GOVERNMENT recognises the various infrastructure development initiatives being driven by mining companies meant to empower local communities as the social investments play an important role in the country’s social and economic development agenda.

Speaking at the official hand-over ceremony of a science laboratory which was built at a cost of K781, 929.02 by Barrick Lumwana Mining company to Meheba Secondary School in Solwezi at the weekend, acting district commissioner, Chipawa Chipawa said the spirit of infrastructure development being exhibited by mining companies was encouraging.

He said such initiatives represented a tangible reflection of the country’s infrastructure development agenda.

Mr Chipawa said Government was keen on creating a proactive foundation of building long-term relationships with both the private sector and the local communities as witnessed by the number of foreign investors expressing interest to set up businesses in Zambia.

He said that Zambia faced a continued challenge of addressing critical skills shortage in the mining sector and there was need to ensure a future pipeline of highly qualified, experienced and skilled young people.

He said Government was committed to finding practical solutions to such challenges by creating and supporting specialist training, development, apprenticeship and nursery programmes.

“This can be achieved by combined efforts of all stakeholders such as the mining companies and other local and foreign investors investing heavily in the education sectors like what Lumwana has demonstrated,” Mr Chipawa said.

He said his office would offer support to companies which endeavoured to plough back to communities in which they operated in promoting various programmes aimed at uplifting the living standards of the people in areas such as education, health, agriculture, water and sanitation.

Mr Chipawa said the approach would ensure the community’s young people had access to future opportunities to develop their skills and become key contributors to the future success of the mining industry in North Western Province and in Zambia as a whole.

Barrick Gold Corporation director of operations, Brian Grebenc said the official handover of the science laboratory was a celebration of a visible milestone in the journey of educational quality improvement in the Lumwana area.

“This is a joyous occasion, especially for the project committee and contractor who have been personally involved in conceptualizing and shaping the project, and organizing and directing the construction of this school science laboratory project,” Mr Grebenc said.

Speaking through Lumwana Mine’s community relations superintendent, Harrington Kanema, Mr Grebenc said he was convinced that the people in the area shared Lumwana Mining Company’s vision and desire to improve educational services in the Lumwana area and in the new district of Kalumbila.

He acknowledged the enormous contributions made by the various stakeholders who stepped in to make the project a reality

ZRA Commissioner General Berlin Msisika said the Authority was aware of complaints of alleged harassment of members of other clearing agents’ organisations who had no intent of participating in illegal demonstrations or strikes and were being victimised at Nakonde border.

The clearing agents at Nakonde boarder post last week withdrew labour demanding the lift of the suspension slapped on their companies by the ZRA.

ZRA introduced the new Automated System for Customs Data (ASCYUDA) system last year with the aim of speeding up the clearance of vehicles at entry points.

The agents said that due to the deflating system, the ZRA suspended more than 50 transit clearing and forwarding companies from operating because of the outstanding obligations.

Mr Msisika guided that the action by clearing agents to harass other members was a violation of terms of a clearing agent licensed by the Authority.

He said in a statement after holding a meeting with members of the executive committees for three out of the four associations representing clearing agents in Zambia.

“With regards to a complaint raised over harassment of members of other clearing agents Associations who have no intent of participating in illegal demonstrations or strike and were being victimised at Nakonde Border, this action is a violation of terms of a clearing agent licensed by the Authority.ZRA will not hesitate to take sanctions against erring clearing agent companies or its employees who will be found to be harassing other members or disrupting the flow of traffic,” he said.

He said the clearing agents who had been suspended on instances such as duplicating declarations pending cancellation, removal in transit not acquitted and outstanding transactions on the old Asycuda system should appeal on an individual corporate entity basis within the next 14 days through the commission for customs services.

He however, said that the clearing agents were expected to continue to account for transactions which were outstanding on both the new AsycudaWorld and the old Asycuda++ system.

Mr Msiska assured the executive members representing clearing agents that the Authority was working closely with other public stakeholders to ensure that a conducive and secure environment prevailed at all the borders and legitimate trade was facilitated.

Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda said casualisation would soon come to an end following the approval by Cabinet to put an end to casual employment.

Mr Shamenda said during the opening of the new National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) offices in Mufulira at the weekend that a new law would soon be enacted to end casualisation in all sectors of the economy, especially in the mining sector.

He said this would be done as part of the Patriotic Front (PF) manifesto on social security reforms which were currently underway.

“For all companies, especially in the mining industries, who are perpetually engaging workers on casualisation, we will soon be enacting a law and very soon casualisation is coming to an end.

“Cabinet has approved a bill to stop casualisation and the matter is going for publication in the gazette and later it will be tabled before Parliament, so all casuals will be permanent and will be members of NAPSA,” he said.

Mr Shamenda also said the retirement age had been adjusted upwards with the normal retirement age at 60, early retirement at 50 years and late retirement at 65 years.

He commended NAPSA on its relocation of offices as it demonstrated the commitment and importance it attached to the desire to meet the increasing demand and expectations of members in the mining town.

Last year, Government signed a Statutory Instrument which introduced the revocation of the exemptions on Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) from making contributions to NAPSA.

“The exemptions deprived employees at KCM and MCM from making contributions to NAPSA in terms of social security coverage from 2000 to last year. The issuance of the Statutory Instrument has now benefited miners particularly those working for MCM which was the biggest employer in Mufulira,” he said

Mr Shamenda implored employers on the Copperbelt to register all their eligible employees with NAPSA as mandated by law and also to ensure they complied by making remittances on behalf of their employees NAPSA Board chairperson Teddy Mulonga said the Authority had embarked on decentralisation of its operations by opening new offices in various towns.

He said plans were also underway to construct an ultra-modern office block in Mufulira which would contribute to infrastructure development.

He said NAPSA had opened customer service centres known as satellite offices to ensure efficient service delivery to the public

The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has expressed disappointment that the 2016 national budget has largely remained gender blind.

The NGOCC says it expected the budget to clearly allocate resources to gender issues such as the full implementation of the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act of 2011.

Executive Director Engwase Mwale says her organization is of the view that it is high time that government embraced gender responsive budgeting if challenges Zambia faces are to be addressed.

In a statement to Qfm News Ms. Mwale has however noted that her organization welcomes government’s allocation of K35.7 million to the Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund.

Ms. Mwale states that NGOCC on the other hand implores government not to politicize the fund by ensuring that all women of Zambia benefit from it regardless of their political affiliation.

She says her organization has also taken note that government has allocated K727, 900,000 towards the holding of the tripartite elections and the National Referendum to enact the new constitution but that NGOCC remains opposed to the simultaneous holding of the forthcoming general elections with the national referendum.

Ms. Mwale states that NGOCC is however glad that government has proposed to allocate K35.6 million to the rolling out of the school feeding Programme for vulnerable children especially targeting rural areas.

She says it is on the other hand sad that the allocation towards the health sector keeps reducing with the Minister proposing to spend a total of K4.4 billion in the sector.

Ms. Mwale notes that in the interim while her organization is still studying the proposed revenue measures, NGOCC maintains that there is need for the government to structure some tax measure that will equitably benefit Zambians from their natural resources including minerals.

She says NGOCC therefore envisaged an increase in the tax free threshold of the PAYE from K3000 to K4000 to ensure that citizens have more disposable income especially now, given the harsh economic situation.