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Former Republican president Rupiah Banda has described calls for the removal of his presidential immunity as unjustified. Mr. Banda said that there was no law in the Republican Constitution which states that when the former president is out of power their immunity should automatically be removed.
“Is that part of the constitution that whenever a president steps down then it is mandatory that his immunity has to be removed ?”, Mr. Banda asked. He told Journalists in Lusaka in an interview soon after signing a book of condolences over the death of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Saudi Arabian Embassy that Government was at liberty to probe his administration if it saw it necessary to do so.
Mr. Banda, who is the immediate past Head of State arrived at the Embassy at 11:53 said that he was ready to face charges leveled against him. Mr. Banda dismissed as false allegations that the Movement for Multiparty Democracy was in a pact with United Party for National Development (UPND).
He said as far as he was concerned as party president he was not aware of the pact between the two political parties. Mr. Banda has further refuted allegations linking him to the Gold scam with a Swiss national, Mr. Nicolae Buzaianu.
“There is no such a case as a scam, am not involved in any scam. I even explained to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC). Am not aware of it,” he said. Meanwhile, the former president said since he left the office of presidency, government under the leadership of Mr. Sata was keeping him well.
[pullquote]“Is that part of the constitution that whenever a president steps down then it is mandatory that his immunity has to be removed ?”, Mr. Banda asked.[/pullquote]
He disclosed that he has been booked at a lodge within Lusaka adding that he should be moving into the house that government would be renting for him as he awaits the construction of his house.
And Mr. Banda has described the death of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a great loss not only to his family and country but the African continent as a whole.
He said the country is saddened by the passing of the prince and Zambia joins the rest of the world in mourning the Saudi-son of the king. And former First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has described the death of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud at Saudi as a great loss.
“It’s really a great loss especially for someone who was involved in the governance of the country,’’ Mrs Mwanawasa said.
Zambia’s inflation rate for the month of October, 2011 has slightly reduced by 0.1 percent to 8.7 percent from 8.8 percent in September last month.
The decrease is attributed to reductions in some food and non- food prices.
Central Statistical Office (CSO) Acting Director John Kalumbi announced reduction at a press briefing held at his office in Lusaka today. This was during the CSO monthly bulletin.
Mr. Kalumbi further disclosed that Zambia recorded a trade surplus valued at K923.3 billion in September 2011 representing a nominal increase of 4.4 percent from K884.2 billion recorded in August, this year.
He said Zambia exported more in September than it imported in the same month in nominal terms.
He stated that the country’s major export products in September were intermediate goods, raw materials, capital goods and consumer goods.
He named Zambia’s major export destinations as Switzerland, China, South Africa, Congo DR and the United Kingdom which collectively accounted for 60.6 percent.
Mr. Kalumbi said Zambia’s major import products were intermediate goods, capital goods and raw materials goods that came from South Africa, Congo DR, China, India and the United Arab Emirates collectively accounting for 15.3 percent in September.
And Mr. Kalumbi has said poverty levels in Zambia were still very high despite recording some decline in 2006 and 2010.
Mr. Kalumbi said poverty had continued to be more predominant in rural areas than urban areas where he said people were wallowing in extreme poverty in Luapula, Western, Eastern and Northern province.
He explained that the poverty gap is rural areas especially in remote provinces, has continued to widen despite recording some reduction.
Luapula is leading in poverty levels which increased from 73.9 percent in 2006 to 80.5 percent in 2010 while Central province recorded the highest reduction in poverty levels during the same period from 70.7 percent in 2006 to 60.9 percent last year.
Lusaka province also recorded the lowest poverty indictor of 0.3 percent from 24.7 to 24.4 percent.
The CSO Chief expressed happiness that rural poverty declined from 80.3 percent in 2006 to 77.9 in 2010 while urban poverty was less than 3.0 percent from 29.7 percent to 27.5 percent during the same period under review.
Scores of irate Small scale farmers in Itezhi Tezhi District in Southern Province yesterday stormed ZANACO branch in the district to demand for delayed payment for maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The emotional and visibly annoyed farmers from the outskirts of the district who have been camping in the township for over two weeks besieged the bank.
ZANIS reports that the Bank and the District Commissioner’s office had to call for police reinforcement from the ItezhiTezhi police station to disperse the angry farmers who bitterly complained of delayed payment of their money by FRA to pay despite sold their maize early.
“We have been camping in guest houses and open spaces while waiting for the money. The rains have already started and we have not yet bought fertilizer. Why is FRA releasing money all the money and clear us?
The farmers said it was unfair for the bank to tell them that it had no money because Government last week promised to pay them by this week.
“It is not fair for the bank to tell us there is no money after having travelled from far places. We are appealing to Government through the DC to quickly address our plight because some of us are spending nights in the cold as we do not have relatives in town”. One of the farmers shouted.
They also accused FRA officials of not following the first come first serve rule when paying money to farmers and allegedly charged that only those corrupting officials were being paid first.
ItezhiTezhi District Commissioner Charles Hampende who had a tough time to calm the unruly crowd called on farmers to not despair because Government had assured to liquidate the K9 billion balance by this week.
He said that only K 300 million was released last week and that it was only enough to pay seven farmers and had been exhausted already.
He said that so far, K11billion had been paid to farmers in the entire district while the balance of K9 billion would be paid by this week to those who have not yet received their dues.
Last week, Scores of Small scale farmers in ItezhiTezhi District stormed the District Commissioner’s (DCs) office to press Government to pay them their money for the maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA)
Meanwhile, Undisclosed substantial tonnes of maize bought by Government through Food Reserve Agency (FRA) were soaked by rains and have gone to waste in three quarters of the depots in Itezhi Tezhi district in Southern Province.
FRA has so far bought maize worth more than K 11 billion from farmers in the district since the maize buying exercise started in mid July this year.
ZANIS reports that the development was revealed during an inspection tour of various depots in ItezhiTezhi by the District Maize Marketing Committee headed by newly appointed District Commissioner Charles Hampende.
In Basanga area in Chief Musungwa’s chiefdom, the Committee found that FRA bought 7,000 bags of maize last year and three quarters of the produce was soaked and rotten while the exact figure of ruined maize was not yet computed despite the lapse of time.
At Namalindi depot, about three thousand (3,000) bags of maize were soaked and rotten while at Yomena depot almost the entire stacks of 25,000 bags of white maize for last year’s is rotten.
FRA has this year bought 30,000 bags at the same depot.
In Mbila area in chief Shezongo’s chiefdom, it was discovered that this year’s huge stacks of 47,000 bags of white maize were still unsecured as they remained in the open.
The Maize Marketing Committee also discovered that undisclosed but substantial number of bags were soaked and rotten last year while much of the maize was being wasted due to poor quality maize bags that were bursting.
At Itumbi palace in Chief Kaingu’s chiefdom, a similar situation had occurred with three quarters of the maize had gone bad while in Lubanda, chief Shimbizhi’s chiefdom at Ikombwe more than 1000 bags of maize representing three quarters were equally rotten and have been abandoned.
ItezhiTezhi District Cooperative Union (DCU) Officer Oliver Stengu told the Maize Marketing Committee that that some of the maize was just discoloured and would be useful for stock feeds.
Mr. Stengu said he had issued directives to his Cooperative Society Officers to compile the quantity of maize which was soaked by the rains last year and this year.
He said that FRA had been recovering money from the societies whose maize was soaked and rotten.
He also said that there was a critical shortage of empty maize bags for the district.
“We need about 1,000 empty maize bags to re-bag the maize that is spilling from the bursting FRA bags.”
Mr.Stengu added that his office was making efforts to ask FRA to procure more tarpaulin tents to cover the maize because the initial tents the district received had run out due to the huge amount of maize which was bought from the farmers.
“We have a shortage of five tents in the district . The tents we were given were not enough, we communicated to FRA and they are looking into that issue”
He said some maize was marooned in some areas because transporters were failing to collect it due to dilapidated roads.
“But we have engaged local transporters for them to go to all depots so that the maize can be brought from the holding depots,” he said. And the Depot Clerk Nella Kasamu at Basanga said that some maize at the bottom of stacks were soaked by last week’s rains and maize had even germinated.
He attributed soaked maize to delay in transporting the produce to safer storage facilities. In a related development, ItezhiTezhi District Commissioner directed the DCU to immediately devise measures aimed at ensuring the harvested maize was secured.
Mr. Hampende said FRA had paid out about K11 billion cash to farmers in the district and would soon release money to liquidate the balance of K9 billion by next week. He said that Government had spent colossal sums of money to procure maize and warned that it would not tolerate maize due to carelessness.
Mr. Hampende said it would be unfortunate to allow the bumper harvest which had been recorded in the country to go to waste because of negligence at storage facilities. He said the maize should not be allowed to go to waste because it was the same crop which the Disaster Management Unit used for relief.
Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) National Executive Committee (NEC) is inviting bonafide members to apply for the position of acting party president. The move follows indications by outgoing party President and immediate past republican president Rupiah Banda to retire from active politics.
MMD National Secretary Richard Kachingwe said the decision was arrived at by MMD Lusaka based National Executive Committee members who met today at the party secretariat.
Major Kachingwe announced that members wishing to lead the party should write to the secretariat and will be required to pay K 10 million non-refundable application fee by Friday, 11th November, 2011.
He said this in a press statement released to the Zambia News and information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today. Major Kachingwe stated that only one of the successful applicants will be elected as acting president by the full NEC of the party at its next sitting.
“The National Executive Committee has realized the need to find a successor to Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda who is going into retirement and directed that applications be invited from bonafide members who wish to be elected as acting president”, he said.
And Major Kachingwe has disclosed that the meeting also looked at the continued post election harassment by government agencies which have created a difficult atmosphere for the party to operate freely.
Major Kachingwe further explained that NEC has since appointed a standing political committee to engage government, international community and the public on matters of governance.
He added that NEC has also tasked the political standing committee to access the possibility of participating in the Chongwe Bye election in view of the alleged intimidation taking place in the area.
Major Kachingwe said NEC has directed the party to participate in 18 out of the 36 local government elections countrywide. The elections for Magoye and Nakonde were deferred following the deaths of NMP candidate and that of PF while the Chongwe seat fell vacant after the resignation of newly elected MMD MP ,Japhen Mwakalombe.
File: A traffic policeman attending to a motorist at a roadblock near Chikankata in Mazabuka.
INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police Martin Malama has directed traffic police officers to stop collecting fines but instead issue erring motorists with tickets.
Dr Malama said in Lusaka on Tuesday the Zambia Police Service will work in collaboration with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to ensure that a proper system is put in place.
“We are looking at the way traffic police have been operating; we are looking at how to further discourage the practice of paying money to police officers when a traffic offence has been committed. Tickets will be issued.
“We have informed RTSA and directed Commissioner for Central Province, Dr Solomon Jere, and other senior officers to sit down in Livingstone so that we can work out a mechanism in which our people will be able to travel without being inconvenienced,” he said.
Dr Malama said police, in collaboration with RTSA, want to look at the new measure so that traffic offences can be paid for preferably at a bank. He said the nation will be kept informed on this matter.
And Dr Malama said investigations into corruption cases have continued.
“Allow me to beg your indulgence that we have opted and restrained ourselves not to discuss these matters in the press for one reason: that we have just gone through a campaign period, a lot of information has gone out, we want to do our job in a very professional manner. If we bring them out in the public domain, it will compromise our investigations,” he said.
Meanwhile,POLICE in Ndola have recovered 28 tonnes of copper cathodes worth K1.1 billion that were stolen from a truck which was in transit on Monday this week. Copperbelt acting police commanding officer Milner Muyambango said 14 people, among them four Lebanese, have since been arrested in connection with the copper theft.
Mr Muyambango said the copper cathodes were recovered at a private garage in Kitwe around midnight on Tuesday. “We have recovered the 14 bundles of copper cathodes that were stolen from a Congolese truck belonging to Shemas Transport Company. The truck was found empty and abandoned at Luanshya turn-off. The driver is still at large and we are looking for him,” Mr Muyambango said.
Speaking at a press briefing in Ndola yesterday Mr Muyambango said the 14 people who have been picked up are in police custody at Ndola Central police station, and are helping the police with investigations into the theft.
He said the suspects will appear in court once investigations are concluded. Mr Muyambango said the truck, registered in DR Congo, was found abandoned at Luanshya turn-off without copper cathodes which had been loaded on it.
“The suspects will appear in court once we conclude all the investigations, and I want to warn copper thieves that the police will not relent in ensuring that we get rid of these criminals,” Mr Muyambango said.
NICOLAE Buzaianu, the Swiss man President Michael Sata linked to the “mysterious disappearance” of about 118kgs of gold with a present day value of more than K32 billion or US$6.6 million has distanced himself from what is slowly turning into an increasingly embarrassing ‘Gold-gate’ scandal.
The Swiss national has hired Lusaka lawyer Sakwiba Sikota to defend him in the scandal that has already sucked in former President Rupiah Banda, his son James and a former press assistant at State House, Dickson Jere.
Bozaianu, 42, a self-proclaimed philanthropist, confirmed in correspondence obtained by the Daily Mail from his lawyer yesterday that the gold was bought not by himself, but by some two South African companies he named as Societies Financiere du Seujet SA and Valsior SA.
Despite stating that he is not part of “the transaction” that has seen Mr Jere questioned by a combined team of police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Mr. Bozaianu says he feels the need to demonstrate that the “transaction was perfectly correct,” and “I did not participate to the transaction and I did not receive any benefits”.
Mr. Bozaianu does not, however, explain why he “feels” that the transaction was “perfectly correct” but somehow, he has compelled the two South African companies based in Switzerland to give “full support” to the fact that they, and not him, bought the gold at US$4,066,000 in a letter obtained by the Daily Mail.
The price of gold bullion on goldprice.org last evening at 7:10pm Zambian time stood at about US$6.5million for some ll8kgs. DEC sold the bullion in its custody at about US$4.million in July. No tender procedure was implemented and the buyer was single-sourced.
The gold saga has brought much embarrassment onto the office of the former President, forcing him to issue a statement on October 16 admitting he had met Bozaianu, but that his meeting was not sinister.
President Sata, however, on October 12 expressed disappointment and even anger that persons of suspicious character on a DEC “watch-list” flew into Zambia on a private jet and “saw my predecessor (Rupiah Banda).”
Mr Sata sacked the Zambia Police Service’s Lusaka Division commanding officer Mlhakeni Zulu for the oversight and immediately ordered a probe into the gold that went missing, ostensibly under DEC custody. The gold was seized from Zimbabwean nationals at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in 2007.
A DEC acting spokesperson and police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana could not be reached for comment last evening when the Daily Mail went to press.
Mr Jere, on the hand, declined to comment when this newspaper called his mobile number last evening referring all queries to Mr. Wakumelo Mikatazo, Mr Banda’s spokesman.
President Sata has embarked on a cleansing process, which aims at drastically reducing the levels of corruption which he said had reached “threatening levels” under his predecessor.
When he addressed Parliament recently, Mr. Sata said he was prepared to “lose” friends as he embarked on the lonely journey to bury the scourge of corruption that has contributed to high poverty levels at more than 65 percent of Zambia’s 13 million people.
Some critics have called his ‘repeated’ anti-graft message mere rhetoric even though the Abuse of Office clause in the Anti-Corruption Commission Act is on its way back after being removed, but the jury is still out.
Mr Bozaianu wants Mr Sikota of Central Chambers to compel, legally, the Zambian government to pay him US$1 million for “injuring” his reputation. Mr Sikota said if his client wins the case and ever gets the money, he hopes to give it to charity.
AVIC The construction of the Mongu-Kalabo road has started by Chinese AVIC International
THE K1.25 trillion Mongu-Kalabo road project hangs in balance as Government will soon review it to ascertain whether it is the best way of connecting the two districts.
The contract, the most costly in the whole country, was awarded to a Chinese company, AVIC International at a cost of K1.25 trillion. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Yamfwa Mukanga said in an interview early this week his Ministry will engage other ministries to see how best to go about the project.
He said the current plan is that the 34 kilometre stretch, which passes through the Barotse Flood Plain, will be made up of bridges.
“The Mongu-Kalabo road project is a political project that needs a lot of commitment from Government. Right now, we are trying to engage other line ministries to see whether we can find other means of giving the people of Western Province this viable road,” he said.
Mr Mukanga said if such amounts of money have to be spent on one project, Government wants to ensure that the road can stand the test of time, and will not need constant repairs.
[pullquote]“The Mongu-Kalabo road project is a political project that needs a lot of commitment from Government. Right now, we are trying to engage other line ministries to see whether we can find other means of giving the people of Western Province this viable road,” he said.[/pullquote]
He said if after reviewing the project consensus is reached that works must go on according to the current contract, Government will allow the contractor to proceed.
In 2002 a contract between Government and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) of Kuwait was signed to construct the 74 kilometre bituminous road between Mongu and Kalabo at a contact sum of US$39.7 million.
During the 2003/2004 rainy season, however, high floods were experienced, which caused some sections of the embankment and a number of culverts on the 34 kilometre stretch of the flood plains to be washed away.
On average the cost of building a tarred road in the rest of the country is K5 billion per kilometre. The Mongu-Kalabo road, because of the complicated terrain, will cost K60 billion per kilometre.
Power Dynamos need a win in their penultimate game to secure their first Faz Super Division title in 10 years.
The Arthur Davies side on Wednesday beat relegation bound and 10-man Kabwe Warriors 2-0 in Kitwe to firmly stay on course to collect their 6th league title.
Power took the lead just before halftime through Simon Bwalya after he was put through by defender Kamuzati Kabwe.
The hosts made sure of the three points when defender Govender Simwala finished off on the rebound after Mike Songwe had parried an Alex Ngonga shot.
Power are on 53 points and need another three points in their away game to Zanaco on November 2 to secure their first league crown since 2000.
Meanwhile, Red Arrows are close behind in second place after an emphatic 5-1 away win against Zanaco at Sunset Stadium today.
Zanaco’s bizarre poor form under Wedson Nyirenda continued and are now six successive competitive games without a win with just two draws along the way.
Dube Phiri scored a hat hat-trick, Eugene Shamakamba turned in an own goal while second half substitute Evans Musonda added one for Arrows.
Moses Phiri scored Zanaco’s lone and late goal in the 88th minute.
Arrows are on 49 points from 28 matches and can only amass 50 points in their final two games in their attempt for a photo finish.
Meanwhile, Warriors, Lime and Nkwazi have been handed a stay of execution from going down after Roan United lost 1-0 at home against Nkana.
RESTULTS
26/10/2011
Nchanga Rangers 1-Forest Rangers 2
Konkola Blades 2-Kalewa 0
Nakambala Leopards 0-Zesco United 0
Roan United 0-Nkana 1
Power Dynamos 2-Kabwe Warriors 0
Lime Hotspurs 0-Green Eagles 0
MMD Lusaka Province Chairperson William Banda and his wife have petitioned the Attorney General over the decision by police to seize two of his vehicles and over One hundred million kwacha cash.
In a petition filed in the Lusaka High Court, Mr Banda wants the court to determine that the action to withhold his money and vehicles amount to deprivation of constitutional rights.
Mr Banda has lamented that the police have not complied with the request to release his money so that he could channel the same to the bail charge.
He is on a 60 million kwacha bail, while undergoing trial in one count for proposing violence.
Mr Banda was arrested in Chipata on September 28, 2011, and slapped with the offence of proposing violence contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that last month, in Chongwe District during the run -up to the tripartite elections Mr Banda unleashed MMD cadres to attack their Patriotic Front-PF counter-parts.
File: President Rupiah Banda is shown an artistic impression of the re-developed Society house and Central Arcade by Zambia National Building Society Managing Director Noriana Muneku at the ground breaking ceremony in Lusaka
The Commission of Inquiry instituted by President Michael Sata to probe among other issues the $98 million dollars deal and the sale of ZAMTEL by the previous government today heard that the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) expects to raise over 200 million United States (US) Dollars from its 98 million US Dollar investment in the redevelopment of Society House in the next 20 years.
NAPSA Director General Stanley Phiri says the authority remains committed to improving the benefits of pensioners in the country hence the decision to invest in the redevelopment of Society House and Central Arcade.
Mr. Phiri said this in Lusaka today when he appeared before the Commission sitting at the Mulungushi International Conference Center.
He explained that the investment was conceived on a concession basis saying NAPSA would build, operate and transfer Society House to the Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) after the concession period of 20 years.
He said NAPSA would recover the $98 million dollar investment in 12 years and operate Society House for an additional eight years to raise interest before handing it back to ZNBS.
Mr. Phiri noted that ZNBS who are the owners of Society House would be getting a monthly concession fee of 3.5 percent during the 20 year concession period.
Earlier, ZNBS Managing Director Noriana Muneku told the commission that the concession agreement between NAPSA and ZNBS was to lease out Society House to NAPSA for 20 years during which NAPSA would redevelop the property, manage and collect rentals during the concession period.
Ms. Muneku added that at the end of the concession period NAPSA would hand back the developed assets after ZNBS pays an exit fee which was at the remaining useful economic value of the developed property.
She noted that NAPSA would operate the project assets for the entire concession period in order to recover all the money invested with a profit.
She clarified that there was no loan from NAPSA to ZNBS that would warrant direct funding to ZNBS saying NAPSA was financing the implementation of the project directly to Zambezi Consortium engaged to develop the project.
The redevelopment of Society House was aimed at developing an innovative and comprehensive commercial facility housing a 4 star Hotel, office space, shopping complex and a 1, 068 capacity automated car park.
President Michael Sata has instructed the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Emmanuel Chenda to meet all stakeholders in the wheat industry to prevent the hike in bread price.
President Sata says plans to hike the price of bread by K500 are unjustified.
“The plans to increase the price of bread will largely hurt the poor. The poor consumer bears the blunt of such hikes which are not justified.” The President says.
President Sata says his government will do everything possible to curb exploitation and maintain the price of bread, even if it means authorizing the importation of wheat into the country.
“We, therefore urge all stakeholders in the wheat value chain to exhaust consultations amongst themselves before taking positions that could undermine consumer interest and that of the industry itself in the long-run.” The president advises.
Mr Sata says government will not be blackmailed by any stakeholder in the food chain of essential commodities.
Government is currently in dialogue with the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and the Bakers Association of Zambia regarding measures meant to eliminate unnecessary cost elements so that the wheat industry becomes more competitive.
The President expects the bakers association and wheat farmers to reach a reasonable consensus that does not only serve their interests, but more importantly, the consumer.
This is contained in a statement released to ZNBC News by the President’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations George Chellah.
The Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia has called on Government to ensure that salary negotiations for Public Service workers were finished before the national budget is presented to Parliament so that necessary adjustments to the document could be made to ensure that employees were awarded better conditions of service.
The union has also vowed that it would not accepted salary increments based on percentages because the method was unfair as it only benefited a few officers in the top most salary scales who also got several other incentives such as better housing allowances and fuel allowances among others.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kitwe over the weekend, Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia president Davy Chiyobe said the union was already in touch with Government and had presented their demands.
Mr Chiyobe said the Union was looking forward to a situation where the lowest paid Public Service Workers took home at least K3.5 million. He observed that the Public Service employees have been subjected to poor conditions of service for a long time and that during negotiations, they always got raw deals.
Mr Chiyobe said the Union would this time be firm and ensure that they negotiated for better conditions of service for the workers. He further called on Government to instantly begin negotiation meetings and ensure that they completed before the national budget was presented to Parliament so that necessary adjustments could be made.
Mr Chiyobe urged Government to take seriously the need to improve conditions of service for Public Service workers because its policy on the fight against corruption could only be implemented by well cared for employees.
Meanwhile, Mr Chiyobe said Public Service workers have rejected the proposed extension on retirement age. Mr Chiyobe said if Government wanted to extend the retirement age from 55 to 65 years, it should maintain the 55 retirement age and make 65 optional while making Civil Servants eligible to get their pension after serving for 20 years.
And the Zambia Consumers Association (ZACA) President Muyunda Ililonga said Government being the largest employer should lead by example to private employers in the way it remunerated its workers.
Mr Ililonga also observed that it was only a motivated work force that would effectively implement the new Government’s policies especially those on corruption and improved service delivery.
Government has constituted a committee to look into housing and other logistics for a smooth shift of the provincial headquarters from Livingstone to Choma in Southern Province to be headed by the Deputy Provincial Permanent Secretary Alfred Chingi.
Southern Province Permanent Secretary Inutu Suba said Mr Chingi and his team would soon be travelling to Choma to look at the infrastructure where residential houses and offices could be put up.
Ms Suba disclosed this at her office today during a Press Briefing where she added that Livingstone would be left to primarily look into tourism activities whilst the provincial administration would be in Choma.
She also disclosed that a team of constituted Army Officers had been constituted to undertake a cleaning exercise of Livingstone which she described as very dirty.
She said over the years, Livingstone had not been spared from cholera adding that there was need to cleanse the town of garbage.
On the misuse of Government vehicles, Ms Suba said her office had withdrawn competencies from Officers driving government vehicles.
She said this was to avert unnecessary damage to Government vehicles adding that only drivers would have competencies.Ms Suba warned that Government had started impounding Government vehicles that were being misused.
”We have started impounding vehicles. We are getting more strict now, we will put up very stringent measures and others have already lost their jobs,” she said.ZANIS
Government has expressed happiness at the rising number of people going for male circumcision in the country.
Minister of Health Joseph Kasonde says there is need to put in place measures that would scale up interventions of people going for male circumcision in rural areas.
Dr. Kasonde said his Ministry would come up with sensitization programs that would encourage men to go male circumcision.
“So far, I think we are impressed with the increasing numbers in urban areas, we hope to sensitize those in rural areas also so that they are aware of the importance of this exercise, ” he said.
He was speaking at a stakeholders’ consultation meeting on joint strategy to scale up voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention in East and Southern Africa in Lusaka today.
Dr. Kasonde explained that Zambians have so far started appreciating male circumcision because they now known its importance. And speaking earlier, World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative Olusegan Babaniyi noted that male circumcision was not only important for prevention of HIV/AIDS but for cancer of the cervix in the females.
Dr. Babaniyi noted that men that have not under gone the exercise of male circumcision were at high risk of infecting their partners with cervical cancer.
He said this was because males that were not circumcised carried bacteria that could cause cervical cancer in women.
Vice President Guy Scott is tomorrow expected to arrive in Perth, Australia to represent President Michael Sata at the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM 2011).
Foreign Affairs Minister, Chishimba Kambwili confirmed to ZANIS in Perth that upon arrival, Dr. Scott will attend a session of the Commonwealth Executives. He said the Vice President will on Friday join 16 heads of government and representatives from 54 Commonwealth member countries in the official opening of the CHOGM 2011.
Mr. Kambwili said Dr. Scott will also attend a multilateral meeting which has been arranged with the European Union (EU). The Vice President will be accompanied to Australia by Minister of Labour, Fackson Shamenda and while Mr. Kambwili and Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Bob Sichinga are in the advance party of senior government officials attending pre-CHOGM 2011 meetings.
And Mr. Kambwili has disclosed that Cyprus will in the near future send a team of experts to Zambia to explore the latter’s tourism potential. He said this was discussed during a meeting he held with the Foreign Minister of Cyprus in Perth yesterday.
He said Cyprus has since offered to sponsor Zambian officials that are responsible for the development of the tourism sector through training. He hoped that this bilateral arrangement between Zambia and Cyprus will help market the former’s tourism sector, which he said had not been fully done in the past.
The Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh, who have since arrived in Australia, will be among the many dignitaries that will attend CHOGM 2011 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The theme of the CHOGM 2011 is ‘building national resilience, building global resilience’.
And Minister of Foreign Affairs Chishimba Kambwili says Zambia’s membership to the Commonwealth is very beneficial to the country. And the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2011) is scheduled to officially open at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday, October 28th and close on the 30th of the same month.
Mr. Kambwili said in Perth today that among the benefits of Zambia’s membership to the Commonwealth is the opening up of the Australian market to African countries to export their products.
During the Commonwealth Business Forum, which preceded the CHOGM 2011, Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard announced the opening up of her country’s market to products from Africa.
Mr. Kambwili said Zambia is already benefitting from the pre-CHOGM Foreign Minister’s meeting, Commonwealth and Small Developing States Foreign Ministers’ meeting and the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF).
He said Zambia will now take advantage of the opening up of the Australian market to products from Africa.
Mr. Kambwili further said Zambia’s position on issues of climate change has been made clear during the meeting of Commonwealth and Small Developing States yesterday.
He said Zambia’s position, just like other developing countries, is that developed nations should financially assist the poor and developing countries to fight challenges of climate change.
He argued that this is because developing nations were not responsible for the emission of most of the greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.
The theme of the CHOGM 2011 is ‘building national resilience, building global resilience’.
