Zambia Weekly - Week 43, Volume 1, 29 October 2010

8/8/2019 Zambia Weekly - Week 43, Volume 1, 29 October 2010

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In thIs Issue

Te new Hands O Cain 2010 report shows that Zam-bia is one o 44 de facto abolitionist countries that have

not carried out any executions or at least 10 years, orcountries which have binding obligations not to use thedeath penalty (Daily Mail 23). In act, Zambia carriedout its last execution by hanging in 1997.

Ten, ormer president Frederick Chiluba authorised thehanging o eight prisoners the only executions he as-sented to during his time in oce. His successor, the lateLevy Mwanawasa, reused to sign death warrants, insteadcommuting the sentences to imprisonment.

Hands O Cain, an Italian NGO, has this month visitedZambia as part o a mission against the death penaltyin Arica. Hands O Cain is also seeking to nd a newconsensus or a new UN Resolution or a universalmoratorium on capital punishment.

According to EU Ambassador Derek Fee, who opened the concurrent 2nd EU Forum onthe Death Penalty in Zambia, studies show that the death penalty does not deter crime moreeectively than other orms o punishment and that abolition o the death penalty does notlead to an increase in crime.

Te Hands O Cain delegation was received by vice-president and minister o justice, GeorgeKunda, who conrmed that president Rupiah Banda will not sign any execution decrees.Banda last commuted capital sentences in April 2009 or 53 prisoners.

Still, the National Constitutional Conerence (NCC) upheld the constitutions death penaltyclause in a narrow vote with 26 or and 25 against retaining capital punishment in Zambia.

MMD chie whip Vernon Mwaanga told the delegation at a meeting that at this table sits

parliamentarians that you can consider your allies. During the preparation or the drat thatwill now be discussed in parliament and then put to a popular reerendum in order to beconrmed, they ought to end the death penalty.

Recently, the Supreme Court was asked to declare as unconstitutional the mandatory deathsentence or aggravated robbery while armed with a rearm. Tis is in a matter where AlexNjamba, appealed against his mandatory death sentence, arguing it is arbitrary and unconsti-tutional. His lawyer, Abraham Mwansa, stated that due to its compulsory application, a man-datory sentence could not be subjected to an eective review by a higher court. Te SupremeCourt has directed the State to le their response (Post 11 September).

Zambia has 271 prisoners on death row in Mukobeko maximum security prison.

Wk 43, Volm 1, I 26, 29 Ocobr 2010Zambia WklyIs the death penalty unconstuonal?

Is the death penalty unconstitutional?

Secessionism brewing in Barotseland

Quotes

Mining: Everybody can make a mistake

Return o the brown envelopes

Its a corrupt world out there

Toughts on independence... and ood

By-elections: Serious voter apathy

Advert: Montessori Dream Kindergarten

Summary o week 40-42

Leave the car at home this Christmas

Te second resurrection at Chavuma

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Te recent release o the 2011 budget(see page 3 and 7) resurrected the debateabout donors and whether or not Zambianeeds them. Next years budget is interest-ing in that donors are contributing onetrillion kwacha less than in 2010 halv-

ing the budgets donor-dependency in onerapid stroke. At rst glance this is a greatachievement, because who wants aid andits annoyingly stringent conditions i onecan go without? And the government didindeed sell it as a deliberate move to moveaway rom donor aid ater all this must bequite high on president Bandas agenda. Hehas already told o donors on two separateoccasions this year or peddling (lies) andmeddling (in Zambias internal aairs). Butthe opposition, in the orm o PF presidentSata, saw it dierently. He suggested thatthe dwindling aid was caused by lack ocondence in the government ater allthe donors have been rather busy reezingtheir aid in both the health and road sectorsdue to nancial irregularities. Yet the cutsin donor support probably say more aboutthe realities in the donor countries thanabout the current government in Zambia.Tis government doesnt appear particularlybetter or worse at corruption than previousgovernments at least the donors supportthem all wholeheartedly. Rather, the donorshave tightened the screw due to a combina-tion o the appearance o right wing parties,

aging populations and the nancial crisis inEurope.

edior o

I i i

1t b of Zambia mdia

4 out o 11 water utilities have proposed to raise water taris by between 18 and 80percent. Financial and commercial management inspector at National Water andSanitation Council (NWASCO), Josephine Goma, said NWASCO would study theproposals beore approving or disapproving them. Te our water utilities: LuapulaWater and Sewerage Company (80 percent), Eastern Water and Sewerage Company(30 percent), Western Water and Sewerage Company (27 percent) and MulongaWater and Sewerage Company (18 percent) have proposed increased taris torecover their costs. Luapula Water and Sewerage Companys proposal is very high asit is a new commercial utility, explained Goma: Teir taris were not economic asthey recently took over rom local authorities. Te remaining 7 water utilities have

not applied or tari increases (Post 23).

Council water will get more expensive


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2

nwZambia Wkly

t b of Zambia mdia

Qo

t bdg pc wic i prd

i parliam i a mmary. tr i a

yllow book wic a mor a 1,000

pages. It contains all the gures and

breakdown to specic areas. Therefore,

o cao j rad pc ad

arg mri ad dmri of

bdg.

Finance Ministry Chie Budget Analyst

Felix Nkulukusa (imes 25).

Secessionism brewing in Barotseland

Te appointment o Denny Kalyalya as executive director at the World Bank will increaseZambias infuence at the Bretton Woods institution, emphasised Bank o Zambia (BoZ) gov-ernor Caleb Fundanga (Post 26). Zambia is now directly represented at both the World Bankand the International Monetary Fund. Kalyalya was appointed as alternate executive directoro Arica Group 1 on 10 October. He leaves a position as BoZ deputy governor to replaceoga Gayewea McIntosh o Liberia. Te appointment is or the period 2010 to 2012. Te 22Arican member states o the World Bank are represented by a total o three Arican executivedirectors o which the position or Arica Group 3 is completely new. Executive directorsoversee the day-to-day operations o the World Bank.

More inuence at Breon Woods instuons

Secessionists have kept Mongu in the headlines thiswhole week. A group calling or an independentBarotseland was not granted a police permit to holda rally at the Blue Gum Grounds on 23 October

due to the venue being used or the IndependenceDay celebrations the ollowing day, but it wentahead regardless only to be dispersed by policearmed with tear gas and rearms. Te crowd thenran amok, burnt a vehicle, vandalised two policeposts and injured our police ocers (Sundayimes/Mail/Post and imes 25).

It later emerged that the secessionists were dividedinto two groups: the Movement or the Restoration o the Barotse Agreement (MOREBA)and the Barotse Freedom Movement (BFM). Both groups are unhappy that the BarotselandAgreement o 1964 has been let out o the new drat constitution and bemoan the underde-velopment o Western Province (Sunday Post).

President Rupiah Banda dismissed MOREBA as a non-actor (imes 25) but Mongu

Diocese Caritas director Nathaniel Mubukwanu advised Banda to consider the events as aneye-opener (Post 25).

Earlier this year, the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) urged the National ConstitutionalConerence (NCC) to recognise the special status o Barotseland. Te region was colonia-lised by treaty rather than conquest and its right to establish a regional government precedesthe birth o Zambia. Te BRE thereore advised the NCC to acknowledge the BarotselandAgreement (imes 3 August). However, this week, the BRE distanced itsel rom the twogroups and said it recognises the sitting government (imes 26).

Later in the week, police arrested two BFM leaders, Grace Likando and Muyangana Muy-angana, who had gone into hiding ater a tip rom members o the public (Daily Mail 27) ollowed by eight other people (imes 28).

If you go aer a woman and all you do

is aack her boyfriend then you are

immar. Yo d o xplai wa

yo will do for r ad will jdg forrlf.

President Banda reerring to PF presi-dent Michael Sata in the run-up to theMpulungu by-election (imes 23).

I wi o rmid or collag i

govrm o alway rmmbr a

w agriclr z, wol

economy catches a u. That is how im-

pora i cor i o cory.

Zambia National Farmers Union Presi-

dent Jervis Zimba (Sunday imes).

narly vrybody i Zambia i ir-

ested in polical aairs. From the

drivr, m o r p o

bim, y ar all ird i

polics, and that is not the case in every

cory. Mayb i a omig o do

with the daily talk about the [PF-UPND]

pact, and the [MMD] government

or this pre-elecon mood, but this is

denitely something that pleases us

a r i willig of Zambia

popl o bcom r dmocra.

Friedrich Ebert Stitung resident direc-tor Henier Naumann (Post 26).

t pac wa mad o bliv a

PF is very popular in Mpulungu with the

picr w wr ig of g crowd

aending PF rallies. We were going to

bf p pac am i campaigig

for the PF in Mpulungu if some secons

of mdia did o milad . W

wr mild by om mdia.

UPND youth leader Joe Kalusa on whythe PF lost the Mpulungu by-election(Daily Mail 28).

One ull page in ull colour or extra impact.

Only one advertiser per week.

Contact the editor or more details.

Adverse in Zambia Weekly

Zambia Wkly

Te secessionists want to replace the Zambianfag with the Barotseland fag (above).


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MiigZambia Wkly

t b of Zambia mdia

nw i brifEverybody can make a mistake!

Te mines are still contributing ar too little to Zambias revenue. Following the release o the

2011 budget (see page 7), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) resident representative,Perry Perone, called or increased tax revenues rom the mining sector. Te mining sector con-tributes about 70 percent o Zambias oreign exchange earnings, constituting 9.7 percent o thetotal economic output, while it only contribute about 1 percent o total tax collection (Post 15).Tis week, Bank o Zambia governor Caleb Fundanga agreed: Whilst the increase in miningsector revenues is positive, the mining sectors contribution to the overall tax revenues remainslow relative to the contribution o the sector to the overall GDP, he said and added that theZRA must improve its capacity to monitor nancial arrangements and tax obligations o largeand complex rms such as mining companies. I these measures are successul, we expect taxrevenues to increase signicantly as the mining companies recoup their initial investments andbegin to turn a prot on their investment Fundanga stated (imes 26).

Mines sll not paying enough tax

President Banda has warned against xeno-phobia ollowing the shooting o 11 (somemedia reports put the number at 13) miners atthe Chinese Collum Coal Mine in Sinazeze,

Southern Province.Lets be careul that we dont single out people.Everyday people are shot by Zambians, bywhite people, Americans, by everybody. Youknow this business o Chinese! Chinese! Weshould not create a phobia against people,said Banda (Daily Mail/imes/Post 22), whoalso pointed out that the many new and largeinvestments on the Copperbelt will inevitablyresult in some riction which should be

handled in accordance with the labour laws o the country.

Te 11 miners were wounded by two Chinese management ocials during a riot over wages(Daily Mail 16). During the riot the miners allegedly looted the mine. Te two Chinese were

charged with attempted murder (Post 19) and the two riot ringleaders were arrested (DailyMail 18). Since then calls or the deportation o the two Chinese have mounted, while eweragreed with the president o the University o Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union, Eu-ston Chiputa, who said they should be tried in Zambia (Post 28).

Sinazongwe District Commissioner Oliver Pelete explained that the mines head oce in Lu-saka had agreed to replace the management at the mine (Sunday Mail 17), Te Chinese embas-sy directed the mine to oot the medical bills or the 11 miners (imes 22), and a committee,comprising o representatives o workers, management, government and the Gemstone Unionand Allied Workers, was ormed to nd a lasting solution to problems at Collum (imes 23).

Home Aairs Minister Mkhondo Lungu said communication or rather lack o constitutesa large part o the problem, as miners and management dont speak the same language (imes23).

Collum was given up until the end o October to improve workers conditions (Post 20) which have been appalling or a long time. In July 2006, ater touring the mine, then SouthernProvince Minister, Alice Simango, wept on national television and accused the management otreating workers like animals.

Tat same year, our workers at the Chambishi Mine on the Copperbelt were shot and wound-ed by the companys Chinese management in combination with police while protesting a wagedispute.

Te Food Reserve Agency (FRA) hasextended its crop purchasing period orone month until the end o October tobuy this years bumper harvest (DailyMail 1). In the process it is expectedto spend a total o 1.5 trillion kwacha

(Daily Mail 8). So ar, it has purchasedapproximately 750,000 tonnes o maizeworth 983 billion kwacha (Post 21). TeFRA vowed it would release 150 billionkwacha every week to quickly buy maizerom armers beore the onset o therains (Daily Mail/Post 4). Neverthe-less it has also distributed tarpaulinsacross the country (Sunday Mail 10).Te agency has 910,000 tonnes o maizein reserve, o which 160,000 tonnes arerom last year (imes 20).

hrry bfor rai!

Government has recommenced themobile national registration cards(NRCs) issuance exercise across thecountry. Te aim is to provide morepeople with NRCs to enable them toregister as voters. Minister o HomeAairs Mkhondo Lungu said theexercise will run up to 30 November

2010. From June 2009 to July 2010,the mobile issuance exercise provided1,090,222 people with new NRCs(Daily Mail 26).

Aor nRC rwal rod

Te International Civil Aviation Or-

ganisation (ICAO) will revisit Zambiain December to review progress madein addressing aviation saety concernsthat led to the ban o local airlinesfying into the European Union (EU)airspace about a year ago. Te ICAOstated concerns over issues in licens-ing, inspection and saety o aircrat. Italso ound that Zambia lacked expertsin the Department o Civil Aviation;however, Communication and rans-port permanent secretary DominicSichinga said the ministry now hadtrained personnel both inside and out-side the department (Daily Mail 26).

Io eu airpac


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Zambia Wkly

t b of Zambia mdia

Corrupon

tog o idpdc... ad food

26 people died, 31 were seriously injured and 41 othersescaped with minor injuries in 131 road accidents duringZambias Independence weekend. O the 131 accidents, 18were atal. Copperbelt topped the list with 54 accidents ol-lowed by Lusaka with 40 (imes 27).

This weeks gure

Food is a basic human need. A ood-insecure nation is a

dependent and vulnerable nation. In view o this reality, thetheme or this years independence celebrations is consolidat-ing our independence through ood security. It was due to ourdesire or higher crop production that my government last yearrevised and improved the Farmer Input Support Programme.Te improvements made it possible or the armers to deliverthe record-breaking bumper maize harvest. Please join me incongratulating the arming community, and particularly thesmall-scale armers who are in the majority, or their major rolein realising my governments goal o national ood security orall citizens (Sunday imes).

Naonal TV address by President Banda:

Te biggest measure o Zambias economic reedom is in beingable to grow enough ood to eed everyone o the countrys plus-12 million people. In act, Zambia is living up to its pledge to bethe grain basket o the region. Te 2.8 million tonnes o maizeproduced this year is more than enough or Zambias needs.Zambians can thus stand proud and celebrate the 46th indepen-dence anniversary because they have liberated themselves romthe miseries o hunger. Te maize bumper harvests achievedin recent years eed into economic emancipation or millionso Zambians because the bulk o this crop is grown by peasantarmers (Sunday Mail).

Editorial comment:

Tis year, the idea that we are marking independence with aclaim to have achieved ood security ater 46 years o indepen-dence seems particularly depressing. I am guessing that by oodsecurity, the government has calculated that we have producedmore maize than we theoretically require i we multiply ourpopulation o adults and adult-equivalents by a couple o hun-dred grams a head a day. []he mere suggestion that producinga couple o million tonnes o maize grain means that Zambiansactually have enough to eat is outrageous. Whilst so many o ourront benchers and urban elite worry about their weight prob-lems, diabetes, bp and risk o stroke (...) nearly hal o Zambianchildren are stunted. Tere may be maize in the granaries but

clearly neither enough o that maize or all the other basic oodsand nutrients that they need reach these kids (Post 27).

Patrioc Front vice-president Guy Sco:

Its a corrupt world out there!

Zambia is ranked 101st out o 178 countries on corruption, accord-ing to a new report rom ransparency International. Te Corrup-tion Perception Index (CPI) 2010 shows that Zambia maintainedits 2009 score o 3 out o 10. President o ransparency InternationalZambia, Reuben Liuka, said the results are a pointer to the act that

little has been done to address corruption in Zambia (Post 27). Teworlds most corrupt countries are Somalia ollowed by Myanmar andAghanistan. Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tie or top placeas the worlds least corrupt countries (Daily Mail 27). op-rated A-rican nation is Botswana, in 33rd place. Tree-quarters o the nationson the CPI list do not reach the hal-way mark (a score o 5), whichmeans much o the world is corrupt. Te CPI denes corruption asthe abuse o entrusted power or private gain in both the public andprivate sectors. ransparency International was ounded in 1993 and isa non-governmental organisation that monitors corporate and politicalcorruption.

See the ull report on:www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010

Return of the brown envelopes?

wo weeks ago, parliamentpassed the anti-corruptionbill ater a heated debate.Vice-president GeorgeKunda said the bill con-

tains several new oencescurrently not containedin the Anti-CorruptionCommission (ACC) acto 1996 (Daily Mail 16),but opponents continue to

criticise the removal o the abuse o oce oence (Post 23/26/27/28).

Te days o brown envelopes and dubious acquisition o property andunexplained wealth are denitely back, said the president o rans-parency International Zambia (IZ), Reuben Liuka (Post 26). Hethreatened to campaign against president Rupiah Banda in next yearsgeneral elections i Banda assents to the bill.

But chie government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha, said hetook great exception to IZs threats, as IZ earlier had spoken posi-tively about the bill.

IZ is a non-governmental organisation and is, thereore, advisedto register itsel as a political party i it wants to embark on politicalcampaigns ahead o next years elections, said Shikapwasha, who isalso minister o inormation and broadcasting (imes 28).

Te government has explained that the current act criminalises a civilservant with more wealth than their income and that the abuse ooce oence also exists in the Penal Code. But the opposition claimsabuse o oce was included in the ACC Act because it had no teeth inthe Penal Code which is administered by the police who now arecustomers o the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Shikapwasha however said the new law had provisions which wouldeectively and eciently support the provision in the Penal Code.

Te bill was passed with 54 votes in avour, 30 against and 3 abstaining(Post 16).


5/8

Zambias third round o by-elections in 2010 held on 25 Octoberended with the two parliamentary seats being divided democrati-cally between the governing Movement or Multiparty Democracy(MMD) and the opposition in the orm o the United Party or

National Development (UPND).Te MMD won the by-election in Mpulungu with 5,003 votesagainst the 4,419 votes o the UPNDs pact partner, the PatrioticFront (PF), while the UPND won the by-election in Chilanga with3,702 votes against the MMDs 2,339 votes (Daily Mail/imes 27).

Te run-up to the elections was relatively peaceul compared tothe violent by-election in Muumbwe in April 2010. In Mpulungu,MMD cadres roughed up a emale PF supporter (Post 23) andpolice arrested two MMD cadres or electoral raud (post 26).

In Chilanga, the MMD uncovered a scam in which suspected UPNDmembers were telling voters to shun the election (Sunday Mail).UPND MP Watson Lumba was beaten by suspected MMD cadres

(imes 26) and three MMD polling agents were beaten by suspectedUPND cadres (Daily Mail 26).

But most voters couldnt care less. In Mpulungu only about 39 percento all registered voters cast their vote. Te rest had gone to cultivatetheir elds, said the Southern Arican Centre or the ConstructiveResolution o Disputes (SACCORD), an election observer (DailyMail 26).

Tey didnt have that excuse in Chilanga. Regardless, only 24 percentchose to vote. SACCORD executive director Lee Habasonda saidgovernment should step up measures to ensure people appreciate theessence o voting (Daily Mail 27).

Te MMD accepted the election results. President Banda said he washappy the MMD still has majority in parliament. He congratulatedthe UPND or scooping the Chilanga seat and PF or winning localgovernment seats (imes 27).

But PF president Michael Sata replied by saying the PF will petitionthe Mpulungu result due to electoral malpractices (Post 27): Teminister o community development Michael Kaingu was openlydistributing oodstus and money, Sata said.

Go ahead, said Banda: It is a right o every party and every citizen topetition i they eel that justice was not done (Daily Mail 28).

Te two parliamentary by-elections were caused by the death oMMD MP Lameck Chibombamilimo in Mpulungu and the MMDs

expulsion o its rebel MP Ngandu Magande in Chilanga. Magandesaid the MMDs loss in Chilanga was a reaction to his expulsion (Post28), whereas the MMD said it was due to Magande neglecting theconstituency (Daily Mail 28).

Te ve local government seats were won by the MMD (Kaumbwein Petauke and Liwingishi in Mansa) and the PF (Nkwazi in Ndola,Muva Hill in Luanshya and Chandaula in Chinsali).

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Zambia Wkly

t b of Zambia mdia

ti wk corovry

By-elecons: Serious voter apathy

Te political pact between the Patriotic Front (PF) and theUnited Party or National Development (UPND) remain united more or less despite never-ending quarrels about who is thebigger and better o the two and, ultimately, who should eldthe pacts presidential candidate (Post 1/2/4/5/6/7, Daily Mail1/2/4/7/8 and imes 1/3/4/5/12).

Tings calmed down momentarily when the PF backeddown on its decision to eld a candidate in last weeks parlia-mentary by-election in Chilanga despite declaring it has theupper hand in Lusaka. Earlier, the PF had stated it would elda candidate in both Chilanga and Mpulungu in deance o thepacts joint working group which had decided to share the twoconstituencies between the UPND and the PF (Post 3).

But the chest-beating fared up ater the UPND won the by-election in Chilanga (see results in box to the right):

Our position as UPND is that the people o Zambia shouldjudge whether we are small or not like the people in Chilangaconstituency have done. We will not engage in a popularity con-test with our colleagues in PF, the UPND president, HakaindeHichilema, said (imes 27).

Hichilema said the pact should ght hard to ensure that it willwin the 2011 elections so that it could rule Zambia instead ocompeting or superior positions in the pact.

PF-UPND Pact: chest-beang again Results of by-elecons 25 October 2010

Candidate

Cosmas Moono (UPND)

Keith Mukata (MMD)

Henry Silumesi (UNIP)

Valerie Makeleni (NAREP)

Rejected votes

otal

Votes

3,702

2,339

131

50

67

6289

Chilanga (about 26,600 registered voters)

Candidate

Given Mungomba (MMD)

Freedom Sikazwe (PF)

Alex Mwazya (NAREP)

Germanico Simusokwe (UNIP)

Chilowela Sinyangwe (ADD)

Rejected votes

otal

Votes

5,003

4,419

331

112

62

n/a

9,927

Mpulungu (about 25,700 registered voters)


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smmary of wk 40-42Zambia Wkly

t b of Zambia mdia

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Zambias sole oil renery shut down in the beginning o Octoberor a 45-day routine maintenance. Minister o Energy and WaterDevelopment, Kenneth Konga, said the country has enough uelstocks to see it through the shutdown (Daily Mail 2).

Indeni Petroleum Renery shut down

Te annual infation reduced to 7.7 percent in September, downrom 8.2 percent in August (imes 1).

Inaon connues its downward trend

Some NGOs live the high life

An audit report o grants has ound nancial irregularities amongstnon-governmental organisations (NGOs). Te report rom the GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, uberculosis and Malaria showed that someZambian NGOs granted themselves unreasonable benets. Te ex-ecutive director o the Zambia National AIDS Network, or instance,

received a monthly salary o K 67.8 million. Other NGOs lacked -nancial management systems (Post 15/20). Earlier this year the GlobalFund redirected USD 300 million rom the Ministry o Health due tonancial irregularities.

Mahtani arrested again and again

Former chairman o Finance Bank, Rajan Mahtani, who is acingcharges o money laundering involving K 80 billion, was re-arrestedon 1 October together with his lawyer over a orged letter produced incourt. Te letter, purportedly written by the Bank o Zambia (BoZ),cleared Mahtani o nancial impropriety. Te duo pleaded not guilty(imes/Daily Mail 5), but BoZ deputy governor Denny Kalyalya de-nied authoring the letter (imes 20). On 15 October, a joint team o

the Drug Enorcement Commission and the Anti-Corruption Com-mission re-re-arrested Mahtani together with the managing directoro Clavada Mining Limited; a ctitious company created to allegedlysiphon money rom Finance Bank (Daily Mail 15).

Dicult to set by-elecon date

First, the Electoral Commission o Zambia postponed the parliamen-tary by-elections in Chilanga and Mpulungu together with ve localgovernment by-elections rom 28 to 30 October due to concurrentexaminations at schools used as polling stations. Ten, ater beingcriticised or dis ranchising members o Saturday-observing religions,it moved them to 25 October (Daily Mail 13).

Zambia recorded another trade surplus o 865.7 billion kwachain August driven by exports in copper (imes 4). On 19 October,

benchmark copper or three-month delivery on the London MetalExchange hit a 27-month high o USD 8,492 (imes 12).

Aor rad rpl i Ag

Te Resident Doctors Association o Zambia (RDAZ) called oits strike on 4 October in reaction to pleas rom patients and thegeneral public (Post/imes 5). Te strike started on 27 September.

Doctors call o strike

22 ormer Zamtel managers have dragged their ormer employer tothe Industrial Relations Court. Te group wants higher retrench-ment packages (imes 5).

22 x-maagr Zaml

Parliament punishes Mpombo

Speaker o the National Assembly ordered MMD rebel MP, GeorgeMpombo, to apologise or saying that Kunda is the most stupidvice-president the country has ever had in the Post on 5 July 2010.Mpombo said he would read the apology prepared or him with apinch o salt, but he was ordered to withdraw that statement (Post/imes/Daily Mail 6). Mpombo was recently expelled rom the MMD.

14 October was declared a day o national mourning in honouro ormer cabinet minister and high commissioner to Zimbabwe,Dingiswayo Banda, who died on 11 October ater an illness. Tebody o the late reedom ghter was fown to Lundazi to lie in

state beore his burial (Daily Mail 13).

Farewell to a freedom ghter

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed archbishop Emeritus Medardo

Mazombwe as the rst indigenous cardinal or Zambia (Post 21).Mazombwe will receive the red hat (beretta) rom the Pope on20 November during a public consistory at the Vatican in Rome(imes/Daily Mail 21). Mazombwe is the second archbishop tobe appointed cardinal or Zambia. Te rst was the late cardinalAdam Kozlowiecki, who was appointed by late Pope John Paul II.

First indigenous cardinal for Zambia

Minister o Finance and National Planning, Situmbeko Muso-kotwane, presented the 2011 national budget to parliament on8 October. Te K 20.5 trillion budget has the theme A peoplesbudget rom a peoples government. It was routinely criticised inthe private media (Post 10/11) and hailed in the government press(Sunday Mail 10/imes 11). Especially the upward adjustment othe PAYE tax-exempt threshold to 1 million kwacha was praised.

A bdg for popl?

Zambias th census since independence, the 2010 Census oPopulation and Housing, was launched on 15 October. Te eldwork is scheduled to last 21 days (Daily Mail 16/17).

The counng has begun!

Zain: independent evaluaon?

Te Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has directed BhartiAirtel to conduct an independent valuation o Zain Zambia. Tisvaluation, which is expected to be concluded by the end o Octo-ber, will determine the share price oered in the mandatory oer tominority shareholders (Daily Mail 6). However, Paul Kalumba, an in-vestment advisor, asked: What chances are there that a rm hired byBharti will give a share price unavourable to Bharti? (Post 8). BhartiAirtel previously suggested a share price o 710 kwacha against SECsrecommendation o 1,126 kwacha.

Three ministers survive crashlanding

A Zambia Air Force plane with three ministers onboard crash-landedon 16 October at Mukinge Airstrip in Kasempa. All ministers andother passengers escaped unhurt. Apparently the plane veered othe airstrip ater the pilot ailed to stop beore the end o the airstrip.

Minister o Works and Supply, Mike Mulongoti, described the inci-dent as very rightening (Sunday Post/Mail 17).


8/8

8

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Wk 43, Volm 1, I 26, 29 Ocobr 2010

Zambia Wkly

A group o unknown men abducted, sexually abused andwhipped 10 sex workers in Kitwe on 22 October appar-ently or contributing to the spread o HIV/AIDS on theCopperbelt. One victim said she and her colleagues werepicked up at night rom various places in dierent vehiclesby a group o about 30 men. Te women were told theywould be paid a lot o money i they would come along toan unknown place something they otherwise do not agree

to. Tey ended up somewhere near Garneton residentialarea, where they were abused by the group o men whoalso stole the womens money. Copperbelt Police com-manding ocer Martin Malama condemned the men andencouraged the women to be bold enough to report thematter to the police which the outspoken victim said theywould not do (Sunday Mail).

10 x workr xally abd

Residents in Chavuma in the North-Western Province arebewildered by the bizarre appearance o a man believed tohave died several years ago. Te resurrection o Chisola Ka-asa o Sakavuyi village is believed to be the second incidentin as many days. Investigations are ongoing into the resur-rection o a woman, Doreen umba Malali, who is said tohave come back rom the dead exactly one year ater she wasburied. North-Western Province Police commanding ocerCharles Lungu said according to elders the man died in2004. Lungu said the elders in the village had taken the res-urrected man to traditional healers or help, examination andpossible treatment, and that Kaasa had told police ocers toinvestigate the legitimacy and circumstances o his purported

death (Daily Mail 27).

Second resurrecon in Chavuma

Leave the car at home this Christmas

Te Road ransport and Saety Agency (RSA) has bought alcoholtesting equipment breathalysers worth 1.9 billion kwacha to reduceroad accidents in the orthcoming estive season. RSA deputy direc-tor Martin Mbangu said the agency had trained both police and itsown ocers on how to operate the equipment. Breathalysers estimateblood alcohol content (BAC) rom a breath sample. Zambia allows aBAC o 0.08 g/dl. Breathalysers, however, are sensitive things. Teirreadings can be aected signicantly by exercise (down), hyper-ventilation (down), burping (up), mouthwash with alcohol (up) andeven ambient temperature. Most countries thereore veriy breathalyserresults with blood tests. However, it is unclear whether Zambia will dothe same. Te new breathalysers have been distributed throughout thecountry (Sunday imes Independence Day Supplement).

Paral closure of Manda Hill?

Government is considering partial closure o the Manda Hill Shop-

ping Complex in Lusaka ollowing the death o a worker. Te initialreport indicated that Wilred Kasongo o Garden Compound died on22 October ater a pile o glass ell on him as he was trying to moveit rom a container together with a colleague who allegedly let go othe bundle. Manda Hill is currently undergoing extensive construc-tion works carried out by a consortium o South Arican constructioncompanies, WBHO and Velos Enterprises Limited. When inspectingthe shopping complex, Minister o Labour, Austin Liato, said govern-ment is saddened by the tragic death. Tere is sucient evidence thatworkers are protected but there are also minor saety concerns. Tere isan absolute need to decongest the human trac either by completelyclosing the centre to the public or by partial closure. Partial closureis better because it will give room or quick completion o works andsaety, he said (Sunday Mail). oday it is an employee but tomorrowit might be a customer, he added (Sunday Post). Ministerial ocershave been assigned to closely monitor the construction work at theshopping complex. 95 percent o the work will be completed by 19November while the remaining work, which will not aect customers,will be nished by April 2011.

Mealie meal price reduced

National Milling Corporation has reduced its mealie meal prices by2,000 kwacha. In Lusaka, the company has partnered with Shopriteto oer a special independence price (which will continue ater inde-pendence) o 44,890 kwacha per 25 kg breakast meal. Otherwise, the

new depot prices are 47,000 kwacha in Lusaka, Mazabuka, Kabweand Livingstone, 51,000 kwacha on the Copperbelt and 53,000 kwa-cha in other locations (imes 23).

National ootball coach, Italian Dario Bonetti, has been onduty approximately 21 days since he arrived about threemonths ago. Bonetti has spent the past weeks in Italy, appar-ently monitoring the eight Zambian ootballers playing orEurope clubs (Post 23).

This weeks gure

Documents

Zambia Weekly - Week 43, Volume 1, 29 October 2010