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Chief Chipepo orders latrine per house in his chiefdom

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Chief Chipepo of the Tonga people in Gwembe District has with immediate effect ordered for the sinking of toilets per household in an effort to improve sanitation in his chiefdom.

Speaking during an annual general meeting in his chiefdom recently, the chief said having toilets per household would greatly reduce diseases and snake bite incidences.

Quoting scripture in the book of Deuteronomy 23 verse 9 to 14; Chief Chipepo said God intends that communities have toilets to maintain cleanliness.

He warned that any household that will be found to have no toilet by the on set of the rains will be severely punished.

“If you want snakes to stop biting you, stop defecating in the bush. That is why snakes bite you. Which one of you enjoys seeing his/her faeces?” Chief Chipepo asked.

Gwembe District is one of the districts in the country with good coverage of rural water supply, currently standing at 87.5%.

In addition, Gwembe District Council Secretary Fred Mooya has also expressed worry at lack of toilets at household level in the district.

Mr. Mooya noted that despite the district performing well in the water sector, the district is far behind in terms of sanitary facilities such as toilets.

He explained that there are few households that have toilets in the district, with Munyumbwe trailing at 14% toilet coverage.

“We should realize that if we dispose our excreta in the open, the chances of eating our own excreta through vectors like flies are very high,” the Council Secretary cautioned.

And Chief Chipepo has given his subjects six months in which to purge themselves of all witchcraft acts.

The chief expressed worry that his chiefdom will continue lagging behind in terms of development owing to witchcraft acts that scare away government workers.

He observed that schools and clinics in his chiefdom have continued to be understaffed despite government’s effort to deploy more qualified staff to his chiefdom.

Chief Chipepo threatened his village headmen and communities that he would make a follow at the end of six months to ensure that no witch exists in his chiefdom.

“This chiefdom does not belong to you. It belongs to God. I have a list of sorcerers and witches and I will chase you from my chiefdom if you do not cleanse yourselves of the dirty acts. I will send you off my chiefdom with an introductory letter stating that you are a witch so that you will have no place to settle,” he warned.

ZANIS

Kabompo receives 11 generators for voter registration

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Kabompo District voter registration office has received 11 brand new Honda portable generators to replace the 11 Smartmatic portable gasoline generators which have been constantly breaking down causing interruptions of voter registration in the area.

Acting District Voter Registration Officer, Joyce Musachi confirmed the new development in an interview with ZANIS in Kabompo today.

Ms. Musachi said that the Honda generators were brought to Kabompo yesterday by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

She said all the 11 Smartmatic gasoline generators have been withdrawn from registration centers and would be taken back to Lusaka by the ECZ soon.

Meanwhile, Ms. Musachi said the turnout is still low in Kabompo as only 1,175 new voters have been registered so far while 959 have made replacements of their voter’s cards.

However she expressed optimism that with the arrival of the new generators the exercise would go on smoothly now and more people be registered than in the past since the exercise begun on June 21, this year.

ZANIS

Govt optimistic of continued donor support

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Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane

Government says it is hopeful that cooperating partners will soon start releasing money to the road sector following the suspended of the funds.

Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said government has been negotiating with cooperating partners on the funding to the road sector after they had withhold the funds earlier this year.

Dr. Musokotwane said government has agreed on a road map with cooperating partners who he said have responded positively.

He said no money has however been released by cooperating partners to the sector this year.

He has however clarified that that cooperating partners only suspended the fund to the sector and not cancelled due to the mismanagement in the auditor general’s report.

Recently, the country’s Road Sector Cooperating Partners hailed government’s decision to dissolve the Boards of the Road Development Agency and the National Road Fund Agency.

The Cooperating Partners namely the World Bank, the European Union, Denmark, Germany, Japan and the African Development Bank said they stand ready to support the government in its endeavour to strengthen the institutions responsible for managing and providing oversight in the roads sector.

They stated that remedial measures arising from the recent Audit findings, together with a realistic, affordable and sustainable road sector investment programme (ROADSIP II), would pave the way for the resumption of new road works which are still withheld.

Meanwhile, Finance and National Planning Deputy Minister, David Phiri said cooperating partners have pledged over K400 billion to the road sector this year.

He also said out of the K620 billion cooperating partners pledged last year only K105 billion was released top the National Road Funds Agency (NRFA)

He added that government however released 99 percent of the budgetary allocation to the sector last year.

“He was answering a question from Kanchibiya MP Davies Mwango during the question for oral answer session in parliament today.

Mr. Mwango wanted to know much money was released to NRFA last year and how much was released by cooperating partners.

ZANIS

2 Chief Chikanta’s subjects given K 1.4 million option or 13 months sentence

Entertainment Editor
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Itezhi-tezhi magistrates Munalula Mubita has ordered two men of Kalomo district in chief Chikanta’s chiefdom in Southern province to pay K1.4 million apiece or face a 13 months sentence for entering the Kafue national park with dangerous weapons namely an axe and knife.

This was in a matter in which David Muzyamba 57, of Chumina village in chief Chikanta in Kalomo village and Bedson Muyobozi, 51 of Nakalongwe village of the same chiefdom were charged with two counts of unlawful entry into the park and unlawful possession of weapons in the national park.

On count one the allegations against the duo were that on 5th May the duo in Itezhi-tezhi district jointly while acting together entered the Kafue national park without any permit from Director of Zambia wild life authority(ZAWA).

On count two it was alleged that the duo, while acting together in the national park were found in possession of an axe and a knife without authority from ZAWA.

Facts on the matter were that in May this year in Itezhi-tezhi at Itezhi-tezhi, while patrolling the Kafue national park, wildlife police officers came across Muyobozi and Muzyamba who run away upon seeing the ZAWA vehicle.
But the wildlife police officers chased them and managed to catch up with them, upon interviewing them it was found that they had two weapons a knife and an axe and they had no permit to enter the Kafue national park with the said weapons.

Magistrates Munalula convicted the two upon their confession and their pleading guilty to all charges.

In mitigation Muzyamba asked the court exercise leniency because he was married with 9 children and that he was looking after his aged mother while Muyobozi prayed for leniency saying he was married with 13 children.

He ordered each person to pay K1.4 million or go to prison for 13 months with hard labour and the two worn- out bicycles belonging to the convicts which were part of the exhibits in the court have been forfeited to the state.

[ ZANIS ]

Do not look at at politicians and government officials as the most corrupt people-Kabwe DC

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Kabwe District Commissioner (DC) Jonathan Kapungwe has said it is unfortunate that people in the country looked at politicians and government officials as the most corrupt people and yet the scourge is rife at every stage of human life.

Speaking when he officially opened a two day Transparent International Zambia (TIZ) workshop in Kabwe today, Mr. Kapungwe said the fight against corruption should involve everybody.

He said the media was also involved in corruption through the alleged distortion of information and therefore there was need for the media to also check itself in its duties.

TIZ has invited community based organizations (CBO) to attend a two day corruption awareness workshop from Mumbwa, Serenje, Mkushi, Kapiri Mposhi, Chibombo and Kabwe at Namukuyu Lodge.

Mr. Kapungwe praised TIZ for such a workshop saying community leaders would play a vital role in their respective places in the fight against corruption to ensure that the scourge was stamped out at community level.

‘People should not think it is only politicians and government officials involved in corruption. It is not so because everywhere you go even in cooperative societies corruption is there. All it requires is a sense of responsibility by everyone to stamp it out where-ever it shows its ugly face,’ said Mr. Kapungwe.

He said it was imperative that the approach of combating corruption was changed from the legalistic approach though important, to community capacity building in order to empower them to engage policy makers and government institutions in demanding effective and enhanced social accountability.

Mr. Kapungwe hoped that the workshop would equip CBOs with skills on how local communities could engage policy makers on issues of resource utilization and accountability in various community projects and challenged participants to actively participate in the workshop.

He said sustainable development could only be guaranteed if communities were actively involved in the implementation of projects in their communities.

Mr. Kapungwe further noted that there had been several reports of poor control systems and lack of community monitoring capacity in some of the local community projects such that the individuals that failed to utilize and account for public resources went scot free.

He explained that this was because the communities were not empowered with the capacity to hold the individuals accountable and hoped the workshop would empower the participants effectively for them to monitor the projects.

ZANIS

Pirated Products Destroyed

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Zambia Police Intellectual Property Unity has destroyed a consignment of pirated sweets confiscated from a named Indian companion of Mwinilunga District bearing a Trade Kings brand worth K128 million.

The intellectual property unity officers from Lusaka seized 23, 283 packets of sweets from Solwezi and Mwinilunga districts selling outlets of a named Indian company producing them with a Trade Kings brand ‘Super’.

The officers who conducted the destruction in Solwezi yesterday said 4,292 packets of sweets worth K23 million were confiscated from Mwinilunga while18, 991 packets worth K105 million were confiscated from Solwezi selling outlets respectively.

They said the consignment was confiscated last month following a complaint by Trade Kings that a company in Mwinilunga district was producing sweets bearing their brand ‘super’ contrary to section 28 Cap 404 of copyright and property performance Act.

They said the unity moved in to sieze the property and destroyed it following the exhaustion of the case whose findings revealed that the Indian company was infringing on the copyright and property performance Act section 28 Cap 104 since it did not have a manufacturing plant in Mwinilunga district.

The officers said it was discovered that the sweets were manufactured in India and smuggled into Zambia for packaging.

They have since cautioned wholesalers and retailers to be mindful of sources of their products before they are passed on for public consumption to reduce health risks on consumers.

They also sounded a warning to would be offenders that they risk being prosecuted once found wanting.

ZANIS

RB confident of attainment of MDGs

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Local government minister Eustackio Kazonga and his deputy Moses Muteteka during a press briefing in Lusaka
Local government minister Eustackio Kazonga (L)

President Rupiah Banda says Zambia can attain all Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets if both the central and local government concentrate on implementing government policies in the next five years.

President Banda said this when he opened the 54th Annual Conference of the Local Government Association of Zambia being held at Nellas in Kasama yesterday under the theme, “Local Government –A responsive approach to accelerating MDGs attainment through decentralisation.”

In a speech read on his behalf by Local Government and Housing Minister Dr. Eustarckio Kazonga, President Banda said although local councils were autonomous, they were still part of Government and must follow the vision and objective of the central Government.

President Banda has since implored local authorities to streamline the achievement of MDGs targets in their planning and budgeting as well as actual implementation of projects in their respective districts.

Mr Banda noted that local government was strategically positioned to deliver to the people of Zambia as it was the closest.

He has also appealed to traditional leaders, the private sector, cooperating partners and other stakeholders to contribute towards the attainment of all targets set for MDGs.

President Banda added that his government was implementing the National Decentralisation Policy to improve service delivery to the people and increase their participation in development.

He assured councils of government support in form of grants and transfer of matching resources so that they could meet their mandate.

However, President Banda expressed concern about the budgetary and programme performance of some .local authorities.

He said Government programmes being implemented by local authorities should benefit the people.

On the newly established Local Government Service Commission, President Banda said this was meant to equip councils with suitable and qualified personnel in view of the impending decentralization process that will devolve some of the functions and matching resources.

Mr Banda urged local Government practitioners to focus their attention on the benefits the Local Government Service Commission would bring to the Local Government system and not what particular officers will benefit.

Speaking at the same function United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Macleod Nyirongo said decentralized governance was the best way forward in accelerating progress towards the MDGs.

Mr. Nyirongo observed that the achievement of many MDGs was dependent upon effective delivery of services at the local level where citizens can meaningfully hold their leaders accountable.

He however noted that accelerated progress towards meeting the MDGs in the remaining five years will require action by African countries and intensified support from the international commitment.

Mr. Nyirongo said African countries need to deepen their macroeconomic reforms, strengthen democratic institutions and invest adequate resources in human development.

At the Millennium development summit in 2000, world leaders pledged to halve poverty levels by 2015.

The MDGs attempt to focus national and global development activities on reduction of extreme poverty and hunger, achievement of universal education, promotion of gender equality and empowerment, reduction of child mortality and improve maternal health, combating HIV and AIDs, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.

And Local Government Association of Zambia President Charles Mumena has commended government for the timely release of Constituency Development Funds.

Councilor Mumena also noted that the increase in CDF funds has resulted in improved projects being undertaken by councils.

ZANIS

Chiluba is breaching the law- PACT

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FLASHBACK: Dr Chiluba, holding a brown envelope with Bishop Peter Ndlovu outside BIGOCA Church in Lusaka.

The Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) has charged that the second republican president Frederick Chiluba is breaching the law.

Pact co-spokesperson Given Lubinda said that the former president is breaching the law of the land by actively engaging in politics as former head of state.

Mr. Lubinda said that Mr. Chiluba is breaching the provision of the former president’s act which clearly states that former head of state will not engage in politics.

He said that Mr. Chiluba should not deny that he is engaging himself in politics when infact he is.

Mr. Lubinda has since stated that the movements that Dr. Chiluba is making in de-campaigning the PF/UPND pact will not have any bearing on the 2011 elections.

Mr. Lubinda said that Dr. Chiluba can go anywhere in the country, and his not a issue to the pact.

He was speaking last evening on Monday night live on qfm radio. But recently, Second republican Dr. Chiluba has denied that he is campaigning for republican president Rupiah Banda.

Speaking through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba, Dr. Ciluba said that he is merely practicing his democratic right.

Meanwhile, The MMD in Kalulushi has appealed to some opposition political parties in the country to stop insulting former president Fredrick Chiluba whenever he goes to Copperbelt Province because his visits are non political.

ZANIS Kalulushi reports that Kalulushi MMD Vice Constituency Chairman Amon Kafwali said opposition political parties should leave former president alone as he was free to travel to any place of his choice.

Councilor Kafwali told ZANIS Kalulushi in an interview today that Dr. Chiluba was an MMD man and would always be in the ruling party.

He said some opposition party members who talk bad about the former president should not take his movements political whenever he was on the Copperbelt because he has relatives there whom he would like to visit.

“Can seeing his relatives be a problem or can elections stop him from coming to the Copperbelt?.” Kafwali asked

He urged some opposition party members to respect the former head of state.

QFM

Instance justice mob kills man in Chawama compound

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Lusaka dustrict police commanding officer Greenwell Nguni

An instance justice mob in Chawama compound yesterday killed a man in his 30’s for killing a five-year old boy.

The man who was believed to be mentally ill was murdered by an instance justice mob after he allegedly killed the boy whom he found playing around with friends.

Lusaka Police Commanding Officer, Green Nguni confirmed the development to ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today.

Mr. Nguni said the police received the report yesterday that a man believed to be mentally sick killed the boy who is between the ages of five and eight years instantly.

He said it was because of this that the mob took the law into its own hands and also killed the man.

An eye witness, Peter Banda of Chawama compound told ZANIS in Lusaka that the unidentified man found the boy playing and thrashed him on the ground and died instantly.

Mr. Banda said people who witnessed the incident pounced on the man and started beating him until he died.

“The boy was playing then suddenly this man come and got the boy and hit him hard on the ground and the child died. It was surprising because no one expected this. It was upon this that the people started beating him” Mr. Banda said.

The incident happened around 16:00 hours yesterday and the bodies of both the boy and the man are believed to be in the mortuary.

ZANIS

Nchelenge District Council employees go eight months without pay

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Nchelenge District Council employees in Luapula Province have gone for eight months without pay.

And Nchelenge District Council management has promised to end the salaries drought at the Local Authority.

Zambia Local Authority Workers Union (ZULAWU) Nchelenge branch chairperson Tight Chilima confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS this morning.

Mr Chilima said all workers on fixed and permanent conditions of service including Principal Officers at the council have not been paid their salaries since November last year.

He said efforts by the Union to engage the Council Management to look at the plight of the workers have always ended in futility and accused the Council Secretary (CS) Mwilu Lukwesa of being defiant and non committal.

And Mr Chilima said Mr Lukwesa was last Friday at pains to convince the angry employees who demanded for an audience with the management over the non payment of their salary arrears.

He said the CS stormed out of the meeting held at the council chamber in anger when workers rejected his explanation that the council was not able to pay its employees timely because of other service delivery demands and the small revenue base.

However, Mr Chilima said the management at the council later met the workers and promised them that they will soon be paid their salary arrears.

Meanwhile Mr Chilima said he is happy that the Council Management has pledged to enhance the pay roll management system and prioritise remuneration of workers.

Efforts to get comment from the Council Secretary Mwilu Lukwesa proved futile as he was reported to be away in Kasama.

ZANIS

India’s Bharti Airtel, Zain Tanzania in shares tug-of-war

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BHARTI Airtel of India, which recently completed a US$10.7 billion purchase of Zain African operations from Kuwait’s Zain Group, could be heading into troubled waters in Tanzania, as the government there has reportedly blocked its shares.

The Tanzanian government announced last month that it would receive $11.2 million and also retain its 40 per cent stake in Zain Tanzania, following the sale of the company to Bharti Airtel.
Tanzania was the only operation where government has retained a stake.

Local Press reported on Friday showed that Bharti Airtel has offered a $11 million bid to buy off the 40 per cent stake owned by the government in Zain Tanzania, but the government now maintains it will not sell its holding, and will instead look to buy back the majority of the company that it does not currently own.

The latest news is the Tanzanian government was working on an acquisition strategy of its own and accused management of the company of not fully communicating the sale agreement.

According to Telegeography News, the Tanzanian government claims the acquisition of the Zain Tanzania operation by Bharti Airtel contradicted the partnership agreement between Zain Tanzania and national fixed line operator Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL).

Alongside its stake in Zain Tanzania the Kuwait group owned 35 per cent of TTCL.

However, an agreement signed in April 2010 saw Zain agree to sell its TTCL stake back to the government in order for TTCL to be wholly owned by the state.

[pullquote] In Zambia, 20 per cent of shares in Zain Zambia are held by minority shareholders through the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE), and Bharti Airtel has indicated that it would be asking the minority shareholders to sell their stake to the Indian investor,[/pullquote]

Now, in addition to wanting to reacquire Zain’s stake in Zain Tanzania, the Tanzanians want to make TTCL a 100 per cent government-owned firm, hoping the company would be able to compete with private operators in the local market.

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs permanent secretary permanent secretary, Ramadhan Khijjah, was quoted as saying Zain Tanzania’s management did not fully communicate information about the Bharti Airtel deal to the relevant government authorities.

Earlier this month, the country’s Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Peter Msolla, told the National Assembly that the government was still in talks with Bharti Airtel concerning the sale.

In a debate on the country’s budget for the 2010 -11 financial year, Professor Msolla said: ‘We met with the company’s officials on June 21 to discuss the sale.

“We have told them to finalise the evaluation of the assets so that we can determine whether the payment made to us is satisfactory,” he said.

The minister said: “Since the government has shares in the company, it is imperative that it be involved in transactions regarding the sale. The shares we hold in the company are assets that ensure our role is not underestimated.”

He said a big mistake had been made and being a shareholder, the Tanzanian government’s involvement in the company’s transactions was a must.

“As far as I am concerned, we are not done yet. They cannot say they have sealed a deal when we are still carrying on with talks,” Prof Msolla said.

He was answering questions on whether government was involved in the negotiations for the Zain take over, and whether the country would benefit from the takeover of the company.

[pullquote] Bharti Airtel international chief executive officer Manoj Kohli, who was in Zambia on June 24, said the investor would welcome minority investors who would want to remain in the company when it makes a mandatory offer to LuSE next month and September[/pullquote]

The members of parliament also wanted to know why the government had not offloaded the shares on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), since they passed a law requiring all mobile phone operators to list on the exchange.

In Zambia, 20 per cent of shares in Zain Zambia are held by minority shareholders through the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE), and Bharti Airtel has indicated that it would be asking the minority shareholders to sell their stake to the Indian investor,

Bharti Airtel international chief executive officer Manoj Kohli, who was in Zambia on June 24, said the investor would welcome minority investors who would want to remain in the company when it makes a mandatory offer to LuSE next month and September

Except for Sudan and Morocco, Bharti Airtel has acquired Zain Africa operations in all other African countries where it operates, which include among others Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia .

[Times of Zambia]

One dies, three battle for their lives in Kafue road accident

Entertainment Editor
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One person has died on the spot in a fatal road traffic accident which happened along the Kafue Lusaka Road near Shimabala whilst three are battling for their lives at Kafue District Hospital.

The accident happened near daybreak farm yesterday when an ERF truck tried to avoid hitting into a stationed truck and hit head on into a Toyota Corolla which was heading towards Lusaka.

The accident which happened around 15.00 hours caused a heavy traffic jam for almost two hours as the main road got blocked.

A ZANIS reporter who rushed to the scene found traffic police officers struggling to remove bodies with the help of other motorists which were trapped in the smashed Toyota Corolla white in colour.

One of the passengers of the car died on the spot whilst the driver and other two other passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Kafue District Hospital.

Traffic police officers on the scene of the accident spoken to by ZANIS confirmed the death of one of the passengers but declined to give further details of the accident and victims saying they were still carrying out investigations.

An eye witness who saw the accident just a minute after it happened Bonaventure Kalaba told ZANIS that the accident happened as each of the vehicle tried to avoid hitting into a stationed truck which was in the middle of the road.
He said both of them did not see each collided head on.

Mr. kabala said as soon as the accident happened motorists struggled to remove the vehicle from main road and remove the bodies. he said the driver of track which normally carries sand and stones runaway.

And Kafue district commissioner Winford Ngoma whose vehicle was stranded in the traffic jam described the accident as been unfortunate and devastating.

He said his office was getting worried at the high number of accidents occurring on the Kafue – Lusaka road.

Mr. Ngoma cautioned motorists not to be over speeding anyhow on the highway as this endangers their lives.

He said it was the duty of every motorist to ensure they observe road safety if they are to arrive safely to their destination.
[ ZANIS ]

Kasenengwa is still mine — Vera

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Former First Ladies Vera Chiluba (L) and Maureen Mwanawasa (R)

KASENENGWA Member of Parliament (MP) Vera Tembo has lashed out at MMD officials who are campaigning for her seat despite still enjoying her tenure of office and called such manouvres as unwarranted.

Ms Tembo said she was still contemplating whether to re-contest the seat in next year’s elections or not.

She said it was illegal for anybody to attempt to wrestle the seat when she was the sitting MP.

She advised all those aspiring for Kasenengwa Constituency to stop doing so because it was illegal.

Ms Tembo, who is Deputy Minister for Tourism, Environment and natural Resources, said in Chipata yesterday that some MMD officials were spreading information in the constituency that she would not re-contest the seat in the 2011 polls.

She said she had not told anybody about her intentions and accused the party officials of deliberately misleading the members in the constituency.

“I have not yet decided whether I will stand or not, as far as I am concerned I have not yet made any announcement that I will not stand because it is my secret ,” Ms Tembo.

She said she was concerned that some people had started campaigning for the seat despite her being the incumbent MP.

On Saturday, tempers flared up at Kasenengwa Basic School when some MMD officials differed over a list of ward members who were supposed to vote during the constituency elections which led to the cancellation of the polls for the second time.

The officials exchanged bitter words and accused one another of ‘doctoring’ the list of ward officials who were supposed to cast their votes. Two factions among the officials emerged.

One group was supporting a Lusaka business executive, Victoria Kalima to be adopted as the parliamentary candidate in next year’s polls while the other group rallied behind another Lusaka based business executive, Gideon Zulu.

That was after news went around that the incumbent MP, Ms Tembo might not re-contest the seat.

A larger group comprising members from local women’s clubs are behind Ms Kalima while the other group composed of netballers, footballers and others are behind Mr Zulu.

Lusaka-based comedian, Ben Phiri and a Patrick Tembo are some of the people that have also shown interest to run for the Kasenengwa seat under the MMD ticket.

The fracas on Saturday happened in full view of the area MP who failed to control the controversy that had characterised the polls.

[Times of Zambia]

‘We are not spliting’, PACT assures Zambians

Entertainment Editor
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PF Leader (L) and UPND Leader (R)
PF leader Michael sata and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema

The Patriotic Front (PF)/United Party for National Development (UPND) pact has disputed media reports that it is has decided to split.

UPND/PF pact co- spokesperson Given Lubinda said that the reports are a fabrication and has accused the Movement of Multi Party Democracy (MMD) of orchestrating them.

Mr Lubinda said that the pact is intact and adding that pact leaders have never gone to anyone to disclose the intentions of the PACT to split.

Mr Lubinda said that the PF and UPND are committed to ensure that the pact forms government after the 2011 elections.

Yesterday it was reported that UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and PF president Michael Sata have agreed to dissolve the pact and are seeking ways of informing their followers.

But Mr. Lubinda stated that the PACT has come out stronger after the Kaoma and Chadiza by election saga.

He was speaking last evening on QFM’s Monday Nite Lie.

And speaking on the same programme, UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said that the party president Hakainde Hichilema is committed to the pact.

He said that it was shocking to read media reports from a state run newspaper indicating that the pact has decided to split.
[ QFM ]

Solwezi residents, Chamber of mines differ

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SOLWEZI residents differed with the Chamber of Mines at a heated public discussion on mining taxes, with some saying Lumwana and Kansanshi mining companies were giving Solwezi a raw deal.

Chamber of Mines general manager, Frederick Bantubonse articulated benefits of mining investments which he said accrued even before metal production commenced, but stakeholders to the meeting at the weekend were not convinced.

Mr Bantubonse said major benefits included economic and social infrastructure, taxes, employment, which he explained had risen from 19,000 at the time of privatisation to 24,000 people working in the mines, with another 24,000 created by contractors.

And with the Chamber of Mines representative accused of being defensive, the stakeholders wished Lumwana and Kansanshi were there to discuss for themselves the subject of “Mining Tax: An Endless Tug of War?”

The stakeholders were also disappointed that Solwezi Municipal Council shunned the meeting organised by Caritas, Centre for Policy and Development, Economics Association of Zambia, and Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia.

A local economist, Al Gwanu said the Chamber of Mines should have discussed challenges of the mines instead of just the positives, while another resident said with little benefits for Solwezi, it would be better to leave the minerals untouched for the future generation.

Allan Soneka accused the Chamber of Mines of being defensive, and wondered why mining companies were giving jobs which the Zambians were capable of doing to expatriates.

Former politician, Alina Nyikosa wondered whether mining companies knew that there was need for a ring road in Solwezi due to the damage caused to the Chingola-Solwezi (Lumwana) Road by heavy trucks.

And Kennedy Muluka wondered why Lumwana was distributing environmental booklets on radiation awareness written in English to villagers who could not read the foreign language.

Another resident wonderered why there was only talk of copper and not other minerals at Kansanshi and Lumwana, when Kansanshi was mining gold and had even built a gold plant.

An economist representing the provincial administration, Rodney Machila said he had taken note of the concerns raised and said that, among other measures, a ring road for Solwezi had been proposed in the Sixth National Development Plan and in the integrated development plan for Solwezi.

[Times of Zambia]

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