Government has procured two vehicles for the Internal Auditor’s office and Cashew Infrastructure Development Projects (CIDP) at the total cost of K2 million in Western Province.

Handing over the donation, Western Province Permanent Secretary Danny Bukali expressed optimism that the two vehicles will increase the mobility of workers in the Province.

Mr. Bukali said government was losing colossal sums of money for purchasing such equipment and has since urged auditors and CIDP Officers to use the two vehicles for the intended purposes.

Speaking shortly after receiving the donation, Principal Internal Auditor Bugar Chilala thanked the government for buying them the vehicle.

Mr.Chilala said there were a lot of pending audit quarries in the Province added that the car will easy the movement of workers in dismantling the audit related cases in the area.

The donated two cars were a Nissan Navara for the Provincial Auditor General’s office and Toyota Landcruiser hard body for CIDP programs in Mitete district.

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has extended the cost of Service Study for the Electricity Sub-sector, to August 27, 2021 which was scheduled to be completed in December 2020.

ERB Director General, Langiwe Lungu says ERB and the project financiers African Development Bank have approved the second and final extension, which was requested by the study consultant Energy Market and Regulatory Consultants (EMRC) to allow for smooth completion of the study.

ZANIS reports that Ms Lungu said this during a press briefing in Lusaka today.

She further disclosed that the project could not be completed as scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has made it difficult for the consultants to collect data and travel as a result of travel restrictions and lockdowns in countries across the globe.

“The outbreak of COVID-19 global pandemic adversely affected the schedule of deliverables for the study. The total lockdown in Europe, coupled with travel restrictions affected the delivery of tasks under the study. Notably, the consultant could neither travel for data collection nor consult with key industry gate keepers,” she said.

Ms Lungu also disclosed that the consultant has made significant progress since the launch of the study, including the review of the structure and conduct of the power sector, legal and regulatory framework and electricity load forecast, which form part of the deliverables for the study.

“Despite the challenges, I am glad to report that the study has made significant progress since its inception as follows; the first deliverable of the study which includes the review of the structure and conduct of the power sector, legal and regulatory framework has been complete,” she explained.

Ms Lungu further stated that the second major deliverable is the electricity load (demand) forecast spanning the year 2020 to 2040 has been successfully completed for all customer categories.

The $600,000 African Development Bank funded study was launched on 3rd December 2019 and results of the study are expected to help determine the true cost of generating, transmitting and distributing power in the most effective manner and determine the unit cost of energy (tariffs) for each customer category based on the cost that each customer category induces on the power system.

Zambezi River Authority(ZRA) Chief Executive Officer, Munyaradzi Munodawafa says the water Levels at Kariba Dam have continued rising due to increased inflows coming from the Kariba upper and lower catchments.

ZANIS reports that Mr Munodawafa said the water levels have increased by 25 percent since March this year.

“The lake levels have increased by a total of 1. 21 meters, that is, from the level of 480.76 meters recorded on 3rd March, 2021 to a lake level of 481.97 meters with a live storage of 30.30 billion cubic meters recorded on April 7, 2021,” he said.

He stated that water allocation for power generation at the Kariba Dam is maintained at 30 billion cubic meters shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe until a scheduled hydrological review at the end of the second quarter of 2021.

Mr Munodawafa also reiterated that the Authority monitored river flows at gauging stations in Chavuma and Victoria falls with water levels at Chavuma gauging station recording an increase of 1,104 cubic meters per second closing at 3,396 cubic meters per second.

He further said the Victoria Falls gauging station is however experiencing recession but is expected to record a second peak as per historical hydrological cycle.

“The Authority remains committed to its work of prudently managing the Kariba Dam, and will continue to monitor the hydrological outlook of the Kariba Catchment and make necessary adjustments in the reservoir operations,” he said.

Government says it has reversed its policy decision that halted disconnection of water supply to defaulting customers as water utility companies are making K900 million loss annually in non-revenue water.

Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Raphael Nakachinda said he is concerned that non-revenue water losses continue to escalate reaching 50 per cent.

Mr Nakachinda has since directed water utility companies to accelerate efforts to put in place measures to stop the losses.

“I further wish to direct water utilities to immediately prioritise the reduction of non-revenue water in their operations as the ministry works with other stakeholders to actualize sustainable and long term solutions to non-revenue water,” said Mr Nakachinda.

He further said government has reversed its policy decision that compelled water utility companies from disconnecting defaulting customers arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national and household economies.

Mr Nakachinda was speaking when he launched the 2020 Urban and Peri-Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Report in Lusaka.

He said water utility companies can now disconnect defaulting customers because they have not been sincere in paying for or reducing the accumulated water bills.

He explained that government had directed water utility companies not to disconnect water from both domestic and commercial customers as a relief due to effects of the COVID-pandemic.

The minister said he was however saddened that customers have not reciprocated to pay for the water bills despite the relief provided by government.

Mr Nakachinda noted that the water sector has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

“Let me take this opportunity to once again assure you that as a ministry, we stand ready to support you to navigate through any viable initiatives to enable you find lasting solutions to challenges facing the utilities,” he said.

Mr Nakachinda commended water utility companies for performing exceptionally by providing necessary water and sanitation services to customers through the development and implementation of the COVID-19 contingency plan amidst the prevailing pandemic.

He assured the water utilities companies of government and cooperating partners support to sustain operations through provision of grants and water treatment chemicals.

He noted that access to clean and safe water is critical in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.

Mr Nakachinda said government through his ministry will remain resolute and work towards attainment of national aspirations under the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) and vision 2030 of the global agenda of sustainable development goal of water and sanitation.

He pointed out that government has extended coverage of water and sanitation services to rural areas resulting in the construction and rehabilitation of over 2,000 boreholes and over 100 water schemes across the country.

The minister stated that this has improved access to water across the country to 72 percent from 65 percent in 2014 while access to sanitation stands at 54 percent from 25 percent in 2014.

Mr Nakachinda added that the practice of open defecation has reduced from 16 percent in 2014 to the current 10 percent due to the presence of dignified sanitation facilities to Zambians in both Urban and Peri-Urban areas.

And Mr Nakachinda announced that government will effect a special electricity tariff for water utilities backdated to January to provide relief to water utility companies that have been grappling with the high cost of electricity in their operations.

The minister challenged the Boards of water utility companies to provide effective policy and strategic direction in order to improve performance and enhance service delivery of water and sanitation services.

And NWASCO Board Chairperson, Philip Mubanga said despite the challenges faced in 2020, water utility companies performed well in provision of water and sanitation services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Mubanga disclosed that over 271,000 people were added to the population accessing water while 379,000 were also added to people accessing sanitation services.

He said 21,700 new metres were installed with 21,500 new household connections for water and 10,300 for sewer.

Dr Mubanga appealed to government and stakeholders to adopt the approach of universal metering to promote efficiency and tackle the increasing loss of non-revenue water.

During the launch of the water sector report, best performing utilities and other deserving water utilities as well as journalists were awarded for efforts towards service provision and creating awareness about the water sector respectively.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”

Boris Johnson said he “inspired the lives of countless young people”.

Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister added: “He helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “saddened” by the death of the Duke.

She tweeted: “I send my personal and deepest condolences – and those of scotgov and the people of Scotland – to Her Majesty The Queen and her family.”

The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

In March, the Duke of Edinburgh left hospital after a month-long stay for treatment.

He underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital – St Bartholomew’s.

Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Their first son, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was born in 1948, followed by his sister, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 1950, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, in 1960 and the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in 1964.

Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921.

His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes.

His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Source: BBC

Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa (SDGCA) to strengthen collaboration in the implementation of SDGs.

Ministry of National Development Planning Permanent Secretary in charge of Development Cooperation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Trevor Kaunda said through MoU the country will be strategically positioned to quicken the achievement of the goals.

“It is the expectation of the Ministry that through this Memorandum of Understanding, the country will place itself on vantage ground to accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, and thus ultimately, improve wellbeing for its citizens,” he said.

Mr Kaunda was speaking during a workshop on the SDGs monitoring and reporting system aimed at showcasing the progress made in the attainment of goals at country level.

And Mr Kaunda noted that the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is under threat owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is on account of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected not only the health sector, but also the abilities of countries, including Zambia, to finance development. In the case of Zambia, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, preliminary estimates indicate that the economy contracted by 3.0 percent.

“The implications of which have been seen and felt through increased cost of living and unemployment levels, as well as a higher government deficit, among others, thus fundamentally threatening the improvements in the wellbeing attained so far,” he said.

Mr Kaunda however acknowledged that the country has successfully achieved several SDGs through the implementation of the Seventh National Development Plan.

“These achievements include improvements in life expectancy to 63.04 years in 2019 from 53.3 years in 2016, literacy rates to 80 percent from 67.5 percent during the same period, and reduction in under-five mortality from 75 per thousand live births in 2016 to 61 per thousand live births in 2019. In the interest of safeguarding the well-being of its citizens, the government is implementing measures, particularly, through the COVID-19 national multi-sectoral contingency and response plan as well as the economic recovery programme,” he said.

And speaking at the same event, Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGCA), Acting Director General, and Caroline Makasa said the continent is lagging behind regarding the accomplishment of the SDGs.

“It is now over five years since the adoption of the SDGs, yet we are way off target on most of the SDG goals. We are faced with limited evidence-based data for better planning and timely decision making. In Africa only 2 in 5 SDG indicators have the required data,” Ms Makasa said.

She bemoaned outdated development data for important indicators such as poverty and health.

“The majority of African countries do not possess updated development data crucial indicators such as poverty, health, nutrition, education, and infrastructure. As a result, we rely mostly on internationally generated data some of which has proven insufficient to provide the necessary evidence in tracking and reporting progress on SDGs,” she noted.

She disclosed that as a measure to avert the challenge her institution has developed a Monitoring and Reporting System to monitor the progress of achieving SDGs and regional commitments at country level.

President Lungu said it is unfortunate that people are accusing him of riding on the church to get into power, when he initially made it clear that he would work with the church.

He reiterated government’s commitment to continue working with the church regardless of sentiments from various groups of society in order to uplift the welfare of the citizenry.

President Lungu noted that the absence of the church in politics may lead to the infestation of wrong leaders in the country.

President Lungu stated that the church should be involved in selecting the best leaders that can serve the country.

Speaking at State House when the Christian Coalition team paid a courtesy call on him, President Lungu said politicians are the final decision makers in Parliament, thus if not well placed can advance their personal interests and not value the plights of the people who ushered them in office.

He stated that the church should bring forth their members who can help saturate the political landscape in order to get the best leaders.

“Christians too should participate in politics. This has been my calling for a long time because I see no harm in churches getting their best sons and daughters to serve their people through the platform of politics. So we want people who will be true to the calling of politics,” President Lungu said.

The Head of State also expressed displeasure with those opposing the COVID-19 empowerment fund initiative for churches stating that the church is also affected by the pandemic.

The Head of State further implored the church to pray for peace to continue prevailing in the country especially before and after the 2021 general elections.

And Christian Coalition President, Charles Mwape commended President Lungu for his continued support towards the church.

Prof. Mwape said the Coalition was established in response to calls by the Head of State for Christians to take part in political activities.

“We have been following your statements, especially on your call for Christians to be active in politics and we have also been following your good works that you have been doing for the church in Zambia,” he said.

He added that Christians appreciate the declaration of October 18th as the Day of National Prayer, Fasting and Reconciliation, the construction of the national house of prayer and an additional COVID-19 relief fund, among other programmes.

Prof. Mwape said it is evident that President Lungu has not sidelined the important role of the church in the country.

Prof. Mwape urged the Head of State not to be intimidated by those opposing the Church empowerment fund, as the church among other stakeholders were involved in the consultation process following their request for financial support from government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.