Lusaka Province Commissioner of Police Solomon Jere
Police have made a major break through in their investigation of the gruesome killing of 19-year-old Ruth Mbandu in Lusaka’s Emmasdalearea in July this year. A man has been apprehended and confessed that he had administered a
lethal drug before pealing off the victim’s facial skin.
Ruth’s uncle, George Kalomo of Kabanana Township, Bishop Evans Ngulube and his driver, Stanley Munkonji, are other suspects that are currently in Police custody and have been charged with murder.
Lusaka Province Police chief Solomon Jere said in Lusaka yesterday that the suspect, who is 30-year-old, was apprehended on Tuesday this week in Mpika where he is reported to have committed “numerous” rape cases.
“We have arrested the man we have been looking for, he has confessed to killing Ruth and narrated how they removed her facial skin,” Dr Jere said.
Police now have a water-tight case in the four-month murder puzzle that has gone down in Zambia’s history as one of the worst on the late National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) human resource’s student.
Dr Jere said the suspect confessed that he and others hit Ruth with a sharp object on her head in addition to drugging her and when she became unconscious, they gouged out her eyes and removed other parts.
The suspect whose name has been withheld was apprehended in Mpika with four others who are facing rape cases.
“He narrated how she was drugged and how they removed her facial skin, ears and gouged out hereyes.
We also suspect that a sharp object was used to hit her and while she was unconscious, they performed their acts,” Dr Jere said.
Following the latest discovery, Police believe Ruth died as a result of excessive bleeding, as she had her facial skin, eyes and ears removed.
Police have withheld the suspect’s name for his own security but that the suspect, along with four others, was in Police custody.
Ruth’s naked body was discovered in the early hours of Saturday, July 14th, this year in Emmasdale.
“There are a number of people involved in this case and we want to give this matter a thorough investigation,” he said.
Acting President and Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda flanked by Vice President Guy Scott and Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba
Opposition Members of Parliament have vowed not to attend proceedings of the House when it is time to debate the 2013 national budget if Finance Minister ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA who is acting President will continue to be absent during deliberations.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Parliament Media Centre in Lusaka yesterday shortly after they walked out of the House at about 17.30 hours, MMD Vice President for administration BRIAN CHITUWO said the MPs were not happy with Mr Chikwanda’s continued absence.
He said the House had not been informed who was acting Finance Minister since Mr Chikwanda was acting President adding that the Minister was supposed to be around to listen to various debates on the budget that he presented.
“We are here to represent our people and we are not happy that Mr Chikwanda is not around as Finance Minister to listen to our concerns raised on the budget he presented.
“To show that we are also serious MPs, we shall be walking out not until Mr Chikwanda comes back or we are officially told who is acting on his behalf,” Dr Chituwo said.
He said the MPs were not happy that Vice President GUY SCOTT was reporting to a Cabinet Minister in Mr Chikwanda yet he (Scott) was senior to him the time President MICHEAL SATA was in the country.
UPND Senanga MP Likando Mufalali said the MPs would today walkout during debate on the Budget Speech if Mr Chikwanda would still be absent as a way of showing that they should be told who was acting on his behalf.
He said the MPs respected deliberations of the House but their concerns should be heard and respected as well because their only demand was to know the acting Finance Minister.
MMD Nalikwanda MP GEOFFREY LUNGWANGWA said the MPs demand was genuine and was hopeful they would be told the reason why there was nobody to act on behalf of Mr Chikwanda.
This is the second time the MPs were walking out of the House this week despite several ruling by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini said there was no disfunctionality in the House as a result of the walkouts.
And Government Chief Whip, Yamfwa Mukanga has challenged the opposition MPs over their decision saying they should inform the electorate on whether they were tired of being in Parliament so that they could be replaced through fresh elections.
Mr Mukanga who is Mines, Energy and Water Development Minister said in a separate interview that the stance by the MMD and UPND Parliamentarians would not solve anything but that they needed to be in the House and continue debating on national issues and contribute to national development.
“The decision by the opposition to walkout is neither here nor there. They just have to come to the House that is where they can be able to argue their matters. Their action is unfounded. We need them for the development of the country and so they should just come back. When they come back, they will find us,” Mr Mukanga said.
Police in Gwembe have arrested and detained a 27-year-old man for indecent curiosity.
Wycliff Ntundu of House Number 70 in Gwembe Township did on Tuesday this week, wilfully and unlawfully peep through their house’s bathroom door with intent to see Gwembe Constituency Member of Parliament’s wife, Elector Chilipa Ntundu’s nudity as she took a bath.
Police have charged the suspect with indecent curiosity.
With intent to see her nudity, Wycliff, a nephew of the Gwembe MP, Brian Ntundu did wilfully and unlawfully peep at his uncle’s wife before he was discovered.
The suspect grew up at the Ntundu’s homestead and is alleged to be in the habit of peeping on people taking a bath and that he would even climb a tree to see someone taking a bath in an outside roofless showering place.
Mrs Ntundu, 44, of the same house number, narrated to Police in Gwembe that she caught her nephew peeping through the bathroom door as she bathed before she reported the matter to police.
Sources at the police station told ZANIS that the MP’s wife is likely to withdraw the case if the suspect shows remorse.
President Michael Sata with his team at Sumsung Electronics
President Michael Sata is not impressed with the pace at which Samsung, the Korean ninth top global electronic engineering company, is developing its investments in Zambia.
President Sata said while Samsung, which employs 200,000 people in 72 countries around the world, is associated with huge investments worldwide but has not expanded its business interests in Zambia in terms of setting up a manufacturing plant.
The President was speaking at the Samsung manufacturing plant located on the outskirts in Suwon, about 30 kilometres from Seoul when he met the senior management team of the company which was led by its president and chief financing officer, Ju-Hwa Yoon.
“I am not impressed with the development of Samsung in Zambia. You are building a new plant in Seoul and not in Zambia. I am inviting you to come and join Hyundai and Daewoo who have invested in my country,” said President Sata.
Samsung Electronics has 21 centres in Sub-Saharan Africa and a sales outlet in Zambia which employs only six people providing after sale services to customers.
However, President Sata said the global electronic company, which has this year been voted ninth among the top 100 brands in the world and a profit posting of US$14.7 billion in 2011, should re-invest its resources into the Zambian market.
The President said Samsung also enjoys a big market share in Zambia and therefore opening up a factory would capture the entire SADC market which has a population of over 400 million people.
Samsung also earned a revenue of US$148.8 billion in 2011 making it one of the richest electronic engineering companies in the world.
President Sata noted that it was not enough for Samsung to operate through affiliate companies in Africa and Zambia in particular but should instead use its huge profits which are more than the finances of the Korean government to put up tangible investments.
The President appealed to Samsung to capitalise on the good telecommunications infrastructure in Zambia which is better than in other countries to increase the company’s investment portfolio and also help increase the flow of trade between Zambia and Korea.
President Sata was later taken on a conducted tour of the Samsung digital city where he was shown a display of both the old and modern technology that the company has been producing since 1969 when it was set up with an initial 36 employees.
The President was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda, Commerce Minister Bob Sichinga, Agriculture minister Emmanuel Chenda, Tourism minister Sylvia Masebo and Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, George Chellah.
Meanwhile, President Sata has urged Samsung to take its investment to rural areas in Zambia by capitalising on the abundant water resources that generate hydro electricity as opposed to using solar energy to implement its projects in the country because it is expensive for the poor people.
The President also said Zambia’s vast agriculture sector could benefit from the diverse product range that Samsung manufactures for this sector which is not visible in Africa but only outside the continent.
“You can sell Korea more in Zambia if you use your resources there although solar energy is very expensive in Africa. Come to Zambia and use the hydro energy generated from our abundant water resources,” he said.
Earlier in his welcoming remarks, Samsung President and Chief Financing Officer Ju-Hwa Yoon said his company is involved in a number of social activities targeting the poor community in the education and health sectors of Zambia.
Mr. Ju said Samsung will continue strengthening its investment portfolio and presence in Zambia and that the vision is to become a more trusted and helpful company for the Zambians.
In the education sector, Samsung is implementing a solar powered project called ‘teach the teachers laptop project’ financed through ABC Bank using the ZAMTEL nationwide optic fibre network to improve information technology.
And Mr. Ju has since assured President Sata that Samsung will give a positive consideration to his request of setting up a manufacturing plant in Zambia.
“We have a large presence in Africa and our biggest market is in Egypt but our basic principle is to go where the market is. We will give your request positive consideration,” said Mr. Ju.
But President Sata said Zambia has a larger market for Samsung investment than Egypt considering its location in the SADC region.
The President noted that Samsung will reduce on its production costs once a plant is set up in Zambia because of the abundant resources, water, hydro electricity and copper which is largely used in electronic engineering.
Meanwhile, President Michael Sata has left for South Korea and headed back to Zambia.
MMD vice president for administration Brian Chituwo
MMD vice-president for administration Brian Chituwo has disclosed that his party’s leadership and that of the United Party for National Development (UPND) are closely working together ahead of the forthcoming Mufumbwe parliamentary by elections.
And MMD chairman for elections Gabriel Namulambe has accused the Patriotic Front (PF) of bribing voters with K5000 notes and planning to cause chaos in the area by dressing up their cadres in MMD regalia.
Responding media reports that the UPND was withdrawing its support from the MMD in the Mufumbwe by election, Dr Chituwo admitted that no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties was signed, but that they had agreed to support each other owing their existing loose alliance.
Dr Chituwo disclosed that two opposition parties had agreed that should there be areas of concern, they needed to be discussed by senior members from both sides and wondered if there was need to state in the press even if there was no MoU existing between MMD and UPND.
“Indeed, there is no MoU as such. So that is true, but was there a need, therefore, to say that in the press?
”To counteract that I want to state that as far as Mufumbwe is concerned, MMD, UPND leadership is working side by side, supporting one another because we agreed that in Mufumbwe MMD and UPND will work together and that is positive. That is the situation at the moment,” he said.
And Mr Namulambe accused the PF of dishing out K5000 to individuals in Mufumbwe’s Yasonso area on Tuesday and that the MMD had evidence to that effect as some of its members were some of the beneficiaries and it would use that that as evidence “should the worse comes to the worst”.
“We are again aware of the fact that because of the diminishing popularity of PF despite being the ruling party and that they are not known in the area they intend to ferry some people to Mufumbwe with MMD party regalia so as to go and cause confusion. I don’t know where they will pick them from, but that’s the information we have,” he said.
Mr Namulambe appealed to the PF to observe the Electoral Code of Conduct and in a manner that befitted it as a ruling party, adding that Mufumbwe electorates should be left to vote peacefully without engaging in any form of violence.
Mr Namulambe said all political players participating in the November 8, 2012 by elections should preach a message of peace by focusing on issue-based campaigns as opposed to fighting, adding that acts of violence “are minds of primitive people”.
Mr Namulambe said the MMD had since been sensitizing its members to desist from acts of violence even when provoked and that electoral violence had a potential of tarnishing Zambia’s image of being a haven of peace.
He also expressed optimism that the MMD candidate, Stafford Mulusa would scoop the Mufumbwe seat as former area MP Steven Masumba was arrogant and disrespectful, the attributes the voters were no happy about and that his findings after being in Mufumbwe had revealed the former ruling party’s candidate was the favorite to win the seat.
Mr Namulambe added that it was a known fact that all along the battle in Mufumbwe had always been between MMD and UPND, hence his confidence as being the favorite to win the seat which was left vacant after the MMD expelled Mr Masumba from the party who later defected to PF.
A local Non-Governmental Organisation, Zambia Voice has charged that President Michael Sata is finding it hard to fight corruption because he is surrounded by corrupt officials.
In a statement, Zambian Voice Executive Director Chilufya Tayali stated that there is no doubt that President Sata has a genuine zeal to fight corruption.
“We have no doubt that President Michael Sata mean to fight corruption but he is surrounded by corrupt people,” Mr. Tayali said.
“For whatever alliances they signed for him to go to Plot One, President Sata appears like he is now held hostage in State House by these thieves, crooks, schemas who steal in broad day light while the Zambian people are watching,” he said.
Mr. Tayali observed that while other corruption investigations are still pending while others are still being investigated by compromised officers from ACC and the Task force while other cases are being discussed in the public domain and nothing is being done about.
“Let me hasten to point out here that we have very good junior offices in our Police and ACC but as they say, “The fish start rotting from the head”, the top people in these institutions are the ones who are corrupt more because they are brought in by these thieves and schemas who are holding our President at ransom for helping him to get into power.”
Mr. Tayali reminded President Sata that he was not put in State House by the thieving party and government officials.
“Mr. Sata don’t bow to any these opportunists who will destroy your legacy as a no nonsense man, hard worker and Christian. Look how these people have started fighting for Presidency as if we have one more year to elections and yet it’s only a year since we changed Govt,” he said.
He said it is regrettable that the same people already started scheming so that they can position their own to be next President using their usual tricks.
A team of engineers from Lusaka City Council dismantles a set of traffic lights on Lumumba road in Lusaka after a convoy of abnormal load low beds (trucks) laden with mining and brewery equipment meant for the Copperbelt failed to pass through, causing traffic to pile up.It took the LCC engineers and the transporter hours to unblock the road by uprooting the traffic lights.
The Ministry of Local Government and Housing has disbursed K9.5 billion for the installation of street lights in 17 selected districts in the country.
In a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Local Government Permanent Secretary Bernard Namachila said the move was aimed at supporting local authorities to improve street lighting in districts so as to enhance the security and safety of citizens.
Mr. Namachila, who appealed for prudent utilisation of funds to the 17 councils across the country, said the street lights will add to the beauty and attraction of towns not only to tourists but also to local citizens.
He has since urged the public to guard against vandalising the street lights when they are installed but to take the role of policing in their respectful areas to ensure safety of the installations.
The selected councils that will benefit from the street lighting funding include among others Kasama, Chirundu, Mansa, Choma, Ndola, Mpika, Kabwe, Nakonde and Livingstone.
The Livingstone city council has received the highest funding of K2 billion.
Defending Barclays Cup champions Power Dynamos have been drawn against rivals Zanaco in the semifinals of this year’s competition.
The two sides will meet in a Barclays Cup semifinal doubleheader to be played at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka on October 27.
And record three-time Barclays Cup winners Zesco United will square-off against promoted and tournament newcomers Napsa in the other last four showdown.
The doubleheader will see Zesco and Napsa kickoff proceedings in a lunchtime kickoff at 13:00.
Power and Zanaco will play at 15:00 to decide which team advances to the finals set for November 17 at a venue to be advised by FAZ.
Kitwe United continue chasing promotion when they face Zesco Luapula in Thursday’s delayed Faz Division One North match at Kaole Stadium in Mansa.
This match was one of the mid-week fixtures postponed by Faz due to Wednesday’s National Mourning government declared in honour of ex-Community Development Minister Stephen Manjata who was buried on the same day in Kaoma district.
Kitwe are reported to have left their base on Monday and only learnt about the cancelling of midweek games on Tuesday when they had arrived in Mansa.
Zesco Secretary Lewis Kapesa confirmed that the delayed match will take place on Thursday after the two teams agreed in collaboration with Faz.
“Yes, the match will take place on Thursday. You know Kitwe United are already here.”
Zesco host Kitwe three days after recording a rare 2-3 away win over Kansanshi Dyanamos.
Fifth placed Kitwe who are five points behind second placed Kalulushi Modern Stars have 48 points.
League leaders Lime Hotspurs have 68 points.
Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) management has insisted that claims by a Kitwe couple that their newly-born baby boy was swapped for a female are baseless.
KCH senior medical superintendent John Mwewa said as far as the hospital was concerned, there was no baby swap that transpired as claimed by the mother whose child was born on August 24, 2012.
Dr Mwewa said this during a press briefing held at KCH yesterday which was convened to give the hospital position on the controversy over alleged baby swap at the hospital.
Sara Mwanza, 18, of Kamitondo Township house number 1333 together with her spouse has accused medical personnel at KCH of having swapped their baby.
According to Ms Mwanza, at the time of giving birth at Buchi clinic, there was no electricity at the institution causing her to deliver under candle light and that in the process of delivery, there was some complication leading to her being transferred to KCH.
She claimed that it was in the process of this complication that her child was swapped.
[pullquote]Dr Mwewa confirmed that tests were done on the baby and it was found that it had enlarged clitoris which he suspected could have been mistaken for a penis because the baby was born under candle light at Buchi clinic.[/pullquote]
But Dr Mwewa said the hospital planned to do a Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test in South Africa to determine the exact parentage of the disputed baby.
He said that the hospital was doing everything in its power to facilitate DNA test for the baby.
Dr Mwewa explained that after delivery, Ms Mwanza was rushed to KCH around midnight after nurses at Buchi clinic failed to control her bleeding.
He said the baby was put in a resuscitator just to keep her warm as the nurses where attending to the mother who was bleeding profusely and was almost unconscious.
“As soon as the mother was stable the baby was given back to the mother and they were discharged,” he said.
Dr Mwewa confirmed that tests were done on the baby and it was found that it had enlarged clitoris which he suspected could have been mistaken for a penis because the baby was born under candle light at Buchi clinic.
Dr Mwewa said the hospital was surprised that on August 27, they received a complaint from the family that their baby had been swapped.
He said upon receiving the complaint, management instituted a committee to give details of what had occurred.
He also confirmed that on 15th October the parents came to the hospital complaining that the baby had complications on the umbilical cord and they needed help to take care of the baby
Dr Mwewa said an operation will soon be done soon and the growth was caused because the wound was not properly.
We are highly experienced professionals working in these mines and we are not interested in cooking up figures, Konkola Copper Mines Chief Executive Officer Jeyakumar Janakaraj has stated.
Mr. Janakaraj said the strict corporate governance code regulating big mining companies such as KCM makes it practically difficult to under report or even over report copper production figures.
“For us as KCM, this is not an issue. I cannot start cooking up figures because am not an investor in KCM, am just an employee and I get a salary based on my professional work. I have strict ethical considerations to make,” Mr. Janakaraj.
“I can go to jail for under reporting. We don’t engage in any grain of under reporting at KCM. We are a world class mining operation, we are not school boys who need to report to the master everything we do. We are governed by global standards,’ he said.
Mr. Janakaraj said KCM is listed on the London Stock Exchange through its parent company Vendetta adding that the company’s production figures are available for scrutiny for all.
“We don’t hide anything, we are totally transparent,” he said.
He said the disparity in production figures are a result of a lack of close collaboration between the Central Statistical Office, Bank of Zambia, the Zambia Revenue Authority and Ministry of Finance.
“We are hoping through the Chamber of Mines, the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative would greatly help improve the quality of data capturing,” he said.
The KCM CEO was answering questions from Zambian Journalists this morning on the new reporting requirements instituted by the PF government during the official opening of a three day media workshop in Chingola.
On key mine projects, Mr. Janakaraj said KCM has so far invested USD 1 billion in the development of the Konkola Deep Mine Project whose works are expected to be completed this schedule.
“We are on schedule with the KDMP, this is a project that was on the cards for over 30 years and no one had the technology and the belief to develop this asset. We are happy that KDMP is coming on boards and this will extend KCMs mine life,” he said.
Mr. Janakaraj said mining companies are not interested in getting incentives from the government but are more interested in having a stable and predictable mining policy.
“We need predictability in mining policies and not really incentives, he said.
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani and children drawn from various schools in Lusaka display copies of road safety books which were donated by the Zambia School of Driving in Lusaka
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani has revealed that the police service will intensify laws regarding the road safety of children in the country.
Ms. Libongani said the decision to intensify laws is meant to reduce the escalating number of children dying as a result of road traffic accidents in the country.
She said there was also need to train children and parents on how to observe traffic rules and regulations in order to develop a generation of safety and security abiding citizens.
Ms. Libongani has since reaffirmed that the police service will carry out its duties within the mandate of the laid down traffic rules in order to protect many lives from being lost on the roads.
She was speaking in Lusaka today when she received a donation of 5,000 road user guide books for children valued at K17 million from the Driving Schools Associations of Zambia (DSAZ).
The 5,000 road user guided books for children were published with the financial assistance from five cooperating partners namely the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), Multi Choice Zambia, Ocean Venture Limited and Horizon Primary and High Schools and DSAZ.
Ms. Libongani has thanked the DSAZ for the donation and reaffirmed that the books will be used for the intended purpose.
And DSAZ Director Hope Khumalo said her organization will remain committed to protecting children’s lives on the road.
Ms. Khumalo has called on the private sector to complement government efforts in reducing road traffic accident related deaths by raising awareness on road safety measures.
She said there was need for the Zambia police to increase awareness campaigns and the enforcement of good laws and regulations on accident prevention especially during this rain season.
Ms. Khumalo has also called for change of attitude of some police traffic officers towards the members of the public in order to create a good working relationship and improve the traffic service delivery system in the country.
Acting Chief Administrator for the Judiciary, Adejiso Mwansa, has disclosed that the sector has made steady progress on its programmes of decentralisation.
Mr. Mwansa told ZANIS in a telephone interview yesterday that in the past one year, the judiciary has constructed 110 local courts countrywide.
He said Zambia still has a challenge in terms of decentralising the judiciary because some places still do not have infrastructure for court operations.
He said these areas use trees for shelter to dispense law and justice.
Mr. Mwansa said the judiciary was however committed to ensuring that people in all parts of the country receive equal access to courts facilities in order for justice and order to prevail.
He said shelter in itself, plays an important role in motivating workers and the public who are the users of the facility.
He explained that this year, the judiciary had planned to build at least four local courts in each province to facilitate for its efficient delivery of its services to the local people.
Commenting on the plans to rehabilitate and refurnish the Lusaka Boma courts, Mr. Mwansa said the judiciary was for now committing itself to provide shelter in areas that have little or nothing to rely on in terms of infrastructure.
He said the Judiciary, like any other institution, has financial challenges hence it will not continue putting money into the same area but will move to places that are in urgent need.
Mr. Mwansa further said to improve on monitoring of workers, the Judiciary has placed six bio-metric system points which indicate the time a person reports for work and when they leave.
He said the bio-metric system has helped a lot because workers cannot knock off before the required time
The bio-metric system does not respond to commands before knocking off time thereby making everyone work within the required hours.
He said this system will soon be extended to other parts of the country in the Judiciary once funds were available.
Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday walked out of the House in protest that they have not been officially informed on who is acting Finance Minister since the holder ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA was acting President.
The MPs lead by MMD Nalikwanda MP GEOFREY LUNGWANGWA, walked out at 16:58 hours despite Speaker of the National Assembly PATRICK MATIBINI giving several rulings on the matter this week.
MMD Kabombo East DANNY CHINGIMBU remained in the House with UPND Nangoma MP BOYD HAMUSONDE who was out at the time his counterparts walked out, but remained in the House until adjournment at 17:489 hours.
However, all MMD appointed Deputy Ministers remained in the House with Patriotic Front (PF) members, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers with leader of Government business Vice President GUY SCOTT.
The walk-out followed Professor Lungwangwa who wondered whether it was in order for Government not to inform the House on who the acting Finance Minister in place of Mr Chikwanda was.
Professor Lungwangwa said Mr Chikwanda, as a mover of motion on 2013 national budget presented last week was supposed to be in the House to take down concerns raised by members during debates.
He wondered whether it was in order for the members to continue debating in the absence of Mr Chikwanda or any acting Finance Minister to take all pertinent issues on budget debates and respond.
But in his ruling, Speaker of the National Assembly PATRICK MATIBINI said the leader of Government bu8siness Dr Scott was in the House and that Cabinet Ministers and their Deputies were always present to hear what other members debated
“I still consider the order unsubstantial because the Honourbale Chikwanda is still Finance Minister and there is disfunctionality and I don’t see any constitutional crisis and the debates can be conducted,” he said
He said if members were not happy they could ignite the process because there was parliamentary democracy and members had right to do so.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister STEPHEN KAMPYONGO also raised on a point of order whether opposition where in order toa walk out at the expense of listening on behalf of their people, in respond, Dr Matibini said it was not in order and all members needed to be present in the House.
Several PF MPs said the budget would give a proper direction on where the ruling party was delivering development to uplift people’s welfare.
Vice President Guy Scott has reiterated his assurance to the nation that government will pay all the farmers that sold their maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) by the end of October 2012.
Dr. Scott said government was committed to buying one million metric tonnes of maize and paying all the farmers by the end of this month.
Presenting a ministerial statement in parliament on maize marketing season in the country, Dr. Scott said government has already released the K300 million that was allocated for the maize buying exercise.
He explained that however, government is expected to spend about K1.3 trillion for the 1.2 million metric tonnes of maize.
He disclosed that as at 12th October 2012, government was only remaining with a balance of K924 billion due to be paid to the farmers across the country.
The Vice President added that this was why government has given authority to FRA to borrow money from the private sector just to ensure that all the farmers receive their monies in good time.
Dr. Scott said the three commercial banks that were approached have indicated that they have sufficient money to give FRA for it to pay off farmers.
He explained that in some places the delays to pay are caused because of some paper works involved.
And on who will liquidate the credit, Dr. Scott said government will do that with the help of the money from Euro bond.
He added that government has also put in place measures to ensure that all the maize bought by FRA does not go to waste.
He said government will remove all the maize from satellite depots and transport it to holding depots.
Dr. Scott noted that government was also determined to ensure that strategic modalities are put in place in order to enhance food security in the country.
He further stated that this was why government will ensure that it keeps enough maize that can last for about six months as way of making the country food secure.
Last week, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini directed Dr. Scott to issue a ministerial statement on the crop marketing season after a point of order which was raised by Monze Central Member of Parliament Jack Mwiimbu of UPND.
