Angry Mpulungu farmers today besieged the office of the District Commissioner demanding that government pays them for the maize they supplied the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) last August.

The farmers who on Monday threatened to lock up the offices of the DC’s and District Agriculture Coordinator (DACOs) if they were not paid by today, were only restrained by the presence of Police officers in riot gear who kept vigil at the DC’s office as early as 08:00hrs this morning.

However, the farmers could not be deterred as they went ahead and stood their ground demanding that they still wanted to be paid their money or be given back their maize.

They lamented that the delay in getting their money had sent them and their families into untold suffering.

Some of the farmers vowed that if the current situation continued, they might be forced to sell their produce to other interested buyers locally and in neighbouring countries.

The farmers, mostly from Chitimbwa, Vyamba, Chinakila, Kopeka and Mpulungu wondered how they were going to buy fertilizers and other agro – inputs in time if they could not be paid their money now when the rainy season was just around the corner.

But addressing the farmers, district commissioner Juliana Chuzu said the government through the ministry of finance released K300 billion to enable the FRA pay farmers around the country.

She appealed to the farmers to be patient with the government saying the delay in payment was not unique to Mpulungu district but a countrywide problem.

Ms Chuzu promised the farmers that they should be getting their money in two weeks time.

On Monday, District agriculture coordinator Kennedy Sinkamba said the department of agriculture was equally worried by the delay in paying the farmers.

Mr Sinkamba was quoted saying that the delay by FRA to pay the farmers in the area defeats the concept of food security at the household level as farmers were forced to sell their food reserves as a survival strategy.

Mr. Sinkamba added that from the 1,300 farmers who supplied maize to FRA, only 130 were paid on 22 August 2012, when part of the money was released.

ZANIS

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has warned of stern action against bus operators who are flouting the statutory instrument (SI) number 47 of 2012 on the amended minimum wages and conditions of employment Act.

Speaking this morning in Lusaka at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting, Deputy Minister of Labour Ronald Chitotela urged bus drivers to demand to sign contracts of employment with their employers, the bus operators.

Mr. Chitotela, who was disappointed with the low turnout of bus operators at the meeting, also called on the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to collaborate with the Ministry of Labour in implementing statutory instrument number 47.

He said this can be done by ensuring that all bus operators seeking to apply for road service licences produce employment contracts from the Ministry of Labour that meet the conditions of the employment Act.

And Private and Public Drivers Association of Zambia Secretary General Josiah Majuru complained that bus operators have not implemented the revised minimum wage.

Mr. Majuru also said his association was facing the challenge of casualisation, which was compounded by many other problems in the transport sector.

He urged government to seriously address the various challenges which the sector was facing.

Meanwhile, Labour Commissioner, Mukamasole Kasanda has called for serious observation of the law of attestation by ensuring that all employers follow the employment Act cap 268 of the laws of Zambia.

Mrs. Kasanda has since demanded that all contracts of employment signed between bus operators and bus drivers should be immediately submitted to the Ministry of Labour to encourage decent wages and create sanity in the transport sector.

The meeting was attended by government officials from the Ministry of Labour, RTSA, bus operators and their drivers among other stakeholders.

ZANIS

MATERO member of Parliament Miles Sampa says the Lusaka City Council needs a municipal bond of about US$500 million for it to operate effectively and meet its obligations.

Mr Sampa, who is Deputy Minister of Finance, said in an interview yesterday that the council has no reliable source of revenue hence the need to get a municipal bond for it to operate to people’s expectations.

Mr Sampa said the municipal bond would not be a Government project but strictly that of the local authority.
He said the local authority would then use the money to construct high rise buildings in all the constituencies of Lusaka.

Mr Sampa, who has since made the proposal to the council which is discussing the matter, said the move would ease accommodation problems and at the same time widen the council’s revenue base.

“We want to build at least 10 high rise flats like Findeco House which will benefit 200 to 300 residents of Lusaka,” he said.

Mr Sampa said the ambitious programme would also see the council buying off townships like Kanyama, Chibolya and Kalingalinga to create land for construction of high rise flats.

He said the current government’s way of doing things is not to increase rates or taxes but coming up with good plans such as the idea of the municipal bond.

Mr Sampa however said the issue of the municipal bond has been on the table for a long time but successive councils have failed to implement it.

“The PF believes in action and we will soon see the results,” Mr Sampa said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Agriculture Minister Emmanuel Chenda has said that government has exhausted the K300 billion budgetary allocation for the crop marketing exercise. Mr. Chenda said that this is because the Food Reserve Agency-FRA has bought maize beyond the budgeted funds.

The Minister was speaking in an interview with ZNBC news in Lusaka on yesterday. He explained that government has authorized the FRA to borrow money for buying maize from farmers.

Mr. Chenda said that he was hopeful that all the farmers will be paid by the end of next month. He said that government was doing everything possible to ensure that it does not carry forward arrears into next year.

Meanwhile, Vice President Guy Scot has said that Government is determined to make Zambia the food basket for the Southern African region.

Dr. Scott said that the agriculture sector has the potential to significantly contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product-GDP.

He says that is why more investment is been channeled to the sector to establish more livestock disease control centers and revamping state ranches.

The Vice President was speaking on Tuesday during the 63rd Session of the Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organisation-AARDO in Lusaka.

Dr Scot says this in a speech read for him by Deputy Minister in the Vice President’s Office Harry Kalaba.

And Youth and Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili says in a speech ready for him by his Deputy Nathaniel Mubukwanu that Zambia is proud to host the AARDO regional office.

And AARDO President Ambassador Ahmed Kheir says his organisation considers tackling rural poverty as a priority.

Clearing and forwarding agents at Victoria Falls and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) port office in Livingstone have continued with their strike action and are calling for the resignation of ZRA assistant Commissioner, Moses Mfune.

A check by ZANIS at the port office found clearing agents outside the offices.

The clearing agents are accusing the assistant commissioner of massively increasing the evaluation charge.

An agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they will not go back to work until Mr Mufune resigns from his position.

He said the assistant commissioner is accusing the agents of fraud by having two invoices.

The agent wondered why ZRA in Nakonde border was charging less than in Livingstone when the goods being cleared were the same.

“How can a Toyota corolla in Nakonde be charged at K8 million while here it is K12 million? That’s not fair on the part of our clients, “he said.”

And at the Victoria Falls border post, clearing agents were found not working with imports not entering the country.

When contacted for a comment, Mr Mfune said Government had been losing a lot of revenue through fraudulent activities of the clearing agents, saying about K 16 billion had been lost from January 2012 to date.

Mr Mfune said it was very difficult to know the bases of the protest and that the clearing agents had been forging their entries and that the ZRA system had proved the forgery.

“Government is losing K16,574,012,688.56 through the devaluing of the goods that they are clearing at the ZRA port office,” he said.

ZANIS

Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda today moved a motion in Parliament to constitute the Public Accounts Committee for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

The Finance Minister presented to the Speaker of National Assembly nine names of Members of Parliament who he believes will dedicatedly discharge their duties as Public Accounts Committee Members.

Mr Chikwanda nominated Chipangali MP, Vincent Mwale, Chitambo MP, Malama Mushili, Luena MP, Mulumemui Imenda and Bangueulu MP, Matafwali Chifita.

Others nominated include Chembe MP, Mwansa Mbula Kulima, Kamfinsa MP, Moses Chishimba, Bweengwa MP, Highvie Hamududu, Bangweulu MP, Matafwali Chifita, Lubasenshi MP, Patrick Mucheleka and Mwembeshi MP, Milambo Austin.

Mr Chikwanda said the constituting of the public accounts committee is in line with the Patriotic Front Government commitment during the First Session of the National Assembly that it will not condone abuse of public resources and corruption in the country.

He stated that the PF Government remains committed to improving the lives of many Zambians in the country, adding that Government will ensure that Public Funds are accounted to the satisfaction of all Zambians.

Mr Chikwanda thanked the previous Public Accounts Committee for their dedicated service in ensuring that there is prudent accountability of Public resources.

He also said Government has embarked on capacity building and orientation programmes at top management levels of the public service, especially among controlling officers.

And the Finance Minister further revealed that Government has embarked on various reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency in the collection of Non-Tax Revenue, reduction in abuse and misappropriation of public funds.

Mr Chikwanda also revealed that Government has approved Policy changes in the management of imprest, adding that this is aimed at eliminating abuse of imprest by public officers.

ZANIS