FORMATION of a Music Union of Zambia, an organisation that will represent the interests of musicians, DJs and managers is progressing well with the drafting of its constitution completed.
Music Union of Zambia interim secretary general Machi Muchindu, aka, Prodigal Son, said the formation of the union is necessary because it will help protect musicians from exploitation.
“We’ve finalised with the constitution for the Music Union of Zambia…we are just doing final consultations, the union should be registered by next week,” Muchindu told the Weekend Mail in an interview yesterday.
The musician and radio presenter said the formation of a union for musicians has been long overdue adding: “most countries in sub-Saharan Africa have unions representing musicians except us in Zambia”.
Muchindu said a team spearheading the formation of the union has been in close contact with veteran musicians for advice.
“We have not left out anyone during meetings concerning the formation of the union, we have been consulting the big guns in the music world like James Chamanyazi and Brian Shakorongo…even during the final consultations concerning the constitution and the union, the old timers in the music industry will be involved,” he said.
And asked why meetings for the formation of the union were only advertised through a WhatsApp page, Muchindu said “We just did that for starters, we needed a road map”.
Commenting on WhatsApp postings suggesting a rivalry between musician CQ and the people in charge of the formulation of the union, Machindu said “it’s not really rivalry” but “an exchange of views among artists debating clauses in the union’s constitution”.
“You expect people to argue on contentious issues when discussing the constitution…it’s not really a rivalry because the way we argue on WhatsApp can be different from the level of debate when we go in an actual meeting,” he said.
Zambia Association of Musicians ZAM chairperson Njoya Tee recently said he would support the formation of a union to represent the interests of musicians because it has records of musicians being poorly paid after providing services.

(DailyMail)

Concern is mounting over the growing danger posed by fuel tankers parked along the roadside in Lusaka’s industrial area.

Life and property are at risk should one of the vehicles overheat, warned nearby businesses appealing to the authorities to take action before a major disaster happens.

The hazard of fuel tankers parked on the side of roads – in many cases overnight – was highlighted recently when a truck loaded with petrol caught fire outside the Zambian Breweries premises on Mungwi Road.

“The possible consequences of allowing fuel tankers to park in the industrial areas are unfathomable. This is why we are appealing to the relevant authorities to take concerted action and put an end to the practice. We will avail ourselves to work with the authorities in whatever capacity,” said Ezekiel Sekele, Corporate Affairs Director at Zambian Breweries Plc.

Quick action by a combined team of Zambian Breweries safety personnel and the Lusaka Fire Brigade averted what could have been a national catastrophe and a high-profile accident that would have tarnished Zambia’s reputation on industrial safety standards.

The rescue teams followed emergency procedures and responded in a timely and professional manner to the incident, and in so doing they averted what could have been a tragedy, said Mr Sekele.

He praised the teams who put out the fire and thanked the Lusaka Fire Brigade and other organisations for their prompt action.

Zambian Breweries management along with other businesses are currently engaging the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, Ministry of Energy, the Police Service, and the local authorities to highlight the danger of these tankers.

There is an urgent need to relocate fuel depots away from high-density industrial areas and ensure strict enforcement of the existing regulations governing the bulk storage and transportation of fuel, said Mr Sekele.

Government has engaged the mining companies to ensure that the impending job losses in the mining sector are reduced to the barest minimal as the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) rejects any retrenchment move, saying other positions can still be considered.

Chief Government Spokesperson, Chishimba Kambwili, told the media in Kitwe today that government and the mining companies have agreed to ensure that the pending job losses in the mining sector are kept at the barest minimal level to ensure the sustainability of the mining companies’ protection of jobs.

Mr Kambwili said the mining companies have also agreed that they will be negotiating with the unions before they could implement any retrenchment action.

And Mr Kambwili, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, has disclosed that government has released US$120 million towards Value Addition Tax refund owed to mining companies.

He said the process of disbursing the funds is already being processed by the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Kambwili was speaking in Kitwe today after a delegation of five government ministers held a closed door meeting with mining companies and later with the unions in the mining sector in an effort to abate the massive pending job losses in the mining sector.

The ministers that attended the meeting include Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda, Mines Minister, Christopher Yaluma, Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda, Commerce and Trade Minister, Margret Mwanakatwe and Mr Kambwili together with their respective Permanent Secretaries and other senior officials.

And earlier, Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda, said government realizes the seriousness of the challenges being faced by mining companies and the possible effects of the impending job losses in the sector.

Mr Shamenda said it is because of this realization that government attaches great importance to the need to dialogue with the mining houses in order to resolve the challenges to sustain the operations of the mines and preserve jobs in the sector.

And Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) president, Chishimba Nkole, said the union will not accept any move to retrench workers.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Nkole said the union cannot accept any retrenchment because of the impact that such a move would cause on the economy and the individual households in the mining towns.

Mining companies have threatened to retrench workers on account of the falling copper prices on the international market, power load shedding and non-payment of Value Added Tax refund government owes mining companies among other reasons.

Already, Luanshya Copper Mines has sent over 1000 workers on forced leave and Konkola Copper Mines have also retrenched several workers while Mopani Copper Mines have notified government about their intension to lay -off over 3000 workers.

A THIRTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD man of Lusaka’s Mtendere East township has vowed not to allow his wife to leave him because he wants her to nurse him to his death as punishment for willfully infecting him with HIV.
Christopher Ngoma told the Chelstone local court that his wife, fully aware of her HIV positive status consented to marrying him and should therefore bear the consequence of nursing him as his health continues deteriorating.
“I want the court to order her not to chase me from our home because she is responsible for my deteriorating health condition. I want her to nurse me until death,” Ngoma said.
Ngoma was narrating before Local court Senior Presiding magistrate Hope Mwila in a case in which he sued his wife Justina Phiri 36, of Kalikiliki township for marriage reconciliation.
Ngoma told the court that he married Justina in 2009 and found her with three children already.
He said that he tried on several occasions to formalise their marriage but that Phiri refused to allow him meet her family.
After a year, Ngoma said they failed to convince her and so he requested Phiri to allow him have a child with another woman.
“In 2011, Phiri said she had no problems with me marrying a second wife. I went ahead and married my second wife with whom I have a child with,” Ngoma said.
Ngoma said he later discovered Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in one of Phiri’s jackets in their bedroom.
“When he confronted her, she told the drugs were pain killers and that the doctor only used an empty ARVs container to store her drugs. A few months later, I found a paper showing results for an HIV test and this time she had no answers for me,” he said.
He said the situation has complicated things for him as he has now failed to disclose his HIV positive status to his second wife who he fears he might have unknowingly infected.
But Phiri said Ngoma has neglected her ever since he married his second wife. She said she has nothing to do with Ngoma’s HIV positive status and as such should sort out his issues with his second wife.
The court adjourned the case for judgment pending the appearance of the second wife to court.

(DailyMail)

Amarula hit maker ,Roberto, will premiere his latest video “Am gon love her” tonight on MTV BASE Africa . The song was produced by and features Sebastien Dutch.

The video will be shown at 22hrs Zambian time .

 

BY KAPA187