Details of HH’s wealth President Sata wants to show the Commonwealth
Time Posted: February 20, 2013 8:47 am
PRESIDENT Michael Sata has exposed opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema’s financial and estate records valued at more than KR360million (K360 billion).
Prior to the 2011 general elections, Mr Hichilema’s declared assets, filed before the Chief Justice, were valued at only KR46 million but the opposition leader was still the richest at the time.
President Sata said at State House in Lusaka yesterday that the records would be submitted to the Commonwealth organisation, which Mr Hichilema had invited to Zambia to check on alleged human rights violations by the ruling party.
“I am glad that Mr Hichilema has invited the Commonwealth, we will show them this document,” said the President in reference to the dossier containing details of the wealth amassed by Mr Hichilema.
Preliminary investigations indicated that Mr Hichilema had ranches, which had made him to emerge as one of the leading suppliers of beef to Zambeef Plc in the country.
“I am glad that Mr Hichilema has invited the Commonwealth, we will show them this document,” said the President in reference to the dossier containing details of the wealth amassed by Mr Hichilema.
The ranches had 90,000 cattle in Central and Southern Provinces valued at KR360 million.
The ranches were divided as; four in Choma District, operating as H.H Farm and Blukes Farms whose property number was F/2295/A and had about 20,000 animals.
One ranch located in Namwala District, operating under the name of H.H Farms whose property number was L/2482/m and had about 16,000 animals.
Another farm in Kalomo District operating as H.H Farms B. Williams whose property number was F/821/A and had 35, 000 animals while three ranches in Kalola, Chibombo District, whose property numbers were F/1604/A, F/2270/A and F/9184 had 35, 000 animals.
Mr Hichilema had four bank accounts with the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZNCB), with the ZIMCO account in liquidation bearing account number 0030410001474, based at Lusaka’sBusiness Center branch, having US$5,383.86.
However as at May 22, last year, the account had US$820,411.58. Mr Hichilema’s Agro Support Limited account number 030240000901 and based at the ZNCB Choma branch had a balance of KR45, 685 as at July 22, last year.
Another account named ZIMCO in liquidation whose number was 00304010001474 based at Lusaka Business Centre had a balance of KR9, 305 and a dormant account which had KR135, 000 domiciled at the Lusaka Business Center.
Mr Hichilema had shares in private companies which included, ALS Capital, a bureau de change based at Mukuba House in Lusaka, Beef Up Zambia Limited, amarketing company based at Longolongo Road in Lusaka.
He also had shares in Buluwe Properties Limited, an investment and property development firm based at Mukuba House in Lusaka.
Others were in Hillview Properties Limited, an investment and property development company also based at Mukuba House and in the Manda Hill Center, an investment and property development company based at Manda Hill Shopping Mall in Lusaka.
The opposition leader also had shares in Maybrooke Property Investment Limited, an investment and property development business based at Anglo American building in Lusaka.
More Beef Limited, a beef marketing company based on Omelo Mumba Road in Lusaka’s Rhodespark Township and Quantum Assets Zambia Limited, an investment and property development business based on Independence Avenue in Lusaka.
He also had other shares in the prestigious Zambezi Sun International Hotels based in Livingstone, Pick ‘n’ Pay and Game Stores in Lusaka.
Other being Anglo-American Corporation and Delloitte and Touche, an accounting firm based in Lusaka.
The opposition leader had three houses in South Africa, two in England, three in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area and office blocks in Choma District.
Mr Hichilema’s associates included prominent commercial farmer Costain Chilala of Mkushi, Boyd Hamusonde, a proprietor of B.H Diesel Motors who was also a Member of Parliament for Nangoma Constituency, who made regular donations to the party.
“In addition, UPND MPs are also required to contribute KR1, 000 every month for party activities. The UPND also received funds from the Liberal Party (LP) of Norway, which is under the leadership of Erick Ringes, a personal friend of Mr Hichilema. The value of the donations by LP is yet to be established,” the document stated.
[Times of Zambia]
Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MICHAEL SATA
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Zambia imports lots of fish from neighbours
Time Posted: February 21, 2013 7:26 am
Zambia imports between 4,626 and 16, 077 tonnes of fish annually from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia. Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Richard Taima has told parliament today that the total amount of fish importationannually from 2006 to 2011 has been fluctuating between 4,626 to 16, 077 tonnes.
Mr Taima stated that cumulative totals indicate that 10,846 tonnes was imported from Zimbabwe, 6196 tonnes from China, 6,073 tonnes from Namibia and 4,732 tonnes from Mozambique.
The Minister disclosed that in 2006 the country spend K22,254 million, in 2007 K30,607 million and in 2008 the country spent KR 16,609 while in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the country spent KR26,588 million, KR28,450 million and K156,749 million.
He added that the imported fish is from natural water bodies and also from the fish farms in both fresh and marine waters but noted that most of the fish comes from fish farms.
The Minister said government is not aware of the type of feed the fish is fed on and appealed to the members of the house and others to provide information for government to base on to institute investigations to find out if the imported fish has bad effects on human once consumed.
The Minister was responding to Senga Hills MP, Kapembwa Simbao, who wanted to know whether fish is currently being imported into the country for sale to the public and the type of fish and also the amount of fish imported into the country per year and from which country.
Mr Simbao also wanted to know whether the imported fish was from natural water bodies or from fish farms and how much money is being spent on the importation of fish each and if the members of the public are aware that they have been consuming imported fish.
On the concerns that the country could be importing fish that could have bad effects on human beings, the Acting Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Emmanuel Chenda, assured the house that government would investigate.
And Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, has ordered the Minister of Finance, Alexander Chikwanda, to issue a Ministerial statement to the House on Tuesday next week on the continued depression of the Kwacha against foreign currencies, especially the dollar.
This followed the point of order raised by Monze MP, Jack Mwiimbu, who asked the speaker to rule whether it was in order for government to remain quiet when the Kwacha was depreciating against other currencies despite assurances when the house was debating the 2013 National Budget.
ZANIS
Labels: FISHING, IMPORTS, MALAWI
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COMMENT - Robert Amsterdam (Amsterdam & Peroff, corporate member of Chatham House/RIIA) whose clients in incude Thanksi Shinawatra (Thailand) and Mikhail Khodorkovsky (Russia). Apparently, former Zambian President Rupiah Banda is on a par with these individuals some way.
Rupiah's lawyer a vulture - Luonde
By Ernest Chanda and Moses Kuwema
Thu 21 Feb. 2013, 16:10 CAT
FATHER Richard Luonde has described Rupiah Banda's lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, as a vulture who is taking advantage of desperate politicians like the former president. And Amsterdam has described Zambians supporting calls to lift his client's immunity as playing a role of 'useful idiots'.
Meanwhile, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has stated that the immunity provided for in the Constitution was against prosecution and not investigation. The Kitwe-based Anglican priest said Amsterdam had a tarnished image world-wide such that some countries had even banned him from entering them. He said Amsterdam had taken advantage of Banda's political misfortune and portrayed himself as a super-international lawyer.
"He has taken advantage of the state of mind of our former head of state and his family. And he says because I'm an international lawyer, I can represent you. When you are desperate in life, you end up losing a lot of things. The man is a vulture who is looking for desperate politicians like former president Banda," Fr Luonde said yesterday.
"This is the time that the former head of state should ground himself, stick to Zambia and answer all charges here. To go to such kind of lawyers like Mr Amsterdam who has no credible international record is unfortunate."
He said Zambia had competent lawyers that could represent Banda.
"Even our second Republican president Dr Frederick Chiluba when he was taken to court, he didn't rush for international lawyers. He stuck to Zambian lawyers because he had confidence in our lawyers, and they represented him throughout his cases. We have so many well-articulate and intelligent lawyers in Zambia who can represent him effectively.
To go to such kind of lawyers who just want to reap where they did not sow will just put him into more problems."
And in statement released on Tuesday, Amsterdam said that recent calls by the PF government and other stakeholders to remove Banda's immunity were politically motivated and an example of selective justice.
Amsterdam, who described people calling for the lifting of Banda's immunity as praise singers, further stated:
"...President Michael Sata's government is persecuting Banda in a completely opposite, backwards fashion."
He accused Post editor-in-chief Fred M'membe and Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito of guiding the undermining of the rule of law in the country.
"...The two men have already allegedly abused their powers to force the government to help them avoid paying back debt to Development Bank of Zambia, and now they are asking citizens to play the role of 'useful idiots' to support lifting immunity without even knowing why," he stated.
He accused President Sata and chief government spokesperson Kennedy Sakeni of direct interference in the judicial affairs of the country.
Amsterdam stated that the government had turned the fight against corruption into a political instrument.
Recently in Rosebank, South Africa, Amsterdam organised a press conference for UPND, MMD and ULP leaders, where the opposition heads called for Zambia to be suspended from the Commonwealth among other demands. The press conference has been widely condemned by a cross-section of the Zambian society.
Amsterdam also represented incarcerated Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Khodorkovsky was jailed in 2003 for corruption and is due to complete his 14 year jail term next year after a Russian court cut off two years.
He also represented former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who at one time was wanted to answer to corruption charges.
Last year, the Zambian government said Amsterdam was not welcome in Zambia. This was after he had gotten a tourist visa. He has once been denied entry to Singapore also.
Recently, Dr Ludwig Sondashi, who is president of the opposition Forum for Democratic Alternatives (FDA), said Amsterdam had been unfair to Banda and other opposition leaders by not advising them properly.
"In my view as a constitutional lawyer, I've not seen anything wrong which this government has done to warrant Mr Rupiah's running out to go and seek assistance. If anything, Mr Rupiah must be answerable to the local jurisdiction," said Dr Sondashi.
And in a statement, LAZ president James Banda, said that a proper case has to be presented to the National Assembly for the members of parliament to seriously consider before Banda's immunity is removed.
James Banda stated that lifting the immunity of Banda now would be premature and risks being an academic exercise as long as critical issues were not addressed.
"It is established by the Republican Constitution (Article 43 3) and the courts of law that the National Assembly can lift the immunity of a former head of state if it has before it allegations showing prima facie criminal conduct and that to remove such immunity would not be contrary to the interests of the state. Therefore, it is not only evidence of criminal conduct which is to be considered.
The parliamentarians must address their minds to the question whether removing the immunity of the head of state is not contrary to the interests of the state," Banda stated.
Banda stated that the immunity provided for in the Constitution was against prosecution and not investigation.
He stated that once credible investigations were carried out and it emerges that there was a prima facie evidence of wrong doing then at that point, Parliament might be moved on a motion for the lifting of the immunity.
"However, the former head of state enjoys all constitutional rights and liberties of any person suspected to have committed a crime.
"Further, the issue of the lifting of immunity of a former head of state is not without precedent in Zambia. Following the acquittal of late president Frederick Chiluba, uproar was raised against the judgment and it was a strong feeling amongst many stakeholders that the justice system was interfered with. The Law Association raised concern with the judgment as well and we were clear," stated James Banda.
According to LAZ, the precedent and experience Zambia had gone through over Chiluba should help the country not make similar mistakes.
"In this regard pertinent questions to ask before considering the removal of the immunity of the former head of state are:
Have the problems identified in the justice system been rectified?
Do our investigation and prosecution systems enjoy independence and credibility?
In our view, before the above issues/ questions are addressed this process (removing Banda's immunity) will be mired in controversy and the whole process, which might earn kudos for certain sectors of our political system, risks achieving nothing," stated Banda.
Labels: LAZ, LEGAL IMMUNITY, RICHARD LUONDE, RUPIAH BANDA
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A good constitution can eradicate poverty - Sikazwe
By Kombe Chimpinde
Thu 21 Feb. 2013, 15:10 CAT
WOMEN for Change executive director Emily Sikazwe says a good constitution can eradicate extreme poverty and improve the country's governance system. And JCTR says Zambians must ensure that economic and social rights are enshrined in the country's constitution by going to a referendum.
Meanwhile, Lubansenshi independent member of parliament Patrick Mucheleka says economic problems in Zambia are a result of poor governance exhibited by governments over the years.
Speaking at a discussion forum themed 'The Zambia we want' organised by the Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post in Lusaka yesterday, Sikazwe said it was only through the constitution that economic rights of all Zambians would be guaranteed.
She said coming up with a good constitution would ensure the interests of the minority in society were protected.
"In there (constitution), we will make sure the poor are protected in a country where we are saying economic growth is high… There is no one to blame, not any outsiders but ourselves," said Sikazwe. "I have a nephew in UTH who broke his leg. I have been going to UTH now for the last three weeks every day.
They failed to operate on him for two weeks because there was no oxygen and it is true there was no oxygen and this is endemic, it's not today's problem; it's been there all along. People sleeping on the floor… The issue is what is our collective vision?"
And Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) director Fr Leonard Chiti said participation of all Zambians in the constitution-making process was crucial in order to ensure economic, social and cultural rights and that this would happen through a referendum.
He said once this was achieved, resources made for poverty related programmes would be strictly administered and protected as government would be held liable for failure to provide the said rights.
"You can actually sue the government for failure to provide these rights, in the same way we can sue the government if they stopped having this forum that we are having now," Fr Chiti said.
He said the draft constitution currently has provisions for economic, social and cultural rights.
"These rights are rights such as the rights to education, the right to health, the right to food security, shelter, a safe environment but also, within the Bill of Rights in the draft, there are provisions for more rights for women, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are more less associating with these economic and social rights," Fr Chiti said.
"In terms of MDG number one, which is alleviating extreme poverty, if you provide education, health, shelter, job, a clean environment and security, clearly this would go a long way in having the proportion of people living in extreme poverty reduced."
Fr Chiti said if the said rights were enshrined in the constitution, Zambia would be on course in meeting the MDGs by the 2015 target date.
And UN country coordinator Kani Wignaraja said there was still much that remained to be done for the country to meet the MDGs by 2015.
"Enrolment of pupils in primary schools, we have done very well. We have seen enrolment in secondary schools but close to a half of our children Zambia don't complete primary and even a larger number of that, don't even complete secondary," she said.
"The other fact that we have to consider is three Zambians; two of whom are girls, every hour are infected with HIV. Now although we are doing well on HIV prevalence and upping the ability of those who have not had access to treatment and care and counselling, on the other side of the spectrum is quiet alarming, that every hour three Zambians are newly-infected with HIV. These issues are fundamental that we have to ask ourselves as a nation where we are headed."
Wignaraja said there was little benefit in pointing fingers at each other on what has not been done.
Meanwhile, Mucheleka said the government should begin to exert its efforts on serious national priorities that can accelerate development.
"It is a question of how we set our priorities. What steps are we taking to ensure that we strengthen and enhance domestic resource mobilisation?" asked Mucheleka.
Labels: EMILY SIKAZWE, JCTR, POVERTY
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Wynter is making sense
By The Post
Thu 21 Feb. 2013, 15:10 CAT
We share Wynter Kabimba's concerns about globalisation and how it has reduced the world into a "village of unequal partners and participants".
We who live in poor Third World countries need to collectively reflect on ways to face the new world realities in order to achieve development, eradicate poverty, defend the cultures of our people and occupy the place we deserve in making global decisions that affect everyone.
Actually, only a calm reflection and an honest exchange of ideas will show us the way to better consider the legitimate interests of all our peoples.
We benefit very little - and often not at all - from the advantages of the current world order with its dazzling technology, market expansion and financial bubbles.
Today we face the enormous challenges arising from a unipolar world order and a globalisation process that advances imperiously, shaping a world with greater technological potential than ever before, but also with greater inequalities and exclusions.
Globalisation is the historical process that is today defining the world scenario. Globalisation is an irreversible reality characterised by the growing interaction of all countries in the world, their economies and peoples. The major scientific and technological advances have shortened distances and allowed for direct communication and transmission of information among countries located anywhere on the planet.
With its impressive technological achievements, globalisation holds tremendous potential for development, the eradication of poverty and fostering well-being in conditions of social equality for all humanity. Never before has the world commanded today's formidable technological resources.
However, the world is still very far from materialising the potential of globalisation. It develops today under the aegis of neo-liberal policies that impose unregulated markets and unbridled privatisation.
Far from promoting the expansion of development throughout an increasingly interdependent world badly in need of sharing the progress achieved, neo-liberal globalisation has aggravated existing inequalities and raised to inordinate heights social inequities and the most disturbing contrasts between extreme wealth and extreme poverty.
In 1960, the difference of incomes between the wealthiest 20 per cent of the world's population living in the developed countries and those of the poorest 20 per cent living in the Third World was 30 to one. By 1997, that ratio was 74 to one. The cult of deregulated markets had promised a progressive convergence of development levels. However, the last two decades have brought an even greater concentration of revenues and resources and a wider gap between developed and underdeveloped nations.
The OECD member countries, with 19 per cent of the world's population, account for 71 per cent of international trade in goods and services, 58 per cent of foreign direct investment and 91 per cent of all internet users.
It is obvious that the opportunities offered by globalisation are distributed very unevenly in the conditions created by the cult of market competition and the reduction of the role of governments to passive recipients of decisions taken by the financial power centres.
In order for globalisation to realise its enormous potential to benefit humanity, it must be accompanied by a just and sustainable new world order. This new order must include the participation of Third World countries in global decision-making and a profound transformation of the international monetary system currently dominated by the privileges enjoyed by the United States' national currency.
Likewise, a comprehensive approach to development is required in order to avoid the separation of trade, investments and finance, thus facilitating control by the developed countries. It is essential to reduce the widening gap between the group of the wealthiest countries and the large majority of poorest countries, as well as to bring an end to protectionist policies, which clearly contradict the often-repeated rhetoric of liberalisation.
Globalisation potential for progress and development for all, and not just for a privileged minority, will elude full realisation in the absence of a dialogue between the developed countries and the Third World. This must be a wide-ranging and responsible dialogue based on a full understanding of the shared responsibility imposed by globalisation, of the different degrees of development that make it both unfair and absurd to demand equal contributions from such profoundly unequal parties.
Above all, it must be a dialogue on an equal footing and not a monologue in which the Third World is assigned the role of listening to a lecture on what it should do to earn a certificate for good behavior.
Never before has humanity had such formidable scientific and technologic potential, such extraordinary capacity to produce riches and well-being, but never before have disparity and inequality been so profound in the world.
Technological wonders that have been shrinking the planet and distances co-exist today with the increasingly wider gap separating wealth and poverty, development and underdevelopment.
It is said that globalisation is an objective reality underlining the fact that we are all passengers on the same vessel - this planet where we all live. But passengers on this vessel are traveling in very different conditions.
A trifling minority is traveling in luxurious cabins furnished with all sorts of hitech gadgets. They enjoy a nutritional, abundant and balanced diet as well as clean water supplies. They have access to sophisticated medical care and culture.
The overwhelming and suffering majority is traveling in conditions that resemble the terrible slave trade from Africa to America. That is, the great majority of the passengers on this ship are crowded together in its dirty hold, suffering hunger, disease and helplessness.
Obviously, this vessel is carrying too much injustice to remain afloat, pursuing such an irrational and senseless route that it cannot call on a safe port. This vessel seems destined to crash into an iceberg. If that happened, we would all sink with it.
We do not have only a corrective right, but also a collective obligation to take the helm and correct that catastrophic course. It is our duty to take our rightful place at the helm and ensure that all passengers can travel in conditions of solidarity, equity and justice.
For two decades, we have been repeatedly listening to only one simplistic discourse, while one single policy has prevailed. We have been told that deregulated markets, maximum privatisation and the state's withdrawal from economic activity were the infallible principles conducive to economic and social development.
In the last two decades, along this line, the developed countries, particularly the United States, the big transnational corporations who benefit from such policies and the International Monetary Fund have designed the world economic order most hostile to our countries' progress and the least sustainable, in terms of preservation of society and the environment.
Globalisation has been held tight by the patterns of neo-liberalism; thus, it is not development that becomes global but poverty; it is not respect for national sovereignty of our states but the violation of that respect; it is not solidarity amongst our peoples but sauve-qui-peut in the unequal competition prevailing in the marketplace. Two decades of the so-called neo-liberal structural adjustments have left us economic failure and social disaster. It is the duty of responsible politicians to face up to this predicament by taking the indispensable decisions conducive to rescue our countries from a blind alley.
This is the only way we can prevent the ship from colliding with the iceberg that could sink us all. This is the only way that we can look forward to life and not death.
The only way for our poor countries to succeed in making ourselves heard, in fighting for our interests, and in defending our right to life, development and culture is to stand united. And as Wynter correctly puts it, "this is the world where the rich in terms of natural resources are the poorest in terms of living standards and obviously it means we have to reconstruct this world economic order". Wynter is making sense.
Labels: GLOBALISATION, NEOLIBERALISM, WYNTER KABIMBA
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(ZAMBIA REPORTS) Kabimba Embraces Cuban Socialism
Published February 21, 2013 By Nse Udoh
Following a visit by a Zambian delegation to Cuba this past week, Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba has taken a confrontational stance against Washington
by stating his government’s “permanent support” for the Cuban regime on the issue of the blockade and the Cuban Five prisoners.
Speaking in an interview published by Cuba’s state-owned newspaper Granma, Kabimba shared some ideological perspectives that have been interpreted by some parties as step toward socialism by the ruling Patriotic Front.
Among other statements, he expressed criticism of foreign investors in Zambia, remarking that they do little to contribute to development, while also slamming “Western forces with economic interests” for intervening in the conflict in Mali.
According to the translated introduction in the article in Granma,
“Today we live in a world characterized by injustice, where the powerful nations have the ability to decide how to gain access to the natural resources of less developed countries and what they will pay for them. A world where the rich are getting richer, and the poor poorer. Such considerations relate to the secretary general of the ruling Patriotic Front party of Zambia Wynter Kabimba, who during his recent visit to Cuba spoke with Granma.”
“Currently we are facing the phenomenon of globalisation, which determines the global economic order and has turned the world into small village in which ‘the partners’ are in conditions of inequality,” Kabimba said to Granma, later emphasizing that the ideal solution would be to “rebuild the dominant economic order so that social justice wins.”
“In Africa, we now have political independence, but this won’t be enough for us to obtain economic independence,” Kabimba said.
Asked about the challenges Zambia faces from the global financial crisis, Kabimba said “the level of foreign direct investment is high, but most of it doesn’t contribute to the development of our people and this is something we must revert to from a legal point of view.”
Commenting on the PF’s social policies, Kabimba told the Cuban press that the Zambian government it has subdivided the districts so that government spending is distributed in the most equitable manner and so that each community decides what are its development priorities.
The issue of re-districting and creation of new provinces in Zambia has in the past created signficant controversies, as citizens complain that they were not consulted while opposition parties decried the unconstitutional decrees which circumvented parliamentary procedure.
Asked about regional security issues, Kabimba took aim at the foreign intervention in Mali:
“The question that we should be asking ourselves is ‘who is the instigator of this conflict?’ In my opinion, it’s the Western forces with economic interests who, once again, want to control our natural resources. The issue of terrorism in Africa is a smokescreen, a front.”
Kabimba said that in university he studied a course on Latin American history, and learned that today the Latin American people are uniting in search of economic independence “to fight against the multinationals who for years have taken control of their wealth.”
Kabimba also praised Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, who was recently reelected to a third term in office, and also praised the “good examples” of Bolivia, Venezuela, and Brazil.
“In Africa, we are watching with hope what is happening in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Kabimba said. “We see that it is possible for the people to defeat imperialist forces. For example, in Venezuela, when a coup de etat was organised by the CIA, we saw a people who went out into the streets to defend their government they had voted for. It’s important to understand that what happens today in countries like Honduras and Paraguay constitute the exception and not the rule, like it happened in the past.”
Concluding the interview, Kabimba said “our position with respect to the blockade and the Five is that of permanent support. For us, injustice is injustice, whether it is against Cuba, against Palestine, or against the the Polisario Front [Western Sahara]. Here you have an ally in Zambia.”
According to the 2012 report by monitor Human Rights Watch, “Cuba remains the only country in Latin America that represses virtually all forms of political dissent. In 2011 Raúl Castro’s government continued to enforce political conformity using short-term detentions, beatings, public acts of repudiation, forced exile, and travel restrictions.”
Kabimba’s comments are likely to raise concerns in Washington, which was previously supportive of the Patriotic Front’s campaign in 2011.
Many commentators online are also speculating what his comments will mean for future policies in Zambia.
Labels: CUBA, GLOBALISATION, WYNTER KABIMBA
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Miyanda requests Sata to address the nation
By Kombe Chimpinde
Thu 21 Feb. 2013, 15:10 CAT
HERITAGE Party leader Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has requested President Michael Sata to address the nation through an interactive live broadcast to diffuse tension in the country.
In a statement yesterday, Brig Gen Miyanda stated that the daily quarrels, threats against citizens and defensive tactics by those in authority point to an undeclared war of words in Zambia.
"I believe that the President can help to diffuse the situation by addressing issues that are contributing to the unbridled antagonism, hatred and tension in our nation. To end this undeclared war, I once again call upon the President of Zambia, as I did in October 2012, to face the people of Zambia via a live radio and television interaction to address current issues that are creating concern in the nation," Brig Gen Miyanda stated.
"President Sata's silence since he won the election in September 2011 till today in February 2013 is strange and uncharacteristic for one whose hallmark has been talking and talking and talking for 10 years! It is as though somebody or something is now holding him to ransom. To prove that he is not a captive president, let him appear on a live television and radio interview for at least two hours to face the people of Zambia."
Brig Gen Miyanda stated that there were many contentious issues and serious rumours in the political arena that would simply not go away but might be put to rest by an honest interaction with the people.
"Some issues have a bearing on our national security (for instance, does the Commander-In-Chief believe that street kids in Matero are better than his Defence and Security personnel?) A good number are governance issues; several are real policy and economic issues while others may just be irritating but divisive campaign rhetoric," observed Brig Gen Miyanda.
"A question and answer session may bury the rumours and parry any lies and misconceptions all round. I believe that once the President addresses and answers all the critical questions truthfully and transparently, detractors, if any, may be silenced."
Brig Gen Miyanda stated that it was imperative for President Sata to address the nation after nearly a record two years of no such address.
He stated that winning an election was not the "be-all and end-all of our political journey; neither is it a blank cheque to do as a winning political party wishes".
"In fact, it is highly misleading for any political party in government to claim that they received a mandate through the ballot to do as they please. Voters do not vote on each and every clause in a manifesto but, as in the last presidential election, they were merely choosing one servant out of several applicants. Hence the chief servant must avail himself, once in a while, to the employers. The President has accepted another invitation to address an international audience in Asia - fine. So why must he refuse or neglect to face his own people here in Zambia for close to two years?" he asked.
Brig Gen Miyanda advised President Sata to address the nation on the rule of law; decentralisation; the public order Act; rights and freedoms of citizens as he perceived them; traditional rulers and their role in national affairs; justification of the increased arrests of political opponents, among others.
"...is it true that there was a parallel PF security structure which has now been infused in the government main system without following usual stringent government procedures? If so, where did these people come from? Are they all Zambians? Is it true that our airspace is porous as announced by the Minister of Tourism? What was the rationale for recalling literally the whole civil service from diplomatic service and what has become of these Zambians and their families?" he asked.
Brig Gen Miyanda stated that one of the job descriptions of the Republican President in the Constitution was to provide leadership.
Labels: GODFREY MIYANDA, MICHAEL SATA
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Britain does not love Zimbabwe
20/02/2013 00:00:00
by Mai Jukwa
THE British waste no opportunity to remind us that they care for the poor people of Zimbabwe. They claim that it is because they are so concerned about human rights and democracy that they have felt compelled to impose sanctions.
These are noble-sounding statements of self-praise that paint British motives in a very kind light. However, we must examine words against actions if we are to discover the real motives of the British in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is being punished because it is charged with violating human rights. This punishment is expressed through sanctions.
Let us begin this examination by use of contrasts as we seek to establish if these sanctions are really because of alleged human rights violations.
Britain demands sanctions on Zimbabwe but says nothing about human rights in many nations that it calls allies. An example is Saudi Arabia. Is this not hypocrisy of the worst kind? If indeed the British are so sore about human rights why do they say nothing about nations that are completely totalitarian and have total disregard for human rights?
Let’s draw back to the contrast with Saudi Arabia. Which country is more democratic? Which country has greater respect for human rights? Zimbabwe is the one that is subject to sanctions, whilst the Saudi King enjoys tea and biscuits with the Queen of England. One would naturally conclude that the Saudi’s must be saints, the salt of the earth.
Consider the freedom of religion. Zimbabweans are free to worship in whatever manner pleases them. Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and a host of other religions are practised without interference from the state. Saudi Arabia, the British chief-ally in the Middle East, does not allow this. Bringing a bible into the country for the purpose proselytising is illegal and punishable by lashings and prolonged imprisonment. These are the people that Britain calls friends. But we are told that Mugabe is the demon who does not respect human rights. We are told that Mugabe is the animal.
In 2005 Mohammed al-Harbi was sentenced to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes after he discussed the bible with students and was alleged to have praised Jews during a class. This is savagery at its best but you will not hear a word of protest from the British who claim they are champions of human rights. I will remind you that these are the laws of the land, not the work of unruly thugs. This is all entirely legal.
What about the rights of women? Around the world universal suffrage has become a standard. It is now commonly held that women are equal to men. But how does Britain's chief ally in the Middle East treat women? They are not allowed to vote. They are not allowed to drive. They are not allowed to travel abroad without the company or permission of a male ‘guardian’ as they are considered to be minors.
In contrast, Zimbabwean women enjoy absolute freedom and can travel as they please and do as they wish. But it is Zimbabwe that is under sanctions for violating human rights not Saudi Arabia. The British tell us we should be thankful for these sanctions as they are in our best interests. They are doing it because they love us. They must imagine us to be great fools.
In November of 2012, Mohammed Ibrahim, a Nigerian man living is Saudi Arabia, was accused of theft. As punishment under the country’s strict Sharia laws, he had his hand chopped off. In June of the same year, Mareeh bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri was executed for allegedly committing adultery and practicing witchcraft. This is the country that Britain considers an ally. It is not under sanctions. But we are told that Britain is sanctioning the demon Mugabe for violating human rights. The sanctions are because the British have so much love for the poor people of Zimbabwe. One wonders why the British cannot share some of this love with their Saudi ally.
The British are also very much unhappy at what they claim are election irregularities in Zimbabwe. Unless they deem elections free and fair under their terms, then Zimbabwe will remain under sanctions. But let us look at the record and see which country is more democratic. In Zimbabwe we actually hold timeous elections in which we elect parliamentarians and the president. In the last election, the MDC won and took control of parliament. Is this how a dictatorship operates?
Whilst the British howl endlessly about elections in Zimbabwe, their Queen is having feast upon feast with the Saudi King. Are there any opposition parties in Saudi Arabia? The answer is no. Do they even have elections in that country? Again the answer is no. Do they allow anti-government newspapers to publish freely? No again. What about the Internet, is it freely accessible as it is in Zimbabwe? No it is not, the government filters it. The nation is a totalitarian police state that is ruled by a monarch that cannot be questioned. They are not under sanctions. Is it because the British so love Zimbabwe more than they do Saudi Arabia? Why are they not introducing sanctions against that country if they are such champions of democracy?
Has Mugabe created a secret prison in which he holds men indefinitely without trial in violent violation of habeas corpus and the rules of natural justice? No, Guantanamo Bay does not have Robert Mugabe’s name on it. Has Robert Mugabe’s government killed innocent women and children in a drone strike and callously dismissed the atrocity as collateral damage? This is the work of the British and the Americans. For every fifty people killed in a drone strike, only one is an actual insurgent. As the president has previously said, they have much to atone for and very little to lecture us on human rights.
The duplicity and evil of the white man is well documented in history. Their actions in Zimbabwe are not because they love us. Far from it! They are angry because we dared take back land that they stole. They had grown accustomed to plundering nations and getting away with it. They felt it their right as whites to steal, feign regret but keeping possession of the stolen goods. Look at what they are doing to the Aboriginals in Australia. They live on the periphery of society in their own land. In Zimbabwe we said no to their supremacist nonsense and kicked them out. They are enraged beyond measure and want to punish us whilst hiding behind human rights and democracy to lend legitimacy to their cruel actions. It is impossible to hide behind a finger.
We have been quiet for a very long time as they carried on this hypocrisy. However I can assure the West and their surrogate political parties that this election we are going to expose them and expose them clearly. This election is a game changer and we are indeed going to fight like a wounded beast.
Amai Jukwa is a loving mother of three. She respects Robert Mugabe, is amused by Tsvangirai and feels sorry for Mutambara. She loves being followed on Twitter @AmaiJukwa
Labels: LAND REFORM, MAI JUKWA, NEOCOLONIALISM, SANCTIONS, ZDERA
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Britain does not love Zimbabwe
20/02/2013 00:00:00
by Mai Jukwa
THE British waste no opportunity to remind us that they care for the poor people of Zimbabwe. They claim that it is because they are so concerned about human rights and democracy that they have felt compelled to impose sanctions.
These are noble-sounding statements of self-praise that paint British motives in a very kind light. However, we must examine words against actions if we are to discover the real motives of the British in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is being punished because it is charged with violating human rights. This punishment is expressed through sanctions.
Let us begin this examination by use of contrasts as we seek to establish if these sanctions are really because of alleged human rights violations.
Britain demands sanctions on Zimbabwe but says nothing about human rights in many nations that it calls allies. An example is Saudi Arabia. Is this not hypocrisy of the worst kind? If indeed the British are so sore about human rights why do they say nothing about nations that are completely totalitarian and have total disregard for human rights?
Let’s draw back to the contrast with Saudi Arabia. Which country is more democratic? Which country has greater respect for human rights? Zimbabwe is the one that is subject to sanctions, whilst the Saudi King enjoys tea and biscuits with the Queen of England. One would naturally conclude that the Saudi’s must be saints, the salt of the earth.
Consider the freedom of religion. Zimbabweans are free to worship in whatever manner pleases them. Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and a host of other religions are practised without interference from the state. Saudi Arabia, the British chief-ally in the Middle East, does not allow this. Bringing a bible into the country for the purpose proselytising is illegal and punishable by lashings and prolonged imprisonment. These are the people that Britain calls friends. But we are told that Mugabe is the demon who does not respect human rights. We are told that Mugabe is the animal.
In 2005 Mohammed al-Harbi was sentenced to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes after he discussed the bible with students and was alleged to have praised Jews during a class. This is savagery at its best but you will not hear a word of protest from the British who claim they are champions of human rights. I will remind you that these are the laws of the land, not the work of unruly thugs. This is all entirely legal.
What about the rights of women? Around the world universal suffrage has become a standard. It is now commonly held that women are equal to men. But how does Britain's chief ally in the Middle East treat women? They are not allowed to vote. They are not allowed to drive. They are not allowed to travel abroad without the company or permission of a male ‘guardian’ as they are considered to be minors.
In contrast, Zimbabwean women enjoy absolute freedom and can travel as they please and do as they wish. But it is Zimbabwe that is under sanctions for violating human rights not Saudi Arabia. The British tell us we should be thankful for these sanctions as they are in our best interests. They are doing it because they love us. They must imagine us to be great fools.
In November of 2012, Mohammed Ibrahim, a Nigerian man living is Saudi Arabia, was accused of theft. As punishment under the country’s strict Sharia laws, he had his hand chopped off. In June of the same year, Mareeh bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri was executed for allegedly committing adultery and practicing witchcraft. This is the country that Britain considers an ally. It is not under sanctions. But we are told that Britain is sanctioning the demon Mugabe for violating human rights. The sanctions are because the British have so much love for the poor people of Zimbabwe. One wonders why the British cannot share some of this love with their Saudi ally.
The British are also very much unhappy at what they claim are election irregularities in Zimbabwe. Unless they deem elections free and fair under their terms, then Zimbabwe will remain under sanctions. But let us look at the record and see which country is more democratic. In Zimbabwe we actually hold timeous elections in which we elect parliamentarians and the president. In the last election, the MDC won and took control of parliament. Is this how a dictatorship operates?
Whilst the British howl endlessly about elections in Zimbabwe, their Queen is having feast upon feast with the Saudi King. Are there any opposition parties in Saudi Arabia? The answer is no. Do they even have elections in that country? Again the answer is no. Do they allow anti-government newspapers to publish freely? No again. What about the Internet, is it freely accessible as it is in Zimbabwe? No it is not, the government filters it. The nation is a totalitarian police state that is ruled by a monarch that cannot be questioned. They are not under sanctions. Is it because the British so love Zimbabwe more than they do Saudi Arabia? Why are they not introducing sanctions against that country if they are such champions of democracy?
Has Mugabe created a secret prison in which he holds men indefinitely without trial in violent violation of habeas corpus and the rules of natural justice? No, Guantanamo Bay does not have Robert Mugabe’s name on it. Has Robert Mugabe’s government killed innocent women and children in a drone strike and callously dismissed the atrocity as collateral damage? This is the work of the British and the Americans. For every fifty people killed in a drone strike, only one is an actual insurgent. As the president has previously said, they have much to atone for and very little to lecture us on human rights.
The duplicity and evil of the white man is well documented in history. Their actions in Zimbabwe are not because they love us. Far from it! They are angry because we dared take back land that they stole. They had grown accustomed to plundering nations and getting away with it. They felt it their right as whites to steal, feign regret but keeping possession of the stolen goods. Look at what they are doing to the Aboriginals in Australia. They live on the periphery of society in their own land. In Zimbabwe we said no to their supremacist nonsense and kicked them out. They are enraged beyond measure and want to punish us whilst hiding behind human rights and democracy to lend legitimacy to their cruel actions. It is impossible to hide behind a finger.
We have been quiet for a very long time as they carried on this hypocrisy. However I can assure the West and their surrogate political parties that this election we are going to expose them and expose them clearly. This election is a game changer and we are indeed going to fight like a wounded beast.
Amai Jukwa is a loving mother of three. She respects Robert Mugabe, is amused by Tsvangirai and feels sorry for Mutambara. She loves being followed on Twitter @AmaiJukwa
Labels: LAND REFORM, MAI JUKWA, NEOCOLONIALISM, SANCTIONS, ZDERA
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Government takes over Collum Mines
Time Posted: February 20, 2013 2:17 pm
Government has with immediate effect cancelled the mining licence for Chinese run Collum Coal Mine. Based in Sinazongwe area of Southern Province, Collum Mine has been the subject of fierce labour disputes between the Chinese managers and the local Zambian workers due to poor working conditions.
In 2010, eleven miners including one onlooker were shot and seriously wounded by Chinese manager at the Collum Coal Mine. Mines Minister Yamfwa Mukanga announced during a news briefing this morning that government has taken over the operations of the coal mine.
Mr. Mukanga said the mine has had a poor history of poor safety, health and environmental compliance which he attributed to the employment of unqualified personnel.
“Collum Coal Mine has failed to consistently provide employees with approved personal protective equipment (PPE’s),” he said.
Mr. Mukanga said the Ministry through the Mines Safety Department has been undertaking regular inspections to assist the mine remedy the persistent beaches adding that in some instances the entire mine has been closed before to allow the mine management to comply with directives but that there has no improvements.
“The Ministry gave a default notice to Collum Coal Mine on August 16 2012 and the company was given 60 days within which to remedy the anomalies cited in the default letter failure to which the licence would be cancelled. The 60 days expired on October 16 2012 without any response to the notice or remediation of all anomalies cited,” Mr. Mukanga stated.
The Mines Minister said Collum Mine failed to meet statutory obligations such as the declaration of mineral production and royalty to government.
Mr. Mukanga has since appealed to workers at the coal mine to remain calm assuring that there will be no disruption of normal operations.
Collum Coal Mining Industries Limited holds three small scale mining licences in Sinazongwe district of Southern province which were granted on 31 May 2002, July 5 2002 and May 7 2003 respectively.
Labels: COLLUM COAL MINE, NATIONALISATION, YAMFWA MUKANGA
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World Bank partly to blame for bodies taxing private sector - Scott
By Moses Kuwema
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 13:10 CAT
VICE-President Dr Guy Scott says
the World Bank is partly to blame for the many quasi-government institutions that depend on taxing the private sector for their income. And Vice-President Scott says Zambia has a disjointed situation as far as interest rates are concerned.
During a meeting with visiting World Bank directors at his office and in response to a question from one of the directors Piero Cipollone, who wanted to know if the government trusts the indicators of doing business in the country and what they thought of them, Vice-President Scott said the cost of doing business in the country was vexed.
"If you are running a supermarket, you are likely to get inspections from four or five organisations coming to make sure that you are not selling stuff past its sell-by date, ZABS, the council. There is enormous explosion of quahogs of quasi or autonomous organisations type of things and depend on their income upon taxing the private sector and claiming that you are an environmental danger, health danger, and that you are over-charging or under-charging, you are violating the competition Act." There is a big issue in restructuring and you guys are partly to blame.
I mean over the years, it is you who have been saying 'let us have a project', we need a new institution to do the project, we don't want to work with these corrupt fellows here in this ministry department. We want a new whatever and then after three years the project closes and it becomes a predator on the system. I think that needs a careful survey," Vice President Scott said.
Vice President Scott said in Zambia, about 70 licences were required technically to do business.
"To actually be legal in Lusaka, you take about two years to set up your business because of all the people that are demanding licences off you, wanting to do inspections off you and I think that needs to be cut. I think it needs to be a bonfire of quahogs. We are part of the way there. It is interesting, you set up an institution to facilitate business and the first thing it will do is take the money that you give it…taxpayers' money and start building real estate for its offices and then for rent. And then you set up a real estate company, you have not set up anything else," Vice-President Scott said.
And Vice-President Scott said Zambia had one of the highest interest rates in the world.
He said most Zambians ought to have their own houses through mortgages but that this was not the case because of the short period of repaying.
"The only mortgage you can get is a 10 year one at 18 per cent or something like that, which you cannot afford. We have this bizarre structure which could be as a result of lack of competition. You would have thought that the current trade would have brought it down, through people coming in and having their money banked here, that would generate some competition and bring the rates down, but we are not seeing this," he said.
And in response to another World Bank director Rudolf Treffers who wanted to know how the Zambian government could use agriculture to reduce rural poverty, Vice-President Scott said the realistic opportunities for agriculture were there but could not be determined from the boardrooms.
He said there was need to be practical and also have practical entrepreneurs or innovators to support the government programmes.
Meanwhile, Treffers said it was important for his organisation to have a physical feel of how the situation was in this country.
Labels: GUY SCOTT, REGULATION, World Bank
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We've found evidence of corruption against former leaders - Scott
By Moses Kuwema
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT
Vice-President Dr Guy Scott says the government has found prima-facie evidence of corruption against several leaders who served in both the previous regime of former president Rupiah Banda and the current MMD leadership.
Speaking in separate interviews with South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) TV and on a live-radio programme on Channel Africa yesterday, Vice-President Scott said there was no witch-hunt in the corruption crusade the government had embarked on.
He said the discovery of about R5 million (referring to K2.1 billion which was found hidden at former labour minister Austin Liato's house), and the over 2,000 bicycles that were found in one of the former ministers' backyard was just a tip of the iceberg on the rampant corruption that took place under Banda's regime.
Vice-President Scott said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) recently gave an opportunity to Banda to clear his name on some of the alleged abuses but he refused to appear before the investigative agency.
He explained that the action by the ACC prompted Banda and his colleagues to hold an emergency press conference on foreign land so that they could gain international sympathy.
"The same MMD lifted the immunity of former president Frederick Chiluba in order to allow him to be prosecuted, and there is a very good precedence already," Vice-President Scott said. "We found a lot of prima-facie evidence of corruption against the MMD regime."
Vice-President Scott said Banda was guaranteed under the rule of law obtaining in Zambia, and that no court would put him behind bars if he were not guilty.
"We are being very tough on corruption and that's why they are not happy. They are squirming under the pressure," Vice-President Scott said.
He questioned the logic by opposition leaders to hold a press conference in South Africa when the same briefing attracted headlines in the Zambian media.
Vice-President Scott said even the public media that was being used as propaganda tool under the previous regime was now operating with more freedom and covering the opposition as well.
He said Zambia was not a one-party state, and the government would not wish for the nation to become one.
"I think it is hysterical what they are doing. I think it is far too overblown, they are losing. They are basically becoming weaker and weaker. We are getting stronger and they say it is because we are using unfair tricks, but we are winning by-elections handsomely," Vice-President Scott said. "There is no unlawful imprisonment in Zambia, no military take over…if you want to excite the world press, you have to come to South Africa!"
Vice-President Scott said countries that had been suspended by the Commonwealth were those affected by rampant abuses by their governments and military coups, which was not the case in Zambia.
On the allegations that President Michael Sata had unleashed ethnicity on Zambia, Vice-President Scott responded: "How can you have ethnicity in a country with a white Vice-President?"
And Vice-President Scott said relations between Zambia and South Africa could be better because of their shared history.
However, Vice-President Scott said the government was trying to enhance the relations through channels like improving media relations between the two countries.
"We are building up our press relations (with South Africa) at the embassy here. I will talk to the President when I get back that we might consider putting more resources into that," he said.
Vice-President Scott said Zambia would like to see more in-depth investment from South Africa in the mining, manufacturing and agricultural sectors, beyond the investment into chain stores and hotels.
He said both countries should project a proper image of themselves as mining giants.
Vice-President Scott said the problem of unemployment was affecting both countries and that they should come up with ways of addressing the problem.
"We read about your problems and recognise them immediately as our own problems," said Dr Scott.
Labels: CORRUPTION, GUY SCOTT, MMD, NEVERS MUMBA, RUPIAH BANDA
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Politicians without integrity
By The Post
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT
Reverend Anderson Banda of the Reformed Church in Zambia says the Church will only keep quiet when people start practising politics with integrity.
Reverend Banda says they want to see politics being practiced with integrity in this country, especially that this nation has been declared a Christian one.
We all know that every day newspapers are full of stories about leaders who lack integrity - men and women who, while leading, had some breach of trust that usually led to personal gain. But the church has been quiet.
We have repeatedly stated that leaders aren't perfect people; neither are their followers. We will never have perfect leaders. Integrity doesn't require perfection, however. Rather, integrity demands that leaders and followers take responsibilities for wrongs done and take steps to correct or make restitution for those wrongs.
But we have seen from our experiences with Frederick Chiluba and now with Rupiah Banda that things don't happen that way; our leaders don't have that type or level of integrity to admit their wrongdoing, apologise and make restitution for those wrongdoings.
Chiluba was given enough opportunity to return a part of what he had stolen and be forgiven. He did not do so. Instead, he pretended to be innocent when everyone could see that he had stolen. Even when the London High Court found him and his tandem of thieves wanting and asked him and his friends to pay back more than US$46 million they had stolen from the Zambian people, Chiluba still pretended to be innocent. We see the same pattern today with Rupiah.
Rupiah knows very well that he and his children stole public funds and abused public resources and evidence is there to prove their crimes. His son flees the country. And Rupiah himself goes round pretending to be a democrat who is being victimised by the tyrannical regime of Michael Sata. This was the same approach Chiluba took, pretending to be a victim of Levy Mwanawasa's political victimisation and intolerance. But in his heart of hearts, Chiluba knew he was a thief.
These are the levels of integrity we have in our leaders. But we know that even at the heart of any assessment of biblical qualifications for leadership lies the concept of integrity - that uncompromising adherence to a code of moral, artistic, or other values that reveals itself in sincerity, honesty and candour and avoids deception or artificiality.
The God-given capacity to lead has two parts: giftedness and character. Integrity is at the heart of character. Integrity is a vital price of leadership for anyone who is serious about establishing a leadership style and legacy that will impact the world in a positive manner - to be above reproach.
If a mistake is made, if a wrong is committed, if an injustice is carried out, then integrity demands that a leader take ownership for it and make it right.
In this generation where everyone is a victim and wrongs done, crimes committed seem to be no one's fault, there is a desperate need for men and women of integrity to lead the way; men and women who can hold on to their values and make decisions that are consistent with who they are and what they believe; men and women who don't sell-out or cut corners hoping no one is watching. This is so because that is not the way to become to remain a leader.
If there is in their hearts a vestige of love for their country, love for their people, love for justice, we don't think Rupiah and his friends who include Hakainde Hichilema, Nevers Mumba and Sakwiba Sikota would behave in the way they are behaving. Look at the way they are attacking, denouncing, maligning, slandering an innocent man, Michael, for trying to do the right thing and bring Rupiah to account for his corruption, abuses!
The endless stream of lies and slanders, poured forth in their crude, odious, repulsive language, may only be compared to the endless stream of abuses against the people they have endlessly engaged in. To have believed them for a single moment would have sufficed to fill a man or woman of conscience with remorse and shame for the rest of his or her life. They have even hired mercenary lawyers who ambulance-chase every corrupt politician who is being prosecuted and has stolen a lot of money to be their clients. For what and why? We shall not mince our words about these mercenaries.
They are not even attempting to cover appearances. They don't seem to bother in the least to conceal what they are doing. They think they are deceiving the people with their lies, their propaganda, their malice and they are ending up deceiving themselves. They used to think power lies with them and not with the people.
Dante divided his Inferno into nine circles. He put the criminals in the seventh, the thieves in the eighth and the traitors in the ninth. Difficult dilemma the devils will be faced with, when they try to find an adequate spot for this man's soul - if this man has a soul. The man who stole from the poor Zambian people to enrich himself, his sons and his friends doesn't even have a heart.
In every society there are men and women of base instincts who go about in the guise of human beings when they are nothing but crooks, monsters only more or less restrained by discipline and social habit. If they are offered a drink from a river of blood, they will not be satisfied until they drink the river dry.
It is therefore not difficult to understand why Hakainde is defending Rupiah's corruption. It is simply because abusing a position of trust to enrich oneself is not something that Hakainde finds wrong. Look at what Hakainde did himself when he was entrusted with the responsibility of liquidator!
Today, at their hands, the best and noblest Zambians are being maligned, scandalised, are being painted black so that at the end of the day there is no distinction between them and these decent and noble Zambians. They have hired mercenaries like Robert Amsterdam to do their propaganda work, to defame and malign those who are trying to make them account.
A person who defends a man who has robbed his poor country and poor people is not an honourable man, a man of integrity. This is what those who are defending Rupia are - men without integrity. And the church should speak out against such men as long as they exist.
In the nation there must be a certain degree of honour and integrity just as there must be a certain amount of light. When there are many men and women without honour and integrity, there are always others who bear in themselves the integrity of many men and women. These are the men and women who rebel with great force against those who steal the people's resources, that is to say, against those who steal the people's honour itself. In those men and women, thousands more are contained, an entire people is contained, human dignity is contained.
It is understandable that honest men and women should be maligned in a Republic where the president is a criminal and a thief like Rupiah was.
Whatever they thought was the morality of defending Rupiah's corruption - and about that there is no doubt - there is no doubt about its imbecility. There is no slightest shadow of doubt that Hakainde and his friends in defending Rupiah's corruption they have chosen political methods which are bound to destroy their political standing forever.
People resent most bitterly their unconcern for the lives of innocent poor men and women of this country and their defence of a man who has stolen from these poor people. They have betrayed the people; they have betrayed the poor. And it is said that he who betrays the poor, betrays Christ.
Labels: CORRUPTION, POLITICS
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ACC clears Kabimba, GBM of corruption
By Staff Reporters
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT
THE Anti Corruption Commission has found no evidence of corruption against justice minister Wynter Kabimba and his defence counterpart Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, commonly known as GBM.
Late last year, the ACC was investigating the two cabinet ministers for corrupt activities. According to well-placed sources at the ACC, the institution had since concluded investigations against Kabimba and Mwamba.
"We could have officially written to the two ministers in December last year to tell them that we did not find any evidence of corruption against each one of them, but there were circumstances which disturbed us.
If you remember that was the time UPND leader Hakainde Mr Hichilema was arrested and charged with defamation of the President when he said that President Michael Sata was protecting Wynter Kabimba from prosecution," said the sources.
"So that was the time we wanted to write to the two honourable ministers, but that incident somehow disturbed us, and so we held on. In any case we will write to each one of them very soon to inform them about the findings of our investigations."
In October last year, ACC summoned Kabimba to appear before the Commission following its investigations against him over oil contract deals.
Prior to the invitation, Kabimba gave the ACC a seven-day ultimatum to make public its findings on allegations of corruption leveled against him.
The Commission was also investigating Mwamba on allegations that he solicited for a contract to supply and deliver Zesco poles.
According to documentation obtained by The Post, Zesco intended to award a tender for the supply and delivery of 9m, 10m and 12m wooden poles on a one-year running contract basis to several bidders, including Arizona Marketing & Distribution, which belongs to GBM and two of his family members.
But Mwamba said he had always been a businessman and described as nonsense allegations that he was soliciting contracts from the power utility.
Labels: ACC, CORRUPTION, GBM, WYNTER KABIMBA
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Probe team warns, cautions Dora
By Ernest Chanda
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT
THE Government Joint Investigations Team on Monday warned and cautioned Dora Siliya in connection with the
signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RP Capital Partners of Cayman Islands, which led to the privatisation of Zamtel.
According to team spokesperson Namukolo Kasumpa, Siliya, who is former communications and transport minister was cautioned for the offence of abuse of authority of office, by signing an MoU and an Addendum without authorisation.
She disclosed that as a result of such a transaction, Siliya committed the government to an expenditure of over K800 million (KR800 thousand), an act arbitrary and prejudicial to the interests of the government of the Republic of Zambia.
Kasumpa said that during the warn and caution process, Siliya opted to remain silent and did not respond to the allegation.
According to an MoU which Siliya, in 2008 signed with RP Capital Partners Limited to evaluate Zamtel's assets, ahead of its privatisation, the Zambian government was mandated to pay RP Capital Partners Limited a fee amounting to five per cent of the negotiated amount and would get US $2 million about K10.3 billion as transaction fees at the end of the transaction.
However, at the end of the transaction, RP Capital Partners Limited got about US $12.8 million (approximately K65 billion) from the Zambian government after the sale of Zamtel to Libya's Lap Green Network.
And despite legal advice from the Attorney General's Chambers against engaging RP Capital Partners Limited without following the procedures, Siliya, on behalf of the Zambian government, on December 22, 2008 signed the MoU with RP Capital.
According to the MoU, RP Capital Partners Limited had been contracted by the Zambian government to provide consultancy services to the government in connection with valuation of Zamtel for purposes of the potential sale of government shares in Zamtel, assistance in negotiations with prospective acquirers in conjunction with the government team and project management of the potential Zamtel sale process working with the Ministry of Communications and Transport and/or the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), as the case may be.
And on Saturday, June 5, 2010, then finance and national planning minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane announced that the government had agreed to sell 75 per cent shares in Zamtel to Libya's LAP Green Network for US$257 million (about K1.3 trillion).
And since RP Capital Partners Limited was entitled to five per cent of the negotiated amount, in this case US$257 million, it meant that the firm would be given about US$12.8 million.
Then president Rupiah Banda's son, Henry, was said to have introduced RP Capital Partners Limited to Siliya and the Ministry of Communications and Transport.
In early 2009, sources revealed to The Post that Henry was one of the contact persons for RP Capital Partners Limited and that he had attended some meetings at the ministry.
Henry has since refused to appear before investigative wings and is on a self-imposed exile in South Africa.
Labels: CORRUPTION, DANNY GERTLER, DORA SILIYA, RP CAPITAL PARTNERS
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Chief urges UPND not to lie about Monde's suspension
By Brina Siwale in Livingstone and Moses Kuwema in Lusaka
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT
THE UPND leadership has started backtracking on the expulsion of its Itezhi-tezhi member of parliament Greyford Monde from the party based on his appointment as agriculture deputy minister.
And chief Sinazongwe of the Tonga-speaking people of Sinazongwe district has advised the UPND not to lie to the nation that they had suspended Monde because of other charges other than his acceptance to serve in government.
UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa yesterday claimed the party would have no problem with its members of parliament working with government as long as they remained loyal to the party.
Mweetwa, who was among those that called for Monde's expulsion, said that the PF was welcome to appoint UPND members of parliament as long as they consulted the party before the appointment.
"We are not saying that our MPs should not be appointed by the PF. If PF or indeed any government wants to appoint a UPND MP as minister, they should first formally approach the party so that when such a person is appointed, they will have the blessings of the party," said Mweetwa.
However, last week, Mweetwa together with party president Hakainde Hichilema, said Monde would be expelled from the UPND.
Hichilema told Breeze FM that Monde knew the consequences of accepting a ministerial position in the PF government.
Hichilema said that the UPND had a strict policy that stated that no member of parliament would accept to work with the PF government as minister or deputy minister.
And Mweetwa last week said the party would soon set the course for disciplinary action against Monde.
"Speaking in my own capacity as Mweetwa and not UPND, I can say Monde will be expelled because a precedence has been set before where the people that have joined government against the UPND's policies and guidelines have been expelled. Examples are there for people like late Ben Tetamashimba and others," he said.
Mweetwa advised Monde to resign from the UPND and join the PF, saying that would be the moral decision to make.
He said Monde had shown that he was a very weak soldier who had failed to manage waging a war from the opposition battlefront.
"Opposition politics is for strong individuals because temptations are so grave. It is also embarrassing for people in political nursery to begin their careers with fragile stance. Monde has shown that young people are not going to parliament to serve the people but to serve their own interests. This is political treachery and an act of cowardice," Mweetwa said then.
And party deputy secretary general Kuchunga Simusamba last week also said it was sad that Monde would spend his 'political robes with the greedy and Judas Iscariot for a few pieces of silver'.
Simusamba said Monde had betrayed the cause of the party and that of his constituents.
"He (Monde) has always been treacherous and he's one of those members of parliament who failed to file for his councillors in his constituency. We have been watching his dealings with the PF and today is a great day for us because his sins have been exposed and this is where he says goodbye," said Simusamba.
"He has expelled himself and we accept his decision. We will replace him with a more trustworthy member of parliament. It's obvious that we are winning that seat so let him enjoy those pieces of silver hoping he doesn't end up hanging himself like Judas Iscariot," said Simusamba last week.
However last week, the UPND avoided suspending Monde over accepting the ministerial position but instead slapped him with different charges.
In a letter dated February 15, 2013 and signed by party secretary general Winstone Chibwe, UPND stated that it had been brought to its attention that Monde had on numerous occasions failed to avail himself for party programmes and had failed to work effectively with the constituency and the general membership of the party.
Chibwe stated that specifically the party had charged him with destabilising the party, bringing the party name into disrepute and public odium by issuing unauthorised statements, failure to obey or carryout party instructions and activities and failure to maintain a cordial working relationship with local party officials in Itezhi-tezhi.
"The aforesaid is a testimony that your membership is questionable and that your motive is malicious and with intent to destabilise and injure the good image and reputation of UPND, as a well-organised party," he stated. "By virtue of the powers vested in me, under Article 8 (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e), you are hereby charged with the offence of gross misconduct and therefore suspended with immediate effect from the party as your actions are in breach of Article 8 of our party's constitution. You are given three days from date hereof, to exculpate yourself."
However Mweetwa has suddenly made a u-turn on his expulsion statement and said in an interview that the party had no problem with its members of parliament being appointed as ministers in government.
"We find it extremely disappointing that many people are failing to draw a distinction between working with government and working with the PF. Working with PF is where you begin to indulge yourself in political activities that undermine our party," Mweetwa said.
He cited himself as an example of how an MP in the opposition should work with government.
"All of us work with government. I am the MP for Choma, I work with government but no one has complained about me because I only work with government and I am loyal to my party. I don't work with PF, what we don't allow is working with PF," he said.
"That way their loyalty will still remain to the party that sent them to Parliament. So this issue of cutting deals behind is what UPND is saying no to. We are not saying UPND MPs should not be appointed or work with government; it is as simple as that."
President Sata appointed Monde as deputy minister.
Meanwhile, chief Sinazongwe says the UPND should understand that Monde was in government to serve Zambians and not his interest.
Commenting on the suspension of Monde from the UPND, chief Sinazongwe also advised the UPND not to lie to the nation that they had suspended Monde because of other charges other than his acceptance to serve in the PF government.
"It is not true. They should not lie to Zambians because we know that Monde has been suspended because he was appointed into government. …The fact is that Monde has been appointed into government and has been charged because of that. They just want to mix things," chief Sinazongwe said.
And chief Sinazongwe said the President had a right to appoint any member of parliament into government regardless of the political party they belonged to as long as they were serving the nation.
"As long as someone is obedient to his party, he can be loyal to his party but serving the nation. He is not serving that opposition party. He is serving the country, the people of Zambia. That's what we must understand. Anyone who is appointed to any position, whether he is in opposition; MMD, UPND, he is supposed to be let free not to be suspended but to look at what activities he is going to do for the nation. Is he going to serve the people of Zambia or the party? This is what we must understand; the government does not belong to the ruling party only. It belongs to everybody, every Zambian, whether opposition or not," he said.
Chief Sinazongwe said he saw no reason why opposition political parties should always have difficulties appreciating the appointment of their members of parliament into government.
"I think it must be enshrined in the Constitution, to protect the opposition members who are appointed in the government. The opposition must learn to support the government in power," he said.
Labels: CHIEF SINAZONGWE, CHIEFS, CORNELIUS MWEETWA, GREYFORD MONDE, UPND
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New survey gives Zanu PF election edge
19/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THE next elections will likely be a closely fought contest with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party marginally edging Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T, a new survey has suggested.
Zimbabwe is set to hold fresh elections later this year to end the uneasy coalition between Mugabe and Tsvangirai which was formed after violent but inconclusive elections in 2008.
And a survey carried out in November last year by the Harare-based Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) has suggested that Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, would marginally edge the contest.
Revealing the results Tuesday, MPOI researcher, Heather Koga, said Zanu PF would likely win the Parliamentary elections with 33 percent of the vote against 32 percent for the MDC-T.
“The survey results suggest that the forthcoming parliamentary elections will be a closely fought battle between Zanu PF (33%) and MDC-T (32%), while support for other political parties candidates such as Mavambo Kusile Dawn and ZAPU approach zero (to the nearest whole number) with the MDC (Ncube) seeming to be maintaining its 1% support level.”
Koga said about 30 percent of the 1,200 people interviewed had declined to reveal which parties they would vote for.
“It must be noted that from the whole number of people asked during the research 30% of the sample was not willing to reveal their political affiliation. Given this we are not sure which political party these people will vote for come the election day,” Koga told NewZimbabwe.com
MPOI also carried out another opinion survey for the United States-based Freedom House last year which suggested support for the MDC-T had collapsed from 38 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in 2012. By contrast, backing for Zanu PF was said to have increased to 31 percent from 17 percent, over the same period.
The Freedom House survey also suggested Mugabe would command the support of 31 percent of the presidential vote, compared to 19 percent for Tsvangirai, an alarming prospect for the MDC-T whose popularity stood at a healthy 55 percent no more than four years ago.
Zanu PF commentators however, dismissed the survey as an attempt by the MDC-T’s Western allies to shock the party out of a perceived complacency with the survey’s lead researcher, South African academic Susan Booysen, noting that: “Perhaps they (MDC-T) think they are crown prince that need only wait for Mugabe to go for it to fall in their lap. This is a wake-up call for them that there is no honeymoon.”
Tsvangirai said he would take note of the results and institute corrective action.
“We take not of some of the observations and will take corrective measures where they are necessary. We are a party that always looks at these issues constantly,” he said.
“We don’t take people for granted by the way we constantly review our performance in all departments.”
Meanwhile, Koga said the latest survey also showed that most Zimbabweans wanted new elections to end the coalition government.
“68 percent of Zimbabweans of voting age were of the view that the country is ready to hold elections,” she said.
“(Those) who said the country is not ready to hold elections by March 2013 suggested that the Inclusive government should continue indefinitely.
“The need to engage international observers (eg from SADC, UN, EU) to ensure free and fair elections in the country was also a major suggestion.”
The coalition administration is credited with easing political tensions and ending a decade-long economic crisis but further progress has been hampered by constant bickering and policy differences between the parties.
A constitutional referendum has been set for March 16, with elections expected later in the year although Tsvangirai suggested the polls may be held in July.
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), ZANU-PF
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ZESA starts US$70m Zambia debt payments
19/02/2013 00:00:00
by Business Reporter
ZESA said Tuesday it had started paying a $70 million debt to Zambia, a necessary step before the two nations can embark on a joint 1,600 megawatt hydroelectric plant, which could help relieve a power shortage.
The two countries have started preliminary work on the Batoka power project, estimated to cost $2.5 billion, and expected to be built and operated by a private company for a period of years before transferring ownership to the two states.
ZESA Chief Executive Elijah Chifamba told a parliamentary committee hearing the utility had started making payments to Zambia to clear the debt incurred when Zimbabwe sold off assets of a disbanded power firm jointly owned by the two countries to run hydroelectric plants at the Kariba dam.
Chifamba said Zimbabwe will have paid $40 million to the Zambians by the end of March.
“Zesa has paid US$20 million after the creation of a sinking fund with a local bank and should have paid an additional US$20 million by the end of March this year,” he said.
“The amount should be cleared by the end of March next year with work on the project expected to begin within 18 months as expressions of interest had been advertised.
"Zambians needed to see first that we were committed to settling that debt and to demonstrate that we are bona fide partners before they could actually enter into the Batoka project. Because we have done so, that has unlocked the project."
Batoka is situated 50kms downstream of Victoria Falls and with the two countries expecting to get 800 MW each from the project.
Zambia had refused to partner Zimbabwe until the Federation-era debt was cleared. The debt also includes proceeds of the sale of assets belonging to former Central African Power Corporation (CAPCO) which ran the Kariba project but was disbanded in 1987.
Zimbabwe, which currently generates just over 1,000 MW of power or about half of peak demand, has struggled to get funding for new projects to expand capacity, largely due to concerns about the handling of the country’s economy. The resulting power shortage has paralysed mines and industries.
Chifamba said ZESA, which is owed $740 million by non-paying customers, was struggling to raise long-term finance to fund its projects. The company has, however, cleared $100 million in debt for importing power owed to Mozambique's Hydro Cahorra Bassa.
The utility signed a $400 million deal with Chinese hydropower engineering firm Sinohydro in December to expand its Kariba hydroelectric plant by 300 megawatts.
Zimbabwe is in discussions with Export-Import Bank of China over funding the expansion.
The country has licensed several independent power producers, but analysts say it is unlikely to attract significant foreign investment due to Mugabe's drive to force foreign firms, including mines and banks, to turn over 51 percent ownership stakes to locals under a black economic empowerment law.
Labels: ELIJAH CHIFAMBA, ENERGY, HYDRO POWER, ZESA
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‘Let’s do away with financial imperialism
Sunday, 17 February 2013 00:00
Wholesalers and retailers in the beverages sector seem to have a lot of reservations about the way big manufacturers and suppliers are treating them. So bad has been the situation that an association representing the interests of the sector is considering approaching the Competition and Tariff Commission to look at some alleged unfair business practices that are believed to be threatening the businesses of many in the sector.
In order to get further insight into what exactly is happening, The Sunday Mail Business Editor DARLINGTON MUSARURWA (DM) last week spoke to the president of the Beverage Wholesalers and Retailers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Mr Petros Kanjera (PK)
DM: As a point of departure, we just want to understand what kind of animal is the Beverage and Retailers’ Association of Zimbabwe and what informed its formation?
PK: Beverage Wholesalers and Retailers’ Association of Zimbabwe has been formed by wholesalers and retailers in the beverage industry and our main supplier here is Delta Beverages. This (association) has also been prompted by the actions of Delta who revised the discounts that we used to enjoy from 5 percent to 2,6 percent.
There was also a “voiceless” situation where sector members used to complain about ill treatment or being shortchanged by some of these big companies. Our analysis as an association is that no one in this business has amounted to anything. Why? Because for any business person to remain in business, they should be an economic person.
Every person in business spends money to get money through a profit, which is only possible through a return on investment. So we believe that some of these big manufacturers have been abusing the market, in the sense that every time the margins of the wholesalers and retailers are going down.
By virtue of that now we have a situation whereby people are being made poorer and poorer and poorer.
For example, retailers used to make a gross profit of US$10 per crate, which has, however, since been reduced to $3,85 per crate. So, where is the difference going and who is pocketing it?
At the moment, there are some sector members who do not know that they have the right to sell beverages at a price they feel is economic to them because of the monopoly and power exercised by some of these big manufacturers.
As a result, some of the wholesalers and retailers are closing.
We have since realised that we will hardly go anywhere if our voices are not heard.
DM: So, when was this organisation formed?
PK: In July last year.
DM: And your membership?
PK: Well, we have a membership around the country; we are currently busy forming provincial structures. I think we have one or two provinces where we are not represented.
DM: What do you hope to achieve as an association?
PK: We want to create an environment where we have a level playing field for people in the beverages industry. That is what we feel we should achieve. We really need co-operative understanding from manufacturers.
Currently we have a problem in that even if retailers can determine prices of their products, there are some big manufacturers that believe they have the power to determine what to give and to whom. And they determine what type of brand they should produce and they also determine what it is they want done.
What we are saying as an association is that while we are talking about indigenisation, there are some companies whose policies seem to be parallel to indigenisation, because the ordinary retailer is seeing his working capital decline everyday.
If the working capital is reduced, it means that someone can hardly stay in business.
We have seen a situation where some of these manufacturers come to dictate the price at which you should sell your beverages. They ignore other things like costs that are incurred in retailing that product.
So, in such circumstances, how can someone stay in business?
One can only stay in business when he is making money.
We want to achieve a situation where these powerful manufacturers do not manage other people’s businesses.
DM: It seems that this is your main grievance?
PK: Yes, we are saying they (manufacturers) are managing our businesses from their bedrooms. They even go to the extent of supplying retailers with their own refrigerators because they know full well that they cannot afford them. Why then do they continue to squeeze our margins?
In any case, how does someone get to dictate what you have to sell and at what price in someone’s shop?
It is fair to say that in this case we don’t have the assets; we only have the liabilities.
DM: In your opinion, do you think you will be successful in lobbying against such monopolies in the market?
PK: Yes! Why not? We are talking of a situation where we are saying people should be empowered and not disempowered. We believe we will have Government’s support to get that done. These big manufacturers will always argue that anyone is free to enter into the market as a competitor, but, believe me, they don’t mean it.
Unfair business practices cannot be of any benefit for those in business, but some people take advantage of their muscle in the market. So, they usually dictate what the market should want.
In essence, the formation of this association was to enhance business processes — so that we have a clear connection between the association and the producers or manufacturers or any other people involved in the distribution chain.
At the end of the day, the person who suffers is the consumer.
DM: Are you saying that your main grievance is to have the freedom to determine your own prices?
PK: No! It’s (the freedom) there already, but some wholesalers are retailers don’t know that. What disturbs us the most is that some of these big manufacturers are five-in-one: they are manufacturers, they are suppliers, they are wholesalers, they are retailers and they are distributors. Where should other people fit in then?
We want them to remain in their core business of manufacturing beverages and give a chance to other businesses or investors who might want to venture into such kind of business.
DM: But if you are given the freedom, or if you have the freedom to adjust the prices as you want ostensibly because of your cost structures, will that not make the consumer the ultimate victim?
PK: What difficulties are you talking about? Let me tell you something: when you are structuring a fair price you first consider your internal cost structure. What we are saying is that whenever manufacturers intend to increase their prices, they must first sit down with us as an association and discuss the pricing model.
The association is a platform to create a situation whereby we communicate with the manufacturers.
We are all in business; we want each other. This is not a confrontational situation we are creating here. We want to create a situation where we have good relationship between ourselves and the manufacturers, including everyone else in the business.
In fact, we also envisage a situation where our association will have shares in those companies. We want to do away with financial imperialism, which is a situation where some people just invest in this country to take money from us. They are not even interested in how we live.
DM: What role do you envisage will be played by the Beverages Wholesalers and Retailers’ Association of Zimbabwe in five years’ time?
PK: Well, our future plans are very clear. We are saying if all goes well we will be in a position to lobby our grievance through the Competition and Tariff Competition. We are saying if our problems are going to be attended to; if our playing field is ever going to be level, we will see our people begin to believe that they are really in business. Currently, people are closing down.
Our members should be empowered.
As long as there is no mutual relationship between the manufacturer and our members, there is no way we can grow.
DM: What makes you hopeful that you will achieve all these goals that you have set out for the association?
PK: We will only achieve if we have support from our members, which is there already.
DM: Have you tried to engage these big manufacturers or lobby through the Government?
PK: At the moment, we are still trying to line up several meetings with the authorities, but, yes, we have done that. Last year, we had a meeting on the 27th of January with one of the manufacturers. Again, on May 14 2012 we engaged some of the directors, and on September 27, we had a meeting with the chief executive officer of Delta Beverages, Mr Pearson Gowero. We didn’t want to jump the gun.
Labels: BEER, MONOPOLIES
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