LETTERS

Zambian emeralds
By Chisakulo E.K,Kitwe
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

The Business Post (13/02/07) covered a short story on Gemfields Resources Plc revealing a rise in sales revenue to US1m worth of emeralds produced from their mine.

This is one of the few companies in our gemstone mining sector which is transparent enough to disclose information and probably uphold the principles of corporate governance through disclosure (reporting productive activities to authorities).

Zambia has some of the best emeralds in the world, and yet there are no benefits accrued from these gemstone mining activities because this sector is characterised by players (mostly foreigners) who are busy draining the country of the much-needed foreign exchange earnings. This is a sector we could rely on in the event that the base metal (copper) prices plummet.
The aspect of value addition and beneficiation for the emeralds has been acknowledged by the government as evidenced in the setting up of the gemstone processing and lapidary training centre in Ndola.

However, the government needs to go further by strengthening the legislative and regulatory framework for the gemstone mining sector. This should ensure that there is enhanced reporting on productive activities as well as enforcement of marketing measures to check foreigners who have for a long time dominated illegal marketing activities of the Zambian emeralds.

The mining footprints left in Kafubu block cannot be matched with the contemptible US dollar figures officially declared to the government considering the highly priced nature of the Zambian emeralds abstracted. It is not too late for the government to curb repatriation of revenue from our country by some of these underground economic activities.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23927

Road project in Mbala
By Godfrey Mambwe
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

I want to commend the government's efforts in spear-heading the project to tar several short-distance roads within Mbala township. The project, which is still in its initial stage has indeed been long overdue.

It is hoped that the project, which has raised a great deal of anxiety and expectations, will not eventually be a white elephant. We have witnessed certain projects commence and later on abandoned because someone somewhere has not been responsible, or did not closely watch the vultures that take advantage of public funds. Otherwise, the recent development in Mbala township is rather progressive and the beginning of more good things to come. What is rural development if these critical issues of development are not taken into account by the government? Bravo the government!

However, I must be quick also to express my disappointment at the failure to consider tarring the road leading up to Mbala General Hospital. This institution should have been critical during the planning. While it is true that this project has a specific budget, failure to make this inclusion is on indication of little or no value being attached to this great institution.

I mean, who does not know how inhuman it is to drive patients, particularly maternal cases from long distances, on these bad roads that are within the hospital vicinity? It is never too late to consider how well this important institution can be serviced in terms of road infrustracture.

Many other roads in Mbala still remain in bad state and almost impassable especially at this time of the year. I implore our councillors, the MP and the authorities that be to rise to the occasion and seriously consider road infrastructure as issues of development.



http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23922

Corrupt deeds
By Fred Mubanga
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

My heart bleeds every time I read or see destruction of the so-called illegal structures. Desperate poor people who have no connections to the powers that be end up buying land from wrong people.

The government and local authorities can handle the matter in a more respectable and humane manner. It takes years to erect a structure and our authorities took minutes to bring them down.
Let’s be concerned with the 80 per cent poor Zambians especially when we read that leaders declare billions for themselves.

Posterity will judge them and remember that the Bible declares is what we sow what we shall reap.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23920

Let's support Levy
By Christopher Sichinga
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

I read, last Friday, about former lands minister, Kapijimpanga’s message to the President with great disappointment. Disappointed in the sense that she should have properly advised His Excellency the President on such matters. It is, however, gratifying that the President responded well to her letter.

We must support such progressive leadership. For once we should salute the President for his uprightness in the way he handled this matter. I hope the other political leaders will learn something from the President's action.

I must end by advising the leadership privileged to be close to the President to stop unnecessarily putting pressure on the President but provide support to him in line with his vision of zero tolerance on corruption.



http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23924

Finance Bank management
By Banker
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

I am disappointed with the response by Finance Bank Management on the leakage of information on the President's personal account published in The Post of Thursday March 15, 2007. In the article in question, the bank management appears to be blaming Sata for the leakage

I would like to remind Finance Bank management that politics is a game of mud and stone slinging to gain mileage. In this case, Sata being a politician, he will use any useful information he stumbles upon to expose his opponents for his political gain.

Instead of blaming Sata, Finance Bank management should blame the mole within the system who leaked the information. Banking ethics demand that information on customers' accounts must be jealously guarded and should not be availed to any person not authorised to have such information. This goes to show that their system has been infiltrated.



http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23925

Corruption in job deployment
By Temwani
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

I want to air my views in your well renowned paper. The nation really appreciates your vigorous approach towards wiping out corruption in government and public organisations.

However, I have noticed that not much has been said about corruption in job deployment. You may wish to know that there are a lot of qualified and vibrant young Zambians out there who are unemployed not because they are unqualified, but because they don’t know the 'big guns' in these organisations.

I believe it is only your paper which can bail out these unfortunate young men and women. Nowadays , there is even a saying 'Uziba ndani?’ If you don't know the right people in the right organisations, you can apply for one million jobs and not be shortlisted for any of them even though you meet the requirements.

Please, away from the politics and confrontations, we are appealing to you to expose the corrupt human resource personnel in some of these government, quasi government and private institutions. You will be amazed how much nepotism, tribalism and 'Uziba ndani' exists in this country.

This is a time bomb which will have a very bad impact in future. Please help this nation have the right people in the right positions, on merit. It seems job adverts are now just a formality. Investigate and you will find the truth.
Concerned youth




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23904

Corruption investigations
By Concerned citizen
Friday March 16, 2007 [02:00]

I want to air my views on the ongoing land issues bordering on corruption. It is hard to understand what corruption is.

To start with I would like to refer you to the editorial comment several days ago which stated that it was not enough to fire or suspend officials at lands to curb corruption,

The law on allocation of land should be revisited because I am made to believe that there is no procedure that any commissioner has been following which is law from time immemorial, so I am wondering what these investigations are being bordered on.

The President is a lawyer who best understands these issues, he shouldn’t just wake up and make decisions to seal the ministry and fight corruption. What is it that those officials at the ministry have done today that has not been done by others before and will continue being done?

Mwanawasa himself should be investigated as well, the evidence is there at lands which I am sure those aggrieved officials are willing to give especially that it is seen as a crime for Nyirongo and Sichone’s families.

The President should put his house in order before he can sacrifice some unfortunate officals. Let justice not discriminate. We all know that there is so much political influence at that ministry so let a new law be put in place because others have been corrupt and will continue being corrupt with the current situation.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23929

Sata and Mugabe
By JJ, Lusaka
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

It is interesting to recollect after having sensed victory in the just-ended elections, Michael Sata declared that he wanted Robert Mugabe to be the guest of honour at his inaugration. He had in fact hitherto declared Mugabe his hero.

Consequently, I would be interested to learn from Sata what he thinks of the brutality unleashed recently by Zimbabwe security forces on Mugabe’s political opponents. Morgan Tsvangirai's sorry state was seen by all around the world which would make one conclude that only barbarians are capable of such savagery. So Sata and Scott, is Mugabe still your hero?


http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23921

African democracy
By Clergyman
Saturday March 17, 2007 [02:00]

I could not believe my eyes when I saw on BBC news how the law enforcers beat up the Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his supporters.

This kind of politics is discrediting the little efforts African countries are making to bring about democracy not only as a show to the West but unto ourselves as Africans. Such acts are barbaric, retrogressive and unpalatable in modern times. First it was the farms and now Mugabe and his minions have turned the heat on their own fellow countrymen and women.

Mugabe, should not forget that at one time he was a refugee and he certainly knows how it feels to be oppressed. The freedoms that he fought for whilst in exile are the freedoms he must uphold in a once progressive stable Zimbabwe, which lies in tatters now with inflation running at almost 1, 700 per cent.

Therefore, he must not take them (freedoms) away from his people. No wonder they say the oppressed can turn out to be the worst oppressors and we are definitely seeing it with Mugabe. What is happening now in Zimbabwe is basically apartheid rule except that this time around its blacks oppressing blacks and some pockets of whites still leaving in there. Mugabe must not hide behind the veil of sovereignty of the country. Human rights are human rights and their violation anywhere on the globe must be condemned outrightly.

This is also the time for the African Union (AU) to rise to the occassion; challenge and condemn what is happening in Zimbabwe. I thought the transformation from OAU to AU would bring about tough measures not only to coup plotters but to governments that take freedoms away from their people. We fought apartheid with one voice despite South Africa being a soveriegn state. Why? because our brothers and sister were suffering. Why can’t we do the same with this oppressive old man.

If the latest agenda for the AU to form a 'United States of Africa' in the future is to become a reality, we must already start getting serious with oppressive regimes all over africa to realise the 'USA' dream.

Let’s not treat such regimes with kid gloves and show that the AU means business, and nothing else and that the change of name was not about wearing a new overcoat with old characteristics.
I urge Mugabe to take a leaf from Mandela's words when he came out of prison: "I have come out of prison to liberate both the oppressed (blacks) and the oppressors (whites)" (Long Walk to Freedom).

Mugabe, you were liberated in exile, you liberated your country now it’s time and the hour has come for you to liberate your own people, period! Africa twa sebana pafula!