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Zambia has raised the price of electricity for mining companies by 30 percent.
ZESCO and the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) have announced today in a move that will spike costs for the key sector in Africa’s leading copper producer.
CCEC and state-owned Zesco Ltd. said in a joint statement that the price hike would be backdated to take effect from January 2011.
The statement said the higher cost would provide the funding necessary to build new plants and invest in distribution infrastructure.
Frederick Bantubonse, the general manager of the Chamber of Mines of Zambia, an industry body which represents foreign mining companies said the higher cost of electricity would affect profitability.
Bantubonse said electricity is an important input for mining and any cost increase affects operations and profitability.
Neil Croucher, the managing director for operations at CEC told Reuters last month that the price increase would affect London-listed Vedanta Resources, Glencore International AG of Switzerland, Metorex of South Africa and Brazil’s Vale.
First Quantum has a separate agreement with Zesco and already pays more for power than the other miners.
Mining companies have been enjoying high copper prices on the international market with prices of the red metal hovering around US$9,000 since last year.
About 51 percent of the country’s population reflects a strong result of women that would want to vote in the coming general elections.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Kanni Wignaraja says this is critical because no country moves forward without the voice and active participation of women.
Ms. Wignaraja described the role women play as that of the transformational factor adding that their empowerment is the most powerful indication for any country’s development.
ZANIS reports that Ms. Wignaraja was speaking in Lusaka today during the Lusaka Women Peace Building Forum hosted by Northmead Assembly of God Church.
The forum was the second to be hosted by Northmead Assembly of God Church in partnership with Patriots Worldwide.
Meanwhile, Ms Wignaraja has urged Zambian citizens to focus their concentration on achieving the Millennium Development Goals and maintaining peace and tolerance as opposed to issues that have no impact on national development.
And Assembly of God Senior Pastor and Overseer Bishop Joshua Banda urged the Zambian women not to engage in indecent political acts of any nature but to exercise their statistical strengths to determine who gets into power as President, National Assembly and Local Councils.
PRESIDENT Banda has trashed allegations that he was involved in the US$98 million deal between Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) for the rehabilitation and upgrading of Society House.
Mr Banda told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that he had nothing to do with the deal.
He said as head of State, he is briefed before parastatals embark on such big projects but he has no role to play in tender processes because Zambia has procedures on public procurement.
“I don’t do things that way. In this country we have procedures but of course people say a lot of things.
And when I look at a project and approve it, the rest is up to the technocrats,” Mr Banda said.
He said this at Lusaka International Airport on arrival from Turkey where he had gone to attend the United Nations conference on least developed countries (LDCs).
Mr Banda said as head of State, he neither participates in nor interferes with tender procedures.
“I don’t participate in tender procedures. It is illegal for anyone to interfere with tender procedures just as it is illegal to interfere with the judiciary and Parliament. It is not right. You know this is life and somebody has to be accused,” he said.
Mr Banda said he saw the initial story carried by The Post and response from both ZNBS and NAPSA. He said what the two parastatals have said on the matter is the correct position.
Early this week, The Post alleged that the President was involved in awarding a US$ 98 million tender for the rehabilitation of society house to a Kenyan firm without following tender procedures.
But ZNBS and NAPSA dismissed the allegation and produced a copy of the advertisement for the tender.
The advertisement, issued by the Zambia Public Procurement Authority in the Zambia Daily Mail edition dated August 11, 2010, called for tender applications from interested parties.
Mazabuka District heath director Siyumbwa Kunda has said the recently-launched mobile hospitals in the province would enhance health care delivery and would benefit about 50,000 people in the district.
And Dr Siyumbwa has said the upgrading of Mazabuka District Hospital to a general hospital would start soon.
Dr Siyumbwa said in Mazabuka yesterday that the mobile hospitals would enhance health care delivery for the people in the district, especially in the outlying areas.
“The total population of Mazabuka is about 288,000 and it is estimated that about 50,000 people will benefit from the services of the mobile hospitals in the district.
“Because of the mobile hospitals, we shall also provide specialist treatment to people in the outlying areas of the district,” she said.
She said the mobile hospitals would enhance health care service delivery in the district and more so in areas where there were no health centres.
Dr Siyumbwa also said the upgrading of the district hospital into a general hospital would start soon.
She said the Government had already planned for the upgrading and that it was one of the projects that had been included in the Sixth National Development Plan.
Meanwhile, Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka has said the mobile hospitals would be beneficial to the people in his chiefdom.
He said in an interview at his palace yesterday that the decision by the Government to procure the mobile hospitals would greatly benefit Zambians, especially those in rural areas.
“Clinics and health centres are distantly placed and therefore these mobile hospitals are very good. For us in rural areas we are happy because this is something that will benefit us,” he said.
Marvin Mwiinga, a peasant farmer in Chief Mwanachingwala’s area said the concept of mobile hospitals was good and welcome.
“We have to walk long distances just to get health care but now we hear these hospitals will be coming to our villages, which is a good thing for us.
“People have been dying before getting to a clinic and we believe that with these mobile hospitals it will be a thing of the past,” he said.
Juliet Mainga of Magoye said the Government had done well to consider the people in rural areas by procuring the mobile hospitals.
[ Times of Zambia ]
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has proved that he will be a danger to national security if entrusted with power to run the country going by his failure to uphold confidentiality in his own party.
Lusaka Province MMD task force spokesperson Chiwele Maimisa said it was not surprising that Mr Sata had been discovered by his own central committee members to cause confusion in the opposition party because the PF leader did the same way back during the days when he served as a constable in the colonial government in which he used to leak information leading to the arrest of Zambians.
And United Party for National Development (UPND) national youth chairperson, Joe Kalusa said Mr Sata was a danger to State security and should not be allowed to become Republican president after admitting that he had been personally leaking sensitive information against rival individuals in the country’s biggest opposition party.
On Wednesday, Mr Sata admitted that he had been leaking confidential information within the party’s central committee, saying he had been doing so to promote transparency.
Mr Sata also said he used to do the same when he was MMD national secretary.
Mr Maimisa said it was pleasing to note that Mr Sata had finally chosen to expose his true character of being a danger to national security and an untrustworthy person by admitting to leaking information which had in the end cracked his party hierarchy.
“It is not surprising that Mr Sata’s tricks have caught up with him because this is the man who used to report to the colonial masters every bit of information when others met to liberate the country.
“Zambians should be extremely careful with this man because the liberation he is talking about now may just mean taking the country back to his colonial masters going by the issues he went to advocate for during his recent trip to the United Kingdom,” he said.
Mr Maimisa said it was true that some PF Members of Parliament were currently disgruntled and were planning to leave the party, especially that Mr Sata did not seem to be set to go to the party national convention.
“In fact some MPs are now planning to petition the PF central committee to elect a person to be floated as a presidential candidate in this year’s elections because they feel Mr Sata is undemocratic and wants to continue imposing himself on the members,” Mr Maimisa said.
And Mr Kalusa said an opposition leader who admits having leaked information that is responsible for causing divisions among his leaders could plunge the country into chaos should he assume State power.
Mr Kalusa said even when UPND and PF ran the pact, Mr Sata leaked sensitive information to a private newspaper, a habit which showed lack of leadership skills. He warned Zambians that the country could degenerate into turmoil against other states should the PF leader become president.
He said Mr Sata should know that he would not become president of Zambia and that the challenge would only be between President Banda and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema.
Mr Kalusa said the weaknesses that had exposed Mr Sata, including his support for homosexuality, should make the PF leader forget about becoming president of this country.
Mr Kalusa also said in his usual dictatorial way of running the party, Mr Sata whose party had failed to hold the national convention, recently appointed Rebby Chanda as PF Copperbelt provincial chairperson despite having been rejected by the PF members who attended the provincial conference in Mufulira, in preference for former Masaiti PF secretary Sturdy Mwale who had since been suspended for challenging Mr Sata’s preferred candidate and tribesman.
POLICE in Chinsali have intercepted a group of Patriotic Front (PF) cadres as they schemed to attack Education Minister Dora Siliya to frustrate her tour of Northern Province where she has been addressing meetings and touring development projects since last week.
Ms Siliya is leading a team of Government and MMD officials to the province and she is today expected in Mpika on a similar mission.
One of the suspects has since been arrested in connection with the scheme and charged with conduct likely to cause the breach of peace.
Police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana confirmed and named the suspect as Smiler Chambwa, 27.
Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister Moses Muteteka, who is part of the delegation, also confirmed the incident in an interview from Chinsali yesterday.
Mr Muteteka said alert police intercepted the group and arrested one PF cadre from the scheming centre at night and he was immediately locked up at Chinsali Police Station.
The group had been discussing plans to attack the minister not knowing that police and other Government officials were listening to the conversation and immediately filed a formal report before Chinsali Police Station.
Confusion started during the day when PF Kasama Central Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba unleashed cadres at the market where Ms Siliya was addressing a meeting and threw stones at the rooftops as some residents bolted.
The cadres were allegedly given beer hours before the meeting started and that followed a series of successful meetings conducted in Kasama, Luwingu and Mporokoso which infuriated Mr Mwamba and organised cadres to follow the minister’s entourage to Chinsali.
Mr Mwamba denied the allegations yesterday, saying he was already popular and had no reason to sponsor cadres to cause harm on Ms Siliya.
Mr Mwamba, who is also PF chairperson for elections, said he did not believe in violence but peaceful campaigns which was the reason he had started campaigning that the whole province votes for PF in this year’s elections.
Mr Muteteka expressed disapproval of PF machinations, especially that the ruling party allowed Mr Sata to address cadres even in areas where the MMD was popular in the spirit of promoting national unity and enhancing democracy.
He said the ideal situation was to allow all political contenders to address the Zambian voters peacefully so that they were given chance to elect leaders from an informed position.
Mr Muteteka, who is also MMD national youth chairperson, said many mistakes had been exposed in the management of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) and cited Chinsali District where a relative of a civic leader collected money to construct a clinic but abused K60 million without digging a foundation.
He said stoning Ms Siliya would not help matters but that the issue would still be investigated and the culprits would be arrested until the resources were accounted for.Mr Muteteka said PF had organised a public rally in Kasama this Sunday to attempt to defuse the impact of Ms Siliya’s campaigns.
He said the Government would not be detracted by the dirty campaign activities by PF but would continue to address the people of Northern Province to make them understand the Government’s vision for Zambia.
Mr Muteteka said if the tour was not undertaken, the Government would not have known that CDF was being shared by relatives of MPs at the expense of service provision to the people.
PF leader Michael Sata
Luapula member of Parliament Peter Machungwa says divisions in the Patriotic Front (PF) are expected because its president, Michael Sata, is not loyal to party members.
Dr Machungwa said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that those who supported MrSata have learnt a lesson and the divisions are likely to continue.
He was commenting on divisions which have rocked the opposition party.
“More members will leave the PF because of the bad leadership exhibited by Mr Sata. He will only remain with people who have accepted to be insulted and shouted at,” he said.
He said Mr Sata’s negative attitude towards his members will cost him in the 2011 elections.
Dr Machungwa said Mr Sata’s dictatorial leadership will force all good members to leave the PF.
And Committee of Citizens (CoC) executive director Gregory Chifire said the divisions in the PF are a sign of Mr Sata’s type of government should he be elected president.
Mr Chifire said Kafulafut amember of Parliament George Mpombo, former works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti and former ambassador to Libya Mbita Chitala have contributed to divisions in the PF.
He said the three individuals and Mr Sata practise ‘politics of lies and fabrications.’
Mr Chifire said Mr Sata is good at using people to advance his cause.
He said Zambians are not ready to vote for Mr Sata because he has never been democratically elected at a party convention.
Mr Chifire said Mr Sata’s support for gay rights will extensively divide the party. He said MrSata has nothing to offer and deliver to the people of Zambia as he lacks leadership qualities.
Mr Chifire urged PF members who are still reluctant to leave PF to do so as MrSata is just wasting their time.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]
Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing Moses Muteteka says the Patriotic Front (PF) in Northern Province has continued to sponsor hooligans who are disturbing MMD meetings at which the ruling party is explaining to the people the projects it has implemented in the area.
Mr. Muteteka said in a telephone interview from Chinsali yesterday the PF is unsettled by what the MMD has done for the people of Northern Province, and has therefore resorted to violence.
He said the reason for that behaviour is that the PF has no issues on which to campaign, and has chosen violence as a way of venting its frustrations on the MMD.
He said on Wednesday night the MMD uncovered a ploy in which some PF youths in Chinsali were strategising on how to disturb the MMD meetings, and threatened Minister of Education Dora Siliya, who is in the same entourage as Mr Muteteka and Minister of Labour and Social Security Austin Liato.
Mr. Muteteka said the youths became unruly, but police managed to apprehend some of them in connection with the violence.
“It is just normal for the PF to appreciate that we have delivered development, but what they are doing is backward type of politics,” he said.
Mr Muteteka said he has also discovered that PF MPs in the province are abusing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) money by engaging their relatives and friends and giving them money for contracts that they are not executing.
He said in one incident, he discovered that a named MP paid a purported contractor K60 million for the construction of a clinic, but the project has been at foundation level for the past seven months. Nothing is happening at the site.
Mr. Muteteka said it is unfortunate that the PF MPs have taken advantage of the huge allocations of CDF, which is supposed to benefit the people in the communities.
But he warned that any contractor who will be discovered to have got CDF money for unexecuted projects will be dealt with accordingly.
And Mr Muteteka has said as MMD youth chairman, he is disappointed with the PF leadership for abusing youths to work against the government, which is working hard to empower young people with survival skills and resources.
He urged the PF to discipline its cadres involved in acts of violence against the MMD.
[ Zambia Daily mail ]
Mwenya Musa (r) and Stephen Lungu (l) at the annual general meeting in Livingstone
THE Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has been challenged to publish the grounds on which the association wanted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to rely on in appealing against the judgment involving former president Frederick Chiluba.
Former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Edward Mumbi has also challenged the association to publish the entire judgment so that members of the public can read and make informed decisions on the acquittal of the former Head of State.
In a letter to LAZ president Musa Mwenye dated May 11, 2011 concerning his statement of May 10, Mr Mumbi said it was surprising that almost two years after the judgment was passed, the association had failed to publish the said judgment from which calls for the resignation of Chalwe Mchenga had emanated.
“Publishing the judgment would have greatly assisted the public make informed decisions on the case of Dr Chiluba.
“In fact, the failure by LAZ to publish the judgment in the case of Dr Chiluba is what has led to unjustified and misguided attacks on Mr Mchenga, magistrate Jones Chinyama and the judiciary,” he said.
Mr Mumbi said LAZ was perceived to be in the forefront of attempting to destroy the credibility of the judiciary and the justice system in Zambia.
“In order to restore the credibility of LAZ and show that the association believes in fairness and justice, I challenge you as LAZ president to ensure the entire judgment in the Chiluba case is published for people to make informed decisions on the acquittal of Dr Chiluba and the reasons or grounds which LAZ expected that the DPP should have relied on in appealing the judgment are published immediately before issuing any further misleading statements,” Mr Mumbi wrote.
He also challenged Mr Mwenye and LAZ to behave differently from uninformed civil society organisations by ensuring it published judgments in which the public may have interest so members of the public could read on their own and appreciate the contents.
President Rupiah Banda says his delegation has held fruitful discussions with the Turkish Government in various sectors that include health, tourism and education.
And the President says he is hopeful that Turkish airlines will begin direct flights into Zambia by October this year.
The President was speaking in an interview with Journalists in Turkey shortly before departure for Zambia Thursday morning.
President Banda says members of his delegation from various sectors of the economy held bilateral talks with their Turkish counterparts.
He is hopeful that the meetings will yield positive results for the two countries.
ZNBC’s Grevazio Zulu reports from Istanbul that the President says a Turkish delegation will soon be visiting Zambia for further discussions.
And the President has described the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries as a success.
He says the delegates have reached consensus and will sign the agreement that will be dubbed the Istanbul declaration.
President Banda was among other World leaders that attended the UN conference on LDC’s.
He was seen off by Foreign affairs minister Kabinga Pande, Tourism Minister Catherine Namugala and German Ambassador to Zambia Jonstone Chizinga.
President Banda addressed the conference where he stressed his Governments commitment to eliminating poverty in Zambia and improving people’s living standards.
The President also presented a keynote address to a high level interactive debate on the theme ‘Harnessing trade for LDCs development and Transformation’.
The presentation highlighted Zambia’s success story in implementing business reforms and integrating measures to boost trade into National development plans.
During his stay in Turkey the President also held bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gull and the World Trade Organisation – WTO Director General Pascal Lamy.
The United Nations Conference on Least Developed countries is held every ten years at which a programme of action is agreed by member countries and corporating partners.
Hundreds of delegates from Governments, private sector, business associations, civil society, and international organizations that include the United Nations system are attending the Conference which closes on Friday.
The conference is set to adopt new measures and strategies after assessing the results of the 10-year action plan for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) which was adopted at the Third Conference on LDCs in Brussels, Belgium, in 2001.
Minister of Finance and National Planing Hon Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane
Zambia is among Least Developed Countries that will face a gradual phasing out of grant aid from donors because of its good economic performance.
Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has told journalists in Turkey that Zambia’s income per person has grown from US $330 to $1 200 in the last ten years.
Dr Musoktwane says the donors are reviewing their position with countries that are posting positive economic results including Zambia.
He says Denmark has already given a three year notice while Holland has also indicated its intention to do the same even though the withdrawal period is yet to be agreed upon.
Dr Musokotwane says the process of phasing out aid dependency will be gradual and will be negotiated from country to country.
[pullquote]Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has told journalists in Turkey that Zambia’s income per person has grown from US $330 to $1 200 in the last ten years.[/pullquote]
He says Zambia should be ready for the move because it can not depend on aid permanently.
Zambia is deemed as one of the country’s that can graduate from the LDC category to the middle income status because of its increased per capita income.
Members of the Least Developed countries must have a per capita income of about 7-hundred and fifty or less but Zambia has per capita income of 1-thousand 2-hundred.
Other factors that make a nation a Least Developed country include high economic vulnerability in relation to population size, diversity of goods exported and instability of exports of goods and services.
Mighty Mufulira Wanderers coach and ex-Zambia defender Harrison “Wawa” Chongo is dead.
Wanderers officials said Wawa, who spent decade at Al Tawun in Saudi Arabia, died Thursday afternoon at Ronald Ross Hospital in Mufulira where he had been admitted since Wednesday afternoon for High Blood Pressure.
Wawa was a veteran of four Africa Cup finals in which he won a silver medal in 1994 and a bronze in 1996.
Chongo was admitted to Ronald Ross after feeling unwell at half-time during Wanderers’ Division 1 North Week 9 home match against Prison Leopards.
Wanderers won the game 1-0, a score line Mighty enjoyed going into halftime.
The former Zambia defender felt unwell in the dressing room and was taken to Ronald Ross where his initial condition was said to be stable.
Wawa has been coach at Wanderers since last season.
Chongo enjoyed a flying start to this year’s Division 1 North campaign in which Mighty are unbeaten from their opening eight games as the legendary cup winners began their push for their first top-flight return since 2005.
Wawa is the second member of a Wanderers bench to die in the last two years after assistant coach and former team mate at Mighty Abraham Lungu died on May 22, 2009 in Kitwe.
The Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) in partnership with other stakeholders has called for the immediate eradication of corporal punishment on children in society.
And the Human Rights Commission says corporal punishment on children and adults undermines the enhancement of citizens’ rights to effectively participate in the political and socio-economic development of any given society.
ZANIS reports that ZCEA chairperson Judith Mulenga says there is need for parents and guardians to use other alternative and effective ways of disciplining their erring children rather than applying corporal punishment.
Ms. Mulenga was speaking during the official launch of a Civic Education Campaign on ending corporal punishment and poster exhibition dubbed “Corporal Punishment Free Zone” at Alliance Francaise in Lusaka yesterday.
She implored society to stop applying corporal punishment and other violent forms of discipline on children saying the trend has a negative impact of the growth of the children.
And speaking at the same function, Human Rights Commission Executive Director Enoch Mulembe said corporal punishment is a human rights issue as it violates the protection of human rights, dignity and integrity.
Mr. Mulembe said studies have shown that children that are physically and emotionally abused cannot achieve their full potential thereby failing to contribute effectively to national development.
He stressed that studies have further shown that people who once experienced severe abuse when they were young are more prone to violent behaviour, even against their own children.
Earlier, Zambia Police Victim Support Unit (VSU) National Coordinator, Tresphord Kasale said children have continued to be killed and maimed by parents and guardians in the name of instilling discipline.
Mr. Kasale said there was need for intensified sensitization among proponent of corporal punishment to stop the vice as punitive measures that government have put in place to act as deterrent were less effective.
The Danish government has denied accusations that Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata was soliciting for funds from that country in return for Zambia’s recognition of gay rights once the PF forms government.
Danish Ambassador to Zambia Thomas Schjerbeck has denied the assertions describing them as false and should not be believed.
In an interview with QFM-Radio this morning, Mr. Schjerbeck has challenged those accusing the Danish government of holding talks with Mr. Sata on the gay rights to prove their allegations.
He has stated that it is wrong for the media and people to speculate that the Patriotic Front leader was soliciting for funds from gay supporting countries in exchange for the recognition of gay rights in Zambia once the PF forms government.
Mr Scjerbeck adds that the interview that the Danish media had with Mr. Sata was a private matter that has nothing to with Danish government.
He further says that the rumors and accusations are based on a false foundation.
Mr. Sata has recently come under attack from some organizations for allegedly soliciting for funds from donor countries in exchange for the recognition of gay rights in Zambia if he became President.
