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NGOCC chairperson Beatrice Grillo talking during the meeting that was held to demand for the release of the draft Zambian constitution
The Non Government Organization Coordinating Council (NGOCC ) has observed that government officials appear to be confused and lost with regards the constitution making process as evidenced by their contradictory statements.
NGOCC Chairperson Beatrice Grillo told QFM News in a statement that the recent contradictory statements by some senior government officials on the constitution are worrying and indicate that there is no agreement among ministers on how to proceed with the constitution making process.
Ms Grillo cited the statements made by Foreign Affairs deputy Minister Gabriel Namulambe who was quoted as saying government has no money to enact a new constitution because of other pressing needs, and Defence Minister Edgar Lungu who was quoted as saying government will hold a referendum to adopt the new constitution despite the huge cost if it is the wish of the Zambian people.
Ms Grillo said there is need for the government, through the ministry of Justice to clarify the situation.
She stated that the current confusion among senior government officials does not inspire confidence.
The NGOCC Board Chairperson has since urged President Michael Sata to give the necessary leadership to the process and receive the final draft constitution from the technical committee so that the process can be brought to finality.
She added that the constitution making process being a national issue should not be the preserve of the Executive.
Ms Grillo said Zambians need to know what will happen after the draft constitution is handed over to the President and the public.
FILE: MMD cadres during the Press conference held at party president Dr.Nevers Mumba’s residence
The Movement for Multiparty Democracy MMD in Lusaka district have petitioned the provincial executive committee to immediately convene a meeting so as to discuss the current challenges in the former ruling party.
Speaking when he presented the petition acting MMD Lusaka district chairman Moses Kalonde said as members of the party, it was incumbent upon them to ensure that the party is saved from total extinction as well as selfish individuals.
He described the party under the current leadership of Dr Nevers Mumba as being in intensive care unit which needed salvaging saying:”posterity will judge us harshly if we fail todo that,”
“We will be failing in our duties if we don’t mention that the MMD in its current form under the failed leadership of Dr Nevers Mumba is in the intensive care unit hence must be salvaged from going into total extinction as posterity will judge us harshly for failure todo so,” Mr Kalonde said.
He said it is regrettable that fortunes of the former ruling party continue to diminish while members watched.
“Its of great and immense pain to see the fortunes of the MMD perish while we watch by,” he lamented.
He said the current happenings in the party has necessitated the call for an extraordinary convention as provided for in the party constitution.
He added that the call the extraordinary convention is meant to elect new leaders “who will be in conformity with the current political dynamics, selfless, dedicated and committed to the party as well as provide a service to Zambia.”
Mr Kalonde was representing party members from Lusaka district and acting party national secretary Chembe Nyangu received the petition on behalf of the party national executive committee at the party secretariate in lusaka today.
FILE: MMD cadres during the Press conference held at party president Dr.Nevers Mumba’s residence
The Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) in the Northern Province have rejected calls for a convention.
Provincial Information Secretary Cephas Bwalya says that the party in the province was not interested in having a convention as the party was intact.
Mr. Bwalya said the statement by the party’s Vice President Brian Chituwo that the MMD is a weak and slowly dying due to leadership failures was not true.
He said the opposition party in the area was still going strong contrary to suggestions by Dr. Chituwo.
He said the party is intact and there are no wrangles in the Northern Province as the Provincial Executive Committee is behind the current leadership.
The Movement for Multiparty Democracy has in the recent past been faced party wrangles as members of the party have expressed a vote of no confidence for the current leadership and have called for a convention to elect new leaders in the party.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President George Mpombo has charged that no amount of chemotherapy will work in the PF government’s favour if it fails to deliver a new republican constitution before the 2016 elections.
Dr. Mpombo has reiterated that it is still possible to enact a new constitution before the 2016 general election provided government stops employing delaying tactics on the current constitutional making process.
Dr. Mpombo said he is convinced that the country could have the new supreme law before 2016 if government seriously applies itself to the current constitutional making process.
He warned that failure by the Patriotic Front (PF) government to deliver a new people driven constitution will result in consequences too drastic to contemplate.
Dr. Mpombo said the ruling PF will pay a high price as the people of Zambia will react by voting it out of government in 2016.
He told Qfm News in a telephone interview that what is important therefore is for the PF government to conclude the constitutional making process before 2016.
President Sata reads Times of Zambia in the Cabinet meeting
Investors are awaiting evidence that Zambia’s efforts to shore up its currency will succeed as the government starts marketing a Eurobond, sub-Saharan Africa’s first sovereign international debt sale this year.
The kwacha, which slid to a record 6.44 per dollar on March 19, has extended its losses by 4.2 percent since Zambian policy makers scrapped laws to ease dollar shortages and took steps to reduce liquidity in the banking system. The kwacha slid 13 percent against the dollar this year, the worst performer of 24 African currencies monitored by Bloomberg.
[pullquote]The kwacha slid 13 percent against the dollar this year, the worst performer of 24 African currencies[/pullquote]
The central bank, led by Governor Michael Gondwe, meets to decide on interest rates today after boosting the benchmark to a record 10.25 percent in February to support the currency and tame inflation, which accelerated for the fifth straight month in March. The nation, which sold Eurobonds in September 2012 with yields reaching 5.16 percent that month, may pay as much as 9 percent to sell debt now amid lower copper prices and a fiscal deficit, said Chris Becker, a market strategist at ETM Analytics.
“They’re going to be trying to market the bonds on the back foot,” he said by phone from Johannesburg yesterday. “It’s a risky one. They’re going to pay up.”
Yields on Zambia’s dollar securities, which rose to a record 8.33 percent on March 20, fell four basis points to 7.84 percent today. The notes lost 3.4 percent in 2014, the continent’s worst-performing dollar debt after Ghana, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch indexes.
Bond Roadshow
The landlocked nation, which borders eight countries and relies on copper for about 70 percent of its export earnings, said in October it may issue as much as $1 billion of Eurobonds, hiring Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Plc in January to lead the sale. The issuance will be the first since the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced its bond-purchase program. Ghana, which planned to sell its third Eurobond in April, delayed the program because of rising interest rates.
[pullquote]The Bank of Zambia, to be honest, doesn’t have the money to plug this hole[/pullquote]
Zambia’s planned sale comes after the last two Treasury bill auctions failed, with the central bank raising a combined 186 million kwacha ($31 million) of the 1.2 billion kwacha on offer. It also follows a credit affirmation by Fitch Ratings on March 21, which kept the nation’s debt at B, five levels below investment grade, after cutting it one level last year.
Officials started in Los Angeles yesterday before ending their roadshow in London on April 3 and 4, according to a person with knowledge of the offering who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Second Sale
Central bank spokesman Kanguya Mayondi referred questions to Finance Ministry spokesman Chileshe Kandeta, who didn’t immediately reply to an e-mail. Permanent Secretary Felix Nkulukusa also didn’t immediately return e-mailed requests for comment.
Zambia’s second dollar-debt sale probably won’t be as successful as its first, which attracted bids of about $12 billion for the $500 million it initially offered, according to Sashi Kumi, a credit and fixed-income trader with Nedbank Capital in London. The country raised $750 million amid the strong demand.
“I don’t envision investor appetite will be as strong as last time round,” Kumi said in reply to e-mailed questions yesterday. “I think that they would have to bring this issue at around the 8.5 percent level to attract investor interest.”
On Hold
The central bank will keep rates on hold during the first half of this year after February’s 50 basis-point increase, which was an “aggressive move,” Celeste Fauconnier, an Africa analyst at Johannesburg-based Rand Merchant Bank, said by phone yesterday. Zambia may have to offer a yield of as much as 9 percent for the bond, Fauconnier and colleague Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana said.
The kwacha slid 2.6 percent to 6.3950 per dollar at 1:44 p.m. in Lusaka, after dropping the same amount yesterday. The currency lost 0.7 percent this year through March 26, after adjusting for volatility, the most among African currencies, according to BLOOMBERG RISKLESS RETURN RANKING.
The kwacha may eventually strengthen back to 6 per dollar, supported by inflows, particularly into the nation’s copper industry, Ramkhelawan-Bhana said.
The central bank cannot afford to use dwindling foreign-currency reserves to defend the kwacha, Trevor Simumba, managing director at Sub-Saharan Consulting Group Zambia, said by phone March 19.
Leaking Roof
“It’s like fixing a leaking roof with a small cup,” he said. “The Bank of Zambia, to be honest, doesn’t have the money to plug this hole.”
President Michael Sata, 76, has focused on developing roads and railways in the $21 billion economy, which combined with pay increases for civil servants and fuel and corn subsidies swelled the budget deficit to a forecast 8.5 percent of gross domestic product last year. While Sata implemented a two-year wage freeze for state employees in October and has removed corn aid, finances are still under pressure from an 11 percent drop in copper this year, with prices reaching a four-year low on March 13.
“We are circumspect of the central bank’s ability to achieve exchange rate and price stability while fiscal policy is decidedly expansionary,” Irmgard Erasmus, a fixed-income analyst at Paarl, South Africa-based NKC Independent Economists, said in an e-mailed reply to questions yesterday. Short-term measures will have a limited effect and the “government needs to address the large recurrent expenditures” in its budget, she said.
Southern Province Minister Daniel Munkombwe (in glasses) talks to Patriotic Front Mazabuka District chairperson Gift Haziba while on the right police officers in full riot gear patrol the streeta.Bottom right- some youths help the officers to put out fire set on a foreign truck on Mazabuka-Lusaka Road when residents rioted due to the murder of a vendor by a policeman on Wednesday
The Zambia Police Service wishes to regret the incident that happened in Mazabuka in which Constable Jonathan Daka is alleged to have caused the death of Rabson Chitalo aged 37, a resident of Mazabuka.
We would like to inform the nation that the Police will not tolerate a situation where innocent lives are lost at the hands of Police officers who are key custodians of the law.
The officer has since been officially arrested and charged with murder C/Sec 200 of CAP 87 of the Laws of Zambia and will appear in court on 28th March 2014.
We fully take responsibility of the officer’s conduct and we will do everything within our means to render assistance to the bereaved family during the funeral.
As a Service, we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the people of Mazabuka and the nation at large.
William Harrington has described remarks attributed to vice president Guy Scott in yesterday’s edition of the Post newspaper against him and Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda as unwarranted, petty and very unbefitting of someone holding the high office of vice president anywhere in the world.
Mr. Harrington said that Dr. Scott’s statement that the Justice Rhoyda Kaoma led Tribunal had cleared Ms. Masebo over allegations of abuse of office is inaccurate and misleading as the Tribunal has found, among other things, that Ms. Masebo had no authority under the Zambia Public Procurement Act (ZPPA) to cancel the tender for the 19 Safari hunting concessions.
Mr Harrington, added that it was for this reason that Dr. Scott should in fact do the nation a favour by declaring interest in Ms. Masebo’s matter in particular and in the safari hunting business in general.
Mr. Harrington said that he will seek interpretation from the High Court as to what amounts to pecuniary advantage in the context of the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act, in view of the tribunal findings against former Tourism Minister Sylvia Masebo.
Mr. Harrington said that he has since instructed his lawyers to study in greater detail the Tribunal’s report. He said that his intention to seek such interpretation from the High Court follows the Tribunal’s ignoring of the provision at Part 2, Section 3 (c) of the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act.
He said that the provision clearly and emphatically states that a member shall be considered to have breached the code of conduct if he knowingly acquires pecuniary advantage or assists in the acquisition of pecuniary advantage by another person by exerting any improper influence in the appointment, promotion, or disciplining or removal of a public officer.
Mr. Harrington said that this was why he found it interesting that the Tribunal had found no evidence that Ms Masebo was in breach of the Act when she removed from office five Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) management officials.
He stated that by dismissing the five ZAWA management officials, Ms. Masebo in fact assisted other persons to acquire pecuniary advantage through salaries and other benefits that go with the appointments and contracts of service.
GOVERNMENT has no intention of declaring a state of emergency, Chief Government spokesperson Joseph Katema has said.
Mr Katema who is also Information and Broadcasting Services minister said there is no crisis in the country to warrant such a move.
“Government would therefore, like to allay the fears which may have been unnecessarily brought about by unwarranted and wild allegations by selfish individuals like Mr. Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND,” Mr Katema said.
The minister was reacting to an assertion by the UPND leader that Government plans to declare a state of emergency in order to clamp down on the opposition.
Mr Katema said the nation should not listen to such pronouncements but instead dismiss them as unpatriotic and selfish political tantrums.
He said Government reiterates its commitment to democracy, good governance and the rule of law as fundamental tenets for sustainable development, peace and unity.
The Information minister said Zambia will not allow any individual or grouping to ferment chaos and create a crisis where there is none.
“Zambians are a peace loving people. They cherish their peace and stability which they have grown and nurtured over the past 50 years. Our preoccupation is development. That is the politics which we pursue as a nation. Zambians are not naive.
“They will see through, as they have always done, any politician who wants to ferment anarchy so as to make the nation ungovernable as to warrant the declaration of the State of Emergency. And Zambians will say no to such a politician,” he added.
Speaking during a media briefing at the UPND secretariat yesterday, Mr Hichilema said President Michael Sata wanted to interpret the Public Order Act in a manner that suits his Government and later use it to declare a state of emergency.
He charged that the President would then use the state of emergency to postpone the 2016 general elections.
Mr Hichilema also wondered why the judge Lovemore Chikopa led tribunal was taking to long to start its sittings when others appointed later than the Malawian judge have even submitted their findings.
He said the Chikopa-led tribunal had been quiet for too long adding that it was costly to continue having unnecessary tribunals which were gobbling money that could have been spent on procuring Anti Retro viral drugs among various things.
Mr Hichilema also accused the police of being unprofessional following the cancellation of his Eastern province campaign trial.
A GOODS train shutting on Chipata -Mchinji railway to signify the operationalise of the long awaited project which was conceived during the UNIP regime.Here a goods lomocotive with wagons captured in Chipata
PRIVATE Sector Development Association (PSDA) Chairperson Yusuf Dodia has said the operatiolisation of the Chipata-Mchinji railway line project will attract exports and imports transportation between Zambia and the Asian continent via Chipata.
On Tuesday, The Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) Nacala Director Vyonsi Manda announced the operationalisation of the long awaited Chipata –Mchinji Railway Line project
Mr Dodia said in a Press Query Response yesterday that this would be so because Chipata-Mchinji railway line was providing as an alternate route to the Indian Ocean via Mozambique Nacala corridor.
He said he was hopeful if the Chipata-Mchinji was facilitated well then the country should see increased in trade through the same route.
“This will attract exports and imports transportation between Zambia and the Asian continent via Chipata. Hopefully if facilitated well, then we should see increased trade on this route,” he said.
Futhermore, Mr Dodia said Zambia would be encouraged to see development of the railway line to link TAZARA via Petauke District.
He said the success of railway transport in Zambia depends on installing effective management in the sector and clear accountability mechanisms with benchmark targets to be set for development of the network.
Mr Dodia said the cargo or passenger would increase to displace road transport as key success indicators.
He said Zambia was likely to experience slow economic growth in 2014 owing to the weak implementation of Statutory Instrument (SI) 55 on export revenues accountability.
“ The withdrawal of this mechanism will stifle private sector growth and leave the development of the economy in the hands of the banks and government interaction with the banking sector as is highlighted by Government increasing its domestic borrowing from K200 million to K13 billion,” he said.
SEVERAL Luanshya residents waiting their turn to get medicine from a pharmacist dispensing medication from a mobile pharmacy at Ndelela Basic School in Mikomfwa Township where the Ministry of Health conducted mobile hospital services
Southern Province Mobile Hospital Coordinator Ntele Muzaza says there has been overwhelming response by the people of Chikankata District in accessing health care services.
Dr . Muzaza says the mobile health services were operating in remote parts of each District for one week before moving on, and this is aimed at ensuring that as many citizens as possible are given a chance to access the best medical services at no cost.
“The government aims to make sure that Zambians who have been failing to access quality health care are reached out through the mobile hospitals,” he said.
He was speaking in an interview with ZANIS today in Nameembo Area of Chikankata District where the Mobile Health Services are stationed in the District.
Mr. Muzaza revealed that patients from Nameembo and surrounding areas have been coming for treatment in huge numbers as such they work up to twenty hours in the night in order to attend to everyone.
The mobile hospital carries out any emergency operations and patients are put on observation while those needing admission are taken to the nearby clinics.
Other services being offered by mobile hospitals are equivalent to those offered by any second –level hospital, including diagnostics, ultra-sound facilities, X-ray, laboratory services and drug dispensary.
The unit comprises Cervical Cancer Screening, Male Circumcision, Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Pharmacy, OPD and other departments found at the hospital.
Acting Senior Nursing Officer for mobile service in Southern Province Patricia Kopa who confirmed this in an interview said the unit is a very good initiative.
“ This is because it is very hard for people in remote areas to access health services due to lack of money and long distances to health facilities, “ she said.
And one of the beneficiaries talked said he was very happy to receive the hospital in the community.
Mr. Cainos Mwiinga, a farmer from Nameembo, said it has been very hard to have access to health care because the area lacks enough specialized personnel forcing the sick and the aged to walk long distances to the nearest health centers for medical attention.
Chikankata District Commissioner, Sylvester Simayaba also praised the Ministry of Health for bringing the mobile Hospital to the District.
He urged the Ministry to continue taking the services to other Districts in the country so that they too may benefit positively from the initiative.
A MALAWIAN national has been admitted to Chipata General Hospital after losing his manhood including three toes to hyena in bizarre circumstances.
Chamangeni Zulu of Njenjewa Village Chief Mulonyeni is currently admitted to Ward B after losing parts of his body to hyena for wanting to become rich.
The unfortunate story of Mr Zulu who was, between 20 to 24 of age, is allegedly to have happened at Makungwa Lufu area in Chipata District.
Mr Zulu narrated at his hospital bed yesterday that he was told to sacrifice parts of his body to hyena in order to become rich.
“I came from Malawi and when I arrived in Chipata I met some business persons who told me that the best way to become rich is to sacrifice parts of my body. It was on 24th March 2014 around 04:00 hours in my naked way a hyena came to me and started eating my toes and eventually my manhood was eaten as well,” He said in his deep Chewa dialect.
Mr Zulu said after he lost his manhood and toes he got crawled to the nearby road where police officers picked him up.
“Even if I lost my parts of the body but I want to get rich,” he said.
He claimed that he had stayed in Zambia for four months as he was doing piecework at a named person.
Hospital acting medical superintendent Dr Humphrey Chanda described the condition of the patient as stable.
Dr Chanda said the patient was brought to the hospital on Tuesday by uniformed police officers.
“Yes, it is true that he lost his manhood and three toes after being beaten by the hyena but his condition is stable,” he said.
When reached for a comment, Eastern Police Division Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO) Patrick Bili also confirmed of police receiving a report on what transpired in the night of 23rd March this year.
But according to sources, Mr Zulu is allegedly to have visited a traditional doctor where he got charms to enable him become rich.
A TWENTY EIGHT-YEAR-OLD college student in Kasama has been hospitalised following a tryst in a bush with a much older lover that left him bleeding profusely from his privates.
Hospital authorities confirmed the admission of the young man from Lukasha Trades Training Institute who narrated his ordeal from his hospital bed.
The student who requested to remain anonymous said he had acquired a much older girlfriend in the name of Bana Kalaba and the two had been dating for three weeks.
The young man who was visibly traumatised with the turn of events said things turned sour when they decided to consummate their relationship on Tuesday around 21:00 hours.
Due to the unavailability of private quarters, the two decided to meet in a bush adjacent to the school on the Mungwi-Kasama Road.
He however, immediately after the act begun bleeding from his manhood forcing him to seek medical attention and labelled his now former lover a Satanist.
Head of a delegation of specialist doctors at Kasama General Hospital Muhumpu Kafwamfwa however said the student life was not in danger and his condition was nothing out of the ordinary.
“It is nothing strange. When someone is highly sexually excited bleeding can occur and what likely happened is that spasms on the bladder caused the rupturing of the small vessels,” Dr Kafwamfwa said.
Police however detained Bana Kalaban and one of her colleagues to help with the enquiry after it was reported to police.
Deputy Northern police chief Milner Muyambo who confirmed the arrests said the duo had not been charged but had been detained to assist police with investigations.
The dam wall at the Kariba North Bank Power station
EUROPEAN Union (EU) head of delegation in Zambia Gilles Hervio says the continental body will by July this year release between US$85 million and US$100 million for the repair of Kariba Dam.
Mr Hervio said he personally travelled to Brussels to push the EU to fund the project.
“Kariba Dam is a potential disaster and I travelled to Brussels and by June or July, money will be released. We are studying it and no decision has been made yet but the amount involved could be between US$85 million and US$100 million,” Mr Hervio said.
He also dismissed reports suggesting that the EU plans to cut aid to countries which have enacted laws banning homosexuality.
Mr Hervio said the EU delegation in Zambia is concentrating on major issues such as congestion in prisons and defilement.
He said the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons are just a part of the bigger picture.
“Certainly we will not make such a decision of cutting aid to Zambia based on the rights of LGBT. I have heard reports that after the summit, the EU will cut down aid,” Mr Hervio said.
Mr Hervio said the EU is focusing on issues to do with trade and investment.
The envoy said it is not good to have a public debate on LGBT in the media.
“There is a lot of sensitivity on the issue of LGBT even in Europe itself. That is why it is difficult to speak through the media. The best way is to speak to these people directly,” Mr Hervio said.
He said he is impressed that Zambian politicians have stayed out of the talk on homosexuality.
“It is not useful to make noise in a society that does not accept persons who are LGBT. That is why we try to be careful. It is an internal issue,” Mr Hervio said.
Meanwhile, Mr Hervio complained that it is difficult to interact with ministers in Zambia on matters of cooperation.
“The EU wants to be useful to Zambia but most times it is very difficult to meet even a permanent secretary,” Mr Hervio said.
Medeama have arrived in Zambia ahead of Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup last 16 clash against Zesco United.
The Ghanaians landed at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola at midday on Thursday from Accra via Johannesburg.
“We are hopeful we are going to win this match we know it is going to take it lightly be difficult. but we are very determined to win this match,” Medeama defender and captain Joseph Tetteh-Zutah said upon arrival in Ndola.
Zesco will host their Ghana opponents on March 30 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
The home-side lost 2-0 away to Medeama and must score three unanswered goals to cause a dramatic upset at this stage of the competition.
Green Buffaloes foward Allan Mukuka says his team must up its game after recording two straight defeats in the two opening matches of the 2014 FAZ Super League.
Buffaloes kicked off their league campaign with a 2-1 home loss to Konkola Mine Police on March 15 before losing with the same score-line to Nchanga Rangers in Chingola last Sunday.
Mukuka said Buffaloes must win their next fixture in the wake of the two defeats.
“In the next game we need to work extra had. We need to work on our mistakes so that we can forge ahead and win the next match,” he said.
Mukuka scored the consolation goal in the loss at Nchanga Stadium.
He asked club supporters to be patient with the Patrick Phiri coached side.
“They just need to have patience , there are more games to come. We will work extra hard and fight to win the next game,” he added.
Buffaloes are in the bottom four of the league after a round of two matches played so far.
