Saturday, March 02, 2013

(TALKZIMBABWE) UAE Sheikh arrives in Zimbabwe

UAE Sheikh arrives in Zimbabwe
This article was written by Our reporter on 25 February, at 22 : 06 PM

United Arab Emirates Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday to explore investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.

He was met at the Harare International Airport by President Mugabe, Vice President Joice Mujuru, Cabinet ministers, service chiefs and other senior Government officials.

He arrived to the beat of the traditional Zimbabwe drum from two dance groups. The Sheikh (pictured above) received the highest honour for a visiting Head of State, including a 21-gun salute. He also inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Presidential Guard.

Addressing guests at the banquet, President Mugabe said Government was committed to fostering investment relations with the people of Ras Al Khaimah. He said while Zimbabwe was resource-rich, it came short on the beneficiation of its resources.

“It would thus be natural, logical and strategic for us to forge a relationship with your Emirate since we have a lot of synergies which are complementary.

“For that reason, it is the desire of the Government and people of Zimbabwe to tap into your rich knowledge and expertise in the management and utilisation of natural resources.

“We want to see economic co-operation between our two sides grow to higher levels across all the sectors of our economies. The relationship, if well-calculated, should see mutual benefit accruing to both parties,” he said.

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe had a well-diversified economy.

“Zimbabwe is largely agro-based and this creates numerous opportunities for investment in agriculture which include horticulture, cotton, tobacco, supply of agricultural produce.”

He said Zimbabwe was also open to investment in irrigation and mechanisation.

He said Zimbabwe’s mining sector was endowed with a vast range of minerals.

“This sector is also currently in a growth phase, buoyed by strong international market prices and increasing demand from developing nations such as China and India.”

The President said Zimbabwe had, besides the Victoria Falls, several natural tourist attractions such as unique rock formations, flora and fauna as well as man-made attractions.

“Just like you, we have an impressive archaeological heritage and rich cultural history. The sector has immense growth potential.”

He said Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector was well-diversified, possessing strong linkages with other productive sectors of the economy, especially agriculture.

“This diversified industrial base therefore provides potential investors with a number of investment opportunities . . . Above all, Zimbabwe has the necessary educated and skilled workforce.

“For all these opportunities to be exploited there is need for a conducive political environment. On that score, I would like to say that Zimbabwe enjoys peace and tranquillity,” he said

In his response, Sheikh Saud said he was in Zimbabwe to explore business opportunities for the Emirates.

“We have come here to extend our hand to all of you people of Zimbabwe … We have come here not to teach you, but rather put to you what we have learnt . It is up to you to take what you like,” he said.

Sheikh Saud said it was important for Zimbabweans to work together for the prosperity of the nation.

He said the United Arab Emirates population had learnt to replace hatred with love, fighting with peace.

Sheikh Saud said such a phenomenon was not a dream but a reality in the United Arab Emirates.

As such, he said, United Arab Emirates had become a hub of several economic activities.

“Now we have more than 10 million tourists, our country is now a place to make business, work and a place to find hope,” he said.

The Sheikh said he was prepared to partner local business communities for the development of Zimbabwe.

“We want to see our friends in Africa experiencing the same success we have. Your country is blessed with everything you want – beautiful scenaries, lovely places and lots of minerals. Nothing is impossible if we put our minds together. There is no magic solution but step by step,” he said.

The banquet was attended by Vice President Mujuru, Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda, Senate president Edna Madzongwe, diplomats and several Cabinet ministers.

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(SYDNEY MORNING HERALD AUS) The four business gangs that run the US

The four business gangs that run the US
December 31, 2012
Ross Gittins
The Sydney Morning Herald's Economics Editor

IF YOU'VE ever suspected politics is increasingly being run in the interests of big business, I have news: Jeffrey Sachs, a highly respected economist from Columbia University, agrees with you - at least in respect of the United States.

In his book, The Price of Civilisation, he says the US economy is caught in a feedback loop. ''Corporate wealth translates into political power through campaign financing, corporate lobbying and the revolving door of jobs between government and industry; and political power translates into further wealth through tax cuts, deregulation and sweetheart contracts between government and industry. Wealth begets power, and power begets wealth,'' he says.

Sachs says four key sectors of US business exemplify this feedback loop and the takeover of political power in America by the ''corporatocracy''.

First is the well-known military-industrial complex. ''As [President] Eisenhower famously warned in his farewell address in January 1961, the linkage of the military and private industry created a political power so pervasive that America has been condemned to militarisation, useless wars and fiscal waste on a scale of many tens of trillions of dollars since then,'' he says.
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Second is the Wall Street-Washington complex, which has steered the financial system towards control by a few politically powerful Wall Street firms, notably Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and a handful of other financial firms.

These days, almost every US Treasury secretary - Republican or Democrat - comes from Wall Street and goes back there when his term ends. The close ties between Wall Street and Washington ''paved the way for the 2008 financial crisis and the mega-bailouts that followed, through reckless deregulation followed by an almost complete lack of oversight by government''.

Third is the Big Oil-transport-military complex, which has put the US on the trajectory of heavy oil-imports dependence and a deepening military trap in the Middle East, he says.

''Since the days of John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Trust a century ago, Big Oil has loomed large in American politics and foreign policy. Big Oil teamed up with the automobile industry to steer America away from mass transit and towards gas-guzzling vehicles driving on a nationally financed highway system.''

Big Oil has consistently and successfully fought the intrusion of competition from non-oil energy sources, including nuclear, wind and solar power.

It has been at the side of the Pentagon in making sure that America defends the sea-lanes to the Persian Gulf, in effect ensuring a $US100 billion-plus annual subsidy for a fuel that is otherwise dangerous for national security, Sachs says.

''And Big Oil has played a notorious role in the fight to keep climate change off the US agenda. Exxon-Mobil, Koch Industries and others in the sector have underwritten a generation of anti-scientific propaganda to confuse the American people.''

Fourth is the healthcare industry, America's largest industry, absorbing no less than 17 per cent of US gross domestic product.

''The key to understanding this sector is to note that the government partners with industry to reimburse costs with little systematic oversight and control,'' Sachs says. ''Pharmaceutical firms set sky-high prices protected by patent rights; Medicare [for the aged] and Medicaid [for the poor] and private insurers reimburse doctors and hospitals on a cost-plus basis; and the American Medical Association restricts the supply of new doctors through the control of placements at medical schools.

''The result of this pseudo-market system is sky-high costs, large profits for the private healthcare sector, and no political will to reform.''

Now do you see why the industry put so much effort into persuading America's punters that Obamacare was rank socialism? They didn't succeed in blocking it, but the compromised program doesn't do enough to stop the US being the last rich country in the world without universal healthcare.

It's worth noting that, despite its front-running cost, America's healthcare system doesn't leave Americans with particularly good health - not as good as ours, for instance. This conundrum is easily explained: America has the highest-paid doctors.

Sachs says the main thing to remember about the corporatocracy is that it looks after its own. ''There is absolutely no economic crisis in corporate America.

''Consider the pulse of the corporate sector as opposed to the pulse of the employees working in it: corporate profits in 2010 were at an all-time high, chief executive salaries in 2010 rebounded strongly from the financial crisis, Wall Street compensation in 2010 was at an all-time high, several Wall Street firms paid civil penalties for financial abuses, but no senior banker faced any criminal charges, and there were no adverse regulatory measures that would lead to a loss of profits in finance, health care, military supplies and energy,'' he says.

The 30-year achievement of the corporatocracy has been the creation of America's rich and super-rich classes, he says. And we can now see their tools of trade.

''It began with globalisation, which pushed up capital income while pushing down wages. These changes were magnified by the tax cuts at the top, which left more take-home pay and the ability to accumulate greater wealth through higher net-of-tax returns to saving.''

Chief executives then helped themselves to their own slice of the corporate sector ownership through outlandish awards of stock options by friendly and often handpicked compensation committees, while the Securities and Exchange Commission looked the other way. It's not all that hard to do when both political parties are standing in line to do your bidding, Sachs concludes.

Fortunately, things aren't nearly so bad in Australia. But it will require vigilance to stop them sliding further in that direction.

Twitter: @1Ross Gittins

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Kasukuwere botched Zimplats deal: Mugabe

Kasukuwere botched Zimplats deal: Mugabe
01/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has said his empowerment minister was wrong to sign-off the Zimplats indigenisation compliance deal which has left the tax-payer facing a possible US$350 million hit.

Mugabe piled pressure on Saviour Kasukuwere over the Zimplats deal during an interview with state media to mark his 89th birthday.

The Zanu PF leader said Kasukuwere was wrong to endorse an agreement that requires the government to pay for shares acquired under the country’s indigenisation programme.

South Africa-based Impala Platinum (Implats), early this year, reached a deal to reduce its interest in Zimplats to 49 percent from about 87 percent in line with the country’s indigenisation legislation.

Foreign companies cannot own more than 51 percent of their Zimbabwe operations under a programme driven by Mugabe’s Zanu PF party but opposed by his coalition partners.

Under the terms of the US$971 million Zimplats deal, 20 percent of the shares were handed to community and employee share schemes while the state-run National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund (NIEEF) would take-over a 31 percent interest in the platinum miner.
Implats however, insisted that Zimbabwe must pay about US$350 million for the NIEEB shareholding.

"If they don't come up with the cash the stake will not be transferred," Implats’ then chief executive, David Brown, said at the time.

But Mugabe said the mineral resource belonged to Zimbabwe and should make up the country’s 51 percent contribution to the business. He said Kasukuwere made a mistake when he agreed the deal.

“Problem ndiyoyo, ivo vakatipa 51 percent vachiti chikwereti chatirikukupai asi tirikukubhadharirai mangwana mozotibhadhara that is where the difference is,” the Zanu PF leader said

“I think that is where our minister made a mistake. He did not quite understand what was happening and yet theory yedu ndeyekuti resource iyoyo ndeyedu and that resource is our share that is where the 51 percent comes from.”

Kasukuwere has led the charge to force foreign companies to comply with the country’s indigenisation laws and, buoyed by the Zimplats deal, recently indicated he would target the banking sector.

However, questions have been raised over some of the transactions agreed to date with critics also querying the role of a Harare-based advisory firm which is demanding US$17 million for consultancy work on the Zimplats deal alone.

Implats has refused to pay the fee arguing the company was engaged by and provided its services to the NIEEB and the Zimbabwe government.

Meanwhile, the government has given Implats 30 days to appeal the seizure of about 28,000 hectares of land believed to hold significant mineral resources for allocation to new investors.

“The President intends to acquire compulsorily part of the land held by Zimplats Holdings … for the utilisation of such mining location for the benefit of the public,” a government notice said Saturday.

However Implats is already demanding US$153 million from the government for ground released in 2006 and has said conclusion of the indigenisation transaction also depends on an agreement being reached over the sum.


COMMENT

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Mai Jukwa

Daddy Mugabe is wrong-ish. We have always maintained that indigenisation is not about taking shares without paying for them. This is quite distinct from land reform which was 100% our property and for which we have no moral or legal obligation to pay compensation.

If a company raises 500 million dollars to start a mining operation in Zimbabwe surely it is a violation of the worst kind to wait for that company to invest that money in plant and machinery and then suddenly show up and say give us 51% ownership. Even our comrades in Africa would not support that.

If that was governments intention then why not simply introduce a 51% tax on profits?

The idea behind indigenisation is to give controlling stakes to locals. How companies divest that controlling stake is a matter of imagination. If a company is coming to Zimbabwe then it would naturally have to find local partners.

If the local partners did not have the capital to purchase the shares then the burden of imagination would lie with the investing companies to find innovative ways to overcome this challenge. An option would be to limit-exclude dividends to local shares until such a time as the capital has been satisfied. This would take no more than 4 years, at a modest 20% return on equity.

Daddy Mugabe's position becomes unsustainable when we get into service industries like banks. Would we also just demand they give us 51% on the basis that the people who are banking there are black?

Kasukuwere's mistake was that he took on the burden of imagination. He should have left it to the companies to find ways to become compliant. This would have saved him the BrainWorks Capital pseudo-scandal.

Tweeta @AmaiJukwa

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Lake Malawi now more likely to be divided

Lake Malawi now more likely to be divided
By Dr Cedrick Ngalande
February 28, 2013

A friend of mine recently posted a distressing message on his Facebook page. He warned Malawians of a possible conspiracy in the region against Malawi on the Lake Malawi saga. I do not know whether such conspiracy exists or not. I have not talked to him about this story.

Conspiracy stories aside, a much more disturbing issue to me is the fact that we find ourselves today trying to defend a lake that has always been known to be ours. There is a reason why the lake in question has always been named after our country. When we were Nyasaland, the lake was Lake Nyasa; now that we are Malawi everybody knows it as Lake Malawi.

The Lake Malawi issue confirms a very sad reality: democratic countries deserve their leaders. We, Malawians, too deserve every one of those leaders we have. Yes even those who came to office through death of an incumbent. We voted for them as part of a ticket. A psychologist once said people usually choose, and are comfortable with, a leader who is 10 points ahead of them on the IQ scale. The fact that we have mediocre leaders is perhaps a reflection of the mediocrity of Malawi as a nation.
Fishing families on Lake Malawi, Karonga District. Many fisherfolk have said they have been beaten up and detained by Tanzanian police since the dispute over the lake began late last year. Credit: Mabvuto Banda/IPS - See more at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/02/lake-malawi-dispute-instils-fear-in-fisherfolk/#sthash.iaZCBHnd.dpuf

Fishing families on Lake Malawi, Karonga District. Many fisherfolk have said they have been beaten up and detained by Tanzanian police since the dispute over the lake began late last year. Credit: Mabvuto Banda/IPS – See more at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/02/lake-malawi-dispute-instils-fear-in-fisherfolk/#sthash.iaZCBHnd.dpuf

If we had real leaders on Capital Hill, the Lake Malawi issue would not have come this far. There is nothing that may be happening now or will happen in future that could not have been predicted. The leadership made fundamental errors in dealing with the lake issue at the very begining.

First, if somebody comes to your house and lays a claim on your kids, furniture or spouse, you do not talk of ‘finding an amicable solution’ to the claim. Once you start talking of negotiations to find an amicable solution, you have opened the door to some form of shared settlement. By its definition, an amicable solution cannot result in total win for either party.

When the Tanzanians started talking of part ownership of the lake, government should have told them off, and should have advised them to take the issue to international justice systems if they wished to do so.

Government made another big mistake by accepting Joaquim Chissano as a mediator. Anybody with the slightest knowledge of liberation movements in this region knows that Chissano is buddies with most high-ranking people in Tanzania. Tanzania is Chissano’s second home. Malawi does not have much sympathy from former freedom fighters in this region because of our support for the failed RENAMO and close relationship with the then apartheid South Africa. Arbitrations by leaders in this region between Malawi and any SADC country are therefore likely to be highly skewed against us.

Because of these unnecessary mistakes by government, the final solution to the Lake Malawi saga is now more likely to favor Tanzania than us. What a shameful resume for the current leadership!

Folks, not everybody can and should occupy high offices in our land. Not everybody can and should be president. In fact, quite frankly, most of those running for office or currently occupying high offices in Malawi would be better off being village headmen/women or Nankungwis in their home villages.

Being a president of a country requires a high sense of responsibility, vision and intellect; none of which have been demonstrated on the Lake Malawi saga. Sometimes it feels like the presidency does not know what a president and his/her responsibilities are. How else do you explain a whole state president, at a news conference, commenting on a fake letter and offering prize money to whoever reveals the author?

I am not sure a fake letter should be drawing attention of the presidency. Even if national security is involved, those statements ought to have been left to a police officer – not even the IG. But apparently, to a president who believes her job description includes distributing maize and official opening of restaurants, bathrooms and toilets, it made perfect sense to comment on this trivial issue.

By the way, at the rate at which she is moving around the country, very soon the money spent on these internal travels will eclipse anything that could be spent maintaining that beleaguered presidential airplane.

Callista Mutharika once described Joyce Banda as ‘wogulisa mandazi’ and went on to say that ‘wogulisa mandazi cannot run a government’. I am told she recently repeated that statement. I do not know if I would go that far but I think Callista is on to something here.

Ad Astra!

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No brains

No brains
Fri 01 Mar. 2013, 09:30 CAT

Hakainde Hichilema says Michael Sata has no brains. But did a man without brains defeat him in three consecutive elections? A man without brains started a political party from the scratch, from nothing and without money and ten years later, that political party was in power. Is it really possible for a man without brains to achieve that feat?

Hakainde has never defeated the man he says has no brains in any political contest. So the question is: who is really without brains between Hakainde and Michael? How can someone without brains start a political party, mobilise the whole country and win an election in less than a decade?

Certainly, one has to be a political genius to achieve that. And Michael, whether one likes him or not, is a political genius. Those who think, those who thought Michael had no brains are today swallowed by envy, frustration and anger at his political achievements.

It is not good for one to be full of oneself, belittle and underrate others. There is a price to be paid for belittling and underrating others. And Hakainde is paying the price for that. But he doesn't seem to learn. If there is anyone without brains between Michael and Hakainde, it will certainly be Hakainde without brains. We say this because Hakainde has nothing to show politically. What has Hakainde achieved since he took over the leadership of a party that was well run, better organised in 2006? All the achievements of UPND Hakainde has brought them down. Hakainde has never taken UPND to the higher heights achieved by its founding leaders. Anderson Mazoka and his colleagues took UPND to higher heights and Hakainde and his minions have brought it down.

All that Hakainde seems to have achieved is increased intolerance and violence in the ranks of UPND. UPND was not such a violent political party as we see it today. Whatever problems or deficiencies UPND might have had under the leadership of Mazoka, no honest person can accuse its leadership of violence. What we see today is a violent, arrogant, pompous, intolerant, tribalistic and regionalistic clique at the helm of UPND. What we see today is a bitter, frustrated, angry and desperate Hakainde jumping around like a headless chicken trying to do all sorts of desperate things. Soon the country will fully know who Hakainde is and what propels him. What seem to propel Hakainde today is a desire to be president, an unbridled tribal and regionalism and frustration with Michael's election victory. Hakainde doesn't even seem to have the patience to wait until 2016 to have another attempt at the presidency. He thinks by joining hands with failed and crooked politicians like Rupiah Banda, William Banda and their league he can manage to cut short Michael's term of office.

In their little minds, and in their ignorance, they deceived themselves that Michael would never win an election on his own and that they were more popular than him. Today Michael, the man Hakainde is saying has no brains, is the President of the Republic of Zambia. Michael won through a clean election campaign. He never boasted about being this or that, having this or that. They boasted about being this and that, having this and that but they lost. The people of Zambia saw through them and did not believe them, could not trust them.

Hakainde is saying Michael has no brains! Is this surely the best language to use against a political competitor who has defeated you in three elections and is now head of state and President of the Republic? If Hakainde can talk about Michael, the President of our country in such terms, what does he himself expect from the Zambian people? What respect does he deserve from others? At that level of political leadership there has to be a certain level of decency and civility. Hakainde has neither decency nor civility in his reference to others. We have not forgotten that Hakainde a few months ago described the editor of this newspaper as "a little creature". What type of a presidential aspirant is this? It is understandable why the Zambian people did not vote for him. And if Hakainde continues on this path, he will never make it to State House.

Hakainde's language is increasingly becoming insurrectional, combative. For what? We will never go back to the bush again and we will never allow bush politics to come back to us. The increasing defiance of UPND member of parliament should teach Hakainde and his colleagues something. It is certainly a sign that something is seriously wrong in UPND and in his leadership. There is a limit to how far intimidation can go in achieving a certain level of compliance. An increasing number of UPND members of parliament can't take his style of leadership and politics. The politics of confrontation, violent militancy, of continually taunting the police to arrest him will not take Hakainde and UPND anywhere. And an increasing number of UPND members are starting to be uncomfortable with his type of militancy, tribal and regional politics.

And in a word, this is what Greyford Monde and Richwell Siamunene are expressing in their reasons for joining hands with those in government to push the country forward. They are refusing to put partisan, tribal, regional considerations above national unity and the interests of all the Zambian people. There is a realisation that this country will not be good for any of us if it is not good for all of us.

Politicians and other citizens of goodwill and with a conscience are starting to be uncomfortable with Hakainde's type of politics.

Of course, Hakainde thinks he is a genius, he knows it all, but in truth, the man knows very little about politics and that's why his political performance is near disaster.

And in spite of all his verbal pugnacity, his boastful phrases and display of self-confidence, Hakainde is politically not that wise. We say this because a wise politician would not be taking the decisions and actions Hakainde is taking, would not be making the alliances Hakainde is making.

If Hakainde was a prudent politician, he wouldn't be making some of the careless and reckless statements he has been making - statements that are not only politically unacceptable but are also in violation of the law. It seems Hakainde thinks he is above the law. Anyway, that is not strange because Hakainde lives in a dream world, in a world which he thinks he dominates, in which he sees himself as the most superior, the most prosperous and the most intelligent.

But we all know that this country knows no single genius, there can only be a collective genius. More and more of his colleagues will continue to defy him. They can expel them. But how many people are they going to expel? They will expel this one and that one, but there will be more coming up to do the same thing for the same reasons. They will expel people from their party until they have no people, until they are left only with their own heads.

Clearly, the solution to Hakainde and UPND's problems lie in accepting reality and in humbling themselves. Thinking they are clever than everybody else and that only they themselves have brains will take them nowhere. This is not only an insult on others, but it is also a fallacy on their part because it is not true that their political opponents have no brains.
It is time Hakainde starts to learn how to respect others if he has to win the respect of others and indeed of the Zambian people. Without this, Hakainde and UPND are going nowhere.

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Sata says he has 'no brains' because he's 'not a thief'

Sata says he has 'no brains' because he's 'not a thief'
By Moses Kuwema and Kombe Chimpinde
Thu 28 Feb. 2013, 13:05 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says he has "no brains" because he is "not a thief". And newly-appointed commerce deputy minister, Richwell Siamunene, who is also Sinazongwe UPND member of parliament says he would have been dead by now because some UPND officials threatened him for taking a minister to his constituency last week.

But UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has described Siamunene's action to join government as political misconduct.

Speaking at State House yesterday when he swore in Dr Effron Lungu as foreign affairs minister, Dr Rowland Msiska as Secretary to the Cabinet, Robert Kamalata as senior private secretary in the office of the Vice-President and Siamunene, President Sata said even his record showed that he had not been to prison for stealing but for defending people's rights.

"Gentlemen, you started from somewhere, they call you names and if what they are calling you is not something for you to worry, continue with what you are doing. They call you, that you have 'no brains', yes you accept I have 'no brains' because I am 'not a thief'. When they call you that you have 'no brains', you say yes I have 'no brains' because I started from an organ. I didn't come from nowhere and come and be head of an organisation. My record, I have worked. You can check my record, I have been to prison not for stealing. I have been to prison for defending your rights," President Sata said.

On Tuesday, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said President Sata had no brains and had failed to run the country.

This was after he was asked on the killing of Monze district PF vice-chairman Harrison Chanda in Livingstone by UPND officials.

And President Sata said stones would not convince people to vote for a particular party, but that only talking would.

"Why kill each other? When the blood is the same, you cannot tell that this blood is from this part of the country. We are all the same people. Why should we kill each other? Why are you fighting? In 2008, when we knew that they had robbed us the elections, I pleaded to the nation. The boys wanted to walk from Copperbelt to come and sort you out in Lusaka. I told them, please don't come. Zambia is very precious.We have just come and we will go. In this country, there used to be violence between Congress and UNIP. It had to take Kaunda and Nkumbula to go to Choma for the Choma Declaration. That's what brought one-party state but I don't want to bring one-party state," he said.

President Sata said the late Chanda was a human being just like anyone else.
"Let us do politics without violence. If you cannot convince people by talking, stones will not convince them. Stones will scare them away," said President Sata.

And speaking to journalists after being sworn in, Siamunene said President Sata had responded to people's calls for him to have voices from all over the country in his administration.

He said in order for the country to realise its goals, there was need to unite and work towards the people's aspirations.

"Whatever I am doing is for my people. I want my people to be served adequately. I was victimised for taking the minister just to see the bridge. There are even threats on my life and I thank the President for prevailing, I would have been dead by now," Siamunene said.

Siamunene said he became member of parliament for Sinazongwe in order to bring change in the people of his constituency and that was what every leader was supposed to do.

He said he did not expect his relationship with his party to be good following his appointment into government but that he needed the freedom to operate freely and initiate development in his constituency.

When asked about the possibility of being expelled, Siamunene said it he would rather be expelled for good reasons than to continue drawing a salary from Parliament when he was doing nothing on the ground.

"It is the people that matter. It is not about myself. If I am expelled and the people say it is okay, so be it. But I am convinced that whatever I am doing, I am not doing it for myself. It is better to be out of Parliament than see people suffering," he said.

Siamunene, however, said the expulsion of UPND members of parliament who join government would not help the party win the 2016 general elections.

"In my view, I don't think it will help in that we want more members. In order to win any election, you need more members. If you remove others, then it means you are losing the members and how are you going to win then?" he wondered.
Meanwhile, Mweetwa said Siamunene had defied UPND's position of going to Livingstone to campaign and opting to go to State House.

"This is political misconduct. Siamunene was allocated to go and campaign in the Livingstone by-elections. He decided to defy a party position to go and campaign. Instead, he has chosen to go and wine and dine at State House, with the same people who are persecuting the president of a party that took Siamunene to Parliament!" he said.

Mweetwa, however, said UPND was not surprised by Siamunene's appointment, saying it was long overdue.

He said it was regrettable for his party to have some young members of parliament who were leading a rebellion against party positions.

Mweetwa said young members of parliament were leading breakaway views, defiant and political impunity, something he said was not good for Zambia's politics.
Asked if the party would expel Siamunene, Mweetwa said there was no immediate action that would be taken against the parliamentarian.

"Siamunene has been facing a number of charges. It is not like UPND will cook up something because of this appointment. No! He has been a subject of disciplinary proceedings. It is something that the party will sit to look at.
We are not interested in a by-election, we think that these by elections that are induced arising from greed are totally unnecessary," said Mweetwa.

And members of parliament on the right side of Parliament yesterday jubilated when Siamunene entered the House.

Siamunene, who entered Parliament around 14:55 hours, was ushered in amid cheers and jubilation from members of parliament on the right, interrupting education minister Dr John Phiri who was on the floor. After the house paused for two minutes, Dr Phiri took advantage of his time on the floor to welcome Simunene.

"Pray that the 'Mapatizya formula' will not follow you," said Dr Phiri.

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Sata warns UPND over violence

Sata warns UPND over violence
By Staff Reporters
Fri 01 Mar. 2013, 11:20 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has warned the UPND to either change their approach to politics or face the full wrath of the law. And President Sata has commended the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for valuing lives more than elections by postponing the Livingstone parliamentary by-election.

"As a responsible government, sworn to safeguard, defend and protect lives and property in this country; we will not allow this culture to take root. And I call upon the UPND in particular, and all stakeholders in the governance of our country in general, to condemn this systematic reckless loss of innocent lives because it will not benefit anyone.

I condemn this violence in the strongest terms possible and warn the
UPND in particular to either change their approach or face the full wrath of the law," he said.

"We lost a member in Rufunsa at the hands of UPND; we have lost another member in Livingstone at the hands of UPND yet again. Clearly, these calculated acts of brutality are at the behest of the enemies of democracy whose political thrust is abominable hate and intolerance,"

President Sata said in a statement issued by his special assistant for
press and public relations George Chellah that the UPND leadership ought to be mindful that violence breeds violence and no one would benefit from a culture of bloodshed in politics.

President Sata urged PF members and other law-abiding citizens to desist from retaliatory actions but let the law take its course.

"We have to be proud of our record as a party that in our 10 years journey to victory; we showed love, care and compassion to every
Zambian regardless of their political affiliation; we never killed or maimed any person during our struggle in opposition. I believe this
is a record worth emulating by all those aspiring to rule this country in the future. Let us all be cognisant of the fact that our motherland can only thrive on love and peace," President Sata said.

"As a civilised society, our central aim should be to compete on ideas and
values; not insults, hate, intolerance and violence. No doubt, the UPND have decided that violence is profitable for them, which is why they shamelessly market their so-called 'Mapatizya formular', which is
a coded language for attacking and maiming political opponents."

And President Sata said the ECZ's decision should demonstrate to all
that the institution was operating independently and that violence
would not be condoned.

President Sata said it was disgraceful and cruel that those who killed
wanted to pretend to be victims.

Several UPND officials including party president Hakainde Hichilema were arrested over the hacking to death of PF official Harrison Chanda in Livingstone.

The Livingstone by-elections have since been rescheduled to this month.
But Hichilema yesterday claimed President Sata hated him to the bone.

"You can read it yourself when he says 'I'm a thief', you know that Sata hates me to the bone. If I was a thief , I would have been in (prison) a very long time," said Hichilema.

On Tuesday before he was picked up over the death of Chanda, Hichilema said President Sata had no brains and had failed to run the country.
But President Sata said he had "no brains" because he was "not a thief".
President Sata said he had worked for what he had.

Meanwhile Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani said that the situation in Livingstone was manageable.

She said that the ECZ should have consulted her office before postponing the Livingstone Central parliamentary by-election.
On Wednesday, ECZ chairperson Justice Irene Mambilima announced the postponement of the by-election to March 14, owing to a "tense political situation" in the tourist capital.

But Libongani said police were ready to manage the situation in Livingstone.

"ECZ did not consult with us before making the announcement. If they consulted us, we would have advised them to go ahead with the election. We have over 300 police officers locally and we also transferred about 150 other officers from the Copperbelt to help with patrols, checkpoints and investigate criminal cases including those that have already been reported," she said.

Libongani called on ECZ to call for the Livingstone election earlier than March 14.

"We want to assure ECZ and the people of Zambia that the situation in Livingstone is conducive to hold the election any day, even tomorrow, they can hold the election. We are here on the ground and the situation is under control. It is manageable," said Libongani.

And ECZ director Priscilla Isaacs said the postponement and halting of any form of campaigns in form of political rallies and meetings in Livingstone was inevitable as the area was "highly and is still precarious".

Isaacs said that the Electoral Act under Section 28 clearly mandated the organisation to set the election timetable, which also included the campaign period.

Isaac said that all communication to electorates and party officials would be done through the media, while ECZ would undertake mobile publicity to remind voters on the new date of polls.

"The law is very clear. We never consult when setting the date. We can consult in some circumstances but there comes a time when we have to make a decision. In any case, we warned the political parties that if they misbehave the election would be postponed."

Isaacs said they expected the police to take action on those parties that would defy the directive regardless.

And a Livingstone resident, Pemba Mulongwe, said the postponement of the election showed that ECZ was working independent of government.

"For the first time, we have seen a government funded institution prove that it is working independently. I am happy that ECZ made this decision. We will now go back to our usual businesses in Livingstone, but at the same time it is an indication that the executive is not interfering with the operations of ECZ," he said.

Some voters in Livingstone who did not get the news of the postponement went to cast their ballots yesterday morning but were sent back from selected polling stations in the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, police yesterday arrested Livingstone mayor Aggrey Njekwa with two others in connection with the death of Chanda.

And nine UPND officials who include two Hichilema's bodyguards appeared before Livingstone magistrate Chola Musonda on one count of obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties.

Southern Province police commissioner Charity Katanga said the investigations over the arrest of the mayor were still ongoing.

"Yes, I can confirm we have arrested and detained the mayor who first resisted police arrest by locking himself in the house. Our officers had gone there around 02:00 hours and when he resisted to open the door saying he wanted a lawyer, they waited and about 05-06 when they were about to break his door, he obliged and opened the door," Katanga said.

She said two other people were arrested together with Njekwa and that an offensive weapon had been recovered.

And magistrate Chola granted nine UPND officials Kr 1,000 bail after they appeared in court for obstruction.

Magistrate Chola said he saw no security risk and threat to Zambia's peace in the nine accused persons who included Ezron Moono and Spearman Mubuluma who are Hichilema's body guards, all of Lusaka.

Others are Manyika Nabwenga, Victor Chiomo, Daniel Mizinga, Vincent Mulongo, Tobias Haloba all of Lusaka and Orbert Mulomba and Reagan Hamaleka both of Kalomo.

Trial has been set for May 29 while March 27 and April 25 have been reserved for mention.

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NCZ ready to take up basal dressing batch under FISP

NCZ ready to take up basal dressing batch under FISP
By Gift Chanda in Kafue
Fri 01 Mar. 2013, 09:40 CAT

NCZ says it is ready to take-up the whole Basal Dressing fertiliser consignment under FISP this year to address the chaotic input supply by private firms.

And the government says Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) could surpass local demand for basal dressing once it romps up annul output to277,000 metric tonnes.

Speaking after Ministry of Finance officials led by secretary to the treasury Fredson Yamba toured the plant in Kafue on Wednesday, NCZ interim chief executive officer Zuze Banda assured that the plant currently had the capacity to meet D compound fertiliser needed under the Farmer Input Supply Programme .

Banda said if the company was given a consignment to produced about 150,000 tonnes of D compound fertiliser needed under FISP, it could complete the consignment by October.

"If the government diverted those funds that are usually given to the private sector under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) and channel it to NCZ, we are ready to produce to carter for this coming season," Banda said.

He urged the government to go that route as one way to address the chaotic input supply.

Banda said NCZ would commence fertiliser production next month following the completion of rehabilitation works on part of the plant.

He said the firm was looking at producing about 15,000 tonnes by the end of next month.

And Yamba, who was impressed with rehabilitation works at NCZ following government injection of KR25 million recently, said the firm could earn the treasury enough revenue once it starts exporting fertiliser.

NCZ currently has capacity to produce 142,000 metric tonnes per year but plans to increase output to 277,000 metric tonnes.

"What I have seen here is testimony that this company is able to run on its own, create jobs and earn the country revenue," he said.

"The government will ensure that this plant is up and running. We the government will make sure that it makes funds available where necessary but at the rate you are going you should be able to become self-sufficient."

Yamba was particularly impressed with the way the firms was
efficiently utilising the KR25 million capital injection.

He said the firm had not spent the money buying luxury vehicles and refurbishing offices like most firms do when they receive money from the government.

"Instead, they have focused on rehabilitating the plant which shows that they have the firm at heart," h said.

"We have learnt that NCZ has only KR4 million out of the KR25 million it was given. And it is using local expertise to work on the plant and most of the materials are being sourced locally. This is commendable."
He said it was high time people started having confidence in local expertise as not only a cost saving measure but as a way of creating employment.

According to data obtained from the company, NCZ currently has a workforce of 480 permanent employees and around 500 casual workers.
An additional 1,600 employees is expected once the plant fully resumes operations.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Zimplats refuses to pay US$17m Brainworks bill

Zimplats refuses to pay US$17m Brainworks bill
Not sealed ... Mike Nyambuya with Implats CEO Terence Goodlace and Saviour Kasukuwere
28/02/2013 00:00:00
by Gilbert Nyambabvu

ZIMPLATS and its South African parent, Impala Platinum (Implats), have refused to pay advisory fees demanded by a Harare firm for consultancy work on the platinum producer’s US$970 million indigenisation compliance deal, telling the government to pick up the tab.

In letters seen by New Zimbabwe.com, Implats and Zimplats said Brainworks Capital’s US$17 million fee was the responsibility of the Zimbabwe government and the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) which engaged the firm.

Zimplats also stated that they could not be expected to pay Brainworks since the company rendered its services to the NIEEB and the Zimbabwe government.

NIEEB chief executive Wilson Gwatiringa wrote to Zimplats on February 13, asking the company to pay Brainworks US$16,7 million “representing fees for the provision of advisory services to the government of Zimbabwe and the (NIEEB) in the implementation of the Zimplats indigenisation plan”.

Gwatiringa added that “the submission of the invoice to your company for payment is in line with our principals’ directive that advisory charges incurred by the (NIEEB) and the government … will be paid by the companies that are indigenising.”

But Zimplats wrote back on February 22 begging to differ.

“Regrettably (Implats) advised that they are not in a position to honour the payment on the basis that Brainworks was engaged by the NIEEB and was acting for and advising the NIEEB/the government in the negotiations …,” said Zimplats CEO, Alex Mhembere.

“Neither Implats nor Zimplats was involved in any way in engaging Brainworks Capital to act as advisors of NIEEB/the government of Zimbabwe or were we privy to the contractual arrangements relating to Brainworks Capital’s fees and Zimplats.

“As such both Implats and the board of Zimplats believe that the issue of Brainworks Capital’s fees should therefore be settled between NIEEB and Brainworks Capital.”

Brainworks Capital has been the subject of bitter recriminations both in and outside the coalition government after it emerged the company would likely pocket up to US$45 million for advising on nearly all the indigenisation deals reached between the government and foreign mining companies to date.

Foreign firms are now required by law to localise control and ownership of at least 51 percent of their Zimbabwe interests as part of an economic empowerment programme driven by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party, but opposed by his coalition partners.

Apart from the Zimplats deal, Brainworks says on its website it also offered consultancy services on the US$550 million Mimosa mine compliance plan, Anglo Platinum’s US$142 million deal for its Unki mine as well as transactions involving Canada-based gold producer Caledonia Mining and South Africa’s Pretoria Portland Cement.

But it is the Zimplats deal, by far the biggest agreed to date, which has raised eyebrows amid claims the transaction may be financially detrimental to the country and allegations that Brainworks was handed the advisory contract without going to tender.

However, in a strident defence of the deal, Zanu PF politburo member and former information minister Jonathan Moyo said the transaction had yet to be finalised.

He insisted that there was nothing irregular about Brainworks' involvement, adding that “of particular significance is the fact that the two percent charged by Brainworks Capital is payable by the indigenising company, and in this case, Zimplats. It is not payable by the indigenising entities or by the tax payers. So what's the fuss about?”

But Zimplats says paying Brainworks' fees would also likely breach of corporate governance standards.

“We believe you are aware that technically, the company cannot pay one shareholder costs without extending the same to other shareholders as that can be misconstrued as a dividend payment,” the Zimplats CEO wrote in his letter to the NIEEB.

“Furthermore, Implats raises concerns of corporate governance of their side if they were to pay the (Brainworks) invoice on behalf of NIEEB/government as this would be tantamount to influencing the decision of an advisor to a counterpart in the negotiations.”


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(NEWZIMBABWE) SA cops worst human rights violators: Moyo

SA cops worst human rights violators: Moyo
01/03/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

SOUTH African police are the “worst violators of human rights in Africa”, a Zanu PF MP claimed on Friday a day after the release of a shocking mobile phone video of a police van dragging a man down a street with his hands cuffed.

Mido Macia, a Mozambican national, later died at a police station, allegedly after being subjected to further beatings. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as head injuries with internal bleeding.

The video provoked outrage with President Jacob Zuma labelling it "horrific, disturbing and unacceptable”, adding: “No human being should be treated in that manner."

Police chief Riah Phiyega said the eight officers involved in the incident last Tuesday had been suspended and the station commander would be removed from his duties.

But as South Africa struggled to contain public anger after the video made international headlines, some Zanu PF figures who have been hectored about human rights by the South Africans were rubbing their hands with glee.

Only last week, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said South African police are investigating accusations by 84 women who say they were raped in the lead-up to Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections

South Africa is able to prosecute foreign citizens because it is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the Hague-based International Criminal Court, according to Shonali Shome, the legal and gender adviser for the Canadian NGO, AIDS-Free World.

But Professor Jonathan Moyo, a senior Zanu PF official, says the latest scandal to hit South African police after last year’s Marikana massacre when police opened fire on miners, killing 34, shows they are unfit to investigate Zimbabwe.

“With their murderous apartheid roots still firmly intact, the South African police are the worst violators of human rights, not just in the region but in Africa,” Moyo said on Friday.

“It is an unacceptable insult for anyone to imagine, let alone suggest that such a rogue police force like SAP can investigate anything about human rights in Zimbabwe. Charity must begin at home.”

Moy said “time has come to call a spade a spade to put a stop to the continuing trail of brutality and murder that has come to define the conduct of the South African Police whose impunity has gone way too far as exemplified by the latest undeniable incident of the atrocity against Mido Macia.”

“There's no better way of doing that than by putting South Africa on the agenda of the SADC organ on politics, security and defence sooner rather than later given that South Africa has proven to be incapable of policing itself under or through SAP,” he added.
There is no love lost between Zanu PF hardliners and President Jacob Zuma’s government.

Zanu PF is sensitive to charges, usually made by junior officials in the South African government, that it is responsible for human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and is impeding reforms.
Moyo, unrestrained by diplomatic shackles, has been the party’s attack dog.

South Africa’s reported decision to look into the rape claims, allegedly committed by Zanu PF members, appears to have riled President Robert Mugabe’s party which enjoyed better relations with Zuma’s predecessor, Thabo Mbeki.

Moyo said: “It’s a shame that while this tragedy is unfolding in South Africa, western architects and merchants of regime change in Zimbabwe – many who operate from South Africa or who use that country as a base from which to destabilise Zimbabwe – want the world to continue believing the lie that human rights are more threatened in Zimbabwe than they are in South Africa where such atrocities as xenophobic burning to death of African immigrants through ‘necklacing’ are common.

“Who in their right mind really believes that a rogue police force like the SAP can have the moral or legal authority or legitimacy to investigate any alleged crime against humanity? What investigation are we talking about? Have the South African Police investigated their Marikana massacre with any credibility? Who is inspired by the fact that the South African police tried to cover up their atrocity against Mido Macia?”


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Friday, March 01, 2013

(NEWZIMBABWE) China can transform Africa: Moyo

COMMENT - Quite frankly absurd? Clearly Goldman Sachs's Dambisa Moyo knows nothing about the history of imperialism, which Cecil Rhodes described as 'a bread and butter issue'. I'm much more worried about Chinese than British colonialism, because the Chinese have the numbers and the British never did. They could replace everyone in the SADC area, and only go from 1.3 billion to 1 billion.

China can transform Africa: Moyo
28/02/2013 00:00:00
by CNN

ZAMBIAN economist Dambisa Moyo is an outspoken critic of international aid, arguing for years that foreign hand-outs stifle Africa's development, perpetuate corruption and hinder the continent's growth.

A New York Times bestselling author, Moyo first grabbed international headlines with her 2009 book "Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa."

Since then, she's penned two more books, on the subject of the decline of the West, and the effects of China's commodities rush.

In a new interview with CNN's Robyn Curnow, Moyo explains why she's optimistic about the future of Africa. She looks at the positive impact that China can have on the continent and details the key drivers that will spur Africa's economic growth.CNN: The aid debate is so different from before ...

Dambisa Moyo: So much has happened in the last five years -- whether you're in Africa, South America or Asia, nobody talks about aid anymore.

Policy makers themselves are going out and issuing debts in the market. My own country, Zambia, did a fantastic bond, a $750 million 10-year bond, last September. The discussion is so much more about job creation and investment, which is such a fantastic story and it's obviously partly to do with the fact that the traditional donors are having a financial problem, fiscal problem, on their balance sheets. They just don't have the capital anymore to hand out cash like they did in the past.
CNN: The Chinese story has been thrown into the mix, has that changed the landscape?

DM: Yes, absolutely, but in a strange way it's exactly what we need in terms of delivering economic growth and meaningfully reducing poverty. We need jobs, we need investment, we need trade, we need foreign direct investment, whether investment domestically but also from the outside.
It's not some magic pill, everybody knows that this is the formula, and finally the Chinese are showing up, again, not just in Africa, but around the world with that elixir, that mix of opportunities to really transform these countries. Remember, 70% of the populations of these places is under the age of 24. There is no escape: we have to create jobs.

CNN: A lot of people are critical of Chinese "neo-colonialism" but you argue that's not the case.

DM: Well, it's not, because China has so many economic problems in itself. You know, this is a population of 1.3 billion people with 300 million people that live at the level of Western living style. So they've got a billion people to move out of poverty. The notion that they would be spending their time trying to colonise other places is just, frankly, absurd.

Aaarghh... On why widespread poverty is not merely NOT an impediment, but a driver of imperialism:

(GOWANS) US Ambassador Echoes Cecil Rhodes
what's left on September 24, 2011
By Stephen Gowans

Rhodes, founder of the diamond company De Beers and of the eponymous Rhodesia, had made the following remarks, which Lenin quoted at length in his Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.

I was in the East End of London yesterday and attended a meeting of the unemployed. I listened to the wild speeches, which were just a cry for ‘bread,’ ‘bread,’ ‘bread,’ and on my way home I pondered over the scene and I became more than ever convinced of the importance of imperialism …

My cherished idea is a solution for the social problem, i.e., in order to save the 40,000,000 inhabitants of the United Kingdom from a bloody civil war, we colonial statesmen must acquire new lands to settle the surplus population, to provide new markets for the goods produced by them in factories and mines.

The Empire, as I have always said, is a bread and butter question. If you want to avoid civil war, you must become imperialists.
(3)

I'm not saying that China should be given a red carpet, carte blanche, to come into Africa or, indeed, anywhere in the world, and do what they like. We do need the investment, we need job creation and we do need actual trade in these places. But I think what's really essential is to focus on what China can do for Africa, as well as what Africa can do for China. And I think that discussion is not had as objectively as it should be.

Ultimately, the responsibility of how China engages in Africa is really at the domain of the African governments. We would not be worried about the risks of neo-colonialism or abuse, environmental abuse and labour issues, if we trusted the African governments to do the right thing.
CNN: How do you see the trends playing out in the next decades?

DM: I'm an eternal optimist. I'm probably the wrong person to ask, because I do believe that the structural and fundamental structures of Africa right now are poised for a very good few decades. If you look at an economy through the lens of capital, which is basically money; labour, which is basically how many people do, you have and what skills do they have; and productivity, which is just, how efficiently they use capital and labour, the trend is very clearly in favour of Africa.

We've got a very solid fiscal story. The debt-to-GDP ratios in Africa today at the sovereign level are nowhere near the burdens that we are seeing in Europe and the United States.

The labour story is very positive - 60-70% of Africans are under the age of 25. So a young population dynamically needs to be leveraged, so definitely we need to invest in skills and education to make sure that we get the best out of this young population. And then, in terms of productivity, this continent is a great absorber of technologies and all the things that can help us become more efficient.

Therefore, these three key drivers: capital, labour, and productivity, help spur economic growth. Now is it going to be smooth sailing? Of course not - there will be volatility, but I think the real investors in Africa will be able to make delineation between risk and uncertainty.
CNN: And it's about a country's resources, too, right?

DM: That's a brilliant question, because actually the answer is no. I think it's really about the structural things that I mentioned: capital, labour, productivity.
Why do I say that? Let's take a look at the African stock market. There are about 20 stock exchanges in Africa and about 1,000 stocks that trade in Africa -- 85% of them are non-commodities. We're talking about banking, we're talking about insurance, we're talking about retail, we're talking about consumer goods, logistics companies, telecommunications companies, those are the stocks that are on the African stock market.
CNN: Do you feel a sense of responsibility to represent the African success story?

DM: Well, I suppose, for me, I feel a responsibility to tell the truth. This is a great continent. I went to primary school on this continent, secondary school, university, I've worked on this continent and I think that it's a great disservice that, for whatever reason, people have usurped an imagery of Africa that is absolutely incorrect.

They focus on war, disease, corruption and poverty. That is not all about Africa and I think it's really essential if we're going to turn the corner, we need to take that responsibility, as governments, as citizens, not just Africans, global citizens to say, "that's actually not true."

There are more poor people in India than there are in Africa; more poor people in China than there are in Africa, but somehow there's a stigma for decades that's been associated with the African continent that is completely unjustified -- and it's that I find objectionable.


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(NEWZIMBABWE) Teachers slam Coltart over referendum

Teachers slam Coltart over referendum
28/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

TEACHERS' unions have slammed Education Minister David Coltart’s move to block them from working in next month’s referendum saying their members should be allowed to make extra cash since the government refuses to pay them a living wage.

Zimbabwe holds a constitutional referendum on March 16 and teachers, who make up the bulk of the state’s estimated 230,000 employees, have traditionally worked as polling officers during national votes.

But Coltart was quoted by the Herald Wednesday saying he would seek to block teachers from taking part in the referendum arguing this would disrupt learning around the country.

On Thursday the minister, however, said the publication misrepresented the ministry's position over the issue.

"At no time did either I or any member of my staff state that there would be a total ban on teachers participating in the referendum. What we have said is that there should be minimal disruption of the education sector and to that extent qualified teachers should only be used as a last resort to ensure that as many of them as possible remain as long as possible at their posts in their classrooms," the minister said in a statement.

"We cannot afford the remainder of the term being disrupted with thousands of qualified teachers leaving their posts to be trained. The recently released O Level results are a reminder that the education sector remains in crisis and children's education remains under threat. Accordingly it is in our national interest not to disturb their education any more as far as possible."

Still, teachers’ unions said the ministry should have consulted them first and insisted that their members could not be stopped from taking part in national events.

“The minister should not stop teachers from participating in a national event as that would create a feeling of exclusion,” said Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer, Sifiso Ndlovu.

“To say the referendum would disrupt the learning process is a flimsy excuse because we have always participated in national events and teachers have made contingency measures for the time lost.

“What the minister says is not plausible at all. Some educators want to take part in this exercise to get some pennies. This is a once off opportunity for teachers to make extra cash especially in this difficult economic situation.”

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary general, Raymond Majongwe, added: “The referendum is a government programme and teachers must participate although we want a clear contract and conditions of payment.

“This exercise will help the teachers to augment their paltry salaries. The minister knows that civil servants are poor and such programmes come as an advantage to teachers.”

Teachers and the rest of the civil service spent most of last year battling the government for a near doubling of their salaries from the current US$296 for the least paid to about US$600 in line with the country’s poverty datum line.

The government maintained it could not meet the demands arguing the state wage bill was already accounting for more than 60 percent of overall revenues and expenditure. An inflation-adjusted 5,3 percent increment backdated to January was announced early this month.


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Thursday, February 28, 2013

(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) Editorial Comment: Belgians crave Marange diamonds

Editorial Comment: Belgians crave Marange diamonds
Sunday, 24 February 2013 00:00

The latest act of aggression by the European Union against Zimbabwe’s diamond industry is nothing short of a circus. European governments, dazed by an unrelenting recession that has significantly weakened many economies, have run out of ideas and are now terribly divided on how to handle the discredited sanctions.

There have been heated debates in Brussels on Zimbabwe. In fact, the discussions have been so vigorous that a visitor from Mars would be forgiven for assuming that this African state is a member of the troubled EU. Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders and Britain’s William Hague were locked in fierce exchanges last week as temperatures shot up.

The protagonists in this political drama are a curious mix. London, lurching from one disaster to another as horse meat and an imploding economy create a deadly tailspin for clueless policymakers, is failing to read the changing times — and the British economy is paying dearly for the ineptitude of political leaders.

Strong-arm tactics, a remnant of the colonial era where Britain was master of the world, will not go unchallenged in the 21st century. You have to question the thinking of British politicians when they choose to expend their energies on sabotaging Zimbabwe’s economy instead of focusing on their own economy which is gasping for oxygen.

Just yesterday, the rating agency Moody’s downgraded the British economy from a top AAA to a telling AA1. To the average Briton, this signals a serious national emergency that demands decisive intervention from the chaps who roam the corridors of Whitehall. But London’s political fat cats would rather meddle in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs than repair one of the worst economies in Europe.
A showdown of titanic proportions played out last week in Brussels — the seat of the EU — when the British government sought an extension of the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. What they thought would be a routine formality turned out to be anything but.

The Belgians, unhappy with Britain’s obsession with the senseless sanctions, clearly told other EU members that London was behaving unreasonably. The British were stunned and, for a while, they realized that sanctions were no longer a sustainable instrument of foreign policy on the Zimbabwe issue.

The Belgians are opposed to the British-instigated sanctions for one clear reason: the sanctions are sabotaging Belgium’s economic interests while furthering London’s political interests.
For centuries, the city of Antwerp commanded the world’s largest diamond market. The shrewd dealers who run the Antwerp market have known for several years now that Zimbabwe will soon become the world’s biggest producer of rough diamonds. Where cents and dollars are concerned, the logic was straightforward. If the Belgians were serious about remaining the biggest market, they had to do business with Zimbabwe. But here was the problem: the EU sanctions, imposed on Zimbabwe at the instigation of Britain over a land reform grudge, made it difficult for Antwerp to benefit from the Zimbabwe gems.

Once Zimbabwe attained full certification to mine and export diamonds under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), Britain’s hardline stance became increasingly untenable. The KPCS greenlight meant that Zimbabwe could now freely export the Marange diamonds — even though the EU sanctions precluded the European market as a trade destination. It simply meant that Zimbabwe had to look elsewhere, and countries such China and India came into the picture. India is buying Zimbabwe’s rough stones and China is mining locally here.

India has done particularly well with rough stones, and the city of Surat is swiftly overtaking Antwerp as the world’s biggest diamond centre. Although volumes and prices fluctuate, diamond production in the world is estimated at $18 billion per year and India imports some $11 billion worth of rough stones per annum. Whichever way you look at it, this is hefty capacity.
Despite crude attempts by the EU and the United States to intimidate buyers of Marange goods, the Indians have refused to be cowed and are gladly doing business with Zimbabwe’s diamond producers.

What makes the British government’s hostile stance untenable is that the KPCS committee which gave Zimbabwe the go-ahead to mine and export diamonds is headed by officials from the EU. On that score, it is patently scandalous that the British are disrespecting the findings of a KPCS team headed by one of their own. The Belgians have noticed this, and they are not the only ones who are outraged by such insincere conduct.

The time has come for the KPCS, currently chaired by South African diplomat Welile Nhlapo, to defend the honour of the organization by condemning Western governments that are playing cheap politics with Zimbabwe’s diamonds. The EU is a member of the KPCS. The European bloc must shoulder collective responsibility for all the binding resolutions passed by the diamond grouping and stop behaving like lawless pirates on the high seas who respect neither the law nor moral values.
To their credit, the Belgians are refusing to be intimidated by British politicians who are peddling the lie that there is civil war in Zimbabwe. London is making money in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Is there “democracy” in those countries?

The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation recently announced that the nation aims to more than double its output of diamonds from 8 million carats last year to 16.9 million in 2013. The EU says it is making Zimbabwe a diamonds-for-democracy offer. Sanctions on Marange diamonds — says the European bloc — will only be scrapped if Zimbabwe holds free and fair elections later this year. Surely, the British government does not expect the Belgians to sit back and lose out while Surat, Shanghai and Dubai get all the Marange diamonds. More importantly, Zimbabwe’s fully certified diamond sector cannot be expected to shut down and appease a racist cabal in London.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) No proof of foul play: fire death cops

No proof of foul play: fire death cops
27/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporters

POLICE have ruled out foul play in the fire death of a 12-year-old Headlands boy which has stoked political tensions in the country with the MDC-T accused of turning the tragedy into an election campaign event.

The party confirmed that its leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai would attend Thursday’s funeral of Christpower Maisiri (12) whose dad is the party’s local organising secretary. The youth died when a fire gutted a thatched hut in which he slept with siblings last Saturday.

The MDC-T was said to have barricaded the Maisiri family home in Headlands, near Rusape, ahead of Thursday’s funeral with campaign posters featuring Tsvangirai posted around the area.

The party blames Zanu PF for the attack which dominated Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting amid fears of renewed violence ahead of fresh elections later this year.

“(On Tuesday) we spent four hours in cabinet deliberating … the resurgence of all the bad habits that were there before the inclusive government. The tragic and horrifying murder of this young boy is perhaps the most traumatic but every day we have such issues,” MDC leader Welshman Ncube told a public meeting in Harare Wednesday.

"President (Robert) Mugabe repeatedly said these things should not be happening. (He said) if it’s Zanu PF people doing it they must be dealt with. The police are told again and again but it doesn’t stop.

"(But) one of the most interesting things to come out of the Cabinet meeting was that ministers thought to be sponsoring violence were (confronted) accused directly and told that ‘you are a merchant of violence’. That opportunity was not there in 2008.”

Zanu PF has denied any involvement in the attack as police revealed that preliminary investigations had ruled out the possibility of foul play.

“At the moment we cannot point fingers at anyone. This emanates from our preliminary investigations so far which indicate that no foul play had taken place,” deputy national police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka said.

“Basing on our preliminary investigations there is no pointer or clue to suggest that the incident was politically motivated.

“Right now investigations are in full swing. We have embarked on thorough investigations because we need to get to the bottom of the incident by all means.”

Information Minister Webster Shamu said the Cabinet had ordered the police to establish the cause of the tragedy.

“The nation may wish to know that Cabinet has directed the Co- Ministers of Home Affairs to institute thorough investigations through the relevant arms so that the nation gets full facts surrounding the incident and for justice to be done,” he said.

“Our society is founded on the principle of sanctity of life and any actions that are shown to undermine this sacred principle will attract the full weight of the law.”

Zimbabwe will later this year hold elections to end the uneasy coalition between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and both leaders have repeatedly appealed to supporters to ensure there was no repeat of the violence experienced in 2008.

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(NEWZIMBABWE, REUTERS) SA reels from lower mine revenues

SA reels from lower mine revenues
27/02/2013 00:00:00
by Reuters

SUBDUED European demand for its exports forced South Africa to cut its 2013 economic growth forecast on Wednesday, while missed revenue targets looked to be creating a wider budget deficit than first thought.

While vowing to keep a lid on overall spending, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan committed to more social spending for South Africa's poorest, many who live in shanty townships and a are key support base for President Jacob Zuma as he gears up for general elections early next year.

"This government will not get to the point where we impose austerity on our people," Gordhan said, alluding to fiscal tightening measures that have triggered violent protests in European countries such as Greece.

In his three-year budget tabled to parliament, Gordhan said the 2013 budget deficit would be 4.6 percent of GDP, a shade wider than his last forecast in October.

However, the deficit is slightly narrower than economists' forecasts and a big decline from the 5.2 percent gap projected for 2012/13.

This year's shortfall was partly to due reduced tax and mineral rights revenue from the mining sector, hit by strikes last year that left more than 50 people dead and shaved 15 billion rand ($1.7 billion) of output from Africa's biggest economy.

[Most of which goes to Anglo-American De Beers, just like under Apartheid and colonial rule before that. - MrK]

The economy had most likely fully absorbed the impact of the mining strikes, Gordhan told Reuters after his speech.

"If there's enough of a demand pool from China and India in terms of commodities, if we can get production back to some level of normality, and therefore exports as well, all of that will contribute positively to revenue," he said.

But for now, South Africa remains the laggard among its peers in the BRICS group of leading emerging market economies, with China expecting growth of 8.2 percent this year, followed by 5.9 percent for India and 3.5 percent in Brazil.

With growth flatlining in Europe, South Africa's main export market, Gordhan was forced to cut this year's growth forecast once again to 2.7 percent - half South Africa's pre-2008 financial crisis average.

The relatively subdued longer-term outlook also means the economy has little chance of making any in-roads into the persistent 25 percent unemployment regarded as the main threat to social stability two decades after the end of apartheid.

"If growth continues along the present trajectory, substantial spending commitments would require significant adjustments in revenue and reductions in other areas of spending," Gordhan said.
Consumption

Domestic consumer demand, which accounts for about 60 percent of GDP, is likely to remain modest as households struggle to find jobs while existing debt levels remain high.

Gordhan said the government, still smarting from credit downgrades from Moody’s, Standard & Poor's and Fitch, would keep a tight grip on its purse strings, with plans to reduce spending by 10.4 billion rand ($1.2 billion).

"The deficit is there because of the revenue loss that we have experienced, not because of expenditure," Gordhan said in a news conference before his speech to parliament.

The projected deficits are unlikely to improve South Africa's credit ratings, which now stand slightly above the investment grade cut-off, analysts said.

"Under the circumstances, (the government) probably struck a reasonable balance given the fiscal constraints and difficult economic circumstances," Renaissance Capital economist Elna Moolman said.

"Today's budget was ratings negative - on its own it does not justify further downgrades, but at the same time it also will not allay the concerns of the ratings agencies sufficiently to rule out further downgrades down the line."

Gordhan said the government, which has faced a series of protests against poor basic services in the impoverished townships, would continue pouring money into infrastructure, education and the health service.

Spending on social services, which have risen by 11 percent in the last five years, were seen increasing to 120 billion rand next year, Gordhan said.

The rand weakened after the budget, and was last at 8.8850 against the dollar, from 8.835 before Gordhan began his address.

Government bonds weakened, weighed down by plans to increase issuance to 165 billion rand a year over the next three years.

The yield on the benchmark 2026 paper rose nearly 10 basis points to 7.31 percent.

The Treasury would increase bond issuance at its weekly domestic auctions to about 3 billion rand from the current 2.1 billion rand, Director-General Lungisa Fuzile told Reuters.


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(NEWZIMBABWE) Coltart wants teachers out of referendum

Coltart wants teachers out of referendum
27/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

EDUCATION Minister David Coltart has moved to bloc teachers from next month’s constitutional referendum saying their involvement would disrupt cause further disruption to a sector already reeling under concern over falling standards.

Zimbabwe holds a referendum on a new constitution on March 16 and state employees, the bulk of whom are teachers, are usually used as polling officers during elections.

“Schools will be used as polling venues, but not all of them. As a ministry, we are concerned about the disruption of the learning process and we want to minimise the effects,” Coltart was quoted saying by state media.

“My view is that teachers should not be used as polling agents. This is meant to ensure that the learning process is not disrupted. We held a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) with officials from my ministry where we discussed that issue.”

The referendum will be held on a Saturday but Coltart said polling officers would still need to be trained which could mean taking teachers away from classrooms.

“Our officers are looking into the issue and we feel that if ZEC insists, it would be better to release untrained teachers,” he said.

“We would ask them to look for manpower from other Government departments because we do not want the children to be affected by this.”

The Parliamentary constitutional committee (Copac) is already carrying out a campaign to publicise the draft new constitution which has been endorsed by all the parties in the coalition government.

Political parties outside the unity government have yet to make their positions clear but civil society groups such as the National Constitutional Assembly have called for a rejection of the new charter, dismissing it as a political compromise between the coalition parties.

New elections to end the uneasy unity government between President Robert Mugabe and long-term rival Morgan Tsvangirai are expected to be held later in the year whether or not the Copac draft becomes the country’s new supreme law.



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Find the killers of Chanda

Find the killers of Chanda
By The Post
Thu 28 Feb. 2013, 13:05 CAT

WHAT happened in Livingstone on Monday evening is sad and barbaric. The Livingstone parliamentary seat is not worth the life of even a single Zambian. Anyone who places a parliamentary seat above the life of even a single Zambian soul is not fit to lead.

Human life is a precious gift from God, the Source of all life. We must show respect for the integrity of creation. The moral character of politics, of elections cannot exclude respect for human life.

Life is sacred, a gift from God to be valued from the moment of conception until death. One cannot claim to uphold the sanctity of life if at the same time one engages in politics that end up in the loss of life.

And this is why we have insisted that politics need people with credibility, whose presence in the political arena can help bring good values to the political process.

Our participation in the political life of our country must be guided by kind, humane values of respect for human life and dignity and non-violence in political competition, in elections. Why should our elections be accompanied by violence that result in the loss of innocent lives?

We ask this question in the sincere belief that politics should not be for criminals but for those who see it as a genuine way of being at the service of others for the integral development of the country.

Politics must have as its aim the achievement of the common good and not the destruction of life. Those who engage in politics, in election campaigns must do so with care, with respect for the lives and dignity of others, including their political opponents.

Political competitors are not enemies to be killed, to be slaughtered.

A complete conversion of heart and a thorough reform of our society are needed and must be attempted soon. The use of intimidation or of physical violence by politicians and their supporters will achieve nothing permanent and good. Our country can be saved only by a genuine revolution of love, by violence to our selfish interests.

There is need for tolerance and understanding. To live together peacefully and harmoniously, we must learn to tolerate the political and other differences that do exist everywhere, even in countries older than ours.

We again stress the need for love, the very heart of the good news, as being most fundamental to our survival and growth as a nation. This message is timeless. It will always be valid - it was valid yesterday, it is valid today, it will be valid tomorrow. Only love unites. Unity is the deep desire of all who seek to walk the path of peace. A nation united in purpose, in pursuit of true ideals, genuine politics and principles such as justice, truth cannot fail to enjoy the blessings of peace.

The use of violence against anyone, by anyone, is against justice. The future of our country and the happiness of our people will depend on the love and civility we bring to our politics.

We need politics and elections that are worthy of human beings. Elections in which people are killed are not worthy of human beings.

We shouldn't allow political ambitions to blind us and prevent us from seeing the evil in ourselves. One of the greatest tragedies of the human race is that we hardly ever see and admit our own failings. We don't want to see them. Those who are hurting and killing others see no need to change; and those who are being hurt and killed get more and more resentful until their resentment bursts out into open conflict.

We cannot continue on this path of violence. What happened in Livingstone is not accidental. There was a process to it that started a few years ago. Human life was lost in a parliamentary by-election in Mufumbwe. Human life was lost in a local government by-election in Rufunsa. This is the third death in a by-election election.

Some of the parties involved in these election-related violence and deaths are the same. But impunity has continued. No one has been sent to jail for these deaths. It looks like politicians are lisenced to kill during election campaigns. If this impunity continues, more and more people will die from election campaign related violence.

We therefore urge the police to investigate thoroughly these Livingstone deaths and bring the culprits to book. And it shouldn't matter what position in life or in politics one occupies, if they are connected to any of these deaths, they should be arrested and be prosecuted.

Electoral campaigns should not be confused with a battlefield where the aim is to destroy the other. Our elections shouldn't be turned into fights for survival. They were not meant for that; they are simply a competition to serve.

It is necessary to remind all our political parties, their leaders, cadres and supporters that politics and elections are for the good of the people and the country and not for the political survival of any individual or political party. If the spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate all our political parties, their leaders, cadres, members and supporters, we would not be witnessing the violence, the deaths which leave the public dismayed and disheartened.

There is need to remind our politicians and their supporters of the noble goals of political activity. From a Christian point of view, politics aims at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people. How can one be at the service of all the people when one is killing people or condoning the killing of people?

Patriotic Front Monze district secretary Harrison Chanda was on Monday evening killed by identifiable political opponents. It is the duty of the police to identify them and bring them to book.

All those who made statements that bordered on inciting violence should be made to account for their contribution to that sad event that led to the assassination of Chanda. Chanda was a human being and should not be allowed to die like a dog which is thrown or buried without much ado when it's found dead by the roadside. Chanda was a dear son, husband, father, brother, nephew, uncle, grandson, relative, friend to someone. All these people want to know who killed him and why he had to die that way.

And the police have a duty to find who killed Chanda and account for his death to all these people.

This is the only way we can remove violence from our politics. While other criminal acts have received the full weight of the law, political crimes have been allowed to go unpunished. This is not a recipe for peaceful politics, especially in an immature multiparty political dispensation. Let the full weight of the law be put on the shoulders of all those who played a role, no matter how small it may be, in the death or events that led to the death of Chanda.

And as we have stated before, no politics or aggressive election campaigns can justify such murderous acts, such atrocities as the physical elimination of an innocent political opponent. No murders or any crime for that matter should be allowed to be committed in the name of politics or election campaigns. Those behind that murder should be found, arrested, prosecuted, and if found guilty sent to jail on the maximum of sentences permitted by the law.

Killings in the name of politics should never be allowed because they can do only one thing, and that is to breed counter-killings. People who kill others in the name of politics, election campaigns are no better than animals.

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Sata says he has 'no brains' because he's 'not a thief'

Sata says he has 'no brains' because he's 'not a thief'
By Moses Kuwema and Kombe Chimpinde
Thu 28 Feb. 2013, 13:05 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says he has "no brains" because he is "not a thief". And newly-appointed commerce deputy minister, Richwell Siamunene, who is also Sinazongwe UPND member of parliament says he would have been dead by now because some UPND officials threatened him for taking a minister to his constituency last week.

But UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has described Siamunene's action to join government as political misconduct.

Speaking at State House yesterday when he swore in Dr Effron Lungu as foreign affairs minister, Dr Rowland Msiska as Secretary to the Cabinet, Robert Kamalata as senior private secretary in the office of the Vice-President and Siamunene, President Sata said even his record showed that he had not been to prison for stealing but for defending people's rights.

"Gentlemen, you started from somewhere, they call you names and if what they are calling you is not something for you to worry, continue with what you are doing. They call you, that you have 'no brains', yes you accept I have 'no brains' because I am 'not a thief'. When they call you that you have 'no brains', you say yes I have 'no brains' because I started from an organ. I didn't come from nowhere and come and be head of an organisation. My record, I have worked. You can check my record, I have been to prison not for stealing. I have been to prison for defending your rights," President Sata said.

On Tuesday, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said President Sata had no brains and had failed to run the country.

This was after he was asked on the killing of Monze district PF vice-chairman Harrison Chanda in Livingstone by UPND officials.

And President Sata said stones would not convince people to vote for a particular party, but that only talking would.

"Why kill each other? When the blood is the same, you cannot tell that this blood is from this part of the country. We are all the same people. Why should we kill each other? Why are you fighting? In 2008, when we knew that they had robbed us the elections, I pleaded to the nation. The boys wanted to walk from Copperbelt to come and sort you out in Lusaka. I told them, please don't come. Zambia is very precious.We have just come and we will go. In this country, there used to be violence between Congress and UNIP. It had to take Kaunda and Nkumbula to go to Choma for the Choma Declaration. That's what brought one-party state but I don't want to bring one-party state," he said.

President Sata said the late Chanda was a human being just like anyone else.
"Let us do politics without violence. If you cannot convince people by talking, stones will not convince them. Stones will scare them away," said President Sata.

And speaking to journalists after being sworn in, Siamunene said President Sata had responded to people's calls for him to have voices from all over the country in his administration.

He said in order for the country to realise its goals, there was need to unite and work towards the people's aspirations.

"Whatever I am doing is for my people. I want my people to be served adequately. I was victimised for taking the minister just to see the bridge. There are even threats on my life and I thank the President for prevailing, I would have been dead by now," Siamunene said.

Siamunene said he became member of parliament for Sinazongwe in order to bring change in the people of his constituency and that was what every leader was supposed to do.

He said he did not expect his relationship with his party to be good following his appointment into government but that he needed the freedom to operate freely and initiate development in his constituency.

When asked about the possibility of being expelled, Siamunene said it he would rather be expelled for good reasons than to continue drawing a salary from Parliament when he was doing nothing on the ground.

"It is the people that matter. It is not about myself. If I am expelled and the people say it is okay, so be it. But I am convinced that whatever I am doing, I am not doing it for myself. It is better to be out of Parliament than see people suffering," he said.

Siamunene, however, said the expulsion of UPND members of parliament who join government would not help the party win the 2016 general elections.

"In my view, I don't think it will help in that we want more members. In order to win any election, you need more members. If you remove others, then it means you are losing the members and how are you going to win then?" he wondered.
Meanwhile, Mweetwa said Siamunene had defied UPND's position of going to Livingstone to campaign and opting to go to State House.

"This is political misconduct. Siamunene was allocated to go and campaign in the Livingstone by-elections. He decided to defy a party position to go and campaign. Instead, he has chosen to go and wine and dine at State House, with the same people who are persecuting the president of a party that took Siamunene to Parliament!" he said.

Mweetwa, however, said UPND was not surprised by Siamunene's appointment, saying it was long overdue.

He said it was regrettable for his party to have some young members of parliament who were leading a rebellion against party positions.

Mweetwa said young members of parliament were leading breakaway views, defiant and political impunity, something he said was not good for Zambia's politics.
Asked if the party would expel Siamunene, Mweetwa said there was no immediate action that would be taken against the parliamentarian.

"Siamunene has been facing a number of charges. It is not like UPND will cook up something because of this appointment. No! He has been a subject of disciplinary proceedings. It is something that the party will sit to look at.
We are not interested in a by-election, we think that these by elections that are induced arising from greed are totally unnecessary," said Mweetwa.

And members of parliament on the right side of Parliament yesterday jubilated when Siamunene entered the House.

Siamunene, who entered Parliament around 14:55 hours, was ushered in amid cheers and jubilation from members of parliament on the right, interrupting education minister Dr John Phiri who was on the floor. After the house paused for two minutes, Dr Phiri took advantage of his time on the floor to welcome Simunene.

"Pray that the 'Mapatizya formula' will not follow you," said Dr Phiri.

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