The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) says there is corruption among some churches.

General Secretary, Suzanne Matale said CCZ is disturbed to hear reports of graft in some churches.

Rev. Matale said corruption is a negative vice which must be uprooted from the church because it is injurious to the integrity of the Christian faith.

She told ZNBC news that CCZ will not relent in its efforts to curb corruption in churches and public institutions as the church has the moral obligation to preach uprightness.

Meanwhile Rev. Matale also said Christians must use the Easter period to reflect on the death of Jesus Christ and his redemption for mankind.

Chawama Member of Parliament (MP) Reverend Sampa Bredt, has welcomed the move by government to construct three footbridges on Kafue road saying the development will help to reduce on unnecessary lose of lives.

And Reverend Sampa has said over K40 million of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has been allocated for the construction of a police post in Missisi Compound.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Reverend Sampa said the construction of foot bridges along Kafue road will reduce on the number of people who are frequently killed by vehicles.

She said the construction of the bridges will save the lives of people that the road would have claimed due to road traffic accidents and called on the people to support the project.

She however urged engineers and the Ministry of Works and Supply to do thorough research and planning before constructing the said bridges for them to be user friendly.

Rev. Sampa said although people in her constituency welcomes the construction of the bridges, there is need for the constructors to ensure that the bridge accommodates even the people on wheelchairs, bicycle and wheelbarrows.

She said the footbridges which will be shared between Kanyama and her Constituency will also encourage interaction between the people in the two constituencies.

Meanwhile Rev. Sampa has said over K40 Million has been allocated for the construction of a police post in Missis Compound to tighten security.

She said it was sad that many lives have continued to be lost due to lack of security in the area and has instructed the area councilor to reconstruct a police post.

Rev. Sampa added that she will also build two other police posts in the constituency this year.

The MP said security in Missis and the Constituency as a whole has been the concern of many people in her constituency.

She has however appealed to the Police to do foot patrols in the area to address the problem of criminals.

Missis Compound has had no Police station since 2005 when residents ran amok and demolished the only police station in the area.

The Lusaka City Council (LCC) says the construction of the new Soweto market has been delayed due to the shortage of cement and the continuous rains that affected Lusaka and other parts of the country recently.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, LCC Public Relations Manager Chanda Makanta said the construction of the market which started four years ago would have been complete by now if there were no heavy rains.

Ms. Makanta however said the construction works are on course saying the market is expected to be completed by April.

She said the market once completed will house about four thousand marketers trading in different merchandise.

Ms Makanta said the market will be divided into different categories according to the brands traders deal in.

she said only bonafide traders who were removed from the market to pave way for the construction of the same markets will benefit in the allocation of stands in the new market.

Ms Makanta added that the council has the names of the people who are supposed to benefit from the allocation but expressed regret that some people coming from different parts of the country have come in purporting to be traders also.

The project is being funded by the European Union (EU).

EU is also supporting the rehabilitation works of Chilenge, Chelstone and 11 other markets across the country.

After giving China a tax free zone, the government wants to create a similar exclusive economic zone for Indian companies to bring “value-addition” to its mining industry. “We have had a long partnership in India, with investments in several areas. But what has been lacking was visibility. This zone will help in improving India’s profile (in Zambia),” visiting Zambian Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati said.

He said that the offer was specifically drawn up to mark his visit to India for the fourth India-Africa business conclave. “I have not yet told my president of my decision. But we need to make quick decisions nowadays,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. The government has already approved two multi-facility economic zones being developed by the Malaysians and the Chinese.

“If the Malaysians can do it, why not India, which is a bigger country,” he asked. Malaysia was the first to ink a deal for a multi-facility economic zone (MFEZ) last year, followed by China, which is currently negotiating an agreement with the Zambians.

The minister said that the Chinese planned to invest nearly $900 million to develop the tax-free zone. “We want the Indian zone to be at least $900 million. If it’s smaller, then it will not have the visibility,” he said, adding that 30 sq km land had already been identified in the central province of Kabwe, about 150 km from capital Lusaka, for the special economic zone.

Mr Mutati said that he would like Indian firms to focus on supply of equipment and processing of raw products. “While we have a lot of mining activity, we have to export all the raw materials for processing outside as there is no proper processing plant,” he said.

Pointing out that Zambia was surrounded by eight nations, who were also mineral-rich, Mutati said: “Our neighbours like Congo, Angola and Mozambique also have active mining industries, which could also be catered by this proposed economic zone.”

Currently, India has a share of 50 percent of Zambia’s mining industry, while the Chinese have 15 percent – courtesy Vedanta Resources’ majority stake in the country’s largest copper mines, Konkola, at a cost of $1.2 billion. The total Indian investment in Zambia is estimated to be $2 billion, with capital flowing in other sectors like banking, health and education too.

While he does not foresee India losing its strong position in the Zambian mining industry, Mutati was clear that China’s “whole new way of doing business” in the continent had to be matched by the Indians. “The Chinese start to work behind the scenes, but they come and make a decision there and then. After that, they start to work backward, asking for data on the projects,” he said.

He cited the example of the Chinese MFEZ in his country to illustrate his point. “They have already constructed 30-40 percent of the buildings, but it is only now that they are negotiating an agreement,” said Mutati. Similarly, he said, the Chinese had announced an investment of $1 billion in the mining sector, but were yet to see the land. “Chinese do and assess, while Indians assess and do,” said Mutati.

He was also appreciative of the Chinese strategy to combine their acquisition of licences for resources with development of infrastructure. “In a neighbouring country, the Chinese have offered to build 3,000 km of road in a swap for a mining concession of 20 years,” he said. “Indian firms need to be more aggressive, otherwise they are losing out,” warned Mutati.
Meanwhile, the Tata group is in talks with the government of Zambia to explore iron ore and set up a steel plant in a proposed special economic zone (SEZ) exclusively reserved for Indian companies, Mr. Mutati said. “We will give them (Tatas) a mine, and we are fast,” Felix Mutati said. About 200 sq. km has been identified in Kabwe in central Zambia for the India SEZ, he said. Already, 10 Indian companies have visited the country.

He said that he was already in talks with the Tata Group, which had shown interest in setting up a plant in the proposed zone, while another Indian industrial group will be visiting Zambia next week to survey the site. Mutati said that once Indian firms invested in the tax-free zone, they would act as “marketing tools” to attract more Indian investment in other parts of the economy.

Syamal Gupta, chairman of Tata International Ltd and the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Africa committee, would not confirm Tata’s plans but said: “We are looking at all opportunities. We are exploring for coal, iron ore everywhere in the world.”
About 500 delegates from more than 30 African nations are taking part in a three-day seminar sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industry.The Tata group, which began its African operations in Zambia more than 20 years ago, has diverse interests in Zambia, including hospitality, agriculture and in the automotive industry.

Zambia is trying to attracting investment from nations such as Malaysia, Singapore and India. Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Resources Plc., which is set to buy additional stake in the country’s Konkola mines, is one of the largest investors in Zambia’s metal and mining sector, valued at more than $1 billion.

Police has launched investigations into the case where 42 construction companies have been cited for alleged shoddy works and barred from government tenders.

Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo says two teams headed by two assistant Commissioners of Police Maxwell Nzoe and Lubinda Situmbeko have since been constituted to head the investigating teams.

This follows President Mwanawasa’s directive that no contracts should be awarded to the 42 construction firms whose names were submitted to the law enforcement agencies for investigations for alleged shoddy work on government contracts early this month.

Mr. Mateyo revealed this during a press briefing in Lusaka today.

He added that the police teams will work in collaboration with other security wings such as the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Drug Enforcement Commission during the investigations.

Mr.Mateyo said the two groups will be dispatched to various parts of the country to investigate the allegations and submit a report to government.

And in his Easter message, Mr Mateyo has called on the public to play an integral part in enhancing compliance of the road traffic to reduce road carnage.

He said police presence will be increased during the holidays as people tend to drink more and travel a lot.

Mr. Mateyo has however acknowledged that the crime rate in Zambia has dropped to considerable rates.

China’s Director General in the department of International Cooperation, Ma Xuming pledged to assist ZNBC broadcast some of its programs on China Central Television Station (CCTV).

Mr. Xuming said the ministry of Information in China is ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with its Zambian counterparts for technical and training support in order to educate and effectively disseminate information between the two countries.

He said the Chinese people appreciate programs from Zambia especially Zambian music adding that it would be great if it was televised on CCTV.

Government has commended China for its continued technical and training support to Zambia.

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Michael Mulongoti thanked China for assisting government to acquire transmitters and equipment which has enabled the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to effectively disseminate information on radio and television.

Mr. Mulongoti said this in Lusaka today when the visiting Chinese delegation led by Ma Xuming paid a courtesy call on him at his office.

Mr Mulongoti who is also Chief government Spokesperson called for continued support and exchange of information between the two countries to improve the media industry.

He said people in Zambia and China need to share and learn about each other’s culture and economic developments in order strengthen their ties.

Mr Mulongoti further appealed for assistance from China in the upgrading of television equipment adding that most of it is obsolete.