Friday, March 28, 2014


(HERALD ZW) Dad saves son from jaws of death

December 25, 2013

Tapiwa Kachere and his father Tafadzwa receive treatment at Chitungwiza Central Hospital yesterday, after wrestling with a crocodile in Mutoko last week
Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter

A Mutoko father dived into a river and fought a crocodile with his bare hands to save the life of his 11-year-old son who had been seized while crossing Nyaitengwa River.Mr Tafadzwa Kachere and his son, Tapiwa (11) were both seriously injured in the battle and were yesterday admitted at Chitungwiza Central Hospital.

Tapiwa’s left leg had to be amputated, while his father’s left hand is badly hurt. Mr Kachere, who stays in Katiyo 1 Village under Chief Nyajina, said the crocodile attacked while they were on their way home from his garden.

“When we were coming from the garden, I was walking in front and the boy was following me. After crossing the river, I heard the boy screaming for help and I rushed to rescue him. I could see him struggling to free himself as the crocodile kept on holding on to his leg.

“I took the risk and dived into the water and joined the fight trying to force open the jaws with my hands. I failed to open the crocodile’s mouth and resorted to poking its mouth with reeds while seated on its back. I instructed my son to hold on to the reeds as I continued poking into the crocodile’s mouth until it released the boy,” said Mr Kachere.

But when the reptile freed Tapiwa, it turned on the father.
“I struggled with it until we both got out of the water and I was still on top of it. I poked its eyes several times until it released my injured hand,” he said.

After the attack, the two were taken to Nyadire Hospital for emergency first aid before being moved to Chitungwiza Central Hospital.
Said the hospital’s chief executive Dr Obadiah Moyo: “That is really a sad story and we are doing our best to help the two.

“We are monitoring the situation and we hope they will soon be okay.”
Mr Kachere appealed for assistance to buy an artificial limb for his son.

“I appeal to well-wishers for assistance in the purchase of an artificial leg for my son. He still wants to go to school and up to now he still thinks he will get his leg back.

“We lied to him that the leg was temporarily being removed for treatment purposes and I do not know how to break the news to him.”

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(PROGRESS) Nelson Mandela’s New Constitution: Overlooked Wonder
December 22, 2013 Posted by Peter Meakin under Editorials

Julius Seizure, AKA Julius Malema, scorns Madiba’s economic legacy (Cape Times, 17 Dec). Yet on the twentieth anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize award to Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk they could also have shared the Laureate for Economics (conferred by Sweden’s Riks Bank in memory of Alfred Nobel who left no money for economics or mathematics). This would be in recognition of their astonishing Constitutional property rights pact in Sec 25.5: “the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to foster conditions which enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.”

This is the blue print for digging out poverty, root and branch. In one sentence it ends the landless, proletarian life-style of dependency on wage contracts. Those minimum wage takings have wreaked their wretched toll in South Africa’s rusty corrugated iron suburbs where five million unemployed are denied productive land and the self-employed jobs it will offer. That does not count the six million others who live in dangerous and degrading urban hell-holes, grasping at delivery of this or that service, when in 1994 their leaders were signing off on hectares not lavatories.

And who on earth gave permission for land to stay fallow, for years on end There is not a town planning scheme in the world which does not go on and on about precisely what owners can do to land, never what they cannot.

Mr Malema nevertheless wants to nationalise land without compensation. True to form that is ill-considered because if he would instead promise to gradually nationalise not land, but land rents, and simultaneously privatise wages, salaries, profit, interest, capital gains and consumption by retiring income taxes and vat, South Africa would become a tax haven. Another Mandela and FW de Klerk landed victory which trumps the Freedom Charter.

Peter Meakin
Registered Property Valuer; Member - SA Institute of Valuers; Chairman - SACPRIF Management Committee 4, Violet Rd, Claremont 7708 South Africa T 021 683 4346 F 086 603 4349 C 082 977 4429

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(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) US$100m for new gold project
Sunday, 22 December 2013 00:00
Business Editor

African Consolidated Resources (ACR), which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has signed term sheets with one of Nigeria’s biggest banks as it inches closer to its US$100 million gold project in Chegutu, the Pickstone Peerless Project.

Experts define term sheets as documents outlining the terms and agreement of a business agreement. They often precede a proposed final agreement.

Having recently completed a feasibility study, which indicated initial mineral reserves of more than one million ounces, the resource company is now actively pursuing funding and equity partners for the project.

In its financial report for the six months ending September 30, 2013, released last week, ACR confirmed that it has signed term sheets with a major African financier, but did not disclose the name of the entity.

However, people familiar with the transaction told The Sunday Mail Business that First Bank of Nigeria – Nigeria’s biggest bank by assets at US$21 billion as at June 30 this year – had been roped in.

However, the bank will only finance operations after a due diligence exercise has been conducted.

It is believed that, if successful, First Bank will inject between US$20 million and US$70 million.

Production can only start 11 to 14 months after initial funds have been injected.

But for the Nigerian bank to chip in “initial development equity capital in order to get oxides into production” has to be undertaken with equity capital.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the Chegutu mine has the potential to eclipse the Mzi Khumalo-controlled Metallon Gold, which is currently Zimbabwe’s largest gold producer, with an estimated annual production of 85 000 ounces.

“Pickstone Peerless represents the largest ever open pit gold mine to be mined in the country’s history. This asset is of national importance and will go a long way to re-establishing Zimbabwe’s gold mining industry.

“We believe that the Government recognises this and the potential of this project to make a significant impact on the reconstruction and development of Zimbabwe’s rebirth,” ACR said in a statement accompanying its interim financials.

Although ACR estimated at the beginning of the year that initial project costs were around US$10 million for the design and commissioning of a plant for a 200 000-ounce starter pit, it has since reviewed the figure to US$27,3 million on increased costs of stockpiling.

Added ACR: “This level of funding should be sufficient to achieve production on the oxides on the basis of processing 20,000 tonnes per month.

“Thereafter, further CAPEX (capital expenditure) will be required to expand production to 50 000 tonnes per month and to deal with sulphide ore, but it is believed that whatever is necessary can all be funded by a loan facility.

“We are very pleased that, as announced, a major African bank has agreed such a facility, with an indicative Term Sheet having been agreed subject to customary due diligence, credit committee approval and also to AFCR securing equity for the initial plant construction.

“The construction timeline has been reviewed in the light of and subject to capital funding, notwithstanding emerging and encouraging developments in Zimbabwe. Notably, production of first gold is estimated to take place within 11 to 14 months of project finance being secured.”

Bullish news on the new project takes place at a time when gold prices have been declining on the world market.

Last week, prices of the yellow metal dropped below US$1 200 an ounce as the United States Federal Reserve decided to trim its economic stimulus that was pumping wads of cash into the global economy.
Prices have dropped as much as 38 percent since reaching a record $1 921.15 an ounce in September 2011.

In the period when the United States began the programme of quantitative easing, which entails buying securities in order to increase liquidity in the market, between December 2008 to June 2011, gold prices have risen by 70 percent.

However, international investment analysts Goldman Sachs Group project that the price might drop to US$1 050 by the end of 2014.

“But ACR believes that its project is “very robust to any further lowering of the gold price”.
It further notes that even at a gold price of US$1 100 and a royalty rate pegged at seven percent the project will be viable.

While the company is optimistic about the Chegutu venture, it is currently bearing the brunt of increase licence fees for its claims at Chakari and Gadzema.

Claim holding costs in Zimbabwe have recently been increased by over 5 000 percent to try and weed out speculative behaviour from the mining sector.

The company has however decided to keep the claims.
Most importantly, ACR believes that the new Government will be able to provide a platform for future development.

“We are optimistic about the emerging political situation in Zimbabwe.
“The newly elected government is bedding down and appears to be taking real steps to adopt rational and more business-friendly policies. We look forward to continue to working with them,” added the company, further noting: “The company is in the course of preparing an indigenisation proposal which will be presented to the appropriate authorities and committee before disclosure can be made available.

“The company seeks to have this matter resolved as early as possible in the new year in support of the funding imperatives and mindful of the importance that is placed on this by the Government.”


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(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) ‘Budget spells death of old economy’
Sunday, 22 December 2013 00:00
Edwin Mwase and Lincoln Towindo

The National Budget presented by Finance and Economic Development Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa last week will usher in a “new” economy, anchored on the recently adopted Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) and will witness the local economy assuming a sustained growth trajectory as well as improve the livelihoods of ordinary Zimbabweans.

Food security and nutrition, housing, health and transport are among the key deliverables the country’s citizens are keenly awaiting. Presenting the Budget last Thursday, Minister Chinamasa announced the “death” of the “old” economy, saying a new one is rising from the ashes.

The 2014 National Budget, which is projected to grow the economy by a cumulative 6,1 percent, up from this year’s 3,4 percent, is premised on an active implementation of Zim Asset as well as the strong recovery of agriculture and improved performance of the mining and construction sectors.

The Budget, which has been roundly described as “policy-driven”, has introduced a raft of policy changes that are expected to improve the well-being of many Zimbabweans through improved social service provision, providing access to affordable housing loan schemes, resuscitation of ailing industries and support for small-scale farmers.

The policies introduced in the Budget dovetail with the Zanu-PF election-winning manifesto, President Mugabe’s inauguration address and the President’s address on the occasion of the opening of Parliament, all of which feed into Zim Asset.

The Budget will promote, among other objectives, the development of the agricultural sector through the revamping and rehabilitation of the country’s irrigation infrastructure, which will be financed to the tune of US$9,4 million, to push the country towards food self-sustenance.

Beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme will be able to tap into the recapitalised National Irrigation Development Fund for credit financing to fund irrigation development. This will, no doubt, mitigate the effects of recurrent droughts.

Food security and nutrition are of paramount importance. A huge chunk of national funds is channelled towards grain imports on the back of poor yields. The country has observed the trend of recurrent droughts translating into poor harvests.

Though the fact has always been clear, the shibboleth of irrigation development remained just that: a catchphrase. Nothing much appeared to move in terms of implementation.

However, the running agricultural theme in Zim Asset and indeed the Budget touches on this imperative of ensuring food security through irrigation development across all provinces.

Farmers will also access irrigation equipment through hire purchase arrangements established by Government and equipment suppliers.
In line with Zanu PF’s housing-for-all policy, the Government will immediately gazette legal instruments to extend the tax exemption on mortgage finance to all financial institutions that provide mortgage finance.

Financial resources will also be mobilised for extensive planning, surveying and servicing of land for the development of housing stands across the country. Civil servants, on the other hand, will benefit from low-cost housing through the revamped Civil Service Housing Loan Scheme as part of the non-monetary incentives available to all Government workers.

Low-cost housing stands will be availed throughout the country in suburbs such as Dzivaresekwa Extension Phase 2, Parklands, Waneka, Cherutombo, Nemamwa, Chiredzi, Tshovani and Murereki. In order to resuscitate distressed industries, with a view to increasing capacity utilisation as well as generating employment opportunities, the Budget introduced zero-rated duty for capital equipment for local industries.

Analysts note that such people-oriented policies will go a long way in fulfilling Zanu PF’s election promise of pushing for the resuscitation of industry as well as creating employment.

Economist Mr Brains Muchemwa said the Budget, which has come under difficult economic conditions amid high expectations, has been realistic and demonstrated the limited scope of fiscal policy flexibility.

However, he said it is clear that the economy remains depressed and focus should rather be on soft issues relating to building confidence and policy consistency.

“The major challenge remains that the manufacturers may fail to respond positively to such measures as they have more pressing problems relating to high-gearing levels and inefficient operating structures.”

Another economist, Mr Takura Mugaga, described it as an enlightening Budget as it acknowledges the problems bedevilling the economy.

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(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) ‘Budget spells death of old economy’

Sunday, 22 December 2013 00:00
Sunday Mail Reporter

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, under pressure from some Western diplomats, is frantically trying to convince some senior party members to gang up against secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti following his decision to agree to represent the former Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr Gideon Gono, in a constitutional case filed by Dr Munyaradzi Kereke.

About two weeks ago, Dr Kereke filed a constitutional application citing the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission as the first respondent and Dr Gono as the second respondent in a case in which he is accusing the Commission of acting unconstitutionally by allegedly failing to probe allegations of abuse of office, corruption and theft against Dr Gono.

Following the filing of the case, Dr Gono, who is the Zanu-PF Senator-elect for Buhera, last week engaged lawyer Mr Biti to fight the allegations levelled against him by Dr Kereke, a move that has not been well received by some Western diplomats who would have preferred to see the MDC-T using the former RBZ boss to tarnish the image of Zanu-PF.

The MDC-T was founded and is funded by the British government together with the US administration. As a result, Western diplomats in the country play a key role in the affairs of the MDC-T.

It is understood that the pressure from the diplomats added to Mr Tsvangirai’s fury as he already had been angered by the decision that was taken by his subordinate without first making consultations with the party’s leadership.

Reports say an infuriated Mr Tsvangirai over the past few days has been making frantic calls to some senior party members, including Mr Douglas Mwonzora, Mr Chamisa, Ms Thokozani Khupe and Mr Lovemore Moyo, trying to convince them to condemn Mr Biti’s decision to defend Dr Gono in court.

Mr Tsvangirai is said to be arguing that while legally Mr Biti as a lawyer can represent any client of his choice, from a political point of view, the move was ill-timed and ill-advised.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Mwonzora confirmed that indeed he had discussed the issue about Mr Biti representing Dr Gono with Mr Tsvangirai after it had been reported in the Press. Party organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa would neither deny nor confirm the tiff, referring all questions to Mr Luke Tamborinyoka, who is Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesperson.

Added Mr Chamisa: “It is better for Luke Tamborinyoka to comment on the issue.” Although Mr Tamborinyoka was not reachable yesterday, highly placed MDC-T sources privy to the ongoing power wrangles within the party, which is still smarting from an embarrassing thrashing during the July 31 harmonised elections, insist that Mr Tsvangirai is calling for Mr Biti to be held to account.

“Soon after the news broke out that Mr Biti would be representing Gono, there was a lot of traffic from some Western diplomats calling our leader expressing reservations over the move by the secretary- general which the majority view as ill-timed and ill-advised. However, even before the calls from these diplomats, Mr Tsvangirai was already livid at the decision.

He was furious that Biti took the decision without even consulting the party leadership despite the political undertones and overtones that will be brought about by this case.

“Mr Tsvangirai was asking why Biti was creating problems for the party. Although this is a constitutional case, from our standpoint this is a political case and we can’t just be too simplistic about it, considering that Biti is our secretary-general. The least Biti could have done is to consult the leadership rather than acting as a lone ranger. He should have taken advice on the political implications of this case,” said one top MDC-T official who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.

A prominent constitutional lawyer based in Harare who refused to be named for professional reasons said: “It’s Dr Gono’s right to chose a lawyer of his choice and it’s fine for my learned friend Biti to choose any client of his and I actually wish Biti the best. He is a good lawyer.

“However, after so many years in Government and away from practice, I think Biti may be rusty and he has his work cut out because he is going to have to punch above his weight in each round.

“Remember also that my learned friend in the past handled mainly criminal cases and this constitutional case may present some challenges. The criminal court is different from the constitutional court where he is going to come before a full bench of nine judges. It’s possible that Mr Biti might opt to instruct other advocates to handle this matter for him.

“Like I told you, Mr Biti is a good lawyer, but I think on this one, he is acting like a bantamweight boxer trying to go for the heavyweight division. Let’s see how things turn out.” Another lawyer, however, said the legal fraternity in Zimbabwe was a very “thin market” where specialising in one area is not common “so Biti should be able to find his way” in handling this constitutional case.

Efforts to get a comment from Mr Biti proved fruitless as he was unreachable on cellphone. However, he told the media last week that it was his right to choose clients of his choice.

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(HERALD ZW) Rains bring relief to farmers in Masvingo
December 23, 2013
George Maponga Masvingo Bureau

Most parts of Masvingo received rains over the past week, bringing relief to farmers across the province whose crops, especially maize, were showing signs of moisture stress.Most of the early planted maize crop was beginning to wilt under the weight of severe moisture loss caused by the dry spell that lasted over three weeks across most districts.

Farmers were already predicting a gloomy agricultural season for Masvingo following the poor and erratic rains. Some farmers had already given up on planting maize crop.

In Gutu, heavy rains pounded the district over the last few days with farmers in Chiwara, Bhasera, Tirizi, Maungwa and Mukaro saying something could now be salvaged.

The situation was the same in Bikita, northern parts of Zaka, Chiredzi and Masvingo districts, which received rains. Zimbabwe Farmers Union Masvingo regional manager Mr Jeremiah Chimwanda urged farmers to intensify farming operations.

“In some areas such as Chivi and Mwenezi farmers had not planted because of lack of rains,’’ he said.

Mr Chimwanda said farmers should go for short-season seed varieties, especially for maize and those in arid parts of the province must prioritise small, drought-resistant grains.

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(NEWZIMBABWE, BUSINESS DAY SA) Govt plans second Antwerp diamond auction
23/12/2013 00:00:00
by Business Day

ZIMBABWE is planning a second auction of its Marange diamonds in February, buoyed by the interest in and sale of more than 279,000 carats of diamonds in Antwerp, Belgium last week which raked in $10.7m.

Mines and mining development permanent secretary, Francis Gudyanga, said on Monday the initial sale of the Marange gemstones last week had "provided insight" and "tangible guidelines" that will allow the Zimbabwe government to fully optimise a second, larger tender of Marange goods.

"The next sale is scheduled for February 12 to 19 2014," Gudyanga said.

The European Union lifted sanctions on Zimbabwean diamonds in September, making way for the first-ever sale of the Marange diamonds in Antwerp, which is regarded as the world’s diamond capital.

Gudyanga pointed out that the auction of the Marange diamonds in Belgium would take place alongside regular sales organised by the State, which have traditionally attracted scores of Indian and Chinese buyers.

"The philosophy of trial tender of Marange goods was to enable government and industry stakeholders to make a thorough assessment of the benefits of selling rough diamonds on the open Antwerp market ... alongside the regular tenders that are organised in Zimbabwe."

An estimated 115 clients showed interest in the Marange diamonds during the sale, compared to the 10 to 15 companies that attend regular auctions in Zimbabwe.

The government is set to pocket $1.6m from the diamond auction in Belgium and will from January 1 seek to reduce the porousness of the diamond industry, of which the contributions to the fiscus have so far been minuscule.

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, in his budget statement presented on Thursday, indicated that Zimbabwe’s treasury would increase mining royalties from 10% to 15% as the cash-strapped government tries to grow its revenue base.

Other measures set to be introduced in the diamond industry include closed-circuit TV surveillance of the entire process of production, sorting and transportation of diamonds.

Diamond production in Zimbabwe has been on the rise to 12 million carats in 2012, from 1,3-million carats recorded in 2009.

Chinamasa has earmarked the economy to grow by 6.1% next year, on strong performance from the mining and agriculture sectors.

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(NEWS24 SA) Max du Preez
Are we all 'coloured'?
2011-03-09 12:40

[Max du Preez] We really need to find new terminology for the different population groups in South Africa, especially now that we’re moving back into a political culture of obsession with race.

Problem One: if “coloured” means people of mixed blood, then the vast majority of people born in South Africa are coloureds, myself included.

Studies in the 1980s have found that white Afrikaners have an average of seven percent “black” blood, mostly because of early relationships and marriages between white settlers and slaves or Khoisan. Some Afrikaners, like my family, have considerably more than seven percent black blood.

This is also true of black South Africans. Three quick examples: ANC veteran Walter Sisulu’s father was a white man; Winnie Mandela’s mother had light skin, blue eyes and long hair and her mother-in-law called her a mlungu; Nelson Mandela’s mitochondrial DNA was found to be pure Khoisan. There were many runaway slaves from the East Indies and European shipwreck survivors in the 16th, 17th and 18th century who became part of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples.

Problem Two: Probably a majority of people classified “coloured” during the apartheid years were descendants of the Khoikhoi and the San or Bushmen, with, of course, some white, slave and black blood. But when the ANC and other so-called Africanists refer to “Africans”, they exclude these people.

This is sheer madness: the descendants of the first peoples of southern Africa are excluded from the term African? The Khoisan were here thousands of years before the first black farming groups arrived from further north. They are the original Africans.

Problem Three: Most South Africans who love their country and are proud of our nation and our democracy declare themselves to be Africans. It is a term that has become associated with citizens who regard themselves as indigenous, as part of the whole nation, as part of the African continent.

So when the ANC and others refer to black South Africans as Africans, they exclude coloured, white and Indian South Africans from calling themselves Africans.

I have proclaimed for decades in columns and elsewhere that I see myself as an African, as indigenous to South Africa and Africa, and that I associate myself with the peoples, cultures and problems of the African continent.

If the ANC says I’m not African, then what does that make me? I’m certainly not a European.

Let me explain this problem by telling you of my daughter. Her father is a mixture of French Huguenot, German and Dutch settlers of the 17th century, slaves from Indonesia and Sri Lanka and at least one Khoi woman, Pietronella, daughter of Krotoa and materfamilias of the Saayman clan. I had my DNA tested at the National Health Laboratory. They tell me from my father’s side I’m in the E1b1b1c1 haplogroup – 23% of Ethiopians belong to this small genetic group.

My daughter’s mother is a mixture of early Chinese/Indian Mauritian immigrants to the Eastern Cape, Afrikaners and Scots from Kenya.

Do you really want me to tell my child she is European?

Problem Four: are coloureds and Indian South Africans not also black? So if we can’t call “black” black people black, what should we call them? I see Professor Jonathan Jansen is calling them “racial Africans”. Is that the way to go?

Decades ago ethnologists called “black” black people Bantu-speakers, because they all come from one language family who have spread all over sub-Saharan Africa. And then the apartheid racists started using the word Bantu in a derogatory way and now it is just unacceptable. Or should we rehabilitate the word?

Even better: let’s all try very hard to move away from this renewed obsession with race and we won’t need the terminology.

Send your comments to Max

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

- News24

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(NEWS24 SA) Malema: Gold mines too expensive to nationalise
2013-12-22 21:06

Mbombela - He was four hours late, but EFF commander in chief Julius Malema was met with ululation and praise songs when he arrived at a fund-raising gala dinner in Nelspruit on Saturday night.

He joked that he could not risking getting another speeding ticket after his arrest on Friday night, then gave an 80-minute speech that ended just before midnight, a Sapa correspondent reported. Malema said the EFF was a government in waiting, and he outlined the party's policies on mines and banks, and land reform.

"An entrepreneur must be able to do business no matter who is in government. A real businessman doesn't lose sleep over whether the [National Party], ANC or EFF is in power. You do not rely on tenders. Tenders are not sustainable business," he said.

Malema said Black Economic Empowerment encouraged the sale of black skin.

"You sell your colour as if black is cheap and can be sold at any time."

He said BEE supported only individuals and their families, and not communities.

"Rather give that money meant for BEE to the community, to build schools and clinics," he said.

Land

He said land should be returned to communities free of charge, since it had been taken without payment. The act of buying back the land was the same as buying stolen goods.

Land beneficiaries should also not be pressured into doing anything with their land, he said.

"You don't have to explain anything to anybody. It's your land. What you do with your land is nobody's business."

He said fears about the nationalisation of the mines were unfounded as the government had proved that it could manage businesses, citing Transet and Denel as examples.

He suggested nationalising only easy, profitable and uncomplicated mines, like platinum, which was found near the surface of the ground.

Gold

"We only want to nationalise profitable national resources. Not gold. Gold is very expensive to mine," he said.

He said the government needed to keep all mineral rights, and that the mines should give 60 percent of their ownership to the state.

Only this would generate enough money to provide free education, healthcare and sanitation.

Nationalised banks would run themselves, and without focusing on maximising profits, would keep their interest rates low so that all South Africans could afford a house and car.

Malema said local industry be protected so it was not undermined by cheap imports, and that the state should help people acquire basic skills.

He accused President Jacob Zuma and his government of not being accountable to the people.
- SAPA

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(NEWZIMBABWE) You can go to hell, Mugabe tells Tsvangirai
22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe put paid to any prospect of cooperation with ex-premier Morgan Tsvangirai Sunday, saying the opposition MDC-T leader and his party could “go to hell”.

Speaking in Bulawayo Sunday during the unveiling of the statue of the late vice president Joshua Nkomo who died in 1999, Mugabe appealed to disgruntled war veterans to return to Zanu PF.

“I am not talking about (Morgan) Tsvangirai and the MDC; those ones can go to hell. We say to those (war veterans) who are working with the enemy, can’t you realise the suffering that the people had to bear,” Mugabe said.

“The death and injuries visited upon them as they were in the struggle and you dare to work with the enemy against your own people? I am speaking about the stance of the opposition to be on this day running to Britain and America in order to stand against us.”

The Zanu PF leader insisted that he was not opposed to rival political parties.

“We don’t mind an opposition within the country. But an opposition that begs the enemy, the very country that oppressed us, that’s a bit too much. It’s treason; it’s treason of the worst kind,” he said.

Zanu PF accuses Tsvangirai of working with former colonial power, Britain to force regime change in Zimbabwe. The MDC-T leader denies the allegations.
Mugabe reached out to war veterans who left Zanu PF, urging them to re-join the party.

Former ZIPRA intelligence head Dumiso Dabengwa and disgruntled colleagues quit Zanu PF to revive PF Zapu ahead of the 2008 elections, apparently frustrated by Mugabe’s refusal to hand over power to a younger leader.

War veterans working with the opposition were disobeying Nkomo, Mugabe claimed.

“Yesterday he (Nkomo) was telling you to go to this area. So now that he is gone, you think as he is in the grave, he can now be disobeyed?

“So I am saying the war veterans, you fought one war against the enemy, whether you are Zipra or Zanla, come back and be where you belong, don’t get lost. Those (war veterans) are the ones who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command.

“They should never be disunited, they should be united, because the ideology that we based our struggle, whether we were friends with the Soviet Union or China it was the same. You settle your contradictions by sitting down and discussing.”

Dabengwa said he would consult with colleagues before responding to Mugabe’s appeal.

“I did not attend the event but some of us did and they will tell us what happened,” Dabengwa told the Bulawayo Chronicle.

“We cannot answer him (President) today. Remember, we did not leave Zanu PF as individuals but we left as a Zapu block. I therefore, cannot make that decision myself.”

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(NEWZIMBABWE, SAPA) South Sudan ex-VP confirms rebellion

22/12/2013 00:00:00
by SAPA

SOUTH Sudan's former vice president confirmed that he is leading a rebellion and claimed to have taken control over the key oil-producing region of Unity State, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The British broadcaster quoted Riek Machar as saying he would be ready to negotiate with the government, if detained officials allied with him were released and allowed transit to a neutral nation, such as Ethiopia.

Several former ministers were arrested immediately after the outbreak of violence in the country a week ago. Machar's whereabouts are unknown, but he is presumed to be in South Sudan.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has also agreed to talks, as leaders from neighbouring African nations scramble to organize negotiations and prevent a further slide towards war.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded an end to the spreading civil conflict, and called on Kiir and Machar to negotiate a political solution. "I demand that all political, military and militia leaders stop hostilities and end the violence against civilians," he said.

"They are responsible to the people of South Sudan to end the crisis and find a political means of addressing their differences." Ban warned the violence poses "a dangerous threat to the future of your country".

More than 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in various UN shelters amid the deteriorating security situation. "We are now actively trying to transfer our assets from other peacekeeping missions," Ban said.

"We are also seeking the support of other key countries who can provide the necessary asset." Ban said the UN faces "a shortage in capacity" after the UN compound in the area was overrun by 2 000 gunmen who killed two peacekeepers and at least 11 civilians.

More than 500 people have died in the week of violence which started in Juba and has spread to other parts of the country, including Jonglei State, an area prone to ethnic violence, and the oil producing Unity State region near the border with Sudan.

On Saturday, three US aircraft were hit by small-arms fire as they approached Bor, the capital of Jonglei, to evacuate US citizens. Four soldiers were injured. The plane made an emergency landing in Uganda.

US President Barack Obama warned South Sudan leaders they run the risk of losing US support and emphasised their responsibility to support efforts to secure Americans in Juba and Bor.

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community," he said.

The African Union has warned that the country, which gained independence in 2011, is slipping into a civil war. The conflict has ethnic overtones, sparking concerns that it could take on tribal dimensions.

Kiir is a Dinka, South Sudan's largest ethnic group, while Machar is Nuer. The two tribes have had violent conflicts, mostly centred in Jonglei and focused on cattle raids, ever since South Sudan's independence.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Nkomo rejected Presidency: Mugabe

22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Newsday

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has revealed that he made several efforts to get Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo to become President of Zimbabwe at independence in 1980, but the late nationalist flatly rejected the offer.

The rejection, he said, was a sign of Nkomo’s humility. The presidency, at that time was ceremonial. Mugabe was then Prime Minister, the most powerful position in the country.

Speaking at the unveiling of the statue of the late nationalist who died in 1999 and the renaming of Bulawayo’s Main Street in the late veteran nationalist’s honour, Mugabe said he sent three delegations to convince Nkomo to take up the post of president, but he declined.
The post was eventually taken by the late Canaan Sodindo Banana.

Mugabe was in Bulawayo where he officially opened JN Nkomo International Airport, unveiled the Nkomo statue and officially renamed Main Street.

Mugabe said he offered the ceremonial presidency to Nkomo, but due to his (Nkomo’s) humility, he declined to take up the post.

“I personally asked Dr Nkomo to be president, but he said no,” Mugabe said.

“I sent another delegation, but again he said no. I sent a third delegation to plead with him, but he said no — such was his humility. Perhaps you didn’t know.”

“That’s when we had to ask the late Canaan Banana to be President. So you see, this is how humble Cde Nkomo was.”

Mugabe became Executive President in 1987 after he signed a peace pact with the former PF Zapu leader following about five years of political hostilities during which time about 20,000 people mostly in Matabeleland are believed to have been killed during the Gukurahundi disturbances.

Mugabe said he believed in peace, which was the reason why he forgave the white colonial masters for the atrocities they committed against the black majority before and during the liberation struggle.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Gukurahundi author is no African liberator
Cheered in South Africa ... President Robert Mugabe and wife, Grace, hold hands after paying their respects at Mandela in Pretoria
22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Paul Trewhela I Politicsweb.co.za

COMMENT - The writer cites Wikipedia? How about interviewing Breyten Breytenbach's brother Col. Jan Dirk Breytenbach, founder of the South African Special Forces' 1st Recce Commando, and ask him why he authorized the killing of white farmers in Zimbabwe for political advantage his unit Super ZAPU - see the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe's 1997 report. The psychological warfare operations that preceded whatever happened in Matabeleland, and should be acknowledged as part of the entire picture. The MDC is trying to milk this issue - which they care nothing about - for political gain. Also, the Catholic Commission mentions the number 3,750, not 20,000, which has remained unexplained. So the author at best is overstating the case when he tries to claim that "There is no question that Mugabe ordered the mass murder of more than 20,000 isiNdebele-speakers in Zimbabwe". An absurd charge, that does not take into account the events immediately following political independence in 1980. Finally, don't believe me, the way the author insists you should believe him - read the original report instead, and just search the terms breytenbach or super zapu. - MrK

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe received loud cheers when he appeared at the memorial tribute to Nelson Mandela at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday 10 December.

Similarly, Andile Mngxitama - who spoke on the BBC television programme, Question Time, two days later in a debate staged in Johannesburg, wearing the red beret of Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters - published an article in the Sunday Independent on 2 June this year under the title, "Mugabe hero of African liberation."

According to Mngxitama's opening sentence, "President Robert Mugabe is the greatest black statesman alive today in Africa."
The question is: What does it mean, when South Africans celebrate Robert Mugabe?

There is no question that Mugabe ordered the mass murder of more than 20,000 isiNdebele-speakers in Zimbabwe in the two years after January 1983, when his Fifth Brigade - trained by the fascist dictatorship of North Korea, and responsible to himself alone as Prime Minister - was deployed to kill in Matabeleland.

Wikipedia states this about the massacre: "Most of the dead were shot in public executions, often after being forced to dig their own graves in front of family and fellow villagers. The largest number of dead in a single killing was on 5 March 1983, when 62 young men and women were shot on the banks of the Cewale River, Lupane. Seven survived with gunshot wounds, the other 55 died.

"Another way 5 Brigade used to kill large groups of people was to burn them alive in huts. They did this in Tsholotsho and also in Lupane. They would routinely round up dozens, or even hundreds, of civilians and march them at gun point to a central place, like a school or bore-hole. There they would be forced to sing Shona songs praising ZANU, at the same time being beaten with sticks. These gatherings usually ended with public executions. Those killed could be ex-ZIPRAs, ZAPU officials, or anybody chosen at random."

The word "Gukurahundi" is an expression in the Shona language, meaning "the first rain that washes away the chaff of the last harvest before the spring rains."

The grim reality of Zimbabwe is that both of its main political parties - ZANU and ZAPU - were and remain tribalist political parties, not nationalist parties. Both armies, ZANLA and ZIPRA, were in effect tribalist armies.

In the best first-hand account so far of the joint military campaign in 1967 by Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) together with ZIPRA in the Wankie and Sipolilo areas of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia, under the white minority regime of Ian Smith), the two authors - both isiZulu-speaking members of MK, Thula Bophela and Daluxolo Luthuli - register their shock at when they and their comrades discovered this huge difference of principle between MK and ZIPRA.

"The ZIPRA men puzzled the MK soldiers," they write in their joint autobiographical history, Umkhonto we Sizwe: Fighting for a Divided People (Galago, Alberton, 2005). "They spent much of their time boasting about what they intended to do to ZANLA if they ever met up in the bush. They swore they would wipe them out....It seemed they considered ZANLA the real enemy and not the Rhodesians."
As the two authors recall, "This ZAPU-ZANU rivalry would cause us great distress later."

What happened, however, was this: between the Wankie/Sipolilo campaign in 1967 and formation of the first independence government of Zimbabwe in 1979, for a variety of reasons ZIPRA failed as a military force, while ZANLA succeeded.

ZIPRA, and ZAPU, rested on a minority tribe, the Ndebele. ZANLA, and ZANU, rested on the overwhelming majority tribe, the Shona.

The phrase "gukurahundi" for the campaign of mass murder of the amaNdebele by the ZANU government meant that the minority tribe was to be punished. Human beings were to be treated as "chaff", as dead dry husks of maize from the previous year's harvest.

The account in Wikipedia of the Gukurahundi genocide is consistent with the detailed, carefully researched account published by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, together with the Legal Resources Foundation of Zimbabwe, under the title Gukurahundi in Zimbabwe: A Report on the Disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands, 1980-1988 (First published in 1997 as Breaking the Silence: Building True Peace).

Elinor Sisulu, the daughter-in-law of Walter and Albertina Sisulu, wrote the introduction for the 2007 edition. She rightly compares the "enormous and heinous crimes against the people of Zimbabwe" perpetrated by the government of Robert Mugabe in 1983-85 with the genocidal massacre of Tutsis carried out by the Interahamwe in Rwanda in 1994 and the massacres carried out by Hitler's Nazis.

I wonder if Mngxitama can explain how a Nazi-type massacre just north of Limpopo province permits a description of the man who ordered it as a "hero of African liberation", and as "the greatest black statesman alive today in Africa" (this written while Nelson Mandela was living).
There is a strange absence of moral and political integrity here.

Supposing we take a death toll of 20, 000 people murdered by Mugabe's Fifth Brigade in Gukurahundi (rather than the figure of "at least 30,000 people" cited in the preface to the 1997 edition of Gukurahundi in Zimbabwe), this was an enormous number of people killed in a small region in less than two years.

The number of people killed by the Mugabe government in this massacre is probably more than the total of all the political killings committed in South Africa in the 34 years from the beginning of 1960 (before the massacre at Sharpeville) to the first democratic general election in April 1994.

And this was carried out by a government whose leader was cheered at the memorial tribute for Nelson Mandela, and described by Mngxitama as a "hero of African liberation."

Strange liberation, which liberated so many souls so untimely from their earthly selves.Strange hero statesman, who gives the order to kill so many of his citizens ... Strange apostle of "freedom", the one who praises such a statesman, whether we consider freedom as economic, or political, or spiritual, or otherwise.

The fact is, the political tradition of liberation from minority rule in South Africa runs opposite to the tradition in Zimbabwe, not along the same path.

What Gukurahundi showed is that the title of Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) is a fraud. The party is not national at all. It is a tribalist party, which carried out a mass tribalist massacre of people from another tribe.This can never be forgotten.

It is a shame and disgrace to the historic tradition of black liberation in South Africa that this blatant, blood-soaked truth is not shouted from the rooftops by all political parties, and especially by the African National Congress.

From the time it was formed as the Native National Congress in 1912, the ANC earned its title of "national" - unlike ZANU, and ZAPU - by its deeds.It was formed very consciously and deliberately on the principle of anti-tribalism. The founders of the ANC were clear that tribal politics could only lead black people of the newly-created Union of South Africa to defeat and misery. Despite all kinds of stresses and strains - especially in exile - that principle was upheld successfully throughout the whole of the past century.

Whether as the ANC, or as the Pan Africanist Congress, or as the Black Consciousness Movement, no major current in the struggle for liberation from apartheid ever fractured into separate tribalist parties, as happened in Zimbabwe - the great failure of political principle in Zimbabwe, which had its terrible result in Gukurahundi.

This is a warning to South Africa.There is no more urgent warning from the life and death Nelson Mandela, who maintained the principle of anti-tribalism throughout his life, and extended it to anti-racism.

It is a disgrace that a tribalist mass murderer was cheered, at the tribute to the man who epitomised the founding principles of the ANC.Shame on those who cheer Robert Mugabe, and shame on any South African who calls such a man the "hero of African liberation."

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(NEWZIMBABWE) You can go to hell, Mugabe tells Tsvangirai
22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe put paid to any prospect of cooperation with ex-premier Morgan Tsvangirai Sunday, saying the opposition MDC-T leader and his party could “go to hell”.

Speaking in Bulawayo Sunday during the unveiling of the statue of the late vice president Joshua Nkomo who died in 1999, Mugabe appealed to disgruntled war veterans to return to Zanu PF.

“I am not talking about (Morgan) Tsvangirai and the MDC; those ones can go to hell. We say to those (war veterans) who are working with the enemy, can’t you realise the suffering that the people had to bear,” Mugabe said.

“The death and injuries visited upon them as they were in the struggle and you dare to work with the enemy against your own people? I am speaking about the stance of the opposition to be on this day running to Britain and America in order to stand against us.”

The Zanu PF leader insisted that he was not opposed to rival political parties.

“We don’t mind an opposition within the country. But an opposition that begs the enemy, the very country that oppressed us, that’s a bit too much. It’s treason; it’s treason of the worst kind,” he said.

Zanu PF accuses Tsvangirai of working with former colonial power, Britain to force regime change in Zimbabwe. The MDC-T leader denies the allegations.
Mugabe reached out to war veterans who left Zanu PF, urging them to re-join the party.

Former ZIPRA intelligence head Dumiso Dabengwa and disgruntled colleagues quit Zanu PF to revive PF Zapu ahead of the 2008 elections, apparently frustrated by Mugabe’s refusal to hand over power to a younger leader.

War veterans working with the opposition were disobeying Nkomo, Mugabe claimed.

“Yesterday he (Nkomo) was telling you to go to this area. So now that he is gone, you think as he is in the grave, he can now be disobeyed?

“So I am saying the war veterans, you fought one war against the enemy, whether you are Zipra or Zanla, come back and be where you belong, don’t get lost. Those (war veterans) are the ones who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command.

“They should never be disunited, they should be united, because the ideology that we based our struggle, whether we were friends with the Soviet Union or China it was the same. You settle your contradictions by sitting down and discussing.”

Dabengwa said he would consult with colleagues before responding to Mugabe’s appeal.
“I did not attend the event but some of us did and they will tell us what happened,” Dabengwa told the Bulawayo Chronicle.

“We cannot answer him (President) today. Remember, we did not leave Zanu PF as individuals but we left as a Zapu block. I therefore, cannot make that decision myself.”

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(CHATHAM HOUSE) Zimbabwe After the Elections: Domestic Economic Developments and Regional Impacts

COMMENT - MP Walter Mzembi in front of Chatham House

Zimbabwe After the Elections: Domestic Economic Developments and Regional Impacts
Friday 8 November 2013 12:30 to 13:30 GMT
Location
Chatham House, London

Hon Walter Mzembi, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Zimbabwe
Chair: Alex Vines, Research Director, Area Studies and International Law; Head, Africa Programme, Chatham House
Type: Research and other events

While international attention remains focused on the 2013 election process, fluctuations in the Zimbabwe stock exchange observed during the election period are beginning to settle and the government is increasingly looking towards attracting investors as a means of boosting economic growth in the country. This year Zimbabwe co-hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organization General Assembly. Tourism is expected to account for over eight per cent of the country's GDP over the next 10 years, and promoting tourism remains central to the government’s agenda.

Hon Walter Mzembi, a party member of ZANU-PF, will discuss Zimbabwe's regional cooperation on tourism and investment. He will also present his views on the investment climate and the prospects for political stability and economic growth after the elections.

Please note this event has been rescheduled from its original date of Wednesday 6 November.

For more information, please contact Chris Vandome

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(NYASATIMES) Blair’s governance group withdrawing work in Malawi
December 20, 2013 Nyasa Times Featured, National 28 comments

Former British Prime Minister Tonly Blair is considering to withdraw its services of his Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) for Malawi’s President Joyce Banda from early next year, Nyasa Times understands.

The charity has been working closely with the Malawi’s president since August last year.

“Three officials of the AGI who were working at State House have been communicated that they are packing up,” said a government insider.

Sources say the AGI staff in Lilongwe has reportedly flown to London to discuss with Blair their future.

AGI began working in Malawi following a visit from Blair who said he wanted to “put on record” his “admiration and respect” for Banda’s leadership and Malawi’s “exciting possibilities”.

The AGI’s team work directly with President Banda’s office to strengthen systems of government in the President’s office: focusing on building processes in the President’s Private Office and enhancing the office’s communications function.

President Banda has had the help of Blair’s AGI

Blair set up his African charity after leaving Downing Street in 2007. It offers governance advice to seven African countries including oil-rich Nigeria and Rwanda.

Recently, Blair’s role as adviser to President Banda raised questions after the British government froze aid to the country amid a growing corruption. That has seen billions of public funds looted in what has been christened as cash-gate.

A spokesman for Blair said that neither the former UK prime minister nor AGI had any idea of the corruption before it was made public in September.

“AGI focuses on government delivery – this is what we mean by governance,” he said in a statement.

“Our role is not political. We work on building the systems and structures to support better policy delivery. Like any other charity or organisation working on technical support, we are not party to everything that happens within the governments we work with.”

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Haabazoka urges Chikwanda not to dismiss windfall tax

By Kabanda Chulu
Sun 22 Dec. 2013, 14:01 CAT

DR Lubinda Haabazoka has urged finance minsiter Alexander chikwanda not to dismiss windfall tax. Disagreeing with Chikwanda's stance on windfall tax, Haabazoka said the government should not reject ideas on mining taxation because all citizens have a common goal to see national economic development.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Chikwanda said the government's programmes, including the reintroduction of the mining windfall taxes, could not be dictated by the feelings coming from the streets.

When asked what the government's position was on renewed calls to re-introduce the windfall taxes, Chikwanda said people were right to complain that the country was not getting its fair share from the mining sector, but that the government, however, had its own programme.

"We can't just have our programmes dictated by the feeling on the street, enlightened or unenlightened," he said.

Chikwanda said the government had its own plans to revise the mining taxation, taking into account the interests of the country as well as ensuring that the mines operate viably.

"The government in this situation is like a dairy farmer; if you want milk from a cow, you don't do things which will kill the cow because you will have no milk. You would want to invest in your cow or cows..., up the nutritional requirements, so that you can get more milk and possibly over an extended lactation period," he said.

"So the government has to do a serious balancing act. We can't just wake up and slap, say, 20 per cent or 30 per cent royalty tax on a little mine which in no time will go under; and if you are a mine like KCM - you employ 20,000 people, you put people on the street...The assurance, however, I can give the people of Zambia is that the government is alive to the issues relating to tax in the mining industry.

But Dr Haabazoka, the Copperbelt University academician, said everyone was entitled to their own opinions.

"I disagree with the minister on windfall tax because there is nothing wrong for people to call for windfall tax and government should not reject ideas because all of us have one common goal to see national economic development, whether one is for windfall tax or not," he said.
"Windfall tax is key in maximising revenue collection from the mines since it will tax super profits and if the mines make losses, then there will be nothing to tax but as we explore this route, we should also bring sanity to the mining sector by addressing the way profits are calculated, exports are declared and how production is monitored.

This way, we shall get meaningful results. Also government should understand the cost structures of the mines as they come up with taxation policies because operations at KCM can be different from that obtaining at Muliashi in Luanshya."

In 2008, under Levy Mwanawasa, the government introduced a windfall tax on base metals at a minimum rate of 25 per cent with a revenue projection of at least US$415 million per annum.

For copper, the windfall tax was pegged at 25 per cent at a price of US$2.50 per pound but below US$3.00 per pound, 50 per cent for the next 50 cents increase in price and 75 per cent above US$3.50 per pound.

But Rupiah Banda's government removed the windfall tax, claiming that it was 'hurting' the mining investments. And following the election of the PF into government, pressure from the civil society mounted for the re-introduction of the windfall tax. However, Chikwanda in 2011 said those calling for the re-introduction of the windfall tax were 'lunatics'.

And on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which raised concern over rising fiscal imbalances and lower reserve coverage, Dr Haabazoka, who is head of account and finance department in the School of Business at Copperbelt University, said the statement was timely and the government should move towards increasing reserves.

"The call by the IMF is valid, we need to build reserves by broadening the resource mobilisation, and actually, the culture of savings should not just be encouraged at homes but also at national level, we shouldn't just build two or three months import cover that is used on consumption," Dr Habazoka said.

"We shall have problems if not addressed because debt servicing is done in foreign currency, hence we need to create a stabilisation fund that can cushion unfavourable swings in copper prices or negative impacts in the global economy."

He also commended Chikwanda for proposing the wage freeze.

"Government is over-stretched and cannot afford to offer huge increments, especially that most public service workers got more than 100 per cent and these increments were not tallied to production but to removing imbalances and harmonisation of salaries; so the wage freeze will also help government to plan," said Dr Habazoka.

"And despite the proposed recruitment freeze on those directly on government pay roll, it doesn't mean government will not create employment but this will be done through the various infrastructure projects being undertaken countrywide."

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Chikwanda rejects 'street dictation'
By Gift Chanda, Chiwoyu Sinyangwe and Kabanda Chulu
Sat 21 Dec. 2013, 14:01 CAT

*** COMMENT - More lies from the mines. The mines would collapse because the Windfall Tax would make them 120% of profits? On the other hand, if FQM's cash costs are higher than $2,50 per lbs (below which the windfall tax is 0%), I would like to see them prove it, because the Cash Cost per lbs at KCM is $1,00 (which would leave the next $1,50 of profit completely untaxed). Cash Cost at Katanga Mining is $1,69 per pound. But FQM claims that their Cash Costs are over $2,50 per pound? Let them prove it. - MrK

And another thing - the last time the IMF 'advised' Edith Nawakwi that 'copper prices would not rise in her lifetime', they were dead wrong. When do they pay for being wrong? When will people stop listening to the IMF's 'advice'? - MrK ***

FINANCE minister Alexander Chikwanda says government programmes, including reintroduction of the mining windfall tax, cannot be dictated by the feelings coming from the streets.

When asked what the government's position was on renewed calls to re-introduce the windfall taxes, Chikwanda yesterday said people were right to complain that the country was not getting its fair share from the mining sector.

"However, the government has its own programme," Chikwanda told journalists.

"We can't just have our programmes dictated by the feeling on the street, enlightened or unenlightened."

He said the government had its own plans to revise the mining taxation, taking into account the interests of the country as well as ensuring that the mines operate viably.

"The government in this situation is like a dairy farmer; if you want milk from a cow, you don't do things which will kill the cow because you will have no milk. You would want to invest in your cow or cows..., up the nutritional requirements, so that you can get more milk and possibly over an extended lactation period," he said.

"So the government has to do a serious balancing act. We can't just wake up and slap, say, 20 per cent or 30 per cent royalty tax on a little mine which in no time will go under; and if you are a mine like KCM - you employ 20,000 people, you put people on the street."

He said the government had a responsibility to ensure that jobs in the mining sector are secured.
"The assurance, however, I can give the people of Zambia is that the government is alive to the issues relating to tax in the mining industry.

In 2008, under Levy Mwanawasa, the government introduced a windfall tax on base metals at a minimum rate of 25 per cent with a revenue projection of at least US$415 million per annum.
For copper, the windfall tax was pegged at 25 per cent at a price of US$2.50 per pound but below US$3.00 per pound, 50 per cent for the next 50 cents increase in price and 75 per cent above US$3.50 per pound.

But Rupiah Banda's government removed the windfall tax, claiming that it was 'hurting' the mining investments. And following the election of the PF into government, pressure from the civil society mounted for the re-introduction of the windfall tax. However, Chikwanda in 2011 said those calling for the re-introduction of the windfall tax were 'lunatics'.

And the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says there is need for better enforcement of existing taxing laws for the mining sector.

IMF resident representative for Zambia Tobias Rasmussen said there was also need to maintain policy consistence and stable investment environment in the mining sector.

"The tax regime for the mining sector is fairly standard for the industry," Rasmussen told journalists yesterday. "What is needed is better enforcement of the existing legislation. So, we would advise you go that route than changing legislation."

Rasmussen said the contribution of the mining sector to the overall local economy of Zambia was projected to rise as mining companies ramp up output and new mining projects come on stream.
"We are projecting that there will be an increase in mining revenues in the coming years," said Rasmussen.

"The two important reasons for this is that there will be increased production and some significant expansion underway which will increase production levels and that will also enhance the taxes to government. So, that is the way to approach the need for higher revenues is that area."

Meanwhile, mining industry experts have advised the government to devise an effective taxation policy that would ensure that a fair share of mineral wealth is distributed to local people.
And Chamber of Mines representative Kingsley Chinkuli says reintroduction of the windfall tax regime will be detrimental to the mining sector.

During a discussion on mining taxes hosted by the Economics Association of Zambia in Lusaka, economist Professor Oliver Saasa said the mines were a key component in the development of Zambia and people expected it to play a bigger role beyond the current scenario.

"But the mines are relatively lower players in the economy. While we may accuse the mines of failing to contribute sufficiently, we have also failed to establish effective structures, for instance, Ministry of Mines, Bank of Zambia, Central Statistics and ZRA have different figures and if our tax revenue collection is based on profits, then government should have accurate figures," said Prof Saasa.

"Our capacity is very weak and we have not done well to strengthen institutions that should monitor and get realistic revenue. Even with the windfall taxes, very few paid. Most of them resisted but since we lack capacity, even when we realise that we have been shortchanged, we still lack capacity to change things, so we need to put our house in order to get a fair share."
Financial expert Gilbert Chinyama said there was need to have research-based debates relating to economic governance of the country.

"Research organisations and other think-tanks should carry out studies and make their findings available for people to make informed comments on matters of the economy including the issues of windfall taxes," he said.

University of Zambia School of Mines lecturer Mathew Mpande said there were many forms of taxing the mines.

"There should be a balance between what the mines want and what the community wants but the current system which is being applied to the tax the mines is profit based and this is prone to abuse through tax avoidance, evasion and transfer pricing," said Dr Mpande.

"In India, they apply the expenditure based. I think it is very fair and Zambia should also tax the mines through this system. For example, when you look at the trucks that haul copper concentrates from Kansanshi to the smelters in Chingola, you realise that these are modern fleets of trucks, so tax the mines based on the expenditure they are making."

And Gen Chinkuli, who is also First Quantum Minerals country manager, said mines would collapse if the windfall tax was brought back.

"Mere attacks based on ignorance will not help the situation. The windfall tax is not the answer. If re-introduced, overall taxes for the mines will stand at 120 per cent, so meaningful consultation is needed to come up with a win-win situation," he said.

"FQM currently pays mineral royalty at six per cent on revenue, 30 per cent profit tax and 30 per cent variable tax also on profits. These are very high tax rates and if more taxes were to be added, then the mines will collapse."

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MMD and lies
By Editor
Sun 22 Dec. 2013, 14:00 CAT

"THE MMD thought telling lies was going to make them stay in power forever. But where are they now? It doesn't pay to cheat people because what goes around comes around. That's why as PF government, we will not engage in promising you what we shall not fulfil."

This is lands minister Harry Kalaba's diagnosis of what led to the MMD's "collapse". It is also a challenge to the Patriotic Front to be careful and very truthful in the promises it makes to the Zambian people. It is always better to promise less and give more.

And there's a beautiful teaching from Amilcar Cabral on this score: "Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories…"

We believe that we serve the cause of the other peoples to the extent to which we work well, to the extent to which we are sincere, to the extent to which we are honest, to the extent to which we have eradicated demagoguery and lying from politics and to the extent to which we have eliminated compromise and deceit.

It is good that Kalaba realises this and we hope his comrades in the leadership of the Patriotic Front see things the same way. This is very important because that is precisely what the radical changes they are trying to push through consist of: bring about a radical change in society, not only hitting those "upstairs" - the powerful, the abusers - but effecting a change, hitting them also in their vices, of which compromise, lying and deceit were among the most characteristic.

This is a challenge to the cheap politicians of every ilk who are every day telling lies to have the courage, just once in their lives, just once in all their history, to tell our people a single truth.

Why didn't the lies of the MMD win acceptance? They failed to win acceptance simply because those lies did not answer the great desires of the masses of our people; they did not answer to the needs of the masses of our people.

What the Patriotic Front said or promised won acceptance simply because those ideas, those truths answered the great desires of our people; they answered the needs of the masses. And that is why all the lies of the MMD began to crumble; all their lies were slowly defeated by the overwhelming advance of the Patriotic Front's ideas which represented the interests of the masses of our people.

Of course, in that struggle, everyone took a position. Not everyone was won over to the Patriotic Front's ideas. This is a process which cannot be cut short. This is a process in which opinions and the different sections of the nation cannot be sliced neatly because it is a very complicated one. It would be necessary to analyse why some reacted in one way and others in another.

And there were some who held opinions which were not in accord with their own interests. There were people of the poor, humble sectors of our nation so confused by lies that they reacted against their own interests.

All these realities marked a struggle; they marked a struggle between the ideas of the Patriotic Front and the lies and deceit of the MMD. Which ideas came out victorious? The ideas of the Patriotic Front were victorious; the ideas of the masses came out victorious; the new truths came out victorious. All lies, all falsehoods, all hypocrisy were defeated.

Does this mean that the struggle has ended? No, the struggle has not ended. The struggle assumes very different forms, very subtle forms at times.

We feel that any citizen may have made a mistake at any given moment, but then he may make great and extraordinary efforts to vindicate himself. Nobody claims that what is being done is perfect no matter how much effort we devote to trying to make things turn out in the best possible way. Only life itself will be able to tell us where the shortcomings are and which aspects or details leave something to be desired. But we should always be able to improve the instruments we have established.

The MMD told too many lies about themselves and others. They lied about who they were and about what others were. They lived in a world of lies and got to a point where they started believing their own lies. And they don't seem to be changing. They have continued on the same path of deceit and lies about themselves and others. They can't even value themselves at their true worth. And because of this, they are not able to value others at their true worth. Today they are even dreaming about Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Rupiah Banda weighing the same on the scale of respect and dignity!

They lied about so many things when they were in government. They told the Zambian people that if they voted for Michael Sata, there would be chaos in the nation, there would be war and men will be marrying other men, women other women! Their lies seem to have caught up with them.
They lied even about us. They accused us of so many things. And today, they have difficulties abandoning their lies even in the light of all truths. Look at their lies about us owing the Development Bank of Zambia billions! Look at their lies about us relying on Michael Sata to protect us from paying the billions they claim we owe the Development Bank of Zambia! There was a Supreme Court judgment last week on some aspects of this issue. Look at how they are trying to play them down!

This is how liars live. The truth crushes them. And to survive, they have to continue telling more and more lies, piling up one lie on top of another. How else can they explain their earlier lies if not with more lies? How can they today explain the lies they told about Michael if not with new lies?

As Kalaba correctly observes, they are today "reaping what they had sowed". In Bemba, they say ubufi bulaya nokubwela!

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Mumba a liar - Sata

By Bivan Saluseki and Abel Mboozi
Sun 22 Dec. 2013, 14:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says MMD leader Nevers Mumba is a liar. Earlier yesterday, Mumba told journalists that President Sata wanted him jailed at all costs and that he was ready for that. And Mumba has demanded that President Sata immediately calls for a general election in order to resolve the expensive venture of unbudgeted-for by-elections.

Mumba said he was ready to face any verdict in his contempt case tomorrow.

"When I go to court on Monday, I am going there knowing fully well that God is a God of justice, and God is the One who is going to make sure that what needs to happen, happens. But we also know that there are probably those that would like to continue to impress some kind of force on the Judiciary," he said.

"I had to react briefly when I was out of the country three weeks ago, when I amazingly received a surprise phone call from the President Sata and he told me that he had heard that when I become president I would put him in jail, and he warned me that he had power to put me in jail now and the phone cut. Now of course I called my colleagues to ask what that meant, and you know some of the reports we receive as to what is happening or what was happening at State House, concerning some cases, one would start to wonder whether he President Sata was saying that in a position of trying to do something. But we are ready."

Mumba said the job he was involved in was a hazardous one but he was ready to pay the price that came with his role.

"And so we will face this situation. On Monday I am going there. I know that there has been a lot of pressure that I have heard that the President really wants me arrested and jailed, even going by that telephone call, he really wants that. But I believe there are people there in the Judiciary, I believe myself that there are men and women in the Judiciary that are there because God has sent them there and they are going to continue what is right not just for my case, but for the cases of many Zambians that have gone to those highest court for justice," he said.

"I have faith and confidence that there are men and women there that are continuing and will continue to do the right thing."
Mumba said there were allegations that the President had met some people from the Judiciary trying to impress them to enter certain judgments against certain people.

"We hope that's not true but we have that information and we had it as late as last night (Friday), that these things are manoeuvres that are happening," claimed Mumba.

But President Sata, who spoke through his press aide George Chellah, said it was irresponsible for an opposition leader from a former ruling party to launch an unwarranted attack on the Judiciary.

"It is also highly reckless for a man who has a contempt case to commit further contempt," he said.

President Sata said the Judiciary and not the Executive had summoned Mumba.

He said Mumba should advance his innocence in a court of law and not the court of public opinion.

"He is engaging in anarchy," President Sata said.

On Mumba's allegations of threats, President Sata said he was saddened with Mumba's twisting of the truth.

"It saddens me that we have to be debating the truth with the so-called man of God. It seems Dr Mumba is allergic to the truth. He seems to have a problem narrating events in the manner they happen," he said.
President Sata said Mumba had exaggerated the phone conversation they had.

He said Mumba had asked him that he had been trying to reach out and he even gave the MMD leader his private line.

President Sata said he had wanted to promote the spirit of dialogue and he responded well by telling Mumba that he was free to call him any time.

"It's a pity that he has twisted the conversation which he initiated," he said.

President Sata said Mumba should strive to tell the truth.
"Matters of lies and truths should never be part of any conversation involving pastors," he said.

President Sata said Mumba should handle his case in court with respect instead of politicising the matter.

"He has a very fictional mind, a very imaginative one.I think he fits to be doing Hollywood scripts because his ability to narrate events that never took place is shocking," he said.

President Sata said Mumba should not drag the presidency in his contempt case because he had nothing to do with it.

President Sata said at a time when the festive season is about giving, reconciliation, love and compassion, Mumba had decided to give Zambians a gift of lies and deceit.

Last month, Mumba told the Supreme Court that sending him to prison in a case he was cited for contempt of court would be like sending the entire MMD membership to jail.

The Supreme Court is tomorrow expected to deliver judgment in a matter where Mumba is cited for contempt of court in connection with remarks he made on the nullification of Dora Siliya's Petauke Central seat.
On the need to hold a general election, Mumba told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that the MMD would do whatever was within its power to force the PF to call an early poll.

"There is an insatiable appetite for by-elections by the PF government to the extent that the President is willing to miss international events like the funeral of late Nelson Mandela and go on a campaign trail in Vubwi," he said.

Mumba said in the ongoing fight to deplete the opposition numbers in Parliament, the PF had induced six resignations from the MMD.
"Our assumption is that they are also expected to suffer the same fate. This brings the total number of targeted MPs by PF to 33 from the MMD. This development is the first of its kind since independence, where the government recklessly destroys democratic institutions and spends money we don't have to support a programme that destroys democracy and reduces the effectiveness of the government in power. This attack on the Legislature must be resisted and stopped by all of us," he said.
On MMD bouncing back to power, Mumba said it would be mischievous for its opponents to state that it would not manage to get back to power.

"They are being mischievous for three reasons; firstly, our two years out of government have helped us to do a soul search why Zambians set us aside for a while. We have brutally analysed the perceptions we had created, which enraged the Zambian people and have learnt our lesson, never to repeat those mistakes. Secondly, we have also learnt from the glaring mistakes of the PF and have resolved never ever to take Zambians for granted," he said.

Mumba also demanded that mealie-meal prices be slashed, subsidies on agriculture and fuel be reinstated, the constitution-making process be completed and a referendum be held.

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Handouts bad for people - Milanzi

By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sun 22 Dec. 2013, 14:00 CAT

KACHERE Development Programme director Father Dennis Milanzi says handouts have negative repercussions on the people.

Officiating at a KDP training workshop on agro forestry and conservation agriculture in senior chief Nzamane's Chipungo area on Wednesday, Fr Milanzi who is also Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia vicar-general, said it was unfortunate that some people do not work hard and only depend on handouts.

He said KDP would empower people in its operational area for them to become self reliant.
Fr Milanzi said there was need for people to embark on a behaviour change in agriculture.

He encouraged people to embrace conservation agriculture.
Fr Milanzi said people should change their attitude towards trees, adding that humans have contributed to the change of climate.

"I know that up to now, we are complaining about the delay of the rains, but somehow we have contributed to this delay. We have destroyed trees and this has contributed to the climate change that we experience today. You will be given tree seedlings by KDP and you are expected to plant these trees that are currently on the nursery," he said.

Fr Milanzi also informed the people about the programmes that KDP would embark on next year with support from donors.

He said people should bear in mind that development could only be done by the people who need it.

And Leniah Nyirenda of Chifuniro Women Project who also attended the workshop said many people had learnt the importance of trees after attending the two-day workshop which ended yesterday.

Nyirenda appealed to KDP to continue training the local people in various areas.


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(GLOBALRESEARCH) “Blood Diamonds” and Israel’s Diamond Export Industry

By Sean Clinton
Global Research, December 20, 2013

Self-regulation has failed; civil society must act to end the trade in all blood diamonds. In November, members of the Kimberley Process (KP), meeting in plenary in South Africa, squandered what was probably their last good opportunity to ban the sale of all blood diamonds, including cut and polished blood diamonds which are an important source of funding for the nuclear armed regime in Israel which stands accused of the crime of apartheid, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The governments with a vested interest in the diamond industry, that set up and control the KP, failed to amend the definition of a “conflict diamond” which is restricted to “rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments”. All other diamonds associated with human rights violations evade the KP regulations.

The failure was well flagged in advance as key stakeholders, including South Africa which chaired the KP in 2013, had voiced opposition to reforms that would broaden the remit of the KP to embargo diamonds associated with human rights violations by government forces.

Some jewellers refuse to sell diamonds sourced in the Marange area of Zimbabwe where government forces are reported to have killed 200 miners. However, most if not all, of the worlds leading jewellers sell diamonds processed in Israel where the industry generates about $1 billion annually for the Israeli military which is guilty of grievous human rights violations in Palestine .

With the KP chair passed to China for 2014, and Angola in line for 2015, no one believes they will implement the changes necessary to ban the trade in all blood diamonds.

Corporate Posturing

Corporate social responsibility statements – the moral beacons of wannabe ethically progressive companies – amount to little more than window-dressing unless they are supported by rigorous enforcement. No amount of charitable support for a company’s favourite worthy causes can mitigate, directly or indirectly, providing a revenue stream for rogue regimes guilty of gross human rights violations.

Anglo American plc owns 85% of De Beers making it one of the worlds leading diamond companies with interests at all stages of the supply pipe from mining to retail. De Beers promote their own “Forevermark” diamonds many of which are crafted in Israel . Their promotional literature claims “Forevermark is committed to upholding the highest business, social and environmental standards and practices across its and its partners businesses”.

Anglo American’s Sustainable Development Policy stipulates that suppliers are expected to uphold “fundamental human rights and fair labour practices, in line with internationally recognised standards”. Suppliers must also

“oppose corruption, bribery, fraud…. and must not tolerate any form of money laundering or participate in other illegal incentives in business”.

Despite this, De Beers continues to sell diamonds crafted in Israel even though the Israeli diamond industry is notorious for discrimination in the workplace against non-Jews – a fact confirmed by data from the Israeli Bureau of Statistics and a recent government-funded initiative to encourage ultra-Orthodox Jews to take up employment in the diamond industry without a similar initiative for non-Jews. Furthermore, although authorities uncovered the “world’s largest illegal bank”, involving fraudulent trading worth billions of shekels, in the Israeli Diamond Exchange in 2012, Anglo American continues trading with Israeli diamond companies.

Anglo American’s failure to abide by their own standards exposes their hypocrisy – a double-standard that permeates the jewellery industry when it comes to blood diamonds from Israel .

The Steinmetz Diamond Group, one of Tiffany’s biggest suppliers and a “unique partner” of Sotheby’s Diamonds, through the Steinmetz Foundation, funds and supports a Unit of the Givati Brigade of the Israeli military. The Givati Brigade is guilty of the massacre of at least 21 members of the Samouni family in Gaza – a war crime documented by the UNHRC and other human rights organisations.

Other world-leading jewellers including Harry Winston, Cartier, Ritani, Blue Nile, Zales, Brilliant Earth, Graff Diamonds, Chow Tai Fook, Chopard and many more, sell diamonds from Israel which are tarnished with Palestinian blood – one of the most recent victim being a 15 year old child, Wajih Wajdi al-Ramahi, shot in the back and killed by the Givati Brigade on 7th December. He was the 26th Palestinian to be killed by the Israeli military this year.

The imperative for all businesses to respect human rights and ensure their business relationships are not contributing to adverse human rights impacts is a well established tenet affirmed in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Global Compact, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The fact that the diamond industry, which accounted for 31.2% of Israel ’s manufacturing exports in 2011, is a very significant source of revenue for the regime in Israel means jewellers that sell diamonds processed in Israel help fund the commission of war crimes and suspected crimes against humanity.

Shareholders of companies that sell diamonds linked to atrocities and bloodshed are exposed to financial and legal hazard. The fraudulent misrepresentation of such diamonds as conflict-free leaves jewellers open to challenge by patrons angered by the fact that diamonds they purchased in good faith are de-facto blood diamonds. Companies complicit in human rights violations may be liable for reparations, which, in the case of victims of Israeli violence in Palestine , could amount to billions of dollars.

Despite Israel ’s record as a serial human rights offender and it’s nuclear weapons stockpile which it refuses to submit to international regulation, the leaders of the global diamond industry continue to give Israel refuge in the KP tent.

Consumer power

If consumers are to have confidence in the ethical credentials of diamonds civil society needs to regain the initiative. This can be done by putting the jewellery industry under the spotlight and demanding that jewellers guarantee the diamonds they sell are not a source of funding for, or in any way associated with, serious human rights violations – i.e. they are not blood diamonds.

As cut and polished blood diamonds from Israel legally enter the diamond market in vast quantities (50% of the US market), diamond buyers should demand to know where a diamond was sourced, cut and polished if they want to avoid buying a blood diamond.

Diamond buyers should not allow jewellers to fob them off with assurances about “conflict diamonds” – the sacrificial offering which only encompasses rough diamonds that fund rebel violence against legitimate governments. This distracts from, and blinds consumers to, the extensive trade in cut and polished blood diamonds which continues unchecked and largely unreported by media.

“Ethically sourced” are some of the buzz words hammered into the conscience of diamond buyers. Rough diamonds at source represent but a small fraction of the value of the cut and polished diamonds sold by jewellers. Ethically sourced diamonds can still be blood diamonds if revenue they generate after sourcing is used to fund human rights violations. “The “ethically sourced” pitch is a scam – it offers zero protection from blood diamonds.

Another example of the duplicity of the jewellery industry is the widespread abuse of the term conflict-free. This is part of a bogus System of Warranties introduced by the World Diamond Council which allows sellers to self-certify diamonds as conflict-free based on the fact that they are in compliance with the discredited Kimberley Process which gives legal cover to blood diamonds that fund government forces.

Sean Clinton is a human rights activists from Ireland with a particular interest in Israel/Palestine and the role diamonds play in funding the Zionist project in Palestine . He has authored several articles about the double-standard in the diamond industry which facilitates the trade in cut and polished blood diamonds.

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MMD wants Rupiah treated the same way as KK
By Kombe Mataka
Fri 20 Dec. 2013, 14:01 CAT

NEVERS Mumba says MMD expects Rupiah Banda to be accorded the same respect as Dr Kenneth Kaunda. But PF national youth chairman Chishimba Kambwili says it seems opening the mouth and issuing media statements is one of Mumba's preoccupation even when what he is discussing is not making any sense.

Mumba, who is MMD leader, accused the PF and some media organisations of persecuting, oppressing and demonising former president Banda, a tendency which he said MMD had vowed to fight and win.

Mumba alleged, in a statement issued by his party secretariat, that PF had found it fashionable to harass Banda, through derogatory statements spearheaded by several leaders.

He said the party condemned the unprovoked abuse of Banda.
"The culture of demonising and persecuting former presidents is retrogressive and takes away from the dignity and sanctity of the Office of President," Mumba said.

"We take great exception to such behaviour by the PF government. MMD back in government shall end once and for all this divisive tendency of persecuting and humiliating former heads of state. We expect the same respect being given to former president Kenneth Kaunda to be extended to president Rupiah Banda. The double standards are unacceptable and as a party, we are determined to fight this oppression until we win."
Mumba called for a reconciliatory spirit from leaders as that seen in the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.

"This is time to build our nation and emulate countries like South Africa that have respected the former leaders of their countries including the apartheid leaders who oppressed the black people of South Africa," he said.

Mumba also castigated some media houses, which he did not name, of having resolved to fight Banda.

"We are deeply disappointed by some media houses that have resolved to amputate the peace and love we have enjoyed as a nation over the years. By targeting former president Banda with sustained abuse, we are weakening our bond of unity as a nation. We must emulate the Mandela spirit of seeking reconciliation rather than ugliness," he said in apparent reference to The Post, which has been running stories concerning Banda.

Mumba further said that such media houses should spend their resources on issues that would unite the nation and not petty issues of personal battles that would not improve the quality of life of the people.

"President Banda, like any Zambian should be free to express concern on any matter that affects Zambian people. This is not the definition of being involved in politics. Every Zambian must comment on any issue of concern as a way of expressing one's freedom of expression, which is enshrined in our constitution," said Mumba.

But Kambwili said it was even a waste of time for anyone to respond to such unsubstantiated allegations.

"Just tell him that there are more pertinent issues to talk about, not things that do not exist. I personally have a lot of respect for the former president Mr Rupiah Banda, who I have met at different fora and places where I have accorded him the respect that he deserves," Kambwili said.

"The problem with Nevers Mumba is that he always wants to be in the newspaper. He doesn't even analyse what he wants to talk about. I mean the mere fact the former president is in court doesn't mean he has been demeaned and I think I will not dwell much on the issues that are in court but I think honorable Rupiah Banda has been given a chance and opportunity to defend himself in the courts."

Kambwili said Banda, like any other former leader, was invited to every state function at State House and that it was always up to him to attend or decline.

"We invited him and flew together to Gabon (Africa Cup) together with Kaunda to Gabon. It shows we respect him. So Mumba is talking about things which don't exist. Mumba thinks talking is what will make him popular, but he talks about wrong things."

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