The Global Fund has suspended more than $300 million in health assistance to Zambia because of concerns about corruption — the latest graft scandal to hit President Rupiah Banda before an election due next year.

The freeze, which is likely to affect the southern African country’s fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, comes a year after Sweden and the Netherlands suspended $33 million in Health Ministry aid due to a missing $5 million.

The European Union has also halted aid earmarked for road construction because of concerns about graft.

“The national authorities have failed thus to provide assurance of appropriate action regarding the fraud against Global Fund grant programmes,” the U.N.-initiated Fund said in a report seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

University of Zambia economist Oliver Saasa said the latest suspension should serve as another warning to Banda to get serious about graft, a growing concern to the donors who pay for 30 percent of the budget in Africa’s biggest copper producer.

“This touches directly on life and should send a signal to the government on the importance of accountability,” he said.

Banda’s anti-corruption credentials have been called into question since a junior court in Lusaka cleared former president Frederick Chiluba of graft in August and the government refused to appeal the decision.

Chiluba was accused of stealing $480,000 in Treasury funds but the court said prosecutors had failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt, raising an outcry from anti-graft groups and the political opposition.

Banda’s Movement for Multi-Party Democracy narrowly won an election in 2008 but is facing a serious challenge from populist opposition leader Michael Sata.

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria gets the bulk of its funds come from the United States, Europe and Japan, and magnates such as Bill Gates also chip in.

[Reuters]

THE National Association for Peasant and Small-Scale Farmers of Zambia (NAPSFZ) has said it is opposed to the suggestion to revive the defunct National Agriculture Marketing Board (Namboard).

Association President Roger Phiri said his association would continue supporting the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) maize marketing system and was ready to go into partnership with it.

Mr Phiri said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that instead of agitating for the disbanding of FRA, the NAPSFZ would offer alternative solutions to improve maize marketing system in Zambia.

“The Namboard system of maize marketing was condemned by many that it was too big and had many functions outside maize buying and we all agreed to restructure the institution,” he said.

He said the Zambian farming community had not forgotten that they demanded the establishment of a new maize buying institution in the country arguing that the re-introduction of the Government maize board would reverse the earlier decision.

Mr Phiri said in a liberalised economy, any maize marketing system has teething problems and are expected when setting up a national maize buying institution like the FRA.

“It is better to offer alternative solutions to maize marketing system with relevant facts supporting argument for reviving an old maize marketing institution like Namboard,” he said.

Mr Phiri urged institutions in the agricultural industry not to mislead the Zambian people on maize marketing systems.

The Ministry of Defence has discovered that some opposition political parties have embarked on a propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting the leadership of President Rupiah Banda’s Government through music being distributed on CDs in some military cantonments.

Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa said all political parties must not extend their political activities and campaign to any military cantonment.

Dr Mwansa said in a statement released in Lusaka yesterday that it was not only a matter of grave concern but also unfortunate.

“It is an act of extreme desperation and not in line with public opinion. Military cantonments house officers – men and women, who have dedicated their lives to provision of security in our country,” he said.

He said the men and women in uniform must be allowed free room to execute the provision of security undisturbed by political propaganda and campaigns.
“[pullquote]It is an act of extreme desperation and not in line with public opinion. Military cantonments house officers – men and women, who have dedicated their lives to provision of security in our country,” he said.[/pullquote]
Dr Mwansa said their loyalty was to the Government of the day and the people of Zambia.

“We appeal to all political parties to respect the non-partisan position of the military personnel and encourage our officers to pursue their calling undisturbed,” Dr Mwansa said.

Dr Mwansa said the military personnel shoulder heavy responsibilities in order for them to keep peace, stability, unity and territorial integrity of the country.

“In this regard, partisan campaigns may detract them from this noble cause and create a situation that may compromise our nation’s

Three bandits yesterday staged a dramatic daylight robbery during which they stole an undisclosed amount of money from Lusaka’s Hussein Wholesalers on Freedom Way.

The robbers, two of them armed with AK47 semi-automatic rifles, raided the shop just before it closed at 12:30 hours.

The criminals started their operation by firing gunshots in the air, instinctively forcing customers and shop owners to take cover. Passers-by hid behind cars while others scampered.

In the confusion, some of the robbers forced their way into the shop. A security guard was ‘neutralised’ at the sight of the armed robbers who ordered everyone in the vicinity to lie down.

Within minutes, the robbers had grabbed a carton box containing cash from the shop, jumped into a Toyota Corolla car and sped off after firing more gun shots in the air.

The robbers emptied the box of the money and threw the container out of the car as they sped away.

The car turned off Freedom Way and onto Katondo Street. Some witnesses said they saw the car turn onto Cha Cha Cha Road and vanished in the traffic.

It was not immediately clear if the driver was also a robber or was hijacked as some witnesses said he seemed to be driving under duress.

And a check at the shop after the incident found armed officers from the flying squad patrolling the city centre.

The flying squad arrested a taxi driver whom they suspected to have assisted the bandits to escape.

One of the workers at the shop, Ronald Sinkala, said in an interview that the robbers shot three warning shots to force the owner of the shop to release the money.

“We were actually about to close the shop when one of the bandits walked in calmly with a pistol and his colleagues followed and fired three shots just to ensure our boss releases the money,” Mr Sinkala said.

He said it is still uncertain how much money the bandits got away with as the day’s cashing was yet to be counted.

And one of the customers who was caught up in the incident described the ordeal as traumatising.

Evelyn Lingililani, who was visibly shaken, said she was the only lady in the shop at the time of the incident.

The owner of the shop was unavailable for a comment by press time as he was reported to be at the police station.

[Zambia Daily Mail]