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Vol. 6. Issue 2738
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Friday October 16, 2020
RISE ANGRY FARMERS OVER CHIDE PURSUING JUSTICE AND EQUITY WITH INTEGRITY
...in another mukula scam Vol. 6. Issue 2734
NZO
Former Archbishop TELESPHORE MPUNDU
IN HIS FACEBOOK POST
Mr. Mucheleka
Monday October 12, 2020
because they expect negative
“If trulyoutcomes Arch- against his privatibishop Telessation probe and want to preTHE judgement against pare minds, even when there Chishimba Kambwili phore was Mpundu is to abundant trying stop evidence. political and harbingeris to Mr Musoma said yesterday turmoil, UPND president dedicated Christians fromnot surprised by the he was Hakainde Hichilema has said. dedicating the country stance taken by the UPND But Zambia Republican to Christianity, thatbecause he knew that leader Party (ZRP) president, Wright then is sad and Musoma charged that Mrunacceptable Hi- he could face a similar fate over the privatization saga bebecause he does hold chilema is preparing mem- not cause umulandu taubola. bers for impunity to doubtof wisdom,” the monopoly and protest court outcomes Bishop Kaela said. TO PAGE 3 By OLIVER SAMBOKO
Kasama MP warns UPND chief Mr. Sampa
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PRESSURE GOVT
or a serious exploit Gold Zambia is “Our thoughts are with our brother, Chishimba illegal minKambwili. Remain strong as this is a passing phase. the mineral We encourage our citizens to be fully supportive of expert Edas said. each other. There will be lots of turbulent phases aid dis- during this period of reclaiming our freedoms.” ational ers and ployed dy trained interests d to replace the monopoly of wisdom and t of them By SIMON MUNTEMBA Evidencetryproved that from dedto stop Christian rs. To Page 3 icating Zambia to Christianity, Chishimba Kambwili T is unacceptable for for- says Bishops Council of Zambia forged docBishop Able mer Archbishopproduced Telesphore secretary-general Mpundu to think heuments holds Kaela. contrary to
HH warns of turbulences
KAMBWILI MPUNDU
No one Christian however powerful or educated can stop other Christians from dedicating the country to the creator in Chilufya honour ofTayali Gospel values says
…apologise or else, Mucheleka told [Page 4]
…no market for 42, 000 tonnes I e to n’ …as UPND cries foul over jailing By KETRA KALUNGA
the laws of Story Zam-on Page 3 bia andMrthereSimukonda fore deserved to be jailed.
FARMERS will lose millions of Kwacha in lost income as they are stuck with 42, 000 tonnes of winter maize which they cannot export and from which they expected to generate a profit. This is because the government has not allowed them export the excess harvest. The maize was produced at great cost in irrigation, electricity and chemical input. Government asked farmers to produce about 135, 000 tonnes when there was a grain shortage in the country which led to hiked meal mealie prices. Under the agreement, farmers were to export some of the maize after meeting the local targets. But Government has not sanctioned the move. (To page 3)
‘CONSTITUTE COMMISSION Page 3. ZESCO DENIES ‘Increasing bans movement P3.Govt SOCIETY BUSINESS constituencies Kenyatta and Odinga OFofINQUIRY TO PROBE ACC’ WITH KCM pigs in Isoka will be CONSPIRING easy The two trucks the Scania from South Africa and the Freightliner (right), Zimbabwean PAGE 3 registered where found laden with Mukula tree logs. [Pictures Linda Tembo Soko]
PARK SAFE - ENGINEER See story on Page 4
AFRITANK
with Bill 10’
DECLARE INTEREST, ZRA seizes K1.4m worth MUKUNI of sugar CHALLENGED
IMF talks on again PAGE 2
Why has > 20 years' Expected Lifespan outdoors?
Because it contains double layer with the pale green outer layer and inner layer of> 2.3% Carbon Black - melt compounded into Polyethylene - to block and provide effective protection against the harmful effects of the Sun's Ultraviolet Rays Other features
Mr Zimba
pledge to heal divisions
story on Page 19 Lungu tipped See I won’t to retain powerapologise to Commonwealth in 2021sidelines polls Chitimukulu ZCID on
- Lukulu
dialogue preps
preps We have not yet Farmersdialogue been paid and By SIMON MUNTEMBA See when we story engageon Page 4 them, they are not calls complain Demolish structures Lungu giving us satisfacMarshlands tory answers. Imagine I invested against ConCourt must explain more my K400 so that for I can get help • Mwanakatwe reveals contributing to directors but Mayfair is being unfair on insurance Chilanga us farmers vacancy and this is de-cam-- YALI prayers President Edgar Lungu (centre) talks to Finance Minister Dr. Bwalya Ng'andu floods - Lusambo P.4 talks set for April paigning PF which claims(left) to be and get bail. P4 See on Page 2 Engineering Institution of Zambia president Eng. Abel Ng'andu (right) after a meeting at State firm. P4 pro-poor government. story See story on Page 3 House yesterday. - Picture By SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE Double layer tank, 100% virgin food grade material, Corrugated walls for extra strength, 5 Years warranty against the manufacturing defect Side Manhole access, ease of inspection and installation
PAGE 4
AFRITANK is the part of AquaSanTec group of companies, the Most trusted brand in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and South Sudan market, As a group over 30 years legacy in manufacturing of water storage tanks.
C6098
Mr. Lusambo
Senior Chief Mukuni
SENIOR Chief Mukuni should declare interest in matters surrounding the 1990s privatisation process as he is believed to have acquired shares in Sun International, Government deputy chief whip, Tutwa Ngulube has said (To page 3)
STORY ON PAGE 4
Mr Ngulube
STORY ON PAGE 3
2
Friday 16, October 2020
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Lungu hails, prods UNZA By KALOBWE BWALYA PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has urged the University of Zambia (UNZA) to continue being a place for knowledge generation for the benefit of the future generation. President Lungu said the institution would only do so if it continued to advance in the area of infrastructure development, research output and scholarship provision. The head of state however observed the importance of the alumni joining hands to give back to UNZA within their abilities. President Lungu said this when he delivered a virtual speech during the UNZA 49th graduation ceremony where 3, 691 graduates were conferred with postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in various fields and disciplines graduated yesterday. He however noted that such initiatives required partnering with the alumni to join hands to support the institution. And President Lungu said as a graduate of UNZA, he had benefited from the training he received from UNZA School of Law. He explained that he had acquired the development skills which have enabled him to assume various leadership positions including service
to the people of Zambia as President. Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Dr Brian Mushimba said UNZA would only continue getting better than it is now if all make an effort to give back either materially, financially and indeed through provision of the necessary moral support to management and staff. Dr Mushimba said this year’s theme “Resilient academic excellence amidst global challenges” continues to be relevant in enabling the university to respond to the challenges that have prompted all higher learning institutions to adopt alternative modes of learning. Dr Mushimba urged managements in all universities to create structures that would ensure sustainability in delivery of e-learning during and beyond the covid-19 outbreak. He commended the UNZA management for responding swiftly amidst the health crisis by moving into alternative modes of course delivery predominantly featuring e-learning which is supposed to be embraced by all . Dr Mushimba said the academic staff need to move with the times and quickly embrace the new normal in delivery of higher education services. He challenged all computer science experts in the universities to develop robust home grown e-learning solutions and other related applications to enhance the delivery systems
‘INCREASING CONSTITUENCIES WILL BE EASY WITH BILL 10’ By PETER SICHALI
I
NCREASING the number of constituencies can easily be done through the Constitution amendment bill number 10 of 2019, PF Chief Whip Brian Mundubile has said. UPND however indicated that delimitation of constituencies and wards does not need Bill 10. Mr Charles Kakoma, the UPND spokesperson, said parliament could instead amend clauses in the current constitution to allow for the creation of more constituencies. But Mr Mundubile maintained that increasing the number of constituencies could be done easily if Bill 10 was enacted into law Mr Mundubile said increasing the number of constituencies would be easy once the constitution was amended
Mr Kakoma
Mr Mundubile
through Bill number 10 of 2019. He said bill 10 seeks to answer to aspirations of the people on delimitation through amending article 68 which restricted the number of
constituencies to 156. "This is why we need the bill to be passed into law,” Mr Mundubile stated. Mr Mundubile, who is also Mporokoso Member of
Bill 10 second reading set By OLIVER SAMBOKO
PARLIAMENT will this monthend vote on Constitutional Bill no 10 which seeks to remove lacunas in the Republican constitution. Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia,
Cecilia Mbewe stated in a statement to Millennium Radio that the House will consider the second reading stage of the Constitution amendment Bill of 2019 on Thursday, October 29, 2020. She advised all Members of Parliament to be physically present at the main Parliament Buildings on the date to facilitate voting. Ms Mbewe said while members of Parliament were free to follow proceedings from other places with good internet connectivity, MPs should ensure they are at the main building on the announced day. She also advised the public to follow the proceedings on Parliament television and radio or other available platforms.
Mining firm seeks judicial review over licence By GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA
More want locals to exploit gold By SILUMESI MALUMO
MORE stakeholders have continued to call on Government to come up with a marshal plan and invest more in gold mining in order to quickly improve the welfare of the country. Golden Party of Zambia (GPZ) said Government should empower citizens in order for them to get involved in gold mining so that poverty levels could drastically reduce. GPZ president, Jackson Silavwe, said Zambia was endowed with huge deposits of gold and Zambians should be given an opportunity to exploit the resource. Mr Silavwe said that the poverty levels in the country were worrying and the onus was upon the Government to redress the situation. He said instead of engaging foreign investors, Zambians should be encouraged to exploit the resource. Mr Silavwe said this was time for the Government to help the people who were languishing in poverty. “Zambia we are country were when discover gold we want to find a strategic partner who would want to invest millions of dollars which we have in our reserves. “As a party we ae saying we need to move out of the idea of it can be business as usual, we need to start doing something for our people in order to reduce the poverty levels,” he said. Mr Silavwe said the gold discovered in North-western, Eastern Provinces among other areas should be exploited by locals.
KPR Investments Limited has applied for judicial review in the Lusaka High Court over Mines and Minerals Development Minister Richard Musukwa’s failure to adjudicate on its appeal against the decision of the Mining Licensing Committee not to renew its mining licence. The mining company has cited Mr Musukwa and the Committee (MLC) as respondents in the matter. KPR Investment based in the Copperbelt is seeking a declaration that the minister’s failure to adjudicate on its appeal against the decision of the MLC not to renew mining licence 16993-HQ-LEL and also to revoke mining licence 17339-HQ- LEL violates the values and principles of public services contained in article 173 of the Constitution. KPR is also seeking a declaration that the decision by the MLC not to renew the licence 16993-HQ-LEL violates the values and principles of public service contained in article 173 of the Constitution. It also wants a declaration that the decision by the Committee to revoke its
licence 17339-HQ-LEL and issue 27127-HQ-LEL in favour of Mukula Mines Investments limited covering the same area as that previously covered by licence 17339-HQ-LEL while it’s appeal against the decision to revoke the licence is pending determination by the minister violates the values and principle of public service contained in article 173 of the Constitution. Other reliefs being sought include an order of manadmus directed to Mr Musukwa to immediately adjudicate the applicant’s appeals of February 3, 2020 the decision of the committee to not renew licence 16993-HQ-LEL and of July 13, this year against the decision of the committee to revoke licence 17339-HQ-LEL respectively. An order of certiorari to remove the Mining Licence Committee decision,the subject of the application into the High Court for the purpose of quashing it. If leave to apply is granted, KPR Investments wants the leave to operate as a stay of the committee’s decisions and all proceedings in relation to the application W.W. and S Investments limited for mining rights in respect of mining licence over the same
or similar area as that covered by their mining licence 16993-HQ--LEL. KPR wants a hearing of the application before the judge, an order of costs and that all necessary and consequential direction be given. This is according to the notice of application for leave to apply for judicial review filed in the Lusaka High court. The applicant said it owned four exploration license obtained between 2013 and 2016 which includes the 17339-HQ-LEL and 16993-HQ-LEL. It stated that large scale exploration licence 16993HQ—LEL covered until its recent cancellation an area of 770452384 hectare in the Copperbelt. And it stated that large exploration licence 17339-HQLEL covered until its recent cancellation an area of 441199 hectares overlapping the Kalulushi and Lufwanyama districts of Zambia. KPR contended that there was duty at common law to consult the firm before the decisions were made by the committee on the non-renewal of 16993-HQ-LEL contained in the letter dated December 3 2019 and to revoke licence 17339-HQ-LEL.
Parliament, observed that some constituencies such as Chilubi had lagged behind in development due to vastness and limited resources. He said the delimitation would be a catalyst in accelerating development hence the need for Bill 10 to be supported by all MPs. “Those against Bill 10 are simply denying the people in areas like Chilubi development because they are delaying the delimitation process,” Mr Mundubile said He it was not easy for people in places such as Chilubi and Malole constituencies to appreciate development because the areas are too vast. Mr Mundubile said this when he held meeting with village headmen and women in Chilubi District at which the traditional leadership called for delimitation of the constituency to enhance development in the area.
Hunt on for agro inputs smugglers By SILUMESI MALUMO WE are working with the police to arrest farmers selling farming inputs accessed under the Farmer’s Input Support Programme (FISP) to neighbouring countries, Muchinga Province Minister Malozo Sichone has said. Last week, Agriculture Minister, Michael Katambo, directed the police in the province to arrest farmers selling subsidised farming inputs in Tanzania and other neighbouring countries. But Mr Sichone said the provincial administration was following the matter closely with the police to bring culprits to book. He said in an interview yesterday that he was aware that there was a cartel involved in the scam, which was working with some crooked officers from the Ministry of Agriculture. The minister said some crooks had formed cooperatives and accessed farming inputs which they were now selling but indicated that their days were numbered. “So as we speak the police are on the ground trying to help us to investigate this matter so that these individuals are brought to book because we cannot allow this kind of illegality,” Mr Sichone said. He said that all channels would be used to ensure that unscrupulous individuals were arrested.
DAILY
Friday October 16, 2020
HH WARNS OVER KAMBWILI From Page 1 Mr Musoma said rather than pouring scorn on a judicial outcome which was based on facts, Mr Hichilema should start preparing his answers for the privatisation commission of inquiry. The UPND has cried foul over the jailing of NDC leader, Chishimba Kambwili, who they had hoped to use as a vehicle to win the northern circuit vote in next year's general election. In his Facebook post, Mr Hichilema warned of turbulences, “Our thoughts are with our brother, Chishimba Kambwili. Remain strong as this is a passing phase. We encourage our citizens to be fully supportive of each other. There will be lots of turbulence phases during this period of reclaiming our freedoms.” And UPND Secretary-General, Stephen Katuka, said the opposition party was displeased with the conviction of Mr Kambwili. He said while the party respected the decision of the court in an ideal environment, the circumstances under which the justice system was dispensed left much
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to be desired. Mr Katuka accused Magistrate David Simusamba of biasness in the manner he adjudicated the matter. Mr Kambwili was convicted and jailed for forgery and uttering a false document in relation to the registration of Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services. He said UPND expected that Mr Simusamba wold recuse himself from handling Mr Kambwili's matter knowing well that the now convict had complained to the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC). "While the courts are supposed to be making decisions without interference, it is a well-known fact that Magistrate Simusamba had issues with Dr Kambwili and should not have continued presiding over the Kambwili case," Mr Katuka said. Mr Katuka also said it was against the rules of natural justice to be subjected to a magistrate who had issues with an accused. He said the magistrate should have handled the matte fairly having been reported to the JCC by the same litigant who was to continue appearing before him. "For us, the decision to convict Dr Kambwili was more of a personal and political matter than a legal one. It is political in the sense that Edgar Lungu has taken legal battles, in a subtle manner, to all those who oppose him. “It is personal because Kambwili reported Simusamba to the Judicial Complaints Commission," he said.
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SOCIETY BUSINESS PARK SAFE - ENGINEER BY PRISCA LUMINGU-BANDA
S
OCIETY Business Park is safe to trade in as the strength of the columns which were affected is being doubled and works are now at 74 percent completion, independent engineer, Henry Musonda who was contracted to investigate the cracks that developed on the newly constructed building, has said. Mr Musonda of Killian Musonda and Associates said only 160 columns of the 774 column building need strengthening and that the extent of the damage was nothing unusual. This follows claims by the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) when they paid a courtesy call on President Edgar Lungu yesterday that 1,200 columns of the Business Park had developed cracks. The claims prompted the Head of State to declare the building ‘a death trap’. Mr Musonda however said in an interview that contrary to the claims by EIZ, the entire building of Society Business Park only had 774 columns and not the 1200 alluded to by EIZ. “It’s not true that 1200 columns had cracks because the entire building only has 774 columns and only 1
column had cracks out of the 160 columns that needed strengthening,” he said. Mr Musonda explained that the weak columns might have been as a result of an oversight by the consultants or because the concrete material which was supplied was not strengthened to the requested level. He said the damage to the building was not unusual in construction, assuring that Society Business Park was safe to trade in. And the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA), the owners of the building said EIZ had given President Lungu a wrong picture of what was obtaining on the ground. NAPSA director general, Yollard Kachinda, who confirmed that the building did not have 1600 columns said the latest engineering report issued in September indicated that remedial works were on course. Mr Kachinda said that EIZ had been invited to oversee the works but had declined citing oversight role. He said all the reports from the independent engineer had been made available to EIZ. NAPSA director of engineering, Phillip Muyumbana also dispelled claims that 1,200 columns were af-
fected, saying the building only had 774 columns. During the courtesy call, EIZ president Abel Ng’andu told President Lungu that about 1,200 of the 1,600 columns had failed the strength test. Eng Ng’andu said that the technical audit that was carried out by EIZ revealed the claimed outcome. He said EIZ was proactive and that the institution would take action against the consultants and contractors involved. Eng Ng’andu also recommended that the office block of the building be closed because the building still had cracks. In response, President Lungu said that engineers should be held accountable for their wrong actions. He said it was sad that some buildings have become death traps due to poor engineering works. Last year it was reported that one of the columns, identified as column no 5 had failed and that the mode of failure was crushing near the joint between the column and roof slab. In 2011, Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and NAPSA entered into a 20-year concession agreement using a public-private partnership procurement model for the $100-million redevelopment.
Conviction disqualifies Kambwili BP ZAMBIA PENSION By IRVIN MUYUMBWA THE conviction and jailing of National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili by the Lusaka magistrates court disqualifies him from contesting as President or any other political office, Lusaka lawyer Tutwa Ngulube has said. Mr Ngulube who is Kabwe Central Member of Parliament and Deputy Parliamentary Chief Whip says the constitution read with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and Electoral Process Act, disables Mr Kambwili from standing as a candidate or being employed on the basis of the conviction. Mr Ngulube told Millennium Radio yesterday that
this disqualification can only not stand if the conviction slapped on him by Lusaka Magistrate David Simusamba is over-turned by a higher court on appeal. He said on this basis of being a convict, Mr Kambwili cannot even be allowed by the Electoral Commission of Zambia to file in nominations. If you are serving any jail sentence, you are disqualified not just standing from standing as a candidate and even from getting any job in the country. “Once found guilty by the court of law and unless the conviction is overturned by a superior court on appeal, the conviction remains a disability and a disqualification at
Mr Ngulube the same time,” Mr Ngulube said. So legally speaking, he said,
Police are compromised - UPND By PETER SICHALI and KALOBWE BWALYA THE police are compromised because they are getting instructions from the PF Government, UPND Secretary-General Steven Katuka has said. Meanwhile, Inspector General of police Kakoma Kanganja has ordered the arrest of UPND cadres who allegedly attacked two police officers in Mpika on Wednesday. On Wednesday, violence broke out as UPND President Hakainde Hichilema was returning to Lusaka from Kasama escorted by his entourage.
Mr Katuka has since urged Inspector General of police, Kakoma Kanganja, to take responsibility for the violence taking place in the country and protect all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. He however blamed the PF Government for what he termed as abuse of the police. "We know that Kanganja is just acting on instructions from above. We blame the establishment and the PF for the abuse of the Zambia Police Service," Mr Katuka said. Mr Katuka said the UPND would ensure that the police are protected through institutional reforms, when it forms
Government. He urged the Inspector General of Police not to accuse UPND members of violence even before investigations were done. "Such statements simply arm twist officers tasked with investigations," he added. Mr Katuka distanced UPND from allegations that they attacked people in Muchinga province, stating that Mr Kanganja was contradicting himself by directing the police to arrest UPND cadres whom he accuses of attacking people in Lavushimanda. At the same time, he said, the Inspector General of police was directing his officers
you are disabled. You can not be allowed to stand, it is a disqualification, for presidency and any political office. The conviction has the ability to deprive you of the privilege to stand as a candidate. The mere fact that you are a convict, ECZ can not even allow you file in nominations. “No time frame, according to article 100, once convicted, it’s done. Unless he appeal and the court set aside the ruling (conviction) after considering evidence. But in Kambwili’s case, he might get more years after his appeal because the Judge was very lenient with him. For the crimes he commited, he was actually supposed to be jailed for not less than seven (7) years,” Mr Ngulube said.
to investigate the attack. "How do police arrest people before carrying out investigations?" he wondered. Mr Katuka said it was surprising that when PF cadres were repelled by those they attack, Mr Kanganja would issue a statement but when UPND members were attacked, no statement would be issued. And MR Kanganja has directed Muchinga province Commissioner of police, Joel Njase, to act immediately. Mr Kanganja reminded all politicians in the country that the police would not want to see anyone commit crimes under the veil of politics. Police, he said, would ensure that all those that took part in violence were dealt with accordance with the law.
CASE ADVANCES By NATION REPORTER THE Assessment hearing of the Pension matter involving 236 retirees from BP Zambia Plc (now Puma Energy Zambia Plc) finally recommenced in the Lusaka High Court yesterday before Aridah Chulu. The Supreme Court of Zambia sitting in Ndola on December 18, 2018 referred the matter back to assessment after hearing the appeal against the first assessment of April 2016. The court stated that in the circumstances of the case, they would refer this matter back to the learned Registrar of the High Court for assessment of the moneys due to the Respondents under a referee. “In view of the complexity of the computations required to be done, we direct that the Registrar should invoke Order XXIII of the High Court Rules to appoint a Referee to do the said computations. The Referee must be a qualified Actuary. We order that both parties must share the cost of the Actuary equally.” At yesterday’s hearing, both parties agreed that the best way to proceed with the matter would be to appoint a qualified Actuary to compute the benefits as ordered by the Supreme Court. Earlier on, the plaintiffs had submitted two proposals of Actuaries who met the qualifications specified in the Pension Scheme Regulation Act of 1996 and as amended by
Act 27 of 2005. The defendant’s lawyers confirmed before the court that they would pick one of the Actuaries proposed by the Plaintiffs’ lawyers who will then be endorsed by the court on November 9, 2020. Both of the proposed Actuaries are from South Africa because the pension industry in Zambia has not trained any local Actuary for a long time. Zambian courts have passed four judgments favourable to the BP Zambia pensioners; October 18, 2010 in the High Court of Zambia, February 26, 2014 in the Supreme Court of Zambia, April 4, 2016 in the Deputy Registrar’s Assessment and 18 December 2018 for the second time in the Supreme Court of Zambia. The BP Zambia Pension case started in July 2002. Since then, 107 of the 236 Plaintiffs have died leaving their families in abject poverty.
In view of the complexity of the computations required to be done, we direct that the Registrar should invoke Order XXIII of the High Court Rules to appoint a Referee to do the said computations. The Referee must be a qualified Actuary. We order that both parties must share the cost of the Actuary equally.”
Friday October 16, 2020
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CHITIMUKULU WARNS AGAINST POLITICAL AGITATORS SEEKING POWER AT ALL COSTS By NATION REPORTER
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P
SAFE ENGINEERING THE Engineering Institute of Zambia has been found wanting and they are scrambling to find reasons to make themselves relevant. It is obvious that something is wrong when the institution has to wait for the republican President to complain for them to start highlighting wrongs. Wrongs which have in this instance been not only dispelled but rubbished by the building engineers and the owners. The Daily Nation was indeed concerned to learn that the Society Business Park, which houses among others, a hotel and bank, has been running in a not so safe condition as revealed by the EIZ and decided to investigate the matter further. After contacting not only the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA), the owners of the building and the engineers engaged to investigate the cracks, we discovered that the EIZ was less than truthful in their report to the President. What we discovered was that the building does not have the 1, 600 columns that were stated by the EIZ, but 774 of which 120 were found wanting and have since been worked on and near completion. NAPSA are not amused that the EIZ had given President Lungu a wrong picture of what was obtaining on the ground with regard to the Society Business Park building. If the building is not safe, why is it still being used? NAPSA director general, Yollard Kachinda, who confirmed that the building did not have 1, 600 columns the latest report issued last month indicated that everything was on course. Mr Kachinda wondered where EIZ got its ‘false’ report on Society Business Park ongoing works. During the courtesy call, EIZ president Abel Ng'andu told President Lungu that it was about 1, 200 columns that failed out of 1, 600 columns which were tested. Eng Ng'andu said that the technical audit that was carried out revealed the claimed outcome. What is perplexing however is why the EIZ would have allowed the building to continue housing businesses with thousands of people plying their trade there and many others shopping therein, knowing well that the structure or part of it was not safe. It is this hypocrisy by professionals that we find most unsettling as it is a betrayal of the trust that ordinary Zambians repose in the people who are supposed to certify the safety of buildings. The EIZ revelations of wrongs is actually an indictment against themselves because this is a team that should have been working to ensure that wrongs are corrected and those not adhering to rules are sanctioned. That is what we expect from professional bodies. And now that their report to State House has been challenged, we await to hear their justification for not knowing the details of Society Business Park and in particular how many columns the building actually has. Henry Musonda, an independent engineer contracted to investigate the cracks that developed on the newly constructed building, yesterday countered the EIZ report insisting that the Society Business Park is safe to trade in as the strength of the columns which were affected is being doubled and works are now at 74 percent to completion. Mr Musonda of Killian Musonda and Associates said only 160 columns of the 774 column building need strengthening and that the extent of the damage was nothing unusual. This follows claims by the EIZ when they paid a courtesy call on President Lungu yesterday that 1, 200 columns of Business Park had developed cracks. The claims prompted the Head of State to declare the building “a death trap,” which indeed it would be if more than 70 percent of the structure was not safe. And this is where we call into question the conduct and work of the EIZ, if they could allow a faulty building to continue being utilised after discovering serious lapses. We would advise the EIZ to firstly put its house in order and ensure that the work of its members speak for them. It is also flabbergasting that the cost of road infrastructure development are so high in Zambia compared to other countries in the region. It is not only President Lungu who is shocked with this development but many Zambians have been complaining and some assume that politicians were benefitting from such projects. Had President Lungu not highlighted the engineering shoddy works that he found during his tour of Lufwanyama on the Copperbelt, the country would have continued being subjected to the same mediocrity. Professional bodies entrusted with serious responsibilities have a duty to act faithfully and fairly on behalf of the many Zambians who rely on their expertise.
DAILY
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Paramount Chief Chitimukulu
ARAMOUNT Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba speaking people has warned Zambians to be wary of political agitators seeking State House at any costs. Speaking when former Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda, paid a courtesy call on him, the traditional leader called for peace and
unity in the country saying no one should be allowed to promote tension in the country. “Let us not be excited by political agitators who want to enter State House with or without votes. Political differences should always exist but within the parameters of peace,” he said. The traditional leader has also advised political leaders to always preach peace and not to harbour hatred in their hearts saying those that move with hate are just wasting
Marshlands directors get bail By SILUMESI MALUMO LUSAKA Magistrate Alice Walusiku has refused to restore summons for the three Marshlands Consortium Limited directors charged with forgery but has instead granted them K10, 000 bail each. Magistrate Walusiku said yesterday that the accused would each bring two working sureties in managerial positions. In the matter, three Marshlands Consortium Limited di-
rectors are facing 15 counts of forgery, obtaining money by false pretenses and uttering false documents. The accused are Tobias Milambo 48, Nachi Musonda 33, and Richard Lubemba 31. During the last sitting, the accused’s lawyers Osborne Ngoma applied that the accused be restored back on summons the court had revoked. Mr Ngoma said the summons should be restored because the accused were remorseful for their actions and asked him to apologise on
Govt has asked for time over debt, minister tells Parley By SILUMESI MALUMO GOVERNMENT has appealed to its creditors to support its request for the six months debt stand still to give relief to the budget. Minister of Finance Bwalya Ng’andu indicated that the stand still would give Government space to develop a long term debt restructuring strategy. The minister said therefore the bond holders to this effect were expected to cast a vote on Zambia’s request for a debt stand still.
If Zambia fails to reach an agreement with its commercial creditors, he said, including Eurobond holders on the terms of appropriate stand still the country with its limited fiscal space would be unable to make payments and therefore fail to foster accumulation of the debt. He said this was why Government was calling upon the bond holders to support the government’s efforts for the request for a stand still for the period of six months. “I want to emphasise the country’s desire to enter into a
‘ICT key in farming’ By OLIVER SAMBOKO In Chisamba TIMELY sharing of information on new technologies that help farmers to make good decisions is key in ensuring agricultural production for improved household incomes, food security and nutrition security, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo has said. Mr Katambo was speaking in a speech read by Central Province Permanent secretary Bernard Chomba at this year's seed fair being held at The Golden Valley Agriculture Research Trust (GART) in
Chisamba under the theme "Technology Diversity In A Changing Environment". Mr Katambo said Government was pleased that the fair has come at an opportune time when farmers in the country were about to start planting for the 2020/2021 farming season. He said the fair was important as it was going to equip the farmers and ensure that they are exposed to new and improved Agricultural innovations. He said Government has the mandate to ensure that the country achieve the vision 2030 and the core objective of
their behalf. “They have committed themselves to present themselves before this honourable court as and when required,” he said. But the prosecutors objected to the application on grounds that they were not comfortable. Public prosecutor Noah Mwanza said in an event bail is granted in the alternative the court should give the accused conditions that would not disrupt court proceedings or bring the court’s name into disrepute.
constructive, transparent and equitable dialogue with all our creditors as we undertake the debt restructuring process aimed at restoring debt sustainability. We had engagements with bond holder committee through our advisors and we are currently responding to questions that are being raised from the presentation of a stand still. “The government has requested all its external creditors to agree to debt service suspension on the similar terms during the stand still period, the only foreign denominated debt that Zambia will continue paying on a current basis is debt from multilateral agencies and debt from few priority projects,” Dr Ng’andu said.
the Seventh National Development Plan. "The seed fair is therefore in line with the broad theme of the 7NDP which underscores creation of a diversified and resilient economy for sustained growth and social-economic transformation through Agriculture," he said. Mr Katambo also said Government was aware of the negative impact caused by the effects of climate change. ove national food security. And GART Board of trustees chairman Benson Chishala said GART will continue closely following Government pronouncements on Agriculture in recognizing that sector was one of the key drivers for economic development in the country.
time. “Political leaders should preach peace because the person who gates hurt is the one who is harboring hate and not the one they hate,” he said. He advised Zambians never to lose the country’s cherished peace even for a minute. The Mwinelubemba also admonished politics of tribalism saying the vice had no place in Zambian society which is a diverse nation-state where people freely engage in inter-tribal marriages.
ZRA seizes K1.4m worth of sugar By SANFROSSA MANYINDA ABOUT 3, 360 bags of sugar worth K1.4 million have been seized in the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) operation in Chingola. The ZRA cracked down an attempted smuggling-transit fraud of sugar packed in 50kg bags, offloaded in the mining town on the Copperbelt. According to ZRA, the sugar was imported from Brazil and was reported to be going to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The sugar was offloaded at a warehouse on plot number 1846, Lulamba Road, instead of proceeding to the DRC. ZRA Commissioner General, Kingsley Chanda, said that the five South African registered trucks that were involved in the transit fraud had already exited the country at the time information was given. "We are however on guard and we can assure you that we will seize the trucks and forfeit them to the state once found in the country," he said. Mr Chanda warned that ZRA would not tolerate any form of smuggling as it was counterproductive to economic growth. He explained that smuggling was a serious offence and a security risk to the country because authorities would not know what was usually brought in. Mr Chanda said it was unfortunate that despite Government spending huge sums of money on sensitization programmes, people had continued with the illegal trend. And ZRA Commissioner Customs, Sydney Chibbabbuka, said that officers would continue with enforcement activities across the country to lessen transit fraud.
DAILY
Friday 16 October, 2020
Riot ensues at Ng’ombe school as NRC issuance is suspended By BUUMBA CHIMBULU CLASSES at Ng’ombe Primary School in Lusaka were yesterday disturbed following a riot which erupted when the insurance of National Registration Cards (NRCs) ended prematurely. The NRC issuance ended without prior notification of the public who alleged that they had been duped after paying bribes of between K200 and K500 to obtain the cards to unknown people. The fracas resulted into property damage including a vehicle for the school Head Teacher who, together with other teachers, were reportedly injured. A check by the Daily Nation team yesterday around 12:00 hours found that the gates for the school were closed with pupils roaming around the area in their uniforms. One of the parents interviewed, Juliet Mwamba who is a Ng’ombe resident, narrated that she found people rioting at the office around 05:00 hours when she took her son for NRC
registration. “I took my son to register for an NRC and we found people in charge had already left the place, we were told that they will be there for a month. They were supposed to leave on Friday [today] and not today [yesterday]. “We found a problem there where some people broke property including a vehicle for the School Head Master so that is how my son and I went back home. That was around 05:00 hours,” Ms Mwamba said She said some people who had paid to obtain NRCs were told that they would collect their cards yesterday. “Some people were charging people to obtain NRCs, some people were paying K200 and K500. That is how people who paid got upset and started rioting. I am very annoyed, I woke up around 05:00 hrs in the morning only to be disappointed,” she said. Another resident, Michael Nkandu, urged Government to find other places where the issuances of NRCs would be conducted from to avoid disturbing pupils. Mr Nkandu said: “Government should find other places to issue NRCs from because pupils are being disturbed. They should find some other places because our children will continue staying home, stop learning and forget about school.
Kapata calls for protection of trees By NOEL IYOMBWA LACK of awareness on the importance of trees has led to deforestation, Land and Environmental Protection minister Jean Kapata has said. She, therefore, called for increased awareness campaigns on the importance of trees and generally the need to protect the environment. Ms Kapata said that lack of education and awareness on the causes of climate change had exerted pressure on the environment. The Minister was speaking during the launch of community planting trees and establishment of plant nurseries in Mandevu constituency in Lusaka. She said that every citizens should play a role in protecting the environment by planting trees. The minister stated that Government would fully support organisations with initiatives aimed at saving the environment. Ms Kapata noted that it was the responsibility of every citizen in the country to ensure that they protected the environment they live in.
And Savanna Zambia Executive Director, Nkole Mwamba, lamented that environment and natural resources were a great gift given to human kind as treasure of enhancing economic health, social and physical well-being. He observed that pollution of water and air and destruction of natural habitats threatened the continuation of life. Mr Mwamba explained that for life to flourish in a suitable environment, an appropriate balance of climate, water, soil and air was required. The executive director stated that destruction of forests resulted in loss of animal habitats as well as loss of plants species. Mr Mwamba pledged that his organization would strengthen and continue partnership with all partners in protecting the environment. "We will embrace establishment of communities plants nurseries building collaboration and linkages with stakeholders to ensure there is value addition to our forest products. "We will strengthen community neighbourhood with the ministry of lands and partners in protecting of the environment," he said.
HOME NEWS
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KAMBWILI SHOULD HAVE GOT LONGER SENTENCE - TAYALI By SIMON MUNTEMBA
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AM happy with the conviction of Chishimba Kambwili over the crimes he committed but I expected him to have been given more years, Chilufya Tayali has said. Meanwhile, Mr Tayali who is Equity and Economic Party (EEP) president said the UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema should not be allowed to be republican President because he has caused a lot of suffering to Zambians through privatization. He said this at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday in reaction to the jailing
of NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili, who yesterday started serving his 12 months with hard labour. Mr Tayali who welcomed the conviction said he expected Kambwili to have been jailed for more years. “I am happy with the way Lusaka Principal Resident Magistrate David Simusamba handled the case. But I was expecting more years on ba Kambwili not the 12 months jail sentence,” Mr Tayali said. Mr Tayali had reported Kambwili to police for registering Mwamona Engineering Company using a fake name. He observed that if the convict was remorseful, he might not have been jailed, but allegedly continued
intimidating and insulting people for his personal aggrandizement. He warned that he could get even three years if he would appeal a straightforward matter that had concrete evidence against him. “Kambwili will not succeed with his appeal. The case is straight forward. It is water tight. Even if HH was a judge, he would not have acquitted Kambwili because the evidence was very solid,” he said. Mr Tayali clarified that he was not sponsored by the ruling party to take Kambwili to court, but that he did it to fight corruption after getting a tip from the people the convict was threatening.He said the ruling party had nothing to
do with Kambwili’s case and added that: “People should actually congratulate me for exposing Kambwili's wrongs with evidence.” “I started this case when he was in Government but no progress was made till he was fired. This has been my legal battle to make leaders accountable and I will continue. In fact, there are two ministers on my list of those currently serving, I will pounce on them whenever they will be out, especially when I will be President,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Tayali said Mr Hichilema was a wrong person and should not be allowed to go to State House because of his involvement in the sale of State assets.
Lungu decries low productivity By ANDREW MUKOMA
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has challenged the Zambia Institute of Human Resource Management (ZIHRM) to explain why it is that Zambian workers are not the most productive in the region. The President said ZIHRM should suggest what should be done at human resource management level in order to ensure that there was productivity at individual and national level. He said that ZIHRM was one of the nation's strategic partners, which should play a critical role in the growth and development of our economy. President implored the institute to take stock of issues affecting productivity at enterprise and national levels and brainstorm ideas of enhancing individual performance and driving high productivity in the economy and globally. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by Justice Minister Given Lubinda during the official
opening of 8th regional summit of the ZIHRM at Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone. "I wish to urge you to make full use of this regional summit and derive maximum professional benefits through networking amongst yourselves as participants and resource persons. “My government attaches significance to the role you play as the Zambia institute of human resource management in ensuring that there is rededication of energies, enhanced knowledge and skills by your members for the efficient delivery of services in both public and private sectors," Mr Lungu said. President Lungu said that the recent covid-19 outbreak compelled organizations to suddenly find new solutions to challenges. "This regional summit has, therefore, come at the right time with the theme “employee value proposition an enabler to attaining strategic goals.” this theme is important in ensuring that the institute is more practically
Chilubi electorate urged to vote for PF By NATION REPORTER THE electorate in Chilubi has been urged to vote for Rosemary Chimbini of the PF for the position of council chairperson. PF election campaign manager in Chilubi, Brian Mundubile, said people in Chilubi should vote for Ms Chimbini to help President
Edgar Lungu achieve his vision of a balanced male-female leadership. Mr Mundubile, who is also Mporokoso Member of Parliament (MP), said President Lungu had always wanted a balanced leadership in his Government and time was now for the people of Chilubi to demonstrate their desire to see more women in
responsive to its mandate and remains relevant to the current socio-economic scenario in the country," he said. He said the Covid-19 pandemic has created a particularly challenging environment for human resource management, with managers having to quickly venture into helping their workforce adapt to and cope with radical changes occurring in the work and social environment. "For example, employees who formerly spent all or most of their time working in their organisation's physical boundaries now have to quickly adjust to virtual work environments or implement new workplace policies and procedures t0 limit human contact.
leadership positions. He said yesterday that Ms Chimbini was an experienced politician and would not fail to uplift the standards of women once given the opportunity to lead Chilubi Town Council. "Women has their own desires to meet in life, they know their own problems but they need the support of their fellow women who understand these problems in order for them to resolve such problems and achieve their goals,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Mundubile bemoaned the vastness of
Chilubi constituency, stating that development would not be easy to deliver, unless it was split through delimitation exercise. He said despite all the infrastructural development in health, education, communication, the road and water transport sectors that the PF government had delivered to Chilubi, many people were likely to be deceived because they could not easily notice that due to the vastness of the area.
Shoprite, Hungry Lion split By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
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Friday 16 October, 2020
COMESA FRAMEWORK RIPE FOR SUSTAINABLE CAPITAL FLOWS By BUUMBA CHIMBULU
THE COMESA regional policy framework will be instrumental in attracting a diversified, sustainable and expanding pattern of external capital flows for all member states. According to Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Director of Banking, Currency and Payment Systems, Lazarus Kamanga, the absence of a comprehensive national policy on financial sector development would usually result in shallow financial markets. Mr Kamanga said this also resulted into relatively low financial literacy and limited financial inclusiveness. He was speaking during a virtual Financial Services Regulators SubRegional Stakeholders Meeting organised by the COMESA Business Council (CBC). "Liquid markets perpetrated by the poor information flow and visibility strategies of the local bourse, little innovation in the design of products, loose regulatory
Mr. Lazarus Kamanga, DirectorBanking, Currency, and Payment Systems, Bank of Zambia coordination mechanisms, and limited mandatory insurance to cover public liability risks have contributed to the underdevelopment of the financial sector," Mr Kamanga said. In respect to Zambia, he said, the Financial Sector Development (FSD) policy expressed the commitment of Zambia to fostering the development of the financial sector. Mr Kamanga said this would be
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VER the past two decades, the Zambian construction industry has experienced noticeable improvements in defining and standardizing both project control and risk management practice. Most of these infrastructure project also present considerable opportunities to contractors and investors, but transparent and corruption pose a major threat to the industry. Most of the major projects taking place aim to boost economic growth and integrate the country into a regional economic hub in terms of the roads, airports and other infrastructure projects. But despite these developments and improvements, most of the projects are still failing to come in on time and under budgets abnormally high rates. And not only that, most projects are been hampered by transparency and corruption risks that are common to major infrastructure projects. Recent case evidence conducted by the Institute of Risk Management Zambia (IRMZA) demonstrates that more than 75% of large complex projects, observed across the construction sector in Zambia, have failed to meet their owner-sactioned objectives. Although a broad range of views have been published as to why these major projects continue to fail at such a high
done through the provision of strategic guidance and oversight. He explained that the policy aimed at having a well-developed, competitive and inclusive financial system that supported efficient resource mobilisation and access to financial services and products by all. "This takes cognisance that a well-developed and functioning financial sector will support the attraction and mobilization of
savings and investments, allocate resources for development, and build the trust and confidence of a wide and diversified consumer base. "For your information, the financial sector in Zambia is dominated by the banking sub-sector, followed by the insurance, pensions, microfinance and capital markets sub sectors," he said. Mr Kamanga said the sector provided a wide variety of financial instruments and constituted the formal financial services, while informal financial services existed in the form of money lenders and savings group. He said the financial sector was critical for contributing to the attainment of sustainable economic development and ultimately poverty reduction. "This may be achieved through avenues such as provision of efficient payment systems for financial transactions and enhancement in efficiency of investments," Mr Kamanga said.
SHOPRITE Holdings Group will by the end of this year split from its subsidiary, Hungry Lion Zambia, as it has managed to expand its footprints across the country This means that Hungry Lion Zambia will compete in the market as stand-alone chain. Hungry Lion has continued to expanding its footprint in Zambia with outlets being setup along the line of rail, says Shoprite General Manager-Zambia, Charles Bota, said in an interview. Mr Bota said Shoprite Holdings Group had been working on making the Hungry Lion Zambia into a separate entity. The transition had already been effected in South Africa, where the restaurant was operating as separate entity. “Hungry Lion was a subsidiary of Shoprite but now Hungry Lion has split up and has gone into its own arrangement with now 100 per cent shareholding. In South Africa they have split up completely as separate entity. “In Zambia Hungry Lion is about to leave the Shoprite Group by the end of this year. They will be on their own,” Mr Bota explained. Meanwhile, Mr Bota said that Shoprite currently had lots of local products on its shelves.
THE RISK FORUM IRMZA
The Institute of Risk Management Zambia
“Helping you manage your risks”
THE BOOMING CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IN ZAMBIA – MANAGING THE RISKS! rate, this article addresses the apparent cynicism being displayed towards existing project risk management effectiveness. Project owners and contractors alike appear to be visibly questioning the return on investment that traditional risk management practices bring to a major project environment. This has been no more evident than during this period when the world is gripped with the pandemic of Coronavirus during which most large project organisations as well as their contract engineering and advisory firms, shed significant numbers of risk management and assurance resources in an effort to lower project overheads. Most of the major organisations that had no choice but to cut really deep dissolved their entire
risk management capability as these resources were assessed as being non-critical to project delivery. In light of the visible construction industry dissatisfaction in Zambia, project risk management needs to evolve to a higher state of effectiveness if it is to regain the confidence of project owners and add demonstrable value to future project delivery. Before such a risk effectiveness revolution can occur, however, a number of negative project phenomena impairing risk management from delivering value in major project environments, will need to be addressed. According to the findings by IRMZA, Government needs to adopt a deeper policy reform to resolve the inertia and also combat corruption, a lack of transparency, and
environmental and social risks, if the sector is to gain any credibility and trust of the public. The findings also point to the influence of Chinese controlled companies which are seen to have a lot of influence and control in the sector hence attracting a lot of questions about the openness of the procurement processes. Managing these risks will require improvements in data reporting and transparency-especially around debt. It will require open Government procurement and adherence to high social and environmental standards. These risks are been exacerbated by limited transparency and openness in the construction industry coupled with the weak economic fundamentals and governance of several participating stakeholders. The first transparency issue
accompanying most major infrastructure projects in Zambia relates to the development of the tender documentation and the importance of effective executive decision-making and oversight (good governance) in attempting to control these risks is well documented. The easiest way for an unfair participant to ensure a good position in the tender is to lobby restrictive requirements. These restrictive requirements on the financial condition of participants as well as requirements on technologies and materials can restrict the number of competing players. This is an areas Government could come in and develop standard recommendations for tenders which should be more or less strict depending on the condition of competition in a particular market.
He said Shoprite only export 12 percent of its products from South Africa and beyond, with 47 percent locally sourced. “What I mean by directly locally source is you make in your backyard or manufacturing plant and it comes straight to us,” Mr Bota said. He said the balance which was around 42 percent was imported goods, which was imported by Zambian firms or agents. Shoprite, he said, was sourcing 88 percent of vegetables from the local farmers. He said about 12 percent of vegetables were being imported because some of the vegetables could not be found in Zambia or they were out of season. "On the fruit section, the situation was much different because of the climatic condition, where certain fruits could not be grown here. Shoprite imports 50 per cent and source another 50 per cent locally. As a result of COVID-19 we are looking at more and more local products," Mr Bota said. He said Shoprite had been engaging with Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Zambia Development Agency, Zambia National Farmers Union and Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry to reach out to local suppliers.
While it maybe challenging to mitigate transparency and corruption risks on major infrastructure projects, developers and Government and especially the National Construction Council (NCC) and the Zambia Public Procurement Agency (ZPPA) can take the necessary steps to minimize potential threats. Government through the Ministry of Infrastructure would also do well in having an effective and efficient control on how they grant projects and their implementation plans. There is also need to widen and develop competition in the sector by building capacity for local players and also giving access to different national and foreign investors. However, the inability for local contractors to learn and/or apply better practices is particularly problematic in the construction sector as it implies a lack of progression in the manner in which advanced risk solutions are brought to bear in advanced project environments. Thus if risk management is to add value to major infrastructure project, Government agencies, project owners and contractors alike should heed the lessons of known better practice, as the cost of ignoring these lessons is potentially greater than the premium of implementing them. For comments and feedback contact: fziba@irmza.org
Friday 16 October, 2020
PwC hit by R653m lawsuit from Botswana supermarket chain Choppies GABORONE - Two senior executives at Botswana supermarket chain Choppies Enterprises are suing former auditors PwC for R653 million for not signing off on the company’s 2018 accounts, which led to a share price collapse. Choppies Chief Executive Officer Ramachandran Ottapathu and Executive Director Ismail Farouk allege that PwC didn’t complete the audit in part to pressure the company to hire PwC director Rudi Binedell as head of finance, according to a statement issued on behalf of the directors. The duo filed the lawsuit at the High Court in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital. Choppies said in September 2018 that it was working with PwC to assess a number of past accounting practices, including around previous acquisitions, that needed independent
verification and legal analysis. That would delay the release of earnings, the retailer said. “PwC confirms that it is currently embroiled in legal proceedings with two directors of our erstwhile client, Choppies Enterprises, which action is defended by PwC,” Gaborone-based director Binedell said in an emailed response to questions. “Out of respect for the court’s process we do not believe it appropriate to comment publicly.” While the lawsuit criticises PwC for being too tough on a client, auditing firms around the world are more often being scrutinised for taking too long to uncover fraud, such as at German payments giant Wirecard AG. In South Africa, the role of accountants was questioned amid the scandal that led to the near collapse of retailer Steinhoff International Holdings NV in late 2017, while KPMG’s work with a family found to be involved in state corruption was also heavily criticised. PwC’s decision had far-reaching consequences for Choppies, which was suspended from Johannesburg’s stock exchange after the earnings delay. – BLOOMBERG NEWS.
China’s economic growth contributes to global recovery BEIJING - As the Golden Week holiday further perked up China’s economy, observers expect China to make greater contributions to global economic recovery and development. The World Bank projected in a report published on its website in June that China’s economy is expected to grow 1.6 percent in 2020 – the only major economy projected to achieve positive growth – while the global economy as a whole will contract 5.2 percent. The Golden Week holiday has given the country’s economic recovery a leg up. Tourist attractions across China received a total of 637 million visits during the holiday. The figure is equal to 79 percent of visits during the holiday last year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Meanwhile, tourism revenue nationwide hit 466.56 billion yuan (US$69.7 billion), 69.9 percent of that in the same period in 2019, according to the ministry.
“Half a billion trips show China’s economy moving past Covid-19,” Bloomberg reported last Friday. Oxford Economics, a British research and advisory group, indicated that China’s share of global GDP will increase by about a percentage point this year, and China’s economy has benefited from its vital role in global supply chains. Even in the face of tense USChina relations, “many U.S. multinationals remain keen to engage with China,” said Louis Kuijs, chief Asia economist at Oxford Economics. He added that China’s moves to facilitate foreign investment in its financial sector is also likely to encourage US companies. US financial services firms BlackRock, Vanguard and JPMorgan have all increased their presence in China recently. A recent survey of US companies with major operations in China found that just 4 percent were relocating their production back to the United States. – XINHUA.
DEBT HEADACHE …Kenya’s debt repayment headache growing daily
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AIROBI - Budget experts now warn that Kenya risks surpassing its Sh9 trillion budget ceiling in the coming years as it continues to borrow heavily to finance the ever-ballooning budget deficits. With at least Sh1 trillion, the gaping hole in the Sh2.79 trillion budget for the 2020/21 financial year, it means that the country will have to borrow heavily from local and foreign markets to finance it. The International Budget Partnership (IBP) in its state of Kenya’s public debt paper; the thin line between a rock and a hard place, notes that
the government has to find ways to reduce the country’s debt repayment burden by restructuring some of its loans. “The country has to reduce commercial borrowing that has been more expensive and with shorter maturity periods,” John Kinuthia and Abraham Rugo, joint managing partners at the IBP, warn in their October 2020 paper. This comes as Kenya’s debt repayment bill grows rapidly with the increasing proportion of ordinary revenue absorbed by debt becoming a serious threat to the country’s critical service provision areas. According to the 2020 Budget Policy Statement
(BPS), the National Treasury has indicated that all additional resources in 2020/21 will be taken up by debt servicing and pensions. In the current financial year, the country is required to repay Sh904 billion in interest accrued from the public debt, which stands at Sh6.7 trillion as at the end of June 2020. The public debt figure is equivalent to about 66 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With the expected dip in revenue collection caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic, the country is staring at difficult times ahead. – DAILY NATION, Kenya.
Post Office looking to sell 'non-core' properties to generate revenue JOHANNESBURG - The cash-strapped South African Post Office (SAPO) was now looking towards selling "non-core properties" and cutting back on expensive property leases to increase revenue which fell sharply in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. SAPO was also looking at increasing income by renting out vacant buildings and relocating to company-owned offices to save on rental costs. This emerged as the SAPO board and acting CEO Reneilwe Langa briefed Parliament's portfolio committee on communications on Tuesday. SAPO had 641 company-owned and 1, 120 leased buildings with the value of its owned properties totalling R2.8 billion.
Langa said SAPO was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown measures. The return of customers to the branches has been slower than anticipated. Business operations are being normalised by clearing the accumulated backlogs. A key focus has been placed on revenue retention
African trade integration is still a far way off, envoy tells Parly JOHANNESBURG African states are progressing with trade regimes that are past due in a bid to bolster trade within the continent, Deputy Director General at the Department of Trade Industry and Competition’s Trade Policy, Negotiations and Cooperation branch Ambassador Xavier Carim told Parliament on Tuesday. The European Union
remains South Africa’s largest trading partner, with 24.5 percent of the country's total exports, and taking on 29.7 percent of SA’s total imports in 2019. The Covid-19 outbreak presented challenges to trade and countries closed up their borders at the height of the pandemic. However, the virus spread more slowly through the African continent that it did
and recovery to bring some financial stability in the short term. She said the turnaround plan was approved in July and would be integrated into the 2021-2022 financial year corporate plan in order to revise the medium-term outlook. "The plan responds to the business correction and recovery over the next
12 months. The positioning of SAPO as an affordable, reliable logistics and delivery company of choice that will attract business from the higher living standards measure (higher income groups). Sustainability and relevance over the long term remains the key priority of the turnaround plan," she said. – NEWS24.
through much of Europe and the United States. Carim told Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry that Africa's share of world trade was small, at about 2.6 percent in 2018. He said intra-Africa trade grew to 16.1 percent of Africa’s total trade in 2018, but this was low compared to intra-Asian trade (59 percent), intra-North American trade (48 percent), and intra-EU trade (67 percent). "Although intra-Africa trade is low, Africa is by far the second-most important export market for most African countries, behind the EU. Seven African countries count Africa
as their main export market and 25 count Africa as their second-most important market," said Carim. Carim said over three-quarters of intra-African trade takes place within regional trading blocs, with intra-Africa trade largely in value-added manufactured products. Carim said SA accounts for 23 percent of total intra-African trade in imports and exports, while African countries were the destination of 26.5 percent of all SA’s exports in 2019, driven largely by the Southern African Development Community region. – FIN24.
UPND violence uncalled for Dear Editor, A MPIKA resident is fighting for his life after violent attacks by UPND cadres in Mununga area on Wednesday. We are committed to uphold the one Zambia, one nation motto, the unifying national slogan the country’s founding fathers pronounced. It is for this reason that the political foes are allowed free access even in areas where UPND president Hakainde Hichilema publicly insulted the Bemba-speaking people. Even under immense provocation, the safety of political opponents is guaranteed and we continue to guard the wellbeing of those we detest and are not satisfied whether they can make good national leaders. During HH’s provocative mission calculated to cause chaos in Muchinga Province, the PF youths stayed away from the opposition and had to let them exercise their constitutional rights. From the conversation we had with PF Muchinga Province youth chairman, Francis Robert Kapyanga, the youth had been restrained from disturbing the opposition procession. However, we find it extremely unfortunate that the UPND had to abuse the ruling party regalia for the sake of fostering their smear campaign. UPND cadres armed with machetes stormed a house of a Mpika resident destroying property and living one person fighting for his life. Mr.Hichilema is said to have been heading back from Northern Province where he had travelled to give support to his deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka and others who were appearing in court. Upon a stop over at Mpika’s Mununga area, his cadres descended on villagers clad in PF regalia, which led to the destroying of one house and brutal attack of a middle aged man. Mr.Hichilema in his Facebook Post has however justified the wrong stating that he intended to visit the party offices in Mpika. We therefore wish to strongly condemn the UPND for dressing their thugs in PF regalia to commit violence. This was calculated to disguise violence and blame it on their opponents.
Friday 16, October, 2020
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THE ‘TRUTH’ ABOUT ZAMBIA’S DEBT Dear Editor,
ZAMBIAN social media platforms, especially WhatsApp groups, were very active yesterday sharing and discussing the publication of the World Bank’s latest International Debt Statistics Handbook. I’ve lost count of the number of friends on WhatsApp who sent me the hyperlink to the download page of the book. Ordinarily, the publication of the Debt Statistics Handbook goes without notice in much of the world and especially in Zambia. So why all this interest this time around? Well, in the last couple of weeks, “Zambia and its debt” has been a topical issue with prominent coverage in the Financial Times and Bloomberg among other international outlets. The latest round of interest comes on the heels of an official request from the Zambian government for a payment holiday on upcoming debt service obligations. So this week’s publication of the World Bank’s International Debt Statistics Handbook (hereafter IDSH) fell into this milieu of strong emotions around Zambia and its debt. So why all the fuss? Well, all the commentary on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook on the the IDSH zeroed in one single statistic reported at the top of page 150: Zambia’s external debt at the end of 2019 was $27 billion dollars! This is certainly a huge number and would suggest that the country’s external debt was almost equal to the size of the country’s GDP. And for many of yesterday’s commentators, this number was evidence that the Zambian government was understating the true nature of its external debt.
from the IDSH that few talked about yesterday and that I had been unaware of. According to page 150 of the IDSH, Zambia’s private sector owes a whopping $14.7 billion to foreign creditors! In other words, private For example, Finance Minister Bwalya The 2019 numbers by the World Bank multinational corporations, private Ng’andu recently told parliament that and from the government are slightly companies and private individuals all external public debt was $11.97 billion different from each other because of domiciled in Zambia collectively owe dollars, a number that is about $15 likely accounting/reconciliation issues. about 54% of Zambia’s Total External billion lower than the World Bank’s Interestingly, government’s number Debt (recall the definition of this from number. for end 2019 is greater by about above). This implies that Zambia’s So what is going on here? The $300million. This might be the result private sector is just as indebted to confusion stems from the conflation of of one public guarantee or the other foreign creditors as the Zambian Total External Public Debt with Total that was not captured by World Bank government is. In actual fact, the private External Debt. The two aren’t the same statisticians. sector owes much more. thing even though they seem like they So in many ways the World Bank’s As a country, we have not debated are. Total External Public Debt (the first IDSH is telling us nothing new beyond and thought about private sector debt as one) refers to all foreign denominated what the government has already told us much as we should. It’s worth engaging debts that are owed by the Zambian regarding the country’s external public with this issue because, for one thing, government. This includes external debt Finance Minister Bwalya Ng’andu debt. economic crises can result from the directly owed by the government and As to whether the $11 billion number recently told parliament that unsustainable buildup of external debt debt guaranteed by the government but external public debt was $11.97 (from both the World Bank and the by the private sector (see the Asian contracted by government or quasigovernment) is to be believed is a billion dollars, a number that is Financial Crisis) just as much as they government entities. different question altogether. can from unsustainable buildup of about $15 billion lower than the For example, Total External Public Debt I have good reason to believe that the public debt. Second, pressure on the World Bank’s number. would include the (in)famous Eurobonds “true” external public debt is around this domestic currency (the Kwacha) can and/or any guarantees issued by the figure. Margaret Mwanakatwe, Ng’andu’s also arise from the demand for foreign government in favour of, for example, the creditors. So what does all this mean immediate predecessor at Finance, currency by the private sector to meet for the publication of the IDSH and the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation instituted a debt reconciliation drive its external debt obligations just as it commentary that followed? Well, the (ZESCO). about two years ago and committed the can from demand by the government. Total External Debt, on the other hand, first thing is that the World Bank and Ministry of Finance to issuing quarterly So in a nutshell, any talks about devising the Zambian government are saying the debt briefings (although the frequency is the sum total of all the external debt a strategy for Zambia’s external debt same thing. owed by entities domiciled in Zambia. of the briefings has reduced lately). should include discussions about The fourth line item on page 150 of This includes debt owed by the Zambian This was in response to heavy domestic external debt held by the private sector. government (as defined above) and that the IDSH says that Total External Public and foreign criticism that the Zambian Debt at the end of 2019 was $11.1 billion government did not know the true extent Notes: is owed by Zambia’s private sector. [1]. Minister Ng’andu told Parliament Total External Debt would include of its debt obligations. It appears the [1] The IDSH refers to it as “Public and on 25th September 2020 that “[total] external debt owed by the government Ministry of Finance has gotten on top Publicly Guaranteed Debt” external public debt stock increased to plus external debt owed to foreign of this issue and, for example, recent Grieve Chelwa teaches economics at US$11.97 billion as at end-June 2020 creditors by, for example, the privatelyIMF statements on the country are no the Graduate School of Business at from US$11.48 billion at the close of run mining industry. longer broaching the subject of debt the University of Cape Town. From 2019...”. As one can see, these numbers By definition, and given the above, reconciliation as they did a couple of 2016 to 2017 he was a postdoctoral are pretty much around the same Total External Public Debt can never years ago. Economist Trevor Simumba, fellow at the Center for African ballpark. exceed Total External Debt. The two however, believes the true extent of Studies at Harvard University. He The June 2020 number, as reported can be equal which would imply that external public debt might be higher holds a PhD in Economics from the by the Minister, is slightly greater than all external debt is government debt. owing to the opacity around debt University of Cape Town. His twitter the 2019 numbers (from the government contraction from China. He might very In practice, Total External Public Debt handle is @gchelwa. itself and the World Bank) because of tends to be lower than Total External well be right. the likely accrual of additional external Debt primarily because the private Before concluding, I want to briefly Authored By: Dr. Grieve Chelwa PhD public debt in the first 6 months of 2020. talk about one aspect that struck me sector also borrows from foreign
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Friday 16, October 2020
North-Western News
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More varsity scholarships coming By ANDREW MUKOMA
A
UNITED States based organisation will be launching a scholarship scheme to a public university and an e-campus to be unveiled in Livingstone. Astria Learning Ed-Tech Solutions Company will also participate at the Zambia Association of Public Universities and Colleges (ZAPUC) International Conference as the platinum sponsor slated for next week in the Tourist Capital. The Tampa-based Ed-Tech Solutions Company has pledged to be an active player in the Zambian economy through partnering with ZAPUC in hosting the 2nd International Conference to be held on 19th to 21st of October, 2020 at Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone. Dr Jeff Bordes, founder and Chief Executive Officer, SAID Astria Learning would contribute to the enhancement of education delivery. Additionally, he said his organisation would contribute to the achievement of the 2030 agenda and 7th National Development Plan through its role as a private sector. This is contained in a statement released to the Daily Nation in Livingstone. Dr Bordes said that was gratifying to be part of Zambia's educational systems and contribute to the nation's growth. He added that he appreciated the relations that public institutions had established with the private sector as well as Government’s continued support to create a conducive environment for the private sector to contribute to the development of the country. The organisation is a partner with over 14 institutions since its establishment in 2012 and has since provided technological solutions to institutions such as University of Zambia, Copperbelt University, Kwame Nkrumah University and other public and private institutions. “Hosting this year’s conference is of utmost importance to the company as the thematic areas of discussion is around Linking Higher Education to Industry/ Private Sector and Financing of higher education challenges and alternative financing options which Astria Learning seeks to actively participate in,” Dr Bordes added. The conference expected to be officially opened by Higher Education Minister, Brian Mushimba, would be held under the theme "Sustainable Development through enhanced linkages between Government, Higher Education and Industry". It will abring together key players in the private sector, academicians and researchers that will dialogue and debate on measures to positively contribute to national development.
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AIRTEL AIRTEL ZAMBIA ZAMBIA AIRTEL ZAMBIA OPENS OPENS 11 NEW 11 OPENS NEW 11 NEW SHOPS SHOPS ACROSS ACROSS SHOPS ACROSS THETHE COUNTRY COUNTRY THE COUNTRY RegionalRegional BusinessBusiness Manager, Manager, Regional Francis Simfukwe, Francis Business Simfukwe, Manager, Francis Simfukwe, Zonal Business Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Mushota Zonal Mushota Business Chama, Chama, Manager, Mushota Chama, officiallyofficially opened opened the Kalulushi theofficially Kalulushi Airtel shop. opened Airtel shop. the Kalulushi Airtel shop. officiallyofficially opened opened the Mkushi theofficially Airtel Mkushi shop. Airtel opened shop. the Mkushi Airtel shop.
AirtelAirtel Zambia Zambia has launched Airtel has launched Zambia its Company has its launched Company its Company Owned Owned Company Company Operated Owned Operated Company (COCO) (COCO) Operated (COCO) Shops Shops in theinfollowing the Shops following Towns in the Towns Towns: : following : MkushiMkushi in Central in Central Province Mkushi Province in Central Province Kalulushi Kalulushi on the on Copperbelt the Kalulushi Copperbelt Province onProvince the Copperbelt Province Mufulira Mufulira on the on Copperbelt the Copperbelt Mufulira Province onProvince the Copperbelt Province Lundazi Lundazi in Eastern in Eastern Province Lundazi Province in Eastern Province Chirundu Chirundu in Lusaka in Lusaka Province Chirundu Province in Lusaka Province Kafue in Kafue Lusaka in Lusaka Province Kafue Province in Lusaka Province Mpika in Mpika Muchinga in Muchinga Province Mpika Province in Muchinga Province Zonal Business Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Ernest Zonal Mulenga, Ernest Business Mulenga, Manager, Ernest Mulenga, officiallyofficially opened the opened Chirundu theofficially Chirundu Airtel Shop. opened Airtel Shop. the Chirundu Airtel Shop.
Sesheke Sesheke in Western in Western Province Sesheke Province in Western Province KaomaKaoma in Western in Western Province Kaoma Province in Western Province
Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Mwansa Zonal Mwansa Business Nchinkulo, Nchinkulo, Manager, Mwansa Nchinkulo, Zonal Business Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Godwin Zonal Katebe, Godwin Business Katebe, Manager, Godwin Katebe,Zonal Business officiallyofficially opened opened the Mpika theAirtel officially Mpika shop. Airtel opened shop. the Mpika Airtel shop. officiallyofficially opened opened the Kaoma theofficially Airtel Kaoma shop. Airtel opened shop. the Kaoma Airtel shop.
ChomaChoma in Southern in Southern Province Choma Province in Southern Province Mazabuka Mazabuka in Southern in Southern Mazabuka Province Province in Southern Province The new The 11new shops 11 dotted shops The dotted across new 11 across the shops country the dotted country are across are the country are providing providing our customers our customers providing with access with our access customers to all our to Airtel allwith ouraccess Airtel to all our Airtel products products and services. and services. products and services. The products The products and services and The services that products are that being and areservices provided being provided that are being provided in these in11 these new11 shops new in include: shops these include: 11 new shops include: • Selling • Selling of Talk-Time/Scratch of Talk-Time/Scratch • Selling Cards/Direct of Talk-Time/Scratch Cards/Direct Cards/Direct Recharge. Recharge.
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Zonal Business Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Samboko ZonalSamboko Business Moole, Moole, Manager, Samboko Moole, officiallyofficially opened the opened Choma theofficially Airtel Choma shop. Airtel opened shop. the Choma Airtel shop.
TerritoryTerritory Sales Executive, Sales Executive, David Territory Shula, David Sales Shula, Executive, David Shula, officiallyofficially opened opened the Mazabuka theofficially Mazabuka Airtelopened Airtelthe Mazabuka Airtel
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• Airtel • Money Airtel Money account account • registration Airtel registration Money and account upgrades. and registration upgrades. and upgrades. • Airtel • Money Airtel Money cash deposits cash • Airtel deposits and Money cash and cash cash deposits and cash withdrawals. withdrawals.
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• Customer • Customer Complaint Complaint • resolution. Customer resolution. Complaint resolution. • 4GPocket • 4GPocket Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi •4GSmartBox and 4GPocket 4GSmartBox Wi-Fi sales.and sales. 4GSmartBox sales. The shops The will shops be will open beThe from open shops 8:00hrs fromwill 8:00hrs –be 17:00hrs open – 17:00hrs from 8:00hrs – 17:00hrs from Mondays from Mondays to Saturdays tofrom Saturdays Mondays and willand remain towill Saturdays remain closedclosed and will remain closed on Sundays. on Sundays. on Sundays. As the As biggest the biggest telecommunications telecommunications As the biggest brand telecommunications in brand in brand in Zambia, Zambia, we willwe continue will continue Zambia, to provide we to provide will ourcontinue customers our customers to provide our customers with the with best the services best services within with the their within best reach. their services reach. within their reach. Sales and Sales Distribution and Distribution Director, Sales Director, Andrew and Distribution Chuma, Andrew Chuma, Director, Andrew Chuma, officiallyofficially opened the opened Kafue the Airtel officially Kafue shop. Airtel opened shop. the Kafue Airtel shop.
Zonal Business Zonal Business Manager, Manager, Kalala Zonal Kawanu, Kalala Business Kawanu, Manager, Kalala Kawanu, RegionalRegional BusinessBusiness Manager, Manager, Regional Francis Simfukwe, Business Francis Simfukwe, Manager, Francis Simfukwe, officiallyofficially opened opened the Lundazi theofficially Lundazi Airtel shop. opened Airtel shop. the Lundazi Airtel shop. officiallyofficially opened opened of the Mufulira of the officially Mufulira Airtelopened shop. Airtelof shop. the Mufulira Airtel shop.
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Free cleft lip surgery on offer By SILUMESI MALUMO CHILDREN with cleft lip and palate have been given renewed hope now that specialist international surgery Charity Smile Train has stepped up its campaign in Zambia. A cleft lip is an opening or split in the upper lip that occurs when developing facial structures in an unborn baby do not close completely. The organisation is urging parents to take advantage of free life-changing surgery and treatment for children with the condition. This is being done in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Arthur Davison Hospital in Ndola, the University Teaching Hospital Beit CURE Hospital in Lusaka. US-base Smile Train had been spearheading similar initiatives in Africa since 2002, treating patients through programmes that provided access to important comprehensive cleft care services. "Bringing hope to families who have felt despair is heartwarming. Seeing a child’s life change after surgery is indescribable,” said Smile Train Programme Director for Southern Africa Sibusisiwe Shyna Yona. She said yesterday that children with untreated clefts
face physical difficulties in eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Saturday Cleft treatment alleviates 25 April, 2020 many of the difficulties, ultimately enabling them to thrive.
“Comprehensive cleft care includes essential treatments beyond cleft surgery, such as nutrition services, orthodontic and general dental care, speech therapy and emotional support, intended to ensure long-term, successful rehabilitation for Smile Train’s cleft patients,” Globally, some 200,000 babies are born every year with cleft lips or palates. Ms Yona said the surgery, which would otherwise be expensive or inaccessible to many Zambian parents, is being done for free at participating public and private hospitals in the country. “Comprehensive cleft care includes essential treatments beyond cleft surgery, such as nutrition services, orthodontic and general dental care, speech therapy and emotional support, intended to ensure long-term, successful rehabilitation for Smile Train’s cleft patients,” Ms Yona said.
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Friday 16 October, 2020
DEFIANT BAR OWNERS WARNED By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
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HE Kitwe City Council has warned of stern action against bars and night clubs owners who have continued holding live shows at their premises amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the council, many drinking places in the city were going against the prescribed guidelines. Council Public Relations Manager, Chola Mwamba, told the Daily Nation that the local authority was working tirelessly to ensure that such places adhered to the health guidelines. "We are surprised to note that some bars and night clubs are still inviting live shows, a thing that was discouraged during this period," she said. Ms Mwamba explained that inviting live shows attracted a huge crowd, thereby defying the social distancing rule. She said that the council would continue inspecting such premises to ensure that there was compliance. She called on members of the public to report any bars and night clubs File Photo: that would be carrying out live shows amidst the pandemic.
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NEWS OF THE WORLD
JUDGE REGRETS …Uganda’s top judge ‘regrets removing president term limit’
K
AMPALA Uganda’s Chief Justice has said he bitterly regrets the removal of presidential term limits from the country’s constitution, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. Justice Alfonse OwinyDollo is quoted as saying the body he was part of made a mistake: “I wept for this country (over) the removal of the presidential term limits. That is where we lost it. The mistake we made in the Constituent Assembly was not to entrench, not to make it difficult for anyone to amend the provisions of the term limits.” Separately, the issue of presidential age limits is controversial because long-standing President Yoweri Museveni is 76 years old, and the limit for re-election was previously capped at 75 until
16 artisanal miners drown in flooded mining field in Moz MAPUTO - At least 16 artisanal gold miners drowned on Monday in northern Mozambique after heavy rains flooded the mining field they were working in, a local television station reported yesterday, while more remain missing. Faruk Satar, a district head in the northern province of Nampula, told the TV station on Wednesday that the miners had drowned after waters surged down a normally dry river bed, flooding the nearby mining field. – REUTERS.
JOHANNESBURG - Health Minister Zweli Mkhize wants powers to restrict South Africans even when there isn’t a national state of disaster in effect. In a hastily organised meeting of the portfolio committee on health on Tuesday evening, Mkhize presented a set of regulations that would give him powers akin to that which the Disaster Management Act confer on the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister during a state of disaster. – NEWS24.
the ruling party successfully campaigned to remove it all together. Uganda’s constitution allows the amendment and removal of the presidential age limit without a referendum - something Justice OwinyDollo appeared to imply is unfair in his interview with the Daily Monitor: “That one, I take responsibility and anybody else
a sugar plant and supermarket chain, a cement factory and buildings and residences. The Wall Street Journal this month cited Angolan President Joao Lourenco as saying the previous regime and its associates siphoned off $23.79 billion from the state, mostly through fraudulent contracts with government-owned companies. Among the targets of the corruption probe are Dos Santos’ children. Meanwhile, Angola opened the hearing of the two high ranking military officers, General “Kopelipa” and
who was in the Constituent Assembly; that we should have secured, entrenched that provision so that if you want to amend that particular article, you would go back to the people. We failed the people of Uganda as a consequence.” Meanwhile, Ugandan opposition MP Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has denied General “Dino,” who are accused of participating in a large corruption scandal. Thanks to their lawyer both generals managed to escape journalists outside the Attorney General’s Office in the capital city Luanda. Their lawyer declined to comment the case that has been making headlines in Angola. Kopelipa the former head of the military house, and General Dino ex- head of communications of the Angolan Armed forces, stand accused of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud. In a case related to a 2.5 billion dollar line of credit opened by Angola’s Industrial and Commercial Bank to the China International Fund (CIF), both Generals close
SA general’s wife charged for fraud JOHANNESBURG - The wife of a senior SA National Defence Force (SANDF) general, Nombasa NtsondwaNdhlovu, was granted R80, 000 bail after appearing at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes court on fraud charges amounting to about R100 million. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Sipho Ngwema, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was arrested on Wednesday morning and later released on condition she made no contact with witnesses. She also had to hand in her passport to the investigating
BRIEFS
Mkhize wants ‘health’ powers
Angola seizes assets of allies of ex president Dos Santos LUANDA - Angolan prosecutors have seized assets belonging to two of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’s closest aides, the latest step in a crackdown on corruption. Assets including a brewery and a vehicle assembly plant held by General Manuel Helder Vieira Dias, known as Kopelipa, and Leopoldino do Nascimento, known as Dino, were taken, Angola’s Prosecutor’s Office said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. Other assets that were seized included shares in
Friday 16 October, 2020
DAILY
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officer. "A tender was awarded by the SANDF to Ukhumbe Marine (the legal entity belonging to NtsondwaNdhlovu) to transport SANDF equipment back from African countries to South Africa. “The contract value was approximately R24 million. It is alleged that she provided false information/documents as part of the tender process,” said Ngwema. He added the accused was awarded another contract of R103 million, again to transport SANDF equipment, but the soldiers were then recalled from service in the African
countries leading to its cancellation. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu then allegedly claimed R30 million from the SANDF while claiming she had already, before the cancellation, incurred expenses to that value. The case was postponed to December 9. In Algeria, a businesswoman who many believed was the secret daughter of former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for money laundering, influence peddling, squandering public funds and illegally transferring money abroad. – NEWS24/BBC
reports that he was arrested during a police raid at his party’s offices. His lawyer, Anthony Wameli, had been quoted by AFP news agency as saying that the politician was arrested alongside other party officials on Wednesday. Bobi Wine has told the BBC that he left the offices soon after the police arrived and was now at home. – BBC. to the former President are said to have diverted large sums of money for their own benefit. Kopelipa the former head of the military house, and General Dino ex- head of communications of the Angolan Armed forces, stand accused of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud. In a case related to a 2.5 billion dollar line of credit opened by Angola’s Industrial and Commercial Bank to the China International Fund (CIF), both Generals close to the former President are said to have diverted large sums of money for their own benefit. The two men are accused of having favoured the purchase of real estate, by a Chinese fund, using state money. BLOOMBERG
UN slams castration for rapists in Nigeria
NEW YORK - The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has condemned a recently signed law in Nigeria’s Kaduna state that introduced tough penalties for convicted rapists. The law says males convicted of raping a child under the age of 14 should be surgically castrated and given the death penalty. Female adults convicted of raping a child will face salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes) and death. – BBC.
French police raid ministers’ homes in pandemic inquiry
PARIS - French police have raided the homes of senior government and health officials as part of an investigation into their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Health Minister Olivier Véran and the director of the national health agency, Jérôme Salomon, are among those whose properties were searched yesterday. The raids came after a court launched an inquiry earlier this year into the government’s handling of the pandemic. It has faced criticism over shortages of equipment and slow response times. – BBC.
Somali Islamist insurgents pile up cash through fear, says UN report NAIROBI - Somalia’s Islamist insurgents are moving millions of dollars through the formal bank system and appear to be investing in businesses and real estate, according to a United Nations report offering a rare glimpse into their finances. Al-Shabaab has for years been battling Somalia’s internationally-backed government to impose strict Islamic law in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. “Al-Shabaab remains in a strong financial position and is generating a significant budgetary surplus, some of which is invested in property purchases and businesses in Mogadishu,” said the report by the UN sanctions panel on Somalia. The report by the group, which monitors compliance with an arms
embargo on Somalia, is due to be published this week. The al-Qaeda-linked Somali militants carry out frequent bombings and attacks at home and have also killed hundreds of civilians in Kenya and Uganda. Earlier this year, al-Shabaab killed three Americans at a US military base in Kenya. The UN report included details on two bank accounts held at Salaam Somali Bank, founded in 2009 as part of the Hormuud group of companies, raising questions about Somalia’s capacity to enforce a 2016 law aimed at curbing terrorist financing. The bank did not respond to requests for comment. Somalia’s Financial Reporting Centre, which oversees compliance laws against money laundering and terror financing, said it is investigating the allegations against Salaam. Meanwhile, at least 13 Somali troops have been killed by the al-Shabaab armed group near the district of Afgoye, northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, a military official has said. – REUTERS/ALJAZEERA.
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FEATURES
Features
DAIL
12 18
RETIREMENT JOB CREATION THE WORLD’SBENEFITS, BIGGEST MILK AND ECONOMIC REVIVALBYINVILLAGERS! A PANDEMIC SUPPLIER IS OWNED E T
HERE ARLY this are year, various a letter went viral, that purportedly models counwritten tries by usethetoTeaching effecService Commission tively engender ecoof Zambia in which teachers nomic resilience and growth, were told that their retirement job creation, overall should be in line and with the pronational development. One visions of the Law at the time of of these is the cooperative their employment! In this regard, all teachers movement. employed beforethe2015 when World over, cooperathe on retirement ageused was tive Law movement has been ammended 50 years for to empowerfrom citizens and lift early retirement and 55 years for people out of poverty through normal retirement to 55 years creation of value chains for early retirement, 60 yearsand for multiplier effects. and 65 years normal retirement governments prioriforWhen late retirement, would have to teaching service!the tiseleave the the plight of villagers, It is commonly argued leaders are cognisant of that the the work in poretfact law thatdoes therenot is incipient rospect! This meant that those tential in village people, if they supporting the removal of the can uniteteachers to sparkfrom national affected the economicservice growthhadand spur teaching a point. economic Yet, othersdevelopment. contended that the changed lawhold hadgreat been economthrust on Villagers the affected teachers! The Attoric potential and resilience to ney General assured there lift themselves out ofthat poverty was nothing to worry about.
and to contribute to national economic wellbeing. Countries that have moved their people out of poverty have used the FOLLOWING the 2008 global cooperative system as one of financial crisis, Enterprise Risk the means to that end. Management (ERM) emerged goodissue example a as One a critical in the of most successful cooperative busivaried sectors of industry organisations. withMilk the ness model isToday, the Anand world the novel Union crippled Limited by (AMUL) of coronavirus (COVID-19), the India, a cooperative started practice is now considered as by villagers in an attempt to the must have tool for the enlift themselves out of squalor. hancement of corporate goverMany lessons can be learned nance that should strengthen and great inspiration drawn sound decision-making profrom the AMUL story. cesses. Firstly, may be important to Since itZambians have acdraw distinction between the cepteda the cooperative system traditional riskvehicle management as a very viable for ecoand enterprise risk managenomic transformation, let apus ment. As obvious as it may look at how world’s largest pear, it is thethe word “Enterprise” milk makes producer and supplier that the difference. Trahas comerisk to be the success stoditional management is a bottom-up process that focuses ry that it is today. primarily losses,started costs and Briefly, on AMUL as the negative side ofcooperative risk; heavy a small village on compliance and specificain Gujarat statereactive. of India on tion and mainly While December 14, 1946 when it enterprise risk management, wasthe officially registered. on other hand, has aToday, much AMUL scope is a asmultinational broader it considers all the risk name factorswith faced by the household presence organisation, and and it helps the in 40 countries annual Board and management turnover of more than US5make bilinformed decisions according to lion. It has a record ownership its acknowledged risk appetite. of 3.6 ERM million in While likeco-operators the traditional Gujarat state alone. risk management does considproduces approxier AMUL compliance it is a top-down process that prevents mitmately 23 million litresand of milk igates losses looksstory for opper day. Theand AMUL as portunities adversity the the world’s inbiggest milkforsuporganization thereby creating plier is very instructive to the value and ensuring that the orZambian cooperative ganisation’s objectivesdevelopare met mentminimal model. disruptions. with Apartisfrom India, cooperERM a bigger picture risk management that great adoptssourca hoatives are also listic to capital managing es of approach development in risk, placing itand within a portfolio Scandinavia other parts of things that need to be manof the world. In these placaged in order that the organies, cooperatives employ large zation achieves its objectives. While individual departments
One of the challenges that the change of retirement age from 55 to 60 years entailed was holding back retirement for five years for workers who should otherwise have retired and been paid off and replaced by new workers. This matter has brought a window of opportunity for Zambia to resolve a long standing dilemma of how to pay off retired public servants, create jobs for so many of our youths and in turn revive the economy. A key factor that motivated the state to increase the retirement age was to open a moratorium window during which to mobilise resources to pay off the huge backlog of retirees inherited from the previous administration in 2011. Unfortunately this has not materialised. Instead a mountain of unpaid retirement benefits has accumulated. Remember, a double-edged sword was created by popular acclaim among workers, labour unions and others when the Zambian Parliament, riding on the popularity among workers and labour unions, had accepted a clause in the 2016 Constitution, of retaining retirees on the payroll until their benefits had been paid. This retention on the payroll of unpaid retirees created a resource drain problem. The state
numbers of workers and contribute huge tax and export revenues to their respective national treasuries. The cooperative model is a quick means of pooling small resources among otherwise poor rural and peri-urban households and even ordinary workers who would By FRANCIS ZIBA otherwise be ineffectual as individuals. Co-operators need not have huge capital outlays to start a business; but their pooled small amounts should be buttressed by commitment, resilience, the hunger to succeed and their large numbers. orThe business units usuallystory deal AMUL success withbe their own risks,inERM needs can paralleled Zambia. everyone to be involved from The Zambian government’s frontline staff to Board level, to empowerment schemes, if make it truly effective. Risk mansustainably harnessed, can agement is ostensibly undertakproduce a Zambian of en with the objective ofbrand preventing loss while ERM has other, AMUL. more far-reaching like These schemes reasons, have the lowering to theempower organisation’s capacity and risk lift and increasing sustainability as people outeffect of of poverty this has the gainingand savpositively impact livelihoods. ings and increasing value for the The cooperative spirit firm AMUL in the long run ERM, generally of Although India is very instructive in speaking agriculture. may still be an ongoZambia’s ing process most private inThe moreinfood our cooperstitutions and more recently in atives can produce the better the public sector, it has moved for security and that out our of a food reactive or panic-driven of our to neighbouring countries mode become more predictive for and proactive. apand regional peaceSiloed too. The proaches are beingbeabandoned food so produced, it maize, in favor millet, of more collaborative, cassava, sorghum, rice, holistic and integrated framesoyabeans, sunflower, poulworks. try,The fishrisk andmanagement animals and their funcproducts, and anything tion now assumes a moreedible strategic role organisations. It is infor thatinmatter, or materials creasingly being as a and services, canrecognized be exported guidance provider on the path to any of Zambia’s neighbourahead, mitigating critical risks ing countries and beyond. and allowing companies to grow The current of food sustainably in thelevel long term.
and other employers have to pay two salaries for one job for as long as retirees’ benefits remain unpaid; that is one salary for the retiree and another salary for the job holder! This, coupled with the nation’s mounting external debt obligations, has put the state in a dilemma. The onset of Covid-19 in Zambia in mid-March has left Zambia’s labour landscape in a helpless situation of sorts. Therefore, it is imperative to pose the inevitable questions; what is the way forward? How does Zambia get out of this entanglement? Firstly, it is important to note that the situation is not irredeemable; it can be salvaged. Several permutations can be looked at to create a win-win situation for all – retirees, the government, unemployed youths and the nation at large! How can this be achieved? First and foremost, the government should see paying off retirees from the perspective of killing several birds with a stone, and as a major stimulus package for the retirees to turn their benefits into investible capital to play a pivotal role in reviving the Covid-19-ravaged economy quickly. There are three possible sources to finance the retirement packages: From within the national
smuggling into neighbouring countries speaks volumes about the dire food security situation and the lucrative market for food and other products in most of Zambia’s neighbours. This is a niche from which Zambia can reap huge
budget by sacrificing some capital projects; The government can approach some local pension houses for a loan to finance this; or The government can approach some international cooperating partners for a grant or a soft loan specifically to sort out this problem. Several years ago, Tanzania owed its workers in public institutions colossal sums of money. The Tanzanian government of President Josiah Kikwete borrowed US$100 million from the World Bank and paid off all its workers in public learning institutions. Zambia can do the same. There are several benefits
benefits. We have the land, the water, the human capital and, above all, the peace for successful exploitation of our resources for the benefit of the Zambian people. The money that Zambia needs to repay our national debts lies in these exploitable resources!
that Zambia can accrue from clearing retirees on the public service payroll: It will save resources – from paying two people for one job to paying only one person for that job; The freed resources can be used to employ fresh graduates from colleges and universities without injecting fresh funds into the payroll; thus reducing the current high unemployment among Zambian youths currently roaming the streets; Thousands of jobs will also be created as many retirees will invest their retirement benefits in start-ups, some will boost their existing businesses while others
Agriculture is not the only economic sector that is lucrative for Zambians to produce wealth for the nation. The AMUL cooperative model can be replicated in various fields and places to empower citizens to set up manufacturing and service industries.
Why organisations need to integrate enterprise risk management into their strategic planning process?
Strategy formulation on the
other hand is the main part of the strategic planning process and a robust ERM framework must provide relevant risk information for decision-makers so as to reduce the possibility of selecting a mistaken strategy or overlooking an important one. Organisations need integrate the risk framework into their strategic planning process
monitoring need to have a practo take account of risk implications on their objectives or a tical narrative to them. Suitable FILE PHOTO: Villagers hold great of all risks, through lack of that process could result monitoring economic potential resilienceenables to lift orkey risk and indicators, in failure. themselves out of poverty to conto and foresee potential To integrate ERM into the ganisations tribute economic problems. If thewellbeing. risk tolerance strategic planning process, or-to national tends exceed ganisations need to ensure that that Countries havetomoved theirlevels, peoplealarm bells can bethetriggered. the risk information is current, out of poverty have used cooperativeThus, organisations the complete and reliable. For this as one system of the meanshave to that endopportunity to review the treatment purpose, robust procedures of strategy given to the risk, which risk assessments, treatment and
will invest in stocks on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE). This will increase the buying power expand the national tax base and boost national economic performance. Inevitably, these benefits wil translate into a feel-good factor and a win-win situation for the whole nation. As Indian author, activist, motivational speaker and founder of Country First Foundation Shiv Khera, writes: “Winners see the gain; losers see the pain” and “winners don’t do different things, they do things differently,” we can derive good mileage out of an otherwise hopeless situation!
For example, medical and veterinary doctors, nurses, in the end improves paramedics and otheroperationa medical and financial performance. practitioners can be speTo add value to given the creation cific empowerment incentives of the business strategy and to toset establish specialised the tonehighly of the organisation’s strategic objectives, it is not medical diagnostic, treatment enough to just conduct a straand manufacturing centres assessment or even bytegic theriskCitizens Economic having a risk Commission. discussion at the Empowerment strategy setting meeting, there Teachers, lecturers, manuis much more that organisations facturers, accountants, engineed to do. Most organization neers, security who former follow that wayofficers, of doing things find difficult tosperelate auditors, and itothers with if the objectives not been cialised skills can have be empowdefined documented ered with or taxwell holidays for spe- or measured. Strategic planning cific periods to operationalise that is risk-based helps to define their production lines andthe the value proposition that services. business brings to the market Overthetime, and way inthese whichefforts organisations intend into to distinguish would translate producthemselves fromvalue other chains compettion and supply itors.numerous job opporwith For most organisations, this tunities for the millions of may not be obvious from the Zambians and as create outset, but the sustainprocesses able sources of state tax reveof ERM gains traction and its nues. frameworks and systems fal Theplace, government’s cooperinto organisations will see its risks being holistically manative model towards empowaged. rural What happens also is that ering and peri-urban organisations developcommunities is see wellthe poised to ment of an appropriate risk culstimulate the latent energies ture throughout its value chains needed to turn these Ultimately, whatareas ERMinto does economic growth spaces. is support the organisation in These growth poles can help its efforts to “get ahead of the curve”the and take advantage reduce rural-urban popu- o opportunities. Properly applied lation drift as they become enERMofbecomes decision-makgines economica productivity ing tool that has the ability to and sourcesembedded of sustainable livebecome in the cullihoods and state revenues. ture of the organisation, inOur economic situation is tegrate with its strategies and difficult but not objectives, andhopeless; leverage with on its resources improve perforhard work, a to positive collective mance, effort spur growth, giveon it a national anchored competitive edge, and maintain economic transformation, we its sustainability. can overcome our economic challenges. For comments and feedback contact: fziba@irmza.org
DAILY
COVID-19 Realities
Friday 12 September, 2020
Friday16 Friday 7 August October2020 2020
FEATURES
15
11 19
By DR MBUYI MASUWA Frontline doctor working at Levy Covid Centre
O The final novel
NCE more thank you so much for allowing my articles time and space in your busy schedules. This is my 12th article with The Daily Nation which means it’s the third month of us going through this journey together. Three is just a special number to me, I do write these articles normally around 03 hours. Was the third doctor to be stationed at a Covid Centre. I also hear there were three people nailed to the cross more than 2, 000 years ago and that one of them who was only 33, is said to have risen from the dead on the third day. Henceforth, I have decided to compile most of my articles into a book entitled: “UNDERSTANDING COVID-19 UNMASKHAT we BY are at war can INGnever SARSCOV2”, (will share be overemphasised. cover design later). It will Despite this war havbebeen in three parts, TRILLOing raging for aabout nine GY; PART1 will bepeople released months now some still hopefully next what year.is just seem notearly to know going onplan or just don’t care. Please in advance to get Sometimes I just wish I could copies. stand on top of Lusaka’s FinSUMMARIES OF PART 1 TO 3 deco House with a big megaPart 1. We were introduced phone screaming my lungs out to the main reminding the culprit people behind that our Covid-19, adversary SARSCOV2. formidable knowsWe no looked bit at hislives structure rest and isa claiming day by and how each part plays a day. role in the “livelihood” of I passionately want to reach thetovirus. Ofpeople note were the out as many as possiSpike proteins give this ble before coronathat itself reaches togroup them; of forviruses there isthe no name telling what it can do. CORONA because of their I’m doing this not as the crown like appearance. spokesperson of the Ministry Part 2. Here we focused on of Health as I am extremely far the way virusthese SARSCOV2 from that.the I write articles thecapacity host cells. saw inenters my own asWe a fronthow it uses its spike proteins line medical doctor who has to attach to ACE2 attended close to 200receptors Covid-19 found in patients inthe thelungs hopeetc. that most, if not all 3. of We us can leastcunstart Part sawathow seeing from highjacks the same ninglythings SARSCOV2 lens. the cells protein factory. By I do put a lot of codes energy inand using itsingenetic time. Usually I write around 03 structs the call to start makhours. Thisproteins. is my gift to Mother ing viral Zambia in whose soil my umbilPart 4. are going to look ical cord is We buried. at how the body responds to I hope you’ll take what you thiswith invasion. After exposread the seriousness it deing SARSCOV2 as anecessary wolf in serves and then take action as we are all soldiers sheep’s clothing, the hostin this war andsystems literally mobilises so even in immune God’s eyes. Each one of us has its specialised soldiers anda role play defeating this invisgoes toin war. And will finally ible enemy. talk about how eventually In the comingturns series,into I will be this infection the sharing knowledge Covid-19 Disease, literally on how SASwith someeventually stories of success and COV2 becomes some of the battles lost at the COVID-19. battlefront. There is only so far Also a segment called “Inthat their SARCOV2 go on preown words,” can in which I will be tending to be part of the interviewing Covid-19 patients, bodywho and have so farrecovered can go with those and making copies with of himthose in isolation, their self using the cells proteinas identities withheld of course factory. Our a manufacturing matter of privacy, especially bodies complex, there that thereare is so still stigma associated this goes disease in some is awith lot that inside the sectors the community. bodiesof that we just have a As wordson or information is the glimpse and will never greatest weapon in every battle fully understand, so isIt’s thislike one.there Amidst so much is an uninformation some so outraderverse in our bodies. One geous have taken upon is myself suchI complex aspect the
coronavirus, the final work
COVID: THE MYTHS, THE FACTS, THE DEBATES, THE UNKNOWNS
T
to try and share with the public.
MICRONS Respiratory droplets are the main routes of transmission. They are classified as small, intermediate and large according to their sizes. Small are less than 5 microns in diameter, the intermediate are between 5 and 100 microns and the large ones are over 100 microns.
KNOW THINE ENEMY PART 4: To begin with, I think let’s start from the basics, just what is going on here, where did we come from, how did we get ourselves where we are now and where are we likely going.
cently saying for there to be Covid-19, it means there has been Covid-1 to Covid-18 before and that since we survived the first 18 there is no need to fear the 19th.
THE MYTHS AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES
FACTS;
ignore this part then both you and I have failed humanity and we should urgently seek for forgiveness from both our progenitors and descendants. This is the most important part of my article, for its here you and I can make a difference. The Infectiobility of Sars Cov 2. Corona virus is believed to THE RECONNAINCE UNIT. (ANhave an PRESENTING r note that is aCELLS, reproTIGEN duction number B ofCELLS, 2 to 3,THE this MACROPHAGES, means one infected DENDRITIC CELS) person can infect up to 2 to 3 people. Le’ts say its 3 CELLS. this means 1 THE DENDRITIC person infects by 3 Langerhans new people Discovered who eachbut infect 3 new people in 1868 named Dendritic and cycle“tree goeslike onappearand on cells the for their such by Greek the 3rd“denderon” cycle about ance”that from 40 will be infected and by people Ralph Steinmann in 1973 that be in studies just a couple of aftercan extensive on them days, by the that made him10th a cycle about 80, 000. This is why corona vicandidate for the Nobel rus spreads so fast and has the prize in Physiology and Medipotential to infect everyone on cine.globe. this
leases these air particles from their saliva, cough, sneezes, or sings. These are believed to fly balistically in the air up to about a meter away. *Aerosol Transmission (airborne transmission) These are air particles less than three microns. Recent multiple studies have a shown that coronavirus cantospread component is used displayby routeparticle as well. on These athis foreign the small cell particles able to travel unit up to which theare reconnaissance
SARSCOV2 THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S SKIN UNMASKED AND THE ARMY GOES TO WAR. Some of Immune the manySystem, myths,the conbody’s inspiracy theories and just weird ner defence mechanism. With things that have been said and my little knowledge, I will try to are still being said about Coroexplain what goes on in such a navirus are as follows:
manner that I hope many will understand *Its 5G related.by putting process in chronological order but in There have been rumours reality it may allcame be happening that coronavirus about as at once. However response a side effect of tryingthe to increase is that like of an organised specellular network connectivity cialised So let’s to Generation to 5thgo Gefrom 4G 4tharmy. boot camp. netration 5 G.Samsung was the
first phone to have 5g. BOOT CAMP Of course this is not true, the well organised army virusLike has anothing to do with 5g have differorthe anybody’s orher soldiers Gs. ent specialised departments. *Global conspiracy to vacciBut people before and the enrich soldierssome can nate qualify, they to boot people like Bill go Gates etc. camp I would havespecialised been very trainrich for advanced bying. now, probably closing a deal on buying an airport soldiers in Dubai are or The would-be some exotic island pacific. produced in thein the bone mar*Sexually transmitted rows of long bones and then Onceare I had patient was they senta to boot who camp for being stigmatised her commaturation andby specialised munity saying she got corona training. from having sex with truck drivBoot camps include the ers. spleen, the of lymph nodes, *It’s the Mark the beast 666.the
thymus, the bone marrow itself. Here the recruits are trained to know self and differentiate it from non self.
POSITIVE SELECTION OF T CELLS (BOOT CAMP =CORTEX OF THYMUS) The different battalions are normally named after the camp they graduate from. For instance those that graduate from the Thymus (A gland located somewhere in the upper chest and gets smaller with age) are called the T cells, T for Thymus. The training is a very complex, advanced and very specialised. are *Affects only the Soldiers rich those trained to differentiate self with passports. (bakumayadi ba(host mu Lusaka). cells) from foreign ones Really? * Itlike was engineered For in (invaders SARSCOV2). the forduring population control. of T lab cells the Process * Someone was on Radio re-
The following facts are currently agreed upon by the genPositive selection, the thymus eral scientific community. (cortex presents them We willpart) talk about the origins self-antigens ofwith the cells virus,with its transmission, called Major HistocompatibilCovid-19, treatment, preventive ity Complex (MHC class 1ofand measures, then also areas re2). Those that search .Todayrecruits will only endsucon Transmission. cessfully interact with these Treatment the a rest will be antigens areand given “survival tackled signal,”later. sort of a graduation *This CoronaThose Virus isrecruits called certificate. “The because it’s a with new that novel” successfully interact form Corona 1viruses. MHCof CLASS mature to be As acells group viruses CD4+ (bigcorona role in fight have been for a while very against thearound HIV virus) long time. They mostly live in those that interact with MHC bats and2avian birds are CLASS mature to which be CD8+ believed to be their natural res(The Assassin). However, those ervoir. Some other types of cothat fail this level are dismissed rona viruses ae those that cause and destroyed in process the common cold (chinfine). called “death by neglect,” beAs long as they stay in their cause they are not given a “surreservoir there is no problem, vivalthe signal” certificate. but moment they mutate and then jump from bats OF to an NEGATIVE SELECTION T intermediate then mutate again CELLS (BOOT CAMP=MEDULand jump to humans and then LA OF THYMUS) mutate again and pass from Those human to recruits human, that thensuccessthere is fully pass selectrouble, verythe bigpositive trouble as we tion are taken deeper into the are experiencing at the moment. thymus (the CORONA medulla) VIRUS where The word theycoined now undergo Negative was in 1966 by June selection. ThisDavid advanced level Almeida and Tyrrell to to differentiate self from non describe the appearance of self. viruses Those that ultithese underfail an are Electron mately destroyed. Only those Microscope, which appear as a crown that pass this stage are able to *SARS COV 2 which stands graduate and pass out as mafor Acute Respiratory tureSevere specialised T cells and are Syndrome Corona Virus is the sent in circulation to 2defend name givenwhile to thissome virusare as itsent rethe body sembles the SARS 2003 at the Army base,virus the of Lymph by about 70 percent; nodes. * SARS COV 2 causes the disease is short InCovid-19 the eventwhich that there are for Coron Disease to of grad2019. some thatVirus still manage * First cases were reported in uate despite failing to differenChina somewhere in late 2019 tiate self from invaders, these November, December. lead to what we call Auto Im* Declared a Pandemic by mune diseases, such diseases WHO.
like diabetes type 1 (diabetes Transmission detected in childhood), Lupus, To forget everything Rheumatoid Arthritis etc.else I
have written so far is ok but to
He is quoted to have said “I know I got to hold out for that. They don’t give it to you if you have passed away. I got to hold out for that.” The Nobel Prize committee announced Steinman as one of the recipients of the Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine on October 3, 2011 not knowing he had died three days earlier. Sadly they had 38 years to award him but missed it by three days. Sometimes we take long to Respiratory droplets the appreciate people, at are times main routes of transmission. we don’t appreciate them at They are classified small,and inall until they are asdead termediate and large according gone, which is really pointless. to their sizes. Small are less than Please, let’s not scatter roses 5 microns in diameter, the interafter people are gone5let’s mediate are between andgive 100 them now they ones are still microns andwhen the large are alive that is when they can apover 100 microns. The diamepreciate them. (More of this ter of human hair is about 80 later). in comparison viruses microns, theparticles, soldiers will be areAmong very tiny ranging one that be responsible from 0.1 towill 0.3 micron. The size forcorona surveillance, the reconnaisof virus particles called sance unit. Top of these are virions is about 0.06 microns to 0.3.These the main theabout Dendritic cells,are these look ways currently agreed upon as for any sign of invasion on the way hostthrough cells. which coronavirus spreads. Please note all cells that have *Droplethave transmission. a nucleus special protruThison involves respiratory sions their surface we parcall ticles of about 5 to 10 microns the Major Histocompatibility in diameter. When an infected Complex Class 1(MHC1) this person not wearing a mask re-
can pick up and then switch on their sirens to mobilise the
rapid response unit to come to the site of invasion. The dendritic cells recognise the viral particles on the cells MCH1 component then carry that sample to the army base the lymph node where a specialised elite rapid response team is activated. They specifically activate the T cells. ARMY BASE, LYMPHNODES ALERTED OF THE INVASION, THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM GETS TO ACTION (T CELLS, eight meters awayBand can stay NKC) AND THE CELLS. T in the atmosphere up to about CELLS.(THE ASSASSIN,THE three hours. KILLER CELLS T- CD8+). This simply means it can These guys come out and spread just like TB hence even rush to thesocial site distance of invasion, one meter is not when theyThis seesimply the infected enough. means it cells as was described by the can spread just like TB hence dendritic cells, isthey literally even one metre not enough. shoot holes into these infected Some studies in China found cells, bullets are called such these aerosols with coronavirus perforins, then the holesof particles in air after conditioners are made throw in grerooms thatthey housed Covid-19 patients,called while granzymes some havewhich shown nades infection during will cause transmission the cell to disintechoir and practice, fitness classes grate die (apoptosis). As andcell in restaurants. the is dying more of the In addition to sent masking up signals are being out to and socially distancing, warn neighbouring cells good to air ventilation, arm themselves.avoiding indoor
meetings and crowded places are essential. T*Contact cells mainly respond to the Transmission spike protein of the virus. CurThis occurs when contamirently for nated being hands investigated touch the mucovaccine. sa of the mouth, nose, or eyes; Hands pick theKILLER virus from foTHE NATURAL CELLS mites, that is contaminated (NKC) places as doors, where Somesuch viruses tend etc to hind it can stay the in these places even by making cell not display up toparticles, days. This puts especially their this causes the marketeers at risk who have to number of MCH1 to reduce, constantly handle cash that has
but this was already taken care of. Once the exact amount of MCH signals expected on the cells is reduced the cells called Natural killer cells are activated and they attack the affected cell. But these Natural Killers only usually act after 3 days of infection B CELLS. Called B cells after Bursa of fabricius site they mature in birds. When activated they change to Plasma cells which produce antibodies which will prevent the virus from attacking the cells. Antibodies last only for months about three months for those against SARSCOV2. INFECTION TO DISEASE;SRASCOV2 TO COVID 19 Depending on the outcome of this battle one can have one of the following presentations:
passed so many different hands. *ASYMPTOMATIC Hand hygiene is extremely imThistoaprevent group the of spread peopleof portant that will be infected by SASthe Covid-19 virus RCOV2 but are of not show*Also possibility faecal Oral any symptoms. toing be discussed later. This is Transmission imabout 40 percentcan of allbe infecported is across borders tions. that Factors like genetics, usually planes. This amountthrough of virus, age, sex, was the most common way the blood groups, underlying virus spreadetc fron to the condition, willChina determine rest of the globe. Also it canorbe if they stay asymptomatic through like our borders becomeroads symptomatic.
Some studies even suggest possible past exposure to other corona viruses like those that cause the common cold, could help one already have T cells in the blood that fight SARSCOV2 once it enters the body. Some remain asymptomatic while others may be presymptomatic
*PRESYMPTOMATIC These are before onset of symptoms but eventually will develop symptoms. They are in incubation period, thus the number of indays Chirundu between bordering when oneZimis babwe or Nakonnde bordering infected with so something Tanzania. in this case SARSCOV2 and Once in the country there can the time one shows sympbe local transmission from the toms. Average infected person istoabout close five condays for SARSCOV2 to show tacts. symptoms. There can also be Hospital
transmission where infected HEREpasses SARSCOV2 BEperson it on to other paCOMES tients andCOVID-19, health careTHE workers. INFECTION BECOMES Finally there is CommuniDISEASE. tyTHE spread which means people have been infected with the *SYMPTOMATIC virus in an have area, some are of not These a rage even sure how or where they besymptoms from mild cough, came infected. Here is where we sore throat, weakness, loss of are now as a country. taste, diarrhoea, So please kindlyshortness consider of breath up to what we call, EVERY PERSON you meet as a ARDS( Acute Respiratory potential carrier of the virus and Distress Syndrome), more has the potential to infect you on this later. and others and you should as current global wellThe consider yourself as infecsuch. tions over 37 million, the Withare this brief background death toll over 100, 000. information I hope we can all play byAT observing WE our AREpart STILL WAR. the laid down STILL health#MASK measures. PLEASE UP Remember if we don’t it’s either we WHENEVER NECESSATRY. are committing suicide #OBSERVE HAND HY-by putting ourselves at risk or indeed GIENE. #SOCIAL DIScommitting murder by putting TANCE IF YOU CAN. others at risk.
DAILY
Friday October 16, 2020 www.dailynation.info
editor@dailynation.info
Mulenga
‘IN MICHO WE TRUST’
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…Government pledges to support ‘Micho’ with everything
By MICHAEL MIYOBA
G
OVERNMENT has hope and trust in the leadership of national team coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic and that is the reason why we awarded him the contract, says Sports, Youth and Child Development Minister Emmanuel Mulenga. He was speaking speaking after receiving a report from the national team coach on the three friendly matches played against Malawi, Kenya and South Africa. Mulenga hailed President Edgar Lungu for the financial support he has been giving to the ministry in line with football development. He said Government will support the national team coach with
everything needed for Zambia to beat Botswana in back-to-back AFCON qualifiers next month. Mulenga said there is need to encourage the boys after the performance they put up in the three games played, beating Malawi 1-0, losing to Kenya 2-1 and overcoming South Africa 2-1. He said the government will do its part to ensure that the Chipolopolo is prepared because the back-to-back AFCON qualifiers against Botswana are do or die fixtures for Zambia to qualify for the 2022 Cameroon AFCON. “As government we shall give you the maximum support which you deserve financially, physically and even infrastructure you want to use we shall make them available for you to perform
and make sure that we win the next two games which are do or die,” Mulenga said. “Tell your boys that there is no losing, we have done our part as Government so it’s up to you coach and your boys to do your part to make our soccer loving fans proud because they want us as a country to regain that glory.” Mulenga said Government does not owe any former Chipolopolo coach because everyone has been paid in full. He instructed the Director of Sports to ensure that “Micho” is paid on time to avoid any cases of unpaid salaries. Meanwhile “Micho” said the three friendly matches highlighted where the Chipolopolo needs to improve to be ready for Botswana. And FAZ general secretary Adrian
Mulenga, Shonga link up at Tshakhuma FC By SPORTS REPORTER CHIPOLOPOLO strikers Augustine Mulenga and Justin Shonga have joined South African Premier Soccer league club Tshakhuma FC after leaving Orlando Pirates. Orlando Pirates have confirmed the exits of Justin Shonga and goal keeper Joris Delle, bringing the departure count to 10 with the French goalkeeper and the Zambia international striker leaving ahead of the new season. Pirates confirmed Shonga’s move to TTM, while Mulenga was released with several others last week. “After spending a year in South Africa, Delle has submitted a request in writing citing his inability to adjust to his new surroundings and wants to return to Europe,” the statement read on the club’s website. “The club can also confirm that
striker Justin Shonga has also left the club and will be joining TTM. We would like to wish both Justin and Joris the best of luck in their future endeavours.” Delle’s contract has been terminated with immediate effect while it is believed Shonga’s move to TTM is a loan deal for the 2020/21 season. Meanwhile, Tshakhuma FC will start their new campaign in the PSL without the services of Oupa Manyisa as Augustine Mulenga joins Justin Shonga in the TTM squad. According to the official TTM squad, Manyisa is missing from the list of players assembled by the Limpopo-based side for the 2020/21 season. Players reported to have signed for TTM including Gustavo Paez and Miguel Timm, with the big news being that Mulenga has also joined the club with Shonga.
Kashala said the association remains committed to ensuring that the Chipolopolo prepares adequately for the games against Botswana because Zambia still has a big chance of qualifying for the AFCON. Kashala said FAZ is in talks with other federations for Zambia to play more friendly games before the AFCON qualifiers and the CHAN tournament set for November and January 2021 respectively.
Betway renews Kitwe United, Green Buffaloes deals By MUKWIMA CHILALA
Shonga
SPORTS betting company Betway, has renewed its sponsorship of Zambia Super Division side Green Buffaloes Football Club, and newly promoted Kitwe United Football Club for the upcoming season of the 2020/21 MTN/FAZ Super Division set to kick off on October 24 2020. Betway Zambia Country Manager Panji Kakube says since establishing a base in Zambia about two years ago, the betting company has come to realise that football is a unifying force in local communities, as it is the most supported sport in the country and the MTN/FAZ Super Division the most watched local league. Kakube notes that as a sport-based business specialising in world-class betting and online entertainment,
Micho Betway has decided to extend its sponsorship deal to the two clubs to reaffirm its commitment to raising football standards in the country, with the hope that Zambia becomes the hotspot of talent on the continent. “This sponsorship package for the two football clubs is made to ease the cost of conducting their everyday football activities for them to operate at their optimal best. We are aware that football is a complex business venture and we know it takes a lot to administer a successful club,” Kakube said. Our long-term vision is for the two clubs to have the best crop of players in the league, capable of representing Zambia even in continental championships, He said that the company was looking forward to another actionpacked local league season, with exciting twists and turns as they eagerly wait to see who emerges Super Division champions at the end of the season. Last season, Buffaloes finished 11th on the table, with 38 points from 27 games played, while Kitwe United won promotion to the Super Division.