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A fake fanta drink packaged in a bottle of Coca-cola was seized in Lusaka .
Government yesterday destroyed over K174 billion worth of pirated products confiscated by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) at Lusaka International Airport in January.
And Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Ronnie Shikapwasha called on line ministries to help find resources to fight piracy and sensitize the society on the dangers of the vice.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said production of counterfeit products would only be reduced if concerted efforts by line ministries and stakeholders are brought together.
Gen Shikapwasha was speaking yesterday when he officiated at the launch of this year’s destruction exercise of pirated audio and video products in Lusaka.
The minister said the high level of school-going children found in possession of pornographic materials is worrying.
He implored law-enforcement agencies to find a formula which will help curb the trend in schools.
Gen Shikapwasha said as Government gives support to stakeholders, there is also need for intellectual property rights experts to sensitize ministers and politicians on piracy so that the political will is there to intensify the fight against piracy.
Earlier, intellectual property rights specialist Kingsley Nkonde said there is an urgent need to clear counterfeit markets for the fight against piracy to be won.
Mr Nkonde said ways should be found to charge the perpetrators of piracy with money laundering because of the way they generate their income.
He supported the minister’s suggestion to involve politicians in the fight against piracy, saying they would help identify genuine products.
I wish to comment on The Post newspaper article of March 23, 2010 entitled “Politicization of Relief Distribution Worries DMMU” by Florence Bupe. In the article, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) is quoted as having called for reduced political interference in the distribution of relief resources to victims of disasters.
Specifically, DMMU national coordinator Dominiciano Mulenga has said that the Unit is faced with the challenge of dealing with political interference in the distribution of relief resources, and that he is concerned about the direct involvement of some political leaders in the relief distribution exercise for their benefit.
Not too long ago (in January 2010), I suggested that President Rupiah Banda and Vice President George Kunda should seriously consider the prospect of creating a statutory and autonomous agency to be accountable to the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare, and which should assume the functions of DMMU and those of the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme (PWAS).
I made the suggestion in response to the donation of various relief items worth US$100,000 to DMMU by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in December 2009. The donation included blankets, tents, shovels, wheelbarrows, water containers, sanitary towels, and other essential items.
The main reason for the suggestion was to forestall the potential for DMMU and PWAS to be abused by the MMD or future ruling political parties to achieve partisan objectives.
I again wish to call upon President Rupiah Banda to use his executive powers and create a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), an autonomous agency which should assume the functions of DMMU and PWAS. Currently, DMMU is vested in the Office of the Vice-President, and PWAS (which includes the Social Cash Transfer Scheme) is administered through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services.
Donor countries and humanitarian organizations also need to be aware of the potential for selective distribution of donated relief supplies by the ruling political party with the intention of gaining political leverage. They need to encourage the government to create a statutory and autonomous government agency that will distribute donated relief supplies without any political meddling or manipulation by government officials.
The Nalikwanda being paddled to the Limulunga harbor
The Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) has disclosed that this year’s Kuomboka Ceremony of the Lozi people will take place on the 17th of April.
Speaking in an interview in Mongu today, Acting Ngambela Litia Walubita confirmed the development and urged the public to come in large numbers as they put on their traditional attires to add to the colourful event.
The Acting Ngambela added that preparations towards the ceremony have reached advanced stages to ensure that people enjoy the ceremony.
But Acting Ngambela further urged people driving from outside Mongu District and using Mongu/Lusaka road to be mindful when they reach at Tata yoyo saying the road is in a bad state.
The Acting Ngambel also urged people coming for the ceremony to respect the tradition rules observed during the ceremony in order to have a peaceful ceremony.
Kuomboka Ceremony is an annual ceremony where the Lozi ascend from the lower land to the upper lands as the Barotse plains are flooded.
There was near confusion today when United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema was nearly stopped from donating mealie meal to the flood victims at the camp near the independence stadium.
Zambia Red Cross officials based at the camp told Mr. Hichilema that he was supposed to follow procedure when making his donation.
The official said that they were under strict directives not to allow people to donate items to the flood victims.
Sources,however, told QFM that the directives were coming from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) under the office of the vice president.
Mr. Hichilema expressed disappointment that government was trying to turn the camp into a military base.
He told journalists that it is a pity that government has been calling on the stakeholders to assist victims at the camp when on the other hand they are politicizing it.
Mr Hichilema maintained that he would not deliver the items to the DMMU but to the people at the camp site.
Zambia Red Cross Society secretary general Charles Mushitu who rushed to the camp later apologized for the confusion that occurred.
QFM
An 18 year-old boy has been killed by a hippo on Lake Kariba in Sinazongwe District in Southern Province.
Nangombwe ward Councilor Robson Sialukowa confirnmed the development and named the boy as Joash Simalugwe of kaduku Village in Chief Sinazongwe area.
Mr Sialukowa said the hippo hit the canoe where the boy was in together with his father who managed to swim to the shore.
He said he was killed while casting his last net on Lake Kariba and his body has not yet been retrieved from the Lake.
The Councilor disclosed that Simalugwe is the boy whose young sister was killed by a crocodile in November last year.
Mr Sialukowa appealed to the Zambia Wild Life Authority (ZAWA) to crop the Hippos and crocodiles on Lake Kariba to save the people’s lives for they depend on fishing.
“Our people should be assisted and the situation should be controlled before the animals continue finish my people I am getting worried with the situation as I keep on reporting about the fatal incidents but no action is taken,” Mr Sialukowa said.
Vice President George KundaVICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda says Government is determined to end the constitution-making process on August 31 this year.
Mr Kunda said in Parliament yesterday that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) should expedite its work on two of its committees’ reports which are remaining.
“We want the constitution-making process to end on the 31st of August, 2010. That is our vision. We do not want to prolong the process,” he said.
Mr Kunda was winding up debate on the National Constitutional Conference Amendment Bill which passed second reading.
He said the NCC should quickly conclude work in the remaining committees so that other processes in the constitution-making process are done.
Mr Kunda said Government is set to have the constitution-making process end despite a number of members of Parliament insisting that the process should not be rushed because of next year’s general elections.
He also said Government will make amendments to the National Constitutional Conference Act to provide for 40 days in which Zambians will be required to make submissions on the work of the conference.
Earlier, Katuba member of Parliament Jonas Shakafuswa said while he supported the amendment bill, there was need for all members of Parliament to start sensitising people about the need to make submissions on the work of the NCC during the period the draft constitution will be subjected to the public.
Namwala member of Parliament Robbie Chizyuka said the 30 days that has been provided for the NCC to get comments from the public on the constitution is insufficient.
Major Chizyuka warned that the public should be vigilant against people who might use money so that their agendas are pushed forward.
Sinda member of Parliament Levy Ngoma said he supported the amendment bill and reiterated that the constitution should not be rushed because of next year’s elections.
Mr Ngoma said if the process is rushed, the country may regret.
“The constitution-making process is being looked at from a political angle. We want a good constitution.
It is not good to rush the process for next year’s elections because we might regret,” he said.
The bill has been referred to the committee stage.
Long queues of People waiting for Fuel during the 2009 fuel shortage in Zambia
ENERGY and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga has said that the decision by BP to sell it shares in BP Zambia will not affect the flow of petroleum products in the country.
Speaking in Parliament when he delivered a ministerial statement on the decision by BP to sell its shares in BP Zambia, Mr Konga said that the Government would ensure that there was a smooth exit of the petroleum firm.
He said this after Kantanshi Member of Parliament Yamfwa Mukanga (PF) asked Mr Konga to assure the nation whether the move by BP would not result in the disruption of flow in petroleum products.
Since BP was an important and critical player in the petroleum sector, Mr Konga said that the Government was monitoring the operations of the firm to ensure that its exit did not affect the flow of petroleum products.
As a result of the realisation that BP was critical player, he said that the Government had engaged management at the petroleum firm in discussions to have an indepth understanding of the reasons behind the pull out.
In the said discussions, he said that BP informed the Government that a number of BP Africa’s portfolio in Africa lacked synergies with BP Africa.
“BP Africa has made a purely business decision to sell its marketing business in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia,” Mr Konga said.
He said that the exit of BP on the Zambian market should be seen as an opportunity by some local investors to invest in the sector.
Mr Konga said that it was the intention of Government to support local investors in the petroleum sector through institutions like the Energy Regulations Board (ERB), Zambia Competition Commission (ZCC) and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) among others.
THE Government has said it is illegal for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Zambia to advocate the removal of a democractically-elected Government using potentially dangerous means such as the ‘red card’ campaigns.
Home Affairs Minister, Lameck Mangani said in Lusaka yesterday that NGOs should be sober in their criticism, and should concentrate on civic campaigns instead of agitating violence.
He said the NGOs would not be allowed to hold demonstrations against the Government because that would be a recipe for anarchy.
However, the NGOs spokesperson, Obby Chibuluma said they would go ahead with the rallies and demonstrations but ensure that everything was done in conformity with the laws.
Mr Mangani said the civil society could instead campaign for issues such as good governance and the promotion of fair play in elections which could in turn allow Zambians to make informed decisions through an electoral system allowed by the country’s Constitution.
He said this in an interview after meeting some NGOs representatives at his office.
Among those who attended the meeting were Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes executive director, Lee Habasonda, Transparency International Zambia president, Reuben Lifuka and his executive director Goodwell Lungu, and Anti-Voter Apathy director, Bonnie Tembo.
The civil society had requested for a meeting with the minister, to which he consented.
Mr Mangani said he told the NGOs representatives during the meeting that there was no individual or organisation that had the right to force any citizen to remove a government elected by the people, and appealed to them to be objective in the manner they approached national issues.
He said the Government had a responsibility to ensure the peace Zambia had enjoyed over the years was sustained, and it was for that reason that it had often called for dialogue among the citizens.
Mr Mangani said unless the NGOs justified the need for demonstrations, the Government would not allow them to do so at the expense of national security.
The minister said while the Government acknowledged citizens’ rights to air their views, it was not ready to allow anybody to cause unnecessary confusion in the country.
“As far as the Government is concerned, we cannot allow the NGOs to take to the streets to demonstrate because we are not convinced with the reasons they have given us,“ he said.
Mr Mangani, however, described the meeting, which started at 11:00 hours and ended after 13:00 hours, as fruitful and assured the NGOs that the Government would remain open to dialogue for the benefit of the Zambian people.
And Mr Chibuluma said the CSOs would go ahead with the rallies and demonstrations, adding that to ensure no law was breached, the civil society went ahead to notify the police.
He, however, paid tribute to the Government for allowing them hold a meeting with them through the minister of Home Affairs, and described it as a step in the right direction.
“As civil society, we are happy that the minister met us but we did not go to his office to ask for any permit to hold rallies or demonstrations. We wanted to express ourselves after realising that our freedom of expression was being tampered with,” he said.
Mr Chibuluma acknowledged that dialogue was important in any society and the civil society would continue engaging the Government on various issues for continued mutual understanding.
Lusaka district police commanding officer Greenwell Nguni wears and recovered mask and a rifle recovered from criminals during a public display of the goods at Lusaka central police station.
Some people in Siavonga district are said to have discovered a stack of firearms believed to have been buried in the area by freedom fighters before independence in 1964. Minister of Home Affairs Mr Lameck Mangani said according to Siavonga member of Parliament Raphael Muyanga, there are people who are digging the firearms out for use in criminal activities.He said freedom fighters in Siavonga hid firearms underground, thinking that the country’s freedom was temporary and would have to unearth the arms later.
Mr Mangani said the revelation by Sinazongwe Member of Parliament, Raphael Muyanda that there were firearms buried in his constituency should not be taken lightly, hence the need to investigate and establish the truth. Mr.Mangani said he will be sending a team of officers from the ministry to the area to investigate the matter.
He warned that Zambia’s security would be compromised if the circulation of arms was not controlled.
Speaking in Lusaka yesterday, when he officially opened the National mobilisation and arms marking training workshop at Hotel Inter-Continental, Mr Mangani said the ownership of weapons should be scrutinised by the relevant authorities.
Government will soon embark on the marking of all firearms and light weapons in the country to mitigate illegal ownership of arms.
Mr. Mangani said illegal ownership of firearms will be mitigated through the marking, as the arms will easily be identified.
Mr Mangani said officers from the Zambia Police Service will mark the weapons using a pin-marking machine.
“Officers are expected to stockpile and manage small arms and light weapons with the aid of a pin-marking machine. All firearms in the country are going to be engraved with special numbers. This will help in the identification of firearms in terms of their origin and ownership,” he said.
He said the country’s security will be in danger if the ownership of small firearms and light weapons is not controlled.
Mr Mangani said the uncontrolled ownership of arms could lead to an unhealthy environment for economic development.
He said the programme to mark firearms and light weapons is being conducted with the help of the country’s co-operating partners who include the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA) and the American Embassy in Lusaka.
Mr Mangani said the beginning of marking arms and weapons signifies the strides Government has made in preventing, controlling and reducing the proliferation of weapons in the country.
He said Zambia is responsible to the protocols of the United Nations Programme of Action in the jurisdiction of preventing, combating and eradicating illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Mr Mangani said Government is aware that in the recent past, the country was surrounded by countries that were experiencing civil wars which made the proliferation of small firearms and light weapons highly probable.
Mr Mangani also called upon the Inspector-General of Police Francis Kabonde, who is the national focal point for the control of the proliferation of small firearms and light weapons in Zambia, to embark on a countrywide sensitisation programme of the arms marking programme.
He said the programme is critical because people need to know what is happening and that lack of knowledge has proved to be a challenge to the ministry’s directive that people illegally owning firearms can surrender them to the Zambia Police at a fee of K1 million without being punished.
Mr Kabonde warned that the police will not rest until people trading illegally in firearms and light weapons are dealt with.
“I warn those people who are involved in illegal trade and ownership of small arms and light weapons that the Zambia Police and other law enforcement agencies will not rest.
Those that hide these weapons in sacks and pack them in their pickup vans should know that the police will soon catch up with them,” he said.
And RECSA executive secretary Francis Sang reiterated that the records generated in the process of arms marking will ease tractability and identification of the sources and end users of arms within the country.
Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Villie Lombanya with KCM and Government Officials and the students who received the KCM scholarshipsKCM has awarded 18 recently graduated Grade 12s from the Nchanga Trust School five-year scholarships tenable at top Indian universities to study medicine, engineering and commerce. Twelve of the recipients are girls.
The scholarships are part of an $18million scholarship programme launched in Chingola yesterday by Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Villie Lombanya who hailed the initiative as the surest way of securing Zambia’s future and helping the nation attain middle-income status by 2030.
Apart from the 18, 11 Grade 8 and 10 Grade 10 pupils from Nchanga and Konkola Trust Schools were awarded scholarships. The India-bound pupils will study Medicine, Instrumentation engineering, Commerce, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy and mechanical engineering.
One of the recipients, Bwalya Chitundu, daughter of a retired miner, is going to study instrumentation engineering and said she was delighted and grateful to KCM for the sponsorship that would ease the burden on her family.
Crycencia Musonda, has been sponsored for a BA Commerce and promised to work extra hard to repay the favour from KCM.
The programme comes just weeks after the company introduced a scholastic excellence award for government schools in Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe, the four districts where the company has assets.
Mr Lombanya said KCM’s commitment to the development of education, which includes a $17.5 million involvement in the development of Mulungushi University, was evidence of its long-term vision for Zambia and proof that it was in the country for the long haul.
He challenged the scholarship recipients to take advantage of the opportunity they had been given to fulfil their dream careers, saying they held the future of the nation in their hands and the whole country would be watching them to ensure they did not waste the opportunity.
KCM Chief Executive Officer, Kishore Kumar said KCM had more than its wealth in copper, referring to Zambia’s rich human resource potential as gold, diamonds and rubies. He challenged to pupils to learn from everyday experiences by keeping their eyes open and being curious and interrogative.
He said he would like to see more young people making use of the abundance of the sports and recreational facilities in Chingola and Chililabombwe instead of them spending too much time in front of the television set.
“Each one of you can go as far as you want in life if you are willing to work hard but you must also balance your life with play, good food and a lot of rest,” he said, adding; “that is why KCM sponsors sport and recreational activities and has all these on the curriculum of its schools.”
KCM Vice-President for Human Resource Sophie Mutemba said the occasion marked a turning point in the life history by KCM in relation to education.
“The Company policy is to offer quality education to its employees’ children and the community. KCM has heavily invested in education since its inception in 2000 and progressively expanded the school from a mere Primary school into a full range Secondary school. Now we have this programme that will benefit the nation,” she said.
KCM Trust Schools had their first Grade 9 in 2004 with Nchanga scoring 100% pass mark in the first ‘O’ level exam attempt while Konkola recorded 97%.
Mr Lombanya said KCM’s commitment to the development of education, which includes a $17.5 million involvement in the development of Mulungushi University, was evidence of its long-term vision for Zambia and proof that it was in the country for the long haul.
He challenged the scholarship recipients to take advantage of the opportunity they had been given to fulfil their dream careers, saying they held the future of the nation in their hands and the whole country would be watching them to ensure they did not waste the opportunity.
KCM Chief Executive Officer, Kishore Kumar said KCM had more than its wealth in copper, referring to Zambia’s rich human resource potential as gold, diamonds and rubies. He challenged to pupils to learn from everyday experiences by keeping their eyes and being curious.
He said he would like to see more young people making use of the abundance of the sports and recreational facilities in Chingola and Chililabombwe instead of them spending too much time in front of the television set.
Kwacha NgweeZambia’s currency may gain 18 percent and stocks of Africa’s biggest copper producer are likely to rally 15 percent in 2010 as the nation’s economy and earnings improve, Renaissance Capital said.
The southern African country’s Lusaka Stock Exchange All Share Index may climb to 3,200 at the end of 2010, up from 2,794.89 at the end of 2009, after gaining 12 percent in 2009, the Moscow-based brokerage wrote in a research report today. Zambian shares trade at 9.8 times estimated earnings, Rencap said, compared with 12.95 times for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, according to Bloomberg data.
“Economic growth is likely to remain strong in 2010, at about 6.3 percent,” according to the note. “We expect earnings for 2010 to surprise on the upside as corporates recover from the low base in 2009.”
The Zambian kwacha may appreciate to about 4,000 to the dollar by yearend as “foreign direct and portfolio inflows improve and copper prices remain elevated,” the analysts wrote. The currency was 4,725 against the dollar at 12:33 p.m. in Lusaka, according to Bloomberg data.
The kwacha lost 26 percent of its value against the dollar between April 7 and December 24, 2008, as copper prices declined from $8,730 per ton to $2,845 per ton amid the global financial crisis. It was the ninth-worst performance against the dollar of 170 currencies tracked by Bloomberg. Copper accounts for about 10 percent of gross domestic product of Zambia, a landlocked country of 13 million people, and 70 percent of export earnings, according to Standard Bank Group Ltd.
Market Value
The metal used in wiring more than doubled to $7,375 per ton at the end of 2009 from $3,070 per metric ton a year earlier, and is up 1 percent so far in 2010.
The market value of stocks traded in Zambia was worth $5.3 billion at the end of 2009, according to RenCap. Among African countries, the Lusaka exchange ranks behind that of Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producer with a population of 2 million, and Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, in market value, and is bigger than Malawi’s bourse, according to Bloomberg data.
Zambia is likely to have had gross domestic product growth of 6 percent in 2009, compared with about 2 percent for sub- Saharan Africa, according to RenCap.
Best Performers
There is a 60 percent chance that the Lusaka index will reach 3,200 at the end of this year, assuming copper prices remain above $7,000 per metric ton, RenCap said.
A better-than-expected global recovery may drive commodity prices higher and take the index to 3,350, a possibility to which RenCap assigns a 30 percent chance.
The best performing stocks last year were Farmers House Ltd., a Zambian property investor, Zain Zambia, the nation’s biggest mobile-phone operator, and Zambia National Commercial Bank Plc, RenCap said.
The National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is expected to be dissolved by 31st August,2010, parliament heard today.
Vice President George Kunda told parliament when the National Constitutional Conference Amendment bill 2010 came up for second reading.
Mr Kunda told the house that the amendment bill seeks to amend the NCC Act No.19 of 2007 by revising the period for the dissemination and adoption of the initial report and draft constitution in an effort to conclude the constitutional making process before the preparation of the 2011 national budget.
He also said that the amendment is aimed at ensuring that constitution provisions with financial implications are taken into account in the preparation of the national budget.
The vice president who is also Justice Minister further told the house that the proposed amendment seeks to specify the period within which the NCC chairperson should submit the final draft bill to the minister of justice after its adoption by the Conference which currently is not provided for.
Mr Kunda said following last year’s amendment which changed the budget cycle which now requires government to present the budget by October of each financial year; the NCC amendment bill contains provisions specifying that the NCC will stand dissolved by 31st August, 2010, and the term of office for the members will thereby expire.
Transparency International Zambia has charged that vice president George Kunda lied to Parliament when he stated that TIZ objected to the ratification of Mr Abyudi Shonga as Attorney General.
In a statement released to QFM today, TIZ president Rueben Lifuka said to the contrary, TIZ in its submission to the parliamentary select committee stated that they were reluctantly recommending Mr Shonga’s ratification, and that nowhere in their submission did they object to the ratification.
He said they informed the Parliamentary Select Committee of the reasons for the qualified recommendation, which include allegations that had come to their attention that the Attorney General had travelled with the Inspector General of Police who had remained in office despite the ongoing criminal investigations, to South Africa for matters related to the investigations.
Mr Lifuka said they emphasized to the Select Committee that the allegations were not made by TIZ, but by reliable sources who brought this to their attention and that they were following up on the issue to satisfy themselves of the veracity of the allegations, and urged the Committee to do the same and satisfy themselves that these allegations were not true as part of the process of scrutiny of the appointee.
He stated that import of their submission was not to mislead the Committee as alleged by Mr Kunda but to spur the Select Committee to engage in more robust due diligence.
[pullquote]Mr Kunda told parliament when he wound up debate on the motion to ratify the appointment of Mr Shonga,that Transparent International Zambia was the only organization that opposed the appointment of Mr Shonga because of falsehood and misinformation.[/pullquote]
He further added that the vice president elected to leave out the essence of TIZ’s submission and rushed into libeling the organization as peddling in falsehoods and doubting its credibility.
Mr Lifuka said on the same day that Mr Kunda made his statement, the republican president was swearing in six High Court Judges to whom TIZ made its submissions on their appointments.
He further added that Transparency International Zambia in fact recommended the ratification of Mr Abyudi Shonga twice for the position of Solicitor General, and that in the recent incidence; they reconfirmed their satisfaction with his qualifications and suitability for the position but highlighted the allegations that had reached them about his conduct in the investigation of the IG.
Mr Lifuka said TIZ finds the vice president’s attacks regrettable and a sure sign that the political leadership in the country is slowly becoming irrelevant to the country’s democratic aspirations.
On Thursday las week, Vice president George Kunda accused Transparency International Zambia of presenting falsehood to the Parliament Select Committee when they appeared before the committee appointed to scrutinize Mr Shonga’s appointment.
Mr Kunda told parliament when he wound up debate on the motion to ratify the appointment of Mr Shonga,that Transparent International Zambia was the only organization that opposed the appointment of Mr Shonga because of falsehood and misinformation.
Mr Kunda recommended that such organizations should never be allowed to appear before the parliamentary committees.
Parliament unanimously ratifed the appointment of Abyudi Shonga as Attorney General.
LUSAKA province minister Lameck Mangani inspects the cholera centre at Chawama clinic in LusakaCholera killed at least 12 people in Zambia’s capital Lusaka after floods caused by torrential rains contaminated drinking water, a health ministry official said on Tuesday.
Health Ministry spokesman Rueben Mbewe said 562 cases of cholera were recorded in Lusaka out of 694 reported cases across the southern African country last week and most of the sick came from areas hit by serious flooding.
“The floods have worsened the situation in that this has caused the flooding of pit latrines causing the effluent to… mix with drinking water,” Mbewe said.
Mbewe said authorities were providing chlorine to help people purify drinking water.
The government said last week that eight people had died earlier this month after drowning and hundreds more were displaced by floods.
Officials at the Kariba dam on the border with Zimbabwe were forced to open flood gates, increasing the chances of more downstream flooding on the Zambezi river in Mozambique.
Mozambique is already on flood alert – one level below declaring a disaster.
Last year, heavy rains in Zambia and Malawi caused flooding in Mozambique that killed 45 people and left 285,000 homeless
Lukanga Water and Sewerage Company (LuWSC) in Central province is owed over K6 billion in unsettled water
bills by its customers. This was as at January this year.
Central Province Permanent Secretary Denny Lumbama who disclosed this yesterday called on water users in the province to play their role by paying their bills on time to enable the company provide better services.
Mr. Lumbama was speaking during the commemoration of world Water day yesterday, whose theme was “CLEAN WATER FOR A HEALTHY WORLD,” at Kalonga High School. He said out of K6, 447, 138, 129.00 government owed the water utility K1,015,872,541.00 adding that there was need for all to ensure they became honest and settled their water bills.
He also challenged water users to safeguard the water sources and distribution infrastructure from vandalism by reporting those who tamper with installations to relevant authorities.
Mr. Lumbama said government discouraged the use of shallow wells because the quality of water from the wells was compromised and that was why government placed great importance on the provision of clean water to its citizens.
He commended LuWSC for taking the opportunity to sensitise young people on important issues such as water.
And Kabwe Municipal Council Deputy Mayor, Christabel Mwenda commended government for running water supply projects in Kabwe through the water supply and sanitation program aimed at providing 400 water points.
Speaking at Nakoli market during the world water day commemoration, Mrs. Mwenda said the program to provide 400 on site sanitation would benefit vulnerable people in peri-urban areas such as Katondo, Makululu, Kawama, Nakoli, Kaputula and others.
Mrs. Mwenda noted that Lukanga water and Sewerage Company was also addressing the problem of water and sanitation in Bwacha, Chimanimani and Ngungu areas.
ZANIS
