Maravi

Rupiah has failed to inspire miners – MUZ

COMMENT - With 58,000 miners nationwide, 11,000 or 19% of them losing their jobs, the neoliberal MMD lie that foreign mining companies must be attracted at all cost, because 'they will bring jobs' sounds very hollow. This is the time to start creating jobs in agriculture and manufacturing, and tax the heck out of the mines. Capitalizing the economy is the ONLY reason for the mines, not bringing jobs.

Rupiah has failed to inspire miners – MUZ
By Zumani Katasefa and Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Sat 07 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

MINE Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) secretary general Oswell Munyenyembe has said that President Rupiah Banda has failed to inspire and impress miners in the past one-year he has been in office. In an interview, Munyenyembe said MUZ had not been impressed with President Banda's performance.

"As miners, we are not impressed with President Banda's performance for the one year that he has been in office. This government could have avoided the job loses that had taken place in the mining sector, or just reduced on the number that lost jobs. We had about 11,000 miners losing jobs," said Munyenyembe.

He said the government had allowed foreign mine investors to bring in expatriates while letting Zambians lose jobs.

Munyenyembe said there was no need for the MMD government to withdraw the windfall tax when Zambians were literally not benefiting from the copper proceeds.

"Government withdrew the windfall tax when the roads in our townships are bad. In Chingola where we have the largest mining company (Konkola Copper Mines) the roads are very bad. Look at Mufulira, Kitwe and Chambishi, the roads are impassable," complained Munyenyembe.

He advised President Banda's government to listen to people's complaints if he was to be accepted by all Zambians.

"President Banda should listen to the people. If he does not listen, the MMD will lose the 2011 elections," he said.
Meanwhile, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Copperbelt region coordinator Jurita Mutale has observed that there is a lot more that President Banda could have done during his one-year stay in office.

Mutale said although one year was not long enough to give a fair assessment of someone's performance, she believed that President Banda could have achieved more by providing the necessary leadership since he was just carrying over already planned programmes.

Mutale cited the prolonged strikes in the health and education sectors as incidences that could have been avoided had President Banda provided the needed leadership.

She noted that the strike, especially in the health sector, impacted negatively on the rights of women and children.

"In terms of maternity, we heard and saw how women were giving birth from outside because there were no medical personnel to attend to them. So for me, we need to reflect and evaluate on what had happened and what had not happened and chart the way forward," she said.

"For education, the strike made us lose out on time which called for doubling of efforts by both teachers and pupils in order to catch up. So really, all these issues are hinging on His Excellency's leadership. You may have a plan but you need a leader. Leadership is about being focused, motivating the people you are leading, being innovative, understanding, accommodating and able to analyse issues."

Mutale said there was need for the government to set its priorities in a focused manner. She said in terms of gender issues, a lot more still needed to be done although there was already a gender ministry in place.
She said there was need for the government to tell the public how many women managed to access the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEC) and those that failed out of the total number that applied.

Labels: MUZ, OSWELL MUNYENYEMBE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 12:11 AM