PRESIDENT Sata has directed that contracts of 13 brigadier generals and about 15 colonels in the defence forces be terminated with immediate effect because they are occupying offices illegally.

“All these people should leave offices now, but pay them up to December because they are in their offices illegally. I don’t have the power to give a contract; I only have the power to give a contract within the law. The Defence Act does not permit me; the Pension Act does not allow me. How do you, Secretary to the Cabinet, go and prepare a statutory instrument and give to somebody to sign? You are cheating the people in uniform,” he said.

The President was speaking at State House yesterday when he swore in permanent secretary in the Ministry of Chiefs Affairs Coillard Chibbonta and 10 provincial commissioners of police.

The commissioners of police include Solomon Jere (Central), Mary Tembo (Copperbelt), Joyce Kasosa (Luapula), Grace Chipalila (Eastern), Charity Masambo-Katanga (Lusaka), Mary Chikwanda (Northern), Eugene Sibote (North Western), Antoneil Mutentwa (Western), Brenda Muntemba (Southern) and Standwell Lungu (Muchinga).

“Why allow 13 brigadier generals and 16 colonels occupying offices illegally? You are giving them the money which should have gone to police to strengthen the establishment of the police. If you look at these policemen, some of them do not even have badges of ranks.

“If you want them to retire at 60 or 65, amend the law, the law will protect them, not you. They are not supposed to survive on who is in office, let the law protect them,” he said.

[pullquote]“If you want them to retire at 60 or 65, amend the law, the law will protect them, not you. They are not supposed to survive on who is in office, let the law protect them,” he said.[/pullquote]

“On 13th May, my brother wrote an illegal letter giving contracts to 13 brigadier generals and about 14 or 15 colonels and issued a statutory instrument number 38. The laws of Zambia are not amended by statutory instrument. If you want to amend the Defence Act, Cap 106, you go to Parliament. If you want to amend the Pensions Act you go to Parliament, but unfortunately I want to address Dr [Joshua] Kanganja and your colleagues: be brave, say no, don’t just say yes when I say anything because you drafted this statutory instrument for Rupiah Banda, my predecessor, when you knew very well that it was illegal. You never amend any law by statutory instrument.

“We have had lots of extravagance in this country, and we have to change. The people who deserve money, we don’t give them the money because some of these police officers, since they left training school, they have never received their annual uniforms because in the police, every year you are supposed to receive a kit. I don’t think you even parade your kit because you have nothing to parade. I saw Muntemba wearing her shoes, that’s not a pair of police shoes she was wearing,” he said.

President Sata vowed to follow the commissioners’ work closely. “I will follow you because the job you are going to do is the job I know very well. I was properly trained than some of you people, and I won’t tell you I am coming, you will just see me arriving,” he said.

Mr Sata said he is disappointed that after 47 years of independence, the police establishment has not been filled. “We have a shortage of 12,000 men and women. That is why I have decided to promote all of you to commissioner level because the authority of the police is on your shoulders,” he said.

Mr Sata urged the commissioners to take criticism and do their job.

[pullquote] “I will follow you because the job you are going to do is the job I know very well. I was properly trained than some of you people, and I won’t tell you I am coming, you will just see me arriving,” he said.[/pullquote]

And addressing the Commissioner of Police at State House, Mr Sata directed him to keep the surrounding of the premises clean. “Are you not ashamed that every time I am driving, I stop because of a dry stick, and you are there as my Commissioner of Police. And if you look behind this building, it is very dirty. Look at the surrounding of this place.

“And yesterday, that programme finished at about lunch time and the tents are still there, and you are still here. Where is the security? You claim you are Commissioner of Police at State House, those tents they are still there,” he said.

And Mr Sata has directed Mr Chibbonta to visit all chiefdoms and establish the living conditions of traditional leaders. “If I can remember very well, a long time ago when I was minister of Local Government, the allowance I gave them that is what they are still having as if there has been no government,” he said.

And Inspector General of Police Martin Malama commended President Sata for appointing more women as commissioners of police. “It’s a great relief as a police service to see that out of the 10 provinces, we have six commissioners appointed who are ladies. This is groundbreaking for us because these ladies are very capable,” he said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

The Commission of Inquiry tasked to investigate the sale of Zamtel and Finance Bank has asked Former Communications Minister Dora Siliya to avail herself before the commission and answer the allegations leveled against her over the sale of Zamtel.

Mr Zulu, who is also Justice Minister, said that the rule of natural justice demands that Ms Siliya appears before the Commission to give her side of the story on the sale of Zamtel.

This follows allegation by Transparency International Zambia(TIZ) that the sale of Zamtel was illegal and that there was blatant disregard for the law when disposing off the company.

TIZ Executive Director Goodson Lungu alleged that former Communications Minister Dora Siliya usurped the powers of Zambia Development Agency by signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the sale of the telecommunications firm.

Mr Lungu was speaking when he made a presentation before the commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the sale of Zamtel, which started sitting in Lusaka on today.

He said that the former Minister did not get consent from the Zambia Procurement Authority to go ahead with the sale of Zamtel, which was blatant disregard for legal advice on the matter.

Mr Lungu also said that the former Minister over committed herself by agreeing on a five percent sale commission to RP Capital for the evaluation of Zamtel assets.

Meanwhile, the inquiry into the sale of Finance Bank to First National Bank will delay because the matter is in court. The Commission of Inquiry tasked to investigate the sale of Zamtel and Finance Bank, says it cannot investigate the sale of the Bank until the case is disposed off in the courts of law.

Commission Chairperson Sebastian Zulu made the ruling after Finance bank Chairperson Rajan Mahtani and his Lawyer John Sangwa has told the commission that Finance Bank Shareholders have instituted three legal suites against the Bank of Zambia over the transaction.

Mr Zulu has asked Mr Sangwa to avail the commission the details of their legal suite against the Bank of Zambia.

ZNBC

The ministry of Labour says the revision of the Minimum wage does not include unionised workers.

Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda says unionised workers can only use the minimum wage as a bench mark for their bargaining process.

Mr. Shamenda says the minimum wage caters for workers such as those who work in shops and all those who do not belong to any union.

Meanwhile Mr. Shamenda has told ZNBC News in an interview that the process of reviewing the minimum wage involves a lot of discussions and negotiations with various stakeholders.

He is however positive that his Ministry will come up with the revised minimum wage within the next two months.

President Michael Sata has directed the Minister of Labour to come up with a revised minimum wage.

The minimum wage has for a long time been at K419 000.

Zone Fam have released yet another music video off their debut album “The Business (Foreign Exchange)” for the song “Life Is Good”.

It was made public on the 24th of October 2011, coinciding with Zambia’s 47th Independence Day. The video was directed by Kenny Mumba for GroundXero Productions and was shot on location at News Cafe, Mika Hotel and Arcades Mall in Lusaka.

LIFE IS GOOD

Life is Good is a feel good song Produced by Iceburg of Lusaka, that has a different sound than expected from Zone Fam;

The brings the total number of videos for their album to four with plans to release more before the year’s in end. Zone Fam have been nominated for a Channel O “Most Gifted Newcomer” Music Video award for their video “Shaka Zulu On Em” – These awards take place on the 11th of November 2011 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

National Housing Authority has apologised to Vice President Dr Guy Scott for being locked up in the elevators for close to 30 Minutes on Sunday.

The vice president found himself locked up in a lift after featuring on the Radio Phoenix programme.

NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela said that the firm has since placed orders for new elevators to replace old ones.

Mr Mpondela said that old elevators at Lusaka’s ZIMCO, Indeco, Findeco and Kulima Tower buildings will be replaced.

Mr. Mpondela has however not stated how much has been set aside for buying new lifts. He has told ZNBC News by telephone that NHA usually maintains its elevators through ZAL Elevators and that the lifts are old and sometimes things go wrong.

He said that investigations have been launched to establish what could have caused the lift to jam because they were maintained recently.

But tenants say they have on many occasions been subjected to use the staircase on their way to their offices because of faulty elevators.

They said that the lifts were only fixed this week because the Vice President was going to Radio Phoenix for a programme

On Sunday afternoon, Vice President Guy Scott was stuck in a lift for about 30 minutes at Lusaka’s ZIMCO House. Dr Scott who had just come from Radio Phoenix on the 12th floor where he featured on a live programme got stuck in the lift after it abruptly stopped on the 8th floor.

[pullquote]NHA Chief Executive Officer Elias Mpondela said that the firm has since placed orders for new elevators to replace old ones.[/pullquote]

The Vice President’s security had to break the grill door to rescue Dr Scott from the faulty lift. Dr Scott who appeared composed during the dramatic lock up, was made to use a different lift on his way to the ground floor.

The Vice President was stuck together with his security and a crew from ZNBC. Radio Phoenix General Manager Elizabeth Mwale Pemba who was visibly upset about the incident made several calls requesting for help from the firm that repairs elevators.

ZNBC

DR DAMBISA MOYO

As Zambia celebrates her 47^th independence ,we put a spotlight on a woman who is making her country proud and is an inspiration to many .

Dr Dambisa Moyo is an international economist who comments on the macro economy and global affairs.

She is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How there is a Better Way for Africa(2009) and How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly and the Stark Choices Ahead(2011).

 Moyo is also a regular contributor to financial journals such as The Economist and Financial Times and has appeared as a guest on networks such as CNN, CNBC , BBC , and FOX Business.

BACKGROUND

• Dr Dambisa Moyo was born (in 1969) and raised in Zambia.
•  In 1997, Moyo earned a Master of public administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s Kennedy school of Government.
•  She earned a Master of Business administration (MBA) in Finance and Bachelor of science (BS) in Chemistry from American University in Washington D.C.
•  She holds a Doctorate (DPhil –Doctor of Philosophy) in Economics from St.Antony’s College ,Oxford University; her 2002 dissertation is titled “Essays on the determinants of the components of savings in developing countries“

HER WORK

In her 2009 book Dead Aid , she discusses foreign aid and why African countries should not rely wholly on it for development. She is brutally honest about how “charity” is actually killing her country Zambia and other African countries.

Moyo explains that Aid is actually worsening the levels of poverty .Countries that were receiving the most amounts of Aid actually had very low average annual growth rates of -0.2%! In the last 30 years when the amount of Aid flowing into Africa were at its peak, poverty levels rose from 11% to un astounding 66%!

“Transferring large amounts of money from one government to another encourages corruption, creates Aid dependency, kills off exports and disenfranchises Africans,” says Moyo. The main problem is that, according to Moyo , “Many Africans are now addicted to Aid.”Foreign aid, in a way, brings up corrupt governments by providing them with freely usable cash. These corrupt governments interfere with the rule of law, the establishment of transparent civil institutions and the protection of civil liberties, making both domestic and foreign investment in poor countries unattractive. With fewer investments there is limited economic growth, which leads to fewer job opportunities and increasing poverty levels. In response to growing poverty, donors give more aid, which continues the cycle.

Dr Dambisa Moyo does not just criticize foreign aid ,she also highlights alternative sources of revenue for developing countries, such as ;

• private capital markets,
• foreign direct investment,
• trade,
• micro-enterprise lending
• remittances and private savings

That does not mean that Governments would stop being corrupt, but the corruption would be reduced due to the fact that there would less “free” money to throw around. People are more likely to be careful with money they have worked hard for as opposed to money they have been given.

Thus, in Moyo’s view, the starting point of helping Third World countries is to stop pretending that the Aid-based development model currently in place will generate sustained economic growth in the world’s poorest countries. She suggests telling Third World countries that the financial flow will end in five years. Other than temporary disaster relief, there will then be no more Western cash to underwrite African failure.

You may or may not agree with her views , but she does bring about some good points in her book . Our leaders should take time to read it.

Many people has good things to say about her work . She was invited to Rwanda by President Kagame to discuss her thesis and the President bought copies of the book for his entire. He says that “Dead Aid has given us an accurate evaluation of the aid culture today”.

ACHIEMENTS

• In 2009, Moyo was honored by the World Economic Forum as one of its Young Global Leaders .
• In May 2009, TIME Magazine named Moyo as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.
•  In September 2009 Moyo was featured in Oprah Winfrey ‘s power list of 20 remarkable visionaries.
•  On March 14, 2011, Moyo spoke at the annual Observance ceremony marking Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey. She spoke on “Women as Agents of Change” in the presence of the Queen Elizabeth II , British Prime Minister David Cameroon and 2000 guests.
• In the same month The Daily Beat  also selected Moyo as one of “150 Extraordinary Women Who Shake The World” along with Hilary Clinton, Madeleine Albright  and others.

She is an inspiration to all Zambians especially women.

BY KAPA187