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THE Timber Association of Zambia (TAZ) has bemoaned the alleged exploitation of Zambian timber producers by foreign middlemen involved in the exportation of Zambian timber.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS today, Timber Association of Zambia Chairman, Charles Masange, said the Zambian timber exporters are realizing very low turnovers compared to what they could have been realizing if they were exporting direct to buyers on the international markets.
He called on government to consider forming a timber auction market at which the timber producers could sell their products unlike the current system of using middlemen who are allegedly just exploiting them.
Mr Masange has also bemoaned the open market trade policy existing under the SADC region.
He said the trading system has disadvantaged Zambian timber producers on the global export markets as it tends to be highly priced due to the high transportation costs hiked by Zambia’s landlocked position.
He said the Zambian timber producers are failing to compete favourably with producers from other countries within the regional economic grouping who have access to the ports within their countries for easier shipping to the export markets.
He cited timber from the DR Congo which is cheaper because the producers have less transportation costs due to their access to the sea ports for shipping to the European and American markets unlike Zambians that have to first transport their timber by road to ports in South Africa, Angola and Tanzania for shipping to exportation to final markets.
The TAZ chairman noted that there is need to harmonize the trade policies in the SADC region to ensure that none of the exporters of various products from member countries are disadvantaged.
And Mr Masange said there was need to promote value addition to the Zambian timber before it could be exported in order earn more from money the timber exports.
Zambian timbers is currently exported in the raw form, a trend that has been criticized by many stakeholders, including government, because it reduces the market value of the product on export markets.
Medical Council of Zambia (MCZ) says all institutions offering training for health personnel should be registered with it or risk facing the wrath of the law. .
MCZ Registrar, Dr. Mary Zulu, says institutions training health practitioners in various health-related fields in the country should, by law, apply to the council for approval and recognition of their training programme.
Addressing journalists in Lusaka today, Dr. Zulu said such steps are necessary so that graduates from such institutions are recognized and are eligible to be issued with a practicing certificate.
Dr. Zulu warned that if an institution trains health professionals without the council’s approval, such graduates risk not being recognized and would not be eligible to legally practice in Zambia.
She explained that some of the basic requirements for recognition of a training institution are that, the institution must have suitably and adequately qualified experienced supervisory and teaching staff for the purpose of such training.
Dr. Zulu added that the institution must be registered with a competent registering authority among others.
She said in order to enforce high standards of training, the council also carries out routine inspections of health training institutions registered with it.
Dr. Zulu said the council takes measures pertaining to training of health practitioners seriously because they ultimately boarder on provision of quality health care to the public. She said it is the council’s mandate to protect and safeguard the public.
She stated that there are only eight health training institutions that are recognized and have their professionals approved by the MCZ which include Chainama College of Health Sciences, Evelyn Hone College and Ndola School of Biomedical Science, among others.
Dr. Zulu warned of any institutions that are operating without the council’s recognition and their approval of their curriculum that they are doing so at their own risk.
She advised the various institutions which are doing so to normalize their status with the council as they can apply for recognition and it will determine whether they meet the prescribed standards for providing such training.
The World Food programme (WFP) says more people die from hunger than HIV and AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined.
WFP Country Director and Representative Pablo Recalde says the worst affected are women and children.
Addressing Journalists in Lusaka today, Mr. Recalde said there is therefore need to raise awareness on the high levels of child hunger and malnutrition in Africa, Zambia inclusive.
He noted that about one billion suffer from hunger in the world, with people in the south sub-Sahara being the worst hit.
Mr. Recalde emphasized the need to strive to fight child hunger and malnutrition by increasing productivity of the country.
And Food Programme Management Unit, FPMU, Acting Programme Manager Dorothy Sikazwe said more emphasis should be placed on eradicating child hunger.
ZANIS
Lusaka province minister Lameck Mangani addressing journalists on Henry Kapoko's Best Home Lodge, where it is alleged that the MMD used the facility to host Rupiah Banda's image builders.The Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) has
distanced itself from former Ministry of Health Human Resource Director, Henry Kapoko.
Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani, who was MMD elections national coordinator in the October 31 presidential by-election, says the MMD and its candidate President Rupiah Banda did not, at any time, deal with Mr. Kapoko.
Mr. Mangani told journalists during a media briefing in Lusaka today that to the contrary, preliminary investigations by the party have revealed that it was instead the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) that allegedly had dealings with Mr Kapoko.
He said the MMD has overwhelming evidence, that include invoices, indicating the PF had accommodated its cadres and other party officials at the infamous Best Home Lodge where it accrued a bill of K11.6 million for beverages.
He further said PF Deputy Secretary General Dr Chileshe Mulenga and Kapoko’s uncle, Robert Kalimi, facilitated the writing off of K8.7 million accrued on accommodation by cadres and party officials.
Mr. Mangani charged that PF leader Michael Sata was allegedly given vehicles by Kapoko’s Uncle, Mr. Kalimi which were used during the campaigns.
He further challenged the PF to tell the nation who paid for the printing of its posters and who hired the plane that ferried Mr. Sata and his campaign team during the by elections.
Mr. Mangani has since challenged the PF and its leadership to explain its dealings with Mr. Kapoko.
He was reacting to media reports that the MMD accommodated its officials and image builders at the now infamous Best Home Lodge, the lodge run by former Ministry of Health Human Resource Director, Henry Kapoko, who has since been formally arrested and charged in connection with the ongoing investigations in the K27 billion scam at the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mangani has clarified that Rupiah Banda’s image builders were not hired by the MMD as a party but were organized by the President’s family members.
Government has demanded the immediate arrest and charge of a man from the Copperbelt who allegedly repeatedly defiled his nine year-old daughter leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
Sport, Youth and Child Development Deputy Minster Angela Cifire has disclosed that government has given the Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde a 24-hour ultimatum in which to arrest and charge the suspected defiler.
Speaking in Lusaka today, Ms Cifire said despite the country being a signatory to various international conventions that are aimed at protecting the rights of children, Zambia has continued to record a high number of defilement and child abuse cases.
Ms Cifire expressed concern that the increase in such cases could partially be attributed to the failure by law enforcement agencies to arrest perpetrators.
She noted that this is why all law enforcement agencies should take it upon themselves and ensure that all offenders charged with defilement and child abuse cases are brought to book by speeding up their arrest.
Ms Cifire further implored the media to also play an active role in highlighting these issues as a way of embarrassing offenders and discouraging would be offenders.
And speaking earlier, Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) representative Hope Khumalo cited inadequacies in the legal system as one of the factors that contribute to the protecting of offenders and not victims.
Ms Khumalo urged government to come up with proper measures that will protect and prevent the abuse of girls and gender based violence cases in the country.
Another man has been arrested by police in Kawambwa in connection with the theft of over 15,000 x 50 kg bags of white maize worth K 949,620,000.00 belonging to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
Steven Chibwe Chisha, 26, of Lengwe village in Chief Munkanta’s area, yesterday appeared before Kawambwa Magistrate, Felix Kaoma, for theft by agent contrary to Sections 272 and 280 (b) Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Chisha pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Particulars before the court were that Chisha, while acting together with unknown people on unknown dates but between June 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009, allegedly converted K949,620,000.00 to their personal use.
The money was given to them by FRA and was meant to purchase 15,000 x 50 kg of white maize. Chisha was allegedly reported to be on the run before he was arrested by the police.
His arrest brings the number of suspects connected to the theft of maize in the area to four.
Last week, three other suspects John Mwape 36, of Kawambwa district in Chief Munkanta’s area, who was jointly charged with Martin Sichone, 29, and Mary Chikotwe, 23, of the same area appeared before the same court.
Magistrate Kaoma has since set June 10, 2009 for trial of both Chisha and the other three.The suspects are remanded at Kawambwa State Prison.
Zimbabwean Security personnel have shot a 26-year-old man of Sinazongwe district in Southern Province on Lake Kariba.
Sinazongwe District Commissioner, Mungoni Simulilika, confirmed the development to ZANIS and named the injured Zambian as Patrick Mulumba. Mr. Mulimba is battling for his life after he was shot two times in the right shoulder and in the left side of the chest.
The DC explained that Mulumba was fishing on Zebra Island on Lake Kariba with his colleagues on Tuesday evening and the Game Scouts from the Zimbabwean side opened fire on them and severely injured the fisherman.
He said the victim was rushed to Maamba Hospital where he was evacuated to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka around 22:00 hours yesterday.
Mr Simulilika described the incident as unfortunate and inhuman since the victim was merely a fisherman.He has appealed to local border security personnel to link up with their Zimbabwean counterparts to avoid such incidents.
He disclosed that last week Zambian security personnel captured Zimbabwean nationals who were found fishing on the Zambian side of Lake Kariba but did not harm them.
A male nurse at Lubwe Mission Hospital is reported to be on the run after conducting a botched abortion on a female teacher who has since died.
Samfya Police officer-in-charge, Ulaya Phiri, confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Samfya today, but declined to name the male nurse as the case was still under investigations.
Mr Phiri said the the body of the deceased teacher was collected from Lubwe and taken to Mansa General Hospital mortuary.
District health authorities also confirmed the incident, but said they would rely on police investigations for details.
ZESCO Limited engineers and managers analysing the aquatic weed that has besieged the Kafue Gorge power station which has resulted in low power supplyZESCO Limited has started importing 250 mega watts of
power from South Africa and Namibia at a cost of $260 000 daily to mitigate the impact of power shortage in the country.
Most parts of Zambia have been experiencing extensive load shedding since Saturday.
This was after ZESCO shut down two of its six generators at Kafue Gorge Power Station, resulting in a national deficit of about 500 mega watts.
The generators have been shut down due to the blockage of the water in-let by weed which has accumulated at the site and reduced the flow of water.
ZESCO Limited Director-Transmission and Generation, Christopher Nthala says the power company is importing 100 Mega watts of power from ESCOM in South Africa and 150 Mega watts from Namibia’s NAMPOWER.
BUT Mr. Nthala said works to clear the weed at the water in-let which started on Saturday, have not yielded success.
And Energy minister Kenneth Konga has directed ZESCO management to treat the problem at the power station as an emergency.
Kafue Gorge Power Station is currently generating 400 Mega watts, instead of its usual 900 Mega watts as a result of reduced water levels to the in-let.
[ZNBC]
The ESU nursing school Limited which is suspected to be owned by ministry of health officials linked to the K10 billion scam in Kalundu township.Police have officially arrested and charged former ministry
of Health Human Resource Manager Henry Kapoko with theft by public servant.
Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso confirmed the development to ZNBC news in Lusaka.
Mr. Kapeso said Mr. Kapoko has been charged in relation to the on going investigations involving the K10 billion ministry of health corruption scam.
He said Mr. Kapoko is detained in police custody.
And Police Tuesday sealed off a private nursing school in Lusaka as part of the on going investigations into the K10 billion allegedly stolen at the ministry of health.
Mr. Kapeso confirmed in an interview that ESU nursing college situated in Roma residential area was raided between 15:00 and 16:00 hours.
Mr. Kapeso said police were conducting verifications and investigations because the nursing school has been linked to a director at the ministry of health.
Investigations into the 27 billion kwacha financial scandal at the ministry of health has continued with 32 officers sent on leave so far.
THE Lusaka High Court has thrown out Henry Kapoko’s three applications for judicial review regarding properties seized by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Mr Kapoko, a Local Government and Housing employee is being investigated in connection with fraud amounting to K10 billion at the Ministry of Healthy where he worked.
The three applications were made by Best Home Lodge shareholders, Lusaka businessman Fred Chileshe and Kabwata resident Steven Chisala.
Mr Kapoko, through his lawyer Nicholas Chanda, applied for a fresh judicial review application after the first one to challenge the seizure was also thrown out.
The shareholders argued that the action by the ACC to extend search and seizure to the lodge was illegal as they were not included in the search warrant.
The shareholders also questioned the seizure of their vehicles.
In the initial application, Mr Kapoko argued that the decision by the ACC to seize his property and that of innocent third parties was irrational and irregular.
But High Court judge Evans Hamaundu ruled that Mr Kapoko was not the right applicant to commence proceedings and that of innocent third parties.
The ACC has since seized several vehicles and restricted a number of properties including an executive lodge in Lusaka.
MMD chairman for elections, Mike Mulongoti has challenged opposition Patriotic Front president, Michael Sata, to produce evidence of how President Banda and the MMD allegedly used funds from the Ministry of Health to campaign in the 2008 elections.
Mr Mulongoti said President Banda and his campaign team never used money from the Ministry of Health as alleged by Mr Sata.
He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that if Mr Sata has evidence on the matter, he should present it to the relevant law enforcement agencies that are carrying out investigations at the Ministry of Health.
“I was in charge of President Banda’s campaigns during the 2008 elections and I can tell you we never used money from the Ministry of Health as alleged by Mr Sata and if he has proof, let him present it to the relevant investigative wings so that they can prove whether or not the MMD got money from the ministry,” he said.
Mr Mulongoti wondered why Mr Sata did not present the matter as one of his reasons for petitioning the MMD in the Presidential elections.
He said if Mr Sata has evidence that the MMD used money from the ministry for campaigns, he should have revealed that before the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) unearthed the K10 billion scam.
“He challenged the election results in the last Presidential elections and so I wonder why in his petition, he did not include this matter as one of his submissions that my party used money from the Ministry of Health.
“If he knew that the MMD got money from this ministry, why has he been quiet?” he said.
Mr Mulongoti said as an opposition political party leader, Mr Sata should be truthful in his statements.[quote]
He said opposition political parties and the citizenry in general should allow the investigating wings to complete their work at the Ministry of Health without disruptions.
Mr Mulongoti said Zambians should desist from making statements that are likely to alarm the nation and disrupt the investigations.
He challenged Mr Sata to call for a commission of inquiry beginning from 1991 so that all those who have stolen money from Government can be revealed.
“The nation should allow the security wings to do their job without disturbances. If people have evidence, let them present it to the officers as opposed to alarming the nation by making statements anyhow.
“We should allow the law enforcement agencies to prove who the perpetrators of the scam are and not point fingers at one another,” he said.
Mr Sata is quoted in The Post newspaper as saying President Banda used funds from the Ministry of Health for the Presidential election campaigns last year.
Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister, Kenneth Chipungu has urged the Food Reseve Agency (FRA) to look for alternative storage sheds in Serenje and let the Council Hall be given back to youths as a recreation centre.
Speasking in Serenje last weekend, Mr. Chipungu said it was unfortunate that youths in the district were denied recreation by the council who rented the Council Hall to the FRA to use as storage sheds.
Mr. chipungu said the council should get back the Hall and let the youths use it to meet and share ideas including playing indoor games such as badminton, chess, pool, tennis and other games to keep them busy.
He said FRA should in fact build their own sheds in the district this year so that they should not depend on the hall.
Mr. chipungu who inspected the Hall and ball game playing fields in Serenje, said government was working hard to make sport be at the center stage because many youths were getting spoiled by engaging in bad habits such as beer drinking and illicit sex because they did not have recreation facilities.
He also expressed sadness that the council and FRA had neglected the Hall by not paying attention to the falling ceiling boards.
“I am not happy with this arrangement FRA should immediately find its own sheds and leave this to the youths. We can find some donor to fund for the renovation of this building so that it can become a good reading and recreation facility for youth,” he said.
Mr. Chipungu also challenged business houses in the district to work with sport organizers and ensure sport activities were supported financially.
He said government was concerned about the number of youths leaving school every year and do nothing.
“There are over 300 youths come out of school every year and only 40 percent find chance to get places in colleges while the rest are left out. These are the ones we want to carter for so that they also have something to do,” he said.
Mr. Chipungu also challenged the youths to take advantage of the Citizen Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEF) and apply for the fund to enable them engage in business ventures.
Comesa Secretary-general Sindiso Ngwenya Trade among Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) member states rose from about US$3.2 billion in 2000 to US$15.2 billion last year, an official said on Tuesday.
Secretary-general Sindiso Ngwenya said this while addressing the 26 th meeting of the Council of Ministers underway in Victoria Falls ahead of the Comesa Customs Union launch this Sunday.
He said though the increase was commendable, a lot more still needed to be done as the figure was still less than 10 percent of global trade.
“Since the launch of the Comesa Free Trade Area (FTA) on 31 October 2000, intra-Comesa trade has grown from US$3.2 billion to US$15.2 billion in 2008,” he said.
He said the region had also recorded an increase in cross border investment, resulting in spin off benefits such as employment creation.
Ngwenya, however, urged member states to create conducive environments that attracted investment, adding the establishment of the Comesa Customs Union this Sunday will present the region with an opportunity to boost trade and lure investment.
“By launching the Customs Union Comesa countries are sending out a strong political message that there will be no policy reversal on trade liberalization and the creation of a single market for goods, labour and capital,” he said.
Ngwenya said establishment of the customs union would also sent a bold message that the region, with about 400 million people and a gross domestic product of US$350 billion, was now an emerging market for trade and investment.
“We can now speak with a single voice and negotiate as one,” he said, adding that this would help the region to pool its resources together to fund some of its projects even though a similar fund was already in existence.
The union would also facilitate the speedy realization of Comesa macro-economic convergence programmes, exchange rate convertibility and ultimately the establishment of a single currency, he said.
The secretary-general, however, urged member states to work together in implementing agreed policies to ensure the Customs Union was a huge success.
Ngwenya said the globalization process required Comesa countries to operate like a pride of lion that work as a collective group.
And Ngwenya urged African countries to craft their own economic policies and not depend too much on foreign policies, noting that this had a negative impact on growth.
He said the global economic recession was a clear example of how dangerous it could be to naivley accept policies without critically interrogating them.
It was sad, he said, to note that what a central bank in developed countries decided over lunch or dinner became universal law.
“The lesson to be learnt from this and related factors that have thrown the world economy in a worst recession is that it is absolutely necessary for Comesa to understand the cause rather than the symptoms in order for the region to craft strategies and policies than can lead to a vicious cycle of growth and equitable development,” he said.
Meanwhile , Zimbabwe assumed the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Council of Ministers at the regional meeting which opened here on Tuesday in the resort town of Victoria Falls.
The council, which brings together ministers responsible for Trade, Industry and Commerce, makes key decisions that commit member states to various programmes in Comesa. It also makes recommendations to Heads of States for approval.
Zimbabwean Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube assumed the chair on behalf of the country.
Ncube takes over from Kenyan Trade Minister Amos Kimunya, whose country hosted the previous Comesa Summit while Swaziland retained the vice-chairmanship post.
As Comesa vice-chair, Swaziland would host next yera’s Comesa Summit.
Speaking soon afterwards, Ncube said Zimbabwe took seriously issues of regional integration and would strive to promote full cooperation among member states.
“I want to assure you that Zimbabwe takes more seriously the responsibilities entrusted on her as she assumes the chairmanship of the council,” he said.
He pledged to continue championing the good work of those that served in the previous council to ensure Comesa implemented its developmental programmes.
In his address, the out-going council chairman Kimunya said Comesa had done a lot to promote regional integration. Zimbabwe, he said, was now entrusted with the task of spearheading the programmes.
“I am satisfied with my tenure,” he said, adding that Zimbabwe also had the capacity to do more for the regional economic bloc.
A visiting Cardinal of the Catholic Church has said that the Catholic Church has no role to play in politics.
Speaking on arrival at Livingstone International Airport today, Vinko Puljic who is Cardinal of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Hezegovina said, when the Church sees that a priest is disobedient, it will not just standby and look, but will try hard to put him in line. He further said, if the priest concerned does not reform, then the Church would have recourse to other corrective measures.
The Cardinal was responding to questions on Former Radio Icelengelo Priest, Father Frank Bwalya’s recent involvement in politics.
He said, sometimes priests identify themselves so closely with the people they live with in a particular community, to the extent that they forget that they are priests.
Cardinal Puljic said the Priest’s role is that of giving advice to politicians to lead a nation in a proper way.
And commenting on corruption, Cardinal Puljic said the scourge would always be in existence, but that it is the role of the church to teach about the evils of corruption and other moral activities.
”Corruption shall always be there. It is not enough to just shout to those who are elected as political leaders, but level minded moral principles must be preached to people at all levels,” he said.
The Cardinal is in Zambia to visit Lusu Mission in Sesheke district, Western Province and will leave the country next week on Monday.
