The Reformed Church In Zambia (RCZ) says there is need for a well-informed leadership if Church matters were to be administered properly.

Speaking at a one day Seminar Organized by the Synodic Committee at Buchi
Congregation in Kitwe over the weekend, R C Z Rev. Isaac Banda said the Church
needed the leadership that will move with time and teach the truth and support the
government in power.

The participants were drawn from Solwezi, Mansa, Chililabombwe, Mufulira, Kalulushi,
Chamita and Kitwe Congregations.

Rev. Banda said where there was good leadership people sit together and accommodate
other people’s views for the smooth running of congregations.

He said the Church needs the Leaders in order to give guidance, teach and to be
sensitive with the plight of the people they were leading in the

Church.

And speaking at the same seminar Elder Ruben Banda said the church needed financial
discipline and transparency in handling church finances.

He added that at times financial problems arose in churches especially when you have
treasurers who did not know how to handle church money.

He said treasurers running Church Accounts should be Men and Women with the full
spirit, wisdom, faith, High integrity and sincere.

Meanwhile, Rev. Thomas Khosa urged the church to give to the poor and not only
expect to receive handouts from members.

ZANIS

President Mwanawasa says Zambia stands ready to support efforts aimed at reviving a cartel for Copper producing countries in southern Africa.
Mr. Mwanawasa said this is in an effort to create a fair price for the product on the international market.

Mr. Mwanawasa was speaking when former Namibian President Sam Nujoma paid a courtesy call on him at State House today.

President Mwanawasa advised Mr. Nujoma to use his current University geological
studies to lobby leaders of Copper producing countries in the region to revive the
initiative of creating a cartel.

‘Whilst you are studying at university, you should take advantage to prode those in
leadership in thes leading Copper producing countries in the region to create a
cartel because we want to create a fair price for Copper on the market,’ President
Mwanawasa said.

He recalled that when Mr. Nujoma was still president of Namibia, the two countries
brainstormed on the idea of forming a cartel among the countries.

And Mr. Nujoma said there is need for Namibia, Zambia, Angola and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), that are the leading Copper producers in the region to
form a cartel to ensure that minerals are utilised for the benefit of the people in
the region.

Mr. Nujoma, who is a student of Economic Geology at the University of Namibia, is in
the country on a study tour.

Mr. Nujoma, however, recognised the role that information technology plays in
mineral development and marketing.

He acknowleged that the four copper producing countries were currently supplying the
world with the mineral which is widely used in technolological advancement.

‘This copper thast is coming from this region is used in cables for many
technological equipment, such as radios,’ Mr. Nujoma said.

‘Just after independence, then President Kenneth Kaunda, Zaireæs Mobutu Seseko and
Chile joined hands and formed a cartel, which however did not last,’ Mr. Nujoma
recalled.

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa says his partnership with Mr. Nujoma, during hies
reign, materialised in development projects aimed at improving the economic stands
of the people in the two countries.

Mr. Mwanawasa said during Mr. Nujoma’s rule, Zambia and Namibia initiated the
Livingstone-Katimamulilo power interconnection project and conceived the idea of a
joint agriculture venture.

He revealed that the joint agriculture project in Sesheke between the two countries
is still on the drawing board and hoped that it would be fully implemented before
his second term of office expires.

Mr. Mwanawasa is happy that Mr, Nujoma has opted study economic geology, in an
effort to continue contributing to efforts of improving the welfare of the people in
the region than heavily involving himself in politics.

Meanwhile, immediately after meeting Mr. Nujoma, President Mwanawasa took time off
his busy schedule to visit the funeral house of his late friend Allan Phiri in
Lusakaæ Olympia Park residential area.

Mr. Phiri, 68, died on Sunday after an illness.

He is survived by a wife and three children.

ZANIS

Outgoing Secretary General for Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Reverend Japhet Ndhlovu has called on all politicians to be mature in order to enhance democratic governance.

He urged politicians to stop practicing petty politics of hatred and vindictiveness
to enhance democratic governance in the country.

Reverend, Ndhlovu said Zambia needs a mature democracy that does not support
impunity as seen practiced by some politicians in the past.

Reverend Ndhlovu further said politicians must struggle to uphold morality, as it is
the only thing that will enable them to stop defending themselves when they go
wrong.

He said Zambians need credibility, honesty, truth and humility from the leaders
running the affairs of the nation.

And Reverend Ndhlovu has said it is possible for Zambia to have a good republican
constitution.

He noted that there is need to develop a constitution where rights of children and
women are enshrined and education treated as a right for all children.

Reverend Ndhlovu pointed out that mature democracy would support genuine, long-term
investment, which will benefit everybody as opposed to tax holidays driven
investment, which only serves the interest of investors.

He was speaking at a farewell worship service organized for him at the Anglican
Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka today.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ndhlovu has thanked the Reformed Church of Zambia for allowing him to
serve as Secretary General of the Churches Association of Zambia for the past five
years.

He said the support given to him availed opportunities for him to stand for the
things that he passionately believed like the betterment of the citizens of Zambia.

Speaking at the same function, CCZ Head of Programmes Abraham Chikasa praised
Reverend Ndhlovu for his tireless efforts in fighting for a new constitution,
women’s rights and debt cancellation for Zambia.

And Retired Archbishop of Lusaka Medado Mazombwe said Reverend Ndhlovu was chosen by
God to teach the word of God and serve the church in all parts of the world.

Archbishop Mazombwe thanked Reverend Ndhlovu for his commitment to serve the
international community through his service in Zambia.

He wished him God’s guidance in his new mission in Kenya.

Government says it is impressed with the construction works at the K315 million Ice Plant in Gwembe.

Speaking during a conducted tour of the Ice Plant construction site at Chipepo Harbour , acting Gwembe District Commissioner, Dorothy Hamvula, said the works were going according to schedule.

”The works being done by both the committee and the contractor are quite impressive, there is need for both the contractor and the committee to work together in order to ensure the success of the project,” she said.

The project, which is funded by the Justice for Solidarity and Poverty Reduction Fund (JSPRF), through the Agriculture Support Program (ASP), is expected to have among other amenities, a fish market, store-room and Ice-block maker.

A check at the contraction site revealed that works at the ice-plant, being carried out by Kwanga-Kwangisha which is still at slab level, is well ahead of schedule.

The project once complete is expected to produce a maximum of fifty ice-blocks per day, with the capacity to store up to 600kf’s of fish.

And the district commissioner questioned the storage capacity, saying that fifty blocks per day was too little.

She noted that there was need to leave enough room for expansion of the ice plant in order to increase the capacity.

And in response to the sentiments raised by the DC, ASP Gwembe District Coordinator,
Victor Ng’andu said the project was meant to serve the locals to store their fish, as opposed to other traders.

Mr. Ng’andu also said the project would be able to pay back the investment in two
years, if well managed.

He also noted that out of the K315 million, a total of K11 million, was a community
contribution towards the project, while K243 million was a grant from JSPRF, which
he said has been spent on the connection of ZESCO power, water reticulation and
buying of materials.

He added that from the community contribution, the monies raised would be used as
operational funds for logistics such as fuel.

The contraction works, which began in December last year, are expected to complete
in March this year, ahead of the official opening slated for April.

President Levy Mwanawasa arrived back from London this morning where he had made a stop over for a medical review.

Speaking to journalists at the Lusaka International Airport upon his arrival, President Mwanawasa said he was fine and happy to return home after undergoing a medical review.

Before making a stop over in London, President Mwanawasa attended the France- Africa summit in Cannes, France.

Mr Mwanawasa said while at the summit, he emphasized on the need for the European

Union and other countries to set up companies for adding value to exports.

President Mwanawasa who was among the discussants during the summit on addition of value to raw materials said he had put forward the message that EU and other countries should not import materials from Africa in its raw form.

The president was received at the airport by Defence Minister George Mpombo, other senior government officials and Service Chiefs.