'Don't let chickens and cowards sell Africa'
MMANALEDI MATABOGE & MATUMA LETSOALO MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA - Jun 17 2011 14:24
The ANC Youth League received strong support from its African allies for its radical economic reform policies on the second day of its national congress in Midrand’s Gallagher Estate on Saturday.
Leaders of youth organisations from several African countries voiced support for the league, particularly on its position on land restitution and the nationalisation of mines.
ANCYL conference: Our predictions
Ahead of the upcoming ANC Youth League elections, M&G deputy editor-in-chief Rapule Tabane looks back at the last elections and tells us what we can expect this time around.
More videos
Deputy secretary-general of the Pan African Youth Union (PYU), Tendai Wenyika, set the tone with a fiery address, speaking out against “imperialism” and “neo-colonialism”.
The PYU is an African Union organ. Wenyika is also a leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF Youth.
Wenyika’s speech re-energised the congress delegates who rose to their feet to applaud her position on African youth.
However, a small group aligned to Gauteng youth league chairperson Lebogang Maile protested their disapproval when Wenyika appeared to endorse Julius Malema ahead of the’ nomination and election of the youth league’s top five officials, which was set to take place later in the day.
“This congress comes at a time when imperialism has raised its ugly head again,” she told delegates. Young people should not allow Africa to be sold out “for the love of sugar”, she added, to thunderous applause.
She blamed the continent’s leaders for allowing France to assist Côte d'Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara in claiming the country's presidency from former president Laurent Gbagbo.
“In Ivory Coast [Côte d'Ivoire], imperialism was allowed to reign, by our African heads of state,” said Wenyika.
Both Ouattara and Gbagbo claimed victory after last year’s election, but Ouattara was widely recognised by the African and international community as the victor, on the basis of reports by EU election monitors.
Wenyika’s views were in line with Malema’s statements on Thursday that African leaders, in particular South Africa, embraced a “puppet of the French” and sent a government delegation to his inauguration.
Wenyika advised congress delegates to choose leaders properly: “Let us not allow chickens and cowards to reign, who are going to sell Africa.”
Namibia’s Elijah Ngururi of Swapo Youth supported the ANC and its youth wing’s call for a media tribunal.
“We should listen to the media that we are in charge of,” Ngururi added.
He also congratulated the ANC Youth League for “articulating” the need for economic freedom in the country, saying the league under Malema had been vocal on behalf of all young people.
Ludwig Hlordze, the youth leader for Ghana's National Democratic Congress, said young people were faced with a new form of a struggle, the economic freedom that the youth league is fighting for.
'We're behind you, Julius'
“The history of Africa cannot be written without the ANC Youth League. Julius, Africa will continue to support you to make sure that the mineral resources of our continent remain here,” said Hlordze.
His views were shared by the leader of the Zanu-PF Youth, Kudzani Chipanga.
“Political independence without mineral resources is hollow and useless,” said Chipanga.
Ghana’s Hlordze said it was about time Africa developed its own systems to mine and refine its mineral resources.
The continent’s youth leaders showered Malema with gifts, with Ghana presenting an Arch, a symbol to mark the country’s independence.
Ghana became the first African country to attain independence in 1957 under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah and has been widely hailed as a good example of an African democracy.
The ANC Youth League congress continues until Sunday in Midrand outside Johannesburg
Labels: IVORY COAST, JULIUS MALEMA, MINING, NATIONALISATION, NEOLIBERALISM
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'Don't let chickens and cowards sell Africa'
MMANALEDI MATABOGE & MATUMA LETSOALO MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA - Jun 17 2011 14:24
The ANC Youth League received strong support from its African allies for its radical economic reform policies on the second day of its national congress in Midrand’s Gallagher Estate on Saturday.
Leaders of youth organisations from several African countries voiced support for the league, particularly on its position on land restitution and the nationalisation of mines.
ANCYL conference: Our predictions
Ahead of the upcoming ANC Youth League elections, M&G deputy editor-in-chief Rapule Tabane looks back at the last elections and tells us what we can expect this time around.
More videos
Deputy secretary-general of the Pan African Youth Union (PYU), Tendai Wenyika, set the tone with a fiery address, speaking out against “imperialism” and “neo-colonialism”.
The PYU is an African Union organ. Wenyika is also a leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF Youth.
Wenyika’s speech re-energised the congress delegates who rose to their feet to applaud her position on African youth.
However, a small group aligned to Gauteng youth league chairperson Lebogang Maile protested their disapproval when Wenyika appeared to endorse Julius Malema ahead of the’ nomination and election of the youth league’s top five officials, which was set to take place later in the day.
“This congress comes at a time when imperialism has raised its ugly head again,” she told delegates. Young people should not allow Africa to be sold out “for the love of sugar”, she added, to thunderous applause.
She blamed the continent’s leaders for allowing France to assist Côte d'Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara in claiming the country's presidency from former president Laurent Gbagbo.
“In Ivory Coast [Côte d'Ivoire], imperialism was allowed to reign, by our African heads of state,” said Wenyika.
Both Ouattara and Gbagbo claimed victory after last year’s election, but Ouattara was widely recognised by the African and international community as the victor, on the basis of reports by EU election monitors.
Wenyika’s views were in line with Malema’s statements on Thursday that African leaders, in particular South Africa, embraced a “puppet of the French” and sent a government delegation to his inauguration.
Wenyika advised congress delegates to choose leaders properly: “Let us not allow chickens and cowards to reign, who are going to sell Africa.”
Namibia’s Elijah Ngururi of Swapo Youth supported the ANC and its youth wing’s call for a media tribunal.
“We should listen to the media that we are in charge of,” Ngururi added.
He also congratulated the ANC Youth League for “articulating” the need for economic freedom in the country, saying the league under Malema had been vocal on behalf of all young people.
Ludwig Hlordze, the youth leader for Ghana's National Democratic Congress, said young people were faced with a new form of a struggle, the economic freedom that the youth league is fighting for.
'We're behind you, Julius'
“The history of Africa cannot be written without the ANC Youth League. Julius, Africa will continue to support you to make sure that the mineral resources of our continent remain here,” said Hlordze.
His views were shared by the leader of the Zanu-PF Youth, Kudzani Chipanga.
“Political independence without mineral resources is hollow and useless,” said Chipanga.
Ghana’s Hlordze said it was about time Africa developed its own systems to mine and refine its mineral resources.
The continent’s youth leaders showered Malema with gifts, with Ghana presenting an Arch, a symbol to mark the country’s independence.
Ghana became the first African country to attain independence in 1957 under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah and has been widely hailed as a good example of an African democracy.
The ANC Youth League congress continues until Sunday in Midrand outside Johannesburg
Labels: ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, INDEPENDENCE, NATIONALISATION
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Malema: Why must we pay for our land?
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Jun 15 2011 06:29
South Africans must take back the land that belongs to them without paying for it, African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema said in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Malema on nationalisation
Have a look at excerpts featuring ANCYL president Julius Malema in the documentary Mining for Change: A story of South African Mining as he discusses the history of mining in South Africa and the need to redress inequalities through nationalisation.
"Willing-buyer, willing-seller is not an alternative... The alternative from the youth league is that we take the land without paying. That is what we are proposing," he told the league's provincial council at the University of the Western Cape.
While black South Africans had forgiven the previous regime for apartheid, he did not understand why they had to pay for what belonged to them.
"They never bought the land, they stole the land. They did not only steal the land, they converted the owners of the land into slaves ... now we must pay for that with the willing-buyer, willing-seller."
He was speaking ahead of the league's 24th national congress, which would start in Midrand on Thursday. Delegates were expected to push for the nationalisation of the mines and land redistribution.
The country's land reform programme is a sore point for government and little progress has been made in the 15 years since the end of apartheid.
The programme originally aimed to transfer 30% of land to black ownership by 2014. But last year Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinte said the government did not have enough money to carry out the programme and that no new target for land reform would be set as there was not enough information to set a realistic target.
South African President Jacob Zuma said at the African National Congress's 99th anniversary celebration in January that the government would be looking at three forms of land holding -- holding state land through leasehold, freehold with limited extent on private land, and allowing foreigners to lease but not own South African land.
He said: "If we as South Africa allow people to keep buying our land, we will end up with a country where other people own our land. This is why we need to be careful in how we handle foreigners who come to buy land."
Fait accompli
Meanwhile, Malema contends that nationalisation is a fait accompli and the ANC is merely looking for the best way to implement it.
"The NGC [national general council] told us to go and look at the best model of nationalisation. We are no longer talking about whether nationalisation is going to happen or not, it's going to happen," Malema said in the documentary Mining for Change: A story of South African Mining, which is being screened at the Encounters Film Festival in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The documentary was funded by junior miners Nonkqubela Mazwai and Nchakha Moloi, the chief executive and chairperson of Motjoli Resources. Both also feature prominently in it, expressing views about why nationalisation is needed. They are credited as executive producers. Eric Miyeni and Navan Chetty are directors.
But, according to ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu, Malema is jumping the gun. "At the NGC we didn't adopt anything. We said we must look at what the pros and cons are of adopting this policy. We are still at the stage of investigating. You don't adopt a policy without scientific research," he told the Mail & Guardian this week.
Mthembu said ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe had put together a team that would visit 13 countries to study the success of nationalisation in those countries. - Sapa and Staff reporter
Labels: JULIUS MALEMA, NATIONALISATION
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'We can't expropriate land to play soccer on it'
MMANALEDI MATABOGE AND MATUMA LETSOALO JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
- Jun 18 2011 17:10
Delegates at the African National Congress Youth League's national conference broke into commissions on Saturday to discuss policy proposals which would inform resolutions. Not a man to mince words, ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu outlines the league's programme of action to achieve economic freedom.
The league’s resolutions are likely to put more pressure on the ANC to push for the nationalisation of mines and land reform and other key sectors of the economy as well as including a generational mix in the party’s top leadership.
Julius Malema was elected for a second term as leader on Friday evening.
Earlier on Saturday the league’s national spokesperson Floyd Shivambu gave a synopsis of the direction the discussions would take.
Land reform 'non-negotiable'
Delivering the league's Programme of Action for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime document, Shivambu told delegates that the league should ensure that next year’s 53rd national congress of the ANC was "a battle site for war" for economic freedom.
He said land reform was non-negotiable.
"We must make ensure that the ANC agrees in principle that the willing-seller, willing-buyer has failed and that we must appropriate without compensation."
Shivambu said while education was key to economic freedom, higher education in the South Africa was still largely unattainable, making it difficult for young people to realise their dreams.
"We must expand the post-secondary education sector and we must do that aggressively. We are producing matriculants all over the country, but where do they go?” Where is the centre of power?"
He said that two provinces -- the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga -- did not have universities.
Shivambu also used the opportunity to call on delegates to discuss the finances of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
"The NYDA does not have money, they're only given R300-million and it can only run offices and pay salaries with that money. We agreed with the ANC that the NYDA needs money but government is not doing it. We don't know why. It makes you wonder where the centre of power is".
National executive committee member Magdalene Moonsamy described the commissions as a platform to "take decisions" instead of continuing discussions. She said delegates had already held discussions before the conference.
"When we speak about expropriation without compensation we must be clear about what we're going to do with that land. As one comrade from Mpumalanga said, 'we can't expropriate land to play soccer on it'," said Moonsamy.
Malema on nationalisation
Have a look at excerpts featuring ANCYL president Julius Malema in the documentary Mining for Change: A story of South African Mining as he discusses the history of mining in South Africa and the need to redress inequalities through nationalisation.
Delegates were scheduled on Saturday to elect additional members of the league's highest decision-making structure, the national executive committee.
Labels: ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, LAND REFORM, LAND RIGHTS
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South Africa: New curbs for foreign land ownership
Published: 08 Jun 2011
Business Day | 2011/06/08
WYNDHAM HARTLEY and HOPEWELL RADEBE
Land Minister Nkwinti proposes "precarious tenure" policy rather than outright prevention of foreigners from owning SA land
The government is soldiering on with plans to restrict foreign land ownership in SA and to prescribe conditions for land use, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said yesterday.
Rather than preventing foreigners from owning land, a policy on "precarious tenure" for land ownership by foreign nationals would be developed "to determine the basis on which foreigners can lease or utilise land", he said.
Tabling his budget vote in Parliament , Mr Nkwinti said the Land Protection Bill would be submitted to the Cabinet this year.
President Jacob Zuma announced in January the state was reviving its controversial plan to limit foreign land ownership. This initiative stalled after a government probe in 2006 found only about 5% of land in SA was foreign owned.
Deputy Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Thembelani Nxesi told Parliament yesterday the government wanted to "guard against the danger that South African prime land — relatively cheap by international standards — will be snapped up by foreign buyers", which would push up land prices. "We need to make it very clear that these measures are in no way motivated by anti-foreigner sentiment," he said.
Instead, the government planned to encourage foreign investment in land in a manner consistent with "national interests".
Mr Nxesi said the policy would endeavour to thwart "undesirable" land use practices such as prime agricultural land being "converted into game farms and golf estates", as was happening in parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
He warned those in the real estate industry who rejected any form of regulation which reduced their profits that they would not prevail. He said Australia had introduced legislation seeking to control foreign purchases of real estate, while encouraging investment in building new housing, thus benefiting its building industry.
The South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) said yesterday that while it was sensitive to the need to redress past injustices in the property market, the future performance of the economy was connected to the country’s ability to attract foreign direct investment.
Sapoa CEO Neil Gopal called for a predictable and nondiscriminatory regulatory environment for foreign and domestic enterprises, and regulations that were in accordance with international law.
Mr Gopal said an absence of undue administrative impediments to business, including an impartial system of courts and law enforcement, would be ideal for SA.
A three-tier system of land tenure that sought to restrict foreign land ownership and also suggested limited freehold for South Africans was proposed last year as in a green paper on revising policy for land reform and rural development.
The resultant furore caused Mr Nkwinti to separate land reform from rural development and to produce two green papers. He said yesterday that both green papers were ready to go to the Cabinet.
Mr Nkwinti also told Parliament that R1,3bn had been allocated "for making all land reform farms fully functional and 100% productive" through his department’s recapitalisation and development programme. "This should cover an additional 387 farms, and revitalise 27 irrigation schemes, which have already been identified across the country," he said.
Mr Nkwinti was sharply criticised by Democratic Alliance MP Lindiwe Mazibuko, who pointed out his admission that 90% of land reform farms were failing.
Mr Nkwinti also indicated that the other controversial element of the land reform review — drafting legislation to protect the rights of farm dwellers and farm workers — was also still on track.
"The Land Tenure Security Bill 2010 seeks to promote and protect the relative rights of persons working and residing on farms, as well as those of farm owners," he said.
Public comment on the bill had been collected and it would soon be tabled in Parliament, Mr Nkwinti said. Additional reporting by Thabang Mokopanele
Labels: FDI, LAND RIGHTS
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Black farmers prove critics wrong: Mugabe
by Gilbert Nyambabvu
18/06/2011 00:00:00
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe says the country’s economic recovery – driven largely by agriculture and mining -- has helped prove wrong the perception that black farmers are not as productive as white counterparts.Zimbabwe’s agriculture-based economy hit the skids over the last decade with critics blaming Mugabe’s seizure of white-owned farms which they say resulted in a catastrophic collapse in agricultural productivity.
The government counters that sanctions imposed by the West as punishment for the land seizures caused the economic hardships.
The economic decline was reversed in 2009 however, with the country recording positive growth since, largely driven by the recovery in agriculture.
"They (blacks) are the main players in agriculture. That means, we are as productive as them (white commercial farmers), whether big or small farmers," Mugabe said on arrival at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Saturday.
The Zimbabwean leader is in Malaysia to attend the three-day Lankawi International Dialogue series which seeks to enhance “smart partnerships” between governments and the private sector in promoting development.
Mugabe said the government has focused on increasing production of food crops as well as tobacco, once a major export for the country.
In 2010 tobacco deliveries to the auction floors topped 122 million kgs after collapsing to less than 50 million kgs in the last decade.
Officials say the country is now on course to hit the 200 million kgs achieved during peak production periods before implementation of the land reforms.
Meanwhile, Mugabe also dismissed claims that key regime figures had largely benefitted from the land reforms instead of the country’s previously landless majority.
"How can land just go to Mugabe's friends and relatives? My friends are my people and those are the people who fought with us to drive out the British... therefore, the beneficiaries,” he said.
"Anyway, the land belonged to the people...we have a customary system of chiefs in various areas, and chiefs being custodians of lands in various areas on behalf of the people. We have maintained that all land is state land.”
He also said the mining sector had helped reboot the economy but emphasised the need to invest in value edition.
"Thank, God... this shows the British that we have other minerals like diamonds, platinum and uranium...perhaps, we continue to discover more and these had helped (the economic growth)," he added.
Labels: LAND REFORM, NEW FARMERS
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COMMENT - "Malema, the son of a maid..." This is what they think is important at NewZimbabwe.com? And pray tell, why was his mother a maid? What happened to her land? You can always tell which side the neoliberals are on.
Malema re-elected, calls for land reforms
by Staff Reporter
18/06/2011 00:00:00
THE youth wing of South Africa's ruling African National Congress re-elected its president Julius Malema for a second term on Friday, and he wasted no time calling for nationalisation of mines and seizure of white-owned lands without compensation.
The ANC Youth League, arguably the party's most powerful bloc, re-elected an unopposed Malema for another three-year term at its on-going conference. His only rival, Lebogang Maile, pulled out at the last minute despite earlier having insisted he would take-on the hugely-popular incumbent. Malema said he was humbled by the support and ready to lead.
"I'm humbled by the fact that the comrades have given me the mandate. I shall not disappoint,” he said.
Long considered kingmakers within the ANC, the youth league has been used by senior members of the party to drive policy change and launch leadership races.
Malema helped South African President Jacob Zuma in his 2007 rise to power, although there has been friction between the two since, particularly over the issue of nationalisation.
Zuma has dismissed the league's drives to nationalise mines in the world's biggest platinum producer and seize white-owned farms. Malema, the son of a maid, has drawn the ire of whites for his singing of apartheid-era songs that advocate the shooting of white farmers.
While his views may have unsettled foreign investors, he has won broad support from the millions of South Africans who are still mired in grinding poverty almost two decades after the end of apartheid. And he returned to the populist themes even as Zuma watched on Friday.
"Our calls for mines to be nationalised and land to be expropriated without compensation is currently our most important issue," he told the 6,000 delegates in a 90-minute speech.
Malema said past efforts to redistribute resources from the white minority to the black majority had failed dismally.
"The struggle for land reform and transfer of land is long overdue and should be speeded up to avoid the conflicts that characterise many post-independence African states," he said.
"We refuse to continue living like we are in a colony. The only solution available to us now is expropriation without compensation.
"We have demonstrated, through sound political and ideological arguments, that mines in South Africa can be and should be nationalised.”
Malema attacked critics who described him as reckless.
"What is reckless about calling for changing property relations to favour the working class and the poor?" he said. "We should be the voice of farm workers, of garbage carriers, of street sweepers, of manufacturing workers, of the unemployed reserves of workers. We should be the voice of all people in informal settlements and underdeveloped areas."
The four-day conference ends on Sunday.
Labels: JULIUS MALEMA, LAND REFORM, SOUTH AFRICA
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Voters’ roll perfect: Mudede
by Staff Reporter
18/06/2011 00:00:00
NO other country in the world has a voters' roll that is "as 100 percent perfect" as Zimbabwe's, the country's registrar-general has said. Tobaiwa Mudede said Zimbabwe's electoral register had "nominal percentage error margins" and said his office was happy to allow critics to inspect the roll. A report published earlier this month by the South Africa-based Institute of Security Studies (ISS) said there 41,119 centenarians registered to vote in the country.
There were officially four times as many centenarians in Zimbabwe as in Britain, the report, titled Preventing Electoral Fraud in Zimbabwe said, despite the European nation enjoying a much higher life expectancy than its former colony.
Zimbabwe's average life expectancy is just 34 for women and 37 for men, according to the World Health Organization.
[That is a statistical construction, based on a lot of presumptions. The only thing that can give conclusive and reliable data is a national census. - MrK]
"You don't want these people to attain 100 years, you don't want them to be alive?" Mudede said.
"The law does not say once one attains 100 years he/she should be removed. It is their right to vote unless they come to say they want to be removed. We will, however, still advise them that it is their right to vote," he said.
Critics have accused President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party of manipulating the list for political advantage and say it includes children and people who have long since died.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T party want the voters' roll cleaned up before the next elections.
"I am not sure why he would want to defend such a shameful document," said MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.
"No serious person will spend a second defending it. How can you allow ghosts to be on a voters' roll?"
"As a party, we have no issues with the voters roll," Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said.
"We can win an election with it or after it has been re-done."
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), VOTER REGISTRATION
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COMMENT - Typical neoliberals. They know how unpopular their covert and overt policies are, so they can't help back the ZANU-PF's actual policies in public. The MDC stands for - foreign ownership of the economy and the land and economic sanctions to get to power.
PM says indigenisation necessary
by Staff Reporter
18/06/2011 00:00:00
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has again voiced his support for the country’s indigenisation programme after ditching his initial reservations over the policy which he previously dismissed as an asset grab by the elite. Speaking in the Midlands province where he toured several companies, Tsvangirai said the programme was not aimed at punishing foreign investors.
"What we are talking about is broad-based empowerment of our people. The majority of Zimbabweans should be brought into the economy, but of course we need partners to ensure social improvement and upliftment of our people,” he said.
"We do not seek to punish investors by any of our policies. Those sceptical of the indigenisation policy should come and we can always sit and address the challenges. No one really wants to engage in a game of fixing people.”
The MDC-T leader was previously opposed to the programme which requires all foreign-owned companies to localise control of at least 51 percent of their shareholding.
In a statement marking the country’s 31st independence anniversary in April Tsvangirai said the policy would not benefit the country’s poor as claimed by President Robert Mugabe.
"Now thirty years after independence, we are being told by multi-millionaires and multiple farm owners that indigenisation will set us free," the MDC-T leader said then.
"By this, they are not referring to broad-based empowerment of the ordinary man and woman, but the looting and plunder of national resources by a small, parasitic elite.”
Tsvangirai however made a u-turn at the World Economic Forum for Africa meeting in South Africa a month later where he made clear his support for the controversial programme.
Meanwhile, Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere – who accompanied Tsvangirai on the Midlands tour – said the government was still keen to work with foreign investors in developing the country’s economy.
"Government is not against foreign investors but we are saying let there be shared ownership with local people," he said.
"Indigenisation is all about inclusive growth. We do not want to destabilise our economy but at the same time we want to ensure participation of local people in the economy.”
Critics claim the programme will scare-away foreign investors and harm the country’s economic recovery while central bank governor, Gideon Gono has argued that the majority poor would not benefit from the model government is implementing.
“It has to be realised that not everybody can fit or benefit from the equity-ownership model we are pursuing. Only a few will and that's a fact,” Gono said in a recent interview.
Labels: INDIGENIZATION AND EMPOWERMENT ACT (ZIMBABWE), MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SAVIOUR KASUKUWERE
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COMMENT - The MMD is just blowing smoke. You can't 'urge' mining companies to make less profit. They are not going to 'hear the call'. They are under legal obligation to maximize profits (unlike the government apparently) and as a result, mining policy cannot be left up to them.
Government reviewing 2008 mining fiscal regime
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Fri 17 June 2011, 12:20 CAT
THE government is currently altering the 2008 mining fiscal regime credited with higher taxation for mines to bring it in line with “international best practices”, says mines minister Maxwell Mwale. And Vice-President George Kunda says there is need to improve transparency in the mining sector to promote good governance in the country.
Mwale told key industry leaders attending the inaugural two-day
Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC) in Lusaka today that
the 2008 mining fiscal regime was not adequate to deal with current dynamics in the sector.
Mwale said the government’s focus was to attract more players in the mining sector by providing incentives to investors.
“My government is aware of the mines development cycle and the need to improve the attractiveness of investing in Zambia’s mining industry,” said Mwale in a keynote address to the conference dominated by foreign mining firms.
“To this effect, the Mines and minerals development Act of 2008 is undergoing review to bring it in line with international best practices and ensure that sector contributes to economic growth.”
After years of Development Agreements with foreign mining firms which the country was tied to under the World Bank and International Monetary Fund-influenced chaotic privatisation of the vast copper mining, the government under late president Levy Mwanawasa in 2008, introduced a new fiscal regime to raise Zambia’s revenue collection from the mining sector – the country’s main economic stay.
The new law praised by key interest groups in the country but disputed by the foreign mining firms among other things raised corporate tax to 30 per cent, mineral royalty to three percent from 0.6, introduced a windfall tax of 25 per cent in times of unprecedented high international copper prices.
Mwale also said there was need for the government to ensure benefits accruing in the sector in current high metal prices were invested in priority areas, as the current growth in mining sector was unsustainable.
“Any sudden slump in either the price or demand of copper may negatively impact on the growth of the sector and subsequently, on economic growth,” said Mwale.
“Therefore, the government has a challenge to ensure that benefits accruing from the sector in these times of high prices are invested in sustainable economic activities.”
And Vice-President Kunda urged mining firms to support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to improve management of minerals to benefit the country.
“Transparency is a tenet of good governance and I urge all stakeholders to be actively involved so that we achieve the objective of subscribing to the initiative,” said Vice-President Kunda.
Among the mining firms attending the conference included giant mining BHP Billiton, Brazil’s Vale, First Quantum Minerals London-listed, and Canadian and Australian-listed Equinox Minerals, while conspicuously missing is Mopani and Konkola copper mines.
Labels: EITI, GEORGE KUNDA, MAXWELL MWALE, WINDFALL TAX
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Civil Society Election Coalition necessary for free, fair election
By The Post
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:00 CAT
For as long as the majority of the people feel they cannot elect their own leaders in free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections, there will be tension and conflict.
It is therefore important that elections are organised and conducted in a manner that gives citizens the confidence that the results are accurate and that the government that arises from these elections does, indeed, rest upon their consent. Elections are very important and are the central institution of democratic governance.
And in a democracy, the authority of the government derives solely from the consent of the governed. The principle mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections.
Therefore, any effort that ensures that the outcome of our elections accurately and truly reflects the will of our people should deserve the support of all citizens of goodwill.
For this reason, we welcome the launch of the Civil Society Election Coalition, whose primary objective is to ensure that the outcome of this year’s elections accurately reflects the will of the Zambian people. For this year’s elections to accurately and truly reflect the will of the Zambian people, they have to be conducted in an environment that can truly be said to be free, fair, transparent and violence-free.
We are told that the Civil Society Election Coalition “will seek to
promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process,
encourage citizen participation in exercising their right to vote and help
ensure that the outcomes of Zambia’s tripartite elections accurately
reflect the will of the voters”.
Voting in the election of public officials is the most visible and common form of participation in modern democracies, and also the most fundamental. The ability to conduct free and fair elections is at the core of what it means to call a society
democratic.
The function of elections is dead serious: to provide a peaceful and fair method by which our people can select their leaders and have a meaningful role in determining their own destiny. But it shouldn’t be taken for granted that elections will play this role regardless of the circumstances. If the atmosphere under which elections are being held is not conducive for free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections, the result may not be desirable.
The competition for power can sometimes turn negative or ugly. We have seen many examples of this in many places in the world. But elections are still seen as uniquely suited to provide a peaceful means of competition for power and influence. However, in saying this, we do not in any way mean that opting to go the electoral route to choose leaders is not without risks.
As we are witnessing in our country today, the stakes may seem extremely high and people will do everything possible to win an election. There appears to be a strong incentive to opt for extra-legal means to ensure electoral victory. It is in these delicate situations that election monitors like our Civil Society Election Coalition can play an important role.
We welcome the launch of the Civil Society Election Coalition because election monitoring is important; it is the cornerstone of creating a democratic political system. As such, monitoring can assist democratic consolidation by instilling legitimacy.
Free, fair and peaceful elections may also promote national unity by reconciling all the political competitors and ensuring that they all remain loyal to the democratic system. And as we have stated before, political competitors don’t necessarily have to like each other, but they must tolerate one another and acknowledge that each has a legitimate and important role to play.
Moreover, the ground rules of the society must encourage tolerance and civility in politics and the election campaigns that accompany it. And no matter who wins, all
the political competitors must cooperate in solving the common problems of society.
The losers should form a loyal opposition.
They should be loyal not to the specific policies of the political party
that has won elections and now has formed government, but to the
fundamental legitimacy of the state, and to the democratic process itself.
?:"'lWhere contentious elections present fears of vote tampering and other
irregularities, the presence of election monitors may serve to prevent
shenanigans and give parties greater confidence that the vote was free and
fair. The key to achieving this outcome is election monitors who are seen
by all sides as neutral.
But in saying this, we are mindful of the fact
that those who want to win elections through fraud and manipulation will
never welcome neutral election monitors. The first thing they will do is
smear them with the filth of being agents of foreign interests or of being
supporters of their political opponents. And this is exactly what the MMD
and its government has been trying to do. The only monitors acceptable to
them are those they control and can easily direct. Anyone independent from
them is not acceptable no matter how neutral or impartial they may be.
For these reasons, it is easier to understand why the MMD has not welcomed the
Civil Society Election Coalition and has started attacking it using
disgraced individuals and organisations of the political mercenaries they
control. They are trying in all sorts of ways to undermine all
independent, neutral and impartial election monitors.
We all need to support the Civil Society Election Coalition because their
monitoring work can help enhance the credibility and legitimacy of our
elections, thereby helping to reduce the possibility of electoral violence
in our country.
It can help maintain peace in our country after the
elections because losers will lack the ability to shout “fraud!” and
disrupt our country’s democratisation process. One way they can ensure
this is through parallel vote tabulation, by taking independent vote
tallies, which prevents those in power from manipulating the vote.
Clearly, the Civil Society Election Coalition can assist in building and
strengthening our electoral process. By observing the conditions on the
ground, they will certainly play a significant role in giving legitimacy
to the final vote by providing unbiased insight into the circumstances
surrounding the voting procedure.
They will also give the world eyes on
what is happening in our electoral process, and they can either bolster
the credibility of our elections if they deem them free and fair or call
them what they are, if indeed they are fraudulent. Clearly, the Civil
Society Election Coalition is necessary for free and fair elections in our
country and deserves all our support. Free and fair elections in choosing
leaders are absolutely necessary in our democratic process. It is sad when
elections are marred with unfairness and violence.
It is essential for our
politicians and their political parties to respect our people’s choice.
Our elections should never be a matter of fraud or coercion since that
would break the sacred character of democracy
Labels: DEMOCRACY
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Kabimba sues government for false imprisonment
By Namatama Mundia
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:02 CAT
WYNTER Kabimba has sued the government claiming damages for false imprisonment at the Lusaka International Airport when he arrived from South Africa last week.
In a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, Kabimba, who is PF secretary general sued the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of the State proceedings Act, Chapter 71 of the Laws of Zambia.
Kabimba said on June 8, 2011, he arrived at the Lusaka International Airport on board a South African Airways flight number 0066.
He said he was duly cleared by the Immigration office for entry into Zambia.
“As the plaintiff was leaving the arrival lounge through the ‘nothing to declare’ exit, an unidentified person standing in his way directed him to report to the ‘declaration’ exit. At the declaration exit another unidentified person informed the plaintiff that he wanted to conduct a search of his bag,” Kabimba said.
He said while he was attempting to commence the search, a third unidentified person arrived and advised that he accompanies the two persons to an office within the terminal building where the search would be conducted.
“The two persons were joined by another unidentified female and the trio led the plaintiff to an office near the VIP lounge west of the terminal building,” Kabimba said.
“Upon arrival in the office, one of the three persons informed the plaintiff that the trio were officers from Drug Enforcement Commission, an authority established to investigate drug trafficking and money laundering offences in Zambia. The officers informed the plaintiff that they were to conduct a search of the plaintiff’s travel bag and a plastic bag he carried as hand luggage.”
He said after the officers conducted a search on him, one of the officers, Brian Chakulya, requested the female officer to leave the office to allow for a body search which was carried out.
Kabimba said Chakulya also examined his passport.
“The search of the plaintiff’s pieces of luggage and the body search ended at 18:15 hours with the same yielding nothing as admitted by the officers themselves to the plaintiff,” Kabimba said.
“The plaintiff then asked to ben released by the officers since the search was over and the officers had returned to him his passport and his pieces of luggage but Brian Chakulya instead informed him to await the arrival of the Drug Enforcement Commission regional commander.”
Kabimba said he was kept under the guard of the three officers in the office under protest and without his consent up to 18:45 hours when he was released without the regional commander.
“By reason of the above premises the plaintiff has suffered damages for false imprisonment of his person, mental anxiety and apprehension,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kabimba has also sued Times of Zambia journalist Patson Phiri for libel in respect of the article he published in the newspaper dated May 24, 2011 entitled ‘LAZ finds Kabimba guilty of impropriety.
He also sued Phiri’s employers as second defendant for damages for libel for
publishing the said article in the Times of Zambia.
Kabimba in his statement of claim explained that on May 23, 2011, Phiri
telephoned him as he was in a meeting in Kitwe at the time inquiring about the
hearing involving him before the Law Association of Zambia legal practitioners
committee held on May 20, 2011.
“The plaintiff in response referred the first defendant to the Law Association
of Zambia for details and records of the legal practitioner’s committee
proceedings over the matter,” Kabimba said.
“The first defendant without any
reference to the legal practitioners committee records instead proceeded to
write a story which was published by the second defendant on Tuesday, 24th May,
2011 under the title ‘LAZ find Kabimba guilty of impropriety’ stating that the
plaintiff was found guilty of professional impropriety by the legal
practitioners committee in a case in which a Bank of Zambia employee, Phales
Chiwila, had complained that he misconducted himself when he represented her
over a dispute with her employers.”
He said according to the hearing before the legal practitioners committee on May
20, 2011, there was no finding of impropriety made against him as alleged by
Phiri and the Times of Zambia.
“By the words complained of in their natural and ordinary meaning the defendants
meant and were understood to mean that the plaintiff was professionally dishonest and untrustworthy as a legal practitioner,” Kabimba said.
He said he had severely been injured in his credit and reputation and has been brought into scandal, odium and contempt.
Labels: POLITICAL PROSECUTION, WYNTER KABIMBA
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Kunda defends Rupiah over parentage controversy
By Ernest Chanda
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda (right) has defended President Rupiah Banda’s decision to stand for presidency despite the controversy surrounding his parentage as raised by Milton Phiri last month.
In his letter to Chief Justice Sakala, Phiri, who is former Zambia’s high commissioner to Malawi said President Banda should not have stood for presidency in 2008 because his father hailed from Malawi.
Vice-President Kunda was responding to a question during the Vice-President’s question time from Luena member of parliament Charles Milupi who wanted to know why the Vice-President had not clarified in the House once and for all the ongoing debate surrounding the nationality of President Banda’s father.
“His Excellency the President of this country Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda qualifies to stand as a candidate for office of president. He is a Zambian and both his parents are Zambians by birth or dissent; and he has done very well for this country,” Vice-President Kunda said.
Asked by Mpika Central member of parliament Mwansa Kapeya why the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation is operating without a board after dissolution of the previous one in December 2010, Vice-President Kunda said there was management running the national broadcaster efficiently for now.
He said management was providing good programmes like Stand Up for Zambia and that there would be a new board soon.
When asked by Monze member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu the way forward concerning numerous anomalies in the voters register as discovered during the just-ended verification exercise, Vice-President Kunda said the essence of the exercise was to discover anomalies and rectify them.
And education deputy minister Dr Boniface Kawimbe said the government would not accept donor aid if it was meant to sacrifice what the people of Zambia believed in.
Dr Kawimbe was responding to a question from Munali member of parliament Mumbi Phiri who wanted to know if the government had other sources of funding for the education sector at the time it told donors to pack up their bags and go.
“We will not sacrifice what we stand for as a country. We will not accept aid if it is in conflict with what we believe in,” said Dr Kawimbe.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, GEORGE KUNDA, PRESIDENCY, RUPIAH BANDA
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Street children a reminder of leaders’ failure - UNICEF
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mansa
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE United Nations says street children are a reminder that duty bearers of children's rights are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
And the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development says the problem of streetism cannot be addressed by a single institution. Meanwhile, a Mansa child says poverty, lack of role models and unemployment are among the many issues that affect the positive development of the Zambian child.
During the commemoration of the Day of the African Child at Mansa's Don Bosco Youth Centre yesterday, UNICEF country representative Dr Iyorlumun Uhaa said matters of children were close to his agency's heart.
He said it was commendable that the government held this year's commemoration, which is being held under the theme 'All together for urgent action in favour of street children', in Mansa.
"Today we remember the events of the morning of 16 June, 1976 when children of Soweto were killed for protesting over the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium language of instruction in local schools," Dr Uhaa said. "But the Day of the African Child is more than just a commemoration.
This day seeks to draw the attention of all involved in improving the condition of children in Africa and to unite efforts to combat the ills that plague the daily lives of children."
He said children on the country's streets should be a reminder that they were there because of poverty, abuse and violence.
"Children on the streets are a reminder to us that we as duty bearers of children's rights, whether it be the government, the United Nations, communities, or families, are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child," Dr Uhaa said.
"The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and it guarantees four main rights of children, namely: the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development, and the right to participation."
Dr Uhaa said children living on the streets were vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
"They are at risk of sexual violence and being forced into sexual exploitation including prostitution. Children on the streets lack access to services that other children enjoy," he said. "As a result, children on the streets often have poor health conditions, lack proper nutrition essential for growth and development and are not attending school."
Dr Uhaa said street kids were also vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse apart from being exposed to high levels of stress and emotional trauma.
And sport, youth and child development permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga said in his remarks at the event that was attended by school pupils from several Mansa schools that this year's commemoration of the African Child's Day comes when the country was grappling with the challenge of streetism.
Meanwhile, Choolwe Munyumbwe, a Mansa child who read out the children's resolutions arising from a number of Focus Group Discussions held countrywide prior to Thursday's commemoration, said the children pledged full participation in governance and developmental issues that concern them.
Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, POVERTY, STREET CHILDREN, UNICEF
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Street children a reminder of leaders’ failure - UNICEF
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mansa
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE United Nations says street children are a reminder that duty bearers of children's rights are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
And the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development says the problem of streetism cannot be addressed by a single institution. Meanwhile, a Mansa child says poverty, lack of role models and unemployment are among the many issues that affect the positive development of the Zambian child.
During the commemoration of the Day of the African Child at Mansa's Don Bosco Youth Centre yesterday, UNICEF country representative Dr Iyorlumun Uhaa said matters of children were close to his agency's heart.
He said it was commendable that the government held this year's commemoration, which is being held under the theme 'All together for urgent action in favour of street children', in Mansa.
"Today we remember the events of the morning of 16 June, 1976 when children of Soweto were killed for protesting over the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium language of instruction in local schools," Dr Uhaa said. "But the Day of the African Child is more than just a commemoration.
This day seeks to draw the attention of all involved in improving the condition of children in Africa and to unite efforts to combat the ills that plague the daily lives of children."
He said children on the country's streets should be a reminder that they were there because of poverty, abuse and violence.
"Children on the streets are a reminder to us that we as duty bearers of children's rights, whether it be the government, the United Nations, communities, or families, are failing to fulfil the rights of all children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child," Dr Uhaa said.
"The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and it guarantees four main rights of children, namely: the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development, and the right to participation."
Dr Uhaa said children living on the streets were vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
"They are at risk of sexual violence and being forced into sexual exploitation including prostitution. Children on the streets lack access to services that other children enjoy," he said. "As a result, children on the streets often have poor health conditions, lack proper nutrition essential for growth and development and are not attending school."
Dr Uhaa said street kids were also vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse apart from being exposed to high levels of stress and emotional trauma.
And sport, youth and child development permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga said in his remarks at the event that was attended by school pupils from several Mansa schools that this year's commemoration of the African Child's Day comes when the country was grappling with the challenge of streetism.
Meanwhile, Choolwe Munyumbwe, a Mansa child who read out the children's resolutions arising from a number of Focus Group Discussions held countrywide prior to Thursday's commemoration, said the children pledged full participation in governance and developmental issues that concern them.
Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, POVERTY, STREET CHILDREN, UNICEF
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UNIP welcomes Mkhondo’s decision
By Bright Mukwasa
Sat 18 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
UNIP says it has no quarrel with home affairs minister Mkhondo Lungu’s decision to seek to recontest the Lundazi seat on the MMD ticket.Party vice-president Njekwa Anamela said Zambia was a democratic dispensation and any individual had the right to contest any seat on the party ticket of their choice.
“We have no quarrel with that decision just like we had no quarrel when he was
elevated to that position home affairs minister,” said Anamela in an interview.
“You see, in Zambia we are trying to build a democratic society and we respect that.”
However, Anamela said more party members were interested to contest the Lundazi seat.
Anamela said his party was working hard at the grassroots to mobilise the members in readiness for the forthcoming general election.
And Lungu said he was set to retain the Lundazi seat in the event that the MMD’s national executive committee picked him due to his record and experience with the people of Lundazi.
“It's not a secret that I have applied to stand on the MMD ticket. But I can't say I will be adopted straight away by the party, but if I’m adopted, I am confident I can win the seat for the party,” said Lungu.
Lungu applied to recontest his seat on the MMD ticket and came out second in the primary interviews at constituency level.
Currently, Lungu is the only UNIP member of parliament.
Labels: MKHONDO LUNGU, MMD, UNIP
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Nationalising companies like mines is not wrong, Dr. Simutanyi
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, June 17, 2011, 2:37 pm
The Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has said that there is nothing wrong with nationalizing the companies such as the mines in the country as long as they are able to run profitably.
CDP executive Director Dr. Neo Simutanyi told QFM news that the government should also consider owning its own mining companies alongside those owned by the private investors. Dr. Simutanyi observed that the state can manage to own and run the mines only if they adhered to strict business principles.
He added that there is need for the state to discuss and review issues surrounding the current ownership of the mining industries in the country.
Dr. Simutanyi noted that there was the need to address the externalizing of profits by the foreign investors adding that there is also need for the government to increase the stake in the in the mining industry.
He also added that the mines should be keeping their money in the Zambian banks to ensure that the money is used in the country’s economy.
Yesterday some of the panelists who appeared on the BBC world Debate programme in Lusaka observed that the Zambian government was getting a raw deal from the proceeds of the mines.
However, the Zambian government objected to suggestions that there was need for nationalization of the mines saying nationalization would cause the mines to crumble.
QFM
Labels: DEMAND SIDE ECONOMICS, DR NEO SIMUTANYI, MINING, NATIONALISATION
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Masebo to defect to PF – Lifwekelo
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, June 17, 2011, 2:11 pm
Forum for Leadership Search Executive Director, Edwin Lifwekelo says Chongwe Member of parliament; Sylvia Masebo is planning to defect to the opposition Patriotic Front (PF).
Mr. Lifwekelo says his organization has information that
Ms Masebo is likely to cross over to the PF on Saturday or Sunday. Ms. Masebo is currently Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Chairperson for women.
He told ZNBC News in an interview that Ms Masebo has betrayed MMD members who voted for her as chairperson at the MMD convention.
Efforts to get a comment from Ms Masebo failed as her mobile phone went unanswered.
Ms. Masebo has also not applied to re-contest her Chongwe parliamentary seat in this year’s elections under MMD.
[ ZNBC ]
Labels: EDWIN LIFWEKELO, PF, SYLVIA MASEBO
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Violence: MDC-T’s mask has fallen
By Psychology Maziwisa
Politics Last updated on: June 14, 2011
IF LEFT unconfronted, the culture of violence brewing within Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T will plunge Zimbabwe into a sewer, the darkest and most disgusting epoch in its entire history. It is no way to run a political party let alone a country that has peace and tranquility amongst its virtues.
Not that thoughtful people have ever been under any illusion about the fact that the MDC-T is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Not so long ago, Morgan Tsvangirai warned President Mugabe: “If you don’t want to go peacefully, we will remove you violently.” That really was the defining moment, wasn’t it? It was a proclamation that spoke of a party intent on betraying the very values it claims to pledge steadfast allegiance to.
Since then, numerous reports of violence have been made even within the MDC-T itself where the charlatans fight less over policy formulation and more for power and positions. Has Tsvangirai no shame? Have Biti and Nelson Chamisa not embarrassed their party? And the MDC-T is supposed to be the party of excellence? Anyone who believes these impostors must believe in Santa.
Undoubtedly, the recent cases of violence call for all and sundry to now look not at what the MDC-T says it is but to consider the record, to look at the facts. It’s possible to ignore isolated cases because politics will always be politics. But it’s difficult to overlook violence that spans years. It’s harder when it has been perpetrated across the entire nation and on an unconscionable scale.
As things stand, the entire MDC-T leadership has shown itself to be not just dishonourable and amoral but unprincipled and shameful too. Without further ado, they ought all to bury their heads in the sand. Having lived a double life all these years, all this time, it’s the least they can do. And they can forget about winning elections in this country. No sober citizen can vote into power a party with huge question marks against its name. Better to go for the tried and tested.
Make no mistake, the recent MDC-T congress was not just a farce and an affront to democracy for it entrenched Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti in their positions, but it was also bloody and fraught with violence because it left one person dead and scores more injured. Has Tsvangirai set up the committees needed to probe the violence committed before, during and after that congress? If these guys are the future of this wonderful and peace-loving nation, then God please help us all.
Quite recently, a Kuwadzana-based MDC-T activist died tragically in a car accident and no sooner had the mourners, who all were of MDC-T affiliation by the way, embarked on the road to lay him to rest than they savagely assaulted peaceful Zanu PF bystanders at the Boka Tobacco Auction Floors. Nothing at all shows that the MDC-T thugs were provoked. Everything indicates that they were merely bloodthirsty and eager for a kill.
Hardly a few days after that incident, an unarmed police officer lost his precious life in Glen View after attempting to disperse a group of violent MDC-T activists. The chronology of events is very telling and the sequence of violence bare for those with open eyes to observe. Consequently, only a fool would accept MDC-T’s plea of not guilty as honest. What else do you expect them to say: that they are actually responsible for the violence this country has seen in the recent past?
Ordinarily, these occurrences ought to invite censure. Yet, for a long time, political hostility in this country has been condemned by word and not by action. That needs to change.
Nor can SADC continue to whistle into the wind and hope to escape criticism. It’s insistence over the weekend on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement is a step in the right direction. But that alone may not be enough. MDC-T’s culture of violence needs special attention. To that end, the regional bloc has a crucial decision to make: does it confront the dangers that presently threaten scores of innocent people or does it continue to turn a blind eye to acts of aggression that now target even members of the police force? It’s a decision that must be made right now or never. Time is of the essence.
For a protracted period, the MDC-T has spread complete and blatant lies about the state of violence in this country let alone the identity of the perpetrators, yet that mendacity has been accepted almost as conclusive by SADC. This is no time for SADC to sleep on the job. Minds need to be properly applied and all claims of violence looked at not just politically but forensically. If justice is to be served, then it’s vital to catch the right culprits. And, as things stand, all the available evidence points in one direction — Harvest House. The rest is hot air.
It is laughable for example that, in this period of technological advancement, where even the ugliest woman around could be made to look like Beyonce and Pope John Paul to look like the late Osama Bin Laden, Roy Bennett (a nasty schemer and a well known regime change agenda proponent) can have his photographic posts on so-called freezimbabwe.com taken literally. Naivety has not just been part of the problem; it’s been the main problem.
Time is up for treating hearsay evidence as conclusive proof. Time is up for treating the nice guys as the bad guys and the nasty guys as the sweet guys. It’s time to look at things more objectively, to regard the facts and to allow them to speak for themselves.
Certainly, it’s time for the relevant people here to tackle the culture of violence developing within the MDC-T and, going forward, for SADC to treat whatever evidence of alleged Zanu PF violence brought before it not just with an open mind but also with the greatest of circumspection.
Labels: MDC VIOLENCE, POLITICAL VIOLENCE
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Mugabe, Tsvangirai, Ncube set for UK land talks
16/06/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Industry Minister Welshman Ncube are set to launch a high-level engagement with Britain to discuss compensation for white farmers who lost their land. The planned discussions will be the first time that Mugabe would be openly engaging Britain on the land issue since his government embarked on the controversial land reforms in 2000 aimed at resettling landless blacks.
Hundreds of white farmers were driven off their land after the then Zanu PF government passed legislation empowering the compulsory acquisition of farms without compensation. Ministers insisted at the time that Britain had refused to compensate the farmers, breaking its commitments made at 1979 Lancaster House talks which opened the way for majority rule in Zimbabwe.
A review document of Zimbabwe’s power sharing government by the country’s three main political parties, which was presented to the SADC summit in Johannesburg last weekend, says the three leaders will “write to the United Kingdom” urging the former colonial power to “accept the primary responsibility to pay compensation for land acquired”.
The engagement could start within weeks.
Britain broke off land talks with Zimbabwe in 1997 after the then International Development Secretary Claire Short (Labour) said that the UK did not accept that it had a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe.
Short stated that her government was only prepared to support a programme of land reform that was part of a poverty eradication strategy, stating in a letter to the Zimbabwe government:
“I should make it clear that we do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe.
"We are a new government from diverse backgrounds without links to former colonial interests. My own origins are Irish and, as you know, we were colonised, not colonisers.”
The tone of the letter infuriated Mugabe whose government offered no protection to white farmers when war veterans and landless peasants marched on farms, forcibly driving out white land owners.
Britain responded to the land seizures by ostracising Mugabe’s government, before lobbying the European Union to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002, officially presented as a response to human rights abuses by Zanu PF shock troops.
It is unknown how the UK will respond to overtures by the Zimbabwean leaders, but last month, former Labour leader and Prime Minister Tony Blair – who presided over the breakdown in relations between London and Harare – insisted that his government had set aside money for land reform.
"One of the myths that Mugabe used was this thing that we wouldn't provide money for land reform," Blair said.
"I set aside the amount of money they needed for land reform, but one important thing was that the money had to go through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and not through his government machine, because if it went through his government machine it wasn't going to be used for the purposes for which it was directed.
[Tony Blair lied a country into war. Without references to back up what he is saying, only a fool would take his word for anything. - MrK]
“Therefore, that was the issue; not that we wouldn't fund the land reform, we were happy to do that. And still are, by the way!"
[Then why haven't you paid compensation directly to the white farmers? It has been 10 years now. Tony, you're such a liar. - MrK]
Mugabe has recently expressed hope that Zimbabwe can re-engage with Britain, saying of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron: “He seems to be quiet for now. I have been listening to what he says. They may talk about Zimbabwe in general terms, but I haven't heard him making really critical remarks about me.”
And Zanu PF strategist Jonathan Moyo told UK media last week that Cameron's "circumspect and careful" attitude had reduced the levels of "noise and tension" between the two sides, suggesting that Mugabe would welcome "constructive" dialogue with him.
Labels: LANCASTER HOUSE AGREEMENT, LAND REFORM, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ROBERT MUGABE
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COMMENT - How dare any functioning ambassador openly talk about the removal of the head of state of the country he is an ambassador to? Sheer arrogance. Zimbabwe should send the ambassador packing.
Mugabe exit no panacea to Zimbabwe problems: US envoy
by Radio VoP
16/06/2011 00:00:00
THE United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray on Thursday said removing President Robert Mugabe alone from power is not a solution for Zimbabwe. Addressing journalists in Bulawayo on Thursday morning Ray said what was needed was to change the system of governance not individuals.
“There is no way you can build a house from the roof. You have to start from the foundation going to the top. So I don’t think removing Mugabe will change anything. What is needed is to change the system of governance. Some people might argue about this is, but removing him from power will only see minor positive developments in the country,” said Ray.
Ray also added that he doesn’t see the reason why Zanu PF is pushing for elections this year.
“SADC is working on the issue of Zimbabwe elections and I don’t see any reason why some political party is pushing for elections this year. Elections should be held at a time when every Zimbabwean is free to participate,” said the US envoy.
Leaders from the 15-nation SADC on Sunday at the Johannesburg summit called on Mugabe and coalition partners Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube to quicken implementation of their power-sharing agreement known as the global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the Harare unity government in February 2009.
They also resolved that the inclusive government in Zimbabwe should complete all the steps necessary for the holding of the election including the finalisation of the constitutional amendment and the referendum and that SADC should assist Zimbabwe to formulate guidelines that will assist in holding an election that will be peaceful, free and fair, in accordance with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
Labels: CHARLES RAY, NEOCOLONIALISM
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COMMENT - Tendai Biti will not sign the anti-sanctions petition. Of course, economic sanctions were created by the MDC to maximize the damage done to the Zimbabwean economy, to make the lives of Zimbabweans so bad that they would vote for the neoliberal MDC. According to the GPA, both sides must fight against Sanctions, and Tendai Biti is clearly failing to do so, not only by refusing to sign this petition 'because he has better things to do'.
Not contented with trying to steal the pension money to give to his friends failing private bank (isn't that corruption?) (see:
Biti tries to use civil servants’ money to bail out Timba
), to trying to get hold of the nation's diamonds (see:
Biti’s diamond plot uncovered), the MDC is a tool for transnational capital like Anglo-American De Beers, whic owns most of the world's diamond trade. The MDC tried to get to power by committing treason, by helping foreign powers draw up economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. And they still want to use those sanctions to keep the pressure on the Zimbabwean people, as well as to avoid the blame, especially with elections coming up this year.
Protesters beseige Zimbabwe finance minister’s officeBy Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Thu 16 June 2011, 13:40 CAT
Protesters on Wednesday afternoon besieged finance minister Tendai Biti’s office in a bid to get him to sign a petition calling for the lifting of international sanctions against the country. The group, which called itself the Anti Sanctions Trust, chanted songs as it surrounded the ministry.
The group waited at Biti’s offices for more than an hour but failed to see him as he was reportedly in a meeting with IMF and World Bank officials, two of the institutions that are barred by the US sanctions law - the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act - from extending lines of credit to Zimbabwe.
IMF officials are in Zimbabwe to help the country come up with the mid-term budget for this year.
Fanuel Mutasa, the leader of the group, told ministry staff that the group had been sent by Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Webster Shamu to demand the signature of Finance Minister Tendai Biti on the petition.
President Robert Mugabe launched the anti-sanction campaign petition in March this year to petition Europe and the US to remove sanctions slapped on the country as well as close to 200 senior members of his ZANU-PF party.
To date, more than two million signatures have been collected countrywide.
The western nations slapped sanction on Zimbabwe, accusing President Mugabe of human rights abuses and poor governance when his government forcibly took over 4000 farms belonging to white farmers.
President Mugabe has argued that sanctions, which include lack of credit extension and balance of payment support, have hurt Zimbabwe’s economy while his critics say it is his policies which have hurt the once vibrant economy.
“We are the ones who are suffering and as you have just seen, he was just having a meeting with the same people who are making us suffer.We want him to sign ... because we noticed he has not appended his signature to the petition. After him, we will go to the higher offices,” said Mutasa, making an apparent reference to MDC leader and Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.
ZANU-PF argues that the sanctions were instigated by MDC, an accusation the party flatly denies.
[Not 'merely' ZANU-PF, but also Johnnie Carson, and mrs. Lindiwe Zulu - (ZIMPAPERS) MDCT asked us not to lift sanctions, but tighten the screws-Jonnie Carson, I quote: It is understood that the revelation that the MDC-T had officially asked the US to keep and tighten the illegal sanctions to ensure that people continue to suffer was communicated officially to the GPA negotiators by Ms Zulu in Cape Town on May 6 in the presence of Mr Tendai Biti and Mr Elton Mangoma, who remained in embarrassed silence during the disclosure." - MrK]
Biti later told journalists after the group had dispersed that he would not sign what he called a partisan document.
“I will not sign any petition that belongs to any political party. I will not do that,” said Biti.
“What this country needs to do is to concentrate on the issue of putting food on the table of Zimbabweans, putting jobs in the homes of our people,” he said.
“Why should I sign the forms . . . As a party we don’t give legitimacy to individual party programmes. I will not sign any petition because we have got better things to do,” he said.
Labels: MDC CORRUPTION, SANCTIONS, TENDAI BITI, ZDERA
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Clinton on corruption in mining sector
By E.C, Lusaka
Mon 13 June 2011, 12:10 CAT
Editor,
It is a scandal and quite embarrassing for us to wait for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to come and tell us that Zambia has not benefited reasonably from mineral royalties. Corruption consumes economic gains. Clinton is right to say any bribe paid to a custom official represents a hidden tax on the cost of doing business.
In Zambia today, mining companies don't even care about the environment they are operating in. Their corporate social responsibility policies only exist on paper because they prefer giving the money earmarked for social responsibility to individual ministers and government officials. No wonder Zambians are suffering in a land of abundance.
Anyone who tries to point out irregularities in the way the mines are conducting their business becomes an enemy of the government; Honourable Maxwell Mwale, in particular, gets annoyed indicating that there is something sinister he is trying to shield.
I would like to implore all minsters and government officials that this corruption they are nurturing will have a negative effect on them or their grandchildren when they leave office. The Bible says you reap what you sow.
I hope Clinton counselled them on the dangers of embracing corruption in their closed-door meetings. Anyway, what can we expect from a genetically corrupt regime.
Labels: CORRUPTION, HILLARY CLINTON, MAXWELL MWALE, MINING, TAX EVASION, WINDFALL TAX
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Panji demands harsh sentences for corruption
By Patson Chilemba
Fri 17 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
ZAMBIAN leaders should be ashamed following Hillary Clinton’s remarks that African leaders must sort out corruption issues to improve their perception to the outside world, says Colonel Panji Kaunda.
And Col Panji said Zambians should not experiment with leadership but instead vote for tested leadership such as the one provided by PF leader Michael Sata.
In an interview, Col Panji said President Banda’s government should not de-link itself from the US Secretary of State’s message on corruption because it was targeted at them.
“I hope our leaders held their heads in shame. That message was for them. That message from Hilary, I am sure, was for them. Corruption is an issue in this country. I want to see the coming government putting in place laws that deter corruption,” Col Panji said.
“The sentences we give to those who are corrupt are not too serious. They can serve three years and come back and continue to loot what they stole. We should have, let’s say 20 years in jail without parole.”
And Col Panji said since Zambians had experienced President Banda’s lamentable failures, they should now vote for Sata who stood a realistic chance of removing the MMD from office.
He said the economy was not in good shape, corruption was still rampant and the rights of the people were still being trampled upon.
Col Panji said the country needed a leader who had experience to tackle all these problems, saying apart from President Banda, Sata had served in various government portfolios necessary for acquiring experience.
“He began a party literally from zero to where it is today. So that experience is what we need now this coming election to help Zambia. We cannot experiment with people who have never been into a ward election. They can’t do what they don’t know. Zambians should not make a mistake of experimenting with the leadership of Zambia,” he said.
Col Panji said some people were going round comparing themselves with British Prime Minister David Cameron and United States of America President Barack Obama, but they forgot that these were people who had risen through the political ranks to be where they were now.
He said from among the various portfolios, Prime Minister Cameron served as member of parliament while Obama served as Senator.
“I am urging those who are in the middle of the road, who are not yet decided but they want change to please support PF for change,” Col Panji said.
He said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should extend the voter verification which ended on Sunday, saying many people had not verified their details and it was not possible that the problems that were discovered by those who verified would be addressed immediately.
Labels: CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA, PANJI KAUNDA
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Women and this year’s elections
By The Post
Fri 17 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
We have been urged, as journalists, by Melanne Verveer, US Ambassador at large for global women’s issues, to raise issues on women’s rights with aspiring political leaders so that they are made to be mindful of their responsibilities.
This is a welcome challenge because we also sincerely believe that women’s rights issues should have a place in this year’s election campaigns. And it is our duty to ensure that our politicians make women’s rights issues a priority during campaigns.
Women have been discriminated against in making meaningful contributions to national development through participation in political life. And many people in this country, including women, still believe that a woman cannot perform competently in the same way as a man in politics.
This has led some people never voting for a woman to be a leader. This deprives society of the talent to really promote integral development.
It is important that women participate in the politics of their country. This is important because when women are engaged in politics at a level where they bring their talents and experiences to decision-making, we have better outcomes for the country.
And currently, there are many entrenched social and political practices that keep women away from taking up decision making positions in politics.
Women have a full right to become actively involved in all areas of public life, and this right must be affirmed and guaranteed. There is need for us to challenge politicians to explain specific policies they intend to introduce to guarantee women’s rights and increase their participation in decision-making positions.
Women have the right and duty to take part in administrative work of the society. Our constitution grants women the right to vote and the right to stand for elections and no political practices should take away these rights from them. In theory, the right to stand for elections, to become a candidate, and to get elected, is based on the right to vote.
The reality is, however, that women’s rights to vote remain restricted: principally because the only candidates to vote for are usually male. The level of women’s representation in our councils and Parliament is very low.
And this low level of women’s representation in our political institutions should be considered a violation of their fundamental democratic right, and, as such, of their basic human rights. This unequal rate of representation signifies that women’s representation, rather than being a function of democratisation, is more a function of preserving the status quo.
Men dominate our political arena; they formulate the rules of the political game; and they define the standards for evaluation. Furthermore, political life is organised according to male norms and values, and in some cases, even male lifestyles.
Our violent politics is not suitable for women and as such whenever violence crops up in our politics, more and more women are discouraged from taking part in their country’s political processes.
Our politics is based on competition and confrontation, rather than on mutual respect, collaboration and consensus building. This environment is alien to women, both to their nature and to their experiences.
The existence of this male-dominated politics results in women either rejecting politics altogether or rejecting male-style politics. Thus, when women do participate in politics, they tend to do so in small numbers.
Women should be allowed to be what they are, and to act according to their own unique personality. Women do not have to be like men to have power.
Women play important roles in campaigning and mobilising support for their political parties, yet they rarely occupy decision-making positions in these structures.
Why? The selection and nomination process within our political parties is biased against women in that male characteristics are emphasised and often become the criteria for selecting candidates. Those who are selected, often have to exhibit some male characteristics and be seen to be like men. We often hear people saying, ‘mukazi uja ni mwamuna’.
An old boys’ club atmosphere and prejudices inhibit and prohibit politically-inclined women from integrating into their party’s work. This results in an underestimation of women as politicians by those who provide money for election campaigns, thus further hindering women from being nominated.
Women’s participation is better realised when there are quarters for women’s participation. And this is the approach the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has adopted when it decided on a 30 per cent representation of women in key decision-making institutions of the member countries.
It is very difficult for a woman to make up her mind to enter politics. Once she makes up her own mind, then she has to prepare her husband, children and family. Once she has overcome all these obstacles and applies for the ticket, then the male aspirants against whom she is applying make up all sorts of stories about her.
And after all this, when her name goes to the party bosses, they do not select her because they fear losing that seat.
Although our government, in collaboration with other SADC governments, have declared to change all this, it is nevertheless unrealistic to expect the government alone to secure our women’s rightful place in all spheres of society.
Civil society in general, including religious institutions, traditional authorities, non-governmental organisations, the media and women’s groups, must play a role in advancing women’s representation.
To achieve gender balance in our country’s political life, it is necessary to ensure that commitment to equality is reflected in all our laws, national policies and political practices.
Affirmative action, as per the SADC requirement or guideline, is a necessary tool to maintain at least 30 per cent of women at all levels of decision-making in our country.
Expanding the pool of women who are qualified for recruitment in political careers is also needed. This can be done by giving women access, from an early stage, to work patterns that are conducive to political leadership.
Special attention should be given to the involvement of young women in political participation. Our women must also think carefully about their own goals, strategies and tactics. Women should be made to become more conscious of their human dignity and to demand rights to participate in public life.
All practices, political or otherwise, which deprive women of their rights and the respect due to them, must be condemned at all times. We should all be ready to vote for women who have true leadership qualities in this year’s elections.
We will have no meaningful development unless women take up their rightful place in the politics and administration of our country. In order to develop our country, it is of the utmost importance to arouse the broad masses of our women to join politics and take up leadership positions in our country.
Labels: WOMEN
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Make women’s rights a campaign issue - US official
By Gift Chanda
Fri 17 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
"Women’s rights issues should have a place in this year’s election campaigns"
POLITICIANS should make women’s rights issues a priority in their campaigns, says a visiting senior US official. Melanne Verveer, who is US Ambassador-at-Large for global women’s issues, said women’s rights issues should have a place in this year’s election campaigns.
She urged politicians to explain specific policies they hoped to introduce to guarantee women’s rights and increase their participation in decision-making positions.
Verveer, who was in the country over the weekend for the AGOA forum and to visit US-funded projects, said the presence of more women in top decision-making and management roles would assist address specific problems women faced.
“It is important that women participate in the economies of their countries.
When they are engaged in politics at a level where they bring their talents and experiences at decision making, we have better outcomes for countries,” she said.
Verveer, an aide in former president Bill Clinton's administration, said currently there were many entrenched practices, norms, and policies that kept women away from taking up decision-making positions.
“What we need from what we have seen not just here but around the world are commitments and all kinds of efforts at the top, at decision making level whether in governments or civil society organisations to up lift women rights,” she said.
“We also need pressure from the bottom, pressure at grass root level. The “heat” should be on both sides.”
She commended Zambia for enacting a law against gender-based violence.
She said although it was not a perfect law, it was a good step in the right direction.
“That law now needs to be implemented and enforced and as it begins to bring about positive change, improvements can be made in the future,” she said.
Verveer urged journalists to raise issues on women’s rights with aspiring political leaders so that they were made mindful of their responsibilities.
Ambassador-at-Large for global women’s issues was new foreign policy position the US President Barack Obama created in 2009 to tackle global women's issues.
President Obama named Melanne Verveer as Ambassador-at-Large for international women's issues and she serves at the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Labels: WOMEN
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Rupiah behind Mpongwe adoption problems
By Staff Reporters
Fri 17 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
STATE HOUSE has been linked to works and supply minister Gabriel Namulambe’s adoption troubles for the Mpongwe parliamentary seat. And Bank of Zambia Governor Caleb Fundanga’s wife, Rosaria, has won primary elections in Chilubi for adoption on the MMD ticket.
Well-placed sources within the MMD provincial executive committee on the Copperbelt yesterday revealed that there was a serious contest in Mpongwe. “Currently, there are problems in Mpongwe. What has happened is that there is a serious fight for that seat between Namulambe and Rabson Chilufya,” the source said.
“I am sure you are aware that until recently, Chilufya was President Rupiah Banda’s senior private secretary at State House. But we are now told that he recently left State House and opted to apply for adoption for the Mpongwe seat.”
The source disclosed that Chilufya applied for the seat and attended the interviews.
“Actually, he has even been going round the constituency mobilising people. We are surprised with where Chilufya has gotten the courage and money he is using to mobilise party officials and cadres in the constituency to back his adoption against Namulambe,” the source said.
“In fact, what has even amazed us more is the failure by senior party officials to intervene in the matter. For instance, we have heard that some senior party officials have been intervening in certain constituencies for the sake of maintaining peace and unity in the party.
“We know of constituencies where certain ministers or deputy ministers have been rejected but some senior party officials have quickly moved in to try and influence the outcome of the whole adoption process just to ensure that those ministers and deputy ministers go through. But what is surprising is that on Mpongwe, everybody seems to be neutral all of a sudden.”
The source said there were divisions within the MMD in Mpongwe.
“It’s a fact that Chilufya is causing serious problems in Mpongwe but no one is standing up against that like they have done in other constituencies,” the source said. “You may wish to know that recently, Namulambe was almost stoned by a group of hired cadres in his own constituency when he was going round. We don’t know the person who organis ed those people.
“How can a minister be subjected to such unruly conduct from cadres, where is the protection? Right now in Mpongwe, there are places where people are threatening that ‘someone will die if Rabson is not adopted’.”
The source said it was clear that State House prefer Chilufya to Namulambe, who is also MMD elections chairperson.
“Those of us who understand politics; can clearly read that this is just a case of State House standing by one of its own. Rabson could not have left his job at State House to contest the Mpongwe seat if his colleagues there State House have not assured him of something,” the source said.
“How many people have left a job at State House to throw themselves into a tightly contested race for adoption like the one currently going on in Mpongwe? This whole scheme seems to have been crafted in favour of Chilufya.”
And Well placed MMD sources disclosed that Rosaria polled 17 votes with her closest competitor Julian Chisupa getting seven.
Chisupa is former MMD member of parliament for Chilubi.
The sources also disclosed the names of applicants in Lusaka Province.
In Munali, Bishop Mtonga was being favoured ahead of a Mr Mwale.
In Lusaka-Central, the MMD sources said Muhabi Lungu was being favoured to stand on the seat.
In Kafue, the sources said area member of parliament Bradford Machila was doing well in the primaries, while the case was the same with Kenneth Chipungu who was reportedly doing well in Rufunsa.
“In Mandevu, Dr Canicius Banda is the favourite to get that one,” the source said.
In Chawama, PF ‘rebel’ member of parliament Sampa Bredt came second to favourite Donald Chilufya.
“In Luangwa where Charles Shawa is member of parliament, they want Patrick Ngoma instead. In Mambilima, the correct position is that John Chinyanta actually defeated David Chanda,” said the source.
In Matero, there was a push by the MMD to have PF ‘rebel’ member of parliament Faustina Sinyangwe adopted.
“We are surprised that she started on a weaker note but she seems to be gaining momentum,” the source said.
And Western Province executive committee sources have accused some officials of collecting money from aspiring candidates and taking them round the constituencies.
Charles Akende, who is MMD Mongu district executive committee chairman and former mayor for Mongu said some provincial executive committee members had preferred candidates who bribed them for easy adoption.
He said it was important that the highest decision making body respected the desires of the grassroot.
“Those officials who got money from aspiring candidates should not be involved in the selection process. If these people are allowed then it won’t be a free process because they would want to pay for the money they got by choosing them,” said Akende in an interview from Mongu.
He said it was unfortunate that some leaders went round with preferred candidates who had tumbled at constituency and district levels.
“If they pick me that’s fine, if not that’s still fine. It’s better to respect the wishes of the grassroot and what they want. I am a cadre and official for the MMD,” he said.
Akende has applied to contest Nalolo constituency under the MMD beating three others at primary level.
Asked what he would do in an event that he was not adopted, Akende said he would support anyone who would be selected.
MMD Nalolo parliamentarian Moses Mwangala says he has decided not to re-contest his seat to pave way for young people.
But Provincial executive committee sources said Mwangala withdrew at the last minute.
“I have decided not to stand but if the situation allows and the party wants me am available,’ Mwangala said.
He said he will support the party throughout because he was a founder member.
But sources said Mwangala was advised to withdraw because his chances of winning were slim.
Meanwhile some Kafue youths have rejected the MMD's recommendation that Bradford Machila re-contests the parliamentary seat.
In a press statement dated June 15 and made available to The Post, Kafue United Youth Alliance (KUYA) president Oswell Simbeye and his secretary Moses Mweemba stated that it was political suicide for the MMD to adopt Machila as he had not performed to the expectations of the residents of Kafue.
“It will be unfortunate and sad if political parties adopt candidates from outside the constituency. KUYA is reliably informed that the ruling party, MMD, at their last constituency and district committee meetings recommended Honourable Bradford Machila to re-contest the Kafue parliamentary seat,” the statement stated.
“However our position is that Machila is not the right candidate. The man in the last five years did not perform to the constituency’s expectations. Hon Machila chose to remain in Lusaka at the expense of the development for Kafue. It is not fair for the MMD to adopt a reject like Hon Machila who has only re-appeared now that there are elections.”
The statement indicated that KUYA would campaign strongly against any political party that would adopt people who are not known in the constituency.
“Development of Kafue has failed to take place because the people are imposed and not chosen on merit. Kafue needs a person who has lived in the constituency for a long time and has broad knowledge about the issues and problems that need solutions,” stated KUYA.
Labels: MMD, MPONGWE, RUPIAH BANDA
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