Veep tables whistle blowers protection Bill

VICE-President George Kunda yesterday presented in Parliament for first reading the Public Interest disclosure Bill, which seeks to protect whistle blowers in the private and public sectors.

Presenting the Bill on behalf of Mr Kunda, Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani said the Bill would provide a framework within which public interest disclosures would be dealt with independently.

Mr Mangani said the Bill would provide procedures in which employees would disclose information regarding unlawful or irregular conduct by their employers.

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha also presented the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Amendment Bill.

Acting Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Bradford Machila presented six other Bills related to registration of companies and trading requirements.

Mr Machila said the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines- Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) had not published its annual reports since the financial year ending June 2005.

He told Parliament that the delay in finalising the reports for 2006, 2007 and 2008, although already audited, was as a result of the need to report ZCCM-IH at a fair value in compliance with the international accounting standards.

He was responding to a question from Nchanga Member of Parliament Wilbur Simuusa (PF) who wanted to know when the annual reports for ZCCM-IH were last published.

He said that ZCCM-IH in subsidiary and associate companies had previously been reported at cost in all annual reports.

Mr Machila said following the completion of audit of accounts for the year 2006 and before publication, the company in 2007 engaged external consultants to undertake valuation of its investments.

“Unfortunately, the valuation exercise by the consultants has not been finalised to the satisfaction of ZCCM-IH’s external auditors due to lack of comprehensive resources data from the mines,” Mr Machila said.

And Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mutale Nalumango has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue a ministerial statement over the issuance of national registration cards (NRCs).

She said this after Mfuwe MP Mwimba Malama (PF) had earlier on asked when NRCs would be issued to eligible citizens in his constituency.

Deputy Home Affairs Minister David Phiri (MMD) explained that the issuance of NRCs was an on-going exercise.

But Chongwe MP Sylvia Masebo (MMD) argued that there were a lot of inconsistencies in the issuance of the identity cards, and asked the Speaker to direct the ministry to issue a ministerial statement.

And Gender and Women in Development Deputy Minister Lucy Changwe (MMD) told the House that 1,198 gender-based violence cases had been recorded from 2007 to date.

Of these cases, 911 men were convicted for the offence, while six women and 220 youth were convicted. Ms Changwe said this when she responded to a question from Kankoyo Member of Parliament Percy Chanda (PF) who wanted to know the number of people convicted for gender-based violence.

And Mr Machila said that the Pepsi Zambia plant in Lusaka would be opened by March this year. He said that the bottling company had invested US$30 million in the project and that 214 direct jobs would be created, alongside 600 indirect jobs.

He was responding to a question from Kanchibiya MP Davies Mwango (PF) who wanted to know when the plant would be opened and the number of jobs to be created.

[Times of Zambia]