President Rupiah Banda says he will continue paying attention to the needs of North Western Province in order to develop it.

He said this when he addressed a mammoth gathering outside Senior Chief Kanongesha’s palace in Mwinilunga today.

He said North Western Province which is endowed with minerals will assist to propel the economy of the country.

President Banda stressed that government is determined to reduce poverty in the area by creating employment through the opening of new mines.

He implored the people to vote for the MMD during elections in 2011 for continued development in there are and the entire country.

Meanwhile, Senior Chief Kanongesha has assured President Banda that people in his area would continue supporting the MMD administration.

The chief said this when the President paid a courtesy call on him at his palace just before addressing the public.

QFM

First-quarter copper production in Zambia, Africa’s largest producer, rose to 174 407 t from 170 948 t produced in the corresponding period last year, Zambia’s central bank said on Wednesday.

Copper exports in the first quarter rose to 173 421 t versus 153 306 t exported in the same period last year, a statistics report from the Bank of Zambia showed.

“We should expect more copper with the start of production at the Konkola deep mining project, the resumption of output at Baluba mine and ramp up at Lumwana mine,” said Mathias Mpande, a mining engineering senior lecturer at the University of Zambia.

“Zambia should reach 800 000 t of copper without much difficulty by the end of 2010 unless something unexpected happens,” he said.

Zambia’s total copper production in 2009 was slightly below 700 000 t.

The central bank said cobalt output in the three months to March 31 jumped to 1 921 t from 1 081 t last year, while exports of cobalt increased to 1 905 t from the 1 251 t exported during the first quarter of 2009.

“Cobalt production is increasing because Chambishi Metals has started producing again. The cobalt price is also rising and this is an incentive for cobalt producers to increase their output,” said Mpande.

Copper mining is Zambia’s economic lifeblood and the mines are a major employer in the country of 12-million people.

Foreign mining companies in Zambia include London-listed Vedanta Resources, Canada’s First Quantum Minerals, Glencore International of Switzerland and Metorex of South Africa.

[Mining Weekly]

Republican president Rupiah Banda has described the red card campaign being spearheaded by Change Life Zambia executive director Fr. Frank Bwalya as total madness.

President Banda said that he will not be disrupted by the campaigns that seek to disturb his distribution of developments in the country. He added that Fr. Bwalya is no longer a Catholic priest and that the red card campaign, which he described as nonsense, will not go anywhere.

Speaking on the Copperbelt on Tuesday, President Banda expressed happiness that the people there have rejected the red card campaign. He stated that the red card campaign will not take Fr. Bwalya anywhere but will just bring chaos.

And President Banda says that he will never be worried about the United Party for National Development and Patriotic Front pact. He has expressed confidence that he will do far much better than the pact as the two parties have failed to win in the previous elections.

Meanwhile President Banda has said that the people who were laughing at him when he wore a white barret instead of a red one are just jealous because he looked good.
[Q FM]

THE National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has warned United Party for National Development (UPND) members of Parliament to desist from distancing themselves from decisions passed by the conference.

NCC spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the conference arrives at decisions collectively through consensus hence it is irrational for some members to dissociate themselves.

Mrs Zaloumis said this in Lusaka on Monday in response to UPND vice president Richard Kapita, who was quoted saying that some UPND MPs were not part of the decision arrived at by the conference last week.

Mr Kapita was referring to the decision by the conference to delete an article relating to the right to access food, water and shelter.

Mrs Zaloumis, however, said the conference does not arrive at decisions as parties or stakeholders but collectively.

She said all members of the NCC are expected to honour the decision of the majority of members.

Mrs Zaloumis said political party members taking part in the NCC deliberations should not use the conference to settle scores with opponents.

She said the deliberations of the NCC are neutral and decisions are arrived at amicably.

“Whenever we are adopting articles, if there are members who do not agree with certain decisions, they are at liberty to rise to call for a division within the deliberations.

“So it’s surprising that we can have members who want to rush to the media to distance themselves from the decisions we arrive at,” Mrs Zaloumis said.

She said the conference has been given a mandate to deliver a people-driven constitution and that members of the NCC should ensure that this is achieved.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

PRESIDENT Banda has directed the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to sell the Itawa flats and houses at the Masala housing complex to the sitting tenants at fair and reasonable prices. The President has also ordered the Ministry of Lands and all councils to expedite the issuance of title deeds before the end of August this year.

Mr Banda said this was so because the Patriotic Front (PF)-run councils were charging exorbitant land rates on houses owned by Zambians. The president said the council had conspired to reverse the empowerment policy initiated by second Republican president Frederick Chiluba by frustrating house owners by asking rates which house owners could not afford.

He was speaking during a Press briefing at Broadway Lodge in Kitwe yesterday.

“My Government will not entertain this kind of dishonesty any longer. These PF councils which have turned rates into rentals and are demanding rates from people on residential properties which are unattainable must reconsider this,” Mr Banda said.

The president said the owners of the houses were Zambians without a regular income, adding that some of them were over burdened with the care of orphans, while others were widows or widowers who had lost their bread winners.

[pullquote]“My Government will not entertain this kind of dishonesty any longer. These PF councils which have turned rates into rentals and are demanding rates from people on residential properties which are unattainable must reconsider this,” Mr Banda said.[/pullquote]

He said it did not make political, economic, moral or even financial sense to over-value properties just to collect higher land rates.
Mr Banda said some house owners who failed to pay the increased rates had their household goods confiscated by councils, a situation he said was unacceptable.

He said the manner in which PF-run councils were charging rentals was a sure recipe for political revolt. The council had not undertaken any maintenance or repair works to the flats.

And Mr Banda disclosed that he had also received a petition from former United Bus Company of Zambia (UBZ) workers throughout the country who were offered houses by Government to buy at book value but had not because some officials in Government increased the property prices beyond the former workers’ ability to pay.

He said he would not entertain any further delays in the issuance of title deeds, adding that the Government would not allow the councils to frustrate its efforts to empower the people.

Earlier, when he launched the Copperbelt roads project, President Banda commended the Japanese government for the support it was rendering to the Zambian people.

He said the Japanese people opted to support the Zambians because they knew that they were accountable and would use the funds for their intended purpose.

And Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hideto Mitamura said the project was particularly significant in that it would enhance economic development.

Mr Mitamura said the project would be implemented at an estimated cost of US$27 million, which was equivalent to about K133.4 billion, and that it was the largest grant project to be undertaken by the Japanese government.

[Times of Zambia]

A 26-year-old from Halifax is the latest emerging Canadian filmmaker chosen to screen his work at the Director’s Fortnight during the coming Cannes Film Festival.

Noah Pink’s 44-minute film ZedCrew will screen during the prestigious film series running during the venerable French festival, organizers announced in the French city on Tuesday.

“It is both thrilling and humbling to have my work recognized by Cannes,” Pink said in a statement issued by Telefilm Canada.

“It is the very festival that put the first spotlight on so many of my favourite directors from around the world, those who inspired me to become a filmmaker. To say that I’m excited would be a gross understatement. I’m glowing!”

Pink’s medium-length film, a Canadian-Zambia co-production, is a portrait of three young Zambian rappers who attempt to make it big in New York. It stars Zambian hip hop star Alvin (The Lyracist) Fungo, who also provides the film’s score.

ZedCrew offers a view of “contemporary, urban Africa,” Pink said.

“It portrays the life of cool, young Zambians who, like so many others, dream of making it big in America. But unlike so many others, these guys are forced to the extreme.”

Last year, young Montreal filmmaker Xavier Dolan became an international sensation when his directorial debut, the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film J’ai tué ma mere (I Killed My Mother), was selected to screen at the Director’s Fortnight and nabbed a trio of trophies. It went on to become a darling on the festival circuit and scored a host of prizes back in Canada as well.

Dolan is heading back to Cannes this year with his latest film, Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats), which is competing in the Un Certain Regard category of innovative and daring works by emerging or established auteur filmmakers.

The Cannes festival runs May 12-23.

[Canadian Broadcasting Centre]
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2010/04/20/cannes-noah-pink-zedcrew.html#ixzz0levwJsfP

Lusaka Business and political consultant Bob Sichinga has castigated the government’s attitude towards foreign investment. Mr. Sichinga says that the investment in the country has failed to match to the specific objectives that the country has. Mr. Sichinga has strongly called for the review of the investments in a way that it can benefit the majority Zambians.

Mr. Sichinga said that government has failed to implement the investing programmes adequately, describing it as unfortunate. Speaking on Qfm’s Monday Night Live last evening, Mr. Sichinga said that government has been too lenient to get enough taxes to come back into the national systems.

[pullquote]But Mr. Sichinga said that if investment is not being translated into the creation of the wealth, then it is not worth celebrating.[/pullquote]

He further charged that the Zambia is not getting anything from its resources all in the name of the investment. He said that it is important that the country maintains a type of investment that generates employment and adds value to the general growth of the economy.

He said that the government should be fair in distribution of wealth for the benefit of the country.

And Mr. Sichinga has doubted governments continued support of Chinese investment saying that the value is not being visibly seen.
Last week, Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said Chinese Investment in the country has helped the country attract other investors from bigger economies.

Dr. Musokotwane urged politicians to avoid politicizing Chinese investment because it is helping the country in bringing in more investment into the country. But Mr. Sichinga said that if investment is not being translated into the creation of the wealth, then it is not worth celebrating.