President Rupiah Banda says Government is appreciative of the unique economic support the nation continues to receive from China.

President Banda says during the global financial crunch, the Chinese Government did not down-size or close its companies in the country but instead increased its investment.

The President said the common history between Zambia and China has many remarkable landmarks in which Zambia has ended up with major infrastructure such as the Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta Oil Pipeline among others.

Mr. Banda said this in Chambishi today when he officially launched the Chambishi Copper Smelter on the Copperbelt Province.

He said the Copper Smelter has been setup within the Chambishi Multi-Facility Zone, whose concept is to attract manufacturing companies, in both domestic and export based categories.

He said the smelter is a major step towards the sort of economic progress that Government anticipates within the zone.

“I am glad to note that the company has already made fruitful arrangements to process copper concentrates from the recently opened Lumwana Copper Mine in North-Western Province. The Smelter is also receiving concentrates from Chambishi NFCA, Chibuluma and Kansanshi Mines. This is healthy development in the nation”, he said.

The President cited another investment by Chambishi Copper Smelter as the construction of an Electricity Power Substation that was constructed to supply power to the company at a cost of approximately US $2.8 million in which China Non Ferrous Metal Mining Group Limited Holds 60 percent shares while ZESCO Limited has 40 percent shares.

Mr. Banda called on Mining Companies operating on the Copperbelt and North-Western Province to utilize the smelter whose construction has adhered to international standards.

He said Chambishi Copper Smelter was strategically located in the heart of the Copperbelt and was in close proximity to major concentrators at the large scale mines in Zambia.

President Banda was pleased to note that more than 600 jobs have been created and that the local people in the area could now be able to access meaningful employment.

He said Government was evidently succeeding in attracting foreign direct investment resulting in the creation of jobs for the people in the country.

Mr. Banda further expressed delight that Zambians and Chinese workers had combined and integrated as one people.

He said that was proof of the friendliness and good understanding adding that that was the best way in which foreign direct investment should take root and bear fruit in the country.

The President noted that foreign investors are an important part of the struggle to improve the quality of life for the Zambian people.

He appealed to members of Civil Society Organizations to interpret Government actions positively as the country makes an effort to bring in foreign investment.

“ Where there are ideas on how to further improve or enhance Zambia’s relationship with Foreign investors and make them more profitable to the Zambian populace, those ideas are always welcome”, he said.

And Mr. Banda says Government pursues optimum benefits for workers injured, disabled or disposed at places of work, saying certain jobs were by nature hazardous and exposed workers to long-term health risks or sudden loss of limb or life through accidents.

He cautioned authorities at the Copper Smelter to ensure that the health and safety of the employees is central.

Mr. Banda said employees are the ones that generate revenues for the company and are also the ones on whom the progress and well-being of families depend.

The President further urged the mining sector to work within the confines of the Zambian law and cooperate with the regulatory bodies such as the Zambia Safety Department and the Environmental Council of Zambia to ensure compliance with various provisions of the law.

ZANIS

The Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) has suspended embattled former defense Minister George Mpombo from the Party with immediate effect.
Copperbelt Provincial MMD Chairman Joseph Chilabwe confirmed the development in an Interview with ZANIS in Kitwe today.

Mr. Chilabwe said Mr. Mpombo who is also a former National Executive Committee member will receive his suspension letter soon.
He said the Party has decided to suspend Mr Mpombo because he had brought the name of the ruling party in disrepute and his actions and utterances on various national and party issues boarder on treason.

He said Mr. Mpombo has continued to defy his oath of allegiance to the President and nation at large and gone out of his way to destroy the Party.
He added that the MMD was aware that Mr Mpombo had joined the Patriotic Front and United Party for National Development Pact.
Mr. Chilabwe alleged that the MMD was aware that Mr. Mpombo was being used to destroy the Party and was only clinging to the ruling Party because of the gratuity.

He added that the former defense Minister was attacking President Banda viciously because he had failed to impress the President with his bootlicking character.

Mr. Chilabwe further said the Party will not allow him to insult the President and destroy the Party from inside.
He also said the Party will proceed to lay grounds for the expulsion and will not allow him to exculpate himself because his actions were clear.

[ZANIS]

THE UPND/PF pact says attempts by suspended UPND Namwala MP Robby Chizyuka to break the pact will not yield any positive result because he has no capacity to do so.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, co-spokesperson of the pact Charles Kakoma said Major Chizyuka has no capacity to break the pact.

Mr Kakoma said Maj. Chizyuka’s attempt is in vain and that ‘the revolutionary wing of the pact will sweep him away’.

He said if Mr Maj. Chizyuka wants to test the ability of the pact, he should resign, adding that he won’t be able to retain his parliamentary seat.

“If he wants to test his ability, let him resign from the party and go and test the people of Namwala because, I can assure him, he will lose should he attempt to re-contest the seat,” he said.[quote]

Mr Kakoma said the disciplinary committee will meet this Wednesday to determine Maj. Chizyuka’s fate.

“Major Chizyuka has not even responded to the charges levelled against him, so the disciplinary committee will be meeting to determine his case and, whatever his fate, he will be informed,” Mr Kakoma said.

Maj. Chizyuka on Saturday vowed to ensure that the pact between his party and the PF is broken because it does not represent the wishes of the majority in the party.

He was suspended from the party a week ago for allegedly inciting some party members to oppose the pact.

Maj. Chizyuka said he will not relent in speaking out against the pact until it is abandoned.

He said no threat of expulsion would force him to resign from the UPND because he loves the party and has spent a lot to ensure that it got to its current status.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

THE MMD has said it is not shaken with the recent loss in the Kasama Central parliamentary by-elections to the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and that it will be concentrating on re-organising the party.

Acting MMD spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti said the party was not shaken because it was aware that it gave the opposition a good run during the campaigns, which caused them sleepless nights.

Mr Mulongoti, who is Works and Supply Minister, in an interview yesterday said despite the loss, the MMD was confident that it was still in control of most provinces in the country.

“As a party we are not shaken about the loss because that is the game and we will now concentrate on re-organising our party.

‘‘How can we be shaken when the opposition were spending sleepless nights fighting for survival,’’ he asked.

He said the MMD would continue to base its campaigns on issues and not on personalities and reiterated that it was commited to contributing to the development of the country.

The loss of elections was nothing to be ashamed of because the MMD party believed in a democratic process unlike other parties which would have raised alarm if they had lost.

Recently, PF leader Michael Sata is reported to have said President Rupiah Banda and former president Chiluba were licking their shame over the MMD defeat in the recently-held Kasama by-elections.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba says the MMD has exhausted all administrative procedures to persuade former Minister of Defence George Mpombo to follow party procedure and that the nation should not judge the ruling party harshly if punitive action is taken against him.

Reacting to Mr Mpombo’s reported sentiments that the MMD national executive committee (NEC) cannot make the right decision over the holding of the party convention because it is under siege from President Banda, Dr Kalumba said he is listening carefully to calls by MMD members to discipline Mr Mpombo.

“I am listening carefully to the calling of the people and at some point I will consult fully on the course of action to take,” Dr Kalumba said.

He said Mr Mpombo knows that the party has exhausted all administrative procedures required to afford him (Mpombo) an opportunity to behave in accordance with an MMD members’ obligation under article 10 of the party constitution.[quote]

“I have gone beyond constitution imperatives, considered a political dimension of Mr Mpombo’s status as Member of Parliament of Kafulafuta.

I have been working with leaders on the Copperbelt and the constituency in Kafulafuta to seek their intervention to counsel the honorable member in such a way that we can avoid punitive measures that may deprive the people of Kafulafuta of effective representation and also cost the taxpayers millions of Kwacha in a by-election,” Dr Kalumba said.

He said Mr Mpombo wants to force a by-election in Kafulafuta by disregarding the assurances he made to his office to follow party procedure.

“I am certain that the people of Zambia will not judge the MMD harshly when punitive action is taken against Mr Mpombo,” Dr Kalumba said.

He said, however, that he has no reason to stifle democratic debate because the MMD was founded on the principle of plural democratic processes.

“I am not blind to the fact that there is a thin line between democratic debate and chaotic anarchical provocative utterances that are simply designed to deal with the individual’s personal ego problems. It is quite easy to respect egoistic problems of an individual for heroic politics,” Dr Kalumba said.

Dr Kalumba said he is not persuaded that Mr Mpombo is engaged in a healthy and constructive democratic debate.

[Zambia Daily Mail]