Saturday, June 04, 2011

Sinazongwe DC bemoans rise in bogus businesspersons

Sinazongwe DC bemoans rise in bogus businesspersons
By Brina Manenga in Sinazongwe
Sat 04 June 2011, 04:00 CAT

SINAZONGWE district commissioner Oliver Pelete says the increasing number of fraudulent business people in the area is depriving the local farmers of development.

In an interview on Thursday, Pelete said it was unfortunate that the unsuspecting local farmers were talked into selling their maize at cheap prices due to lack of market.

“Lately, we have had an increase in the number of briefcase business people. These people go deep into the areas within the districts. So because our farmers find it difficult to move their maize to the central district to sell their maize they easily sell their produce to these (briefcase business) people,” Pelete said.

“These people tell our farmers to give them their maize produce and the payment
would be done later. However, they take long to pay the farmers and at very low
prices. Some come with commodities like salaula (second-hand clothes) or cooking oil and they exchange that with the maize.”

He said the commissioner’s office had been working with the farmers to ensure that such cases were dealt with.

“Based on such cases, I have appealed and sensitised the farmers to ensure that their maize is kept properly. We have told them to be cautious. That way, they will be able to sell at good prices when government starts buying from them,” Pelete said.

He appealed to the government to increase the farmers’ input in the district form the farmers to produce enough food to last them the whole year.

Pelete also said the poor road network was another challenge that farmers in
the district were facing.

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

(MINEWEB, REUTERS) Chinese managers questioned over shooting of 11 Zambian coal miners

Chinese managers questioned over shooting of11 Zambian coal miners

Statements have been taken by police from two Chinese managers over incident in which eleven protesting miners were shot and wounded.
Author: Chris Mfula
Posted: Saturday , 16 Oct 2010
LUSAKA (Reuters) -

Zambian police on Saturday questioned two Chinese managers over the shooting and wounding of 11 miners protesting over pay and conditions, an official said.

Sinazongwe district commissioner Oliver Pelete told Reuters that police had recorded statements from the two managers at Chinese-owned Collum Mine Ltd., about 325 km (200 miles) south of Lusaka, in connection with Friday's shooting.

"The police have opened a case record and are now awaiting the advice of the director of public prosecutions on whether to proceed with the case," Pelete said.

Police said on Friday they were investigating whether people associated with the Chinese owners may have opened fire on the protesting miners when they confronted management.

Pelete said two of the miners with serious bullet wounds had been transferred to a bigger hospital in Lusaka for surgery. The other nine were out of danger.

"The situation at the mine is calm and production should resume by tomorrow because the management agreed to address the concerns of the miners," Pelete said.

A Chinese embassy spokesman told Reuters on Saturday there had been tension between the Chinese owners of the mine and local employees leading to the shooting incident, but refused to comment further.

Collum Mine Ltd. supplies coal to mines in the mineral-rich Copperbelt and to Zambia's largest cement producer, a unit of France's Lafarge.

(Reporting by Chris Mfula, Editing by Gugulakhe Lourie and Mark Trevelyan)

© Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved

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