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FILE: UPND president Hakainde Hichilema (left) interacting with his lawyer Jack Mwiimbu
United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema says he is the most harassed political leader in the country since 1991.
Addressing his supporters at the Lusaka Magistrate Court complex this morning soon after the case in which he is charged with publication of false news with intent to alarm the nation was adjourned; Mr. Hichilema said he sometimes wonders why he is harassed by the government.
Mr Hichilema assured his supporters that he will never take their support for granted considering that they are always on his side.
The UPND leader has since encouraged his supporters to be strong and always seek strengthen from God to move forward.
Meanwhile the case in which Mr Hichilema is charged with publication of false news with intent to alarm the nation has been adjourned to 2nd and 12th December, 2014 for commencement of trial.
When the matter came up for trial before Magistrate Aridah Chuulu this morning, the state applied for an adjournment stating that witnesses were not ready to proceed with the matter.
This is the fourth time the matter has been adjourned.
Former Patriotic Front Secretary General Wynter Kabimba was to appear as the State’s first witness in the matter.
Mr Hichilema’s case originates from a statement he made that the Patriotic Front had sent its cadres to Sudan to be trained as militias.
The Opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy says the ruling Patriotic Front (PF)’s performance in their three years in office is dismal and can not be compared to former President Rupiah Banda and MMD’s last three years.
And the Forum for Democracy and Development has described the election of the PF as jumping from a frying pan and landing straight on to the fire as the nation was better of with the MMD than it is with the PF.
MMD National Secretary Muhabi Lungu has observed that the PF’s rule in the last three years has nothing to write home about as they have delivered almost nothing on the promises they made to the people during the campaigns in 2011.
Mr. Lungu said the PF should not be jumping on roof tops lying to the people that they have delivered on their promises when the actual truth is that non of their promises has been delivered and that most of the projects which they are pointing to as their projects are carry over projects left by the MMD.
He said in as much as it should not be taken away from the PF administration for continuing projects left by the former ruling party the PF should be honest enough to acknowledge that most of the infrastructure they are working on were left behind by their friends in the MMD.
He noted that people kicked the MMD out of office because the PF claimed that they could do things better than the MMD but that the complete opposite has happened as the country’s economic growth has stagnated, inflation has risen and the cost of living has gone up.
“If I can compare the economic growth in 2011 the last year of the MMD it was 7 percent and the PF have note reached that figure once in the last three years, if you look at inflation we left it 6.5 the rate of inflation now has hit 10percent and if you look at the foreign debt we left it at 1.2 billion dollars and now it is over 4 billion 3 years done the line while the domestic debt is equally large.
“If you look at the micro and macro economic indicators you will see that there is a huge discrepancy between the last days of the MMD in office and the PF’s three years.
“They are pointing to the roads that they have put infrastructure across the country but most of these roads are carry overs, we started them we planned them we even identified the mode of financing these projects we commend them for continuing with them but it cannot be a basis to be jumping on tables that the PF are delivering on their promises.
“We commend them for continuing the projects but we could have finished them two years ago,” Mr. Lungu said.
Meanwhile the FDD noted that the country was better off when the PF took over than it is now as the PF’s rule has been a disaster and nightmare for ordinary Zambians who voted for them in the hope of improving their lives only to find that they were duped with force promise.
FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza noted that all the things which PF campaigned have turned out to be one big lie concocted to win votes without any intentions of keeping any of them.
Below is a full statement issued by FFD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza.
Three years ago this country erupted into jubilation and ululation as Zambians from all walks of life celebrated the Patriotic Front’s electoral victory over the MMD with the hope of a better and dignified life.
Little did the raucous and jubilant crowds knew that they were jumping from a flying pan right into the fire.
The PF ran a persuasive campaign, sugar-coated with paradisical promises of Lower Prices, Lower Taxes, More Money In People’s Pockets, More Jobs, Respect For Human Rights and The Rule of Law, A New People Driven Constitution, Media Freedom, Re introduction of Windfall taxes, Better Schools, Better Hospitals, A thriving Agriculture Sector, A Poverty and Corruption-Free Society all within a mystic 90 Day Period.
Today, three years down the line all these promises have turned into lies. Instead of more jobs, the PF has imposed a Two-Year Employment Freeze.
Instead of more money in people’s pockets, the PF has imposed a Two-Year Wage Freeze. Instead of farmers receiving 15 bags of fertilizer as promised, they are receiving 2 bags in February. Instead of more health personnel in our clinics, the PF fired nurses without recourse not withstanding the fact that this country has a shortfall of over 20 000 health personnel.
Today, the price of fuel has doubled; the price of mealie meal has doubled, the cost of water, electricity, transport, school fees has doubled. The value of the Kwacha has tumbled. Today the lending and interest rates have doubled.
Today instead of running a lean and effective government, the PF is running a Family Forest with two or more Deputy Ministers in one Ministry doing nothing but duplicating each other’s jobs, enjoying hefty salaries and allowances while over 50% of our children are malnourished and hundreds of expecting mothers are giving birth on floor of our clinics and hospitals daily.
Today instead of re introducing the Windfall Tax and ensure that Zambia benefits from the mines, the PF Ministers are busy colliding and sharing contracts with the Chinese to the detriment of our people.
Today our country has been reduced to a Debt Country were loans which cannot be accounted for are contracted every month. Today the Media is barred even to cover the President live at Parliament and those who have asked for the Release of the Draft Constitution are told that they are YAPPING.
The PF will leave a legacy of a deceitful, arrogant, irresponsible, irresponsive, lying Government that used cheap lies and propaganda to assume power. In the PF they don’t believe in values, morals or integrity. Its all DONCHI KUBEBA! Its all about ukuyakana ifi puna! Its Bamba Zonke Wena with Mr Sata keeping the resources of the Road Development Agency at State House! The decent people of this great country will surely kick out the PF in 2016 and usher in a caring, humble, responsive and prudent government.
As for the PF, enjoy while it lasts but the day of reckoning is near!
Power Dynamos in-form striker Jimmy Ndhlovu has confirmed he will be out of action for at least one week after escaping death in a car accident on Sunday.
Ndhlovu was driving from Kitwe to Ndola when his car overturned along the Ndola-Kitwe Dual Carriageway near Luanshya.
The accident came less than 24 hours after he had scored four goals as Power demolished National Assembly 7-1 in a FAZ Super League match in Kitwe.
“I am feeling much better now. I am just recovering from the concussion I suffered on the head when the car overturned,” he said.
Ndhlovu will miss Power’s Week 25 match against Green Eagles to be played in Choma on Saturday.
“I will start training next week,” he said.
The ex-Red Arrows and Zesco United forward has so far scored 13 league goals since joining Power on loan from Nkana.
The Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) in Lukulu district is happy with government programmes aimed at alleviating poverty levels in the country through the cash transfer scheme program.
Induna Andisha says Namayula BRE Kuta has welcomed this program but said government and stakeholders have a mammoth task to sustain it.
Representing Chief Anang’anga, Induna Andisha said government should continue working closely with traditional leaders if such programs are to reach the intended people.
The traditional leader has since urged the beneficiaries to own the program and come up with tangible income generating activities so that once weaned out of program, they will be able to continue looking after their households.
He was speaking yesterday at Namayula Kuta when Senior Provincial Social Welfare Officer, Nicolas Goma, accompanied Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mwangala Liomba, Lukulu District Commissioner, Precious Muyenga and District Social Welfare Officer for Mitete and Lukulu districts called on him on a sensitization program of the cash transfer scheme program.
And Mr Goma said government came up with the program in order to find more sustainable ways of helping to reduce poverty levels through income support where beneficiaries engage in income generating activities.
He disclosed that an independent research from Kalabo, Shangombo and Kaputa districts reveals that poverty levels have reduced by 5.6 percent.
The Cash Transfer Scheme under the Department of Social Welfare was introduced in Zambia ten years ago in Kaputa and has since been scaled up in all the provinces.
The Anti -Corruption Commission (ACC) in Kasama has arrested two people for corruption involving K10, 000.
The offence is contrary to the laws of Zambia.
ACC Public Relations Manager Timothy Moono confirmed the arrest in a press statement made available to the Zambia News and Information Services in Kasama today.
Mr Moono disclosed that Thomson Nswima ,46 of Mufulira township on the Copperbelt and George Mubanga, 37 of Chiba village in Kasama, were yesterday arrested and jointly charged with two counts of corrupt practices by the ACC officers in the Northern Province.
He further said that Nswima who is an actor and musician of Sunrise entertainment in Lusaka and Mubanga a local businessman were arrested following an operation conducted by the Commission in Kasama yesterday.
Mr Moono said the Commission confiscated suspected pirated artistic products for Sunrise entertainment.
It is alleged that in count one Nswima and Mubanga on the dates unknown but between 17th September and 22nd September 2014, being a private person namely film actor and representative of sunrise entertainment jointly and whilst acting together did corruptly solicit for K10, 000.
He explained that the duo received K530 as part payment from a named local businessman as an inducement or reward for Nswima and Mubanga to release the two desk top computers and memory cards which they had confiscated and for them not to report the matter of suspected piracy to the Zambia police.
“in the second count on or about 22nd September 2014 in Kasama, Nswima and Mubanga whilst acting together did corruptly solicit for K2, 500 from the initial K10, 000 and infact received K480 from a named person as a second part payment of the inducement or reward from them to release the said two (2) desk top computers and memory cards which they had confiscated from them not to report the matter of suspected piracy to the Zambia police service,” he added.
Mr Moono said Nswima and Mubanga have been detained in police custody and will appear in court soon.
Some small scale farmers of in Kawambwa Central have complained over the delays by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to pay them their money for the maize sold to the agency.
ZANIS reports that the angry farmers are demanding an explanation from the government over the delayed payments as they delivered the maize to the FRA on 9th August.
One of the farmers Mathias Mupasha said the FRA marketing assistant Thompson Mbuzi was allegedly not fair in the manner in which he was releasing the payments as only three farmers out of about 400 had been paid by the end of today.
Mr Mupasha said farmers delivered their maize to the FRA on 9th August but have not been paid up to now.
He said the farmers were worried at the delays to pay them because government had announced that funds to pay the farmers were released.
Another farmer, Agnes Kabwe said he FRA’s delay was worrying because it had made some parents and guardians in the area fail to send children to school.
Mrs. Kabwe says farmers grow maize to help them ease their problems when they sell to the FRA but it was instead bringing more miseries by not paying them on time.
The farmers have also accused the District Commissioner Ivo Mpasa of not helping them whenever they approached him over the delays by the FRA to pay them.
Efforts by ZANIS to get a comment from Mr Mpasa failed as he was reported to be out of office while the FRA marketing assistant Thompson Mbuzi could also not be reached by press time.
And Farmers in Mufumbwe this morning stormed the District Commissioner’s (DC) office to complain over delayed payments for the maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The farmers protested that despite supplying their maize to the FRA the agency has failed to pay them in good time adding that this has affected their preparations for the 2014/2015 farming season.
A Representative of the farmers Lapson Kayombo said the FRA has not been paying farmers in the district despite assurances from government that they would be paid within two weeks of supplying the maize.
Another Farmer, Ackson Likashi, called on government to improve the payment method by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) especially that only 32 farmers have been paid from the first book at the main depot.
Mr Likashi has since advised government through the District Commissioner to clearly explain its position on the FRA payment.
“there are some farmers that supplied their maize in August but up to now they have not been paid,” he said.
And, Chamuzuma Kapalu, another farmer , said delayed payment has greatly affected them as they are not able to mobilize themselves for the upcoming farming season.
Mr Kapalu expressed fear that the situation would only lead farmers to sell their maize to briefcase middlemen.
But Mufumbwe District Commissioner Mankishi Mukokwe appealed to the farmers to exercise patience as government was working tirelessly to address their concerns.
Ms Mukokwe assured that government remains committed to paying farmers for the maize they supplied to the FRA.
“Let us be patient as my office looks into the issue. I will call the FRA depot manager to get the details on the ground then we can look at solutions from there,” said the District Commissioner.
The Chamber of Mines of Zambia has appealed to the government to urgently resolve issues surrounding Value Added Tax (VAT) Rule 18 .
The Chamber of Mines also wants government to ensure that VAT refunds are made to all exporters so they could continue to progress in increasing mining and manufacturing production to sustain and continue to create jobs.
The Chamber said in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today that the non-payment of the withheld VAT refunds have had and continue to have a major adverse impact on the operations of the Mining companies.
It stated that cash flows have been seriously constrained following the withholding of the refunds resulting in many Mining companies suspending, deferring, and cancelling capital projects among other undesirable actions to keep operations going.
The Chamber of Mines said the effects of these actions are already being felt noting that in the medium to long term, there would be a negative impact on mine production, production costs, suppliers of goods and services to the mining industry.
The Chamber noted that the mining industry needs to be nurtured for it to continue to generate revenues required to diverse the economy.
It stressed that the mining industry in Zambia will continue to be the engine of the economy for a long time to come hence the need for the relevant authorities to ensure it is safeguarded.
Government through the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) amended Rule 18 of the Value Added Tax (VAT) General Rules of 1997 to safeguard government revenue with effect from September 8, 2014.
UPND vice president Dr Canicius Banda
The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has described the United Nations 2013 Hunger index Report released recently as embarrassing and humiliating.
Last week, three of the United Nations’ agencies, namely the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) indicated that undernourishment prevalence in Zambia is first in Africa and second to Haiti in the world.
Lead Rome based FAO recently issued the State of World Insecurity Report which showed that Zambia has the highest number of undernourished people in Africa and second in the world with Haiti on the top slot.
UPND Vice President for Politics Canisius Banda argues that the Report says Zambia has enjoyed a steady economic growth of over six percent per annum in the last few years.
Dr. Banda says the Report uses data obtained from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey which some have been dismissive of the findings.
In a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Dr. Banda said no Zambian government official was consulted to the said UN Report in question.
Dr. Banda reiterated that the UPND believes in “more food on the table” as the solution to undernourishment and also eating the right food as well.
The opposition leader suggested to the PF Government to put in place adequate interventions to mitigate undernourishment and stunting growth among the Zambian people especially children.
“Let Government re-introduce food subsidies for the 60% Zambians that are poor people who spend 70% of their meagre income on food, that is not even adequate to meet their dietary requirements,” Dr. Banda said.
He accused the PF government for the removal of subsidies on the staple food (maize and fuel) a move he said was not only highly irresponsible but negligence of poor peoples’ needs.
He boasted that the UPND would train more nutritionists and deploy them in all districts on a long term basis and also prioritize improving and diversifying the agriculture sector in Zambia in order to increase the quality and quantity of food at household and national level.
But Republican Vice President Guy Scott disputed the Report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation that Zambia was the most undernourished country in Africa describing it as inaccurate.
Dr Scott said the Report was not factual and does not represent the happenings on the ground.
He said the criteria used by FAO to determine the nutritional profiles of some people in Zambia was wrong and does not translate into being under-nourished.
The Vice President said there were a number of countries in Africa that are struggling with issues of undernourishment and Zambia does not rank among them.
“We need to be careful with these people coming here and telling us that we are undernourished. They used defective tools in their research and we should not pay attention as a country,” Dr. Scott announced at a recent public meeting.
Mighty Mufulira Wanderers moved into second place on the FAZ Division One North table on Wednesday after edging visiting Chindwin Sentries 1-0 in a delayed Week 26 match played at Shinde Stadium.
Wanderers are now in joint second position with Kalulushi Modern Stars tied on 48 points apiece although the latter enjoy a superior goal difference.
Forward Progress Kalengo scored the solitary goal after 63 minutes following a goalless first half.
Promotion chasing Wanderers are now preparing to face Kansanshi Dynamos in their next match scheduled for Shinde Stadium on Sunday.
Manfred Chabinga’s side has so far registered 14 wins, six draws and seven defeats.
Meanwhile, Forest Rangers top the Division One North table with 50 points after 27 matches played.
Zambia coach Honour Janza has revealed that the process of injecting new blood into his team is in motion.
There is an outcry for an injection of fresh legs in the Zambia national team after a poor start in its Morocco 2015 Africa Cup Group F qualifiers.
“You can’t replace all the 11 players at one time. It’s a process and has to start now. But you don’t chop everything at once” Janza said.
Zambia has only managed one point from their opening two Group F qualifying matches after a 0-0 home draw against Mozambique on September 6 and 2-1 away loss to Cape Verde on September 10.
The results have left Zambia in third place with one point, five behind leaders Cape Verde while Mozambique are second with one point.
Zambia’s opponents away on October 11 Niger have one point.
Meanwhile, the home based team wrapped up their monthly training camp for September on Wednesday morning.
Striker Emmanuel Mayuka on Tuesday continued his agonising wait for game time at Southampton.
The Zambia striker was an unused substitute in Southampton’s 2-1 away win over Arsenal in a League Cup third round tie in London.
Southampton coach Ronald Koeman kept Mayuka on the bench despite his side facing a second string Arsenal.
The Dutchman instead kept faith the entire 90 minutes in his favoured attacking pair of Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic.
Mayuka has now been on the bench for four consecutive competitive matches.
And in France, defender Stopilla Sunzu was sideline at the last minute on Tuesday night after making 14th placed Sochaux Ligue 2 game against 4th positioned Brest that ended 0-0.
A 25 year old woman of Kitwe’s Bulangilolo Township who was yesterday isolated after presenting Ebola like symptoms has tested negative to the deadly disease.
The woman whose identity has been withheld was isolated at Kitwe Central Hospital along with the nursing staff that attended to her.
Health Minister Joseph Kasonde revealed that the tests conducted on the woman show that she is Ebola free.
Dr Kasonde added that this means that Zambia has not recorded any confirmed Ebola cases although eight suspected cases have been reported which have all turned out to be negative.
He has however appealed to members of the public to continue working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that the country remains Ebola free.
KITWE was yesterday gripped with fear and panic as the district recorded a suspected case of Ebola.
This followed the quarantine of a 25-year-old woman, first at Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH)’s fee-paying PAMSCO Clinic on Monday before she was later moved to an isolation centre in Garnetone Township.
The patient, who presented with coughing, sneezing and vomiting, has remained at the established isolation centre in Garnetone where she was being treated of suspected Ebola.
Panic-stricken members of the public were heard openly sounding the Ebola alarm warning people not to go near the clinic in view of the quarantined woman.
A number of residents were also spotted making arrangements to have their children who were out in various schools secured from the Ebola threat.
Copperbelt provincial medical officer Consity Mwale and KCH spokesperson Grey Chishimba separately confirmed the suspected Ebola case.
Mr Chishimba said in an interview yesterday that the hospital recorded the suspected Ebola case on Monday around 11:00 hours when the woman was brought to the institution by relatives.
“When she was brought, she was kept in isolation at the PAMSCO and later to Garnetone Clinic where up to today she is quarantined and is being treated symptomatically until such a time when the results of the samples are out,” Mr Chishimba said.
He said the PAMSCO was closed on Monday following the suspected Ebola but was opened yesterday after being disinfected.
Dr Mwale said in a statement that the Kitwe District medical office was on Monday notified by the KCH PAMSCO Clinic that there was a suspected case of Ebola.
He said a surveillance officer from the provincial medical office accompanied the team from the district medical office to assess the situation and take appropriate measures.
Dr Mwale said the patient was a 25-year-old female of Kitwe District and that her husband was a Congolese who often travelled to the DRC but that he had not reported any positive contact history.
“As reported, the patient presented with cough, sneezing and vomiting. These signs and symptoms had commenced a month ago, an indication that this is unlikely to be Ebola. The patient did not complain of fever and had not been in contact with an Ebola patient or had any history of travel,” Dr Mwale said.
Dr Mwale said notwithstanding, the health authorities took action, that included transferring the patient from KCH to an isolation centre at Garnetone Clinic where antibiotics, fluids and other supportive treatment were administered.
He said disinfection using pynol was done in the ambulance and areas where the patient was placed in.
Dr Mwale said contact tracing was done at the home of the patient and that no similar cases were reported.
FILE: HH Speaking to Journalists after appearing for mention
The case in which UPND President Hakainde Hichilema is facing one count of publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm in the nation failed to take off in the Lusaka Magistrate this morning.
Mr Hichilema’s defence team applied for an adjournment saying it was not ready to proceed with the matter.
Principal Magistrate Aridah Chulu has since adjourned the matter to 2nd December for possible commencement of trial.
Mr. Hichilema is alleged to have told a media briefing at the UPND Secretariat in 2012 that the ruling Patriotic Front had dispatched its youths to be trained as militias in Sudan.
Yesterday Tuesday 23rd September 2014 the nation was treated to a shock when the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) besieged the Post Newspaper’s premises with the aim of grounding the newspaper for purportedly owing the government huge sums of money in tax revenues from 2011. Let’s be real here, this is the usual witch-hunt by the authorities using established structures.
We say it’s a witch hunt because we wonder where the ZRA was for 3 years to collect taxes from the Post newspaper when poor women in our community markets are taxed effectively by the ZRA through various taxes on a daily basis. For three years now the Post has been the active partner to the PF and its governance system and yes, now we know the kickbacks it was receiving was through tax relief for three years. Clearly that explains why the once independent paper curled its tail between its legs as it was fed ‘tax relief’ or ‘no tax payment’ and failed to report accurately, in the time of dire need, the governance and economic challenges that faced the nation. Rather, excited with the tax relief, it went from ‘Michael’ this to ‘Michael’ that, ‘Only Michael here’ to ‘Only Michael there’ etc.
The Post Newspapers hypocrisy
Fallen out of favour with the regime, sane Zambians definitely found it strange for the Post to claim they did not benefit anything from the PF’s government. Well then, now we know that clearly these were lies aimed at gaining the nation’s sympathy after ignoring them for three years of being in bed with what they now suddenly term as a ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’, the same ‘Clique’ they ‘helped put in power’. Oh what garbage! What hogwash! Talk of hypocrisy, ingratitude and insincerity, this is the apex if it! For three years you do not pay tax, carry on as if all is well, expand your business with the government, get preferential transport deals etc and then claim that ‘We did not benefit anything from the PF’, really? Who are you trying to fool? If a katemba pays tax to ZRA on a daily basis, what should be special about the Post newspaper? Clearly they abused and benefited from being close to the power corridors, and if the harvest time has come, let them give Ceasar what is due to Ceasar.
We have seen the abuse of the ZRA by the authorities over and over from the MMD times to now PF. The abuse of ZRA by the politics is constant, only targets change. We saw a while ago how, under Rupiah Banda’s MMD GBM’s business was suddenly slapped with a huge tax bill upon his throwing support to the PF from the MMD. Suddenly he owed ZRA huge sums of money and had almost his Luanshya Road business premises closed by the ZRA. We also saw, not long ago how the PF, his own party and government, offloaded his trucks loaded with FRA maize for distribution over his disagreement with the president regarding the Chitimukulu issue. Where was the Post during this time? It was dining with the inner circle, expanding its business into the trucking business and getting preferential contracting, yet not paying tax. To the Post, all was well, there was no ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’, perhaps rightly so, the ‘Cartel’ was in charge!
Abuse of ZRA by politicians
We do not support the abuse of the ZRA by the political system to fight perceived enemies. This is retrogressive to business and robs the nation of valuable businesses on which many people live on noting the high levels of unemployment in the nation. That the ZRA only realized the tax irregularities with the Post three years later and after a few critiques from the once PF friendly paper is regrettable, and tells us a lot about the inefficiency of our tax system. If an enterprise like the Post Newspaper could get away with such for three years, we can only imagine how much money remain uncollected from big and sophisticated enterprises such as the mines. Clearly there is need to improve the way we run our tax system and make it more efficient.
We are convinced that the ZRA’s act of yesterday was at the instruction of the powers that be aimed at clamping down perhaps their perceived strongest enemy noting a weak opposition. As it is said in the intelligence circles: He that changes the mood of the nation towards you can change it against you. With the overwhelming coverage the PF rode onto victory in 2011, they legitimately have to be wary of the Post newspaper indeed, and with their prime link, Wynter Kabimba out of the power circles, clearly there is nothing more for the Post, and the government ought to worry about what may soon be unleashed, unless of course they dangle ‘tax relief’ again and have the Post positively sing ‘Chikwanda this, Chikwanda that, Chikwanda here, Chikwanda there’, like they know best.
We can perhaps say the Post went into the PF’s partnership filled with greed and vengeance with the aim of ‘fixing’ RB’s MMD. Without precaution, excitedly so, the Post went into ‘live’ encounters with the PF, then suddenly they realise that the PF is infested with a ‘Corrupt and Tribalistic Clique’ whatever that means, but alas, its harvest time, and now are in line for the kill.
Do not bite the finger that feeds you. Clearly the Post has been feeding off the PF government, and like a huge blood sucking tick, they have been sucking government revenue by failing to remit required legal taxes that are vital to developing the nation. The government, on the other hand should not play to the gallery by the sudden ‘realisation’ when they deliberately allowed the Post to carry on without paying taxes. Two acts of wrongs cannot yield one right.
Let the showdown begin.
Workers at Lusaka Hotel have gone on an indefinite strike after going unpaid for three months.
Lusaka Hotel is the oldest hotel in Zambia having opened in 1914.
The workers who gathered at the Hotel singing anti management songs called on the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to quickly intervene in the matter.
They told Journalists in an interview that some receive around 700 Kwacha a month as salaries.
They said some have been working as casuals for over nine years without being offered permanent jobs.
Senior management officials and representatives of the Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union were locked up in a meeting over the same issue.
