MAKE IT YOUR LAST TIME TO USE COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS, YOU ARE EMBARRASSING US AND RISKING YOUR OWN LIFE-UPPZ URGES HICHILEMA.

19th December, 2022

By Hermity Hachilonde

United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia -UPPZ- Leader Charles Chanda has advised President of the Republic of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema to make it his last time using a commercial flight.

President HICHILEMA since assuming power on 12th August, 202 has refused to use the G650 Gulfstream Jet insisting on selling it in order to recover the 193 million United States Dollars which the Patriotic Front -PF- led Administration spent on it.

The Gulfstream has all the security and commutation feature required for the safety of the Head of State.

And many stakeholders have raised eyebrows regarding President HICHILEMA using commercial flights and his uncompromised decision to sell the Presidential Jet despite some political players saying it cannot be sold because it is a military plane.

Meanwhile, the opposition UPPZ leader says he is advising President HICHILEMA with profound reverence to realize that commercial flights sometimes get hijacked.

Mr. Chanda says despite Mr. HICHILEMA showing humility by using commercial airlines, he is also taking a great security risky and embarrassing the Nation.

Mr. Chanda further observed that the reasons being advanced for selling the jet are not adding up as the country can afford to maintain it.

Mr. Chanda has since stated that Mr. HICHILEMA must just swallow his pride and start using the Presidential Jet as opposed to traveling like an ordinary citizen.

Two years before 2021 General elections, Mr. HICHILEMA in opposition by then promised to sell off the Presidential Jet G650 once elected President.

After winning the presidency on 12th August, 2021, some political players started mocking him insinuating that he failed to fulfill his campaign promise to sell the jet.

And the President recently while officiating at the 2022 judicial conference disclosed that his Government already started the process of selling the Gulfstream G650 presidential Jet so that he can use the money to buy a cheaper plane and the rest of the money would be channeled towards putting up some border posts.MAKE IT YOUR LAST TIME TO USE COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS, YOU ARE EMBARRASSING US AND RISKING YOUR OWN LIFE-UPPZ URGES HICHILEMA.

19th December, 2022

By Hermity Hachilonde

United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia -UPPZ- Leader Charles Chanda has advised President of the Republic of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema to make it his last time using a commercial flight.

President HICHILEMA since assuming power on 12th August, 202 has refused to use the G650 Gulfstream Jet insisting on selling it in order to recover the 193 million United States Dollars which the Patriotic Front -PF- led Administration spent on it.

The Gulfstream has all the security and commutation feature required for the safety of the Head of State.

And many stakeholders have raised eyebrows regarding President HICHILEMA using commercial flights and his uncompromised decision to sell the Presidential Jet despite some political players saying it cannot be sold because it is a military plane.

Meanwhile, the opposition UPPZ leader says he is advising President HICHILEMA with profound reverence to realize that commercial flights sometimes get hijacked.

Mr. Chanda says despite Mr. HICHILEMA showing humility by using commercial airlines, he is also taking a great security risky and embarrassing the Nation.

Mr. Chanda further observed that the reasons being advanced for selling the jet are not adding up as the country can afford to maintain it.

Mr. Chanda has since stated that Mr. HICHILEMA must just swallow his pride and start using the Presidential Jet as opposed to traveling like an ordinary citizen.

Two years before 2021 General elections, Mr. HICHILEMA in opposition by then promised to sell off the Presidential Jet G650 once elected President.

After winning the presidency on 12th August, 2021, some political players started mocking him insinuating that he failed to fulfill his campaign promise to sell the jet.

And the President recently while officiating at the 2022 judicial conference disclosed that his Government already started the process of selling the Gulfstream G650 presidential Jet so that he can use the money to buy a cheaper plane and the rest of the money would be channeled towards putting up some border posts.

THE current Health system in the country is a death trap because a citizen now has a high chance of
dying from a curable condition under this UPND healthcare system, Dr Canisius Banda Patriotic Front
(PF) Chairman for Health has said.
Dr Banda further says that the supply chain of life-saving commodities was both inconsistent and
erratic.

“Inconsistent and erratic supply of health commodities in healthcare equals death for some patients. For
a citizen to be offered the care that they require is now a matter of chance. Quality healthcare is now
not guaranteed in our public health facilities,” he said.
He said Dr Christopher Kalila, a UPND Member of Parliament and the chairman of this Committee,
concluded that the supply chain of essential medicines, surgical supplies and laboratory reagents is
below par and worrisome.

Dr Banda said what was important to note was that though he was UPND, Dr Christopher Kalila had
chosen, in defence of sanity and citizens, to speak the truth as he saw it.
He said the cancellation of the nine framework contracts, which was a key contributor to this crisis, was
malicious and unwise.

Dr Banda said emotions should not drive the health agenda in Zambia but objectivity and
professionalism.

He said the cancellation is a governance scandal.
“What this report shows is that our healthcare system has collapsed. It has died. With only a 50%
countrywide availability of these items, this also means that the failure rate of our health facilities to
save a patient is high,” he said.

He said further, the finding that UPND’s ZAMMSA did not know the national annual needs of these
commodities was extremely worrying.

Dr Banda said this meant that all procurements occurring at the moment were being done blindly which
reflected quantification of failure. Now no one really knew exactly how much of each item Zambia
needed per year.

He said this was not surprising because innocent and competent civil servants, with capacities to collect
commodity data, quantify and procure were all fired falsely blaming them for being partisan.
Dr Banda said this was what happened when the Civil Service was both politicised and run
incompetently, the service suffers and people die.

He said the over 80% illegal expenditure on these commodities by health facilities as they seek to
maintain quality in the care that they offer critically compromised other pillars of the healthcare delivery
system.

He said the promise before the August 2021 elections was that, in pursuit of fiscal discipline, no minister
under the UPND would drive a VX or expensive motor vehicle.

“But today, not only do they drive these expensive cars but the UPND is also guilty of over-pricing
government procurements, further defrauding and wasting people’s resources,” he said.
Dr Banda said as an example, one ministerial vehicle equals more than one facility utility vehicle and yet
these health facilities had no transport for life-saving commodities.
He said the healthcare system was a matter of life and death. But as this report shows, the UPND does
not care whether the citizens live or die.- daily nation

The west has always been about divide and rule
By Dr Lubinda Haabazoka

THe USA is scared that it’s losing global economic dominance and therefore it should fight Russia and China. In order to win the battle, the west is trying to enlist African countries.

The problem with Africa is that we probably watch too many western movies. If we shun China and Russia, who will easily transfer technology to us? Sell us cheap oil and fertiliser? Give us plenty of free scholarships?

Africa has the market and it has the mineral resources. The Chinese move production here. You can send agriculture produce to China and Russia but it is banned in the USA and Europe. They say our vegetables and meat have diseases. If the west wants to have genuine relations with Africa, they should not tell us who our other friends should be!

We want to be friends with everyone. Imagine there are some African leaders even scared of getting cheap fertiliser and fuel from Russia because they will never be invited to a cocktail at the White House. This is at the expense of the African starving population.

African needs to first learn how to trade with itself. We take lessons from Ukraine. Ukraine has no autonomy anymore. It’s doing everything that it’s being told to do. It will take years for Ukraine to recover. But those suppliers weapons are safe. Their people are not dying and their countries are not being bombed. If Zelensky was clever, he would have avoided all this. Imagine your friends forcing you into a fight but they are unwilling to put on gloves themselves!

If Africa is not careful, then we shall also be like Ukraine. The west never builds roads anywhere anymore! It’s only China with that capability and willingness. Of all debt Africa owes, 45% is to the west and only 15% from China! So the China debt trap analysis is fake!!!!

Africa should decide its own destiny! We are not puppets! We shall never be puppets! We support only those that want to treat us like equals! We didn’t go to school to be puppets!

If it’s true they want Africa to develop, let’s then ditch the petro dollar system that gives USA and advantage by allowing it to print money to repay debt when others can’t afford to do so!!!

First Quantum screeches to a halt in Panama
…as state President rejects their proposal over a mine

By Mining.com

“In Zambia, the mine has received various concessions and recently stirred debate over increasing its shareholding in Kansanshi Copper Mines without parliament’s approval according to local media reports.”

First Quantum Minerals, the owners of Kansanshi Copper Mines in Zambia have had their mine operations halted Panama after failing to reach an agreement over taxes with the government there.
Panama’s government has ordered First Quantum Minerals (TSX: FM) to halt operations at its Cobre Panama copper mine after it failed to agree on the terms for a new contract with the Canadian miner.

The move, unusual among Latin American countries, came after First Quantum missed a Wednesday night deadline to ink a new royalty deal that has been in the works since September 2021.

The miner said on Friday it was doing everything possible to support its operations in Panama, “including through all available legal means.” It also expressed disappointment at what it considers “unnecessary actions” by the government.
According to Ebrahim Asvat, lawyer and part of Panama’s negotiating team, the mine closure is not immediate.

“What the national government decided was to order each ministry to take the necessary steps to maintain the copper mine with adequate care and maintenance,” he told Eco TV.

An agreement was reached in January, with the company committing to up its royalty payments for the mine. It also agreed to give Panama between 12% and 16% of its gross profit, which would replace the previous 2% revenue royalty.

First Quantum agreed as well to start paying 25% corporation tax, from which it was previously exempted, until its investments at the mine were recovered.

Sealing the deal dragged on for months, until President Laurentino Cortizo’s administration set a Wednesday night deadline for First Quantum to ink the new contract.

The miner then sent a new proposal that “fundamentally” changed the deal’s economics, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries said on Thursday morning.

The point of contention seems to be a clause that would make the Vancouver-based miner pay a minimum of $375 million in royalties to the state.
According to Bloomberg, First Quantum had been pushing for an exception in the case of much lower metal prices and profit.

“We expected reciprocity”

During a live television address to the nation on Thursday night, Cortizo said his government had put “all the necessary patience, good faith and the best of wills to get the mining company to ratify what was agreed, and that is why we expected reciprocity from the company, which did not happen.”

“This is not acceptable for me as president, nor for the government, nor for the people of Panama,” Cortizo said in the televised speech.

The President also said his administration will seek the best options to ensure the sustained operation of the mine, noting he had ordered the environment minister to oversee the site and the labour ministry to guarantee the jobs of workers.

He concluded by noting that the action taken sought to guarantee the principle established in the country’s Constitution, stating that Panama’s mineral resources belong to the Panamanian people.

The nation is reportedly working with a financial advisor to identify new potential partners for Cobre Panama, which raises concerns about the country nationalizing the asset or removing First Quantum’s license to operate, experts at BMO say.

Cobre Panama is the biggest foreign investment in the Central American nation, supporting 40,000 jobs. (Image courtesy of Minera Panama.)

“Our base-case expectation is that the government’s position is part of a broader negotiation; however, the recent escalation does raise uncertainty about First Quantum’s ability to operate in the country long term, and the risk that investors will see in Panama going forward,” BMO Metals and Mining analyst, Jackie Przybylowski, wrote.

From a copper market perspective, any sustained outage at the mine would further tighten global supplies, contributing to an expected annual deficit of 4.7 million tonnes by 2030.

“We have significant plans for the future of Cobre Panamá that will benefit all Panamanians, and our goal remains to find a ‘win-win’ resolution with the government,” the miner said on Friday.

First Quatum’s Cobre Panama achieved commercial production in September 2019. The asset is estimated to hold 3.1 billion tonnes in proven and probable reserves and at full capacity can produce more than 300,000 tonnes of copper per year, or about 1.5% of global production of the metal.

The company says it has invested around $10 billion in Cobre Panama, the largest private investment ever in the country, and was contemplating expanding the processing capacity of the mine from 85 million tonnes per year to 100 million tpy in 2023. This would have allowed it to boost production to nearly 360,000 tonnes of copper by the end of this year and to 350,000-380,000 tonnes in 2023.

First Quantum is one of the world’s top copper miners and Canada’s largest producer of the metal. It produced 816,000 tonnes of copper in 2021, its highest ever, thanks mainly to record output at Cobre Panama.

Cobre Panama. (Image courtesy of First Quantum.)
The company is expected to reach its 2022 target of between 790,000 and 855,000 tonnes of copper by year-end.

The Cobre Panama mine complex, located about 120 km west of Panama City and 20 km from the Atlantic coast, contributes 3.5% of the Central American country’s gross domestic product, according to government figures.

The miner first ran into trouble in 2018 when Panama’s Supreme Court, acting on a suit filed by environmental groups, ruled the mining code at the time of allowing the operation was unconstitutional. This forced the parties to begin renegotiating the contract.

Fairly uncommon move Panama’s decision is a major blow to chief executive Tristan Pascall, who succeeded his father, Phillip, in May.

Latin America is the jurisdiction where risks of asset seizures and taxes hikes have increased the most in the past two years, risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft estimates.

The practice, however, has been rare in Latin America’s recent past. One of the last major expropriations was in 2012, when then-Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s government seized a 51% stake in the country’s largest oil and gas producer, YPF SA, from Repsol SA.

Almost ten years later, in April 2022, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared lithium a “strategic mineral” whose exploration, exploitation, and use are the exclusive right of the country, through a new state-run company called Litio para Mexico, or Lithium for Mexico.

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON MR ANTHONY BWALYA WRITES;

COST OF LIVING DISCUSSION

In economics, like in any other field, one needs to have an honest, unbiased perspective of a problem before they can measure it, let alone, solve it.

It all seems a bit convenient, to me, how the PF and their opposition surrogates are driving a false, poorly informed narrative about the cost of living question – a question President Hakainde Hichilema is answering in the unequivocal affirmative and positively overturning the economic damage of the past 10 years under PF mis – rule.

So, how did we get here?

1. In 2011, the PF inherited an inflation rate of 6.43% and by 2021, they had decimated it to a staggering 24%.

It means, over this period, prices of goods and services were spiking at an out of control pace.

2. In 2011, Zambia had a thriving economic growth rate of 5.56%, which by 2020 had dwindled to – 2.79%.

In fact, between 2012 and 2020, the economy had performed so poorly that the aggregate annual growth rate for the said period was – 13%.

What this means is that real productivity within the economy was non-existent. It also means that businesses were shutting down, jobs were being lost and incomes were being wiped away.

There is no other explanation.

3. Between the years 2012 and 2020, because of this lack of productivity in the economy, the Kwacha lost as much as 233% of its value.

This made imports exceedingly expensive, and in an economy where jobs and incomes were being wiped out, the pain was simply being compounded.

4. In the period 2011 to 2021, the pump price had gone up by at least 110%.

The PF alternative was to “effectively” borrow $67m every month to subsidize the pump price, and when they could not keep up pace, they opted to accumulate close to $1bn in unpaid fuel invoice arrears.

Now, when one looks at this diabolical historical background and poor economic management by the PF, spanning 10 years, it is not a surprise that the new administration took on a difficult but not impossible job to correct this mess.

This, fellow citizens, is the background to the cost of living debate – there is no other background, none.

What have we done in the last 1 year and 3 months to correct this historical 10-year-old problem?

1. We have slowed down the rate of inflation from 24% to around 9.73%.

This means prices of goods and services are not rising as fast as they had been under the previous regime.

2. We are successfully rebuilding the economy – growth is back to close to +3%, representing an annual change of close to +5%, all in 1 year.

This means productivity is coming back to the economy. It means jobs are coming back. It also means incomes are coming back.

A friend of mine owns a medium-sized snack manufacturing plant in Lusaka’s heavy industrial area, and he tells me business is definitely heading in the right direction.

3. The Kwacha is now one of the best-performing currencies globally, with better stability than the unpredictability of the last 10 years.

This has injected a new lease of confidence into the economy.

4. When it comes to fuel, we made a difficult but bold and necessary decision to stop subsidising fuel.

At the current rate of crude oil prices, we would need at least $79m per month to keep the pump price at K17 per litre.

Where would the money come from?

The country is already choking on a $23bn debt problem created under the watch of the other guys, and it would be nothing short of insane to be borrowing this kind of money to artificially keep the price of fuel down.

We have instead invested this money, money which is now actively being mopped up by sealing corruption loopholes, in our people via:

– Free education for thousands of our children
– CDF at K25.7m or $1.4m per constituency per year and this money has been fully paid.
– Investing in our local councils
– Investing in the higher education needs of our youth
– Investing in our marketeers ( booster loan facility)
– Investing in social protection of the vulnerable
– Investing in the employment of over 40,000 public sector workers with more jobs on the way

We are also no longer accumulating arrears fuel.

We are instead dismantling the toxic burden of close to $1bn the other guys left on our national books in unpaid fuel arrears.

So, fellow citizens, do not be swayed by the hollow, misguided half-truths of the other guys about the nature of the challenge we are facing and aggressively solving today – it is a humongous problem they created, but one which the President is gracefully, patiently and painstakingly combing through.

Zambia shall rise.

Amen

THE PRESIDENTIAL JET
By Dickson Jere

The longest trip we took on a Presidential Challenger Jet was to Brazil in 2010. We made three-stopovers to refuel. Because we had to fuel to full-capacity, the usual Presidential close party had to be removed from the aircraft to reduce on weight. So it was only President Rupiah Banda and myself, as two passengers, and the aide-de-camp on that 16 hour-long and punishing journey. Not the best way of moving a President.

In 2008, when some of us joined government, we found a position paper on the need to purchase a new presidential aircraft. The document was first crafted by technocrats under President Frederick Chiluba government. And so, during our first few months in office, I was one of those taken on a test-flight by the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier, who came to market the new plane (Challenger Global). It was what Zambia was looking for at that time – long haul machine – with bigger passenger capacity. But due to some unforeseen issues, the transaction was never concluded. At that time, Rwanda and Botswana had just acquired similar machines for the presidential duties.

The Challenger aircraft 604 which was designed as “Zambia One” was not really suitable for presidential movements. It was small and could not take longer trips without stopovers for refuel. Remember that whenever the Head of State makes a stopover, it means that security and protocol detail must be stationed there in advance. This is costly too! We also tried,as a country, the option of chartering private aircrafts for the President but this too proved unsustainable and costly. Not forgetting putting the life of the President in the hands of foreign crew!

Another alternative to the Challenger, which has been used before, is to board commercial flights. This is very inconveniencing for the Head of State. It is difficult to plan as flights can be delayed and entire presidential assignment disturbed. Commercial flights can be canceled and affect the presidential movements. This also entail making stopovers when going on long distance trips such as New York (UN General Assembly). Each stopover require security and protocol detail stationed in advance in those countries. Sometimes, the flight bookings can be crazy and involve several stopovers. The President, in case of emergency, should be able to travel back at short notice from wherever he or she is than waiting for tickets to be changed or negotiating for available seats on commercial flights.
So, the need for a long haul aircraft, has always been a necessity.

What about sudden change of programs?
Zambia One must be able to make sudden U-turn when the final destination becomes hostile. For example, the President destined to country B must be able to change plan midair when suddenly war breaks out in that country. This cannot be done with commercial flights that can be diverted to some other countries which may not be suitable for Zambia One.

The current debate is interesting. Zambia Air Force (ZAF), in an unprecedented statement, explained that the presidential plane cannot be sold. I think that is besides the point. I think what we should be looking at is the cost-benefit analysis of having our own long haul aircraft Vs selling and getting back to commercial flights for our Head of State. How much can we save from the two options? What are the security implications of the two options? This is where we should focus the debate!

As for me, based on my very little experience in the presidency, I would prefer whoever is Zambian President, to have a long haul aircraft for easy movements and safety. It does not matter whether it is Gulf-stream, Challenger Global, Airbus or Boeing, so long as it can do the job. Whether it is President Edgar Lungu, Hakainde Hichilema, Harry Kalaba, Sean Tembo or Chishimba Kambwili in office, they need to have such machine.
(Throw Back)

ZAMBIANS POOR AT ELECTING GOOD LEADERS BUT GOOD AT REMOVING BAD ONES – DR SISHUWA SISHUWA

He writes in the following excerpt:

Major concerns have also emerged about Hichilema’s commitment to fighting corruption. To begin with, the president has refused to publish the value of his assets despite being elected a platform of accountability and transparency. Along with Lungu, he is the only major party nominee to fail to do so since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991. This is especially concerning as Zambian presidents have generally used state power to accumulate wealth. There is no evidence Hichilema has done so, but his reluctance to release his net worth is concerning given his extensive business interests. This makes it difficult to work out to what extent his economic policies are benefiting companies in which he has an interest.

At the same time, Hichilema has resisted passing a law on access to information (ATI) that would enhance government transparency and assist the media and civil society in fighting corruption. Such a law has been promised by successive governments who have then dragged their feet over the last three decades. Hichilema’s has now joined them. In over a year, his administration has not even got as far as producing a Draft Bill. This reluctance may arise from fears among political elites that such a law would make available information – especially on procurement and asset declarations – that would make corruption easier to observe.

Finally, Hichilema has ignored accusations of corruption in his own government. When opposition parties presented evidence of executive involvement in an inflated fertiliser contract awarded to one of the president’s business associates, for instance, Hichilema kept quiet. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which now sits under the president’s office, also looked away. When the Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo got embroiled in what appears to be a major corruption scandal, Hichilema and the ACC again said nothing.

In Zambia, there is a growing perception that Hichilema is promoting ethnic discrimination, ignoring corruption, mismanaging an already poor economy, undermining democratic institutions, and serving as a stooge of foreign mining companies and Western countries. Already, many ordinary people have concluded that Hichilema is not the leader they thought he was. The government may have co-opted civil society members who spoke truth to power under Lungu, elicited the silence of the West, and scared ordinary people from speaking out for fear of arrest, but the people are becoming more critical.

Regrettably, however, Hichilema appears to pay more attention to the voice of a particular constituency in South Africa, Europe, and North America than those who elected him. This strategy may come back to haunt him. As former archbishop Mpundu warned, “a government that doesn’t listen to the people, sooner rather than later goes out…People are a sovereign element in the running of the country.”

Indeed, while Zambians may be poor at choosing good leaders, they are good at removing bad ones. It was arguably the calamity of Lungu that pushed people to breaking point and made Hichilema look like a better alternative. Despite basking in foreign approval, the current president risks becoming Zambia’s first to suffer electoral defeat after serving only one term unless he takes a long hard look at himself.

PROPHET ISAAC FINALLY WRITES TO UPND ON THE PLIGHT OF SUFFERING ZAMBIANS

Renowned Clergyman Prophet ISAAC Praise of Monze has written to UPND on the plight of youths and women in Zambia. It should be noted that Prophet Isaac is a neutral person who does not support any political party but speaks for voiceless citizens.

He writes……

Greetings children of God. I have been reading in different foras, our Zambian Youths are complaining about being left out in line with recruitments, especially the Police, Prisons, ZNS, ZAF and many others. I have also noticed that a lot of people are agreeing with them.

I have a slightly different opinion from the rest when it comes to the issue of recruitments. Family, Zambians used to condemn PF a lot when it came to the manner in which they used to recruit people. Many Zambians used to complain that PF was recruiting cadres into the Police and among many reasons, its one of the reasons why Zambians detested PF and also lost confidence in the Police. My question is, were Zambians just condemning and meanwhile UPND seems to be admiring what PF were doing. To me it appears as if UPND was in fact admiring the wrongs PF was doing.

Ladies and gentlemen, as much as it can be sweet to recruit your own, but we can do it at our own peril, just like in PF, people will lose confidence in our Police, Army and so on. Let recruitments be as unbiased as possible, so that the country goes back to where it was. I remember, one never needed to be MMD to be recruited in the Police or be posted as a Teacher during the Mwanawasa Regime.

Now people, may I bring you to this fact. In my opinion, there are four things which we should differentiate and these are: Appointments, Empowerments, Promotions and Recruitments. Appointments may refer to things such as, being appointed as Minister, PS, DC, Various Commissions, Boards, Foreign Service and so on. These can be a preserve of your Part Members, there is no problem. Empowerments such as those that are under the SME Ministry, CDF and others, for these, we can manoeuvre around so that the majority beneficiaries are our own people. Promotions within a particular system, even these it can be done where it becomes more biased towards our own people, but for recruitments ladies and gentlemen though we can not be 100% immaculate, we should try to be unbiased, it is good for the Country people. Moreover, UPND can use the recruitments as a campaign tool, where people can testify that without any connection, I have been recruited. How i wish on this one we could all be supportive to the Govt so that there is sanity in Country. In actual sense, these are things that we should dramatise, sinking it into the minds of the people that in this Govt there is impartiality, its a Govt they must trust.

Please may I not be misquoted, by mentioning that recruitments should be unbiased, am not suggesting that as UPND, you have done well in looking after your people, no. Am suggesting that as you look for and demand for opportunities for your own people, let’s not go the PF way, that path was not good.

For those that may agree with me, let’s talk to our Youths and everyone else who feels aggrieved over recruitments, so that they may understand that what PF was doing was wrong and that’s why we condemned it. All Zambians whether UPND, PF, NDF, NDC MMD, UNIP, Socialst Party, Citizens Party or any other party members must be given an opportunity in government. I thank you.

Yours In Christ
Prophet ISAAC Praise

CENTRAL COMMITTEE RESOLVES ON ISSUES LEADING TO EXTRA-ORDINARY GENERAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 2023

LUSAKA- Saturday, 17th December 2022

The Central Committee of the Patriotic Front has held its final meeting of the year.

The meeting resolved some of the contentious issues regarding the preparations leading to the Extra-Ordinary General Conference scheduled for March 2023 to elect a new party president.

The Meeting received a report on presidential candidates that successfully filed for nominations when the process closed on 31st October, 2022.

NINE CANDIDATES FILED

The meeting heard that nine candidates successfully filed for expression of intetest to stand for the party presidency. The Meeting heard that besides the eight aspirants that were publicly known, another aspirant in longtime businessman and Patriotic Front senior member, Hon. Goodward Mulubwa was among the candidates that had successfully filed their expression of interest to lead the party.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE

The Meeting resolved to hold an Extra-Ordinary General Conference prior to the elective Extra-Ordinary Conference due in March 2023, to attend to outstanding issues and help modernise the Party Constitution.

To this effect, a Constitutional Review Commission has been set up headed by Chairperson for Legal Affairs and Lukashya member of parliament, Hon. George Chisanga.

Hon Chisanga will complete the earlier work of reviewing and amending the party Constitution that was started under the Mundubile led Constitutional Review Commission.

The Chisanga Commission has been tasked to prepare and submit the draft Constitution to the Central Committee Meeting scheduled for January 2023 fore initial approval before it is circulated to the wider membership.

ELECTIVE EXTRA-ORDINARY GENERAL CONFERENCE

The Central Committee emphasised that the elective Conference that will elect a successor to President Dr. Edgar Lungu will take place as earlier scheduled before 31st March 2022.

The Meeting tasked the Acting Secretary General, Hon. Nixon Chilangwa to ensure that processes of the Extra-Ordinary Constitutional Conference is held in a manner that did not disturb the scheduled elective Conference.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES CAMPAIGN CALENDAR

The Meeting heard that a campaign schedule for presidential aspirants will be drafted by the Secretariat and will be brought for adoption in the next Central Committee Meeting due in January 2023.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Presidential aspirants had an opportunity to address the Central Committee. The aspirants pledged unity of purpose and to promote the interest of the party during their media appearances.

Those present were; Hon. Chishimba Kambwili, Hon. Brian Mundubile, Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba, Hon. Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, Hon. Greyford Monde and Hon. Miles Sampa.

Further Secretariat was tasked with re-opening and providing a process for other persons that may still be interested in contesting the party presidency but couldn’t not meet the earlier deadline.

The Meeting encouraged especially youths or women prospective candidates to participate during the window which will be opened by the Acting Secretary General, Hon. Nixon Chilangwa.

THE LATE HON. TUTWA NGULUBE

The Meeting observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Member of the Central Committee, and Deputy Chairperson of the Legal Committee, Hon. Tutwa Ngulube.

Members took time to eulogise the work and legacy of Hon. Ngulube.

The meeting also invited Bishop Samson Kalwazi, former Bishop and spiritual father to Hon. Tutwa Ngulube to address the meeting on his last memories.

The Meeting also received the report that their concerns about the suspicious nature of Hon. Ngulube’s death was attended to when an autopsy was conducted.

The party will receive guidance from the family on the preliminary pathology report and results received so far and the family will guide on further tests that may be needed to be done.

The meeting was presided over by Acting President, Hon. Given Lubinda and was supported by the National Chairperson, Hon. Davies Chama, Acting Secretary General, Hon. Nixon Chilangwa and the National Women’s Chairperson, Hon. Mulenga Kampamba.

Issued by;

Hon. Raphael Nakacinda
CHAIRPERSON OF INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY
PATRIOTIC FRONT

Sishuwa chokes as HH raises Zambian flag High at US-Africa Summit

By David Zulu.
17th December 2022.

Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa’s headline banner, “Why Zambia’s President is adored abroad but a disappointment at home”, gave him away. It was peevish, ill-disposed, contrasting and if not incompatible with his polymathic titles that he penned off his article with; Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa at the University of Cape Town and a Lecturer in Morden History at the University of Zambia’

The article unsurprisingly coincided with President Hichilema’s successful participation in the US-Africa Summit in Washington and it was clear Sishuwa was attempting to obliterate and disengage the HH’s domestic achievements, from being associated with his huge foreign successes.

Sishuwa agonisingly acknowledged the Zambian President’s positive image abroad “despite lack of significant domestic achievements” amidst what he claimed was a discontented population at home.

Sishuwa accused President Hichilema of broken promises and resuming a “crippling six hour daily daily power cut” (load shedding has not resumed yet), and adding a staggering $2 billion external debt in just a year. This claim was immediately rubbished by Zambia’s prolific economic expert Alexander Nkosi:

“Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa has shared an article indicating that the New Dawn Government has added at least USD2 billion to Zambia’s external debt in just a year.

Zambia’s official external debt is presented below:

The stock of public external debt amounted to USD14.87 billion as at end-June 2022. Of this amount, Central Government external debt
was USD13.25 billion while guaranteed and non-guaranteed external debt for State Owned Enterprises was USD1.50 billion and USD113.69 million”.

If there was anyone who exposed Sishuwa’s ill conceived agenda of lies and distortions and sent him reeling to the canvas in the first round, it was Alexander Nkosi. Numbers don’t lie.

Sishuwa’s claims of lack of ‘significant’ domestic achievements unusually blacked out the 30,000 and 11,000 newly recruited teachers and health professionals respectively, the enhanced CDF, free education from primary to secondary school for Zambian children, the single digit inflation and the Kwacha’s prolific performance. Most of all, Dr Sishuwa forgot the most important achievement; elimination of political violence that has come as a result of President’s Hichilema’s passion in the promotion of the rule of law.

President Hakainde Hichilema’s iconoclastic character will continue attracting vicious attacks from individuals like Dr Sishuwa and his contemporary Fred Mmembe. An iconoclast is a bold thinker who does not prioritise what tradition calls for, and always look for ways to change it for the better. They see options other people can’t see or won’t see, they break old paradigms and create new ones.

How else would President Hakainde Hichilema create 41,000 jobs in the education and health sectors and increase the Constituency Development Fund to levels never seen anywhere in Africa. How would he provide for free education from primary to secondary in under one year? Other than that he is an iconclast, an explorer and an economic revolutionary.

Sishuwa and his peers’ attempts to allege that HH’s monumental achievements in one year are insignificant and inconsequential are quite a stretch.

Masebo now has nowhere to hide

By John Phiri

When summing up Nellie Mutti’s tenure as Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia , it will definitely be mentioned that she once appointed a parliamentary committee to probe reports of persistent shortage of drugs in public health facilities, which Health Minister Sylvia Masebo had spent nearly two years denying existed.

The report of that committee, recently made public, and already the subject of several media reports, paints an unflattering picture of Masebo’s stewardship, in which her greatest contribution is a dangerous bungling and disruption of supply chains for medicines, from which the government has not recovered since she strutted fashion-parade style into the Ministry of Health.

Essentially confirming that the unending public complaints of shortage of drugs and other medical supplies in public health facilities are true, the parliamentary committee observed in its report that deliveries of medicines to health facilities by the Ministry of Health supervised ZAMMSA, were insufficient, erratic and inconsistent.
National availability of medicines in health facilities, the Committe found, stood at 53.1%, which is far below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended stock availability rate of 70 – 80%.

The Committee found, through visits to health facilities, that essential equipment such as CT Scans, at tertiary and general hospitals, and x-ray machines in most stations were either not functioning or totally absent.

Perhaps the most critical finding of the parliamentary Committee was the fact that current procurement procedures had excluded most previous suppliers and manufacturers, who had both the capacity and experience in long term supply of drugs and medical supplies, and replaced them with citizen owned firms without capacity.

During this time remotely controlled ZAMMSA has contrived to cancel contracts nine times. This is what has resulted in supply rate of drugs and medical requirements being at barely 50% since the current government took over.

The Committee’s recommendation for mitigation this disastrous drugs supply situation is therefore inescapable:

“Citizen owned companies lack capacity to supply huge national requirements…One way to mitigate the current shortages is for ZAMMSA to consider renegotiating and reinstating the nine cancelled contracts, while at the same time building capacity of both ZAMMSA and new suppliers.”

For this to happen, the Committee further recommends, ZAMMSA should be given autonomy to operate independently without external influences.

But what makes the Committee’s findings most scandalous is the fact that these shortages have persisted in the face of adequate funding from the treasury.

Apart from the first quarter of 2022 when disbursement was delayed, supply of funds to ZAMMSA for procurement of drugs is currently up to date!

However, it is also be an indictment against the parliamentary Committee itself that in all its work, over the 10 days, it did not deem it fit to venture to visit any of the local drugs suppliers shut out of the current procurement misadventure.

For many observers, notably Socialist Party President Fred M’membe, have repeatedly said that the shortage of drugs has been largely caused by the refusal by Minister of Health Masebo to buy essential medicines in the warehouses of suppliers blacklisted for political reasons.

Was this a genuine oversight by the parliamentary committee, or was it an attempt to deliberately whitewash this probe?
What does all this mean, in terms of understanding the cause of this unfortunate shortage of drugs?

It has been caused by vindictiveness and incompetence at the level of political leadership in the Ministry of Health, and discordant relations among its technical-management staff.

And as admirable as the Committee’s work has been, much of what it found was already common knowledge among observers, and many of them had voiced concerns.

Remember ex-President of the Resident Doctors Association (RDAZ) Brian Sampa?
As early as March 2022, Dr Sampa had raised alarm over a new organisational structure under which heads of parastatals would report to the Minister of Health instead of the Permanent Secretary, and said the move was tantamount to turning the civil service into political bedrooms, as it would give too much power to the minister to manipulate statutory bodies.

The parliamentary Committee is obviously reticent about pinpointing out the manifestation of what seems to be clear manipulation by the Minister of Health, Masebo in the work of ZAMMSA.

To redeem themselves, or is it to be non-controversial, Committee members have no doubt found themselves recommending greater operational autonomy for ZAMMSA.

The question is whose hands should get out of ZAMMSA drugs procurement affairs, which have contributed to this embarrassing shortage of drugs in public health facilities?

The nature and substance of this meddling is also well known, and the government has so far failed to counter many serious charges.

Again, as early as March 2022, Socialist Party President M’membe had this to ask regarding the shortage of drugs, many of which could have been procured within the country:
“Why are they failing to truthfully and simply explain this drug shortage?

It cannot be denied that there’s a critical shortage of drugs in our health centres, clinics and hospitals.

And the government at the highest level has failed to truthfully and simply explain the reasons for this shortage.

Why is it difficult to truthfully and simply explain this drug shortage? Vested business interests. Our people’s lives are being sacrificed on the altar of business expediency.

The problem is indecision over who should be given the business contracts to supply the drugs.

We have a local drug supplier who is forced to send workers home because the government doesn’t want to buy drugs from the company.

The needed drugs are there in the country. It’s simply a question of not wanting to buy drugs from those who have them.”

The parliamentary Committee report has vindicated M’membe’s observations.

The Ministry of Health has had an agenda of focusing more on the identity of suppliers, rather than their capacity to supply or the lack of it.

But we have a point of disagreement with the Parliamentary Committee.

It is not the Zambia Public Procurement Agency Act, 2019 that has excluded most previous suppliers and manufacturers, in favour of “citizen owned firms” that lack capacity to supply the huge national requirement of drugs.

It is the decision of the political leadership, and it has now become a familiar theme of interaction between government and the business community.

This will clearly have future consequences for the government of President Hichilema, and for Helath Minister Masebo personally, for there is a human life cost to such alleged irresponsibility. Zambians and watching, taking stock of the impact of these decisions that have led to continuous shortage of drugs.

Dr Canicius Banda put this in quite stark terms when he discussed this:
“Unavailability of essential commodities, be they laboratory, medical or surgical, is a ’cause’ of death at health facilities.

A cogent case can be made that such deaths have occurred in Zambia since August last year. Zambia has among the best supply-chain managers in the world.

Ask the UN. So what then explains the current, protracted, non-ending and life-threatening shortages of drugs, medical, surgical and laboratory supplies in our public health facilities?”

His answer is simple: a government seeing corruption in every procurement process, began to repeatedly audit everything.

” Though audits are a required starting-point, undertaking for any newcomer, or new manager to any organisation, they need NOT disrupt ongoing supply-chain management.

This is where he failed. His accounting intervention led to chaos. His government, fueled by emotion and vindictiveness, bearing a jaundiced view of existing government systems, gravely disrupted the supply-chain management of these commodities for Zambia.

This political interference, though somewhat well-intentioned, is now the explanation for why someone has died and has been buried in Zambia today.

Responsible officers were fired. Supplies were stalled. New orders were not placed in time. Old suppliers were not paid. Procurement relationships were soured. Suspicion and fear became the norm.”

But if Masebo can be accused of interference and bungling, evidence shows that her boss President Hakainde Hichilema is guilty of poor supervision.

When reports of serious shortage of drugs first emerged, what was President Hichilema’s initial response?

Just as he had done for his Minister Stanley “Calendars” Kakubo , he went straight to the subject of the complaint to ask if it was true!

He went on a visit to the Ministry of Health where he declared his Minister to be very hard working, blah blah blah…

As observed before, he could have diverted his motorcade from his Community House in Chalala and passed through Chilenje Level One Hospital, to get a feel of the problem from ordinary people and staff, and then his courtesy call on the seemingly untouchable Masebo could have been more meaningful than a cheap photo-op.

Perhaps now that Speaker Mutti’s Parliamentary Committee has reported on this unfortunate matter, and whose report counts as an aberration on the government’s management of such a critical issue, will rouse President Hichilema from his election mandate-induced stupor.

What he needs to do is simple enough: eliminate political interference from the medicines supply chain, and follow the parliamentary Committee’s first, and key recommendation on mitigating or resolving the current shortages of drugs and medical supplies throughout the country.

In the Committee’s own words:
“ZAMMSA should put in place stop gap measures to raise the supply rate of medicines and medical supplies to above 80 per cent availability level.

One way to mitigate the current shortages is for ZAMMSA to consider renegotiating and reinstating the nine cancelled contracts, while at the same time, building capacity of both ZAMMSA and new suppliers.”

Drug shortages in public health facilities have been endured long enough.

This is an opportunity to end them and ease the suffering off ordinary Zambians.

Speaker Mutti has done her part in an effort to establish something very close to the reality on the ground. This effort must not be wasted.

Your foreign trips have no value – GBM tells HH
…if you cannot solve a single domestic public policy problem, why travel?
Lusaka, 17.12.2022

Aspiring candidate for the position of president of the Patriotic Front, PF, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, GBM, says the foreign trips by President Hakainde Hichilema are irrelevant to the needs of the Zambian people.

Mr. Mwamba says more than a year in office President Hichilema has been out of the country countless times spending millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned income and yet he has never solved a single domestic public policy problem in the country.

“When he signs one MOU after another while announcing astronomical figures as expected foreign direct investment, he thinks he has justified his foreign trip”, Mr. Mwamba observes while adding, “What he does not know is that MOUs do not always lead to tangible benefits for the public”.

Instead, the veteran politician says most MOUs the President signs, or his Ministers sign benefit multinationals while in a few instances employ a few Zambians in addition to the corporate tax paid.

“This is an elitist approach to national development which still leaves behind the majority Zambians in abject poverty”, Mr. Mwamba says.

He has advised President Hichilema to invest more in domestic policy by solving real and immediate national challenges that include energy problems, the absence of basic and life-saving drugs in the country’s health facilities, the shambolic farming input distribution exercise, reckless cancellation of contracts that would have solved some of the problems he has created, and many more.

The former Defense Minister says investing in foreign trips at the expense of engaging with domestic challenges is no different from wanting to run even before someone can learn how to sit up. The President, Mr. Mwamba says, is yet to learn how to govern at home, so he must not invest as much as he has done in foreign trips.

“The President is under the illusion that he has to attend every international engagement and yet the majority of the foreign trips he has made can be handled effectively at minimal cost by government officials with the relevant negotiating skills and the right mandate”, the former Defense Minister says.

He has urged Members of Parliament to demand that the Minister of Foreign Affairs issue a ministerial statement informing the nation of how much the President’s foreign trips have cost the nation so far and what benefits, if any, have accrued to the nation.

Why is it difficult to get to the people and let them have a say in the expansion of our Bill of Rights – New Dawn Questuoned
…..Do things systematically and Stop climbing trees from the top….
Parliament News, 16th December, 2022 (SMART EAGLES)
Opposition Whip who is also Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament Hon. Stephen Kampyongo has yet again called on the UPND Government to give Zambians an opportunity to contribute to the refining of the Constitution.

The Former Minister said this when he debated the motion on the floor of the House to Adopt a report of the committee on Legal Affairs.
“The mover of the motion in his submission he is telling the house that out of 44 member states of the African Union only 33 have ratified the protocol establishing the court, and out of this 33 only 8 member states have deposited the declaration recognizing the incompetence of the court to receive cases, this should be the basis of our discourse. Why these numbers since 1998 and if by ratification we are only joining the 25 then this exercise is in futility or rather an academic exercise”.

Hon. Kampyongo stated that as already Debated by other Members in the House some of the rights enshrined in the charter such as Social, Economic and Cultural are yet to be enshrined in the our constitution.

The Former Minister further took the house back to the debates on the amendment of the Penal code that was ably debated by the opposition Members all with a call to call for another referendum so that people of Zambia can have a say in the amendment of the laws that govern us.

“This again takes me back to the debate I gave in this house when we were dealing with the amendments to the penal code and criminal procedure code that let’s be systematic by providing an opportunity to deal with part 3 of the Constitution so that these rights we are promoting are anchored in our constitution.

The Hon. Minister was reminded that “even after this ratification is done there is also another requirement to join the 8 who have deposited the declaration and international instruments. But before you do that you have to demonstrate what you have done on local legislation and the committees submission is clear that for any cases to be taken to this African Court we must exhaust the local remedies. So how ready are we in this regard? We shouldn’t just be seen ratifying protocols as a way of International public relations they must be practiced!”
He emphatically stated that the Patriotic Front agrees with government in the promotion of social, economic and cultural rights of our citizens but we need to be systematic.

The parliamentarian further highlighted the benefits of Zambia being part of this African Court but called on Government to be systematic in dealing with judicial matters.

“Let’s just get to agree that it’s time we provided an opportunity to revisit that missed opportunity by getting back to our people to expand the bill of rights. We can start from the top going down it’s like climbing a tree from the top. As you are dealing with constitution reforms include the aspect for us to get to the people and let the people participate in expanding the bill of rights then it will be meaningful to join 8 at the AU”.

GOVT MUST AUDIT ZNPF/NAPSA SCHEME: IT IS LAW BUT CAPITALISTIC AND NOT BENEFICIAL TO WORKERS

…NAPSA is biggest beneficiary of its Scheme; workers eventually die as destitutes

By Isaac Mwanza

After working for 26 years since 1969, a contributor to ZNPF/NAPSA pension scheme only retired with a pension of below K270 which NAPSA paid him around 2006. Of what worth is it for a man to spend his life only contributing to NAPSA only to get K270 or below from NAPSA by 2006? NAPSA contributions must become optional.

Call me bitter but workers must beware of ZNPF/NAPSA! There is still nothing to celebrate 56 years after Independence. The way the system treats our country’s labour force largely contribute to increased corruption, misappropriation and theft by servant in public and private places.

Successive political leaders, including those in the UPND administration, have never understood how ZNPF/NAPSA Scheme is robs the public and privator sector workers workers. But politicians are okay with this. Even the current amendments to the NAPSA Act will not have because of how this ZNPF/NAPSA system has been messed up to benefit the institution itself and not the workers.

In August 1969, an obedient contributor to ZNPF/NAPSA made the first contribution of K8.00 towards his life pension hoping that when he retired his pension be able to look after him till his last breath on earth. In July 1973, his contribution to the Fund was increased to K12.00 until March 1980.

From April, 1980 to September, 1985, ZNPF increased his contributing K20.00 every month.

In October, 1985 to December, 1988 when things got worse for government, his contribution rose to K30.00 per month and between January 1989 to March, 1990 contributions were increased to K50.00 per month. This contribution was increased by 100 percent in between April, 1990 and November, 1990 where he paid K100 per month and thereafter in December, 1990 he begun to make a contribution of K300.00 per month until June 1992.

I am not an economist but I seem to perfectly understand what our Kwacha went through 1 year after we changed government but this mam started making a contribution of K1,500 per month in July. 1992 and May, 1995.

Again, between June 1995 and December, 1995, his contribution jumped to K10,500 per month when he retired.

For all these years that he made contributions, what did he get as benefits from NAPSA?

Between 1995 and 1996, NAPSA paid put K195. Yes, K195 in retirement claim. I was just completing my high school then and i can vouch K195 this man could not buy essentials for a boarding student.

Between 2005 and 2006, he got his last payment of K72.

Zambia: Caught in China-USA crosshairs*

…as the giants fight for supremacy in Africa

Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote

15th December 2022

This week, many of us that follow international relations or diplomacy woke to a rather strange tweet by the respected Senator of the United States Bob Menendez who encouraged our dear President H.E Hakainde Hichilema to scoff on China and embrace Uncle Sam.
When I saw the tweet, I thought it smacked of contempt for China and condescended Zambia, leaving no room for our country to be “its own man.”
The tweet read in part, “I was honoured to meet with President Hichilema, a strong leader and bright spot for democracy in Africa. HH is working hard to “curb China´s malign and predatory influence in Zambia, as well as increase cooperation with the US…”
In my view as a former Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and plenipotentiary, the tweet crossed the line of what the decorum of diplomacy is all about but then I could be wrong.
What concerned me even more is the fact that, after the fact, the foreign office of Zambia ´has not´ come back to explain what Zambia´s position really is regarding its relations with China and the United States following the tweet.
For instance, given the cosy picture of the beloved President of Zambia with the Senator, does it mean President Hichilema, our beloved President believes that Hernandez´s statement that predatory debt has been imposed on Zambia by China, a long-time friend of Zambia true? The jury is still out.

Having been privileged to serve Zambia as an Ambassador in a crucial station like Berlin and Stockholm, I wonder whether Zambia has now cast aside diplomatic decorum of ´neutrality´ and embraced Uncle Sam as its sole buddy abandoning China or indeed any other diplomatic ties.

My limited understanding of diplomacy and geopolitics is that, as the globe becomes smaller, we, as a country, no matter how poor we are become friends with everyone that doesn’t break global laws such as abuse of human rights and good governance.
We dictate whom we want to be partners with and not depend on one power point to dictate how we love or hate, how we die or live, how we cry or laugh.

China according to available studies has been with Zambia long before Zambia was Zambia, she escalated relations with Zambia as the first diplomatic partner at independence in 1964.

The Asian dragon breathed life in the erection of the Tanzania Zambia Railway (TAZARA) link in order to over pass the apartheid regime of South Africa and Ian Smith´s Southern Rhodesia, which was in cohorts with the West when we fought for the liberation of southern Africa from colonialists. What has changed?

How then does a country that did not support southern Zambia when China did, today come forth to condemn relations between the two, China and Zambia? Just asking questions.

We want to be friends with everyone within acceptable global norms.
I was therefore not perplexed when I saw a response from China as the hits keep coming on right from the top.
As far as “predatory loans” or debt to poor countries like Zambia go, the Ambassador of China to the United States H.E Qin Gang said in a recent interview ahead of the US Africa summit that the notion is nothing but propaganda.
Citing the west´s own ´Debt Justice´, Ambassador Qin said, “African countries owe three times more debt to Western countries than to China…our debt is not a trap, it’s a benefit.”

Also, no evidence, none whatsoever shows that China will take over any state asset of Zambia due to default or any other African country for that matter.
But also, we must be cognisant of the fact that the United States for instance has been feeding Zambia with about US$500 million annually in money for the health sector, and so has China in infrastructure. Take a look at the KKIA.
Of special note is I have not seen China say, “Zambia stop dealing with the West because of XYZ deal with us because we don’t impose our values on you… we love you just the way you are.”
In Zambia, we drive on Chinese made roads, land and take off on international airports built by China, play soccer in soccer stadia funded by China.

We also thrive on American democracy and development aid, we are caught between the dragon and the blue, red stripes, and stars.
The lesson is we MUST grow our economy and become ´independent´ of maybe both the west and east.
If you don’t stand for something, you risk falling for anything. I read that somewhere!
Failure to that, we shall become the kicking ball of the rich west and east in the fast-growing geopolitical game.
Either way, I think our government and beloved President Hichilema must come clean and tell us whether he supports Senator Hernandez playing him against the dragon.

We have a great country with a history of ´nonalignment´ from the days of independence, perhaps it is time for us to draw a line in the sand now and state where and whom we are.
I could write on, but I stop here, for more details look out for my next book, “The Rise of China in Africa, a Zambian tale” due in January 2023.

It is a recast from my master’s degree study in International Relations thesis that was passed with good grades.

Note: Ambassador Anthony Mukwita has served Zambia as a diplomat in Stockholm and Berlin at a high level. He is a published author and former CEO of a national newspaper in Zambia. Ambassador Mukwita has also won a World Bank award in Investigate Journalism that saw him interned to the London based Bureau of Investigative Journalism. His next book on China-Zambia relations hits the shelves on Amazon in January 2023.

Zambia will not be a pawn for any super power

By. Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

When the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member, Sen. Jim Risch, Republican Senator from Idaho, met President Hakainde Hichilema, he tweeted about his admiration of meeting an African leader who is at the centre of working hard to “curb China’s malign and predatory influence in Zambia, as well as increase cooperation with the US.”

This tweet was careless from many fronts. If this what he told Senator Risch, It will be a serious diplomatic blunder if Hichilema has engaged himself to fight China.

China is Zambia’s biggest trading partner and currently the largest creditor of her foreign debt.

This narrative went to confirm long-standing assertions and fears that President Hichilema is a puppet of the West and promotes interests of multi-national corporations.

I expected a fierce rebuttal from State House against this careless tweet but I guess the team wouldn’t bother to ruffle the feathers of the powerful Senator sitting on an influential senate committee.

But Mr. Hichilema must be reminded that Zambia will not be a pawn of any super power.

Foubder President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, helped pioneer our diplomatic policy on non-aligned policy and showed us how to balance the interests we attract from Russia, United Kingdom, China, France and USA.

He pursued national and African interests and engaged in mutual cooperation with all the superior powers.

It is therefore regretable that President Hichilema appear keen to throw away our rich and respected foreign affairs heritage.

It is clear the United States is deeply concerned with China-Africa relations.

Trade between Africa;
Africa’s annual trade with China is $106billion while its $64billion with the USA.

China’s investment in Africa in 2019-2020 was $735 billion while it was $22billion from the USA during the same period.

President Hichilemais expected to navigate Zambia’s interest without compromising her relationship with other powers.

ZESCO MUST STOP ITS CURRENT POWER EXPORTS TO NEIGHBOURING STATES

“Government invested in generation of power beyond Kariba Hydro Power Station and can sustain power supply to the country without loadshedding if it only cut its current exports”

Lusaka- Tuesday, 13th December 2022

Government and ZESCO Ltd must disclose to Zambians the current electricity being exported to the region.

Patriotic Front Presidential Candidate, Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba has demanded full disclosure as ZESCO embarks on six-hour load-shedding of power to residential and industrial customers beginning on 15th December 2022.

Energy Minister, Hon. Peter Kapala confirmed to Parliament that Zesco power load shedding programme will start on 15th December 2022 owing to the low-levels of water in the Kariba Dam.

Mr. Mwamba however said, the investment done in the last 10 years demonstrated that the country has enough power to avoid load-shedding even in the light of low-water levels in Kariba Lake.
Kariba Hydro Power station has a combined generation of 1,110 megawatts.

He said the Patriotic Front Government invested in power generation capacity in the last 10years that raised the country’s installed capacity of power from 2,000 megawatts to 3,456 megawatts.

He said this installed capacity was against a peak national demand of approximately 2,300 megawatts

He said it was in this light that the country could achieve an excess of 1,156 megawatts and therefore export it.

He said it was therefore absurd to impose the penalty of load-shedding when the country will still produce more than its peak demand even after reducing generation of power at Kariba Dam.

He said PF Government invested in Itezhi-Itezhi Hydro power station, Lunzua, Chishimba, Musonda Falls, Lusiwasi and Kafue Gorge Lower, and the loadshedding was therefore being done to meet power exports contracts and commitments.
Zambia was exporting to the Southern Africa Power Pool(SAPP) and at bilateral level to Namibia, Tanzania, DRC, South Africa, Malawi and Bostwana.

Amb. Mwamba also called on Minister of Energy Hon. Peter Kapala to abolish lucrative conditions of service and creating of top-heavy executive positions by ZESCO Managing Director who has given himself new conditions of services and upgraded all senior positions.

He wondered where the IDC and Ministry of Energy to allow the excessive abuse of power and unmitigated looting going on at ZESCO.

Amb. Mwamba said this is contrary to the recent recommendations by the Cost of Service Study and Government’s own Green Paper responding to measures to be done at ZESCO.

He said ZESCO was debt-laden and required effective debt management, efficiency in revenue management and an aggressive cost optimisation which should reduce operating costs throughout the entire value chain.

He said he was therefore shocked to learn that Management at ZESCO had given itself ridiculous luxurious conditions of service and created new management positions despite the dire financial status of ZESCO and against the recommendations of the Cost of Service Study.

Mr. Mwamba also called on ZESCO to renegotiate its expensive agreements with Independent Power Producers such as Maamba Power, Lunsemfwa, Bangweulu Solar and others where ZESCO was paying in excess of $40million per month an amount which was not sustainable.

Amb. Mwamba also appealed to Government to disclose details of the new Bulk Supply Agreement between ZESCO and Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) as some shareholders are linked to government leaders.

Mr. Mwamba was speaking on his podcast; The Brief on the topic Load-shedding, is it necessary?

You can watch the full.programme here.

Antonio Mwanza sets ZESCO on fire…over blackouts, calls President Hichilema a ´liar´

By a Correspondent

15.12.22

“Recently President Hichilema claimed credit for building the Kazungulu bridge that connects Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia and yet it was built under the administration of predecessor President Edgar Lungu.” Antonio Mwanza.

Antonio Mwanza, the Media Director of the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has challenged ZESCO management and President Hichilema to come clean on the pending country wide power blackouts that shall affect all Zambians.

Mwanza said the truth is that President Hichilema and his government including ZESCO have failed on their promises to deliver Zambians out of poverty and end inefficient delivery of power.

“The reality is that we will experience load shedding because ba gulisa (they ´Hichilema´ and team are selling power abroad) ma light ku Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Congo,” said Mwanza.

Mwanza said, “I challenge ZESCO boss Victor Mapani and his board chair Victor Ncube to deny that they are on record saying ZESCO or Zambia has an excess of 1200MW of power and that peak time demand is about 2000 MW while the total if 3,456 MW.”
Mwanza says if the case is that ZESCO has excess power thanks to the massive investment in the energy sector of almost US$4 billion under the previous administration of President Edgar Lungu, why then should Zambians be subjected to load shedding?
The opposition spokesman said the problem was not water levels at the Kariba Dam but the “problem is President “Sammy” Hichilema is a liar as you can tell from the fact that when he assumed office, he claimed he had finished load shedding within a year which is a lie yet again. He even lied that he built the Kazungula Bridge when he did not. Lies is the biggest problem President Sammy Hichilema has and now his lies are catching up with him.”

Recently President Hichilema claimed credit for building the Kazungulu bridge that connects Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia and yet it was built under the administration of predecessor Edgar Lungu, said Mwanza, a university graduate and former lecturer before joining politics as well as former university student leader.

President Hichilema also claimed that he alone had stopped chronic power supplies in Zambia within a year of assuming office which is also factually false because the almost US$ 4 billion invested in the energy between 2011-2021 was done by the previous PF government.
Some other issues Mwanza raised was the lack of drugs in all hospitals in Zambia, the expensive cost of food and fuel and agro inputs, the late delivery of agro inputs and the rise in graft in the new dawn ruling party.

Mwanza also lamented the fact that President Hichilema ´favoured´ foreign business as opposed to local business going by the fact that local business owed almost K6 billion by government, remain unpaid their cheques because Mr Hichilema suspects that they belong to the previous ruling party led by President Edgar Lungu.

Mr Mwanza however warned President Hichilema that it’s not the opposition that will shorten his stay in office but the millions of hungry Zambians that can’t have one square meal a day.

The people that shall suffer more over the power cuts are ordinary people Zambians that work in barber shops, salons and market restaurants according to Mr Mwanza since they cant afford diesel generators or solar alternatives.
The full interview is available on 5FM radio Facebook page.

Source: 5FM Radio.

GOVERNMENT SHOULD RECONSIDER THE NEW PROPOSED ELECTRICITY CONNECTION FEES TO BE EFFECTED IN JANUARY 2023.

This morning i woke up thinking about the new approved power connection fees and my strong appeal to government is that the decision should either be halted or the rates revised downwards because they will negate all the gain that government could have made so far.

The following rates have been approved for record sake:

1.The High Density demarketed and reticulated areas(shanti compounds) will now pay K4,600 to be reconnected from the currect K 769 for singles phase overhead connections while 3 phase overhead will be adjusted to K15,000 from K1,430.

2.The undemarketed high density areas will now pay K7,000 from K1709 for single phase overhead connection while those wishing for 3 phase overheard will pay K20,300 from K3,159.

The low density demarketed areas will now pay K13,300 from K2873 for single phase overhead connections while for those wishing for 3 phase overhead will now pay K 28,800 from K4,887.

Honestly speaking how can Zesco punish people with such high power connection fees yet the economic status of our people remains stagnant if it hasnt even gotten worse over time.

Now consider this ,Govt through the new ministry of Green economy desires to fight climate change by ensuring that deforestation is arrested but we all know that with such power connection fees on top of the high electricity tariffs obtaining currently people will resort to chacoal 100% and so this will negate the gain envisaged through the new ministry.

Government has introduced free education where families now dont have to pay for education but save their incomes for other needs but look at a family having to pay all those fees to have power on top of the high electricity tariffs .This positive gain will be negated too.

I think Zesco will be an enemy of the people if government proceeds with these approved connection fees.Time to think of the welfare of people who are being punched left right and center by the continued increase in the cost of all essentials.

NKANA MP
UMWINA NKANA