.25bn Eurobond.
This should ease pressure on domestic debt markets, where increased government issuance over the past two years has caused yields to rise sharply.
Nevertheless, financing costs will rise to 20% of government revenue in 2016 due to currency depreciation (the kwacha has fallen nearly 50% since the start of the year) and the Eurobond issue, which priced to yield 9.375%.
This is also likely to push debt well above 50% of GDP by the end of the year, from 24.1% in 2012. The proceeds of the Eurobond issue have boosted reserves, which rose to USD3.8bn in July, from USD2.6bn at the start of the year.
But external risks remain high and could intensify, with USD300m in external interest payments due next year if market access becomes more limited or costly for fiscally troubled emerging markets. Macroeconomic challenges may also intensify next year.
Monetary policy will face weak growth and rising inflation due to kwacha depreciation. An end to electricity shortages would boost the economy, and support the mining sector. The rains, expected to begin in November, are critical to this, as low water levels in the Kariba dam have reduced hydropower electricity projections.
A poor rainy season would intensify Zambia’s fiscal and external challenges next year, as would further falls in copper prices, which are down around 10% since January 2015 and nearly 30% since January 2014.
Growing up in the UK I had a lot of Nigerian friends; and whenever I would go over to their homes I was sure to be fed Jollof rice. Jollof rice, as I’m sure a lot of you know, is a dish found throughout West Africa. Ask any Nigerian or Ghanaian and they will tell you exactly what it is. Now coming from Zambia, and having been raised on mild food; I found Jollof rice really hard to eat. Nevertheless, I would soldier on and eat the mounds and mounds of Jollof stacked on my plate, because my mother always told me it was rude not to finish my food. Never wanting to seem rude, ungrateful or wasteful I would gulp down fork–fulls of the hot rice and wipe away tears induced by the flames in my mouth. The fact is Jollof rice is very hot and spicy, however; if you can get past the stinging sensation on your tongue, you will realise that it tastes amazing. Never one to accept defeat in the food department I was determined to develop my own, slightly less lethal version of Jollof. So today’s recipe is my very own Spicy Tomato Rice also known as Jollof rice; with juicy pork chops.
Some of you might be wondering why I have decided to use pork…..well…because I like pork; but fear not, if you cannot eat pork for whatever reason; be it religious or dietary beliefs and requirements then you can easily replace it with Chicken or beef, or you can actually eat this rice on its own. Another way to eat it is with fried Plantain (if available where you live).
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
For the rice
Vegetable oil
4 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ –1 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and chopped (these are very hot, so try ½ for a milder flavour, or if you are feeling brave use a whole one)
2 tbsp tomato purée
500g tomatoes, chopped
750ml chicken stock
500g long grain rice For the pork chops
4 pork chops
Vegetable oil
3 tsp ground sea salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp all purpose seasoning
Scotch Bonnet Chillies
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
In a bowl, rub the pork chops with a bit of oil and the seasoning; white pepper, paprika, garlic powder, all purpose seasoning and sea salt.
On a frying pan, fry the pork chops for 1 minute. Place the pan and the pork chops in the oven, if the pan is not oven proof- transfer them onto a baking tray; and let them cook for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops or until cooked through (keep a close eye on them, and check every minute after 6 minutes).
In a saucepan add a splash of oil and fry the onions, garlic and chilli over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes, and then pour in the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, cover with the lid and let it bubble away for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding water if it gets too dry. Finally, stir in the cooking juices from the roasting pan. Mix well, squashing the tomatoes into the rice.
Serving
Serve this colourful and flavoursome rice with the juicy pork chops on top.
Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.
You can find her work onwww.kantakakes.com. Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.
Glencore, the world’s largest diversified commodities trader
Embattled mining giant Glencore said it has started the sales process for two of its copper mines in Australia and Chile.The firm’s Australian copper mine in Cobar, New South Wales, and its Lomas Bayas copper mine in the Atacama desert in Chile are for sale.
Glencore is attempting to reduce $30bn (£19.5bn) of debt created by its 2013 takeover of Xstrata.Its Hong Kong-listed shares have also fallen some 55% this year.
Trading of the firm’s Hong Kong-listed shares were halted earlier on Monday ahead of the announcement.
“The sale process is in response to Glencore receiving a number of unsolicited expressions of interest for these mines from various potential buyers,” the firm said in an email.
“This will allow potential buyers to bid to purchase either one or both of the mines and may or may not result in a sale,” it added.
The Cobar operation is a high-grade underground mine and plant, while the Lomas Bayas operation is a low-cost, open pit mine.
In Australia, Glencore has 19 mining complexes across the country, including coal, copper, nickel and zinc operations, port facilities, offices and agricultural businesses, among others. It is one of the biggest exporters of Australian grain.
In Chile, Glencore owns and has stakes in several mines, as well as a hydro-power project.
Last week, the firm announced it would dramatically cut its zinc production.The move comes amid a 30% fall in the price of zinc in recent months. The company said it would cut 500,000 tonnes of zinc production – or 4% of the world’s total supply.
Most of the zinc-related cutbacks will be in Australia, where more than 500 jobs will be lost, as well as South America and Kazakhstan.
As it attempts to reduce its debt, the firm has also cut copper production and suspended dividend payments to shareholders. It is also issuing new shares to raise money.
The Malawi leader might have only been trying to set a precedent in giving an example, but Peter Mutharika should have remembered the world was listening when he referred the Malawi media to check how his Zambian counterpart, Edgar Lungu blew a lot of money with a higher delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently.
The angry looking Mutharika while railing at the local media for exposing Malawi’s poverty too much, had been seeking ways to defend his reported 115 entourage to the US besides having a typed list of names of people that went along with him.The Malawi President was quick to compare his entourage to that of Zambia’s while trying to parry away accusations that he wasted taxpayers money.
“You are attacking me for taking 115 people? Just go to our neighbors Zambia they took 256 people and their President hired a private jet that took him all the way to New York and
waited for him right there for the return trip,” said a visibly-angry Mutharika.
Just go to our neighbors Zambia they took 256 people and their President hired a private jet that took him all the way to New York and waited for him right there for the return trip
He laboured to contrast President Lungu’s direct flight from Lusaka to US with his 5-hour flight from Lilongwe to Dubai on a private jet where he connected to New York on a commercial airliner.
“Strangely, the attack comes at a time the two seemed to be in good books following Lungu’s visit to Malawi during independence celebrations July this year. This is not the first time that Zambia and Malawi leaders have been at loggerheads.” Zambian Mirror Facebook Page reported on Sunday.
Mutharika’s late brother President Bingu wa Mutharika was not in good books with Zambia’s late Michael Sata following a deportation feud that the later suffered while he was still an opposition politician.
Upon coming to power, Sata never fancied the presence of Bingu at any international forum and the two were only talking diplomatically not as personal cronies.Mutharika blew over K2 billion on his trip to the US, unofficial calculations revealed.
Cleo Ice Queen won the Best Female Southern Africa Award on Saturday night at the AFRIMMA ( African muzik magazine awards) awards held in Texas .
She thanked her fans on social media :
“Who ever thought this ordinary Zambian girl would be an international award winning artist??? Thanks to everyone who voted i love you “
Below is the full Winners List from the just concluded AFRIMMA Awards to which Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz emerged to be the ceremonies biggest Winner by scooping this year’s artist of the year and walking away with three trophies in total. Others that won includes AKA, Wizkid, Davido, Ommy Dimpoz e.t.c..
Full Winners List: AFRIMMA Awards 2015
AFRIMMA Video of the Year – Diamond Platnumz Feat. Flavour – Nana
Song of The Year – Wizkid -Ojuelegba
Best Video Director – Godfather
Best Male (Southern Africa) – AKA
Crossing Boundaries with Music Award – Jidenna
AFRIMMA Best Humanitarian Artist – 2Face Idibia
Best Traditional Act – Flavour
Best DJ – DJ Jimmy Jatt
Music Producer Of The Year – Legendury Beatz
Best Female (Southern Africa) – Cleo Ice Queen
Best Africa Group – Sauti Sol
Best Rap Act – Sarkodie
Best Gospel Artist – Icha Kavons
Best Female (Central Africa) – Mani Bella
Best Dance Hall Artist – Stonebwoy
Best Dance In A Video – Serge Beynaud – Okeninkpin
Transformational Leadership Award – Botswana President, Lieut General Seretse Khama Ian Khama
Best Male (East Africa) – Diamond Platnumz
Best Male (Central Africa) – Yuri Da Cunha
Best Male (West Africa) – Davido
Best Female (East Africa) – Vanessa Mdee
Best Female (West Africa) – Yemi Alade
AFRIMMA Inspirational Song – Bracket feat. Tiwa Savage and Diamond Platnumz for ‘Alive’
Best DJ (US) – DJ Simplesimon
Best Newcomer – Ommy Dimpoz
Best Collaboration – AKA feat. Da Les and Burna Boy for ‘All Eyes on Me’
FAITH Deeper Understanding Church and Ministries, whose building was razed and set ablaze by unruly residents in Kitwe’s Buchi-Kamitondo Township last week on Thursday after news went round that its pastor, Apostle Anthony Musuku, had turned into a snake, has continued going strong.
Apostle Musuku and his members this week on Sunday defied all odds when they went ahead to conduct a service at the very site where the congregation suffered an attack at the hands of ruthless residents who besieged the church with the view to lynching the pastor.
This was barely three days after the attack by the uncompromising residents who also fought running battles with the police on their way to burning the church structure.
With all eyes on the church following last week’s news of Apostle Musuku having allegedly turned into a snake and setting ablaze of the church building structure, the congregation on Sunday refused to succumb to the attack by going ahead to conduct the service, which was interestingly massively attended.
Samuel Mvula who is a Church elder said hundreds of people, with some only interested in seeing Apostle Musuku in personal after his news of having turned into a snake, popped up.
Mr Mvula said in an interview with the Times of Zambia yesterday that the church and its pastor, Apostle Musuku were still in the ‘game’ and going strong.
He said after the church structure was razed, the church mobilized and erected a temporal shelter at the same site where the initial building infrastructure was razed.
Mr Mvula said the church on Sunday used the same temporary structure to conduct the service which was led by Apostle Musuku.
“We had a service yesterday (Sunday) which was conducted by Apostle Musuku and we had a large gathering with some people, of course, only interested in finding out about our pastor,” Mr Mvula said.
He said this week’s Sunday service was a demonstration that news of Apostle Musuku having turned into a snake was a mere fabrication.
He said Apostle Musuku and the church would remain focused to God’s cause of taking salvation to people.
Apostle Musuku who commands a big following with the population of his congregation situated in Buchi-Kamitondo believed to be well over 1, 000 people and is known to possess healing powers has come to the limelight after a mob of unruly residents last week stormed his church building with the view to lynching him for having allegedly turned into a snake.
Efforts to get a comment from Apostle Musuku by press time failed.
It is apparent that President Lungu has adopted a strategy of avoiding to directly communicate to the electorate and the market or dialogue with other stakeholders like the press, opposition, the private sector, NGOs, the diplomatic corps etc and one suspects he has adopted and adapted the PF 2011 campaign strategy of “Dochi Kubeba” (do not tell them) which is totally inappropriate when one is governing a country. It must be a strategy by his handlers to avoid exposing him from committing gaffes before the elections in 2016 but this strategy is a double edged sword!
On basis of the invitation by the President to Zambians to provide advice on the economy, I have written this article because Presidential communication does impact the economy and most people do not appreciate this.
The current communications strategy of the Presidency is a public relations disaster in the 21st century to say the least, and it is likely to backfire on the President. The strategy is promoting negative perceptions about the President which may be difficult to erase in the short term. The President’s Press Aide, Amos Chanda defended the strategy on 8th October, 2015 by saying he did not need to hold press conferences. The President also supported his Aide in way when he told Hot FM radio in a rare interview, that he is not scared of holding press conferences but he saw no need for them because he feels that Government Spokesperson Chishimba Kabwili and Special Assistant for press Amos Chanda have adequately been responding to the issues raised by public. What he does not understand that the two are not taken seriously and are held in very low esteem by the public and their messages are not taken seriously and have minimum impact. He also does not understand that Presidential communications carries more weight in a crisis especially!
The current strategy is clearly a reflection of the amateurish communications and public relations team that the President has at State house. It gives one the impression that the team is unlikely to be sufficiently educated, experienced and exposed because they are allowing the President to score his won goals in the public relations arena!
The above assertion is supported by the fact that during his first eight months (nine months in two weeks) in office, the President has committed the following communications blunders:
Failed to grant any notable serious interviews to the local media organizations except the one he gave to Hot FM on 10 October,2015
Failed to address the nation on the state of the economy during the recent economic crisis especially the energy and Kwacha depreciation crisis (forget about the parliamentary address as it was by law, obligatory and not voluntary. Parliamentary address is supposed to serve a different purpose )
Failed to hold any press conferences for close to nine months
Cancelled a BBC interview at the last minute when he was at the UN
Cancelled the Voice of America interview at last minute when he was in the USA
Refused to meet with the Private sector and other professionals for consultations on the economy(Indaba)
The above appears to be a pattern and it cannot be coincidence. It is clearly an orchestrated strategy by his spin doctors. It is a very risky strategy. The unfortunate thing is that like most important decisions including economic issues by the PF administration, there is a tendency of looking at issues in a simplistic and one dimensional manner. The lack of proper analysis of the pros and cons, risks, the interrelationships when decisions are made and strategies formulated has been their Achilles’ heel. We are in a knowledge century and it is vitally important that informed decisions are made based on analysis and that is the reason that an office like the Presidency requires quality and not mediocre people for one to succeed.
The essence of a democracy is that it is a dialogue between those that have been elected to office and those that elected them to the office. In the modern world, the President has the following different ways of communicating to the electorate and other
stakeholders:
Press releases
Interviews
Press Conferences
Radio and television address
Public speeches ( rally)
Social media
The above mediums of communications are not mutually exclusive and they are all important and are appropriate at different times, have different impacts and address different audiences. If a President has to be an effective communicator, he has to make use of all of them depending on the circumstances and the message he wants to deliver. President Lungu has only been communicating through press releases prepared by Amos Chanda and Press statements by Minister Chishimba Kabwili but those are impersonal statements and the two were not elected by the Zambian people and they are not sufficient and do not have same the impact as a statement from the President’s mouth himself.
At other times, the President has hurriedly answered one or two questions when boarding a plane before flying off outside the country or locally which can hardly qualify for an interview! The only public address he has made to the nation at large was mandatory by law when he addressed parliament and one could see that the speech was almost 100% written for him by technocrats! He has avoided interviews, press conference, radio and television address to the nation and so on!
It is common knowledge that if one wants to be a leader; he or she must know how to communicate. People follow leaders who inspire them and who communicate their ideas effectively. If you cannot communicate, then you are not a leader. An effective President is one who speaks regularly about his vision and beliefs. Speeches, for example, can change minds by persuading the public to your point of view and win you supporters.
Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream speech” which inspired a nation and helped break down racial barriers. Nelson Mandel- before he became president – addressed South Africa which was on a brink of civil war after the assassination of Chris Hani in 1993 and helped to avert a racial war. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill motivated Britain through a speech to fight the Nazis after London was bombed. There are many examples where a leader has captivated and united a nation through a speech!
I really do not understand how the President or his advisors cannot understand the importance of communication in the 21st Century especially at the time of an economic crisis like right now when families are hurting from the high cost of living! The Kwacha depreciation and the low investor confidence are partly attributable to the lack of communication and involvement at the highest level by the President. He needs to inform the public and the market personally what his government intends to do thereby instill confidence in the market. These are matters you cannot delegate to juniors unless one does not consider them important and critical! Although it may be difficult for the lesser mortals to understand how the lack of Presidential direct communication can influence the depreciation of the kwacha! The importance of sentiment in the global economy should never be understated; it is a reality when you borrow Euro bonds from the international Capital markets especially!
To quote the International Monetary Fund Managing Director, Christine Largade in 2014, when Ghana was going through the same problems we are going through now : “ when some African countries go to the bond market, they are exposing themselves to the market discipline which they do not understand. You can see the results with Ghana.” She could have as well been talking about Zambia now!
The President has not used television to address the nation. Television is the most conspicuous and potentially powerful weapon to communicate to the nation as the President enters the public’s homes and speaks directly, unfettered by news media’s questions, interpretations and editing. The television address is the ultimate political weapon in shaping the nation’s agenda, mobilizing public opinion and building support for him and the positions he espouses. President Lungu has not used this during our economic crisis. It is at the time of a crisis that you tell whether somebody is a leader or not
The current strategy has left people to speculate rightly or wrongly and come out with all sorts of perceptions of the President such as: he is not confident and has an inferiority complex, he is not on top of things, he is ignorant and not knowledgeable about economic issues, he is weak and cannot fire nor discipline anybody, he is not assertive, he cannot inspire the nation, he over relies on what his advisors tell him, he is not his own man and is captive to those who sponsored him, he is scared to expose his ignorance, he is not feared nor respected by ministers and others, he is highly compromised, he is wasteful and not cost conscious , he is incompetent, he does not work and over delegates and that is why he flies around etc. Negative perceptions can be very dangerous and once they are entrenched, there are difficult to erase.
It is always wise for a person in public office to work hard and erase the wrong perceptions and create one’s own favourable brand by more interaction and effective communication. As a non partisan commentator and observer, I have noticed HH’s effort to dispel some of the wrong perceptions people may have on him by his persistent and constant communication through various media. I am very sure he has won some supporters since the last elections in January, 2015 as some people’s perception of him have changed. By continuing with the current strategy, the President is allowing the outsiders to define him when he is supposed to develop his own brand! The wrong perceptions may stick and become political liabilities in a not distant future.
In continuing with the current communications strategy, President Lungu is not gaining experience in the various ways of communicating to the electorate. In other countries, with a vibrant opposition, he would have been vulnerable to opposition attacks of hiding something by avoiding the public!
My advice is that the President should spend more time reading including the social media and researching on issues on his own just like other Presidents do, so that he reduces over reliance on his Aides by collecting some of the information on his own and in the process be able to challenge some of his aides’ recommendations. He should invest more time in understanding the basics of how the economy works! All other Presidents who are not economist but lawyers like Mwanawasa, Obama, Clinton, Mandela etc just learnt the basics on the job but one has to invest time and work hard! I also believe that the quality of some of his Aides at State House is very low and possibly immature for the jobs they hold.
This is the reasons why some of them are found in bars around 03.00hours when expected at work at 0700hrs or earlier. And others issue outrageous and uninformed statements on television like bringing back exchange controls in a liberal economy after twenty four years! I would advice that he considers changing his team of Aides at State House by posting them somewhere and bring better qualified and experienced people; otherwise the current team will bring him down!
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) as well as with partners in the mining industry, governments, and civil society to create a shared understanding of how the mining industry can most effectively contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the recent UN General Assembly, these institutions in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Zambia organized a side event to, among other things, identify concrete steps to forward the agenda on extractive industries and sustainable development. UNDP in Zambia has been collaborating with the government through the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to tackle challenges and changes needed to enhance the sector’s contribution to the SDGs.
President Lungu
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has directed the Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance to address the challenged being encountered by the people obtaining National Registration Cards (NRCs).
President Lungu has received reports of the challenges that people were facing when obtaining the NRCs in most centres, which include limited material and minimal period of time spent in a given area by officers from the national registration department.
“I have directed the line ministries to ensure that they iron out these challenges to enable as many people as possible to obtain the NRCs. I have directed the Ministry of Finance to find the money needed for the programme to ensure that there are enough materials needed for the programme,” Mr Lungu said.
The President said this in Mbabala in Choma district yesterday when he met two traditional leaders, Chief Chikanta, Chief Mukobela and Chief Macha’s representative headman Charles Chikapata.
The President was in Choma to launch the electronic voucher (e-voucher) system under the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP) for the 2015/16 farming seasons.
He dispelled rumours that his administration was giving priority to the Patriotic Front (PF) strongholds in the issuance of NRCs and voter’s registration.
“I will not favor one area in preference to the other, or to favour area which is PF stronghold against those that enjoy support from the opposition political parties. I am above that, the choice is for the people to choose a leader of their choice and may the best candidate win in 2016,” he said.
He appealed to the traditional leaders to help sensitise people on the need to register during the voter registration exercise.
President Lungu assured the chiefs of continued support as he was the President for the nation and not for PF only.
Speaking on behalf of other traditional leaders, Chief Chikanta welcomed the President and confirmed that the voter registration exercise in the area was going on smoothly.
The chief was, however, sad that the issuance of NRCs was marred with challenges.
“The voter registration is going on very well, we normally have a good number of people registering as voters every day in the centres around, the challenge is with the issuing of NRCs. If funds permit they should consider increasing the centres to allow more people obtain the NRCs,” Chief Chikanta said.
He said the chiefs in the area would support his administration as they always work with the Government of the day to support programmes being implemented.
Chief Chikanta also commended President Lungu for appointing United Party for National Development (UPND) Itezhi Tezhi Member of Parliament Greyford Monde as minister for the newly created Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
Two electoral officers have been fired for allegedly charging people to obtain voter’s cards in Kasama District of Northern Province.
The two suspects namely Sharpie Chambeshi who is the assistant registration officer, and a police officer Constable Pure Chapa who was mandated to man the said polling station had their contracts terminated after openly admitting the offence.
This came to light when Kasama District commissioner Kelly Kashiwa paid an impromptu visit at Chanda Mukulu Polling station to find out the cause of continuous low turnout of people obtaining voter’s cards in the area.
However, when the District Commissioner ordered them to pay back the money to the owners, the officers only managed to produce K20 and promised to pay the rest later.
It was at this point that many local people started flocking to the station to demand for their money on learning that they were not supposed to pay to obtain voter’s cards.
And Mr. Kashiwa who was visibly annoyed warned that he did not want to see the named two officers being engaged in any Government programmes again.
He said such officers were not only stealing money from the poor people but depriving them their rights to vote.
Mr. Kashiwa further charged that Government is not going to rest until such officers are withdrawn from the system.
He said he was surprised to note that since the programme started this year, only 200 people were issued with cards in the entire Chanda Mukulu area.
Meanwhile Provincial electoral officer Abel Siwakwi who also rushed to the scene, has since terminated the contracts of Chapa and Chambeshi and replaced them with new officers.
Mr. Kashiwa further said he visited the area after receiving numerous reports that some Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) agents were charging people before issuing them with cards in Chanda Mukulu’s area.
Northern Province is one of the areas in the country where the number of people issued with voter’s cards is very low and only about 28,000 cards have been issued so far in the Province.
THE Government has repossessed a hammer mill from persons with disabilities in Kabwe after they failed to utilise it for the intended purpose.
The hammer mill was donated in 2013 with the aim of assisting the disabled in income generating activities. However, the machine has not been used and it is currently in an insecure place leaving the Government with no option but to withdraw it.
Kabwe District Commissioner Patrick Chishala said when he made an impromptu visit to the site where the hammer mill that he was disappointed with the situation.
“I am disappointed that you people have failed to utilise this hammer mill and it’s not even secure here, I am withdrawing it with immediate effect. You will have to submit strong reasons why Government should not give it to other groups that need support’, Mr Chishala said.
He warned that all other groups who received equipment through the Government empowerment programmes would be visited to establish if the machines were being used to improve their welfare.
Mr Chishala wondered why the group did not get back to his office to engage him on the challenges they were facing to ensure that the hammer mill was utilised to their benefit.
“During the hand over at my office you people assured me that the equipment was going to be operational in Kasavasa.
“However, I later came to learn that the hammer mill was in Highridge and I began to worry and suddenly I learnt that it is in Lukanga where we have found it,” he said.
He was not happy that people did not care that the Government resources were going to waste when there are people out there needing such empowerment.
Meanwhile Kabwe Disability Business solution chairperson Godfrey Mulenga charged that they were duped by some organisation that promised them land at the time of hand over of the machine in 2013.
Mr Mulenga said the withdrawal of the land earmarked for the hammer mill in Kang’omba frustrated the whole plan leading to the current situation.
“There was an organisation that was dealing in disability issues, so they assured us of land in Kang’omba but there was a controversy over that piece of land in the whole of 2013.
“The owners grabbed it from that organisation which forced us to start looking for an alternative
land,” he said.
THE Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) is set to finance the setting up of 90 new factories in 42 districts across the country.
CEEC director general Likando Mukumbuta said the decision was aimed at promoting diversification and providing a strong foundation for industrialisation in Zambia.
Mr Mukumbuta said in an interview that the factories would be involved in the manufacturing of various products.
“We are excited about the National Budget because it will help us with our aim to spur industrialisation in Zambia. We are going full scale in setting up the new factories in 42 districts,” he said.
Mr Mukumbuta said the Budget announcement by Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda last Friday would help in wealth creation because it focussed on economic diversification.
He said the Budget provided opportunities for his organisation to boost growth of upcoming industries.
Mr Mukumbuta said small and medium enterprises had been offered opportunities for growth because the budget focussed on economic diversification.
Meanwhile, MMD Chilanga Member of Parliament Keith Mukata has said that the National Budget was a robust one that focussed on economic diversification from copper.
Mr Mukata who is also Justice Deputy Minister said economic diversification was long overdue and the economy needed to refocus on agriculture and rekindling the small medium enterprises.
He however, noted that the onus was on Zambians to participate in economic diversification.
“We need to match the talk by all of us doing our part. We need to diversify the economy because that is the way to go,” Mr Mukata said.
He said he was happy that the National Budget had given incentives to the agriculture sector because for Chilanga district had huge
potential for agriculture.
GOVERNMENT has summoned millers to justify why they have gone ahead to increase the price of mealie-meal despite an assurance that they would not.
Minister of Agriculture Given Lubinda said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that although Government would not dictate the price of mealie-meal, millers should justify why they have gone ahead to increase the price of the commodity before discussing the proposal.
“I have summoned millers to my office and we are having a meeting tomorrow [today] so that they can explain why they have gone ahead to increase the price of mealie-meal.
“We have indicated that Government will not dictate the price of mealie-meal because it is running a liberal economy, but we want the millers to explain why they have increased the price of the commodity before giving satisfactory reasons,” Mr Lubinda said.
He said Government is not satisfied with the reasons that the millers have given to increase the price of mealie-meal because they are not genuine.
Meanwhile, Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president Allan Sakala said millers would only issue a comprehensive statement after meeting Government today.
And a Zambia Daily Mail survey conducted yesterday revealed that the price of mealie-meal has been increased by between K10 and K15 per 25-kilogramme bag of breakfast meal.
A check at Lusaka’s Chilulu market revealed that a 25kg breakfast meal of Simba and Star Milling is pegged at K85 while a bag of roller meal costs K65.
At Shoprite in Lusaka’s Chilenje township, a 25kg bag of National Milling breakfast meal is K72 while at Pick ‘n’ Pay in Woodlands, a 25 kg bag of Star breakfast meal is pegged at K79.
At Melisa Supermarket in Kabulonga a 25 kilogramme bag of Pembe breakfast mealie-meal was fetching K80 while Superior milling was pegged at K75.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda has warned milling companies against exploiting Zambians through unjustified increases in mealie meal prices.
Speaking during the Deloitte Budget Breakfast in Lusaka, Mr. Chikwanda also said the 2016 National Budget was not easy to put together owing to conflicts between available resources and required expenditure.
He said government has pegged its expenditure at 53 billion kwacha against available revenue of 42 billion Kwacha.
Mr. Chikwanda stated that government will borrow more externally than internally to finance the gap.
He is also concerned that Zambia has remained an expensive tourist destination which has affected growth of the sector.
Mr. Chikwanda said government has focused on tourism as one of the sectors targeted for diversification of the economy.
And Delloite Chief Executive Officer Chisanga Chungu has observed that factors leading to the current economic challenges including a slump in copper prices and power outages are likely to continue in the short term.
And an economist from South African Kay Walsh has observed that copper prices have between 2014 and 2016 registered a 25 percent decrease.
Ms. Walsh said this coupled with low water levels in the Kariba dam which has affected hydro electricity generation have led to government revising its Gross Domestic Product -GDP- focus for 2015 from 7 percent to 5 percent.
Nine people died over the weekend in separate road traffic accidents which occurred in Southern, Northern, Lusaka, Central, Muchinga and Eastern Provinces.
In Lusaka, two pedestrians died on the spot while one sustained serious injuries in an accident which happened along los Angel’s road, opposite Kanyama Police Station.
The accident happened when the driver of Mitsubishi Rosa registration number BAA 4104 driven by John Mende aged 33 of John Leing Compound lost control of the motor vehicle due to excessive speed hence hit the pedestrians who were walking off the road.
The deceased have been identified as William Maya aged 15 of Kanyama Compound and Sara Mwale aged 17 of Makeni Villa while the injured is Lazarus Mwamba aged 16 years. The bodies of the deceased are in UTH mortuary.
In southern Province, one person died while another was left with injuries in an accident which happened on Great North Road, seven Kilometers South of Zimba Town.
The accident happened when driver of Toyota Harrier registration number BAB 2516 driven by Liu Kikila aged 32 was overtaking on a hill and later collided with an oncoming International Truck registration number ABQ 6075 which was being driven by a Zimbabwean national, Njabulo Mpedzisi aged 39.
The deceased, only identified as Lily was a passenger on the truck while the passenger on the Toyota Harrier Huxiaoqin Sichuan aged 22 sustained a fractured left hand and is admitted to Zimba General Hospital.
In another accident which happened in Southern Province, a male juvenile aged two died in an accident which happened in Mukuzo Wangombe Police Camp in Livingstone.
The accident happened when driver of a Toyota Corolla registration number AJB 8448 driven by Moses Ndopu aged 24, due to inexperience went to hit into the pedestrian who sustained head injuries and died upon arrival at Livingstone Hospital. The body is in Livingstone Hospital Mortuary.
In Muchinga, two people died on the spot and three others were injured in an accident which occurred at Mukoto area along Mpika – Kasama road.
The accident happened when a motor vehicle Toyota Ipsum registration number ACX 5998 driven by Francis Mubanga aged 42 with five passengers on board lost control of the vehicle and overturned off the road.
In Eastern province, Gilbert Mwandila, 64 died on the spot while two juveniles aged 13 and 15 sustained serious injuries when the driver of an ox-cart lost control and hit into a tree.
The accident happened at Kaweche village, Chief Mphamba in Lundazi District.
In Central Province, a passenger on motor vehicle Toyota Allex registration number ACX 3839 died on the spot in an accident which happened at Natuseko primary School in Kabwe.
The accident happened when the driver of the motor vehicle lost control of the vehicle due to excessive speed and in the process hit into a tree. The driver is admitted to Kabwe General Hospital while the body of the deceased is in Kabwe General Hospital Mortuary.
President Edgar Lungu recieve seedco maize from Mr Brain Mhango Market Development Manager during the Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.
Government has released funds to support farmers to buy inputs of their choice from registered agro-dealers under the newly launched Electronic vulture voucher system.
President Edgar Lungu announced in Mbabala in Choma district during the launch of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) Electronic Voucher system that the treasury has released funds required to enable farmers buy inputs.
President Lungu said the launch of the e-voucher system will enable funds move instantly to the agro-dealers to support farmers’ access inputs.
The e-voucher system will target 241,000 small scale farmers in 13 selected districts during the 2015/206 agricultural season.
The Head of State said government intends to roll out the e- voucher system to more districts in order to cover more beneficiaries in the 2016/2017 agricultural season and beyond.
The president encouraged all beneficiary farmers to take advantage of the new system to purchase inputs of their choice in a timely manner and improve agricultural productivity in the country.
And Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said the e-voucher system which was conceived a long time ago has been operationalized under the Patriotic Front government.
Mr Lubinda said government came up with the e- voucher system in order to respond to farmers and stakeholders who wanted the system implemented.
He commended all the Agro-dealers and stakeholders participating in the piloting of the program for their concerted efforts which have enabled the programme to be implemented in 2015/2016 agricultural Season.
The Minister appealed to agro-dealers to charge reasonable prices for inputs so that farmers can afford.
He said government will put more money in the e-voucher system so that farmers on the system should not be disadvantaged by the increase in prices of inputs.
And Zambia National Farmers Union President Evelyn Nguleka praised government for launching the e-voucher system which she said will improve productivity in the agriculture sector.
Dr. Nguleka said the launch of the e-voucher system is testimony of government’s commitment to developing the agriculture sector through the use of technology.
She said the PF government deserves commendation for implementing the e-voucher system which all past governments had failed to achieve.
The launched was attended by Members of Parliament and District Commissioners from districts that are piloting the programme, farmers and other stakeholders.
President Edgar Lungu with Dr Evelyn Nguleka ZNFU President during the Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.President Edgar Lungu with Ms Esther Bupe Chilufya of BancABC during the Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.President Edgar Lungu with Dr Evelyn Nguleka ZNFU President during the Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.
President Edgar Lungu with Dr Evelyn Nguleka ZNFU President during the Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.President Edgar Lungu with Dr Evely Nguleka ZNFU President duringthe Launched the Electronic Voucher System for the Farmer input Programme in Choma Mbabala constituency on Monday 12-10-2015. Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza/ Statehouse.
