President Rupiah Banda has said this year’s general elections will be held before September.
President Banda also says the MMD and his expectations in the general elections are to win by a big margin.
According to the Reuters reports monitored in Lusaka, Mr Banda has not given a date for the polls but he says they are coming soon, however, indicating they would take place before September.
President Banda has also said that the MMD will score an easy victory this year in a general election.
Faz announced on Wednesday that the 2011 league season kicks off next weekend.
The Super Division will kick-off on March 19 while Division 1 will commence the following day.
Division 2 football will kick-off the following weekend on March 27.
RANGERS LOSE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Nchanga Rangers on Wednesday morning lost 1-0 to South Africa National First Division team Amatuks in a friendly game played in Pretoria.
Dennis Omino struck in the 68th minute to score the games’ lone goal to confine Rangers to their first defeat after two warm-up games played of their two-week pre-season training camp of South Africa.
The loss came 24 hours after Rangers beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 at Johannesburg Stadium.
ZAMBIA TRAINING CAMP
The Zambia national team goes into camp in South Africa on March 20 to prepare for their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group c qualifier against Mozambique on March 27 in Maputo.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Under-23 team’s Olympic preliminary round first leg qualifier against Rwanda will also be played on March 27 at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
And finally, Zambia has moved up from an all-time-low on the Fifa/Coca Cola rankings shifting from101 posted on February 2 to 97th on March 9 thanks to Zambia’s 4-0 win over Swaziland on February 9 in a friendly game in Manzini.
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has charged that only desperate people with ill motives can be against a transparent system such as the Parallel Voter Tabulation system.
TIZ Executive Director Goodwell Lungu in a statement released to QFM today said it is extremely worrying that a wrong picture is being painted that a Parallel Voter Tabulation system in Zambia is illegal and can cause confusion, when the MMD used the same system during the 2008 presidential elections when it projected that president Rupiah Banda would win by 62,000 votes.
Mr Lungu said as far as TIZ is concerned the the system provided adequate checks,balances and promoted transparency ,and challenged Zambians not to allow a few selfish people to shoot down a tool that provides opportunities for greater transparency in the electoral process.
He added that it is not enough for Zambians to cast their vote, but that they should protect their vote and ensure that their choice is protected.
Mr Lungu has since declared that Transparency International Zambia is seriously considering looking at the possibility of undertaking a Parallel Voter Tabulation Exercise.
He added that they have already scheduled activities to train and deploy election monitors in most of the polling stations in Zambia and that working together with other CSOs, they intend to place monitors in all polling stations.
He further stated that they will consider the option of conducting a PVT to complement the work of the election monitors.
Mr Lungu challenged the Electoral Commission of Zambia to tell the nation which law disqualifies citizens from adding up declared results by presiding officers to compare with officially announced results.
He noted that the Electoral Code of Conduct, Statutory Instrument No.90 of 2006, the Electoral Regulations of 2006, Regulation 14 already provides for media to disclose election results.
QFM
Former Nchanga Member of Parliament Charles Chimumbwa has called on UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to convince his party to join the MMD.
He said that if Mr. Hichilema hopes to become President one day he needs to partner and work with the able leadership of President Rupiah Banda.
Mr.Chimumbwa has also called on Home Affairs Minister Mhkondo Lungu to summon Colonel Panji Kaunda to explain his statements on violence in the forth coming elections.
Mr. Chimumbwa said there is need for a commission of inquiry to probe Col. Kaunda’s sentiments on violence.
He said this in a statement to ZNBC news in Lusaka.
Mr.Chimumbwa said Colonel Kaunda will be held responsible should there be violence in the country during and after the elections.
[ZNBC]
Vice-president and minister of Justice George Kunda says government is in the process of setting up a campus for the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education -ZIALE
Mr Kunda said the move aims at absorbing the anticipated increase in the number of law graduates seeking professional training.
He explained that several private universities have set up law schools resulting in an increased number of law graduate schools in the country.
Mr Kunda said preliminary works on the establishment of the campus have started.
He was speaking at the official opening of the symposium for ZIALE in Lusaka.
The Vice-president also said that government will soon govern the accreditation of law schools.
And the chairperson at the board of the examiners at ZIALE, Justice Lombe Chibesakunda said the board is deeply concerned with the poor results at the institution.
Justice Chibesakunda explained that over the past five years the results have been very poor and below expectations.
She said in 2006, only 8 law students passed the exams out of 116 that enrolled.
And ZIALE director, Palan Mulonda said the institution will support government’s effort in advancing legal education in the country.
Earlier, chairperson of ZIALE council and Attorney General Abyudy Shonga said a collective intervention is key to dealing with the law pass rate at ZIALE.
The three-day symposium aims at reviewing the curriculum for law students to align it to modern trends.
[ZNBC]
President Rupiah Banda has ordered the release of 574 prisoners country-wide.
President Banda has further ordered that the persons be released from custody immediately.
President Banda has released the prisoners according to the powers vested in the President under article 59 D of the constitution of Zambia.
Their release is however on conditions that during the period up to the respective dates when they were supposed to have completed serving their sentences, they do not commit offences similar to those for which they are convicted.
This is according to the statement released by Home Affairs Minister Mhkondo Lungu to ZNBC news in Lusaka on Wednesday.
Mr. Lungu said that, “the President BANDA hopes that the released prisoners will be received well in society, and be accorded an opportunity to re-integrate and be law abiding citizens”.
[ZNBC]
The MMD secretariat says it has not received the original exculpatory letter written by its suspended senior member Mike Mulongoti.
MMD Acting National Secretary Chembe Nyangu said the MMD secretariat has only received a photocopy of Mr. Mulongoti’ss exculpatory letter.
Mr Nyangu told a media briefing that the secretariat suspects that Mr. Mulongoti could have given the exculpatory letter to the Post newspaper.
He explained that the MMD secretariat will not act on photocopied letters and is currently consulting its legal department on how to proceed on the matter.
Mr Nyangu has advised Mr Mulongoti whom he said is a senior party member to follow the correct channels of communication, when aggrieved.
He explained that it is wrong for Mr Mulongoti to attack the party through the media.
Mr Nyangu said Mr Mulongoti,Katuba MP Jonas Shakafuswa and Kafulafuta MP George Mpombo are not eligible to attend the forth coming MMD national convention next month.
He said this is because the trio are not in good standing with the party.
[ZNBC]
By Lubinda Mwipihi
The accounting code of ethics consists of the four important qualities namely: Confidentiality, Integrity, Competence and Objectivity. Accounting professionals undertake to adhere to this code of ethics defined by accounting boards.
Accountants at some point in their career will find themselves having to make a decision whether their situation is ethical or not. Ethics are an important aspect of an accountant’s job. As an accountant, one has the duty of care to their customers. In this, the accountant should demonstrate competence and apply confidentiality, integrity, and credibility to their work. Competence is where one shows a high level of professionalism as well as developing the knowledge and skills needed from an accountant.
Confidentiality is when one as an accountant keeps clientele information confidential, unless authorized or legally required to release such information. The Accountant’s ability to communicate with their associates in a manner that avoids any conflict of interest is called integrity. Lastly, credibility is the manner through which the Accountant communicates reasonably and objectively.[pullquote]Do we need a calculator to know that low sales value of copper to the mother company is tax avoidance?[/pullquote]
If trying to resolve an ethical issue, an employee must understand their firm’s business and strategies. If you feel that you may be at risk of violating your ethics then you should contact your personal attorney. This is because your personal attorney can advise you as to what is best for you to do in a particular situation. They will also have your best interest, and if you feel as though you cannot continue to work for your firm any longer then you should give your firm your notice and leave. At times if the situation is pressing and concerns you then this may be your best bet.
Coming from that background of Accountancy – It’s hard to comprehend how Accountants at Moponi Mines could not show professional ethics in their work. The 2008 and pre-audit reports are a slap in their face. The matter is compounded further in the recent independent reconciliation which revealed an absolute discrepancy of K247 billion between what mining companies paid and what the government received in 2008 confirmed the high level of revenue leakage the country was suffering in the mining sector. We need controls to tighten the built.
Their conduct leaves many questions unanswered such as: Are they afraid of losing their jobs? Are they holding these jobs as political appointments? Are these Accountants ones who join the career for money? Etc. Only God knows. Mopani qualified Accountants have proved that they don’t have professionalism, accountability, integrity, honesty, no commitment & dedication to duty & lack competence. Mopani’s failure to address the real issues raised in the audit is another credibility failure. Do we need a calculator to know that low sales value of copper to the mother company is tax avoidance? Does a qualified accountant not know that Tax avoidance is breaking the law? What more do we need to save the nation if accountants cannot show professional ethics?
To deprive poor people of such huge monies is what need to be explained. Zambians still needed clarity from GRZ on why it decided to maintain a lower tax rate compared to the average 47 per cent rate in the southern region. The issue of the windfall tax is now immaterial and the government should adopt a preferred system that would still maximize revenue collection from the country’s core natural resource. The Minister of Finance announced in Parliament that they are providing a long-term fiscal regime to the mining companies of 10 years. After 10 years, they would have ripped the super profits and introduce another investor to continue with the business. Copper is ought to be the main source of greater government income than borrowing as proposed by the Minister. The tax regime in Zambia is very porous. It must be tightened up so that government can collect Taxes across board. It is a fallacy for Government to record GDP growth when copper is not bringing income.
“Ethics in its broader sense, deals with human conduct in relation to what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. It is the application of values to decision making. These values include honesty, fairness, responsibility, respect and compassion.” said Rushworth Kidder (President, Institute for Global Ethic).
Zambia have returned to the top 100 of the Fifa world rankings thanks to a 4-0 victory over Swaziland.
Their progress is at the expense of Niger (104th, down 8 places), who were defeated 3-0 by Morocco.
As expected, there are no significant moves by African teams in the latest world rankings.
Ghana’s Black Stars are the only African side in the world’s top 20, ranked at number 16.
They are followed by Ivory Coast (25), Egypt (35) and Nigeria (39).
South Africa continue to make steady progress, moving up to number 46 – their highest position since October 2005.
World Cup champions Spain remain top of the monthly rankings while Argentina rise above Brazil to become South America’s top dogs.
Spain lead an unchanged all-European top three from the Netherlands and Germany.
Argentina are up one place at number four and Brazil slip to fifth place.
Argentina have been rewarded for a 2-1 victory over Portugal in a friendly, while Brazil lost 1-0 to France.
[BBC sport]
President Rupiah Banda has said that the country cannot afford to ignore women and girls who account for more than half of the population in its quest to attain development.
He said Zambia needs more scientists, technologists and mathematicians to be able to position herself properly globally as well as to consistently address issues regarding national development from a scientific and technological perceptive.
Mr Banda said in a speech read on his behalf by Vice-President George Kunda that participation of women in science and technology was not only a right but a prerequisite for achieving the Vision 2030 and internationally agreed development goals.
The president was speaking during the commemoration of the 2011 international women’s day at the Lusaka show grounds under the theme, ’Equal Access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women.’
Mr Banda said the Ministry of Education had embarked on a countrywide programme to build technical schools for girls in each province to enable them enter the world of science and technology.
The president said to address the challenges that the women and girls faced in the education system during the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) period there was a significant increase in access to education which led to increase in construction and rehabilitation of education infrastructure coupled with the recruitment of teachers.
“This resulted in an increase in pupil school enrolment from 2.9 million in 2005 to 3.6 million in 2009. Our efforts to ensure equal access to education are bearing fruit as we have witnessed an improvement in the Gender Parity Index (GPI) from 0.95 in 2005 to 0.99 in 2009 at primary level,” he said.
Mr Banda said this was in line with Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number two on achieving primary education[pullquote].Ministry of Education permanent secretary Andrew Phiri also disclosed in an interview in Lusaka that government plans to build 37 day high schools and recruit over 7,000 teachers this year[/pullquote]
He added that equal Gender parity index has improved at high school level from 0.81 to 0.87 during the same period.
He President was also happy that the Gender in Development Division has already embarked on a programme to empower grassroot women across the country with skills and financial support through grants as well as providing agro technologies such as drip irrigation, treadle pumps and hammermills in all the 150 constituencies across the country.
“This is the clear demonstration of the interpretation of the theme in that we are promoting appropriate skills, science and technology at the level where most of our women operate. This is part of the promise that my Government pledged to fulfill by taking development to all corners of Zambia,” he said.
Ministry of Education permanent secretary Andrew Phiri also disclosed in an interview in Lusaka that government plans to build 37 day high schools and recruit over 7,000 teachers this year.
“As a ministry, and as a government under the able leadership of President Banda, we are focused on the development of the country. We are taking school infrastructure everywhere where our people live because we understand that an educated society plays an important role in the development of the country,” he said.
Gender and Women in Development Minister Sarah Sayifwanda who was overwhelmed with the level of participation for this years Women’s Day commemoration, said that women would continue supporting Government for empowering them with skills and tools to make their lives better as well as allowing them to contribute to national development.
US Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella announced at the same function that his Government would next year offer 16,000 academic scholarships to orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia of which 60 percent of these scholarships are for young women.
And the United Nations (UN) acting resident coordinator Iyorlumun Uhaa said empowering women remains at the heart of the organisation to build their capacity and ensure that their voices are heard.
“Therefore, education in science, technology and mathematics should be given proper attention if meaningful development was to be attained especially in view of the positive impact that technologies such as mobile phones are having on society across the country,” Mr Banda said.
He said at this level, a country needed a systematic approach to education and training in order to harness technology such as information communication technology (ICT) in all spheres of development.
Finance and National Planning minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said that the late president Levy Mwanawasa may have changed his stance on the windfall tax. Dr. Musokotwane said that it is wrong to state that he changed his mind on the windfall tax, when he was the economic adviser to the late president.
He said that even under the late president, he had his opinion, ruling out the possibility of entirely supporting the windfall tax. He said that he has since maintained that the windfall tax was wrong, describing it as an illusion.
He said that whether Zambians like it or not, the windfall tax was very wrong to the Zambian mining sector. Dr. Musokotwane stated that the sooner Zambians realize that it is a wrong initiative to collect tax, the better. He said that it is government’s responsibility to ensure that they collect enough tax from the mine companies.
And Dr. Musokotwane has announced that beginning next year, the mining companies will be paying more tax. He said that the mining revenues will increase, from the initiatives that the government is putting in place.
QFM
Acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu said in an interview in Lusaka on March 8 Bishop Duffy’s allegations that Government has done nothing for the people of Western Province are unfounded.
He said Bishop Duffy’s statement has shown how ignorant he is on development taking place in Western Province.
Mr Nyangu was reacting to Bishop Duffy’s remarks in The Post newspaper of March 8 that the people of Western Province must vote the ruling MMD out because of the alleged high poverty levels and underdevelopment in the area.
Mr Nyangu described Bishop Duffy’s remarks as unfortunate because Government has not neglected the people of Western Province, and it is doing everything possible to raise their living standards.
“We, as a party which was formed or founded on the principles of democracy, feel offended and wish to register our deepest disappointment with the statement attributed to Bishop Duffy in The Post that the MMD should be voted out because it has failed to take development to Western Province.
“Fr Duffy’s remarks are very dangerous because he is inciting the people of Western Province to rise against this democratically elected Government,” he said.
Mr Nyangu said it is absurd that some Church leaders have continued to incite Zambians to rise against a democratically elected government instead of preaching peace and unity in the country in line with their calling of promoting unity and reconciliation.
He said it is sad that Bishop Duffy has decided to be an enemy of the MMD government instead of appreciating the efforts that the party is putting in to promote peace and reconciliation with the church and among the Zambian people.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
GOVERNMENT has warned that individuals or members of civil society organisations who will try to carry out parallel vote tabulation in this year’s tripartite elections will be arrested and prosecuted.
Chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said there is no law in the country that allows an individual or organisation to conduct parallel vote tabulation.
He said any individual or group of people that will go against the law during the elections will face arrest.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said the Electoral Commission of Zambia is the only institution mandated by law to announce results during elections.
“The only institution that has the mandate and authority over all elections in Zambia is the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
“So, civil society organisations have no right to do so as there is no such law in our Constitution,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha was speaking in an interview on March 8 in reaction to pronouncements by the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) and other civil society organisations that they will apply parallel vote tabulation during the elections.
It also caused unrest in 2001 when the United Party for National Development members and supporters took to the streets to celebrate the party’s then president Anderson Mazoka’s unofficially announced victory in that year’s presidential election.
The official results showed that Mr Mazoka’s rival Levy Mwanawasa was the winner.
But Gen Shikapwasha said Government will not tolerate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that want to fuel violence in the country.
He also said the parallel vote tabulation has proved to be a recipe for violence in countries where it has been applied.
“Just in Zimbabwe, there was confusion during the elections because some NGOs applied parallel vote tabulation, and so at the end of the day, there was confusion after the electoral body announced the official results.
“And if you also remember during the 2001 general elections, violence almost broke out in this country because the European Union and other NGOs applied the parallel vote tabulation and had announced that late UPND president, Anderson Mazoka, had won the elections when in fact it was late President Mwanawasa. So, people should desist from activities that can cause civil war in this country,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha said it is also surprising that United States Ambassador Mark Storella is in support of the system when it does not exist in his own country.
“This system does not apply in America or any other country that I’m aware of. So, it is disappointing the ambassador can be in support of such a system.
“Let all those that have intentions of sponsoring NGOs to apply the parallel vote tabulation instead direct those funds to the Electoral Commission of Zambia so that we can strengthen this institution,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
Mr Storella was quoted by the media at the weekend as saying there is nothing wrong with the parallel system.
But Gen Shikapwasha said NGOs that want to implement the system have intentions of rigging elections.
“These institutions just want to cause confusion in this country because they want to come up with their own results and dispute official results of the Electoral Commission of Zambia,” he said.
The ECZ last week rejected the parallel vote tabulation, stating that it would cause confusion in the management of elections in the country.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Reuters reports that President Rupiah Banda expects the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) to score an easy victory in this year elections which he said will be coming in a matter of months.
Speaking today in Johannesburg at the Reuters Africa Investment Summit, President Banda said that he hoped to win with an even larger margin.
“I expect to win. My wish and my hope is that we win with a larger margin than what happened the last time when I stood as president,” he said.
President Banda would not give a date for the poll but said it was coming soon, indicating it would take place before September.
He described the PF-UPND pact as a concern, but said his administration’s economic record, with last year’s growth rate of 7 percent, and should be the same this year, should see him through comfortably to a second term. “We should come out with a bigger majority,” he said.
Mr Banda also said that, this year, he expected the economy to grow a rate of between 7.1% and 7.5%. “7.1 percent is what we are hoping to get and we are hoping it could go up a little bit more,” he said. “7.1 to 7.5 percent is what we are hoping for.”
With a B+ credit rating obtained from Fitch last week, Mr Banda said Zambia would proceed with a $500 million global bond before elections due by September. The proceeds of the bond would be earmarked for infrastructure, in particular transport, power and housing.
“We need the money now to continue developing our infrastructure. Our economy is growing and is going to need good roads,” he said. “We are going to need to fix electricity,”
Mr. Banda also said the government would focus on diversifying the economy, which remains heavily reliant on copper mining, and growing industries such as agriculture and tourism.
[pullquote]”The issue of windfall tax is a major issue. Everybody is talking about it in the country. The opposition are hoping to use it as a major tool against me but I think we will be able to explain it to the people,” he said.[/pullquote]
The President also said that Zambia is seeking to encourage foreign investment in land, in particular for biofuels to offset its heavy fuel import bill, although he said that he was aware of the pitfalls and would ensure that land was “not given away”.
He also said that he would also seek to increase competition in the power sector to try boost efficiency at dominant state electricity producer ZESCO.
Privatisation of inefficient state enterprises was also a possibility, he added, citing last year’s sale of state-run fixed line operator Zamtel to Libya’s LAP Green Networks that led to a reduction in call charges.
“It is not government’s role to own industries and try to run them,” said Banda. “We’ve tried it before and it was a disaster.”
WINDFALL TAX
On windfall tax, the president reiterated Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane’s last night statement that government would not impose the populist windfall taxes on copper mining companies.
The President ruled out windfall taxes for mining companies currently enjoying record copper prices, saying that changing the rules for foreign investors was plain bad business.
With an election looming in the next six months and copper at $10,000 a ton, Banda is under pressure to maximize revenue from the sector, but said he would not be lured into a move that would damage the country’s long-term prospects.
“There are agreements between us and the companies. When they come, we agree to the ground rules for them to be there,” he told the Reuters African Investment Summit in Johannesburg.
“It is not good for business to keep shifting just because the prices have changed. We have got to have principles and lines which we are going to follow.”
[pullquote]”We have done an audit of three mines and that is going to bring us more money after the audit,” he said. “From one or two of these companies we already have in excess of $200 million.”[/pullquote]
Copper fell to below $3,000 a ton in late 2008 — shortly after Banda came to power — but has since recovered sharply on the back of a resumption in demand from resource-hungry Asian economies, most notably China and India. It hit a lifetime high of $10,160 on Feb 14.
“The issue of windfall tax is a major issue. Everybody is talking about it in the country. The opposition are hoping to use it as a major tool against me but I think we will be able to explain it to the people,” he said.
Banda also said a tax audit of mining companies conducted under the umbrella of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a voluntary minerals code, should allow the government to recover more than $200 million in unpaid dues.
“We have done an audit of three mines and that is going to bring us more money after the audit,” he said. “From one or two of these companies we already have in excess of $200 million.”
Reuters
The Committee of Citizens has advised Zambians to seriously reflect on former Presidents Kaunda and Chiluba’s advice that Patriotic Front (PF) Leader Michael Sata is unsuitable for office of President.
Executive Director, Gregory Chifire says Zambians should take heed to early warning by the former presidents who both worked closely with mr Sata.
Mr. Chifire says reservations by the former presidents over Mr Sata’s leadership style are coming from privileged persons that held office of Republican President.
He said this in a statement issued to ZNBC news in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Mr. Chifire said even though some Zambians may be dissatisfied with the performance of MMD Government, Mr Sata should not be the alternative.
[ ZNBC ]
© Lusaka Times
