Solwezi Municipal Council and Zambia Police in Solwezi have intensified security control measures aimed at curbing smuggling of mealie meal into neighboring countries.

Solwezi district Commissioner Albert Chifita confirmed to ZANIS that Zambia Police would tighten the security at all check points.

Mr. Chifita said, if Police Service impounds vehicles carrying Mealie meal to neighboring countries, that mealie meal would be sold at a cheap price to discourage the sale of the commodity to other countries.

He said the District resolved with the millers that mealie meal would be sold at Mushindamo boarder post at agreed dates and designated places.

He also said Millers were told to regulate the number of bags supplied to their agents adding that a maximum of 50 bags should be released at a price not exceeding K57,000.00 per 25 kg bag.

Mr. Chifita warned that agents who would be found selling a 25 kg bag of mealie meal at more than K57, 000.00 would be cut off from receiving the commodity.

The District Commissioner added that the frequency at which Millers were supplying mealie meal to their depots should be improved due to the increasing population of the district.

Police in Solwezi have of late intercepted trucks carrying mealie meal with the intention of trading it in a neighboring country where the commodity is alleged to be selling at K120, 000.00 per 25 kg bag or even more depending on the availability of the commodity at that time.

However, the mealie meal situation in Solwezi has remained critical causing almost stampede when it arrives at any of the selling shops. These include Antelope milling, national Milling, Superior milling, Solwezi milling and Olympic milling shops that are always swept out immediately.

ZANIS/CK/CMM/MKM/ENDS.

NAKONDE district in Northern Province has been hit by a critical shortage of fuel.

The fuel shortage that has entered the fourth day today has paralyzed business in the border town.

A snap survey carried out by the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) revealed that some motorists have even packed their vehicles after the only two filling stations ran out of the commodity.

Some motorists talked to said they cannot get fuel from alternative sources in Tanzania because the commodity is expensive in that country.

A resident, Christine Malama who regretted the shortage of the service, said the short supply of the commodity has made business to come to a standstill.

A fuel attendant at Chaula filling station said they were expecting to receive the commodity any time.

ZANIS/JM/CN/MKM/ENDS.

national anti corruption policy which will provide a frame work for developing ways of preventing and combating corruption in a sustainable manner in the country.

Chief government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said the policy will provide for the development and implementation of mechanisms that will enhance transparency and accountability in the execution of public activities.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said the policy is also aimed at realizing the vision of government and the people of Zambia to have a corruption free society, which will enhance accessibility to cost effective public services, thereby promoting “zero tolerance to corruption” vision.

Gen. Shikapwasha further stated that the policy will be implemented over a period of five years, which will require concerted efforts and commitment of every Zambian at every level.

He said that under the policy, corruption prevention will also be mainstreamed in the routine business of government agencies and the private sector.

The minister noted that government will ensure that the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are put in place and are committed to finding the implementation of the policy from both internal and external sources.

Gen. Shikapwasha stressed that every government agency is expected to institute an integrity committee, which will be responsible for the internal corruption prevention which will ensure that individual organizations are responsible for corruption prevention.

He noted that the guiding principles for the anti corruption policy, will be constitutionalism and rule of law, leadership to fight against corruption.

He said the policy has since put in place appropriate legal and institutional frame works, among which should be legislation and measures to protect whistle blowers from victimization for exposing corrupt practices.

ZANIS/AH/KSH/ENDS

The Immigration Department says the country has recorded an increase in the number of foreign immigrants.

Immigration Department Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mulako Mbangweta, attributed the influx of what she described as economic migrants to the prevailing global economic recession.

Ms. Mbangweta told ZANIS in Lusaka today that more foreign nationals have continued to express interest to settle and work in Zambia following job cuts in various countries due to the world economic recession.

She however said the department is not keen to allow foreign nationals to seek jobs in the country because Zambia has enough human resource that flooded the job market.

Ms. Mbangweta further disclosed that the country has also recorded a reduction in business visitors and added that the department is still studying trends on the influx of other categories of visitors into the country.

Ms Mbangweta also said her department has scaled up patrols to ensure that foreign nationals do not cross the country illegally.

She said this is despite the manpower shortage that the department is currently facing adding that most border areas in the country are porous.

Ms. Mbangweta has also commended Zambians for being vigilant and reporting suspected illegal immigrants to the department.

She said members of the public should continue being patriotic and vigilant against illegal immigrants to enhance national security.

Ms. Mbangweta has however cautioned Zambians against assisting foreign nationals obtain national documents such as green National Registration Cards and passports.

She warned that those involved in the practice will be dealt with sternly if found wanting as the illegal practice is a danger to national security.

ZANIS/CM/ENDS/SJK.

MTN Zambia Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Freddie Mokoena, says his Company has no intention of laying off any workers following the global economic meltdown.

Mr. Mokoena said the company was doing its best to ensure that it maintains its credibility and retains all its workers who have contributed greatly to the development of the Country.

He said despite the company being affected by the economic meltdown, normal operations would continue and that the Company is developing new ideas to maintain its workers.

Mr. Mokoena told ZANIS in an interview during the Launch of the Talk-4-Mahala tarriff at Sherbourne Guest House in Kitwe yesterday. He mentioned that MTN is grateful to its customers who continue to use the network despite the economic hardships that Zambia is currently facing.

He said over 1 million MTN customers have continued to use the network from the initial 48,000 recorded when the company was launched in 2004. Mr. Mokoena said that the MTN network is affordable and caters for each and every person despite their status in society.

Mr. Mokoena also said that the newly launched Talk-4-Mahala tariff will run up to the end of June to enable customers talk freely for 15 minutes after being charged for the first 90 seconds.

He further said that this will not only attract more customers to use the MTN network but will also help them save on costs by paying less for talktime that could last a life time.

ENDS/CK/PK/ZANIS.

significant reduction in load shedding in the capital city.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka, one of the Lusaka residents, Stanley Nyimbiri, said the reduction in load shedding in Lusaka was a very good development to the country.

Mr. Nyimbiri said the reduction of load shedding meant that a lot of people who use electricity would be less inconvenienced.

He has since urged the government to ensure that reduction of load shedding continues even in other parts of the country.

Another Lusaka resident, who sought anonymity, said he was very happy that load shedding had stabilized in the capital city.

He also called upon government to ensure that load shedding continued to stabilize adding that this would even increase production in the manufacturing industry

He however advised that there was need to find a lasting solution to the problem of load shedding in the country.

He hoped that load shedding would not recur.

Yet another resident, Julius Sakala expressed happiness at the drastic change in the reduction of load shedding in some parts of Lusaka.

Mr. Sakala urged the government to ensure that the reduction of load shedding was sustained.

He said most of the parts of the country were affected by load shedding because the government exported a lot of electricity to other countries.

He said government should not export a lot of electricity to other countries so that local people were not affected.

Zambia and many other Southern African countries are facing a serious electricity deficit, which has forced government to load shed.

ZANIS/AJN/KSH/ENDS

The Immigrations Department has appealed to members of the public to desist from assisting foreign nationals acquire national documents such as National Registration Cards, NRCs, and passports.

Immigrations Department Public Relations Officer, Mulako Mbangweta, said the act is a threat to national security.

Ms Mbangweta said the immigrations department, would soon begin arresting those allegedly assisting the illegal immigrants and advised people signing as commissioner of oaths for people intending to obtain the passport to be cautious.

She said it was important that the commissioner of oath thoroughly screened the people that they signed for on the documents adding the immigrations department would soon start taking action against the erring commissioner of oaths.

So far about two Zimbabweans have been arrested for being in possession of the Zambian NRCs and the new digitalized passports.

Another woman identified as Old Bikoni Arlene, aged 30, was arrested for allegedly entered the country through the Lusaka International Airport from the United Kingdom on the March 2009 and was issued with a passport on the 6th of March 2009.

The woman was also found with an NRC bearing different details from those that appeared on the passport.

Meanwhile, Ms Mbangweta said the Immigrations Department in Mpulungu has arrested Four Eritrea nationals for illegally staying in the country.

She said the Four Eritrea nationals had been detained and would soon be deported to their country of origin.

And over 23 Congolese were over the weekend released and had since been deported to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ms. Mbangweta said the exercise was aimed at decongesting the Police cells.

ENDS/MP/ZANIS/SJK