Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has redouble its efforts in sensitizing the public so that they can detect counterfeit products that have flooded the Zambian market.

DEC Acting Commissioner Solomon Jere disclosed that over K50 million worth of counterfeit drinks is estimated to be produced and offloaded on the market every week.

He made remarks when he lead journalists to factories where counterfeit drinks were been manufactured, in Lusaka’s Zingulume compound today .

A combined team of DEC and police officers on Sunday night pounced on a truck loaded with counterfeit drinks that was destined for Southern Province..

At the factory, journalists found an assortment of food drinks, unidentified chemicals that were used in the manufacture of the drinks, thousands of empty dirty containers that are recycled and used for filling in the drink and various labels to be stuck on the fake products.

Dr Jere said the culprits in the vice will be slapped with offences dealing in counterfeit products as well as tax evasion.

Dr Jere however observed that all regulatory departments of Government should endeavor to be operational oriented if consumers are to be protected from the danger of consuming fake products.

Dr Jere said many deaths that are recorded in Zambia can be prevented if all regulatory departments in the country work together.

The DEC Commissioner said his organization and the Zambia Police Service will redouble their efforts to strengthen laboratory strategies that will enhance the tasting of foods so that fake foods are dictated and culprits are brought to book.

He warned perpetrators of the vice to beware as DEC is not sitting idle and will soon bring all those involved in this practice that the long arm of the law shall soon visit them.

Dr Jere has since called on the municipal councils, the Zambia Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Commerce and other cooperating partners to redouble their efforts to ensure that safe mechanism are put in place to protect consumers from consuming fake products.

Dr Jere also urged the public to offer their assistance and cooperation to the regulatory wings of Government in order to identify genuine product from fake products.

And speaking earlier, Intellectual Property Specialist Kingsley Nkonde said the situation on the ground is alarming and needs urgent attention.

Mr Nkonde revealed that one truck carrying a truckload of counterfeit drinks worthy about K17million was intercepted by police on its way to the Copperbelt.

He said it is believed that the operation started in 2000 but that the perpetuators of the vice had kept a low profile until recently when the police were tipped on what was going on.

Mr. Nkonde said the trend impacts negatively on the nation’s economy as they invade paying tax to the Government.

He called on the council to take an active role in endeavoring to curb the vice, saying there is a lot that need to be done in order to control the situation.

Meanwhile, the Zambia consumers Association (ZACA) has commended the Zambia police service intellectual property (IP) unit for unearthing a scam of counterfeit drinks manufactured in Lusaka’s Zingalume area.

ZACA Executive Secretary Muyunda Ililonga said the work done by the Zambia Police should be commended because it has a positive impact on the development of the country.

Mr.Illilonga said in interview with ZANIS that the counterfeit products are a danger to the health of Zambians.

He said the products are manufactured with dangerous chemicals and in unclean place hence creating a health hazard to the consumers.

Mr.Illilonga called on the Local Authority and the Zambia Bureau of standards to help curb this devise.

He said the Zambian government must not only concentrate on counterfeit products that are locally manufactured but those that come in from other countries as finished products.

Mr.Illilonga further urged members of the public to work hand in hand with the Zambia police by reporting any suspecting plants in their communities.

ZANIS/PM/PC/MKM/ENDS

Communications and Transport Minister Dora Siliya has said former State House aide David Kombe told her that former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa wanted the ministry to favorably consider a specific firm for an e-governance tender.

Ms Siliya told the tribunal probing her conduct that Mr Kombe who claimed to be Mrs Mwanawasa’s emissary had consistently asked her and other officials in the ministry to consider ZTE which was not one of the companies short-listed for the e-governance tender.

Ms Siliya, in her defence had on Monday alluded to the fact that her ministry was in the past considered to be corrupt because an official from State House had interfered with a tender on e-governance at the ministry.

At this point, the petitioner’s lawyer Bonaventure Mutale said the official should be named but Ms Siliya’s lawyer Eric Silwamba objected saying such names could only be revealed in camera.

But yesterday when defence resumed, chairperson of the tribunal, Supreme Court Judge Dennis Chirwa said the name of the State House official should be revealed because he could not be protected like a whistle-blower.

The minister is alleged to have unilaterally cancelled a duly awarded contract by the Zambian National Tender Board (ZNTB) for the supply, installation and commissioning of Air Traffic Management Surveillance Radar Systems at Lusaka and Livingstone airports.

She is also alleged to have awarded RP Capital Partners a US$2-million contract to value Zamtel assets disregarding legal advice from the attorney general and in the last allegation she is said to have abused constituency development funds (CDFs) in Petauke.

In her explanation yesterday, Ms Siliya named the official from State House as Mr Kombe who in the first instance went to her home and said that a Chinese company, ZTE, should be considered on the e-governance tender.

The minister said that although Mr Kombe, who was chief analyst for Press and public relations, maintained that he was sent by the former first lady, she never confirmed if he was an emissary of Mrs Mwanawasa.

She said ZTE was not among the six companies that were earlier short-listed for the tender but Mr Kombe told her that it was important to consider the company and once that was done, she would be well-looked after.

The same company after re-evaluation of the tender ended up being the preferred company and the one that was chosen earlier, Hua Wei was placed at the bottom of the list.

“He also made reference to the former first lady, Maureen Mwanawasa that she was a friend to ZTE, making it sound like the issue was above him,” she said.

She said when she told Mr Kombe that she was new at the ministry and was not aware of the tender in question, he still made follow-ups by phone.

She said the then permanent secretary Eustern Mambwe and director of procurement Isaac Mukupa also admitted having been under intense pressure from Mr Kombe over the same matter.

In her continued defence, she said that she signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RP Capital Partners of Caymans Island with the blessings of the solicitor general.

She said when she signed the MoU on December 22, 2008, consultations with the attorney general continued, leading to the signing of another MoU on January 9, 2009.

“We signed another agreement this year because even when we signed the first one in December, 2008 we continued to consult because we wanted to have a clearer role of the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) in the evaluation of Zamtel assets,” she said.

She said when the solicitor general wrote to Ms Siliya making suggestions, she instructed the permanent secretary and the director of communications to consider the advice when signing the MoU.

She said then a meeting was held with Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati, Zamtel board chairman, and RP Capital Partners officials while the minister of Finance sent apologies.

The meeting was held with a view of coming up with a joint Cabinet memorandum and to explain problems Zamtel was facing before seeking advice on the partial privatisation.

In cross-examination by Mr Mutale, she said that RP Capital Partners was the only company that came up with an offer to value Zamtel assets which the ministry was interested in.

Ms Siliya said from August 2008, the issue of Zamtel came up several times in Parliament while several Press queries were also received and a number of companies expressed interest to buy the company or partly the Cell Z.

“Other than the outright purchase of shares in Zamtel, towards the end of September, RP Capital Partners presented a different proposal of evaluation which met our agenda at the time,” she said.

On the Petauke allegation, she said that she had advanced K12.5 million to the council for the drilling of two boreholes before the CDF was disbursed.

She said on October 29, 2008, she was approached by several women in her constituency who complained of water shortage because two pumps had broken down.
She said when she asked the council secretary, Boyd Mboyi on the state of affairs she was told that there was a problem of water and the CDF had not been released.

“After meeting Mr Mboyi and the council chairman Osman Musa, they told me that a water department drilling machine was in Petauke and the officers were only asking for an advance to sink the boreholes,” she said.

The minister said that since she was going back to Lusaka and she only had K7 million, she gave Mr Mboyi K6 million with an assurance that she would add another K6.5 million when she returned to Lusaka. The hearing continues.
[Times of Zambia]

The Authentic Advocates for Justice and Democracy has advised Dr. Rodger Chongwe to get his facts right before making pronouncing through the press to avoid misleading the public.

In a document signed by AAID president John Longe and his publicity Secretary Josphat Changwe stated that the UNIP zero option was a document which existed in UNIP circles and the then Party President Kebby Musokotwane acknowledged the presence of the document which Dr. Chongwe wanted to attribute to Dr. Chiluba.

The due stated that Dr. Chongwe implied lack a sound relationship between Dr. Chiluba and the late President Mwanawasa but he should realize that the late president always invited Dr. Chiluba for International functions held in Zambia and that was the reason Dr. Chiluba attended the SADC Heads of States meeting on the Zimbabwean crisis in Lusaka.

They said there was nothing wrong for the current president to invite his predecessors for State functions as the matter was purely handled but protocol officers charged with the responsibility.

The two said Dr. Chongwe should remember that Suresh Desai and Yusuf Badat served in the Chiluba administration despite being Zambians of Asian origin.

They stated that even Dipak Patel went his way when he chose to stand as an independent for the Lusaka Central seat which had nothing to do with Dr. Chiluba as it was a personal choice.

The duo advised Dr. Chongwe to revisit his facts before going public so that he does not mislead and misinform the undiscerning members of the public over the Chiluba -Chongwe issues.

The Duo said the statements raised by Dr. Chongwe were motivated by hatred and aimed at sustaining a smear campaign to undermine the office of the second republican president.

ENDS/CN/CMM/PK/ZANIS

Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Governor, Caleb Fundanga has supported the proposal by the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) to increase electricity tariffs to up to 66 per cent by next month.

Dr. Fundanga said for the energy and electricity sector to attract significant investment, there was need to raise tariffs.

He said increasing tariffs would allow the expansion of electricity generation in the country, as it would attract private investment.

He explained that the proposal to increase tariffs by 66 per cent was one step towards exploiting the vast potential that Zambia has in electricity generation and make the sector profitable.

Dr. Fundanga further said, once Zambia increases electricity generation, she would export to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and East Africa which have serious electricity deficits.

“If we do not increase the electricity tariffs, then forget about private investment in this sector,” he said.

ENDS/KSH/PK/ZANIS