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Michael Kaingu
Education Minister Michael Kaingu has opened up about the financial challenges facing the PF government after he pleaded with China to help Zambia for Chinese contractors constructing schools in the country.
Dr Kaingu passionately appealed to Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming when he called on him at his office on Wednesday afternoon.
He said the Zambian Government is finding it challenging to pay the many Chinese contractors working on several schools.
‘As you may know, we have various schools at various stages and most of the contractors are Chinese contractors. Our situation is that we have run out of money to pay these contractors and we are scouting for resources so that we can pay these contractors so that they can complete our schools,’ Dr Kaingu said.
Dr Kaingu added, ‘We would be grateful if you could find ways and means of funding contractors so that they could complete our schools. I don’t know how the Chinese government will help us source some for some funds.’
He said the schools construction project is at various stages with some at foundation stage while some are nearing completion.
‘So when I heard that you are coming I thought I should put in a request for your government to help us pay these contractors,’ Dr Kaingu said.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Youming says China is willing to assist Zambia develop its education sector through the awarding of scholarships to Zambians to study in China.
Green Party President Peter Sinkamba has challenged Law Association of Zambia President George Chisanga to state the association’s position over the debate on legalization of marijuana.
In a letter to Mr Chisanga, Mr Sinkamba argued that marijuana has been illegal for so many years and is responsible for such a large part of the prison population.
He said a good number of prisoners are incarcerated for the crime of self-medication adding that approximately 5,000 of the 18,000 prisoners in Zambian jails are marijuana-related offenders.
Mr Sinkamba said people all over the world are now beginning to realize that the war on marijuana is a huge mistake, and a total failure.
He said fighting marijuana is a threat to humanity which has been over-exaggerated.
Below is Mr Sinkamba’s letter
19th May, 2015
The President
Law Association of Zambia
LAZ House
Lagos Road
Rhodes Park
LUSAKA
Dear Mr. President,
I guess you may have followed the debate that the Green Party initiated early last year on legalization of marijuana for medicinal, economic, industrial and social benefits.
As you are aware, marijuana has been illegal for so many years. It is responsible for such a large part of the prison population. A very good number of prisoners are incarcerated, by and large for the crime of self-medication. Approximately 5,000 of the 18,000 prisoners in our Zambian jails are marijuana-related offenders. And it takes millions of kwacha to arrest and incarcerate these people for a crime against oneself, as best can be defined.
People all over the world are now beginning to realize that the war on marijuana is a huge mistake, and total failure. It’s threat to humanity has been over-exaggerated. People now realise the amount of money spent on war against marijuana could better be used to buy critical drugs and medical equipment rather than arrest and incarcerated people and thereby create an army of hard core criminals, and wasted citizens.
Clinical evidence indicating that marijuana use may be casually linked to incidences of mental illness or other psychological harms is not compelling, according to scientific evidence published by many medical journals. The potential health risks of marijuana, particularly whether use of the drug may be causally linked with mental illness, has been put into question.
Meantime, countries around the world have started revising their laws on using marijuana for treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDs, Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, and several other diseases. Only yesterday, the Medical Association of Zambia announced it position on medicinal marijuana. The Association called for legalization of marijuana for medical research and economic benefits.
This letter serves to seek the views of the Laws Association of Zambia on the subject matter. As you are aware, medicinal marijuana was partially legalized in Zambia in 1994 through Section 9 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Cap 96 of the Laws of Zambia. According to Section 9, no person must be found guilty for cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
However, the Act makes possession, use, and trafficking illegal, regardless it is for medicinal purposes. This predicament, in my view is a contradiction in terms. Why should cultivation be legal yet possession, use and trafficking illegal? How else does one expect to benefit from medical cannabis if all the law permits is cultivation but bars possession, use and trafficking?
As indicated earlier, there is so much evidence out there that any person looking at it objectively would have to call our current marijuana laws and policies into question. LAZ is a key stakeholder on the subject matter. We would therefore most obliged to know the official position of LAZ on the matter.
OVER 32 families in Lusaka’s Chinika light industrial area have been left homeless after an investor claiming ownership of the land executed a court order to remove them from the area and demolished their houses.
Tesno General Dealers, a Lusaka-based company, is claiming ownership of the land which is situated at stand number 12923 on Mumbwa Road.
The demolition was conducted by a team from the Office the Sheriff of Zambia and police.
According to the residents, police in riot gear sealed off Mumbwa Road and the entire area while a bulldozer demolished the houses around midnight on Wednesday.
The residents’ spokesperson Crispin Chanda said the properties belong to the Lusaka City Council (LCC) and the occupiers are legally occupying them.
Mr Chanda told the Zambia Daily Mail yesterday that they are not squatters and have appealed to Government to intervene in the matter.
He said it is unfair and inhuman of Tesno General Dealers to demolish the houses when there is a Supreme Court order stopping them from executing the August 27, 2014 High Court judgment ordering them to vacate the place.
“We are, therefore, appealing to President Lungu and the Minister of Local Government and Housing John Phiri to intervene in the matter. We have all the rights to be here and we will not go anywhere,” Mr Chanda said.
He said the families have been paying rent to LCC and only stopped in 2008 after the council told them to do so, with a promise of selling them the houses as sitting tenants.
He said the families have tenancy certificates from the municipality and are only awaiting offer letters for them to buy the properties.
Supreme Court judge Albert Wood ordered on April 29, this year, that the execution of the High Court judgment dated August 27, 2014, stayed pending the determination of the appeal against the decision.
This is according to an ex parte order to stay execution of the judgment pending appeal, dated April 29 this year availed to the Daily Mail.
And Lusaka Province commissioner of police Charity Katanga said that she is aware of the demolition of the houses.
Ms Katanga said police were contacted by the Sheriff’s office to police the eviction of the squatters.
THE Road Development Agency (RDA) has raised over K100 million from toll fees at various weighbridges since January this year.
And the national tolling programme, which was launched in November 2013, is progressing well.
RDA senior manager public relations Loyce Saili told journalists during an inspection of works on the construction of Manyumbi Toll Plaza yesterday that RDA has collected over K100 million in toll fees since the beginning of the year.
Manyumbi Toll Plaza is located between Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi.
“We have collected over K100 million as toll fees from various points and Kapiri Mposhi is the busiest. Until our toll plazas are ready, we are using the existing weighbridges,” Ms Saili said.
And Mrs Saili said the RDA identified 26 sites on its 67,000-kilometre stretch of tarred roads across the country where to set up toll plazas.
She, however, said Government has prioritized construction of the first six toll plazas at a total cost of about K200 million.
“We have two contractors, each doing three toll plazas. Nzovu Transport Limited is building Kafulafuta, Manyumbi and Choma at a cost of K83.8 million while another contractor, Shire, is constructing Levy Mwanawasa, Sabina/Ganertone and Kamfinsa at a cost of K74.4 million. And the engineers have targeted to complete these works before the end of this year,” Mrs Saili said.
Meanwhile, RDA has procured 30 booths to be used for collecting toll fees while waiting for works on toll plazas to be completed.
Mrs Saili said RDA is currently collecting toll fees from vehicles above 6.5 tonnes but that all vehicles will be paying toll fees once the programme is fully rolled out.
“The booths are meant to enable us to start collecting toll fees. So far, 10 booths have already arrived in the country,” Mrs Saili said.
She, however, stressed that before RDA fully rolls out collection of toll fees on every vehicle, the public will be sensitised.
“This revenue collection is meant to sustain the roads. And the vehicles will be paying according to their classification. Small cars will be paying around K10 and the abnormal ones around K250,” Mrs Saili said.
RDA will introduce a cashless system to curb corruption.
“We will put a system, which will not require the use of hard cash. This is being worked on and once the toll plazas are done, it will be installed,” she said.
And resident engineer at Manyumbi, Kalambayi Mukendi of Rankin Engineering, said works are on schedule and the toll plaza will have four lanes to cater for light, heavy and abnormal vehicles.
Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda delivering the 2015 budget
MINISTER of Finance Alexander Chikwanda says Government will not tolerate continued delays in completing development projects because procrastination increases the costs.
Speaking when he commissioned the Nakonde border facility here yesterday, the minister said delaying public sector projects has cost implications and this is to the detriment of taxpayers and national development.
Mr Chikwanda said Government requires modern facilities to increase tax collection to raise revenue needed to invest in socio-economic projects such as roads, schools and health facilities.
“With the many competing demands on our meagre public resources, it is unacceptable that because of delays, the cost of projects in Zambia should continue to skyrocket beyond the regional and international standards for similar projects,” Mr Chikwanda said.
He said completion of the Nakonde border post project took too long when the infrastructure is needed to ensure efficient and effective export and import facilitation.
“This cannot be achieved with poor infrastructure, coupled with delays and poor working culture, among border staff,” he said.
Nakonde border post has been a source of tax revenue and is a major link between Zambia and East Africa, Europe and the middle and Far East.
The minister expects both non-tax and tax revenue collection leakages to be curbed and mitigation of vices such as smuggling and under-invoicing of taxable imports.
the pressure of inefficient border operations will be lessened and travellers through Zambia and Tanzania will be treated to efficient services.
The construction of the Nakonde border post started in August 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in October 2011 but that the contractor awarded the contract on a private public partnership (PPP) basis failed to complete the project.
The initial contractor, China Jiangxi, was recalled and completed the project.
And Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) commissioner general Berlin Msiska said Nakonde border post collected K1.6 billion in 2014.
the border collects an average of K4.6 million per day making it the second largest income generating border after Chirundu.
Mr Msiska said the new border post will improve operational efficiency and productivity in revenue administration.
Nakonde border processes between 350 and 400 entries per day.
Mr Msiska also said the implementation of modernisation reforms that ZRA has embarked on has resulted in the awarding of contracts worth K38 million for various projects.
The projects under the modernisation reforms include construction of staff houses in Kazungula, Mokambo, Chinsali, Mwami and Choma.
Other projects include construction of new border facilities at Chanida, offices at Kasumbalesa, 20 hotel rooms at the ZRA training centre, scanning yard at Kapiri Mposhi and rehabilitation works at Tazara.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Yamfwa Mukanga reaffirmed Government’s commitment to working with any private sector partner willing to uplift the status of Nakonde.
The minister urged public service workers to be focused and to maintain the the newly constructed facilities at Nakonde border post.
Muchinga Province permanent secretary Bright Nundwe said the commissioning of Nakonde border post will ease congestion and enhance trade between Zambia and Tanzania.
US Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz
UNITED States Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz says it is acceptable to make amendments to the constitution through parliament if the majority of Zambians are comfortable with that.
In an interview with journalists after the launch of the electronic bus ticketing system in Lusaka, Mr Schultz said adoption of the constitution should be done in a transparent manner involving all Zambians.
“If that is what Zambians want, it is okay because the will of Zambians should prevail since the constitution vests power in people,” said Mr Schultz when asked to comment on the proposed amendments to be done by parliament.
On the Access to Information Bill, Mr Schultz said some concerns over the matter are legitimate and journalists should behave in a responsible manner.
“In the USA, we did it in the 1960s since it encourages open society and it is something that has worked well for us. And hopefully, it will work well for Zambia, especially that there is a bill to move the matter forward,” he said.
And three Zambian companies have entered into a partnership aimed at improving efficiency in the passenger transport sector through introduction of an electronic bus ticketing system that will address challenges faced by time-conscious travellers.
Bus Tickets Zambia, Zamtel and PostDotNet have entered into partnership to provide travellers with an integrated ticketing platform that is decentralised and efficient.
“This will enable travellers to purchase tickets at PostDotNet and Zamtel outlets without going to Intercity Bus Terminus,” said DotCom Zambia managing director Mawanu Kambeu.
“Besides accessing the tickets from PostDotNet and Zamtel outlets, the service is time-saving in that customers are also able to instantly purchase tickets online by visiting the official Bus Tickets Zambia website.”
Officiating at the launch, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe said Government was excited about any technological advancement that enhances the ease of doing business.
“This is most impressive. A Zambian not only solving a Zambian problem, but one that is, arguably, a perennial African transport problem. This is good to have problem solvers who are true entrepreneurs and making money in the process,” she said.
A representative for bus operators, Mbachi Nkwazi, said the partnership should be expanded to include many transporters and enable passengers experience seamless services.
And Mr Schultz said Zambia has what it takes to become a huge economic success if the human capital is fully developed.
Minister of Youth and Sport Vincent Mwale said there is need to believe in young people since they have the ability to improve Zambia’s economy.
First Lady Esther Lungu join women in dancing in Hofmeyer in Nyimba District, Eastern Province where she addressed them and donated shoes to school pupils on May 20,2015 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
First Lady Esther Lungu has thanked the people of Eastern province for voting for President Edgar Lungu in the January 20 Presidential elections.
Mrs Lungu knelt before a jubilant and ululating crowd at Chiwuyu in Sinda District where she had gone to hold meetings with the people there.
The First Lady is in eastern province on an outreach programme of assessing women empowerment programmes and to seek ways of assisting vulnerable children and the aged in society.
Headman Kabuula said it was unprecedented for a First Lady to visit the area and even kneel to people to thank them for their support.
Mrs Lungu also donated mealie meal, beverages and some money to the elderly in the area.
Earlier, Chieftainess Nyanje of the Nsenga speaking people of Sinda District appealed to government to send relief food to the area to avert the looming hunger in the district.
Chieftainess Nyanje said the district had been adversely affected by the irregular weather pattern which has caused crop failure and drying up of boreholes.
She told First Lady Esther Lungu when she paid a courtesy call on her at Nyanje Palace that people will not have enough yields.
And the First Lady said government is committed to ensuring that it provides adequate food to people so that they don’t starve.
Mrs Lungu told Chieftainess Nyanje that she was in the district to thank the people for voting for President Edgar Lungu and to also assess women empowerment programmes in the area.
The First Lady also toured Njanje Mission Hospital and visited patients at the health facility which is acting as the District Hospital following the creation of Sinda as a new district.
Mrs Lungu paid glowing tribute to health staff at the mission hospital for working under extreme conditions to provide health care services to people in Sinda District and surrounding areas.
The First Lady commended Sable Transport for coming to the aid of the hospital and called for increased corporate social responsibility from the private sector.
Mrs Lungu later donated bags of mealie meal and beverages to patients at the health institution.
And Hospital Superintendent Eric Mpoyi told the First Lady that the health facility is facing accommodation challenges following its upgrade to a district hospital status.
Dr Mpoyi said the hospital’s catchment area has doubled from 80,000 to 168, 000 people with the majority and critical patients coming from Mozambique.
He said the hospital structure is old and has inadequate equipment to meet and service the growing number of people seeking medical services.
Dr Mpoyi disclosed that the hospital conducts over 100 deliveries on a monthly basis and that malaria and malnutrition are the leading cases that the hospital handles.
And Mrs Lungu later addressed women clubs in the district to explore ways of empowering them in order to improve their welfare through viable income generating ventures.
She emphasized the importance of strong family values and the need to scale up the fight against early marriages and defilement.
The First Lady appealed to Zambians to desist from stigmatizing disabled people but embrace them and other vulnerable segments of society like orphans.
Mrs Lungu later donated K10,000 to the women clubs to engage in viable income generating ventures to sustain their livelihoods and families.
Midfielder Mulenga Mukuka and defender Davies Nkausu have joined the Zambia squad that has arrived in South Africa for the ongoing Cosafa Castle Cup.
Honour Janza’s side landed in Johannesburg from Lusaka on Wednesday morning.
Mukuka and Nkausu of Mamelodi Sundowns and University of Pretoria respectively were part of Zambia’s first training at the Unversity of Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon.
Seven foreign based players are part of the 21-man squad Janza announced on Sunday.
Zambia are the holders of the Cosafa Cup that was last staged in 2013.
The champions are on bye from the preliminary group stage that kicked off on Sunday.
Zambia will launch their campaign on Sunday in the quaterfinals clash against the winners of Group A that will be decided on Thursday when leaders Zimbabwe on six points face Namibia in second position on four points.
Zanaco sweated beat Mufulira Wanderers 3-2 in a rescheduled midweek FAZ Super Division match at Sunset Stadium to reclaim top spot.
Striker Mathews Macha came off the bench to score the winner in the 89th minute as Zanaco fought had to beat Wanderers in this delayed week 8 encounter.
Mumamba Numba’s team went into the half time break leading 2-0 thanks to a 44th minute goal from Augustine Mulenga and an own goal by Mighty defender Warren Kunda.
Ten minutes after the break defender Moses Loloji handed the Mufulira club a life line when he converted a penalty after Salulani Phiri handled in the box.
Seven minutes later Mighty captain Taonga Bwembya made it 2-2 from a direct free-kick before his keeper Joshua Nyirongo aided Macha’s shot into the net.
The win pushed Zanaco to 21 points, one above Zesco United who have one unplayed game.
Eleswhere on Wednesday, Green Buffaloes thumped struggling Napsa Stars 2-0 at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka to move into fifth place on the table.
Diamond Chikwekwe and Timothy Mbewe scored for the Army side in the 3rd and 55th minutes respectively.
Buffaloes now sits on 14 points while Napsa are second from the bottom with seven points after nine games.
FILE: COPPERBELT Minister Mwenya Musenge inspecting extent of fire damage at Carnival Furnishers in Kitwe
Copperbelt Province Minister, Mwenya Musenge has with immediate effect suspended operations at Global Plantation Limited and ordered the detention of management for child labour and mistreating of workers.
The Provincial Minister ordered the detention of the farm Manager, Human Resource Manager and two other Indians, all part of the company’s management.
Mr. Musenge said government will not tolerate child labour and abuse of workers in the country as its mandate was to promote the interest of the local people and not investors.
Mr. Musenge said this yesterday when he visited the Global Plantation Lushwishi Farm Block where workers are reported to be mistreated.
“How can a big company like Gurock engage unqualified contractors and employ children under the age of 14 to work at the farm, child Labour is a very big crime in Zambia and government will not fold hands and watch this happening to the local people, “ he said.
He said there were reports that employees at the plantation start work as early as 05 hours and stop at 18 hours without the provision of food, shelter, transportation and over time allowances, adding that is against the country’s labour laws.
“I am very saddened to note that these workers do not have work suites and other protective clothing they are supposed to be using in the farm and this is the responsibility of the company to make sure all these are available on site”, he explained.
Mr. Musenge said government engages these investors to contribute to the development of the country and create employment for the local people with good working conditions and not abusing them.
“Investors should be working in line with the labour laws of Zambia and at the interest of the local people and not abusing the workers by employing under aged people to increase the labour turn out at the farm, mistreating workers and underpaying them,” he said
He further said it was saddening to see Zambian managers employed by foreign companies mistreat their brothers and sisters at the expense of fattening their pockets.
Meanwhile Farm Manager, Mark Choonga denied abusing the workers.
But Principal Labour Officer, Eunice Mifima said the country’s labour laws made it clear that all general workers have to be paid k30 per day, provided with food at the farm and accommodation where necessary.
“All under aged workers should be given their money and chased out of the farm and management should make sure that people are paid according to what they are supposed to get, with a provision of a pay slip” she said.
She added that labour officers will be sent to the plantation to ensure labour laws are followed.
Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili has called on politicians not to politicize the frequent power outage the country is experiencing.
Mr. Kambwili said the increase in load shedding is as a result of low water levels at Kariba North bank and not a making of government.
He said as a result of low rainfall that the country received in the just ended rain season there will be a reduction of power generation by 200 Megawatts from the Kariba North bank.
Mr Kambwili said the problem is not only peculiar to Zambia but the entire Southern African region and called on Zambians not to put the blame on ZESCO.
He was speaking to journalists in Solwezi today shortly after touring the 24.9 million dollars fuel depot under construction.
Mr Kambwili said if ZESCO continues to generate at the same capacity the rivers will dry up and the equipment will blow off plunging the whole country into darkness.
And Energy Deputy Minister Charles Zulu said government is working on establishing solar plants across the country to reduce dependency on hydro power.
Mr Zulu said despite receiving much sunlight very little has been done to develop renewable energy.
Mr Kambwili is in Northwestern province on a familiarization tour of media houses.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili has given a week one ultimatum to Astor Investments limited the contractor engaged to construct the North-western province studios to move on site or risk having the contract terminated.
Mr. Kambwili said if the contractor does not mobilize by next week the contract will be given to another who is ready to undertake the works.
He said it is unacceptable that five months after the foundation stone was laid nothing is happening on the ground.
Mr. Kambwili said he will take no excuse for delay in the completion of the provincial studios.
He was speaking in Solwezi today when he paid a courtesy call on Acting Solwezi District Commissioner Chipawa Chipawa.
And Mr. Kambwili has directed all District Agriculture Coordinators (DACOs) in the province to ensure that all farming inputs are delivered to farmers on time.
Mr. Kambwili said government will not take kindly delay in delivering inputs this year following the early flagging off of input distribution.
And Mr Chipawa said the good policies have opened up media but that guidance is needed on how media houses conduct their business.
Consumers Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International Zambia has recommended that the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) defers the enforcement of the withholding tax LAW on rental income due to the high cost of living in Zambia.
CUTS International Zambia Center Coordinator, Simon Ng’ona explained to QFM News that though the law has been there for some time now, it is prudent that government through ZRA suspends its implementation.
Mr. Ng’ona said his organization has received a number of concerns from people over the income tax on rentals and that government should look at this law again.Mr. Ng’ona argued that the move will force Landlords to hike rentals which are already high in most parts of the country.
He has since appealed to the Zambia Revenue Authority to work out measures that will see to it that this law does not make things worse considering that the cost of living in Zambia is already high.
Recently the PF Government called on all citizens renting out property to be paying 10 per cent withholding tax to the Zambia Revenue Authority because it is law.Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili made the call during a live interview on Radio Luapula in Nchelenge District.The Minister said that failure to pay the tax is breaking the law and if there are concerns on the amount of the percentage, Government is ready to dialogue on the percentage of the tax but paying withholding tax is law and every citizen should comply.
Mr. Kambwili said the law was passed between 1992 and 1994 by the MMD Government at the time but were timid to implement the law because of politics of appeasement.
He said withholding tax is not a new law except that the MMD feared to lose votes from the people if they implemented the law but law is law and every citizen should comply.
Mr. Kambwili said the PF Government is just implementing the law that has been on the law books for many years and every citizen who owns property and rents it out should pay the 10 per cent withholding tax to enable Government in raising the required funds for financing developmental projects.
Renowned US based Zambian academic Professor Mwizenge Tembo has proposed that the University of Zambia is faced with numerous challenge that needs concerted efforts to address.
Professor Tembo who is Professor of Sociology and has taught at Bridgewater College in Virginia for twenty years said there is need to get UNZA back to its glory days.
In a paper titled, University of Zambia: Crisis of Problems, Professor Tembo called for more funding to the country’s highest learning institution.
Below is Professor Tembo’s paper.
On a Sunday blue sky afternoon in May 1972, I finally stood on the balcony of the fourth floor of Africa Hall 5 Room 26 as a freshman at the University of Zambia appreciating and surveying the beautiful scenery around and below. The lawn was green with gorgeous flowers and short bushes. Different types of music were booming from record players from many students’ rooms. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and excitement about the better times to come of gaining a University education which my family and I had not even ever dreamed of even just months before in January 1972 when I got an acceptance letter from the University of Zambia.
My room was furnished with brand new wardrobes, book shelf, desk, reading lamp, chair, blankets, clean bed sheets, blankets, and pillows. The bathrooms had good new hot showers, a line of clean wash sinks with shinning mirrors. The hall floor toilets were clean with toilet paper which was replaced virtually every day. These clean toilet facilities were also all over campus classrooms and the library with toilet papers. Hall sweepers cleaned the rooms every day. This was the case in the 5 residences of Africa Hall, Kwacha Hall, Presidents Hall, and International Hall. The women’s was October Hall. Thefts of property on campus were unknown. Supper that evening in the main dining hall was a five course meal of soup or a salad, rice with chicken or beef, custard with cake, fruit, coffee, tea and bread with butter. We had pocket money of K25.00 and an allowance for purchasing text books at the bookstore for our classes.
It was very exciting to sit for the first time in Lecture Theater One and Two for lectures by may lecturers at the time including Professor Robert Serpell and Professor Muyunda Mwanalushi in Psychology and many other courses. We had some of the best professors and lecturers from around the world since we did not have too many indigenous Zambian lecturers yet. The University of Zambia had an enrollment of fifteen hundred. The cost of room, board, and tuition was four hundred Kwacha per year. My father earned K19.00 per month as a primary school teacher with 9 children some of whom he had to pay school fees for. My family could never afford for me to attend the University of Zambia.
The vast majority of Zambians could not afford the cost of sending their sons and daughters to the University of Zambia. The government provided bursaries for everyone because the country needed educated highly skilled labor.
Thousands of Zambians who graduated from University of Zambia will forever love the University of Zambia and will always want the institution to remain alive. All of us graduates are dedicated to do whatever we can to help support the University. This is why the problems that have continued to beset the University of Zambia are always deeply troubling for all graduates, former students or alumni of the University Zambia as well as for all concerned citizens.
University of Zambia Problems
Since the great days of the early 1970s during the last 43 years, the determined men and women of UNZA have proudly continued to graduate students who excel both in Zambia and the international diaspora although the university has faced major challenges that would have made other institutions buckle and disappear. The list of problems is so endless that this article cannot know nor address all of them. These discussions and proposed solutions are not meant to imply that the author has all the solutions but rather to make some very pragmatic suggestions according to this author’s view.
The old residences or GOMA RUINS-UNZA
UNZA Alumni-Diaspora and Lecturers
There are 5 possible serious problem areas and proposed possible immediate and long term solutions to some of the deeply embedded problems of the University of Zambia. The first and probably the most serious problem is lack of a culture and an organization that can both coordinate and mediate mutual cooperation and trust between UNZA lecturers and older graduates some of whom are retired and some may be in the diaspora. All the thousands of UNZA graduates all the way back to its inception in 1966 who are in Zambia and especially those in the diaspora are deeply devoted to the institution. Day and night they are proud and would like to help the University of Zambia. But there appears to be lack of a culture and prominent organization to channel this desire to help.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be mutual suspicion about the intentions of the graduates who are in the diaspora and those at UNZA. The same mutual suspicion also applies to national leadership where Zambians who are in the diaspora are regarded with suspicion if they express a desire to participate in the electoral process or seek political electoral office. Although many of the lecturers at UNZA may have been also trained abroad, there is an underlying suspicion that any diaspora graduate coming to UNZA may be looking for a job to displace the indigenous younger faculty or looking to unfairly dominate the institution. Some of the diaspora UNZA graduates may harbor a superiority complex. Both of these attitudes would have to be resolved before any long term plans and actions can be mutually executed to help University of Zambia. We all deeply love the institution and badly want to help it survive and prosper. This potentially may be the most serious problem that may hinder or impede any potential progress initiated by the two wings of the UNZA graduates or alumni.
Capital Expenditure
Since the early 1970s, the University of Zambia has increased its enrollment from 1500 to about 30,000 in 2015 which is an overwhelming increase of 1900%. Has student housing or residence halls, teaching and classroom facilities increased by 1900%? That is probably not the case. According to The Post of 8 May 2015 Page 2, UNZA has deplorable conditions with lecturers having 250, 298, 500 to 1,000 students in a class with some sitting on the floor.
A few years ago during a Presidential election campaign one candidate promised that if elected they would improve the conditions at UNZA such that 19 students would not be sharing one residential hall room. I was stunned but was never able to verify that my room like Africa 5 Room 26 could be occupied by 19 students. During most of the early years at UNZA, there were only 2 students per room.
This is a troubling reality that affects not only UNZA but all public institutions that offer services in Zambia; the demand increases as the population grows but there are never enough resources to accommodate the increasing demand. How can we get the resources to increase capital expenditure? Although government might be the solution, there is much more that alumni or graduates of UNZA can do to build the new, necessary and needed infrastructure to expand the institution.
Lecturers and Workers Conditions
The lecturers should be the best paid since donations and endowed Chairs could account for some of the pay. Some of the best conditions could be arranging for lecturers to take sabbatical leave to institutions where UNZA graduates are teaching and researching in foreign institutions. All UNZA lecturers could have a designated counterpart UNZA graduate lecturer at other institutions abroad to work together for research and exchanging some of the new cutting edge teaching pedagogy. May be we could have lecturers abroad who are UNZA graduates to give live lectures by skype as guest lecturers in one of the current UNZA lecturers’ courses as a donation. The other way round is that current UNZA lecturers can provide guest lectures to University classes abroad where lecturers who are UNZA graduates are teaching at colleges and universities in the diaspora.
Since I began teaching here in America 25 years ago, I tried to use appropriate supplementary textbooks by some of my Zambian colleagues and authors in the courses I taught in the early 1990s. There is a possibility that a live lecture from an UNZA lecturer would provide a valuable source of course material for my students who often cannot afford to fly to Africa or Zambia to attend a lecture at a Zambian or African institution. Many times I took my American students to the University of West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica where my students attended many lectures by Jamaican lecturers for a fee that was paid to both the lecturers and the University. University of Zambia could to the same today via skype or closed circuit television.
UNZA library
Refurbishing of Residence Hall Rooms
Some of the most passionate desires among all UNZA graduates in Zambia and abroad are to refurbish and paint their dilapidated old rooms in the Halls of residence. The word is that the late President Mwanawasa did refurbish his old room in President Hall. This is one of the easiest tasks that a new organization can arrange. When University of Zambia students are on a break between terms, teams of UNZA graduates with their families, friends, and children would come to campus and paint rooms every year. The best way would be to install plaques in each room listing all the graduates who resided in those rooms since the University opened. This could be a continuing tradition in which every UNZA student upon graduating would be expected to help take care of his or her former room later in their lives.
Confuscious Institutute
Library, Classrooms, Equipment, and Landscaping
UNZA needs library resources, adequate classrooms, equipment for teaching and research and landscaping to maintain the beautiful grounds, very modest donations by all former graduates could take care of some of the expenses. For example, if we assume that UNZA had graduated a conservative total of 8600 students over the last 43 years, how could they make donations? If each one of the alumni or the graduates donates K500.00 ($71.00) each, that would yield K4.3 million. If they donated K721.00 ($100) each that would yield K6.2 million. There should be a new approach in which all donors’ names should be recognized on campus by engraving names of each donor in relevant places, buildings, and rooms. Their names should also be put on the UNZA web page.
Vison for the Future
University of Zambia can be stronger even produce better graduates for the future. In order to achieve this, we ought to have a better vision for the future for the institution. Simply doing the same things we have done since 1966 may not be enough. Professor Lameck Goma, the first Zambian Vice-Chancellor of the University game a famous graduation speech in the early 1970s titled: “The Usefulness of the Useless Disciplines”. University of Zambia focused intensely on training students to occupy skilled jobs in the Zambian economy that were under tremendous demand. Disciplines such engineering, medicine, law, computer science, business, education, economics, biology, agriculture, and mathematics were regarded as “useful” disciplines. But disciplines such as the arts, music, philosophy, poetry, anthropology, literature, theater, and dance were regarded as “useless” disciplines because they could not help Zambia provide the technological skills we urgently needed for developing the nation at that time.
Prof. Goma was arguing that we needed knowledge of the arts to lead fuller both personal and intellectual lives as a nation. I agree with Prof. Goma. University of Zambia needs to introduce the arts. How this can be done is subject to proper planning and discussion. For example, University of Zambia should build a state of the art Performing Arts Theater and center. This could be a source of employment, income from the community as all audience attending events would pay for all national and international performances. A performing arts center would also be a training ground for future artists, film makers, creative writers, play wrights, dancers, musicians, ethnomusicologists, opera writers, opera performers, stage and film actors. Virtually all UNZA graduates are good technocrats but very few of us are capable of infusing the arts into our work.
The crop forecast survey released last week by Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda showed that Zambia will record a significantly reduction in the maize production. The country maize forecast production has reduced by 26.86%.The reduction is in spite of the 5.3 percent increase in hectares of maize planted in the 2014-2015 farming season compared to that of 2013-2014 and the increase in fertilizer usage and high breed maize seed.Mr Lubinda has attributed the reduction to poor rainfall. He said the late onset of the rainy season and prolonged dry spells in some maize producing areas affected yields.
However Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has urged government to improve on plans and policies to boost the agriculture sector.JCTR Director Father Leonard Chiti said that while Zambia has the potential to diversify in crop production, lack of good plans and policies in the agriculture sector has hindered many farmers from doing so.
He said there is need for government not to give excuses such as low rainfall patterns as a hindrance to poor maize production.Father Chiti stressed that developing the irrigation sector is key to moving the agriculture sector to another level.Father Chiti said that crop diversification is key for the country to reduce the high levels of poverty.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisatiomn FAO irrigated agriculture has driven much of the increase in global food production over recent decades.The highest yields obtained from irrigation are more than double the highest yields from rainfed agriculture – even low-input irrigation is more productive than high-input rainfed farming.
Perhaps it’s time for the government to invest in Drip Irrigation
Drip Irrigation, is an Israeli invention, that allows dry land to produce crops to feed a hungry world.
In the 1930s, a water engineer by the name of Simcha Blass was visiting a friend in the desert when he noticed a line of trees with one member that was noticeable taller and more robust looking than the others. He did a little digging, literally, and noticed that a household water line running along the tree line had spring a small leak in the area of that one tree and as feeding it with a steady drip drip drip of water. The wet spot on the surface didn’t seem like much, but down below was a large onion-shaped area of juicy soil.The idea of drip irrigation was born.
Mr. Blass partnered with Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev desert to develop entire drip irrigation systems. He tinkered with variations on the idea, but when plastics became widely available in the 1960s, he finally had the ability to put drops of water precisely where he wanted, when he wanted; Mr. Blass and the kibbutz founded Netafim.
Since then, Netafim has sold its systems in more than 100 countries worldwide. And, according to Mr. Barak, the more we ask of our planet’s limited water supply, the more Netafim’s systems will benefit the world.
“Water has been declared to be a basic human right,” he says, “but we squander it with wasteful irrigation. Drip irrigation provides the ability to make water work harder and more productively than its ever done in the past.”
Mr. Barak makes the point that if 15% of farms using conventional irrigation switched to drip irrigation, the supply of water available for domestic use would double.
Mr. Barak explains, “In the next 100 years we are going to have to produce more crops than we ever have, with far less environmental damage than we’re doing now.”
Some are well on the way to achieving that goal. About 75 percent of Israeli farming is done with drip irrigation, with practically no flood irrigation at all. Drip irrigation accounts for about half of irrigation in California; South Africa is also a big user.
But other areas of the world have yet to make the shift – and food is only one of the reasons why it’s important for them to do so. Because when you really dig in to the nuances of drip irrigation, you start to see how widespread its ramifications are.
For example, by using water more efficiently, drip irrigation means you use less fertilizer. Fertilizer production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
