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Floods cut off Sinazongwe district

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By Tovin Ngombe

Sinazongwe District has been cut off from the rest of the country in Southern Province for the third time following the floods that have washed away the exposed culvert.

The culvert exposed along the Maamba/Batooka road at Sinazeze has collapsed owing to the excessive rainfall that the district has continued to receive.

Sinenge Ward Councilor Joe Siabula said several motorists from Choma and Lusaka are stranded.
In December and January this year three culverts collapsed and paralysed the transport system in the district a situation that lead to the hiking of prices on all essential basic food stuffs.

Today the highest price of a roller meal bag is fetching at K60, 000 and K50, 000 in Kafwambila where the area is still inaccessible.

The Sinazeze culvert is the fourth culvert to be cut off while several culverts are in the process of being washed away.

Sinazongwe District Commissioner warned people to prepare for a worse situation than anticipated in the district.

In January Road Development Agency (RDA) Head of Public Relations Officer Royce Saili said 11 eleven dangerous spots have been identified and they would be worked on for a month.
[ZANIS]

Witchcraft plagued school reopens

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Mweemba primary school which was prematurely closed in the third term last year in Sinazongwe district following rampant witchcraft that led to all the teachers fleeing the school, has been reopened.

Mweemba Ward councillor Aaron Mweemba told ZANIS that the district education office has sent six new teachers to the school.

Mr Mweemba said the community was happy with the development.

The civic leader has since urged them to desist from using witchcraft on innocent teachers.

He said the school reopened last week and a grade eight class has been introduced for the first time.

Last year female teachers at the school had bizzare experiences such as nightmares of having sex with unknown people.

Their male counterparts would also wake up in morning feeling tired and backache a situation which resulted in most teachers getting sick.

Government uncovers Visa fees scam

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Government has uncovered a scam in which some Tourism operators are allegedly misinforming foreign tourists that the Zambian government has increased Visa fees from US$ 40 to US$ 150.

Addressing the Press in Lusaka today, Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Kaingu said his ministry has received disturbing reports of some tour operators that are misinforming foreign tourists that the Zambian government has exorbitantly hiked tourism visa fees.

Mr. Kaingu said his ministry will not take kindly the tour operators that are distorting information with regard to the increment of the tourism visa fees as they are frustrating government efforts towards of taking the Zambian tourism sector to greater heights.

He clarified that government has only increased tourism visa fees from US$ 25 per single entry to US$ 50 adding that for multiple entry the tourism visa fees has been slightly increased from US$ 40 to US$ 80.

Mr. Kaingu said that government is concerned with the false information that some tour operators were spreading to some foreign tourists saying false information on the Visa fees could adversely affect tourist inflows.

And government has instituted a Committee on Tourism aimed at spearheading the tourism marketing strategies in readiness for the coming 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup tournament slated for South Africa and for the 2011 All African Games to be held in Zambia.

Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Kaingu said the Committee on Tourism which comes into effect on February 1, 2008 and chaired by Deputy Minister of Tourism will to take advantage of the forthcoming 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup and the 2011 All African Games to be held in Zambia and seriously market Zambia’s tourism potential to the rest of the world.

Mr. Kaingu further disclosed that his ministry is working out modalities aimed at increasing tourism levy fees with a view to spearheading tourism development.

He said his ministry has since started making consultations with the tour operators and other stakeholders.

Exploration and Production Act under scrutiny

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Government is in the process of repealing and replacing the Exploration and Production Act of 1985.

Mines and Mineral Development Minister Kalombo Mwansa has announced that the Bill to repeal and replace the current Act will be tabled in parliament in the first quarter of 2008.

Dr. Mwansa said the Bill will provide two separate licenses for prospecting and production of oil and gas as well as make it stronger in the areas of legal provisions on environmental protection.

He was speaking in Lusaka today when he opened a three-day seminar on National Petroleum Development.

Dr. Mwansa said repealing of the Act involves strengthening institutional framework for regulating the oil and gas industry before inviting tenders from the private petroleum exploration companies.

He said government is now promoting capacity building in geological survey department while rehabilitating and equipping the laboratories in the Ministry of Mines to enable it carry out analysis of the petroleum explorations because government is determined to ensure that the country benefits fully from the petroleum and gas industry.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mwansa has announced that government has made significant progress on exploration of oil and gas in Eastern, North-Western and Western Provinces as evidenced by results of microbial analysis of samples collected in these provinces.

The Minister said samples showed positive signs for both oil and gas adding that government will in this year’s exploration programme extend the microbial survey to the Kafue Basin in Southern Province and Bangweulu in Luapula Province.

And speaking earlier, Norwegian Ambassador to Zambia Tore Gjos said Zambia stands to gain tremendously from her petroleum and gas industry

Mr. Tore said Zambia should however approach the industry with a measure of prudence.

The three-day seminar seeks to look at the petroleum policy and relevant legislation involved in exploring oil and gas.

Possible postponement of the Kanyama parley polls welcomed

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The Centre for Elections and Governance (CEG) Zambia has welcomed the pronouncement by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) that it might postpone the February 21 by-election in Kanyama constituency if floods worsened.

CEG Zambia Trustee Gershom Musonda told ZANIS in an interview that continued monitoring of the floods situation in Kanyama constituency by the ECZ is good for all stakeholders.

Mr. Musonda observed that the floods in the area would have discouraged voters from turning up to cast their votes.

He further observed that organizations such as the ECZ, election monitoring groups, political parties and other stakeholders would be hindered in their work if floods worsened in the constituency.

Mr. Musonda said political parties should be particularly cheered by the possible postponement of the polls in Kanyama as this would afford them time to prepare adequately.

He observed that some candidates chosen by some political parties are not resident in Kanyama and therefore need time to criss-cross the constituency in a bid to sell themselves to the electorate in the area.

Mr. Musonda further said the draining of flood water in Kanyama ahead of the February 21 by-election should not be politicized because the exercise is in good faith as residents in the area have been worst hit by floods.

He said the forthcoming by-election should not hamper efforts aimed easing the plight of the residents.

And Mr. Musonda said the adoption of its party president, Kenny Ngondo, by the All People’s Congress party is a welcome development because it would make the Kanyama parliamentary by-election competitive.

Mr. Musonda said Mr. Ngondo is a combative competitor and his entry into the Kanyama parliamentary race is a plus to Zambia’s growing democracy.

The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), Patriotic Front (PF), United Party for National Development (UPND), United National Independence Party (UNIP), United Liberal Party (ULP), and All People’s Congress Party (APC) have so far confirmed their participation in the Kanyama parliamentary by-election set for February 21.

The candidates are tomorrow expected to file their nomination papers for the seat left vacant last December after the death of Mr. Henry Mtonga.

Serenje district starts flooding

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Floods have devastated Katonga and surrounding areas in Chief Chitambo in Serenje where hosues have collapsed and crops submerged.

The affected areas include Nawaya, Inkunko, Spaita, Katonga, Chilambe, Gibson and Luombwa where people have vacated the areas to higher land where they have pitched temporal shelters.

Some people from Katonga, Nawaya have relocated to Mangala, a higher area leaving their houses, some standing in water while others have collapsed

Chief Chitambo appealed to the Disaster Management and Mitigation (DMMU) to prepare tents, blankets and chlorine including drugs and food to be supplied to his affected subjects in the area.

He told Chitambo Member of Parliament, Nasim Hamir, who was in the area to assess the floods that cassava fields were once against submerged and the tubers were rotting.

MMD constituency treasurer Fumpa Chiwila of Ikunko area said many people were drinking contaminated water because they have either relocated leaving boreholes or their wells have collapsed.

He explained that Mukuku community school had closed because buildings are standing in water while pupils from the surrounding areas who go to Katonga school, wad through water to and from school.

‘’Four shops and close to 30 houses have collapsed in Katonga area alone and I believe many more have collapsed elsewhere because there is too much water compared to the previous years. We are looking forward for assistance from government,’’ he said.

And Luombwa MMD councilor Jonathan Mwewa told Mr. Nasim that Luombwa River banks burst, causing terrible floods that have submerged sorghum, maize and cassava fields at Reuben and Kamaka.

Meanwhile, Chitambo Member of Parliament, Nasim Hamir, who is also Lands Deputy Minister, has also appealed to the DMMU for relief food supplies to the affected people.

Embrace IFMIS

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North-Western Province Permanent Secretary, Jeston Mulando has implored government officers in the province to embrace the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) aimed at strengthening financial transparency and accountability in the management of public financial resources.

Mr Mulando observed that for some time now government has run into difficulties in trying to fully overcome financial accountability problems among other governance concerns confronting the country.

He said it was time to change in resolving the country’s financial management and maintain the goodwill that the international community has extended to the country as may be evidenced by the country’s ascendance to the HIPC Completion Point.

Mr Mulando said government has identified problems with the current Financial Management Information Systems used for both managing financial resources and decision making, that have affected government performance in economic growth and poverty reduction.

“The main problems identified were that the systems were inadequate; they failed to sufficiently support controls and transparency in financial management processes and reporting; and they also had a negative impact on accountability”, he said.

Mr Mulando said it was for that reason that government and cooperating partners have designed the IFMIS because the problems identified had undermined government’s ability to strategically manage public financial resources.

The Permanent Secretary said this when he officially opened a two-day IFMIS workshop organised by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in Solwezi today.

He said the implementation of the IFMIS project would assist government achieve the expected benefits since it would permit the optimization of current business process across multiple units/departments or ministries and reduce business cycle time from weeks to hours.

Mr Mulando said all those improvements would translate to increased controls, accountability, transparency and cost reduction in the operations of government.

North-Western Province is among the eight identified pilot sites to start implementing the IFMIS project before it is spread to other ministries, provinces and other Spending Agencies.

Others include Office of the Auditor General, Ministries of Works and Supply, Education, Foreign Affairs, Communication and Transport, Finance and National Planning and Eastern Province.

Government to spend K16 bn on floods in Lusaka

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Vice President, Rupiah Banda, has disclosed that government has estimated to spend at least K16 billion to mitigate effects of floods in Lusaka city.

Mr. Banda said the problem of floods was bigger than earlier estimated, hence government’s decision to look for contigent funds from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.

The K16 billion is not part of the money allocated to be spent by the new Task Force set to address problems of floods in the country.

He said President Levy Mwanawasa left specific instructions that the Ministry of Finance should provide contigent funds to respond to the problem of floods in the country.

Mr. Banda was speaking at Chibolya Basic School today after touring New Kanyama Basic School, Kanyama Clinic and Chibolya today.

Mr. Banda also called on all Zambians to put aside political issues and concentrate on how best the problem of floods could be addressed in the country.

He was accompanied by Lusaka Province Minister, Lameck Mangani, and Lusaka City Council Town clerk, Timoth Hakuyu.

Funjika pays back over K111m

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Former Zambia National Service (ZNS) Commandant, Wilford Funjika has paid back over K111 million, equivalent to 15,000 British Pounds, to the state following a court order in October last year.

Lieutenant General Funjika was on October 31st, 2007, convicted of two counts of corrupt practices and abuse of authority of office respectively, and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour but suspended for two years.

In the first count, Funjika was accused of corrupt practices when 15,000 British pounds was corruptly paid to his children as a reward for awarding contracts to Semyon Holdings without following laid down procedures.

In the second cound, he was charged with abuse of authority of office for allegedly engaging Semyon Holdings to supply raincoats to ZNS at a value of 72,000 Pounds.

After his conviction, Funjika was ordered to pay back the 15,000 Pounds paid to his two children for their school in the United Kingdom by Semyon Holdings as a reward from the company engaged by their father.

Task Force on Corruption Public Relations Officer Victor Makai disclosed in a statement to ZANIS today that Funjika has since paid in court, K111,176,756.00 (15,000 pounds).

“The money was paid back to the state within 90 days failure to which a warrant of distress was to be issued,” Mr. Makai said.

The payment was made on January 18th, 2008 in court.

He said the case was yet another success scored by the Task Force on Corruption in he quest to recover whatever was stolen for the people of Zambia by people in public office.

“It is also a timely warning to all those entrusted with the responsibility of managing public resources that, you should be accountable, failure to which the law will come knocking,” he said.

Mauled Zambia Seek Long Shot at Deliverance

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Battered, bruised, embarrassed and humiliated, Zambia head into their final Group C match against defending Africa Cup champions Egypt tomorrow in Kumasi looking for a respectable result ahead of another prospective early round exit.

It is very hard to imagine Zambia’s leaky defence recovering after that comical performance against Cameroon to hold up against a rampaging and efficient Egyptian team on Wednesday.

Egypt, who lead Group C on maximum six points from their two games, already has an eye on the quarterfinal and ultimately onwards to that February 10 final date after convincing wins over Cameroon and Sudan.

There has been a lot of spin from Kumasi about wound-licking Zambia’s chances against Egypt following that soft defeat at the hands of Cameroon last Saturday.

But Zambia have not defeated Egypt since 1996 and judging by the void in class between the two teams at this years final, it would be a miracle to end that 12-year-old record.

Furthermore, Coach Patrick Phiri has tried to sound upbeat about Wednesday’s game.

Phiri has promised changes to Zambia’s unsettled defence that was probed by inexperienced Sudan and dissected by seasoned Cameroon.

Defenders Clive Hachilensa and Joseph Musonda will need to dip a little more into the fountain of youth for a laxative to try and spark some brave inspiration against Egypt’s attack.

And will Phiri kiss and forgive Kennedy Nkethani or will Lusaka Dynamos’ Hichani Himoonde be thrust yet again into the deep end of another potential baptism of fire?

Meanwhile, the lack of a truly authoritative defensive midfield will continue to hurt Zambia going into their final game against Egypt baring more pressure on an already fragile defence that we all hope will not curve-in and snap again for a second successive game.

Isaac Chansa and Phiri’s laboring old protégé Ian Bakala are in for another busy night to remember in midfield in a game Zambia will attempt to shame the naysayer’s and appease their brave believers.

We also await another electrifying performance by the in-form midfielder Felix Katongo who was man of the match in the game against Cameroon.

Upfront, Jacob Mulenga, Felix Sunzu and Christopher Katongo should start to say the least.

And in the other Group C match to be played simultaneously in Tamale, Cameroon hope to complete their rally in the pool with a win over bottom placed Sudan.

A win for second placed Cameroon, who are on three points together with third positioned Zambia, would be enough to see the four-time Africa Cup champions through even if Phiri’s team beat Egypt on Wednesday thanks to a better goal difference.

Coca-Cola Company donates US$100,000

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The Coca-Cola Company has donated US$100,000 to the office of the Vice President, Disaster Management and Mitation Unit (DMMU) for humanitarian support to flood victims.

Chief Executive Officer, Neville Isdell said his company is aware and concerned with the torrential rains that have rocked the country adding that it has a negative effect human life, business and the economy as a whole.

Mr. Isadell said this in Lusaka today when he paid a courtesy call on Vice President, Rupiah Banda at his office.

He as the company’s social responsibility, they have a mandate to assist government in mitigating the flood situation in the country.

Meanwhile, Coca- Cola Company will in the next three years invest US$50 Million in the Zambian economy.

Mr. Isadell said his company is impressed with the growth of the Zambian economy in the recent years.

He noted that infrastructure such as roads have signifantly been improved adding that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also performed well.

Mr. Isadell said he was confident that the investment of Coca-Cola Company will not only help the Zambian economy grown further but will bring employment and intellectual capital such as skills training and technology.

And Vice President Rupiah Banda said the high levels of unemployment in the country were worrying.

Mr. Banda hoped that the US$50 Million investment by Coca-Cola will expand activities and help reduce unemployment.

Meanwhile the Vice President said the flood situation in Lusaka province is becoming a great concern to Government.

Mr. Banda said Lusaka Province just like Southern is experiencing heavy rains which has destroyed property and displaced hundreds of families.

He appealed to business houses, stakeholders and the corporate world to continue assisting government in mitigating the flood situation in the country.

And President Mwanawasa has appealed to Coca Cola company brand and Zambian Breweries group of Companies to assist the Zambian government to host the forthcoming SMART commonwealth partnership meeting.

In a message read on his behalf by the Special Assistant for press and public relations, John Musukuma, Dr Mwanawasa said Zambia will be hosting the meeting where 20 heads of state from the common wealth have been invited and other delegates from the international community.

Dr Mwanawasa said government will need assistance from the corporate world to host the 400 delegates from Africa and the international community who will be in attendance.

The meeting will be held from the 28-31st July, 2008.

Levy disappointed with the National Team

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Zambia’s senior nation soccer team’s 5-1 bashing at the hands of Cameroon on Saturday evening has disappointment President Levy Mwanawasa.

Speaking to journalists at the Lusaka international Airport before leaving for Ethiopia this morning, President Mwanawasa said the result was rather disappointing.

“The second game was rather disappointing, but I am looking forward to victory tomorrow. If we lose, it will be extremely bad,” he said.

Zambia lost 5-1 to Cameroon in the second match at the ongoing MTN Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament in Ghana’s Kumasi city on Saturday.

Several soccer funs blamed the embarrassing loss on the defence which caused many blunders, thereby giving Cameroon strikers easy goals.

Tomorrow, the Chipolopolo boys, who have slim chances of qualifying to the second round, are facing defending champions, Egypt in their last game in group D.

During their first match at the tournament, the Chipolopolo boys hammered Sudan with three unanswered goals, at the time pushing them to the top of the group, followed by Egypt, who beat Cameroon 4-2.

The 5-1 loss to Cameroon has relegatated Zambia to third in its group and the Chipolopolo boys only have a mathamatical chance of qualifying to the next stage.

The result of the first match had raised fans’ hopes that the team was, after all, not as bad as they thought after defence pillar, Elijah Tana was excluded from the final list of players.

New passports to be introduced in two months

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Zambians would in the next two months be issued with new passports, which would have features that are difficult to forge, Minister of Home Affairs, Ronnie Shikapwasha has disclosed.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said his Permanent Secretary, Susan Sikaneta has since traveled to Germany with a high powered delegation to check on the machines that would be used to issue new passports.

He said the delegation would also consolidate the issue of having new passports.

General Shikapwasha said the machines would be brought into the country in the next few weeks and be installed in readiness for the issuance of new passports by the end of March, 2008.

He said in an interview that it was necessary for Zambians to have news passports that would not be easy to forge.

Meanwhile, General Shikapwasha has said investigations on the alleged corrupt passport officers were ongoing.

When asked if passport officers that would be found wanting would not be allowed to move to the new office as earlier stated, the minister said such would be announced after investigations have been concluded.

Govt urged to de-centralize roads levy revenue

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The Anti Voter Apathy (AVAP) has proposed that the utilization of road levy funds be de-centralized.

AVAP Executive Director Bonny Tembo says this is because some parts of the country are starved of funds collected locally.

Mr. Tembo told ZANIS in an interview that infrastructure development has severely been hampered by lack of funds.

He cited the Mansa-Nchelenge road which is in a deplorable state despite colossal sums money being collected from use of the road.

Mr. Tembo called upon the central government to allow Nchelenge District to collect road levy from heavy loaded which are passing through Mansa-Nchelenge road and use the same revenue to repair the road.

He expressed worry that if the road is not attended to with a sense of urgency, human life could be lost.

Mr. Tembo said presently when revenue is collected in the area, it is used elsewhere to the disadvantage of the local people and to the detriment of the local infrastructure.

He said it is sad that money collected in the locality is not taken back for road maintenance and other infrastructure development.

Govt’s failure to deliver fertiliser will hinder poverty reduction, ZNFU

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Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Agri-Business Manager, Smart Banda, says government’s effort to reduce poverty levels in the district would be defeated because of its failure to deliver additional fertilizer.

Mr. Banda told ZANIS today that farmers in the district are bitter over government’s failure to deliver additional D-compound fertilizer, which, he described as an impediment to fighting poverty in rural areas.

He said the district was expected to receive 4000 bags of D-compound by January 1 this year but nothing was received because government has cancelled the contract to deliver more fertilizer.

“The company which was contracted by government to deliver subsidized fertilizer under the Fertilizer Support Programme has started selling the D-Compound at commercial price which most farmers have failed to buy,” Mr. Banda said.

He said the situation is worrying because at present there is no D-Compound being sold in the district apart from Urea which is being sold at K150,000 per 50kg bag.

‘’The D-Compound was also being sold at K150,000 per 50kg bag and most of our farmers cannot afford because they had already budgeted for the subsidized fertilizer,’’ he said.

He further said the delay would negatively impact on food security in the district as most of the crops would be destroyed due to lack of fertilizer.

Mr. Banda has since advised government to plan adequately for the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) instead of waiting for farmers to ask for additional fertilizer.

Government, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was supposed to deliver an additional 4,000 bags by 50 kg of D-compound and four 4,000 bags of 50kg of Urea in Kasempa district.

Meanwhile, Mr Banda has commended government for including again funds for the fertilizer Support Programme (FSP) in the 2008 national budget.

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