Works and Supply Minister, Kapembwa Simbao has disclosed that President Mwanawasa has accepted the proposal from the local chiefs and citizens to name the bridge as Levy Patrick Mwanawasa Bridge.

Mr Simbao said the President did not object to the proposal of naming the bridge after him.

Yesterday, President Mwanawasa inspected the on going construction works of the Chembe bridge across the Luapula river.

The bridge, which is 320 meters long, linking Luapula and Copperbelt province through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, is being constructed at a cost of K46.3 billion out of which K31 billion has already been paid out.

Dr Mwanawasa was accompanied by Works and Supply Minister, Kapembwa Simbao, Local Government and Housing Minister, Sylvia Masebo, Copperbelt Minister, Mwansa Mbulakulima, deputy ministers and permanent secretaries.

The President was taken on a tour by Project Director, Henry Musonda, of Kilan and Musonda consulting engineers and China Hennan Director for Africa, Zhang Chang Ping.

Earlier, Mr Musonda told the President during a pre tour briefing that the lifespan of the bridge is 10 generations in Zambia.

He said so far ten out of the total 13 segments that would make up the upper deck of the bridge have already been cast.

He said casting of the deck of the Six pier would be completed by June 16 this year while the other works would be finished by the end of August this year.

Mr Musonda explained that the bridge was high enough not to be disturbed in the event of rising water levels.

Meanwhile Mr Ping assured Dr Mwanawasa and the people of Zambia that the bridge is very strong that it would not compromise China Hennan’s workmanship.

He said China Hennan was proud of having partnered with government in undertaking a huge project of constructing a bridge.

Dr Mwanawasa who later met Chief Milambo and other traditional leaders at Chembe has since returned to Lusaka.

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to fully decentralise the health sector in efforts of ensuring improved access to health services by the people.

Health Deputy Minister, Lwipa Puma, said government is also determined to explore new technologies that maximize production in the sector.

Dr Puma said this in a speech ready for him by Ministry of Health Director of Policy, Chrispin Sichone, during the launch of the BD FACSCount CD4 per cent unveiled by BD Bio-sciences Southern Africa at the Intercontinental hotel in Lusaka this evening.

He said government is confident of meeting the objectives of improved health service delivery through active involvement of the private sector.

He noted that by last year, an estimated 30.6 million people were living with HIV out of which about 2.6 million were children.

Dr Puma said government is concerned at the rising number of children living with the virus in the country.

The Deputy Minister regretted that most facilities in the country are only able to perform an absolute CD-4 Count and not the improved CD-4 per centage that is technologised.

He observed that access to CD-4 test and viral load testing has been a major challenge in the management of HIV/AIDS in Zambia.

Speaking earlier, BD Bio-sciences Southern Africa Business Manager Christina Kocovaos, disclosed that her organization will pump US$9 million in the management of HIV/AIDS in Zambia for the next five years.

Ms Kocovaos said her organization has so far trained 100 health personnel to administer drugs

Zambia is on course to collect a projected $415 million from new mining taxes in 2008 following compliance by mining companies, a senior tax official said on Thursday, contradicting a top treasury official.

The new tax regime, which came into effect on April 1, increased mineral royalty to 3 percent from 0.6 percent, while corporate tax on miners rose to 30 percent from 25 percent.

Zambia also introduced a 15 percent variable profit tax on taxable income above 8 percent and a minimum of 25 percent windfall profit tax.

Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) commissioner-general Chriticles Mwansa said in a statement mining companies had complied with the new tax law and paid the mineral royalties at 3 percent.

Mwansa said mining companies paid the tax authority $8.4 million in May compared with the $1.4 million that they used to pay per month before the introduction of the new taxes.

“I am confident that the targeted $415 million will be collected. The compliance levels so far by the mining companies are very encouraging, hence we are extremely hopeful that the government will meet the target.

“The first payments for mineral royalty were due on May 14, 2008 following the introduction of new taxes but the bulk of the revenue will be paid in June when the first returns and payments for company income tax and other taxes are due,” Mwansa said.

Emmanuel Ngulube, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance, said on Monday the first money of the projected $415 million this year would start coming in June, and that a power outage would affect mine production.

Ngulube said he therefore expected the revenue to reduce.

Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande said on Wednesday Zambia was on course to achieve a targeted 1.0 million tonnes of refined copper in three years after resolving a controversy over new mining taxes with foreign investors,

Magande said all but two foreign mining firms in mineral-rich Zambia had agreed to pay the increased taxes, after initial threats of litigation in international courts.

The bigger tax bite had outraged mining firms, which said the move could discourage investment in the sector, a major employer in Zambia accounting for a large share of foreign earnings.

[REUTERS]


Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Heads of Mission accredited to South Africa are concerned at the escalating xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in that country.