China Non-Ferrous Metals Company (CMNC) has employed 820 former miners on six months contract basis before actual production resumes.

Speaking when Labour Deputy Minister Simon Kachimba called on him, CMNC -Luanshya mine team leader, Luo Xingeng said his mine had employed 820 former Luanshya mine workers.

Mr Xingeng said his company intends to employ over 4,000 people after the completion of maintenance works and upgrading of the obsolete equipment at the mine.
He said that when production resumes some time in January next year, the company will employ on permanent and pensionable conditions.

Mr Xingeng said his company has put aside US$ 374m to rehabilitate Baluba and the construction of the leaching plant and the Mulyashi open pit mine in the next two years.
He also said his company had ordered machinery for the construction of Mulyashi mine adding that the company would bring some Chinese engineers to help in the construction of the leaching plant.

And the deputy minister said government was happy with the investment CMNC was putting in the mine.

Mr Kachimba said the recapitalization the company was putting in the mine was testimony that CMNC was a serious investor.
He also expressed pleasure at the fast pace at which development was going on at the mine.

ZANIS

The Chipata High Court has sentenced a 29 year old man of Lundazi to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour after convicting him of incest.

High Court Judge, Phillip Musonda, sentenced James Ngulube, of Kamangamukuta village in chief Mwase’s area after he was found guilty of unlawfully having canal knowledge of his niece.

Facts before the court are that on unknown dates but between June 10 and 30 last year, Ngulube’s wife left their home leaving the niece at home.
Ngulube took advantage of the time when his wife was not home and dragged the named girl into the house and forced himself on her.
It was later discovered that the girl was pregnant and when she was asked who was responsible she named Ngulube.

In mitigation, Ngulube pleaded for lenience saying that he was a first offender who readily pleaded guilty to the charge.

But Judge Musonda however said that he had taken into consideration Ngulube’s mitigation but noted that his hands were tied looking at the offence commited.

“I sympathize with you because you think when you are in a traditional box you can sleep with any woman. The courts are so tough on such offences and I sentence you to 20 years imprisonment,’’ Judge Musonda said.

In the same court, Judge Musonda sentenced a Petauke businessman to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for indecently assaulting a woman.

Facts before the court are that on April 29 this year, George Phiri, 24, of Kalele village in chief Kalindawalo’s area attempted to have canal knowledge of a woman without her consent.

On the said date, the woman was coming from her field when she saw the convict going in the opposite direction but when they met, he grabbed her and forced her to the ground with intent to rape her.

The woman managed to escape and reported Phiri who was later apprehended by villagers and taken to the police.

ZANIS

Over 100 teachers from the Zambia Union of Teachers (ZNUT), Secondary School Teachers Union (SESTUZ), and the Basic Teachers Union (BETUZ) have resigned from their teacher unions to join the newly formed Professional Teachers’ Union of Zambia (PTUZ).

Representative of the over 100 teachers, Paul Kamwendo, says teachers have decided to join PTUZ due to poor management and representation from their former unions.

Mr. Kamwendo accused the three unions of not being competent enough to represent teachers’ views and interests after signing for a 15 percent salary increment without the approval of the teachers.

He added that BETUZ is also operating illegally as it changed its constitution without the consent of the labour commissioner.

Mr. Kamwendo further alleged that the three unions have deviated their attention from attending to matters affecting teachers and are rather fighting the PTUZ and have also concentrated on court issues using teachers’ contributions.

He further wondered why the Lusaka District Education Board Secretary is stopping them from withdrawing from the three teacher unions.

He noted that the move was undermining their right to belong or not to belong to a union of their choice as stated by the industrial and labour relations Act.

ZANIS

Police in Livingstone are holding an unmarried woman of Zesco Compound in Livingstone for throwing her baby in the gorge near the Victoria Falls.

Southern Province Commanding Officer, Lemmy Kajoba confirmed this development to ZANIS in Livingstone yesterday.

Mr. Kajoba said Ruth Museke 32 who gave birth to a baby boy between 19:00 and 21:00 hours on Sunday, went and threw it in one of the Zesco power gorges near the Victoria Falls.
He said a combined team of rescue workers were still struggling to retrieve the body of the baby.

“Police are still struggling to retrieve the body of the baby,” he said. He dded that the woman is in police custody and will appear in court for infanticide.

And three people died in a road traffic accident that happened on Maamba – Choma Road on Sunday night.

Mr. Kajoba said the accident involving a Mitsubishi Canter truck Registration Number ABM 9151 was due to over speeding.

He said the driver, Most Banda 25, lost control of the vehicle which careered off the road and rammed into a tree stump before over-turning, killing three people on the spot.

He named the deceased children as Tabisa Moonga a two- month- old baby, Frank Mwila 6 months and one male adult, Sleeve Mwiinde 34.

Mr. Kajoba said seven other people were seriously injured and are currently admitted to Maamba Mine Hospital while eight others sustained minor injuries and were treated and discharged.

Meanwhile, a cyclist in his 40s was on Sunday found dead along Choma-Namwala Road around 20:00hours after being hit by an unknown vehicle.

“There was a hit-and- run in Choma which happened along Choma-Namwala Road and involved was a cyclist whose age is not known but in his 40s,” Mr. Kajoba said.

He said the body of Ben Chongo of Moomba Farms was found on the road with a mangled bicycle on the side.
The body of the deceased is lying in Choma District hospital and police are searching for the hit and run vehicle.

And Mr. Kajoba has expressed worry at the increasing number of road traffic accidents in the province.

He disclosed that the province had recorded 13 road traffic accidents between Thursday and Sunday last week.
He attributed the increase in road traffic related accidents to over speeding and appealed to motorists to observe speed limits.

Mr. Kajoba warned motorists against taking advantage of the absence of highway patrols and urged them to regulate themselves.
ZANIS

Chief Mwansakombe of Samfya district of Luapula Province has passed away in Lusaka, after a short illness.

Confirming this to ZANIS today, family spokesperson Chief Msamba said Chief Mwansakombe passed away on Saturday afternoon at about 16:00 hours at the University Teaching Hospital’s intensive care unit.

” I wish to inform the people of Samfya, the whole of Luapula province and the entire nation of the untimely death of Chief Mwansakombe on Saturday, ” he said.

Chief Msamba advised all relatives and friends to travel to Chief Mwansakombe’s palace in Samfya to express their condolences and sympathy before his burial on Saturday, August 22 2009.
ZANIS

Itezhi-tezhi High School construction workers yesterday staged a protest at the District Commissioner’s office over alleged beatings and other bad conditions which a Chinese company has subjected them to.

More than twenty construction workers marched ,amid grumbling ,to the District Commissioner’s home. They were advised to go to the office where the Acting DC Hampende Hichilema would address them after ten minutes.

Ndonji Crispin who spoke on behalf of the construction workers complained about the ill-treatment by supervisors at Hua Tiang, a Chinese company which has been awarded the contract to finish phase two of Itezhi-tezhi High school.

“The Chinese supervising us at the construction site are beating us with sticks and making us work through out the week without resting, we report at 07:00 and knock off around 18:00 hours” he said.

He said that when workers complain of being overworked, they are insulted and told to leave their jobs because they claim that they can bring people from China to do the same job.

“We are working like slaves or foreigners in our own country, we do not have protective shoes, and they bought us canvass shoes instead of boots which were recommended by the inspectors”, he said.

Mr. Ndonji said that when the company gives them protective clothing such as overalls, their NRCs are grabbed from them, a situation which makes it difficult for them to access services such as getting money from banks or the post office.

He said that the Chinese contractors do not recognize sick leave and do not care whether someone falls sick during the course of their duty.

“When a worker falls sick, they just say go to the hospital, they do not help with anything and more over they deduct pay from the days you will be sick” he said.

He further said that the workers have been subjected to extremely low wages of K7, 000 per day adding that they are subjected to inhumane and demeaning treatment.
He complained that the workers are made to heap 100 wheelbarrows of crushed stone every day.

Meanwhile Acting Itezhi-tezhi District Commissioner Hampende Hichilema has assured the construction workers that his office would engage the Chinese company on the matters they had raised.

He said that his office would call the management on Tuesday to discuss the alleged beatings and inhumane conditions under which the workers are reported to be working at the High School.

ZANIS