THE PRESIDENT HAS NO POWERS TO JAIL PEOPLE

“… PF’s Emmanuel Mwamba Needs to be Educated on Law Enforcement Matters. He is Contradicting the Law.”

Sunday, September 4, 2022 – Lusaka

PATRIOTIC Front Vice Information and Publicity Chairperson Emmanuel Mwamba’s wild claims that President Hakainde Hichilema may jail more people than any of his predecessors for insults are shocking. A man like Mr Mwamba who has held senior government positions should be well informed about law enforcement matters.

Mr Mwamba ought to know that the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia does not mandate the President to jail people but only allows him to pardon criminals from prison under the exercise of his Prerogative of Mercy which only takes effect after a conviction is done.

The President has no power whatsoever to jail any person. We are aware and it is in public domain that former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu made pronouncements of arresting Mr Hakainde Hichilema if he won the August 12, 2021 general elections. Mr Mwamba is accustomed to the illegal enforcement of laws as perpetrated and perpetuated by his notorious party, the PF when they were in power.

Mr Emmanuel Mwamba should be educated that laws remain laws whether they are deemed as a colonial relic or not, until such a time that they are amended or completely done away with. He should be advocating for the repealing or amendment of such laws and not making baseless accusations.

People like Mr Mwamba who are seeking public office must be modest and endeavour to encourage the use of palatable language especially that the UPND Government has always advocated for freedom of expression. Offensive language which Mr Mwamba is championing is detrimental to the peace and stability of our nation. Moreover, freedom of speech should be exercised with responsibility, it should not be abused.

Defamation of the President is provided for under section 69 of the Penal Code Act, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Under that provision, it is an offence attracting a sentence of imprisonment of not exceeding three (3) years for any person found guilty of that offence.

It is an offence for any person who, with intent to bring the President into hatred, ridicule or contempt, publishes any defamatory or insulting matter, whether by writing, print, word of mouth or in any other manner.

According to the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021 enacted on 24 March, 2021 by the Parliament of Zambia under the gone PF regime, it is an offence to abuse other people even by way of the cyber space.

In particular, the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act provides, among other things, for:

(1) The establishment of the Zambia Computer Incidence Response Team and the National Cyber Security Advisory and Coordinating Council;

(2) The protection of individuals against cyber crime, including child online protection; and
the facilitation of the identification, declaration, and

(3) Protection of critical information infrastructure.

Let us get it right. Zambia currently has these laws in place. For this reason, they must be enforced. That way, the governance process becomes one of Rule of Law.

The police cannot just sit back and watch someone defame the President when the law that protects him or her from such defamation is in place. Similarly, the police cannot just be watching someone abuse others in the cyber space without taking any action that enforces the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act.

For example, Sean Tembo has clearly been defaming President Hakainde Hichilema for some time now. No wonder he is behind bars today. Otherwise, the police have been quite tolerant of Tembo but he opted to continue abusing his freedom of speech. Those that want to perceive his arrest as persecution are not being honest with themselves, including Mr Mwamba. We think that the law is simply taking its course in this matter.

Mr Mwamba has mentioned people who have been arrested for breaching the above laws and seeks to play politics by complaining about numbers. However, it does not matter how many people are arrested for breaching the law. What matters is that the law is preserved.

Whether this law is good or bad is a debate for another day. The issue now is that this law is in place and those in conflict with it should face it.

The UPND remains committed to promoting co-existence among the general citizenry including all politicians in the country in a bid to quell hate-speech, political violence, injustices and political persecutions that characterised the previous regime.

Hichilema may jail more people for insults than any of his predecessors

Assault on Freedom of Expression

By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

Besides locking up Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee, Raphael Nakacinda, Economic and Equity Partner (EEP) President Chilufya Tayali and leader of the Patriots For Economic Progress (PEP), Sean Enoch Tembo, more ordinary people have been jailed or locked up at an alarming rate, using the law of Criminal Defamation of the President.

At the rate we are going, President Hakainde Hichilema may jail more people under this law than any President before him.

Criminal Defamation of the President which falls under what is termed as “insult laws” is recognized as an archaic law that requires repealing or expunging from the statutes.

The insult laws are deemed a colonial relic and are an affront to fundamental and constitutional freedoms of expression, press and thought and denigrates or shrinks the space of democracy.

If breaches have occurred, adequate civil laws exist to take care of false, injurious, slanderous or defamatory statements.

We don’t need to resort to these colonial pieces of legislation to punish free speech and punish political opponents.

Hichilema said and made more offensive statements when in Opposition and it is expected that he is supposed to show more tolerance.

Below are some of the people that have already been jailed or are being prosecuted for statements and opinions made against the President;

1. Anderson Zulu (46) Evelyn Hone College Driver – jailed 12 months. Henalleged that President Hakainde Hichilema was a member of the Anti-christ

2. Danny Kapambwe(28), Justine Chimpinde(19) Chiengi youths jailed for two years.

3. Benson Tembo of Chipata Compound jailed for 15months.

4. Aaron Mwale a youth from Kafue District allegedly insulted Mirriam Chonya and President Hakainde Hichilema.

5. Precious Muyeyeta -37 of Dambwa North, Livingstone for making a video alleging that she has evidence that President Hichilema was a mastermind of gassing and burning of markets.

6. Saliva Laisha age 24 years for accusing President Hakainde Hichilema of sacrificing six Seventh Day Adventist youths that drowned in Kariba Dam.

7. Pastor Lawrence Bealya Muchindu for alleging that President Hakainde Hichilema was involved in the death of President Michael Sata.

We call for President Hichilema to demonstrate tolerance and move to repeal the laws that he actually pledged to discard to promote freedom of expression.

Meanwhile,he can promote a moratorium and advise the Police to stop arresting people using Criminal Defamation of the President law.

Chibamba Kanyama
CIVIL SOCIETY VIGILANCE NEEDED OVER IMF DEAL

One African country, Ghana, provides us incredible lessons about how not to manage an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. In 2015, Ghana accessed an IMF loan worth US$918 million to help it stabilize the economy. Unfortunately, it seemed the leadership of the country had its own ‘most urgent’ priorities outside what was agreed with the lender. It is a case of getting a loan from a bank to finance your chicken business but children are out of school for lack of fees; you have a long list of relatives requiring urgent help in India and you owe the local tavern in unpaid bills stretching two years. The tavern owner has heard about the loan and wants settlement at gunpoint.

In the case of Ghana, knowing that the IMF was watching, it decided to secretly print money (estimated to be equivalent to US $20 million) to finance pressing needs, most of them related to elections. Political pressure can easily make any country under an IMF programme go off the terms of the loan agreement.

Here is what government officials, political leaders and citizens should know from the moment you sign for an IMF loan: you are simply naked! There is a full requirement you disclose all government initiatives. You cannot spend money on any project outside what is agreed (the budget) and the IMF must know and possibly approve if there is any slight change to the plan. It is all about transparent dealings, openness to scrutiny, accountability and integrity. This is what the previous regime in Zambia feared. Full stop!

IMF HAS INCREDIBLE EYES!

Ghana thought the printing of money (which is a form of borrowing) would not be known by the IMF. But even in pregnancy, there are signals something happened before. The rate of inflation rose amidst an IMF programme when the opposite should have happened because that was the intention of the loan: stabilize the economy.

Civil society in Ghana, that had been thoroughly oriented to the IMF programme and its core terms of agreement, blew the whistle. I was at the IMF at that moment when the information leaked, that Ghana had borrowed money without the knowledge of the IMF, a key line in the loan agreement requiring disclosure of any intention to borrow during the period of the programme. The IMF reaction was adverse. It suspended the programme within a year of signing it (though restored after the vice President visited Washington DC a year later to plead for resumption).

The worst thing you do not want to have as a country under an IMF programme is a suspension. It signals to the entire world that you have messed up. Investors panic and all those other cooperating partners freeze support. Your new position can potentially be worse than your situation before the IMF programme.

IMF PROGRAMME CAN FAIL

Once you sign to the programme, you must behave! It is strict discipline. You cannot start a course of Tuberculosis medicine and discontinue midway because of the inconvenience associated with it. I know the IMF programme can fail in Zambia if it is left to government alone to manage it.

The only other critical player capable of helping government implement the medicine for the full course of the programme is civil society. The IMF itself fully appreciates the role that civil society plays in ensuring government fully commits to the terms of the loan agreement. This is the reason Action Aid country Director Nalucha Ziba and colleagues are pushing for Government and the IMF to fully disclose the terms of the agreement. Though I doubt there are any undisclosed information on the terms of agreement, I support the position taken by civil society that they should understand what has been agreed. This is because of the role that civil society will play going forward.

MONITORING PERFORMANCE

The IMF deal captures several areas that will define government focus and they basically form the terms of the agreement. For example, there will be need to rationalize subsidies on energy and agriculture, reform of non-performing parastatals, increasing revenues, prudent expenditure, rationalized debt acquisition, transparency, and accountability in disbursement of social cash transfer, effective procurement systems and elimination of corruption. The IMF will closely monitor how government manages all these elements. These will form part of the milestones for further disbursement of funds.

One way IMF will monitor the behavior of government is through Ministry of Finance data, the periodic information that government agencies will release. The IMF, through its local office, will occasionally access media reports to ascertain the efficacy in the implementation of the terms of the agreement. For example, if there is any piece of information on corruption in government, IMF will take that as a lead to have responses from government. If there is a story saying elderly women in Kasama have not received social cash transfers for two months (possibly due to technical glitches), the IMF will want to have an explanation from government.

However, much of this feedback on the roll-out of the IMF progamme will come from civil society. The IMF has always engaged civil society in Zambia as part of the Article IV consultations. This engagement will deepen. Civil society will be the whistle blowers about any misbehaviour by government.

Civil society has its eyes everywhere, including in the communities. It is for this reason government and civil society will need to quickly orient themselves about what is expected of each other in the next three years and even beyond. The IMF deal will certainly succeed but with the full involvement of civil society.
Chibamba Kanyama.

THE CASE OF PLUNDERED PENSIONS MONEY AT NAPSA

By Shalala Oliver Sepiso

THE PROBLEM AT HAND

As a proud praise singer and one who believes in President Hakainde Hichilema, the UPND and indeed a developed, free and great Zambia, it is my duty to sometimes steer up debates that will help our country move “forward”. Such debates will sometimes be uncomfortable but they have to be had otherwise the rot which was in PF era will take root in the UPND era and our country will lose a trick and a chance to correct things.

Today we talk about the pensioners’ money at NAPSA. This money is people’s pensions. This is poor workers’ money. But it is being lavishly, extravagantly and selfishly used by NAPSA officials while the owners of the money are languishing in poverty and waiting to reach 55 years to access their money.

Over the years, NAPSA has built shopping malls and hotels at astronomical costs. These deals were terrible. These buildings and shopping malls have poor occupancy rates and they provide no rates of return whatsoever as they are over-priced. NAPSA was ripped off.

As things stand, the painful truth is that after many years of scheming, the NAPSA money has been plundered. It is gone. The plunder of NAPSA runs into billions of Kwacha. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been plundered.

As a result, the workers who are making pensions contributions are not going to get reasonable benefits when they retire.

Where are the actuarial reports that must be prepared by independent people and they must be made public? We need to understand the depth of the rot.

The tragedy is that everyone is quiet. No one is talking about this whether they are PF or UPND or just business people. Everybody is hiding. Everyone who is supposed to care is not showing that care. Everyone who is supposed to act is not acting. People want to pretend there is no problem at NAPSA.

To demonstrate how bad NAPSA is, I have made the following calculation for a worker earning K5,000 per month.
1. The monthly contribution to NAPSA is K500. That is 10% of his salary.
2. Government securities such as bonds pay interest of about 20-25% per year.
3. If the person’s contribution was invested by NAPSA in government securities at the rate of 20% interest income per year, after 20 years, the pensioner would have a lump-sum pay out of about K1.1m
But the the actual payouts are nothing like this as the money has been plundered. I am hoping it is not currently being plundered too. The pensioners have been robbed over the years. The pensioners should be angry about what has happened. They have been cheated.

THE PAST SCANDALS

NAPSA has been embroiled in several scandals including purchase of defunct companies, unprofitable ventures and outrageously over-priced land. Lets address aa few examples.

In 2019, five NAPSA Directors were fired for attempting to individually buy pieces of land from the Baobab land, also known as Farm 4300. At that same time, NAPSA was negotiating to purchase the same land at $30 million, using a special purpose vehicle known as Flames Investment Limited. NAPSA wanted to construct a housing complex and a shopping mall. The price was way above the land’s market price of about $2 million. The five Directors were soon afterwards reinstated quietly after they threatened to take the matter to court for unlawful dismissal. The controversial Baobab land is said to have been eventually bought at US$27m. A legal person was even jailed for two years over the NAPSA Baobab land scandal.

Also in 2019, a NAPSA evaluation committee for the Twin Palm-proposed River View Park Infrastructure Development project recommended the awarding of a construction tender to AVIC International Zambia Limited at a bid sum of US $25.8 million against the construction company’s willingness to do the work for US $21.63 million! The decision was despite the quantity surveyor engaged advising that the AVIC international’s bid was unrealistic and would also take a longer completion period compared to other bidders. At that time, Hon. Charles Milupi said that it didn’t make sense because it was not the job of the evaluation committee to advise a bidder to increase the cost for the contract so that you can then select the company, like the NAPSA officials did for AVIC International.

In 2020, National Democratic Congress leader Chishimba Kambwili said the intended purchase of Chrismar Hotel by NAPSA at US$18 million was scandalous as the value of the said property had been exaggerated. According to The Mast newspaper, the National Pensions Scheme Authority was negotiating the purchase of Chrismar Hotel, along Los Angeles Boulevard road in Lusaka with its owner Valden Findlay, an associate of then president, Edgar Lungu. The paper said that Findlay had pegged the hotel at US$18 million, which was deemed to be higher than the actual value at which the property ought to have been sold. Kambwili said: “There is absolutely nothing wrong in NAPSA investing in infrastructure in hotels and in any other business so that they can raise money to pay the pensioners when the time comes but in doing that the law was very clear that NAPSA must stick to the norms that whatever investment they take their money into must benefit the pensioners.”

MAPSA was made to buy Freedom Park Shopping Mall in Kitwe at US33million even when this is not profitable for the pensioners but because some people greatly benefitted from this scandal. The Mall was even named after Edgar Lungu.

Despite the above, NAPSA continued making what many thought were “bad investments”. For example, alongside Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Workers Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB), in Janauary 2021, information leaked out that NAPSA paid US$44.8 million to acquire 49 per cent shares in a private Chinese company that makes tiles called Marcopolo, under the Wonderful Group of Companies. It was alleged by the media that the $44.8m was deposited into accounts of two Chinese directors, Huang Yaochi and Zhang Lingling. The media alleged further that a month after the transactions, documents at PACRA didn’t reflect ownership of shares by IDC, NAPSA and WCFCB. However, it was said that K10m was deposited from the account of one of the Chinese directors to 3 IDC directors and other transactions from the bank accounts of the Chinese directors show huge deposits into accounts of PF officials.

In the same 2021, the Auditor Generals report revealed that NAPSA spent K23m to purchase 28 vehicles on a personal-to-holder basis contrary to provided guidelines. This means 1 vehicle cost more than K800,000.

There were even smaller scandals such us one where PF cadres allegedly occupied its NAPSA Houses without paying rentals. It was alleged that several Patriotic Front cadres occupied some NAPSA Flats in Woodlands Extension off Buluwe Road but never paid rentals. Some of the said cadres even leased out the flats to some students from Texila American University, which was situated nearby. One of the PF cadres who were staying here until after the UPND Alliance won the elections was named Charity. Such abuse deny workers their pensions.

Notice that we have not even addressed the scandalous Society Building, Levy Junction Mall, which was even downgraded from its original design. The scandals at these are such that if full figures were to be released and disclosed, they would shake the public.

We have not also looked at how NAPSA corruptly awarded Wah Kong and Golden Horse, both of China, to build houses in Solwezi, Muchinga and Luapula Province. The scandals are endless.

WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION AND ADDRESSING

The first and most shocking thing about NAPSA is that it is totally unregulated. NAPSA is not regulated by anybody. It does not fall under the Pensions and Insurance Authority (PIA) nor the Bank of Zambia (BOZ). This is absolutely wrong as it means it can carry out any transaction it wants without oversight. NAPSA falls under the Ministry of Labour. The PF government resisted all attempts to get it regulated so it could be plundered. Surely this has to change and it must be regulated by BOZ. NAPSA is the largest financial institution in Zambia. Why should they not be regulated?

Due to non-regulation, there was a time when the PF government was said to be misdirecting workers’ pension money at NAPSA to pay civil servants’ salaries and arrears. This was at a time when the PF are said to have depleted national reserves and the treasury was virtually empty. The PF government had also over-borrowed, over-spent and had run out of money to service both external and internal debt-obligations, as well as to provide for recurring government expenditure – the largest being salaries which gobble 60% of the budget! What the PF government was doing was basically stealing from workers’ future pension earnings to pay the same workers their salaries in the present day. The plan was to hide this and hope Zambians were dumb enough not to figure out or care about the implications of these actions.

The Minister of Labour must be taken to task over this non-regulation. She must insist that NAPSA starts being regulated to protect the pensions of the workers. Laws must be changed so that there is less chance of political interference under UPND unless the way it was under PF.

Talking of political interference, this has been rife with NAPSA. Political instructions have seen individuals getting loans from NAPSA with no proper collateral or security. Again this is wrong!

If we do not act now, people will not get their pensions.

LUSAKA MAYOR CHILANDO CHITANGALA RECOUNTS HER ONE YEAR IN OFFICE

She writes….

Hello Ba Lusaka.

Today 3rd September 2022 marks exactly 1 year after my swearing in as your city Mayor. I still say thank you to the people of Lusaka. Our journey for the city together has not been easy but we are definitely getting there.

The Mayor’s office is a Constitutional one. And this means the Mayor belongs to Every Resident living in that district. No matter who they are or where they come from. And this last 1 year this,has also been among the issues I wanted to make clear to everyone I am serving as their Mayor .
I really think this is one of the best Jobs because you don’t choose who to serve but serve Everyone and treat them the same.

In this journey with you ba Lusaka I have Matured so much in My Political life and Civic Leadership. Be assured I wouldn’t have managed without your support I thank you.

Lusaka City Council has had to undergo a lot of changes . All this is to make sure we serve you better. We do understand and know our Service Delivery has not been up to your expectation but we are doing our very best to make a lot of changes that will make this city a better place to live and work in.

Like I have always said we are trying to improve our revenue collection, and the way we collect by introducing E-payment platforms and going cashless in all our revenue collection points. Keep Lusaka clean is my heart beat. As soon as our 2 big Markets are done we shall start movements of our friends back into the Markets. Its impossible to keep clean in this situation. Every hour we generate more waste especially CBD.

But I also want to ask you ba Lusaka. What are you as an individual doing about keep Lusaka clean campaign?. Stop there! Where is your Broom? Don’t Shout or speak the loudest and you don’t have a Broom. Let’s own this campaign together. The Change starts with you and Me.so let’s do this together.

I have a lot to say but one day at a time. Love you ba Lusaka.Am at your service.

Let’s Love Lusaka together 💛

SERENA WILLIAM’S CAREER OVER AFTER AJLA TOMLJANOVIC DEFEAT

Serena Williams waved farewell to the US Open – and her illustrious career – amid emotional scenes after she lost to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic on a thrilling night in New York.

Williams, who turns 41 this month, expects it to be her final match.

It will end a 27-year professional career that brought 23 major singles wins and sees the American widely labelled as the greatest of all time.

Williams lost 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 and had tears running down her face afterwards.

The former long-time world number one saved five match points in what proved to be the final game but was powerless to stop a sixth.

Almost everyone who could rose to their feet when she departed the court on Arthur Ashe Stadium – the scene of her first major triumph in 1999 and five more of the finest wins in her storied career – for what she intends to be the last time.

As she waved goodbye and gave a signature twirl, Tina Turner’s pop classic ‘Simply The Best’ boomed out over the sound system.

Asked if she would reconsider retiring after her performances this week, Williams said: “I’m literally playing my way into this and getting better. I should have started sooner this year. I don’t think so, but you never know.” [BBC News]

Williams was overcome with emotion when she was interviewed in the middle of the court, thanking her family, team, the crowd and her fans across the world for their support over the years.

“I thank everyone that’s here, that’s been on my side so many years, decades. Oh my gosh, literally decades,” said Williams, who played her first professional tournament as a 14-year-old in 1995.

“But it all started with my parents. And they deserve everything. So I’m really grateful for them.

“And I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t [sister] Venus, so thank you, Venus. She’s the only reason that Serena Williams ever existed.”

Tomljanovic, who moves into the fourth round and plays Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, stepped to the side and applauded her opponent as she took the microphone.

The world number 46 produced a phenomenal performance to block out the noise and sense of occasion, illustrated by her clinical hitting in the final stages of a brutal contest which lasted three hours and five minutes.

‘Greatest the world has ever seen’ – Will
Williams produces one last thrilling performance for A-list crowd
Williams has long been more than a tennis player and it was a sign of her status – as an American icon and one of the world’s most recognisable sport stars – that she announced her retirement in an essay for glossy fashion magazine Vogue.

Although she did not use the word retirement itself, preferring to say she was “evolving away” from the sport, her plan is to end her glittering career this fortnight at her home major.

Like every night she has appeared this week, Williams emerged on to court after being introduced as the ‘Queen of Queen’s’ – the borough of New York where the tournament is held – in a specially-commissioned video montage narrated by American rap star Queen Latifah.

The A-Listers have been out in force on Ashe this week, with Vogue editor Anna Wintour and golf superstar Tiger Woods previously sitting in Williams’ box.

On Friday night it was R&B singer Ciara and her husband Russell Wilson, who is one of the country’s biggest NFL stars, alongside members of Williams’ family.

Elsewhere, tennis great Billie Jean King, film director Spike Lee and actress Rebel Wilson were also watching.

A man is flying to Australia to meet his long-lost brother who he has not seen in 77 years.

Ted Nobbs, 83, had three brothers as a child – Barry, John and the youngest, Geoff. But the family was torn apart when their mum died of cancer, aged 30, in 1945. Ted Nobbs from Rugby, Warwickshire, UK has not seen his brother Geoff as his dad who could not cope with caring for all four children, decided to offer Geoff up for adoption so he could have a better chance at life.

Long-lost brothers separated as children at the end of World War II to reunite after 77 years

Ted said: ‘[My dad] was working, he was an engineer. He just couldn’t bring up a baby and just thought it better to give him to someone else.’

Geoff ended up being adopted by a family who moved him to Australia in 1951. Ted, Barry and John tried several times to track their youngest brother, Geoff down over the years, but couldn’t.

Eventually, Geoff was able to contact Ted, who lives in Rugby, Warwickshire, in 2014. Unfortunately John died in 2010, at the age of 73, so Geoff was only able to virtually meet Ted and Barry.

All three brothers started regularly chatting over Skype and formed a relationship with one another.

Long-lost brothers separated as children at the end of World War II to reunite after 77 years

Ted’s wife and son Christopher had planned to surprise him with a visit from Geoff on Ted’s 80th birthday but the pandemic restrictions disrupted the plans. Ted says he will now fly to Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, September 4, the first time he will enter a plane in 50 years.

Ted, a retired factory worker will meet Geoff’s eight children and even get to go to Geoff’s granddaughter’s wedding.

Ted said: ‘We had the celebrations anyway and there was a big TV in the hotel and Christopher had got a video off Geoff that he played. He wished me happy birthday.

‘After that, I said: “Right I’ll go and see him then”.’

Long-lost brothers separated as children at the end of World War II to reunite after 77 years

Ted said: ‘[Geoff] hasn’t filled me in on a lot about his life out there. To be honest when we’re chatting we’re usually ribbing one another about the cricket or ruggers.’

Barry is not able to join the reunion because of medical issues.

Long-lost brothers separated as children at the end of World War II to reunite after 77 years

He said: ‘I’m extremely happy for them but quite envious of Ted being able to go.

‘It’s quite just heart-breaking as I just want to give him a hug – but it’s really lovely Ted will be able to do so. I’m just glad we’ve found him after all these years.’

English Premier leagues clubs’ net spending broke the £1billion barrier for the first time this transfer window.

According to figures released by Football’s leading financial analysts, Deloitte on Friday, September 2, the total amount spent by Premier clubs in the summer window was a staggering £1.92bn and 34 per cent more than the previous record of £1.4bn, set in the summer of 2017.

With the 20 top flight clubs recouping £850million in sales, it meant a net spend of £1.07bn, the first time the billion pound mark has been crossed, dwarfing the £665m net spend of 2017. The previous 2017 record equated to 30 per cent of the clubs’ total turnover that season.

Out of the total outlay, the Chelsea contributed £255.3m – 13 per cent of the League’s total spend – and the first summer window for the new Saudi-led Newcastle board.

Newcastle with its new Saudi owners contributed £204m marginally more than Manchester United’s while Brighton and Leicester made the biggest profits.

According to Deloitte, the spending pattern was no surprise – but a sign of the Premier league’s financial health.

Deloitte Lead partner Tim Bridge said: “The record level of spending during this transfer window is a clear indication of Premier League clubs’ confidence, as fans return to stadia and a new broadcast cycle begins.

“It’s now become part and parcel of the Premier League that clubs are willing to pay significant sums to maximise performance.

“This season, the desire to acquire playing talent has reached new levels as the pressure for clubs to stay in the competition is higher than ever before.”

However, Bridge warned: “Recent years have demonstrated the risks of clubs sustaining high levels of spend while failing to get their financial house in order.

“Particularly in the current economic climate, as costs begin to rise, the importance of retaining financial stability off the pitch should be as much a focus for clubs as ensuring their success on it.”

Premier League clubs smash ?1Billion net spend barrier for first time in transfer window with Chelsea spending the most cash

Around £150m of the spending went to Championship clubs, including Spurs’ £20m acquisition of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough – one of those on loan at Forest last term.

Notthingham Forest’s total spend of £126m was the highest by any promoted club in English history and only the third time a team joining the Premier had splashed out more than £100m.

Bridge added: “The high spend of those clubs looking to secure their place in the Premier League is an indicator of the widening gap between the Premier League and the Championship.

“This shift is partly attributable to the financial impact of the pandemic, which was felt more harshly by Championship than Premier League clubs.”

OUR NATIONS’s BACKWARDNESS[And MUSOKOTWANE’s Headaches]

ANYONE who rejoices at Zambia’s mere contraction of more debt is an idiot.

Much needs to be done, much more, both in terms of thought and deed, is required of us all citizens if Zambia’s economy is to recover and become sound.

Ebullient, Hakainde HICHILEMA, to me: ‘Dr BANDA, it is wrong to borrow for consumption. It is foolishness itself.’

We were about 15, 000 ft above sea level in a helicopter on a campaign trail, chatting, the lush green of Zambia’s vegetation, full of promise, visible beneath us.

Wallace CHAKAWA, Hakainde’s cousin, a Ukwa bag betwee his legs, was silent, as if not there.

My ears keened, I agreed.

We must borrow for INVESTMENTS, my eyes, probing, looked into his, seeking agreement. .

Hakainde HICHILEMA nodded in agreement.

Dr Denny KALYALYA, Zambia’s Bank of Zambia [BOZ] governor yesterday informed the nation that this phased USD 1.3 billion IMF bailout will be used for two reasons.

One, to strengthen Zambia’s central bank foreign RESERVES’ status.

Two, it will be used for BUDGETARY support.

Through budgetary support, this means that some of this money will go towards consuptive expenditure – Zambia’s social cash transfer scheme and the management of the bloated Civil Service wage bill, which now stands unsustainable, at over 60 percent of GDP.

This, clearly is borrowing for CONSUMPTION.

My mind boggles.

Yes, granted, the health and education sectors are forms of investments but their returns are NOT immediate and direct.

What happened Hakainde HICHILEMA?

All this is happening when you yourself vociferously stated that that the borrowing space for Zambia had been exhausted.

You said that the debt ceiling had been reached, and that you would NOT borrow anymore, that anyone that did so risked giving away the country.

Tsono lomba dziko lapita.

One year on, Situmbeko MUSOKOTWANE’s policy shift of making mineral royalties tax deductible to recover the economy has FAILED.

Two key assumptions formed the backbone of the premise for his hope.

He expected copper PRICES to remain high at over USD 11,000 per ton and PRODUCTION to rise.

The OPPOSITE has now happened.

Copper prices have fallen to about USD 7000 per ton, and a few weeks ago, the Zambia Chamber of Mines [ZCM] reported a critical fall in production.

The NET effect of this dire turn of events is that Zambia PRESENTLY is now losing more than the budgeted-for/projected loss of USD 188 million annually.

You see, Pilgrims, global lending is biased, my friends.

The West doesn’t view Zambia well. The West is discriminatory.

It’s financial support behaviour towards small black States such as Zambia is RACIST.

Look, in just about 184 days of the war, the West has given over USD 14 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Grants, you see, NOT loans.

Billions are given in merely monthly economic support, about USD 1.4 billion to be exact.

And yet for Zambia, a decrepit and backwater community of black people with very limited GEOPOLITICAL VALUE, it struggles to get mere crumbs as a ten year, emasculating/painful loan.

This is a classical example of IMPERIAL self-interest determining aid.

Zambia is on its own.
It is only Zambians themselves that will secure, survive and prosper Zambia.

The sooner Zambians realise this, the better.

Zambia must neither look WEST nor EAST for its security, survival and prosperity. It must look within ITSELF.

It must remain SOVEREIGN, a self-determinig country, and never trade off its ownership rights of the country for money.

Now, sadly, the USD 1.3 billion bailout has now ERODED this expected and sacrosanct position.

A measure of Zambia’s s sovereignty has now been ceded to the IMF/West.

If you were wondering why the IMF managing director Kristalina GEORGIEVA strangely sounded like Chushi KASANDA, a government spokesperson, and why the British High Commissioner to Zambia, Nicholas WOOLLEY and the UK minister for Africa, Vicky FORD were over the moon about this bailout, rejoicing as if they had just acquired Zambian citizenship, this is why.

They now have [the West has] a FOOTHOLD in the management of Zambia, as if elected and permitted to do so by Zambians.

You see, one of the conditions of this bailout is that there shall be JOINT OVERSIGHT for its implementation, veritable usurpation of Zambia’s governance power by the IMF.

Truth be told, Zambia’s priority for the recovery of its economy should be its insistence that the world must practice FAIR TRADE.

USD 1.3 billion is a small amount of money for any country.

FQM, a mere mining company in Zambia, and NOT a country, was able to borrow a similar amount of money using Zambia’s own resources as collateral. See?

Now a country rejoicing over the contraction of such effeminating debt is a source of EXTREME SHAME for many of us nationalists in the know of things.

To prosper, Zambians must own the means of production in Zambia, over 70 percent of the economy, in annual turnover terns, must be ther hands of citizens.

Through such POLICY EMPHASIS, Zambians themselves would then make billion of dollars through trade, and the overall forex receipts for Zambia would then improve, the currency would truly appreciate, the economy would grow and be buoyant, the Civil Service wage bill would be sustainably serviced, poverty would end and our sovereignty would be preserved.

Lomba Hakainde HICHILEMA wapititsa dziko kwa azungu.

Today, 2 September, I direct you our Republican President His Excellency Mr Hakainde HICHILEMA to begin to put your travel documents in order.

You must leave for China soon.

I could even escort you. The Chinese, you see, know and remember me as an offspring of Dr Kenneth KAUNDA, that venerated Commandant.

China is the largest economy in the world today which is both sound and imposing.

You see, phone conversations alone with China won’t do. Such an attitude of yours with economic elders is non-serious and offensive.

If you are constrained, I will pay, as a sacrifice for my country, for your passage to the People’s Democratic Republic of China.

Yes, go there with debt restructuring/relief in mind, my man, debt restructuring/relief in an economically sustainable manner.

For example, go and plead with Xi JINPING that fractions of Zambia’s debt to China, sector by sectir, is converted to shares/equity, so that, as a mere illustration, the managers of the KOWLOON International Airport in Hong Kong begin to run the Kenneth KAUNDA International and the Ndola International airports, in an entrepreneurial way.

Perhaps, ypu can toss in the Harry MWAANGA International Airport as well.

As a generic management template, with Zambia retaining overall ownership of these national assets through the National Airports Corporation [NAC], this joint management venture would then run for a limited/set time only to facilitate debt repayment.

Such a development would then see an increase in traffic at these airports, as some aircraft would be re-routed from the Jomo KENYATTA and OR International airports.

Subsequently, jobs would be created, more people would visit Zambia, more forex would flow in, and there would be more money in ordinary people’s pockets.

Let us not become comfortable with begging.

We ain’t beggars.

We are wealthy people, a rich nation.

We are potentially the second richest country in the world after the DRC.

Let us just focus on the translation of our natural resources, human and otherwise, into money/tradable derivatives through fair trade to end our abject poverty, secure our national sovereignty and consolidate our unity.

Fact, the ENTREPRENEURSHIP of citizens is the solution.
And not the IMF.

The IMF is the organisation, through its bungled, rushed and brutal Structural Adjustment Program [SAP], post-1991, that mortally destroyed Zambia.

The IMF DE-INDUSTRIALISED Zambia, and since then, Zambia has never been the same.

Lest we forget.

Tiliko na tulo mwe.

May the spirit of Simon Mwansa KAPWEPWE guide and redeem our nation, we pray.

Aluta continua!

Dr Canisius BANDA
Development Activist

2 September 2022

Kylian Mbappe has reportedly reached out to Paul Pogba and his brother Mathias, following claims the Juventus midfielder used a witch doctor to cast a spell on him.

According to RTL, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar called the Pogba brothers on Thursday September 1, to ascertain why he has been named in the scandal.

It’s said that Mbappe phoned them in order to gain the perspective of both brothers, to get a better understanding of the situation.

Mbappe and Pogba are well aware the ongoing scandal is harmful to the French team with just two months before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Recall, Mathias published a bizarre video online on Saturday night August 27 – in four languages (French, Italian, English, and Spanish) – promising ‘great revelations’ about the Juventus star.

A statement signed by Paul Pogba’s lawyers, his mother Yeo Moriba and current agent Rafaela Pimenta, said that the videos ‘are unfortunately no surprise’ and were in addition to other ‘threats and extortion attempts’.

It was also alleged that Pogba had asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on Paris Saint-Germain superstar and French team-mate Mbappe, something which Pogba denies doing.

Mathias’ outburst was followed by the former Manchester United star reportedly telling French authorities that he was held hostage by a gang armed with assault rifles in an attempted blackmail plot.

He claimed that the gang demanded £ 11 million from the World Cup winning midfielder, with the men wanting money for ‘protection services’ stretching back 13 years, including the time he spent in Manchester.

Pogba claims two armed men said they ‘protected him discreetly’ during a period that spanned more than a decade, including during two spells at Manchester United, the last of which ended earlier this year.

Former Crewe and Wrexham player Mathias, 32, hit out at his brother for his ‘lies’ before claiming to have ‘explosive information’ about Mbappe.

He said: ‘I will tell you very important things about him and there will be elements and many testimonies to confirm my words.

‘Everything could be explosive and make a lot of noise.’

But on Sunday Mathias attempted to reach out to the superstar suggesting he had Mbappe’s best interests in mind.

He tweeted: ‘Kylian, now do you understand? I have nothing negative against you, my words are for your good, everything is true and proven, the marabou is known!

‘Sorry to this brother, a so called muslim deep in witchcraft, it’s never good to have a hypocrite and a traitor near you!’

Judicial sources in Paris confirmed on Sunday that an investigation for ‘attempted extortion in an organised gang’ has been opened. On Sunday night a source close to the case told the Franceinfo news outlet that

Pogba’s ‘big brother and childhood friends’ are all named as suspects.

Further details on Tuesday emerged and revealed that Pogba had reportedly paid £85,000 (€100,000) in a bid to ‘save time’ and ‘satisfy the extortionists’ but his attempts saw those plotting against him demand the £11m again.

However on Sunday night, Mathias – who had spells in English football at Wrexham, Crewe and Crawley Town – denied the claims from his better-known sibling in a furious Twitter outburst.

He wrote: ‘Paul, you really wanted to shut me up completely to lie and send me to prison, I suspected it now it’s true, my version of the facts happens and unlike you.’

A judicial source said: ‘During various hearings, Paul Pogba was able to confide in investigators from the Central Office of Judicial Police Combating Organised Crime that he was trapped by childhood friends, and two hooded men armed with assault rifles.

Pogba said the gang wanted €13m (£11m) and had been threatening him for four months.

Acts of intimidation were carried out in Manchester in April, and later around the Italian city of Turin, where Pogba currently plays for Juventus.

The gang is also said to have taken Pogba to a flat in the Paris suburb of Lagny-sur-Marne, where Pogba grew up, at the end of March. There, the gang members accused Pogba of not helping them financially since he became a professional player.

During police interviews, Paul Pogba said he had always been close to his childhood friends and helped them out financially when he could.

But in January he kicked one out of his house in Manchester after discovering that the unidentified man had used Pogba’s credit card to steal €200,000.

EDGAR LUNGU PEACE & HUMANITARIAN RECOGNITION AWARDS

….the Awards recognise the work of Africa’s unsung heroes and heroines and institutions

The Edgar Lungu Peace and Humanitarian Recognition Awards are to be presented annually to Africa’s unsung heroes and heroines during the commemoration of the International Day of Peace on 21st September.

However, the inaugural 2022 Awards will take place at gala presentation evening in Lusaka, Zambia on November 11, 2022, when the World is commemorating the end of World War I.

The Awards recognise the work of Africa’s unsung heroes and heroines and institutions who significantly contribute to promoting peace at the grassroots level and have been outstanding in promoting women’s rights, fighting gender-based violence, undertaking humanitarian and charitable works that change communities and impact the lives of people and the environment.

In bringing to the spotlight these unsung heroes and heroines, the Foundation believes it will not only celebrate the people and or institutions to be awarded, but also help build a strong platform and positive attitude, amplify their voices and give them opportunities to do more in advancing peace and serving humanity.

It will also create a platform to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, hence building peaceful and caring communities where all members are treated as equals and feel that they can flourish.

The Awards will be presented to outstanding individuals, activists, volunteers, professionals, community and traditional leaders, media practitioners, civil society groupings, philanthropists, companies and other institutions in the 5 Awards categories listed below.

The Edgar Lungu Peace and Humanitarian Awards will be organised in collaboration with local and international stakeholders, including governments, the African Union and the United Nations with unwavering commitment to consolidating peace on the African continent and the region.

The Foundation recognises related awards by other institutions targeted at acknowledging the works of outstanding global leaders and citizenry who have contributed to making the world peaceful and easy for all. Such awards have been an inspiration in the conceptualisation of the Edgar Lungu Peace and Humanitarian Awards. While other awards celebrate excellence at the very top of global or continental leadership or global citizens generally, the Edgar Lungu Peace and Humanitarian Awards focus on Africans in our communities who may not necessarily be political leaders but are involved in works that promote peace or transform people’s lives.

Nevertheless, the Foundation will explore further mutual partnerships with like-mined institutions to scale up these Awards.
Today is your moment to be celebrated because you deserve the honour!

ZNBC DG APPOINTMENT: INSIDE STORY

Cousin. This is what I gathered from someone close to the issues.
1. There was a penal of five that interviewed six candidates. It is understood out of the five panelists, three were non-board members invited to help with the selection process.

2. Out of the six candidates, three were selected for further board consideration.
3. The Board selected former broadcaster Maureen Nkandu. It later submitted the list of the top three to the Minister of Information and Media for information, with the top candidate Maureen Nkandu.

4. The Minister realised the Board has based its selection purely on scored points without consideration for comments made by members of the panel. The second candidate, Berry Lwando was beaten by about a margin of two points by Maureen but appeared to have had far better favourable comments than the selected top candidate. Comments focused on Berry Lwando’s broadcasting acumen, technical capabilities, media experience, precious experience of managing ZNBC at Director level, exposure to Multichoice where he served as CEO for the Multichoice Talent Factory and his emotional intelligence. As far as the Minister was concerned, two points separating the two candidates was too narrow to influence the final choice. She wanted the Board to be thorough in its approach so that there was integrity and credulity in the process.

5. In others words, The Minister wanted to engage the Board to scrutinize the choice by considering other factors other than just scores for the candidates because a single panel member could easily affect scores. It was in the process of seeking to consult the Board she heard the contract of offer had already been given to Maureen but seems only her signature was on it.

6. The Board was duly informed about the Minister’s concerns and sought clarity on legal implications of the offered contract. n the process of consulting the Attorney General on the contract issue, ZNBC Board was informed the actual recruitment process had omitted one crucial element. It may have had to do with security clearance procedures. This affected other management positions where recruitment had also taken place.

7. In short, the whole matter of ZNBC had nothing to do with political interference. It was a procedural matter that should have been managed properly. This thing happens very often expect some candidates went to social media to celebrate before the process was completed. It is only completed when the contract of all signatures is in your hands and that’s when you resign your job if you have any.

IMF Conditions of Concern

The Conditions have been drawn from the IMF statement released to announce the facility.

● Secure timely restructuring agreements with external creditors.

My Comment; First we didn’t need the IMF to resolve our debt crisis and we didnt need another loan to attend to our current loan portfolio. Now that it is involved and has helped set up the Creditors’ Committee, this should not be a condition for the $1.3billion Extended Credit Facility to be disbursed or succeed.

● ECF to support Homegrown Reform Plan.

My Comment; This is speaking in forked tongue as the IMF would not have provided preconditionalities if it was supporting a home-grown programme.

●Eliminate fuel subsidies.

My Comment; Currently the subsidies are two fold

1. Indirect subsidies- taxes upto 41%( Customs Duty 25%, VAT 16% & Excise Duty) on petroleum products remain suspended.

My Comment; Reinstating these taxes immediately will make the pump price of fuel shoot up to dangerous and unsustainable levels that may threaten social stability.

2. Uniform Pricing- Government meets direct subsidies to ensure that the pump price is the same across the country.

My Comment; Removing this subsidy will drive the pump price in rural areas to expensive and unaffordable margins.

● Agriculture Susbsidy program- Ministry of Finance announced earlier that it will reduce support to the FISP Programme (now called Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme) from 2.8% of GDP to 1%. The IMF has called for efficiency to the agriculture susbsidy program.

My Comment; This will clearly adversely affect the current one million small-holder beneficiaries.

●Domestic Revenue Mobilization to support medium-term adjustments.

My Comment; The IMF has requested government to increase taxes and collect those its not collecting such as taxes on fuel. Brace for hard times.

● Deep and Comprehensive Debt Treatment to place public debt on a sustainable path.

My Comment; there is no debt forgiveness as a priority. Probably there will be debt reschedule and debt restructure but little or no debt forgiveness. We are deferring the problem to a future date.

● Change of Procurement Practices-

My Comment- Zambia has conducted extensive procurement reforms since 2008. Just recently another far-reaching Procurement Act was passed in 2020. It is clear that regulatory reforms and the law alone will not dismantle the cartel among business, politicians and civil servants that routinely pillage the Treasury through over-pricing…but we have to keep on pushing for the security and prudent use of public resources.

● Replenish International Reserves and allow conditions on the exchange rate to reflect market conditions.

My Comment; This is a welcome move. But it shows that the Central Bank maybe manipulating status of the exchange rate and IMF is urging Bank of Zambia to allow it to be driven by market forces and conditions.

●Conclusion

We must brace for very hard times especially when fuel subsidies are removed, which may have spiral effect on other essential commodities.

By Patricia Male, Tinkerbel Mwila and Leah Ngoma

Various stakeholders have welcomed the decision by the International Monetary Fund –IMF- to approval the $1.3 billion bailout package for Zambia.

New Hope MMD President Nevers Mumba says the approval of the $1.3 billion IMF deal to Zambia is a mark of respect and confidence from the international community that the programs that government has put in place are workable.

In congratulating President Hakainde Hichilema and his economic team for this great milestone in restoring confidence in the economy, Dr. Mumba is confident that this approval will lead to a period of an economic boom that will be felt by all Zambians.

Dr. Mumba says this approval also means that Zambia’s debt is now on a path to being restructured, that the country now has more money to spend on social services such as education and health, interest rates and exchange rates are expected to continue improving and that there will be increased foreign direct investment resulting from increased investor confidence.

Meanwhile, Zambia Association of Citizen Contractor General Secretary Danny Simumba is optimistic that the approved US$1.3 billion IMF package will enable government to clear the outstanding debt owed to local contractors in the construction sector.

Mr. Simumba is of the view that the funds will unlock the potential of Zambian contractors by providing them with opportunities to participate in the construction industry.

And ActionAid Zambia is calling on government to reject any IMF conditions or policy steers that will contradict its recent commitments to increase spending on education and health, and recruit more frontline public sector workers.

Organization Country Director Nalucha Ziba is hopeful that president Hichilema and his government have been strong enough to reject stringent measures that may affect social sector spending from the IMF adding that the lack of transparency in these negotiations has been a serious concern for many stakeholders.

The Executive Board of the IMF has approved a three-year arrangement under the extended credit facility for Zambia in an amount equivalent to around US$1.3 billion.
PHOENIX NEWS

BENEFITS OF THE IMF DEAL

By Alexander Nkosi

The IMF deal and debt restructuring will give us the much needed breathing space to invest in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism and energy.

To put this into context, as of June 2022 external debt was USD13.25 billion and domestic debt was K203.3 billion. In 2022, out of domestic revenue of K98.9 billion, K78.6 billion was allocated to debt service. When we add the civil service wage bill, the entire domestic revenue is exhausted. Given this scenario, it is very difficult to implement home grown solutions without addressing our huge debt and without access to cheap and flexible loans. A huge component of our budget is still financed through borrowing. Some critics argue that reversing the decision made by government to make mineral royalties tax deductible (added as a cost when calculating Corporate Income Tax) would help us increase domestic revenue, clear debt and finance the budget without borrowing. This is not true, making mineral royalties tax deductible only resulted in a loss of K3.2 billion (US188 million). This is only 4.3% of our fiscal deficit and 4.1% of our total allocation to debt service.

Critics of the IMF program fear that before we get the deal, we will be asked to remove education subsidies, agriculture subsidies and implement an employment freeze. The opposite is happening: government has just recruited over 40,000 teachers and health workers in a single year; FISP which is being transformed into a Comprehensive Agriculture Support Program (CASP) has been doubled to K10 billion (close to 100% increase from last year); free education has been extended to secondary school, bursaries introduced for boarding secondary schools and an increase in tertiary education scholarships.

Why is an IMF program important for Zambia? The benefits of an IMF program are not limited to the USD1.34 billion loan under the extended credit facility. These benefits include:

1) Debt restructuring: From the statements issued by the Official Creditor Committee and IMF, it is clear to see that the IMF program and debt restructuring are linked. Why do we need debt restructuring? Currently, about 75% of domestic revenue is taken up by debt service. Debt service allocations keep growing every year and very soon the figure might surpass domestic revenue. The logic here is simple, if we reach a situation where all the money we raise through taxes, charges and fees is taken up by debt, it means that we have to borrow to pay salaries and support economic and social sectors. This worsens the debt stock and it further implies that in the coming years, more has to be allocated to debt service. This leaves less for economic and social sectors, interest rates go up and private sector performance goes down. As a result of this, domestic revenue dwindles. Debt restructuring will release resources so that we can invest is supporting agriculture, local participation in mining, manufacturing, tourism and energy. It will further reduce the pressure for domestic borrowing by government thereby reducing interest rates and allowing the private sector to borrow to grow their businesses.

A good example of the benefits of debt restructuring is what has happened after external debt service suspension, the concepts are different but the benefits in terms of releasing resources to economic and social sectors are similar. What has happened after external debt suspension is that pressure to borrow has not only reduced but we have also reallocated K19.7 billion from external debt service to critical areas like agriculture and dismantling of domestic arrears. Whereas in 2021 we allocated K5.6 billion on FISP, because of external debt service suspension, in 2022 we have increased this to K10 billion (K5.3 billion initially budgeted for and K4.7 billion in the supplementary budget). In 2021 we allocated K2.7 billion to dismantling of domestic arrears but because of external debt service suspension, we have increased this to K9.7 billion (K3.1 billion initially budgeted for and K6.6 billion in the supplementary budget). This is a clear demonstration of the positive impact of reduced annual debt service outlays.

2) USD1.34 billion loan under the extended credit facility: We are heavily dependent on the mines for forex and every time we spend on debt service, buying fuel, fertiliser and other imports- we lose a lot of dollars and since we have limited sources of forex, we end up with balance of payment problems and kwacha also depreciates. We need the USD1.34 billion to support this as we diversify and grow our export base. This comes at very low interest rates and a long period of repayment unlike mopping the domestic market for dollars, leaving the kwacha tumbling and resulting in an increase in the price of key imports like fertiliser, fuel and other inputs in production.

In our context, IMF program and debt restructuring are like an egg and chicken. On one hand the IMF staff level agreement and an independent debt sustainability assessment conducted by IMF and World Bank have been key in debt restructuring discussions, on the other hand the USD1.34 billion IMF loan will only help our economy if debt is restructured. In the absence of debt restructuring it will all be swallowed into the deep pit of economic problems.

3) Access to concessional borrowing: Related to point (2) is access to more concessional borrowing that come with being on an IMF program. Zambia will still need to borrow even after debt restructuring. However, instead of heavy borrowing on the domestic market and international commercial markets, we will have increased access to concessional borrowing. A simple example is that If we borrow USD1 billion at 20% to be repaid in 3 years in equal instalments, we will be paying USD400 million per year. Imagine if we have 5 similar loans? We will end up paying USD2 billion per year. Now imagine if the USD1 billion is a concessional loan at 1.5% interest over 10 years? We will be paying USD102 million per year. If we have 5 such loans, we will be paying USD510 million instead of USD2 billion. This will allow us to invest in growing the economy and supporting social sectors without being chocked.

After reaching the staff level agreement, the World Bank has pledged USD959 million to support economic recovery. USD294 million has already been committed while USD665 million was approved last week. African Development Bank has also pledged over USD500 million to support economic recovery under the African Development Fund. In just the first six months of 2022, we are almost surpassing our annual target for grants, the level of confidence is very high.

4) Attracting investments: Both foreign and local investers need a stable and predictable economic environment. When we are on an IMF program, investers will be assured of a stable and predictable policy environment. Government will borrow less from the domestic marketing thereby encouraging increased local investments. FDI will also increase. FQM has committed to invest USD1.35 billion in expansion and nickel project, and more firms are investing in exploration. Zambeef is investing USD100 million expanding its current investments. More investments will come in as we get into 2023.

In conclusion, it is important to understand that there are many benefits to the IMF deal and debt restructuring beyond the USD1.34 billion loan under the extended credit facility.

ATTEND TO PLIGHT OF CITIZENS
…They’ll not eat your self-praises.

Lusaka, Thursday, September 1, 2022 — THE UPND regime must urgently come up with a well-crafted Marshall plan to ease the suffering of citizens.

Poor Zambians are groaning under the astronomical prices of basic needs, including food, transport, fuel and electricity tariffs.

Unfortunately, aside from piecemeal, knee-jerk measures aimed at eliciting praise from its gullible cadres there is no clear plan for addressing the desperate situation.

We are surprised to hear President Hakainde Hichilema, his ministers and senior cadres showering praises on themselves at every forum for imaginary achievements.

They must know that poor Zambians are gnashing their teeth in anguish because of the high cost of living.

People are barely surviving. Buying a simple bag of mealie meal has become a sign of affluence in the poor communities.

Let those who are praising themselves board public buses or go into the compounds and hear for themselves how people are suffering and what they think about the self-praising UPND gang.

Cosmetic measures such as marginally reducing the price of fuel to fool voters and handouts to the victims of human cruelty in Chingola and fire in Ndola will not fool Zambians.

They are intelligent enough to see the treachery.
What they expect is to see concrete measures that will trigger reductions in commodity and service prices.

An ordinary family can no longer afford a bag, of mealie meal, a 2.5 litre container of edible oil, a bag of charcoal, electricity units to last a month, transport fares and relish.

But instead of showing empathy and addressing their plight the UPND is mocking the suffering Zambians with such arrogant slogans as ‘Fimba Upoke’ which means ‘You will complain until you burst’.

We demand that the incompetent UPND government announce how it will ease the suffering of the masses.

Zambians are not interested in hearing self-praises for token and imaginary achievements; they want to have three meals a day, afford the prices of electricity and transport.

If the regime attends to these issues citizens will praise it without any solicitation.

Issued by:
EDWIN LIFWEKELO
PF Deputy Media Director.

OLIVER SHALALA SCHOOLS EMMANUEL MWAMBA

By Shalala Oliver Sepiso

Mr Emmanuel Mwamba sir

The reason past IMF programmes failed was not because of the bailouts. It was because of failure of the policy and economic programming “despite the IMF bailouts”. An IMF bailout helps you with two things:
1. balance of payment support and
2. debt restructuring.

After getting a bailout, you won’t default with loan payments and credit ratings and so worthiness will not be ‘junk status’.

After the bailout, as a country you have to now come up with your own economic programming to lift yourselves out of the abyss albeit a yawning chasm. You don’t use IMF money for salaries or mundane expenses. You can do that with World Bank or Eurobonds money but not IMF money. So those who failed before misunderstood the remedy.

A good example would be Panadol. It doesn’t cure you but it removes the pain. It allows you to now cook a meal that will nourish you to better health. It’s not the Panadol to heal you but your health and exercise regime which you indulge in once you have self-administered the Panadol and relieved yourself of pain.

And not all past IMF bailouts failed in Zambia. Remember that in June 2008 we got a bailout under Magande and Mwanawasa. Zambia then used the IMF Bailout, among other remedies, to recover from the hyperinflationary economic situation that we were in. This then created the fiscal space to upgrade our economy from a recession to one of the fastest growing economies in the world. That progress was only reversed by PF and its poor “dununa” governance which reversed all gains.

So don’t get it twisted. What will get us to the promised land is not the IMF bailout but the economic programme HH has set for Zambia which includes:

1. Ramping up production of Copper to 3 million metric tonnes of copper per year from the current 800,000 MT.
2. Increase the installed capacity of electricity to 6000MW and export the excess 3000MW to Angola, Zimbabwe, Congo and South Africa.

3. Increase intra-regional trade to increase markets for SME through Kasumbalesa, Kazungula, Kipushu, Jimbe and Sikongo.
4. Long term free education for the masses so we have a base of not only employees but erudite and skilled people who can do entrepreneurship.

5. Have rule or low, peace and ease of doing business to attract vast, varied and voluptuous FDI (Foreign Direct Investment).
6. Handle fiscal and monetary environment to ensure a competitive Kwacha, stable low inflation and favourable lending interest rates that advantage Zambian business and make Zambia a competitive destination.

So don’t expose yourself sir by thinking the IMF bailout will fail. It doesn’t fail. What fails is what we do to get ourselves out of the hole.

And be remorseful your PF party, which Zambians rejected overwhelming, is what got us where we are.

Insoni ebuntu tata. Your time passed. Lekeni tutekeko. We know what we are doing and we won’t fail.

In the meantime, may the Lord protect HEHH and Our Mum Mutinta. May all the praise singers say “Amen”