Zambia Weekly
In this issue
In this issue
Chiluba’s court case: it’s not over yet! 1 about former president Chiluba’s alleged theft of
Financial mess at parastatals 2
Five Zambians to assess global climate 2
Quotes 2 High Court judgement in which former president
The NCC controversy continues 3
Let us mourn in peace 4 about USD 46 million (Sunday Mail). This basically
PF-UPND Pact: endless bickering! 4
Mining: outsourcing at KCM 5
E-government: no more queues! 5 deceased, granted leave to the Attorney-General to
Zimbabwe mars SADC jubilee summit 6
Wear your seatbelt! 6 (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act of the laws of Zambia. But Chiluba and two of his seven co-
Too few medical complaints 6
Editor’s note
In 2005, Davis Kasakula stole a bicycle
worth K 345,000 in Chingola. The High
Court sentenced him to 20 years imprison-
ment with hard labour for aggravated rob-
bery. This week, the Supreme Court upheld
the sentence. Surely 20 years for stealing
a bicycle is a bit excessive? After all, his
crime cannot be compared to that of Justine
Makota, a 25-year-old Kabompo peasant
farmer, who killed his 5-year-old son and
dumped his body behind his house covered
in rags and branches. This week, Kabompo
was sentenced to 25 years simple imprison-
ment for manslaughter by the Kitwe High
Court. Somehow, these cases leave one feel-
ing slightly depressed about the judiciary.
Especially when considering some of the
many corruption cases that the newspapers
are full off: MMD national secretary, Katele
Kalumba, gets 5 years imprisonment for
receiving a bribe of about K 30 million, MP
Mark Mushili (PF) receives a suspended
sentence of 6 months imprisonments for at-
tempting to swindle government of K 360
million, and former director of mines and
minerals development, Gerhard Kangamba
(MMD), is sentenced to 5 years imprison-
ment for abuse of office involving K 135
million. None of these corrupt politicians
waved a weapon around, but Kasakula
probably still believes that he got the short
end of the stick. I guess we should be happy
to live in a society that pays for a bicycle
thief to take his case involving K 345,000
all the way to the Supreme Court?
Week 33, Volume 1, Issue 19, 20 August 2010
Chiluba’s court case: it’s not over yet!
Take a deep breath and read on. The continued story
public funds has reached another interesting stage.
This week, High Court judge Evans Hamaundu set
aside an application by the state to register a London
Frederick Chiluba and seven others were found
guilty of defrauding the Zambian government of
means the state won’t get back its money – at least
not through this avenue.
In July 2007, High Court judge Japhet Banda, now
flickr.com/photos/rosemary_mcd/2249223495
register the London judgement in the Zambian High
Court under provisions of the Foreign Judgements
defendants, Aaron Chungu and Faustin Kabwe, challenged the registration.
Hamaundu, who inherited the case from Banda, said that since the British and Colonial
Judgments Act was repealed by the Foreign Judgements Ordinance 12 of 1959, no alternative
legal provision had been made for the registration of UK judgements. “This means that the
Foreign Judgements (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act does not apply to the United Kingdom at
present,” part of the judgment read.
And he is correct, said Lusaka Lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, who is also president of the United
Liberal Party (Times 16). Yes, agreed former solicitor-general Sunday Nkonde, the judgement
was in line with the law (Times 17).
But former Attorney-General Mumba Malila, who instituted the civil proceedings in the
London High Court, said: “I am amazed, totally amazed” (Post 16). The opposition claimed
the judgement was influenced by the government who has embraced Chiluba after he was
acquitted in a separate corruption case in Zambia. But Patriotic Front spokesperson, Given
Lubinda, who is also vice-president of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians against
Corruption (GOPAC) pointed out that “the refusal by the court to register the judgment
does not quash the London judgment. What they have done is to refuse to recognise it.”
Lubinda advised the state to take a closer look at international treaties and protocols on
international crime: “One important international treaty is the United Nations convention
against corruption. In there, there is a provision for trans-boundary investigations and inter-
governmental cooperation in the pursuit of corruption,” he said (see below).
But the state may not have to go this far. In his judgement Hamaundu said that “in the
circumstances, the Attorney-General should have sought to enforce the London High Court
judgement by recourse to the common law, under the principles of ‘private International law’
or ‘Conflicts of Law’, as the principles are alternatively known (Sunday Mail).
The state has not indicated whether it wants to pursue the case.
UN praises fight against corruption
The government’s intention to domesticate the United Nations Convention on Cor-
ruption and the launch of the Anti-Corruption Policy is a clear demonstration that it
remains committed to the fight against graft. Outgoing United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) country representative Mcleod Nyirongo said the domestication
of the UN Convention on Corruption would ensure that property stolen from Zambia
was repatriated to the country and this would also allow such property stolen in other
countries and hidden in Zambia was taken back (Times 13).
The best of the Zambian media 1
 Zambia Weekly News

Financial mess at parastatals Quotes

Parastatal institutions misapplied more than K 1 trillion in 2008, reveals the latest Auditor
General’s reports on parastatal accounts for that financial year. 95 percent of the irregulari-
“ I’m not an election rigger but I’m a

”
ties consist of non-remittance of statutory contributions (Times 17). The report cited 22 master tactician.
institutions among them Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), Task Force
on Corruption, ZAMTEL and the Electoral Commission of Zambia. The report reveals MMD Chief Whip Vernon Mwaanga
that the government has failed to dispose of assets worth over K 61 billion seized by the now on his involvement as an election advisor
defunct Taskforce on Corruption (Post 19). Some of the institutions that are making losses are to President Bingu wa Mutharika in last
TAZAMA, Zambia Railways, ZNBC, Zamtel and National Airports Corporation (Post 18). year’s elections in Malawi (Post 13).

“
The latter is still owed USD 2.2 million in passenger service charges from the defunct Zam-
bian Airways Limited, which was placed under receivership in April 2009 (Daily Mail 19). Government is gravely concerned that
Qualitative findings of the report include lack of strategic plans, failure to prepare financial this has developed into a pattern for Mr

”
statements and failure to constitute boards of directors. The report contains unresolved recom- Sata at all funerals of national nature.
mendations of the Public Accounts Committee on parastatal bodies based on previous audit Chief government spokesperson Ronnie
reports which have either not been implemented or partly implemented. Shikapwasha - see page 4
(Daily Mail 13).

Five Zambian scientists to assess global climate

“ It goes without saying that politics and
religion are intertwined as they attract

”
Five Zambian scientists have been nominated to the same clientele by and large.
serve on the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate
Vice-president George Kunda
Change (IPCC) to assist in producing the IPCC’s
(Sunday Mail).
Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). IPCC is the

“
leading body for the assessment of climate change,
established in 1988 by the United Nations Environ- I get worried when sometimes a week
ment Programme and the World Meteorological passes and I do not see the insults

”
Organisation. Out of about 3,000 nominations about me in the newspaper.
received from experts all over the world, IPCC se- President Banda (Sunday Times).
lected 831 highly qualified experts, including the five
Zambian scientists, who are expected to collaborate
with other scientists on the AR5 to be released in 2014. In the Fourth Assessment Report
(AR4), released in 2007, IPCC concluded that climate change was unequivocal and it was
“ Of all controversies it is unbelievable
that a whole nation can be embroiled
in an argument over the provision of
largely caused by human activities. The five Zambian experts are Joseph Kanyanga from the medical health services to the rural

”
Zambia Meteorological Department, Kapungwe Hansingo of University of Zambia’s physics community.
department, Suman Jain of UNZA’s mathematics department, Francis Yamba of UNZA’s me-
chanical engineering department and Alick Muvundika from National Institute for Scientific Janet Ilunga, journalists, on mobile
and Industrial Research (Times 13). hospitals (Times 16).

Flash your card! “ Joining the police service doesn’t mean

that someone has failed to find a better
job; it is about choosing a career that

”
The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) is launching a Blue Card Cam- would benefit the nation at large.
paign to counter the Red Card Campaign led by the executive director Frank Bwalya of New police officer Zengani Nyirenda
Change Life Zambia and supported by the Patriotic Front (PF). MMD acting national secre- at Lilayi Police College passout parade
tary, Chembe Nyangu, said the Red Card Campaign was being discredited by many Zambians (Post 14).
after realising that the government was delivering development. He said the PF had planned

“
to distribute red cards to embarrass government officials during the recent graduation cer-
The biggest problem is that once upon
emony at the University of Zambia, and the MMD would now start using blue cards to show
a time the task of looking after society
it was present wherever the red cards would be flashed (Times 13).
was not a job of a police officer but that

”
of the community.

The Mwanawasa legacy Traditionalist Dickson Chasaya on child

sexual abuse (Sunday Mail).
Late president Levy Mwanawasa died two years ago this week. As a way of portraying his ide-
als, the family and other people interested in Mwanawasa’s work will launch the Levy Mwa-
nawasa Foundation on 20 August 2010. Mwanawasa’s daughter, Chipo, said another book
about president Mwanawasa, this time authored by Martin Kalungu-Banda, will be launched
“ Zambia has grown mangoes for decades
if not centuries, and still we note that
imports of dried mangoes are coming

”
simultaneously. The book is a narration of the author’s experiences with president Mwanawasa into the country every day.
and leadership lessons from those experiences. The Mwanawasa family has also re-opened the
law firm, Levy Mwanawasa and Company. And in Ndola, Chiwala High School will re-name Yusuf Dodia, chairman, the Private Sec-
its school hall after Mwanawasa. Mwanawasa died on 19 August 2008 at Percy Military Hos- tor Development Association (Post 17).
pital in Paris, France (Sunday Post).

The best of the Zambian media 2

 Zambia Weekly The New Constitution
The NCC controversy continues
The National Constitutional
Conference (NCC) has
almost concluded its work
on Zambia’s new constitu-
tion, but the same cannot
be said about the debate on
whether the NNC’s work
has been driven by the
people of Zambia or by the
ruling party, the Movement
for Multiparty Democracy
(MMD).
Is it or isn’t it people-driven - the
new constitution? flickr.com/photos/ After having debated the
unicefsverige/4475912276 “less than 500” public
submissions on the draft
constitution, the NCC u-turned on some of its former decisions (Sun-
day Post). According to supporters of the NCC, because “the process
was a very democratic and open one,” said Deputy Minister of Justice
Todd Chilembo. He pointed out that most of the clauses from the
Willa Mung’omba constitution review commission had been taken on
board (Daily Mail 16).
According to its opponents, however, because “key people from the
ruling party have been driving the process”. Remember, said Caritas
Zambia executive director Samuel Mulafulafu, that parliament still
has the power to remove things they don’t like (Post 19).
United Party for National Development (UPND), who contrary to
its pact partner, the Patriotic Front, decided to partake in the NCC,
stated its participation was not in vain. Without the UPND, said
spokesperson Charles Kakoma, the document would have been worse.
The NCC has decided to drop the clause which demanded that a
presidential candidate should possess a first degree from a recognised
university (as opposed to the Mung’omba proposal of Grade 12). 182
of 239 public submissions on this clause rejected the first degree. The
NCC accepted the status quo of the current constitution: any person
who can read and write (Post 14).
It also decided to reverse its former decision not to include water, food
and shelter as basic human rights. 46 public petitioners had submit-
ted that the NCC should restore the Mung’omba clauses – and the
United Nations recently declared that safe and clean drinking water
and sanitation are human rights. The rights to water, food and shelter
are now included in the supreme law.
Another controversial clause, the 50 percent plus one clause for the
election of a president, which was supported by 87 out of 103 public
submissions, had already been referred to a referendum at an earlier
stage (Daily Mail 14). The NCC resolved to take all articles agreed
upon to parliament for enactment and leave the bill of rights and ar-
ticles not agreed upon to a referendum to be handled by the Electoral
Commission of Zambia.
The NCC secretariat will now prepare a final draft constitution to be
submitted to the Minister of Justice on 31 August 2010. He will then
present the draft to parliament for scrutiny and subsequent adoption.
Chilembo said government is committed to ensure that the new con-
stitution will be ready before the 2011 general elections.
NCC according to the editorials
Daily Mail 17 August:
By now, all the doomsayers who predicted failure of the work of
the National Constitutional Conference must be wallowing in
self pity and shame following the successful ending of a process.
The distinguished men and women who (...) dedicated their
time to etch into reality a people-driven constitution (...) should
be highly commended for the sacrifices they made for mother
Zambia. While it is appreciated that in a democratic dispensa-
tion such as ours there may be divergent views which in any case
should be taken aboard, there is also critical need for everyone
to exercise a lot of restraint and regard for such important pro-
cesses before decisions are made and in this case whether such
interest groups wanted to be part of the process or not. It is on
record that for some political parties (...) the NCC was a no-go
area for their members. Some church groups and organisations
showed similar lack of foresight in understanding that what
was being done was not for a specific individual political party
– the MMD, but rather for the good of the nation. The draft
constitution will indeed stand the test of time because it has
been people-driven with the participation of a cross-section of
Zambian society.
Post 18 August:
The National Constitutional Conference has been nothing but
a fraud, a deception, a waste of time and money. We therefore
salute those churches and others who refused to be part of this
banditry. It reminded us of the game we used to play in primary
school called “Follow the Leader”. It was a game of follow-
ing what George Kunda wanted as the leader and architect of
that whole process. Look at the clause requiring one to have a
university degree to be accepted as a presidential candidate! It’s
clear that this clause was designed for a special purpose: to stop
Michael Sata, who they thought had no university education
and qualifications and as such would be barred from contesting
next year’s presidential elections. In a country where only a tiny
fraction of the population has education of above grade 12, it is
impossible to understand how a sane person, a fair-minded per-
son can support such a clause that excludes the overwhelming
majority of the population from setting themselves a political
agenda. It is clear that we will not get a constitution we deserve
and aspire for from George’s National Constitutional Confer-
ence. And we should start preparing for another constitution
review process because this is rubbish and it won’t do.
This week’s figures
The National Constitutional Conference has increased the
age of retirement for public servants from currently 55 years
to 60 years (Post 13).
The average life expectancy in Zambia is 44.5 years (Human
Development Report 2009).
The official unemployment rate stands at 16 percent (Cen-
tral Statistical Office 2005).
The best of the Zambian media 3
 Zambia Weekly This week’s controversies

Let us mourn in peace Lusaka in brief

The funeral of MP Lameck Chibombamilimo (MMD)
turned into a bit of a battlefield. First MMD cadres
roughed up MMD rebel MP Ng’andu Magande. Then Kamwala prepares for rain
MMD and PF cadres clashed during Chibombamilimo’s
requiem service, leaving several injured (Post 14). The “atmosphere was tense” in Lusaka
Hindu Hall last week as businesspeople
The MMD said the confrontation at the burial service trading in Kamwala waited to roast their
was fanned by PF cadres who turned up in T-shirts with a representatives. They had demanded
message that read “PF mourns Chibombamilimo”. MMD a meeting with Kabwata MP Given
acting party national secretary Chembe Nyangu said the T-shirts incensed the MMD cadres Lubinda (PF) and officials from the
because the PF was trying to claim Chibombamilimo as their own (Sunday Times). Lusaka City Council (LCC) to push for
PF President, Michael Sata, claimed the confrontation was condoned by president Rupiah better roads and drainage in the trad-
Banda and vice-president George Kunda – hence their decision to stay away from the funeral ing and residential area. Kamwala is a
procession (Sunday Post). But MMD national chairperson Michael Mabenga challenged Sata popular shopping destination, especially
to provide evidence (Times 17). “In fact,” he said, “it is possible that the opposition members, for bulk buyers from outside Lusaka.
who were purporting to be MMD, could have started the violence, so that people are made to Many customers, however, shun the area
believe that it was started by the MMD.” during the rainy season because of flood-
ing caused by poor drainage, and most
Chibombamilimo’s father, Titus Kauzi, condemned everybody: “I don’t know why someone of the paved roads are now “extensively
who is grieving can start fighting. (...) some political parties and the ruling party, the way they damaged”. The interim Kamwala As-
are behaving, oh God, help us! Let us mourn in peace,” Kauzi exclaimed (Post 14). sociations of Businessperson “emotion-
49-year-old Chibombamilimo died of kidney complications in India. In 2009, Banda fired ally” accused the LCC of treating them
Chibombamilimo as energy deputy minister accusing him of disloyalty. But Chibombamilimo as second-calls citizens – especially
blocked his expulsion from the MMD with a court injunction. Sata’s claims that the govern- considering that they contribute around
ment delayed in evacuating Chibombamilimo have been denied by the government. K 60 billion annually in taxes. Lubinda
said he would arrange to lead a group
of traders and community members to
PF-UPND Pact: endless bickering! the Road Development Agency and the
National Road Fund Agency to demand
The bickering in the PF-UPND pact continued this week. The United Party for National an explanation why the Kamwala roads
Development (UPND) didn’t like last week’s column written in the Post by Patriotic Front are not being repaired (Sunday Mail).
(PF) vice-president Guy Scott in which he chirped that maybe the UPND should have left
the Luena seat to the PF to contest. After all, the UPND lost the Luena by-election to the
Alliance for Development and Democracy.
Government prepares for rain
PF president Michael Sata played down Scott’s scorn: “This is not the first time Dr Scott has
The 2010/2011 Disaster Risk Reduction
written such articles. He has been writing as an individual, and has never written as PF vice-
Preparedness and Response Programme
president. (...) So there is no need for our friends to be jittery,” Sata said (Daily Mail 13).
has been launched in the Lusaka Prov-
But it took more to appease UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma, who said the UPND ince with the aim to improving water,
candidate in Luena was jointly fielded by the pact just like the – losing – PF candidate in sanitation, roads and bridges before
Milanzi in the previous round of by-elections, which did not make the UPND rejoice. “He the onset of rains. Minister of Lu-
shouldn’t have used the press, but should have used the right channel to air his views through saka Province, Charles Shawa, said the
the pact’s working group or, if not satisfied, the national governing council of the pact.” programme with a budgetary support of
K 71 billion should reduce the negative
The press was full of renewed theories about the imminent break-up of the pact. But UPND
impact of hazards like recent floods that
president Hakainde Hichilema did not want to comment on Sata’s comment on Scott’s com-
displaced several residents in Lusaka. The
ment on the UPND: “I don’t discuss those issues in the press,” he said with a reference to Sata
programme draws on input from various
(Daily Mail 13). And the next day he pointed out that it was wrong to politicise the death of
stakeholders such as the District Disaster
MP Lameck Chibombamilimo (see page 2) with another reference to Sata (Daily Mail 14).
Management Team and the Lusaka
One thing became obvious this week: the two parties in the pact don’t talk – or rather the PF City Council. “The experiences of the
doesn’t talk to the UPND. According to sources in the UPND, the party has set up a com- last rainy season and effects it had on
mittee to resolve the differences with the PF – and to try and push for an explanation for why our communities was a rather negative
the PF is avoiding discussions with the UPND through formalised channels (Times 14). one, not only to the victims but to the
government as well,” he said. Govern-
An opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue indicated that both PF and the
ment has recognised that if the situation
UPND are dependent on an ethnic vote that would not favour a situation where their candi-
is left unchecked, it could undermine the
date was not selected (Times 18). The poll asked over 1,000 respondents in Lusaka, Southern,
achievements of the Millennium Devel-
Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern Provinces. The PF has its highest support in Luapula
opment Goals, Shawa added (Times 19).
(60 percent) and the least support in Southern Province (17 percent), while the UPND finds
most of its supporters in Southern Province (50 percent) and the least in Northern Province
(6 percent). A “cross-section of society” described the opinion poll as factual (Daily Mail 19).

The best of the Zambian media 4

 Zambia Weekly Mining
How (not) to survive outsourcing?
Miners remain disgruntled about outsourcing at the Konkola Copper
Mines (KCM) – despite the company issuing a statement to explain
that it is part of the its survival strategy.
According to the statement (Daily Mail 4), KCM continues to face
operational challenges, and the decision to outsource, said Rahul
Khartar, head of corporate affairs at KCM, was critical to the com-
pany’s survival given the volatility of metal markets (Post 14).
KCM has outsourced 80 percent of operations and maintenance
activities at the Nchanga Open Pit to Moolmans of South Africa and
U&M of Brazil although it clarified that it did not outsource labour.
At the Nchanga Concentrator the employees were given three op-
tions: to sign up with the contractor, to continue with KCM in other
positions or to leave the company under KCM’s voluntary retirement
scheme.
As a result of the outsourcing, said Khartar, KCM has extended the
life of Nchanga Open Pit by more than 10 years, and for the first time
in years, the company has managed to run four pits instead of the
traditional two.
But the miners remained adamant. At a joint press briefing held by
the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and National Union of
Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW), miners from KCM’s units at
Nkana, Nchanga and Konkola resolved to hold peaceful demonstra-
tions over the continued outsourcing (Post 16).
MUZ president Rayford Mbulu said the union felt extremely let
down that the government, which was represented on the KCM
board, could allow KCM to outsource. He said outsourcing demeaned
miners’ jobs because while KCM maximised profits, the mineworkers
who worked in the outsourced units were paid less. He was backed by
Nchanga MP Wylbur Simuusa (PF), who accused the government
of having ignored the problems for a long time (Post 17): “KCM are
behaving like that because the MMD government has given them the
leeway.”
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Austin Liato, summoned
MUZ and the management of KCM to try and resolve the impasse
between the two organisations (Times 18).
Surge in Equinox’s profit
Equinox Minerals Limited, the 100 percent owner of Lumwana
Mine, has generated after-tax profit of USD 73.4 million in
the second quarter of 2010, up by 128 percent compared to the
first quarter of 2010. The result is based on an operating profit
of USD 91.1 million in the second quarter of 2010. The strong
results, which mostly are generated from Lumwana, were buoyed
by increased copper production (up by 44 percent) – and by the
lowest quarterly operating cost to date of USD 1.19 per pound of
copper. Commenting on the results, Equinox president and chief
executive officer Craig Williams said Lumwana was starting to
show its true potential (Post 16). According to Equinox’s website,
the company currently has exploration activity in Zambia and
interests in Australia (Liontown Resources & Joint Ventures
Base Metals Exploration) and Peru (Alturas Minerals Gold
exploration).
Business in brief
Zambia Sugar doesn’t fear competition
Zambia Sugar Plc has
played down the possible
competition likely to
come from an Indian firm
planning to invest in sugar
production in Nansanga
farm bloc. Head of cor-
porate affairs, Lovemore
Sievu, said the country’s
flickr.com/photos/richardstupart/4136202101
biggest sugar producer
was too firmly entrenched to fear any possible competition from
new entrants into the sector. Sievu said the domestic sugar mar-
ket was very small and that extra players in the sector were likely
to grow the product for export market rather than domestic
consumption. Zambia Sugar Plc currently produces in excess of
400,000 tonnes of sugar of which it exports almost two-thirds,
mainly to the Great Lakes region and the European Union.
Zambia Sugar Plc produces approximately 89.6 percent of all
sugar in Zambia with Consolidated Farming Limited of Kafue
(9.8 percent) and Kalungwishi Estates Limited of Kasama (0.6
percent) far behind (Post 13).
Trading in Zain has been suspended
Zain Zambia Plc, trading as Celtel Zambia, suspended trading
on Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE) on 18 August 2010. Zain’s
new owner, Bharti Airtel, is preparing for the mandatory offer
to buy out the 21.1 percent minority shareholders. Some market
sources close to the transaction indicated that Bharti Airtel
was planning to spend USD 300 million to acquire the publicly
listed stake of Zain Zambia Plc. Kuwait-based Zain sold all its
franchises in Africa to Bharti Airtel except its operations in
Sudan and Morocco, both of which are Arabic countries. Of all
the Zain operations in Africa, Zain Zambia Plc was the only
publicly listed entity (Post 19).
No more queues!
The government has embarked on the first steps towards the
introduction of e-government. At the inaugural meeting of
the inter-ministerial e-government implementation steering
committee, minister of communications and transport Geoffrey
Lungwangwa said the government wants almost all its inter-
actions with citizens and businesses to be done within a few
minutes without waiting in queues. It is government’s desire, he
said, that citizens should be able to access government services
anytime, anywhere and at affordable costs as well as in relevant
local languages. Lungwangwa did point out, however, that the
introduction of e-government will call for “attitude change in
officers and employees and massive government process re-
engineering”. E-government will also make physical censuses
obsolete as information on citizens and services will be available
electronically all the time. The government has already enacted
the relevant legislation (Daily Mail 14).
The best of the Zambian media 5
 Zambia Weekly News: SADC
Zimbabwe mars SADC jubilee summit
Heads of state from the Southern African Development Commu-
nity (SADC) met this week in the Namibian capital for a two-day
summit to discuss regional integration and the political progress in
Zimbabwe. The annual summit, which marks the 30th anniversary of
the regional bloc, took place amid criticism over SADC’s struggles to
assert itself as a political force in the region (AFP in Times 17).
The thorn in the side is Zimbabwe, which has refused to accept the
ruling of the SADC Tribunal in favour of two white farmers dispos-
sessed of their land, arguing that the protocol that created the SADC
body only has been ratified by 5 out of the 14 member states (ZA-
NIS in Daily Mail 19). At the end of the summit, the SADC issued
a communiqué that recommended “the SADC Tribunal should be
reviewed every six months”.
Major achievements recorded by SADC in the last 30 years include
infrastructure development such as broader Spatial Development
Corridors, the creation of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP)
by 12 national utilities, the development of several Trans-Frontier
Conservation Areas (TFCA), the launch of the SADC Free Trade
Area (eventually to be transformed into a Monetary Union), the es-
tablishment of a Regional Peace Training Centre and a standby force
(the SADC Brigade) to participate in peace missions (Daily Mail 16).
According to the ruling party’s Chief Whip, Vernon Mwaanga, the
establishment of SADC has improved the economies of member
states: “Of course not all of SADC‘s objectives have been met but the
organisation has achieved a lot and it is on the right track to achiev-
ing even more because member states are committed to the growth
of the region,” said Mwaanga, who is a former foreign minister and
diplomat (Daily Mail 17).
At the summit, first president Kenneth Kaunda was honoured with
the Sir Seretse Khama SADC Medal for being a “notable statesman”
of the region (Post 18).
RB to chair conflict resolution in SADC
President Rupiah Banda has been elected chairperson of the SADC
Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation that is responsi-
ble for conflict resolution. In his acceptance speech, Banda said he will
focus on bringing peace, democracy and political stability in Madagas-
car which is currently facing a political crisis following a military coup.
He also pledged to help in finding a lasting solution to the piracy on
the Indian Ocean which is an offshoot of the poor security situation
in Somalia. Banda will be deputised by South African President Jacob
Zuma. He will chair the organ for one year (Times/Daily Mail 17).
EPAs have stalled
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) talks between the
European Union (EU) and the eastern and southern Africa (ESA)
region, chaired by Zambia, have stalled because the EU insists on
reciprocal trade arrangements while the ESA wants a development
dimension to be the priority. Chief economist at the ministry of com-
merce, trade and industry, Christopher Chileshe, said there is need to
develop infrastructure if Zambia and the rest of the region if the ESA
is to take on board what the EU is offering under the EPAs. Other-
wise Europeans will easily flood local markets with their goods. EPAs
are meant to replace the Cotonou Agreements between the African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries and the EU to make them compliant
with World Trade Organisation rules (Daily Mail 16).
Titbit News
Wear your seatbelt!
The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has intensified
its road safety campaign to promote the use of seatbelts. RTSA
principal publicity officer Mercy Khozi-Mwila said the cam-
paign will be complemented with law enforcement. According
to a report on global road safety by the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society the behaviour of road
users is the main cause of road injuries and deaths, with the four
most common factors being the failure to wear seatbelts, crash
helmets, over-speeding and drunk driving. Research has shown
that wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of deaths or serious
injury by 50 percent in the event of a crash. Khozi-Mwila said
RTSA had noticed that most drivers in Lusaka do not wear
their seatbelts – unless they are policed. “We have now reached
a level in our campaigns where we want motorists to voluntarily
comply with road traffic regulations. (...) we want to get to a
point where motorists become so conditioned with adherence
that it is part of their road culture,” she said. RTSA has set up
a programme for all provinces that is linked with traditional
ceremonies (Daily Mail 14).
Too few medical complaints
The Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) has be-
moaned the lack of public interest in reporting medical profes-
sionals’ misconduct and poor service delivery. The law empowers
HPCZ to inspect, monitor and regulate all health practitioners
and facilities, but “the biggest challenge for us is to ensure that
members of the public are vigilant and report individual health
practitioners and institutions offering poor health care ser-
vices and unprofessional conduct to the authorities,” said John
Chipandwe, public relations officer at HPCZ, which formerly
was known as the Medical Council of Zambia. The procedure to
register a concern is to put it in writing, addressed to the Direc-
tor of the Health Professions Council of Zambia, PO Box 32554,
Lusaka, or contact them on telephone 211 23 62 41, fax 211 23
93 17 and email mcz@iconnect.zm.
Zambia Weekly
Week 33, Volume 1, Issue 19, 20 August 2010
Zambia Weekly is a free e-zine that extracts the news you really need
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