The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has started constructing two footbridges on Kafue road to reduce accidents that have claimed many lives of pedestrians crossing the road.

LCC Assistant Public Relations Manager, Habeenzu Mulunda confirmed the development in Lusaka today.

Mr. Mulunda said the construction of the footbridges started last month and was expected to take seven months before completion.

He said construction works were likely to be completed by December this year and were currently at design stage.

He said the city council has allocated K6.8 billion to construct two footbridges on the Kafue road.

Mr. Mulunda said one footbridge will be Downtown shopping complex while the other one will be at Metropolitan School on the same road.

He said Luseed Japanese Company and Zuthona Engineering Technologies have been awarded the contracts to construct the two footbridges.

Mr. Mulunda said the construction of the footbridges would greatly reduce the number of road traffic accidents along Kafue road.

He further said the bridges would also improve the pedestrian safety and help them in crossing the road, especially at peak hours.

Last year, the then Minister of Works and Supply Kapembwa Simbao announced that government would construct footbridges on Kafue road to reduce on the high number of people killed when crossing the road.

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Zambia will this year harvest nearly 1.9 million metric tones of maize produced from the just ended 2008/2009 farming season.

This harvest puts the country on a safe food situation, whose annual human maize consumption is 1.26 million metric tones.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Brian Chituwo, said the crop forecasting survey for 2008/2009 agricultural season and the food balance status for the 2009/2010 marketing season indicate that the total maize production in the last farming season is estimated to be 1,888,773 metric tones.

Dr Chituwo said at a press briefing in Lusaka today that the food balance sheet shows that the total maize required for human consumption amounts to 1,263,098 metric tones.

He said the country has recorded a maize surplus of 203,271 metric tones from last year’s production, adding that government was ready to review the issue of maize exports.

This maize production represents an increase of 31 per cent compared to the previous season.

Dr. Chituwo stressed that the total maize requirements would take into account government’s strategic reserve stock of 110,000 metric tones for the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

He however disclosed that the percentage contribution to national production by large scale farmers has reduced from 18 per cent during the previous season to 12 per cent in the just ended season.

Dr. Chituwo stated that large scale commercial farmers have achieved an average maize yield rate of 4.8 metric tonnes per hectare while small and medium scale farmers have achieved an average maize yield rate of 1.5 metric tones per hectare.

He has since appealed to the private sector to immediately start participating in the market by purchasing maize from farmers.

The minister also disclosed that the floor price for maize would be announced early next month.

ZANIS

Chief Mwansakombe of the bena Ng’umbo people in Samfya district of Luapula province has refuted media reports that he is a member of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF).

And Chief Mwansakombe has commended government and the PF for attending the funeral of senior Chief Mwewa, who passed away last week.

The chief said in an interview in Mansa today that it was not true that he was a member of the PF, saying as a chief, he was supposed to be non partisan.

One of the local daily newspapers on Monday this week quoted chief Mwansakombe, who is Luapula Province Council of Chiefs chairperson, as having told PF leader Michael Sata that he was a member of the party.

The traditional leader is alleged to have made the declaration when Mr. Sata called on him, to convey his condolences on the late senior chief Mwewa of the Ng’umbo people in Samfya.

Chief Mwansakombe said he was displeased by the reports carried in newspaper alleging that he was a PF member.

He said as chairperson of Luapula Province Council of Chiefs, he would equally not allow any chief from the province to publicly declare that they belong to a particular political party.

He said however that his subjects were free to identify themselves with any political party of their choice.

The chief said traditional leaders were supposed to be free and non partisan so that they could welcome leaders of various political parties without discrimination.

He has meanwhile commended the PF president for traveling to Samfya to attend the funeral of the senior chief who was buried on May 8, 2009.

“Of course, we want to thank the PF president for coming and conveying his message of condolences to the bereaved family of the late senior chief Mwewa. We are very grateful for this,” Chief Mwansakombe said.

The chief also commended government for material and financial support rendered during the funeral of the late Chief Mwewa.

Chief Mwansakombe also thanked government for rehabilitating Musaila-Kasaba road, which was in a very deplorable state.

He said people in Chifunabuli constituency were happy with government for sending a good contractor, who has almost finished working on the road.

“We are happy that government has responded to our cry and sent us a good contractor who has really done a very good job on the Musaila-Kasaba road. We are grateful to government for that,” he said.

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The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) says it is unfair to label all Chinese investors as exploitative.

ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba said in an interview that some Chinese investors have proved to be good investors.

Mr. Hikaumba further noted that exploitation of workers was not exclusive to some Chinese investors as other employers were equally guilty of mistreatment of workers.

He said it is therefore not fair for the people to look at Chinese investors as the only employers that exploit workers in the country.

Mr. Hikaumba has however appealed to NFCA, the Chinese investor that has taken over Luanshya Mine, to abide by the labour laws.

He urged the Chinese investor to have respect for Human Rights and offer decent conditions of service.

Mr. Hikaumba said the investor should also seek to ensure Mine safety standards are upheld.

He said the Labour Movement would be vigilant in ensuring that labour laws are strictly adhered.

Today, Mr Hikaumba and other senior leaders from the labour movement are expected to meet President Rupiah Banda at Hippo lodge in Kafue National Park where Mr Banda has gone on a seven day working retreat.

Mr Hikaumba said the meeting with President Banda was aimed at discussing the various issues that had beseeched the labour movement in the recent past.

Mr Hikaumba said President Banda has given ZCTU a good opportunity to enable them highlight the various critical issues affecting the industry that may need presidential intervention.

” This will give us an opportunity to discuss a lot of pending planned issues that require the attention of the president,” he said.

Mr Hikaumba said the labour movement in Zambia was currently facing a lot of challenges, especially with the high number of job losses due to retrenchments arising from the effects of the global economic crisis.

The ZCTU president, who did not want to comment much on the matter, said most of the issues to be discussed at the meeting with President Banda would call for quick action and implementation.

Mr Banda is on a one week long working retreat during which he is expected to hold meetings with various stakeholders including the business sector on national issues.

And the Forum for Democratic Process (FODEP) has commended government for securing an investor to run Luanshya Mine.

FODEP President Stanly Mhango said the Mines Workers’ Union of Zambia (MWUZ) should engage the Chinese investor to orient them on the working conditions and the labour laws of the country.

Mr. Mhango appealed to Government and MWUZ take up the challenge of ensuring that workers at the Mine are not exploited by the Chinese.

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