President Michael Sata has directed Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda to table the report of the Zambia Revenue Authority Commission of Inquiry before cabinet.

Mr. Sata was however, disappointed that the Chairperson of the ZRA Commission of Inquiry Kingsley Chanda did not give a summary of the report.

The President was speaking at State House, when he received the Report of the ZRA Commission of Inquiry, which was set to look at the operations of the Zambia Revenue Authority.

Mr. Sata instructed Mr. Chikwanda to draw a cabinet memo so that cabinet could look at the document.

The President is also disappointed that a parliamentarian refused to appear before a Commission of Inquiry on the contract for the supply, installation and commissioning of the Zambia Air Traffic Management Surveillance Radar System.

He explained that a parliamentarian refused to appear before the Commission of Inquiry because it is NOT serious.

And Mr. Chanda said he is confident that the Report will help government in tax administration.

President Sata appointed the ZRA Commission of Inquiry to also among other things investigate the awarding of contracts to various firms and establish whether the law was followed.

Over one hundred witnesses appeared before the ZRA Commission of Inquiry, which sat for over a month.

[ZNBC]

The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team’s mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations

PRO’S

• The movie had a great cast and they all played their roles perfectly especially Helen Mirren (Rachel Singer).
• (Spoiler alert) The stalking of  Jesper Christensen (Vogel) is well handled, the risks Rachel takes while posing as a gynaecological patient are hair-raising, the attempt to get him across the Berlin Wall is white-knuckle stuff.
•  Jesper Christensen’s role as the  unrepentant Nazi is a hideously tormenting figure.

CON’S

• The story moved a bit to slowly at times

FAVORITE QUOTES

Young Stefan: No matter what, the truth stays in this room.

David: What if we could go back. Would it be different?

Young Rachel: I’m not brave, I’m terrified.

CONCLUSION

Very good movie with a gripping story that will keep you at the edge of your seat. If you like your spy thrillers tense, gripping and meaningful, The Debt should be on the top of your must-see list.

RATING

3 out of 5

BY KAPA187

POLICE yesterday warned and cautioned MMD Lusaka Province chairman William Banda and eight other party members for unlawful assembly.

Lusaka Province division police commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the development in an interview.

Ms Katanga said Mr Banda and about 20 other MMD members unlawfully assembled at a named eating place between Kabulonga and Woodlands where they were planning to organise people to rise against the PF government, for failing to fulfil its campaign promises within 90 days.

“We are recording warn and caution statements from them, then we will release them and carry on with our investigations,” Ms Katanga said.

She said the group had a closed-door assembly between 10:00 hours and 14:00 hours and refused to answer knocks from plain-clothed detectives who approached them.

The commissioner said uniformed police only managed to apprehend Mr Banda and eight others when they arrived at the scene.

She said police will continue investigating the case and have asked Mr Banda and his colleagues to report back to police next week.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Government has advised the labour movement in the country not to simply criticize government over the intended adjustment of the retirement age from 55 years to 65 years, but to make contribution in a factual manner.

Labour, youth and sports minister Fackson Shamenda has since cautioned the labour movement against making threats to government on issues that concern the general populace.

This is in response to the rejection of the proposed government retirement age of 65 by the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions ZCTU and the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) from the current 55 years.

Mr. Shamenda says it should be realized that the issue of the retirement is a matter of all ministries, of which cabinet has to decide upon.

He has advised the labour movement to find a better way of forwarding their concerns on issues instead on imposing on government, stating that it would not work out well because some issues have a number of actors.

The labour minister said this when he officially opened the tripartite consultative labour council meeting in Lusaka today.

The consultative meeting was among other issues looking at the minimum wage and the retirement age.

Earlier, ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba said the labour movement welcomes the president’s directive to revise the minimum wage, which he says will go a long way in improving income levels for workers, who are not covered by union representation.

Mr. Hikaumba however states that the labour movement still considers it of utmost importance for social partners to look at the issue critically so that the outcome will be accepted by all.

And ZFE President Alfred Masupha says the federation respects workers rights at all times but will not tolerate any act of indiscipline in workplaces.

Mr. Masupha has since appealed to workers in the country to desist from retrogressive trends which he says can engage the country into reverse gear and make it lose the admirable gains that it has made over the past years.

And director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, Martin Clemmensson has observed the need to examine the extent to which the current minimum wage is being implemented by the different players in the country’s economy.

Mr. Clemmensson has also called for careful analysis of the different implications of increasing the retirement age stating that the tripartite consultative meeting needs to strike a balance between the demand and supply side of the labour market.
[QFM]

The Technical Committee on the drafting of the Zambian constitution has observed that a constitution-making process that lacks the acceptance of the people cannot produce a constitution that can stand a test of time.

Spokesperson Simon Kabanda says the committee has since adopted a programme of work that will ensure an all inclusive process.

In a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka, Mr. Kabanda explained that the programme of work takes into account the need to expedite the Constitution-making process as well as ensuring that all cross-sections of society are accorded an opportunity to contribute to the process.

He also said the committee has also identified local and international experts to contribute to the process.

He named those identified and already written to as Lusaka lawyer John Sangwa, Eness Chiyenge, Justice Matthew Ngulube, Justice Frederick Chomba, Gladys Mutukwa and Professor Muna Ndulo.

Other are Dr. Choolwe Beyani, Professor Chuma Himonga, Professor Michelo Hansungule and retired Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Justice Chalskerson.

Mr. Kabanda was reacting to concerns raised by the Oasis Forum in a story that appeared in the Post Newspaper of Saturday December 17, 2011 entitled ‘Oasis Forum Questions Committee on Constitution.’

And with regard to the forum’s concern that submission of a report to the Republican President in form of a recommendation was inimical to the principle of a people-driven constitution, Mr. Kabanda said the committee had earlier indicated that it will submit the final draft constitution, the report and the constitution of Zambia Bill 2012.

He said the documents will be submitted to the President, stakeholders and the public.

He called on all Zambians to actively participate in the constitution-making process saying this was the only way Zambians will be assured of a constitution that reflects their long held aspirations.

According to the roadmap, the committee will produce the first draft constitution by the end of February, 2012 while in March and April the same year, the committee is expected to prepare and adopt guidelines for provincial conventions and facilitate provincial and sector groups conventions.

The committee is then expected to produce the final draft constitution after taking into account the comments of the National Convention and constitutional law experts by the third week of May, 2012.

ZANIS