The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mansa has expressed worry at the low condom usage as a contraceptive among couples in the district.

UNFPA Team Leader Pascal Salimu said people in the area were not usually using condoms as a family planning contraceptive.

Mr. Salimu said there was need for heightened sensitisation about the importance of using condoms as a family planning too and not only for HIV/AIDS prevention.

He said this during a tour of four Rural Health Centres (RHCs) whose objective was to familiarise himself with Reproductive Health issues in Mansa recently.

He has since urged people in the district to also use condoms in family planning.

He said the condom was an effective contraceptive which should be widely used because it even reduced risks of contraction of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) such as HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Salimu observed that many people in the area were shunning using condoms as a family planning contraceptive even after they prescribed at the RHC.

“Women shunned using condoms in family planning and opted for nothing when Safe Plan and other contraceptives were not available at the RHC,” he observed.

Meanwhile Mr. Salimu has called on the traditional leader to assist in reducing and avoiding teenage pregnancies and early marriages in their chiefdoms.

He said unwanted pregnancies and early marriages among young people were a hindrance to girl child education.

And a traditional ruler in Mansa has threatened to punish parents who would marry off their daughters at tender ages.

Chief Mabumba of the Ushi people in Mansa said he would punish parents found condoning teenage pregnancies and early marriages in his chiefdom.

The traditional leader said this yesterday when a UNFPA team visited him at his palace on the agency’s reproductive health familiarisation program.

The UNFPA project, which was recently launched in Mansa and Nchelenge districts, is aimed at improving the health standards of women and children through three components namely, reproductive health, gender and population development.

The programme would deal with issues of adolescent and sexual reproductive health and emergency child care, which includes HIV/AIDS prevention.

Government is still awaiting for response from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) so as to give a go ahead for Prospective Uranium Mining in the country.

Mines Deputy Minister Maxwell Mwale said IAEA is still scrutinizing the guidelines that the Zambian government had sent on the mining of uranium in the country.

He stressed the commencement of uranium production by prospective uranium miners would only start after government receives a response from the Agency.

Mr. Mwale told ZANIS in an interview that it was illegal for prospective uranium miners to commence production as government was still working on a mechanism to regulate the mining of the mineral.

The Deputy Minister pointed out that the move taken by the Zambian government to send the guidelines to the Agency was aimed at protecting the Zambian communities from the effects of uranium.

Following the recent discovery of Uranium, there has been concerns that Zambia lacked capacity to control uranium mining in terms of storage, safety, security and transportation on the mineral.

ALBIDON Mining-Zambia Limited has confirmed the presence of high-grade uranium mineralisation at its Njame east project near Chirundu.

When giving an update on the pre-feasibility studies early this year, Albidon Zambia stated that uranium resources at the Chirundu joint venture with African Energy Resources had increased by 25 percent to about 4,120 metric tonnes.

Albidon indicated that the first uranium production was expected by the end of 2009.

However, Mines and Minerals Development Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa had also in a related development warned that it was illegal to commence production in Zambia by prospective uranium miners as government was still developing guidelines in the mining of the mineral.

Dr Mwansa said the government had devised guidelines to regulate the mining of uranium in the country , which had been sent to the Agency.

Albidon Mining has become the third company to discover uranium deposits after Equinox Minerals discovered uranium deposits at its Lumwana copper project in North Western Province and has since embarked on a Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS), whose outcome would decide the way forward.

The other company is Omega Corp Limited, whose uranium exploration operations in the Siavonga area have reached advanced stages, with company managing director Mathew Yates stating that metallurgical discoveries had resulted in new areas of uranium mineralisation at its Kariba Uranium Project (KUP).

And Senior Chief Chipepo of the Tonga people in Southern Province had in a separate interview urged government to devise an effective and efficient mechanism that will help the country regulate international guildlines in the mining of uranium in an effort to protect the people of Zambia.

Chief Chipepo advised government to take extra remedial measures that would guide prospecting Uranium Miners to be prospecting and mining the mineral with caution so as to protect the local people from the effects of the uranium mineral.

He pointed out that there is need for the Zambian government to develop an effective and efficient framework before the commencement of uranium in the country.

The traditional ruler’s concern comes in the wake of the confirmed presence of the high-grade Uranium mineral contents in the Southern Province of Zambia.

GOVERNMENT says it will look into the controversy surrounding the proposed
construction of Legacy Hotels in Livingstone.

Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe said government will not allow competing interests to sabotage other developers.

He said this when he paid a courtesy call on Senior Chief Mukuni of the Toka-Leya in Kazungula today.

Mr Munkombwe said it was worrying to note that earlier developers in the tourist capital are making it difficult for others to invest.

”Government will not allow competing interests to sabotage others that will come up. It is a source of worry to us that those who came early into the tourism fraternity are trying to frustrate new ones,” he said.

Mr Munkombwe said it was only fair that the National Heritage and Conservation Commission (NHCC) and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) realise that the more hotels are built, the better for the economy of Livingstone and the country as a whole.

He said he would liaise with the relevant ministries on the need for expansion and to create more hotel bed capacity before the 2010 world cup to be hosted by South Africa.

Speaking earlier, Chief Mukuni said Livingstone required more hotels to be built before the 2010 world cup.

Senior Chief Mukuni said the construction of Legacy Hotels in Livingstone would help boost the country’s economy.

The traditional leader said it is important for government to intervene in the matter because the hotel was still awaiting policy direction from the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA).

Chief Mukuni wondered why David Livingstone hotel has been allowed to be constructed a hotel in the same locality while Legacy has been stopped.

MMD Youths in Chililabombwe has joined other party members that are calling for the expulsion of suspended Nationl Executive Committee Member Ms. Christine Moonga .

Chililabombwe MMD Youths today petitioned the party NEC to expel Ms. Moonga for alleged misconduct and lack of remorse during her suspension.

Chililabombwe Youth Chairperson Enock Kapalu said Ms Moonga had not shown remorse in her response to her suspension and had continued to show indiscipline and lack of respect for the party and Republican President, Levy Mwanawasa.

Ms Moonga, who was a party nominated NEC member, was last week suspended from the party after she issued a press statement accusing President Mwanawasa of practicing tribalism.

In a statement made available to ZANIS in Chililabombwe , Mr Kapalu said Ms Moonga should have channeled her concerns through the relevant party organs unlike issuing press statements as the act may influence people to rise against the President.

He pointed out that calling President Mwanawasa a tribalist might lead other people to rise against him and the rurling party.

The Youth leader alleged that Ms. Moonga is being used by people who want to put the name of the President into public ridicule .

“ In her response to the suspension, Ms Moonga did not show remorse hence our call for her to be expelled,’ he said.

Mr Kapalu urged all MMD members to respect the President and refrain from forcing him to discipline Finance Deputy Minister Jonas Shakafuswa as his case was being handled through proper channels.

He stressed Mr. Shakafuswa’s case is currently being handled by a committee under the Speaker of the National Assembly hence the resolve by the President not to intervene till the process was completed.

Gold and Copper deposits have been discovered in Kaputa District in the Northern Province.

The district also has rich deposits of uranium and other precious stones.

Kaputa Constituency Member of Parliament Mutale Nalumango confirmed the discovery to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

Mrs. Nalumango said the minerals were discovered following exploration expeditions by Geologists in the area.

She said she was cheered by the discovery and called upon investors to explore the mineral deposits in the area.

The lawmaker has called for the tarring of the Mununga/Kaputa road and the Mporokoso/Kaputa roads to enhance and accelerate development in the area.

She said this is because a good road network is vital to transportation of goods and services.

She also called on government to speed up connecting Kaputa district to the national electricity grid.

And Mrs. Nalumango says agricultural activities are booming in Kaputa district.

She cited banana plantations, rice fields and maize production being cultivated extensively in the area.

She said Kaputa has the potential to turn Northern Province into the ‘grain basket’ of the entire Northern Province because farmers there have taken agriculture very seriously.

Meanwhile, Senior Chief Chipepo of the Tonga people in Southern Province has urged government to devise an effective and efficient mechanism that will help the country adhere to international guidelines in the mining of uranium in an effort to protect the people of Zambia.

Chief Chipepo says government should take extra remedial measures that would guild prospecting Uranium Miners to be prospecting and mining Uranium with extra care in a bid to protect the local people from the effects of the uranium mineral.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Siavonga yesterday that there is need for the Zambian government to develop an effective and efficient framework before the commencement of the mining uranium in the country.

The traditional ruler’s concern comes in the wake of the confirmed presence of the high-grade Uranium mineral contents in some parts the Southern Province of Zambia.

Following the recent discovery of Uranium, there has been concerns that Zambia lacked capacity to control uranium mining in terms of storage, safety, security and transportation.

ALBIDON Mining-Zambia Limited has confirmed the presence of high-grade uranium mineralisation at its Njame east project near Chirundu.

When giving an update on the pre-feasibility studies early this year, Albidon Zambia stated that uranium resources at the Chirundu joint venture with African Energy Resources had increased by 25 percent to about 4,120 metric tonnes.

Albidon indicated that the first uranium production was expected by the end of 2009.

However, Mines and Minerals Development Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa had in a related development warned that it was illegal to commence production in Zambia by prospective uranium miners as government was still developing guidelines in the mining of the mineral.

Dr Mwansa said the government had devised guidelines to regulate the mining of uranium in the country and the guidelines had been sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for scrutiny and guidance.

Albidon Mining has become the third company to discover uranium deposits after Equinox Minerals discovered uranium deposits at its Lumwana copper project in North Western Province and has since embarked on a Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS), whose outcome would decide the way forward.

The other company is Omega Corp Limited, whose uranium exploration operations in the Siavonga area have reached advanced stages, with company managing director Mathew Yates stating that metallurgical discoveries had resulted in new areas of uranium mineralisation at its Kariba Uranium Project (KUP).

THE MMD leadership in Southern Province has joined other party members in condemning suspended party National Committee Executive member Christine Moonga for accusing President Mwanawasa of practicing tribalism.

Southern Province MMD chairman Solomon Muzyamba says MMD in the province strongly condemns the utterances of Ms Moonga.

Mr Muzyamba has since cautioned MMD members in Southern Province against indiscipline.

He was speaking in Livingstone today at the official residence of Southern Province minister Danniel Munkombwe.

Mr Muzyamba said it was unfortunate that Ms Moonga stood out personally to scandalise the President and called him a tribalist when President Mwanawasa was a hardworking, lovable and competent leader.

He noted that Ms Moonga had been a nominated member of MMD for only four weeks and wondered why she should embark on scandalising the President.

On Tuesday, Ms Moonga was suspended as NEC member and given 10 days in which to exculpate herself for accusing President Mwanawasa of practicing tribalism.