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Arrests will not silence me over matters of public interest-Nakacinda

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Outspoken Patriotic Front (PF) member of the Central Committee in Charge of Information and Publicity Raphael Nakacinda has vowed that arrests will not silence him over matters of public interest.

Featuring on a Hot FM radio show on Monday morning, Mr. Nakacinda said even if his life was in danger he would still speak the truth and justice for the people of Zambia.

Mr. Nakacinda has been arrested at least three times in the last six months over comments he has been making in the media especially against President Hakainde Hichilema.

Last December, Police in Lusaka recorded a warn and caution statement from Mr. Nakacinda for the offence of defamation of the President following his arrest and detention at Chelstone Police Station.

Police further arrested and detained Mr. Nakacinda in January and April over similar offences of proposing violence and defaming the President.

“Our jobs as opposition is to raise issues that have public interest and to that effect the reason why those in government have spokespersons. At the state house, government and even in the Ministry of Information they even have cadres who are also spokespersons. Use them; let them speak on behalf of the government. Ours is to speak on behalf of the Zambian people. If I hear that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema in Cape Town he has sold-out to imperialists in terms of the mining rights. You want me to come here with evidence? If I get that information I will blow it so that the Zambian people know that we have been shortchanged again. These puppets of imperialists, this is what they have done,” Mr. Nakacinda said.

“That is the job we are doing. Of course it is a risky job, we are being threatened. Right now as we speak Mr. Moderator (radio presenter), a team of UPND cadres plus some disgruntled police officers and other security agencies who have been put together to start head-hunting individuals and among the people who are on the list is myself and I want to say to Mr. Hakainde Hichilema. Even if you arrest us, even if you start now wanting to temper with our lives we will not stop speaking on behalf of the Zambian people. We have done it before; we will do it now because even if you decide to take my life I can assure you and cut my body in one thousand pieces. Each piece will still speak for justice; each piece will still speak for the truth, each piece will still speak for the interest of the Zambian people. That is why we offered ourselves for service in this regard,” he said.

On the same radio programme, Mr. Nakacinda declared as a hoax the United Party for National Development (UPND) government’s crusade against corruption.

Mr. Nakacinda alleged that the executive led by President Hakainde Hichilema is meddling in the affairs of the judiciary thereby defeating separation of powers.

The immediate past Minister of Water Development further condemned President Hichilema for firing High Court judge Joshua Banda and for suspending judge Sunday Nkonde of the industrial relations division for alleged gross misconduct.

“I think it is important as we proceed, some of the concerns we have in the so-called fight against corruption. For me today one of the things I came to express as we continue to zoom is the risk that the judiciary or the threat that the judiciary is faced with from the executive. So far we have my uncle Honorable Vincent Malambo who is chair of the JCC (Judicial Complaints Commission) and he is also chair of the LPC, the Legal Practitioners Committee responsible for disciplinary processes at LAZ (Law Association of Zambia). In this case when it comes to lawyers that is how come most of the lawyers nowadays are timid even to take up some cases because there is a slaughter house that has been created at LAZ to deal with perceived nonaligned lawyers toward the ruling party,” Mr. Nakacinda said.

“Even in the judiciary, there are predetermined positions toward specific judges and also a predetermined position toward specific courts. There is a position to get rid of certain courts. That is the way the ball is playing is that the Minister of Justice who is a partner to Honourable Vincent Malambo in the same law firm Malambo and whatever are called. They are partners. So they are playing this game and mind you my uncle Honourable Vincent Malambo is just that really I am a little disappointed is one of the people I felt that would rise above regardless but so far it is a bit challenging because I expected him to declare interest,” he added.

Ruling in former Home affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo’s case set for June 7th 2022

The Chinsali Magistrate’s court in Muchinga Province, has set June 7th, 2022 as a date for ruling in the matter in which former Home affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo and six other co – accused persons are charged with one count of endangering an aircraft contrary to section 8 of the civil aviation Act number 445 of the laws of Zambia.

Chinsali Principal Resident Magistrate Julius Malata set the date for the ruling after the state closed its case.

The state had called a total of 12 witnesses in the matter before the case closed.

And in an interview with ZANIS after the case was closed, Mr Kampyongo said the stage at which the matter has reached is a relief not only to him and his co-accused persons but the people of Shiwang’ndu as well who are waiting for him to perform his duties as their representative.

Mr Kampyongo who is Shiwang’andu law maker expressed confidence in his defence team, saying it has done a great job so far.

He lamented that coming to court from time to time and seeing several adjournments that surrounded the matter, it has greatly affected his work as MP and deprived the people of Shiwang’ndu of his services.

He said he is happy that finally the court has set a date for ruling, adding that it gives him confidence that the case will be disposed of soon.

” I am grateful to the Patriotic Front (PF), my family and the Church for standing with me during this difficult moment,” he said.

ACC officers in Rwanda looking for Edgar Lungu’a properties- Nakachinda

The Anti Corruption Commission has dispatched a number of officers to Kigali, Rwanda to investigate some properties believed to belong to former President Edgar Lungu.

PF Chairman for Information Raphael Nakachinda revealed that the ACC officers arrived in Rwanda last week with the aim of finding some properties they believe belongs to Mr. Lungu.

Mr. Nakachinda claimed that the officers are on a mere fishing expedition and will not find anything that will incriminate President Lungu.

He said President Hakainde Hichilema has been on a desperate attempt to link President Lungu to any criminality since he left office last year.

Mr. Nakachinda was speaking during a special programme on Hot FM on Monday.

“The President wants to dismantle the PF at whatever cost. He is using the so called fight against corruption to kill the PF. As we speak right now, he has sent officers to Rwanda on false claims that President Lungu has properties there,” Mr. Nakachinda said.

Hr stated that the ACC officers are aware that there will be nothing they will find in Rwanda.

He added, “the officers know that there is nothing in Rwanda but they know that they are dealing with a very emotional President who makes reactive actions and they are taking him for granted to make their own allowances and this is why they have travelled, it’s just for allowances.

There is Light at the End of the Tunnel

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By Field Ruwe EdD

A Tragic Phenomenon

The light at the end of the tunnel is no longer an approaching train but a single flickering ray of hope in each one of us. All we need to do, in unison, is to light up the tunnel that devours our honor as a people, our substance, and health even. An opportunity is beckoning us to teach ourselves how to enjoy the pure pleasures of rational thinking; of ingenuity out which those who are successful pluck their noble fruits.

Look at how pathetic we are, created as we were in God’s same image. What the “own image” scripture means is that as humans we are the same in our moral, spiritual and intellectual nature. So then why are we the low people at the totem pole?

Most African scholars impute the guilt of our failures to the activities of colonizers. Some evoke the father-son relationship where a father, rather than give the son fish, gives him poison. Is not true that when the colonizer showed us how to fish, he left the fishing rods and all we needed were worms with which to catch the fish? Didn’t he also teach the Indians who attained their independence in the same way? What’s the difference between them and us? Yet they are headed for First World status.

Where are we today? We are still a Third World country with a low human development index. We are an ideal commonwealth whose inhabitants exist under seemingly perfect infrastructure none of which is borne out of our imagination. We are like the cuckoo bird, the brood parasite that shamelessly leaves its eggs in another bird’s nest, letting her young be raised by entirely different species while claiming the nest to be hers.

It’s a shame really; a tragic phenomenon. We sit on inexhaustible mineral wealth worth trillions of dollars, clueless about how to dig deeper into our own earth, remove our god-given ore, and haul it to the processing site using our own factory-made conveyors, trains, shuttle cars, and flash smelting furnaces. This is the greatest enigma surrounding us as a people.

We are a people in Socrates’s the “Allegory of The Cave,” who have been chained to the wall of a cave all our lives. We hopelessly watch shadows that represent the fragment of the reality of looters ransacking our wealth. We cannot break the chains because we do not desire to leave the cave, for we know no other life but penury and alms.

How Zambia can Become Economically Powerful

Once upon a time, the Japanese people found themselves in a similar cave, their hands chained to the feudal wall of the Tokugawa Shogunate that for 264 years isolated them from the rest of the world. In 1868, the wind of change reminiscent of the one that blew across Zambia in the 1990s veered in a tide that sucked in the Shogunate and left on the shores of Japan a new government led by the youthful and transformative leader Meiji who believed Japan would not be able to develop if it did not modernize.

At the helm of his effort, Meiji who believed to modernize meant copying Western technology, turned to some of the best thinkers to help create reforms that would strengthen and unify Japan. In 1871, a high-powered delegation of think tanks left Japan for the United States of America and Europe seeking to learn first-hand the scientific and technological accomplishments of the West. They were keenly interested in observing schools, industries, military, and political systems.

The result was a new paradigm of a modern, industrialized Japan and the emergence of a great power, fashioned by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. Today, Japan is the third leading country in the world for technology. It ranks right behind Finland and the United States. Japan spends over 3.5 percent of its GDP on education, innovation, and invention. In the same way, China and other successful Asian nations emulated Japan and sent their think tanks to the United States.

Election of Hakainde Hichilema

It is beginning to look like Zambia is on the same path. The election of Hakainde Hichilema has brought to the forefront a forward-thinking reformist who is touting democracy. President Hichilema’s rhetoric and action seem to define a democracy in which creative activities shape developmental norms and practices. American Philosopher John Dewey called it “creative democracy” and defined it as a way of life and an experience built on faith that puts a heavier emphasis on creativeness. “The task of [creative] democracy,” Dewey added, “is forever that of creation of a freer and more humane experience in which all share and to which all contribute.”

In the case of Japan, state-builders, academics, and politicians put their differences aside and rallied behind Meiji. They all believed that to see above the horizon they had to stand on the shoulders of giants. They understood that teamwork was the fuel that allowed common people to attain uncommon results. To become a world power, they appreciated rather than depreciated each other’s sweat and labor.

Conversely, we are the exact opposite. We depreciate rather than appreciate each other. This is our greatest tragedy that takes its worst toll on us. It is a counterproductive paranoid trait that has denied us the camaraderie to creatively employ new technologies that increase productivity. It is the reason we end up with low-end products unsuitable for the global market.

Our envy and spite are already at work. Last August we elected Hakainde Hichilema a man who campaigned on change. The unprecedented historic move took the world by storm. Accolades shot through the roof, earning us considerable admiration and respect. It is fair to say that President Hichilema is actively and creatively good for economic growth. It has since become clear that he is committed to advancing a far-reaching technology and innovation plan in his effort to provide a powerful engine for advancing market economic growth.

It is also fair to state that Hichilema understands harnessing the full power and potential of new technologies can improve the Zambian economy. He is already influencing growth through fiscal policy. It is good to see him invest in public goods, technology, pro-growth trade policies, and establishing new agencies, a move aimed at stabilizing the economy, creating jobs, and boosting manufacturing. But the truth of the matter is that however transformative Hichilema is he can’t whistle a symphony alone. He needs an entire orchestra comprising dedicated Zambians to play it.

Creation of Zambia Development Institute

Last year I stepped forward and pledged to support President Hichilema to prove that I was not a mere armchair critic sneering self-righteously from the comfort of my home. I desperately want to be among Zambians who strive to do the deeds; who spend themselves on a worthy cause; who in the end know that Hichilema’s triumph is ours as well. With this in mind, I have just completed a white paper explicating the creation of a US-based “Think-and-do” tank that will provide Zambians with a strong impetus to make a comprehensive understanding of American modern industrial, technological, economical, and educational systems and structures, all in the manner of Iwakura Mission.

To be called Zambia Development Institute (ZDI), the initiative seeks to help elevate Zambia’s level of development to modern world-class standards by assessing American ingenuity and making proposals to the president and government that will have vast effects on the subsequent advancement of our country.

To capture American ingenuity Zambian intellectuals need a front ringside seat in the American superpower arena to study firsthand Americans’ feats with a strong impetus to indulge in similar modernizing initiatives in Zambia. The raison d’être for ZDI is to mobilize academics in Zambia and the Diaspora so they can have direct access to know-how, expertise, research opportunities, lab space, and other incentives that enhance development.

Here, I am making an earnest appeal to Zambian intellectuals—researchers, analysts, legal practitioners, educators, innovators, and inventors, in the Diaspora and at home. Building a nation cannot be done by one person—the president. Henry Ford once said “coming together is beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Teamwork is at the heart of my initiative. Friend and foe let’s walk through the dark tunnel hand in hand to get to that ray of hope. Let us make strategic steps towards industrial upgrading and longer-term economic transformation. We urgently need to plug Zambia into the global trading system and compete with stronger economies. By doing so we shall achieve significant poverty production and improved standards of living. The timing of this initiative and its potential influence on the development of Zambia cannot be ignored.

Dear Mr. President

I pray that once the proposal lands on your desk, you will give it the attention it deserves. Your presidency is a make-or-break for Zambians. At stake are the very promises that you made on your campaign trail. The defining issue is to keep those promises alive, and ZDI is here to ensure your governance delivers your mission. I do not doubt that in you we have the right mover and shaker of this lovely country we call Zambia. Remember no one is coming to save us. We are on our own.

National Assembly will resume June 7, 2022

The First Session of the Thirteen National Assembly will resume on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 14:30 hours.

Clerk of the National Assembly, Cecilia Mbewe has announced that the session which adjourned sine die on April 1, 2022 will resume next month.

During the last sitting, the National Assembly saw a new Member of Parliament from Kabwata Constituency, Andrew Tayengwa enter the House following a successful by-election.

President Hakainde Hichilema also addressed the nation on the progress made in the application of National Values and Principles.

During the sitting, Speaker, of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti suspended 30 Patriotic Front (PF) parliamentarians for 30 days for breaching parliamentary privileges in line with Section 22 of the Powers and Privileges Act.

This is contained in a statement availed to the media in Lusaka today.

Poor working conditions of scribes irks Parliamentary committee on Media

The Parliamentary Committee on Media, Information, Communication and Technology say it is deeply concerned with low salaries and poor working conditions among media practitioners.

Media, Information, Communication and Technology Parliamentary Committee Chairperson, Raphael Mabenga, says there is an urgent need address the poor conditions of service journalists work under to bring sanity in the industry.

Mr. Mabenga was speaking in Kabwe when the parliamentary committee paid a courtesy call on Central Province Minister Credo Najuwa.

“Our coming is basically to come and see the challenges that the media is facing on the ground. As you are aware, the media is a very complex institution with a lot of regulations and registrations hence our coming to familiarize ourselves with the challenges in the media,” Mr. Mabenga said.

He said his committee wants to ensure that a conducive environment is created for journalists to do their job professionally and for the media industry to thrive.

Some of the issues the committee would like to be addressed in the media are poor salaries, qualifications, professionalism, transport and equipment among others.

Meanwhile, Central Province Minister, Credo Nanjuwa, said as the media is very important in the development of any nation hence the need for parliament to take keen interest in issues that are affecting the industry.

Mr Nanjuwa said challenges facing the media industry require quick interventions from both government and media owners because if they are left unaddressed, they have the potential to compromise the quality of information churned out to the members of the general public.

“Media is very important, and there are a number of challenges that the media is facing which need to be brought to the floor of the house and the report that your committee will make should bring amends to the challenges facing the media,” Mr. Nanjuwa said.

Government calls for strong partnership in aviation sector

Minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali has called for enhanced collaboration among stakeholders in addressing challenges in the aviation sector.

Mr. Tayali says despite passenger and air traffic estimated to grow by 5. 3 percent over the next 20 years, the growth will come with its own challenges.

He noted that the gains the industry will achieve on the African continent will also come with challenges hence the need for strong partnerships with different players to address such issues.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Tayali said this when he graced the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Africa Operations and Safety Workshop in Lusaka today.

“These challenges require our collaborative effort and strong partnership as regulators, manufacturers, operators, and service providers as well as Government, if there is to be any progress in addressing the challenges,” he said.

He further said government attaches great importance to the role that aviation plays to the overall economic development of Zambia and the continent at large.

Mr. Tayali said the positive contribution of the industry to the economy can only be realised when aviation is conducted in a safe, sustainable and collaborating environment.

And Mr. Tayali commended CANSO for its efforts in promoting civil aviation in Africa.

“Zambia is particularly encouraged by the tremendous efforts being made by CANSO, it is through you that Zambia and other African countries are meeting international obligations and implementing ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS), as well as addressing civil aviation system challenges through active cooperation,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) Acting Managing Director, Maggie Kaunda said the Corporation’s membership is beneficial.

Mrs Kaunda said hosting the meeting will ensure that the Corporation and the country as a whole are in line with International Civil Aviation Organization’s initiative of assisting states in implementing Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) in as far as the safe and sustainable aviation operations are concerned.

And Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA) Director General, Gabriel Lesa affirmed his institution’s commitment towards enhancing safety in the aviation sector.

The four day event under the theme: “Beyond the Pandemic, Collaborating for Safe and Sustainable Operations, has drawn participation of delegates from Africa, North America and Europe.

President Hichilema has announced that Zambia has ended legal spat with Vedanta over KCM

Bloomberg is reporting that Zambia has agreed to end legal action against billionaire Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta Resources Ltd. as President Hakainde Hichilema seeks to revive mining output in the southern African country.

Vedanta’s Konkola Copper Mines was placed under provisional liquidation in 2019 after the previous Zambian government alleged that the company had lied about expansion plans and paid too little tax.

KCM denied any wrongdoing.

Now Hichilema is seeking to attract investment to one of the world’s biggest copper producers by repairing damaged relationships with mining companies.

Any solution at KCM has to include Vedanta, which remains a co-shareholder in the operation with the government, Hichilema told reporters at the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town on Monday.

“Vedanta and ourselves agreed that we suspend litigation, by-and-large as a partial way of resolving the matter,” he said. “The outcome I wouldn’t predict, but there will be a resolution of Konkola Copper Mines.”

Rebooting production at KCM is central to Hichilema’s ambitions to raise annual copper output to about 3 million tons in a decade, from about 800,000 currently.

Vedanta reiterated in December that it was ready to invest about $1.5 billion in reviving KCM and making it a world-class asset, while warning that the mothballed operations are on the verge of collapse.

Hichilema said his government will seek to end “excessive litigation” in mining after former President Edgar Lungu’s administration took an increasingly aggressive stance with the industry.

The president’s investment drive received a boost this week after First Quantum Minerals Ltd. approved a $1.25 billion project to expand its Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia.

The government’s overtures toward Vedanta may make it easier for Zambia to find a buyer for Mopani Copper Mines Plc, which it recently bought from Glencore Plc. Selling those assets is less complicated than resolving the challenges at KCM, and potential buyers are being sought, said Hichilema.

Celine Nair takes over role of KCM Provisional Liquidator

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Konkola Copper Mines has announced that Lawyer Celine Meena Nair has taken over the role of Provisional Liquidator of the mining giant.

This follows her recent appointment as acting Official Receiver of the Republic of Zambia. Ms Nair has assumed all functions relating to the office of the KCM Provisional Liquidator.

This is according to a statement issued by KCM acting Chief Executive Officer Enock Mponda.

At the time of her appointment, Ms Nair was Principle Legal Officer-International Law and Agteemht at the Ministry of Justice.

Below is the full statement

Celine Nair takes over role of KCM Provisional Liquidator

CHINGOLA, 9th May 2022: I wish to inform the public that Ms Celine Meena Nair has taken over the role of Provisional Liquidator (PL) of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) following her recent appointment as acting Official Receiver of the Republic of Zambia.

Ms Nair has assumed all functions relating to the office of the KCM Provisional Liquidator.

For any clarifications, call KCM Corporate Affairs General Manager Shapi Shachinda on +260978 871958.

Issued by Enock Mponda

Acting Chief Executive Officer – KCM

Mining Indaba opens in South Africa as HH delivers his Keynote Address

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The four days 2022 Investing in African Mining Indaba has opened in Cape Town South Africa with a call for African countries to work together towards harnessing the potential that lies in the continent’s mining sector.

And President Hakainde Hichilema who has joined other Heads of State and governments and about 6500 delegates at the indaba has pledged Zambia’s active participation in Africa’s economic agenda through unlocking investment potential in the extractive industry.

Delivering his key note address at the indaba, President Hichilema underscored that Africa will always remain a preferred investment destination in mining production and its value chain due to its rich endowment in natural resources.

He explained that for instance Zambia and Democratic of Congo (DRC) alone account for 70 percent of the world’s copper production, an indication that Africa is the mining hub of the World.

President Hichilema said to this effect, Zambia has started reforming its mining sector in order for the country to maximize its potential for economic development.

He said the African leadership also need to work together and ensure that there is sustainable deliberate efforts to make the industry attractive not only to foreign but also local investors for the benefit of the continent.

The President added that the Zambian government is currently addressing the many challenges that disturbed the growth of the mining industry thereby affecting economic development of the nation.

He cited the changes in the mining licensing, launching of an online payment portal to curb corruption as some of the measures that government is taking to improve the mining sector in the country.

And Botswana President, Mokgweetsi Masisi noted that it is sad to see many African countries continue to be poor despite having rich minerals that have not been exploited.

President Masisi said this is why there is need for African countries to devise collective mechanisms that will help resolve the challenges of low mining exploitation.

First Quantum Minerals (FQM) Chief Executive Officer, Tristan Pascall announced that plans have reached an advanced stage by his company to double its investment by adding 1.3 billion United States Dollars in its Kansanshi mine in North Western province for the next 20 years.

Mr. Pascall said this follows the assurance and stance taken by the new administration to create an enabling investment environment for investors in Zambia’s mining sector.

He further thanked President Hichilema for providing clear policy directions to govern the operations of the mining industry in Zambia.

South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe emphasised the need for Africa to come up with resilient measures that will address the current economic shocks in energy supply by embracing value additional to its minerals.

Mr. Mantashe noted that there is need for concerted investment decisions among African leaders on how best the abundant natural resources can be processed into finished goods and address some of its challenges such as the one being experienced in the energy sector.

He added that with the coming of the Africa Continent Free Trade Area, the African continent needs to unite and further explore the untapped opportunities that exist in various mineral deposits across Africa.

” As Africa, we need to build resilience that will address the shocks in the energy industry, there is no way that we can be affected like this high energy prices when we have different mineral deposits across Africa and all we need is value addition in to processed products, in order to find lasting solutions to our problems,” he said.

PRO’S HIT LIST: Patson and Klings Score, Fashion Shines

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Patson Daka, Edward Chilufya scored while Fashion Sakala sparked in Scotland.

=SOUTH AFRICA
-Kaizer Chiefs:
Forgotten man Lazarus Kambole made a rare appearance for Chiefs on Sunday when he started in their 1-1 home draw against champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Kambole was substituted in the 74th minute while Kennedy Mweene was on the bench for Sundowns.

-Maritzburg United: Striker Friday Samu played the full 90 minutes for Maritzburg United in Saturdays 1-1 away draw at Stellenbosch.

-Amazulu/Sekhukhune United: Goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata, midfielder Roderick Kabwe and striker Justin Shonga all started for Sekhukhune in Saturdays 0-0 away draw at Amazulu.
Kabwe and Shonga were substituted in the 76th and 46th minutes respectively while compatriot at Amazulu Augustine Mulenga is still out with two games to go since sustaining an injury in continental action in March.

=USA
Defender Aime Mabika did not travel with Inter Miami for Saturdays 1-0 away loss at Charlotte due to an injury.

=DENMARK
-Midtjylland:
 Edward Chilufya scored his second league goal since joining the second placed Danish club in January from Djugarden in Sweden.
Chilufya scored the opening goal in the 2nd minute of Sundays 2-1 away win over AaB before he was substituted in the 57th minute.

-Horsens: Midfielder Lubambo Musonda played the full 90 minutes for the promotion leaders in Fridays 2-1 home win over number three team Lyngby.

=DR CONGO
Defender Kabaso Chongo was substituted in the 68th minute while Tandi Mwape played the full 90 minutes in TP Mazembe’s  1-0 home win over RS Berkane of Morocco in Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup semifinal first leg match.

=TANZANIA
Rally Bwalya came off the bench on Sunday to score Simba SC’s second goal in their 4-1 home win over Ruvu Shooting.

=SCOTLAND
-Rangers:
Fashion Sakala won a penalty and created one goal in the outgoing Scottish champions 2-0 home win over Dundee United on Sunday.

He was not on target despite his impact play after playing the full 90 minutes for the second placed side who are about to abdicate the Scottish Premiership title with two games to spare should leaders Celtic win in mid-week.’

-Raith Rovers: Defender Frankie Musonda started for fifth placed Raith in Fridays 1-1 home draw against promoted Kilmarnock before he was substituted in the 63rd minute


=RUSSIA

Klings Kangwa scored relegation threatened Arsenal Tula’s lone goal in Sunday’s 1-1 home draw against Krasnodar in a match he played the full 90 minutes while brother Evans Kangwa was substituted in 76th minute.

It was Klings third goal of the season for the bottom placed side that have two games left to try and make the relegation playoffs.

=ENGLAND
-Leicester City:
Patson Daka scored his fifth EPL goal of the season on Sunday in Leicester’s 2-1 home loss to Everton in a match in which he played the opening 80 minutes.

-Brighton:
With two games left to play, Enock Mwepu’s season is over due to a groin injury he sustained over a week ago in Brighton’s 3-0 away win over Wolves.

Three Mine Unions to consult their members on Vedanta Resources’ return

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The Labour movement on the Copperbelt say they will engage their members for their response to a possible repossession of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) by Vedanta Resources.

Three Mine unions namely Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ), National Union of Mine and Allied Workers (NUMAW) and United Mine Union of Zambia (UMUZ) says they will consult their members before jointly taking a stand on the matter.

The announcement by the unions follows a letter written to Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe dated May 5, and signed by Vedanta Resources Chief Executive officer Sunil Duggal and copied to the Mine Unions where Vedanta has stated that it has been allowed to operate the mining company.

Briefing journalists in Kitwe Monday, MUZ General Secretary George Mumba said his union expects the Minister of Mines Kabuswe to first respond to the letter in question as it was not addressed to MUZ but was only copied to the union.

“We are a worker driven union so we will go back to the work force and share the contents of the letter, and we also expect a reaction from the addressee obviously they are also supposed to give a position and for us we will also engage the workforce around Konkola Mine the give a proper position having taken note of what is in the letter,” Mr. Mumba said.

And NUMAW Secretary General James Chansa on his part says his union will comment on the matter after it consults its general membership.

Mr. Chansa told journalists that the union wants to come up with a helping solution in the whole matter and that can only be done if the unions quickly engage with their members.

There are issues that drove us to say Vedanta should move out and if there is any other position that is changing, that is why we are saying having taken note of what is here we will engage the rank and file,” Mr. Chansa said.

The three union leaders were at pains to state whether the mine was performing better under the control of the liquidator than it was under Vedanta Resources.

In 2020, before KCM was liquidated, the Mine Unions pushed for government to take over the mine from Vedanta saying the investor had failed to meet its social and financial obligations to government, suppliers and the community among other stakeholders.

In the letter that has been addressed to Mines Minister, Vedanta has promised pledged to implement a 20 per cent salary increment across the board pay a one –off payment of K2500 within three months to each employee once given back the operating license.

Vedanta also pledged to help Zambia achieve its projected three million tonnes of Copper annually.

Government not impressed with untidy Michael Chilufya Sata hospital

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Muchinga Province Minister, Henry Sikazwe has given Michael Chilufya Sata General Hospital administration a seven- day ultimatum to ensure that the hospital surrounding is clean.

Mr Sikazwe gave the ultimatum during an on the spot check at the facility yesterday.

He said as much as government appreciates the numerous challenges the facility is faced with, having a dirty environment should not be tolerated.

The Minister charged that the new dawn administration placed the health sector at the top of its agenda, saying this is why grants allocation have been increased to cater for procurement of drugs and other medical services, including keeping the surroundings clean .

The Minister who is also Senga Hill law maker in Northern Province, expressed disappointment with how Michael Chilufya Sata hospital surrounding was kept.

“It’s unacceptable to keep a health facility dirty outside like this with tall grass everywhere,” said Mr. Sikazwe.

And Muchinga Provincial Minister has assured health staff at the facility of more staff.

Mr Sikazwe said inadequate staffing levels will soon be a thing of the past, adding that by the end this month, health personnel will be recruited following the national recruitment exercise of 11,267 health workers.

“The exercise of recruiting health workers has advanced and soon you will receive new workers to beef up staffing levels at this hospital,” said Mr. Sikazwe.

On the issue of transport, the Minister said he will engage his counterpart to resolve the matter.

Speaking earlier, Michael Chilufya Sata General Hospital Administrator, Boas Mukama highlighted some of the challenges the facility is facing.

Mr Mukama lamented that the facility only has two vehicles saying one is being used to ferry emergency cases while the other is used as a utility vehicle.

He also cited security issues and low staffing levels, among other challenges.

Mr Mukama added that the facility is working in limited space owing to the non completion of the other structures under phase two and three of the hospital project.

“This health facility is incomplete as some structures are still under construction and the facility is using offices as wards for patients,” he bemoaned.

The Hospital Administrator has since appealed to government to facilitate for the quick completion of structures at the general hospital.

The Minister was accompanied by Mpika District Administrative Officers (DAO), Bwalya Kaniki and other senior government officers.

The Provincial Minister is in Mpika to check on projects and operations of Government departments.

Milingo now releases Letter from Solicitor General requesting DPP to stop case against him

Lusaka Lawyer Milingo Lungu has revealed that Solicitor General Marshall Muchende State Counsel, wrote a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions Lilian Siyuni State Counsel requesting her to adjourn a criminal matter before Magistrate Felix Kaoma to facilitate the conclusion of the KCM negotiations.

And Milingo has insisted that the bargaining agreement was spearheaded by President Hakainde Hichilema’s Principal Private Secretary Bradford Machila and Special Assistant for Legal Affairs Christopher Mundia among others.

This is in a matter where Milingo has applied for a stay of criminal proceedings against him before the Magistrates’ Court pending hearing and determination of his petition.

However, the State has asked the Constitutional Court to dismiss his application to stay the criminal proceedings.

In response to the State’s application to dismiss his petition, Milingo has filed an affidavit in reply to affidavit in support of the respondents answer to the petition and opposition to the affidavit verifying cross petition dated May 4, 2022.

In this affidavit, Milingo the former KCM Provisional Liquidator has named others as Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha State Counsel, Solicitor General Marshall Muchende State Counsel, Director of Public Prosecutions Lilian Fulata Siyuni State Counsel and Natasha Kalimukwa Administrator General as people who spearheaded the meeting that negotiated the deal leading to his resignation.

According to Milingo, the bargain agreement led to his resignation as provisional liquidator, to enable him participate in the audit to reconcile his renumeration fees and any monies drawn with full and frank disclosure in exchange of the payment fees due as outstanding and dropping of any criminal charges and immunity/ indemnity, from prosecution in respect of any acts or omissions done in the performance of his duties as Provisional Liquidator of KCM.

He stated that his resignation was not unconditional as alleged by the Attorney General, saying the terms agreed in the meeting were reduced into two agreements, namely the consent settlement agreement dated 17 th March, 2022 and the Immunity/Indemnity agreement dated 22nd March 2022.

“That I am aware that following circumstances surrounding the bargain refered to above and in response to paragraph 13 of the affidavit in support, the DPP was well within her powers to issue a nolle prosequi. That I am advised by my advocates and verily believe the same to be true that contrary to paragraph 18 of the affidavit in support, the immunity/indemnity agreement refered to therein is valid and therefore, not illegal, not against public interest, is not void or unconstitutional,” Milingo stated.

And according to a letter dated January 7, 2022, addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under the heading The People V Milingo Lungu, Muchende stated that his office was engaged in negotiations with the legal representatives of Milingo to buttress a decision for him to resign from his position as provisional liquidator for Konkola Copper Mines PLC (In Liquidation).

“It has been brought to our attention that there is a matter in which Mr. Milingo is scheduled to appear for plea on Monday 10th January, 2022, in the Lusaka Subordinate Court. We seek your indulgence to consider postponing the taking of plea to the 17th January, 2022, to allow my office, in collaboration with yourselves engage in and possibly conclude the afforemationed negotiations,” Muchende stated.

The said letter was also copied to Director General of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Mary Chirwa.

First Quantum Minerals approves $1.25 billion mine expansion in Zambia

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Reuters and Financial Times of London report that First Quantum Minerals said on Sunday that its board has approved plans for a $1.25 billion expansion of the company’s Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia, first floated in January 2020, a decision the miner said was prompted by “renewed confidence” in Zambia’s investment climate.

Since President Hakainde Hichilema’s election last August, Zambia has implemented business-friendly reforms including allowing mining companies to deduct mineral royalties from their income tax assessments.

First Quantum pointed to that reform in particular as key to unlocking approval for the Kansanshi expansion, saying it “realigned Zambia with international best practice.”

FQM also said it approved a further $100 million investment in its Enterprise nickel project in Zambia, which it expects to start producing in 2023, ramping up to annual production of 30,000 tonnes of nickel in concentrate.

FQM said the $1.35 billion package overall represents the largest investment in Zambia since its Sentinel project was approved in 2012.

FQM and the government have also reached an agreement on outstanding value-added tax repayments owed to it and an approach for repayments based on offsets against future mining taxes and royalties, the company said.

The announcement came just ahead of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town where Hichilema was set to speak today, aiming to draw new investment into the country’s mining sector.

Africa’s second-biggest copper producer, Zambia aims to increase production to 3 million tonnes of copper a year within the next decade. The country produced 800,696 tonnes of copper in 2021.