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Govt owes water utility company half a billion kwacha

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Government owes the Western Water and Sewerage Company (WWSC) about half a billion in unsettled water bills.

Company Managing Director, Akamana Mulemwa, told ZANIS in an interview today in Mongu that government has not settled the K500 million owed to the company by October last year.

Mr. Mulemwa said the non settlement of the bill has greatly affected the operations of the company.

He has since urged government to consider settling the bills which it owes the company for effective service delivery to its clients .

Meanwhile, Mr. Mulemwa has assured the people of Western Province that the company will this year improve the water supply .

He said Katima Mulilo in Sesheke will have piped water by March this year adding that the company would also set up a water scheme project in shangombo district.

.”Shangombo is the only district without piped water in the province and the company will soon set up a water scheme,” He said.

Mr. Mulemwa further disclosed that his company will embark on an exercise of putting meters so that the residents can be metered according to their usage of water.

Meanwhile a civic leader in Shangombo district has called on Road Development Agency (RDA) to be serious in the manner they are attending to roads works in the country.

Simu ward councilor, Dominic Shomeno complained that RDA has not worked on the roads which it promised to attend to in spite of many assurances.

Mr. Shomeno further stated that government was taking long in attending to challenges such as roads and the hospital.

And Women’s Lobby Chairperson, Collete Lubinda Mulope has called on government to quickly rehabilitate Shangombo road which is in a deplorable state

Mrs. Mulope stressed that poverty levels in Shangombo were still very high , coupled with severe hunger which has heavily affected women and children.

Council Secretary Mwiya Mwiya confirmed to ZANIS that Shangombo road was tendered but the tender was higher than what government could pay.

ZANIS/BPM/MKM/ENDS

ZCC nods government duty hike on fuel

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The Zambia Competition Commission (ZCC) has welcomed government decision to hike duty on fuel from five percent to 25 percent.

ZCC Executive Director Thula Kaira said the move is necessary in protecting the energy sector which is key for the development of the country.

He explained that government should always be there to protect the local industries if the nation is to see growth in different sectors of the economy.

Mr. Kaira told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka that Indeni oil Refinery Company and TAZAMA pipeline Limited are capable of producing enough fuel to supply the local market demand.

“Indeni is very capable of supplying oil that can be enough for the local market.” he said.

He explained that there is no need for Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) to import fuel when there are companies within the country that produces the some commodity.

He noted that OMCs can only import fuel when there are not enough stocks to meet the local demand.

“OMC should only think of buying fuel abroad when Indeni and TAZAMA do not have sufficient stocks.” he said.

He said Indeni and TAZAMA plays an important role towards the development of the energy sector, hence the need to promote the companies by buying all the oil products in the country.

The ZCC Executive Director pointed out that people in the energy sector should develop the mentality of ensuring that they utilize what is in the refinery reservoirs before thinking of importing it from some way else.

Mr. Kaira observed that government has been facing a lot of challenges in producing fuels that ends up in reservoirs and does not save its intended purpose.

He has further challenged OMC in the country to embrace the decision and help government develop the energy sector.

Last week Government increased duty on fuel from five percent to 25 percent saying the decision is aimed at discouraging dealers from importing finished petroleum products but buy fuel from TAZAMA and Indeni and prevent them from collapsing.

ZANIS/MM/MKM/ENDS……

Government prepared to deal with floods

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Government says it is ready to deal with floods and droughts that may affect the country during 2008/2009 rain season.

Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice President Gastone Sichilima said government has developed a contingency plan that is aimed at outlining the measures that need to be undertaken before, during and after the floods or drought.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka today, Mr. Sichilima disclosed that the plan provides a framework which will show the preparedness, response and early recovery that are being undertaken.

Mr. Sichilima noted that food and non-food items have been stocked to enhance timely interventions to the affected areas.

He assured that government will be able to assist any section that gets affected by the floods or droughts adding that there is need for such a section to have an established objective assessment.

He added that his office has put in place interventions following reports of general food insecurity in the country.

The Deputy Minister also noted that the number of districts that needs relief food has increased from 21 to 29.

Mr. Sichilima said currently government is supplying a total number of about 10 thousand Metric Tonnes (MT) of relief food in 21 districts adding that there is an addition of about 5 thousand MT to cater for the other 8 districts.

He pointed out that Food Reserve Agency will offload maize on the open markets in districts that need market interventions.

He further cautioned that government’s relief food programme is only meant for vulnerable communities that are identified through technical assessments.

He said the 80 percent of every tonnage of relief food sent to any district is meant to be food for work, where as the 20 percent is meant to be given freely to old members, child headed households and the terminally ill in communities.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sichilima said government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has continued to monitor the situation in areas that where hit by floods last rain season.

He thanked the opposition Members of Parliament (MP) for taking a lead in carrying out the necessary preparedness measures for Lusaka floods response activities.

He further appealed to cooperating partners to supplement government’s efforts in mitigating the impact of floods and droughts in the country.

ZANIS/MM/MC/AM/ENDS

National Milling reduces mealie-meal prices

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National Milling Corporation managing director Peter Cottan talking to journalists in Lusaka
National Milling Corporation managing director Peter Cottan talking to journalists in Lusaka

National Milling Company has announced a major reduction in mealie-meal prices across the country.

Company Managing Director, Peter Cottan, says the new prices with a minimum of eight thousand kwacha reduction, will be effected on wednesday.

He said at a press briefing in Lusaka that a 25 Kilogramme bag of breakfast mealie meal will now be selling at K45,000 while roller meal will be selling at K35,000.

Mr. Cottan said on the copperbelt breakfast mealie-meal will be selling at K49,500.

Roller meal will be sold at thirty nine thousand kwacha per twenty-five kilogram bag.

Mr. Cottan said in the other outlying areas breakfast will be selling at K52,500 while roller meal will be selling at K42,500.

He attributed the variation in prices to transport costs.

Mr. Cottan said the company has reduced the prices of the staple food following governments agreement to subsidise maize by 100 percent.

PF in Kasama rejects truce with Chisimba

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KASAMA central Member of Parliament Saviour Chishimba
KASAMA central Member of Parliament Saviour Chishimba

Patriotic Front (PF) officials and cadres in Kasama have rejected the reconciliation between party leader, Michael Sata, and Kasama Central Member of Parliament, Saviour Chishimba.

The PF officials and cadres resolved during a heated meeting called on Saturday that they will not recognize the reconciliation.

Northern Province PF chairman, Frederick Chisanga, said the truce is between the two leaders and the party has nothing to do with it.

Mr. Chisanga said as far as PF members in Kasama were concerned, Dr. Chishimba is expelled from the Patriotic Front.

He said Mr. Sata should have consulted the grassroots before deciding to pardon the rebel MP.

And Kasama District PF chairman, Evaristo Bwalya, said the people of Kasama will not forgot the abusive language that Dr. Chishimba used against them in the recent past.

[ ZNBC]

More districts run out of food

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The number of districts faced with hunger has increased from 21 to 29.

And government will now need to distribute additional relief food between January and Match to cover all areas affected by hunger.

This is according to the latest assessment conducted by the Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee, under the Vice President’s Office.

The government had estimated to distribute about 11,110 metric tonnes of food during the same period.

Deputy Minister in the Office of the Vice President, Guston Sichilima, said at a press briefing that government is determined to provide adequate relief food to all hunger stricken areas.

Several parts of Zambia, especially rural areas, are facing food shortages as a result of floods during the last rainy season.

The floods destroyed crops and infrastructure.

[ZNBC]

RB dates Northern Province

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President Rupiah Banda is expected in Kasama tomorrow for a four-day official visit during which he will, among others, inspect the abandoned tourism infrastructure at Kasaba Bay in Mpulungu District.

Acting Northern Province Permanent Secretary Gabriel Kaunda confirmed the development to Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Kasama today.

Mr. Kaunda said the President is expected to touch down at Kasama Airport at 16:30 hours tomorrow before proceeding to Kasama Lodge where he will have a meeting with MMD party officials.

He said on Wednesday morning President Banda leaves for Chitimukulu in Mungwi district to pay a courtesy call on the paramount chief.

Mr. Kaunda said Mr. Banda will later return to Kasama to officially open the Provincial Auditor General’s office in the afternoon.

He said in the evening, the President will have a meeting with church leaders at Kasama lodge.

Mr. Kaunda further said the President will leave for Kasaba Bay on Thursday morning to inspect infrastructure and return to Kasama for a night stop.

President Banda will on Friday morning inspect works on the Kasama-Luwingu and Kasama-Mporokoso road projects before flying back to Lusaka in the afternoon.

The acting PS has since appealed to Kasama residents to give President Banda a thunderous welcome by turning up in numbers to welcome him when he arrives tomorrow.

ENDS/HM/AM/ZANIS

Siavonga Police arrests five accident looters

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Police in Siavonga have arrested and detained five men for allegedly looting valuables and other items from an international police (Interpol) car involved in an accident that killed a police officer.

Siavonga police station officer in charge Charles Saimba confirmed the incident to ZANIS and identified the Interpol officer as Macko Wayanda based at Kariba Border post in Siavonga.

Mr Saimba said officer Wayanda died on the spot on New Year’s Eve when a car he was driving got involved in a traffic road accident.

He said instead of rescuing the interpol officer, the ‘ looters ‘, went on rampage to remove two car cassettes, a passport, a wallet with undisclosed sums of money and other valuables belonging to the Interpol officer.

The suspects, who included two taxi drivers, a mini bus driver and a bus conductor,are alleged to have been the first people to arrive at the accident scene and took turns in removing the cassettes and went on to search the police officer who was gasping for his last breath.

According to police, Assistant Superintendent Macko Wayanda died in the early hours of Thursday morning after he rammed into a stationery trailer truck belonging to Coca cola Company limited that had been abandoned on one side of the road.

Wayanda who was driving the latest VW golf car that had not yet been registered is said to have been coming from a named night spot around 04: 00 hours where he had gone to celebrate his Eve from and was on his way home to New site and service.

Saimba who also confirmed the death of the Interpol officer said the accident occurred along the Kariba – Siavonga road near Matinangala junction.

Saimba who could not give further details into the matter however said that Wayanda who was alone in the car could have lost control of the car forcing it to hit and go under the truck trailer.

However a cross section of Siavonga motorists blamed traffic police officers for failing to ensure that they removed the trailer on the road despite it being there for the whole day.

They also castigated police traffic officers for failing to instruct the owner of the truck (Coca-Cola) to mount triangles that would reflect to other motorists using the road that there was an obstacle in front.

“The death of Wayanda could have easily been avoided if traffic police officers removed the trailer from the road because it had been left there since morning (Wednesday) and no reflectors on put to signal other motorists “lamented a named taxi driver.

A check by ZANIS at Siavonga police station where the vehicle had been toed to found the car extensively damaged with the entire roof ripped off.

His body lay in the district hospital mortuary before being transported to Lusaka on Saturday evening where a postmortem would be conducted before being buried.

ZANIS/ENDS/LL/ENDS/MM.

24 year-old woman suspected of murder

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POLICE in Choma have picked up and detained a 24 year-old woman to help them with investigations into the suspected murder of another woman.

Police officer-in-Charge Victor Mateyo who confirmed this to ZANIS in Choma today said the named woman of Overspill compound was apprehended last evening.

Mr. Mateyo explained that the move follows the death of a woman who was six months pregnant in Choma general hospital from suspected injuries inflicted on her by the suspect during a fight that took place two weeks ago.

He explained that the deceased is suspected to have suffered injuries which forced her to go into early labour in which the still fetus was also found with bruises and was blood stained.

Mr. Mateyo said the husband to deceased told the police that his pregnant wife had complained of abdominal pains before being rushed to hospital.

He said the suspect is alleged to have picked a quarrel with the deceased over an issue in which their children had fought.

Mr. Mateyo said a scuffle ensued in which the suspect is said to have assaulted the deceased by repeatedly hitting her in the stomach despite her state of pregnancy.

Mr. Mateyo revealed that the suspect is a neighbour to the deceased woman.
ENDS/CM/AM/ZANIS

Two children die after eating suspected poisonous mushrooms

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Two children are reported to have died in Shangombo District after eating suspected poisonous mushrooms.

Shangombo Council Secretary Mwiya Mwiya confirmed the death of the minors to ZANIS in Shangombo today.

Mr. Mwiya said three children from Likomeno village in Silowana area in Shangombo district were left at home by their parents who had gone to the fields.

He explained that while the parents were away the children went to the cattle kraal and collected some mushrooms which they cooked and ate.

Mr. Mwiya said two of the three children later died after eating the mushrooms while one survived after having vomited.

Police Commanding Officer Vael Muzwenga could not confirm the matter.

ENDS/SM/AM/ZANIS

ZDA to pick bidder for Njanji Cummuter

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THE Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) has completed evaluation of two firms short listed to undertake the concession of Njanji Commuter Railway Services and is expected to make a decision soon.

ZDA communications manager, Margaret Chimanse, said the board was currently reviewing a report submitted by the technical committee which evaluated the bids.

Ms Chimanse said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the board was still looking into the matter and was expected to make a decision anytime soon.

“The board is reviewing the situation and looking into it. It has not yet decided but will do that once it sits next time,” she said.

Last year ZDA was evaluating bids from two companies that showed interest to undertake the concession of Njanji Commuter Service (NCS) assets.

The assets are mainly the railway line within Lusaka covering a distance of 13.5 kilometers.

The two bids evaluated were one from a consortium of Lusaka Metro Limited with Circle Capital Global a South African company and City Rail Limited of Lusaka.

If the technical committee appointed to evaluate the bids failed to select a final bidder from the two submitted, the concession would have to be re-advertised.

The ZDA board is expected to approve selection of the final bidder to carry out a concession of NCS.
The concession period is for 15 years renewable based on performance.

According to the agency, bidders were free to propose the development and restoration of the original NCS railway line from Chilenje to George townships.

The technical proposals were to address possible re modeling and rehabilitation and investment methods such as Build and Operate and Transfer and variants of BOTs schemes.

The agency says the operator would be expected to invest in rolling stock and rehabilitation of the rail track.

Recently, two firms expressed interest to undertake the concession of NCS assets after ZDA invited qualified operators to undertake the concession.
The NCS has been dormant for 11 years after it ceased operation in 1996.

Government has also noted encroachments on the railway track route through the residential areas east of the city center.

At the peak of its operations, the commuter served the needs of thousands of passengers who found it cheaper than buses.

Zambia Daily Mail

National Olympic Committee lose funds

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By Edgar Musonda

While the government is trying hard to fight corruption, sports organizations such as the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) still have an enormous task of fighting corruption ahead of them. For a long time now, reports have indicated that some NOCZ members have been found wanting and they have been left without external investigation from bodies such as the Anti Corruption Commission of Zambia.

The allegation story of NOCZ committee member Chenda Chilufya’s involvement in misapplying of funds during the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games shows how a “game of chance” is played at the NOCZ. This is not the first time Zambians are hearing stories of theft at the NOCZ office. There is strong evidence that in the past, some NOCZ members misappropriated funds and have never been jailed or questioned. Some members have also allegedly taken their wives, children and family members at the expense of athletes during Olympic Games since the 1980s. Their cases just went quiet.

We can not allow a situation where local and foreign based athletes are treated with no respect at the expense of traveling family members. As Zambians we need to fight for people like Amon Simutowe, the Nachula sisters and Easter Phiri, who are working so hard to be where they are now. Mirriam Moyo, the NOCZ president, who has been given the mandate to help develop sport in Zambia should understand the challenges all sports associations are going through now.

She must know very well how tough 2008 was for Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) to hold the zone 6 club championship. ZBA had to pay for a playing surface from Zimbabwe due to a poor playing surface at the National Sports Development Centre (NASDEC). The Football Association of Zambia sent a team by bus to Namibia. The boys slept in the bus when they arrived in Windhoek. The Netball Association of Zambia has been struggling for more than ten years now to organize a proper league and to send a team to any major competition compared to the consistent Malawi national netball team which did very well at the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There are many examples I can give but my point is that such funds could help struggling sports associations or help prepare athletes before they are sent to compete.

We can not remain quiet for a long time and watch our sports structures go down and then blame the government. We all know how such actions have lead to the collapse of national sports associations and yet we still want to hold the 2011 All Africa Games, and we still want to send athletes for major international competitions. We want to hold you (Mirriam Moyo) accountable when you send athletes and assure the nation that our athletes are well prepared and that medals will be won. We can not continue blaming associations when athletes are knocked out in the first round of the competition when you have not set up a minimum qualification standard for each sports code before they are allowed to travel.

For your own information Moyo, the IOC president, Jacques Rogge’s past speeches call for transparency, clean procedures, fair play and honest leadership from all its members. Chilufya must not just be dropped without explaining to the nation why he has been dropped when allegations of mismanagement of funds have been raised. Is this going to be another “NOCZ cold case”? You must by all means begin to put Chilufya on criminal defense. The NOCZ must also explain how they used funds (US$ 100, 0000) allocated to train athletes in 2006 for Delhi games.

Hunger threatens Magoye

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Villagers in Magoye area of Mazabuka have called on the Office of the Vice President to send relief food to the area before people start dying of starvation.

Area Development Committee Secretary, Kayombo Chiinda told ZANIS in an interview in Mazabuka that the villagers have now resorted to eating suspected poisonous wild-roots locally called ” Mabwabwa” which is cooked and later soaked in running water for 48 hours before consumption.

Mr Chiinda complained that villagers cannot afford the sky rocketing price of a 50 Kilogramme bag of maize currently selling at K 100,000.

He said government should also consider extending the sale of maize in villages being conducted by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

Mr Chiinda warned that school going children may not be able to report for school if nothing is done by government to address the hunger situation.

He named the affected areas as Ngwezi, Hanzala, Itebe and Magoye.

Most parts of the Mazabuka have been hit by severe hunger because of the floods that wrecked havoc on maize crops in the 2007/2008 farming season.

ZANIS/HC/Ends/MM

Govt happy with pace of plunder cases in courts

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Attorney General Mumba Malila says the Zambian government is satisfied with the pace at which courts are handling cases of plundered resources.

Mr. Malila says government is satisfied with the way the courts handled cases of corruption last year.

He said government will not interfere with the manner the courts are doing their work.

Some sections of society including the Human rights Commission are concerned with delays to dispose off cases of plunder of public resources.

[ZNBC]

Shoddy by private sector worries Govt

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GOVERNMENT is worried about poor workmanship by private sector institutions contracted to implement State-funded capital projects.

Ministry of Finance and National Planning deputy minister, Chileshe Kapwepwe, said in Lusaka that the poor quality of some works executed by the private sector on capital projects funded by Government was disturbing.

“It is disheartening to see that a number of road works and construction of clinics and schools in many parts of the country remain unfinished because of poor workmanship by the private sector,” she said.

She said this on Friday night at a Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply (ZIPS) fundraising function.

She said the erratic execution of the budget hampered development and that most failures in Government and the private sector could be because of questionable procurement practices.

Ms Kapwepwe said against the backdrop of current global financial meltdown, prudent management and cost-effective expenditures of Government resources was cardinal.

She said Government’s goal in the medium-term was to accelerate diversification of the economy with emphasis on agriculture, tourism and manufacturing – all of which are expected to significantly contribute to poverty-reduction and sustainable economic growth.

Ms Kapwepwe said the Government was working towards rationalising the tender process through the reform of the Public Procurement Act, streamlining and enhancing the structure of Zambia National Tender Board (ZNTB).
She said the ZNTB would evolve into a supervisory entity.

“Unless this is done, our organisations will find it difficult to deliver growth and expansion goals needed for Zambia to attain the Vision 2030,” she said.

She said Government was committed to good governance in procurement and supplies.

Ms Kapwepwe said Government would continue to put the private sector at the centre of the development process so that there is expansion in production of goods and services for sustained development and growth that would benefit all sections of society.

She appealed to ZIPS members to take the challenge and make a difference by providing better management of the procurement process in both public and private sectors.

“Please bear this in mind as you implement procurement and supplies decisions in your organisations,” she said.

Speaking earlier, ZIPS acting president, Jones Kalyongwe, said ignorance was generally the cause for failure to adhere to procurement procedures.

“Some people don’t know what to do. This is the more reason industries should employ qualified staff to carry out the procurement responsibilities,” he said.

Mr Kalyongwe said he hoped that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning would involve ZIPS in the implementation of projects this year.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

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