By NOMSA NKANA
AFTER 24 years with no water, Kuomboka Market in Lusaka’s Chawama finally had the taps running, and yesterday Member of Parliament Edgar Lungu commissioned a water kiosk worth K19,000.
Mr Lungu, who is Minister of Home Affairs, said it is a health hazard for people to trade in a market which has no water.
He is also concerned that water is only supplied in the morning and afternoon.
He urged the Ward Development Committee (WDC) chairperson to ensure resources are raised to boost water supply round-the-clock.
Mr Lungu said the water project at the market has been made possible through Constituency Development Funds (CDF).
Meanwhile, Mr Lungu has with immediate effect shut down Extreme Sports Betting Café in his constituency because the business is taking advantage of the poor in the area.
During an impromptu visit, Mr Lungu found the Café filled to capacity with underage youths gambling.
He questioned the manager why such a business was operating in a place where there are poor people.
“This is a business for the rich. Why operate it here? Where are these youths getting money to use for gambling?” he asked.
Mr Lungu said instead of business people providing amenities that could develop youths; they are exposing them to vices that are destroying them.
He said the business is addictive to youths and could lead them to stealing money for them to sustain gambling.
Mr Lungu ordered Chawama Ward 2 councillor Potiphar Tembo to revoke the licence after it was established that it was obtained illegally.
After examining the business licence, Mr Tembo, who sits on the Liquor licence Committee, said he was not aware of any time that the licence was brought to his attention for approval.
“Even if this licence is showing it is from the council, it was illegally obtained,” he charged.
The proprietor summoned to Mr Tembo’s office on Monday.
The closure was received with mixed feelings by patrons some of whom claimed that betting has helped put more money in their pockets.

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VIRTUALLY every time that MMD president Nevers Mumba is accorded a public audience, he inexplicably states his thinly veiled fear of being jailed. He was at it again yesterday when he called the press for a
briefing at which he charged that President Sata wants to jail him. What he didn’t say is that President Sata is not a judge hearing any of the cases that the MMD leader is facing, so how does President Sata come in?
Pastor Mumba would do well to pray real hard for God’s guidance to do that which is right to keep him away from the courts of law.
If he is innocent, there is no need for him to worry. The law will take its course and if he has done no wrong, he will be a free man.
He should, however, not expect preferential treatment because every citizen is equal before the law.
This is why President Sata is giving no special treatment even to his own ministers and his other appointees, some of whom are now either being probed or already facing the judges.
Therefore, rather than try to blame President Sata for his frailties, Pastor Mumba should be commending the Head of State for his magnanimity in ensuring that there are no sacred cows in the quest for respect of the law.
It is understandable that Pastor Mumba may find it difficult to give praise where it is due, in which case it would be better for him to keep quiet on matters rather than try to blame others for his own shortcomings.
He also claims that the PF Government is all out to destroy the MMD through court petitions against some parliamentary election results.
What he should be asking himself is if it is legal to petition an election result. Obviously it is lawful, so it is within the rights of any aggrieved party to seek the courts’ interpretation of any alleged electoral malpractice.
The PF losing candidates were aggrieved and so they petitioned. For some of them, the petitions have been justified as the courts have ruled in their favour.
If the losing MMD candidates were also aggrieved, they, too, should have brought their concerns to court. They did not and they can only have themselves and their leadership to blame.
It also does not make any sense for Pastor Mumba to demand early general elections. There just is no justification for him to make this demand.
In fact he is contradicting himself on the argument that the by-elections are costing the country a lot of money. Does he reckon that general elections would be cheap?
Wouldn’t he be the first one to cry foul and question where the money for general elections would come from just as he is lamenting that the by-elections are costing Zambia a lot of money?
In any case, even if general elections were to be called today, does Pastor Mumba honestly think that the MMD still has the muscle to return to power? It is within his democratic right to think so, but that would be a case of losing track with reality on the ground.

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… Sata says Mumba has been pleading to meet him
By SUNDAY MAIL REPORTER
PRESIDENT Sata is shocked at Pastor Nevers Mumba’s decision to deliberately distort facts surrounding an honest conversation he had with him and turned it around with a coat of lies and illusions.
The President is also surprised that the preacher has decided to continue to openly show contempt for the judiciary even when he faces contempt charges before the same judiciary.
President Sata was reacting to Pastor Mumba’s allegations made in the wake of a conversation he held with Pastor Mumba in which the preacherman practically begged the head of State to accord him a ‘secret meeting’ or audience without a clear agenda.
“I am surprised that the so-called pastor has decided to suffer from temporary amnesia and distort an honest and cordial conversation in which he wanted to meet me,” President Sata said.
“I gave him my private number, I personally dictated the number to him as he sounded really desperate. I challenge him to deny that I gave him my personal number to make an appointment.”
President Sata was reacting to Pastor Mumba’s remarks made yesterday at a press conference where the MMD leader made remarks about the judiciary and called for early elections.
President Sata responded through his special assistant for press and public relations, George Chellah.
Mr Sata also questioned Pastor Mumba’s leadership quality for supporting nurses that took illegal strike action, which he says the pastor should in fact be condemning instead of criticizing the government for acting decisively in order to save lives.
“How can he pretend to talk on behalf or symathise with the nurses when he was in the forefront of encouraging them to take illegal strike action with other irresponsible opposition characters?” President Sata asked.
“Good leaders are supposed to ask workers to act within the law not outside the law and the suffering the nurses are facing now must be squarely blamed on him and other irresponsible figures.”
In retrospect, President Sata reflected that Pastor Mumba perhaps missed his original calling when he was choosing a career, “he must have been a Hollywood script writer because he has such a wild imagination. It’s also shocking he can weave some lies around and make them appear as if they are the gospel truth.”
The head of State, however, advised Pastor Mumba to take extreme caution with the manner in which he continues to show contempt for the judiciary, “because as a person who stands accused of various offences before the courts, he walks on thin ice.”
President Sata expressed regret that a conversation held in brotherly manner between one leader and another has been used to try and question his character as a State President endorsed by the Zambian people.
Yesterday, Pastor Mumba held a media briefing at which he accused the Sata-led Government of allegedly influencing the large toll of nullification of parliamentary seats, the dismissal of nurses and a conversation in which the President allegedly threatened him with a jail sentence.
Conversely, especially regarding the nullified polls, Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu who is also Chawama law-maker described Pastor Mumba as, “a man of great contradictions…when the courts rule in favour of his party, the judiciary is a darling but when he loses the judiciary is rotten…what kind of thinking is this.”
In his parting shot, however, President Sata asked Pastor Mumba to do an exhaustive analysis and try to figure out why it is MMD legislators that are losing seats out of petitions and not UPND law-makers that also contested the 2011 polls.
“The trend appears to be negative on the MMD because corruption was inherent in his party that is the simple reason why,” President Sata said. “Pastor Mumba, however, in his usual desperate manner, thinks he can dissuade the people from the facts that the MMD is corrupt and he was seeking to have a secret meeting with me for some unknown reason.”

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FROM CHAMBO NG’UNI in Kabwe
KABWE Central member of Parliament (MP) James Kapyanga is elated with President Sata’s keen interest to revive Kabwe.
President Sata at State House on Monday met Patriotic Front (PF) MPs and urged Mr Kapyanga to help revive the town and make it more attractive than it is now.
The president said that Kabwe is a ghost town that needs a lot of development projects.
Mr Kapyanga said in an interview on Friday that he and his Bwacha counterpart Sydney Mushanga are happy that Mr Sata is aware of the problems Kabwe is experiencing.
He said the call by Mr Sata is timely and a source of encouragement for him and Mr Mushanga to work in partnership with other stakeholders.
Mr Kapyanga noted that Kabwe has lagged economically and in infrastructure development for a long time.
“Like what the President said, there is need for accelerated strategic integrated development if Kabwe has to see economic development.
“Despite both seats having been under ruling parties, Kabwe has not had a fair share of the national cake,” Mr Kapyanga said.
He noted that under the reign of the MMD government, Kabwe experienced the closure of the mine, Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles and other companies, and the road network was left in a deplorable state.
He said he is therefore, happy that Mr Sata is monitoring what is happening in Kabwe.
The lawmaker said in reviving Kabwe, there is need for investment in various sectors to facilitate creation of jobs, improving  existing infrastructure and developing new infrastructure.
He said Kabwe should be an economic giant in Zambia because of its central location.
“Now the President has given me courage to go out there and seek partnership of all stakeholders to make Kabwe attractive for investment,” Mr Kapyanga said.
He commended Kabwe residents, who have endured economic hardship triggered in the 1990s and implored them to participate in initiatives aimed at making Kabwe attain economic growth and development.

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By DIANA MUTAKAFIMBO
Equatorial Guinea 4 Zambia 0
ZAMBIA were yesterday eliminated from the 2014 Canada FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup when they lost to Equatorial Guinea in the first round, return leg in Malabo.
The junior  She-polopolo conceded all the four goals in the second half to bow out of the Africa Zone qualifying competition 6-0 on aggregate.
African champions Equatorial Guinea beat Zambia 2-0 in the first leg at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka.
Zambia, who virtually blew away their chances in the first leg, managed to contain the hosts in the first half but collapsed after the break due to alleged poor officiating.
Coach Charles Bwale, who confirmed the results in an interview from Malabo yesterday, said the game was destined for a stalemate until Equatorial Guinea were awarded a penalty in the 60th minute.
“With the experience acquired, most girls are destined for greater heights. We played well in the first half and 15 minutes into the second half until when the referee came to their aid and awarded them two penalties and two clear offsides to kill the game. I am proud of these girls,” he said.
The junior She-polopolo’s jolted travel arrangement that saw the squad leave in batches, could also have contributed to the team failing to withstand the hosts pressure in the second half.
Half of the team arrived hours before the game.
The winner of the match will in the next round meet Ghana, who qualified after their opponents Uganda withdrew from the qualifiers.

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By NKOLE CHITALA
GOVERNMENT should consider reviewing options of tax collection in the mining sector by introducing the optimal mine tax, which should benefit both Government and mining investors.
The stakeholder note that such a tax will have an element of a win-win situation for both the mining sectors and Government to have equitable share of the mineral resources as well as profits.
Both Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) president Isaac Ngoma and University of Zambia (UNZA) lecturer in the School of Development Studies Donald Chanda overruled calls by some stakeholders to re-introduce windfall tax on mining companies, but instead focus on profit-based tax.
Mr Ngoma said, “Government and key stakeholders should come up with a mechanism that will ensure that investors are sufficiently provided for and the country also benefits from its natural resources.
We need to look at the whole mining taxation; the emphasis should also be on transparency level and accountability to help ascertain the levels of production. The best way is to tax profit and not production. Windfall tax is not the way to go but to have an optimal tax,” he said.
He was speaking at the national economic development conference organised by the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) and Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) in Lusaka recently.
Mr Ngoma said if structural and legal issues are worked on, the country can be able to unlock the issues surrounding taxation in the mining sector.
EAZ notes that challenges faced in tax revenue collection as the need to expedite tax reforms and ensure that there is efficiency.
Other challenges include lack of a clear policy and mechanism to capture informal sector into the tax net.
He, however, said there is need to support growth of private sector development by diversifying the economy and avoid reliance on the mining sector if the economy is to thrive.
Making his contribution, Mr Chanda said while many key stakeholders have continued to discuss the need to reintroduce windfall tax, the best way is to introduce an optimal tax for the mining sector to continue having a share of their deal while Government should also have a fair stake in the resources.
“The question of striking a good balance is key. Yes, this is good enough because we all need to invest – the companies need their profit and Government needs its tax,” he said.
Mr Chanda also cautioned Government on changing and introducing various policies in the sector as this creates an element of uncertainty in policy direction.
“The issue of tinkering with the economy is making stakeholders uncomfortable. In a liberalised economy, I think we should have Ministry of Finance say the kind of policy that go on so that we continue to make Zambia first-class investment destination and make it an investment haven,” he said.

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By NELLA MUKALENGE
ZAMBIA’s copper industry is expected to remain strong despite continued volatility in the short-term, ZCCM-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) Plc anticipates.
The group attributes the buoyant copper industry to developments in Africa and Asia.
This is according to the company’s annual report and financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2013.
“ZCCM-IH remains confident about the fundamentals of the mining industry in general and those of copper in particular. While continued volatility is expected in the short-term, the long-term fundamentals for copper are expected to remain strong on the back of continued urbanisation in China, India, South East Asia and Africa,” it says.
The report availed to the Daily Mail says the copper industry is expected to grow by 2015 as investments continue in Lubambe Copper Mine Plc, Konkola Copper Mines Plc and First Quantum Minerals Limited’s new Trident Mine.
It says ZCCM-IH is well positioned to maximise returns from its existing investments concentrated in copper mining and pursuing value addition opportunities in other minerals and mining-related prospects.
“Zambia’s economy is expected to grow at higher rates than most of the economies in sub-Saharan Africa premised on increased execution of development projects, investment in transport infrastructure, private investment in existing and new mining operations, and power projects,” it notes.
Meanwhile, the group recorded a turnover of K520 million in 2013 compared to K257 million in 2012 with operating profit increasing by K50 million to K417 million.
The report says improved dividend payments from investee companies also impacted positively on group’s performance.
However, profit after tax reduced to K762 million in 2013 from about K1.24 billion in 2012.
“The group’s retained earnings as at March 31, 2013, were positive at K4. 01 billion in 2013 compared to K3.25 billion in 2012,” it says.

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… Banks might not meet threshold, says analyst
By KALONDE NYATI
THE Bank of Zambia (BoZ) should consider extending the deadline in which commercial banks are required to meet the minimum capital requirement in an event where some fail to meet the December 31 target, a business and investment analyst says.
Cuthbert Malindi observed that some commercial banks are likely to fail to meet the statutory requirement due to the re-adjustment of operational models and cost structures they did to remain profitable after the BoZ capped the lending rates for banks.
“I would argue that the combination of reduced lending rates and possibly lack of bankable investment opportunities have played a part in the reluctance or glacial speed at which banks have moved to meet the requirement,” he said.
Last year, BoZ revised the capital requirement for local and foreign banks to K104 million and K520 million, respectively, setting December 31, 2012, as the deadline, but the altimatum was later extended to this month-end as many banks failed to meet the threshold.
The adjustment is aimed at increasing liquidity for the banks in order to reduce the cost of finance, particularly for the small and medium-scale enterprise (SME) sector.
Mr Malindi said in response to a query on Thursday that the revision is too high for most banks to meet.
“The time set to meet the requirements may have been a bit steep – the [amount] is high when you consider where the previous were at…Perhaps more consultations and research should have taken place to understand the appropriate quantum,” he said.
He said it is likely that most banks have reduced lending especially to SMEs in a quest to meet the minimum threshold.
Mr Malindi has since urged the central bank to engage commercial banks and come up with the appropriate levels.
Recently, BoZ governor Michael Gondwe said many banks had met the threshold although the central bank is expected to review the progress made by other commercial banks by the end of the year.

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By JIMMY CHIBUYE
CHIEF Government spokesperson Mwansa Kapeya says it is unfair for the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) to doubt Government’s commitment to the ongoing constitution-making process.
And Mr Kapeya says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is being economical of the truth by suggesting that the Patriotic Front (PF) government has underperformed on its programmes and promises during the year ending 2013.
Mr Kapeya, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, says contrary to concerns by the CCZ, Government, under the leadership of President Sata, has aptly demonstrated its unwavering commitment to delivering a people-driven constitution.
“This can be seen in, among other interventions, President Sata’s establishment of the Technical Committee on Drafting the Zambian Constitution, which collected views from the people throughout the country at district, provincial, sector and national levels,” he said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Kapeya said if President Sata was not committed to the constitution-making process, as alleged by the CCZ, he would not have constituted the Technical Committee to draft the Constitution in the first place.
He said when the Technical Committee asked for more time to finish the work, Government granted the request, including additional resources, a further sign of its commitment to ensure the country comes up with a durable and truly people-driven constitution.
Mr Kapeya said the comments attributed to President Sata in Mansa recently should not be misconstrued to mean he has back-pedalled on his commitment to a people-driven constitution.
He said Government is now waiting to receive the draft constitution from the Technical Committee in line with the December 31 deadline, to determine the way forward.
“The attacks from the CCZ on Government over the ongoing constitution-making process are, therefore, unfair and unjustified as Government has not yet received the draft constitution from the Technical Committee,” Mr Kapeya said.
And Mr Kapeya said contrary to JCTR’s misleading and misplaced assertions, Government is on course in implementing development programmes.
“Statistics, in this regard, indicate that formal sector employment rose by over 58,000 in the first nine months of 2013. The figure excludes thousands other jobs created in the economy as a whole, translating in more money in people’s pockets,” he said.
Mr Kapeya said this is the first time in Zambia’s history that Government has made a clear and specific commitment to job creation in such a robust and ambitious manner.
He said the agenda reflects Government’s total commitment to broad-based and inclusive economic growth where all benefit from the country’s development.
Mr Kapeya said Government’s policy is to shift to better designed social protection programmes such as the social cash transfer scheme that has been successfully piloted in several districts around the country.
He said Government awarded public workers salary increments of up to 200 percent and scaled up the implementation of the Link Zambia 8,000 road project.
“It is, therefore, surprising that JCTR has elected to underplay the foregoing and other landmark achievements this government has, and continues to score in uplifting the welfare of the Zambian people,” he said.
JCTR executive director Leonard Chiti is quoted as saying the year ending 2013 has been the most painful period for most Zambians because of the failure by Government to better the livelihood of the people.

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SHOPRITE and Hungry Lion representatives Tinta Chona (left) and Allison Siachilubi (second from left), respectively, present Hungry Lion food packs to Eternal Life Assembly’s senior pastor Chisombole Kapulu while Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu looks on. The food packs were donated to CMML Children’s School of Misisi township in Lusaka yesterday. – Picture by ANGELA MWENDA.

By JIMMY CHIBUYE
MINISTER of Home Affairs Edgar Lungu says the serious consequences of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis-related deaths in Lusaka’s Misisi township have subjected children to misery and driven many into streetism.
Mr Lungu, who is also Chawama member of Parliament (MP), said he has been working hard to better the lives of many children but the deaths resulting from communicable diseases have left a lot with no hope for a better future.
“The serious consequences of HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis in Misisi have subjected many children to misery, leaving them with no hope for a better future, hence they end up on the streets,” he said.
Mr Lungu said this when he officiated at the donation of the K4,000 worth of  foodstuffs by Shoprite Checkers and Hungry Lion in conjunction with Eternal Life Assembly Church to the Christian Mission in Many Lands (CMML) Children’s School in Lusaka’s Misisi yesterday.
The minister said rising unemployment and deaths have contributed to the increase in the number of street kids, adding that many orphans in the area do not receive adequate quality education and health care.
“This in turn increases the burden on society. The number of street kids in Misisi keeps rising by the day, which also leaves the girl child with no option but to be forced into sex work for survival,” he said.
Representative of Shoprite and Hungry Lion Tinta Chona said the shop makes the donation annually to give back to the community.
Mr Chona called upon other business houses to look into the plight of the vulnerable and help to eradicate poverty through such activities.
And CMML Children’s School head teacher Lillian Bwalya said the school is facing numerous challenges ranging from infrastructure, teachers and teaching materials.

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By KELVIN KACHINGWE
IN A year that the Zambia Daily Mail scored a first by launching its first editorial policy since the newspaper was established in 1960, it received a number of officials ranging from chief executive officers and ambassadors to students and celebrities.
Each of these visits yielded some major pronouncements.
For instance, the visit by former Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Stephen Mwansa saw the launch of the Zambia Daily Mail editorial policy.
The visit by Barclays Bank Zambia acting head of corporate affairs Mike Erasmus saw the announcement of plans by the bank to launch a countrywide funding initiative for the agriculture sector.
The initiative is aimed at improving the agriculture sector in the country in terms of conservation farming in various farm blocks.
It was during the same visit that the Daily Mail announced that it would install a computer-to-plate (CtP) machine, which is the world’s leading technology for enhancing the pressroom’s productivity and efficiency.
For this newspaper, this is aimed at improving the quality of the newspaper and expanding the commercial printing business.
Soon after this announcement, Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska visited the Zambia Daily Mail to launch the CtP at which he instructed all permanent secretaries to ensure payments for advertisements in the public media are made in advance.
Dr Msiska said he would send a circular to the Auditor-General to make it a financial offence for the departments to obtain services from the public media before paying for them.
But the launch of the editorial policy first!
For those new in town, the editorial policy is a tool journalists will adhere to and it will guide their work.
In the Daily Mail case, it says: “The Zambia Daily Mail newspaper commits itself to recognise, respect and uphold the highest possible professional and ethical conduct through good judgement of news.”
Mr Mwansa was optimistic that the editorial policy will be the point of reference when publishing stories while commending the company for coming up with its own standards and practices in enhancing professionalism.
However, it was not just senior government officials and the corporate world that visited the Zambia Daily Mail.
Swedish Ambassador to Zambia Lena Nordstrom, United States of America embassy charge d’affaires David Young, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Zhou Yuxiao, European Union delegation, pupils from the International School of Lusaka, Zambian envoy to the 2013 Miss Earth Pageant held in the Philippines Winnie-Fredah Kabwe, journalists from the Sunday Mail of Zimbabwe and from China also paid courtesy calls on the Daily Mail.
During her visit, Ms Nordstrom advised Zambian journalists to focus their energies more on reporting issues rather than political parties.
Ms Nordstrom also commended Zambia for being a good and preferred destination for investment in Africa largely based on its peaceful and friendly people.
“I actually count myself lucky for getting Zambia as my first African posting after many years in Latin America,” Ms Nordstrom said. “This is a beautiful country, which stands out among many African countries as I have come to be told and personally learnt.”
On the media side, she said she got a sense of travelling around the country that most Zambians want to hear or read about plans Government is putting in place to create jobs, develop the economy, cut poverty and issues relating to promoting entrepreneurship.
“People are more concerned about hearing issues that affect them such as job creation, empowerment as well as economic development, and not the happenings in political parties and individuals.
“Swedish politicians would be happy to be here because it means they would be more in the paper as they are not given such time by our media,” she said.
And during his visit, Mr Young revealed that he selected Zambia as his first choice to work in Africa because of its friendly and warm work environment.
“I am happy to say that I have been in Zambia and Africa for four months and it is a privilege to be here. For my family and I, this was the first choice we made to serve when we decided to come to southern Africa. We looked around and we are thrilled that we are here,” he said.
And during his visit last week, the Chinese envoy advised Zambia to embrace science and technology in order to realise the economic potential of its natural resource endowment. He said Zambia should advance science and technology to convert natural resources such as copper into finished products.
“It is a waste of time to train professionals that are not creative or have no use for technology. People should be creative, especially if natural resources are available. Scientists must be produced.
“It is high time Zambia started using its abundant water to produce more power for export. Zambia should not be experiencing power cuts because it just needs people to work hard and turn natural resources into development,” Mr Zhou said.
Another major highlight was the hosting of a delegation of journalists from leading Chinese print media, who called on the Zambia Daily Mail managing director, Anthony Mukwita.
Mr Mukwita told the journalists that the company is determined to become the best-selling newspaper in the country by next year and is working round-the-clock to ensure the newspaper has a national presence by the first quarter of next year.
“We are revolutionising the Zambia Daily Mail and we have come up with the Saturday Mail and Sunday Mail, respectively. The efforts we are undertaking are aimed at attracting more Zambian readers and advertisers,” he said.
Others that graced the newspaper are Airtel managing director Charity Lumpa, who expressed a deep desire to directly work with the newspaper.
That is why the Zambia Daily Mail has left its doors open to the public, as it also tries to showcase the various developmental projects the Government is undertaking as per campaign promises.

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AS ZAMBIA’s quest for full middle income status gathers momentum, the government has the mammoth task of mobilising resources to finance various development programmes.
This means it has to generate more resources from local sources.
But this is by no means an easy task as Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) commissioner general Berlin Msiska can attest.
Dr Msiska presides over the institution mandated to collect revenue in form of taxes from all eligible taxpayers to fund the national budget.
He therefore must be fully aware of the challenges involved in collecting enough revenue to keep the wheels of government running.
As the chief taxman his duty is to ensure that there is a steady flow of revenue into the national treasury for the Ministry of Finance to channel to needy sectors.
Mr Msiska is therefore Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda’s right handman.
Mr Chikwanda’s capacity to fund ministries, and grant-aided institutions, and service local and foreign debt, depends on the success of ZRA in meeting its revenue collection targets.
On the other hand, Mr Msiska needs an enabling policy and legal framework to increase ZRA’s collection and monitoring capacity.
As he has noted, the steady economic growth Zambia has been recording in the last few years has created a demand for increased resources for the implementation of programmes in various sectors.
But we would be retarding our country’s development if we depended on external aid, which often comes with visible and invisible strings.
It is in this light Mr Msiska has called for an increase in the income raised from taxes and other domestic sources.
He said in a story carried in yesterday’s edition of our sister publication, the Sunday Mail, that increased locally raised revenue will give Government enough fiscal space in setting priorities.
“Our country is currently experiencing six percent growth per annum. In the light of this growth, more focus should be placed on domestic revenue as the principal source of fiscal space expansion, given its sustainability, thereby reducing dependence on donor funding,” Mr Msiska said.
He was speaking at a function organised by the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) in Lusaka on Friday.
Mr Msiska reminded Zambians that countries that cannot fund themselves or repay their debts are at the mercy of donors, creditors and international agencies with their own agenda and self-interest.
How right? We have seen how powerful countries have been using money to impose alien and anti-human values on recipient countries under the guise of human rights.
Western countries have not hesitated to threaten to withdraw aid from countries with laws that criminalise homosexuality.
Fortunately, while spineless governments have succumbed to the pressure to repeal such laws or give promoters of gay rights wider space, a good number of them have stood their ground to defend the moral values of their countries.
Zambia has had its own share of such machinations, although it has weathered the storms thus far.
There is no honour in depending on foreign funding for locally-crafted development programmes.
The donor can plug the cash tap and put paid to all the country’s development efforts no matter how progressive they may be.
It is for this reason that we support Mr Msiska’s call for increased efforts aimed at increasing domestic tax and non-tax revenue.
Already the government has made significant strides through the signing and enforcement of various legal instruments including statutory instrument 55, which is aimed at arresting capital flight through the monitoring of foreign exchange transactions.
Another landmark reform is the banning of the use of foreign currency in local transactions.
These measures deserve full support.
ZRA should work with other government institutions to increase and strengthen revenue collection.

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THE Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock department of veterinary services destroyed animals with African Swine fever and a ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products is in effect.

…restaurants, butcheries dry up ahead of Xmas due to ban
By KELLY NJOMBO and TRYNESS MBALE
WITH about 48 hours remaining to the Christmas count-down, it has become increasingly certain that many pork lovers may have to celebrate the birth of Christ without their favourite succulent pork chops on the braai stands as an acute shortage of the delicacy continues due to a ban on the commodity.
The commodity, according to a Daily Mail survey, has become so dear you have to comb several Lusaka butcheries and supermarkets in order to find a decent supply of good cuts.
A number of surveyed restaurants in Lusaka such as The Spur, Wimpy, The Mint Lounge and even some hotels, to mention but a few, are pork-dry.
They do not have the savoury spare ribs, pork chops and bacon in stock, despite listing them on their menus and they are now substituting the delicacy for something else such as mushrooms or beef steak.
The absence of this delicacy is due to the current ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products.
“This morning [Friday], I ordered for a full breakfast at Spur Manda Hill, but only to be told the restaurant has run out of bacon due to the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products,” a diner told the Daily Mail in a walk-in interview.
He [diner] said this was not the first time he went to a restaurant and was told there is a shortage of pork products in Lusaka, as well as other parts of the country.
A survey conducted by the Daily Mail in Lusaka on Friday showed that most butcheries and supermarkets have not had pork products for some time.
At Kabwata market, outlets such as JS Butchery did not have pork products, while Zambeef butchery at the same market had some stocks of pork products.
At Levy Junction, Pick n Pay did not have pork products while Food Lover’s Market only stocked Hungarian pork sausages.
The Chibolya makeshift abattoir showed that there were no pigs being slaughtered.
Last month, an outbreak of African swine fever hit Lusaka, killing about 1,682 pigs prompting Government to ban the movement and processing of pigs and pig products in Lusaka to save the pig industry.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Luxon Kazabu maintained last week that the ban is still in effect throughout the festive season.
Mr Kazabu said as at December 15, 8,716 pigs were slaughtered on 33 farms and that the exercise is still on because there are 49 more farms that have recorded the disease.
Many farmers have, however, complained that the ban is a cost on their part as they are not allowed to slaughter pigs and they have to continue feeding even those that are ready for the market.
Mucho Farms proprietor Mildred Hakamangwe said stockfeed for pigs is expensive.
One pig consumes about four kilogrammes (kg) of feed per day and a 50kg bag costs about K110.
About 100 pigs consume eight bags per day at a cost of about K880, meaning that a farmer spends about K6, 160 per week.
Another farmer of Lusaka West appealed to Government to lift the ban especially for those farmers that are free of the African swine fever.
“We urge Government to consider a partial lifting of the ban to enable some of us who have not recorded a trace of swine fever to slaughter and sell.
I have now run out of money to feed the pigs,” she said.
Zambia’s pig population stood at about 900,000 last year, according to the Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) estimates.
ZNFU media liaison officer Kakoma Kaleyi, however, could not give the current pig population in the country.
This is the third time the African swine fever has been recorded in Zambia with the immediate past outbreak recorded in 2004.  The first outbreak was reported in 1994.
African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that can kill 95 to 100 percent of affected pigs.

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By ROBINSON KUNDA
FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya says his executive will double its efforts next year after failing to achieve its main objective this year.
Reviewing the performance of various national teams in 2013, Kalusha (left) said the main objective was to qualify the Chipolopolo for the 2014 Brazil World Cup finals but the target was not achieved.
He said in an interview from Johannesburg yesterday that there will be need to double the effort next year for all national teams.
Kalusha said failing to qualify for the FIFA 2014 World Cup was unfortunate but the association picked some positives.
“We would like to take positives from this year. Our main target for 2013 was to qualify for Brazil 2014 World Cup finals. Unfortunately, we made two errors in Lesotho and at home against Sudan,” he said.
Zambia drew 1-1 apiece with Lesotho in Maseru on March 24 and Sudan on June 15 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Ghana finished top in Group D with 15 points, four better than Zambia.
The 1988 Africa-footballer-of-the-year award winner said the second half of 2013 was better as Zambia hosted and won the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Senior Challenge Cup, and the Under-17 women national team qualified for the 2014 Costa Rica World Cup finals.
“Qualifying to the Under-17 World Cup was the tonic we needed for the advancement of women’s football, so I would say 2013 was alright. We are always improving but we would like to work on a four-year term,” he said.
Zambia edged South Africa 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the Costa Rica finals.
Kalusha said hard work is needed next year because Zambia’s status as 2012 African champions demands that.
The Chipolopolo finished third at the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup in Kenya while the Under-20 national team failed to defend the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COASAFA) Championship title as they finished third in Group C, which had eventual winners South Africa, Namibia and Seychelles.

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By TRYNESS MBALE and KELLY NJOMBO
GOVERNMENT is expected to sign a Statutory Instrument (SI) banning maize exports to stabilise mealie-meal prices in the country.
And Government will consider lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products next month after the decontamination procedure is undertaken.
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Robert Sichinga said the SI will help to reduce the high mealie-meal prices that the country is currently facing, hence meeting the local demand.
Government on Friday banned the export of mealie-meal with immediate effect to sustain the country’s staple food.
Mr Sichinga said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the move follows recent reports that mealie-meal prices have increased in various parts of the country.
And Deputy Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Luxon Kazabu maintained yesterday that the ban is still effective as Government is following procedure to contain the outbreak.
Mr Kazabu said in an interview yesterday that currently, Government has slaughtered about 12, 160 pigs and that the number is likely to increase.
“We are not in a hurry in lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products because there are procedures we need to follow to contain the outbreak of African swine fever to ensure the disease does not spread.
“We will only consider lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products either mid or end of next month,” he said.
Mr Kazabu said once Government has completed the slaughtering exercise,  it will embark on the decontamination process to ensure the affected farms are disease-free.
He said the decontamination will be done three times to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious diseases to other animals.
Mr Kazabu said Government wants to be certain the outbreak is contained before it can lift the ban to allow farmers to start restocking their farms.
“The cleansing of the affected areas is one of the important measures in controlling and eradicating African swine fever,” he said.
Decontamination is the combination of physical and chemical processes that kill or remove pathogenic micro-organisms.
Last month, an outbreak of African swine fever hit Lusaka killing about 1,682 pigs prompting Government to ban the movement and processing of pigs and pig products in Lusaka to save the pig industry.

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MKAIKA member of Parliament Peter Phiri says he will spearhead a campaign that will ensure all teachers found to have defiled school-going girls are dismissed.
Speaking in an interview in Katete on Thursday, Mr Phiri said he will work with relevant authorities to ensure that punitive measures are taken on teachers who take advantage of schoolgirls.
He said girls are always safe in the hands of their teachers and that the same teachers should not take advantage of them.
“Should a teacher be involved in immoral acts with young girls, he must face the law and be punished, because he is spoiling the girls and robbing them of their childhood,” Mr Phiri said.
He said immoral teachers are not needed anywhere near children and that he will work to protect the girl child at all cost.
The MP urged parents to report cases of defilement to the police and avoid hiding and settling cases out of court.
“It is common in Katete district for parents of defiled girls to opt to settle cases outside court because they are offered money or other material goods. Others do not even report cases to the police, putting the life of the young girl at risk,” Mr Phiri said.
Mr Phiri also bemoaned the increase in pregnancies among school-going girls in Katete.
He said he will work with the traditional leaders, non-governmental organisations and parents to address the challenge of pregnancies in the district.
Mr Phiri is certain that with the involvement of all stakeholders, there will be a reduction in the cases of defilement and early pregnancies among girls.

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By KALONDE NYATI
GOVERNMENT has been urged to prudently manage its debt if the country is to avoid falling into another debt trap, former Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati has said.
Mr Mutati (left) who is Lunte Member of parliament, said there is nothing wrong in accruing debt but there is need for the country to ensure that it is properly managed and is efficiently used to implement growth projects.
“Overall, there is nothing wrong to procure debt but debt management is what must be critically examined – placing a lot more emphasis from merely securing commitments or committing the money to projects to enhancing the implementation capacity.
When you get debt and put it in the bank …you are eroding the capacity of the economy to be able to pay back,” he said.
Mr Mutati said this in an interview in Lusaka last Friday.
He said although debt is within sustainable levels, the rate at which it is being accumulated is worrisome, hence the need to reduce on borrowing because the country risks failing to repay it.
“The accumulation of debt is being bundled and when you bundle debt in such a fashion that when it falls due for repayment, we may have a situation where the economy’s debt carrying capacity may not be sufficient,” he said.
Zambia’s current external debt stands at US$ 3.1 billion (about 16.57 percent of gross domestic product).
Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba said recently that the external debt is sustainable by internationally set fiscal standards.
Government has paid a total of US$151.5 million towards servicing of external debt from January to November this year and a further K9.2 billion towards the servicing of domestic debt, especially for obligations related to Government securities.
Mr Mutati also said there is need for Government to meet the targets outlined in the national budget.
He said it is only when the targets are met that the country will be able to increase the number of jobs.

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By CLAVER MUTINTA
MINISTER of Justice Wynter Kabimba has castigated civil society organisations (CSOs) for suggesting that President Sata should receive the report of the Technical Committee on Drafting the Constitution at Freedom Statue instead of State House.
Mr Kabimba said he received a letter from CSOs indicating that when it is time for the committee to hand over its report to the president, it should do so at Freedom Statue.
The minister was speaking on Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZNBC)’s Sunday Interview programme.
“I have a letter from civil society organisations saying that when the technical committee is presenting its report, they must not present it at State House, they must present it to the president at Freedom Statue.
“For God’s sake, let’s respect the presidency, it does matter what you think about President Michael Sata. He is the president of this country,” Mr kabimba said.
He said suggesting that President Sata should go to the Freedom Statue to receive the report is insulting to the president and unacceptable.
“Let’s try to respect that office…I didn’t hear them under the NCC [National Constitutional Conference]  dictate that President Mwanawana must get a report from Kamwala,” Mr Kabimba said.
“I have a lot of apprehension as a Zambian when people argue that the only way to have a constitution which is people -driven is when it is done to the exclusion of the state.
I have apprehensions when people start belittling the office of the President under the guise of democracy,” he said.
The minister said CSOs should be encouraging equal participation of all people in the constitution making process.
“That’s what we need as government when we say we want a people- driven constitution…People -driven does not mean civil society organisations in Lusaka, Ndola or Kitwe…it means every citizen in this country,” he said.
And Mr Kabimba said there would be no referendum if the people are satisfied with the final draft constitution.
“Suppose people are happy with the final draft constitution, do we need a referendum? No….This is a straight-forward issue.”
He said government and the committee are not supposed to be having differences because the committee was appointed by the president.
Mr Kabimba also said there is no conflict of interest between the president and the role of the committee, and between the committee and the ministry of Justice.

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By CAROLINE KALOMBE
MMD president Nevers Mumba has been discharged after he was found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court.
In this case, Dr Mumba was charged with contempt of court contrary to the laws of Zambia.
In delivering his judgement, Supreme Court judge Marvin Mwanamwambwa said Dr Mumba admitted the charge, withdrew his contemptuous remarks and apologised.
Justice Mwanamwambwa said the court also considered the mitigation and documents provided by the appellant Leonard Banda which further assisted Dr Mumba in his mitigation.
“We are of the view that the documents provide a strong mitigation in favour of the contemnor. We say so because they relate to issues that the contemnor was complaining about,when he made the contemptuous statements,” Justice Mwanamwambwa said.
He said among the documents was a letter from the secretary general of the Patriotic Front (PF) Wynter Kabimba in which he wrote about the possible disqualification of persons involved in electoral corruption.
Justice Mwanamwambwa said attached to the letter was a legal opinion by the solicitor general.
He said Mr Kabimba’s letter influenced the judiciary public relations officer to issue a statement on nullified parliamentary seats and consequently for the registrar of the High Court to write to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)  to bar candidates whose seats were nullified by the court.
“We are uncomfortable and worried that this letter and the legal opinion were copied to the acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda. In our view, it is not in order for an intending litigant to send a letter and legal opinion, relating to intended litigation, to a member of the court,” Justice Mwanamwambwa said.
He said it was this kind of perception which led to Dr Mumba to make the contemptuous statements.
“The truth is that this court does not get directives from anybody to decide election petitions in a pre-determined way. We nullify seats on the basis of the law and earlier decided cases,” Justice Mwanamwambwa said.
He warned political candidates to control and watch their conduct and observe the Electoral Act and the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Justice Mwanamwambwa said the courts would be pleased if nobody petitioned against election results as this would mean no litigation on elections and fewer insinuations against the court when campaigning.
He also denied claims by Dr Mumba that the Supreme Court under the leadership of the acting chief Justice is being used by the PF to deplete the opposition.

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By VIOLET MENGO
Ms Edith Nawakwi, a livestock farmer of Lusaka West, says the outbreak of the African swine flu has devastated the already pressed and cash-strapped small-scale farming community in Zambia, which includes herself.
The outbreak has already exerted extreme pressure on pork supplies in Lusaka and other towns forcing restaurants in some cases to remove pork from their menus as supply continues to dwindle.
Ms Nawakwi, who is also Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president, said the small-scale farmers,  who are composed mainly of people whose main source of income is pig farming, have been left with no alternative livelihood following the ban aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly virus.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, she appealed to Government to expeditiously compensate the affected farmers so that they can restart their pig rearing.
“If you observed the rate at which the pigs were dying, it was very fast.  I am happy that the ban was enforced, it is legal and it should be followed by all pig farmers because it is the only way to come out of this crisis,” Ms Nawakwi said.
The FDD president blamed the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock for having aggravated the situation through poor response to tragedies and also for not involving the affected farmers in coming up with modes of compensation.
“The veterinary department responded to the farmers’ crisis after four weeks of reporting, this made it very difficult to save any pigs from the disease,” she said.
Ms Nawakwi, who started pig farming more than 10 years ago and became one of the major players in the sector, said she was at the time of the ban doing very well in pig farming and at the point of building a larger factory to help small-scale farmers.
“The outbreak of swine fever on the farm has brought us to our knees, there’s not even one animal left on the farm.
I had a large flock but by the time the veterinary department responded, I had remained with 700 pigs,” she lamented.
Last month, an outbreak of African swine fever hit Lusaka, killing about 1,682 pigs prompting Government to ban the movement and processing of pigs and pig products in Lusaka to save the pig industry.
This is the third time the African swine fever has been recorded in Zambia with the immediate past outbreak recorded in 2004.  The first outbreak was reported in 1994.
African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that can kill 95 to 100 percent of affected pigs.
Zambian farmers have complained that the ban is very expensive for them because they are feeding pigs they cannot sell.

360 total views, 360 views today