THE Catholic Church Mansa Diocese in Luapula Province is embroiled in disagreement with a business executive over shareholding in an alcohol business from which the Church has been planning to withdraw.
The Mansa Dioecese has been in the business of brewing opaque beer through a company called Top Star Breweries in which it has a strong ordinary shareholding that stands at two million, representing 20 per cent since 2004.
The Church bought shares from a Lusaka business executive, Alan Kandala and a South African Hendrick Westerman and attempted to transfer them back to Mr Kandala on May 1, 2010 after the firm faced financial hardships and was placed under receivership by Zanaco.
Mr Kandala has demanded capital injection to allow the firm to get back on track and meet its financial obligations such as paying workers and creditors before the Catholic Church could depart from the company.
The form of transfer of the shares to Mr Kandala was signed by Mansa Diocese administrator Michael Merrizy on May 1 last year.
The company faced financial problems after it invested in the construction of another plant in Lusaka and after that, the Church appointed Deloitte and Touche to assess the financial position and draw up a business plan for the firm.
The Church also demanded that the Patents and Companies Administration Agency (PACRA) should de-register it as shareholders in Top Star Breweries, a demand PACRA declined to effect and instead referred the bishops back to Mr Kandala.
According to a letter signed by Bishop Aaron Chisha dated November 19, 2007, the Church confirmed its investments in Top Star Breweries and blamed Mr Kandala for failing to honour the financial obligations on behalf of the company.
“We would like to state that we have never shown any interest in providing further funds for the recapitalisation of the plant line restoration and the packaging project which requires funds to the tune of K500 million.
“In fact, all we wanted was to get back the money invested in Top Star Breweries and that is why we approached Deloitte and Touche,” Bishop Chisha wrote in his letter addressed to the director for corporate banking at Zanaco.
However, Bishop Chisha further disowned shareholding in Top Star Breweries in his letter dated February 21, 2008 to the inspector of companies at PACRA, saying Mr Kandala and PACRA registered the Church as shareholders without their consent.
Bishop Chisha stated that Mansa Diocese had never been a shareholder in Top Star Breweries but invested in the opaque beer brewing firm which failed to honour its obligations.
“Upon being told by Deloitte and Touche that Mr Kandala had registered on the mentioned date with the registrar of companies, we then decided to write you enquiring why you decided to register us without our consent, consultation and in our absence.
“But instead of answering to our letter, you have responded in a way we suspect you to be siding with Mr Kandala,” Bishop Chisha wrote.
But in his letter to the Catholic Nuncio at the Vatican Embassy in Lusaka, Nicola Girasoli, Mr Kandala contested that the Church offered him the same shares it had earlier denied in the business for them to exit from past, future and present obligations.
“The correct position is that at the time the letters were authored, the Diocese of Mansa was a 20 per cent shareholder in Top Star Breweries Limited, an opaque beer manufacturer, with plants in Lusaka and Mansa.
“The Diocese of Mansa enjoyed such equity in the company pursuant to the MoU on Top Star Breweries Limited, dated March 9, 2004 and a subsequent MoU, between the parties dated April 9 2004,” Mr Kandala said.
He said the Church should not abandon the investment in the opaque brewing outfit as the business was still viable.
He said the company needed recapitalisation because there were workers and creditors who should be paid and that so far, he had been paying legal costs to stop the liquidation from his personal resources without counterpart funding from the Catholic Church.
[Times of Zambia]
The Title is very misleading!!!
The lady in the picture is not drinking opaque beer. Am not sure if there is so much freedom in journalism to use pictures of people anyhow. You are breaking other people’s marriages, and relationships. Stop it ba LT !!
Is this the reason why the Catholic Church has been against the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation? How can a church be part of the beer business? Are there no other business ventures that the church can be involved in other than beer brewing?
The bible is clear in its teaching that there are some people who pretend to love God yet their hearts are far from God. These are interested in monies not the well being of the church itself.
KAPOKOLA, you contradict yourself with your hypocrisy. first you condemn the this church for indulging in a beer business because it’s a church and you further accuse them of wanting to have the declaration of zambia as a xcristian nation abolished but at the same time you acknowledge the fact that Zambia is a xcristian nation and non the less it has legalised the beer business in the country?!! If it is a xcristian nation and you condemn xristians from associating with the beer brewing/drinking business then you should condemn government for allowing this business in the country just like muslim countries tefyo?
Ba Katolika! what a shameful business venture for the Catholic Diocese of Mansa to be involved in. Please can we be serious for God’s seek. Any member of the Pioneer Movement out there to help the Diocese of Mansa.
Bu chakolwa ba katolika nabo!
iyeee…!what a church..these chaps should now be understood why they are encouraging homosexuality in PF…hhahahahaa..what the fathers do to the youngones..hahaha..repent or perish …!!
john 2 verse 1-……… ***** LT. WHAT R U INSINUATING. LEAVE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALONE. KUYABEBELE MMD.
Catholics surely have something in common with Bembas. I guess that could be the reason why most Bembas are catholis.
the bemba has done nothin wrong u r out of the topic now..i guess ulimutonga iwe.
Ba scorne naimwe ,,,,bakatolika balitemwafye umwanganshi bonse tekwebafye ati ba bemba beka ,the whole Zambia balabupuma sana ubwalwa abamukatolika.
More over its just beer so what? u mad LT. tamutontokanya…. come back to reality
Every food or drink you take in excess is harmful to your body. No one has banned beer drinking in this nation, but drinking in excess is a sin, eating in excess is a sin.
# 3 Kapokola,you have a “stinking way of transendance.” The catholic church refused the notion of making Zambia a christian nation because of one reason that I know.To which group would you classify the moslems?Are they christians?Let yourself be informed rather than opening your mouth because it can do so.
the church should be in the forefront in advocating for good morals in society and not promoting habits that corrupt good morals. beer is known to be the cause of a lot of moral breakdown in society which the church should not be seen to be entertaining and promoting. as an individual may be some one can work for a company that brews beer but not as an institution which has some choice on where to put or invest their money. apapena ba catholic namupona.shame!
I’m so glad that the irnteent allows free info like this!
I am looking forward to a time LT will be sued for using people’s pictures without their permission.
I am not a Catholic. I am not even a Christian but let me put one thing straight. Beer or alcohol is not the source of evil or immorality. If anything all of you teetotallers should be thankful for what alcohol has done for you. Some people or presidents have decided not to attack another enemy after having a beer. Some husbands have decided not to divorce after having a beer. Some bosses have decided not to fire someone after having a beer. Beer makes people happy and forget their woes and foes and worries. Just because some beerdrinkers go on to commit offences whilst they are drunk doesnt mean beer is bad. The people who have committed the worst crimes on this planet have had no beer. Hitler was a teetotaller. Like Tequilla #11 says above its the excess that is immoral.
Iam now convinced that Ba LT are a riff raff publication. They dont seem to understand
journalism properly. I wonder if they have a journalist working for
them. Its a basic rule in Journalism that you cant put a picture of
someone else on a story that is clearly something else. You can be
sued!! Despite many readers who are not even journalists advising them
not to ba LT turns a deaf ear. I think its time someone slapped them
with a lawsuit. Then they will learn the hard way!
Thats a good picture ba LT keep it up, expose them and deep deeper! And she must be Bemba.
mwalipata aba bemba ka…bt they r nice pipo try spend time with them…
Ba mutinta @ 17 ubupuba grow up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This woman can easily cash in on LT. They should have covered her face.
just sleep TK . Mwatusebanya ba Bemba imwe.
Ba Mutinta speak only about what you know. You sound like an empty head.
What makes you chaps think LT did not get permission from the woman on Mosi?
I feel Scorn was indeed out of topic Iam sure nikaluunda or tonga-lozi From maamba.
Normally I do not read post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, quite great article.