OPPOSITION political parties have welcomed President Lungu’s call for peace, unity and an end to politics of violence.

UPND says all well-meaning Zambians should support the President’s call for peace, unity and an end to political violence.

UPND deputy spokesperson Edwin Lifwekelo said opposition political parties do not exist to insult the Government.

“It is time we started championing issues that bring about development and not insults. Any call for peace and unity must be supported,” Mr Lifwekelo said.

He said all stakeholders should take responsibility and show leadership.

“This is a timely call for all those who are in Government and those who are in opposition,” he said.

Mr Lifwekelo said the issue of name calling is not the way to go but that politicians should practise politics which add value.

He said it is important to give praise when it is necessary adding that opposition political parties do not exist to criticise.

And NAREP president Elias Chipimo said calls of peace and unity are welcome. “The President himself should be in the forefront and demonstrate a culture of peace and unity. As politicians, we should tell our cadres who perpetrate violence to stop doing so,” he said.

And Christian Democratic Party president Daniel Pule said the President should be commended for calling for peace and unity.

“We believe in politics of peace and not insults. We hope that all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation will support the President,’’ he said.

And Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Secretary General Antonio Mwanza said the President should walk the talk because as a leader, he (President Lungu) should be in the forefront of initiating ways of promoting peace.

And MMD President Nevers Mumba said the President alone cannot initiate peace but that he should involve other players like opposition political parties.

And hundreds of youths in Lusaka yesterday held a peace rally at Freedom statue in solidarity of President Lungu’s continued call for peaceful politics.

The rally was organised by PF Youths for Peace chairperson Eddie Gowa.

The youths adhered to the party’s banning of wearing berets and were orderly during the event.

They sang and danced to pro-PF political songs and showered praises on President Lungu’s style of governance.

Dubbed ‘youths unite for peace’, the rally took stock of President Lungu’s abhorrence of violence.

FORMER President Rupiah Banda has dared MMD president Nevers Mumba to expel him from the party, saying he has the right to support President Lungu.

Mr Banda, who was speaking in an interview following a statement by MMD president Nevers Mumba that the former president would be expelled from the party because he supported the PF, wondered why Dr Mumba, who is a clergyman, is failing to show love for people but is instead sulking and being emotional towards him .

“Dr Mumba should not forget that he is a pastor who should preach peace and promote unity in the nation instead of being emotional towards me like he has been,” said Mr Banda.

The former head of State also said he has never quarrelled with Dr Mumba for him to be so emotional towards him.

“I don’t know why he is too upset like that. As a clergyman, he should be the one spearheading peace and unity in the country,” he said.

Mr Banda insisted that Dr Mumba should be able to give love to all people and stop attacking him.
He also said Dr Mumba is a pastor who should lead by example and demonstrate to the nation that he is a man of God.

Dr Mumba yesterday said Mr Banda would be expelled from MMD because of his continued campaigns for the PF.

He cited the recent Solwezi West PF campaign rallies, where Mr Banda shared the PF campaign platform as reason for expelling the former republican president from the MMD.

Today’s Scripture

“…I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live…”

(Deuteronomy 30:19, NASB)

Choose Blessing

God desires that you live in blessing in every area of your life. He’s given promises in His Word and established a plan for you to live in total victory. He promises to give you the answers, but you have to be the one to decide to obey His voice. You have the final choice, so choose life and blessing!

Every time you choose to obey the Word of God, you are choosing blessing. When you put God first in your life; when you walk in love toward others even when it’s difficult, you are choosing blessing. When you turn away from ungodly influences and when you give to others, God will pour out His blessing on you in return. Start today and do what you know to do. Obey His Word, and His blessing will overtake you! You’ll rise higher and higher and live the abundant life He has for you.

A Prayer for Today

“Father in heaven, today I choose life. I choose blessing by obeying Your Word. Keep me close to You so that I can honor You in all that I say and do in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Vice President Inonge Wina says change of mindset towards work in Zambia, is imperative in order to achieve the much needed national development.

Speaking at the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone today, Mrs. WINA said President Edgar Lungu’s call for hard work during his address to parliament yesterday, should be upheld by all Zambians.

Mrs. Wina says Zambia has failed to develop because some people do not want to work this therefore requires that people should change their attitudes towards work.

And Mrs. Wina has also called on the people of Southern province and the country at large to adhere to President Lungu’s call for reconciliation.

She says the President expects this to be the basis of peace and unity in the country.

And the Vice President has further assured the people of the region that the Head of State’s determination to promote and develop the tourism sector.

Mrs. Wina, who was accompanied by Mulobezi Member of Parliament Patricia Mulasikwanda and her Livingstone counterpart, Lawrence Evans, has since left for Mulobezi district.

Meanwhile, the Vice President Inonge Wina is on Sunday expected in Kalumbila District in North-western province on a two-day visit.

According to a tentative programme obtained by ZNBC’s Joy Siatubi in Solwezi today, Mrs Wina is scheduled to arrive at Solwezi airport at 09:00 hours, after which she will proceed for a church service at Manyama Christian Community church.

The vice president will then hold a rally in the afternoon at Mayashi school grounds in Matebo before winding up her day.

On Monday, Mrs Wina will launch the Solar Hammer Mill at Kambazhi in the morning, after which she will address a rally in the afternoon at Kalengelenge.

The Vice president is expected to fly back to Lusaka on Monday.

The ruling Patriotic Front party says it is confident that its candidate in the September 24 Lubanseshi parliamentary by-election George Mwamba will emerge victorious on the poll date.

PF Campaign Manager Freedom Sikazwe says the ruling party has done its homework in ensuring that victory is certain for Mr. Mwamba.

Mr. Sikazwe told ZANIS in an interview that the people of Lubanseshi constituency have warmly accepted the message of development being rallied by the PF during its campaigns.

He urged party members to continue with their peaceful campaigns ahead of the poll next week.

Mr. Sikazwe has further implored on the police to ensure that the Lubanseshi parliamentary by-election is held in a peaceful atmosphere.

The Lubanseshi seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court nullified the election of Independent candidate Patrick Mucheleka on grounds of electoral malpractices.

Five candidates are contesting the parliamentary by-election.

These are PF’s George Mwamba, MMD’s Gabriel Mulenga, UPND’s Patrick Mucheleka, Rainbow party’s Daniel Mubanga and Charles Chimumbwa who is standing as an Independent.

Kagem Mining will provide US$345,000 worth of scholarships for students to study mining at the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University under an agreement signed this week.

Minister of Education Hon. Michael Kaingu, Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development Hon. Christopher Yaluma; and Minister of Labour and Social Security Hon. Fackson Shamenda were on hand to witness signing of the landmark memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Lusaka on Friday (September 18).

“Kagem has a framework for sustainability that drives long-term development in partnership with the government and society as a whole. These scholarships demonstrate that commitment and show the company is here for the long-term,” said Kagem Director Dr Sixtus Mulenga.

Under the terms of the scholarship 12 students – six from each university – from the geological and mining engineering departments in their second and third years of study will be selected to receive a comprehensive scholarship for the rest of the duration of their course over a period of eight years. The scholarships will cover the full cost of education including tuition fees, boarding fees, up-keep, clothing and book allowances as well as a medical scheme with Kagem.

Students under the scheme will be accorded internship opportunities at Kagem Mining during their recess as well as an apprenticeship upon completion and further training in areas deemed necessary by the company. They will be indentured to work for Kagem for a period corresponding with the sponsorship period.

The agreements are part of Kagem’s efforts to help the government develop more coloured gemstone industry-oriented graduates that are up-to-date with current technical and theoretical knowledge and mining requirements of the day.

Mr Kaingu said: “Education is a partnership. This initiative supplements government efforts developing the human resources to develop this country.”

However, it can also be noted that training for a career in the mining sector can be a challenge for most students due to the expenses involved. It often takes the dedication of both the parents and well-wishers as well the student and many times it does take a toll on finances. The scholarships themselves will cost $345,000 over the eight years for a total of 12 select students.

The decision by Kagem to roll out these scholarships is timely as the mining sector in Zambia needs such development in order to transform the sector by finding solutions to the current challenges facing it as well as innovative ideas to advance the sector to world standards.

Speaking on behalf of both universities, UNZA Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr Mick Mwala said: “This partnership will not only create graduates, but also scientists, leaders and innovators. The scholarship will take into consideration the vulnerable; there are excellent students who may not have the means. We thank Kagem to this end.”

The world’s largest emerald mine, Lufwanyama-based Kagem is 75 per cent owned by London-listed Gemfields plc in a model partnership with the Zambian government, which owns the remaining 25 per cent.

Since Gemfields took over operation of the mine in 2008 it has invested US$60 million in turning Kagem from a long history of making loss to one where it has been able to increase achievable prices on the global markets tenfold and become one of Zambia’s larger taxpaying mining Companies, contributing more than K2.436 billion (US$324.9 million) to Zambia’s direct foreign earnings in the past few years.

Kagem has generated more than US$40 million in corporate taxes payable to the government in the last three years, along with US$12 million in mineral royalties and US$4 million as the government’s share of dividends.

Gemfields and Kagem are at the forefront of developing the international market and growing demand for Zambian emeralds by investing in exploration, mining, sales and marketing in order to ensure a competitive, reliable and trusted source of responsibly produced gemstones while pioneering new environmental, social and safety standards within the coloured gemstone sector.

A key component of its progress has been the use of cutting edge geological technology and expertise, supported by sector specific mining methodologies, to develop the mine.

Kagem Mining believes that today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce and industry champions and is thus motivated to ensure that all of the values and training required by the industry is properly communicated to all students via the school curricula as companies should be able to further improve their operating efficiencies, and the risks of on-the-job training, if the education system is better positioned to meet industry demands.

Kagem has also been supporting several education projects at primary levels in Lufwanyama district where it operates, the most recent project being the building of a new secondary school next to Chapula Primary School, which will see many more students advancing to secondary levels. In the past the students were unable to do so because of the challenge of distance as the nearest secondary school for some is as far as 20 kilometres.

Through its shared value model Kagem seeks to share the benefits of Zambia’s emerald success by empowering and enabling communities with skills and infrastructure that will result in their self-sustenance.

”We are extremely proud of the successes we have been able to achieve within the Zambian mining sector over the past few years, and the fact that we have been able to turn a once bankrupt company into a true global champion. We look forward to continuing these successes way into the future and a well-educated and highly motivated workforce forms a core component of our ability to do just that,” added Dr Mulenga.

Yesterday President Edgar Lungu delivered his first speech to Parliament as Head of State.

Our immediate reaction is that every year we hear such flowery speeches from the PF leadership but lacking implementation and to us this is just one of them.

For example, we have heard wild claims such as creating more than 480,000 jobs since coming into office, which equates to an average of 10,000 per month.

More recently at the launch of the Youth Policy, they stated they would create 500,000 jobs by the end of 2016, which roughly equates to 1,000 jobs per day, yet a complete opposite is happening as jobs are being lost in various sectors particularly the mining industry.

After 8 months in office it was a relief to finally hear the President talk about the challenges we are facing, and to some extent what he intends to do about them. We would encourage him to continue to address the public on such matters regularly, as we have advised in the past.

While the theme of the speech “embracing a transformational culture for a smart Zambia now” gave us some encouragement initially, the content seems to be at variance with this theme, as does the PF’s track record. As such we are left with as many questions as answers. We also remain deeply concerned that the PF Government still doesn’t fully understand the complexities of the current economic situation and how to resolve them.

Let me set out a few points which we picked up on:

Firstly, in his first point, the President uses the phrase “Embracing innovation and entrepreneurship”, but then there is nothing in the speech that speaks to this particular idea. Now innovation and entrepreneurship are two things we champion in the UPND, particular because of their transformational potential for our youth and unemployed. We would have wanted to hear examples from the President, for example on how Science and Technology can be harnessed to facilitate innovation, how government will support local innovation hubs and industry partnerships.

Secondly, the President goes on to say “Re-aligning our institutions where necessary to make them more responsive to the needs of the nation”. The basic fundamental issue in this country is that many Presidents have said this, but we do not see any changes being done in oversight institutions. Which institutions did the President have in mind? ZESCO perhaps?

Thirdly, on “promoting cost effective operations in government to eliminate waste and abuse of public resources” he appears to have immediately revealed his lack of commitment to this particular issue, as he went ahead and announced the creation of yet more Ministries. The President will preside over 80 ministers in his Government and what is cost effective about that? Yet more evidence that our Government still hasn’t fully understood the seriousness and complexities of our current economic situation.

Fourthly, this reference to “Promoting a saving culture among citizens to promote investment” is to say the least patronizing. The President cannot talk of a saving culture when interest rates in banks are lower than inflation. In this economy it is impossible to save.

In the UPND we have been talking about this “Promoting punctuality and efficiency to enhance productivity” all along, but the PF cannot and has not been heeding our advice. With a bloated cabinet, it remains unclear how they intend to achieve this.

This “Promoting and nurturing talent” has been our cry. We have even gone further to say we shall do three things (i) encourage retention of talent through proper conditions of service and rewards (ii) engage the diaspora to ensure that they can contribute from wherever they are and (iii) dual citizenship. These three strokes will go a long way to addressing the issue of talent retention.

The President talked about “Promoting long-term planning”. This is what all Governments must do, and as such we are surprised that the PF does not even make reference to the vision 2030 in all its planning. To date it seems as though it only plans ahead to the next election.

Some of the issues the President touched on are very dear to us and we await their implementation. For instance, value addition. This has been our way of things all this time; we have been talking about value addition. As usual the PF talks but rarely does. The issue of the President’s house, we are on record having said that this clause is wasteful, and we are glad that the President now agrees with us. As with the promised constitution, we will believe it when we see it however.

Finally, on diversification, we have been talking about this from 1998 when UPND was formed.

Sadly, the President’s speech does not in any way address the immediate issues that we are facing as a country, such as the inflation rate, the load shedding and the resulting job losses. This speech was another missed opportunity that fails to tackle the current problems the country is facing head on.

Charles Kakoma
UPND Chairperson for Information and Publicity