A case in which a South African national is alleged to have defamed President Levy Mwanawasa failed to take off this morning because of the on going  strike by judicial workers.   

Brandon Childs 22, an employee for RJ Southerly Contractors, contracted by Mopani
Copper Mines, Mufulira Division is alleged to have insulted and passed disparaging remarks against Mr. Mwanawasa in April this year.

Childs, a Kitwe resident  was arrested by police and charged with defaming the head
of state contrary to provision 65 of the penal code.

He was later released on police bond but Police withheld his passport, work permit
and national identity documents.

The foreign national has not appeared in court since his arrest in April.

Mufulira Resident Magistrate, Edison Tembo assured  ZANIS in his chamber that the
cases was coming up in court today but workers talked to said they have not prepared
the court for the case due to the strike.

District Prosecutors Officers were this morning found adjourning the cases to later
dates while local magistrates were working from their chambers.   

Mr. Tembo said the situation is normal and all the workers have reported for work.

ZANIS

All Zambia’s nine provinces have been earmarked for new mining projects as strong demand and high prices on the international market trigger a scramble by investors for minerals deposits, according to Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa. In a special Television Zambia broadcast late Tuesday, Mwansa said projects amounting to billions of dollars of investment would commence around the country over the coming year.

Tentative mineral exploration across the country by a clutch of investors revealed vast mineral deposits, the exploitation of which would require massive local and international investment, he said.

Chongwe district in Lusaka province, Mkushi in Central province, Petauke in Eastern province and Munali Hills in Southern province were examples of areas where new deposits had been found, he said.

To date, some 3 billion dollars have been invested in Zambian mining, mostly in copper, amid projections that figure will rise to around 4.5 billion dollars within the next two years.

The discovery of uranium in North-Western and Southern provinces augured well for the economy, projected to grow by an average 7 per cent over the next three years, said Mwansa.

Albidon Zambia Ltd and Australia’s Equinox Minerals Ltd have discovered substantial quantities of uranium and copper deposits at their operations in north-western and southern Zambia respectively.

The government of President Levy Mwanawasa has been praised by investors for its sound fiscal policies and tough line on corruption.

The country’s roads and communications network, however, require upgrading to enable the movement of goods and services in and out of mining areas.

North-Western Railways announced this week it had secured 250 million dollars in financing from Britain, South Africa and the United States to build a rail link to the northern Copperbelt region.

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Former President Frederick Chiluba has filed court papers rejecting a British judgement ordering him to pay back $58 million to the country’s Treasury in a graft case, his aide said on Tuesday.

Chiluba’s spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba said the former president had asked the Lusaka High Court to set aside a judgment delivered by British Judge Peter Smith which ordered him to reimburse funds allegedly stolen during his 10-year rule which ended in 2001.

“Dr Chiluba has filed documents asking the court to set aside the judgement because of irregularities in the manner it was delivered,” Mwamba told Reuters.

Chiluba said in his court filing that enforcing the judgement would be against public policy in Zambia because it was delivered without him being heard and that it was obtained “through fraud”.

“The principles in which the judgment was obtained were contrary to the principles of natural justice. The prosecution of the case and the registration of the judgement arising therefrom are in violation of the right to a fair trial,” Chiluba in a court affidavit.

Zambian prosecutors sought to have the case heard in a British court in hopes of recovering properties owned by Chiluba and other defendants in Britain and other EU countries.

Chiluba said Zambia law had been flouted by the government which brought a British civil graft case against him when he was still facing criminal prosecution in a Zambian court for theft of $488,000 in public funds.

Chiluba has appealed together with two Lusaka businessmen Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu, whom he is jointly charged with in the $488,000 case.

Chiluba declined to appear before Judge Smith when the case was being heard in London after arguing Smith had no jurisdiction to determine Zambia legal cases.

He said in his affidavit that he could not travel to London because he was under travel restrictions from the government.

“It appears the attorney general deliberately chose England specifically to make it difficult if not impossible for us to participate and effectively defend the claims against us,” Chiluba said.

Chiluba has in the past argued that the British case was essentially fraudulent and promoted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa in an effort to make a point about graft in Africa.

Zambia will allow 100,000 tonnes of additional white maize exports this year bringing the total to 350,000 tonnes, Agriculture Minister Ben Kapita told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

The move comes after the country recorded surpluses in the last three agricultural seasons, Kapita said.

“We are going to export 250,000 tonnes from this year’s stock and 100,000 tonnes which should have been exported to Zimbabwe but was kept after Malawi undercut us on the price.”

Kapita said the maize was ready for export to countries with food deficits, but he did not identify the countries. In the past, the country has exported to Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kapita also said Zambia had started to prepare for the 2007/08 farming season with the distribution of subsidised fertiliser and seed to 125,000 small-scale farmers set to start soon.

The 125,000 farmers will be less than the 210,000 farmers who benefited from government support in 2006 because some farmers have become self-sustaining after receiving initial government assistance.

“The government is downsizing the number of farmers getting help because some of them have graduated from the fertiliser support programme. Most farmers are now able to buy their fertiliser from the private sector,” Kapita said.

Last week, Kapita said Zambia’s 2006/07 maize output declined 4.4 percent to 1.36 million tonnes compared with output for 2005/06 due to floods which destroyed the crop in 41 of the country’s 72 districts.

Kapita said Zambia would keep 250,000 tonnes of maize in strategic reserves compared with a surplus of 160,000 tonnes the previous year.

Northern Province Minister Lameck Chibombamilimo has dismissed as false recent media reports that Zambia’s only port in Mpulungu will soon turn into a white elephant if no measures are taken to improve it to international standards.

Mr. Chibombamilimo, who is also Mpulungu Member of parliament, said to the contrary a lot of positive development has  taken place from the time Mpulungu Harbour management took over the running of the port from government.

The Minister told ZANIS in Kasama that the current investor at Mpulungu Harbour has
so far invested billions of Kwacha in the Procurement of modern equipment to enhance
operations to the country’s only port.

He added that the new equipment has enhanced the shipment of goods at Mpulungu Port to the Great lakes Region as evidenced by the docking of five ships at the harbour
every week.

Mr. Chibombamilimo also said as a result of the increase in business activities at
the Harbour, government was now collecting more revenue from goods  entering the
country.

The Minister further expressed confidence that Mpulungu Port would be able to
compete favourably with the new port being constructed on the Tanzania side once the
development plan being put in place by Mpulungu Harbour management was implemented
fully.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chibombamilimo has called for partnership between the Government  and Mpulungu Harbour Management on the possibility of acquiring a permanent Ship for Mpulungu Harbour to avoid dependence on Ships from neighbouring countries for the movement of goods.

He further appealed to government to consider constructing a r always line from
Nseluka to Mpulungu to increase inflow and outflow of cargo at Mpulungu Port.

ZANIS