China will invest an additional $300 million in Zambia’s mining and manufacturing industries, a government minister said on Tuesday.

Commerce and Trade minister Felix Mutati said the money was in addition to the $900 million China has pledged to the Multifacility Economic Zone (MFEZ) in the Copper Belt town of Chambishi, 420 km north of Lusaka over the next four years.

Chinese and Zambian authorities have signed investment agreements which would see the creation of a cement plant, an acid plant and smelter for a new nickel mine in the south, as well as a fertiliser production factory, at a cost of $200 million.

Zambia and China had also agreed to construct a new $100 million high-technology economic zone on the outskirts of the capital Lusaka where television sets, cell-phones, radios and other electronic items would be manufactured.

“The Chinese … want to start manufacturing some of the items from Zambia instead of just importing raw materials,” Mutati told Reuters in an interview.

Analysts say that Chinese interests in Zambia have expanded from copper and cobalt mining to other sectors of the economy as a result of tax exemptions offered by Lusaka.

Mutati said resource-hungry Chinese firms would also use the smelter, to be constructed in Mazabuka district, 140km south of Lusaka, to process nickel from Botswana and Tanzania.

“They plan to have everything here … so that raw materials needed for their industry can be fed from these plants,” he said.

The Chinese would start work on the two economic zones in August, Mutati added.

“We anticipate that the economic zones will be functional by 2010. In Chambishi, 60,000 jobs will be created while less than a thousand jobs will be created in the high-tech economic zone. Many more jobs will be created in southern province,” said Mutati.

In Chambishi, the Chinese planned to construct a copper smelter and other projects in mining and agriculture.

Authorities had agreed to orient the Chinese on Zambian labour laws and culture to avoid tensions similar to those which forced Chinese President Hu Jintao to cancel a trip to Chambishi during a visit to Zambia in 2006.

Zambia’s opposition and labour unions accuse the Chinese of failing to observe safety standards and of paying workers salaries below the government minimum wage threshold of about 70 Zambian kwacha.

“There are some things they need to learn and they have told us they are willing to do so,” Mutati said, adding that Zambia had opened its doors to Chinese investors because “they are different from the West and tend to be quicker in transactions which make sense.”

President Levy Mwanawasa says Zambia fully supports the transformation of the Southern Africa Development Committee Parliament Forum (SADC -PF) into a regional parliament.

Mr. Mwanawasa said he has been concerned about the delay in bringing to fruition the goal of transforming the forum into a regional parliament.

He stated the Southern Africa Region is currently the only region on the continent
without a regional legislature.

Other regions as geographically defined have already established such parliaments to
advance common values missions and objectives of their respective economic
communities through the participation of their elected representatives.

These include Economic Community of the West Africa States (ECOWAS) parliament, the
East Africa legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Intergovernmental Authority on
development (IGAD) in the horn of Africa.

Mr. Mwanawasa said the forum since inception 10 years ago has taken root in the
region through its activities aimed at promoting regional integration, democratic
governance and peace through improved electoral practices and capacity building for
member countries.

He added the forum has established itself as one of the leading institutional
promoters of gender equality and as a dependable ally in the fight against HIV and
AIDS.

‘Indeed the forum has acquitted itself admirably in the decade of its existence,’ he
said.

Heads of States and Governments during a summit held in Malawi in 1997 envisaged
the transformation of the forum into a regional legislative body although no
specific time frame was set.

Mr. Mwanawasa ,however, stated that forthcoming SDAC summit heads of state and
government should be utilised in winding down the debate on transforming the forum
into a SADC parliament.

As Zambia takes up the chairman and hosts the summit of the regional body two months
from now, Mr. Mwanawasa expressed optimism that the summit will bring the matter to
conclusion.

The President was speaking at State house today when the SADC- PF steering committee
paid a courtesy call on him.

The Members include the Botswana speaker Patrick Balopi who is also chairperson of
the forum, Vice Chairperson , Nora Chase Mp from Namibia , Namibia Speaker Dr. Theo
– Ben Gurirab..

Others included Secretary General Dr. Kasukwa Mutukwa , Treasurer Exalgina Gamboa Mp
from Angola  and Zambia Speaker  of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa and
clerk of National Assembly Doris Mwiinga   who accompanied them.

Speaking Earlier, Mr Balopi stated the delegation is in the country to raise their
concern over the idea as it had done with the presidents that have chaired the
regional body in the past years.

The SADC -PF said the forum when transformed would be a viable institution that the
can benefit the region.

He said the forum feel’s that parliamentarians have a role to not only compliment
the initiatives that presidents in the region   are propagating but also foster
programmes of regional corporation , trade and other developmental issues.

Mr. Balopi assured President Mwanawasa that the forum once transformed would not
duplicate the work of Pan Africa parliament and the national Parliaments.

Meanwhile, Mr. Balopi has commended President Mwanawasa for the economic
transformation and legislative reforms taking place in the country.

He further added that continent has a lot to learn from the war against corruption
that President Mwanawasa has embarked on.

And Speaker  of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa said time has come for the
decision on the transforming the body to be made now that the pan African Parliament
is firmly established and operational.

‘The need to expedite this matter is even more pressing in view of the need for the
Southern Africa region to have a regional body to underpin its activities in the Pan
Africa parliament as well as in order regional and international organisation,’ he
said.

He commended President Mwanawasa for being the first head of state to support the
transformation of the forum in a regional parliament.

The Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative (MMCI) has donated a hammer mill to a women’s club of Ibale ward in Lupososhi constituency in Luwingu district.

Agriculture and cooperatives deputy minister Albert Mulonga handed over the hammer mill to the Munchishi Wa Seba women club on behalf of the MMCI during a colourful ceremony held in the area over the weekend.

Mr Mulonga who is also Lupososhi member of parliament, said the MMCI decided to
donate the hammer mill in order to alleviate the suffering being faced by the Ibale
community in grinding their maize and cassava.

The Mp said people in the area have been facing problems to have their cassava or
maize ground as they had to travel by canoe to Kasaba in Samfya or walk a distance
of 50km to access the nearest hammer mill at Tungati.

Because of this, a number of people had lost their lives as they either drowned or
where caught by crocodiles as they attempted to take their maize and cassava to
Kasaba using canoes on lake Bangweulu.

And receiving the donation, Munchishi Wa Seba chairperson Regina Muma thanked the
MMCI for the gesture.

Mrs Muma  said the hammer mill will help to alleviate grinding problems the
community has been facing for a long time.

Mrs. Muma explained that the proceeds from the hammer mill will be channelled
towards the support of the orphans and vulnerable children and elderly people in the
area.

She also thanked President Mwanawasa for the good agricultural policies that his
government was implementing saying this has helped in strengthening household food
security.
ZANIS

Vice President Rupiah Banda has urged unionized workers at the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) to be on high alert in order not to allow vandalism of infrastructure and property to take place at the company.

Mr. Banda said workers at the company were obliged to protect infrastructure and
property from being vandalized even when the company was undergoing serious
operational problems.

He said this in Kabwe today when he addressed scores of unionized workers of RSZ.

He said government was concerned about the welfare of the workers at the company and
hence its plans to offer it to another investor.

“I can assure you that with your support, we can go the distance together. Let
vandalism not take place while you are looking,” he said.

Mr. Banda who was on a conducted tour of various industries in Kabwe today, said
government was grateful with the support it received from the RSZ workers.

“We are happy that workers are looking at this issue in this company with a fair
observation,” he said.

Earlier, Railway Workers Union of Zambia (RWUZ) General Secretary James Kapyanga
said workers had suffered more after the company was concessioned into private hands
than before.

Mr. Kapyanga, who wept in front of the Vice President when he presented his
petitions, said the union was in full support of the decision by government to
repossess the company before finding another investor to run it.

“We urge government not to relent in this issue but to go ahead. This (RSZ) is a
very important tool in the development of this country.

He said government should visit and inspect the main workshop before equipment which
is kept there was vandalised.

The scores of workers chanted solidarity slogans in support of government intentions
to repossess the company.

The Vice President in the company of Deputy Ministers for Mines and Minerals
Development and for Commerce, Trade and Industry Maxwell Mwale and Dora Siliya
respectively, toured shafts the two mines and agriculture industries in the
district.

Central Province Minister, Sydney Chisanga, Permanent Secretary Denny Lumbama and
Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman, Wilfred Wonani and several other
officials also accompanied Mr. Banda on his tour.

A civil society organisation wants government to consider instituting bureaucratic reforms in public institutions in order to effectively fight corruption.

Forum for Leadership Search Executive Director, Edwin Lifwekelo, said his organisation has observed that most corrupt practices perpetuated in publicn institutions are due to the cumbersome bureaucracy in the system.

Mr Lifwekelo told ZANIS in a statement that reforms are necessary to curb corruption
that involves people paying low level bribes to junior civil servants in exchange
for quicker service.

“We have observed that most coruption in Zambia is as a result of inefficient administration by a cumbersome bureaucracy that leads people to pay low level bribes
to junior civil servants to get land tirtles, passports, national registration cards and other official documents like drivers licences,” He said

Mr Lifwekelo is, however, confident that the passage of effective freedom of information legislation and its implementation would help boost accountability and subsequently help stop corruption.

Meanwhile, the Forum is happy with the spirit of dialogue exhibited by political leaders who attended yesterday’s inter-party talks.

Mr. Lifwekelo said dialogue should be embraced by every peace loving Zambian because
it is necessary to national development efforts.

Vice President Rupiah Banda says Kabwe town has great potential to compete for investment by aggressively marketing its resources to potential investors.

Mr. Banda says Kabwe is a major agricultural district through its production of
maize, tobacco and cotton which it supplies for various industrial and manufacturing activities.

He says government is aiming at reviving the economic base of the district whose
bottom  line is job creation for its people.

He said government has a vision of uplifting standards of living through poverty
reduction among the people in the district which had over the years been regarded as
a ghost town.

He said this during the luncheon with Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
Kabwe this afternoon.

Earlier, Mr. Banda toured industries that included mines and Lusemfwa Hydroelectric
power station among others.

KCCI Chairman Mr. Wilfred Wonani urged politicians to desist from using unpalatable
language because it scares away investors.

Mr. Wonani said the chamber is ready to work with the government of the day and the
civic leaders to ensure that economic activities are revived in the district.