Electoral Commission of Zambia Director Priscilla Isaacs said political parties were free to conduct
their campaigns despite the ECZ not having given a go ahead to the exercise as long as they did not violet the Constitution and the Penal Code.

Mrs. Isaacs stated that this was an election year and that the Commission could not stop people from campaigning as long as they were cleared by the Zambia Police Service. Speaking during the ZNBC programme dubbed National Watch yesterday

She explained that people have the right of assembly under the Zambian constitution as long as their assembly did not cause conduct likely to breach the law.

Meanwhile, Mrs Isaacs has called on all registered voters in the country to turn up in large numbers and vote during this year’s elections.

Mrs. Isaacs said people should exercise their right to vote in order to choose a leader of their choice. ZANIS reports that she said people should not exhibit apathy in voting because doing so would not help the country in any way.

And Mrs. Isaacs said the electoral body would only allow two election agencies per polling station in this year’s elections.

She explained that only one election agency would be allowed inside the polling station on the polling day adding that the two agencies would carryout the work to reduce congestion.

Mrs. Isaacs explained that this would also apply to election monitors from various political parties contesting in this year’s elections.

The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) has dispelled remarks from some sections of society that the recently launched solar geyser installation programme was politically driven and  not aimed at benefiting the majority of Zambians.

ZESCO Public relations Manager André Makulu told ZANIS in an interview today that such remarks were disparaging and retrogressive to ZESCO and all well-meaning Zambians.

Mr.Makulu stated that people making such comments were merely speculating and did not understand the origins of the programme, adding that there was need for people to recognise that the programme was part of a five- year plan that ZESCO was fulfilling.

He said that the programme dates back to as far as 2007 but the power utility could not embark on it due to financial constraints and other matters that required attention.

Mr. Makulu advised Zambians to instead dwell on positives of the programme and desist from engaging in unnecessary criticisms.

“There is no need for politicking this issue because ZESCO wants to ensure that Zambia just like any other country in the world reduces on carbon emissions” Mr. Makulu said.

Mr.Makulu explained that the programme was applicable to all Zambian households who were ZESCO customers with readily available pipe water connected to their homes to sustain the geysers.

“The programme works on an exchange basis principle” Mr. Makulu added. He urged all Zambians to support the programme and take time to learn about it and its benefits.

ZANIS

Government says Zambia has recorded a decline in malaria cases by over 60%.

Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao said this has surpassed the set Abuja and Roll Back Malaria (RBM) targets of reducing malaria illnesses and deaths by 50% by 2010.

Mr. Simbao disclosed this when he officially opened a three-day Parliamentary Forum on Malaria for East and Southern Africa at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) in Lusaka today.

The theme for the forum is “Achieving near Zero Malaria deaths by 2015 through the framework of the Abuja Plan Action.

Mr. Simbao said there is need for a strong political will, leadership, increased financial resources,strengthened and well coordinated partnership if success has to be recorded in the decline of Malaria cases.

The Health Minister said with evidence based strategies, Zambia and other countries represented at the Parliamentary Forum have greatly reduced both illness and deaths resulting from malaria adding that the resolve now should be to attain the goal of Near Zero Malaria by 2015.

Mr. Simbao recognised the vital contributions of all partners who include multi and bilateral organisations, Civil Society, research organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) among others in fighting malaria.

At the same occasion, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mutale Nalumango said the Zambian Parliament is aware of the devastating impact of malaria on development of the nation.

Mrs. Nalumango said it is in view of this that in 2005, the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare undertook a etailed study in attaining the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly noted that in their study,the committee focused on prevention and case management of malaria in the country.

Mrs. Nalumango also pointed out that the committee conceded that malaria was endemic throughout Zambia and that it was a major public health problem.

And Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Executive Director Awa Marie Coll-Seck said malaria is a complex disease that requires multi sectoral response.

Professor Coll-Seck said the success to win the fight against malaria requires the ability for all to work together across Africa.

A Human Rights advocacy Organization has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to re-start the Voter Verification exercise that expires today.

Hope for human Rights and Justice Executive Director Smart Chanda says the exercise should be extended to ensure that more registered voters are captured.

Mr. Chanda has also expressed disappointed at the anomalies discovered during the verification process so far with regards to people’s particulars.

He says an extension of the verification exercise is inevitable if the majority of the Zambians are to exercise their right to vote in this year’s elections.

Mr. Chanda has also expressed sadness at the recorded low turnout of people to verify their details in the voters’ register.

ECZ Director Pricilla Isaacs has maintained that the country’s electoral body will not extend the voter verification exercise adding that doing so will delay the certification of the final register which is expected to be done by July 31st.
[ QFM ]

VATICAN Ambassador to Zambia Apostolic Nuncio Nicola Girasoli has said the Catholic Church will not support the Patriotic Front (PF) in this year’s elections as it will remain non-partisan and work with the Government of the day.

Ambassador Girasoli said the Catholic Church would not endorse any candidate butt it would be up to individual Church members to choose whoever they wanted to support.

Ambassador Girassoli said after the occasion to mark the blessing and launch of Saint Lawrence Catholic Church in Kamwala South that the Government and the Catholic Church were partners and had been implementing several development projects together.

He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that insinuations by some sectors of society that the pastoral letter read out in Catholic churches on June 5 this year was meant to campaign for PF leader Michael Sata were unfounded.

Ambassador Girasoli said people should be careful to separate individual comments and the official position of the Church on political issues.??He said that the official position of the Catholic Church was to allow individual members to make free choices on who they wanted to elect.

He said the Catholic Church would remain committed to providing its services to the Zambian people through implementation of different projects in education, health and other sectors.

He urged Zambians to embrace the ‘One Zambia One Nation’ slogan as the country heads towards the elections, saying people should always remain untied and peaceful.

[ Times of Zambia ]

FIRST Quantum Minerals Limited (FQM) says it intends to list its Zambian depository receipts on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE) by the end of July.

Depository receipt is a negotiable financial instrument issued by a bank to represent a foreign company’s publicly traded securities. The depository receipt trades on a local stock exchange. It makes it easier to buy shares in foreign companies because the shares of the company do not have to leave the home state.

“First Quantum Minerals Limited, a global mining and metals company, is proud to announce its intention to list its Zambian depository receipts on the Lusaka Stock Exchange by July 2011,” the company said in a statement availed to the Mail yesterday.

“The listing is in recognition that Zambians are important stakeholders of First Quantum and creates another way for Zambians to identify with and participate in the growth of the company,” the statement read.

The statement says the company’s depository receipts have since been registered under the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible listing on the local bourse.

First Quantum’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange. With this move, First Quantum becomes the first mining company to list on the LuSE.

The company, which owns 80 percent of Kansanshi mine in Solwezi in the North-Western Province, says the depository receipts will be listed on the local bourse and can be purchased only through Zambian stockbrokers by institutional and retail investors in Zambia.

“The depository receipts have been registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia, and are expected to be listed on the LuSE and traded freely, like any other security listed on that exchange,” the statement added.

It says each depository receipt will represent a certain fraction of a common share of the company which will be determined prior to the listing.

The statement says the common shares underlying the depository receipts rank paripassu (on equal footing) with all other common shares of the company.

Renaissance Capital is acting as sole sponsoring broker of the listing, while the Bank of New York Mellon will act as depository in relation to the receipts.

It says First Quantum will carry out investor road shows in Zambia to engage with targeted audiences in a build-up to the listing.

The company says any potential investors are advised to exercise caution in relation to the listing and are advised to consult with their stockbroker, financial or legal advisor or other professional advisor before investing in the depository receipts.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd is a growing mining and metals company currently operating two mines and developing five projects worldwide.

The company currently produces London Metal Exchange grade “A” copper cathode, copper in concentrate, gold and sulphuric acid and is on track to become a significant nickel producer in 2012.

First Quantum’s current operations are the flag carrier Kansanshi Copper-Gold mine in Zambia and the Guelb Moghrein Copper-Gold mine in Mauritania.

[Zambia Daily Mail]