THE United Party for National Development (UPND) led by Hakainde Hichilema has been receiving financial support from the Africa Liberal Network (ALN) to participate in all the elections in Zambia, deputy Parliamentary Chief Whip Tutwa Ngulube has disclosed.

And Mr Ngulube said it was hypocrisy of the highest order for the UPND to claim that they only belonged to liberal network which is an advocate of the rights of homosexuals, Satanism, gays and lesbians both in Zambia and globally, but not subscribe to its values.

Mr Ngulube who is also Kabwe Central Member of Parliament (MP) said this when he featured on PF interactive forum in Lusaka yesterday.

He challenged Mr Hichilema to personally come out in the open and tell Zambians how much financial support his party had been receiving from ALN for all the by-elections.

Mr Ngulube said he had information on the financial support UPND under Mr Hichilema had benefited from the network which sponsors elections for its member party.

“Let him tell us openly before we tell him ourselves how much financial support he has received from Africa Liberal Network for all the by-elections that we have been having, and also for the 2015 and 2016 general election,” Mr Ngulube said.

Mr Ngulube further challenged Mr Hichilema to state whether or not his party belonged to liberal network which is alleged to be involved in Satanism and gay rights.

He also wondered why Zambians should tolerate a political party that is aligned to a network that does not believe in God, law and order.

“And I want to also challenge HH to tell us himself not sending Kakoma (UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma) or others people, let HH tell us himself whether the UPND is a member of Africa Liberal Network and when he has responded to this question, he must also tell us whether it is possible to belong to an organization that promotes such immoral conducts and claim that the acts were not binding on us,” he said.

Mr Ngulube also challenged the UPND leader to bring back all his money that he is alleged to have deposited in the offshore accounts if he meant well for Zambia.

“We also know that this man has been involved in a lot of what we can call scandals. For example on of the scandals that he is in public domain for many years is his involvement in the privatisation where he is being accused by the many people of Zambians including retires that when he did that exercise, he amassed a lot of wealth. And after he amassed a lot of wealth, he took it to the haven in South Africa, Panama, Bahamas and many other areas.

“This is another moral question that we want to ask him. If this gentleman has been eying the Presidency of this country and this is the country they themselves call a broke country, why does he not want to bring back his money back home?” he asked.

By: Anthony Bwalya – UPND Member

The Auditor General’s Report for the period ended December 2018 reported that Undelivered Materials had spiked from K1.5 million in 2017, to K9.3 million in 2018.

The Stardy saga explains only a small part of this rot because it is a widespread, carefully designed and executed scheme with the PF party institution very much at the heart of it.

State House is aware of this because they know who is getting paid what for doing nothing, and the PRESIDENT continues to promote and protect these individuals.

Stardy Mwale receives full K1.6 million payment to construct a Maternity Annex in my home Constituency of Kabushi at Kabushi clinic. Except, he has not delivered on his contractual obligations for several years now.

At the time this contract was awarded to him, he was some high ranking PF party officials on the Copperbelt, and despite his criminal conduct bordering on obtaining money by false pretenses, the PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, proceeded to rewarding him with an even more sensitive position of Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defense.

I would not be surprised that Stardy Mwale is now involved in companies that have now captured military procurement contracts for their own personal gain.

But Stardy Mwale is an example of how the PF have continued to steal public money using fake companies that have zero ability to deliver on public works but proceed to receiving full contract payment amounts even before these criminals have moved an inch of sand on-site.

We have always said how the PF have, between 2011 and 2018, have siphoned over $10bn out of this country using fraudulent procurement schemes, corruption, theft and just pure fraud.

There are a lot of companies owned by PF officials, CADRES and sympathizers who, like Stardy, have created companies that deliver zero contracts but continue to receive payments on these contracts.

The company that bought Fire Tenders for $42 million is a company owned by friends of the PF and enjoyed the fullest protection of state machinery. We know how Stephen Kampyongo benefitted from this theft of public resources because information is official and in the public domain.

The companies that are at the heart and soul of stealing from the Zambian public through the fraudulent procurement, supply and distribution of fuel are owned by proxies of high ranking PF party officials.

This is why the PF could afford to use public money to buy cheaper oil from Saudi Arabia in a government to government deal, but still proceeded to reselling this resulting fuel at a premium to Zambian consumers, with profits going directly into their pockets.

While this is happening, we have no medicines or equipment in our clinics and hospitals, council workers are not being paid, local contractors who have genuinely delivered on their contracts have not been paid for years!

This is why, in part, Zambians must never make the mistake of electing the PF to power – ever again. The carnage they will leave after ejection from power will take several years to rectify.

We can never deliver sensible, sustainable, inclusive national and community development with criminals at the helm of state power.

In the meantime, Stardy Mwale must either resign or get fired, and be indicted for theft of public money.

Youths from political parties from Malawi and Zambia have challenged leaders from the two countries to channel their energies to more productive debates as opposed to finger pointing and character assassination.

The youths brought together for a training program for young leaders by the Green Forum called Program For Young Politicians in Africa (PYPA) noted that the two countries face similar challenges but that just like twins, their leaders spend more time on issues that are not productive.

Making a contribution on a debate which focused on the economic activities of the two countries Zambia’s Prince Ndoyi from MMD said young people should move away from unproductive debates about individuals but instead combine efforts to end the rot.

He said unlike the senior politicians, young people should realise that the challenges faced in the two countries are bigger than individuals and cannot be resolved by finger pointing but by putting minds together regardless of ones political affiliation.

“I find this as a healthy discussion, we must not be afraid to differ, let’s have a healthy debate, it only disintegrates if we turn it tribal and simplistic. I must say am benefiting a lot from that, you see even here in Zambia we have heavily depended our economy on finishing assets like minerals, without a deliberate policy shift into manufacturing and industry especially service. And with these climate issues you can imagine the morality we want to mine in a park which will destroy the Eco-system and environment.

“We are having cheap debates, about HH having sold this and that, if people mean well, they should do the honorable and noble thing by stopping the rot. What we must do is direct our energies at reshaping the industry to manage the economics around it well without diluting it with petty cheap and partisan tribal politics, because poverty and hunger knows no tribe!”

On the over dependence on tobacco by Malawi, Ndoyi noted the need for authorities in Malawi to channel the profits from the tobacco industry to more sustainable industries as way of insulating the economy from the global politics of the tobacco industry.

“In tobacco, we also grow alot of it , but the campaign against it FTCT is heavily funded, it won’t succeed, the biggest consumer is China, the secret is how can you get the profits and dividends from that industry of tobacco and invest it in other sectors that are sustainable,” he said.

And Malawi’s Gracious Chirambo from AFFORD observed the need for his country to diversify from their economic mainstay of tobacco.

“I agree with you to a larger extent that we need to start diversifying our industry and start a gradual process of disentangling ourselves from the current economic mainstay. We can indeed invest in alot of sectors of the country,” he said.

He was however quick to mention that some of the challenges in the industry have been as result of deals cut behind closed doors by companies that buy the commodity while presenting a facade to the public that there is a free market economy in the industry.

“The diagnosis of poor performance of tobacco in Malawi. While you claim that it precipitates from world anti-tobacco campaign, I argue with valid and verifiable facts that the problem does not arise from that. If you dig through literature on the same, you will be surprised that the few companies that buy tobacco in Malawi cut deals behind doors and fix prices. Such that the idea of free market that is paraded by companies through the auction floor only hoodwinks us into believing that forces of supply and demand are at play. That’s the reason Bingu wa Mutharika used to fix tobacco prices because he knew tobacco companies always cut shady deals behind doors. I hope you get the point as with regards to tobacco prices in Malawi.

As young people these are the discussions we must preoccupy ourselves. Things that will bring bread and butter, the agriculture policy and politics surrounding it in Malawi.”

UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema has condemned the teargassing of Democracy Party President Harry Kalaba in Samfya over the weekend by the police.

Mr Hichilema has described the act as undemocratic and a sign of dictatorship in Zambia under the PF regime.

He has charged that the PF are undeniably cowards who have no plan and Zambians deserve better.

Mr Hichilema wondered why the police have continued using the police to harass and intimidate innocent politicians who want to meet and talk to their members.

“Why continue fighting unarmed people who do not threaten the lives of the people and fail to deal with violent cadres. This must must come to an end”, he said.

Mr Hichilema has since advised Zambians to vote the PF out in 2021 in order to bring sanity especially in the Zambia Police Service who have forgotten to promote law and order for Zambians.

Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo says it is unfair to blame President Edgar Lungu for the effects of climate change that the country is experiencing.

Mr Lusambo said President Lungu and his administration are working tirelessly to mitigate the effects of climate change.

He said heaping the blame on President Lungu for the low water levels at power generation stations is unfair.

Mr Lusambo was speaking on Sunday when he addressed Parishioners at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Masala in Ndola.

He has since urged the Church to work closely with government and other cooperating partners to work tougher to raise awareness on the effects of climate change.

Mr Lusambo stated that in response to the effects of climate change, government has started emergency power imports and installation of power generation sets in key public facilities such as clinics and hospitals.

“Climate change is purely a natural occurrence because it is not President Edgar Lungu who is walking around with water in his pocket so that we don’t have water in the dams.
It is therefore unfair to blame the effects of climate change on President Lungu and his administration,” Mr Lusambo said.

Meanwhile, Mr Lusambo has handed over four generators valued at K1 million to three clinics in his constituency donated by President Edgar Lungu.

Mr Lusambo has also pledged to provide 210 litres of diesel for the gensets on a monthly basis.

The recipient health facilities are Kabushi, Lubuto and Masala clinics.

Mr. Lusambo said the third generator would be donated to another institution in need.

“I strongly believe that this gesture will help cushion the impact of load shedding on the delivery of health services,” Mr. Lusambo said.

By Peter Sinkamba-Green Party President

I totally agree with the call by members of the public, including the First and Fourth Republican Presidents Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Rupiah Banda, calling for revocation of the mining licence issued to Zambezi Resources Limited, an Australian company, to mine in the Lower Zambezi Game Park.

Besides inconceivable immeasurable and irreversible environmental damage that is likely to arise from mining in the national park, it appears to me that the manner, in which the licence was issued to Zambezi Resources Limited, is full of fundamental breaches of the mining law.

From the records, it is reported that on 17th January 2014, the then Minister of Land, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Honorable Harry Kalaba issued Large Scale Mining Licence No. 15547-HQ-LML to Mwembeshi Resources Limited, a subsidiary of Zambezi Resources Limited. If it true Honorable Kalaba issued the mining licence, then that was illegal.

At that time, the mining law which was in force was the Mines and Minerals Development Act No. 7 of 2008. The power to issue mining licences under the Act, were vested in the Director of Mines. Per Section 25(2) of the Act, it was mandatory for an application for a large-scale mining licence to be made to the Director of Mines in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee. Furthermore, per Section 25(5), it was mandatory for an applicant to commission and produce to the Director of Mines an environmental impact study on the proposed mining operations which had been approved by the Environmental Council of Zambia (now Zambia Environmental Management Agency).

In summary, the procedure to issue a mining licence started with conducting an environmental impact assessment and submitting the report to Environmental Council of Zambia. After review of the report, the Environmental Council of Zambia either approved or rejected it. If the report was approved, then the developer would proceed to the Director of Mines to apply for the mining licence, and attach to the application the approved environmental impact assessment report together with the Environmental Council of Zambia decision letter. From environmental side, only when the two documents were attached would a mining licence be issued.

This being the case, it is therefore impossible that a mining licence would have been issued by the Director of Mines to Zambezi Resources Limited before 17th January, 2014 when Honorable Kalaba is reported to have issued the authorization to approve the environmental impact assessment report overturning the Environmental Council of Zambia decision letter as approval of the report comes before issuance of the mining licence.

The correct procedure therefore should have been that after Honorable Kalaba overturned the decision letter of Environmental Council of Zambia to disapprove the mining project, then Zambezi Resources Limited or its subsidiary Mwembeshi Resources Limited, should have gone back to Environmental Council of Zambia to issue a fresh decision letter, this time approving the project. Armed with a fresh decision letter and approved environmental impact assessment report, then, and only then, would Zambezi Resources Limited be eligible to submit an application for issuance of a mining licence.

There are so many questions that beg answers on this issue. First, did the Environmental Council of Zambia re-issue its decision letter after the earlier one was overturned by Honorable Kalaba? If so, when was this decision letter issued, where is the evidence? Secondly, when was Large Scale Mining Licence No. 15547-HQ-LML issued by the Director of Mines to Mwembeshi Resources Limited? Was it before or after 17th January, 2014, when Honorable Kalaba overturned the Environmental Council of Zambia decision letter?

And if it was after, was it before or after 4th February, 2014 when the High Court in Lusaka halted government approval of an environmental management plan to mine copper from the Lower Zambezi National Park.

The Mines and Minerals Development Act No. 7 of 2008 provided 60 days in which the Director of Mines was supposed to approve or reject the application. The Director of Mines was obliged to cause an investigation to be made or consultations to be carried out to enable him to assess whether or not the requirements of Section 26 of the Act were met.

One thing for certain is that it was impossible that the Director of Mines issued the mining licence between 17th January, 2014 and 4th February, 2014 because of procedural requirements under Section 26. On the face of it, the Zambezi Resources Limited Large Scale Mining Licence No. 15547-HQ-LML was issued illegally, and thereby null and void. Thus, it just makes sense that Government revokes it not only from environmental concerns raised by the public but also fundamental breaches of environmental and mining laws.