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Labour minister Austin Liato (l) and his counterpart from Energy kenneth Konga
Government is constructing a new high school in Kaoma district in the Western Province.
And Government has embarked on a rehabilitation exercise of dilapidated feeder roads and several other developmental projects in the district.
MMD Kaoma Central Member of Parliament (MP) Austin Liato who confirmed this to ZANIS in an interview thanked Government for releasing the funds towards the new school and road infrastructure development.
Mr. Liato named the new school as Kehema High school. This brings the number of high schools in the area to two. He named the other school as Kaoma High school which was the first to be built in the 1950s.
The MP said the two learning institutions would help reduce illiteracy levels in Kaoma district and urged parents in his area to take advantage of the schools by sending their children there.
Mr. Liato, who is also Labour and Social Security Services Minister, expressed happiness that Zambia is on track to attaining the United Nations (UN) 2015 Millennium Development Goal number two in the education sector.
He commended the Ministry of Education for bringing education closer to the people as evidenced by the number of new schools being constructed alongside rehabilitation of old ones to improve the learning environment especially in rural areas.
The Minister said Government is in a hurry to develop and improve the education sector to make it more conducive for learners.
Mr. Liato named feeder roads being rehabilitated as Kangolongolo, Kashamu Kaolombe and Mipongo.
He said a good road network is vital to accelerating development.
File: Education minister Dora Siliya visits the poor in her constituency in Petauke
ALL is in place for today’s MMD Lusaka Province conference, the ninth and last to usher a new provincial executive committee into office and set the tone for the national convention.
And MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya said January 22’s provincial conference will be free of violence, in the same way the other eight conferences have been conducted.
She said the MMD is pleased that the provincial conferences have been successful and this is what has continued to separate the MMD from other political parties.
“We feel galvanised, and we are ready to continue telling the people what we have done… The MMD government is a working government and we have a track record on that,” she said.
Ms Siliya said the MMD does not want to be associated with violence because its principle is to take development and good governance to the people.
The conference is scheduled to take place in Lusaka at Garden House Motel on Mumbwa road and not Kafue as earlier announced.
MMD acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu, who released the conference programme on January 21, said since the Lusaka conference will be the last one, it will determine the electoral college for the national convention whose traditional venue has been the Mulungushi Rock of Authority in Kabwe.
Mr Nyangu said after january 22’s provincial conference, members will now start thinking about the positions they would want to contest for which they will be able to campaign when the date for the convention is set.
He said the Lusaka conference will also have to determine the date for the national convention which will be announced in due course.
According to the conference programme, delegates are supposed to arrive at the MMD secretariat at 07:00 hours for accreditation before they assemble in the conference hall at 08:30 hours.
The roll call will be conducted at 09:00 hours prior to the arrival of President Banda and his entourage. At about 10:15 hours, provincial chairman William Banda will welcome the President and all the delegates.
National chairman, Michael Mabenga, will then make brief remarks before inviting President Banda to officially open the conference.
Minister of Local Government and Housing Brian Chituwo
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has been suspended with immediate effect.
The council will remain suspended for 90 days and Government has appointed Solomon Finandi Sakala, the Copperbelt Provincial Local Government officer as the administrator.
Minister of Local Government and Housing, Brian Chituwo announced the suspension of the council yesterday following reports that the local authority has been involved in some land allocation scams.
Dr Chituwo said at a media briefing that Government has decided to suspend LCC to pave way for investigations into the alleged illegal land allocation.
The Lusaka City Council has been accused of illegally allocating land to itself without following the law governing the allocation of land.
Out of 102 plots, the councillors got 45 plots, 10 plots were given to the Mayor while the deputy Mayor got five plots and members of the public were only allocated 11 plots.
[pullquote]“In order to understand the matter, my office requested for a written report from the local authority. The report forwarded to my office by the council does not give much detail on who allocated the plots and how the beneficiaries were picked,” Dr Chituwo said.[/pullquote]
Dr Chituwo said he would soon appoint a committee to audit the allocation of land in Lilayi.
He said the piece of land in Lilayi that is alleged to have been shared among the Mayor, his deputy and councillors is titled and should have been advertised. Dr Chituwo said the council did not even bother to seek authority from the ministry as stipulated by law.
“Therefore, it has become necessary for the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to suspend the Lusaka City Council in accordance with the Local Government Act, Cap 281 of the laws of Zambia to pave way for investigations into the Lilayi land allocation,” he said.
Dr Chituwo said the council should have realised the importance of seeking authority from his office to allocate plots on the piece of land in question. He said his office should have authorised the council to deal with the piece of land in terms of transfer, disposal or even in the mode of exchange or swapping.
Dr Chituwo said it is the understanding of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing that any proposed allocation of land should be done through the Plans, Works and Development Committee.
“In order to understand the matter, my office requested for a written report from the local authority. The report forwarded to my office by the council does not give much detail on who allocated the plots and how the beneficiaries were picked,” Dr Chituwo said.
He said the council failed to explicitly state how it decided to allocate councilors one plot each.
The Minister wondered whether it has been the trend that the Mayor and his councillors should have a lion’s share of plots each time there was a piece of land earmarked for allocation.
“I as Minister of Local Government and Housing hereby announce the suspension of the council for 90 days through the statutory instrument number 11 of 2011and appoint Mr Solomon Finandi Sakala, who is Copperbelt Provincial Local Government Officer as administrator,” Dr Chituwo said.
[pullquote]
“As a council, we presented our report and we maintain that whatever was done, we followed the law. The general public will judge us after the investigations,” Mr Chisenga said.[/pullquote]
But Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga has maintained that the allocation of land in Lilayi was done in accordance with the law.
Mr Chisenga said the public will have to judge the council after all the investigations have been done and the report on the investigations released.
He said the council welcomes the investigations as it has encountered investigations in the past and all officers found wanting had been dealt with according to the law.
“As a council, we presented our report and we maintain that whatever was done, we followed the law. The general public will judge us after the investigations,” Mr Chisenga said.
I am impressed by the clarity of Dr. Emmanuel Ngulube’s article on the issue relating to the taxation of mining operations in Zambia entitled “The Rationale of the Current Mining Fiscal Regime in Zambia,” which was published recently in the January-March 2011 issue of the ZIPPA Journal. Among other things, Dr. Ngulube, who is currently Permanent Secretary (Budget and Economic Affairs) in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, has provided the following information:
“The current mining tax regime [in Zambia] gives an effective tax rate of 47 percent and compares very well with other resource-endowed countries, such as Angola (52.7 percent), Mozambique (52.1 percent), Botswana (50.6 percent), Namibia (47.9 percent), Tanzania (45 percent), South Africa (42.9 percent), and Chile (42.6 percent).”
Currently, mining companies operating in Zambia are taxed as follows:
(a) 3% mineral royalty on income (that is, earnings) from copper sales;
(b) 30% corporate profit tax on profits declared after deducting costs and mineral royalties;
(c) 15% variable profit tax on all taxable income (that is, profits) earned that exceed 8% of copper sales;
(d) Deduction of 25% of expenditures on machinery and equipment from taxable income per year once a mining project starts operating;
(e) 15% income tax on foreign companies and expatriate consultants providing services to locally based mining companies; and
(f) Mining companies cannot deduct from taxable income on a profitable mining site its capital expenditure on another mining site.
The on-going contentious debate concerning the taxation regime for mining companies would have been concluded by now if the highlights provided in Dr. Ngulube’s article were widely disseminated through private and public media institutions for open public debate. In fact, the government should have gauged the views of the general public before committing the nation to the terms of the contract.
Anyway, what would one expect from government leaders who apparently believe that Zambians are incapable of comprehending such matters? Expecting the government to solicit for views from the general public is, therefore, an illusion in a country where government leaders’ preoccupation is being on the campaign trail demonizing and castigating their political opponents, preaching about the superiority of their political party, and seeking recognition for their “remarkable accomplishments.”
Meanwhile, Zambians have continued to be hopeful that their government will open up the Zambia Daily Mail, Times of Zambia, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), and the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in order to make it possible for all segments of Zambian society to articulate their needs, demands and expectations through them. Their desire in this regard is eloquently captured by the following excerpt from The Post Online of January 14, 2011 in an article entitled “Why ban phone-in programs on the Barotse Agreement?”:
“Citizens of a democracy live with the conviction that through the open exchange of ideas and opinions, truth will eventually win out over falsehood, the values of others will be better understood, areas of compromise more clearly defined, and the path of progress opened.”
Whither my beloved country?
Postscript:
Winning elections seems to be the ruling party’s primary objective, as evidenced by President Rupiah Banda’s commitment of the country to a US$53 million loan from EX-IM Bank of China to purchase mobile clinics, which have just started arriving in the country. It has now become clear that President Banda is not only stubborn and arrogant; he also lacks good judgment. For how can a leader who has good judgment completely ignore the voices of so many citizens who were against the purchase of the mobile hospitals?
Clearly, the mobile clinics or hospitals are likely to last only a few years, given the poor state of roads in rural areas. Also, there are a lot of rural communities today where there are no motorable roads. Moreover, it is hard to imagine how the mobile clinics will be used – would they be driven around in rural communities on a regular basis in the hope of finding a sick person? Besides, the recurrent costs of maintaining the mobile hospitals will be prohibitive after the expiration of the 2-year contract with the supplier, that is, China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation. And how will the government prevent pilferage, and the potential for cohabitation and/or marriage breakdowns among nurses and doctors who will be assigned to work away from their families for lengthy periods of time?
It would have been acceptable if the loan was intended to be used on the following: (a) provision of free healthcare for all Zambians; (b) construction of more permanent healthcare facilities nationwide and housing units for health personnel; (c) provision of adequate medicines, ambulatory services and medical equipment; (d) financing of research designed to find cures for HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, and other deadly diseases; and (e) hiring, retention and training of health personnel.
Cholera has broken out in Sinazongwe district in Southern Province and one woman is reported to have died while 31 people have been admitted to Sinamalima clinic.
Both Sinazongwe acting Commissioner (DC) Sokoloku Daka and Malima ward Councillor confirmed the development to ZANIS.
Mr. Daka said the woman died last night and among the samples that were taken to the laboratory four were confirmed to have cholera.
He said Sinazongwe District Medical Officer Dr Elias Chipandwe and his team have since rushed to the area to contain the outbreak.
The Acting District Commissioner said an emergency meeting would be convened to address the situation before cases spread to Sinazeze area.
Mr. Daka however, said it was a challenge to access areas where cholera had broken out because of Sikalamba stream and Nangombe which had no bridges.
Malima ward Councillor Fisher Zimana disclosed that cases were coming from Bbune village, Sinalulungwe, and Manyonga village in Malima area.
Mr. Zimana said the dead woman hailed from Manyonga village in Malima area.
He said some people were carrying their cholera patients on their backs owing to the impassable roads, a situation he feared would increase the number of cases.
Over 2000 farmers belonging to 38 cooperatives in Mansa in Luapula Province have not yet received Urea and D compound fertiliser.
Mansa District Agriculture Coordinator (DACO) David Kandanla told ZANIS that farmers who have not received Urea and D compound fertiliser are from 38 cooperatives in the district.
Mr. Kandanla said 1,988 farmers in 34 cooperatives, and 131 in other four cooperatives, have not yet received Urea and D compound fertiliser respectively.
He attributed the late distribution of fertiliser to a Mpika based supplier whom he said had been delaying loading of the commodity.
Mr. Kandanla said contracted transporters equally complained that the named supplier did not attend to them urgently leading to the delay in loading and delivering the fertiliser.
He said the delay to attend to transporters in time slowed down the delivery process.
The DACO further said the delay in fertiliser distribution had also been caused by a shortage of transporters adding that the same transporters who were supposed to collect fertiliser from Mpika have been contracted by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
He said transporters in most cases load maize from Mansa, go to Chambishi and then later travel to Mpika via Kapiri Mposhi.
The DACO said it was regrettable that there was a delay in fertilizer distribution adding that this could impact negatively on crop yield.
He explained that the initial target for the agriculture authorities in the district was to finish distributing farm inputs by November 29 last year.
Mr. Kandanla said although more than 300 agriculture cooperatives have received fertiliser, it was still undesirable that 34 have not received top dressing fertiliser while four cooperatives have also not received D compound fertiliser.
Meanwhile, panic has gripped affected farmers from 38 cooperatives which have not received fertiliser.
The farmers said they have started panicking because the crops were already showing signs of poor growth because of lack of urea fertiliser.
They said Government had repeatedly challenged farmers to work hard but said their efforts were being frustrated by delayed fertiliser distribution.
One of the farmers Fredson Mwiinga complained that the Officers from the Department of Agriculture in the district have not explained to the farmers why they were not distributing the fertiliser.
They said most of them came from far flung farming areas situated in Chembe, Matanda, Kundamfumu, Kalyongo, Malama, and Luo, among many others.
Pascal Kunda, another farmer complained that farmers from these rural areas have been travelling to the fertiliser shed hoping to be given fertiliser but to no avail.
Mr. Kunda said some farmers have been in Mansa for three days now adding that there was still no sign that fertiliser would be distributed.
The farmers appealed to Government to intervene and ensure that the 2,000 affected farmers got their fertiliser and participated in the production of another maize bumper harvest.
Lucky Msiska has said his Zambia Under-23 team have a big hurdle to negotiate in Harare on Sunday but nothing was impossible.
Zambia trail Zimbabwe 3-2 from the first leg of their All-Africa Games preliminary round first leg qualifier played on January 8 at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
Msiska’s team needs to score two unanswered goals against Zimbabwe to mount a dramatic rally to see them advance to the first round qualifying stage.
“We are going to try and overcome that hurdle we just have to take our chances,” Msiska said.
The team traveled by roasd on Thursday ahead of Sundays clash at Rufaro Stadium in Harare.
Meanwhile, the Israeli-based duo of Justin Zulu and Roger Kola are expected to join the team in Harare today.
Mandevu MP Jean Kapata placing a red ribbon on Guy Scott during a PF rally over the weekend
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) members of Parliament Jean Kapata and Gerry Chanda have been named as beneficiaries in a scandal in which Lusaka City Council (LCC) officials, councillors and parliamentarians have irregularly shared 102 plots at the Lilayi Housing Project.
This is according to minutes of a special committee for public works held on December 23, 2010 that passed initial recommendations on the sale of the controversial plots that were not advertised in which Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga’s office was allocated 10 plots.
The meeting attended by Ms Kapata, who is Mandevu MP, and Colonel Chanda, the Kanyama parliamentarian made the allocations of plots to councillors, council officials the office of the mayor and his deputy while five were allocated to the office of the town clerk.
All the 45 councillors who included the MPs were allocated 45 plots while the mayor had 10 and five were allocated to his deputy.
The minutes state that 16 plots were allocated to members of staff while the area councillor for Lilayi Ward 4, where the plots are located, was allocated two plots and only 11 remained for members of the public.
Asked whether the council would go ahead to process the final allocation of the plots following the outcry from members of the public.
LCC director of administration Peter Kashiwa said the matter would be considered after further consultations.
Mr Kashiwa could not explain whether there were any guidelines on how the mayor and his deputy would distribute the plots in the absence of a transparent process such as advertising for people to apply.
“I think what we will do instead, is to publish the names of people who will be allocated the plots,” he said.
And a report drawn by Lusaka residents has revealed that the PF-run council was facing more scandals.
The other alleged wrong-doing involves plot number PWD/133/07/06 that had been used to implement the single numbering of a single industrial plot number 36376 on Mumbwa Road during a meeting on July 18, 2006.
The plots were fraudulently numbered as 36981 and 36982.
Land alienation procedures are outlined in the Land Act of 1985 and circular number 1 of 1985, which provide the guidelines.
Among the guidelines is that land should be advertised to the general public, created through council procedure and that there should be clear applicants.
The report states that it was irregular for Lusaka council to allocate land prior to approval of the layout and that it was also illegal to allocate land based on temporary numbers.
“Land at Lilayi Housing project is State land to which only the office of the commissioner of Lands has authority under the current Land Act of 1995,” the report reads in part.
The report also states that Lusaka City Council has 33 councillors, seven MPs and two representatives of the traditional leadership, bringing the total number to 42 and wondered where the other three councillors came from for the number to jump to 45.
[pullquote]Col Chanda said he did not regret having claimed what he was entitled to. When asked whether it was in order to allocate plots without advertising them, he only said it was important that councillors got what belonged to them.[/pullquote]
Meanwhile, LCC public relations manager Chanda Makanta said councillors were entitled to plots and that the office of the mayor and town clerk were allocated 10 and five plots, respectively, for re-distribution to citizens and the corporate world because they played ceremonial duties.
This is contrary to the standing orders which only allow councillors to be given one residential, industrial or commercial plot.
Ms Makanta called on the public to understand that the council was facing challenges due to non-availability of land.
But when contacted, Col Chanda said he was entitled to a plot as a member of the council and confirmed having participated in passing resolutions to share plots.
He said he had been allocated plot number 26 but had failed to go to the site because of the dust that had been raised from the allocation of the plots.
Col Chanda said he did not regret having claimed what he was entitled to. When asked whether it was in order to allocate plots without advertising them, he only said it was important that councillors got what belonged to them.
Ms Kapata complained that the Times of Zambia was not available when she needed coverage but wondered whether the people raising concerns believed that she was not entitled to a plot.
“Ask the chairperson of the committee. You people at the Times of Zambia do not come when I need you but because there are issues at the council you want to get a comment from me. Am I not entitled to a plot?” Ms Kapata asked
And Zambia Daily Mail, reports that more malpractices involving illegal land allocations by the Lusaka City Council have been exposed.
A source said in Lusaka on January 20 that the malpractices are at seven sites in the city.
The source said the approved creation of 36 residential plots on stand 76 and 77 of 397a in Makeni and the properties were numbered 180 to 215 of farm 397a.
[pullquote]“Ask the chairperson of the committee. You people at the Times of Zambia do not come when I need you but because there are issues at the council you want to get a comment from me. Am I not entitled to a plot?” Ms Kapata asked[/pullquote]
“Without any trace of applications, the Lusaka City Council made recommendations to the office of the commissioner of lands for the allocations. Offers have been generated and most of the plots allocated have been sold for personal gain and political expediency,” the source said.
The source revealed that on April 16, 2010, council officers, under political pressure, created eight residential plots at Chawama Police Station premises and the councillors shared the plots without any formal procedure.
“Most if not all the plots have been exchanged for money for personal gain and political expediency,” the source said.
The source said Kalingalinga councillor Dapson Chansa allegedly put pressure on council officers to create four temporary trading sites for himself and his colleagues and that the land was allocated by a known councillor without any council resolution.
The source said the LCC has also created two commercial properties in Chelstone through minute number PWD/31/08/09-B. The properties have since been numbered 37547 and 37548 and efforts to have them in LCC’s name and title for leasing purposes, have failed.
The source said this is because some councillors want to alter the council resolution and allocate to individual names.
It is alleged that some councillors may have received some money as advances from a Copperbelt-based oil company for plot 37548.
According to the source, the council created five plots in Parliament Compound in Olympia residential area on November 17, 2010 at a site reserved for the expansion of Zesco infrastructure.
[pullquote]The source alleged that on May 17, 2010 Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga instructed the director of city planning to create plots for him, including two residential plots in Emmasdale, a commercial plot along Kafue Road next to Carousel Shopping Centre, seven residential plots in Matero and five residential plots over Ngwerere stream in Roma township.[/pullquote]
On the same date, the council is alleged to have approved subdivision of plot 16511/1080 in Kamwala South at a site reserved for a police post, which will yield five residential plots intended for sharing and sale.
The source said the police project is already underway using the Constituency Development Fund, which is a government grant to LCC for the benefit of the people of Kamwala. The land proposed for residential plots was meant for the construction of houses for police officers.
The source alleged that on May 17, 2010 Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga instructed the director of city planning to create plots for him, including two residential plots in Emmasdale, a commercial plot along Kafue Road next to Carousel Shopping Centre, seven residential plots in Matero and five residential plots over Ngwerere stream in Roma township.
Mr Chisenga is also alleged to have issued more instructions to the director of city planning in May 2010 to create a commercial plot near the Intercity Bus Terminus.
The source added that on June 21, 2010 a temporary trading site was created under intense pressure from councillor John Njebe of Chazanga.
“Information coming through is that the councillor may have sold the space illegally to a company called Golis Trading Centre of PO Box 37421 at a price of K100 million,” the source said.
GOVERNMENT has assured Copperbelt residents that it will this year upgrade the Kitwe-Chingola road into a dual carriageway.
Minister of Works and Supply Mike Mulongoti said on January 20 that Government will this year also rehabilitate the Chibuluma and Kalulushi-Lufwanyama roads.
“We are committed to ensuring that the road network improves in the country. In fact, all the infrastructure development projects are on course. We are going to expand the Kitwe-Chingola road into a dual carriageway; the Chibuluma road and the Kalulushi-Lufwanyama road will also be worked on this year,” Mr Mulongoti said in an interview.
Mr Mulongoti said Government is in a hurry to develop all parts of the country.
He said Government has appointed a transaction advisor to supervise road projects under the public private partnership (PPP) initiative.
Mr Mulongoti said the council of ministers made the appointment in November last year.
“The appointment of the transaction advisor that will work on the rehabilitation of road projects under the private public partnership (PPP) programme throughout the country has been done,” Mr Mulongoti said.
He said Government is committed to improving the road infrastructure in all parts of the country.
Mr Mulongoti called on Zambians to continue supporting Government in its quest to develop the country.
He called on individuals unnecessarily criticising Government to appreciate its efforts to develop the country.
Mr Mulongoti said it is unfortunate that some people have refused to appreciate the development projects Government is undertaking.
He said some opposition leaders have failed to initiate meaningful development in their constituencies and wards since they were elected as members of Parliament and councillors.
He said Government will not be detracted by critics who want to derail its development agenda.
“We are working very hard to develop this country, but it is sad that some people in the opposition have decided to politicise everything that we are doing. They must be told that as Government, we will not be detracted in taking development to our people throughout the country,” Mr Mulongoti said.
Structures along Solwezi Main StreetKANSANSHI Mining Plc has paid K1.8 billion in rates to Solwezi Municipal Council.
Solwezi Mayor Jameson Kapumba confirmed this in an interview on January 20, saying the council received the money from the mining company this week.
“Kansanshi Copper Mines pays K3.6 billion every year to Solwezi Municipal Council in land rates,” he said.
Mr Kapumba said the money realised from the mine is usually used for service provision and opening up new plots for housing and businesses.
He, however, complained that service provision will suffer this year as funds meant for the exercise have been diverted to pay workers their seven months salary arrears.
Mr Kapumba said workers staged a sit-in protest after they heard that the council has received the money from Kansanshi mine.
They demanded to be paid all their salary arrears. He said the workers refused to be paid for two months only.
A check at the council found offices locked and workers loitering around the Civic Centre demanding to be paid their arrears in full.
The workers are owed over K2 billion in salary arrears. Mr Kapumba observed that the money realised from the mine should ordinarily be used for service provision.
He said it was regrettable that council workers were demanding to be paid their arrears from money paid by the mines as land rates instead of raising the money themselves. The mayor stated that workers must follow procedure before resorting to strike actions.
Mr Kapumba said the mine will pay a similar amount in June this year.
Some Kitwe residents in the centre of townTHE Ministry of Local Government and Housing has released K3 billion from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to Kitwe City Council (KCC) for the five constituencies in the district.
And the MMD in Kitwe has urged KCC to use CDF money to implement viable projects that will improve the lives of the people.
Kitwe Mayor Elias Kamanga said in an interview in Kitwe on January 20 the council received the money in December last year.
“We have received K3 billion as CDF for the five constituencies in the district. We received the funds towards the end of December last year,” Mr Kamanga said.
He said each constituency will receive K660 million to complete projects which had stalled because of lack of money.
“It is important that we use these funds to complete the projects which stalled due to lack of funds.
There are a number of projects which are not complete in various constituencies,” he said.
Mr Kamanga also appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to expedite the release of CDF for 2011.
He said more projects will be undertaken if CDF is released in time.
Mr Kamanga also said KCC is still using the same CDF committee to ensure that the money is used in a transparent manner.
“We have not yet established a new committee, but we are working with the old one to disburse the funds,” he said.
Mr Kamanga also said KCC has developed a new mechanism to expedite the disbursement of the CDF.
He said the council has put in place measures to ensure the money is used for its intended purpose.
And MMD Kitwe district information and publicity secretary William Nyirenda said CDF is a public basket, which should benefit all Zambians.
He said in a statement issued in Kitwe on January 20 that it is important that the money is used to improve the lives of people in the communities.
THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) yesterday delivered the suspension letter from its disciplinary committee to soccer administrator Simataa Simataa – almost 10 days after the sitting.
Simataa, who is general secretary of the Andrew Kamanga-led FAZ faction, said the FAZ secretariat only delivered the letter on January 20.
“This is clearly an after-thought, I am just wondering why a letter should take 10 days,” Simataa said, referring to the letter which is dated January 10.
Simataa said the letter conveniently ignored his appeal of October 10, 2010 to the Appeals Committee of the FAZ Council to quash the disciplinary committee’s decision, as it did not hold any merit.
“The whole intention of delaying this letter is to frustrate my ability to appeal,” he said.
The FAZ disciplinary committee suspended Simataa for three months, an act perceived as an attempt to block the outspoken administrator from attending the annual general meeting in March.
Last October, Simataa raised preliminary objections over the presence of four disciplinary committee members to hear his case due to conflict of interest.
Zambia has registered a 419 million U.S dollar increase in new equity investment inflows.
The 2009 equity investment inflow is higher than 131 million U.S dollars registered in 2007.
This is according to phase three of the Foreign Private Capital survey for 2010.
Bank of Zambia Governor Caleb Fundanga says the substantial increase in investment inflows is largely due to the favourable investment climate that Zambia has put in place.
Dr. Fundanga however says the overall foreign direct investment inflows declined in 2009, due to low profits recorded by enterprises.
The Governor was speaking at the dissemination workshop on Foreign Private Investment and investor perception survey in Lusaka today, Thursday.
At the same function, Macro-economic and Financial Management Institute of Southern Africa Ellias Ngalande said his firm will continue conducting foreign private capital surveys.
Dr. Ngalande says surveys will assist in assessing the level of investment inflows coming to Zambia.
PF Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili (L)
Roan Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament (MP) Chishimba Kambwili faces arrest for an offence of causing anarchy and inciting miners in Luanshya district on the Copperbelt Province to ignore what they have been offered in accordance with the collective agreement.
Labour and Social Security Minister Austin Liato says the opposition MP will be held accountable for any industrial unrest that will occur at Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM).
The Minister said Mr. Kambwili was not qualified and he was not the right person to speak on behalf of the miners because he is not a Union representative.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Liato sounded the warning in Lusaka this afternoon.
Mr. Liato has since challenged Mr. Kambwili to resign and join the Union as he wants to be part of the bargaining team for the miners.
“Mr. Kambwili will be arrested should there be any industrial un-rest in Luanshya at the LCM. Mr. Kambwili is not a miner neither is he a representatives of the miners and if he interested in matters of bargaining over salary negotiations in the Union, he should first resign,” the Minister stated.
Mr. Liato regretted that the opposition MP politicised the matter even when he knew that it bordered on social protection.
“This is not a political matter but it borders on social protection of the miners,” he said.
He further refuted media reports that Government was not concerned about the welfare of miners in the country.
Mr. Kambwili was yesterday quoted by Radio Phoenix in one of its news bulletins inciting Luanshya miners to reject the 10 percent offered to them by their employer urging them to reject anything less than 100 percent salary increment.
A few days ago, LCM management awarded its employees a 10 percent salary pay-rise.
File:Police officers in riot gear aboard a van going to quell riots in Mongu.
By Dr. Chiyaba Njovu
It is very saddening to see recent developments in our Country over an on-going Barotseland issue that dates back to the colonial era. Ever since I became a student of basic history in my student days, I learnt about this agreement which for all intentions and purposes was a history lesson for us to learn how mining rights were acquired in Zambia by the British South African (BSA) Company. Little did I know that this seemingly outdated piece of contract would be a subject of upheavals in our Country. I am neither a Lawyer nor a Historian so forgive me if my thoughts are misplaced. To the best of my knowledge, I had always assumed that the Barotse Agreement was amicably resolved when Dr. K. D. Kaunda agreed to incorporate Barotseland as our Western Province in Zambia at the time of Independence. If my knowledge serves me well, this issue was dead and buried until after the re-introduction of multi-party politics in 1991. If we are to be sincere, I am sure most of the youths of Barotseland who are being used to spearhead the restoration of this agreement neither know its contents nor have they ever read it. To them, it is a story they hear about when they gather around the fire places with their grandparents or great grandparents for those who may be lucky enough to have lived to see their fourth generations in the family.
I am neither going to apportion blame on the Lozis nor am going to say that they may not be entitled to discuss this subject. There may be merits and demerits on either side of the story but as pragmatic leaders, what are we supposed to do under the circumstances? We need to solve the problem. Legal arguments or moral arguments do not solve social problems in most cases. It is constructive engagement with the people concerned that solves such problems. We all know that use of force does not solve a problem but suppresses dissenting views at that particular time. This is undesirable and therefore pragmatism demands that we clearly define the problem and put it in context once more. The Barotse agreement had its purpose at the time and possibly served its purpose at the time. With changing times, would that agreement still serve the purpose for which it was designed? This was an agreement signed long before Zambia came into existence in 1964. One would imagine that any discussion of this issue should take into consideration the changes that have taken place since 1964. Failing to recognise this fact would be missing the point and the problem will not be resolved.
As a democracy, it is our responsibility to ensure that every citizen’s views are heard and respected. We all have our rights and responsibilities but failing to honour your responsibilities would robe others of their rights. That must be made clear. The people advocating for anarchy are robbing other well meaning citizens of their right to enjoy freedom. As a start, I would suggest that the government constructively engages the clandestine Barotse Patriotic Front and/or the Barotse Restoration Movement together and listen to them. The idea is to let them educate the nation of their true intentions and what they hope to achieve. They might have some valid points which are distorted by third party reporting. These reports may be misleading the nation. There is no need to threaten them with arrest as they are entitled to air their grievances on matters that affect their well being.
It is after these aggrieved people have stated their case that the government could respond to their issues in the context of Zambia today and see if their grievances truly emanate from the abrogation of the Barotse Agreement by the Zambian government. The Barotse Agreement may be used as a decoy for other motives. There may be some ulterior motives by some power hungry people who may be hiding behind the Barotse Agreement and that would easily come out if these people were openly given a forum to present their case to the nation. That is what the nation needs to know. What is the real problem?
I would urge government to accord them such a forum as a matter of urgency to avoid further losses of innocent lives. This is an election year and this issue could be potentially explosive if not properly handled. It is always nice to talk and openly dissect issues in a transparent and honest manner. If these people fail to come out in the open then government would be perfectly in order to halt any further discussions as they would have been proved not to be interested in serving the interests of their Country. Once their grievances are heard and put into context, the nation should be allowed to air their views and see whether consensus would be reached and the matter settled once and for all. I am sure most Zambians may also have a say once matters are transparently discussed with a view to solving the problem. And I am sure consensus would be reached as we all know the benefits of a United Zambia that enjoys peace and tranquility. Our Children deserve development and not the resurrection of historical graves. And time spent discussing matters that would leave Barotseland a better place than it was would be most welcome by most well meaning Zambians.
To sum up, I would really be happy to see a Zambia where people lived above tribal considerations. For those of us that went to truly national Schools, tribal issues were never heard of but only in jokes amongst tribal cousins. Why should Zambia be divided according to tribal regions in this day and era? We always pride ourselves as an example of a Country where unity truly works in a nation but the readings over the past few weeks are really saddening. One-Zambia and One-Nation motto still stands for me and means well. I am sure that most Lozis would not want to see that happen and would rather see development projects evenly distributed in all provinces according to what their land resources can support. These are the kind of progressive issues we need to be discussing in this day and era. For example, a deliberate scheme to encourage massive production of rice in Western Province would help create employment and get most youths out of poverty. Fully exploiting the water resources to allow for commercial fishing would be another idea to help alleviate poverty. In my view, anyone talking development and/or decentralised management of development resources would have my support as local knowledge is always useful in solving local problems. There is real value in using local knowledge in development planning. But to talk about restoring agreements that may not mean much to the common man is in my view stretching it too far. Let us move with changing times and live for a better tomorrow. One Zambia and One Nation!!!
