Minister of Labour and Social Security, Joyce Simukoko has officially opened the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB) branch in Chinsali, Muchinga province.

Mrs Simukoko says government promised people a comprehensive social security reforms in order to address various concerns that needs the attention of Workers Compensation Fund.

She added that in order to fulfill the promise, government directed the board of directors of the Workers Compensation Fund to ensure that those measures are implemented.

Mrs Simukoko said the Board responded positively to government’s directives to decentralize its operations to provincial and district levels.

“The decentralization of operations in the district will no doubt bring compensation services closer to the people who will now access services in their locality,” she said.

Mrs Simukoko said the official opening of the branch signifies a milestone in responding to societal expectations such as compensation benefits delivered to workers for injuries and diseases resulting from employment.

She further urged the Board to ensure that it upholds the highest ethical standards in demonstrating fairness, accountability, responsibility, and transparency in managing the workers’ compensation scheme in the area.

And Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB) Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Priscilla Bwembya says it has taken 57 years for the board to have its presence in Chinsali.

”We have been working round the clock to change the operations of the Board in order to meet stakeholder expectations and it gives us great satisfaction to invite you on this occasion which signifies our commitment to the decentralization of our operations, ” she said.

And speaking at the same event, Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary, Davison Mulenga thanked the Workers Compensation Fund Control Board for bringing their services closer in the region.

Meanwhile, David Mutale who has been a beneficiary since 1978 has thanked the Board for the help it has rendered to him for the past 43 years.

Mr Mutale has since appealed to workers to ensure that they register as members at Workers Compensation Fund so that they can also be beneficiaries in case of any incident.

-Chembe District Commissioner, Mumba Mushitu has urged beneficiaries of the K540, 000 under the Cooperatives Development Initiative Program to use the money prudently.

Mr Mushitu explained that the empowerment fund is the initiative of Chembe Member of Parliament, Sebastian Kopulande

“When one cooperative is empowered, it means all families of the cooperative members will benefit hence the need to stick to the projects that you applied for when you are applying,” he said.

Speaking during the official opening of the two days training for selected cooperatives that want to venture into fish farming, Mr Mushitu said President Edgar Lungu is committed to ensuring that initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of the people are supported.

“President Edgar Lungu’s government is a pro poor government and you the residents of Chembe are on the President’s heart as he wants to see to it that you are no longer in poverty,” explained Mr Mushitu.

He further encouraged cooperatives to take advantage of the financial and economic empowerment programs that President Lungu and the Patriotic Front Government is giving to the vulnerable in society.

The Ndola Magistrate Court has sentenced a 19-year-old boy to two years imprisonment with hard labour for trafficking in marijuana.

This is in a matter where three people of the same house were charged with trafficking in psychotropic substances.

Blessings Lupaka 19, Daniella Lupaka 25, a teacher, and Isabelle Lupaka 49, a housewife, are alleged to have on April 6, 2021, in Ndola, jointly and whilst acting together, trafficked in psychotropic substances namely 2,028.57 grams of marijuana, a herbal product of cannabis sativa without lawful authority.

When the matter came up for plea before Ndola Principal Resident Magistrate Obbister Musukwa,

Blessings pleaded guilty while his sister and his mother denied the charge.

Magistrate Musukwa then gave the three accused some time to liaise with their defense lawyer from the Legal Aid.

Facts are that, on April 30, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers received information

that there was a bus coming from Lusaka with a black plastic bag that contained marijuana.

“Around 13:00 hours when the bus arrived at Broadway bus station, Blessings collected the plastic bag and that was how DEC officer arrested him. In a further search at his home, some marijuana was found in his bedroom,” read the facts sheet in brief.

In mitigation, his lawyer said Blessings is only 19 years old who is very remorseful of his actions.

Magistrate Musukwa noted the mitigation but said cases of this nature are on the increase in the

Ndola district.

“You could have thought of this before you acted. You had enough time to move from home and conceal the other drugs in your bedroom. It is my considered position that I impose a custodial sentence to deter other offenders. At 19, he could have engaged in better activities than involving in drugs. I sentence you to two years imprisonment with hard labour,” Magistrate Musukwa said.

Later the state applied to have the second (sister), and third (mother) accused to be discharged as the state does further investigations.

Magistrate Musukwa then discharged the two warning them that a discharge is not an acquittal

and that they can be re-arrested once the police have other evidence.

The government has commissioned the long-awaited Nathan Chanda Police post in Roan township whose works began in the year 2,000.

The new police post cost of K1.2 million, which covers putting up the infrastructure and furniture.

The funds used to construct the police post came from the constituency development fund, Luanshya Copper mines and Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda’s personal resources.

Mr. Chanda, who was accompanied by District Commissioner Patrick Maipambe and a Luanshya Copper mines Public Relations Officer, handed over the new facility to Copperbelt Province Police Commissioner Elias Chushi.

Mr. Chushi said the construction of the police post was a realisation of the Patriotic Front government’s resolve to create a conducive work environment for the police.

He said in order to effectively deliver, there was need for the provision of office space which he said the local authority and the mines had provided to the people of Roan township.

Mr. Chushi further said the facility will not only bring about comfort but also boost the morale of police officers who had been working in harsh conditions as they operated in the makeshift offices.

The Copperbelt Police Commissioner reiterated the police’s mandate of ensuring national security and maintaining law and order in the community.

He has since urged the police officer to remain dedicated to duty and not fail the residents of Roan township but instead work together to combat crime and make the community safe.

Speaking earlier, Luanshya District Commissioner Patrick Maipambe said government is committed to seeing to it that all communities are protected by police.

Mr. Maipambe said government has further ensured that all police stations had trained security officers to provide security.

He has since urged the police to be professional as they maintain law and order especially as the country heads towards the campaign period for the August 12, general elections.

Mr. Maipambe also implored residents to coordinate with the police and guard jealously the facility that had been built to benefit the community.

And Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda said the construction of the police post was necessitated by the increased population and the upsurge in criminal activities in the area.

He said the new facility would enable police officers to operate effectively as it included office space, three holding cells and toilets for males, females and juveniles respectively.

Mr. Chanda has also called on Roan community to work with police in maintaining order as the nation headed towards elections.

Representing the Luanshya Copper Mines, Public Relation Manager Sydney Chileya pledged the mine’s commitment to partnering with the government in stirring development activities meant to benefit the community.

Mr. Chileya said the LCM was happy to participate in development activities in a way of ploughing back to the community in which the mine operates.

And a Roan resident Doris Mbesuma thanked President Lungu for exhibiting selfless leadership evidenced by the various development activities that Roan township has benefited from.

Mrs. Mbesamu said through the local authority, the government has constructed toilets, sunk boreholes and prioritized women land ownership through the acquisition of plots.

Ministry of Higher Education Permanent Secretary Kayula Siame has urged the private sector to partner with government and support the growth of the science and technology and innovation.

Ms. Siame said her ministry has undertaken a sponsorship programme for post graduate students who are interested to pursue science, technologies and innovation.

She stated that so far, her ministry has supported over 160 students but has not been able to take more due to limited funding.

Ms. Siame said supporting the students in science related programmes will contribute to developing the country in various ways, including research.

She explained that will increase the relevance of the research the students are undertaking and providing solutions to issues affecting the nation.

She said this during the Ministry of Higher Education verification exercise on public universities at University of Zambia (UNZA) yesterday.

Ms. Siame said the higher education ministry also has a role to play in restructuring and accommodating more of such students in order to develop the specialty.

The Permanent Secretary explained that the area of science, technology and innovation has for many years not been receiving much attention hence the ministry’s intervention to providing funding to students interested to pursue post graduate courses under the programme.

“If we are to achieve our vision by 2030, we can only do that if we have adequate support of the application of science, technologies, and innovations in the country,” she added.

She added that without having specialization in science and technologies, it is very difficult for a country such as Zambia to have an increase in research.

Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, Nkandu Luo has handed over 50 goats and 800 chickens to cooperatives in Mushindamo district.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Professor Luo said government wants to eliminate poverty and improve livelihood of the people through various interventions that include enhanced small holder investment project (E-SLIP), whose aim is to increase livestock in the community.

She said President Edgar Lungu is concerned with the high poverty levels in the country hence is working hard to ensure every household is economically stable.

“This programme of giving livestock to cooperatives is one of the things the President has identified that can help the community have enough livestock for nutritional benefit and economic stability,” she said.

Prof. Luo said for the E-SLIP programme to work effectively under the pass on programme, there is need for people to have a change of mindset from always thinking about food to rearing animals for business.

“We need mindset change if this programme is going to work. The problem we have is that some of you will want to consume these chickens and goats instead of rearing them so that they can increase in number. Once we work on increasing livestock in Mushindamo, we can have some for food and sell others so that we have money in our pockets,” she said.

The minister has since urged the recipients of the animals to care for them so as to keep them disease free and preventing them from dying.

“One other problem that Africans have is that they do not take care of their animals. For instance, many chickens sleep in trees, goats and cattle outside, so how do you expect chickens to lay eggs and cattle to produce milk when they are not properly cared for?” she asked.

Prof. Luo said if the benefiting cooperatives do not want to invest in proper care and management of the animals, they should declare interest and let others that have the desire to look after livestock get them.

Meanwhile, Mushindamo District Commissioner, Sylvia Kalamba has commended government for the empowerment programme that has benefited 32 cooperatives in the district.

Ms. Kalamba said this form of empowerment is a first of its kind in Mushindamo and has delighted the residents.

She said the distribution of goats and chickens under the E-SLIP project will help increase livestock and help families be self-sustainable.

“Allow me to mention that the livestock industry in Zambia is increasingly becoming an important component of our country’s economy. This is because livestock production has huge potential to enhance socio-economic development, national food and nutritional security among citizens,” she said.

She said the chickens and goats which the cooperatives have received will also enable small scale farmers in the district to be self-sustainable and develop economically.

The District Commissioner has meanwhile appealed to Prof. Luo to equip the department of livestock with necessary equipment and vehicles to enable officer conduct monitoring of various programmes that government is implementing in Mushindamo district.

“Honourable minister, as you may be aware, Mushindamo is a new district which needs a lot of infrastructural development. In view of this, we appeal to you to empower the officers with vehicles to facilitate movement of officers so that they can conduct their work effectively,” Ms. Kalamba said.

She has since urged the beneficiaries of the livestock to adhere to the terms and conditions of the empowerment programme so as to develop the livestock sector in the district.

The Lusaka Magistrate Court has set April 22, 2021, as the date for judgement in a case where former Minister of Community Development Emerine Kabanshi is accused of two counts of willful failure to comply with the procedure in relation to the execution of the Social Cash Transfer programme.

The judgment was initially scheduled to take place this morning before it was moved.

After the prosecution’s case, the suspect was found with a case to answer and placed on her defence.

When the matter came up today, Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Lameck Mwale adjourned the case to the 22nd April 2021 for judgement.

In this matter, Ms Kabanshi is facing two charges of willful failure to comply with the law, applicable procedure or guidelines relating to procurement.

In count one, it is alleged that Kabanshi, being Minister of Community Development and Social Services willfully failed to comply with the law, applicable procedure, or guidelines.

This was in relation to procurement by extending the scope of coverage of the contract to include three provinces and two districts under the social cash transfer programme.

It is alleged in the second count that the accused willfully failed to comply with the law, applicable procedure or guideline relating to procurement.

This was by re-engaging Zampost as the payment service provider for the Social Cash Transfer programme following the termination of the said contract.